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Title A name given to the resource The Author Subject The topic of the resource <em>The Author</em> Description An account of the resource A digitised run of the Society of Authors' monthly periodical, <em>The Author</em>, 1890<span>–</span>1914, made available together for the first time.<br /><br />Currently users can browse issues and <a href="https://historysoa.com/items/browse?search=&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=51&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Index&amp;collection=&amp;type=&amp;tags=&amp;exhibit=&amp;date_search_term=&amp;submit_search=Search+For+Items&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CTitle">indices</a> (not available for all volumes). Full text search for all issues, and other additional search functionality, will be added in 2022. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890–1914 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context The-Author-Issues Publication Date The date of an event (in YYYY, YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD format) 1891-10-01 Volume 2 Issue 5 Pages Page range in volume 129–160 Ngram Date Version of the date in YYYYMMDD format for use by the Ngram plugin 18911001 Ngram Text Version of the text with no HTML formatting for use by the Ngram plugin The Author. (The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.) CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.. - --- - Vol. II.—No. 5.] - - - OCTOBER 1, 1891. [PRICE SIXPENCE. - - - -- ::: :::: ::: ::': ::: PAGE . 119 .. 149 ::: 1 Notices The Authors' Club.. . A Ladies' Club .. . To an Author who complained of Neglect.. My Brother Charles. An Extract Pegasus in Harness .. .. “Authors' Complaints and Publishers' Profits Popular Platitudinous Philosophy Notes and News .. Lists and Risks From America Reviewers and Reviews .. Magazines and Contributions ... Commission Books 138 :::::::::::::: --- -- CONTENTS. PAGE 1 .. 133 An Instructive Case .. 134 The Marlowe Memorial “Good Work, Sure Pay" .. 135 Correspondence- .. 135 I. The Statute of Limitations .. II. Fiction and Reality 1 38 II. Slating .. .. .. IV. Words and Bricks 140 V. A Provident Society. VI. An Honourable Action 146 VII. Reviews and Reviewers 147 Pages Cut or Uncut "At the Author's Head " .. 148 New Books .. .. .. :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: 151 150 152 152 152 ::::::: 145 ::::::: ::::::::::: :::::::::: :::::::::: ::::::::::: :::::::::: 152 152 153 153 148 < < EYRE AND SPOTTISWOODE. PLIOCENE DEPOSITS OF BRITAIN, THE. By | STATE TRIALS, Reports of. New Series. Vol. III., CLEMENT RBID, F.L.S., F.G.S. Five Plates (48 cuts), gs. 6d. 1831–40. Published under the direction of the State Trials Committee. Edited by JOIN MACDONELL, M.A. 108. LONDON AND NEIGHBOURHOOD: Guide to the | MANUAL OF BIRDS OF NEW ZEALAND). By Geology of. By WILLIAM WHITAKER, B.A. 18. LONDON AND OF PART OF THE THAMES VALLEY, WALTER L. BULLER, C.M.G., Sc.D)., F.R.S. Numerous Plates. Royal 8vo. 108. The Ge Jogy of. By W. WAITAKER, B.A., F.R.S., F.G.S.. INDIGENOUS GRASSES OF NEW ZEALAND. By Assoc. Inst. C.E. Vol. I. DESCRIPTIVE GEOLOGY. 8vo. Cloth, 68. Vol. II. APPENDICES. 8vo. Cloth, 58. JOHN BUCHANAN. Full-page Illustrations. Imp. 4to. Half Morocco, 158. KEW BULLETIN, 1890. Issued by the Director of Kew FOREST FLORA OF NEW ZEALAND. By T. KIRK, Gardens. 28. iod. F.L.S., late Chief Conservator of State Forests, N.Z., &c. KEW BULLETIN, 1891. Monthly, 2d. Appendices, 2d. Numerous Plates. Fcap. folio. Cloth, 128. 6d. each. Annual Subscription, including postage, 38. 9d. HANDBOOK OF NEW ZEALAND FISHES. By R. A. SHERRIN, Demy 8vo. Cloth, 28. DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF MUSICAL INSTRU. ORANGE CULTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. By G. C. MENTS recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition. Compiled by Capt. DAY, Oxfordshire Light Infantry, under ALDERTON. Demy 8vo. Cloth, 28. the orders of Col. SHAW-HELLIER, Commandant Royal Military MANUAL OF NEW ZEALAND MOLLUSCA. By School of Music. Illustrated by a series of Twelve artistically Prof. HUTTON. Royal 8vo. 38. executed Plates in Heliogravure, and with numerous Wood NEW ZEALAND DIPTERA, HYMENOPTERA, AND Engravings. 218. ORTHOPTERA. By Prof. HUTTON. Royal 8vo. 28. " It affords information obtainable nowhere else, and it has been NEW ZEALAND COLEOPTERA. Parts 1 to 4. By put together with so much care and thoughtfulness that Capt. Day's volume will be indeed welcomed by all who have to deal with the Captain T. Broux. Royal 8vo. 78. 6d. wind instruments, and can be accepted without question as the THE LITERATURE RELATING TO NEW ZEALAND, standard authority.”-Musical Neus. A Bibliography. Royal 8vo. Cloth, 28. 6d. PUBLIC RECORDS. A Guide to the Principal Classes POLYNESIAN MYTHOLOGY AND ANCIENT TRA- of Documents preserved in the Public Record Office. By S. R. DITIONAL HISTORY OF THE NEW ZEALAND RACE. SCARGILL-BIRD, F.S.A. 78. By Sir GEORGE GREY, K.C.B. Illustrated. Koyal 8vo. Cloth. 5: « The value of such a work as Mr. Scargill-Bird's can scarcely be ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE MAORI. By Jorche over-rated."-Times. WHITE. Demy 8vo. Half Morocco. 4 vols. 1os. per vol. home Monthly Lists of Parliamentary Papers upon Application. Quarterly Lists Post Free, 20. f fraud Miscellaneous List on Application. Second Every Assistance given to Correspondents ; and Books not kept in stock obtained without delay. Remittance accompany Order. Parliament. GOVERNMENT AND GENERAL PUBLISHERS. con ERS. containing the EYRE and SPOTTISWOODE, Her Majesty's Printers, East Harding Street, Lond. I 2  ## p. 130 (#534) ############################################ i3o AD VER TISEMENTS. Messrs. METHTTEN'S NEW BOOKS. By W. E. NORMS. 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The whole volume is delightful reading."— Timet. SECOND SERIES. HISTORIC ODDITIES AND STRANGE EVENTS. Second Serieb. By S. Baring Gould, Author of "Mehalah." Demy 8vo. lew. bd. [Ready. "A fascinating book."—Leeds Mercury. b ver SONGS OF THE WEST: Traditional Ballads and Songs of the West of England, with their Traditional Melodies. Collected by 8. Baring Gould, M.A., and H. Fleetwood Sitefpard, M.A. Arranged for Voice and Piano. In 4 Parts (conlaiuinic a$ Songs each), it. each nett. Part I., Third If jUition. Part II., Second Edition. Part III., n ady. Part IV. . '-dy. s«. llo\Vo\er-ich and varied collection of humour, pathos, grace, and author \0^y- "~Sat"rday Review. RE ODDITIES AND STRANGE EVENTS. ■no Gould. New and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo. [Aoro Ready. METHUEFS NOVEL SERIES. Three Shillings and Sixpence. Messrs. METHUEN will issue from time to time a Series of copyright Novels, by well-known Authors, handsomely bound, at the above popular price. The first volumes (now- ready) are: 1. THE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN. By F. Mabel Robinson. 1. JACQUETTA. By S. Baring Gould. 3. MY LAND OF BEULAH. By Mrs. Lkith Adams. 4. ELI'S CHILDREN. By G. Manville Fenn. 5. ARMINELL: A Social Romance. By S. Baking Gould. 6. DERRICK VAUGHAN, NOVELIST. By Edna Lyall. With portrait of Author. 7. DISENCHANTMENT. ByF. Mabel Robinson. 8. DISARMED. By M. Bktham Edwards. 9. JACK'S FATHER. By W. E. Norms. Other Volumes will be announced in due course. (Sitglisfc ftaiurs of Religion. Edited by A. M. M. STEDMAN, M.A. Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d. A series of short biographies, free from party bias, of the most prominent lenders of religious life and thought in this and the last century. CARDINAL NEWMAN. if. //. Button. [Ready. JOHN WESLEY. J. H. Overton. [Heady. UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERIES, Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d. Under the above title Messrs. Methuen have commenced the publication of a series of books on historical, literary, and economic subjects, suitable for extension students and home-reading circles. THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND. By H. DE B. Gibbins, M.A., late Scholarof Wadham College, Oion'., Cobden Prizeman. With Maps and Plans. [Ready. A HISTORY OF ENGLISH POLITICAL ECONOMY. By L. L. Price, M.A., Fellow of Oriel College, Oxon., Extension Lecturer in Political Economy. | Ready. VICTORIAN POETS. By A. Sharp. [Head,/. PROBLEMS OF POVERTY: An Inquiry into the Industrial Conditions of the Poor. By J. A. Hobson, M.A . late Scholar of Lincoln College,Oxon., U. E. Lecturer iu Economies. [Ready. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. By J. E. Symes, M.A., Principal of University College, Nottingham. [Nearly Ready. SOCIAL QUESTIONS OF TO-DAY. A series of volumes upon the most important topics of social, economic, and industrial interest—written by the highest authorities on the various subjects. The first two volumes will be— TRADES UNIONISM—New and Old. By G. Howell, M.P. [Ready. THE CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT TO-DAY. By G. J. Holyoakk. Crown 8vo. M. id. [Ready. London THUEN & Co., 18, Bury Street, W.C.  ## p. 131 (#535) ############################################ ADVERTISEMENTS. Cl)f ^orietg of gutftors (fiiworporatrt)- The Sir Edwin Arnold, K.C.I.E. Alfred Austin. A. W. a Beckett. Robert Rateman. Sir Henry Bkronk, K.C.M.G. Walter Hesant. Augustine Birrell, M.P. K. 1). Blackmore. Ret. Prof. Bonnet, F.R.S. Lord Brabourne. James Bryce, M.P. P. YV. Clayden. Kdward Clodd. W. Martin Conway. Marion Crawford. Oswald Crawfurd, C.M.G. The Earl of Dksart. PRESIDENT. Hon. the LORD TENNYSON, D.C.L. COUNCIL. A. W. Dubouro. John Eric Erichsen, F.R.S. Prof. Michael Foster, F.R.S. Herbert Gardner, M.P. Richard Garnett, LL.D. Edmund Gosse. H. Rider Haggard. Thomas Hardy. Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S. J. M. Lely. Rev. W. J. Loftie, F.S.A. F. Max Muller, LL.D. George Meredith. Herman C. Merivale. Rev. C. H. Middleton-Wake, F.L.S. J. C. Parkinson. The Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery. Sir Frederick Pollock, Bart., LL.D. Walter Herries Pollock. A. G. Ross. George Augustus Sala. W. Baptiste Scoones. G. R. Sims. J. J. Stevenson. Jas. Sully. William Moy Thomas. H. D. Traill, D.C.L. The Right Hon. the Baron Henry de Worms, M.P., F.R.S. Edmund Yates. Hon. Counsel—E. M. Underdown, Q.C. A. W. a Beckett. W. Martin Conway. COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT. Chairman—Walter Besant. Edmund Gosse. J. M. Lely. H. Rider Haggard. Sir Frederick Pollock. A. G. Ross. Solicitors—Messrs. Field, Roscoe, & Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields. Secretary—S. Squire Sprigge. OFFICES. 4, Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C. PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY. 1. The Annual Report. That for January 1891 can be had on application to the Secretary. 2. The Author. A Monthly Journal devoted especially to the protection and maintenance of Literary Property. Issued to all Memliers. 3. The Grievances Of Authors. (The Leadenhall Press.) 2s. The Report of three Meetings on the general subject of Literature and its defence, held at Willis's Rooms, March 1887. 4 Literature and the Pension List. By W. Morris Colles, Barrister-at-Law. (Henry Glnisher. q5, Strand, W.C.) is. 5. The History of the Societe des Gens de Lettres. By S. Squire Sprigge, Secretary to the Society. I*- 6. The Cost Of Production. In this work sj>eciuiens are given of the most important forms of type, size of page, Ac., with estimates showing what it costs to produce the more common kinds of books. 2s. 6d. Out of Print, New Edition now preparing. 7. The Various Methods of Publication. By S. Squibb Sprigge. In this work, compiled from the papers in the Society's offices, the various kinds of agreements proposed by Publishers to Authors are examined, and their meaning carefully explained, with an account of the various kinds of fraud which have l>een made possible by the different clauses in their agreements. Price 3s. Second Edition. 8. Copyright Law Eeform. An Exposition of Lord Monkswell's Copyright Bill now before Parliament. With Extracts from the Report of the Commission of 1878, and an Appendix containing the Berne Convention and the American Copyright Bill. By J. M. Lely. Eyre and Npottiswoode 1 *. 6d. Other work* bearing on the TAteranj Profession will follow, vol. n. I 2  ## p. 132 (#536) ############################################ The 11 Swan" is a beautiful Gold Ppn joined to a rubber reservoir to hold any kind of ink, which it supplies to the writing point in a continuous flow. It will hold enough ink for two days' constant work, or a week's ordinary writing, and can be refilled with as little trouble as to wind a watch. With the cover over the gold nib it is carried in the pocket like a pencil, to be used anywhere. A purchaser may try a pen a few days, and if by chance the writing point does not suit his hand, exchange it for another without charge, or have his money returned if wanted. There are yarions points to select from, broad, medium, and flue, every handwriting can he suited, and the price of the entire instrument, with filler complete, post free, is only 10s, 6d. The. Gold Pens in the "Swan" are Mabie, Todd, & ;Co.'s [famous make. They are 14-carat tempered gold, very handsome, and positively unaffected by any kind of ink. They are pointed with selected polished iridium. The "Encyclopaedia Britannica" says:—"Iridium is a nearly white metal of high specific gravity, it is almost indestructible, and a beautifully polished surface can be obtained upon it." They will not penetrate the paper, and writer's cramp is unknown among users of Gold Pens. One Will OUtwear 90 grOSS Of Steel pens. They are a perfect revelation to those who know nothing about Gold Pens. Dr. Oliver Wkndell Holmes has used one of Mabie, Todd, & Co.'s Gold Pens since 1857, and is using the same one (his " old friend ") to-day. Sydney Grundy, Esq., says (referring to the Fountain Pen) :—"It is a vast improvement on every Stylograph." Mobkrly Bell, Esq., Manager, The Times, says (referring to the Fountain Pen) :—" One pen lasted me for six years." S. D. Waddy, Esq., Q.C., M.P., says (referring to the Fountain Pen) :—" I have used them constantly for some years, and, as far as I can remember, they have never failed me." 11 H-c-a^E->-iJI 11 ■ Send Postal Card for Free Illustrated List (containing interesting Testimonials from the Best People, who have used them for years) to— MABIE, TODD, & BARD, ©3, CHBAPSIDE, LONDON.  ## p. 133 (#537) ############################################ ^Ibe Hutbor. (The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.) CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT. Vol. II.—No. 5.] OCTOBER 1, 1891. [Pbice Sixpence. For the Opinions expressed in papers that are signed the Authors alone are responsible. NOTICES. MEMBERS and others who wish their MSS. read are requested not to send them to the Office without previously communi- cating with the Secretary. So large a number of MSS. are sometimes sent in, that it is impossible to guarantee that the Society's Readers will furnish rejwrts by any fixed date. The utmost practicable despatch is aimed at, and MSS. are read in the order in which they are received. It must also be distinctly understood that the Society does not, under any circumstances, undertake the publication of MSS. The official directions for the securing of American copyright by English authors were given in the Author for June 1891. Members are earnestly entreated to take the trouble of reading those directions. In the Author for June 1890, and in "Methods of Publication," a brief statement is laid down for the guidance of authors in their agreements on the meaning of the different royalties proposed from time to time—what is given to either side by those royalties. Members are earnestly requested to forward agreements to the Society for inspection before they sign them. Once signed, the mischief is generally irreparable. The Honorary Secretary of the Syndicate Depart- ment will be glad to know the titles and lengths of any stories written, or to be written, by Members available for serial publication. Application is constantly made to the Department for stories of all descriptions which are ready. There is a great demand tor "second rights" for newspaper use, and Members will greatly oblige by forwarding the names of tales already published, of which they are willing to sell the serial use. MSS. should, how- ever, in no case be forwarded to the Office without previous communication with the Honorary Secre- tary of the Syndicate Department. THE AUTHORS' CLUB. MR. Oswald Crawfurd, C.M.G., has accepted the post of chairman of committee of the proposed club. The form of approval sent round with the last number of the Author has resulted in a very good numl>er of names—quite as many as were expected, considering the holiday time. The same form is again enclosed. Readers are earnestly begged to consider the Resolutions published in the August number of the Author. They are not final; they are tentative only, and are subject to reconsideration. They contem- plate a club of men only, because so many ladies pointed out that they could not possibly pay so large a subscription. Now, with a subscription lower than five guineas it is perfectly impossible to think of running a high-class club. That amount will do no more than provide a moderate sized house and a respectable service. It is in contempla- tion to give the club a social character on the lines already followed by some of the newer clubs. It is intended to make it a comfortable house; a house of rest, and a house of recreation. The word Author is taken to include that large and impor- tant branch of literature called