Archivist

Someone who organizes and maintains a storehouse of books or records, preserving them so they can be retrieved and consulted when required or desired.

“All day he had been conscious of a growing desire for another of those cosy chats with Eve which had done so much to make life agreeable for him during his stay at Blandings. Her prejudice—which he deplored—in favour of doing a certain amount of work to justify her salary, had kept him during the morning away from the little room off the library where she was wont to sit cataloguing books; and when he had gone there after lunch he had found it empty. As he approached her now, he was thinking pleasantly of all those delightful walks, those excellent driftings on the lake, and those cheery conversations which had gone to cement his conviction that of all possible girls she was the only possible one. It seemed to him that in addition to being beautiful she brought out all that was best in him of intellect and soul. That is to say, she let him talk oftener and longer than any girl he had ever known.”

P.G. Wodehouse, Leave It to Psmith (1924).

Turcopolier

Commander of the light infantry or soldiers of the order of St. John of Jerusalem, and later of Rhodes and Malta.

"The Lorde Master appoynted the Prior of Rome and the Turcuplyar of England to be Capitaynes of this enterprise."

Edward Hall, Chronicle, Henry VIII (1548).

Booksellers and the Great Fire of London

A retailer or vendor of books.

"He dissected a Bookseller, and found his heart more then halfe rotted away."

Helkiah Crooke, A description of the body of man (1615).

"This day, coming home, Mr. Kirton's kinsman, my bookseller, come in my way. He do believe all the great booksellers almost undone: not only these, but their warehouses at their Hall and under Christchurch and elsewhere being all burned. A great want thereof there will be of books, specially Latin books and foreign books."

Samuel Pepys, Diary (October 5, 1666).

Tacitus on Sutlers

Merchants who follow an army, selling food, liquor, and other provisions to the troops.

"The soldiers had not anticipated the assault of the enemy; even had they done so, they had not strength to repulse it. Thus the camp was taken and plundered. Then the enemy fell upon the sutlers and Roman traders, who were wandering about in every direction, as they would in a time of peace."

Tacitus, Histories (100 AD).

Bear Baiter

An impresario who puts on a spectator sport consisting of dogs fighting a bear chained to a stake.

"The Puritan hated bear-baiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectator."

Thomas Babington Macauley, The History of England from the Accession of James II (1849).