https://historysoa.com/files/original/5/500/1904-12-01-The-Author-15-3.pdf 005bb695928415344e0e431b5a541a00 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Author Subject The topic of the resource The Author Description An account of the resource A digitised run of the Society of Authors' monthly periodical, The Author, 1890–1914, made available together for the first time. Currently users can browse issues and <a href="https://historysoa.com/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=51&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Index&collection=&type=&tags=&exhibit=&date_search_term=&submit_search=Search+For+Items&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) 1904-12-01 Volume 15 Issue 3 Pages Page range in volume 61–92 Ngram Date Version of the date in YYYYMMDD format for use by the Ngram plugin 19041201 Ngram Text Version of the text with no HTML formatting for use by the Ngram plugin Che Mutbor. (The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.) FOUNDED BY SIR WALTER BESANT. Vou. XV.—No. 3. Cecmrsnk in 1904. [Paror SIXPENCE. TELEPHONE NUMBER : 374 VICTORIA. TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS : AUTORIDAD, LONDON. —_—_—_——*——e— NOTICES. eg OR the opinions expressed in papers that are signed or initialled the authors alone are responsible. None of the papers or para- graphs must be taken as expressing the opinion of the Committee unless such is especially stated to be the case. Tux Editor begs to inform members of the Authors’ Society and other readers of The Author that the cases which are from time to time quoted in The Author are cases that have come before the notice or to the knowledge of the Secretary of the Society, and that those members of the Society who desire to have the names of the publishers concerned can obtain them on application. — ~~ + List of Members. TueE List of Members of the Society of Authors published October, 1902, at the price of 6d., and the elections from October, 1902, to July, 1903, as a supplemental list, at the price of 2d., can now be obtained at the offices of the Society. They will be sold to members or associates of the Society only. —— The Pension Fund of the Society. Tue Trustees of the Pension Fund met at the Society’s Offices on the 19th of February, and having gone carefully into the accounts of the fund, decided to purchase £250 London and North Vor. XV. Western 3 % Debenture Stock. Accordingly, the investments of the Pension Fund at present standing in the names of the ‘l'rustees are as follows. This is a statement of the actual stock; the money value can be easily worked out at the current price of the market : COnsOlS OF 9 £1000 0 0 Tiogal Wioans, (5 500, 0) 0 Victorian Government 3 % Consoli- dated: Inseribed Stock: ......3...2.... 991 19 AL Wanli0al (6026 20h 9233 London and North Western 3 % Deben- HUE SOCK 4 oo a. 250. 0. 0 AMON eek £2,243 9 2 Subscriptions from April, 1904. & Ss. a. April18, Dixon, W. Scarth . : - 0 2 0 April18, Bashford, Harry H. 010 6 April19, Bosanquet, Hustace F. . . 0 1076 April23, Friswell, Miss Laura Hain . 0 5 O May 6,Shepherd,G. H. . 705. 0 June 24, epee Sir Horace, ‘Bart., G.C.B : : : oe 1 0 July 27, Barnett, P ; £0 107.0 Nov. g. eat, Charles 010 0 Donations from April, 1904. May 16, Wynne, C. Whitworth. 7) June 23, Kirmse, R. . : od) 0 June 23, Kirmse, Mrs. R. : - 0 5.0 July 21, The Blackmore Memorial Committee : 20.50.00 Aug. 5, Walker, William S : y 2 020 Oct. 6, Hare, i. W. EMD... _ 1 1 0 Oct. 6, Hardy, Harold : : ; 010 0 Oct. 20, Cameron, Mrs. Lovett . --0 10.0 Nov. 7, Benecke, Miss Ida . : ~ 1 1.0 Nov. 11, Thomas, Mrs. Haig ; 2 2.0 FROM THE COMMITTEE. — +> HE Managing Committee held their November meeting at 39, Old Queen Street, Storey’s Jate, 8.W., on Monday, the 7th. The list of Members elected appears on another page. The Society’s United States Agent sent in his resignation, which was accepted by the Committee. ‘As stated in our last number, Mr. James Bryce is making inquiries on the Society’s behalf in New York, and the Committee hope very soon to be in a position to arrange for the appointment of a fresh Agent. The Secretary laid before the Committee a letter which he had received from Mr. Frampton, R.A., stating that the replica of the Besant Memorial was completed. He was instructed to notify the London County Council of the fact, in order that they might make the necessary arrangements to set up the memorial in the allotted position on the Thames Embankment. On the proposal of the Chairman, it was resolved to address to the family of the late Sir Walter Besant a letter of sympathy on the loss they had sustained by the death of their mother, Lady Besant. It was decided, with reference to the Society’s dinner in 1905, that the list of stewards should not be advertised as in former years. ‘The expense of the advertisement is considerable, and now that the lists of the Society are regularly published there iS less need for it. There were one or two other matters before the Committee, but no contentious business involving the expenditure of any of the Society’s funds. There were the usual number of cases, which are set out in another column. Sy gee Cases. Wire the autumn season the number of cases before the Secretary are gradually increasing. In the November issue of Ze Author 1t was stated that only eight cases had been dealt with in the former month. During the past month eighteen cases have passed through the Secretary’s hands. Five referred to claims for money. In three of these the money has been paid and forwarded to the members. The fourth has been placed in the hands of the Society’s solicitors. In the last case the Secretary has not had time to receive an answer to his letter. In seven cases MSS. have been detained, and the authors have been unable to get any reply to their letters. So far only one has been successful. ‘These cases are difficult to deal with, as members of the Society do not always hold acknowledgments from editors. As a general rule, however, editors are THE AUTHOR. most courteous and obliging when they receive letters from the Secretary, and are willing to take ereat pains in order, if possible, to discover MSS. which have been overlooked. It is hoped, there- fore, that the other MSS. will be returned in due course. here is one case where money and accounts were due. The money has been paid, the accounts rendered, and the matter closed. One case for accounts only in which the accounts have been rendered ; and four other matters which cannot be classed under any special heading. One of these dealing with a United States house has been satis- factorily negotiated, and one with an English publisher has also come to a satisfactory conclusion. Of the other two, the one dealing with an English publisher, cannot at present be terminated, and the other, dealing with a publisher in Canada, needs time for settlement. Of the disputes quoted in last month’s Author five are still unsettled, three deal with publishers outside Great Britain, two with United States publishers, the latter may be looked upon as parti- ally settled, for a portion of the money due has been paid and the balance promised. ‘The third, dealing with an agent in Germany, is still in the course of negotiation, but the matter is somewhat difficult and complicated. One of the other cases refers to an English magazine, and the neglect of the editor to answer any of the Secretary’s letters may neces- sitate the matter being placed in the hands of the Society’s solicitors. The other deals with a publisher from whom the Society has constantly received dis- courteous and unbusinesslike treatment. The former treatment the Society is unable to correct. The latler, however, it is sometimes possible to set straight, but only by legal proceedings. Unfortu- nately, in the present Case, the member of the Society happens to be abroad, and the publisher has knowledge of the fact. We should not like to state that this is the reason why he refuses to forward the accounts, but although they have been due for over six months, and although the Secretary has. written for them on several occasions, the publisher, although replying on other points, has refused to deliver what the author has a right to demand. — November Elections. 26, Mount Street, Gros- venor Square, Lon-: don, W. Ainslie, Douglas Ball, Mrs. Mary B. (Elyria Kirby). Barclay, Sir Thomas 17, Rue Pasquier, Paris. Bracher, Mrs. L. E. Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand. THE AUTHOR. 63 Hampden Club, Phoenix Broom, J. 8. : Street, N.W. Crofton, Miss Marian Kirkside, St. John’s Park, Blackheath, S.E. Daw, E. M. Beaumont House, Llanelly. 1, Rue Michelet, Paris. Finch, Madame : 2, Woodville Terrace, Freeman, Richard Austin Gravesend. Gostling, Miss Frances Barmingham, Worth- Marion : ing. Hollingsworth, Charles 28, Barry Road, S.E. Laing, Janet : Lisaghmore, Kirk- caldy, Fife, N.B. Laurence-Hamilton, J. . 30, Sussex Square, Brighton. Allahabad, India. Villino, Masini, Settig- nano, Florence, Italy. McCarthy, Justin Hunt- Herdholt, Westgate-on- ley - : : é Sea. Newcombe, Alfred C. 39, Warrington Cres- cent, W. 72, Albert Hall Man- sions, Kensington Gore, W. care of James Millar, Esq.,13, King’s Arms Yard, London, E.C. 19, Arlington Street, London, S.W. Cos Cob, Connecticut, Lewis, T. C. Maquarie, Arthur Paget, Mrs. Gerald Parkinson, William Ronaldshay, The Right Hon. the Earl of Seton, Ernest Thompson U.S.A. Simpson, H. F. Morland 80, Hamilton Place, Aberdeen. Steedman, Miss Christine Heyne Hall, Fillongley, Joventry. Tuite, Hugh. Wilson-Barrett, Alfred . 43, Lower Belgrave Street, Haton Square, S.W. Two members do not desire either their names or addresses printed. ope — = BOOKS PUBLISHED BY MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY. cereals a (In the following list we do not propose to give more than the titles, prices, publishers, etc., of the books enumerated, with, in special cases, such particulars as may serve to explain the scope and purpose of the work. Members are requested to forward information which will enable the Editor to supply such particulars.) ART, A RecorD Or SPANISH PAINTING. By C. GASQUOINE HARTLEY. 9} x 6%, 366 pp. Walter Scott Publishing Co. 10s. 6d. n, THE LIFE AND ART OF SANDRO Borriceny1. By Junta. CARTWRIGHT. 124 x 94,205pp. Duckworth: 21s.n. THE TUSCAN AND VENETIAN ARTISTS : THEIR THOUGHT AND WorK. By Hope Rwa. 7% x 5, 182 pp. Dent. PICTURES IN THE TATE GALLERY. By C. GAsQuorInr Harruey. 114 x 9, 208 pp. Seeley. ENGLISH EARTHENWARE MADE DURING THE 177TH AND 18TH CENTURIES. 132 pp. 78 plates ; AND ENGLISH PORCELAIN MADE DURING THE 18TH CENTURY. 113 pp. 59 plate. By A. H. CHurcu, F.R.S. 7% X Ba. Wyman. z BIOGRAPHY. GREAT ENGLISHMEN OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. By SIDNEY LEE. 82 x 53, 333 pp. Constable. 7s. 6d. n. THe Live or FaTHer IGNatius. By THE BARONESS DE BERTOUCH. 9 x 52, 439 pp. Methuen. 10s. 6d. n. Firty YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE. By Mason ARTHUR GRIFFITHS. 9% x 63, 426 pp. Cassell. 18s. n. ROBERT Burns, By Sir G. DouGuasand W. S. CROCKETT. 9 X 63, 40 pp. Hodder and Stoughton. 1s, BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG. IN THE CLOSED Room. By FRANCES HopGSon BURNETT 84 x 53,130 pp. Hodder and Stoughton. 3s. 6d. n. PH@NIX AND THE CARPET. By E. NusBit. 82 xX 54, 236 pp. Newnes. 6s. A ScHOOL CHAMPION. By R. JAcBERNS. 74 X 54, 356 pp. Chambers. 3s. 6d. THE GIRLS OF CroMER HALL. 240 pp. Nelson. 2s. Home Letters. By RAYMOND JACBERNS. . BeC Ks. A FAMILY GRIEVANCE, By RAYMOND JACBERNS. 182 pp. Gardner Darton. Ils, 6d. MARCHING TO AVA. A story of the first Burmese War. By HENRY CHARLES Moore. 73 X 54, 318 pp. zall, 25, 3y RAYMOND JACBERNS. 224 pp. BOYS’ BOOKS. By A SCHOOLBOY’s HAND. By ANDREW HOME. 7} x 54, 302 pp. Black. 3s. 64d. CHILDREN. THE PEDLAR’s Pack. By Mrs. ALFRED BALDWIN. 8 x 53,397 pp. Chambers. 6s. DRAMA. PHILIP OF Macrepon. A Tragedy. By FREDERICK WINBOLT. Alexander Moring. TRAGIC DRAMA IN ASSCHYLUS, SOPHOCLES AND SHAKE- SPEARE. By LEWIS CAMPBELL. 8} X 53, 280 pp. Smith Elder. 7s. 6d. AGLAVAINE AND SELYSETTER. LINcK. ‘Translated by A. SuTRO. Allen. 1s. n. By MAurice MAETER- 74 x 5, 104 pp. FICTION. PorPpE JACYNTH, AND OTHER FANTASTIC TALES. By VERNON Len. 7X 5,200 pp. Grant Richards. 3s. 6d. n. PLAYING THE GAME, A Story of Japan. By DouGgias SLADEN. 72 X 5,319 pp. White. 6s. A Book or Guosts. By 8. BARING GOULD. 383 pp. Methuen. 6s. A DUEL. By R. MARSH. 7? x 5,324 pp. Methuen. 6s. With A Virw TO MATRIMONY, AND OTHER STORIES. By JAMES BuyTH. 7} X 5. Grant-Richards. 6s. ONE or THE Few. By SARAH DoupNny. 7% X 5, 347 pp. Hutchinson. 6s. ("4 : THE IsLES OF SUNSET. By A. C. BENSON. 73 X 5, 307 pp. Isbister. 6s, THE MARRYING OF SARAH GARLAND. By Mrs. FINNE- MORE, 72 X 5}, 326 pp. Hurst and Blackett. 6s, 1h xX 5, I ; } 64 THE AUTHOR. DIALSTON LANE. By W.W. Jacops. 74 X 43 326 pp- NEWNE 6s. . : Miss Brent or Muap. By CHRISTABEL B, COLERIDGE, 73 x 5,243 pp. Isbister. 6s. ‘He SpectALIST. By A. M. IRVINE. 7} X 52; 317 pp. Lane. 6s. Jim MORTIMER, SURGEON. By R. S. WARREN 280 pp. Newnes. Bs. 6d. A Lapy in WarTine. By the Hon. Mrs. ANSTRUTHER. 7% X 5, 300 pp. Smith Elder. 65. oS A MorGanatic WIFE. 3y Louis Tracy. 7% X 9, 307 pp. White. 6s. g A JAPANESE ROMANCE. By CLivE HOLLAND. TX 5, 329 pp. Hodder and Stoughton. 6s. Tui AMBASSADOR’S GLOVE. By R. MACHRAY. 316 pp. J. Long. 6s. LAMMAS GROVE. 3y CARLTON DAWE, 331 pp. Brown, Langham & Co. 6s. In Deep AByss. By GEORGES Onner. Translated by Frep RoTHWELL, B.A. 327 pp. Greening. 6s. RonaLD AND I. By ALFRED Pretor. London: Geo. Bell & Sons. Cambridge : Deighton, Bell & Co. Ss. 6d. a. THE CHAPEL ON THE HILL. London: Geo. Bell & Sons. Bell & Co. 3s. 6d. n. Tu WIDOWHOOD OF GABRIELLE Grant. By EGLANTON THORNE. 72 X 54, 309 pp. Hodder and Stoughton, 6s. THE PRISONER OF CARISBROOKE. War. By SIDNEY HERBERT BURCHELL. 486 pp. Gay and Bird. 6s. Sanny. A Study, and other Tales of the Outskirts. By Hucu Cuirrorp. 7? X 5, 299 pp. Blackwood. 6s. Baccarat. By FRANK DANBY. {a x 0; 280" pp- Heinemann. 6s. Curiosities. By Barry PAIN. 6 x 49, 184. pp. Unwin. Is. Tus TIGER or Muscovy. By Frep WHISHAW. 72 x 54, 332 pp. Longmans. 6s. Lessons. By EVELYN SHARP. ley Johnson. 2s. 6d. n. Aroms OF EMPIRE. By CUTCLIFFE Fyne. 73 X 54, 311 pp. Macmillan. 6s. Men oF THE NorTH SEA. 7k x 5, 367 pp. Nash. 6s. HISTORY. SomE CONSEQUENCES OF THE NORMAN Conquest. By the Rev. GEOrFREY Hinu. 9 X 53, 251 pp. Stock 7s. Gd. Nn. 3ELL. 7% Xx 5, 12 x08, 3y ALFRED PRETOR. Cambridge : Deighton, A Tale of the Civil 7% x5, 176 pp. Brim- By WALTER W. Woop. LAW. A TREATISE ON THE LAW OF CONTRACTS. By J. CHITTY, Juxr. Fourteenth Edition. By J.M. Lenty. 10 x 64, 805 pp. Sweet & Maxwell. 30s, LITERARY. STUDIES IN ProsE AND VERSE. By ARTHUR SYMONS. 84 x 54,291 pp. Dent. 7s. 6d. n. TH FEMININE Note rN Fiction. By W.L. COURTNEY. 7h X 5}, 276 pp. Chapman and Hall. 5s. n. THE ARTIST'S Lire. By JOHN OLIVER HOBBES. Tk x 54, 138 pp. T. Werner Laurie. 2s. 6d. n. MISCELLANEOUS, THE SEA FISHING INDUSTRY OF ENGLAND AND WALES. By F.G. AFLALO. 8} X 54, 386 pp. Stanford. 16s. n. MUSIC. Tne Music oF THE MAstERS. Wagner. By HE. NEw- MAN. 64 X 4}, 208 pp. Wellby. 2s. 6d, n. NATURAL HISTORY. Tue MAMMALS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. By J. G. Mruuais, F.Z.8. 3 Vols. Vol. I. 363 pp. Long- mans. £6 6s. n. HousE, GARDEN AND Freup. A Collection of Short Nature Studies. By L. C. MrauL, F.R.S. 7% X 54, 316 pp. Arnold. 6s. POETRY. 300K OF REMEMBRANCE: BEING LYRICAL SELECTIONS ror Every DAY IN THE YEAR. Arranged by ELIZA- BETH GopFREY. 7 X 4, 415 pp. Methuen. 2s. 6d. n. SeLectED Poems. By JOHN DAVIDSON. 7 X 44, 204 pp. Lane. 3s. 6d, n. A DARK Niau?’s WoRK. A North Country Ballad witha few other Poems. By SiR Go. Doveias. 7 X 4, 30 pp. Cottingham, Yorks. Tutin, 6d. n. For GREATER BRITAIN. By C. WHitworth WYNNE. 8h x 53, 39 pp. Gay and Bird. > SCIENCE. Frrst REPORT OF THE WELLCOME RESEARCH LABORA- TORIES AT GORDON MEMORIAL COLLEGE, KHARTUM. 3y the Director, A. BALFouR. 11 x 7%, 83 pp. Department of Education, Sudan Government, Khartum. THEOLOGICAL. SprrITUAL FORESHADOWING. Anonymous. Messrs. Gay and Bird, 2s. 6d. VAUGHAN’S UNIVERSITY AND OTHER SERMONS. Edited by an Old Pupil (ALFRED Preror). Macmillan, 6s. TOPOGRAPHY. BONNIE SCOTLAND. Painted by SUTTON PALMER : Described by A. R. HopEH MONCRIEFP. 9 x 64, 255 pp. Black. 20s. n. RAIDERLAND. All about Grey Galloway, its Stories, Traditions, Characters, and Humours. By 5. & CRocKETT. 8 x 54, 3827 pp. Hodder and Stoughton. 6s. TRAVEL. THROUGH TOWN AND JUNGLE. MAN and Fanny BuLLock WORKMAN. 380 pp. Unwin. 21s, n. 3y Wa. HUNTER WORK- 10 x 6%, ge LITERARY, DRAMATIC, AND MUSICAL NOTES. + NOTICE of the ninth annual issue of the “ Literary Year Book” has been forwarded to the office. As the publication is in fresh hands, it may be of interest to our readers to learn its contents. The work will be published by Messrs. George Routledge & Sons, no doubt early in the year, and is divided into two parts. The first part, with red edges, contains a catalogue of books published in ~ 1904, a Directory of Authors, an Obituary for 1904 with Bibliographies, an Index of Titles, and a list of Secretarial and Research workers. The second part, with blue edges, will contain new articles on Copyright and Agreements. THE AUTHOR. The circular states that the article on Copyright has been written by a lawyer familiar with the legal bearings of this intricate subject, and the article on Agreements is written by an authority who combines in his own person the function of author and publisher, and attempts to hold the balance fairly between the interests of the author and the publisher, and deals impartially with the question of the literary agent. This part of the “Literary Year Book” was done exceedingly well in former years. It seems a great pity to have gone to the expense of providing other articles on a very difficult subject. It remains to be seen how far they cover the points put forward and what may be the view of one who, as an author and a publisher, stands as a judge to balance between the interests of the two. The same part of the volume will contain a Directory of Publishers and Agents (British and foreign), a List of Periodical Publications, with a Contributor’s Guide, Royalty Tables, a List of Libraries, and a Directory of Societies, Booksellers, Bookbinders, etc. We have set out in full the statement of what is claimed for the new issue of the “ Literary Year Book.” It should prove of valuable assistance to all who are interested in the writing and production of books. Messrs. Macmillan & Co. are publishing early this month, “Great Lawn Tennis Players— their Methods Illustrated,” by G. W. Beldam, and P. A. Vaile. Messrs. E. G. Meers and A. Claridia both contribute chapters to the work, the former on advanced tactics, and the latter on the half volley. The price of the book, which contains over 200 illustrations, is 10s. net. A book of verses written, illustrated, and deco- rated with specially designed end-papers, initials, headings, etc., by Sidney Lewis-Ransom, will be privately printed early in the new year. The edition will be strictly limited to 500 numbered and signed copies at a guinea. Intending sub- Scribers can see the original copy by appointment with Mr. S. Lewis-Ransom, Messrs. Bemrose & Sons, Ltd., 4, Snow Hill, E.C. Mr. Hall Caine’s new novel, “The Prodigal Son,” was published early in November by William Heinemann in England, and Messrs. Appleton & Co. in the United States. Translations of the work also appeared in France (“ Le Fils Prodigue”) ; in Germany (“Der Verlorene Sohn”); Italy (‘Tl Figliol Prodigo”) ; Sweden (“Den Forlorade Sonen”); Holland (“De Verlooren Zoon Uys Denmark (“Den Forlorne Son”); Finland (“ Tublaaja Poika ”). Weunderstand that transla- tions into six other languages are in the course of preparation. The first number of The Albany Magazine, 65 the keynote of which is Literature, was published on November 21st by Messrs. 