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LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 1888.

of Pickwick' or Titmarsh's Comic Tales and

Sketches. It is true their authors were not disCONTENTS-N 106.

tinguished writers of the day, but any person with NOTES :-Bibliography of Thackeray's ‘Letters,' l-MB. Ser- a grain of insight might have prophesied great rice Book, 2-Dictionary of National Biography’-Trees as things of “Boz” and “Michael Angelo," and have Boundaries, 3-The Silver Captain-Wag-Coco-nut, 4

preserved their works with bibliophilic care from Sparable— Rapier-Effects of English Accent, 5–J. Droes- the ravages of the kitchen and the nursery,

Alhoat–Leaden Font-Star of Bethlehem—The Gurgoyles, though acquainted with all the published biblioThe Devil's Passing-Bell, 6.

graphies of Dickens, I have never yet met with a QUERIES :- Punishment of "Carting" — W. Grant, Lord completely accurate description of 'Pickwick'as Preston-Grange — Googe's 'Husbandry'-Palace of Henry it originally appeared in parts. No writer of the de Blois - Introduction of Ginger-English Flag in Paris, time thought it worth while to record anything of Castle Martyr Pictures-Grasshopper on Royal Exchange, 7 that rare Part 3, with “Illustrations by R. W. -“ Loose-girt boy "-"The Golden Horde "-Sir T. Thorn- Buss" on the cover, which is now the crux of a hill–J. Donaldson - "Pricking the belt for a wager " collector, but which we may hope to learn all Ballads on the Armada-Armada Literature-J. Hussey, about when the long-advertised "Victoria Edition” Articalo – Chronological Difficulty, 8 – Gem Pyropus - makes its appearance. It is with a view, thereVoyage to the Moon '--Customs-Authors Wanted, 9.

fore, to obviate any controversy with regard to the REPLIES :-Records of Celtic Occupation, 9-St. Enoch, 12– last work of the greatest humourist of the century Morue,Why Betrothal and Marriage Rings are worn on the that I purpose to crystallize in the columns of Fourth Finger-Kingsley's Last Poem-Tooley Street Tailors, N. & Q.,' while the book is still wet from the 13-Slipshod English-“On the cards”—E. Underbill-Ela press, a short discursus on the ‘Letters' of WilFamily-'Greater London,' 14–"Q in the Corner"-Bio- liam Makepeace Thackeray. The first instalment graphical Dictionaries —"When cockle shells”—Goss, 15– of these letters appeared in Scribner's Magazine The Sling-Public Penance, 16–Mitre in Heraldry, 17.

for April, 1887; the last in the number of that NOTES ON BOOKS :-Walto's 'Real History of the Rosi- periodical for October, 1887. The published book crucians'--Smiles's 'Life and Labour.'

issued from the press in September, 1887.

Which, then, is the first edition; and is priority Notices to Correspondents, &c.

reckoned from the date on which the first letter

was published, or from that on which the col

lection was completed ? But a careful observer Potes.

will perceive that there are variations between

the two issues. The collected volume does BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THACKERAY'S 'LETTERS.' not contain two of the cuts that appeared in

The mania for collecting first editions of contem- Scribner, viz., the “Portrait of No. 913," in porary authors appears to be of recent date, and the August number, p. 144, and the interesting it can only be said to have reached its full develop- “Portrait of Thackeray,” in the October number, ment within the last fifteen years. I have ex- p. 418. Nor does the book republish the little amined most of the library catalogues of the initial signature in the June number of Scribner, historic bibliophiles, and have discovered no p. 690. On the other hand, Scribner does not evidence to show that they had any desire to show us the facsimile of Clough's MS., “The Flags enhance the fame of their coevals by raising the of Piccadilly," opposite p. 82 of the book. It is value of their early works to a fancy elevation. evident that the moot point of priority of publicaEditiones principes of the classical and Eliza- tion, and the variations between the two issues bethan authors have always been in favour, but which I have noted, render it absolutely necessary not one of the bibliophiles of the last century, for for the conscientious collector to possess himself instance, cared to preserve in “ original boards of both these editions, to the mutual advantage of ancut,” in a “ pull-off case," or in a richly decked New York and London. Having purchased these morocco coat, the early productions of Goldsmith for the sake of bibliophily, let us hope that he er Fielding, Gray or Johnson. Had they done so, will unite with most people in praying the pubearly copies in good condition would not be so lishers to produce, at no great interval of time, a rate as they are now, and we should not be called volume which one may read in an easy chair withen to pay fifty or sixty guineas for an uncut copy out the intervention of a book-rest, and in which of the Vicar of Wakefield.' I have been an the mind will not be offended by such chronological assiduous collector of Fielding for several years, vagaries as a letter attributed to July, 1850, being bat have hitherto failed to procure good uncut sandwiched in between one written at Christmas, copies, say, of his History of the Rebellion in 1849, and another with the date of February 26, Scotland, 1745,' or his ‘Dialogue between the 1850. I do not wish to be ill-natured; but better Devil, Pope, and Pretender.' In later years, how meat worse cooked has seldom been issued from few people seem to have preserved original copies the literary cuisine. This is a hard thing to sa