On　Books　and　the　Housing　of　Them
  by　William　Ewart　Gladstone
  In　the　old　age　of　his　intellect　（which　at
  this　point　seemed　to　taste　a　little　of
  decrepitude）；　Strauss　declared　＇1＇　that　the　doctrine　of
  immortality　has　recently　lost　the　assistance
  of　a　passable　argument；　inasmuch　as　it　has
  been　discovered　that　the　stars　are　inhabited；
  for　where；　he　asks；　could　room　now　be　found
  for　such　a　multitude　of　souls？　Again；　in　view
  of　the　current　estimates　of　prospective
  population　for　this　earth；　some　people　have　begun　to
  entertain　alarm　for　the　probable　condition　of
  England　（if　not　Great　Britain）　when　she　gets
  （say）　seventy　millions　that　are　allotted　to　her
  against　six　or　eight　hundred　millions　for　the
  United　States。　We　have　heard　in　some
  systems　of　the　pressure　of　population　upon　food；
  but　the　idea　of　any　pressure　from　any
  quarter　upon　space　is　hardly　yet　familiar。　Still；　I
  suppose　that　many　a　reader　must　have　been
  struck　with　the　naive　simplicity　of　the　hyperbole
  of　St。　John；　＇2＇　perhaps　a　solitary　unit　of　its
  kind　in　the　New　Testament：　〃the　which　if
  they　should　be　written　every　one；　I　suppose
  that　even　the　world　itself　could　not　contain
  the　books　that　should　be　written。〃
  A　book；　even　Audubon　（I　believe　the　biggest
  known）；　is　smaller　than　a　man；　but；　in　relation
  to　space；　I　entertain　more　proximate
  apprehension　of　pressure　upon　available　space　from
  the　book　population　than　from　the　numbers　of
  mankind。　We　ought　to　recollect；　with　more
  of　a　realized　conception　than　we　commonly
  attain　to；　that　a　book　consists；　like　a　man；
  from　whom　it　draws　its　lineage；　of　a　body　and
  a　soul。　They　are　not　always　proportionate　to
  each　other。　Nay；　even　the　different　members
  of　the　book…body　do　not　sing；　but　clash；　when
  bindings　of　a　profuse　costliness　are　imposed；
  as　too　often　happens　in　the　case　of　Bibles　and
  books　of　devotion；　upon　letter…press　which　is
  respectable　journeyman's　work　and　nothing
  more。　The　men　of　the　Renascence　had　a
  truer　sense　of　adaptation；　the　age　of　jewelled
  bindings　was　also　the　age　of　illumination　and
  of　the　beautiful　miniatura；　which　at　an　earlier
  stage　meant　side　or　margin　art；＇3＇　and　then；　on
  account　of　the　small　portraitures　included　in
  it；　gradually　slid　into　the　modern　sense　of
  miniature。　There　is　a　caution　which　we　ought
  to　carry　with　us　more　and　more　as　we　get　in
  view　of　the　coming　period　of　open　book　trade；
  and　of　demand　practically　boundless。　Noble
  works　ought　not　to　be　printed　in　mean　and
  worthless　forms；　and　cheapness　ought　to　be
  limited　by　an　instinctive　sense　and　law　of
  fitness。　The　binding　of　a　book　is　the　dress
  with　which　it　walks　out　into　the　world。　The
  paper；　type　and　ink　are　the　body；　in　which　its
  soul　is　domiciled。　And　these　three；　soul；　body；
  and　habilament；　are　a　triad　which　ought　to　be
  adjusted　to　one　another　by　the　laws　of　harmony
  and　good　sense。
  Already　the　increase　of　books　is　passing　into
  geometrical　progression。　And　this　is　not　a
  little　remarkable　when　we　bear　in　mind　that
  in　Great　Britain；　of　which　I　speak；　while　there
  is　a　vast　supply　of　cheap　works；　what　are
  termed　〃new　publications〃　issue　from　the
  press；　for　the　most　part；　at　prices　fabulously
  high；　so　that　the　class　of　real　purchasers
  has　been　extirpated；　leaving　behind　as　buyers
  only　a　few　individuals　who　might　almost　be
  counted　on　the　fingers；　while　the　effective
  circulation　depends　upon　middle…men　through　the
  engine　of　circulating　libraries。　These　are　not
  so　much　owners　as　distributers　of　books；　and
  they　mitigate　the　difficulty　of　dearness　by
  subdividing　the　cost；　and　then　selling　such　copies
  as　are　still　in　decent　condition　at　a　large
  reduction。　It　is　this　state　of　things；　due；　in　my
  opinion；　principally　to　the　present　form　of　the
  law　of　copyright；　which　perhaps　may　have
  helped　to　make　way　for　the　satirical　（and
  sometimes　untrue）　remark　that　in　times　of　distress
  or　pressure　men　make　their　first　economies　on
  their　charities；　and　their　second　on　their　books。
  The　annual　arrivals　at　the　Bodleian　Library
  are；　I　believe；　some　twenty　thousand；　at　the
  British　Museum；　forty　thousand；　sheets　of　all
  kinds　included。　Supposing　three…fourths　of
  these　to　be　volumes；　of　one　size　or　another；
  and　to　require　on　the　average　an　inch　of
  shelf　space；　the　result　will　be　that　in　every
  two　years　nearly　a　mile　of　new　shelving　will
  be　required　to　meet　the　wants　of　a　single
  library。　But；　whatever　may　be　the　present
  rate　of　growth；　it　is　small　in　comparison　with
  what　it　is　likely　to　become。　The　key　of　the
  question　lies　in　the　hands　of　the　United
  Kingdom　and　the　United　States　jointly。　In
