ir will certainly penetrate, and
as the absence of ventilation will assist formation of mould, the books
will be worse off than if they had been placed in open shelves. If
securing be desirable, by all means abolish the glass and place
ornamental brass wire work in its stead.'[47]

'It is more important to see that the shelves intended for choice and
richly bound books should be covered with leather, and expressly such as
are intended for books of large sizes. In the case of books of special
value, the leather should be well padded, should be of the best quality,
and should have a polished surface.'[48]

In the _Nineteenth Century_ for March, 1890, already quoted from, Mr.
Gladstone wrote upon 'Books, and the Housing of them.' This paper showed
a sound grasp of the subject and showed Mr. Gladstone in a new and very
interesting light. Appended are some extracts from this paper, all of
which I think experts would agree to, _except the fixed shelves_, and
here, I think, any one who has handled books very much will be at issue
with Mr. Gladstone. He himself says:--'I have recommended that, as a
rule, the shelves be fixed, and have given reasons for the adoption of
such a rule. I do not know whether it will receive the sanction of
authorities, and I make two admissions. First, it requires that each
person owning and arranging a library should have a pretty accurate
general knowledge of the size of his books. Secondly, it may be
expedient to introduce here and there, by way of exception, a single
movable shelf.'

Now, a man must be able not only to gauge very accurately the limits of
his library and the various sizes of books, but he must be able to look
into the future if he would safely embark on fixed shelves. And this is
wholly impossible. Fixed shelves should only be adopted where cost has
to be reduced to a minimum, but in the majority of instances movable
shelves will be found preferable. The paragraphs which deal with
bookcases in Mr. Gladstone's article may here be given:--

'The question of economy, for those who from necessity or choice
consider it at all, is a very serious one. It has been a fashion to make
bookcases ornamental. Now, books want for and in themselves no ornament
at all. . . The man who looks for society in his books will readily
perceive that, in proportion as the face of his bookcase is occupied by
ornament, he loses that society; and conversely, the more that face
approximates to a sheet of b