8. (. Brown, Langham & Co. Among the contributors may be mentioned Eden Phillpotts, Morley Roberts, Richard White- ing, Francis Gribble, Edward Morton, and Henry Cresswell. : The second edition of “Round the World through Japan,” in four volumes, demy octavo, with fifty full page illustrations by Walter Del Mar, has been published by Messrs. A. & C. Black at the price of 12s. 6d. net. The book deals mostly with Japan, but it contains four chapters on China, three on Ceylon, and chapters dealing with the other spots through which Mr. Del Mar travelled, In view of the frequent appearance of advertise- ments of ‘ Elizabeth ” books, Messrs. Macmillan & Co. desire it to be known that the author of “ Eliza- beth and Her German Garden ” publishes her books through their firm only. The latest addition to Messrs. Macmillan & Co.’s “English Men of Action” series is Sir Rennell Rodd’s monograph on Sir Walter Raleigh. The lives of few public men have offered more scope for con- troversy than has the career of the great Eliza- bethan, and this study of the complex character of the famous statesman, soldier, and sailor, by a modern writer who is identified with broad imperial views on national questions, will, no doubt, contain much interesting reading. “The First Men in the Moon,” by Mr. H. G. Wells, has been transferred to Messrs. Macmillan & Co., and is now issued by them in the uniform three and sixpenny edition of this author’s works, A new edition of “The Liars” has just been published by the same firm, uniform with the other dramatic works of Mr. H. A. Jones. Miss J. 8. Wolff’s new book, “ Les Francais du dix-huitieme Siecle” (Edward Arnold, 1s. 6d.) is the story of the French Revolution simply and graphically told in French, with notes, ete., in English. Mr. Rolfe has gone into the country to finish his second work upon Hadrian the Seventh, the story which Messrs. Chatto & Windus published last July. “The Ambassador’s Glove,” by Robert Mach- ray, has been published by Mr. John Long at the price of 6s. It is a story of a daring diamond robbery at a large hotel, and is full of incident. Mrs. Aylmer Gowing has been honoured with the Queen’s acceptance of a copy of her last book, “ A King’s Desire.” The Book Selection Committee of the National Home Reading Union have included the two historical novels, ‘The Gleaming Dawn” and 66 “The Cardinal’s Page,” by James Baker, as books recommended to be read by the readers who are taking up the subject, “The England of Chaucer and Wyclif.” As this committee includes several well-known historians, the compliment of their choice confirms the numerous reviews of the books. Mr. Anthony Hope, lecturing at the Working Men’s College on Saturday, November 12th, referred to the modern novel, and stated that it was too often a vehicle to convey the author’s view of the world, or was written in order to solve a problem propounded by the author. He stated, further, that whereas with the old story the great question was, “ What happened?” with the present day story the chief question was, “Why did it happen ?” or “ Ought it to have happened ?” Messrs. Macmillan & Co. have published the first volume of their reprint of the ‘‘ Diary and Letters of Madame D’Arblay (1778-1840), with a preface and notes by Austin Dobson. ‘The new issue is based on the edition of 1842 to 1846, edited by Mrs. Charlotte Francis Barrett, and will consist of six volumes. «“ Around a Distant Star,” by Jean Delaire, author of “ A Dream of Fame,” etc., is published by Mr. John Long, of 13 and 14, Norris Street, Hay- market. It is astoryofa journey intospace, embody- ing a new and interesting central idea. The book is published at the price of 6s. Messrs. Longman will publish shortly a story by Mr. Walter Herries Pollock, and his son, Mr. Guy C. Pollock, called “‘ Hay Fever.” It is concerned with the strange adventures of a highly and justly respected stockbroker, and is founded on the known actions of a drug, sometimes prescribed for hay fever, though the authors have not aimed at scientific accuracy. The story will appear first in the pages of Longman’s Magazine. A large second edition has just been issued of Mr. Walter Emanuel’s, ‘‘ The Snob,” the companion volume to the same authow’s, “ A Dog Day,” which is now in its twentieth thousand. Lord Burghclere’s translation of the Georgics of Virgil into English verse, which was privately circulated amongst his friends last year, and a few extracts from which appeared in the Néneteenth Century, was published by Mr. John Murray towards the end of last month. Dr. Richard Garnett’s comedy in blank verse, to which we referred in the May number of Zhe Author, was published by Mr. John Lane on the 23rd of last month. The title of the comedy is “William Shakespeare, Pedagogue and Poacher,” and among the characters introduced, in addition to William and Ann Shakespeare, are Sir Thomas and Lady Lucy, and the Earl of Leicester. THE AUTHOR. Miss Rosa Nouchette Carey’s book, “At the Moorings,” which Messrs. Macmillan & Co. published recently at the price of 6s., has been included by Baron Tauchnitz in his continental series. We understand also that Messrs. Macmillan have published a new and cheaper edition of Miss Carey’s works at the price of 3s. 6d. Mr. H. V. Esmond’s new play, “‘ Love and The Man,” will be produced in New York in January by Mr. Forbes Robertson, but will not appear in London till September, 1905. The play is a serious one, in five acts, and deals with love and politics. Mr. Alfred Sutro’s play, “The Walls of Jericho,” described by the critics as a satire of “The Smart Set,” was produced at the Garrick Theatre on the 31st. of October, and has met with favourable reviews. Mr. Arthur Bourchier and Miss Violet Vanbrugh, in a careful study, contributed largely to the success. On Saturday, November 12th, Miss Olga Nether- sole produced Mrs. Craigie’s latest play, entitled ‘“‘The Flute of Pan,” at the Shaftesbury Theatre. The play deals with an imaginary kingdom entitled “Siguria.” The plot lies round a man outside the kingdom who falls in love and marries the Princess. His position turns out not altogether satisfactory. PARIS NOTES. ——-—— + OW that books on Russia and Japan are in demand, “ Promenades en Russie,’ by Madame Blanc-Bentzon, is an excellent one for giving an idea of the every-day life of the people. Among the most interesting chapters are those which treat of the experiment tried by a wealthy Russian woman for the welfare and education of her tenants. After staying for some time at one of her own estates in Russia, she was struck by the contrast between her own gay, happy life and the wretched existence of the people around her. We are told that le mal de la pitie la prit, un mal dont on ne guertt pas. She had inherited a certain estate where she had about a hundred peasant families as tenants. For over eighteen years she has worked amongst these people educating and humanising them. At her death she intends to leave her property to be divided amongst them. It was to this little model village that Madame Blanc Bentzon first went on arriving in Russia. She gives us an account of all she saw, of the country itself, its people, their habits and customs, their traditions and their religion. THE AUTHOR. 67 After this we have an account of her visit to Tolstoi and of his criticisms of modern literature and thought. The last chapters on ‘ Russian Women” and “ Village Industries ” are as instruc- tive as they are interesting, and the whole volume is written in that clear, natural style which is one of the great charms of this authoress. Another book on Russia which is extremely up- to-date is entitled “ Roubles et Roublards,” by Pierre Giffard. The writer of this volume has only recently returned from a sojourn of several months in Manchuria. The book is divided into three parts, the first a series of short graphic chapters, forty-seven in all, in which we have some amazing accounts of the bribery and corruption prevalent in the various administrations. The second part of the volume is devoted to L’Guvre géante, or the “Transasiatic.” In thirty more short chapters we have some Russo-Chinese pictures. The whole volume is a book well worth reading, as it gives an excellent idea of the interior of the country it describes. Everything is told in a concise, bright way, and one sees that the author knows his subject thoroughly. Another series of ‘‘ Impressions of Japan,” by Pierre Loti, will be published shortly in the Revwe des Deur-Mondes. To students of history, particularly of the period of the French Revolution, the book of letters from a volunteer (1733-1796) will be of great interest. The volume is entitled “Joliclerc,” and a long introduction of more than eighty pages is con- tributed by M. Frantz Funck-Brentano, the well- known author of “L’Affaire du Collier,’ and of many other historical works. These letters are written by Francois-Xavier. Joliclerc to his mother, and they give an excellent idea of the soldier of the Revolution. It appears that M. Taine often regretted the absence of any documents enabling us to know the thoughts and ideas of the volunteers who enlisted in the army of the Reyo- lution. This Joliclere was a humble peasant of the Jura, but as M. Funck-Brentano says with reason, in his preface, “ Ces lettres sont des chefs dceuvre. . Nous ne croyons pas que la littérature posséde aucun document ou se montre Yame d’un homme avec plus de force, de clarté et de simplicité.” The third volume of M. Gilbert Stenger’s excel- lent work on the “ Histoire de la Société francaise pendant le Consulat ” is now published, and is still more interesting than the preceding ones. This third volume is on “ Bonaparte—Sa Famille—Le Monde et les Salons,” and it would certainly be difficult to find a subject about which there is so much to say. It seems as though there must be an endless fund of information and details about those times, for every historian finds some- thing new to tell us. In this book by M. Stenger, of over five hundred pages, the interest is kept up from the first chapter to the last. M. Charles Foley’s “Vendée” is a collection of short stories founded on episodes belonging to the tragic times during the Vendean struggles. M. Foley is one of the greatest authorities on the events of this epoch, as he has made a special study of it, and is well versed in the archives of that period. There are about twenty stories in this volume, illustrated by reproductions of en- gravings of the times. Most of the episodes are dramatic, and many of them heroic. It is in stories of this kind that M. Foley excels, as he writes with great delicacy, gives us the atmosphere of the times evoked, and describes equally well the exquisite refinements, the heroic sacrifices, and brutalities of the aristocrats, the peasants, the soldiers, and the mob. Several of the stories in this volume are masterpieces of sentiment and style. “La Fugitive,’ by J.-H. Rosny, is the title of a volume of short stories, all of which are told in acharming way. There are between forty and fifty of these stories, humorous, sad, tragic, realistic or romantic. Among those which are the most delicately told are “Le Retour du Passé,” “Le Chien,” ‘‘Le Retour,” and “Ie Cadeau Inattendu.” ‘“‘Le Dernier Mammouth” is another novel by M. Auzias Turenne, the author of “Cow Boy.” The author is a French Canadian, and his books are vigorous with the refreshing atmosphere of out-door life. They are no drawing-room novels, but stories of hardy pioneers, adventurers and explorers. “Te Village endormi,” by M. Georges Riat, gives an excellent picture of provincial life in France. It is the story of the rivalry between two villages in the Franche-Comté, one an agricultural district, the inhabitants of which are extremely conservative, and the other an industrial town of staunch Republicans, proud of their energy and progress. A romance runs through the book, as the son of the mayor of the one village is in love with the mayor’s daughter of the other village, and thanks to the political ideas of their respective parents, and the antagonism between the two villages, the course of true love does not run smoothly in this particular case. “Les Centaures,” by M. André Lichtenberger, is a curious novel telling of the last days and struggles of the race of Centaurs. M. Henri Davignon publishes a book entitled “ Moliére et la Vie,” which should certainly be read by all students or admirers of French classics. The author of this book compares many of the modern plays, which after an immense success are soon heard of no more, with those of Molicre. It 68 ig more than two hundred years since the ‘ Bour- geois Gentilhomme ” was put on the stage, but the piece lives to-day, and never gets old or out of date. The chapters of this work are headed, ‘‘ Moliere et les Femmes,” ‘‘Moliere et la Bourgeoisie, “ Moliere et les Petites Gens,” and ‘ Le drame dans Moliére,” and all of them are weil worth reading. In the recent reviews there are several excellent articles. In the Revue des Deux Mondes Count Charles de Mouy writes on the “Congres de Berlin,’ and M. Robert de la Sizeranne on “T/Esthétique des Tombeaux.” In the Revue de Paris, M. Louis Aubert writes on the subject of future rivalry between the Americans and the Japanese. M. Finot, in La Revue has been giving us some interesting articles entitled “ Le Roman de la Race francaise,” and M. Ular in the same paper has an article on “La Militarisation de la Chine.” On the 4th of November M. Paul de Cassagnac died at the age of sixty-two. For the last forty years he had written in various news- papers, and in 1886 he founded the well-known paper L’Autorite. In the dramatic world this season promises to be a most brilliant one. At the Frangais “‘ Notre Jeunesse,” by M. Alfred Capus, is pronounced a success. ‘At the Renaissance “L’Escalade,” by M. Maurice Donnay, is the story of a savant thoroughly versed in psychology, who, after writing a ponderous book on “La Therapeutique des Passions,” falls in love himself as easily as any unsophisticated youth. “Maman Colibri,” by M. Henry Bataille, is being played at the Vaudeville, so that just at present there are plenty of interesting pieces running. The first International Congress of L’Art Dramatique, a society of authors and composers, took place at Nancy at the beginning of this season under the presidency of M. Alfred Capus. The object of this society is to put on the stage plays by authors who are unknown to the public. The cost of pro- duction is covered by the subscription of members and by a certain percentage given to the society by aathors whose plays have been put on, thanks to the help of this association. The society now has representatives in the French provinces and in many of the European countries. A monthly report is issued, “ L’Avant-Scéne,” and this paper is sent to all the managers. Some very interesting questions were discussed at this Congress, and it was proposed that every effort should be made to establish more popular theatres in the provinces and to encourage decentralisation as much as possible. The idea is that dramatic authors living in the provinces should have an THE AUTHOR. opportunity of producing their plays in their own part of the country without having to wait for 4 verdict from Paris. Spain, Belgium, and Germany were represented by their delegates at this Congress. Anys HALLARD. —___—_—<>—_ SPANISH NOTES. + PAIN is still plunged in distress at the loss of the Princess of Asturias, and the Press is eloquent in its plaints of the raid made by the arch enemy into the realm of youth, beauty, and royalty. The eldest little boy, Alfonzo Maria, just three years old, is appointed successor to his mother, Princess Mercedes, as heir to the throne, pending one in direct succession. The new infant is doing well in spite of her early initiation into the dignity of her position, for the little princess was not half-an-hour old before she was clad in rich robes and presented on a silver salver to the Pope’s Nuncio, the Prime Minister, Senor Sanchez de Tora, the Queen’s lawyer, several grandees of importance, a few generals, and the Prince’s royal suite. The sympathy of the whole country has been aroused for H.M. Queen Maria Cristina, who is still overwhelmed with grief. To turn to our notes of literary interest, the book list commenced last month by the striking philo- sophical-historical study of medizeval feudalism as seen in Gallicia. The title of the work “ El Cas- tello del Marques de Mos en Sotomayor,” gives the scene which the Marquesa de Ayerbe has taken as the subject of the book, and, inspired by her love for the place which saw her birth and where so much of her life has been spent, the authoress has spared herself no time and trouble in the research which has enabled her to imbue with living interest the characters who ruled over this district in what she is pleased to term ‘ the sublime epoch of the middle ages.” Madruga, the King of Gallicia, who took prisoner the Archbishop of Tuy, his virtuous successor, Don Alvaro, the parricide, Don Pedro, and poor Dofia Enriquez, who was assassi- nated by her own son, all are powerfully described by the pen of the learned lady, and the record gains in interest by descending as far as the establish- ment of the rights by the law court of Valladolid of Don Pelayo Antonio Correa Sotomayor, the great grandfather of the present duke, whose influential name is a household word in Madrid as the chief of the Royal Palace. : The history of the families of Spanish grandees is always rife with interest. That of Colonel Luis de Figuerola Ferrette can be traced back THE AUTHOR. 69 for sixteen generations, and his mother having been sister to Pope Pius IX. adds a sort of sacer- dotal dignity to a man so distinguished for his devotion to his king and his country. A review in Paris has given a very laudatory notice of his new historical drama, ‘‘ Love, Honour, and Duty.” The new play by Manuel Linares Rivas Astray, called “ Aire de Fuera,” published by the Society of Spanish Authors, bids fair to ventilate the opinions on divorce which are now surging to the surface in Spain. The book is dedicated to the well-known actor Fernando Diaz de Mendoza, who takes the chief man’s part in the representation of the piece on the boards. The plot treats of a wife’s terror at having to return to her villainous husband at the end of the five years separation granted after untold humiliating legal proceedings, which seems at present to be the nearest approach to divorce known in Spain. The unhappy woman’s suicide is the solution of the difficulty. The other married couple show the opposite side of the picture as the husband suggests divorce in Belgium as the salve to his deception by his trusted wife. The dialogue is bright and trenchant, bristling with such sentiments as “ Men make the laws without think- ing that woman’s body contains a dreaming suffering soul.” The subject of divorce is being well aired just now, for Madame Carmen Burgos de Segui, the well-known writer, under the name of “ Colum- bine” in the Diario de Madrid, &c., has just published a book called “ El Divorcio en Espana,” which is a collection of opinions she solicited on divorce from many of the leading people of the day. The interest of the work naturally lies in the diversity of the ideas expressed, and it forms a valuable study in Spanish thought on the question. The indefatigable editress publishes, moreover, in the Diario Universal of November 2nd, a long inter- view she had on the subject of divorce with Alfred Naquet, the well-known French reformist, in this direction. ‘Do you think that Spain will ulti- mately succeed in its efforts in this matter ?” asked the lady ; and the deputy replied, “ I believe it will be a long time hence, for success involves the necessity of a few members of the Congress being strong in the belief of liberty of thought.” And must not the vox populi be heard at the Parlia- mentary elections for such politicians to represent he people ? Consuelo de Alvarez also writes a powerful article in the daily Press on the question of divorce. Edmundo Gonzalez has just published a work called “ El Feminismo en las Sociedades Modernas,” which puts the question on a better platform in Spain—for when Consuelo del Rey says in her article on “ Woman and War,” that Spain would only care to be affiliated with the International Council of Women if such a council interested itself in the extermination of war, she is evidently ignorant of the great propaganda for peace in- augurated by the Council under such well-known women as Bertha V. Siittner, of Germany (author of the book, ‘‘ Arms Down,” which was commended by the Emperor William IT.), Jessie Ackermann (President of the Universal Alliance for Peace in America), Fru Blehr (President of the Universal Alliance for Peace by Education in Norway), and other ladies spoke powerfully on the subject at the recent International Congress for Women at Berlin. Several works of Prince Kropotkin, Harnack, and William James have been recently translated into Spanish, and “ Le Jardon d’Hpicure,” trans- lated by Ciges Aparicio, has created quite a sensa- tion, for it is declared to give food for a year’s thought, although it can be perused in a hour and a half. The well-known name of Galdos is now again before the public, as the author of the much required history of Spain during the nineteenth century. Itis to be called “ Episodias Nacionales,” and the pages just published in the Liberal on the late Queen Isabella II. promise well for the work of the famous novelist and dramatist. The Atheneum of Madrid was the scene last week of a lecture from the lips of the late Prime Minister, Senor Silvela, which marks Spain as the land par excellence for oratory. The distinguished audience numbered such well-known names as Sefior Moret (the minister who recently spoke so eloquently of our educational efforts in White- chapel), Canalejas, Echegaray, Dato, the Marques de Portago, &c., &e. Seiior Silvela commenced his speech with an interesting personal remark with regard to his retirement from Parliamentary life. “I was van- quished,” he said, “ not vanquished by my enemies or my friends, whose opinions certainly add to the cares of government, but I was vanquished by the sense of my inability to realise the ideals which impelled me to Parliamentary activity. But albeit vanquished in the arena of politics, I can never be called a deserter from realms of ideals for my country, and I gladly take my place in this Athenzeum, which has always been the scene of the great intellectual movements of our land.” Then, after an erudite reference to the leading minds of Christianity and philosophy, the orator proceeded to show that as truly as matter has its three dimensions, so is it undeniable that the human mind is subject to the measure of the true, the good, and the beautifal. RACHEL CHALLICE. COPYRIGHT IN SWEDEN. — S Sweden joined the Berne Convention on August 1st, 1904, information as to the law of copyright prevailing in that country will be of interest, and may at any time be of use to members of the Society of Authors. The following notes have been contributed by the courtesy of a Swedish correspondent, Herr Harald Thornberg, whose translation with a few necessary alterations of idiom and phraseology we lay before our readers. The rights of Swedish subjects are governed by laws which bear the dates August 10th, 1877, May 28th, 1897, and April, 1904. The declaration of His Majesty the King of Sweden, which extended to his country the benefits of the Berne Convention, is dated July 8th, 1904. The provisions of the Swedish laws referred to are as follows : the sections or paragraphs are num- bered for the purpose of reference. General Provisions. (1) By the law of 1897 the author enjoys the exclusive right to print and multiply his works already published or unpublished, and the works thus protected include, besides literary compo- sitions, musical compositions, recorded by the ordinary or other forms of notation, maps, charts, architectural and other drawings, and reproductions of these, provided that they are not primarily produced for artistic purposes only. (2) By the law of 1897 an author enjoys the exclusive right to translate his work from one dialect to another of the same language. Tor the purposes of this section Swedish, Norwegian and Danish are deemed to be different dialects of the same language. (3) By the law of 1904 an author who, simul- taneously with his Swedish publication, publishes his book in another language or languages, and gives notice on his title page or at the commencement of his work that he is so doing, is deemed to have produced it in the language or languages specified. He enjoys the copyright in such translation for ten years, during which period he can restrain others from producing any other translation in the language or languages in question. (4) By the law of 1897 the translator of an author’s work into another language (provided that it be one the translation of which the author cannot restrain) enjoys the rights in his translation which are conferred upon an author by Section 1 above. Hisrights, however, do not preclude others from making translations of the same work. (5) By the law of 1877 the publisher of any periodicals or books compiled from independent THE AUTHOR. contributions by various authors is deemed to be the author of the compilation, but acquires no right to publish any of the articles appearing in such periodical or book separately. ‘Ihe author may republish the articles which he has contributed to such periodical or compiled books at the end of one year from the date of their first publication. (6) By the law of 1877 the author may transfer his copyright to one or more persons either uncon- ditionally or with reservations. If he has not done so his rights will pass at his death to his heirs.