New-York tribune., 1869-04-10
tiOns.
BIBLIOMANIA.

DIDLIOMdNId'
An enterprising dealer in old books, new
books, and rare books in the City of Dublin,
recently printed upon the cover Of his cata-
logue rather q singular advertisement. Mr..
Rooney announced the sale of q collection OF
volumes, "the genuine property of gentle
"man lately deceased" This gentleman while
in the flesh, according to Mr.. Rooney, was lone
" of those noble patrons of literature who buy
"eyery work Of merit" "True to this glorious
" instinct" continues Mr.. Rooney, the late
"Mr. b bought every book recommended to
chin during the space of thirty years, papered
"them carefully, that his executors might dls-
tribute new and uncut copies, many OF
" them long ont of print and recherche" MT.
Rooney, it will be noticed, speaks OF glori-
"ous instinct and if by this he means
that the late Mr.. B. had an INSTINCT
for buying books by the cord, the
glory of it will be apparent, especially
to the booksellers. He is indeed worthy of all
praise who nobly makes up his mind to buy
"every work of merit" Such generosity is
displayed, it will be observed, not for the per-
sonal qualification of this Irish MGcenas-this
presidium and dulce decus of authors and bibi-
opolists He did not buy books for the purpose
or the pleasure of reading them, for the paper
knife of Mr.. B. was never permitted to dis
sect and so desecrate their hall0wed margins.
He regarded his treasures as Goldsmith did
Lord Clare's haunch of venison, when the poet
thought it pity "to spoil such delicate pic
"ture by eating" He experienced an exquisite
pleasure in being for time the custodian of
these rarities. What was this. however, TO the
prospect Of cutting noble figure ia the cata-
logues after his demise7 He did not care much
for the " Here lies Mr.. B. on tho marble; but
"From the collection of the late Mr.. B. filed
him with glowing though somewhat dusty an
ticipations. lie imagined the auctioneers
of the future loudly crying: "Fine copy
"uncut-from the library of Mr. B." lie
saw the eager faces and heard the excited bids
of the purchasers. He marked them peering
through their spectaces, and smelling saga
ciously of his favorite tones. He made every
preparation to he famous at sale, and then
he kindly died, that the sale might not be un-
necessarily delayed.
Perhaps there is no distinction better marked
than that which exists between the bookfan-
cier and the book-read Sometimes the form
er Is nice in his tastes, and confines himself
to the ACQUISITION of rare editions and large
paper copies Sometimes he abandons himself
to omnivorous and indiscriminate accumula-
ton We have all heard of the London coll
lector who had books everywhere. His cOun-
try house was full of them; his town house
was equally crowded; and in various ware
houses he had huge eases of books which were
never opened. Sometimes this mania for col
lection expends itself upon pictures. There
has been at least one Cardinal in Rome
who left orders with his major domO to buy
every picture offered at the gate of the palace,
provided the lprice asked did not exceed
certain very moderate sum. A gentleman just
dead, for many years citizen of Boston,
bought pictures in the same eccentric way,
although upon smaller scale. Now, it would
be easy to say that one who buys books or
pictures merely that he may own and not that
he may nationally enjoy them must be either
q madman or fool but IL cannot, on the
other hand, be denied that kind of reverence
for what is noble and excellent is to be OBJ
served even in the freaks of the bibliomaniac
Il docs not FOLLOW because virtuoso bas q
fine. tall. largo paper, uncut copy of Work,
that he does not read it in IL more convenient
and less magnificent edition. One may natur-
ally like an original edition when it is rare
better than a new and modern one. if only for
the sake of associations. The first edition OF
the Pilgrims Progress Is one of the
shabbiest books which ever camo from
the press. Ill is small, on cheap paper,
very badly printed And yet it is OK.
tremely interesting as showing the class of
readers who were expected to purchase it. "a
books u book although there's nothing in it,
has been said so often that we have forgotten
that there never was book with nothing in
it yet. A volume may be priceless for its
dense unique, and miraculous stupidity for
its incorectness as well as its accuracy; for
half page of facts in the midst of five hund-
red pages of falsehoods and foolish fancies; for
n name or memorandum written upon the
0y-leaf; for some evidence of former owner
ship; for ,nar0inalia carefully traced by some
long buried hand; for many an odd and pri-
yate reason which he who loves the book might