journalism. But it must not be taken to include only those persons who follow the profession of letters. Then; are authors most eligible for the club among all professions under the sun. Literature is catholic. The club should include all kinds of humanity which possess the requisites of culture and of literary ambition and experience. —  ## p. 134 (#538) ############################################ '34 THE AUTHOR. A LADIES' CLUE. APRELIMINARY meeting has been held at the Society's office of ladies engaged in lite- rature and journalism anxious to found a club themselves. The chair was taken by Mrs. Stannard (John Strange Winter). The meeting was nume- rously attended. It is understood that a resolution was unanimously passed iu favour of such a club. — • TO AN AUTHOR WHO COMPLAINED OP NECJLECT AND DEPRECIATION. Friend, l>c not fretful if the voice of fame, Along the narrow ways of hurrying men Where unto echo echo shouts again, Be all day long not noisy with your name. When dumb the noon-day din of praise and blame, And heavenly constellations hush the ken, If yours be light celestial, you will then Shine like a star, eternally the same. Nor in your upward journeying stoop to con The straining petulance of tethered spite, That still hath railed whenever Genius shone: As, when dogs bay the moon in midmost night, The moon nor looks nor listens, but sails on, Slowly ascending her predestined height. Alfred Austin. MY BROTHER CHARLES: An Extract. • ••••• After these melancholy events, nothing remained but for the company to break up, and for every member of it to go his own way. I took a tender farewell of Dollie, with great sorrow on both sides, many promises of constancy, and some tears. But I felt sure—I had a presentiment—that I should never see her more. The dear girl proposed to return for the moment to her " Pop," who conducted a store at Syracuse, 111., and was a strict church meml>er. She thought tliat by burying in oblivion, or carefully editing, the history of the last three months, and by pretending that she had another en- gagement as a schoohnarm, she might get some dollars oiit of the old man, with the help of which she could try the stage again with better luck. Cer- tainly, one who has once l>eeii on the boards returns to them quite naturally, and can never again do anything else. My presentiment proved true, that is to sav, I have only seen her once since. I was tramping through the city of Detroit, when I saw a name—her name—on a poster with a picture. I went to the gallery in my rags. I saw her dressed in tights dancing a breakdown, singing saucy songs, looking so happy and lively, that it made me sick and ill just to think of her happiness and mr rags. And all through one thing. I suppose she had got the dollars out of her " Pop," and so got back to the boards with l>etter luck. Well, when I had taken her ticket and seen her off, I made the melancholy discovery that I was left absolutely penniless—stone broke. I returned to the hotel and spent the rest of that day and most of the night in trying to find a way out of the mess. What I wanted was money to carry me on to New York, and to keep me going there until 1 should find another engagement. When I fell asleep, I had fully resolved what to do. I do not defend the plan which I finally adopted. I am aware that it mav lie attacked, especially if a harsh and one-sided view is adopted; but I do declare that it was forced upon me, and that I fully intended, but for the accursed accidents which followed, to repay all the money I should make by my false pretences. I daresay I shall not l>e believed, but that was my honest intention. I was then six and twenty years of age, an Englishman by birth, and, as you have guessed, an actor—not as yet a very successful actor—by profession. I still think that if I had had the luck to light upon a really new part, and to make it my own, I had the touch and go, light comedy style, and might have made a reputation—ah ! equal to any. I've seen Charles Wyudham, and it is absurd to suppose that I could not . . . But it is too late. And all through the most extraordinary mis- fortune that ever befell any man. There I was, an honourable, scrupulous young man—I repeat, that I intended to pay back the money—and I was wrecked, ruined by one—just one—accident, which nobody could have foreseen. At the same time, I admit that I ought to have got away at once without an hour's delay. I might have guessed; and here I am, all in consequence of that accident, tramp, gaolbird, swindler, thief, and can't raise myself again as long as I live. Sometimes when I think of that accident I feel as if the top of my head was being lifted off. In the morning, my plan fully formed, I dressed myself as carefully as my slender wardrobe would allow, and after breakfast sallied out, thankful that it did not occur to the clerk as I passed him in the hall, to remind me of the hotel bill. The place was Philadelphia, which is full of rich people, and has some liu-niry people. I had procured from the directory certain names and addresses which I thought would be useful. There was a great Shakespearean scholar; there was a rich—ft very rich—editor; there was a poet of eminence; there were three or four clergymen; there W«* others—scholars and authors. I called upon all of them. The Shakespearean scholar lent me $icc; the rich editor, $125; the poet, $zo; the others, from §to  ## p. 135 (#539) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. 135 to $20 each. I went l>ack to my hotel that morning richer than when I left it by about S3oo—say, £60 in English money. This was very good business, so good that I ought to have cleared out at once without the least delay. I ought to have suspected that something was going to happen after such wonderful luck. For I had no dilliculty whatever with my little plan. It came off without a hitch. Such a plan generally does. It must be simple; it must be well and naturally told; there must be no hint or suggestion that the story could be suspected or disbelieved. What I did was this: I sent in my card, " Mr. Wilford Amhurst, Dramatic Authors' Club, London." I was taken to see my man —it was the Shakespearean scholar—in his study. Now I certainly looked very English, and I believe I had at that time an honest face and a frank manner. After all these prisons, and ups and downs, my face may be English still, but it is no longer honest, nor is my manner frank. I began by apologizing for intruding. I ventured to do so on account of his well known sympathy with letters. Then I paused a moment. He 1 rowed his head in silence. I went on to say that the name on my card, Wilford Amhurst," was not my real but my stage name, that I was really Wilford Ingledew, and that I was the youngest brother of Charles Ingledew, the well known novelist. The scholar started and looked suspicions. "Charles Ingle- dew," he said, " must be a good deal older than yourself." "Not so very much," I replied, putting something on my own age and taking something from his. "I am 36 and he is 46." He asked me, still in a doubtful kind of way, but open to conviction, to tell him a little more about myself. I said that I was at Rugby and afterwards at Pembroke, Cambridge, where I did not stay to take a degree, but left at the end of my second vear. It was rather a lucky guess about Pembroke, because I had once stayed with a man who was stage-struck, and I knew something about the College, a nil so did lie. He asked me if I had written anything. I gave him a long list of plays and poems, none of which I had with me. He then asked me if I had any letter or anything from my brother which would go to prove my statement. I pulled out of my pocket-lxx>k a letter written on some English note paper—fortunately rather soiled and dirty, which helped ine. It began "My dear Wilford." It lamented my bad luck, gently intimated that extravagance was partly the cause of it, and exhorted me to return to England, where, he said, he had little doubt that with my undoubted talent I should certainly succeed. He ended it with two or three purely family matters— a reference to my mother's health, and' another to a married sister who had recently been happily confined of twins, and he remained, hoping to sec me at home before long, my affectionate brother Charles Ingledew. I had written the letter myself that morning. As for the signature, I copied it from a magazine. "This," said my scholar, "is certainly Charles Ingledew's signature. I suppose there is no doubt that you are the person you repre- sent yourself to be; and, in that case, what do you want of me?" "Well, I am absolutely j>enniless. That is my case. I cannot beg or steal. I want to borrow. Only I want to borrow so that my brother should not know. He would l>c disgusted if he knew anything about it. He is always pitching into me about extravagance. Will you, on my word of honour only, lend me a hundred dollars? I am going back to London, and I shall send you the money as soon as I possibly can. If I don't get it by my own work, I shall have to borrow it of Charles." Without a word he opened a drawer and took out notes to that amount. "There," he said, "take these for your brother's sake." I wrung his hand, and I went away without another word. That was the best thing to do. Gratitude, chokes you see. You press the hand of your benefactor and yon go, with bowed shoulders, opening and closing the door with just a little demonstration and without noise. In all the other cases I was equally successful. Not a doubt was raised. Only I asked less of the clergymen, and wanted nothing more than to pay my hotel bill and to get on to New York, where I hail friends. Now, I .say again, had I possessed any sense at all, I ought to have been so astonished at my wonderful good luck that I should have made tracks at once. I should have gone on by the first train to New York. I should have made any further question, discussion, or difficulties impossible. I ought to have known that such ease in getting would have been followed by tremendous difficulty in keeping. It is always the way. The easier you get, the quicker you lose. Well, I had impressed upon every one the necessity of keeping my secret. They had all promised, and to this day I cannot tell who, if any, did betray me. I incline on the whole to the belief that the old scoundrel, villain, rogue who but there, you shall see. I dined pleasantly and had a small bottle of Burgundy—fancy a stone-broke player drinking Burgundy in Philadelphia! and I really felt quite happv, comfortable, and free from anxiety. As for baing found out, or anything, that did not enter into my imagination. After dinner I strolled into the saloon and s it d jwn with a cigar looking on at the p.;ople. They came and went in twos an J threes; they sat down and talked or they stood at the bar and drank. I watched and listened, sitting lazily in a corner under a gas light.  ## p. 136 (#540) ############################################ 136 THE AUTHOR. Presently two men came in, ami one had un evening paper. He began to run his eve down the columns, telling the news as he went on. One thing after the other lie noted. Then he came to u paragraph which he rend out at length. "There is staying at the Lone Star Hotel a young English- man who is at once actor, poet, and dramatist. His theatrical name is Wilt'ord Amhurst. His real name is Wilford Ingledew, and he is the youngest brother of diaries Ingledew, the English novelist. He has called upon one of the most prominent citizens and revealed his name. He is said to be a handsome Englishman of a thoroughly Britannic aspect, looking younger than he is— probably from wearing neither beard nor moustache. He is ten years younger than his brother, who is now forty-six, and he greatly resembles him in face and stature. He has been a member of a travelling variety company which has not been eminently successful." You sec that nothing here was said about begging and borrowing. Yet I felt uneasy. He read this out, and said, "Why, I remember Wilford Amhurst in the piece—what was it—the Criterion comedy piece. And ..." His voice stopped short, for he recognised me. Even then there was still time. I should have left the saloon immediately and taken the night train. Fool! double—treble Fool! The man advanced to me. "Mr. Wilford Ingledew," he said, " I have the pleasure of wish- ing you well. Your brother's works are so well known to me that I feel as if-no introduction was necessary to" This beautiful and trustful beginning was com- pletely spoiled, however, by a third person. He was, to look at, a Brute—a Brute and a Beast. He was clad in a filthy greasy gaberdine—the poor despised Jew in the middle ages always wore a gaberdine, therefore I use that word to describe the ragged old thing that hung on his shoulders. He was a man of short grey hair and long grey bristles —the former on his head, the latter on his chin. He had a swollen and pimply face, a swollen red nose, and blue lips. He looked as if he was half drunk. I never knew him afterwards or saw him but what he looked half drunk. He had been standing by, apparently taking no heed of what was said. Now he came lurching forward. "Wilford Ingledew? I believe it is. Good Lord! Here's a chance! Wilford—Wilford, I say. Wilford Ingledew—Ingledew—don't you know me? Look at me, man. Don't you know me now 'i Your eldest brother—Jack Ingledew— I am. Jack Ingledew. Him that went away 3o years ago and never went home again. Boys," —he turned to some loafing blackguards behind him,—" you all know Jack Ingledew—old Jack." They murmured with ono consent that they all knew Jack—old Jack. "Old Jack—that you thought dead—eh '< long since dead. And to think that we meet here after all these years. It makes me thirsty. Brother—brother Wilford—a little baby three years old when I went away—shake hands—shake hands with your eldest brother— long parted—grief as is felt—happy to part— happy to meet again. Joy demands a drink. We must celebrate this happy occasion with a drink. Come." This was the terrible accident. This was the cause of all the trouble. Through the accursed mischance of that eldest brother—if he was an eldest brother—Lord knows !—turning up at that juncture. The man who had first spotted ine stepped aside, leaving me to the Beast of the Greasy Gaberdine. What I ought to have done is perfectly plain and simple. 1 did not do it. In fact, I gave him a drink. I ought, of course, to have refused any knowledge of the Beast. I ought to have said that there was no John Ingledew—was there, in fact? Was this man really Charles Ingledew's elder brother? I don't know. I never could find out. But the knowledge of my own guilt made me weak. I accepted his filthy hand. I gave him another drink. I owned up to the eldest brother; I was civil to him. I pointed out that I could not very well remember a man whom I had not seen for so long. He then asked certain questions which I answered as well as I could. I incline to the belief that he was what he pretended, because at one point he stopped and looked suspicious. Then he caught me by the waistcoat button and he whispered, "Brother, Brother Wilford! They've telegraphed across to know if Charles Ingledew has got a brother Wilford." I started, I turned pale. "Brother—you'd better bolt. I knew you were a bunco-steerer at the go off. Now, you go in and make up your grip—quick. Else, to-morrow, you'll be laid by the heels. I'll wait here for you—I'll see you through. You rely on me." I was so knocked over with the thought of the telegraph that I curdled and curled up. I did what he told me. My grip took no time, because it was reduced to an empty box. I told him so. "Then," he said, "we'll leave it behind. Now, let's have one more drink and than catch a train. I'll see you through. Your eldest brother John—• old Jack—he'll stand by the family." Yet he had just before called me a bunco-steerer. But I was in such a fright about the telegraph that I hardly knew what he said, and I walked along beside hi in in a dream. "We'll take tickets to New York and we'll get out at a station I know," he said, " That will pre- vent your being nabbed as soon as you get out of  ## p. 137 (#541) ############################################ THE A UTHOR. i37 the train. You'll have just to lie quiet for a day or two, and then you can go on." I thought that the first thing I would do was to get rid of him. That proved, as you will see, not quite so easy. We took a night train; it left Philadelphia at eleven. We sat down together—this evil-smelling l>east ami myself. He talked fami- liarly to the eonduetor—told him that I was his younger brother, and he grinned; said that younger brothers ought to look after the seniors, and that 1 was a model younger brother. He said many more fncetious and pleasant things. You can suppose that I greatly enjoyed his society and his conversation. In aliout two hours or so we stopped at some small station. "Now," he whispered, "let's get down. I know where you can find a place to hide in for a bit—a snug quiet place, where the drink is good. Come along." We got down just as the train began to move on again. The night wits pitch dark; the petro- leum lamps of the station were extinguished directly after the train went on. "This way," the man took my arm and led me along in the darkness. I knew not what direction we took nor how long we walked. It seemed to me a walk of hours. Presently we stopped at a house in the midst, as it seemed, of a wood, where lights were shown in the windows. My man blew a whistle, and the door was thrown open. "Walk in, brother Wilford," he said, grinning, " Here you will l>c real welcome. Such a chance as this has never come to you before." Within, the place proved