The Portland daily press., 1881-07-27
M acaulay as a Book Collector.
Nineteenth Century.l


After all, book stall is only an open shop
where you can, without troubling the owner,
turn over such volumes as may strike your
fancy; and with this additional advantage,
that the books are not only generally priced,
but the outdoor prices are, as rule, consider
ably lower than those penciled in mysterious
symbols, known only TO the bookseller, on the
shelves of his shop. 1t is a matter for curl
GUS speculation how many of the "rarissimi"
in the famous Roxburghe Library, which sold
in 1872 for upward of $4,000, and would in
these days have produced three times that
amount had been picked up by the noble
Duke from the bookstalls which he delighted
to visit. For he did visit them, and, with
the view of himself bringing home any rari-
ties he night pick up, he had the hind pockets
of his overcoat made large enough to contain
small folio.
A great portion of the library of the late
Lord Macaulay had been collected by the
same means. 1 remember meeting him many
years since, very far east and his then telling
me that he had been looking over the book
stalls in the neighborhood of the City Road
and Whitechapel.
the curious incident which put him in possess
of some French memories of which he had
long been endeavoring to secure copy but
without success. He was strolling down
2 sHolywell-st., when he saw in booksellers
window volume of Muggletonian tracts.
Having gone in, examined the volume, and
agreed to buy it, he rendered sovereign in
payment. The bookseller had not change,
but said if he (Mr Macaulay) would just keep
an eye on the shop, he would step out and
get it. remember the shop well and the civil
fellow who kept it. His name, think, was
Hearle, and he had some relatives of the same
name who had shops in the same street. This
shop was at the west end of the street and
backed on to Wych-st.; and at the back was a
small recess, lighted by a few panes of glass
generally somewhat obscured by the dust of
ages. While Macaulay was looking round the
shop ray of sunshine fell through this little
window on four little duodecimo volumes
bound in vellum. He pulled out one of them
to see what the work was and great was his
surprise and delight at finding these four vol.
umes were the very French memories of which
he had been in search for many years.
Macaulay spared no pains, no personal exer-
ton, to secure book he wanted. / remember
bookseller residing in Great Turnstile telling
me, many years ago, that one morning, when
he began to take down his shutters, he saw
stout-built gentleman stumping up and down
with his umbrella, who, as the shop was fairly
open, walked in and asked for q book which
was in the catalogue which the bookseller had
sent out the day before. He eventually found
out that the purchaser was Mr. Macaulay who
had come all the way from Kensington, thus
early, in order to secure the volume in ques-
tion.
Let me go back for moment to Holywell-
ST.; and tell another story about Hearle's shop
there, outside of which there was always
goodly array of books of all kinds. A dear
and accomplished friend of mine, who took
special interest in the political history of the
closing half of the last century, had long been
anxious to secure copy of u certain collection
of political tracts, published by Almon or
Debrett, the precise title of which 1 do not
att his minute rscollert. There was not book
seller III the United Kingdom known to have a
large stock who had not been applied to for
a copy; and a literary friend of his, who was
travelling in the United States ito which so
many books of this character are consigned),
was commissioned to secure a copy at any
price. But all was in vain. The anxious
ssarcher after the book in question had given
up all hopes of obtaining copy when, stroll
ling one afternoon through Holywellst. and
casting his eyes on the volumes ranged out
side Hearle's shop, he was startled and de-
lighted TO see the long-sought-for collection of
tracts. need scarcely add that he at once So
cured the precious volumes, and, although
not provided with the capacious pockets of
Roxburghe's Duke, carried them away in
triumph.