FRANK MURRAY, Vendor of Second-Hand Books. Moray House, Derby. Regent House, Nottingham. Libraries or smaller collections of books bought at each establishment. Highest Market Value Given. Experienced Valuer sent to any part of kingdom. BANKERS: London and Midland Bank, Ltd., Derby; Pares' Leicestershire Banking Co., Ltd,, Leicester; Nottingham and Notts. Banking Co., Ltd., Nottingham, CATALOGUES Issued at regular intervals from each establishment and sent post-free to Book Buyers in any part of the world. Our Note-Book. OR all ordinary purposes, the handsome reprints of the first editions of Charles Dickens's works which Messrs. Mac millan & Co. are now issuing, are the most handy, and for library purposes and for presentation purposes they are certainly far ahead of any other edition with which we are acquainted; as, in addition to the important merit of cheapness (each volume is published at three shillings and sixpence), all the original illustrations are carefully reproduced. The first in the series is the perennially interesting "Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club," which contains, in addition to the illustrations, a capital introduction, biographical and bibliographical, by Charles Dickens the younger. This introduction does not contain anything that is unknown to the collector of first editions of Charles Dickens, but many of the facts The connection between the will be fresh to the general reader. author and the artists who illustrated "Pickwick" is clearly and succinctly told, and the very absurd claim of the Seymour family to a portion of the honour of having originated Pickwick is satisfactorily disposed of, let us hope for all time. It will interest those who cannot afford the original edition to have reproduced the three illustrations of R. W. Buss, who was first engaged to fill the vacancy caused by the untimely death of Seymour. It must be admitted that these illustrations are véry poor stuff as compared with either those of Seymour or the extremely happy ones of "Phiz" (Hablôt K. Browne). Out of the guerilla host of other artists who produced sets of illustrations for various publishers, Mr. Charles Dickens the younger reproduces the tea-party at the "Spaniards " by Crowquill, and Mr. Pickwick after his ice accident from a series published by Sharp each example has the merit of oddity, and beyond this very little can be said in their favour. The designs of Phiz are far and away the best that have ever been attempted, being thoroughly in keeping not only with the impression which the author wished to convey, but with what the majority of readers would create in their own minds without the extraneous aid of the artist. We reproduce the exquisitely humorous picture of the famous quarrel between the rival editors, which has a literary interest not altogether without parallels in modern times. So far as regards his future, we have no fear that Mr. Pickwick will decline in popularity for many generations. Even when it ceases to interest as a story, it will still have an imperishable value as the truest and most vivid picture ever written of men and things of half a century ago. IN THE BOOKWORM, vol. iv. p. 162, we acknowledged the receipt of the first part of Messrs. Macmillan & Bowes's exceedingly useful "Catalogue of Books Printed at or Relating to the University, Town, or County of Cambridge "; and the second part of this most useful Catalogue only serves to confirm the high opinion expressed of the first. The present part includes books which come within the foregoing category issued from 1701 to 1800, and naturally the entries are more numerous than those which come between the dates 1521-1700. The first part enumerated 347 items, whilst the second gives a full bibliographical account of 1061. As a rule, the entries have less interest as the books become more modern in date. One distinct merit of this Catalogue is the information contained in the notes, for the authors of very many of the books named have quite faded into obscurity, from which not even the "Dictionary of National Biography" has condescended to rescue them; the few details, therefore, which Messrs. Macmillan & Bowes have given will be found very interesting and useful. Dealers in bogus works of antiquity have been doing a rushing business of late. Recently the Louvre came near being swindled by a smart young man who brought in a magnificent bronze statuette, a specimen of Venetian art of the fifteenth century. The patriotic young gentleman declared that he would let the Louvre have it at a sacrifice because he would rather see it there than anywhere else. Nevertheless, if it was not purchased in twenty-four hours, he would reluctantly be obliged to sell the statuette to a foreign establishment. So he modestly fixed the price. Everybody appeared to be delighted with the beautiful work, but the director of the fine arts, M. Roujon, was absent, and the money could not be paid to the patriot until he returned. An examination proved that this magnificent ancient piece was just six weeks old. * Mr. Robert C. Hope's comprehensive treatise on "The Legendary Lore of the Holy Wells of England" (Elliot Stock) has an antiquarian rather than a bibliographical interest, but of the inseparableness of the two subjects it in many instances gives rather striking proofs. "Well-Worship," as Mr. Hope briefly describes the subject of his volume (and in which generic term is included that of rivers, lakes, fountains, and springs), is of great antiquity, and is the primary source of innumerable legends, sacred and pagan. In the former, for example, we have the accounts of the Deluge, the miraculous passages of the Red Sea and of Jordan, and the pools of Bethesda |