to be a kind of log house. It consisted of one large room with a stove. Along the walls were lynches, and on these benches were mattresses, on some of which men were sleeping. I saw that four were asleep; two more were playing cards at a table; there was a lire burning; anil there was the usual detestable smell of jx'troleum from the lamp. And I discovered at once that I was fallen among a den of thieves and rogues. "Gentlemen," said my eldest brother, "I have brought you my brother—my younger brother Wilford—Wilford Ingledew. He is in a little trouble just now, on account of certain alleged false pretences—people will say anything—we have all suffered from calumny—I've asked him here to share our hospitality for a bit. A clever fellow, I think, you will find my younger brother Wilford." The two men who were playing looked up anxiously. Then they threw down their cards, and stood up, feeling at their belts, and I began to perspire at the nose. "What does he know, Jack?" "Nothing. Leave that to me. Now, brother as we are all friends here and brothers, let us l>cgin VOL. II. by sharing. What did you make by the job? Come—don't look scared—you can't get out of this if you try—by . . ." He lugged out a re- volver. "So begin. Clear your pockets. You've got to do what you're told. You've got to—or—" he fingered the pistol. I had to turn every pocket out, and to show it empty. I had to take off my boots and coat and waistcoat to show that nothing was concealed. The whole now lay upon the table—three hundred dollars and more. "There are seven of us," said old Jatk. "You make eight. Every man's share is $40, odd. As for your share, we'll keep it for you. Oh! You shall not lose it. You are among men of honour. And now, brother, if you like to lie down and go to sleep, you can. If you like a drink, say so. If you like to cut in with the cards, say so. We're all friends here and all brothers. Them as are not brothers we make dead uns, which saves trouble." I stayed in that den for three weeks. I was never left alone. I was given to understand by old Jack and one or other of them that if I chose to throw in my lot with these miscreants I should be received as one of the gang. If not, I should not be allowed to escape, and in fact . . . you may guess. In a month's time, I was dressed like a gentle- man: I was an English nobleman, and I was living at a high-class New York hotel. I had a pocket-full of money, and I was working for a big thing. You see what I am now—a broken-down tramp, in rags and penniless. The gang is dispersed; we have all had sentences to work out. As for old Jack—my eldest brother—I don't know what has become of him, but I should like to murder him. If I were to meet him on a lonely road I believe I should murder him. And the moral of my story, I often think, is that when you have made a lucky hit you must get away as quick as you cati before some cussed accident sets things agee. Now, if I had gone straight away that very moment—think —I should now—who knows ?—be managing a London theatre. I might have married Dollie. Oh! it makes me mad only to think of it. Because I stayed I had to run awny at night and fell into a gang of rogues, and was compelled to l>ccome their confederate and got into prison and . . . there . you see. It's all very well to say that I shouldn't have pretended to be the brother of an English writer. I was stone-broke and I had to get some money somehow, and I meant to give that money back. The devil of it was that I stayed and went into that bar. I stayed. That way the lmd luck came in. ♦••■» K  ## p. 138 (#542) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. PEGASUS IN HARNESS. Put Pegasus in hnrness And tench him how to trot; Take him to the market With his wares piping hot, All fresh anil glowing From his owner's mind, Three a penny, four a penny, Best of their kind. Lord! here's a bother, The creature wants to fly! Quiet, there, my beauty, We'll loose you by-and-bye! Come now, it's useless, Customers don't soar; It won't pay, alack, to scorn Their muddy floor. Why, what a blessing The harness was so strong: What a task 'tis to get The chafing steed along! Fold your wings, do, now! Keep them for the sky; Men pay to touch their feathers, not To see them fly. Pegasus, when night comes We'll fly up to the stars, We'll soar above Venus, And we'll mount beyond Mars; Earth lies a ball lx»neath— Alx>ve, still there's blue— By day we must earn our bread; At night we'll be true. There—we endeavour, Here—we must win; There—lift up our hands, Here—stoop for a pin; Turn every penny Another to gain: Heaven bids—struggle! Earth bids—uttain! But oh ! when night comes To the earth-wearied man, To one master he's true, And he sleeps while he can— Swoop ! and a rushing, The great steed has gone: The Boundless receives him, His master sleeps on. I'mph! what's to do now? There's the bread winner's flown. Why—fetch up a mule, man, Put the gold trappings on; He'll give time to see them; He's safe, sure, and slow, If you speak still of " Pegasus" Xobody '11 know. Sidney Caxton. ♦*••♦ "AUTHORS' COMPLAINTS AND PUBLISHERS' PROFITS." IHAVE read with much interest Mr. George Putnam's paper on this subject in the Forum of September, the more so because I have lnul from time to time several conversations with the writer on the points raised in his paper, and I always found him willing to meet me half way on all essential points, and, to the best of my recollec- tion, perfectly ready to admit the useful functions of our Society, and the reasonableness of its aims. So much, indeed, he admits in this article when he says—the italics are my own—"Whatever shape the compensation of the author may take (excepting only that of a purchase outright of his copyright) he is of course entitled to precise information us to the publishing statistics of his boohs." Exactly. This concession covers nearly the whole ground. The chief grievance of the author is that he has been, and still is, called upon to surrender his property on terms the half of which are carefully concealed from him; tliat he is offered this and that without being informed what the arrangement gives to the other side. Let us know what the other side receives for himself as well as what he ijices the author. Then we shall understand what we are about. Now, the most important part of the work of the Society has been the publication—approximately only, for nothing is more elastic than a printer's bill—of the actual cost of production. With this in our hands, we have a very simple sum in arithmetic:—(i) The actual cost of production. (2) The royalty paid to the author. (3) The trade price of the book. The publisher's profit can be easily calculated. Now, Mr. Putnam in this article talks round and round the subject, but does not touch the real point at issue. For instance, he carefully enumerates the various methods of dealing with authors; he points out the increased cost of printing, and binding, and distribution; but he evades the main points, viz., the actual profit made by the publishers on the various methods described and the proportion which, in his opinion, should be taken by the publisher. He complained that I consider only tin? question of books with a side of 10,000. I suppose he alludes to Mr. Sprigge's book—the " Methods of Publication"  ## p. 139 (#543) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. *39 —and to the "Cost of Production." But in those books, the sale of 1,000 copies, and even less, is carefully considered, as well as the sale of 10,000. He says in one place (p. 74.) that I am " inclined to contend that there are, as a matter of fact, no such things as publishing losses," and that I "claim that the publishers rarely take any risk in publish- ing, as they make a practice of putting their money only into books that an- sure to pay." On p. 7a he says, "It is the contention of the English Society of Authors that the publisher who understands his business must take, ami, as a matter of fact, does take, no risk in his undertakings." Now, there is a difference between "rarely" and "never"—a very great difference. What I have said, over and over again—what I am prepared to prove, by hundreds of cast's and agreements brought to our office—by verbal information from persons who have been employed in publishers' offices—and by examination of advertised publishers' lists, is this. There has grown up of late years a custom of making authors pay whenever there is any real risk. It is very seldom that publishers take any risk. I might go further and say that there are some houses which never will take any risk at all. Bv this I mean the simple meaning that the words convev. In other words, it is very seldom that a publisher will produce a l»ook unless he sees his way to the sale of at least as many copies as will pay the cost of production, with something for his services or the interest of his money. Over and over again has this proposition been stated. Nothing in the world could be more true— nothing more reasonable and probable. Over and over again interested or malicious persons have dis- torted the statement into quite a different one, and have virtuously argued themselves black in the face on the assumption that 1 have said that there are no risks in publishing. There may be plenty of risk in publishing. You may produce a lwok on a subject which no one wants; you may produce a bad book on any subject; vou may produce tot) large an edition of a l)ook; vou may spend more money in advertising a book than the l>ook will bear; you may bring out a book at a wrong time; many tilings of the kind may happen. But a skilled—or a well advised publisher—in this great world of English readers— with this immense market before him—with all the various branches of letters—with all the different audiences—with all the favourite leaders and authorities in all these branches—need never, I maintain, unless he pleases, run any risk at all. And he very seldom does. He may, it is true, l>c disappointed in the ulti- mate proceeds. But that is not risk. My con- tention is that he need never publish a book unless he knows that the minimum of the sales will cover his expenditure and something over. And I do not for a moment agree with Mr. Putnam that a man would be valuable to a publishing firm who would keep them from losses, because an educated man, brought up in the business, will easily, and does easily, learn for himself. Of course, I am not speaking of American risks,of which I know nothing. I agree with Mr. Putnam—and he with me—in so many points that I should like him to agree with ine in all. For instance, he is perfectly right when he says that authors cannot expect compensation— he means pay—for work which proves to have no marketable value. An author can only be paid out of the proceeds of his book. But that must be a very poor publisher who cannot tell beforehand whether a book has a marketable value or not. One publisher—de mes amis—has an eagle eye for the detection of marketable value in novels He never fails—at least, I think not—I hope not—in this in- stinct of his. He produces works by unknown writers, and they Income known and popular. He knows. With this and other examples before me, when a publisher writes complaining that he has lost by this book and by that book, I am inclined to say, "Friend, if that is true, you do not know your own business." But he never shows his books, remein- l>er. Mr. Putman makes a great ileal about the "generosity" of certain publishers. First of all, we do not want generosity. We do not want to keep up the old notion which caused a publisher to be considered as a (generally) malevolent old man (but sometimes benevolent), who sat upon a bag of gold—an enormous bag of untold gold—and dealt out capricious gifts, varying according to his temper. Nor do we want the other notion which made of the publisher the guardian angel of letters, thinking only how he could advance the holy cause of literature, and careless whether he ruined himself or not. Nor do we want the old sorry spectacle of the writing-man who goes humbly, hat in hand, body bent, voice hushed, to the man who pays, ami takes with tears of gratitude whatever he may offer or may chuck. What we now say is this, "What do you mean by your 4 generosity'? Hang your generosity! Keep it for the charity sermon. Give us plain and simple justice. You have graciously heretofore given this and tossed that; what have you kept for yourself? Show us your accounts before you talk of generosity." Then; are one or two other points in which Mr. Putnam unfortunately fails to understand the position. Thus, he girds at Canon Farrar, saying that he appealed to the public for sympathy, because his publishers had made more money than himself when he had signed a contract to do and work for so much. Canon Farrar did nothing of the kind. The grievance in his case was this: He did agree to do a certain piece of work for a certain sum of K S  ## p. 140 (#544) ############################################ 140 THE AUTHOR. money. The work proved enormously successful. He had no claim for anything more, and never set up any claim. But when the firm in question invited him to do another work, they did not let him understand how successful his first work had been. They said nothing about the proportion of profit they had made for themselves; they said nothing about what they knew they should make on the next work. This, no doubt, was what is called business. But the English publisher has always endeavoured to make the English author believe that he is his friend. My own contention in that matter is that Farrar should not have signed that second agreement until the firm had shown him by their books what it had made out of the first. The same remark applies to all cases of so-called "generosity." Let the accounts be produced. Then we shall see. We do not wish to rob the publisher by accepting his "generosity." We, do not wish him to rob us under the name of "generosity." I pass over all Mr. Putnam's remarks on American publishing for obvious reasons. I think, for the same reasons, he should not have entered the lists al>out English publishing. And I also wish very much that he had read what has l>een said and printed by my friends on the subject before committing himself to statements and charges which cannot be sustained. He says that we have made "sweeping charges" against publishers as a class. We have done no- thing of the kind. We have proved " up to the hilt," as the Spectator allowed, that fraudulent practices exist, and are, indeed, rife. The fact that many of us are on friendly terms with publishers is quite enough to disprove the assertion of " sweeping charges." It is also a fact that many of the prac- tices which we have proved to exist are now carried on in a much more secret and guarded fashion than prevailed four or five years ago. Meantime, I commend to Mr. Putnam the consideration of our great principle that in all business relations, part- nerships, joint adventures, and enterprises, it is right, just, and proper that the two parties should each and severally have a full knowledge of what the agreements give to either side. That once conceded, the rest, viz., an equitable understanding that shall safeguard both parties may be arrived at. Such an understanding is very much to be desired in the interests of publishers as well as of authors, and, indeed, cannot but Ixj desired by every honour- able publisher as well as by any honourable and self-respecting author. Walter Bksant. POPULAR PLATITUDINOUS PHILOSOPHY. 1. The publisher risks dire poverty who pays a new author anything. 2. Publishing is the most precarious form of "plunging." 3. Every author should rest content with the honour of appearing in print. 4. An artist should be above alimony: Art is degraded by any money. 5. Publishing is a matter of favouritism, by which paper-makers, printers, lxx>kbinders, and booksellers all conspire against unknown genius 6. Artists should Ik; angels—all soul: eating is merely animal, and therefore inartistically vulgar. 7. The general public is divisible into those who buy books but do not read them, those who read but do not buy, and those who neither buy nor read. 8. What we manufacture we should be jmid for; but what other people make they should give us for nothing. 9. All best work is borrowed, and therefore belongs to someone else. 1 o. The alphabet is public property, and whoso disarranges it into Iwoks only disturbs what belongs to everybody. 11. Everything that was best contrived to live in the past. 12. In the multitude of conventionalisms is to be found the highest wisdom. 13. A publisher is a philanthropist who scorns coarse commerce. 14. What is conscience in ourselves is only conceit in the other man. 15. Civility is what the other people owe us. 16. There is no fine art in fiction; it is just as easy as lying. Phinlay Olknelo. NOTES AND NEWS. fl^HE Spectator devotes an article to some I remarks made by me in another place on the distribution of national honours, orders anil titles. The editor, it appears, does not agree with these remarks. Now there is one thing for which I especially respect the Spectator. It always seeks to represent the views which it attacks,  ## p. 141 (#545) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. 