* Unless expressly permitted to do so by the author the transferee of literary rights may not publish more than one edition, which may not consist of more than 1,000 copies. (7) By the law of 1877 copyright continues. during the author’s life-time and for fifty years after his death. Where two or more have collabo- rated as joint authors, not as independent con- tributors to a compilation, the said fifty years are to be reckoned from the death of the last deceased. (8) By the law of 1897 literary matter published by a scientific or other society which does not recognise the personal authorship of the work, and literary matter first published after the death of the author, are protected for fifty years from the date of their first publication. Fifty years is also the period of copyright for literary matter published anonymously or under a pseudonym, provided that, if the author before the end of the fiftieth year from the date of its first publication complies with certain prescribed con- ditions, he shall enjoy the copyright conferred by Section 7. These conditions are that he shall make known his identity either on the title page of a new edition, or by notice to the department of justice, followed by public advertisement repeated three times in the public press. Until the author has made himself known in one of the foregoing ways, the publisher shall represent him as the owner of the copyright. (9) By the law of 1897, when a literary compo- sition is published in a series of parts, the period of copyright is deemed to commence after the publi- cation of the last part. Should any part, however, have been published more than two years after the publication of the next preceding part, the period of protection for such next preceding part, as well as for any earlier parts, will be deemed to commence at the date of the publication of the part next preceding the interval of two years. (10) By the law of 1877, except in cases as to which it is expressly otherwise provided by. law,. no one may reprint that which is the subject of * This word is used here and in paragraph 22 by Mr. Thornberg. It may mean personal representatives or descendants; it is not likely to mean “ heirs’ in the technical Hnglish meaning of the word. THE AUTHOR. | 71 copyright during the continuance of the prescribed period without the permission of the owner of the copyright for the time being. No right to reprint what is otherwise protected is obtained by altering, abridging, or expanding the original matter. Re- printing under this section includes the publication of any unauthorised translation of the unpublished work of another, and of translations not pub- lished, as provided by Section 2, as well as publica- tion by any publisher, or by any person who has acquired a limited right to publish, when such pub- lication is not in accordance with the terms of his contract or licence to publish. (11) By the law of 1877 the prohibition of the unauthorised reprinting of the work of another does not apply to literary compositions which are in substance new and independent, and in which extracts from other works are introduced, either verbatim or in an abridged form, should such extracts be quoted as authorities, or for the purpose of criticising them, or as examples, or for the pur- pose of amplifying the topics treated of. Nor does such prohibition apply to the reprinting of passages, or of entire works of small dimensions, in compila- tions made for use in religious services, or in elementary instruction in reading, music, or draw- ing, or for the purpose of historical illustration, or when words are reprinted as the motive for a musical composition. In such cases, however, the name of the author must be given, should his name be attached to the original. (12) By the law of 1897 the prohibition of reprinting does not apply to quotations in periodical publications from articles which have appeared in publications of a similar character, provided that full acknowledgment is made, indicating the source from which the quotation is taken. Scientific treatises, literary compositions, and other works of greater length must not be reprinted in periodical publications, if the right to reprint has been expressly reserved at the beginning of the treatise or work in question, or at the beginning of the periodical volume, or volumes, in which it has appeared. The Swedish law of copyright so far as it affects dramatic and musical compositions. (13) By thelaw of 1897 dramatic and musical com- positions, the right of reproducing which by printing is protected by law, cannot be performed in public without the consent of the author or of the assignee of the author’s rights. Public performance of dramatic works, even without stage accessories, and of musical works, is subject to this restriction, both when the work in question has not been pub- lished in printed form, and when reservation of the right of public performance has been made upon the title page of the first printed edition. In the case of translations of published works for which the permission of the author is not required, the translator obtains the same right in his translation which he would have obtained as an author in an original work. In the absence of a special agreement to the contrary, the license or permission given by the author or the owner of the author’s rights to perform or present a dramatic or musical work, does not limit the number of per- formances and presentations, and is not assignable to a third party. The owner of the author’s rights, in the absence of any special agreement to the con- trary, may give such permission or licence to more than one person. Where the sole right of perform- ance or presentation has been assigned by the owner of the author’s rights, and the assignee during the five years next ensuing makes no use of such sole right, the owner of the author’s rights is at liberty to issue his licence or permission to another person or persons. (14) By the law of 1904 the right of an author or translator, as set out above with reference to musical and dramatic compositions, prevails during his lifetime and for thirty years after his death. In the case of works produced anonymously, any- one is at liberty to perform or present these after five years have elapsed from the date of their first publication or presentation. Legal remedies for the infringement of copyright m Sweden. (15) By the law of 1897 any person who infringes the copyright of another is liable to a fine of from twenty to one thousand crowns, to for- feiture of the edition published in contravention of such copyright, and to the payment of compensation in respect of copies sold at the full price of the authorised edition. This liability in respect of publications which are partially and to an ascer- tainable extent infringements of copyright, is proportionate to the extent of the infringement. Any person who by any unauthorised performance or presentation of dramatic or musical works (or of works both dramatic and musical) infringes the copyright of another is liable to a fine of from ten to one thousand crowns, and to pay by way of indemnity, to the owner of the copyright, the gross amount received by him at the time of such per- formance or presentation without deduction for any expenses incurred. When the performance which is the subject of legal proceedings has included the production of another work or other works, the indemnity thus payable shall be adjusted on a proportionate scale. Ifthe indemnity to be paid cannot be assessed upon the basis thus laid down, it shall be assessed upon such a scale as shall be found reasonable in the circumstances of the case, but so that the COPYRIGHT IN SWEDEN. — S Sweden joined the Berne Convention on August Ist, 1904, information as to the law of copyright prevailing in that country will be of interest, and may at any time be of use to members of the Society of Authors. The following notes have been contributed by the courtesy of a Swedish correspondent, Herr Harald Thornberg, whose translation with a few necessary alterations of idiom and phraseology we lay before our readers. The rights of Swedish subjects are governed by laws which bear the dates August 10th, 1877, May 28th, 1897, and April, 1904. The declaration of His Majesty the King of Sweden, which extended to his country the benefits of the Berne Convention, is dated July 8th, 1904. The provisions of the Swedish laws referred to are as follows: the sections or paragraphs are num- bered for the purpose of reference. General Provisions. (1) By the law of 1897 the author enjoys the exclusive right to print and multiply his works already published or unpublished, and the works thus protected include, besides literary compo- sitions, musical compositions, recorded by the ordinary or other forms of notation, maps, charts, architectural and other drawings, and reproductions of these, provided that they are not primarily produced for artistic purposes only. (2) By the law of 1897 an author enjoys the exclusive right to translate his work from one dialect to another of the same language. For the purposes of this section Swedish, Norwegian and Danish are deemed to be different dialects of the same language. (3) By the law of 1904 an author who, simul- taneously with his Swedish publication, publishes his book in another language or languages, and gives notice on his title page or at the commencement of his work that he is so doing, is deemed to have produced it in the language or languages specified. He enjoys the copyright in such translation for ten years, during which period he can restrain others from producing any other translation in the language or languages in question. (4) By the law of 1897 the translator of an author’s work into another language (provided that it be one the translation of which the author cannot restrain) enjoys the rights in his translation which are conferred upon an author by Section 1 above. Hisrights, however, do not preclude others from making translations of the same work. (5) By the law of 1877 the publisher of any periodicals or books compiled from independent THE AUTHOR. contributions by various authors is deemed to be the author of the compilation, but acquires no right to publish any of the articles appearing in such periodical or book separately. ‘Ihe author may republish the articles which he has contributed to such periodical or compiled books at the end of one year from the date of their first publication. (6) By the law of 1877 the author may transfer his copyright to one or more persons either uncon- ditionally or with reservations. If he has not done so his rights will pass at his death to his heirs.* Unless expressly permitted to do so by the author the transferee of literary rights may not publish more than one edition, which may not consist of more than 1,000 copies. (7) By the law of 1877 copyright continues during the author’s life-time and for fifty years after his death. Where two or more have collabo- rated as joint authors, not as independent con- tributors to a compilation, the said fifty years are to be reckoned from the death of the last deceased. (8) By the law of 1897 literary matter published by a scientific or other society which does not recognise the personal authorship of the work, and literary matter first published after the death of the author, are protected for fifty years from the date of their first publication. Fifty years is also the period of copyright for literary matter published anonymously or under a pseudonym, provided that, if the author before the end of the fiftieth year from the date of its first, publication complies with certain prescribed con- ditions, he shall enjoy the copyright conferred by Section 7. These conditions are that he shall make known his identity either on the title page of a new edition, or by notice to the department of justice, followed by public advertisement repeated three times in the public press. Until the author has made himself known in one of the foregoing ways, the publisher shall represent him as the owner of the copyright. (9) By the law of 1897, when a literary compo- sition is published in a series of parts, the period of copyright is deemed to commence after the publi- cation of the last part. Should any part, however, have been published more than two years after the publication of the next preceding part, the period of protection for such next preceding part, as well as for any earlier parts, will be deemed to commence at the date of the publication of the part next preceding the interval of two years. (10) By the law of 1877, except in cases as to which it is expressly otherwise provided by, law,. no one may reprint that which is the subject of * This word is used here and in paragraph 22 by Mr. Thornberg. It may mean personal representatives or descendants; it is not likely to mean “heirs” in the technical English meaning of the word. THE AUTHOR. . 71 copyright during the continuance of the prescribed period without the permission of the owner of the copyright for the time being. No right to reprint what is otherwise protected is obtained by altering, abridging, or expanding the original matter. Re- printing under this section includes the publication of any unauthorised translation of the unpublished work of another, and of translations not pub- lished, as provided by Section 2, as well as publica- tion by any publisher, or by any person who has acquired a limited right to publish, when such pub- lication is not in accordance with the terms of his contract or licence to publish. (11) By the law of 1877 the prohibition of the unauthorised reprinting of the work of another does not apply to literary compositions which are in substance new and independent, and in which extracts from other works are introduced, either verbatim or in an abridged form, should such extracts be quoted as authorities, or for the purpose of criticising them, or as examples, or for the pur- pose of amplifying the topics treated of. Nor does such prohibition apply to the reprinting of passages, or of entire works of small dimensions, in compila- tions made for use in religious services, or in elementary instruction in reading, music, or draw- ing, or for the purpose of historical illustration, or when words are reprinted as the motive for a musical composition. In such cases, however, the name of the author must be given, should his name be attached to the original. (12) By the law of 1897 the prohibition of reprinting does not apply to quotations in periodical publications from articles which have appeared in publications of a similar character, provided that full acknowledgment is made, indicating the source from which the quotation is taken. Scientific treatises, literary compositions, and other works of greater length must not be reprinted in periodical publications, if the right to reprint has been expressly reserved at the beginning of the treatise or work in question, or at the beginning of the periodical volume, or volumes, in which it has appeared. The Swedish law of copyright so far as it affects dramatic and musical compositions. (13) By the law of 1897 dramatic and musical com- positions, the right of reproducing which by printing is protected by law, cannot be performed in public’ without the consent of the author or of the assignee of the author’s rights. Public performance of dramatic works, even without stage accessories, and of musical works, is subject to this restriction, both when the work in question has not been pub- lished in printed form, and when reservation of the right of public performance has been made upon the title page of the first printed edition. In the case of translations of published works for which the permission of the author is not required, the translator obtains the same right in his translation which he would have obtained as an author in an original work. In the absence of a special agreement to the contrary, the license or permission given by the author or the owner of the author’s rights to perform or present a dramatic or musical work, does not limit the number of per- formances and presentations, and is not assignable to a third party. The owner of the author’s rights, in the absence of any special agreement to the con- trary, may give such permission or licence to more than one person. Where the sole right of perform- ance or presentation has been assigned by the owner of the author’s rights, and the assignee during the five years next ensuing makes no use of such sole right, the owner of the author's rights is at liberty to issue his licence or permission to another person or persons. (14) By the law of 1904 the right of an author or translator, as set out above with reference to musical and dramatic compositions, prevails during his lifetime and for thirty years after his death. In the case of works produced anonymously, any- one is at liberty to perform or present these after five years have elapsed from the date of their first publication or presentation. Legal remedies for the infringement of copyright m Sweden. (15) By the law of 1897 any person who infringes the copyright of another is liable to a fine of from twenty to one thousand crowns, to for- feiture of the edition published in contravention of such copyright, and to the payment of compensation in respect of copies sold at the full price of the authorised edition. This liability in respect of publications which are partially and to an ascer- tainable extent infringements of copyright, is proportionate to the extent of the infringement. Any person who by any unauthorised performance or presentation of dramatic or musical works (or of works both dramatic and musical) infringes the copyright of another is liable to a fine of from ten to one thousand crowns, and to pay by way of indemnity, to the owner of the copyright, the gross amount received by him at the time of such per- formance or presentation without deduction for any expenses incurred. When the performance which is the subject of legal proceedings has included the production of another work or other works, the indemnity thus payable shall be adjusted on a proportionate scale. If the indemnity to be paid cannot be assessed upon the basis thus laid down, it shall be assessed upon such a scale as shall be found reasonable in the circumstances of the case, but so that the 72 amount payable shall not be less than twenty-five crowns. : (16) By the law of 1897, all materials such as stereotype plates, blocks and formes, the only use of which can be the multiplying of copies of a work in infringement of the author’s rights, as well as all copies of a work made with a view to musical or dramatic infringements, shall be seized, and unless the parties otherwise agree, shall be destroyed. (17) By the law of 1877, the failure to mention the name of the author or the title of the periodical publication as set out in Sections 11 and 12, renders the offending party liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred crowns. (18) By the law of 1877, the penalties and indemnities ordered to be paid by those who publish works in infringement of the author’s rights are payable also, in proportion to the extent of the infringement, by those who knowingly offer such works for sale or import them into the kingdom. The Law affectiny foreigners, the consent of goint owners of copyright, the calculation of time, etc. (19) By the law of 1897, the Swedish law of copyright applies to all works of Swedish subjects and to works of foreigners first published in Sweden. Where reciprocal advantages are afforded by any other country, the king may by proclamation enable the subjects of that country to enjoy wholly or in part the advantages conferred by Swedish law in respect of works first published in that country. (20) By the law of 1897, when a work has been so produced that the cunsent of more than one person is necessary for its publication, performance or presentation, the consent of each such person must be obtained. In the case, however, of the pro- duction of work which is both musical and drama- tic, where the work is principally musical or principally dramatic, there the consent of the author of the preponderating element is sufficient. (21) By the law of 1877, in calculating the periods of time mentioned in Sections 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, the calendar year is not counted in which the incident occurs from which the prescribed period is reckoned. (22.) By the law of 1877, when a work is unprinted and is in the possession of the author’s widow or heirs, the copyright may not be seized for debt, nor does it pass to creditors in case of bankruptcy. (23) By the law of 1877 legal proceedings in respect of the law of copyright can only be taken by the owner of the right alleged to be infringed. (24) The law of 1904 came into force on July 1st, 1904, and applies retrospectively . to literary work published before that date, provided, however, that translations lawfully made before that date without the author’s consent may THER AUTHOR. continue to be published, and provided also that any one who has lawfully performed or presented dramatical or musical works before that date may continue to do so. —_____+——+ —____—_. MR. GEORGE RUSSELL AND “THE NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW.” —<>—+—— JE have taken the letter printed below \\ from the Zimes of November 18th. It seems an extraordinary thing that a magazine of the position of the North American Review should have taken the course set forth in Mr. Russell’s letter, and it is the more extraordinary as we understand that the editor had notice of the writer’s objection. No doubt in the daily papers a certain latitude is allowed to an editor in altering and correcting articles of ephemeral interest, as there are pressing events which necessitate the editor taking this responsibility. In many cases he has not time to apply to the author. This reason, however, cannot apply to the editor of a big monthly review, and the question of a time limiit cannot possible arise. Certainly in this case it did not arise, as the editor had had the article by him for at least three years. That he should have made the alterations without the consent of the author, and have