conditions are fundamental. First, the shelves
must, as a rule, be fixed; secondly, the cases,
or a large part of them, should have their
side against the wall, and thus, projecting
into the room for a convenient distance, they
should be of twice the depth needed for a
single line of books, and should hold two
lines, one facing each way. Twelve inches
is a fair and liberal depth for two rows of
octavos. The books are thus thrown into
stalls, but stalls after the manner of a stable,
or of an old-fashioned coffee-room; not after
the manner of a bookstall, which, as times
go, is no stall at all, but simply a flat space
made by putting some scraps of boarding
together, and covering them with books.

This method of dividing the longitudinal
space by projections at right angles to it, if
not very frequently used, has long been
known. A great example of it is to be found
in the noble library of Trinity College,
Cambridge, and is the work of Sir Christopher
Wren. He has kept these cases down to
very moderate height, for he doubtless took
into account that great heights require long
ladders, and that the fetching and use of
these greatly add to the time consumed in
getting or in replacing a book. On the other
hand, the upper spaces of the walls are