Ecclesiastes 12:12. And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there in no end: and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
That is what Solomon said, and he had never seen the British Museum, or the Bodleian and other noted libraries, for, if he had done so, he would have said, with an emphasis, "There is no end," for the books of his day could scarcely have been one in a thousand, or one in a million, compared with those which are now produced. I should not wonder, however, if the one in a million was quite worth the million. There are many books made that may benefit the printer, and the publisher, and the bookseller, but they are not likely to benefit anybody else.
Ecclesiastes 12:12. And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there in no end: and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
That is what Solomon said, and he had never seen the British Museum, or the Bodleian and other noted libraries, for, if he had done so, he would have said, with an emphasis, "There is no end," for the books of his day could scarcely have been one in a thousand, or one in a million, compared with those which are now produced. I should not wonder, however, if the one in a million was quite worth the million. There are many books made that may benefit the printer, and the publisher, and the bookseller, but they are not likely to benefit anybody else.