altered the present tenses into preterites, is carrying the editorial power beyond all reason. It is bad enough for the editor of a big review to retain an article for three years without publication, though we must mention with regret that editors of some of the big reviews in England are not guiltless on this point—they sometimes. keep their authors waiting for publication and payment beyond the limits of all justice—but it has never come to our notice, except in the instance quoted above, that alterations have been made without the author’s sanction, and we must confess that Mr. G. W. E. Russell seems amply justified in the protest he has made by the letter to the Times. To THE EDITOR OF THE Times. S1r,—Pray give me space for a personal grievance. When Sir William Harcourt died several editors asked me to give some account of him. ll these invitations I declined, on the ground that I had strongly dissented from some parts of Sir William’s public conduct, and that I was unwilling, at such a moment, to revive former discords, Great is my consternation, on opening the North Ameri- can Review for November 15, to see an article on Sir William Harcourt signed by myself. This article must, I think, be three years old. It was written at the request of the editor, as a candid criticism of a living and active politician. The editor seems to have kept it by him all these years, and has now published it with alterations. All the present tenses have been altered into preterites ; and the article has thus been made to wear the semblance of an Obituary Notice. TAE AU THOR. I deeply regret this exercise of editorial discretion ; for it must cause pain to some for whom I feel the most sincere respect and regard. Your obedient servant, GEORGE W. E. RUSSELL. November 17th. a ee HINTS ON PRODUCTION. —1—~<>— » — I. MANUSCRIPTS. N the preparation of manuscript for publication | it is hardly necessary to say that a neatly written one is likely to receive greater con- sideration from an editor or publisher, especially if the author is a beginner. An untidy manuscript, full of alterations or emendations, is tiresome to read, and is sometimes rejected on that score. Even if there is some literary merit in the production, its slovenliness is apt to warn the publisher of possible author’s corrections in the proofs, the charges for which are often a bone of contention between the publisher, author and printer. Although the printer may have no preference for typewritten as against ordinary and clearly written copy, it may save some expense if the author corrects his manuscript and then has it carefully typewritten. This plan is certainly best, and would find favour with those who have to express an opinion on its literary merits. Again, as this reproduction is practically a proof, it can, of course, be corrected again before it is actually placed in the printer’s hands. If this is done it will obviate extra charges, and possibly avoid a deal of friction and, perhaps, unpleasant correspondence. It is not every author who appreciates the difficulty or expense of making alterations in the type when once set up, because a simple insertion or deletion of a passage may necessitate alterations alfecting lines or even pages of type. If some correction is needful, it is a wise precaution to substitute or cut out a word or words for anything actually required to be inserted or expunged from the proof. A given size of page set up in a certain type may be estimated to a nicety, but the precise cost of making alterations in type is not easily calculated or checked. The following table will give the approximate number of words contained in a square inch of various types (a) with one ordinary lead, and (b) matter set solid, z.e., without leads. Leaded. Solid. Pica oe 12 ee 15 small Pies... 16 Ae 23 Long Primer ... 20 a 27 Bourgeois a. 24 a. 82 Brevier = 29 38 Nonpareil . 40 ie 59 73 These figures are based on an average kind of work written in the English language. Boox Founts. There are many kinds to be chosen from, but the first thing is to select the size. Small types should not be used unless there is some real neces- sity to do so, for most can read an average one, but a small face is trying and hurtful to the eyes, and to some a physical impossibility. For ordinary work there is some sort of unwritten law governing the size of type to be employed for a volume of a certain size, and this average, roughly, is pica for demy 8vo, 82 in. x 5§ in., small pica for crown 8vo, 74 in. x 5 in., and long primer for foolscap 8vo, larger and smaller volumes taking proportionate sizes. If we were to take a consensus of opinion on what might be considered a fairly comfortable size of type for reading purposes, we probably would find both long primer and small pica as being the ideals. It is in one or other of these founts that nearly all one volume novels are printed, the detail of leading or non-leading being determined by the precise length of the manuscript, and the number of pages the book is to make when in print. With regard to the design or character of the type face, this is also an important matter. As the cost of printing from a well-designed type is no more than that of printing from an ill-formed one, care should be taken in the selection of a good character. This may be to some extent a matter of taste, but if a good many books are examined it will be found that by far the larger number are printed in the so-called “old style” character, which for books is certainly the best kind, whereas the ‘“ modern face,” such as Zhe Author is printed in, is best adapted for magazine or newspaper printing. The format of a page and the placing of that page on the paper, so as to give the proper propor- tion of margin when printed, are two very important elements if a well-designed volume is desired. ‘To arrive at this result requires a good deal of judg- ment, for a full or crowded page placed on the leaf at random at once condemns any pretence to an artistic book. A handsome type page would be one which would occupy about one-half of the total area of the leaf of paper; that page must not be placed in the centre of the page, but somewhat cornered as it were, so that the inner and head margins should be respectively about one-third to two-thirds of the margin on tail and on fore-edge. By these means the two open pages of any volume, not a single page, would form the unit—the two being linked together, as it were. If, on the other hand, the margins of each page were centralized all round, the effect of the open two pages would be that the facing pages were distressingly far apart 74 and, although the head and tail margins were equal, they would appear to have slipped or dropped down below the centre, this being an optical illusion. : ; The question of cost in setting up various sizes ig a complicated one, and if we take the London scale of charges as our basis we find that wages here are higher as compared with the provinces. In printing generally the difference of cost is chiefly in regard to composition, and press work charges are not much affected by the locality. In some respects the higher charges prevailing in town are counterbalanced by the convenience of having the printer nearer at hand. The exact prices for composition are regulated according to whether the “copy” is to be seb up from manuscript or from printed copy, technically termed “ reprint,” which must be an absolute fac- simile as regards type, both in size and width— that is, it must be line for line and page for page with the original. There is also an intermediate charge for “copy” which is printed but yet not a facsimile, or it may be it is a facsimile with altera- tions in manuscript, both of which fall under this intermediate head. Further. the question of the matter being leaded or non-leaded affects the price in all the foregoing instances, that which is set with- out leads carrying the higher price, for the obvious reason that any pages set solid would contain more lines in a page, and thus necessitate more labour to the compositor. From this it will be seen that the scale of charges for composition is a very intricate one, and the difficulties are still more increased by the introduction of other nominal charges made as extras on each sheet, such as the introduction of other sizes of type for extract matter or footnotes, besides other details too numerous to mention. All these remarks apply to works printed in the vernacular—books printed in foreign languages are provided for under a different scale, and the frequent use of foreign words sometimes involves an extra charge. As some rough and ready idea of cost, taking an ordinary volume, such as a novel, printed in the English language without any of the extras indicated above, the approximate charges for composing a volume set with leads from manuscript or reprint set without leads, may be taken as— 1d. per square inch ifset in Pica. 14d. % - Small Pica. 13d. ” ¥ Long Primer. These prices are the average London ones. Manuscript copy if set solid would be rather higher. On the other hand, reprint leaded would be some- what cheaper. Cuas. T. JACOBI. (To be continued.) THE AUTHOR. UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN.— COMPARATIVE COSTS OF PRODUCTION.— COMPARATIVE PROFITS. — 47 E have much pleasure in submitting to members of the Society some costs of production from the United States, which we have obtained through the diligence of the Secretary of the United States Authors’ Society. The estimates are reckoned in dollars and in pounds, taking for convenience a dollar to equal 4s. 2d., and are compared with the English costs of production of a similar type of book. The first estimate reters to a book of 272 pp. crown octavo, 29 lines, and 253 words to a page. One thousand copies are printed, and the type is small pica. Unitep Srates Cost or PRODUCTION. I. Dollars. £8. d. Composition and _ electro typing plates, 272 pages at 50 cents=2s. 1d. per page; or 17 sheets of 16 pages, at £1 14s. 8d. per sheet. . 136 26 6 8 Printing, say ten sheets at $3=12s. 6d. per sheet of 32 pages. : : . 380 6 5 0 Paper, ten reams of 100 pounds, at $6=£1 5s. per ream. : : 60 12 10 0 Binding, at 12 cents=6d. . 120 25 0 0 Binding stamp. 10 2 473 Five boxes at 75 cents= 3s. 14d. . 3°75 16 oF $359°75 £74 18 115 Say £74 19s. British Cost oF PRODUCTION. I. Composition, 17 sheets of 16 pages, at £1 5s. . ‘ : : ; 4 Moulds and stereos, at 12s. per sheet. 10 4 0 Printing, 17 sheets of 16 pages, say 10 sheets of 32 pages, in order to bring the estimate into uniformity with that from U.S.A., at 15s. per sheet of 32 pages. ; 5 ; «2410 0 Paper, 84 reams, say 10 sheets of 32 pages, at £1 per sheet of 32 pages. 10 0 0 Binding, at 5d., or (say) 42s. per 100 copies. . : : : : ~ 21 0 0 £69 19 0 THE AUTHOR. 75 From these two costs, giving a very full value to the dollar, we see that the United States cost is £5 in excess of the English cost. So far, then, the difference between the two costs of pro- duction is immaterial, but this point has to be considered, that English books are, as a rule, printed from type, and, therefore, if the edition was for one thousand copies only, the item for moulds and stereos (12s. per sheet of 16 pages, £10 4s.) would have to be deducted, making the difference between the two costs of production, £15 4s. In addition, the United States publisher seems to pay for boxes for the moulds, the charge, as appears on the cost, being 15s. 6d., and credits his account with the surplus paper as sold for pulping. From this estimate have been omitted three items that will have to be taken into considera- tion before it will be possible to state what profit there is to the author, and what to the publisher. Firstly,—Corrections. Secondly,— Advertising. Thirdly,—Circularising. (i.e. expenses of the publisher's office). The corrections would roughly work out between 10 and 15 per cent. of the cost of composition. The advertising in the United States, according to information received, is very nearly double the amount spent in England, out it is almost im- possible to gange this point satisfactorily, and it is doubtful whether absolute reliance can be placed on this statement. For circulars—that is, ordinary publishers’ expenses, and postages—the United States publisher reckons a sum of thirty dollars per edition of one thousand copies, or £6 5s. on £74 19s. This works out at less than the 10 per cent. which publishers in England are very fond of stating must be reckoned to cover office expenses, &c. This item, however, the Society has always repudiated, when working out the profits, unless the publisher shows himself willing to grant the same charges in the author’s account. In addition to the tabulated cost must be reckoned :— UNITED STATES. Dollars. Corrections (15 per cent. of the cost of composition and stereos) ‘ 20.40 Advertising an edition of 1,000 copies 240 $260.40 BritisH Cost. os oO: Corrections (15 per cent. of the cost of composition and stereos) . 414 4 Advertising an edition of 1,000 copies of Finglish edition . : : 2s 30. 0 0 £34 14 4 Toran Cost oF Propuction. United States. $359°75 + $2604 = $620°15 = £129 3s. 114d. (say £129 4s.) ‘ British. £69 19s. + £34 14s. 4d. = £104 18s. 4d. Against this it must be remembered that, as a rule, the United States publisher gets more for his book than the English publisher. For instance, a 5s. nett book sells in the United States at $1°50= 6s. 3d., and, therefore, instead of reckoning as has been customary in the costs of production men- tioned on former occasions in Zhe Author, the 6s. book, subject to discount as the unit of calculation, it is easier to take the 5s. nett book, and the $1°50 = 6s. 3d., and this would be a fair price for the book whose estimate is quoted. Taking it, therefore, that 100 books are circu- lated free, for review and other purposes, the receipts may be reckoned as follows :— Unitrep Sratres Book ReruRN FROM SALES. 900 copies at $150. $1350°0 ... (less 25 per cent. to retailer) 337°) $1012°5 ... (less 10 per cent. to the wholesale jobber) 101°25 $911:25 = £189 16s. 104d. British Book RETURN FROM SALES. 900 copies of 5s. nett book. Five-sixths of 5s., 13 copies as 12, less 10 per cent. = 692 X 5s. : = 3:46s. for each copy =a fraction above 3s. 5dd. per copy. 3°46 x 900 = 3114s. = £155 14s. We have made the returns of sales in the United States from reliable figures supplied to the office. The above is therefore a fair statement. The returns from the British Book, however, are, according to the publisher’s statement, the lowest received from the bookseller and distributor, wholesale or retail. It is probable, therefore, that the real returns are somewhat higher. Carrying the calculation a little further, the 76 profit on the first edition of 1,000 of the United States book is— £189 16 10 129 4 90 £60 12 10 On the British book is— £155 14 0 104138 4 £51 0 8 Unirep Srares SALES AND PERCENTAGE. If the author, therefore, took in the one case £30 6s. for his profit, that is about half, what percentage would he be receiving on the published rice of the book ? This problem is then presented : Nine hundred copies sold at $1°50 (75 pence) realise £30 6s. to the author. What, then, is the percentage on each copy ? Working the sum out £809 _ £908 _ £10886 900 9 = 8°08 pence for every copy at $1°50 (75 pence). The author receiving 8°08 per copy would receive the following per cent. :— 752 8'08..: 100; 8:08 e 100 oe 2 10-7, (9 i) or just over 103 per cent. British SALES AND P&SRCENTAGE. If the same calculation is made in the case of a British book, the author will, in the same way, take half profits, that is to say, £25 10s. = £25°5. If nine hundred copies sold at 5s. nett bring £25-5 to the author, the author receives for each copy B25 _ £25) _. £-0988 = 68d, 900 9 just over 63d. If the author receives 6:8d. per copy of a book that sells for 5s., his share per cent. of the selling price of the book is shown by 68 x 100 68 0:68::100: —2—_=, =11%, As 6 6°8 0 60 6 oO exactly 114 per cent. Here one or two points deserve to be noticed. First, the author receives only half-profits. ‘This is not necessarily a fair division. Next, the publisher—taking also half-profits— THE AUTHOR. the same sum as the author, receives interest on his investment thus, omitting the pence :— In the United States— As £129 3s. : £30 6s. :: 100: 2% As 2583 : 606 :: 100; = ave «1 2583 ae 60000 93°46. 2583 not quite 234 per cent. In England— As £104 13s. : £25 10s.;: 100: 2% As 2098 :510 -:400; = ee 2093 51000. =a a little over 24 per cent. These returns of 23 and 24 per cent. respectively represent the publisher’s interest upon his capital invested, supposing that the sale of the 1,000 copies takes place, as it generally does, in twelve months. If the sale is accomplished only in two years, the interest upon the investments become 114 and 12 per cent. respectively ; not at all bad interest. If the 1,000 copies are sold in six months the interest rises to 46 and 48 per cent. per annum respectively. It will be seen that whilst the United States pub- lisher receives actually more from sales than the British publisher (£189 16s. against £155 14s.),and also has a larger profit (£60 12s. against £51), his greater expenses make his gain per cent. per annum on his investment smaller (23 per cent. against 24). The examples which we have taken are those of a fair cost of production and a small sale. Where approximate figures have been taken, the calculations show the publisher’s profits to be slightly smaller than they actually are. G. H. T. ——_——_—_—_1—<— UNITED STATES. “The Author’s Year Book and Guide to 600 Places to Sell MSS.” * HIS publication comes from the United States. If any author, guided by the title, should be inclined to purchase the book, seeking for information, it is as well to state that the work, a however useful in other respects to the author in 30 * « Author’s Year Book and Guide to 600 Places to Seli po! MSS.” W. E. Price, 24—26, East Twenty-first Street, a New York, U.S.A. THE AUTHOR. 77 the United States or in Great Britain, does not justify the label which is attached to it. The work opens with a list of papers and maga- zines to which MSS. can be sent, and with a list of publishers, but there is no information as to the style of article, story, or composition that the ‘editors are willing to accept or the publishers willing to produce. So far, therefore, the book fails entirely as a guide to the 600 places which it enumerates and to the individualities of the different publishing houses. The remainder of the book is filled with articles on literary subjects, such as “ Authors and Busi- ness” (reprinted from the New York Times Saturday Review), which contains a few useful hints, readily picked up in any of the books published for the guidance of authors. Then follow some views promulgated by the editors of magazines, scrappy, and of little assistance. After these comes an interesting article on the nett price system and its relation to authors, interesting to the student of the economics of book-selling and book-writing rather than bene- ficial to the unfortunate trying to dispose of a MS. Ever since Sir Walter Besant founded the Society of Authors one of its aims has been to show the close relation between the bookseller and the author, and to point out that the prosperity of the former is closely allied with the prosperity of the latter, and that the bookseller’s profits must assist, In some way, the author’s profits. The writer states, very wisely: ‘‘ Does anyone like to pay 1 dollar 50 cents for a book and see it offered a few days later on dry goods counters for 85 cents ? In making investments people are slow to buy on a falling market.” The next article, “A Word to Authors,” must bave been written by a publisher, and is therefore dangerous as guide to the author. A few quota- tions will make this self-evident:—“ As a rule, authors imagine publishers to be their natural foes, preying upon them as sharks do upon the lesser finny tribes of the deep. A little thought would dissipate this impression. Authors have no idea of the costs which are incidental to the production of a book.” Here is the key to the publishing note. In the United States, unfor- tunately, authors have very little idea of the cost of production of a book. The Society has for years endeavoured to obtain trustworthy state- inents of the cost of printing, paper, binding, advertising, in the United States, and so far but meagre information has come to the office. In consequence, it is difficult to gauge the profits to which the author is entitled, and the publisher, from his point of view, is wise to keep the secret as long as possible. Another sentence also betrays the cloven hoof: “ When all these costs have been paid, there remains a comparatively small margin of profit. Hence, whatever royalties publishers may agree to pay, authors may consider that they are having a fair return for their labour.” A more ingenuous statement was never made, nor one which could make it clearer that the taint of the publisher runs through the whole article. If aman desired to buy a horse, he would naturally buy in the cheapest market, and if the man who was selling the horse happened to be ignorant of its value, the buyer would make as good a bargain for himself as he possibly could. It is not likely, therefore, that a tradesman desiring to purchase an article would pay the seller £2u for it if he could get it for £10. There is no reason why the author should consider the publisher different from other tradesmen, and therefore—that what the publisher agreed to pay would necessarily be a fair return for his labour. “What we have just said is emphasised by the fact that the larger number of books never pay expenses.” This again is a fault of the publishing trade which has often been exposed in 7’he Author. The musical publishers in London state that hardly 5 per cent. of the songs published cover their expenses. The fact that tne publisher chooses to gamble with the books of some authors is no argu- ment why the successful author should pay the publisher’s gambling debts, and must not affect any author in his negotiations for the sale of his works. There is an interesting article by Mr. Page Fox on * Books Waiting to be Written,” but it is interesting from the originality of the ideas set forth rather than from the point of view of prac- tical advice to the author. Among the books referred to is ‘A Town History,” and his advice for writing a work of this description would, no doubt, appeal to the United States dollar-catcher rather than co the select and cultured compilers of literature. He says, *‘ Publish the portraits and residences or