a few scholars and lovers of old books.

I have to thank Mr. Hutt for much general
help, and for reading all the proof slips. To Canon
C. M. Church, M.A., of Wells, I am indebted for
his kindness in answering inquiries, for lending me
the illustration of the exterior of Wells Cathedral
Library, and for permitting me to reproduce a plan
from his book entitled Chapters in the Early History
of the Church of Wells. The Historic Society of
Lancashire and Cheshire have kindly allowed me
to reproduce a part of their plan of Birkenhead
Priory. Illustrations were also kindly lent by the
Clarendon Press, the Cambridge University Press,
Mr. John Murray, Mr. Fisher Unwin, the Editor
of The Connoisseur, and Mr. G. Coffey, of the Royal
Irish Academy. A small portion of the first chapter
has appeared in The Library, and is reprinted by
kind permission of the editors. Mr. C. W. Sutton,
M.A., City Librarian of Manchester, has been in
every way kind and patient in helping me. So too
has Mr. Strickland Gibson, M.A., of the Bodleian
Library, especially in connexion with the chapter on
Oxford Libraries. Thanks are due also to the
Deans of Hereford, Lincoln, and Durham, to Mr.
Tapley-Soper, City Librarian of Exeter, and to
Mr. W. T. Carter, Public Librarian of Warwick;
also to my brother, V. M. Savage, for his drawings.
The general editor of this series, the Rev. J. Charles
Cox, LL.D., F.S.A., gave me much help by reading