The first half of the Victorian era was apparently the Golden Age for religious books, for besides those writers who issued their books independently there was at this period a large number of separate series and libraries in vogue which contained reissues of most of the leading works by the old divines. To show the variety and range of these issues, a selected few might here be mentioned. The most important amongst them were "The Christian's Family Library." This was under the editorship of the Rev. Edward Bickersteth, and consisted of about fifty-two volumes, all of a theological character. Another was the "Biblical Cabinet," issued by Clark, of Edinburgh, in forty-six volumes. The "Lady's Closet Library" contained volumes on "The Marys," "The Marthas," "The Lydias," "The Hannahs," etc., of Scripture; "The Christian's Fireside Library," in which were such books as Bigg's "Handbook of Popery" and McIlvaine's "Evidences of Christianity"; "The Library of Christian Biography," edited by Rev. Robert Bickersteth, was another important series, whose general title indicates the class of literature it contained. Under the editorship of such well-known men as Dr. Pye Smith, Robert Southey, and James Montgomery, a series of "Sacred Classics" were very popular: so also was "The London Theological Library," containing such representative works as Lardner's "Credibility of Gospel History" and Milner's "Church of Christ." The following titles of a few series out of many may be of interest: "Protestant's Sound Literature," "Pickering's Christian Classics," "Library of Puritan Divines," "The Sacred Family Library," "The Spiritual Library," and "The Practical Christian's Library." In most of these libraries there appeared an edition of some of these old-fashioned and now almost obsolete religious books represented by the following titles: Boston's "Crook in the Lot," Sutton's "Learning to Live, and Learning to Die," Ken's "Divine Love," Taylor's "Holy Living and Dying," Watson's "Apology," Baxter's "Saints' Rest," Magee on "The Atonement," Paley's "Evidences," and Law's "Serious Call." Most of these have now a very flickering existence, while for others there is no market whatever. How truly the wise and eloquent words of Bishop Carpenter in his Hulsean Lectures illustrate the reputation and influence of many of the writers of religious books, both ancient and modern, and of the books themselves, some of these having a vitality only during their authors' lives, while others, like their writers, shed influence through succeeding generations. The Bishop says: