world by his interesting work, in folio, on the "Handwriting of Melancthon and Luther." Davy, of Devonshire, once a bookseller of eminence, was afterwards distinguished for his attainments in biblical literature, and will be long remembered by his voluminous "System of Divinity in a series of Sermons," comprising 26 vols. 8vo. John Gough, of Dublin, bookseller, was also author of "A Tour in Ireland," "History of Quakers," and other works of note. William Harrod was a worthy but eccentric bookseller, whose pen produced several topographical works. Samuel Rousseau, who, when an apprentice to Nicholls, used to collect old epitaphs, it is said actually taught himself in the intervals of business Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, Persian, and Arabic, as well as two or three of the modern languages; besides having edited, in after life, several useful and popular works on elementary education. To name Dodsley would prove almost his sufficient eulogy; his valuable series of "Annual Registers," and collected edition of "Old Plays," being literary performances sufficient to form a monument to his memory. Nicholson, of Worcester, is' another member of the bookselling fraternity, who has added to the stores of literature and the name of Constable, of Edinburgh, whose literary taste and great bibliographical knowledge, independently of his having been the originator of the Edinburgh Review, sufficiently entitle him to be noticed among the class. Ballantyne, the publisher and confidant of Sir Walter Scott, who was the sprightly author of the "Widow's Lodgings," and other works in the department of elegant literature, in addition to his vast fund of anecdote, is equally entitled to distinction; as well as Blackwood, for seventeen years the editor of the inimitable periodical that still retains his name. James Lackington—the well-known London bookseller-may be said to have established his claim to our notice from the publication of his "Autobiography." From the shades of obscurity, he was indebted to thriftiness and parsimony, no less than to his untiring zeal and exertions, for his ultimate distinction. Although we may not assign to his character any literary eminence, his career was marked by singular eccentricity;

his spacious establishment in Finsbury Square, around which, it is said, that he actually drove a coach-and-four, contained an immense collection of books. Among his many expedients to excite notoriety was the publication of an advertisement, stating that his coach-house in Old Street had been robbed of 10,000 volumes, consisting chiefly of Dr. Watts' "Psalms and Hymns," a manœuvre that answered the two-fold purpose of letting the world know that he kept a coach, and that even so large a quantity of books could scarce be missed from his collection. He also had the vanity to hoist a flag at the top of his house as a signal, whenever he arrived from his countryseat at Merton. His vanity was certainly very amusing, and excusable, when we consider the disadvantages of his humble origin. At ten years old he commenced crying apple-pies in the streets, so that, as he himself intimates, he soon began to make a noise in the world. His success in this, his first essay, induced speedily the exchange of tarts for books; thus he commenced his business as a bookseller, which one year yielded him a profit of £5000. Here we might mention the name of John Trusler, who was distinguished as a doctor, parson, printer, and author; having fabricated many useful books, and amongst others, an "Essay on the Rights of Literary Property" —a subject, even at the present day, we regret to find so very imperfectly understood among the mass of those to whose enjoyments it is made to yield so large a contribution. Davies, in 1817, compiled and published several amusing bibliographic works, one entitled, "An Olio of Bibliographical and Literary Anecdote and Memoranda," and "A Life of Garrick," which went through several editions. Richard Beatniffe, bookseller, of Norwich, wrote a "Tour through Norfolk," and other works. Parkhurst (Johnson's friend) was of distinguished repute, and occupied many years in preparing a Talmudic Lexicon! Upham, of Exeter, also translated sacred books of the Buddhists. Dr. William Russell, who died at the close of the last century, the well-known author of the "History of Modern Europe," was originally apprenticed to a bookseller; a few after which, he was engaged as a corrector of the

years

press, and subsequently was enabled to devote himself to authorship. His historical works were the product of his maturer years. Whiston, the celebrated translator of “Josephus," was also in his early days a bookseller. The same might be remarked of the renowned naturalist, Smellie, equally celebrated as having produced the best edition of "Terence." He was, moreover, the antagonist of Hume, the refutation of whose atheistical opinions became the theme of his pen. Walwyn was a bard-bookseller of eminence, "a worthy associate of Dryden." Watton, who kept a shop near St. Dunstan's many years, published and compiled several excellent works among them the earliest history we possess of baronets, occupying five octavo volumes. Godwin, whose "Caleb Williams alone is sufficient to preserve his name from oblivion, was for a considerable time a bookseller, and ushered many books of value into tangible existence. Dr. Olinthus Gregory also was once a bookseller at Cambridge, and a teacher of mathematics at the same time.