  this　matter　there　rests　upon　these　two　Powers
  no　small　responsibility。　They；　with　their　vast
  range　of　inhabited　territory；　and　their　unity
  of　tongue；　are　masters　of　the　world；　which
  will　have　to　do　as　they　do。　When　the
  Britains　and　America　are　fused　into　one　book
  market；　when　it　is　recognized　that　letters；
  which　as　to　their　material　and　their　aim　are
  a　high…soaring　profession；　as　to　their　mere
  remuneration　are　a　trade；　when　artificial
  fetters　are　relaxed；　and　printers；　publishers；　and
  authors　obtain　the　reward　which　well…regulated
  commerce　would　afford　them；　then　let
  floors　beware　lest　they　crack；　and　walls　lest
  they　bulge　and　burst；　from　the　weight　of
  books　they　will　have　to　carry　and　to　confine。
  It　is　plain；　for　one　thing；　that　under　the
  new　state　of　things　specialism；　in　the　future；
  must　more　and　more　abound。　But　specialism
  means　subdivision　of　labor；　and　with
  subdivision　labor　ought　to　be　more　completely；
  more　exactly；　performed。　Let　us　bow　our
  heads　to　the　inevitable；　the　day　of
  encyclopaedic　learning　has　gone　by。　It　may　perhaps
  be　said　that　that　sun　set　with　Leibnitz。
  But　as　little　learning　is　only　dangerous　when
  it　forgets　that　it　is　little；　so　specialism　is
  only　dangerous　when　it　forgets　that　it　is
  special。　When　it　encroaches　on　its　betters；
  when　it　claims　exceptional　certainty　or
  honor；　it　is　impertinent；　and　should　be　rebuked；
  but　it　has　its　own　honor　in　its　own
  province；　and　is；　in　any　case；　to　be　preferred　to
  pretentious　and　flaunting　sciolism。
  A　vast；　even　a　bewildering　prospect　is
  before　us；　for　evil　or　for　good；　but　for　good；
  unless　it　be　our　own　fault；　far　more　than　for
  evil。　Books　require　no　eulogy　from　me；　none
  could　be　permitted　me；　when　they　already
  draw　their　testimonials　from　Cicero＇4＇　and
  Macaulay。＇5＇　But　books　are　the　voices　of　the
  dead。　They　are　a　main　instrument　of
  communion　with　the　vast　human　procession　of
  the　other　world。　They　are　the　allies　of　the
  thought　of　man。　They　are　in　a　certain　sense
  at　enmity　with　the　world。　Their　work　is；　at
  least；　in　the　two　higher　compartments　of　our
  threefold　life。　In　a　room　well　filled　with
  them；　no　one　has　felt　or　can　feel　solitary。
  Second　to　none；　as　friends　to　the　individual；
  they　are　first　and　foremost　among　the　compages；
  the　bonds　and　rivets　of　the　race；
  onward　from　that　time　when　they　were　first
  written　on　the　tablets　of　Babylonia　and
  Assyria；　the　rocks　of　Asia　minor；　and　the
  monuments　of　Egypt；　down　to　the　diamond
  editions　of　Mr。　Pickering　and　Mr。　Frowde。＇6＇
  It　is　in　truth　difficult　to　assign　dimensions
  for　the　libraries　of　the　future。　And　it　is　also
  a　little　touching　to　look　back　upon　those　of
  the　past。　As　the　history　of　bodies　cannot；
  in　the　long　run；　be　separated　from　the　history
  of　souls；　I　make　no　apology　for　saying　a　few
  words　on　the　libraries　which　once　were；　but
  which　have　passed　away。
  The　time　may　be　approaching　when　we
  shall　be　able　to　estimate　the　quantity　of　book
  knowledge　stored　in　the　repositories　of　those
  empires　which　we　call　prehistoric。　For　the
  present；　no　clear　estimate　even　of　the　great
  Alexandrian　Libraries　has　been　brought
  within　the　circle　of　popular　knowledge；　but　it
  seems　pretty　clear　that　the　books　they
  contained　were　reckoned；　at　least　in　the
  aggregate；　by　hundreds　of　thousands。＇7＇　The　form
  of　the　book；　however；　has　gone　through　many
  variations；　and　we　moderns　have　a　great
  advantage　in　the　shape　which　the　exterior
  has　now　taken。　It　speaks　to　us　symbolically
  by　the　title　on　its　back；　as　the　roll　of
  parchment　could　hardly　do。　It　is　established　that
  in　Roman　times　the　bad　institution　of　slavery
  ministered　to　a　system　under　which　books
  were　multiplied　by　simultaneous　copying　in　a
  room　where　a　single　person　read　aloud　in　the
  hearing　of　many　the　volume　to　be
  reproduced；　and　that　so　produced　they　were
  relatively　cheap。　Had　they　not　been　so；　they
  would　hardly　have　been；　as　Horace　represents
  them；　among　the　habitual　spoils　of　the　grocer。＇8＇
  It　is　sad；　and　is　suggestive　of　many
  inquiries；　that　this　abundance　was　followed；
  at　least　in　the　West；　by　a　famine　of　more
  than　a　thousand　years。　And　it　is　hard；　even
  after　all　allowances；　to　conceive　that　of　all
  the　many　manuscripts　of　Homer　which　Italy
  must　have　possessed　we　do　not　know　that　a
  single　parchment　or　papyrus　was　ever　read
  by　a　single　individual；　even　in　a　convent；　or
  even　by　a　giant　such　as　Dante；　or　as　Thomas
  Acquinas；　the　first　of　them　unquestionably
  master　of　all　the　knowledge　that　was　within
  the　compass　of　his　age。　There　were；
  however；　libraries　even　in　the　West；　formed　by
  Charlemagne　and　by　oth