quartoes；　uncut；　would　be　worth　more　than　a　respectable　landed　estate　in　Connemara。　　For　these　reasons　the　amateur　will　do　well　to　have　new　books　of　price　bound　〃uncut。〃　　It　is　always　easy　to　have　the　leaves　pared　away；　but　not　even　the　fabled　fountain　at　Argos；　in　which　Hera　yearly　renewed　her　maidenhood；　could　restore　margins　once　clipped　away。　　So　much　for　books　which　are　chiefly　precious　for　the　quantity　and　quality　of　the　material　on　which　they　are　printed。　　Even　this　rather　foolish　weakness　of　the　amateur　would　not　be　useless　if　it　made　our　publishers　more　careful　to　employ　a　sound　clean　hand…made　paper；　instead　of　drugged　trash；　for　their　more　valuable　new　productions。　Indeed；　a　taste　for　hand…made　paper　is　coming　in；　and　is　part　of　the　revolt　against　the　passion　for　everything　machine…made；　which　ruined　art　and　handiwork　in　the　years　between　1840　and　1870。
  The　third　of　M。　Brunet's　categories　of　books　of　prose；　includes　livres　de　luxe；　and　illustrated　literature。　　Every　Christmas　brings　us　livres　de　luxe　in　plenty；　books　which　are　no　books；　but　have　gilt　and　magenta　covers；　and　great　staring　illustrations。　　These　are　regarded　as　drawing…room　ornaments　by　people　who　never　read。　　It　is　scarcely　necessary　to　warn　the　collector　against　these　gaudy　baits　of　unregulated　Christmas　generosity。　　All　ages　have　not　produced　quite　such　garish　livres　de　luxe　as　ours。　　But；　on　the　whole；　a　book　brought　out　merely　for　the　sake　of　display；　is　generally　a　book　ill　〃got　up；〃　and　not　worth　reading。　　Moreover；　it　is　generally　a　folio；　or　quarto；　so　large　that　he　who　tries　to　read　it　must　support　it　on　a　kind　of　scaffolding。　　In　the　class　of　illustrated　books　two　sorts　are　at　present　most　in　demand。　　The　ancient　woodcuts　and　engravings；　often　the　work　of　artists　like　Holbein　and　Durer；　can　never　lose　their　interest。　　Among　old　illustrated　books；　the　most　famous；　and　one　of　the　rarest；　is　the　〃Hypnerotomachia　Poliphili；〃　〃wherein　all　human　matters　are　proved　to　be　no　more　than　a　dream。〃　　This　is　an　allegorical　romance；　published　in　1499；　for　Francesco　Colonna；　by　Aldus　Manucius。　　Poliam　Frater　Franciscus　Columna　peramavit。　〃Brother　Francesco　Colonna　dearly　loved　Polia；〃　is　the　inscription　and　device　of　this　romance。　　Poor　Francesco；　of　the　order　of　preachers；　disguised　in　this　strange　work　his　passion　for　a　lady　of　uncertain　name。　　Here　is　a　translation　of　the　passage　in　which　the　lady　describes　the　beginning　of　his　affection。　　〃I　was　standing；　as　is　the　manner　of　women　young　and　fair；　at　the　window；　or　rather　on　the　balcony；　of　my　palace。　　My　yellow　hair；　the　charm　of　maidens；　was　floating　round　my　shining　shoulders。　　My　locks　were　steeped　in　unguents　that　made　them　glitter　like　threads　of　gold；　and　they　were　slowly　drying　in　the　rays　of　the　burning　sun。　　A　handmaid；　happy　in　her　task；　was　drawing　a　comb　through　my　tresses；　and　surely　these　of　Andromeda　seemed　not　more　lovely　to　Perseus；　nor　to　Lucius　the　locks　of　Photis。　｛6｝　　On　a　sudden；　Poliphilus　beheld　me；　and　could　not　withdraw　from　me　his　glances　of　fire；　and　even　in　that　moment　a　ray　of　the　sun　of　love　was　kindled　in　his　heart。〃