places of business of the leading townsmen. Mention in the book everybody in the town whom you can. Even for the most humble can be found a place in a work of genealogy. The wealthy will give you large sums for the illustrations, and the vanity of the poor will cause them to buy a book in which their name appears.” Then follows a rough statement of the cost and the probable profit : “(Oost of issue of book, $1,000 ; one thousand subscribers at $2 apiece, $2,000. One hundred of the wealthy class will pay you $10 apiece for their portraits, $1,000. Profits, $2,000. If you are satisfied with the result, go on to the next town, and so on ad infinitum.” After perusal of this paragraph, the remark 78 THE AUTHOR. made by R. I. Stevenson would not be at all inappropriate : ‘‘ Golly ! What a book !” This article is by far the longest in the book, and carries with it much amusing reading on the commerce of book-making. a In another contribution on short story writing it would appear that the same difficulty exists in the United States as in Great Britaiu—namely, the fact that publishers are convinced that books of short stories do not sell. The writer gives some probable reasons for this conclusion, which, however, do not appear to be very sound. There are other articles interesting to authors from different points of view, such as “ How to Succeed as a Novelist,” ‘‘ The Preparation of the MS.,” “In the Literary Market,” the last by Mr. Albert Bigelow Paine. He makes a very sensible remark, which many authors should bear in mind: “There is no royal road to authorship. It is fight, fight, and go on fighting to the end.” Lastly come some short notes about English periodicals and their contributors, which contain chiefly notes of the editors dealing with the con- tributions published in their different papers, and finally come “The General Memoranda,” “ Warnings to Dramatic Authors,” and an interest- ing article from Mr. G. Bernard Shaw : “ How to make Plays Readable.” These last three have been taken from the pages of Ze Author, but having read the book carefully, we have failed to find any acknowledgment of their source. Even though no copyright is claimed for them—unless, indeed, Mr. Shaw claims copyright—still, as a matter of courtesy, a formal acknowledgment might have been made. To sum up, the book fails on its main points if its title is any guide to the desires of its com- piler, A book on the lines of some books that are produced in England, giving not only the names of the magazines and papers in the United States, but also the kind of articles and stories which they will take, the length of the articles and stories, the prices they will pay for them, and other details of information, would, no doubt, be interesting and useful to many writers this side of the water ; or, again, a practical guide for authors, on lines similar to some of the books which have been pub- lished in England, might be very useful to the budding United States author ; but this book fails to deal with either point exhaustively. It is neither a practical guide for the author, nor is ita guide to the 600 places in which to sell MSS. From the first title, “The Author’s Year Book,” the book seems destined to appear from year to year. If this is the case, with greater care and with greater knowledge bestowed upon the essential details, the work may prove satisfactory in the course of time. MAGAZINE CONTENTS. —~?--+ DECEMBER, 1904. BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE. “Madam”: A Lady of the Morland. Skrine. Musings Oxford. By Mary J. H. without Method. The Rhodes Scholars at THE BOOKMAN. The Writings of Theodore Watts Dunton. By Ernest Rhys. Book MONTHLY. The Popular Novelist: His Art, Mission and Influence. 3y Hall Caine. CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, Patmos: Its Monastery and Passion Play. William Whittall. THE CONTEMPORARY REVIEW. The Nature of Literature. By Vernon Lee. Nitshevo. By Edwin Emerson. Maeterlinck as a Reformer of the Drama. By Count 8. C. de Soissons. Some Recent Books. By Sir PAP By “A Reader.” CORNHILL. Tn the Throes of Composition. By Michael MacDonagh. Historical Mysteries.—Saint Germain the Deathless. By Andrew Lang. THE FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW. In the Footsteps of Rousseau. By Havelock Ellis. Mozart as a Dramatic Composer. By Dr. John Tod- hunter. The Novels of Disraeli. By Lewis Melville. The National Art Collections Fund. By H. M. Paull. The Mother of Navies. By T. Andrea Cook. THE INDEPENDENT REVIEW The Work of Mr. Henry James. By Sydney Waterlow. The Myth of Magna Carta. By Edward Jenks. LONGMAN’S MAGAZINE. Izaak Walton at Droxford. By John Vaughan. At the Sign of the Ship. The State of British® Fiction. By Andrew Lang. The Beautiful Sheridans. By Alfred Beaver, MACMILLAN’s MAGAZINE. Rome before 1870. Anonymous. THe MoNTHLY REVIEW. The Revival of Gaelic in Ireland. By F.O. Russell. Evil. By Norman Pearson. THE NATIONAL REVIEW. Some Children’s Essays. By Miss K. Bathurst, The Spokesman of Despair. By Jane Findlater. XIX, CENTURY AND AFTER, Free Thought in the Church of England. By The Rev. Prebendary Whitworth. Mr. Mallock and the Bishop of Worcester. H. Maynard Smith. : : The Literature of Finland. By Hermione Ramsden. = ah Women in Chinese Literature. By Herbert A. Giles. : TEMPLE BAR. By M. Kirkby Hill. By the Rev. Kit Smart. A Diary of the 17th Century. By Constance Spender. x There are no articles dealing with Literary, Dramatic or * Musical subjects in Zhe Month or The World's Work. THB AUTHOR. WARNINGS TO THE PRODUCERS OF BOOKS. + ERE are a few standing rules to be observed in an agreement. There are four methods of dealing with literary property :— I. Selling it Outright. This is sometimes satisfactory, if a proper price can be obtained. But the transaction should be managed by a competent agent, or with the advice of the Secretary of the Society. II. A Profit-Sharing Agreement (a bad form of agreement). In this case the following rules should be attended to: C1.) Not to sign any agreement in which the cost of pro- duction forms a part without the strictest investigation. (2.) Not to give the publisher the power of putting the profits into his own pocket by charging for advertisements in his own organs, or by charging exchange advertise- ments. Therefore keep control of the advertisements. (3.) Not to allow a special charge for “office expenses,” unless the same allowance is made to the author. (4.) Not to give up American, Colonial, or Continental cights. (.) Not to give up serial or translation rights. (6.) Not to bind yourself for future work to any publisher. As well bind yourself for the future to any one solicitor or doctor ! II. The Royalty System. This is perhaps, with certain limitations, the best form of agreement. It is above all things nece ry to know what the proposed royalty means to both sides. It is now possible for an author to ascertain approximately the truth, From time to time very important figures connected with royalties are published in Zhe Author. IV. A Commission Agreement. The main points are :— (1.) Be careful to obtain a fair cost of production. (2.) Keep control of the advertisements. (3.) Keep control of the sale price of the book. General. All other forms of agreement are combinations of the four above mentioned. Such combinations are generally disastrous to the author, Never sign any agreement without competent advice from the Secretary of the Society. Stamp all agreements with the Inland Revenue stamp. Avoid agreements by letter if possible. The main points which the Society has always demanded from the outset are :— C1.) That both sides shall know what an agreement means. (2.) The inspection of those account books which belong 'o the author. We are advised that this is a right, in the nature of a common law right, which cannot be denied or withheld. (3.) Always avoid a transfer of copyright. PE Ciel ie oe WARNINGS TO DRAMATIC AUTHORS. se EVER sign an agreement without submitting it to the Secretary of the Society of Authors or some com- _ petent legal authority. 2. It is well to be extremely careful in negotiating for the production of a play with anyone except an established manager, 19 3. There are three forms of dramatic contract f in three or more acts :— (a.) Sale outright of the performing right. This is unsatisfactory. An author who enters into such a contract should stipulate in the contract for production of the piece by a certain date and for proper publication of his name on the play-bills, (%.) Sale of performing right or of a licence to perform on the basis of percentages on gross receipts. Percentages vary between 5 and 15 per cent. An author should obtain a percentage on the sliding scale of gross receipts in preference to the American system. Should obtain a sum in advance of percentages. A fixed date on or before which the play should be performed. (¢.) Sale of performing right or of a licence to perform on the basis of royalties (7.¢., fixed nightly fees). his method should be always avoided except in cases where the fees are likely to be small or difficult to collect, The other safeguards set out under heading (@.) apply also in this case. 4. Plays in one act are often sold outright, but it is better to obtain a small nightly fee if possible, and a sum paid in advance of such fees in any event. It is extremely important that the amateur rights of one-act plays should be reserved. 5. Authors should remember that performing rights can be limited, and are usually limited, by town, country, and time. This is most important. 6. Authors should not assign performing rights, but should grant a licence to perform. ‘he legal distinction is of great importance. 7, Authors should remember that performing rights in a play are distinct from literary copyright. A manager holding the performing right or licence to perform cannot print the book of the words. 8. Never forget that United States rights may be exceed- ingly valuable. ‘hey should never be included in English agreements without the author obtaining a substantial consideration. 9. Agreements for collaboration should be carefully drawn and executed before collaboration is commenced. 10. An author should remember that production of a play is highly speculative: that he runs a very great risk of delay and a breakdown in the fulfilment of his contract. He should therefore guard himself all the more carefully in the beginning. 11. An author must remember that the dramatic market is exceedingly limited, and that for a novice the first object is to obtain adequate publication. As these warnings must necessarily be incomplete, on account of the wide range of the subject of dramatic con- tracts, those authors desirous of further information are referred to the Secretary of the Society. or plays o—p—« WARNINGS TO MUSICAL COMPOSERS. —_-———— ITTLE can be added to the warnings given for the assistance of producers of books and dramatic authors. It must, however, be pointed out that, as a rule, the musical publisher demands from the musical composer a transfer of fuller rights and less liberal finan- cial terms than those obtained for literary and dramatic property. The musical composer has very often the two rights to deal with—performing right and copyright. He 80 fore when entering into should be especially careful there r nt art. cular consideration an agreement,and should take intop the warnings stated above. ee HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY. —<-+ i VERY member has a right toask for and to receive K advicé upon his agreements, his choice of a pub- lisher, or any dispute arising in the conduct of his business or the administration of his property. — The Secretary of the Society is a solicitor, but if there is any special reason the Secretary will refer the case to the Solicitors of the Society. | Further, the Committee, if they deem it desirable, will obtain counsel’s opinion. — All this without any cost to the member. 2, Remember that questions connected with copyright and publishers’ agreements do not fall within the experi- ence of ordinary solicitors. ‘Therefore, do not scruple to use the Society. 3. Send to the Office copies of past agreements and past accounts, with a copy of the book represented. The Secretary will always be glad to have any agreements, new or old, for inspection and note. The information thus obtained may prove invaluable. 4. Before signing any agreement whatever, send the document to the Society for examination. 5. Remember always that in belonging to the Society you are fighting the battles of other writers, even if you are reaping no benefit to yourself, and that you are advancing the best interests of your calling in promoting the independence of the writer, the dramatist, the composer. 6. The Committee have now arranged for the reception of members’ agreements and their preservation in a fire- proof safe. The agreements will, of course, be regarded as confidential documents to be read only by the Secretary, who will keep the key of the safe. he Society now offers: —(1) To read and advise upon agreements and to give advice concerning publishers. (2) ‘lo stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon them. (8) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments due according to agreements. Fuller particulars of the Society’s work can be obtained in the Prospectus. 7. No contract should be entered into with a literary agent without the advice of the Secretary of the Society. Members are strongly advised not to accept without careful consideration the contracts with publishers submitted to them by literary agents, and are recommended to submit them for interpretation and explanation to the Secretary of the Society. This The 8. Many agents neglect to stamp agreements. must be done within fourteen days of first execution. Secretary will undertake it on behalf of members. 9. Some agents endeavour to prevent authors from referring matters to the Secretary of the Society; so do some publishers. Members can make their own deductions and act accordingly. 10. The subscription to the Society is £1 1s. per annum, or £10 10s for life membership. THE AUTHOR. TO MUSICAL COMPOSERS. — HE Society undertakes to stamp copies of music on behalf of its members for the fee of 6d. per 100 or part of 100. The members’ stamps are kept in the Society’s safe. The musical publishers communicate direct with the Secretary, and the voucher is then forwarded to the members, who are thus saved much unnecessary trouble. es THE READING BRANCH. ——— + — EMBERS will greatly assist the Society in this VI branch of its work by informing young writers of its existence. Their MSS. can be read and treated as a composition is treated by a coach. The term MSS. includes not only works of fiction, but poetry and dramatic works, and when it is possible, under special arrangement, technical and scientific works. The Readers are writers of competence and experience. The fee is one guinea. . 2 — > NOTICES. — MYNHE Editor of Zhe Author begs to remind members of [' the Society that, although the paper is sent to them free of charge, the cost of producing it would be a very heavy charge on the resources of the Society if a great many members did not forward to the Secretary the modest 5s. 6d. subscription for the year. Communications for “The Author” should be addressed to the Offices of the Society, 39, Old Queen Street, Storey’s Gate, S.W., and should reach the Editor not later than the 21st of each month. All persons engaged in literary work of any kind, whether members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate to the Editor any points connected with their work which it would be advisable in the general interest to publish. Communications and letters are invited by the Editor on all subjects connected with literature, but on no other subjects whatever. LEvery effort will he made to return articles which cannot be accepted. ee The Secretary of the Society begs to give notice that all remittances are acknowledged by return of post, and he requests members who do not receive an answer to important communications within two days to write to him without delay. All remittances should be crossed Union Bank of London, Chancery Lane, or be sent by registered letter only. ee ee LEGAL AND GENERAL LIFE ASSURANCE : SOCIETY. eae ENSIONS to commence at any selected age, either with or without Life Assurance, can be obtained from this society. a Full particulars can be obtained from the City Branch Manager, Legal and General Life Assurance Society, 158, Leadenhall Street, London, H.C. THE AUTHOR. 81 AUTHORITIES. — oo 7% see a complaint in the Publishers’ Circular W that the energetic trader of the United States is endeavouring to rob English publishers of their book trade in the Colonies, by flooding the Colonies with American editions.: If this is, in reality, the case, there must be something radically wrong. Nearly all English authors include in their licence to publish given to the English publisher the markets of Great Britain, her Colonies, and dependencies. Some- times, however, this licence is altered, by excepting Canada, which country is, therefore, either included in the agreement with the American publisher, or is under a separate agreement with a Canadian publisher. It follows, therefore, that if United States publishers are sending editions into Australia, South Africa, and other Colonies, they are infringing the copyright law, and it is time for those publishers whose business is touched to take the matter in hand, or for those authors, whose books are pirated, to take action for infringement of copyright. However, if we study the book exports from the United States during the last eight months, the statement contained in the Publishers’ Circular does not seem to be corroborated. The exports from the United States to British North America have certainly increased enormously in value, from $1,055,000 in the first eight months of the year 1903, to $1,126,000 in 1904 during the same period. ‘There are various reasons which may account for this. Primarily, as already stated, the Canadian market is very often excepted from the contract with the British publisher, and is assigned to the United States publisher. Secon- darily, the Canadian publisher sometimes contracts direct with the British author and proceeds to buy from the United States, and, lastly, the enormous extent of the boundary between the United States and Canada often makes it impossible to keep out pirated editions. If the United States publisher gets the contract, it is really the fault of the Canadian publisher, who, if he does not choose to bestir himself and come and claim his contract from the English author, must expect to have it taken away from him by those who are more energetic. In British Australasia during the first eight months of 1903 the exports were 130,000 dollars, during the same period of 1904, 132,000 dollars. Here it cannot be said that there is an enormous increase. It is clear, therefore, that the complaint of the Publishers’ Circular cannot be substantiated. In British South Africa there is a decrease from 38,000 to 25,000 dollars. If, however, it is possible to obtain a concrete case against the United States, it is essential that the British author or the British publisher should take the matter in hand, and see that the copyright treaties, as far as they regard book property, are carried out energetically and effectually. : The simplest solution of the difficulty seems to lie in stirring up the Government customs officials to look after their duties more closely, and this is the course that has been adopted in Canada. Ir is most important that an author or a dramatist should have control over the use of his own name, This may seem a platitude, but difficulties are not infrequently arising owing to the fact that neither in the dramatic contract nor in the contract for literary publication, has the author made it sufficiently clear under what name or under what pseudonym he desires the work to be produced. It might possibly occur, especially with a dramatic piece, that the manager, even though he had merely a licence to perform, would not give a fair show to the author’s name on the play bills ; and if he had purchased all the performing rights no action on the part of an author could force him to publish the name unless there was a clause in the contract binding him to do so. The same remark holds good by analogy when applied to a licence to publish or to the sale of copyright of a literary work ; but there are other points arising which make it necessary for the author and dramatist to be exceedingly careful. It is not infrequently the case that youthful efforts are sold outright under a nom de plume. If the author or dramatist should subsequently become famous, it is possible that his imma- ture work might be placed on the market with his name attached by a publisher who purposely ignores the pseudonym. As the book would come fresh before the public out of its early grave, the majority of people, forgetful of the burial, would not recognise that a resurrection had taken place, and an immature work would be treated with all the seriousness of maturity. The most strenuous efforts of the author or dramatist would be unable to prevent the action taken by the publisher or manager, for the work had actually been written by the person, and although the author might suffer damage, the case would not be such as would be legally actionable. Firstly, then, the author or dramatist should never transfer the copyright or performing rights absolutely, but should only grant a licence to publish or a licence to perform. Secondly, if the author or dramatist does transfer the copyright or the performing right, and it is of importance that his pseudonym alone should be attached or that his name alone should be attached, or that the work 82 should be published anonymously, such a clause should be inserted in the agreement. It has been necessary to point out what might otherwise appear self-evident, as on two or three occasions examples have been put forward, and have come to the notice of the Society, in which great inconvenience, annoyance, and sometimes not inconsiderable damage, has been caused in matters of this kind to the author or dramatist. _—_—_—_—___—_—_¢—<_>—_____- OBITUARY NOTE. 1-1 Herpert Wintiam ALLINGHAM, F.R.C.S., Suntor ASSISTANT SURGHON TO Sr. GEORGE'S HOSPITAL. ] ERBERT WILLIAM ALLINGHAM, Sur- geon to the Household of the King and Surgeon-in-Ordinary to the Prince of Wales, whose brilliant career was terminated in so tragic a manner at Marseilles at the beginning of last month, was a member of our Society for no less than seventeen