464 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/464 | The Author, Vol. 10 Issue 02 (July 1899) | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=49&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=%3Cem%3EThe+Author%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+Vol.+10+Issue+02+%28July+1899%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 10 Issue 02 (July 1899)</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=51&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Publication">Publication</a> | 1899-07-01-The-Author-10-2 | | | | | 29–56 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=10">10</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1899-07-01">1899-07-01</a> | | | | | | | 2 | | | 18990701 | The Author.<br />
<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Vou. X.—No. 2.]<br />
<br />
JULY 1, 1899.<br />
<br />
[Prick SIXPENCE.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
For the Opinions expressed in papers that are<br />
signed or initialled the Authors alone are<br />
responsible. None of the papers or para-<br />
graphs must be taken as expressing the<br />
collective opinions of the Committee unless<br />
they are officially signed by G. Herbert<br />
Thring, Sec.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=o<br />
<br />
a Secretary of the Society begs to give notice that all<br />
remittances are acknowledged by return of post, and<br />
requests that all members not receiving an answer to<br />
<br />
important communications within two days will write to him<br />
<br />
without delay. All remittances should be crossed Union<br />
<br />
Bank of London, Chancery-lane, or be sent by registered<br />
<br />
letter only.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Communications and letters are invited by the Editor on<br />
all subjects connected with literature, but on no other sub-<br />
jects whatever. Articles which cannot be accepted are<br />
returned if stamps for the purpose accompany the MSS.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Dos<br />
<br />
GENERAL MEMORANDA.<br />
<br />
ERE are a few standing rules to be observed in an<br />
agreement. There are three methods of dealing<br />
with literary property :—<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
J. THAT OF SELLING IT OUTRIGHT.<br />
<br />
This is in some respects the most satisfactory, if a proper<br />
price can be obtained. But the transaction should be<br />
managed by a competent agent.<br />
<br />
Il. A PROFIT-SHARING AGREEMENT.<br />
<br />
In this case the following rules should be attended to :<br />
<br />
(1.) Not to sign any agreement in which the cost of pro-<br />
duction forms a part.<br />
<br />
(2.) Not to give the publisher the power of putting the<br />
profits into his own pocket by charging for advertisements<br />
in his own organs: or by charging exchange advertise-<br />
ments.<br />
<br />
(3.) Not to allow a special charge for “ office expenses,”<br />
unless the same allowance is made to the author.<br />
<br />
(4.) Not to give up American, Colonial, or Continental<br />
rights.<br />
<br />
(§.) Not to give up serial or translation rights.<br />
<br />
(6.) Not to bind yourself for future work to any publisher.<br />
<br />
VOL. X.<br />
<br />
As well bind yourself for the future to any one solicitor or<br />
doctor !<br />
(7.) To stamp the agreement.<br />
<br />
Ill. THE ROYALTY SYSTEM.<br />
<br />
It is above all things necessary to know what the<br />
proposed royalty means to both sides. It is now possible<br />
for an author to ascertain approximately and very nearly<br />
the truth. From time to time the very important figures<br />
connected with royalties are published in The Author.<br />
Readers can also work out the figures themselves from the<br />
‘Cost of Production.”<br />
<br />
The four main points which the Society has always<br />
demanded from the outset are :—<br />
<br />
(1.) That both sides shall know what an agreement<br />
means.<br />
<br />
(2.) The inspection of those account books which belong<br />
to the author. We are advised that this is a right, in the<br />
nature of a common law right, which cannot be denied or<br />
withheld.<br />
<br />
(3.) That there shall be no secret profits.<br />
<br />
(4.) That there shall be no charge for advertisements<br />
in the publisher's own organs and none for exchanged<br />
advertisements.<br />
<br />
pecs<br />
<br />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Le VERY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
advice upon his agreements, his choice of a pub-<br />
lisher, or any dispute arising in the conduct of his<br />
<br />
business or the administration of his property. If the<br />
advice sought is such as can be given best by a solicitor,<br />
the member has a right to an opinion from the Society’s<br />
solicitors. If the case is such that Counsel’s opinion is<br />
desirable, the Committee will obtain for him Counsel’s<br />
opinion. All this without any cost to the member.<br />
<br />
2. Remember that questions connected with copyright<br />
and publisher’s agreements do not generally fall within the<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple<br />
to use the Society.<br />
<br />
3. Send to the Office copies of past agreements and past<br />
accounts with the loan of the books represented. The<br />
Secretary will always be glad to have any agreements, new<br />
or old, for inspection and note. The information thus<br />
obtained may prove invaluable.<br />
<br />
4. Before signing any agreement whatever, send the pro-<br />
posed document to the Society for examination.<br />
<br />
5. Remember always that in belonging to the Society you<br />
are fighting the battles of other writers, even if you are<br />
<br />
p 2<br />
<br />
<br />
30<br />
<br />
reaping no benefit to yourself, and that you are advancing<br />
the best interests of literature in promoting the indepen-<br />
dence of the writer.<br />
<br />
6. The Committee have now arranged for the reception of<br />
members’ agreements and their preservation in a fireproof<br />
safe. The agreements will, of course, be regarded as con-<br />
fidential documents to’ be read only by the Secretary, who<br />
will keep the key of the safe. The Society now offers :—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon<br />
them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
<br />
ES<br />
<br />
THE READING BRANCH.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
EMBERS will greatly assist the Society in this<br />
<br />
f branch of their work by informing young writers of<br />
<br />
its existence. Their MSS. can be read and treated<br />
<br />
as a composition is treated by a coach. The Readers are<br />
<br />
writers of competence and experience. The fee is one<br />
guinea.<br />
<br />
OO iio<br />
<br />
NOTICES.<br />
<br />
1; Editor of The Author begs to remind members of the<br />
Society that, although the paper is sent to them free<br />
of charge, the cost of producing it would be a very<br />
<br />
heavy charge on the resources of the Society if a great<br />
<br />
many members did not forward to the Secretary the modest<br />
6s. 6d. subscription for the year.<br />
<br />
Communications for The Author should be addressed to<br />
the Offices of the Society, 4, Portugal-street, Lincoln’s-inn<br />
Fields, W.C., and should reach the Editor not later than the<br />
2ist of each month.<br />
<br />
All persons engaged in literary work of any kind,<br />
whether members of the Society or not, are invited to<br />
communicate to the Editor any points connected with their<br />
work which it would be advisable in the general interest to<br />
publish.<br />
<br />
The present location of the Authors’ Club is at 3, White-<br />
hall-court, Charing Cross. Address the Secretary for<br />
information, rules of admission, &c.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
FROM THE COMMITTEE.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
NE hundred and eight new members have<br />
been elected to the Society during the<br />
current year, thirty-one being elected at<br />
<br />
the meeting of the Committee held in June. This<br />
number is very satisfactory, showing no decrease<br />
on the amount of the elections at this time last<br />
year.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Some notice has been given in the papers that<br />
an arrangement has been attempted by the Pub-<br />
lishers’ Association, and adopted by some book-<br />
sellers, for the placing of high-priced books on the<br />
market at net prices. Authors signing agree-<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
ments in the future should therefore carefully<br />
look to this point, and should have it clearly<br />
stated in their arrangements as to whether the<br />
book is to be published net or with the usual<br />
discounts, for if the book is published net the<br />
publisher receives a larger price from the book-<br />
sellers, and the author must therefore receive a<br />
proportionately larger royalty. G. H. T.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
a ee<br />
<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
<br />
T.—Kiperuine v. Putnam.<br />
M RUDYARD KIPLING has raised an<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
action in the United States Circuit<br />
<br />
Court which involves a question of deep<br />
interest to authors. He suesG. P. Putnam’s Sons,<br />
D. Appleton and Co., Doubleday and McClure Co.,<br />
Charles Scribner’s Sons, and the Century Com-<br />
pany, to recover damages sustained by alleged<br />
infringements of copyrights. All but GP.<br />
Putnam’s Sons have been notified that they are<br />
only technical defendants.<br />
<br />
I, MR. RUDYARD KIPLING’S STATEMENT.<br />
<br />
Srr,—Would you spare me a little space<br />
to set out the details of a difference which<br />
has arisen between myself and Messrs. G. P.<br />
Putnam’s Sons, of New York? My excuse for<br />
troubling you is that the case may be of<br />
interest alike to English and American authors<br />
as directly affecting their control of their own<br />
works.<br />
<br />
By arrangement with Messrs. D. Appleton and<br />
Co., The Century Company, The Doubleday and<br />
McClure Company, and until lately also with The<br />
Macmillan Company (all of New York), each of<br />
these houses has published certain of my books.<br />
In 1896 Messrs. Charles Scribner’s Sons under-<br />
took the publication of an edition of my works,<br />
which was necessarily carried out with the con-<br />
currence of the other authorised publishers. It<br />
is known as the “ Outward Bound Edition,” and<br />
by agreement with my other publishers may be<br />
sold only by subscription. I have written a<br />
special introduction for it and re-arranged the<br />
stories; Mr. John Lockwood Kipling designed<br />
for it a number of illustrations; and he also ~<br />
designed for the cover, as a sign of my personal<br />
authentication or trade mark, the representation<br />
of an elephant’s head. a<br />
<br />
The “Outward Bound” Edition had this<br />
spring progressed to twelve volumes, and part of<br />
my work in America was to carry it-forward. On<br />
Saturday, March 11, there ‘appeared in an<br />
evening paper in New York City a conspicuous<br />
advertisement as follows :—<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. 31<br />
<br />
! Rudyard<br />
Kipling’s<br />
Works.<br />
<br />
BRUSHWOOD EDITION.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
15 Volumes Including General Index.<br />
<br />
{The Brushwood Edition is by far the<br />
most Complete Collected Edition of Kipling’s<br />
Works, and contains<br />
<br />
17 Notable Stories and 51 Poems<br />
<br />
not in any other collected edition.<br />
It also includes A KEN OF KIPLING<br />
<br />
By Will M. Clemens. Containing an account of Kipling’s career,<br />
an appreciation of his work, some good anecdotes, a new portrait in<br />
photogravure, and two other illustrations.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
15 vols., large 12°, Cloth xtra ..........csssscsesereeseeceeeneosenees<br />
Full buckram, leather labels, bevelled boari .<br />
Walt Galt extra, RilCtOps <i... ..sccssscccousorsveress<br />
Three-quarters calf extra........... ue<br />
Three-quarters crushed levant .........:cscccscssercensessenseeess nett $60.00<br />
<br />
For sale only in the Retail Departments of<br />
<br />
G. P. Putnam’s Sons,<br />
27 West 23d Street, N.Y.,<br />
<br />
and<br />
<br />
E. P. Dutton & Co.,<br />
<br />
31, West 23d St., N.Y.<br />
<br />
On Monday morning, March 13, this advertise-<br />
ment came to the attention of Mr. Charles<br />
Scribner, who at once called upon Mr. George<br />
Haven Putnam, and protested against the enter-<br />
prise.<br />
<br />
On March 13 and 14, Mr. George H. Putnam<br />
wrote two long letters to Mr. Scribner in defence of<br />
the so-called Brushwood Edition.<br />
<br />
In the course of these letters Mr. George<br />
Haven Putnam wrote: “The question that has<br />
arisen between your house and the management<br />
of our retail department, for the action of which,<br />
of course, our firm assumes the full measure of<br />
responsibility, impresses me as by no means as<br />
simple as it seems to you. There are various<br />
complexities in it which it may be easier to see<br />
through clearly when there are more precedents.<br />
After receiving your note this afternoon I put<br />
the question before Mr. who took<br />
precisely that ground. It seemed to him that<br />
there were a good many matters to be considered<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
in the question, and it was one of business ethics<br />
for which a simple and final answer was by no<br />
means easy.”<br />
<br />
In reply to this letter Mr. Charles Scribner<br />
wrote on March 15: “Dear Putnam,—l note<br />
your statement that you have placed the Kipling<br />
question before Mr. — , and that you report<br />
‘he took precisely the same ground that you did.’<br />
I have never claimed the question was free from<br />
complexities, most questions have them. Nor do<br />
I object to your securing sheets from the various .<br />
authorised publishers of Mr. Kipling’s books<br />
and binding them up for sale in your retail<br />
department, but I think you should confer with<br />
the author before you announce an edition of his<br />
works under a new title with a new index speci-<br />
ally prepared, and witha biographical or critical<br />
addition. And Lthink, too, that the manner of<br />
announcing your edition was particularly objec-<br />
tionable.”<br />
<br />
On investigating the “edition,” which was<br />
named from a story of mine—The Brushwood<br />
Boy—we found that it was made up in part of<br />
sheets obtained from some of my authorised<br />
publishers; that it included also some verses<br />
which I had not authorised to be published in<br />
any of my books; it included also sheets of a<br />
volume entitled “ Departmental Ditties, Barrack<br />
Room Ballads, and other Verses,” with the im-<br />
print of a firm which I had not authorised to<br />
publish this or any other book of mine ; also<br />
sheets of a book which I had not written or even<br />
seen. To these had been added some forty<br />
pages of titles and lines copied out of my books<br />
and arranged under the designation “Index to<br />
the Works of Rudyard Kipling: Brushwood<br />
Edition.” These sheets had been bound up into<br />
volumes. On the back of each volume was the<br />
name “Rudyard Kipling”; an elephant’s head<br />
in a circular design of the exact size of the<br />
elephant’s head on the cover of the “ Outward<br />
Bound” Edition, and a volume number. Upon<br />
the front of the covers there was again the<br />
elephant’s head, and a facsimile of my autograph.<br />
They were put up in a box labelled “Rudyard<br />
Kipling—Brushwood Edition.”<br />
<br />
In this connection it is interesting to remember<br />
that Mr. George Haven Putnam, in an interview<br />
with the Daily Chronicle, stated explicitly that<br />
it was not an edition, but “merely you had an<br />
harmonious binding.”<br />
<br />
I could see nothing about the books, or the<br />
box, or the advertisement to suggest that this<br />
enterprise was without my consent, or was not<br />
fully authorised by me.<br />
<br />
It seemed to me that this “edition” directly<br />
traversed my right to select my own publisher ;<br />
and that by placing a facsimile of my autograph<br />
32 THE<br />
<br />
and an imitation of my elephant’s head on books<br />
not authorised or even seen by me, Messrs. G. P.<br />
Putnam’s Sons had given a false air of authen-<br />
ticity to their enterprise.<br />
<br />
‘Also, there were the questions relating to the<br />
many purchasers of the “ Outward Bound”<br />
Edition and of the other authorised books. It<br />
would appear, on the one hand, that my “ Outward<br />
Bound ” Edition had been superseded, and on the<br />
other, that I was party to a scheme for issuing my<br />
well-known trade books with other matter which<br />
had never been authorised, under different covers<br />
as a new edition, and a more complete edition<br />
than that of Messrs. Scribners’.<br />
<br />
To give a few illustrations in this regard.<br />
Thirteen of the ‘ seventeen notable stories not in<br />
any other collected edition,” as the advertisement<br />
is so careful to point out, are secured by the<br />
inclusion of a book called “The Day’s Work,”<br />
published last autumn by Messrs. Doubleday and<br />
McClure, which in the ordinary course of events<br />
could not appear in my “ Outward Bound ” edition<br />
till June. Indeed, Mr. G. H. Putnam, in a letter<br />
of March 13 to Mr. Charles Scribner, admits that<br />
hisset “has the temporary advantage over your own<br />
handsome edition of containing the stories com-<br />
prised in the new Doubleday volume which are<br />
later, we understand, to be included in your own<br />
set.” The advantage is somewhat pronounced,<br />
when you consider that, under the terms of agree-<br />
ment with my various publishers, I could not pass<br />
a book into my “Outward Bound” edition until<br />
