one is ever going to wade
through his twenty monstrosities, turning, perhaps, six illustrations
between page and page of text, we have not discovered. His completed
labours form a compilation about as valuable as a scrap-book. If it were
possible to gather into one volume, or rather portfolio, every portrait,
let us say, of a certain celebrity _that has ever been published_, one
would possess a valuable storehouse for reference purposes; and such a
volume, from its _completeness_, would be invaluable in the British
Museum. But these limits are too narrow for the true Grangerite. He
desires a wider field of action. So he embarks upon a task which he can
never hope to complete. Though he labour all his life there will always
be _some_ one or more engravings that he has failed to secure; and so far
from being 'invaluable,' his collection becomes merely of passing
interest. As a book it is, of course, grotesque.

The fate of most of these collections is probably the same. So long as
the binding remains in good condition they are ensured a niche on some
neglected shelf; but once the marks of age or wear and tear manifest
themselves their fate is sealed. They come speedily into the hands of
those booksellers who deal also in prints, and beneath such ruthless
hands the labour of years is undone in a few minutes. At least it is
pleasant to think that the poor pages, separated for so many years, come
together again if only for a few hours before they reach the paper-mill!

Whether the sober-minded collector whose pride is the well-being of his
books is justified in adding a frontispiece and, say, half-a-dozen good
engravings to a book that he appreciates, is a moot question. Doubtless
the correct view is that books should not be meddled with by amateur
book-producers, that both publisher and author know best what is most
fitting for the volume they produce, that any book which has been
tampered with internally in any way becomes a monster and is to be
avoided. But this brings up again the old question, 'May we not do what
we like with our own volumes?'

Personally I am of opinion that the judicious and extremely moderate
adornment of certain books is justified by the result. There is no doubt
that the insertion in an _un_illustrated volume of travel of, let us say,
six engraved plates depicting scenes mentioned in the text, adds a charm
to the volume and enhances both its appearance and the pleasure of its
perusal. Similarly