141 honourably and fuirly. This conceded, let me state my case again. The State confides to the Sovereign the task of recognising distinction and good service l>y the grant of certain orders and titles. The Spectator says that these decorations are part of the wages of the State for servants of the State. My position entirely. But I maintain that everything — every kind of service — that advances the happiness, the safety, the welfare, the moral and intellectual level of mankind, is a distinct service to the State, and should be recog- nised as such. The Spectator would narrow the service of the State, apparently, to service paid for by the State. The writer says that decorations and titles are "part of the wages of the State, outward and visible signs of good conduct." In that case why were Bass, Allsopp, and Guinness raised to the peerage? Why, again, is a plain country gentleman made a baronet? Why is the warden of a city company made a knight? That defini- tion clearly will not serve. There is, in fact, no rule whatever, no principle recognised in the dis- tribution of honours. Somebody advises the Queen. Is it the Prime Minister? I do not know. Whoever it is, he makes no reservation whatever about paid servants of the State. None whatever. He says that a soldier or a sailor, a lawyer, a politician, a rich man, if he is rich enough, a man in the Treasury, or the Foreign Office, or the Diplomatic Service, may look forward to receiving some kind of distinction. No one, he says, however distinguished in medicine, architec- ture, painting, literature, music, acting, sculpture, science, or teaching, must ever expect a peerage. If a physician were to discover a certain way of curing gout or rheumatism and abolishing that agony for ever, he would have no more than a baronetcy. If a man brews enough beer, of course, he shall lie raised to the Upper House, and sit apart—he and his—for ever, but not if he writes the most splendid play ever produced. In some of these branches they from time to time offer a very distinguished man—say a Huxley—the saine distinction—the smallest of all—that they give the mayor of a country town. Now, for all these branches—for every noble calling—I claim the right of national recognition, in whatever way tin? nation can or does exercise that recognition. Especially I claim it for literature, because of all noble callings it is the one which has lieen the least recognised. Observe that I do not ask, as the Spectator mistakenly asserts, that great authors should receive the honour of Knight Bachelor. The Spectator, you see, cannot conceive it possible that any great author in his wildest ambitions should look beyond a knighthood. I want a very great deal more for them. I want ■whatever honours the State has to bestow—the very highest. The Spectator mentions the peerage of the Laureate. I wonder if the Sjwctator rememliers that at the time when Lord Tennyson received an honour which recognised the very point I insist upon, some of the papers tried to make out that it was conferred upon him because he was of good birth. Others said that poets ought not to want peerages—the Spectator to-day says as much. The answer is clear; great poets do not want peerages; they confer services upon the State which cannot be measured; but, in whatever way the State chooses to recognise great services, it is bound in that way to recognise a great poet. It is no honour to Tennyson that he is a peer; it is the acknowledgment of his vast services to the State in the way open to a grateful nation. Such acknowledgments are due to literature as much as to any other profession. Not that writers will do better work, but that the world will liegin to think more highly of its writers and will begin to value their work more and will lie influenced more readily by them when it sees that they are recognised by the State. Now, here is a case in point. In the year 1887, when the nation rejoiced over an event of a most remarkable kind, cards of admission were sent to the most distinguished persons in the country for the great ceremony in Westminster Abliey. There were present men of every calling; it was a national representative gathering. For most of those who were present, the card was not so much an honour as a thing due to their position. Very well. Not one single man or woman of letters was invited as such. The whole of litera- ture was absolutely ignored and contemptuously passed over. Would that insult have been possible had men of letters lieen regarded, like soldiers, as servants of the State, and, like soldiers, to lie recognized in the distribution of honours? The Spectator sup]Kises the Prime Minister worried between the rival claims of half-a-dozen poets; well, why not? There is nothing so very absurd about that. I suppose he is now worried lietween the rival claims of Mr. Facing-both-Ways, politician, and Mr. Creeping Backstairs, professional Worm, both of whom ardently desire to be knighted. Then we are told dogmatically, "We have no business whatever to give titles and deco- rations to literary men. They are far lictter without them." Does this mean that they write lietter without them? If so, one might just as well say that they have no business with new coats —" they are far better without them." Or does it mean that they will feel better in their insides without titles and decorations? There is, in fact, absolutely nothing that can be said against  ## p. 142 (#546) ############################################ 142 THE AUTHOR. granting titles to one class any more than to any other class j the arguments of the Spectator apply- just as well to engineers as to poets. Do Millais and Leighton paint worse since they had titles? Can anyone in his senses believe that either Lecky or Meredith would write worse if he were made a Peer? Does anyone believe that Lord Lytton is a worse ambassador because he is a poet? Lastly, the Spectator asks what Browning would have done as an ambassador? Of one thing I am quite certain: If he was in other respects fitted for the post of ambassador, his poetry would have l>een no disqualification. The Victorian reign will be glorified in after ages mainly for three splendours. First, the enormous and unparalleled increase of the English- speaking race; so that they began with thirty millions, and, after fifty years, have grown to a hundred millions. Second, the wonderful ad- vancement of science, by means of which almost the elementary conditions of life have been revo- lutionized. Thirdly, the magnificence of the Victorian literature. When the future historian dwells upon these illustrations of the period, he will go on to remark that all of them flourished under the absolute neglect and contempt of the English Court and the English Government. The colonies owed nothing, except snubs, to the Colonial Office. No Government has ever attempted to organise, to control, to assist, to direct, or to advise emigration. The Government, without making an effort to divert the stream, allowed the half of the Irish ]>eople to go over bodily to the United States, and to lend their invaluable legs and arms to the material progress of that Republic. Until the latter years of the reign, no colonist, however great his services, was recognised even by the insignificant distinction of a Knight Bachelor. As for science, there have never been, since the world began, such giants as those of our century. Have any of these men of science been raised to the House of Lords? Not one. Has there ever been any national recognition of the best of them? Perhaps it may be replied that a knighthood was offered to one. A knighthood? In literature it is an age which has produced two or three; English writers of the first rank—the very first rank; it has also produced a great number of writers whose work is good, lasting, most useful, ami helpful, beyond anything of the sort ever seen lx>fore in any generation. Have these men received any national honours or recognition? None whatever. The House of Commons grants a little sum of £400 a year for distinguished service in literature, and the First Lord of the Treasury refuses to use it for that purpose—gives it to widows of officers instead. One simple distinction, or recognition, is the command to dine with the Sovereign. Do these men ever receive such a command. Never. My " grievance," as the Spectator calls it, is, in short, that national distinctions, which should belong to every intellectual calling, are limited to one or two, and are even bestowed without reference to distinction at all. I have received a paper—Hearth and Home— which contains an account of a little discussion between three persons—a Member of Parliament, a "Labour Leader," and a lady journalist. The dis- cussion turned on the influence of a certain novel on certain changes in opinion and reforms in action. The Member of Parliament and the Labour Leader maintained that the novel had nothing to do with any reform. The lady said that, the novel had everything to do with it. It was clear, from the remarks of the other two, that they were totally ignorant of the force of sentiment, or the power of the artist to create, arouse, and direct public opinion. They could not understand that senti- ment, of which they doubtless supposed themselves to have none, could possibly have anything to do with practical things. That is to say, they knew nothing of the history of popular opinion on popular movements, and nothing whatever of the part played by the poet, the dramatist, and the novelist. This is very interesting. The same men who, after reading " Uncle Tom's Cabin," would be maddened by the cruelty and the wickedness of slavery, and if the opportunity arose, would be spurred to action by that madness, stoutly maintain that sentiment plays no part in affairs; and that poet, artist, actor, and novelist can effect nothing. On the same day, as an illustration of the supposed powerlessness of sentiment, all the world reads that Mr. Hall Caine is going to Russia to study the question of the Jews with a view, if he sees his way, to write a novel about it. The English Jews who have proposed this task to him are wiser, you see, than the Member of Parlia- ment and the Labour Leader. The genius of the novelist, who concentrates the attention and the interest on a single group of the wretched, starving fugitives—perhaps on a single figure—will do more to bring home to our understanding the true, nature of their sufferings than a thousand telegrams and as many leading articles. The story which is going about the papers con- cerning French publishers is simply incredible. It is said that the enormous editions of novels adver- tised on the covers of the books are to a great extent fictitious, and that those magnificent figures —200th edition—5ooth edition, which fill the  ## p. 143 (#547) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. *43 breast of the British publisher—and, to a humbler extent, the British author—with envy, are simply trade lies. It is further stated that French authors have been receiving royalties on the fictitious numbers—in other words—that the publishers have been paying for thousands of books which have never been sold: in other words again that they are possessed of secret mines of gold. It is again stated that they have actually printed, though they have not sold, the numbers they advertise, and that their warehouses are bulging and bursting from top to bottom with unsold novels. Lastly, it is stated that certain firms are on the verge of bankruptcy in consequence of this practice. We are not sur- prised. There is, however, a way of explaining the story. The trick of advertising edition after edition of a book is not unknown in this country. The edition may be as small as you please—a single copy, perhaps—or fifty copies. It is a dirty trick; a fraudulent trick; it assures the public that the book is so much in demand that all these editions have been taken up; the public believes that a genuine edition is meant and is deceived ; the state- ment was issued with intent to deceive; it is therefore fraudulent. The trick is brother or sister of that other trick by which a publisher buys a whole edition of the author without stating the number and trades on the omission. Henceforth I shall accept the French novel in its 5ooth edition as having probably circulated to the extent of a thou- sand. Let us cease therefore to wish we had been born in a country so eager to possess new literature. The circular of a Society called the " British and Foreign Association" lies before me. It has about 90 " Honorary Meml>ers," among whom are several very good names indeed. It lias a President, a Chief Secretary, General Councillors, and Repre- sentative Councillors. Its prospectus states that it has 4,000 members. Its objects are three-fold: (l) To promote fraternity among the nations. Very good indeed. (2) To encourage literary talent among the members by means of a monthly magazine. Hum! By means of a monthly maga- zine? But surely there are already dozens of monthly magazines which do that very same thing. And (3) to aid in popularising the works of the members. Surely that is done already by the reviews, and by the recommendation of readers one to the other. What other method has this Association? Turning to the "advantages of membership," we find that the first advantage is social. Wrecked on a desert island, you find the other inhabitants also members—and there you are. The next advantage is that you can find persons with whom you will correspond—" exchange ideas "—says the prospectus. This opens up a new, broad, and hitherto unworked field of misery. Fancy belonging to a Society which will provide an endless supply of unknown correspondents anxious to exchange ideas! A third advantage is found in "the Literary Branch." This means the monthly magazine of which I have never yet seen a copy. If there are 4,000 members all wanting to get their con- tributions in, where is the advantage? If the magazine is not known to the world, what is the good of appearing in it? If the contributions are worthy of publication, there are dozens of magazines which will gladly pay for them. Fourthly, there is a "Tutorial" department. This seems to be a bid at a tutorial agency. Do many of the 4,000 members join in the hope of getting a tutorship? Fifthly, there is the "Hotel Tariff." Members get a reduction at certain hotels—it is not stated which these are, or where they are, or why they make a reduction. Sixthly, the "Commercial" side. Valuable business connexions are said to have been formed by correspondence between members. This seems quite a new departure for a Literary, Peaceful, Popular Association. Here you have the Association—its objects and advantages—all drawn up by its own officers; the annual subscription is only half-a-guinea. What is that in return for the chance of getting into the magazine, and "exchanging ideas" with all kinds of wonderful people, and opening valuable business connexions, and getting tutorships? Meantime, one would like to know on what representations the 90 Honorary Members gave permission for their names to appear? We will inquire further into this very interesting "British and Foreign Association." The competitive columns of certain popular papers are producing very dangerous consequences in inducing young winners of prizes to l>elieve themselves born for literary fame. I fear that these lines will not fall into the hands of any such, but if they do, let me most earnestly implore, them not to attempt Editor or Publisher with original work without taking advice ns to the quality of their work, either of the Society or of some competent friend. We have been richly blessed, as they used to say, in our efforts at dissuasion. We have succeeded in leading out of the stony fields of unsuccessful Literature many who are now grazing sweetly in pastures of Clerk- land or Trade-land. Sometimes those who are thus turned aside kick and are restive. Then they answer the advertising publisher's letter that he  ## p. 144 (#548) ############################################ 144 THE AUTHOR. will moot all demands up to 5,ooo copies for £60, and proceed to learn the rest of the lesson which never fails to follow. After that they go hack into Clerk*land meekly, if somewhat bruised and battered. Some months ago I wrote a little paper called "A School for Novelists," in which I pointed out how, given the natural aptitude to begin with, the aspirant in Romance might rind his way greatly smoothed, and might be saved from many dis- appointments and humiliations, by learning the technique of the Art. There was the usual and expected kind of comment. Everybody who saw his way to a clever thing ignored my saving clause concerning the natural aptitude, and extended the finger of scorn at the man who could lie such a fool as to suppose that novelists can be made by schools and lectures. But the project still remains even when the clever things have all been said at the cost of truth, and by the suppression of the most important part of my contention. We shall see a School of Fiction yet. If I had the time I would start one myself, and I believe that I should do very well with it, both for myself and for my pupils. I now learn that there has been founded, or will soon be founded, a College for Journalists in the United States, out of which should come many good things, and especially that regard for truth which is surely the one thing most wanted in American Journalism. And I am re- minded that there has existed for some years a School of Journalism in this London Town. The school gives lectures and instruction in all the various duties of a journalist: among them, on paragraphs, reviewing, special and war correspondence, art and dramatic criticism, leaders, editing, sub-editing, &c. In other words, the school undertakes to turn out a practical journalist in 12 months. It is directed by Mr. David Anderson, himself a well-known leader writer on the best London Papers. Now, here comes in the reservation. The School of Journalism can no more make a journalist, than a School of Fiction could make a novelist; but it can prepare the way for one who