after the lapse of a year or thereabouts. Messrs.<br />
G. P. Putnam’s Sons, however, purchase unbound<br />
sheets of the ordinary edition of “ The Day’s<br />
Work” and make them a special feature of their<br />
Brushwood “edition.” As that volume appears<br />
with my autograph in facsimile outside, and with<br />
the elephant’s head, subscribers to the “ Outward<br />
Bound” edition, who would have to wait till June<br />
or later for their “Day’s Work,” might justly<br />
think that I was not dealing fairly with them. It<br />
seems to me that this matter touches publishers<br />
as well as authors.<br />
<br />
So far as I can make out from the “ Index to<br />
the Works of Rudyard Kipling, Brushwood<br />
Edition,” compiled and prepared by Messrs.<br />
G. P. Putnam’s Sons on their own responsibility,<br />
forty-nine of the fifty-one poems “not in any<br />
other collected edition,” are secured by the<br />
inclusion of a volume of verse called ‘“‘ Depart-<br />
mental Ditties, Barrack Room Ballads, and<br />
Other Verses,” purchased by Messrs. Putnam from<br />
a firm which is not authorised to publish any of<br />
my books. This volume includes about a dozen<br />
“ Barrack Room Ballads,” all of which are duly<br />
bound up under my facsimile autograph and<br />
elephant’s head asa volume of the Brushwood<br />
<br />
AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
“edition.” But Messrs. Macmillan’s authorised<br />
edition of my ballads and “Barrack Room<br />
Ballads” (another of Messrs. Putnam’s pur-<br />
chases and another volume of their “ edition”)<br />
naturally includes the same “Barrack Room<br />
Ballads.’ In the “Index to the Works of<br />
Rudyard Kipling, Brushwood Edition ” they are<br />
duly indexed twice over, with the explanatory<br />
note, “A few of the poems appear in two<br />
different volumes.”<br />
<br />
We come now to the two poems that make up<br />
the tale of fifty-one ; and here we are rewarded by<br />
one little touch of humour. In 1896 I published<br />
with Messrs. Appleton in New York a volume of<br />
verse called “The Seven Seas.” It was there-<br />
fore something of a surprise to me to dis-<br />
cover in 1899, at the end of “The Seven Seas,”<br />
two poems called “The Vampire” and “ Reces-<br />
sional.” “The Vampire” was adorned with a<br />
sort of blood-red title-page, and the reproduction<br />
of a picture, together with an equally blood-red<br />
autograph in facsimile. ‘“ Recessional” was not<br />
illustrated. Now, the one poem was written in<br />
1898 and the other in 1897. They were both<br />
uncopyrighted; and there was nothing in the<br />
world to prevent Messrs. G. P. Putnam’s Sons<br />
from publishing and selling them, with or with-<br />
out illustrations, as many American publishers<br />
have done. But this firm preferred to smuggle<br />
them between the pages of a brother-publisher’s<br />
copyrighted book !<br />
<br />
This would seem to establish the precedent<br />
that any retail bookseller may add to any volume<br />
of any author, after any lapse of time, such stray<br />
matter as in that bookseller’s opimion may<br />
temporarily increase the interest of the book to<br />
the vendor’s immediate pecuniary advantage and<br />
to the discredit of the author and his legitimate<br />
publisher. This, again, seems a point of interest<br />
both to authors and publishers.<br />
<br />
To continue the story. A few days after we<br />
had seen the “edition,” Mr. W. W. Appleton<br />
called, and it was intimated to him that we wished<br />
to stop the publication. He asked as a personal<br />
favour to be permitted to write to Mr. G. H.<br />
Putnam, which was agreed to. Mr. Appleton<br />
wrote on March 23, calling his attention to my<br />
special objections. On March 25 Mr. G. H. Putnam<br />
wrote a long letter of argument to Mr. Appleton,<br />
discussing the questions in detail.<br />
<br />
On March 25 Mr. G. H. Putnam wrote a long<br />
letter of argument defending the “ Brushwood<br />
Edition ” item by item to Mrs. Kipling.<br />
<br />
These letters to Mr. Scribner, Mr. Appleton,<br />
and Mrs. Kipling would fill about two columns of<br />
an ordinary newspaper. It appeared from them<br />
that the so-called “ Brushwood Edition” was not<br />
completed on Monday, March 13, when Mr.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. 33<br />
<br />
Scribner protested against the enterprise, and<br />
also that Mr. Putnam knew that we were carry-<br />
ing forward the “ Outward Bound ” Edition.<br />
<br />
The objections that had been made to Mr.<br />
Putnam were that without the consent of the<br />
author he had practically published a new edition<br />
of his works under a new title, with a new index<br />
specially prepared and with additions; and specifi-<br />
cally we objected to the method of advertising, to<br />
the inclusion in an’ edition of my works of<br />
the volume of ‘Departmental Ditties, Barrack<br />
Room Ballads, and Other Verses,’ and of the<br />
matter which I had not written, and to the use<br />
of the elephant’s head and the facsimile of my<br />
autograph.<br />
<br />
Seeing that I could make no progress, I<br />
instructed my counsel, Mr. Gurlitz, who had been<br />
looking into the matter, to request that the<br />
“edition” be withdrawn. This was demanded by<br />
him substantially upon the ground of Mr.<br />
Scribner’s protest, and he referred Messrs. G. P.<br />
Putnam’s Sons to the letters written by Mr. G. H.<br />
Putnam to Mr. Appleton and Mrs. Kipling.<br />
<br />
In response to this letter Messrs. Putnam’s<br />
counsel called upon Mr. Gurlitz and the whole<br />
matter was discussed from its legal side, the<br />
books were produced, and each volume was<br />
examined, each item of objection discussed. We<br />
had learned of the unauthorised inclusion of two<br />
of my poems in “The Seven Seas” and in the<br />
index of that book which G. P. Putnam’s Sons<br />
admit having prepared. After some discussion<br />
Messrs. G. P. Putnam’s Sons insisted in sub-<br />
stance that they were acting within their rights,<br />
and on April 4 suggested a reference with an<br />
implication that was unsatisfactory. However,<br />
if the suggestion had been made on March 13,<br />
when Mr. Scribner first protested, and if the<br />
publication had been suspended until a decision<br />
had been come to, it might have been considered.<br />
But instead of heeding Mr. Scribner’s protest,<br />
which, it will be remembered, included a direct<br />
objection to the manner in which the “ edition x<br />
was advertised, the Brushwood “edition” was<br />
advertised again and again in the papers, and<br />
also in the Putnam show-window, where a large<br />
sign was displayed with the words:<br />
<br />
RUDYARD KIPLING’S COMPLETE WORKS.<br />
BRUSHWOOD EDITION.<br />
<br />
It was not in any sense “complete.” It did<br />
not contain “‘ Pharoah and the Sergeant,” ‘‘ The<br />
Truce of the Bear,” “The White Man’s Burden,”<br />
and a number of other writings which had then<br />
been published.<br />
<br />
We had nearly concluded to bring action when<br />
an intimation was received through Mr. Appleton<br />
that Messrs. G. P. Putnam desired to see Mr.<br />
<br />
Watt, my business agent, who had come over<br />
to New York specially to aid me in suppress-<br />
ing unauthorised publications. Heping there<br />
had been a change of purpose, proceedings were<br />
suspended, and Mr. Watt called and saw Mr.<br />
Irving Putnam. Mr. Watt was familiar with<br />
the questions involved, and after his interview<br />
reported that he had listened to substantially the<br />
same matter which had already been discussed in<br />
the Putnam letters. Under date of April 21 he<br />
received a letter from Mr. Irving Putnam to<br />
the effect that Mr. Putnam had noted briefly<br />
the various points which he had gone over at<br />
the interview. This was accompanied by a long<br />
memorandum of twelve numbered paragraphs.<br />
It added nothing new to the situation except<br />
the facts that the index had been prepared by<br />
Messrs. Putnams, and that the matter in<br />
Volume XV.—a collection of newspaper para-<br />
graphs about myself—had been “ added in order<br />
to make, with the Index, bulk enough for a<br />
volume.”<br />
<br />
I understand that Messrs. Putnam’s object was<br />
to get bulk enough for a fifteen-volume edition.<br />
<br />
Our efforts, extending over some six weeks, to<br />
get the “ Brushwood Edition” withdrawn with-<br />
out legal proceedings having failed, action was<br />
commenced on April 22.<br />
<br />
On April 23, statements purporting to come<br />
from the Messrs. Putnam were published broad-<br />
cast in the New York Press. These were to the<br />
effect that they were in the dark as to the suit ;<br />
that Mr. Kipling’s attorney would make no<br />
explanation. ‘We tried for three weeks to get<br />
specifications from Mr. Kipling, but they were<br />
refused,” &¢. Since then other statements of a<br />
similar character have appeared. It has also<br />
been said that I demanded the payment of heavy<br />
damages.<br />
<br />
Nothing of the kind occurred. No one ever<br />
applied to me for any specifications whatever, but<br />
on the contrary, commencing with the morning of<br />
March 13, which was the first business day after<br />
the announcement of the ‘ Brushwood Edition,”<br />
Mr. Scribner stated our objections to Mr. G. H.<br />
Putnam. On March 23, Mr. Appleton went into<br />
the details of our objections; on March 25 Mr.<br />
G. H. Putnam defended the “Brushwood<br />
Edition” to Mrs. Kipling item by item; on<br />
March 30, the counsel of the respective parties<br />
went over the matter again, item by item, from<br />
the legal aspect; the whole subject was fully dis-<br />
cussed for six weeks in voluminous writings and<br />
by word of mouth.<br />
<br />
At any time between March 13 and April 22 a<br />
settlement could have been made if a settlement<br />
had been desired by Messrs. Putnam. The ques-<br />
tion of damages did not become a practical one,<br />
<br />
<br />
34<br />
<br />
because Messrs. Putnam refused to withdraw the<br />
so-called “Brushwood Edition,’ and refused to<br />
inform us of the number which they had pub-<br />
lished and sold.<br />
<br />
Here, then, my case against Messrs. Putnam<br />
rests :<br />
<br />
They have, under cover of following the routine<br />
of their trade, produced an incomplete set of books,<br />
which they wish the public to accept as a complete<br />
edition of my books.<br />
<br />
They have attempted—both by the title that<br />
they selected for their “edition,” and by placing<br />
on every volume my autograph in facsimile, and<br />
an imitation of the elephant’s head which is the<br />
distinguishing mark of my “ Outward Bound ”<br />
edition—to make the public believe that their<br />
venture had my sanction.<br />
<br />
They have used in part matter written and<br />
authorised by me; in part matter written but not<br />
authorised ; in part matter neither written nor<br />
authorised nor ever seen by me.<br />
<br />
They have appropriated copyright material for<br />
their own uses in their specially prepared index.<br />
<br />
They have tampered with a copyrighted book<br />
three years after publication.<br />
<br />
They have made me responsible before a public,<br />
to whom I do peculiarly owe my best and most<br />
honest work, for an egregious, padded fake.<br />
<br />
And all these things they did—taking advantage<br />
of that public’s interest in my illness—when I lay<br />
at the point of death.<br />
<br />
I do not see how I can permit their action to<br />
pass without challenge. It establishes too many<br />
precedents which will do evil to the honour and<br />
integrity of the profession that, so far, has given<br />
me countenance and profit.<br />
<br />
Rupyarp Kipxine.<br />
<br />
II. MR. IRVING PUTNAM’S STATEMENT.<br />
<br />
The Putnams say they are not conscious that<br />
they have infringed in any manner Mr. Kipling’s<br />
rights; their retail department simply purchased<br />
sheets of his copyright books published by all the<br />
defendants named, except Messrs. Scribner, and<br />
bound them in various styles of leather binding.<br />
These works, while uniform in exterior, preserved<br />
inside the material just as issued by Mr. Kipling’s<br />
authorised publishers, with the original title-pages<br />
and imprints. To make a set of a certain number<br />
of volumes Will M. Clemens’s “ Ken of Kipling,”<br />
and other Kiplingiana, and an index were added.<br />
The whole was advertised as the ‘“ Brushwood<br />
Edition,” and was marketed jointly by the retail<br />
departments of G. P. Putnam’s Sons and E. P.<br />
Dutton and Co. Mr. Irving Putnam, the head of<br />
<br />
the retail department of G. P. Putnam’s Sons,<br />
has given an account of the matter to a repre-<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
sentative of the New York Tribune.<br />
some of his statements :—<br />
<br />
The trouble probably lies—although I do not see that<br />
we have done any wrong there—in our custom of buying<br />
unbound from Mr. Kipling’s publishers the printed sheets<br />
of his works and then binding them ourselves and selling<br />
them. Our retail shop, in conjunction with our neighbour<br />
E. P. Dutton and Co., bought from the several publishers of<br />
his works a number of copies of each of his different books<br />
as follows: Copies of seven different works from the<br />
Macmillan Company, three from the Century Company, two<br />
from D. Appleton and Co., and one from the Doubleday and<br />
McClure Company. We bought these printed sheets in<br />
unbound form and put our own covers on them—an ordi-<br />
nary custom in the book business from time immemorial.<br />
These books are in each case the authorised copyright<br />
edition, and Mr. Kipling presumably gets royalty on each<br />
copy sold. There is one book of his called ‘‘ Departmental<br />
Ditties,” consisting of his earlier Indian poems, which for<br />
some reason he does not seem to wish to perpetuate. We<br />
knew nothing of this feeling when we bought the books.<br />
Of this work there is no authorised copyright edition, but<br />
it happens to be material that the public thinks most<br />
highly of. This is not included in the Outward Bound<br />
edition published by Charles Scribner’s Sons, and especially<br />
selected and compiled by himself, and we thought it a good<br />
stroke of business to include in our complete collected<br />
edition. If we had known of the author’s reluctance to<br />
have these’ poems perpetuated we would perhaps not have<br />
included them, out of principles of comity and courtesy, but<br />
we have never received such an intimation from the author.<br />
These poems happen to constitute one of the most popular<br />
of his books, and in form of various editions have been im<br />
the market for eight years. As there is no author’s copy-<br />
righted edition we bought the best available edition<br />
possible—that published by Henry T. Coates and Co.,<br />
Philadelphia. These several sheets we bound up in various<br />
styles of cloth and leather binding, making a collection that<br />
was uniform in exterior, but preserving the material just as<br />
published, together with the title-pages and imprints of the<br />
several publishers. We learned only incidentally that Mr.<br />
Kipling objected to this collection, and we have been vainly<br />
trying ever since to find out in what particular he con-<br />
sidered himself wronged. . . .<br />
<br />
Our lawyer wrote to Mr. Kipling’s counsel, and received<br />
a letter from Mr. Gurlitz stating that his client was<br />
“righteously indignant” over our ‘appropriation of his<br />
property,” and that the only possible settlement was on the<br />
basis of a withdrawal of the books for sale, an accounting<br />
to Mr. Kipling, and substantial damages week e<br />
<br />
‘‘We have published nothing,” Mr. Irving<br />
Putnam repeats, “but have simply, as retail<br />
booksellers, bound editions published by other<br />
houses. Mr. Kipling is therefore, through his<br />
agents, the Macmillan Company and others,<br />
selling us material and taking our money on the<br />
one hand, while at the same time saying, on the<br />
other hand, ‘Don’t you sell it.’ In our<br />
binding, printing, and insignia and titles of<br />
different sorts we have infringed no rights of<br />
trade marks or copyright, so that I don’t yet<br />
see where the action lies either legally or<br />
reasonably.”<br />
<br />
We quote<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. 3<br />
<br />
Il.—Tue PusLisHER AND THE AGENT.<br />
<br />
Owing to the constantly renewed endeavour of<br />
publishers to obtain control of outside markets<br />
on a profit-sharing arrangement it is necessary<br />
once more to call the attention of authors to the<br />
dangers of the position. In the first place pub-<br />
lishers are not literary agents. This work is not<br />
primarily their business. They are the authors’<br />
agents for the publication of their books only.<br />
Two points follow from this, one that a great<br />
majority of publishers have not the same facili-<br />
ties either as authors themselves or authors’<br />
agents; and two, those publishers that have<br />
these facilities use them for the purpose of their<br />
own pecuniary advantage to the detriment of the<br />
authors. The words “ outside rights” have been<br />
used in the sentence above. It is necessary to<br />
explain them as this article deals practically with<br />
“outside rights ” only.<br />
<br />
The author can divide his property up into<br />
many rights. The chief of these are as follows:<br />
<br />
Serial rights in England.<br />
<br />
Serial rights in America.<br />
<br />
Serial rights in the Colonies.<br />
<br />
Book production in England.<br />
<br />
Book production in America.<br />
<br />
Book production in the Colonies.<br />
<br />
Continental rights in English.<br />
<br />
Translation rights in the different countries<br />
under the Berne Convention, and in some cases<br />
<br />
Dramatic rights.<br />
<br />
