Excerpt from The Gentleman's Magazine Library, Vol. 9: Being a Classified Collection of the Chief Contents of the Gentleman's Magazine From 1731 to 1868; Literary Curiosities and Notes It is open to question whether the rarest literary treasures of this age produce any such feelings of veneration from the many who are constantly engaged in consulting them, although from the lips of poets there occasionally bursts forth a verse indicative of the old spirit. The great advance made by the British Museum and other public libraries, and the gradual, though slow, spread of free libraries in towns, are encouraging signs of the in uence which the high com panionship of books exercises. Few of the following pages are more instructive than those which deal with the libraries in London and the country at the beginning of this century. The strides from the state of things here depicted have been enormous. But 'in the meantime the old book-lover has nearly departed from amongst us. Perhaps the late Mr. W. J. Thoms was the last of his race; but from Leland to Thorns is a far stretch, and the period includes-men who have done much towards making books the servants of thought and science rather than the tyrants of taste and dilettantism. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."

Excerpt from The Gentleman's Magazine Library: Being a Classified Collection of the Chief Contents of the the Gentleman's Magazine From 1731 to 1868 The Fragments of Literature (pp. Were commenced under that title in 1812, and continued at uncertain intervals for several years. The feature was unique, and had those fragments appeared regularly, and been supplemented by a proper index, they would have been of great value. Unfortunately this was neglected, and even in the meagre space devoted to them some extraneous matter was allowed, and thus a feature which with a little care would have Supplied bibliographical students with rare and curious infor mation, died of sheer inanition: the fragments, purged of the dross which encumbered them, are gathered here in the hope that after some seventy years of practical oblivion they may resume their career of usefulness. I have again to tender thanks to many kind friends for notes and assistance. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.