has the natural aptitude. Many of those who pass through the course may fail afterwards in their profession; but that failure ought not to bring discredit, on the school, so long as some can be found who attribute their success mainly or in part to the work of the school. For my own part, I welcome such schools as additional proof, for the eyes of the world, that Literature is a profession, and one with many branches, of which journalism is one. Certain not unfriendly critics have questioned the use of my suggestion that authors should practise the art of public speaking. "Why," asks one, "should authors make public speeches at all?" Because they are sometimes very much wanted to do so in the interests of their own calling. Because they often know a great deal on special subjects on which their spoken judgment might be very useful indeed. Because authorship belongs to every pro- fession and (idling under the sun, and he who would teach or guide the world should lie able to do so by word of mouth as well as by pen. Cer- tainly there are men, as this critic points out, who could never become orators. Thackeray was one; Anthony Trollope was another; John Stuart Mill was a very ineffective, unattractive speaker. Yet, had one of those three studied and practised the. art, he might at least have been able to say the thing he wautcnl to say effectively and convincingly. The last named might certainly have increased his influence and power enormously. He did his best and the House emptied the moment he rose. Their desk, my critic goes on to say, is their proper place. If so, John Morley had lietter go liack te his desk; Mr. Arthur Balfour also, the author of one admirable book at least, had better go back to his; Mr. Gladstone to his; all the Divines and Theologians must go back to their desks. In fact, everylnxly who writes books must be forbidden to do anything else. Docs not this seem a little absurd? Behind the notion, you see, is concealed some of the old contempt of the literary man. He is still, as of old, held te be useless except with a pen in his hand, and not of much use then. I find a very apt illustration of my remarks con- cerning authors and oratory in a certain ceremony which took place at Canterbury the other day. The address of the occasion, which is given l>elow, was delivered by Mr. Henry Irving. Now, there is no iM'tter speaker than Mr. Irving — 'tis his vocation. Also, the address was everything that could lie desired. But I should have preferred seeing a poet—a dramatic poet—or a leading man of letters at least, deliver that address. And I take it that the reason why Mr. Henry Irving was invited to perform the task was the difficulty of finding an English author of eminence who can speak. It was not altogether because Mr. Lowell was an American that he was invited to deliver the address on the unveiling of Fielding's bust.  ## p. 145 (#549) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. J45 Vague reports are flying about concerning a monster pet ition about to be drawn up and presented to the Archbishop of Canterbury. It will be signed by millions, and it will bo a request that prayers should l>e put up in all the churches, and con- tinued for twelve months, that the heart of the young journalist may be inclined unto verifying his references, and that the heart of the editor may be inclined unto visiting the neglectful with stripes. My sympathy is entirely with that petition. I find, for instance, that at least a dozen paragraphs have appeared stating (i) that I myself have by myself decided against admitting ladies to the Authors' Club: (2) that my reason is that they write for religious periodicals, and therefore they cannot pay the five-guinea subscription. These statements are entirely false. "What happened was this. At the preliminary meeting of the Temporary Committee, July 23rd, a set of tentative Resolutions were drawn up and passed. These Resolutions con- templated a club of men only. One of the chief reasons for such a conclusion was the fact that so many ladies had written to say that they could not jwssibly pay a subscription of five guineas. Therefore, the Committee, and not I myself, passed Resolutions contemplating a club for men only. They inserted these Resolutions in the Author, and asked for opinions. Moreover, in the Sep- tember number of the Author I expressly called attention to these facts, so that it is pure invention to say that I have excluded ladies. Another ingenious inventor of copy has added that the reason why ladies cannot afford five guineas is that they work for religious periodicals. Another want of verification! What I said was this: "An ideal club of authors should admit women as well as men. Literature is, above all others, a profession open to both sexes. Yet literary women are even more mercilessly sweated than men, especially by religious societies, who pretend not to know that sweating was specially contemplated in the framing of the Eighth Commandment; and the number of ladies who live by their literary work, and can afford even so reasonable a subscription as five guineas is very small." It is, indeed, very small indeed. Some day I hope to show what the sweating of women in literature really means. In the case of one religious society I have already done something in tliat direction. Walter Besant. ♦■»■♦ LISTS AND RISES. f |^HE long lists of announcements of new books I show no falling off in numbers, at least. Modern English literature appears to flourish in every branch. Those who think that nobody buys books may look at these lists and ask themselves for whom the new books are all printed and published? To lie on the shelves? To l>e given away? For the pride of the publisher? Nay, but to be sold. There is, again, we are expected to believe, an enormous risk in bringing out every one of these books. The very length of the lists shows the absurdity of the risk bogey. Looking through the lists one sees a book here and a l>ook there whose success seems doubt- ful—new poems, but these are always paid for by the author; novels by unknown hands, which are also paitl for by the author, unless they are so striking as to leave no doubt in the mind of the reader; books of essays, by unknown writers; biographies of unknown persons, and so forth, of which all that one can say is that if a publisher were to bring them out at his own risk he would l>e a very sanguine person and a very bad man of business. But the chief lesson to be learned by this enormous output is the enormous market. We who live in London are too apt to fall into the error of judging everything by a London standard; more than that, by the standard of a small piece of London. For instance, in Club land nolxxly buys Ixwks, news- papers, or magazines; but in the suburbs there are hundreds—thousands of houses—who buy both books and magazines, while in the country houses and country towns, though the circulating library goes for much it is not everything, and there are India and the Colonies. The inquiry which we con- ducted some months ago gave us some insight into the vastness of the book market. The autumn lists enlarge that view. To take nine publishers only out of the daily increasing number of firms, we find the following numbers of new lxx>ks announced re- spectively :—82, 57, 57, 5i, 43, 37, 36, 35, and 34, or an average of 43' 2 among the nine. Probably there are a thousand in all for the autumn output. This represents at an average of £100 a-piece, an outlay, or an investment, of £ioo,coo, and, of course, this is only a part of the whole year's enterprise. It is a large sum of money. Would it be embarked year after year—would new firms, some of them without any capital at all—come into the business if it were full of risks? Of course not. For my part I have never been able to understand why some publishers—not all—affect to be engaged in a kind of gambling business. It is not reputable to them as business men; it is not in the least true; and it damages literature by making authors believe that everything is a toss up. "Rider Haggard has succeeded," says some lunatic, who thinks he can write, "Why shouldn't I get a chance as well as he?" Literally, this notion is widespread. A great many people write to the Society in this sense and under this idea. And they are greatly helped by the absurd way in which some publishers wish risk to be considered as the first element in their work. You can hardly read a  ## p. 146 (#550) ############################################ 146 THE AUTHOR. leading article on the subject which does not start with the assumption that publishing is pure gamb- ling—speculation—a toss up. The bogey springs up like a jack-in-the-box in all kinds of unexpected places. The other day I bought Mr. Andrew Lang's "Hypnerotomachia," in a second-hand bookseller's, and carried it home. It is prefaced by an introduction which is both attractive and instructive. In the middle of it occurs this remarkable passage, "and there is risk in pub- lishing, though a hundred Mr. Besants say there is not." Where are these hundred? I only know one person of that name who has written upon the subject, and he most certainly has never said any- thing so foolish. There is risk, and plenty, as I have said elsewhere and everywhere, in publishing. But then publishers of the present day very seldom take any. If anybody takes upon himself to deny this statement he must do so only after he has care- fully examined publishers' books, with the aid of an accountant, if he is not skilled in accounts. If anyone will produce such proofs I am ready to modifv my statement. For my own part, I have been enabled to see, what nobodv else in the world has seen, except our secretaries, a very large and perfectly unique collection of pub- lishers' agreements and publishers' accounts, to which we have added a mass of information on the cost of production never l>efore possessed by anyone. And with this knowledge in my hands, I lx)ldly say that very few publishers ever take any risk in the production of new liooks. As to new magazines and such ventures I sav nothing, of course. I take only new books written by living authors. Meantime, this absurd sentence stands in the middle of Mr. Lang's Introduct ion to a mediaeval book like a bit of modern common earthenware on a shelf filled with Murano glass. The effect is very striking. There will not, I suppose, be another edition of the liook for a hundred years to come, and many a pleasant little controversy will arise when we are all forgotten as to this wonderful glimpse of a hundred all clamouring like one man, that there was no risk in publishing.—What hun- dred? Who were they? Where did they clamour? Why, in the nineteenth century it was notorious that every publisher quickly went to immortal smash, and the Court of Bankruptcy was filled with unhappy publishers who had failed, and on days "out," the streets were crammed with publishers dressed in the livery of their Union! W. B. FROM AMERICA. WE are certainly not going to interfere between American authors and American publishers. But the following seems to show that all is not complete happiness across the ocean. It is taken from the New York Critic:— "A publishing-house of old and high standing bought a MS. of 3o,ooo words at an agreed price, plus a share on sales. A year elapsed and then the author was asked if he would extend it to 60,000 words, which he did, without asking that the original price should be doubled, but he drew the balance, which was not to have been paid until publication. At the end of 18 months it was found that the lxx>k could not l>e issued until two years had elapsed since the original sale. There was no stipulation as to date of publication. At this stage the author sent in proposals to the publisher asking that, in consideration of the unreasonable delay of two years, and also of his complacency in doubling the work at their sugges- tion, they should make a further payment, either in full purchase of author's interest, or as an advance. No sort of complaint had been made against the MS. from first to last. To this the representative of the firm replied with a flat refusal to submit the proposal, on the ground (to quote his letter) that ' it is absurd to claim that the delay in publication is either a matter for which we should be blamed or that has caused you loss.' As to the suggestion of reciprocity in goodwill based on the author's readiness in furnishing twice the quantity of matter specified in the contract, the reply is simply the remark 'you readily offered to enlarge it without charge.' From which it appears that time is not money to the author tribe, and the driving of a sharp bargain absolves the gainer from any obligation, to do a favour to the one who suffers through his lordly leisureliness." Thus far the correspondent, on which the editor remarks— "There seems in this case to have been some 'reciprocity in goodwill,' as the writer admits having been paid 'the balance ' which was to have been paid on publication." True, Mr. Editor, but what were the respective values of the "reciprocity in goodwill"? The writer was to have received, say, £100 on publication. This was delayed for 18 months, although when the bargain was made, immediate publication was, in fact, contemplated. The writer, however, got paid his £100, so that the publisher clearly lost 18 months' interest on his money. But the writer doubled the length of the work, and should have received double the pay. Therefore the writer lost £100, while the publisher lost only £7 io«., reckoning 5 per cent, interest. But in what other profession in the world would an employer dare to propose that payment made for a stipulated piece of work should be made to serve for double that piece of work?  ## p. 147 (#551) ############################################ THE A UTHOR. EEVIEWEES AND EEVIEWS. I. IT would appear, from certain papers which have at various times occupied your columns, that many writers believe that favourable notice from the various reviews is sufficient to secure a reasonable sale for most books. If such an impres- sion prevails, there may be some use in detailing my own experiences. Some years since, I made my first venture with a volume of verse. My reasons were various, the proverbial vanity of the verse-writer amongst them, but the hope of profit was not. My own knowledge, lmcked by competent advice, and the opinion of my publisher was sufficient, I think, to prevent any disappointment upon that head, when a publication which had cost me about £70 brought in a return of £|5 in sides. Yet, in one way, I was unfortunately very successful. The reviews, from which I had expected very mixed criticism, were uniformly in my favour, and some half-dozen proved enthusiastic. It may cut matters short if I say that, encouraged by their tone, I followed this first venture with two similar ones, the results, pecuniary and critical, being almost identical, so that I was the proud possessor of some 70 eulogiums of my work in print, besides letters from various writers, including our great poet, in return for which I had invested a capital of some- thing over £200. A wealthy man might consider this money well invested for such a result. I did not, and encouraged this time by the advice of friends, I set to work to recover my stake by publishing, at my own cost, a prose work. The reviews were even warmer in tone than they had been as regarded my verse, with a solitary ex- ception in a non-literary pa|X'r, and I ln-gan to feel confident of a return ; so that I was considerably mortified this time on receiving once more an account of the sale of about a hundred copies out of what I had hoped, from the tone of the critics, would prove to be merely a first edition. This time I thought that my publisher might be at fault, though I had no definite cause of dissatis- faction with him. Accordingly, I carried my fifth venture, a work of fiction, to another firm to which I had l>ccn recommended. With regard to the manner in which I was advised and treated by this firm, I may have something to say at a future date. Once again, all the papers which reviewed my tale praised it, and I lost something over £40. I returned to my old publishers, anil had a sixth book printed last year. Results were about the same: one unfavourable review in the Church Times; about a score of favourable notices in various well-known papers; side about ioo copies. Now, as many of the sales of my various works were made in quarters known to myself, I am able to state, with fair certainty, that from 100 to i5o favourable reviews have not averaged a return of more than three or four shillings apiece from sides obtained by their influence. How many sales the two unfavourable notices may have prevented is a doubtful question. It may possibly lx- of some interest if I set down, in conclusion, the course taken by the four chief weekly Metropolitan Reviews, as showing the risks which an author, otherwise favourably received, may have of being overlooked by them. The Saturday Review ignored my first two volumes, and published favourable notices of the last four with fair promptitude. No beginner need complain of such a course. The Spectator commenced with number two, and has fx-en extremely kind: however, the notices appeared at from three months to a year after publication, and my last work, published ten months since, is, I believe, still unnoticed by them. The Athcnrrum noticed number five only. The Academy noticed number one only. I may mention that both these last notices were favourable, and the notice in the Academy of my first volume of verse, coupled with those in the Scotsman, Graphic, <&c, was the chief inducement to the publication of my second and