John Lander, brother of the African traveller, was originally a bookseller. Devoting his leisure to literary pursuits, and his mind being inspired with a love of enterprise, he not only rendered important services to physical science, by the discovery of a problem which had long baffled the literati of Europe, and which has placed his name among the proudest in the annals of science, but he bequeathed to the world one of the most delightful and interesting narratives of travel in the English language. Sir Richard Phillips, of whose elementary writings it is enough commendation to remark that they were sufficiently productive to become the adequate support of his declining years, was not only the first publisher to introduce a reduction in the price of books, but the originator of a fund for oppressed debtors-two things that go to his glory. In the same category was Booth, of London, whose knowledge of books, critical, not titulary, rendered him eminently distinguished; his collection was exceedingly rare and extensive. His literary capabilities were so far respected by Malone, the commentator of Shakespeare, that he consigned to him the

onerous task of editing and arranging the annotations and remarks for his edition of the great dramatist. He also edited and compiled several documents for his "Account of the Battle of Waterloo," two volumes quarto, which passed through the unprecedented number of nine editions in less than two years.

The race of author-booksellers, far from being extinct, is not less flourishing at the present day than it has been at any former period-while it embraces not a few of those who are emulous of the classic honours of their sires, and whose genius and labours will supply a worthy sequel to the past, and add a new lustre to the bibliographic history of the nineteenth century. We will commence with noticing the son of the senior member of one of the most distinguished bookselling houses in the British metropolis-we refer to the Longmans. William Longman has distinguished himself in the science of entomology, a subject that has already successfully engaged his pen. William Wood, the natural history bookseller, is undoubtedly deserving a place among the scientific writers of the day, which his esteemed work, Zoography, or the Beauties of Nature Displayed, in three large volumes, sufficiently attests. He is author of some four or five other important works, as well as editor of the beautiful edition of Buffon, in twenty volumes octavo, and contributor of several interesting papers to the Philosophical Transactions.*

Moxon, in early life, published Christmas, a poem, and a volume of Sonnets, which were so favourably noticed by Rogers, the poet, that a friendship ensued, which has since ripened with its growth, and contributed very materially to the success. of this enterprising and accomplished publisher. To the classical reader we need only mention the name of A. J. Valpy, whose edition of the Variorum Classics, extended to 161 vols., 8vo, to prove his cultivated taste and liberality of enterprise.

* The principal publishers of London are Longman & Co., Rivingtons, Whittaker & Co., Hamilton & Co., Simpkin & Co., Smith, Elder & Co.; and at the "West End," Murray, Bentley, Saunders Otley, Hatchard, Nisbett, Bohn, Moxon, and, although now deceased, we should not omit the well-known publisher of the Aldine edition of the Poets-Pickering. Many others might be named,—among them Tegg, Routledge, Bogue, Chapman & Hall, Weale, &c.

M'Cray has translated and published some beautiful lyrics from the German; William Clarke, originally a bookseller, gave to the antiquary an exceedingly curious and interesting account of libraries, under the name of Repertorium Bibliographicum; and Rodd was the translator of several volumes from the Spanish. One of the best bibliographers was R. H. Evans, the auctioneer and bookseller of Pall-Mall; his namesake, J. Evans, acted as editor in the instance of Aiken's Essays; Dolby, bookseller, gave to the public a work of ingenuity and labour, The Shaksperian Dictionary; and Christie, the auctioneer, has also produced four abstruse works, on the taste and literature of the ancient Greeks, which he compiled during the intervals of his business occupation; Griffith, the bookseller, compiled a catalogue of ancient and modern poetry, entitled Bibliographia Anglo-Poetica; and Dr. Koller and Mr. Bach were both translators and German critics, as well as booksellers. Another conspicuous member of the class was Cochrane, who was for some time an eminent bookseller, and the able and discriminating editor of the Foreign Quarterly Review, for seven years. He was also selected by the trustees to draw up the catalogue of Sir Walter Scott's choice and valuable library at Abbottsford—a most delightful labour of love; and on the formation of the London Library, was, among a host of competitors, unanimously elected to the offices of librarian and secretary.

We might also mention Stewart, the eminent linguist, and known as the skilful compiler of the celebrated catalogue of Miss Currer's library, which he embellished by drawings from his own pencil. If any one is sceptical enough, after what has been adduced to the contrary, to assert that the bookselling and printing business has been wanting in literary distinction, we pity his want of candour, while we further refer him to such names as the following: Arrowsmith, the celebrated mappublisher, and author of Ancient and Modern Geography, as well as several elementary works in geography, some of which, with the former, were used as text-books at Oxford, Cambridge, and Eton; J. Wilson, editor of the Bibliographical