e nineteenth century when books
were commonly issued in this form, is sufficient excuse for retaining
them in their original shape. Such volumes may easily be made presentable
at the cost of a little time and trouble, as I shall presently show.

An appearance of antiquity is never a _desideratum_ to the honest
book-collector. I say 'honest' advisedly, for there have been--and
doubtless are--persons so misguided as to stoop to the fabrication of
certain small and excessively valuable books. To such, an appearance of
age is no doubt indispensable in their wares. But these are torments
which afflict the wealthy only; and for this I at least am sincerely
thankful.

There is no doubt, however, that in the collection of many things
antiquity in appearance is desirable: witness the modern fabrication of
'antique' furniture and pottery. Our book-hunter was once acquainted with
a certain country gentleman, a learned man and most excellent companion,
whose passion for rare things once got the better of his judgment. It was
not books that he collected, but butterflies; and he was inordinately
proud of a rather seedy-looking 'Large Copper' which his cabinet
contained. For the benefit of his admiring entomological friends he would
recite how his grandfather had caught it with his hat when on a holiday
in the Fens. It grew to be quite an exciting tale. One day, however, in
the course of a country ramble they fell to discussing the romancer, or
man who resorts to fiction that his adventures may be the more
interesting. And as (for the sake of argument) the man of books affected
to praise him, remarking that any soulless fool can tell the bald truth
whereas it requires an artistic temperament to adorn a tale with
realistic embellishment (!), his friend turned to him eagerly. Being
encouraged, he confessed that his Large Copper was not all that it
appeared to be. In short, the bookman discovered that he had secured it
himself while on a summer tour in Switzerland, and with the aid of a
camel's-hair brush had succeeded in reducing it to a venerable state.

'Of course,' the entomologist hastened to explain, 'no one could possibly
tell that it was not my grandfather's. He had a very fine collection, and
probably there was more than one Large Copper in it, though there was
only the one in the cabinet that came to me. I shall never forget my
feelings when it happened. I had taken it out of the drawer to show to a
friend, when we both saw,