third volumes. Y. A. G. II. We have recently had a little talk about the reviews of novels. It may be interesting to some of our readers to see how an American paper, the New York Critic, reviews novels. First of all, the Critic gives to each work its own separate space and title. The notices are short, but they are detached. The author is treated as an individual, not as one of a herd. This is respectful and polite. The reviewer then gives a short account of the work—so far as one can judge, a fair account. In this account he tells something of the story. And it ends with a few words of appreciative approval or the reverse. This method is not pro- posed as a model, but it is suggested for considera- tion. The following, for instance, is the notice of Hardy's "Group of Noble Dames " :— "At a meeting of one of the Wessex Field and Antiquarian clubs, held in the museum of the town, certain stories were partly told, partly read from manuscript. The club was of an inclusive and intersocial character, the meeting was to extend over two days, the rain came down in an obstinate jwtter which revealed no sign of cessation, and the members agreed to let the stories do duty for the  ## p. 148 (#552) ############################################ 148 THE A UTHOR. regulation papers on deformed butterflies, fossil ox-horns, and other prehistoric relics. Some of them observed tlint a storm-bound club could not be selective, and they were much pleased to hear such curious chapters from the domestic histories of the country. There was no lack of material in Wessex. Many were the legends and traditions of gentle and noble dames, renowned in times past in that part of England, whose actions and passions were now, but for men's memories, buried under the brief inscription on a tomb or an entry of dates in a dry pedigree. The stories, once told, were too good to be lost, so they were gathered together and published in a volume called 'A Group of Noble Dames.' Truly fascinating tales they have proved to be, well calculated to while away the dreary and monotonous hours of many a club called together for more serious work. Their local colour is perfect, their interest is absorbing, and the style in which they are told is so simple and so natural that, in speaking of them, one drops unconsciously into the quaint old English expressions in vogue in those days. They are among the best things that Thomas Hardy has ever done, and are issued in a very attractive cover. (81.25. Harper & Bros.)" MAGAZINES AND CONTRIBUTIONS. AGliEAT many letters from time to time have reached the Society on the subject of prices paid for articles in magazines. There have been so many that the Society has now an actual knowledge of the ordinary rate of pay of every magazine, including certain organs whose editors (or proprietors) go on the principle of never paying anybody if they can possibly avoid it. The rates vary very largely, partly depend- ing on the name and reputation of the writer, partly on the circulation of the magazine, and, in some cases, on the sweating disposition of the proprietor. They vary, indeed, in an astonish- ing manner. One or two of the oldest and the best- known magazines are offering their contributors sums which would be thought contemptible by the new and cheaper organs, while some of the latter are offering prices for work by well-known men far above any dreamed of by their older contem- poraries. It would seem that there is, and can be, no fixed rate for contributions. Journals do not all have a wide circulation. When the circulation of a magazine has begun to go down, the effect upon payment of contributors must, sooner or later, be marked; in fact, at this moment certain magazines are proving their decline and impending fall by the decrease in the amount of the contributor's cheque. It is impossible, without loss; to pay the old scale for half the old subscription. On the other hand, these things get whispered abroad. Then good writers cease to send in work. Then the paper is no longer looked at, or inquired after; at the clubs it remains in its case ; no new subscribers take it in; it gradually fades into decay and forgetfulness. There are, besides, certain maga- zines—of which an example was given in last month's Author—which simply go on the broad and intelligible principle of never paying any contributor at all unless they are compelled. The Society is accumulating evidence on all these points. Other considerations affect tht question. Thus: (I) There are always a great many people who will willingly contribute papers for nothing, except the joy of seeing their names in print. If, therefore, there were enough of these writers to fill a magazine with papers attractive, pleasant, and popular, it could be run for nothing. Happily, the numlier of writers who are pleasant and popular is very limited; therefore, this resource is soon exhausted. Yet the number of articles offered to editors on all conceivable subjects is incredible. (2) It must be remembered that the question is, or should be, one of bargain only. The writer, for instance, who might possibly be accepted on some magazine if he offered his work for nothing, would be cer- tainly rejected if he demanded what he might himself consider a reasonable sum for his work; and, even in the higher-class magazines, if an editor chooses to offer only so much—a great deal less, perhaps, than the writer expected—it is oi>en for him to refuse or to accept the offer. Only, as said above, where such small offers are made, it is a proof of a falling circulation. It wotdd be, perhaps, as well if writers, before sending a paper to a magazine, were to ascertain at the Society's office the usual scale of pay. They could then decide whether it was worth while to send in their papers, and could stipulate beforehand what price they would be prepared to take. COMMISSION BOOKS. fl^HE Secretary is continually receiving letters I and requests on the subject of commission books; that is to say, books which the author pays for and the publisher sells on a commission of 10 or 15 per cent, There are a great number of books published at the author's expense, and yet there are not many commission l>ooks. In other words, as we arc always insisting, a vast number of novels are issued every year by foolish and deluded people who pay in advance what they are  ## p. 149 (#553) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. 149 informed is half the cost, and afterwards receive what they are informed is half the proceeds. They can then imitate Mr. Bob Sawyer by placing their profits in a wine-glass ami covering them with a gooseberry skin. Generally, however, they cannot even do that, for the profits turn out to be "nuppence." That is not commission pub- lishing. Yet, if a man has got a good book, there can be no better way of publishing, provided he can get a good house. It is said, and lielieved, that a house will not push a book on a 10 per eent. commission. That may be true. If it is, perhaps they would push it on a i5 per cent, commission. Let us see how this works out, taking the average six-shilling novel of about 17 sheets. The first edition of 1,000 copies costs about £90. The next edition of 3,ooo costs about £118. The price being 3s. ^d., the first edition, allowing for pre- sentation copies, realizes about £i5o, the next about £5oo. On the first edition the publisher, at 15 per cent., takes £22 ios., and on the second edition £75. The author, on the other hand, makes on the first edition £37 10s., and on the next edition of 3,ooo he makes about £3oo. It certainly seems to me as if this was a very equitable arrangement. I suppose that all the trouble of printing the book is taken by the author. AN INSTRUCTIVE CASE. AN agreement and a bundle of accounts are l)efore us. The agreement contains as an integral part an "estimate" of the cost of production. Observe, that if the author, having signed the agreement, afterwards discovers that the "estimate" was fraudulent, he has no redress except by action in the High Court of Justice, and a very difficult business it is to prove by experts the fraud in such a case. In the Author we have repeatedly warned readers against signing any agreement containing an "estimate." Now the book before us being submitted to a printer, it is actually found that his "estimate" has been exactly doubled, i.e., that the printing and produc- tion of the book really cost exactly half of what was stated in the "estimate." The author in the agreement bound himself to pay half the " estimate," i.e., he was made liable, really, for the whole of the cost. He did pay, in reality, half the sum in advance, and left the rest to come out of sides. At the close of the iirst edition the publisher having, in addition to the other fraud, and contrary to the agreement, charged a much larger sum for advertisements than was arranged, how does the account stand? 1. According to the publisher's returns, the cost of the book exceeds the sales by about £70. Placing against this the sum actually paid by the author, he loses aliout £3o. Very bad business indeed. 2. According to the reality of the case, the sales of the book exceed the cost by about £5. Add the sum paid by the author, and the publisher is in pocket to the tune of about £40. Not such IkkI business, after all, with quite a little book, and quite a little fraud. THE MARLOWE MEMORIAL. f|>HE following is the address of Mr. Henry I Irving on the unveiling of the Marlowe Memorial, as reported in the Times:— "We are here to-day to pay tribute to a great memory and to repair a great omission. England has always set much store by the men who helped to save the State in the supreme crisis of her history. The statesmen and warriors of the Elizabethan times have never lacked a grateful recognition from their descen- dants. The literature which was the flower and crown of that period of our national growth ban remained our chief glory to these days, and the works of its greatest representative are the most enduring possessions of all who speak the English tongue. Of Shakespeare there are memorials which attest at almost every turn in our daily lives our reverence for his surpassing genius. But till to- day we have presented to the world no conspicuous symbol of our enormous debt to a man who was contemporary with Shakespeare, and in one sense his tutor, antl who was the first to employ with a master hand the greatest instrument of our language. It was natural enough that the fame of Christopher Marlowe should be overshadowed by that of William Shakespeare, but it is surely some discredit to Englishmen that the fine sense of Marlowe's gifts and services to letters, which scholars have always had, have hitherto found no substantial shape in some trophy for the acclama- tion of the world. To-day this long oversight has been repaired. Here, in the birthplace of Marlowe, rich as it is in the commanding associations of our history, you have erected a monument which to future generations will speak with a voice no less potent than the. historic echoes of this city.  ## p. 150 (#554) ############################################ THE A UTHOR. (Hoar, hear.) What manner of man Marlowe was in outward seeming I suppose nobody knows. Even if it were fmniliar to us, the counterfeit presentment could not have the force and signifi- cance of the beautiful figure which we owe to the art of the sculptor; but it is not with Marlowe; the man that we need busy ourselves, even if there were more material than there is for judgment of his brief and sad career, for it is the ideal of the poet whose " raptures were all air and fire" that must constantly be present to our minds as we gaze on this image of his worship. It recalls some of his own Hues which are eloquent of this devotion :— "Our souls, whose faculties can comprehend The wondrous architecture of the world, And measure every wandering planet's course, Still climbing after knowledge infinite And always moving as the restless spheres, Will us to wear ourselves, anil never rest Until we reach the ripest fruit of all." The man who struck such chords as these is not unworthy of a monument in his native place. (Hear, hear.) It was Marlowe who first wedded the harmonies of the great organ of blank verse which peals through the centuries in the music of Shakespeare. It was Marlowe who first captured the majestic rhythms of our tongue, and whose "mighty line" is the most resounding note in England's literature. Whatever may be thought of his qualities as a dramatist, and whatever place he may hold amongst the great writers who framed the models of English tragedy, he stands foremost and apart as the poet who gave us, with a rare measure of richness, the literary form which is the highest achievement of poetic expression. I do not pretend to do justice to Marlowe in this very imperfect utterance of some thoughts which are in your minds. It has been a great privilege to me to come here to-day to perform an office which might have been placed in far worthier hands. But I am glad to have an opportunity of speaking as an Englishman of the claims of Marlowe's fame to be prized and cherished by his countrymen. His reputation should be an abiding element of our national pride. And, finally, as an actor, I am proud to remember that Marlowe's work, like Shakespeare's, was written primarily for the stage, that, if not an actor himself, Marlowe was intimately associated with the actor's calling, and that the Elizabethan dramatists, with Shakespeare, the actor, at their head, in employing the stage as the first medium of their appeal to posterity linked it for ever witli an imperishable glory." (Cheers.) GOOD WORE, SURE PAY. IN a paragraph which recently appeared in the Author, under the somewhat mystic headline "One Word from you. Sir," literary aspirants who are constantly having their overtures declined by editors and publishers were exhorted to produce '• (food Work "—a direct and perfectly intelligible proposition—as the one way out of their difficulties; and they were further assured that " Good Work," of no matter what kind, had always its mercantile value, and could always (consequently or presum- ably) command its price. It seems almost a pity that so genteel and reputable a fallacy, the fostering of which may suit the interests of more than one faction in the literary state, should be doomed to fall beneath the slow cruel axe of Time, yet fall it must. No doubt editors and publishers are made the recipients of a vast deal of trash (for which commodity, by-the-bye, there is always a brisk and healthy demand at the bookstalls, which makes it a wonder why publishers should decline any of it); but these gentlemen, who have some- how l>een empowered to direct and regulate the reading of the nation, may be accredited with dis- crimination sufficient to enable them to know the true metal from the base. But, distinctly and emphatically, once and for all, the refusal of a manuscript by an editor or publisher, or by all the editors and publishers existent, is simply no criterion of its merit; a fact which it seems the object of certain (possibly interested) persons to deny, conceal, or disguise, while it should l>o proclaimed far and wide. Need I do more than name the historic cases of " The Vicar of Wake- field," "Vanity Fair," and "Sartor Resartus "? The other day a highly popular and (it must be concluded) able author, who made his name two or three decades since, told me that " every publisher wants a good work, and would not refuse one." He subjoined—as if he were making an unexpected and handsome concession—" Of course a publisher's judgment is not infallible." We are told on good authority that there is nothing either good or Imd but thinking makes it so, and we may be sure that in most cases the non-accepting publisher thinks he is doing right. The fallacy which I have defined and denounced is bolstered up in other quarters. One example: A certain pub- lishing house in London issues a printed circular for the guidance, or rather misguidance, of uninitiated writers, wherein the latter are treated to the statement (in effect) that if he, the publisher, does not entertain a work, it is practically useless to try it elsewhere. Of course, every author who has a right to the name merely chuckles at such audacious irrelevancies. Then as for the printing  ## p. 151 (#555) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. one's book at one's own expense, when publishers will not take the risk, a course which is uniformly discouraged by this Society (of which I have the honour to l>e a Member, and in regard to which I hope and predict great things). This position implies that if (say) half-a-dozen publishers decline your book the book is probably worthless, and had letter therefore be left unpublished. In the majority of cases this may Ik- the fact; in certain others it is quite otherwise. The writer of con- scious individuality and power will not have his faculty explained away thus lightly, and small wonder if, despite probable loss, he prints and pays for it. The weakling or pretender, on the other hand, is easily discouraged—and very pro- perly so. If the man who, in English creative and realistic art, stands next to Shakespeare, had not possessed both the courage and the money to print at his own cost, in the teeth of at least 20 head-shaking publishers, the world might this day l>e without "Vanity Fair." Here we may pause and tremble. This ease may be claimed as exceptional. I do not think it is. I think—I fear—that masterpieces have been lost to us owing to the pecuniary helplessness of their producers. We cannot too much insist on the hard-and-fast distinction between intrinsic value and marketable value. The two are sometimes associated—not always. Every true man of letters will seek (at least so far as his own work is concerned) to make the two identical. But there seems to linger some little doubt or confusion on this point in the public head, unless it is that the idea that the successful book is the good book—an idea which, strange? to say, even successful authors will not very warmly combat—is fixed immovably there. C. Davenport Jones. [Our correspondent is perfectly right in his position that a good book may be refused by pub- lishers, and that the refusal is not in itself a sufficient condemnation. At the same time, our contention was, and is, that publishers are always on the look out for go<xl work—especially saleable work—and that no publisher will let good work— i.e., saleable work—leave his house if he can keep it there. This is equivalent to saying that pub- lishers are men of business, and that they do not go to their offices for the sake of fooling away their money. To argue that good l>ooks —i.e., saleable l>ooks—are often refused is to argue that publishers do not know their own business, and that their readers are incompetent. Does not our correspon- dent confuse two things, good literary work and good saleable work? It is quite possible that a very good liook indeed might be produced—good from the literary point of view—which would, be quite unsaleable for some defects, or from its length, or from its subject? For instance, a mathematical treatise on elasticity, such as is announced, would not l>e sold on the bookstalls. If Browning were an unknown person offering a MS. called "The King and the Book," nobody, certainly, would publish it for him, and it has been suggested that the reason why "Vanity Fair " was sent round to so many houses was its very great length, twice the length of an ordinary novel. To be sure it was not an ordinary novel. The advice persistently given by the Society to an author, not to publish at his own expense a work refused by publishers, is based on the assumption that the latter know their business, and that the work is commercially worthless. It may not lie artistically worthless, but that is a very different thing. We seek to protect our profession in all questions that have to do with their property. If they believe that their work ought to appear, without consideration of its commercial value, we can still protect them by keeping them in honest hands.