'On presenting ourselves at a little shop in the Market Place, a popular circulating library, the old spectacle-nosed keeper told us, that his invariable rule was, before boys [underlined] were entrusted with his books, to have some one as surety for the payment - he accepted my father as such, and registered my name. The old man now asked what book I would like, but being unacquainted with works of fiction, I could not tell him; he handed to us a catalogue which only made the choice more bewildering. I at length selected one, which from its title I thought would be very mysterious - it was "Splendid Misery". This I took home; it was on a Saturday evening. With the first broad light of morning, I arose and greedily devoured several chapters of the first volume.'
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Christopher Thomson Print: Book