Now, the English publisher ought to deal only<br />
with the publication of the book in England, and<br />
perhaps its colonies and dependencies.<br />
<br />
Under many forms of agreement put forward<br />
by the best houses in London the publisher asks<br />
for all the other rights enumerated beyond the<br />
publication of the book as above referred to.<br />
These other rights are termed here, for the sake<br />
of convenience, ‘ outside rights.”<br />
<br />
It has been stated that the majority of pub-<br />
lishers have not the same facilities for placing<br />
these outside rights. It isa fact that they are<br />
not in touch with the editors of magazines like<br />
an author’s agent. ‘They cannot diagnose what<br />
stories certain magazines may desire at certain<br />
times like authors’ agents, or even like the authors<br />
themselves. They have not the possibilities of<br />
placing these rights that frequently come to an<br />
agent of recognised position. _<br />
<br />
But it should be pointed out in the second<br />
place, that in many cases the publisher’s interest<br />
is antagonistic to the author’s interest in securing<br />
a financial return for these rights, and this is<br />
especially the case with regard to the American<br />
market. It very frequently does not pay the<br />
publisher to go to the trouble of securing<br />
American copyright for an author when he has<br />
<br />
VOL. &.<br />
<br />
car<br />
<br />
control of the American market, but pays him<br />
much better to sell sheets that have been<br />
printed in England, or stereos that have been<br />
manufactured here, on terms which are not<br />
invariably fully disclosed. In consequence he<br />
will rather take this latter step and obtain 50<br />
per cent. of the net profits from the author than<br />
move on the author’s behalf to obtain the<br />
American copyright.<br />
<br />
In the third place, this great difficulty should<br />
be pointed out, that when an author is receiving<br />
a royalty on the publication in England, it is a<br />
mistake to mix up with such royalty agreement a<br />
share profit arrangement for the sale of rights to<br />
either the Colonies or America, for it has not in-<br />
frequently happened that the publishers holding<br />
an agreement on this basis have failed to obtain<br />
the American copyright, and have then sold a<br />
large set of sheets to America, charging against<br />
such sheets (if the number happened to be half<br />
the amount printed) a half also of the cost of<br />
composition. As the author’s royalty is being<br />
paid on the understanding that the cost of<br />
composition is charged against the English<br />
edition, it is not fair that half the cost of compo-<br />
sition should then be charged against the<br />
American or Colonial edition. The cost of<br />
machining and paper alone should be charged<br />
against these editions. Not long ago a case came<br />
before the Society worked out on the basis<br />
pointed out above, in which the sale showed no<br />
profits whatever—that is, of course, as far as the<br />
author was concerned.<br />
<br />
The fourth point, and by far the most impor-<br />
tant point, is the following: that the publisher<br />
generally asks for half profits on American rights,<br />
that is, 50 per cent. of the profits, whereas an<br />
author’s agent for doing the same work asks<br />
10, and, at the outside, 20 per cent. This<br />
point has been put forward in The Author<br />
already on two or three different occasions, and<br />
it was shown that over a large series of agree-<br />
ments the lowest a publisher asked was 25 per<br />
cent.; so that it cannot possibly be to the advan-<br />
tage of an author to place these rights in the<br />
hands of a publisher on the terms they generally<br />
quote. It may be the case, however, that<br />
American publishers refuse to take matter from an<br />
author direct or through an author’s agent, when<br />
they will accept an offer from a publisher in<br />
England which may be arranged to the mutual<br />
benefit of the American and English publisher.<br />
Tf this is the case, and if it should happen that<br />
the publishers are endeavouring to make a close<br />
ring, the point for the Authors’ Society to aim at<br />
is to erect publishers in America who will stand<br />
outside such a ring. This will not be a difficult<br />
thing to manage, as the control of the market<br />
<br />
E<br />
56 THE<br />
<br />
o<br />
<br />
can never lie with the publisher, but must finally<br />
lie in the author’s own hands. t+. H<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
TI] —A New Yorx AcEncy.<br />
<br />
A prospectus has come to the offices of the<br />
Society from the International Press Association<br />
Literary Syndicate and Agency of New York and<br />
London, 114, Fifth-avenue, New York. The<br />
name of one of the directors is Mr. Charles F,<br />
Rideal, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature<br />
of Great Britain, author of “ Wellerisms,”<br />
“People we Meet,” “Charles Dickens’ Heroines<br />
and Women Folk,” editor of “ American Men of<br />
the. Time,” “American Women of the Time,”<br />
formerly editor of Life, The Magazine and Book<br />
Review (England), &c., and he is assisted by an<br />
< experienced staff.” This Mr. Charles F. Rideal<br />
is apparently the gentleman who was for some<br />
years manager of the Roxburghe Press, that held<br />
its offices at 15, Victoria-street, S.W.<br />
<br />
To members of the Society and other persons<br />
interested, therefore, this notification will be amply<br />
sufficient.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
IV.—A Sone AGREEMENT: witH NoTEs.<br />
<br />
[Norrce.—In all cases in which publishers’<br />
agreements are printed and commented on in The<br />
Author a copy of the paper will henceforth be sent<br />
to the firm concerned, accompanied by a letter<br />
drawing their attention to the comments and offer-<br />
ing them the opportunity of making any reply in<br />
The Author in case they should desire to do so.]<br />
<br />
(coPY.)<br />
<br />
This indenture made the day of<br />
<br />
one thousand eight hundred and between<br />
of (hereinafter called the vendor),<br />
of the one part, and in the county of<br />
music publishers for themselves, and<br />
¢o-partners in the firm of (hereinafter<br />
<br />
called the purchasers) of the other part.<br />
Witnesseth that, in consideration of the sum of<br />
pence for every copy to be published and<br />
sold by the purchasers (except one copy im seven,<br />
according to the usual trade custom, and except<br />
to copies sent to the United States of America<br />
and Canada, for which only half the above sum is<br />
to be paid per copy), to be paid by the purchasers<br />
to the vendor so long as the copyright shall last<br />
for the absolute purchase of the copyright and<br />
rights of publication, representation and perform-<br />
ance, and all other the rights, property, and<br />
interests intended to be hereby assigned, he, the<br />
vendor, as beneficial owner, doth hereby assign<br />
unto the purchasers all the copyright and right<br />
of publication, representation, performance of<br />
him, the vendor, of and in the musical com-<br />
<br />
AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
positions or works specified in the schedule here-<br />
under written, including the title and words<br />
thereof for the United Kingdom of Great Britain<br />
and Ireland, including the Channel Islands and<br />
its colonies and dependencies, and for all foreign<br />
countries. And all other property, rights, and<br />
interests, whether at law or in equity of him the<br />
yendor, therein or thereto, to hold the same unto<br />
the purchasers for their absolute property.<br />
<br />
And the purchasers hereby covenant with the<br />
vendor that the purchasers will cause to be<br />
entered into proper books to be kept by them a<br />
true account of all copies of the said compositions<br />
sold by them, and allow such account to be<br />
inspected at all reasonable times by the vendor,<br />
and will pay, or cause to be paid, to the vendor<br />
the aforesaid sum of pence for each copy<br />
(except as and subject to reduction above men-<br />
tioned) on or about the first day of January in<br />
each year so long as the copyright shall last.<br />
<br />
In witness whereof the said parties to these<br />
presents have hereunto set their hands and seals<br />
the day and year first above written.<br />
<br />
The schedule above referred to.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The agreement printed above is an agreement<br />
for the publication of a song. Music, like the<br />
Drama, has two distinct rights,—the right. of<br />
production in printed form and the performing<br />
right.<br />
<br />
Tn the drama the performing right as a rule<br />
is the most remunerative. With regard to music<br />
certain songs, like music hall songs, theatre<br />
songs, &c., are more remunerative on account of<br />
their performing right, though sometimes both<br />
rights bring in considérable sums, and other<br />
songs (ballads, and other pieces of “this kind) are<br />
more remunerative on account of the reproduc-<br />
tion in printed form. In any case and in any<br />
agreement that deals with property that has<br />
these two rights, the composer should consider<br />
carefully how he deals with these rights, and<br />
under no consideration should he assign his pro-<br />
perty absolutely to the publisher unless he binds<br />
the publisher by some stringent clauses to<br />
protect himself as composer.<br />
<br />
The agreement put forward above refers to a<br />
song in which the copyright (meaning the right<br />
of reproduction in printed form) was of more<br />
value than the performing right, and will be<br />
considered from this point of view. It is hardly<br />
necessary to state that the form of agreement<br />
from the author's point of view is almost as bad<br />
as it can possibly be in a case where he still<br />
retains a future benefit from the sale of his work<br />
on the royalty system, but unfortunately it not<br />
infrequently occurs that the agreements put<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. 37<br />
<br />
before composers by musical publishers are the<br />
worst possible for the composer and the best<br />
possible for the publisher. The time is come<br />
when the musical author should stand up against<br />
signing an agreement such as the one quoted.<br />
<br />
Leaving out the parties to the agreement, we<br />
see the words “every copy to be published.”<br />
There is no undertaking by the publisher that<br />
the work shall be produced, and there is no state-<br />
ment with regard to the form of its production or<br />
the price at which it is to be sold. The composer<br />
is to be paid pence on every copy sold.<br />
This might be a fair royalty if the song was<br />
produced at one price and an absolutely unfair<br />
royalty if the song was produced at another<br />
price. No doubt the publisher’s} response to a<br />
statement of this kind would be ‘“ Everyone<br />
knows the form in which a song is produced.”<br />
If this were the case there would be no harm what-<br />
ever in inserting it in the agreement.<br />
<br />
With regard to the question of royalties—it<br />
may be remembered that the cost of production<br />
of a song, in proportion to its sale price, is<br />
exceedingly small in comparison with the cost of<br />
production of a book with regard to its sale price ;<br />
in fact, the ratio is almost one to two; therefore,<br />
if an author received a royalty of 10 per cent. on<br />
a book he ought to receive a royalty of 20 per<br />
cent. on a song taking the author’s capacity as<br />
an equal factor in both cases. This point is of<br />
the greatest importance to musical authors, and<br />
cannot be too often stated. There is a further<br />
point to be considered. The royalty is not paid<br />
on every copy sold, but seven copies are reckoned<br />
as six, “ according to the usual trade custom.”<br />
This may be the usual trade custom, when seven<br />
copies are sold at a time, but the distributing<br />
agencies in the music tradeare not like the distribu-<br />
ting agencies in the book trade, and many more<br />
copies are sold at full price from the publisher’s<br />
office than there are ever sold of a book at full<br />
price from the same source. Another point: In<br />
book publication where this so-called trade custom<br />
comes in, thirteen copies are sold as twelve.<br />
Here we see a trade custom claimed of seven as<br />
six. This is a large gain to the publisher.<br />
<br />
Another point: the royalties paid in most<br />
agreements rise in proportion to the sales for the<br />
good reason that the cost of production of a<br />
second thousand is not as expensive as that of<br />
the first thousand, and if the work is produced<br />
in thousands at a time it becomes cheaper still.<br />
Here, however, there is no mention of a rising<br />
royalty. This is another substantial gain to the<br />
publisher.<br />
<br />
With regard to royalties on copies sold in the<br />
United States and Canada the amount is reduced<br />
to half, but the method of obtaining protection<br />
<br />
von. x.<br />
<br />
for musical pieces across the Atlantic is simple, as<br />
music has not by the American law to be manu-<br />
factured in America, and whereas on account of<br />
the double cost of production of books and other<br />
particulars with regard to the circulation of<br />
American literature the royalty in America varies<br />
three to five pomts per cent. below the royalties<br />
in England, on musical publication under this<br />
agreement it is to be 50 per cent. Thisfrom the<br />
composer's point of view, again, is a very bad<br />
feature.<br />
<br />
Then follows, perhaps, the most serious blot in<br />
the whole agreement from the composer’s point<br />
of view. The composer sells and transfers the<br />
copyright and performing right and all other<br />
rights in all the other countries that the pub-<br />
lisher can possibly ask for. This transfer is very<br />
dangerous, for there is nothing to prevent the<br />
publisher producing the song in other forms with<br />
alterations and adaptations as dancing music or<br />
as popular pianoforte music with variations. If<br />
he did so, and obtained a large sale for such<br />
variations or adaptations, the author might very<br />
strongly object, but would have very great difti-<br />
culty in proving a case against the publisher,<br />
his only remedy being one for damage to his<br />
reputation, about which there might be a strong<br />
diversity of opinion, the publisher holding that<br />
the increased advertisement is beneficial, the<br />
author objecting from personal grounds. It is<br />
most important, therefore, that the composer<br />
should not transfer the copyright, but should<br />
transfer only the right to publish in a specified<br />
form—that is, song form—under specified condi-<br />
tions.<br />
<br />
It is possible, for some reason or other, that<br />
the publisher might withdraw the song from the<br />
market. There is nothing to prevent him doing<br />
so, and the composer might thereby lose a certain<br />
source of income, and be unable to take any<br />
steps to compel the publisher. If the publisher<br />
holds the copyright and performing right, in case<br />
of bankruptcy those rights would be liable to go<br />
as assets of the estate, and in alien hands might<br />
be used in many ways to the disadvantage of the<br />
composer. Again, there is nothing to compel the<br />
publisher to affix the composer’s name to the pro-<br />
duction. It is improbable that the publisher<br />
would produce it without the composer’s name<br />
attached, but, when the question of copyright<br />
comes in, it is important that the composer should<br />
be guarded on all these points.<br />
<br />
Next as to the performing right. It was<br />
stated at the beginning of this article that this<br />
agreement referred to a song the chief value in<br />
which to the composer lay in the right of repro-<br />
duction. Under these circumstances, it might be<br />
argued that the performing right was of not<br />
<br />
E 2<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
38<br />
<br />
much value; but in answer to this it should be<br />
stated that it is most important for the composer<br />
to retain control of this right, for if he sells the<br />
copyright, as pointed out, the publisher might<br />
produce the air in the form of dance music.<br />
Consequent on that, there might be the value of<br />
the thing as a performing right. Again, if the<br />
song became popular, the performing right (to<br />
take the ludicrous side of the question) might be<br />
of value to the organ-grinder, and the publisher<br />
might sell the right or deal with it contrary to<br />
the desire of the composer. The composer, there-<br />
fore, should certainly have control of this side of<br />
his property.<br />
<br />
There is nothing specified in the agreement by<br />
which the composer should obtain any return in<br />
case the performing right should at any time and<br />
under any circumstance become valuable. If the<br />
composer gives away a control of this right he<br />
should certainly do so for a substantial considera-<br />
tion.<br />
<br />
The annual account clause is bad. This point<br />
has repeatedly been pointed out in The A uthor.<br />
<br />
To sum up from the musical author's point of<br />
view, it is unfortunately the case that nearly all<br />
the agreements for the sale of musical compasi-<br />
tions transfer to the publisher copyright and<br />
performing right unless such compositions are<br />
specially written for the stage. “It is time that<br />
musical authors made a firm stand against<br />
selling their property in this haphazard way to<br />
publishers. If some of the better known musical<br />
authors began in the first instance to take this<br />
step they would gradually build up for them-<br />
<br />
‘selves and their fellow composers a tower. of<br />