  The　fragment　is　itself　a　picture　from　the　world　of　the　Renaissance。　We　watch　the　blonde；　learned　lady；　dreaming　of　Perseus；　and　Lucius；　Greek　lovers　of　old　time；　while　the　sun　gilds　her　yellow　hair；　and　the　young　monk；　passing　below；　sees　and　loves；　and　〃falls　into　the　deep　waters　of　desire。〃　　The　lover　is　no　less　learned　than　the　lady；　and　there　is　a　great　deal　of　amorous　archaeology　in　his　account　of　his　voyage　to　Cythera。　　As　to　the　designs　in　wood；　quaint　in　their　vigorous　effort　to　be　classical；　they　have　been　attributed　to　Mantegna；　to　Bellini；　and　other　artists。　　Jean　Cousin　is　said　to　have　executed　the　imitations；　in　the　Paris　editions　of　1546；　1556；　and　1561。
  The　〃Hypnerotomachia〃　seems　to　deserve　notice；　because　it　is　the　very　type　of　the　books　that　are　dear　to　collectors；　as　distinct　from　the　books　that；　in　any　shape；　are　for　ever　valuable　to　the　world。　　A　cheap　Tauchnitz　copy　of　the　Iliad　and　Odyssey；　or　a　Globe　Shakespeare；　are；　from　the　point　of　view　of　literature；　worth　a　wilderness　of　〃Hypnerotomachiae。〃　　But　a　clean　copy　of　the　〃Hypnerotomachia；〃　especially　on　VELLUM；　is　one　of　the　jewels　of　bibliography。　　It　has　all　the　right　qualities；　it　is　very　rare；　it　is　very　beautiful　as　a　work　of　art；　it　is　curious　and　even　bizarre；　it　is　the　record　of　a　strange　time；　and　a　strange　passion；　it　is　a　relic；　lastly；　of　its　printer；　the　great　and　good　Aldus　Manutius。
  Next　to　the　old　woodcuts　and　engravings；　executed　in　times　when　artists　were　versatile　and　did　not　disdain　even　to　draw　a　book…plate　（as　Durer　did　for　Pirckheimer）；　the　designs　of　the　French　〃little　masters；〃　are　at　present　in　most　demand。　　The　book　illustrations　of　the　seventeenth　century　are　curious　enough；　and　invaluable　as　authorities　on　manners　and　costume。　　But　the　attitudes　of　the　figures　are　too　often　stiff　and　ungainly；　while　the　composition　is　frequently　left　to　chance。　　England　could　show　nothing　much　better　than　Ogilby's　translations　of　Homer；　illustrated　with　big　florid　engravings　in　sham　antique　style。　　The　years　between　1730　and　1820；　saw　the　French　〃little　masters〃　in　their　perfection。　　The　dress　of　the　middle　of　the　eighteenth　century；　of　the　age　of　Watteau；　was　precisely　suited　to　the　gay　and　graceful　pencils　of　Gravelot；　Moreau；　Eisen；　Boucher；　Cochin；　Marillier；　and　Choffard。　　To　understand　their　merits；　and　the　limits　of　their　art；　it　is　enough　to　glance　through　a　series　of　the　designs　for　Voltaire；　Corneille；　or　Moliere。　　The　drawings　of　society　are　almost　invariably　dainty　and　pleasing；　the　serious　scenes　of　tragedy　leave　the　spectator　quite　unmoved。　　Thus　it　is　but　natural　that　these　artists　should　have　shone　most　in　the　illustration　of　airy　trifles　like　Dorat's　〃Baisers；〃　or　tales　like　Manon　Lescaut；　or　in　designing　tailpieces　for　translations　of　the　Greek　idyllic　poets；　such　as　Moschus　and　Bion。　　In　some　of　his　illustrations　of　books；　especially；　perhaps；　in　the　designs　for　〃La　Physiologie　de　Gout〃　（Jouaust；　Paris；　1879）；　M。　Lalauze　has　shown　himself　the　worthy　rival　of　Eisen　and　Cochin。　