INSCRIPTIONS IN BOOKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11010, 14 March 1899, Page 3

INSCRIPTIONS IN BOOKS.

An interesting collection might be formed of the various inscriptions and annotations inserted by owners on the fly-leaves of their books. By these means, borrowers are exhorted to faithful restitution, while defaulters in this respect are threatened with dire consequences should they misuse, fail to return, or steal the literary treasure. The first example is an admonition to borrowers, and by no means a superfluous one. as many have found to their cost. The blank is left for the name of the owner. THIS BOOK belongs to . . . If thou art borrowed by a friend, Right welcome shall he be. To read, to study, not to lend, Hut to return to me. Not that imparted knowledge doth Diminish learning's store: But books. I find, if often lent, Return to me no more. •live your attention ae you read, And frequent pauses take; Think seriously; and take good heed That you no dogs-ears make. A very common formula in books of a devotional nature is as follows: — This is Biles Wilkinson, his book. God give him grace therein to look. We now come to some of a different char> acter, which will be recognised by every schoolboy. Steal not this book for fear of shame, For herein lies the owner's name (J-n S-h This book is one thing, My foot is another. Steal not the one, For feai of the other. On the fly-leaf of many old school-books you will find the facetious query. " Which would you rather be —a bigger fool than you look, or look a bigger fool than you are';" and an accompanying direction to a numbered page for the answer. Haying turned to the page named, you art re-directed to some other part of the book, from thence to another, and so on. You are about to throw the book away in disgust, one more tiy, the very last, and you are confronted with — " Both are impossible." Another young wag had altered the title of his read-ing-book to " Lamb's Tails from Shakespere," and in the place for his name had inscribed, "If my name you wish to tee, turn to page one-fifty-three." Another chase, backwards and forwards, from end to end of the book, and the following couple; is unearthed: — Silly fool! you cannot find it. Shut the book and do not mind it. | The following is an exact copy of the flyleaf of the first volume of "Blair Lectures on Rhetoric," by T. Cadell, London, ip 1796, and speaks for itself: — JAMES HOUGHTON, 1330. December 4, 1841. memory the whole of the first two volumes of " Blair's Lectures" in three years from the date hereof, and in failure thereof is to forfeit four guineas. Introduction excepted. If be succeed the owner to forfeit the sun* stun.