strength which would enable them successfully<br />
to resist these encroachments, and it is with this<br />
object in view that some of the difficulties of the<br />
agreement set forth above have been explained in<br />
detail. G. H. T.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
V.— INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT.<br />
<br />
The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge<br />
secured on June 13 an injunction against Messrs.<br />
Gill and Sons, publishers of educational manuals,<br />
who exhibited the results of the Revised Version<br />
of the Bible as compared with the earlier version,<br />
without any licence to-do so. It was alleged that<br />
such publication was an infringement of a copy-<br />
right for which they had paid the Revisers not<br />
less than £20,000. After hearing Mr. Birrell,<br />
Q.C., M.P.,.for the Universities’ Press, and Mr.<br />
Etve for the defence, and two witnesses, ;<br />
<br />
The judge (Mr. Cozens-Hardy) said the title of<br />
the plaintiffs to the copyright had been formally<br />
proved, and had not been challenged. The only<br />
question he had to ecnsider was whether or not<br />
there had keen an infringement of the copyright<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOL.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
in the sense that the court required an infringe-<br />
ment to be proved. He held that this was not a<br />
mere matter of quantity, but rather of quality—<br />
the editor of the manuals haying taken all that<br />
was most peculiar, most material, and most<br />
important in the Revised Version. It seemed to<br />
him impossible to doubt that the defendants had<br />
deliberately and of set purpose—without, he was<br />
willing to assume, any consciousness that they<br />
were doing wrong—extracted from the Revised<br />
Version and put in their own books every single<br />
passage in the Revised Version which they<br />
thought and conceived could be of any import-<br />
ance for the comparative study of the old and<br />
new versions. If that was not an infringement<br />
of copyright, he did not know what was. There<br />
was a plain infringement of the copyright, and<br />
he must grant the injunction claimed with costs<br />
against the defendants.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
VI.—A Case To BE Reap.<br />
<br />
An author wrote a book which he laid before a<br />
publisher with a view of getting published. The<br />
publisher after full consideration of the matter<br />
undertook to publish the book on the usual half<br />
profit basis, by which the publisher was to take<br />
all the risk and expense of the cost of production<br />
and the author was to share with him, in equal<br />
portions, the net profits of the sale. It is need-<br />
less to repeat that from the author's point of<br />
view a half-profit agreement is a thoroughly<br />
undesirable arrangement, but the author foolishly<br />
considered, under the special circumstances of the<br />
case, it was worth his while to close with the bar-<br />
gain. The publisher, however, said that he could<br />
not do the book justice by way of advertising (in<br />
other words he could not do his duty by the book)<br />
unless the author bound himself to him for the<br />
production of his next two books on the same<br />
terms. This, of course, was a worse arrangement<br />
still for the author, who did not consider with<br />
proper care the difficulties of his position before<br />
entering into the contract. He signed the con-<br />
tract without proper advice.<br />
<br />
Tt seems a curious fact that a publisher cannot<br />
deal fairly with the author in the matter of one<br />
book unless the author binds himself for the<br />
production of two others, but this was suggested<br />
by the publisher as a reason in this particular<br />
instance. It is much more likely that an author<br />
would stick to a publisher for good and all if<br />
he received fair treatment and fair considera-<br />
tion in the first instance, instead of an agreement<br />
which in any event could be nothing but dis-<br />
astrous. In this case, as in many others of a<br />
similar: nature, the author, finding he has teen<br />
treated badly, acts up to the letter of the agree-<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. a<br />
<br />
ment, and then leaves the publisher for good and<br />
all with a bad word to every other author who<br />
thinks of going to that house. But itis not with<br />
this point of view that the case is put forward.<br />
What happened was as follows: The first book<br />
was produced, and in the course of the year did<br />
exceedingly well for a first book, the sale running<br />
to some 4000 copies. Before the accounts were<br />
rendered to the author, and the money which<br />
should have been due to him on the first book<br />
was paid, the publisher produced the second<br />
book, and when the author in due course asked<br />
for a cheque from the sale of the first book, he<br />
was met with the reply that the returns had been<br />
swallowed up in the cost of production of book<br />
number two. This was distinctly contrary to the<br />
agreement, as the author was not sharing in the<br />
risk of cost of production, but was sharing in the<br />
net profits. Again, however, the author took no<br />
advice, believing that the position was as stated.<br />
The second book went on the market and did<br />
well; not quite so well as the first book, but sold<br />
sufficient to pay expenses and show a reasonable<br />
profit. The third book was produced, and again<br />
the author was met with the same answer, namely,<br />
that the expense of the cost of production of the<br />
third book had swamped the profits of the other<br />
two, and again the author accepted the position.<br />
Finally when the third book had been produced,<br />
and had circulated in the usual way and the<br />
author was free, he received a small amount from<br />
the returns of the three books jointly, and not<br />
from the profits of the three books singly. This<br />
delay to the author was serious.<br />
<br />
It is needless to say that the author had no<br />
voice in the cost of production, in the amount to<br />
be spent on advertising, and other little details<br />
which would readily swamp the profits for the<br />
author, though not necessarily for the publisher.<br />
Tf the result was unsatisfactory for the author, it<br />
will in the end be also unsatisfactory for the pub-<br />
lisher, because the tale of the author’s treatment<br />
will not only prevent the author from going there<br />
again, but will keep all his friends from the same<br />
house. Why are publishers so short-sighted ?<br />
<br />
GH. OU.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Vil.—ImprriaL Press, Limirep, v. JOHNSON.<br />
<br />
This case was heard in the Queen’s Bench on<br />
May 4. The plaintiffs were a publishing com-<br />
pany carrying on business in London, and the<br />
defendant the Rev. Theodore Johnson, of Bodiam<br />
Rectory, Hawkhurst, Sussex. ‘the claim was for<br />
£400 damages for alleged breach of contract and<br />
warranty on the part of the defendant relating to<br />
his work, “Imperial Britain,” published by the<br />
plaintiffs. The defendant denied that he had<br />
made any special contract with the plaintiffs, and<br />
<br />
said that the manuscript of the book was sub-<br />
mitted to the plaintiffs in the usual way, they<br />
having full opportunity of judging of the character<br />
of the book, and they accepted the same with full<br />
approval in the usual manner of publishers. The<br />
defendant counter-claimed that the plaintiffs<br />
undertook to pay £25 on the publication of the<br />
first book, which they refused to do.<br />
<br />
The Rev. Mr. Johnson, the defendant, in exami-<br />
nation, said he was the rector of Bodiam, being<br />
appointed in 1895. Prior to that he had for<br />
fourteen years been a chief inspector of schools<br />
in the Diocese of Rochester. Before he wrote<br />
this work he had written some ten or twelve<br />
other books for various publishers.- One of them<br />
was written in conjunction with Sir Henry Bem-<br />
rose, and was published with the permission of<br />
the Universities. Another of his works was on<br />
history, another on geography, and others were<br />
religious. In September, 1896, the witness<br />
arranged with the plaintiff company to write the<br />
book in question, and before that he had partly pre-<br />
pared the matter. For the purpose of the work he<br />
had purchased a largenumber of works of reference.<br />
He did his best to write a reliable and useful<br />
work. The book dealt with a large number of<br />
matters, and it would have been little short of a<br />
miracle if it did not contain some mistakes. A<br />
first edition of such a work could not be entirely<br />
without inaccuracies, and the author could not<br />
avoid proof errors. A large portion of the work<br />
had not been challenged, and he had received<br />
many letters of approval from high and distin-<br />
euished authorities.<br />
<br />
Questioned by counsel as to the various state-<br />
ments, the witness quoted authorities for them.<br />
He did not defend the statement that Pretoria was<br />
the capital of British Zambesia. He did not<br />
mean to say that arsenic and’ Epsom salts were<br />
building stones. They came under a wrong<br />
heading through a mistake in the numbering.<br />
They should have come under the heading<br />
of “Mineral Products,’ and the matter in<br />
regard to them had got out of place. As to the<br />
statement that London has seven Parliamentary<br />
boroughs, he supposed that he had taken the old<br />
Parliamentary boroughs. “Earth worms” under<br />
reptiles, was a slip.<br />
<br />
The witness in cross-examination denied he had<br />
had the assistance of half a dozen persons in com-<br />
pleting this work. A number of other witnesses<br />
were examined in support of the defendant's case.<br />
<br />
The Lord Chief Justice, in addressing the jury,<br />
commented in severe terms upon defendant’s<br />
work, and then went on to speak of the pre-<br />
tensions of Mr. Heath, the plaintiff, and the<br />
Imperial Press. So far as he had been able to<br />
ascertain, said his Lordship, ‘Imperial Press,<br />
40<br />
<br />
Limited,” was Mr. Heath, and Mr. Heath only.<br />
A more audacious document than that put<br />
forward by him under this high-sounding and<br />
pretentious title, to the effect that fifty or sixty<br />
honourable names were behind him in an effort<br />
to extend and strengthen the British Empire,<br />
his Lordship had never seen. He hoped that if<br />
Mr. Heath again found it necessary to supple-<br />
ment his duties as a public servant by the publi-<br />
cation of books, he would not issue a second<br />
edition of such a document as that. His Lord-<br />
ship added that he did not want to exaggerate<br />
this matter, but when persons and companies<br />
asked the Court for damages it was necessary to<br />
bear facts of this kind in mind.<br />
<br />
The jury found that the contract of July 21,<br />
1898 did not contain the whole of the agree-<br />
ment; that there was an implied cbligation on<br />
behalf of the defendant to use reasonable care;<br />
that the defendant did not use reasonable care;<br />
that the want of such care did not contribute to<br />
the plaintiff's loss, and that the plaintiffs were<br />
not entitled to any sum in damages. His Lord-<br />
ship at first said that was a verdict for the defen-<br />
dant, but that as the action was on a contract,<br />
the plaintiffs were entitled to nominal damages,<br />
which he fixedat 1s. The defendant was entitled<br />
on the counter-claim for £25, and he would con-<br />
sider whether he should not deprive him of<br />
costs.<br />
<br />
Dec<br />
<br />
NOTES ON THE PUBLISHERS’ CONGRESS.<br />
<br />
HE International Meeting of Publishers is<br />
over. The report of the proceedings has<br />
been given to the world. There was an<br />
<br />
opening meeting : there was a dinner: there were<br />
papers read on National Bibliographies: on the<br />
‘‘ Protection of new Ideas in Form and Get up”’<br />
—a very remarkable and mysterious title; on<br />
Right in Titles: on the Reproduction of Works<br />
of Art: on Overs in Printing; on Cheap Books:<br />
on International Protection of Publishing Rights :<br />
on Agreements between Authors and Publishers:<br />
on Canadian Copyright: on Copyright in Educa-<br />
tional works: on Quotations in Reviews: on the<br />
Convention of Berne: on Booksellers: on the<br />
right of National Libraries: on the coercion of<br />
Booksellers: and one or two other subjects.<br />
<br />
Very much of what was discussed might have<br />
been considered by a congress of authors.<br />
Throughout the meeting, however, it was calmly<br />
assumed that literary property belongs wholly to<br />
the publisher: there was not one word which<br />
would imply to the outside world the recogni-<br />
tion of the fact that literary property belongs<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
to the author, and is administered by the pub-<br />
lisher as a man or a company may administer<br />
a mine.<br />
<br />
The Society of Authors was alluded to by the<br />
President, Mr. John Murray, in his opening<br />
speech. He said that one of the reasons of their<br />
meeting was “that we may assert to the world at<br />
large the true position which we hold in the<br />
world of letters. This position is recognised by<br />
all the best and most distinguished writers. We<br />
are proud of it, and we claim that our traditions are<br />
as precious to us and that our sense of honour-<br />
able dealing is as keen and as true as that of any<br />
other class. We here undergo periodical<br />
attacks, which certainly display no inconsiderable<br />
vigour from a certain small class of guasi-authors,<br />
but they have done but little harm. They suffer<br />
from three radical defects. In the first place,<br />
they are too sweeping. They condemn a whole<br />
class, and rarely, if ever, bring to light a definite<br />
misdemeanour. Secondly, they are, intentionally<br />
or unintentionally, based on the assumption that<br />
the whole race of publishers are dishonest men.<br />
And lastly, they display a curious ignorance of<br />
what the work of a publisher really is.” We<br />
can have no possible objection to Mr. Murray<br />
being proud of the view with which the world<br />
regards his trade. He is probably thinking of the<br />
recognition bestowed by Thackeray on Bacon and<br />
Bungay, those virtuous philanthropists; or he is<br />
thinking of the present position, which is such<br />
that few authors will have anything to do with<br />
publishers except through an agent—the honour-<br />
able houses being mixed up with the others. A<br />
noble position, indeed! The position which he<br />
claims was not explained unless by talk about the<br />
debt of gratitude to publishers—for what? For<br />
the binding and the gilt? Notatall. Forthe<br />
“intrinsic worth” of books, mark you, owing “ to<br />
the advice and the experience of men of our<br />
craft”! This is indeed wonderful. It is the first<br />
time in the history of literature that publishers<br />
have set up a claim to be the advisers in the<br />
creation of literature. I dare say it will not be<br />
the last. Who wrote Tennyson’s Poems? Did<br />
you not know? Messrs. Macmillan, of course.<br />
And Swinburne’s? His publishers.<br />
<br />
The allusion to this Society as a “small class<br />
of quasi-authors” is also a new departure—for<br />
Albemarle-street. One did not expect it from<br />
that quarter. The list of our Council which<br />
adorns the frontispiece of The Author gives a<br />
longish list of the “ guast-authors.”<br />
<br />
As for the “sweeping charges” and the<br />
assumption that all publishers are dishonest—<br />
where are they ? What does the following passage<br />
mean? It is taken out of certain notes published<br />
every month for some years—in fact, until May,<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. 4)<br />
<br />
inclusive, of the present year, when it was taken<br />
out, having done its work :<br />
<br />
“The Society is acquainted with the methods<br />
and—in the case of fraudulent houses—the tricks<br />
of every publishing firm in the country.”<br />
<br />
Will Mr. Murray be good enough to say how<br />
the Committee could more clearly and distinctly<br />
distinguish between the sheep and the goats?<br />
Or is he prepared to maintain that there is no<br />
such thing as a dishonest publisher? And is he<br />
prepared to assert that all the cases adduced in<br />
the Society’s publication, cases furnished by<br />
the Secretary, cases which have gone before<br />
the Committee, are inventions? If so, he will<br />
take even a bolder line, if not one so original, as<br />
the proposition that literature owes its “ intrinsic<br />
worth to the advice and the experience’”’ of the<br />
publisher. Tn turning over the pages of The<br />
Author, I have come across passages by the<br />
dogen in which the distinction is expressly drawn<br />
between honourable houses and the reverse. But<br />
the “reverse’’ are not always the smaller houses.<br />
<br />
As for the display of a “ curious ignorance ” of<br />
a publisher’s work, since the Society has ascer-<br />
tained and published for the information of those<br />
concerned all the details of the publisher’s trade,<br />
including most of the tricks of those who play<br />
tricks, the only ignorance left is that curious<br />
ignorance about the origin of the “ intrinsic<br />
worth” of literature. On that point the Society<br />
is still most curiously ignorant.<br />
<br />
After the dinner, when tongues may be allowed<br />
a little more licence, Mr. Murray became waggish.<br />
“He knew that there was a small society which<br />
vowed vengeance against all publishers.’ And<br />
he humorously suggested the danger of their<br />
being blown up by a new Gunpowder Plot<br />
hatched by the small society.<br />
<br />
