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The following words of wisdom come from an early bookplate. They give instructions as to how to go about borrowing books. Books were highly treasured for they were expensive and often difficult to come by in early America. As always, it is transcribed verbatim, including capitalization/punctuation/grammatical novelties. It reads: "If thou art borrowed by a friend, Right welcome shall he be, To read, to study--not to lend-- But to return to me. Not that impartial knowledge doth Diminish learning's store, But Books, I find, if often lent, Return to me no more. Read slowly, pause Frequently, think seriously, keep cleanly, return duly, with the corners of the leaves not turned down. Baltimore, 9th month, 1830. Joseph Townsend."