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    n5o The Publishers'Circular act- 1^889

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    ^^"^"-W^*B PERNICIOUS — — ¦ LITERATURE I...

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    The Library, Manuscripts, And

    leisure vanished . The diameter of the circle of the Reading Room ¦ is 140 - feetand the

    height " ^^ ^^ H ^^ ^ mm ^^ - ^^ r to v ^^ v ^» the ^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^ " ^ apex ^^^^^^^^^^ W of the ^ - ^—— roof — — — — — 106 — — — - feet — , j - ; thus — - in -y diameter it is inferior to the Pantheon at Rome

    by 2 feet , while it surpasses St . Peter ' s by 1 footand ° " ^" St . Paul i ' s by 28 feet . The greater

    portion ^^^ B ^^ ^^^ ^^^ , ^ H a ^^ F" ^^ ^^^ ^^"" of ~— r ^ k — ™ the _ ah ^» ¦ ¦ ¦ Lib * 4 ^ * v rary — ~~ ^^ is m —~ constructed —^ ~ — . ~~ a — *¦ of ^^—^^ p 4 tt iron ai weighing 4 — 7200 — tonsand ____ the — _ glass _ which

    covers - — ^ y the ^ y , roof measures , 60 , 000 ^^ superficial feet . The Reading Room can accommodate

    comfortably 360 readers , each person haying 4 feet of lateral space allotted to him . In the

    centre are the catalogue tables . The hot-water pipes are arranged in radiating lines like the

    tables , and in summer the ventilation steam " ilaced in the summit of the structure

    are ppes heated , p in order , to extract the foul air . , There are nearly four miles of book presses ,

    each press being eight feet high . Now - assuming CT that _ the separate shelves could

    x be arranged in line they would measure 25 miles . Againassuming the shelves filled with

    books , which , they will soon be , and each volume placed edge to edgethese books would

    stretch to over 25 , 000 miles , , or more than three times the diameter of the globe . '

    Mr . Fagan next described in a very interesting ^^ way - - — ^ some - — " - —— — of — — the chief literary — «/ and artistic — -

    treasures contained in the British Museum , such as- ' The Dictes and Sayings of the Philosophers ,

    minster Emprinted # in 1477 by me , the William first edition Caxton of , at ' Romeo West-¦ ;

    ^ p ^^ m v ^ W ^^» ^^™ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^ " ^^™ ^^™ ^ " ^ ^^^^^ ^ f ^ f ^ g — — ^^^ — ^^ and Juliet , ' bequeathed to the Museum by David Gar rick ; and the famous Indulgence

    issued by Pope Leo X . for the re-building of St h . Peter v v v ' s at Rome in 1517 - v - the document - . ^^ ^^ W ^^^^ - ^^ ^^^^^^ —¦ — — — , j — — — °

    which excited the righteous indignation of Martin Lutherand so became the ' germ

    which afterwards , bore fruit in the Reformation . ' 0 _

    In speaking of the newspaper department , the lecturer mentioned the fact that a

    copy of every newspaper published in the United Kingdom is sent by Act of Parliament to the British Museum . ' The number

    received daily of course varies , but last year the — — number . __ received ___ . under _ the Copyri _ a */ g ht Act

    was 2 , 244 , comprising 158 , 028 issues ; of these 557 were « published in London b A and its suburbs « K mP m , ^ B ^^ ^ ^^

    1 , 338 ^ in other ^ parts of Eng ^^ " ^^ land and Wales ^^ ^ , 206 in Scotland , and 143 in . Ireland . Each

    paper is first filed and then bound in years , and this class of literature is largely consulted , indeed last year there were upwards of 14 , 000

    readers , who examined no less than 72 , 000 volumes . ' I taly claims to have been the birthplace

    of modern journalism : the first sheet of paper containing d in news Venice , according in 15 ; i ( 5 to when Mr . a Fagan manu- , appeare

    , script known as * The Gazzetta' was read alou 4 The d word at particular Gazzetta arises sections from once the a name month of .

    a very small Venetian coin , which was either the price of the newspaper or the fee charged for reading — it . '

    tj Mr . Fagan drew attention to the great historical value of the documents preserved in the Department UlllOlll / of KTM Manuscri Uk 0 ptsand

    , ; detaile tllU X / O 4 ^ fai account of JLVJLC some * AJ . VJL memorable A . j ^ V 0 , , CbAAVl gave { £€ S * V tate V » C a * papers and famous autograph letters . His

    department ^ concluding ^^' krW ^ »/ Jf cJfc * ^*** */ with TV remarks J ^^*« r which If 1 UVAA e were he AAV himself AAAAAAPV devoted 4 JI MJ is & officially VUXV / tec 1 CWU Ifoe

    stated connected that , that it was of Prints doubtf and ul when Drawinga the aft . , He of

    but engraving added that was its intro earliest duced patron into this was M cdmniry ^ tiiew ,

    Parker—Archbishop of ^ Canterbury lit flie tijh e \ of — Queen - ^^™« — — — — - of Elizabeth — — - _ - - - _ - - _ - v r ^^_ - - ^^^ —who ^ v ¦ h ¦ —^^ died - ^^ r ^^ m ^ and bw ^^^ ^^ p ^^ r ^ in ^^ " ^^^ ^^^ ^ 16 ^^^^ v ^^^^ ^ 5 ^ HF ; ^^ The ^^^^^^ ^^ Bi ^^ k ^^^^

    progres ^ line-engraving etching wa & clearly indicatedand the lecturer concluded

    his extremely able , address by some remarks on the constitution of the British Museum .