Now, let us ask seriously why does Mr. Murray<br />
object to the protection of literary property in the<br />
interests of those who create it and to whom it<br />
belongs until they part with it? Why does he<br />
object to the exposure of tricks when tricks are<br />
discovered Why does he allege ‘“ sweeping<br />
charges” ? What, in a word, is the secret of his<br />
hostility ?<br />
<br />
Is it not, one may a!so ask, a very remarkable<br />
thing, and a thing not known in any other pro-<br />
fession or in any other trade, that an association<br />
for the protection of one of two parties to a busi-<br />
ness transaction should be continually attacked<br />
by the other party concerned ?<br />
<br />
_As regards the papers read, Mr. Bell’s paper on<br />
Titles was practical. He proposed the creation of<br />
copyright in titles by a system of registration.<br />
<br />
The subject of “ overs” was interesting in one<br />
way. Two years ago I stated that the “overs”<br />
probably provided a good many of the books<br />
<br />
wanted for review: this was flatly and vehe-<br />
mently denied. Only ignorance, it was said, cou'd<br />
have prompted such a suggestion. Well, but I<br />
knew what I was saying. And it is now admitted<br />
that in every 500 sheets there are sixteen “ overs,”<br />
but that, by imperfections in the other copies,<br />
these may dwindle down to what makes just 2 per<br />
cent. It follows, therefore, that with an edition<br />
of 3000 copies there would be sixty “overs.”<br />
This provides amply for review copies. I was<br />
therefore right, after all. It was also asserted<br />
that the ‘overs’ are regarded by the author as a<br />
margin for soiled books: also asa margin for bad<br />
debts. I beg to state that not one author in a<br />
thousand knows that there are such things as<br />
“overs,” and that this story about the margin is<br />
rubbish. Now consider the case of a book which<br />
has a great run, say, of 10,000 copies. There are<br />
200 “overs.” If it is a six-shilling book at a<br />
royalty of 20 per cent., this represents a trifle of<br />
£12. I would advise authors to look after their<br />
“ overs.”<br />
<br />
On cheap literature the Congress declined to<br />
commit themselves to any resolution whatever.<br />
<br />
On the agreements between author and pub-<br />
lisher a list of clauses was submitted. On<br />
this list one need only add that the Secretary<br />
of our Society would have a great deal to say.<br />
Mr. Murray, however, added a few remarks of his<br />
own:<br />
<br />
“They started to work more than two years<br />
ago to draw up a form of agreement between<br />
authors and publishers which should cover the<br />
difficulties. They drew up drafts to cover every<br />
case, and they took the opinion of a very eminent<br />
lawyer, who said it was a perfectly fair and just<br />
form of agreement. It was their desire that the<br />
Authors’ Society—not a society representing all<br />
the authors in England by any means, but a<br />
society which occupied itself in the author's<br />
interest—should have the draft submitted to them<br />
and that there should be a conference to talk it<br />
over so that they could come to some common<br />
agreement, but the Authors’ Society took a<br />
different view of the matter. They had, he<br />
believed, attacked these forms of agreement in<br />
very severe language, and there lay a difficulty.<br />
If they were to be faced with that sort of treat-<br />
ment it would be very difficult for lawyers alone<br />
to draw up anything very satisfactory. There<br />
must be a bargain before the agreement, for the<br />
agreement was not the bargain. They had toa<br />
certain extent come to a deadlock there because<br />
they treated the agreement as a bargain made in<br />
favour of the publisher. The whole thing was a<br />
complete misunderstanding, and they all regretted.<br />
that, because their great desire was to come to<br />
favourable terms with the authors.”<br />
42 THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
He did not explain that nothing was said about<br />
previous “bargains”; that the draft agreements<br />
claimed for the publisher the right—the absolute<br />
right—to charge blank percentages on gross<br />
receipts. for his own office expenses, allowing no<br />
office expenses at all for author or bookseller ; that<br />
no kind of safeguard was proposed against over-<br />
charging: that on commission books the agree-<br />
ments demanded a blank percentage on every<br />
single item, in addition to a commission on sales<br />
and discounts: that not a word was said against<br />
charging for advertisements which have cost<br />
nothing : not a word on the right of audit: nota<br />
word on the possibility of dishonesty—the pub-<br />
lisher alone among mankind being assumed incap-<br />
able of dishonesty : and that they actually claimed<br />
rights dramatic, American, colonial, and those of<br />
translation. It was a great pity that he did not<br />
explain these little facts, because, had he done so,<br />
his audience would have understood the action of<br />
the Society—this small Society of guasi-authors<br />
—which will never allow those draft agreements<br />
to become the rule, and which has so far effectively<br />
prevented their adoption even by the committee<br />
which proposed them.<br />
<br />
He did not explain, either, why if these draft<br />
agreements referred to previous “ bargains” he<br />
had not withdrawn his name from them and<br />
disavowed them.<br />
<br />
There was a long discussion about Canadian<br />
copyright, in which Mr. Daldy appears to have<br />
ignored absolutely the action of the Society of<br />
Authors, both in Canada and in Lord Monks-<br />
well's Bill, and with the Government at home.<br />
<br />
Mr. Edward Marston deplored the grievance of<br />
giving five copies to the National Libraries: he<br />
found this mare’s nest some time ago, and wrote<br />
a letter to one of the papers in which he estimated<br />
the loss by this tax to amount from the year<br />
1837 to the present day to £375,000. This<br />
seems terrible indeed. Divided by sixty it, means<br />
£6250 a year. There are about 400 publishers<br />
in the Directory: or about 100 who may be<br />
seriously considered. It means, therefore,<br />
£62 10s. a year for every one. This must be<br />
acknowledged to be a very heavy tax. But let<br />
us look into the conditions. The theory supposes<br />
that these books would all have been sold.<br />
Would they ? Very few books sell out the whole<br />
edition and are then finished: the demand ceases<br />
before, or continues after, the first edition: it ceases<br />
before the exhaustion of the second or other<br />
future edition and after the appearance of the first<br />
edition. There is therefore no loss at all, with<br />
the exception of those very, very few books where<br />
the demand proves exactly equal to the first edition,<br />
or is so small when that is done that itis not worth<br />
while to bring out a new edition. We may also<br />
<br />
except a very few limited editions of illustrated<br />
books. On the whole, therefore, the tax is no<br />
tax at all. In every case where there are<br />
remainders after the demand ceases, whether in<br />
the first or the fiftieth edition, there is no loss<br />
except of the few pence which the five copies<br />
would fetch as remainders.<br />
<br />
There is one great lesson which the congress of<br />
publishers ought to teach us, namely :—<br />
<br />
It is useless to expect that any heed will be<br />
paid to the true evils of the publishing trade.<br />
These are (1) the absence of any safeguard<br />
against dishonesty: (2) the determination to<br />
regard literary property as their own to<br />
administer as they please: (3) their resentment<br />
of any action on the part of the creators of literary<br />
property to defend their own interests: (4) their<br />
manifest intention not to take one single step<br />
towards the abolition of secret profits.<br />
<br />
This lesson was proclaimed aloud in every<br />
speech and in every paper: not one publisher<br />
rose to demand safeguards against dishonesty :<br />
not one spoke against secret profits. The lesson<br />
should be answered by those authors who are<br />
independent, by taking more and more the<br />
management of their affairs into their own hands,<br />
especially in the matter of advertising: and, if<br />
they are wise, by changing a partner or a fellow<br />
venturer who wants to be considered both an<br />
agent and a partner into a commission agent<br />
(see p. 49).<br />
<br />
> —<br />
<br />
THE SIXPENNY BOOK.<br />
<br />
Er<br />
N | R. HALL CAINE, in an address delivered<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
before the Newsagents’ and Booksellers’<br />
<br />
Union, spoke at length on the sixpenny<br />
book and in favour of it. I should be sorry to<br />
misrepresent any of Mr. Caine’s arguments, Lut<br />
the address was too long for reproduction.<br />
<br />
The line he seems to take is this:<br />
<br />
(1) There has been a radical change in the<br />
methods of distribution. For the cheaper books<br />
are sold chiefly by the newsvendors. If this is<br />
the case it is a change of the greatest importance.<br />
<br />
(2) The sixpenny book need not displace the<br />
dearer book any more than a cheap restaurant<br />
ruins the dearer restaurant. No— but—but—<br />
reading is not dining. However he offered as a<br />
proof the fact that with a cheap edition of his<br />
last novel his American publisher sold another<br />
at a dollar and a half: of the former 100,000<br />
copies: of the latter, 14,000.<br />
<br />
(3) He does not believe that the cheap book<br />
will ruin the country bookseller, but if it does<br />
there is the newsvendor to fall back upon. Alas!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Giie. AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
The newsvendor will not replace the bookseller.<br />
Under any changes of condition, we must still<br />
have the bookseller if our books are to be exhibited<br />
for sale.<br />
<br />
(4) He says that figures have been put forth<br />
which show that the author, with the sixpenny<br />
book, will see very little. He puts forward figures<br />
of his own. I hear that there has been sneering<br />
about these figures. Yet upon them depends the<br />
whole future of Literary Property. Thus :—<br />
<br />
Cost of production in quantities, twopence:<br />
price paid by bookseller he calls “nearly four-<br />
pence.” My own information sets it at 3{d.:<br />
book sold by bookseller at 43d. or at 6d.: at the<br />
lower price by the London booksellers. He goes<br />
on to say that there is twopence to divide between<br />
author and bookseller. I make it 1jd. Now, I<br />
am informed on the best authority that the royalty<br />
offered to the author is either 3d. or {d. That is,<br />
Tam told, the general rule. Mr. Caine, when he is<br />
offered 14d., is an exception. Now, ona royalty<br />
of 2d., the sale of 100,000 copies will bring: the<br />
author the sum of £250: of $d., £312 10s.: on<br />
a royalty of 14d., the sum of £625. Will a first-<br />
rate novelist think it worth his while to write a<br />
long novel for £250, or even for £625? Perhaps,<br />
however, Mr. Caine would bring it out in two<br />
forms simultaneously. It would be an interesting<br />
experiment. :<br />
<br />
(5) Mr. Hall Caine’s remarks on the fact that<br />
the best books, not the most trumpery books,<br />
are eagerly bought at 6d. are convincing. I<br />
have myself always maintained that the taste of<br />
the public is on the whole good and true: they<br />
may run after an unworthy book for a time, but<br />
they go back to their favourite authors.<br />
<br />
I have tried to present in brief the considera-<br />
tions which Mr. Hall Caine urged in favour of<br />
the sixpenny book.<br />
<br />
I am not prepared to dispute that if the news-<br />
vendors are to become vendors of the sixpenny<br />
book, the case is materially altered.<br />
<br />
I will endeavour to get information on this<br />
point.<br />
<br />
Meantime, I would ask, if the bookseller is to<br />
disappear, what will take his place? That his<br />
existence is threatened is quite clear, An<br />
attempt has been made to deprive him of the<br />
Englishman’s right of selling his own property as<br />
he pleases. The publishers offer him no advan-<br />
tages except a little larger margin in very high-<br />
priced books. He himself complains that every-<br />
‘body wants to get books at 6d.<br />
<br />
Let us return to what was said last month. It<br />
is an experiment. How will it succeed? We<br />
shall learn before the end of the year. W. B.<br />
<br />
43<br />
<br />
TI.—Nores on THE ABOVE.<br />
<br />
1. On my way home from the meeting a news-<br />
vendor told me he had sold 600 copies of one of<br />
the sixpenny novels, and anotner newsvendor said<br />
he had sold 6000 sixpenny volumes during the<br />
autumn of last year.<br />
<br />
2. My statement that the cheap book does not<br />
injure the dear one will be supported by Chatto<br />
and Windus in England, and by Appleton and<br />
Son and Dodd, Mead, and Co. in America. I<br />
am told by Mr. Heinemann that Macmillan and<br />
Co. take the same view.<br />
<br />
3. If the sixpenny novel is sold chiefly by the<br />
newsagents, the bookseller, so far as the cheap<br />
book goes, is already replaced.<br />
<br />
4. I say that the sixpenny book in- editions<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
of 100 does not cost so much as 2d., and<br />
that in larger editions it could be produced at<br />
tid. Also that 13d. is a practical author's<br />
<br />
royalty, and calculations should therefore be<br />
based on that figure. Further, that the most<br />
popular sixpenny novel has sold 250,000, and<br />
the next most popular nearly 2 . Finally,<br />
that these were sales of books from fifteen to<br />
thirty years old, and that a popular novelist<br />
publishing at 6d. from the outset might achieve<br />
a sale of half-a-million, and still leave 10,00¢<br />
readers who would rather buy his book at 6s.<br />
But I uphold the cheap book, not necessarily<br />
the sivpenny book. That price is, as you say, an<br />
experiment, and the practical price for a new<br />
novel will reveal itself by-and-bye. Meantime,<br />
for reasons you do not quote, I claim for the<br />
sixpenny book, first, that it is enlarging the<br />
number of readers; second, that it is elevating<br />
the taste in fiction; third, that it is purifying<br />
the morality of literature ; fourth, that it is<br />
making for the peace and general good ot the<br />
world. Therefore, if the sixpenny book should<br />
die the shilling, two-shilling, or half-crown book<br />
which may follow will have a better chance to<br />
<br />
live. H.-C.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
es<br />
<br />
PARIS NOTES.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
5, Rue Chomel, Paris.<br />
<br />
ge N grand homme vient de nous quitter.”<br />
<br />
Thus wrote one of his contemporaries<br />
<br />
in announcing the death of M. Fran-<br />
cisque Sarcey. The news created a profound<br />
sensation, for though Sarcey aimed at nothing<br />
higher than honestly meriting the titles of<br />
“critique national” and “ prince du bons sens”’<br />
that the Parisians had long since bestowed on<br />
him—in the paternal attitude he adopted towards<br />
the public; in his shrewd appreciation of the<br />
varying minds of men; in his sturdy champion-<br />
44<br />
<br />
ship of the oppressed ; in his unwearied effort<br />
and immense success in making the loyalty and<br />
purity of his endeavour manifest to the world at<br />
large ; in his generous outstretching of the right<br />
hand of fellowship to his less gifted or less fortu-<br />
nate comrades; in his magnanimous acceptance<br />
of the burden imposed on him by the recognition<br />
of the universal brotherhood of humanity—he<br />
offered an example to all literary leaders. His<br />
sterling qualities were fully appreciated by<br />
his most eminent contemporaries. ‘The day was<br />
long; the task was hard; the work is good,”<br />
was M. le Senne’s emphatic verdict. ‘He<br />
had only one anibition, and it was satisfied—to<br />
bear high aloft, so that it might burn the more<br />
brightly, the lamp spoken of by Lucretius which<br />
the runners in life’s race pass from hand to hand<br />
in order that, regardless of time and space, it may<br />
guide mankind towards humanity and towards<br />
the beautiful,” said M. de Leygues, in concluding<br />
his funeral oration. “If you wish to judge a<br />
man justly in these days of implacable party<br />
polemics, pay no attention to newspapers, but walk<br />
behind his coffin and listen to what the crowd,<br />
the immense crowd, says of him,” said M. Jules<br />
Claretie, representative of the Republican journa-<br />
lists at Sarcey’s funeral. “To-day it says,<br />
‘This was a good man, a man of talent, an<br />
honest man, a man with no false pride or rancour,<br />
a charitable man, a helpful comrade, a popular<br />
writer, a master, a glory, a great figure which has<br />
disappeared !’”<br />
<br />
Francisque Sarcey was born at Dourdan on<br />
Oct. 8, 1828. He early showed an immense<br />
aptitude for study, obtaining several of the<br />
“Concours général” prizes at the lycée Charle-<br />
magne, and being received with Taine and About<br />
in 1848 at the Ecole normale. From 1851 to<br />
1858 he was successively master of the fourth<br />
and third classes of rhetoric and philosophy in<br />
the colleges of Chaumont, Rodez, Lesneven, and<br />
Grenoble. Several anonymous articles censured<br />
by the authorities were traced to his pen, and he<br />
was forced to throw up his post; whereupon he<br />
came to Paris and published a series of critical<br />
contemporary studies in the /garo under the<br />
pseudonym of Satané Binet. In 1859 he under-<br />
took the theatrical column in the Opinion<br />
Nationale, and in 1867 began his well-<br />
