The Library

Andrew Lang / Austin DobsonMacmillan & Co.1881

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Chapters: 8

Summary

The Library is an essay collection by the Scottish writer, poet and critic Andrew Lang (1844–1912), published in 1881 by Macmillan & Co. of London as one of the "Art and Home" series aimed at general readers of the day. In a light, witty and slightly tipsy tone, the book discusses the hobby of book collecting—which the author calls a "gentle madness": from a defense of "bookworms" and "book-hunters" ("An Apology for the Book-hunter"), to the books collectors should look out for ("The Books of the Collector"), illustrated editions and the beauty of binding, and on to teasing remarks about "book thieves" and vignettes of book stalls and book markets. A second edition appeared in 1892, adding a chapter by Austin Dobson on modern English illustrated books and extra illustrations, making it fuller than the first. Citing bibliophilic sources such as Dibdin and De Bury's Philobiblon, the book sets out a list of classics while repeatedly reminding beginners: better to buy fewer, buy expensive, buy good, than to rummage stall by stall for cheap defective copies. It is at once a book-lover's confession and a vivid record of nineteenth-century English collecting fashions and the book trade.

Editor's review

一本书名平平、却常被版本目录学书目提到的小书——“The Library”，作者安德鲁·兰。他不是躲在书库里的枯坐学者，而是诗、评论、翻译皆通的文人，写藏书也带着几分顽皮：先替被讥为“书蠹”的同好鸣不平，再坦白自己也曾在书摊上收了一堆缺页少图的“两便士宝贝”。书中既列古典必藏名单，也讲旧书的气味、毛边、烫金与装帧，读来像跟着一位老书客逛巴黎与伦敦的书摊。对于想了解“书之为物”而不仅是“书之内容”的读者，这本书是一道极好的入门；对英文名著合集的读者，它也提供了读懂旧书版本、插图与收藏趣味的一把钥匙。需要注意的是，本书并非小说，而是书话随笔，若读者抱持阅读英文小说的期待，不妨先调整预期。

Who it's for

A good fit for

喜欢藏书、旧书与版本学的爱书人
阅读英文名著之余想了解书业掌故的读者
对维多利亚时代英国文化随笔感兴趣的读者
希望练习英文散文阅读的中高级英语学习者

Not a good fit for

寻找情节性小说、故事读物的读者
只想要书目清单与工具书式检索资料的读者

Reading tips

先读《为猎书人一辩》，把握全书轻松自辩的语调，再读余下篇章。
读时可对照初版与1892年第二版，留意多布森增补的插图本专章。
书中大量提及旧时书商与藏家，可随手查考人物，读来更有兴味。

About the publisher

Macmillan & Co.

Macmillan & Co. is a publisher whose list is centred on literature and foreign literature, with an emphasis on original-language editions and classic works. Public information is limited, but the two titles held in the collection offer some indication of its editorial direction: Irish Fairy Tales, edited by the Irish writer James Stephens and illustrated by Arthur Rackham, is a classic that combines folk tales with illustration; The Library, associated with authors such as Andrew Lang and Austin Dobson, deals with books and book-collecting culture. These author resources are mostly writers, scholars and illustrators of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, suggesting that the publisher has shown care in the fields of fairy tales and legends, literary essays and illustrated editions, with a characteristic attention to textual interest and book design.

Dedication
Preface
Preface to the Second Edition
An Apology for the Book-hunter
book collecting (The Library)
The Books of the Collector
Illustrated Books
(Added in the Second Edition) A Special Chapter on Modern English Illustrated Books (by Austin Dobson)

FAQ

《The Library》是一本小说吗？

不是。它是安德鲁·兰1881年出版的藏书随笔集，属于书话与版本学类作品，谈论藏书趣味、书摊见闻与插图本，而非虚构故事。

这本书有中文译本吗？

据现有资料，未核实到该书通行的中文译本，常见版本为 Macmillan 出版的英文初版（1881）与第二版（1892）。

初版和第二版有什么差别？

初版1881年印行；1892年第二版由奥斯丁·多布森增写关于近代英国插图本的一章，并增补了插图，且作者另写了第二版序言。

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About the author

Andrew Lang Author

Andrew Lang is an important figure in editing and compiling fairy tales and folk stories, though detailed information about his life is limited in publicly available Chinese sources. Four of his works are included here: The Red Fairy Book and The Blue Fairy Book from his "coloured fairy book" series, as well as The Red Romance Book and Historical Mysteries. These works show that he was skilled at collecting and retelling folk legends and fairy tales from various regions, with clear and fluent narratives, accessible language, and attention to preserving the oral tradition and imaginative quality of the stories. His fairy-tale anthologies have circulated widely and are often classified as inspirational coming-of-age reading, exercising a lasting influence on children's literature and the dissemination of folk tales in the English-speaking world.

Austin Dobson Author

Austin Dobson is an author known chiefly for his prose essays, and his work The Library is listed on this Chinese book site under the categories of original-language books and classic works. Public information about his nationality, dates of birth and death, and detailed biography is limited; the existing records in our database show only one work under his name. The Library centres on book collecting, books, and the settings of reading, and has the flavour of a literary essay: relaxed in tone, attentive to detail and personal impressions, and suited to readers interested in book culture and questions of editions. Writing of this kind relies less on plot than on learned anecdotes and an elegant style, and holds its own place in the English essay tradition. As verifiable material is scarce, this note is based only on the facts in our database and on the subject matter of the work, without further conjecture about the author's life.