I love illustrated books, and this edition of W.S. Gilbert librettos for The Pirates of Penzance and others (again via the Open Library) reminds me of solitary childhood pleasures: puzzling over my parents' Gilbert & Sullivan with its cartoon-like pictures and confusing plot summaries; perusing my grandmother's elaborate book of paintings of Sir Walter Scott's heroines, each illustration with its protective sheet of translucent paper; staring at the now-vanished 1920's style murals at the big public library, wondering what all those allegorical figures might be up to; and–most reliable of pastimes–wandering through the six illustrated volumes of My Bookhouse. The best parts were always the parts I could only halfway understand. Some things are lost forever.