known connection with the Temps, which only<br />
ended with his death. In 1871 he became a<br />
contributor to the X/Xe. Siécle—edited by his<br />
friend Edmond About—where he made himself<br />
notorious by the ardour of his convictions and<br />
soundness of his views. His fame as a lecturer<br />
is too well known to require comment. M.<br />
Lintilliac, in his recently published “ Conférences<br />
dramatiques,” has drawn a graphic portrait of<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
“Le bon Oncle,’ with his Socratic face and<br />
satyr-like form on the lecturer’s platform —a<br />
rude, awkward figure, forsooth, but one eagerly<br />
awaited and welcomed by the most fastidious<br />
audience in the world. His industry was pro-<br />
digious, and itis calculated that, in addition to<br />
his famous dramatic criticisms and productions<br />
in book form, he has written enough matter on<br />
heterogeneous subjects to fill two or three hundred<br />
volumes. Of his imperturbable good nature the<br />
following anecdote may, perhaps, convey some<br />
slight idea :—<br />
<br />
The “bon Oncle” having temporarily incurred<br />
the displeasure of the students of the Latin<br />
Quarter, it was decided in conclave to caricature<br />
him at the coming Carnival. In order to make<br />
the likeness more apparent, an emissary was<br />
employed to steal surreptitiously an old coat<br />
which, having been long worn by the critic,<br />
would naturally fall into the inimitably awkward<br />
folds characteristic of Sarcey’s most favoured<br />
garments. Despairing of otherwise accomplish-<br />
ing her mission, the emissary forthwith took<br />
Sarcey into her confidence, avowing that —know-<br />
ing his character—she considered this the best<br />
and surest way of succeeding in her mission.<br />
“You are quite right,” responded Sarcey, “ Here<br />
is the wardrobe where all my coats are kept;<br />
choose. Will you have a hat into the bargain ?”<br />
“T do not think a hat is required,” was the reply,<br />
“for they intend to represent you with an<br />
enormous head ; but I will take one on chance.”<br />
It is the critic himself who tells the story, relating<br />
with infinite humour how wne forte grippe had<br />
prevented him from personally judging of the<br />
success of the caricature.<br />
<br />
Space will not permit us to give a detailed<br />
appreciation of Sarcey’s work. He was, un-<br />
doubtedly, one of the representative men of the<br />
realistic epoch, and he has left a name which will<br />
never be forgotten in the annals of dramatic<br />
criticisms. He died a comparatively poor man<br />
in his small hotel, 59, rue Douai, surrounded by<br />
his family. _ His coffin was provisionally deposited<br />
at Montmartre, his body being shortly afterwards<br />
disinterred and cremated at the Ptre-la-Chaise<br />
crematory, in accordance with a wish he had<br />
formerly expressed. Only the family were pre-<br />
sent at the latter ceremony ; but an immense<br />
crowd followed the funeral procession to Mont-<br />
martre, the cordons of the funeral canopy being<br />
respectively held by MM. Georges Leygues,<br />
Gréard, Jules Claretie, Roujon, Camille Le Senne,<br />
Jules Lemaitre, Larroumet, and Adrien Hébrard.<br />
<br />
The death of the famous Henry Becque made<br />
but a passing impression in literary and dramatic<br />
circles. In the course of his long life, the unfor-<br />
tunate dramatist had produced but a single<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
masterpiece, viz.,a play entitled “La Parisienne,”<br />
whose extraordinarily brilliant and well-merited<br />
success placed his name in the front rank of<br />
dramatic authors. ‘Les Corbeaux” (acted at<br />
the Comédie Francaise in 1882) is the only other<br />
work bearing his signature which merits notice.<br />
Becque died in extreme poverty, leaving still<br />
unfinished a play entitled ‘‘ Les Polichinelles,”’ on<br />
which he had been occupied for the last ten<br />
years. Impecuniosity was his chronic malady,<br />
dating from the student days in which he fought<br />
his famous duel with Poupart Davyl, where —<br />
owing to the poverty of the combatants—only one<br />
pistol could be hired, of which each duellist made<br />
use in turn, the order being decided by lot! How<br />
a man who had acquired such brilliant notoriety,<br />
and who at every “ first night” expended enough<br />
anecdotal wit in theatrical corridors and<br />
green-rooms to have filled several columns, could<br />
have remained so long in such a destitute con-<br />
dition was an enigma to his friends, among whom<br />
may be mentioned MM. Octave Mirabeau, Edmond<br />
Rostand, and Lucien Muhlfeld. The two latter<br />
carefully gathered together the unfinished manu-<br />
script of “Les Polichinelles,’ and deposited it<br />
with the Society of Authors, who, likewise, under-<br />
took the charge of all arrangements connected<br />
with poor Becque’s funeral, He was interred at<br />
Pére-la-Chaise.<br />
<br />
M. Quentin Bauchart, municipal councillor of<br />
the Champs-Elysées, better known under his<br />
literary pseudonym of Jean Berleux, is at present<br />
reported to be engaged in writing a historical<br />
novel in dialogue, entitled “ Fils d’Empereur,” in<br />
which the ill-fated Prince Imperial plays the<br />
hero’s réle. He has also begun a history of the<br />
Champs-Elysées. M. Berleux is a member of<br />
the Société des Gens de Lettres and also of the<br />
Cercle de la Critique, in addition to having con-<br />
tributed the “ Vie Théatrale”’ to the Revue de la<br />
France Moderne for upwards of ten years.<br />
<br />
To M. Jules Huret belongs the honour of<br />
having written the first complete biography ever<br />
given the public of the illustrious queen of trage-<br />
diennes, Mme. Sarah Bernhardt (chez Juven).<br />
It opens with a preface in letter form by M.<br />
Edmond Rostand, in which the celebrated author<br />
of “Cyrano de Bergerac” thus concludes a<br />
graphic sketch of his own acquaintance with the<br />
divine reine de Vattitude: ‘‘And this, my<br />
friend, is what appears to me more extraordinary<br />
than all—this is the Sarah that I have known!<br />
Ihave not known the other, the lady with the<br />
coffins and alligators. I have known no other<br />
Sarah than this one—the Sarah who works; and<br />
she is the greatest.” [An English translation of<br />
this book has just been published by Messrs.<br />
Chapman and Hall—LBp. |<br />
<br />
45<br />
<br />
The two young Russian writers, MM. Alfons.<br />
Dyktor and Jack Iskowich, can certainly boast<br />
energy and perseverance if they can boast nothing<br />
else. They have just arrived at Paris, after<br />
having made the tour of the world, sans un sou<br />
pendant trois ans, in order to study for them-<br />
selves the miseries of life, and thus render more inte-<br />
resting the new work on which they are engaged.<br />
It will be published here next September under<br />
the appropriate title of “Les Deux Vagabonds.”<br />
If all young men bitten by the literary tarantula<br />
were submitted to the same test, we wonder how<br />
many per cent. would voluntarily undergo such<br />
an ordeal ?<br />
<br />
“ Hildesheim” (chez Lesnerre), four little<br />
pastiches written in French by the Honourable<br />
Maurice Baring, secretary to the English Embassy<br />
at Paris, has received the approval of the French<br />
critics, who predict a brilliant literary career to its<br />
author. We regret not to have yet seen a copy<br />
of this little volume, which is reported to be<br />
sparkling with wit and finesse.<br />
<br />
M. Georges Ohnet is now occupied in writing<br />
a play which will shortly be staged. His new<br />
novel “ Au fond du gouffre”’ (chez Ollendorf) is<br />
already on the highway to score the same remark-<br />
able numerical success enjoyed by most of its.<br />
predecessors. The epithet ‘“‘litérature de con-<br />
cierge,” so perseveringly applied to all this<br />
writer's productions by the disciples of the<br />
“école psychologique,” does not in the least affect<br />
his popularity with the crowd, for he knows how<br />
to interest the multitude. Although he spends<br />
so much of his time shut up in his study at<br />
Abymes, all Paris knows the active, energetic<br />
little man with the keen, bright eyes, and inex-<br />
haustible fund of humour and repartee.<br />
<br />
M. Emile Zola is a member of the committee<br />
of the Société des Gens de Lettres. This society<br />
possesses a capital of three millions, and intrusts.<br />
to its committee the disposal of an income of<br />
300,000 francs. The first Monday after his<br />
return from bis eleven months’ exile in England,<br />
M. Emile Zola took his seat, as usual, in the<br />
delegates’ bureau, and —among other trans-<br />
actions—voted that the aid requested by M.<br />
Edouard Drumont (the celebrated anti-semite) in<br />
a literary law suit should be granted. A salutary<br />
example of tolerance, and ove that M. Drumont<br />
would do well to imitate.<br />
<br />
M. Emile Pouvillon is now installed at Mont-<br />
auban, busily engaged on a new novel which is<br />
expected to occasion some stir in ecclesiastical<br />
circles. His idea is to give a faithful portrait of<br />
the contemporary French clergy, not of the naif<br />
old country priest of byegone days, but of the<br />
complex, modern ecclesiastic, whose mind is<br />
perhaps deformed—but, in any case, transformed.<br />
40<br />
<br />
—by the influence of modern fiction and the<br />
social milieu in which he lives. M. Pouvillon’s<br />
prose style is elegant, impressive, and convincing ;<br />
two of his novels, ‘‘ Les Antibel” and the “ Roi de<br />
Rome,”. have recently been successfully drama-<br />
tised, and the discussions of the critics on that<br />
‘occasion brought his name prominently before<br />
the lettered Parisian public, who are eagerly<br />
awaiting his next publication.<br />
<br />
M. Paul Burani is a writer of quite a different<br />
genre, and his circle of readers is as diverse as<br />
his talent—yesterday the popular songster and<br />
vaudevillist of the boulevards, he is to-day<br />
known as the author of a sensational novel<br />
entitled “Mon Oncle la Vertu,” whizh is vastly<br />
popular among a certain class of readers. As<br />
regards appearance, this prolific producer of<br />
illiterate literature has the air of a bon garcon<br />
gras et rond, with frank countenance and placid<br />
aspect; indeed, few of those who to-day<br />
curiously regard the popular rhymester would<br />
ceive him credit for the immense application and<br />
capacity for hard work which are among his<br />
most prominent characteristics.<br />
<br />
“Versailles et les deux Trianons” is the title<br />
of M. Philippe Gille’s new work which the<br />
Maison Marne is publishing in numbers, and it<br />
forms a worthy monument of the historical<br />
science, research, and erudition of its author.<br />
The latter is well known in the Parisian world<br />
of letters, and enjoys the reputation of being one<br />
of the most conscientious and impartial critics of<br />
the day, in addition to being the author of a<br />
discreet volume of poems, and of having<br />
signed “Les Trente Millions de Gladiator ” with<br />
Labiche, “Manon” with Meilhac, and ‘“ Lakmé ”<br />
with Gondinet. He likewise boasts the honour<br />
of being the intimate friend of M. Victorien<br />
Sardou, with whom he collaborated in “Les<br />
Prés-Saint-Gervais.” The two friends are equally<br />
consummate authorities on French art under<br />
Louis XIV., XV., and XVI., and they may<br />
frequently be seen pacing together the stately<br />
avenues and grounds of the park of Versailles,<br />
engaged in discussing their favourite topic. M.<br />
Philippé Gille’s present publication forms a<br />
pendant to the two works on the palace and park<br />
of Versailles which he has already given the<br />
public.<br />
<br />
Among notable publications of the month, to<br />
which space will not permit us to give a detailed<br />
notice, may be mentioned: “ Louis XVIII. et le<br />
Duc Decazes,’”’ a most interesting work by M.<br />
Ernest Daudet, largely drawn from the private<br />
documents existing in the archives of the<br />
Chiteau de la Grave ; “ Diderot et Catherine II.”<br />
(chez Calmann Levy), by M. Maurice Tourneux,<br />
a work containing the precious manuscript notes<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
left in the Russian Empress’s keeping by the great<br />
French philosopher previous to his quitting that<br />
country; ‘“ La Vie 4 Paris,” by M. Jules Claretie<br />
(chez Charpentier), a spirited account of the<br />
principal events and personages of the year<br />
1898; “La Campagne de Minorque,” by M.<br />
Raoul de Cisternes (chez Calmann Levy), m<br />
which, among numerous other letters, may be<br />
found one containing a graphic narrative of the<br />
death of the unfortunate Admiral Byng;<br />
“ Nouvelles études d’Histoire et de Critiques<br />
dramatiques,” by M. Gustave Larroumet (chez<br />
Hachette) ; ‘Lettres 4 ’Etrangére,” containing<br />
the correspondence of Balzac and Madame<br />
Hanska from 1833 to 1842; ‘‘ Lettres inédites de<br />
Michelet 4 Mlle. Mialaret,’”’ containing the letters<br />
written by the great historian to the young gul<br />
whom he afterwards married; and “ Abrégé de<br />
Chiromancie et de Chirognomonie appliqu¢e,” by<br />
Marthe Desbarolles, pupil and adopted daughter<br />
of the Cagliostro of the present century.<br />
<br />
The activity in the fiction department obliges<br />
us merely to cite the titles of the recent novels<br />
produced by well-known authors: “Les Demi-<br />
Solde,” by Georges d’Esparbes (chez E. Flam-<br />
marion); “Reflets sur la sombre route” (chez<br />
Calmann Levy), by Pierre Loti; “Jardin des<br />
Supplices,” by Octave Mirbeau; “Villa Tran-<br />
quille,” by André Theurick ; “ Leur égale,” by M.<br />
Camille Pert (chez Simonis Empis) ; ‘La Mon-<br />
tagne @’or,” by Jean Rameau (chez Ollendorf) ;<br />
“T/Aiguille dor,’ by J. H. Rosny (chez A.<br />
Colin); “L’Otage,” by Charles Foley; ‘‘ Mar-<br />
cheurs et Marcheuses,” by Richard O’ Monroy ;<br />
and last—but by no means least—the long-<br />
expected “Femmes Nouvelles” of Paul and<br />
Victor Margueritte. Darracorre Scort.<br />
<br />
ec<br />
<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
<br />
HE following illustration of the way in<br />
<br />
7 which secret profits are provided for may<br />
<br />
be useful. A. B., for the author, applied<br />
<br />
to C. D., the publisher, for an estimate concern-<br />
<br />
ing the publication of a book on commission.<br />
The terms were these :<br />
<br />
1. The author to bear the charges for the pro-<br />
duction of the book and the incidental expenses.<br />
<br />
2. The publisher to take 15 per cent., appa-<br />
rently, of all moneys received.<br />
<br />
The words “ bear the charges ’’ would be under-<br />
stood by anyone not versed in the httle ways and<br />
manners of some publishers to mean the actual<br />
cost incurred.<br />
<br />
They might be defended, whatever charges were<br />
made, as covering, and intended to cover, any<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE<br />
<br />
charge the publishers might choose to inake,<br />
They would thus cover any secret profits that<br />
they chose to make. This point will probably be<br />
raised before long in acriminal court.<br />
<br />
They then sent in an estimate.<br />
<br />
Observe, however, the wording of the letter.<br />
It was to the effect that there was delay in<br />
getting “an” estimate from the printer, which<br />
caused delay in getting ready “our” (the<br />
publisher’s estimate). The use of the pronoun<br />
and the article is significant. It seems to point<br />
to secret profits.<br />
<br />
The estimate forwarded, when compared with<br />
those in the hands of the Society, showed as<br />
follows :<br />
<br />
The Publisher : the Society ::<br />
or<br />
<br />
The Society : the Publisher :: 100 : 155.<br />
<br />
This, then, is the true meaning of the profits<br />
and percentages which, according to the pub-<br />
lishers’ draft agreements, they have the “ equit-<br />
able” right to claim, the amount left blank to<br />
suit the taste and fancy of each individual.<br />
<br />
What, then, would be the meaning of a 15<br />
per cent. royalty with this book? Without<br />
giving all the figures, it means that on a sale of<br />
1000 copies the author would lose about £25<br />
and the publisher would gain about eo5.<br />
the author had simply paid the true cost of pro-<br />
duction, the author by the same figures would<br />
have cleared about £40.<br />
<br />
TOO ; 03.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
At the conference of publishers the chairman,<br />
on whose utterances we have spoken in another<br />
column, complained of “ over production.” He<br />
spoke of it as if it were an outside thing, an act<br />
of hostility to the trade committed by persons<br />
who have nothing to do with it. I am only sur-<br />
prised that he did not charge the writers them-<br />
selves with this wickedness. Now if there is any-<br />
thing in the world more certain than another it is<br />
the fact that the over-producers are publishers<br />
themselves. The next certain thing is, that so<br />
long as there are great prizes to he obtained by<br />
bringing out books: so long as the public taste<br />
is an uncertain quality which may “ boom” this<br />
or that book: so long as there are large literary<br />
properties to be created by those who success-<br />
fully appeal to the public, so long will the over<br />
production of books continue.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In fact, the whole trade of publishing is under-<br />
going revolution, and this Mr. Murray and his<br />
friends do not understand. It is no longer a<br />
little hole-and-corner business, in which the pub-<br />
lisher treats the author as a patron treats his<br />
client: gives him what he pleases and keeps the<br />
<br />
AUTHOR. 47<br />
<br />
profits dark ; it is a trade which is rapidly<br />