—Editor.] +~~~* CORRESPONDENCE. 1. The Statute of Limitations. IN 1886 I suggested a subject for an article to a magazine editor. The article was ordered and written, delivery being made in November 1886. After a long delay and some correspondence a proof wits submitted, corrected, and returned; the article has not yet appeared, and of course has not been paid for. If I allow the matter to remain another 12 months, shall I be barred, by the Statute of Limitations, of power to recover at law? If I am to be so barred, is it possible to recover now, i.e., prior to the publication of the article, by taking out a county court summons, or by any other means? G. W. II. Fiction and Reality. Some years ago a well-known novelist described, let us say, a Polish Count as occupying rooms in the Grand Hotel in London. The other day two less well-known writers of fiction described another noble Pole as occupying rooms in the same hotel. Then comes a critic who wisely says, "This is shocking; it is a mixture of fiction and reality." Query: Which of the two Polish Counts is the live man?  ## p. 152 (#556) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. in. Slating. One must hesitate before challenging Professor Skeat on a point of etymology. But may I call attention to the fact that in "Books and Bookmen" Mr. Andrew Lang, in a note to his " Ballads of the Ileal and Ideal," says:—" Slate is a professional term for a severe criticism. Clearly the word is originally 'slat,' a narrow board of wood with which a person might Ik; l>eaten." Webster gives the verb " slat," and the quotation from Marston :— "How did you kill him? Slat[t]ed his brains out." Surely this "will serve." Jamks Nias. IV. Words and Biucks. The writer of the following letter is evidently of opinion that "the Editor" should recognise his initials, and arrive at his subject by intuition. He also seems to think that words, like bricks, arc sold by the thousand, and that one man's word is as good as another's. Andrew W. Tukr. The Leadenhall Press, E.C. [Copy.] To the Editor of the Leadenhall Press. Dear Sir, I shoold feel obliged if you would inform mc whether you have any opening for a MS. consisting of 11,000 words, the Copyright of which I am desirous of selling. I want an early reply. Yours truly, P. 11. R. V. A Provident Society. Whether or not Mr. Andrew Lang believes in the existence of a New 'Grub Street, it is certain that some of us writing-people have a perpetual struggle to keep above water. May I suggest to you the possibility of forming an "Authors' Provident Society?" What I propose is this. A graduated scale of subscriptions varying according to the income of the writer, aud entitling him to a weekly amount in time of sickness or nou-employ- ment. I do not think you would find a single poor author who would be so foolish or so reckless as not to take advantage of a club of this kind. The fees might lie as low as is. 6d. a week, and the scheme be started on precisely the same lines as working men's sick benefit clubs. As to the rich authors, let them subserilK', and be entitled to some advantage; in the way of recommending a poorer brother for the club's aid. Quill Driver. VI. An Honourable Action. When so many unjust editors and publishers are pilloried in the Author, it is only fair to give some- times an opposite instance. I lately sent a book to certain publishers, and in time received a letter stating they were willing to give me so much—about three-quarters of what I expected—as the book would make a certain size— which, like the sum offered, was about a quarter less than I bad calculated. Greatly puzzled tliat my MS. should prove so short, I still thought that they must be able lxjst to judge the length it would make in print, and so I accepted the sum offered, and signed the agreement of copyright. But when the proof came, I found I had l>ecn right. The book was even longer than I expected. When I pointed this out to the publishers, they honourably gave me the remainder of the price without a question. But this is a hint to me—and may be to others— in future to notice very carefully the length of my MS. Other publishers might not be so just to the unwary writer. RossiGNOL. VII. Reviews and Newspapers. Your note in reply to my letter printed in the Author this month, does not seem to me to contain such a strong objection to what I propose as at first sight appears. I do not for a moment advocate that copies of new books should not be supplied to newspaper proprietors or editors by the publishers, but that, after the books have been sent, the bill for them should follow. The reviewer would be at no more trouble than now in getting his copy, for it would l>e supplied to him either by the publisher direct, or by the editor. It is only just that the books should be paid for by the newspaper proprietors, for it is primarily for the benefit of the papers that reviews are inserted therein. H. Haes.  ## p. 153 (#557) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. PAGES CUT OR UNCUT? SHALL we have our books and magazines cut or uncut? For the cutting of the pages the following advantages are claimed :— 1. The convenience. One receives the book ready for reading, as it ought to be. A book whose pages have to be cut is not ready for the reader. It still lacks some- thing which must be done to it. Suppose the reader had to number the pages before he could begin the book. Yet to cut them is no more trouble. 2. The neatness. Very few men can cut abook properly. They grow impatient; they slip the paper-knife and carve into the page; they hold it loosely and tear the page; the only way to get a neat edge is to cut the pages with a machine. 3. The saving of time. To cut the pages of a thick octavo takes at least half-an-hour of valuable time. We do not waste half-an-hour in sweeping the floor, dusting the table, or laying the tire. Why should we waste our time in doing any other perfectly menial act, such as cutting the leaves of our books? 4. Its cheapness. The cost of cutting the leaves is estimated at something under io«. per 1,000 volumes. This is nothing. Against these arguments it is urged that the fashion of collectors is the book with rough and uncut leaves; that a book which has been cut will not sell so well as an uncut book. But we are considering the general convenience of readers, not the hobbies of collectors; and the the interest of readers, we think, will be best served by giving them their books ready cut. - • "AT THE AUTHOR'S HEAD." AMONG the announcements of the season, we can pick out an edition de luxe of a volume of Essays by Professor Huxley; the " Vision of Saints," by Lewis Moris; a novel by J. M. Barrie—" The Little Minister "; a " Dictionary of Religion," by the Rev. AVilliam Benham; Dr. Cunningham Geikie on the Holy Land, with illustrations by that most charming artist, Mi-. Henry A. Harper; a cheap illustrated Edition of Farrar's " Life of Christ"; the eighth volume of Professor Morley's "English Writers"; Sidney Colvin's" Letters of Keats" ; Buchheim's "Balladen mid Romanzen "; the publication of Mr. Henry A. Jones's "Saints and Sinners"; new tales by Marion Crawford, Rudvard Kipling, and Rolf Boldrewood; a book on the Elements of Polities by Henry Sedgwick; Sir William Muir's "History of the Caliphate "; new novels by George Manville Fenn and Algernon Gissing; verses by George Sand; "Hone Sabbatiea'," a collection of essays contributed to the Saturday lieview by Sir James F. Stephen; essays by E. A. Freeman; a novel by Mr. J. H. Shorthouse; a novel by Mrs. Oliphant; essays by Bishop Lightfoot; sermons by the late Dean of St. Paul's, by F. Denison Maurice, by Archdeacon Farrar, by Professor Kirkpatrick; two new volumes of " Men of Action "; "Rodney," by Mr. Hannay; and " Montrose," by Mr. Mowbray Morris; two new volumes of " English Statesmen "; Mr. Churton Collins 011 the Study of English Lite- rature; a posthumous work of Gifford Palgrave; novels by Clark Russell, Miss Doudney, C. J. Wills, Florence Marryat, Norris, Rider Haggard, Baring Gould, L. T. Meade, Hall Caine, Jessie Fothergill, Robert Buchanan, Tasma, Maarten Maartens, Mrs. Chandler Moulton, and many others. It is, as said elsewhere, a truly wonderful list; but then it is addressed to a hundred millions of readers. An example of the growing curiosity on the continent about English contemporary literature is a translation of Mr. Swinburne's "Poems and Ballads," 1st Series, into French by Gabriel Mourey, with an introduction by M. Guv de Mau- passant, the greatest, perhaps, of living French novelists. As in all translations, the magic of Un- original has disappeared, but admirers of Mr. Swinburne (that is to say, all competent judges of poetry) should get this work, if only for the intro- duction. The "Poems and Ballads," though Mr. Swinburne calls them "Peches de Jennesse," are after all one of the milestones in our life of literary appreciation. Nothing can ever quite take their place, thoHgh we have become old, good, anil respectable. Everyone will have read with interest Mr. Archer's article on Maeterlinck, the new Belgian dramatist, in the September number of the Fortnightly Review. This is, however, by 110 means the first account of his marvellous dramas that have been written in England. A review of "La Princesse Maleinc" appeared in the St. James' Gazette a long while ago, and in the June  ## p. 154 (#558) ############################################ 154 THE AUTHOR. number of the Author there was a critical estimate of Maeterlinck's dramatic and literary methods in "Les Avengles" anil "LTntruse." Mr. Archer writes as if he were the first in the field. Mr. Heinemann is about to publish a translation of "La Princesse Maleine," with an introduction by Mr. Oscar Wilde, and then everyone will have an opportunity of judging the merits of the Flemish Shakespeare. In the next Author there will be something more, it is hoped, about the i st issue of the Oriental Translation Fund (new series), edited bv Dr. F. F. Arbuthnot, M.R.A.S., printed and published under the auspices of the Royal Asiatic Society. The undertaking is due to the energetic and untiring efforts of the editor, who is a well-known expert in Oriental literature. Uninitiated readers should not be frightened by the name "Rawsat-Safa, or the Garden of Purity." Some of the Persian versions of the old familiar Biblical stories are delightful, being no less interesting to Christians than Moslems. Miss Frances Younghusband, the able trans- lator of the "Myths of Hellas" has again used her talents by a version of Witt's "Retreat of the Ten Thousand," which is based on Xenophon's "Anabasis." Xothing could possibly be better done, though Miss Younghusband might give us some original work for which she is so thoroughly capable. The illustrations are artistic and in- structive, and go far to enhance the value of this work. Many schoolboys would like to confine their knowledge of Xenophon to Miss Young- husband's version, but let us hope that it will regenerate them rather than spoil them for their Greek studies. The book is published by Messrs. Longman. "The Critic's exposure of the young man who passed himself off on credulous Americans as a brother of Mr. Walter Besant had the effect of stopping his depredations upon the literary guild, and turning him off to prey upon the represen- tatives of other professions. Sir Morell Mackenzie has receive:! a letter from Mr. A. P. Gordon Gumming, in which the latter informs the eminent 'medicine man' of his son's appearance at Sykesville, en route to Xew York, after a disastrous experience on the stage in Australia. And one of Sir Morell's veritable sons, who is an actor and manager, and calls himself H. H. Morell, without the Mackenzie, writes to the Spirit of the Times from London that he himself is the only son of his father who is connected with the theatrical pro- fession, and that his only brother is a physician. Mr. Morell is Miss Fortescue's manager. The Dramatic Jfirror also has exposed his swindling double."—Xew York Critic. Miss Frances Armstrong, author of "Her Own Way," &c. has brought out a new novel called "Changed Lots." Griffith and Farran. 5*. Dr. L. A. Buchheim sends a copy of his "Balladen und Romanzen" (Macmillan & Co.). It is a selection of German ballads uniform with the "Golden Treasury," and belonging to the series so-called. It is a very beautiful collection, and ought most certainly to be in the jwssession of all who read and love German poetry. A portrait of Uhland adorns the title page. It is a pity that it was not taken before the poet's hair fell off. A lady sends me a little volume of verse called, simply, " Poems," bearing the initials "D. M. B." and with the names of "Young and Cooper, Maidstone," on the title page. It is a very little volume, and there are in it verses which are quite too simple for publication. On the other hand, there are sonnets which seem to have the true ring, and we may very well imagine this writer soaring high above these early rhymes, and be- coming ashamed of them. Then this copy in my hands would become rare and priceless. May this be so! William Westall is writing Christmas stories for the Manchester Weekly Times and the Glasgmc Herald. He has also written a short serial for the Traveller, a new magazine which is to appear in December, and a novel which is being syndicated by the Authors' Syndicate, and will "run" in sundry English and American newspapers next year. "It is said that there are three million volumes of unsold novels lying on the shelves of the Paris publishers, and that the number increases every dav. What to do with these unsold and apparently unsaleable b >oks is a problem. It was proposed by someone that they should be distributed at country fairs as prizes for children, instead of gingerbread or Scripture texts. The innocent country people were greatly pleased with this proposition, and quite e.iger to accept it; but the more knowing  ## p. 155 (#559) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. i55 prefect of police interfered and stopped the dis- tribution; not, however, until some volumes had been given away. It is hoped that the local Sunday schools will put in their best work in this neighbourhood l>efore the seed already sown has bourgeoned ami born fruit."—New York Critic. Miss Elizabeth Bisland is said to be now engaged on a romance and play in collaboration with Bhoda Broughton. Mrs. Bernhard Whishnw has disposed of the American rights of "Zephyr," and it will be produced before long in New York with Miss Loie Fuller in the title part. It will be remembered that this young actress made a decided hit its " Zephyrina" when the play was performed at the Opera Comique last May. A new volume by Mr. J. E. Gore, F.B.A.S., entitled, " Star Groups: a Students Guide to the Constellations," is in the press, and will be published immediately by Messrs. Crosby, Lockwood, and Son, Stationers' Hall Court. The following books are about to be issued by Miss Bramstou, author of " Apples of Sodom " :— "Abby's Discoveries." Tale of child-life 5o years ago. National Society. "A Village Genius." Story of the Composer of the Passions music still sung at Ober Ammergau. National Society. "Neal Russell." One-volume tale, suitable for free and parish libraries. Swan, Sonnenschein Miss Jessie M. Barker's "Daisy's Dream: a Story of the Earth and its Sculptors," is to appear in the October, November, anil December parts of the Girls' Own Paper. "In Two Moods," by Stepniak and Westall, from the Russian of Korolenko, was published on September 18, in New York, by the American Book Company; and in London by Ward and Downey. Mrs. Alfred Baldwin has a one-volume novel in the press called "Where Town and Country meet." It will be published by Longmans and Co. Mr. Bertram Milford will publish in the middle of October a novel called "Golden Fan : A Tale of the Wild AVest." (Trischler and Co.) A new edition of "The Sandcliff Mystery," by Scott Graham, author of " The Golden Milestone," "A Bolt from the Blue," &c, is published at 2s. and 2*. 