THE ART OF BOOKMAKING.docx
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THE ART OF BOOKMAKING.docx
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THEARTOFBOOKMAKING
1819-20
THESKETCHBOOK
THEARTOFBOOK-MAKING
byWashingtonIrving
"IfthatseveredoomofSynesiusbetrue-'Itisagreateroffence
tostealdeadmen'slabor,thantheirclothes,'whatshallbecomeof
mostwriters?
"
BURTON'SANATOMYOFMELANCHOLY.
IHAVEoftenwonderedattheextremefecundityofthepress,andhow
itcomestopassthatsomanyheads,onwhichnatureseemedtohave
inflictedthecurseofbarrenness,shouldteemwithvoluminous
productions.Asamantravelson,however,inthejourneyoflife,his
objectsofwonderdailydiminish,andheiscontinuallyfindingout
someverysimplecauseforsomegreatmatterofmarvel.ThushaveI
chanced,inmyperegrinationsaboutthisgreatmetropolis,to
blunderuponascenewhichunfoldedtomesomeofthemysteriesofthe
book-makingcraft,andatonceputanendtomyastonishment.
Iwasonesummer'sdayloiteringthroughthegreatsaloonsofthe
BritishMuseum,withthatlistlessnesswithwhichoneisaptto
saunteraboutamuseuminwarmweather;sometimeslollingoverthe
glasscasesofminerals,sometimesstudyingthehieroglyphicsonan
Egyptianmummy,andsometimestrying,withnearlyequalsuccess,to
comprehendtheallegoricalpaintingsontheloftyceilings.WhilstI
wasgazingaboutinthisidleway,myattentionwasattractedtoa
distantdoor,attheendofasuiteofapartments.Itwasclosed,
buteverynowandthenitwouldopen,andsomestrange-favored
being,generallyclothedinblack,wouldstealforth,andglide
throughtherooms,withoutnoticinganyofthesurroundingobjects.
Therewasanairofmysteryaboutthisthatpiquedmylanguid
curiosity,andIdeterminedtoattemptthepassageofthatstrait,and
toexploretheunknownregionsbeyond.Thedooryieldedtomyhand,
withthatfacilitywithwhichtheportalsofenchantedcastlesyield
totheadventurousknight-errant.Ifoundmyselfinaspacious
chamber,surroundedwithgreatcasesofvenerablebooks.Abovethe
cases,andjustunderthecornice,werearrangedagreatnumberof
black-lookingportraitsofancientauthors.Abouttheroomwereplaced
longtables,withstandsforreadingandwriting,atwhichsatmany
pale,studiouspersonages,poringintentlyoverdustyvolumes,
rummagingamongmouldymanuscripts,andtakingcopiousnotesof
theircontents.Ahushedstillnessreignedthroughthismysterious
apartment,exceptingthatyoumightheartheracingofpensover
sheetsofpaper,oroccasionally,thedeepsighofoneofthesesages,
asheshiftedhispositiontoturnoverthepageofanoldfolio;
doubtlessarisingfromthathollownessandflatulencyincidentto
learnedresearch.
Nowandthenoneofthesepersonageswouldwritesomethingona
smallslipofpaper,andringabell,whereuponafamiliarwould
appear,takethepaperinprofoundsilence,glideoutoftheroom,and
returnshortlyloadedwithponderoustomes,uponwhichtheotherwould
falltoothandnailwithfamishedvoracity.Ihadnolongeradoubt
thatIhadhappeneduponabodyofmagi,deeplyengagedinthestudy
ofoccultsciences.ThesceneremindedmeofanoldArabiantale,ofa
philosophershutupinanenchantedlibrary,inthebosomofa
mountain,whichopenedonlyonceayear;wherehemadethespirits
oftheplacebringhimbooksofallkindsofdarkknowledge,sothat
attheendoftheyear,whenthemagicportaloncemoreswungopen
onitshinges,heissuedforthsoversedinforbiddenlore,astobe
abletosoarabovetheheadsofthemultitude,andtocontrolthe
powersofnature.
Mycuriositybeingnowfullyaroused,Iwhisperedtooneofthe
familiars,ashewasabouttoleavetheroom,andbeggedan
interpretationofthestrangescenebeforeme.Afewwordswere
sufficientforthepurpose.Ifoundthatthesemysterious
personages,whomIhadmistakenformagi,wereprincipallyauthors,
andintheveryactofmanufacturingbooks.Iwas,infact,inthe
reading-roomofthegreatBritishLibrary-animmensecollectionof
volumesofallagesandlanguages,manyofwhicharenowforgotten,
andmostofwhichareseldomread:
oneofthesesequesteredpoolsof
obsoleteliterature,towhichmodernauthorsrepair,anddraw
bucketsfullofclassiclore,or"pureEnglish,undefiled,"
wherewithtoswelltheirownscantyrillsofthought.
Beingnowinpossessionofthesecret,Isatdowninacornerand
watchedtheprocessofthisbookmanufactory.Inoticedonelean,
bilious-lookingwight,whosoughtnonebutthemostworm-eaten
volumes,printedinblack-letter.Hewasevidentlyconstructingsome
workofprofounderudition,thatwouldbepurchasedbyeverymanwho
wishedtobethoughtlearned,placeduponaconspicuousshelfofhis
library,orlaidopenuponhistable;butneverread.Iobserved
him,nowandthen,drawalargefragmentofbiscuitoutofhispocket,
andgnaw;whetheritwashisdinner,orwhetherhewasendeavoring
tokeepoffthatexhaustionofthestomachproducedbymuch
ponderingoverdryworks,Ileavetoharderstudentsthanmyselfto
determine.