becoming, like everything else, open to competi-<br />
tion, in which the creator of a property puts him-<br />
self into the hands of business men who deal<br />
with publishers in the way of business men: in<br />
which the methods have been exposed and are<br />
now well known. It is forthe old-fashioned pub-<br />
lisher to recognise these facts or not, as he<br />
pleases: if he refuses to do so he will get ‘left.’<br />
He may have, if he likes, the support of all the<br />
writers whose name spells loss: he will not,<br />
unless he recognises existing facts, have the sup-<br />
port of those whose name means money.<br />
<br />
In the Anglo Savon of June 16, I find an<br />
accusation against the literary profession of a<br />
kind which is to me at least perfectly new, to the<br />
effect that there are certain persons of standing<br />
in journalism and literature who do not scruple<br />
to maintain hacks to do their own work. Do<br />
they really exist—these persons of eminence?<br />
Ave there really men of letters who have to find<br />
an ignoble livelihood by writing articles which<br />
they know will be signed by other men? Tonce<br />
introduced into a novel a man who exhibited<br />
pictures as his own which were done for him;<br />
but I thought that I had invented and imagined<br />
the case—made it up out of my own head. I<br />
have never come across a journalist, or even heard.<br />
of one, who sent in articles as his own which<br />
were written for him. As for books, I have<br />
certainly known cases in which a name appeared<br />
on the title page of a work written by another<br />
hand. One such case was brought before me the<br />
other day. Perhaps I may get permission to publish<br />
the names. The real author of the book—which<br />
was successful—was a lady: the supposed author<br />
was—a man: the publisher was the creator and<br />
deviser of the—call it what you please: he paid<br />
the author, whose necessities obliged her to accept<br />
whatever was offered. It is a curious story, and<br />
one which is perhaps not uncommon. But that a<br />
well-known writer of articles, essays, and reviews,<br />
a man with a reputation to defend, should keep in<br />
his employment other men who do the work for<br />
which he is paid is to me a new thing in litera-<br />
ture, and one that ought to be exposed, First<br />
however, we have to be convinced that the charge<br />
is based on trustworthy evidence. ‘Till that is<br />
done, let us regard it as a mere rumour. And<br />
let us remember that the perils of the situatzon—<br />
for a hack may turn aswell as a worm—are many<br />
and obvious.<br />
<br />
There are men living and working at this moment on the<br />
Press who undertake the execution of quantities of worle<br />
not ona half of which they could accomplish in the allotted<br />
time. How, then, is it managed? In the simplest way<br />
possible. The master minds employ “understudies,”’ who<br />
48<br />
<br />
have acquired their style and method—not generally a very<br />
superhuman task. There are lots of young men who make<br />
a decent living by writing articles which owners and editors<br />
believe to be the essays of the eminent persons whom they<br />
engage and pay. As a matter of fact, these lucnbrations<br />
are very often the work of underpaid hacks. Regarded<br />
calmly, the system must be described as fraudulent. You<br />
are an editor. You are anxious to engage the services of<br />
the celebrated Mr. Smith. You pay him five guineas for an<br />
article. It is a gross swindle, I insist, if he supplies you,<br />
instead of his own work, with an article for which he pays<br />
twenty shillings to young Mr. Jones. The injustice affects<br />
three persons. It affects the owner of the paper, who pays<br />
for an article which he does not obtain. It affects the<br />
reader, who is not obtaining the matter which has been<br />
intended for him. And it affects the hack, who receives an<br />
utterly inadequate honorarium for his services. Shall Iadd<br />
that it affects a fourth person, and that it must lower, even<br />
in his own esteem, the eminent person whose sorry traffic<br />
<annot be otherwise described than as that of obtaining<br />
money under false pretences. The handwriting test does<br />
not avail the editor in the detection of this fraud, for the<br />
eminent person and his subordinates are expert in the use<br />
of the typewriter.<br />
<br />
There has been a continuation in the pages of<br />
the Glasgow Herald to the calumnies of the<br />
provider of literary gossip. This person has<br />
replied that he did not intend to charge the<br />
Society, or myself personally, with a deliberate<br />
falsehood. What did he do it for, then? He<br />
now says that “authors have paraded their<br />
troubles with the publishers in such a way<br />
as to produce the impression that all publishers<br />
devote themselves to over-reaching authors.”<br />
~« Produce the impression’’? I do not believe it.<br />
Moreover, I should like to know in what papers<br />
or magazines any member of this Society has<br />
“paraded his troubles,” except in self-defence. I<br />
can honestly say that I have myself answered<br />
hundreds of attacks: that I have never ‘“‘ paraded ”<br />
anything or appealed to the public except in<br />
answer to charges deliberately advanced and<br />
deliberately false. I would say more. I am quite<br />
sure that there has never been any association of<br />
men and women for any purpose which has been<br />
so frequently and so violently abused and mis-<br />
represented: and certainly none which has so<br />
flourished and advanced in the face of this oppo-<br />
sition.<br />
<br />
Once more I welcome our old friend, Mr. Alfred<br />
Nutt, again. It will be remembered how Mr. Nutt<br />
was asked last year a very simple question, merely<br />
for the reference to a passage which he “quoted”<br />
from The Author, and for further reference to the<br />
repetition of that passage, which, he stated, had<br />
been made without alteration in The Author. It<br />
will be remembered also how he tried to evade<br />
the plain question: how he wrote rigmarole: how<br />
he put off answering: how the Committee called<br />
upon him to produce that simple reference: and<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
how he finally refused to answer. Nobody has<br />
ever been able to find that passage. This is<br />
ancient history: it was exposed in these columns<br />
last year, It 1s, however, well to remind ourselves<br />
of this story, especially when he begins again—now<br />
in the Chicago Dial. Again he speaks of “ vague<br />
and reckless’ statements. This time, however, he<br />
takes very good care not to quote one of them.<br />
Instead of this, he takes a passage from an article<br />
in the Dial, which says, guardedly, that “if” a<br />
sale of a thousand copies of a book is certain<br />
there will be no risk—a statement perfectly<br />
simple and true. He actually pretends to<br />
assume this to mean that such a sale is certain<br />
for every book. He then proceeds, with tears in<br />
his typewriter, to point out the injustice of this<br />
statement. Such and such books, he says, “ have<br />
been published solely at my risk, without any help<br />
or subsidy whatever.’ Poor man! He should,<br />
however, remember that he is not obliged to do<br />
so. We can hardly sympathise with anyone who<br />
deliberately incurs certain loss: or ask, on the<br />
other hand, why he does it and what he expects<br />
to get by it. Perhaps it was done out of sheer<br />
love for literature. Perhaps from other motives.<br />
He is good enough to refer to me often, and with<br />
the appearance of temper. He complains that I<br />
consider only one kind of book—which is not<br />
true. The six-shilling book is a convenient unit,<br />
and it includes many kinds of book. Moreover,<br />
I would submit for Mr. Nutt’s consideration the<br />
plain fact that printers do not really charge more<br />
for printing scholarly books than for printing<br />
novels. They really do not. If Mr. Nutt’s<br />
printers have tried to do so, let me recommend<br />
him to find some other firm which does not.<br />
<br />
—<br />
<br />
He seems also horribly afraid that the ‘ Method<br />
of the Future” should be generally adopted: he<br />
is apparently ignorant that it has already been<br />
taken up : he says that it is impossible for ency-<br />
clopedias, which nobody denies. Yet the argu-<br />
ment that because it is impossible, at present,<br />
for collective books, it is also impossible for indi-<br />
vidual books, is hardly logical. He says that<br />
publishing requires “‘ more capital than any other<br />
business.” Really? Is that so? More capital<br />
than any other business? How much capital<br />
did A. have, that eminent practitioner, when he<br />
set up in business? How much has that young<br />
gentleman whose name we saw for the first’ time<br />
six months ago, and now see with a list a column<br />
inlength? To put it mildly, I find Mr. Nutt’s<br />
views on necessary capital hardly credible when I<br />
consider some other kinds of business. I know of a<br />
printer, for instance, who pays £2000 a week in<br />
wages. How much capital would his machinery<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE<br />
<br />
alone require ? However, I should like to meet Mr.<br />
Nutt half-way. I can assure him that, s> far, he<br />
has not done the Society the least harm, even<br />
with the kindest intentions of doing it as much<br />
harm as he can. I will willingly make a com-<br />
promise with him. When he has given me the<br />
reference to those “ quotations” which he made a<br />
year and a half ago, I will propose that he shall<br />
go on publishing, for the admiration of the whole<br />
world, all the books which are certain to lose,<br />
while the authors whose productions do not mean<br />
loss, the creators of literary property, shall publish<br />
for themselves and take care of their own pro-<br />
perty, without troubling Mr. Nutt at all. In this<br />
way he will go on losing as much as he pleases.<br />
This will make him completely happy. And the<br />
author will have his property to himself. So<br />
everybody will be happy.<br />
<br />
One more word with Mr. Nutt. He talks<br />
about “the glib statement that there is no risk<br />
in publishing.” Where is that statement made ?<br />
Who made it? Is it in The Author? I quote<br />
below the passage on “ Risk” from “The Pen<br />
and The Book.”<br />
<br />
Water BESANT.<br />
<br />
Does<br />
<br />
THE MEANING OF RISK.<br />
<br />
(From ‘“ The Pen and the Book.’’)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
. HE question of ‘risk’ is one which requires<br />
careful consideration, because so much<br />
ignorant nonsense is talked about it, and<br />
<br />
so many misleading statements are constantly<br />
<br />
advanced on the subject. What, therefore, does<br />
risk mean practically ?<br />
<br />
“(.) The production of great works, such as<br />
encyclopedias, dictionaries, maps. illustrated art<br />
books, may undoubtedly entail the investment of<br />
large sums; waiting for the repayment perhaps<br />
for many years; and perhaps losing in the long<br />
run. Let us, however, separate these works,<br />
which are only undertaken by two or three pub-<br />
lishers: and let us confine our inquiry to general<br />
literature.<br />
<br />
Gi.) The production of general literature<br />
stands on quite a different footing, as the follow-<br />
ing considerations will show—<br />
<br />
““(a) There are many hundreds of writers,<br />
engaged upon every branch of intellectual work,<br />
whose works entail no risk whatever. In other<br />
words, the experienced publisher knows with these<br />
writers how large an edition he can safely order<br />
without any loss to himself. This kind of experi-<br />
ence was happily illustrated by an account shown<br />
to me recently. The author was a well-known<br />
writer. The publisher knew beforehand so well<br />
<br />
AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
49<br />
<br />
what he would sell that he printed one edition<br />
which sold out all but twenty copies or so. Once<br />
more, remember that there are hundreds of writers<br />
of whom this may be said, and that they are all<br />
known by publishers in their respective branches.<br />
<br />
‘““(b) There is another large class of writers of<br />
whom it is safe to conclude that their books will<br />
at least pay expenses with some margin.<br />
<br />
““(c) There is a practice of ‘subscribing’ a<br />
book; that is, offering it to the booksellers of<br />
London before it is even printed. The publisher<br />
thus gains some idea of the number on which he<br />
may venture. Thus, if he arrives at a subscrip-<br />
tion of 200 copies of such a book among the<br />
London booksellers, he may expect as many from<br />
the country trade, and so he goes to press with a<br />
risk either greatly diminished or wiped out.<br />
<br />
“(d) But publishers reduce the risk a great<br />
deal more in various ways.<br />
<br />
“They bind no more than are wanted.<br />
<br />
‘They do not advertise more than is absolutely<br />
necessary; they feel their way. Thus, with a<br />
great many books, whose sale is certain to be<br />
small, £5 or so covers the advertising bill. They<br />
do not mould a book which is not likely to want<br />
a second edition. Thus they save £10 or so.<br />
<br />
““(e) But the real way of regarding the actual<br />
risk incurred is this. Publishers do not pay the<br />
printer and others for a certain time, three to six<br />
months. Before that time they have received<br />
their returns of the first subscription of the book.<br />
The risk therefore is not, as is generally believed,<br />
the cost of production ; it is the difference, if any,<br />
between the first subscription and the cost of pro-<br />
duction.<br />
<br />
“For instance, the cost of production being<br />
£100, and the returns of the first subscription<br />
£95, the risk isjust £5. Andas I have said, pub-<br />
lishers know pretty well at the outset what the<br />
first subscription will be. These considerations<br />
are sufficient to show what risk really means in<br />
the production of current general literature, not<br />
in great undertakings: it is the difference<br />
between the cost of production and the first<br />
returns.”<br />
<br />
ae<br />
<br />
THE METHOD OF THE FUTURE.<br />
<br />
HIS method is explained in ‘“‘ The Pen and<br />
Ty the Book.” I always advocate as the best<br />
method of those in practice, the sale of a<br />
book outright—provided the proper value can be<br />
arrived at and obtained.<br />
A still better method is the following:<br />
“The author will dissever himself altogether<br />
from the publisher, and will connect himself<br />
directly with the bookse'ler and the libraries.<br />
<br />
<br />
50<br />
<br />
He will appoint an agent or distributor, to whom<br />
he will pay a commission. He will take upon<br />
himself the printing and production and adver-<br />
tising. He will himself incur the risk, if any, of<br />
a loss on the first run of the book.” :<br />
<br />
“One thing only is necessary, an agent who will<br />
work the books honestly and with zeal, and will<br />
not publish in any other manner than for the<br />
author.”<br />
<br />
I will illustrate the method by giving results.<br />
The figures are quite simple. I assume a six-<br />
shilling book, type small pica, 320pp., quite<br />
plainly bound, paper good but not, of course,<br />
expensive. I assume a fairly good sale of an<br />
edition of 3000 copies, the “overs” giving the<br />
review copies. (See p. 41.)<br />
<br />
The cost of production may be set down at<br />
£150. The sales, less an allowance for bad debts,<br />
soiled copies, and other causes, amount to £500.<br />
<br />
By this method the author pays £150 for the<br />
production, £50 to his agent, and realises £300<br />
for himself.<br />
<br />
Now, how would he fare by other methods ?<br />
<br />
(1) Haur Prorirs. :<br />
<br />
Bos do & Ss. a.<br />
<br />
Cost of production £150, :<br />
swollen by advertise-<br />
<br />
ments not paid for, and<br />
<br />
by secret percentages ... 200 0 0O<br />
Author’s share of profits .. 112 10 0<br />
Publisher’s ditto, nominal 112 10 oO<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
425. 0 36<br />
By sales £500, less 10 per cent. for<br />
office expenses and 5 per cent. for<br />
bad debts... ea ees: £425 0 O<br />
(2) Royalty OF 10, 15, 20, 25 PER CENT.<br />
| By this<br />
10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | Method.<br />
_——— | $$ | ———} —___ | —___ —___<br />
Author’s share...... | 90 | 135 | 180 | B25 300<br />
Publisher's share ...| 260) 215|170|}125| 50<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
These figures speak for themselves.<br />
<br />
Now, it must not be supposed that this method<br />
will give the unsuccessful writer a better chance<br />
than he has already. The public is the final<br />
judge from whom there is no appeal. It is,<br />
however, submitted that the whole problem is<br />
solved by this simple method: that a writer of<br />
reputation incurs norisk: that he will approach<br />
the public quite as well in this way as in any<br />
other: and that he will thus have the pleasure of<br />
administering his own affairs in his own interest.<br />
<br />
Dee<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE CASUAL CONTRIBUTOR.<br />
<br />
e ROM time to time a number of letters have<br />
K appeared in the correspondence columns of<br />
The Author, the writers of which complain<br />
<br />
bitterly of their treatment at editorial hands, and<br />
suggest some ingenious, if not very practicable,<br />
schemes by which the editors are to be coerced into<br />
amending their ways. Individual cases of hard-<br />
ship and of discourteous treatment doubtless there<br />
are, but, generally speaking, one’s sympathy<br />
with the writers of these letters would be greater<br />
did they not betray a most deplorable want of<br />
common-sense in their literary affairs and a<br />
