The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-02-02
LIGHTNEss OF BOOKS AND THEIR
FORM.

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An excellent thing in the beautiful
edition Of Boswells Life Of johnson.
which Messrs. Harper & Brothers have
lately published, is the lightness Of each
OF the stately six volumes. We would
by no means ignore the editorial labors
of Mr.. George Birbeck Hill; these are
worthy of the highest praise, from the
first PREDATORY passage all through the
army OF foOt-notes TO the last line
OF the most satisfying of indexes; and
as for the chief Of biographers, he las
lived bis way through the stupid dis
dsin of generations of critics to a sta
ton far beyond the acclaim Of any
the first Of Interviewers survives 10
the Immortality of his Interviewed, q
perpetual example of triumphant self
sacrifice TO all his kind. Delightful
the book is. wherever you open 1t, and
astonishing TO any he that will con
slider how It is the work Of a common
place man about writer singularly un
inspired in his poetry. Obtuse in his
sense Of beauty and Of art, mistaken
in his political economy, narrow and
intolerant in his religion, mechanical 10
his morality, seryile in his theories
Of society; one who is 40 longer
read now in his unwieldy and pedantlc
prose, and has been wholly superseded
even as a photographer. but who is
present here in the largeness of his
heart, vastly and simply human; no
poet. no critic, no philosopher, no sayant,
by the fine modern tastes, but somehow
immensely a man; warm, huge bulk,
living, breathing, not to say snoring
and simply Biographical to undying
fame. But all this, or the like Of II, has
been very much said before, and
We are going 10 speak OF that
purely material property Of the book
which we have already limited at.
for We think it cannot be too
highly commended. For our own part.
we hope for time when no new book
will be made larger than a volume OF
the Tauchnitz editions, or rather when
every author worth reading shall be
published in some such convenient
form. Then the proud. who love to
see large octavos and duodeclmos IN
vain bindings on their shelves, may
have their fancy's fill, while 10 every
sincere lover Of literature shall be given
his little light booking, to be read
abed, or lOunged with in an easy chair.
or to be unprotected for a taste Of
its sweetness in city car or cab
or upon still country y.paths. Nc
book too heavy TO hold in one band
has any right 10 exist, TO the exclusion
of the same work in the ideal form; AMI
we would have that form the original
shape Of publication; those who want
books to furnish their Libraries, not
their minds. might wait. As 1t Is now
half a dozen vested interests conspire
TO give the lover of literature his love
first in a guise that makes it a burden
Certain works of science and Of art.
whose primary appeal is not literary.
might take the shape their authors
iudeed fittest; but there is no reason
except the commercial reason why
fiction, poetry, travel, biography. his
tory, should not always be offered
us first as we have suggested.
Most duodecimo books, even. are toe
thick and too heavy, though generally
the weight is from the quality, not the
quantity. Of the paper used, 90 that
II o ROYAL octavos of this new edition Of
Boswell's Johnson are no more fatigu-
ing to the wrist than half the duodec-
imo novels that issue from the press.
A new book Of the kind we have men
toned should be heavier than a metro
politan Sunday newspaper, which II
hardly exceeds in the number of its
words. only by the weight Of very
thin. flexible cloth binding.