THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sra,—I have been thinking what I shall do when my house can hold no more books. Three plans are in view : 1. Buy no more books. (Ruled out.) 2. Sacrifice my garden and build a library there. (Ruled out.) Remains 3. Get a bigger house. This involves leaving my present house, which is beautiful and has very precious associations. Therefore I will do 4. Rent a second house, and divide my library. This can be done in three ways : (a) Chronologically. I might leave here all books published before A.D. 1900. This will mean many empty shelves at present, but they will be giudually filled up by purchase of pm-twentieth century books which I do not now possess. But this plan will be a permanent solution of the difficulty. When in A.D. 2000 my second house is full, I will add a third, which will only contain
books published in the twenty-first century : and so on indefinitely. (b) By subjects. I shall keep only Theology here : all other subjects in my other house or houses. (c) Alpha- betically, authors A (including Anon.)—K in this house, L—T in the second, . and U—Z in the third. (b) and (c) involve vast transfers when a new house is added. Therefore (a) is the best.
The fact that my library is the Bodleian makes no difference in these considerations.—I am, Sir, &c., H. W. G. KENRICK.
Holy Trinity Vicarage, Hoxton, N. 1.
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