    'The Board of Trustees consists of fifty membersbut the power of patronagewith

    • B , SI Bi > B _ . ^ M ^^ k _ h ¦ kB am , the ^ exception * of that ^ of ^^ Principal ^ ^ . ^^ Li ^^^ . brarian ^ . — , is vested by Act of Parliament in € he hands io of

    the Archbishop of Canterbury ^ te rd Chancellorand the Speaker of fc & e'ttbttse of

    , Commons . Among the Official Trustees are included the President of the Council , the

    First Lord of the Treasury , the five " " principal Secretaries -m of State -- the - ^_ - Lord h Chief - Justicfe of

    M-abBI — — — — — _— — , ^ p ^^ r- ^^^^^^^^ ^^^ - ^^^^ _ ^^^^^ iv ^ m ^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^ i ^ ^^^» ^^^^^ ^ r ^^^ ^^ r ^^^ ^^ B' ^^ I ^ ^^^ F ^ Bl Eng ^ lan ^ d , and the . ^ President ^^^^ . ^ of ^^ the Royal _^^_ Academy Academv . . Tnere There are are also also the the Jfeilected Elected Trustees Trustees .

    and to attain that honour has been called the , "Blue Biband of Literature . " The staff of

    the Museum is composed of nearly four hundred persons , but this number does not

    include bookbinders , firemen , and labourers . The money - spent in salaries and - purchases ¦¦¦ 1

    — — — . ___ ^^ _ __ , ^_ ^^ . ^ _^_ _^^ ^^^^ B ^ r ^ ^^^^ v ^^ r ^ H J ^^ - ^ v ^^^ ^ fc ^^^^^ ^ l ^^ S ^ V ' ^¦^ . ^^ is annually voted from Parliament ; it generally amounts to £ 100000 . The Chief

    Official of the British Museum , is the Principal j — Librarian ~ - — , -j a — - ¦— * name — — ¦— - ¦— - ^ " - ¦ assi ^ mr ^ r ¦ h ^^ v gned ^ pi ^ b ^^ ^^ - ^^ - ^^^ v in ^^ ^^ ^^ the ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^

    Act of Parliament , although his duties have no more intimate connection with the Library « y

    than with any other department . He is appointed thus—the Trustees nominate two

    persons , hitherto always selected from the staff , one of whom is always chosen by the

    Sovereign . - Mr . Fagan ' s lecture was illustrated by

    fifty magnificent lime-light photographic reproductions objects of of special views interest of the British contained Museum within , and its

    walls . The lecture itself was an admirable example of the best kind ' — —¦ - of ¦ popular ¦¦ address ;

    — - — — — " ^ ^^™ m - ^^ m ^^ - ^ ^^ m ^^>^ v ^^^ ^^ - ^ - ^^ ^ m ^^*^ p ^ Bv ^ Bp « f *^ ^^ i * and it was listened to throughout with evident pleasure , as well as unbroken attention . It is

    to be hoped that Mr . Fagan will consent to redeliver it in other parts of Londonas well

    as in the provinces — ~ ; and BJ ^— ^^ ^^ secretaries ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ - ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^ B ^^^ of ^^ ^^ , ^ p literary ^^^^^ p ^^ — v ^^^ v ^ ^^ societies — — - — & — — c - . oug — — ^ t ^^ m ht — — ^^ certainl ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ y w to ^^^ ^^^ do ^^^^^^ ^^^^ their ^^^ ^ p ^*^^* ^^^ " *^^ ^^^ best w ^^^^ ^^^~ ^^^^ ^^

    to induce so able a lecturer to come more frequently forwardespecially when he has

    chosen a subject which , he is peculiarly well fitted to treat , and with which he is

    maniiestly completely at home . B A 1

    N5o The Publishers'circular Act- 1^889

    5 The Publishers ' Circular act- 1889

    no ^ __^ iimbi ^ ill 1 ' r ^

    ^^"^"-W^*B Pernicious — — ¦ Literature I...

    ^^ " ^ " -W ^* B PERNICIOUS — — ¦ LITERATURE IN ' — — —¦ ¦ — — ^^ " ^ ' ^ ^^^^ - ^ r ^^^^^^ ^^^^ H . ^ ^

    AUSTRALIA , This subject has just attracted

    considerable f \ ^ K I < TbV attention ft 1 "T >^ V Vfc " 4 r 1 /\ n at bT » «> the " 4- - » ^ -v Anti A <¦* - * ••¦« podes ab-v yv rf-1 arv < r « . A parcel •»« . ^ k . m ^ w I of books *^ recentl — ^ — ^^ ^^ ~ ^^ y ^»^ B" ^ arrived ^^^^^ ¦ a ^ BV ^^^ * ^^^ ^^ ^^ at ^^^^^ ^^ Melbourne ^^^~ . ^ " ^ - ^ ^^^ ¦ ^^> " - ^^ ^^^ ^ ip ^^ VBV ^ BV . ^^^^ , ^ H whi ^ ™ W *& *^^ " ^ ch ^^^ ^^ i I Tfc ** Patterson WV * ¦¦ 1 1 s ~ + mm «« ttwm ^ I

    Mr . , the Commissioner of Trade and Customsregarded as being of an

    indecent character , and therefore decided to \ , Bf . ibi ^ l ^ M «¦ a .

    ^ nave destroyed ^ . The importer requested permission to ship them back to the Lpndon

• Citation
  • Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), Oct. 1, 1889, page 1150, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_01101889/page/18/