years, and took many opportunities of expressing his interest in our work. His introduc- tion to higher professional status when a very young man came partly through the editing of a medical classic written by his father, and the business in connection with that publication was arranged by the office of the Society of Authors. Herbert Allingham’s career as an operating surgeon was one of great brilliancy, his knowledge, courage and technical skill bringing him repeated successes in seemingly desperate conditions. As will have been gathered from the many obituary notices published of him, he may be regarded in no indirect manner as a martyr to science, for in the course of his work he inoculated himself with a particularly insidious and obstinate disease. This undoubtedly preyed upon his mind, even to an unnecessary extent, and on the top of this misfortune came the sad illness and death of a beloved wife. His domestic loss at the very time when he most needed consolation plunged him into a state of deep depression. He had no resources out of his daily routine—a man who rises to the very top of an arduous and learned profession while still in his thirties does not find much time for the cultiva- tion of other branches of learning—and when his life-work became distasteful to him he fell a prey to an abiding fear that he had not the necessary self control to do justice to the tremendous responsi- bilities exacted of him by the public. Those of our members who knew Herbert Allingham will recall him as a remarkably bright, keen, courteous, self- possessed young man, the very ideal of the surgeon who, in the intent to save life or give relief, will spare no pains and will accept all risks. It is, indeed, a THE AUTHOR. tragedy that a life, so replete with valuable promise and so distinguished by great performance, should thus have been cut off. We tender our marked sympathies to Mr. William Allingham, Herbert Allingham’s father, who also is a member of our Society, and who, although he has now retired some years from actual practice, is well remembered in the scientific world both as author and practical surgeon. Se II. Lady Besant. Ir has been mentioned elsewhere how Sir Walter Besant drew his story of ‘Dorothy Forster” from the history of his wife’s ancestors, the Fosters of Northumberland. But it is not so generally known that Lady Besant was connected with literature in another way through her forefathers, the Foster-Barhams, of Cornwall and Devon. ‘Lhe “Dictionary of National Biography ” shows in the last two centuries five Foster-Barhams who were distinguished as scholars, poets, musicians, authors, and religious and social reformers. From this ancestry Lady Besant inherited that keen sense of appreciation for music and poetry, and especially that love of musical and lyrical verse which was a marked characteristic of her literary taste. From her father, Mr. Eustace Foster-Barham, she imbibed. her love of the classics and of classical English poetry, and from him also she inherited some of that love and knowledge of nature and bird-life which was another of Lady Besant’s characteristics. Familiarity with the notes and flight of birds is a rare talent; it may be transmitted from one generation to another, but it needs also an inherited capacity to receive it—a capacity which seems in danger of dying out with the increasing noise aud hurry of life. Lady Besant would wander even on Hampstead Heath in the early summer to listen for “the warblers,” and try to make their notes distinguishable to ears less keen than her own. And she was always ready to associate a poetic thought with her nature study, leading her friends by her quotations to a quickened perception of natural life, and, by her nature lore, opening up to them fresh fields of literature. She did not, like her ancestors, write books and poetry, but she loved them, and she inspired those who wrote. Many touches of the life and nature in Sir Walter Besant’s books are due to her observation and insight. While warmly sympathising with her husband’s literary interests, she was also’ a worthy helpmate of “one who loved his fellow-men.” All who have had the privilege of meeting Lady Besant can testify to the gracious refinement of thought and manner and the genuine hospitality of spirit which added a peculiar charm and inspiration to THE AUTHOR. 83 her household. Those who knew her intimately can tell that this hospitality of spirit was due to a large-heartedness that thought and spoke the best of everyone, and sought to draw from everyone their best. She leaves behind her influence and memory in very many lives, humble and simple, as well as learned and literary, enriched by her friendship, or even by a mere passing acquaintance with her gentle thoughts and unfailing sympathy. ONE OF HER MANY FRIENDS. o—~> SECRET COMMISSIONS. —> T is sometimes alleged that laws are ineffectual I unless they are in accordance with, and sup- ported by, the standard morality of the time. This statement requires qualification. Laws in ad- vance of the general morality of the average middle- class man can—if they are not too farin advance, and have the sympathy of the more intelligent portion of the community—do much to raise the general standard of morals, honesty, or manners. Con- spicuous examples may be found in the success of the laws against duelling, and against bribery at elections. Our grandfathers preserved without the slightest shame lists of the voters who were to be bought for 5/. or 10/. a head. The Parliamentary candidates of to-day will leave behind them nothing worse than lists of subscriptions paid within the limits of their constituencies. The matter of secret commissions seems to have now reached a point at which the intervention of the law may have a wholesome effect in checking a system which is universally deplored, and almost as universally practised. Such, at any rate, was the opinion of the late Lord Russell of Killowen, who introduced a bill in the House of Lords with this object. The measure, unfortunately, did not receive the sanction of the Legislature, but we may hope that before many years have elapsed some similar enactment may pass both Houses. What is wanted in order to convince many worthy and, in their own opinion, honourable men that what they are doing every day is immoral is to declare that it is illegal. At present it is commonly held in commercial circles that trade custom covers and justifies dealings, which, in the absence of such custom, would be admitted to be flagrantly dis- honest. Agents, purporting to render accounts of “out of pocket expenses,” put in their own pockets considerable discounts, or tradesmen, acting nomin- ally in partnership with persons not in trade, as, for instance, authors and publishers, render accounts which do not correctly represent their actual disbursements, Though not always easy of direct proof, owing to the various ways in which this discount is allowed by the printer or the engraver to the publisher, it is a matter of common knowledge, and will hardly be denied, that such discounts are in many cases allowed, received, and not accounted for to the author. We may quote a few instances. In one case the Secretary of the Society, on checking an author’s advertising account, discovered that the publisher had added 10 per cent. to the amount. At first the publisher was unwilling to withdraw the sum claimed, alleging that it was a custom of the trade; that all publishers did it, and that it would be impossible for a publisher’s business to prosper unless he took these commissions ; but on our Secretary insisting, the amount was reluctantly given up. In another case, a publisher, acting as agent, charged the author a higher price than he had himself paid for illustrations to a book, and in a third instance the publisher granted the recision of an agreement on condition that vouchers for the accounts were not demanded. But the instances capable of proof are, as has been stated, few, and must necessarily be so, owing to the fact that the commission is secret. Publishers have recently produced forms of agreement, in which, for the first time, the state- ment appears that the publisher charges a commis- sion on the cost of production in cases where he undertakes to get the printing done on behalf of the author at the author’s expense. In an agree- ment set forth in the November number of 7'he Author such a clause will be found; it runs as follows :— “The amount is reckoned at the invoiced cost, which is almost invariably 5 per cent. more than the net cost.” This charge, of course, is no longer a secret commission, though in the subsequent clauses no definite percentage is stated. But there is danger that in addition to the publicly declared commission which the publishers in their agree- ments now express their intention of retaining, there may still be some publishers who will take, in addition, a secret commission, so that the last state of the author may become worse than the first. When a secret commission was taken, the author could always, by taking the advice of the Society, find out, approximately, whether the price he was paying for printing was fair or not, and in this way knew whether he was paying 5 or 10 per cent. above the market price. Now he may have to pay 5 or 10 per cent. above the market price and pay the declared commission as well. We have been led to these remarks by the report of a very interesting case, lately tried on appeal, where an agent, who employed a printer, took a secret commission, The agent and defendant in this case was not a publisher, but an auctioneer, 84 who undertook to sell certain goods for the plaintiff, and was, in addition to his commission, to be paid out of pocket expenses, including adver- tising, publishing bills, and printing catalogues. "he auctioneer received and did not bring into account arebate on the bills from the tradesmen employed. In the County Court the action went against the plaintiff, but on appeal the unanimous judgment of a Court, consisting of the Lord Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Kennedy, and Mr, Justice Ridley, was given in favour of the appellant. The summary of the facts of the case and extracts from the judgments delivered, which follow, are quoted from the report in the Zimes of November 4th :— “ The defendants called evidence to prove, and did prove to the satisfaction of the learned judge, that there was a long established usage or practice amongst auctioneers to act as the defendants had acted with regard to the discounts on the accounts, and that it was the usual practice for the printers to deal with the auctioneers as principals, and to allow them as trade customers the trade discount off the retail price, the whole of the retail price being charged by the auctioneers against the vendors. It was admitted that no mention of the discount was made by the defendants to the plaintiff ; and the plaintiff swore that he did not know of any usage or practice under which the defendants might claim such discount, though he admitted that he knew there was such a practice with regard to the bills sent in by news- papers for advertising. The County Court Judge was of opinion that the defendants had acted honestly, and that, inasmuch as they took no secret commission from any person with whom they were negotiating a contract to be made between that person and the plaintiff, and inasmuch as the plaintiff was not in fact damnified, the plaintiff's claim failed, and that he was not entitled to recover from the defendants the amount of the trade discount allowed to the defendants, nor the amount of the commission earned by the defendants on the sale of the plaintiff's goods.” The Lord Chief Justice in delivering judgment for the plaintiff said, he must say, so far as he was concerned, he was satisfied that there was no fraud on the part of the respondent in taking and retaining the discounts allowed by the printer and others. In his opinion it was a mistake which arose from a wrong idea of what they were entitled to under their contract, and a wrong idea as to what they were entitled to by virtue of this so-called usage, as to which evidence was produced at the trial. The circum- stances of this case were, apart from explanations, a little unfortunate, and in his opinion the fact that the discounts were not disclosed did require some explanation. He was satisfied, however, that the explanation given by the respondents sufficiently explained their conduct in the matter. He must say that he thought that the law which had been applied in the cases referred to should be applied in all cases where an agent employed to do certain work received a secret commission in relation to the performance of his duty to his employer from any other than his employer. He only wished to add that he thought it was highly pro- bable that there did prevail, unfortunately, in commercial circles in which perfectly honourable men played a per- fectly honourable part, a most extraordinary laxity in the view which was placed on these proceedings. Ifa principal employed an agent for a given remuneration to do work for him, and employed him upon these terms, that agent was not allowed to make a secret profit for himself out of that transaction. The-sooner that was recognised, and the THE AUTHOR. sooner these secret commissions were made to be dis- approved of by men in an honourable profession, the better it would be for trade and commerce in all its branches. He said that not because for one moment he thought that these gentlemen were acting otherwise than in what they believed to be in accordance with their rights, but the argument of Mr. Duke had led the Court—indeed it had invited them— to say that the Court should allow these commissions to these gentlemen as against their principal because the principal knew, or ought to have known, that something of the kind was going on. Of course, if iv was brought to the knowledge of the principal that such things were being paid, it ceased to be secret, and then, of course, the question did not arise ; but when there was no knowledge the agent ought to account, and it was only honest that he should carry on his business on the principle that he should account. For the reasons which he had stated, the appellant was entitled to judgment for the two sums which the respon- dents had received by way of discount, but was not entitled to recover the commission which he had paid to them. Mr. Justice Kennedy said that on the general question he was of the same opinion. He thought that with regard to the discount the appellant was, as a matter of contract, entitled to receive the sums which the respondents had retained. By the terms of the agreement under which the respondents were em ployed they were entitled to claim beyond this commission out of pocket expenses only. What they now sought to retain was not out of pocket expenses. It had been suggested that “out of pocket expenses & might be qualified by a knowledge that in some portion of contracts which the auctioneers would necessarily enter into they might possibly be allowed a discount. It appeared to him quite impossible, as it would be unjust, to act upon such suggestions, because presumably the auctioneers ought to be treated, and they certainly claimed to be treated as men of honour; and if he said he would charge only out of pocket expenses, he (his Lordship) would think that any one who dealt with him, if so addressed, would expect to have the benefit of any discounts, if there were any, in that particular case. Further, he wished to say, without adding to what the Lord Chief Justice had said, because he had expressed it better than he (Mr. Justice Kennedy) could if he attempted to do it over again, he did think it was sad to find the extent to which in these days persons of apparent honour, and no doubt respectability, seemed to be willing to justify or to connive at secret commissions. The whole gist of the evil was in the word * Secret,” not in the word “ Commission.” If the employer was told, as he ought to be told, that the agent was going to make certain profits out of the transaction beyond the remuneration the principal was paying, there would be no possible harm ; but unless that was brought to the knowledge of the principal, if a person took the commission, or if he con- nived at another person receiving a secret commission, he was doing a thing which went far to bring a rot into the honesty of commercial transactions. He quite agreed with the Lord Chief Justice that it was only just to say that the respondents were acting perfectly honestly in doing what they imagined was right under an established practice. He would, however, be sorry to say that the practice was an honest one, unless the fact was brought to the knowledge of persons employing the agent. Mr, Justice Ridley said he concurred with the judgment: of the Lord Chief Justice. The remarks of the learned judges, at once trenchant as regards the practice condemned, and charitable to the particular offenders, leave little to be added. We trust that so clear a judicial exposition of THE AUTHOR. the moral law, and so emphatic a decision, that on this matter of secret commissions the law of England is identical with it, may do something to touch the unawakened consciences of men “of apparent honour, and, no doubt, respectability,” and to prevent them in future from following a course of action which the Court of Appeal has decided to be dishonest in itself and likely “ to bring a rot into the honesty of commercial transactions.” —————_+—>—_____—_—__ SWORD AND PEN. —_-——>—- —_ OLDIERS seem ever to have displayed a strong predilection for the pen. After the sword, indeed, it is the weapon that has had the first place in their affections. From Julius Czesar to ‘ Linesman”’ they have shone as historians, the first named being perhaps the best war corre- spondent on record. His “ Veni, Vidi, Vici,” still remains unequalled and unsurpassed. In three words he contrived to say what his fellow craftsmen of the present day would want three volumes for. If there are no Cwesars at the present day, and if the Napiers and Hamleys of the nineteenth century have no place in the twentieth one, the age is none the less barren of good military authors. Thus, in addition to the Commander-in-Chief himself, the soldier-writers still with us include Field-Marshals Viscount Wolseley and Sir Evelyn Wood, V.-C., Generals Sir William Butler, Sir Francis Clery, Frederick Maurice, and R. 8. Baden- Powell; while two of the most successful play- wrights—Robert Marshall and Basil Hood are ex-captains of line regiments. Besides these, there are a host of others, ranking from subalterns upwards, who have conclusively shown that their prowess with the pen is no mean one. Among military historians, pure and simple, the first place was (until his lamented death last year), easily occupied by Colonel G. IF. R. Henderson, C.B. Of his completed works, the ‘Battle of Spicheren’”’ and “Campaign of I’redericksburg”’ are the best known. By the way, Colonel Henderson also translated Count Sternberg’s ** Experience of the Boer War.” At the head of the long list of present-day military authors will be found two field-marshals. These are respectively Lord Wolseley and Earl Roberts. Lord Wolseley’s first contribution to the publishers’ lists was a “ Narrative of the War with China.” Eight years later, in 1869, appeared his well-known “ Soldier’s Pocket Book.” In 1873 he wrote a companion volume for the auxiliary forces. As a historian, his preliminary essay was made with a “Life of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough.” 85 He followed this in 1895, with the “ Decline and Fall of Napoleon,” a volume which Inaugu- rated “The Pall Mall Magazine Library.” Lord Wolseley has also written numerous prefaces and introductions to books by his comrades in arms, while his contributions to magazines and reviews would in themselves make another volume. Like his distinguished predecessor in the office of Commander-in-Chief, Lord Roberts has tre- quently acted as a literary godfather, while he has also inspired a shelf full of biographies. None of these, however, have had a fraction of the well- deserved success accorded to his own “Forty-one Years in India.” Of this, some thirty editions have been issued since its original appearance in 1897. Two years earlier he wrote the “ Rise of Wellington.” The literary beginnings of Sir Evelyn Wood, V.-C., were of a modest nature. They took the form of the publication of a series of lectures, delivered before the members of the Royal United Service Institution, in 1876 and 1877. Nearly two decades elapsed before he wrote anything else. This was a volume on the Crimea. In 1897 appeared his ‘ Achievements of Cavalry,” followed shortly afterwards by ‘‘ Cavalry in the Waterloo Campaign.” Perhaps, of all military authors of the present day, the most prolific and versatile is Lieut.-General Sir William Butler. Novels, biographies, and histories have all been born of his industry. He commenced in 1872 with the ‘‘ Great Lone Land,” and in 1899 appeared his last book, the “ Life of Sir George Pomeroy Colley.” ‘This is generally admitted to be one of the best biographies yet written. ‘lhe same author also contributed lives of General Gordon and Sir Charles Napier to the “English Men of Action” series. Altogether, General Butler’s name appears on the title page of nine separate books. The total of Major-General Frederick Maurice’s literary industry is ten. Included among these are biographies of his father, Frederick Denison Maurice, Sir H. B. Hamley, and Stonewall Jackson, histories of the Kgyptian (1882) and Ashanti Campaigns, and a recondite treatise on “ Hostilities without Declaration of War,” to the last edition of the ‘‘ Encyclopedia Britannica.” Long before the appearance of his famous pam- phlet on “ Scouting,” Major-General R. 8. Baden- Powell wrote books on professional matters. ‘The best known among these dealt with the important subject of ‘ Reconnaissance.” In 1889 he was responsible for a work on ‘ Pigsticking.” ‘This was succeeded by the ‘ Downfall of Prempeh” (1896) and the “ Matabele Campaign” (1897). Like Lord Roberts, “ B.-P.” has been the subject of at least half-a-dozen biographies, the majority of which are as fatuous examples of mere book-making as it would be possible to conceive. 