Therewasonedapperlittlegentlemaninbright-coloredclothes,
withachirping,gossipingexpressionofcountenance,whohadall
theappearanceofanauthorongoodtermswithhisbookseller.After
consideringhimattentively,Irecognizedinhimadiligent
getter-upofmiscellaneousworks,whichbustledoffwellwiththe
trade.Iwascurioustoseehowhemanufacturedhiswares.Hemade
morestirandshowofbusinessthananyoftheothers;dippinginto
variousbooks,flutteringovertheleavesofmanuscripts,takinga
morseloutofone,amorseloutofanother,"lineuponline,precept
uponprecept,herealittleandtherealittle."Thecontentsofhis
bookseemedtobeasheterogeneousasthoseofthewitches'caldronin
Macbeth.Itwashereafingerandthereathumb,toeoffrogand
blind-worm'ssting,withhisowngossippouredinlike"baboon's
blood,"tomakethemedley"slabandgood."
Afterall,thoughtI,maynotthispilferingdispositionbe
implantedinauthorsforwisepurposes;mayitnotbethewayinwhich
Providencehastakencarethattheseedsofknowledgeandwisdomshall
bepreservedfromagetoage,inspiteoftheinevitabledecayof
theworksinwhichtheywerefirstproduced?
Weseethatnaturehas
wisely,thoughwhimsically,providedfortheconveyanceofseeds
fromclimetoclime,inthemawsofcertainbirds;sothatanimals,
which,inthemselves,arelittlebetterthancarrion,andapparently
thelawlessplunderersoftheorchardandthecornfield,are,infact,
nature'scarrierstodisperseandperpetuateherblessings.Inlike
manner,thebeautiesandfinethoughtsofancientandobsoleteauthors
arecaughtupbytheseflightsofpredatorywriters,andcastforth
againtoflourishandbearfruitinaremoteanddistanttractof
time.Manyoftheirworks,also,undergoakindofmetempsychosis,and
springupundernewforms.Whatwasformerlyaponderoushistory
revivesintheshapeofaromance-anoldlegendchangesintoamodern
play-andasoberphilosophicaltreatisefurnishesthebodyfora
wholeseriesofbouncingandsparklingessays.Thusitisinthe
clearingofourAmericanwoodlands;whereweburndownaforestof
statelypines,aprogenyofdwarfoaksstartupintheirplace:
andwe
neverseetheprostratetrunkofatreemoulderingintosoil,butit
givesbirthtoawholetribeoffungi.
Letusnot,then,lamentoverthedecayandoblivionintowhich
ancientwritersdescend;theydobutsubmittothegreatlawof
nature,whichdeclaresthatallsublunaryshapesofmattershallbe
limitedintheirduration,butwhichdecrees,also,thattheir
elementsshallneverperish.Generationaftergeneration,bothin
animalandvegetablelife,passesaway,butthevitalprincipleis
transmittedtoposterity,andthespeciescontinuetoflourish.
Thus,also,doauthorsbegetauthors,andhavingproducedanumerous
progeny,inagoodoldagetheysleepwiththeirfathers,thatisto
say,withtheauthorswhoprecededthem-andfromwhomtheyhad
stolen.
WhilstIwasindulgingintheseramblingfancies,Ihadleanedmy
headagainstapileofreverendfolios.Whetheritwasowingtothe
soporificemanationsfromtheseworks;ortotheprofoundquietofthe
room;ortothelassitudearisingfrommuchwandering;ortoan
unluckyhabitofnappingatimpropertimesandplaces,withwhichIam
grievouslyafflicted,soitwas,thatIfellintoadoze.Still,
however,myimaginationcontinuedbusy,andindeedthesamescene
remainedbeforemymind'seye,onlyalittlechangedinsomeofthe
details.Idreamtthatthechamberwasstilldecoratedwiththe
portraitsofancientauthors,butthatthenumberwasincreased.The
longtableshaddisappeared,and,inplaceofthesagemagi,I
beheldaragged,threadbarethrong,suchasmaybeseenplyingabout
thegreatrepositoryofcast-offclothes,Monmouth-street.Whenever
theyseizeduponabook,byoneofthoseincongruitiescommonto
dreams,methoughtitturnedintoagarmentofforeignorantique
fashion,withwhichtheyproceededtoequipthemselves.Inoticed,
however,thatnoonepretendedtoclothehimselffromanyparticular
suit,buttookasleevefromone,acapefromanother,askirtfrom
athird,thusdeckinghimselfoutpiecemeal,whilesomeofhis
originalragswouldpeepoutfromamonghisborrowedfinery.
Therewasaportly,rosy,well-fedparson,whomIobservedogling
severalmouldypolemicalwritersthroughaneye-glass.Hesoon
contrivedtosliponthevoluminousmantleofoneoftheold
fathers,and,havingpurloinedthegraybeardofanother,endeavored
tolookexceedinglywise;butthesmirkingcommonplaceofhis
countenancesetatnaughtallthetrapp
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