Perhaps　it　is　unnecessary　to　add　that　the　beauty　and　value　of　all　such　engravings　depends　almost　entirely　on　their　〃state。〃　　The　earlier　proofs　are　much　more　brilliant　than　those　drawn　later；　and　etchings　on　fine　papers　are　justly　preferred。　　For　example；　M。　Lalauze's　engravings　on　〃Whatman　paper；〃　have　a　beauty　which　could　scarcely　be　guessed　by　people　who　have　only　seen　specimens　on　〃papier　verge。〃　　Every　collector　of　the　old　French　vignettes；　should　possess　himself　of　the　〃Guide　de　l'amateur；〃　by　M。　Henry　Cohen　（Rouquette；　Paris；　1880）。　　Among　English　illustrated　books；　various　tastes　prefer　the　imaginative　works　of　William　Blake；　the　etchings　of　Cruikshank；　and　the　woodcuts　of　Bewick。　　The　whole　of　the　last　chapter　of　this　sketch　is　devoted；　by　Mr。　Austin　Dobson；　to　the　topic　of　English　illustrated　books。　　Here　it　may　be　said；　in　passing；　that　an　early　copy　of　William　Blake's　〃Songs　of　Innocence；〃　written；　illustrated；　printed；　coloured；　and　boarded　by　the　author's　own　hand；　is　one　of　the　most　charming　objects　that　a　bibliophile　can　hope　to　possess。　　The　verses　of　Blake；　in　a　framework　of　birds；　and　flowers；　and　plumes；　all　softly　and　magically　tinted；　seem　like　some　book　out　of　King　Oberon's　library　in　fairyland；　rather　than　the　productions　of　a　mortal　press。　　The　pictures　in　Blake's　〃prophetic　books；〃　and　even　his　illustrations　to　〃Job；〃　show　an　imagination　more　heavily　weighted　by　the　technical　difficulties　of　drawing。
  The　next　class　of　rare　books　is　composed　of　works　from　the　famous　presses　of　the　Aldi　and　the　Elzevirs。　　Other　presses　have；　perhaps；　done　work　as　good；　but　Estienne；　the　Giunta；　and　Plantin；　are　comparatively　neglected；　while　the　taste　for　the　performances　of　Baskerville　and　Foulis　is　not　very　eager。　　A　safe　judgment　about　Aldines　and　Elzevirs　is　the　gift　of　years　and　of　long　experience。　In　this　place　it　is　only　possible　to　say　a　few　words　on　a　wide　subject。　　The　founder　of　the　Aldine　press；　Aldus　Pius　Manutius；　was　born　about　1450；　and　died　at　Venice　in　1514。　　He　was　a　man　of　careful　and　profound　learning；　and　was　deeply　interested　in　Greek　studies；　then　encouraged　by　the　arrival　in　Italy　of　many　educated　Greeks　and　Cretans。　　Only　four　Greek　authors　had　as　yet　been　printed　in　Italy；　when　（1495）　Aldus　established　his　press　at　Venice。　Theocritus；　Homer；　AEsop；　and　Isocrates；　probably　in　very　limited　editions；　were　in　the　hands　of　students。　　The　purpose　of　Aldus　was　to　put　Greek　and　Latin　works；　beautifully　printed　in　a　convenient　shape；　within　the　reach　of　all　the　world。　　His　reform　was　the　introduction　of　books　at　once　cheap；　studiously　correct；　and　convenient　in　actual　use。　　It　was　in　1498　that　he　first　adopted　the　small　octavo　size；　and　in　his　〃Virgil〃　of　1501；　he　introduced　the　type　called　Aldine　or　Italic。　　The　letters　were　united　as　in　writing；　and　the　type　is　said　to　have　been　cut　by　Francesco　da　Bologna；　better　known　as　Francia；　in　imitation　of　the　hand　of　Petrarch。　　For　full　information　about　Aldus　and　his　descendants　and　successors；　the　work　of　M。　Firmin　Didot；　（〃Alde　Manuce　et　l'Hellenisme　a　Venise：　　Paris　1875）；〃　and　the　Aldine　annals　of　Renouard