86 “The Manual of Infantry Drill” is undoubtedly the most widely circulated volume in camp and barracks. Although anonymity shrouds its author- ship, General Sir Charles Mansfield Clarke (the newly appointed Governor of Malta) is commonly credited with being responsible for it. The strict anonymity which at one time veiled the personality of “ Linesman ” (the author of “ Words by an Eye Witness”) has now been brushed aside. ‘The adopter of this nom de yuerre is Captain Maurice Grant, of the Devonshire Regiment, at present a Deputy-Assistant-Adjutant-General at the War Office, and more concerned with the preparation of “Blue Books” than any other form of literature. None of the Peeping Toms of Modern Grub Street, however, have as yet succeeded in identifying “ Intelligence Officer ” (who wrote “ On the Heels of De Wet”) with anyone whose name is contained in the current Army List. At first sight the connection between Mars and the Muse does not perhaps seem very evident. That such a one exists, however, is conclusively proved by the fact that several volumes of verse have emanated from military authors. One of the best known among these is from the pen of that distinguished soldier, Sir Ian Hamilton, and was published by John Lane. Of novelists who wield the sword, the number is rather larger. It includes Colonel Newnham Davis, Major Drury, Captain Haggard, D).S.0., and Captain Peacock. Horace WYNDHAM. —_——__—_——_—__¢___—__ BOOK ADVYERTISING.* —-——+ — NOR anything more tame or more unsatisfactory than the book advertising that goes on we should have to look a long way. It seems to me there is almost no advertising at all in the book trade, but merely “announcing.” Elsewhere T am apt to meet with advertisements at once striking and speaking, but never in the pub- lishers’ columns. Indeed, it would be hard for print to make a more dreary impression than it does in precisely these announcements. I do not know how it is with the bibliomaniac, but when I see a hatch of publishers’ lists in a paper, I experience nothing but aversion—a nausea partly that so much writing should be produced, and partly that it should have so dismal an introduc- tion. The only effect such pages have is to make one turn over as quickly as possible ; and one says to oneself, “ If these books are half as sleepy as the _ * OF course, this does not quite apply to publications of information and reference. THE AUTHOR. way in which their publishers announce them, what a terribly dry lot they must be, how depressing, how lifeless, stagnant, andinert !” It would be interesting, if only for the experiment, to see a book advertised as soap is, as pills are—with go and ingenuity, and that persuasiveness which, when attention has once been arrested, then steps in to make one want the article. But there are difficulties. I need hardly say here how materially this sub- ject touches a certain pocket whose depletion our society is at much pains to prevent—the author’s, I mean. But it requires especial attention for this reason, that while for the cost of getting up a book, be that ever so exorbitant, a commissioning author does at least receive some guid pro quo in the shape of paper, print, and binding, the cost of advertising may be so much money just thrown away. I say “may be,” but suspect thav. in perhaps a majority of instances it positively is so, judging this, however, more from the impotence and indistinction of the average book announce- ment than from any familiarity with authors’ accounts; for such experience as I have of the latter is more illuminating than extensive. Perhaps, under these circumstances, I may be permitted to refer to a case of my own for example. In this instance £15 was the sum spent for adver- tising, which, under the publishers’ direction, procured me forty odd insertions in various periodicals of an announcement in the usual style, viz., three or four lines in small type, sandwiched between a mass of other titles, press notices, and so on—as bald, forlorn, and pitiable an arrangement as could be devised. Though I had no exact means of checking the efficacy of these advertise- ments, I know for certain they did not bring me over six additional customers, if as many. From each of these I received the payment of roundly half a crown. Result :—Expenditure, £15; re- ceipts, 15s.; net loss, or charitable bequest to newspaper proprietors, £14 5s. Tt is no use saying now that the merchandise was bad, because we know very well that the most worthless nostrums can be profitably advertised, and even entirely bogus schemes be so urged to success. The point is that this dry and mechanical way of cataloguing books that publishers have got into does not give the author a run for his money, though, to be sure, the negligence is on both sides, and partly necessitated into the bargain. But say that, instead of leaving this £15 to be frittered- away in so many paltry obscurities, I had concen- trated it in ten distinct, alertly written “ads.,” and carefully placed these, should I not have received — at least ten times as many inquiries—yes, had it been but. a load of bricks at 3s. 6d. apiece net ? It is not so much any wild and sweeping reforms I advocate in this matter ; but where feasible I do call for more enterprise, more attention, more vivacity. A good advertisement speaks to you: it carries its point, and fixes that on the mind ; its action is a positive one. But what are we to say of the featureless inventories which in the book- trade still pass for advertisement ? What is there individual about these? Are they lucid, crisp, emphatic, intelligent ? Do they assert anything in aconvincing manner? [ say it is all as miserably lame as could be ; and I should like to know how it is some author or other does not at last wake up to crow out, like a cock on a frosty morning, that his book is “the best.” Alas for our self-satisfac- tion ! In this market “the best” are already there, and underselling us, too, at that. In truth (to mention a few of the difficulties now) a book isa poor thing to advertise, the good ones so valuable as to be beyond recommendation, the bad ones so superfluous that nobody really can find the heart to insist upon them. The limited extent of the appeal is indeed a very serious im- pediment here. And it is not so much that books are luxuries, for so in the very nature of the case are all other advertised articles. Itis the fact that these goods, before satisfying the purchaser, have to command a certain amount of his sympathy, and shape themselves, not simply to his convenience, but to the spirit of him. This is the reason why, strictly speaking, it is impossible to treat books— other than those of a merely formal class—as proper articles of commerce. With commodities the mental and moral order of the purchaser does not come in question, but with books it does, and this complication will always more or less prevent us from advertising them as true branded commo- dities are—that is to say, with decision, assurance, and pertinacity. Could any writer, I ask, were it Shakespeare himself, give so much as your tailor’s guarantee, and claim in his announcement, “ We fit you” ? Decidedly no. The author’s stock is all of a size; and it is only the few and the scat- tered others of about that calibre that he can attempt to cater for. Nay, were some of us to speak for ourselves, we should have to affirm that those to whom we wish to be recommended are a public whose very existence is essentially no more than phantasmal. Precisely of this audience we have never met a single member, but can trust only that they lurk somewhere. Of great writers it might be said that time is their advertisement (and there is no medium yield- ing better results). What more eloquent advocate, indeed, can an author desire than his writing ? what fairer testimonial? Unfortunately, however, it is exactly this distribution of sample-pieces that presents so much difficulty. It is not everyone who has the knack of just that style requisite to gain THE AUTHOR. 87 signed admission to the standing periodicals, nor everyone who has something purely topical to say. Even when this is the case, the probability is that the specimens so circulated are of a specially adapted character—of a character, in other words, not properly representative. From this sort of advertisement a man gains enumeration at the ex- pense of reputation. In the alternative event, the author, making of his books or, it may be, manu- scripts, his personal journal and propaganda, must simply wait for the word to percolate of its own gravity to congenial company, in this sometimes forwarded, sometimes thrust back, by the deputa- tion of official “tasters.” And those who have ever found themselves in the predicament will hardly need any reminder from me what an excru- ciatingly slow process this generally is. How many purveyors are there in any case who, had they but fifty customers, would have five hundred ? Advertisement, like an usher, calls out our names, but not the personalities or capacities attached to them. Where the name itself implies nothing, consequently, the announcement is sure not to go for much ; and unknown authors ought to bear the fact in mind, if they do not want to waste money. No doubt, if the advertiser could only be sure he were informing THE READER, his recommendation would not lack for point and effectiveness. Besides, a word, a sign even, would be sufficient here. Stood up, however, in front of the book-buying public — this foreign, heteroge- neous, preoccupied assembly—enthusiasm too often dies wretchedly away, the tongue falters, and what was to have been a brag is uttered a feeble gasp. The speaker looks round. Instead of the fanfare, a toy trumpet has heralded his approach. Norman ALLISTON. o~<e& ¢ A GUIDE TO GRUB STREET. ++ rHVHERE is an alarming rumour current in Fleet Street to the effect that in the near future all newspaper articles will be written by machinery. Until such time, however, the older fashioned methods will doubtless prevail. What these methods are, and the best way of acquiring them, Mr. Arthur Lawrence essays to set forth in this manual.* At any rate, in the first two lines of the opening chapter he describes it as “a work intended to serve as a guide to journalism.” Unfortunately its achievement falls very short of * «Journalism as a Profession,” by Arthur Lawrence (Hodder & Stoughton). 88 its intention, and the literary aspirant may read the volume from cover to cover twice over without being any nearer the editorship of either the Times or Comic Cuts than when he started. The book, however, will make him think that he is. It will also have the effect of imbuing the minds of numbers of ambitious journalistic amateurs with the idea that newspaper pro- prietors are aching to pay them large sums of money. This is a matter for regret. Every young woman in the kingdom thinks she can write a story, and some of them are quite positive about it. Our instructor tells them airily that “there are several writers of serial stories in the popular weeklies who earn £1,500 a year.” He puts the average rate of remuneration at a guinea a thousand words. Mary Ann reads this, and her mouth waters. If she perceived, however, that between her and the acquisition of £1,500 stretched the composition of approximately a million and a half words, her transports would subside in marked degree. Of journalism, too, in general we are told, “The beginner of not more than average ability may reasonably hope to be self-supporting—in somewhat meagre fashion, perhaps—at the start.” Well, “hope” is cheap. As a beginner himself Mr. Lawrence seems to have met with better fortune than most people. “The number of MSS. returned to me,” he writes naively, “during six years of free-lance contribu- tions was not more than 1 per cent.” He omits to mention, however, the number that were accepted. Mr. Lawrence’s opinion that “it is less the sub- ject than the treatment which counts” is not shared by editors as a class. Indeed, when the subject is all right—from their point of view— nothing else is of any great importance. No amount of literary skill will make them look with eyes of favour on a contribution that does not deal primarily with a topic that will appeal to their readers. This is why our “popular” magazines print so many ill-written articles on interesting subjects. A second view expressed by the author of “ Journalism as a Profession” is also unlikely to meet with general approval. It occurs in his chapter on interviewing, in the course of which he states in effect that it is undesirable to submit to the person referred to the biographical and critical portions of the article. These, he argues, should be printed without inquiring beforehand whether they are approved of or not. Among most people this sort of thing would be regarded as bad manners. It is a little curious, therefore, to find Mr. Lawrence including “ good taste” among the necessary qualifications of an interviewer. Several pages in this enlightening manual are devoted to the subject of short story writing. Aspirants will turn to these eagerly, for no descrip- THE AUTHOR. tion of literary work is more attractive to the would- be author. In dealing with the subject our guide invokes the aid of a brother-writer. Meredith and Kipling being unavailable, he gives them the wise © words of the next best expert on hand. This is no less an authority than the editor of Forget-me-Not ! “ Here’s richness !’’ as Mr. Squeers once observed. The mentor thus called in takes himself very seriously, and insists upon simplicity, directness, condensation, development, and “ form,” together with any number of other desirable attributes, before the high standard of Home Chat and similar organs can be reached. He advises the beginner to turn his attention to serials, opening up a golden vista in this direction. ‘‘ At present,’’ he declares, “there are nearly five hundred serials running in London periodicals, and editors value the capable serial-writer above rubies.” Perhaps this is why they pay them from fifteen shillings per thousand words, which is the market price for beginners in Carmelite Street. Even at a guinea per thousand (the scale here stated as being usual) it seems unduly optimistic to say that ‘a young man who has once got a start can comfortably earn £1,000 a year.” At any rate, he has got to write a million words—that is, the contents of ten long novels— to do it. On this delicate matter of the journalist’s earning powers Mr. Lawrence holds a no less cheery view. “‘T have frequently,” he remarks, “had ocular demonstration of the fact that thirty, forty, and even fifty guineas can be obtained for a well-illus- trated and popular article,” and then goes on to speak of a writer—“ quite unknown to the public ” —who received £480 for a series of twelve contri- butions. After this it seems a little strange to find him saying, ‘‘In most periodicals money is not scattered about. Newspapers, magazines, and reviews are conducted on the same principle as any other form of trade enterprise.” But Mr. Lawrence says many strange things. One of them (on p. 74) is “ different — to.” The final chapter in Mr. Lawrence’s book is written by Sir Alfred Harmsworth. It deals with “The Making of a Newspaper,” and is worth more than all the others put together. H. W. a THE FEMININE NOTE IN FICTION. — ee T the introduction to his volume of essays on certain women writers of the present time, Mr. W. L. Courtney starts with the assump- tion that women who write novels introduce a particular point of view of their own, that there is, in short, a distinctive feminine style in fiction. THE AUTHOR. He is not unmindful, however, of the painful truth that if there is a distinct feminine standpoint there is a distinct masculine standpoint also, and that the latter is as likely to lead to misapprehension as the former. It must be confessed that study of Mr. Courtney’s essays fails, in the case of the present writer, to give a clear notion of what this distinctively feminine note is. At times one has the impression that a note of ponderous solemnity, a prophetic hollowness of voice that hints the gas and tripod of the Sibyl herself, is the common quality of literary women ; but, after all, distinctly masculine persons utter oracles by the furlong. At other moments a passion for paradox, and for the epigrams that the editor of the Fortnightly despises so wrongly, seems to be the typical vice of the female novelist. One serious defect, com- mon to all women writers except Sappho and Charlotte Bronté, appears to be an insane passion for detail, and this is generally combined with self-consciousness and didacticism. The diary which some pretty women daren’t keep and all plain ones keep so religiously is the cause of the self-consciousness: the didacticism is the Old Eve that lurks even in the pious bosom of the deaconess and the novelist with a Purpose. Mr. Courtney sat down to write a book—or rather, I should say that he has collected a book from those reviews of his whose style is a refreshing and sober contrast with the somewhat flamboyant periods of the other columns of the Daily T'elegraph—a book which professes to deal with one note in fiction peculiar to women. He has written essays on eight distinguished ladies (the Muses themselves only attained to the mystic number nine), and, as a conse- quence, has given us an interesting volume on eight feminine notes in fiction. I suggest that he publish an additional volume on the same subjegt every year. Variwn etmutabile sniper fanina 7 The only common qualities in feminine fiction that I have ever detected are, first, a tendency to say, like the Duchess in “* Lady Windermere’s Fan,” that all men are monsters, or to draw angels with moustaches and clerical trousers; and secondly, to call them- selves ugly names if they do not already possess them. John Oliver Hobbes, Amalie Skram, Madame Edgrems-Leffler, Zack, Gyp,—why do the brilliant creatures all choose, or possess lawfully, these terribly aggressive appellations ?,“ By the Ilyssus, as Matthew Arnold would havé said, there was no Skram. By the Thames, howevei, there are plenty of names just as formidable. Why should our feminine fictionists rejoice in adding such a truly ugly discord to the Strauss-like cacophonies of modern life? The masculine note in criticism of it should ever be the loud and natural D of denunciation. sr, J. Li. 89 IN A PUBLISHER’S WAITING-ROOM. 3Y THE JUNIOR PARTNER. 1 HE “front clerk ”—as he is called—(whose business it is to “ squeeze ” visitors and make them yield up the truth about themselves, whether they be “authors,” “advertising,” or “accounts,” and these, too, bond fide, and no humbug) knocks at my door. On the card, which he places before me without comment, is the name of a man of some distinction in our Civil Service ; and, glancing at the “ requisi- tion’ slip which accompanies it, upon which a caller is required to mention his business, I see that the section is not filled up, so the slip adds nothing to my knowledge of his business. When, five minutes later, I open the door of the waiting-room and ask him to be seated, my mind is (I like to think) a blank. Iam without prejudice. But as soon as the light catches his face I see that he is probably an author, one who has, perhaps, never published anything before. Men will go to a strange doctor, lawyer, clergy- man, and speak unblushingly, sometimes of strange discreditable things. There is a tacit understanding. The object of the visit is approximately known. No preliminaries are necessary: digestion or conscience is giving trouble ; a “settlement ” or a ‘ divorce” is to be arranged: nothing is so strange or so commonplace but the profession will support it, and the client shortly feel at ease. Something of this kindly aid to human nature, which the pro- fessional man derives from his office, the publisher himself strives after, and, in a large “ practice,” sometimes attains to. The author rarely. The author is either an unpublished author, a failure, or a success. If either of the former, his most common fault is shyness. If the latter, sheepish- ness is not exactly his failing. No, he is not sheepish. He is usually the sovereign lord of heaven and earth, sometimes the true Olympian, but sometimes the bully and the fool. It is not altogether their fault; they are perhaps building, somewhere out of sight, their own idea of the City of God. And one must make allowances; one must allow for birth, parentage, training ; and lastly, for this strange unique thing that at length happens to them—they have a desire, strange to all animals and to most men, to express themselves in words ; to make it their business in life to live in an imaginary world. And so they come to us busi- ness men, made sad and sober by many mistakes, and explain themselves as best they may ; and we in our turn try to meet them half way by surround- ing ourselves with cautious and civil assistants armed with all the latest books of biographical 90 reference ; and by keeping an open unprejudiced mind. My caller is of medium height, squarely built, but small headed. His hair is thin and of the colour of straw—a yellow that just misses that colour. But the notable thing about him are his eyes: small, common, grey-blue eyes, you would say, at a first glance. It is when he begins to speak, when he is sure of the person with whom he is speaking, that they light up and say more than the man himself can say. Indeed, this much- travelled man, with all those letters after his name, and the years and honours upon him, can say but little, and say it very badly. As he speaks he leans forward towards his listener and bends his head low. “J have come—I am sorry to trespass on your time—I wish to have a book—published, you see ? Not to pay for it. [Abruptly.] I do not wish to do that.” He smiles engagingly, uncertain of his ground. Reassured, he proceeds : “JT might be called—you would think me perhaps in a position to pay for it. Solam ; but— the fact is, I am not literary : all my friends are— the reverse. Well—unless you could see your way to publish it, I should—you see—be deeper in ignorance as to its true value. I should have no guarantee. I want to get at its true value. If it is not valuable enough to publish—for you—I shall not publish it.” I asked him to tell me what the book is about. “Ah; it is along story.” He sits up, relieved that the dreadful secret is at length out; that the preliminaries are even over ; approaching the explanation now with a kind of vigour born of confidence begotten in his hearer. Yet he is very nervous, and I try to put him at ease. * You say ‘a long story’: how many words ?” and we both laugh. The ice is broken. After the mutual understanding, he begins. “You know, I have travelled a good deal—here and there—a matter of necessity—working pretty hard, ‘serving my country’ [the winning smile again |—and—but like the man in Kipling, I’ve always had a thought behind—‘ back of all,’ as the Americans say—which—which—I scarcely know how to express it—which continually urged upon me that ‘his was not the real thing, the real pur- pose of my life. Thirty years of it I’ve done, nevertheless—absorbed in my work, going here and there, and sometimes forgetting, but never completely; especially of late. In fact, of late, though I might call myself a busy man still, I’ve felt this desire more insistent than ever ”’— “What desire ?” “Ah, yes, of course: the desire to record my experiences in a book.” “Then, a book of travels ?” THE AUTHOR. “Well, no, not exactly ; it is really imaginary ; in fact, a purely imaginary work—I mean, a work of the imagination. And yet it deals only with facts.” 