The Project Gutenberg eBook, Three Centuries of a City Library, by George
A. Stephen

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Title: Three Centuries of a City Library
an Historical and Descriptive Account of the Norwich Public Library Established in 1608 and the present Public Library opened in 1857

Author: George A. Stephen

Release Date: November 14, 2006 [eBook #19804]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THREE CENTURIES OF A CITY LIBRARY***

Transcribed from the 1917 Norwich Public Library Committee edition by
David Price, ccx074@pglaf.org

THREE CENTURIES OF A CITY LIBRARY

AN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE NORWICH PUBLIC LIBRARY
ESTABLISHED IN 1608 AND THE PRESENT PUBLIC LIBRARY OPENED IN 1857

BY
GEO. A. STEPHEN

City Librarian, Norwich
Fellow of the Library Association
Silver Medallist of the Royal Society of Arts
Author of "Guide to the Study of Norwich," "Commercial Bookbinding," etc.
Joint-author of "Manual of Library Bookbinding"

NORWICH
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY COMMITTEE
1917

[Picture: Blackfriar's Church, now called St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich,
circa 1650. Showing House in which the Public Library was originally
established]

"I can wonder at nothing more, than how a man can be idle; but, of all
other, a Scholar; in so many improvements of reason, in such sweetness of
knowledge, in such variety of studies, in such importunity of thoughts.
. . . To find wit, in poetry; in philosophy, profoundness; in mathematics,
acuteness; in history, wonder of events; in oratory, sweet eloquence; in
divinity, supernatural light and holy devotion; as so many rich metals in
their proper mines, whom would it not ravish with delight!"--_Joseph
Hall_, _Bishop of Norwich_, 1641-7.

PREFACE.

This book was prepared by instruction of the Norwich Public Library
Committee, and it is now published as a souvenir of t