Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

18 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD.
genius to attach himself to, and of making the welkin
ring again with the name of Blackwood, then so
humble and little known.
We do not know if his private affairs had at this
point reached to an acute stage hurrying a decision,
or if he found that he had as much of Cuthill and the
other methods of London as would serve his purpose.
At all events in 1804, he returned definitely to Edinburgh,
and launched himself upon the world in an
independent establishment on the South Bridge,
which had the advantage of being exactly opposite
the College—the best position possible for the sale of
old books as well as of new. In this place Blackwood
remained for a number of years. He not only sold
old books but bought them, and undertook commis-
sions to arrange and classify and value gentlemen's
libraries. Constable had begun in a similar way not
many years before. It seems to have been one of the
shortest cuts to fortune. The book-hunters had sud-
denly developed in English and Scottish circles, often
in the most unlikely places, hungry for their prey.
Heber was prowling about Edinburgh in every place
that promised discovery of a forgotten volume ; and
Dibdin in England was busy with his work on the pur-
chase of old books and their value and classification.
While these changes were going on Blackwood had
attained the age of twenty-eight, and would seem to
have also risen to such modest prosperity in his busi-
ness as made marriage possible. And in the begin-
ning of 1805 he seems to have found an opportunity
of offering his hand and his rising fortunes to the
young lady who had secured his early admiration.
The letter in which she replied to his proposal has