1 smile at his hesitation and point out: “In that case I have to warn you that the facts will be used against you at the trial.” The suggestion missed him. He was not literary. “ How so?” abruptly. “Tn this way: if an author allege of his work that it is a record of fact, or is founded on fact, as fact, he must expect it to be judged. Fiction does not gain anything by being founded on fact; and the literary crime of writing poor fiction is not extenuated but rather aggravated by alleging of it that it is a record of fact, for in that case it is neither the one thing nor the other.” “ Quite so—of course.” Dubiously. “At least, that, I believe, is the profess‘onal reader’s view.” “‘ But may there not be exceptions ?” “ Surely.” “T do not say I am the—the heaven-sent exception. But—you must forgive me—this book of mine will, I think, astonish you. It has cost me years of thought—years: I have put all of myself —the best I have—into it. You must admit that ‘the very best, the most truthful part, of even the most ordinary man’s thoughts may be really worth something.” “To himself, to his friends, yes; but, as litera- ture, not necessarily.” “ How ?—what do you mean by literature ?” My face involuntarily expressed deprecation. I made a movement which his nervousness wrongly interpreted, and he rose. “ May I send it, then, if you please? You will take care of it? You have my name and address. And—will you, will you, please, (in a whisper full of anxiety)—read it yourself?” “That I fear I cannot promise.” “Well, never mind. Thank you very much. I am afraid I have been trespassing. Thank you. Ti send it at once. Thank you. Good-bye.” The pleading eyes of this ‘‘ man of action” were with me for days. A busy man, he had evidently suffered much from some mental worry, and had thus been driven back upon the world of thought where he found himself at sea. A pathetic figure, with that invincible belief which so many would- be authors have in common: that the success and happy ease with which they carry out the practical work of their lives must qualify them at length for success in a totally different sphere—that it is a guarantee of it. The manuscript arrived the next day. It was not anovel. It was a twelve-canto poem in blank verse, for the model of which ‘‘ Paradise Lost” had evidently served, recounting the author’s birth, bringing up, experiences, activities, and, in the last canto, the loss of his earthly paradise when his wife left him for someone else—not literature ; indeed, quite worthless. —_______+ > ____ CORRESPONDENCE. ass Srr,— What is our literature coming to ? I take the following choice extracts at random from ‘The Storm of London,” which I am told is the rage of the season : 1. ‘ Amphibrion” or “ Amphytrion ” (the author favours both forms, but never by accident the right one). 2. “The London Hetaires.” 3. “ Preferable ¢han social decomposition.” 4, “ Awaiting for.” 5. “ Let me pour you (sic) a cup of tea.” 6 7 8 ). “An mfalliable guide.” . “They are having you on” (elegant). . “The lady: ‘So funny to give orders to a F229: person who stands just as naked as you are (choice). 9. ‘The corruption of a Louis XV. with the casuist of a Loyola.” 10. “ The poor diaphanous lady.” 11. “ A silver candelabra.” 12. “ Out of humour against the performance.” And so on ad nauseam ; while, for the punctua- tion (good heavens ! )—a pepper pot must have been used. How did it ever pass muster with the publisher’s reader ? oP ——+—<— “WHAT'S IN A NAME?” Sir,—Mr. Armstrong’s letter does not refute my proposition that no man, under any pretext what- ever, has a right to use another man’s property in book-titles. ‘This subject of title-taking I have treated more upon moral than legal grounds. If he thinks that my remarks upon his letters in 7'he Author have passed the bounds of fair comment, I tender him, in all sincerity, a full and frank apology. Mr. Charles Weekes prefaces his raw reply to my proposition with the complimentary question, “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge ?” With equal grace I demand, “ Who is this that offereth sophistry for reasoning ?” Besides copyright, he tells us, an author has “common law right.” This, in part, is a flagrant sophism. Common law is unwritten law, and where is the right in that which is unwritten ? THE AUTHOR. | 9] Mr. Weekes means, I suppose, that the common law gives one man a right to appeal against another’s appropriating his property in book-titles, Just so. But that does not constitute a right moral or legal, to the book-title, any more than the purloining of title-deeds gives a right to possession of the property of which they are the evidence. Take a title-deed, as book-titles are purloined, and the act is criminal. To save space I shall not handle his fallacious analogy between book-titles and trade-marks as he did my correct one concerning Mr. Penman Dryas- dust and a book-title. I shall merely point out his contradictions of himself, and his sophistry, He writes :— “A book has a right against infringers which the common law will recognise. alse.” This he calls taking the analogy the other way. ‘Twist it whatever way he will, it is a contradiction. He complains of my want of analogical reasoning ; but what about his own unconscious lack of it as shown in the following passage? In plenitude of words he writes :—“ Copyright, Mr. Panter should learn, ... is not like a man’s right to ‘house utensils,’ It is analogous to the right in a patent or trade-mark.” Above Mr. Weekes, in the cock- sure vein, declares for an author’s “common law right.” And here he eliminates the cocksure by stating it is only an analogous one! Book-titles and trade marks are not analogous; and until it can be shown that an author gives the same title to every work he writes as a publisher stamps his trade-mark upon every book he produces, there can be no analogy between book-titles and trade-marks. ‘lo use Mr. Weekes’ own phrasing against himself : ‘“« Here the analogy of” book-titles to trade-marks “undergoes complete extinction. I am tempted to inquire whether he understands the nature and uses of analogical reasoning.” A book-title and a trade mark possess as much analogy as do the marks upon the bodies of Smith and Beck, and yet this ‘analogy ” gave the innocent man seven years of penal servitude. What says the Copyright Act (5 and 6 Vict. c. 42), 8. 3, with respect to the word “book.” ‘A book shall be construed to mean and include every volume, and part or division of a volume, &e., &e., of original composition published.” Is the title not a part of the volume ? Why, then, should the title, or first sentence of the volume, be wrenched from its fellow sentences in order to make //, and noother sentence, a question of contention in a law court ? To make it such belies the pronouncement of the Copyright Act, that a part as well as the whole of a volume is under its protection. “A book has a right against infringers which the copyright law will recognise. This is true.” 90 THE AUTHOR. reference ; and by keeping an open unprejudiced mind. My caller is of medium height, squarely built, but small headed. His hair is thin and of the colour of straw—a yellow that just misses that colour. But the notable thing about him are his eyes: small, common, grey-blue eyes, you would say, at a first glance. It is when he begins to speak, when he is sure of the person with whom he is speaking, that they light up and say more than the man himself can say. Indeed, this much- travelled man, with all those letters after his name, and the years and honours upon him, can say but little, and say it very badly. As he speaks he leans forward towards his listener and bends his head low. “JT have come—I am sorry to trespass on your time—I wish to have a book—published, you see ? Not to pay for it. [Abruptly.] Ido not wish to do that.” He smiles engagingly, uncertain of his ground. Reassured, he proceeds : “T might be called—you would think me perhaps in a position to pay for it. SoIam ; but— the fact is, I am not literary : all my friends are— the reverse. Well—unless you could see your way to publish it, I should—you see—be deeper in ignorance as to its true value. I should have no guarantee. I want to get at its true value. If it is not valuable enough to publish—for you—I shall not publish it.” I asked him to tell me what the book is about. “Ah; it isa long story.” He sits up, relieved that the dreadful secret is at length out; that the preliminaries are even over ; approaching the explanation now with a kind of vigour born of confidence begotten in his hearer. Yet he is very nervous, and I try to put him at ease. “You say ‘a long story’: how many words ?” and we both laugh. The ice is broken. After the mutual understanding, he begins. “You know, I have travelled a good deal—here and there—a matter of necessity—working pretty hard, ‘serving my country’ [the winning smile again |—and—but like the man in Kipling, I’ve always had a thought behind—‘ back of all,’ as the Americans say—which—which—I scarcely know how to express it—which continually urged upon me that ‘his was not the real thing, the real pur- pose of my life. Thirty years of it I’ve done, nevertheless—absorbed in my work, going here and there, and sometimes forgetting, but never completely; especially of late. In fact, of late, though I might call myself a busy man still, I’ve felt this desire more insistent than ever ’— “What desire ?” “Ah, yes, of course: the desire to record my experiences in a book.” “Then, a book of travels ? ” “Well, no, not exactly ; it is really imaginary ; in fact, a purely imaginary work—I mean, a work of the imagination. And yet it deals only with facts.” I smile at his hesitation and point out: “In that case I have to warn you that the facts will be used against you at the trial.” The suggestion missed him. He was not literary. “ How so ?” abruptly. “In this way : if an author allege of his work that it is a record of fact, or is founded on fact, as fact, he must expect it to be judged. Fiction does not gain anything by being founded on fact; and the literary crime of writing poor fiction is not extenuated but rather aggravated by alleging of it that it is a record of fact, for in that case it is neither the one thing nor the other.” “Quite so—of course.” Dubiously. ““At least, that, I believe, is the professional reader’s view.” ‘‘ But may there not be exceptions ?” “ Surely.” “T do not say I am the—the heaven-sent exception. But—you must forgive me—this book of mine will, I think, astonish you. It has cost me years of thought—years: I have put all of myself —the best I have—into it. You must admit that ‘the very best, the most truthful part, of even the most ordinary man’s thoughts may be really worth something.” “To himself, to his friends, yes ; but, as litera- ture, not necessarily.” ‘* How ?—what do you mean by literature ?” My face involuntarily expressed deprecation. I made a movement which his nervousness wrongly interpreted, and he rose. “May I send it, then, if you please? You will take care of it? You have my name and address. And—will you, will you, please, (in a whisper full of anxiety)—read it yourself ?” “That I fear I cannot promise.” “Well, never mind. Thank you very much. I am afraid I have been trespassing. Thank you. I'll send it at once. Thank you. Good-bye.” The pleading eyes of this “man of action” were with me for days. A busy man, he had evidently suffered much from some mental worry, and had thus been driven back upon the world of thought where he found himself at sea. A pathetic figure, with that invincible belief which so many would- be authors have in common: that the success and happy ease with which they carry out the practical work of their lives must qualify them at length for success in a totally different sphere—that it is a guarantee of it. The manuscript arrived the next day. It was not anovel. It was a twelve-canto poem in blank verse, for the model of which ‘‘ Paradise Lost”? had THE AUTHOR. | 91 evidently served, recounting the author’s birth, bringing up, experiences, activities, and, in the last canto, the loss of his earthly paradise when his wife left him for someone else—not literature ; indeed, quite worthless. —~>— + CORRESPONDENCE. Be Str,— What zs our literature coming to ? I take the following choice extracts at random from ‘The Storm of London,” which I am told is the rage of the season :— 1. *‘ Amphibrion” or “ Amphytrion ” (the author favours both forms, but never by accident the right one). 2. “The London Hetaires.” 3. “ Preferable than social decomposition.” 4, “ Awaiting for.” 5. “ Let me pour you (sic) a cup of tea.” 6. “An infalliable guide.” 7. “They are having you on” (elegant). 8. “The lady: ‘So funny to give orders to a person who stands just as naked as you are’” (choice). 9. “The corruption of a Louis XY. with the casuist of a Loyola.” 10. “ The poor diaphanous lady.” 11. “A silver candelabra.” 12. “ Out of humour against the performance.” And so on ad nauseam ; while, for the punctua- tion (good heavens ! )—a pepper pot must have been used. How did it ever pass muster with the publisher’s reader ? © Ap — + —— ““WHAT’s IN A NaME?”’ Sir,—Mr. Armstrong’s letter does not refute my proposition that no man, under any pretext what- ever, has a right to use another man’s property in book-titles. ‘This subject of title-taking I have treated more upon moral than legal grounds. If he thinks that my remarks upon his letters in Zhe Author have passed the bounds of fair comment, I tender him, in all sincerity, a full and frank apology. Mr. Charles Weekes prefaces his raw reply to my proposition with the complimentary question, “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge ?” With equal grace I demand, “ Whois this that offereth sophistry for reasoning ?” Besides copyright, he tells us, an author has “common law right.” This, in part, is a flagrant sophism. Common law is unwritten law, and where is the right in that which is unwritten ? Mr. Weekes means, I suppose, that the common law gives one man a right to appeal against another’s appropriating his property in book-titles, Just so. But that does not constitute a right moral or legal, to the book-title, any more than the purloining of title-deeds gives a right to possession of the property of which they are the evidence, Take a title-deed, as book-titles are purloined, and the act is criminal. To save space I shall not handle his fallacious analogy between book-titles and trade-marks as he did my correct one concerning Mr. Penman Dryas- dust and a book-title. I shall merely point out his contradictions of himself, and his sophistry. He writes :— “A book has a right ‘A be “ A book has a right against infringers which against infringers which the common law will the copyright law will recognise. False.” recognise. This is true.” This he calls taking the analogy the other way. Twist it whatever way he will, it is a contradiction. He complains of my want of analogical reasoning ; but what about his own unconscious lack of it as shown in the following passage? In plenitude of words he writes :—* Copyright, Mr. Panter should learn, ... is not like a man’s right to ‘house utensils.” It is analogous to the right in a patent or trade-mark.” Above Mr. Weekes, in the cock- sure vein, declares for an author’s “common law right.” And here he eliminates the cocksure by stating it is only an analogous one! Book-titles and trade marks are not analogous; and until it can be shown that an author gives the same title to every work he writes as a publisher stamps his trade-mark upon every book he produces, there can be no analogy between book-titles and trade-marks. To use Mr. Weekes’ own phrasing against himself : ‘Here the analogy of” book-titles to trade-marks “undergoes complete extinction. I am tempted to inquire whether he understands the nature and uses of analogical reasoning.” A book-title and a trade mark possess as much analogy as do the marks upon the bodies of Smith and Beck, and yet this ‘analogy ” gave the innocent man seven years of penal servitude. What says the Copyright Act (5 and 6 Vict. c. 42), 8. 3, with respect to the word “book.” “A book shall be construed to mean and include every volume, and part or division of a volume, &¢., &c., of original composition published.” Is the title not a part of the volume ? Why, then, should the title, or first sentence of the volume, be wrenched from its fellow sentences in order to make /¢, and noother sentence, a question of contention in a law court ? To make it such belies the pronouncement of the Copyright Act, that a part as well as the whole of a volume is under its protection. 92 Next Mr. Weekes asks, “ Does Mr. Panter see the point” of a book being allowed to exclude other books of more value from the market monopolising the exclusive right to its title ? I answer, Yes, if it be not wrong to take and use another man’s title ; and No, if the contrary be held right. To say that because a book is of more value than another, it, therefore, has a right to that other’s title, is dishonest. And no man outside the precincts of Colney Hatch, if he respected public opinion con- cerning his mental health, would dare to say otherwise. Other remarks of Mr. Weekes I cannot notice, as they are wide of the point at issue with respect to the game of title-cribbage. He adds a like cypher to Mr. Armstrong’s arithmetical naught. For a perfect definition and able verdict I would recom- mend their study of Cowper’s “ Eyes v. Nose.” CHARLES RICHARD PANTER. Wickhampton. Seis FY LE DEAR Srr,—The question of copyright in titles, opened by Miss Mary Cholmondeley’s letter, is one that must be of interest to every writer. May I add my experiences to the sum of knowledge on the subject, for in my case what was sauce for the goose does not seem to me to have been quite sauce for the gander. Four years ago a story of mine ran serially in The Argosy. In deciding upon a title I took every step I could think of to satisfy myself that I was not infringing rights belonging to others, and Mr. George Allen, my publisher, and myself exchanged more than one letter on the subject. As, however, the firm assured me they could after “careful enquiry” find no trace of the names having been used, the story was called “ Outrageous Fortune,” and so began its course. In April, after three instalments had been printed, came an intima- tion from another publisher that a book under the same title had been brought out by him some little time before. He protested against my use of it. I gave way and the name was changed to “ Malicious Fortune.” So far I have no cause of complaint. I had poached, however innocently, on another’s manor, and the only course open was apology and withdrawal. But the incident was hardly closed before I experienced very much the same thing myself. A story of mine, “ Between the Devil and the Deep Sea,” was still in some demand, but another, called “oT wixt Devil and Deep Sea,” a title, I contend, substantially the same, was put upon the market. Instances at once occurred of friends wishful to purchase or read my book being given my THE AUTHOR. successor’s in its place, and through my publishers, Messrs. Ward, Lock & Co., I wrote to the pub- lishers of the second story and protested. I was met by a decided unwillingness to relinquish what, after my recent experience, I looked upon as my property, and the passing of letters waxed fast though not furious. At length a compromise was suggested. Would it meet the case, | was asked, if a slip drawing attention to the similarity of title and dis-similarity of contents were sent to all the literary papers? I replied that such a slip in the form of an advertisement and duly paid for as such, would content me. The notice was sent, but not in the form of an advertisement, neither, presum- ably, was it duly paid for: The only paper, as far asmy knowledge goes, that took any notice of it was The Academy, and that printed it, omitting the names of both books and authors, in the shape of a hilarious little paragraph pointing out the depths to which writers will descend to secure a cheap notoriety. I was far from considering that this met the case, but, being mindful of the delightful uncer- tainty of the law on such matters, I shrank from litigation. There was therefore nothing left me but to sit down, by no means resignedly, under what I still regard as an infringement of my rights. I am now at work on a third novel, for which T have chosen what appears to me to be the one and only suitable title that exists. From the bot- tom of my heart do I echo Miss Cholmondeley’s account of her own state of mind in similar cir- cumstances. I have no possible means of satisfying myself as to whether or not that title has been used before. Far from inviting the assistance of others, of courting the publicity which alone could set my mind at rest on the matter, I dare not breathe that title to my dearest friend lest some unscrupulous somebody hear of it and run off with my treasure. How joyfully should I welcome the advent of the register suggested more than once in the pages of Zhe Author, wherein upon payment of a guinea my title might be duly entered and so sate-guarded to me, not perhaps for ever, but for a reasonable length of time. Surely I should not rejoice alone. Much has been made of the difficulties in the way of such a register, but are not those difficulties a little exaggerated? ‘Those to whom a title is of value could at once take advantage of it. In — cases where a title has ceased to be of value to. anyone, I venture to submit that no one would be aggrieved should it be used again. I am, Sir, very truly yours, Srecta M. Durine. The Writers’ Club, Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Author, Vol. 15 Issue 03 (December 1904) Subject The topic of the resource The Author, Vol. 15 Issue 03 (December 1904) Type The nature or genre of the resource Publication Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1904-12-01-The-Author-15-3 publications The Author