Writing of Lewis Carroll's books and their prices, Mr, Spencer recalls a visit from Lewis Carroll to the shop:
I was well acquainted with the Rev. C. L. Dodgson, Cav-roll's real name. He called at my shop with another clergyman, whom he introduced, I remember, as a Mr. Draper. He was a chatty old gentleman, was Carroll, always talking about the mathematical problems that took the form of games. Metaphorically speaking, he was eternally striving to square the circle. A collection of old puzzles stored in one of my upper rooms had a peculiar fascination for him. Afterwards in the letters he wrote to me, of which there were many, he always drew some sort of riddle in diagram at the corner!
On Andrew Long's handwriting he comments.
It- took me. long hours~ to make out his notes, and for that matter, his cheques! How on J painting. earth the compositors managed his "copy" at the "Daily News" office I don't know. There are collectors who bought the manuscripts. of his "Daily News" leaders, and paid me £20 for each of them, but they could have been no wiser than I am. Meredith, we are told, was Guite indifferent to the fate of his MSS.
George Meredith placed no value whatsoever on the manuscripts of his novels. Once when he said to Miss Nichol she answered teasingly that it was mock modesty on his part to say such a thing.- To this Mere-with merely gave her an instruction: to make a bonfire of manuscripts at the end of the garden! And he was sett on it. too." she told us.
"But," she pleaded, "can't I have some of them as_ keepness?"
"Yes," he answered carelessly, "take whichever you like." The worth of the MSS. she saved was £1,800!
We have quoted enough, we think, to show how delightful a book this will be found, both by the book-collector and by the general reader,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.