companions each year one or two
charming new acquaintances which come bearing the club's seal of
endorsement. A true bibliophile always feels a just pride in shelving
one of these book-treasures of his own club's production, and
thereafter displaying it before his friends, with the interesting bit
of information that "This is the latest production of _our Club_; it
is issued _only for members_." For obviously an owner's interest in
any work is increased many fold by the fact that he is a constituent
part of the organization which produced the same: the relationship to
the book in such a case is akin to the love of a parent for a child;
and the owner of a fine library will not unusually regard his Club
publications and privately printed books as the objects therein which
are entitled to his fondest consideration.

I have recently taken occasion to examine with considerable care the
latest publications of the leading book clubs of this country, and to
compare them with some of the first issues of these same clubs. The
improvement in the later productions over the earlier ones astonished
me. There were as good artists, editors, binders, type, paper, ink,
and other accessories twenty years ago as we have now, and indeed it
is doubtful if our modern printing presses show much improvement in
the quality of work during that time; but it would seem that
persistent effort along the lines of experimental work has been
generously rewarded by a steady improvement in the general results now
attained. Nor is the situation injured by a slight tinge of friendly
rivalry among clubs, to lend an additional zest to their labors, and
to whet the praiseworthy ambition of each to make every succeeding
issue a little better than the last. There are many zealous
bibliophiles who belong to two or three book clubs at once, finding it
interesting to collect and compare the works produced by the several
clubs.

Many of our great scholars as well as leading publishers are members
of these book clubs, and serve on the councils and various committees;
so it must not be supposed by skeptics that their publications are in
the slightest degree amateurish. They employ the best talent and
materials; the councils and publication committees, as well, being
composed of persons of unquestioned integrity, who possess an
intelligent understanding of bookmaking.

Some of these clubs (particularly those whose membership is largely
local) have commodious quarte