6d. by Messrs. Oliphant, Anderson, and Ferrier. Mrs. Jenner's novel "Love or Money," which has been running in Temple Bar, will be issued in volume form on October the 19th. Bentley and Son are the publishers. Miss Selina Gaye's new book "From Advent to Advent " was published in the summer by Messrs. Griffith and Farran. 2i3pp. Price 3-v. bd. The forthcoming memoir of the late Watts Phillips, which is to be issued by Messrs. Cassell and Co., is written by Miss Emma Watts Phillips, the sister, not the daughter, of the subject. Mr. Walts Phillips had one daughter only, who is now in Australia. NEW BOOKS AND NEW EDITIONS. Theology. Drivf.u, S. R., I).I). An Introduction to the Literature of tlie (Jlil Testament. Clark, George Street, Edinburgh. Vol. of the International Theological Library. 12*. McEvilly, Most Rev. J., 1).I>. An Exposition of the Epistles of St. l'uul anil of the Catholic Epistles. With introductions, analyses, a paraphrase of the text, and a commentary, interspersed with moral reflections. Two vols. Fourth Edition, revised. Dublin: M. II. Gill. PiiKi-rs, Austin, LL.D., D.I). My Note Hook. Frag- mentary studies in theology and subjects adjacent thereto. With portrait. Fisher 1'uwiu. 6s. Thk Powkb of thk Phkskxck of God. Hy the Author of "Prayers and Responses for the Household." Skeffing- tou. Paper covers. Stkwart, Pkof. Alkxandkb. Handbook of Christian Evidences. A. and C. Black, (xl. Tkmperaxtia. Ity the Kev. H. H. Gowen. Six Short Sermons on the Apostles Creed. By the Kev. J. J. Soden, M.A. Short Sermons for Children. By the Kev. H. J. Wilmot Buxton, M.A. Third Edition. On the Way Home. Sixty Short Sermons for Life's Travellers. By the Kev. W. H. Jones. Sermon Out-  ## p. 156 (#560) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. lines. By the Bev. V. St. John Corbett, M.A. The Master's Message. A Series of Plain Sermons, By the Rev. H. .1. Wilmot Buxton, M.A. Sermons for the Christian Year. Two vols. By the Rev. A. Noel Hunt, B.A. Skeffington, Piccadilly. History and Biography. Belcher, T. W., D.l). Robert Brett (of Stoke Newington), his Life and Work. Griffith, Furruii. 3s. bd. Brown, James. The History of Sanquhar. Burgh Asses- sor. To which is added the Flora and Fauna of the district. By Dr. Anatruthcr Davidson. Anderson, Dumfries. Crump, C. G. Imaginary Conversations. By Walter Savage Landor. With biographical and explanatory notes. In Six vols. Vol. II. J. M. Dent, Great Kastern Street. 3s. bd. net. Dictionary of National Biography. Kdited by Sidney Lee. Vol. XXVIII. Howard—Inglethorp. Smith, Elder. Evkbard, Major H. History of the 29th (Worcestershire) Foot, Thos. Farrington's Regiment. (1694 to 1891.) Worcester: Littlebury & Co. Fitzgerald, Percy, F.S.A. Life of James Boswcll (of Auchinleck), with an account of his sayings, doings, and writings. Two vols., with four portraits. Chatto and Windus. Historic Houses ok the United Kingdom. Descriptive, Historical, Pictorial. Part I. Cassell. Paper, jd. Hoddkr, Kdwin. George Fife Angas, Father and Founder of South Australia. With portrait. Hodder and Stoughton. 11 at. Hume, Martin A. S. Chronicle of King Henry VIII. of England: being a Contemporary Record of some of the Principal Events of the Reigns of Henry VIII. and Edward VI. Written in Spanish by an unknown hand. Translated, with notes and introduction, by. George Bell. is. bd. Law, George, B.A. History of Hampton Court Palace. Vol. III. Orange and Guelph times. George Bell. Lewis, J. G. Christopher Marlowe: Outlines of his Life and Works. Gibbings, Bury Street, W.C. Muir, Sir W. The Caliphate, its Rise, Decline, and Fall. 8vo. 1 os. 6'/., cloth. Sydney, W. Connor. England and the English in the 18th Century; Chapters in the Social History of the Times. Two vols. Ward and Downey. Educational. Bebesford-Webb, H. S. German Military and Naval Reading Book: For the use of Candidates for Army and other Examinations. Percival, Covent Garden. Ss. Fletcher, Banister. Dilapidations; A Text-book for Architects and Surveyors, in tabulated form, corrected to the present Time, with all the most recent legal cases. With the Conveyancing and Law of Property Act and the Agricultural Holdings (England) Act. Fourth Edition. B. T. Batsford, 5z, High Holboru. 6s. 6d. Kingsbury, G. C, M.A., M.D. The practice of Hypnotic Suggestion, an Elementary Handbook for the use of the Medical Profession. Siutpkiu. Marshall, A. Milnes, M.D. The Frog: An Introduction to Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology. Fourth Edition, revised and illustrated. Smith, Elder. Martinkau, G. A Village Class for Drawing and Wood Carving, is. 6d., cloth. Nisbet, H. Lessons in Art. Crown 8vo. is. 6d., cloth. Ostwale, W. Solutions. Being the Fourth Book, with some additions, of the Second Edition of Ostwald's "Lehrbuch der Allgemeineu Chemie," translated by M. M. Pattison Muir, Fellow of Gouville and Cains College, Cambridge. Longmans. 10s. bd. Philip's New Series of Travelling Maps: South Ame- rica, with Index. George Philip, Fleet Street. Solly, J. Raymond. Acting and the Art of Speech at the Paris Conservatoire. Hints on reading, reciting, acting, and the cure of stammering. Elliot Stock. Solms-Laubach, H. Graf. Fossil Botany, being an Intro- duction to Palffophytology from the Standpoint of the Botanist. The authorised Kuglish translation by Henry E. F. Garnsey, M A., Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, revised by Isaac Bayley Balfour, M.A., M.D., F. R.S. With illustrations. Clarendon Press. 18s. A Text Book of Musical Knowledge. Part II., Inter- mediate. Part III., Senior. Also Questions and Exercises intended for practical use during the study of the foregoing. Prepared for the use of Students, more especially for the local examinations in musical knowledge of Trinity College, London. Hammond, Vigo Street, is. each. General Literature. Adams, F. John Webb's End. 2*. Alexander, Mrs. A Woman's Heart. A Novel in 3 vols. F. V. White. Well Won. In 1 vol. F. V. White. Paper covers, is. Bali.axtyne, R. M. The Buffalo Runners. A Tale of the Red River Plains. Illustrated by the author. James Nisbet. Ss. Behnke, Emil. Stammering: its Nature and Treatment. Second thousand. Fisher Unwiu. Besant, W. Armorel of Lyonesse. 3s. bd. Burton, Mina E. Ruling the Planets. 3 vols. Richard Bentley. Carey, R. N. Our Bessie. 3s. Colvills, H. E. Wafted Seeds. Nisbet. is. Cook, W. The Horse: its Keep and Management, is.bd. Craik, Georoina M. (Mrs. A. W. May). Patience Holt: a Novel. 3 vols. Bentley. Davenport-Adams, W. With Poet and Player. Essays on Literature and the Stage. Elliot Stock, Dawson, W. J. The Redemption of Edward Stratum: a Social Story. Hodder and Stoughton. 3s. bd. Donovan, Dick. A Detective's Triumphs. Chatto and Windus. Edgar, Matilda. Ten Years of Upper Canada in Peace and War—i8o5-i8i5—being the Ridout Letters, with annotations. Fisher Unwin. 10s. bd. Fenn, G. M. Mahine Nousie. 2 vols. 21s.  ## p. 157 (#561) ############################################ THE A UTHOR. Ford, James L. Hypnotic and Other Tales. Illustrated. Brentano's, West Strand. Fotheroill, Jessie. Aldyth: or, Let the Knd Try the Man. A Story. Rentier. Frederic, Harold. In the Valley: a Novel. Popular edition. Heinemann. 3s. 6d. Gaskell, Mrs. Mary Barton. With biographical intro- duction. Volume of the Minerva Library. Ward, Lock, Bowden. IS. Gellie, M. K. (M.K.B.). Raffan's Folk: a Story of a High- land Parish. I lines, Bedford Street. Green, K. E. Fir Tree Farm. 5«. Haggard, H. Bider. Maiwa's Revenge: or, The War of the Little Hand. Illustrated. Longmans. is. Henty, G. A. Tliose Other Animals. With portrait of the author, and illustrations by Harrison Weir. Volume of the Whitefriars Library of Wit and Humour. Henry, Bouverie Street. 3s. 6</. Herman, Henry. Scarlet Fortune: a Story of the New World and the Old. Trischler. Coloured boards, is. Hudson, W. C. The Man with a Thumb. Cassell. is. Huefher, F. H. Madox. The Brown Owl: a Fairy Story. With two illustrations by F. Madox Browne. Volume of the Children's Library. Fisher I'nwin. is. 6d. Hughes, Josiah. Australia Revisited in 1890: being Kxtracts from the Diary of a Trip Bound the World. Simpkin, Marshall. Johnston, H. H., C.B., &c. Livingstone and the Explora- tion of Central Africa. With illustrations and maps by E. G. Bavenstein, F.B.G.S. George Philip. 4*. 6d. Kenton, F. G., M.A. Classical Texts from Papyri in the British Museum; including the newly-discovered poems of Herodas. With autotype facsimiles of MSS. Clarendon Press. K.NEirp, Sebastian. My Water Cure, as tested through more than 30 years. With illustrations. Translated from the 3oth German edition by A. de F. Blackwood. Lindlev, Percy. Walks in Epping Forest. With illustra- tions and maps. New edition. 113, Fleet Street. 6d. Lynch, A. Modern Authors: a Review and a Forecast. 5*. Marshall, Emma. Those Three: or, Little Wings. A Story for Girls. James Nisbet. 5». Born in the Purple: a Story. James Nisbet, is. M. Mathers, Helen. My Jo, John: a Novel. F. V. White. Paper covers, is. Maude, F. W. A Merciful Divorce: a Story of Society, its sports, functions, and failings. Second thousand. Trischler. Maurier, G. du. Society Pictures. Drawn by. Selected from Punch. No. 11. Bradbury, Agnew. Paper covers, is. Meade, L. F. Hepsy Gipsy. Illustrated by Everard Hopkins. Methuen. Meadows, A. M. The Romance of a Madhouse. Arrow- smith. Paper covers, is. Molesworth, Mrs. The Red Grange: a Tale. Illus- trated by Gordon Browne. Methuen. Montt, Pedro. Exposition of the Illegal Acts of ex- President Balmaceda, which caused the Civil War in Chile. Brentano's, Strand. Paper covers, is. 6d. MuiR, Sir Wm. The Caliphate: its Rise, Decline, and Fall. From Original Sources. Religions Tract Society, Paternoster Row. ios. 6d. Murray, R. W. South Africa: from Arab domination to British rule. Edited by. With maps. Stanford. Norris, W. E. Miss Wentworth's Idea: a Novel. Ward and Downey. Phillpotts, Edex. Folly and Fresh Air. Trischler. Potter, G. W., M.I). Ministering Women: the Story of the Royal National Pension Fund for Nurses. The Hospital, i4o, Strand. Pryce, R. Miss Maxwell's Affections: a Novel. 2 vols. Chatto and Windns. Sargant, G. E. John Tincroft, Bachelor and Benedict, is. 6d. Serrano, Mary J. Letters of Marie Bashkirtseff. Trans- lated by. With Portraits. Cassell. Shaw, G. B. The Quintessence of Ibsenism. is. (nl. Sherard, R. H. By Right not Law: a Story. Cassell. Picture boards, is. Somerville, E. R. and Ross, M. Naboth's Vineyard: a Novel. Spencer Blackett. 3s. M. Stone, Percy G. The Architectural Antiquities of the Isle of Wight, from the nth to the 17th Centuries. Part II. Collected and drawn by, and published by him at 19, Great Marlborough Street, W. Story, W. W. Excursions in Art and letters. Black- wood. Turner, J. H. An Endeavour to Fix the Date of the Crucifixion. J. Palmer, Alexandra Street. Walford, L. B. The Mischief of Monica: a Novel. 3 vols. Longmans. iSs. 6d. Watson, H. Marriott. The Web of the Spider: a Talc of Adventure. Hutchinson, Paternoster Square. 6s. Wheeler, Owen E. Military Photography. Iliffe, St. Bride Street. Paper covers, is. 6d. Witt, Emilie de. Sinner or Scientist: a Novel. Tallis, Farringdou Street, is. Poetry and the Drama. Byron, Lord. The Poetical Works of, with original and additional notes. In 11 vols. Vol. I. (Hours of Idle- ness—English Bards and Scotch Reviewers). Griffith, Farran. Paper covers, is. Chambers, R. The Life and Works of Robert Hurns. Edited by. In 4 vols. W. and R. Chambers. Ecritt, W. H. Heart Throbs. Harrison, Pall Mall. E. S. G. S. The New Christian Year; or, Thoughts (in verse) on the Present Leetiouary. Stoneman, Warwick Lane, Paternoster Row. Jones, Henry* Arthur. Saints and Sinners: a new and original Drama of Modern English Middle-class Life, in Five Acts. Macinillan. 3s. 6d. Levy, Amy. A Minor Poet and other verse. Volume of the Cameo Series. With Portrait. Fisher Unwiu. 3s. 6d. O'Brien, Constance. Possible Plays for Private Players. Griffith, Farran. is.  ## p. 158 (#562) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. Palgrave, Francis T. The Visions of England: Lyrics on Leading Men and Event! in English History. Cassell's National Library. Cloth, 6d. PMLirs, E. C, and Grindy, S. The Dean's Daughter: a Play in Four Acts; as produced at the St. James's Theatre in October 1888. Trischler. Paper covers, is. Williamson, J. K. A Ballad of a Jester and other Poems. Heywood, Manchester and London. Law. Russkll, Francis, M.A. A Treatise on the Power and Duty of an Arbitrator and the Law of Submissions and Awards, with an Appendix of Forms anil of the Statutes relating to Arbitration. Seventh edition, by the author and Herbert Russell, B.A., of the Inner Temple. Stevens, Chancery Lane. 3o.s.; for cash, 24s. Science. Kingsbury, G. C. Practice of Hypnotic Suggestion. 6*. Robkrts, J. Handbook of Weights and Measures. 4a. 6d. Watkrdalk's Fresh Light on the Dynamite Action and Ponderosity. 3». id. Watts, W. Marshall. A Practical Introduction of the Elements of Chemistry. James Xisbet. IS. Parliamentary Papers. 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Hoard of Trade Reports on the classification of Merchandise Traffic and Schedule of Maximum Rates in respect of the Abbotsbury, Aylesbury, and Bucking- ham, Ballycastle, and certain other railway companies, 6d. Report of the Committee of Council on Education (England and Wales), with Appendix, 1890-91, 3». id. 23rd Report on the Judicial Statistics of Scotland for 1890, I*, id. Accounts relating to Trade and Navi- gation of the United Kingdom for August, 6rf. Board of Agriculture Report on the Distribution of Grants to Agricultural and Dairy Schools in Great Britain for the Financial Year, 1890-91, Sd. Annual Colonial Re- ports.—Reports for 1890: No. 12.—Turks and Caicos Islands, id. No. i3.—Gibraltar, id. No. 14.—Zulu- land, irf. No. i5.—Sierra Leone, i\d. Government Departments Securities: Return of the Amounts of British Government Securities held by the several Government Departments and other Public Offices on the 31st of March 1891, specifying whether held in England or Ireland (in continuation of Parliamentary- Paper No. 263, of Session 1890), id. Return : Savings Bank-. <)\d. Australasian Federation : Official Record of the Proceedings and Debates of the National Australasian Convention, held in the Parliament House, Sydney, New South Wales, in the months of March and April, 1891, 4*. 3d. Eyre and Spottiswoode. Agricultural Statistics, Ireland: General Abstract, showing the acreage under crops, also the number and de- scription of live stock in each county and province, 1890-91. Banking, Railway, and Shipping Statistics, Ireland, June 1891, id. Alexander Thorn and Co., Dublin. Electrical Standards: Report of the Committee appointed by the Board of Trade on New Denominations of Standards for the Measurement of Electricity, lid. Board of Agriculture: Report on the Distribution of Grants to Agricultural and Dairy Schools in Great Britain for the Financial Year 1890-91, with an Ap- pendix, Sd. Public Accounts: Third Report from the Committee of Public Accounts, with proceedings of the Committee and Minutes of Evidence, is. Town Holdings: Report from the Select Committee, with proceedings of the Committee and Minutes of Evidence, 3». Sd. Railway Returns for England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, for the year 1890, with Sum- mary Tables for I'nited Kingdom for each year from 1854 to 1890, 11 J. Department of Science and Art Directory, with regulations for establishing and con- ducting science and art schools and classes, 6rf. Re- turn of Episcopal Fees and Charges paid by every Archbishop and Bishop since January 1, i885, Reports by Board of Trade on the Classification of Merchandise Traffic and Schedule of Minimum Rates, determined in respect of the East London Railway Joint Committee, and the Loudon and North-Western and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Companies, and the Corporation of Preston, Ribble Branch, Joint Railway, 6d. each. Reports by the Board of Trade on the Classification of Merchandise Traffic and Schedule of Maximum Rates determined in respect of Barry Docks and Railway Company (3s. 3d.), the Fe.stiniog Railway Company (6</.), and certain other companies. Reports by the Board of Trade on the Classification of Merchandise Traffic and Schedule of Maximum Rates, determined in respect of the Ely Valley, Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction, and Golden Valley Railway Companies, 6rf. each. 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Title A name given to the resource The Author, Vol. 02 Issue 05 (October 1891) Subject The topic of the resource <em>The Author</em>, Vol. 02 Issue 05 (October 1891) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015031017927&amp;view=1up&amp;seq=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015031017927</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Publication Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1891-10-01-The-Author-2-5 publications The Author