h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It is a great pleasure to have come across a page devoted to Rev. Sydney Smith, of who I am a great fan.

At the present time I am making a collection of those of his sayings that have a particular appeal to me. Rather like Topsy, it just growed. I now have somewhere about a thousand, and it is still growing.

So many of his thoughts, sayings and quips are as relevent today as they were at the time he said or wrote them.

Just two little points at this stage. He was never Dean of St. Paul's, he was a Residentiary Canon. I believe that in fact it was not lawful to shoot poachers on sightin the C19th; although many questionable actions were taken against them, including the setting of man traps. Sydney campaigned against these barberous practises, mainly by publishing a number of articles in The Edinburgh Review.

To 'kinangop' who wrote on Dec 27 2005

in your vast collection of the words of Rev Sydney Smith is there a quotation that goes something like ...
'books are the most comfortable of furniture'...?
I have been searching high and low for the exact quote.
Perhaps you don't browse this site now .. so perhaps, if not you, someone else might help me?
Thank you!