quite pathetic ignorance of the rules by which,<br />
whether he likes them or not, the ordinary editor<br />
is bound.» When we find a contributor so<br />
incapable bf writing a business letter as gravely:<br />
to suggest, ina recent number of this journal, that<br />
the Society should provide “ printed forms for<br />
sale to its members which shall express in polite<br />
and businesslike terms all that is necessary for<br />
an unknown writer to say when offering his<br />
work”?; when we find another explaining at<br />
length that he himself is “one of the most<br />
courteous of men,” but, none the less, has had<br />
misunderstandings with ‘one of our best-known<br />
critics,” ‘another well-known literary man,” “a<br />
west-country editor,” and “a literary friend,’’—<br />
while yet another makes the brilliant suggestion<br />
that all contributors are to combine in a boycott<br />
of those editors who prefer to manage their<br />
business in their own way—then one does feel<br />
that it is just this kind of thing that brings the<br />
Society into contempt, and that“possibly a few<br />
elementary rules for the guidance of the casual<br />
contributor, obvious as they must be to many, to<br />
some, at least, may prove of practical assistance.<br />
And I who write am myself a casual con-<br />
tributor, so that at least I shall speak of the<br />
things that Iknow. Although literature is not<br />
the main business of my life, I have worked<br />
fairly hard at it during the past eight or nine<br />
years. During all that time I have lived in the<br />
country; personally, I know one only of the<br />
many editors for whom I have worked, and his<br />
acquaintance I made when I had been a con-<br />
tributor to his paper for a year. As I do not<br />
propose to sign this article, I shall not be<br />
accused of a desire to advertise myself if I state<br />
that within the last eight years work of mine—<br />
articles, stories, or verses—have appeared in the<br />
Nineteenth Century, the National Review,<br />
Longman’s, Temple Bar, the Badminton, Punch,<br />
the World, the St. James’s Gazette, the<br />
Academy, and a number of other periodicals.<br />
My only reason for giving this list is to show my<br />
readers, so to speak, my credentials for dealing<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
with this subject. And, lest the fact that I have<br />
often succeeded be thought to have deadened my<br />
sympathies for the beginner, I may add that I<br />
have also seen scores of my MSS. return to me in<br />
dishonour, and that at the present time I cannot<br />
count with certainty upon any work of mine<br />
finding acceptance—except in the case of two<br />
journals, as regards which [ am more or less<br />
upon the regular “outside” staff. But at least<br />
my experience has taught me something, the<br />
lessons, namely, which I propose to summarise<br />
here, because I believe it to be the simple duty<br />
of any writer to do all that he can to assist his<br />
literary brethren. So, to put the matter as<br />
plainly as possible, F would say—<br />
<br />
#7 Rule 1. Offer your work to first-class maga-<br />
zines and papers only y—The neophyte frequently<br />
remarks: ‘ Oh, it would be absurd of me to send<br />
my first productions to” —let us say “the<br />
Highflier Review. 1 can only hope to work my<br />
way up to first-class periodicals by degrees. So<br />
for the present I’ll try the Rushlight”—a new,<br />
obscure, and impecunious magazine. Now this,<br />
my friend, is, from every point of view, a mistake.<br />
Supposing the Rushlight accepts your contribu-<br />
tion, at best you will be ill-paid, at worst you will<br />
not be paid at all. It is quite likely that the<br />
Rushlight may finally flicker out of existence<br />
between the time when your paper was accepted<br />
and the date when youexpected it to appear. In<br />
any case there probably will be some difficulty in<br />
obtaining your honorarium, so that you will feel<br />
compelled to send off another of those letters to<br />
The Author, abusing editors wholesale. You<br />
will not be an inch further along the road to<br />
success, for no one reads the Rushlight, whereas<br />
the first thing you must aim at is to make your<br />
name familiar to the reading public. And, asa<br />
matter of fact, it is quite a fallacy to suppose<br />
that your contribution will not stand every bit as<br />
good a chance of acceptance with the Highflier.<br />
If ‘that periodical won’t have it, offer it to<br />
another of the same standing.“ If no first-class<br />
magazine will give your MS. a home, burn<br />
it or put it aside. But remember, once for<br />
all, that if no first-class periodical will print<br />
your contribution, it is better—far better—that<br />
it should not be printed at all. To traffic<br />
with struggling, inferior journals is to sow for<br />
yourself a certain crop of disputes, delays, and<br />
disappointments.<br />
<br />
7 Rule 2. Wher offering your MS., study the<br />
rules of the game, as set forth in the editorial<br />
notices. Send the stamps, or stamped envelope<br />
as you are requested. Have your MS. typed, and<br />
send it flat, not rolled into a tight cylinder, which<br />
will exhaust the editorial patience in the shortest<br />
possible ey Then, as to the accompanying<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
51<br />
<br />
letter, which, as I have mentioned, so perplexes.<br />
one member of the Society that he wishes to<br />
replace it by a printed form, simply say that<br />
you enclose an MS., mention its nature (humorous<br />
story, dialogue, or whatever it is) and length (so<br />
many words). If you have appeared in the<br />
magazine before, remind the editor of the fact.<br />
Add that you enclose stamps for the return of the<br />
MS., if unsuitable, but that, should it be accepted,<br />
you would be glad to have a line to say so. And<br />
that is all. In fact, the shorter your note the<br />
better will it please the editor. Never seek to<br />
explain the merits of your work, still less use the<br />
argument ad misericordiam.<br />
<br />
/ Rule 3. Then wait patiently, even if you hear<br />
<br />
eo<br />
<br />
nething of your MS. for some time. Note the<br />
date upon which it was despatched, but do not<br />
follow it up with numerous letters./If you have<br />
heard nothing of it by the end, let us say, of two<br />
months, it may be well to inquire about it, but<br />
again let your note be brief and courteous. “Even<br />
if you think your editor has treated you badly,<br />
it is the worst possible policy to tell him so. _<br />
The same rule, mutatis mutandis, holds good for<br />
the interval between acceptance and publication.<br />
Certainly it is most annoying to look for your<br />
article in vain, month after month, and some of<br />
the leading magazines, especially those of the<br />
old-fashioned type, are notorious offenders in this<br />
respect, while the fact that they do not pay until<br />
the contribution is published aggravates the evil,<br />
from the author's standpoint. But to write<br />
ferocious letters to the editor is worse than useless ;<br />
possibly you may goad him into returning your<br />
work, even when it is in type; probably you will<br />
effectually deter him from accepting the next<br />
contribution you send.<br />
<br />
As regards payment, I need say nothing. By<br />
observing the first rule here suggested, that of<br />
sending your work to first-class periodicals only,<br />
you will be free from any difficulty about getting<br />
your money, while the amounts of your cheques<br />
will be at least adequate to the time and trouble:<br />
devoted to earning them.<br />
<br />
There are some further rules and suggestions<br />
which I should like to add; perhaps, with the<br />
editor’s permission, I may resume the subject in<br />
a future number.<br />
<br />
peace<br />
<br />
The correspondence of the month must be<br />
held over until August.—Eb.<br />
52 THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
BOOK TALK.<br />
HE Belfast News Letter says that the Newry<br />
a Telegraph, one of the oldest papers im<br />
Ulster, has purchased the exclusive serial<br />
rights for Ireland of Mr. W. B. Lappin’s novel<br />
“Mad Mag.” Later on the novel will be brought<br />
out in book form, when something reliably Irish<br />
may be looked for.<br />
<br />
“The Tendency of Religion,” by Colonel R.<br />
Elias, late 59th Regiment, is a collection of facts,<br />
reflections, and forecasts based upon the great<br />
and increasing mixing of the nations, and conse-<br />
quent gradual development of mutual under-<br />
standing and impartiality among men all the<br />
world over, bringing with it the mevitable recog-<br />
nition that all the great religious systems are<br />
essentially alike, differing only in details. The<br />
book has been very widely reviewed and favour-<br />
ably received.<br />
<br />
Miss Ellen T. Masters, the authoress of several<br />
practical hand-books on embroidery, and of ‘The<br />
Gentlewoman’s Book of Art Needlework” in the<br />
Victoria Library, is putting the finishing touches<br />
to another small volume on the same subject.<br />
This is “The Book of Stitches,’ which is to<br />
be uniform with Mrs. Humphry’s well-known<br />
‘“Mamnners” series, and is to be illustrated with<br />
between sixty and seventy diagrams prepared by<br />
the authoress, showing clearly how some of the<br />
fancy stitches that she describes are executed.<br />
The publisher is Mr. James Bowden.<br />
<br />
H.R.H. the Princess of Wales has graciously<br />
accepted and acknowledged a copy of “ Rita’s”’<br />
last novel, “ An Old Rogue’s Tragedy.”<br />
<br />
“Peace, the Angel’s Song,” from the poem of<br />
“The Light of the World,” by Sir Edwin Arnold,<br />
has been set to music by Blanche Eryl, the nom<br />
de plume adopted by Mrs. Alfred Phillips, whose<br />
songs have been sung by Mr. Santley and other<br />
singers of note, and whose books are before the<br />
public. Mrs. Phillips also wrote the first<br />
African National Anthem, for the Sultan Seyyid<br />
Burgarsh, of Zanzibar. She has taken a nom de<br />
plume to avoid confusion with others of her<br />
name who are writing since she first published.<br />
Messrs. Novello and Co. are bringing out her<br />
new song.<br />
<br />
At the annual conference of the Retail News-<br />
agents’ and Booksellers’ Union, held in Liver-<br />
pool, Mr. Charles Olley, of Belfast, president,<br />
referred to the sixpenny copyright novels, with<br />
which, he said, a host of publishers had over-<br />
flooded the market. Already, however, he<br />
observed in the fickle public taste a turn in<br />
* favour of larger print and better paper; and<br />
<br />
he expressed his belief that shilling editions<br />
would be a greater success and much more<br />
remunerative.<br />
<br />
The committee of the William Black Memorial<br />
Fund have decided that the memorial shall take<br />
the form of a beacon light to be erected, at a cost<br />
of about £800, at Duart Point, near the Lady<br />
Rock, on the coast of Mull. The Commissioners<br />
of Northern Lights have agreed to maintain the<br />
light after the beacon is erected.<br />
<br />
Lady Dilke has written a book entitled “ French<br />
Painters in the Highteenth Century,’ which will<br />
be published in the autumn by Messrs. Bell. It<br />
will be illustrated with upwards of seventy repro-<br />
ductions of selected pictures, many of which from<br />
private collections have never been reproduced or<br />
exhibited in public.<br />
<br />
Dean Farrar has completed a work called<br />
“True Religion,” which will be published shortly<br />
by Mr. 8. T. Freemantle.<br />
<br />
A new edition of the prose writings of Mr.<br />
Kipling has been projected by Messrs. Macmillan,<br />
to consist of ten volumes at the uniform price of<br />
6s., which will appear one at a time at short<br />
intervals, beginning at once with ‘“ Plain Tales<br />
from the Hills.” Mr. Kipling has purchased<br />
from Messrs. Newnes the copyright of ‘“ Depart-<br />
mental Ditties,’ which was originally published<br />
in 1885 by Messrs. Thacker.<br />
<br />
Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice has undertaken to<br />
write the authoritative biography of the late Earl<br />
Granville.<br />
<br />
Mr. Andrew Lang is translating “The Homeric<br />
Hymns,” for publication by Mr. George Allen.<br />
The book will contain plates, which have been<br />
taken chiefly from Greek sculptures.<br />
<br />
The humorous “Interviews with Mr. Miggs,”<br />
which have appeared in the Pall Mall Gazette,<br />
will be published in book form by Messrs. Samp-<br />
son Low. ‘The author of the papers is Mr. Alex-<br />
ander Stuart.<br />
<br />
Mr. F. P. Dunne, the creator of ‘‘ Mr. Dooley,”<br />
is to writea series of articles on English life for<br />
publication both here and in America.<br />
<br />
Mark Twain and the Hon. Sir Spencer Walpole<br />
were together the guests of the Authors’ Club at<br />
dinner on June 12. The famous humourist pro-<br />
poses to bequeath to posterity a book containing<br />
absolutely frank and truthful portraits of<br />
“persons of importance” of his day, which shall<br />
be published a hundred years after his death.<br />
<br />
Mr. R. Andom has written a sequel to his story<br />
“We Three and Troddles,” which will be pub-<br />
lished in the autumn under the title of “ Troddles<br />
and Us—and Others.”<br />
<br />
a a NE I<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. 33<br />
<br />
Miss Frances Gerard has a book on Ludwig II.<br />
of Bavaria almost ready for publication by<br />
Messrs. Hutchinson.<br />
<br />
Mrs. Hodgson Burnett is at work on a new<br />
novel for publication in the autumn.<br />
<br />
Mr. Guy Boothby’s new story, “The Woman<br />
of Death,” will be published by Messrs. Pearson<br />
in the summer. Other works of fiction which<br />
are announced include “In Full Cry,” by Mr.<br />
Richard Marsh (White); “Bonnie Maggie<br />
Lauder,” by Alan St. Aubyn (White) ; “A<br />
Woman’s Witchery,” by Mr. H. E. Curran<br />
(Lawrence and Bullen); ‘The Magic of the<br />
Desert,’ by Mr. W. Smith-Williams, a new<br />
writer (Blackwood).<br />
<br />
Two months hence the biography of Sir John<br />
Millais will be ready. Among the correspond-<br />
ence in the work are letters from the Queen.<br />
New details about the Pre-Raphaelite Brother-<br />
hood will be given. Reminiscences will be con-<br />
tributed by Sir George Reid, Sir William Rich-<br />
mond, Sir Noel Paton, and Mr. Val Prinsep ; and<br />
a feature will be made of the illustrations to the<br />
book.<br />
<br />
A life of the Emperor Nero, which will be<br />
fully illustrated from authentic sources, is being<br />
written for Messrs. Methuen by Mr. B. W.<br />
Henderson, Fellow of Merton College, Oxford.<br />
Mr. W. R. Sorley, Professor of Moral Philo-<br />
sophy at the University of Aberdeen, is writing<br />
for publication by the same firm an “ Introduc-<br />
tion to Political Philosophy,” which will treat of<br />
leading principles and their connection with par-<br />
ticular questions.<br />
<br />
A Stevenson manuscript, believed to be the<br />
original shape which “ Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”<br />
assumed in the novelist’s mind, will be sold on<br />
July 5 at Sotheby’s auction rooms. It is entitled<br />
“ Markheim,” and consists of thirty small quarto<br />
pages, all in the novelist’s handwriting.<br />
<br />
The “ Perverse Widow,” by A. W. Crawley-<br />
Boevey, is a book which may appear intended only<br />
for those who are interested in the Boevey and<br />
allied families of Flaxley Abbey, Gloucestershire.<br />
The lady, however, who plays the principal part<br />
in the work has a wider claim to interest,<br />
imasmuch as she is the reputed widow who was<br />
courted by Sir Roger de Coverley: the reasons<br />
for believing that she was the lady in Addison’s<br />
mind are pointed out by the author. The book<br />
is published by Longmans at the price of<br />
42s. net.<br />
<br />
‘telling effect.<br />
<br />
FROM THE AMERICAN PAPERS.<br />
<br />
OND-STREET, the Paternoster-row of New<br />
B York, is gradually being forsaken by pub-<br />
<br />
?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
lishers, who are moving “up town” to<br />
the Fifth Avenue district. Dodd, Mead, and<br />
Co., who are one of the latest to move, give as<br />
their reason the fact that their speciality is fine<br />
and rare editions, and the new location is near<br />
the centre of wealth and culture, amid the abodes<br />
of those who appreciate the luxe in literature and<br />
are able to pay for it. M. F. Mansfield and A.<br />
Wessels are also taking their businesses into this<br />
region, where in a few years the public lbrary<br />
will be erected; and the fact that the Grand<br />
Central Station is near at hand makes the site a<br />
valuable and appropriate centre for booksellers<br />
and publishers, but particularly to those who<br />
have a retail department.<br />
<br />
Mr. Henry Baldwin, of New Haven, Conn.,<br />
has for the past seven years been engaged on a<br />
stupendous undertaking—the “Library Ameri-<br />
cana.” Some account of this project was pub-<br />
lished lately in the New York Tumes. It is the<br />
outcome of a convention of the patriotic societies<br />
of America, held in Chicago in 1891, which<br />
appointed Mr. Baldwin Custodian of American<br />
History, with his duty to collect all additional<br />
facts and verify, so far as possible, all present<br />
facts which in any way affect the history of<br />
America. While the “ Library Americana ” will<br />
remain the property of the patriotic organisations<br />
of America, it may become the nucleus of the<br />
much agitated University of the United States in<br />
its department of American history. It begins<br />
with events in prehistoric America, going back to<br />
the supposed Chinese landing. Every tact from<br />
that time to the present day will be verified if<br />
possible. Every sort of question is treated—law,<br />
genealogy, biography, wars, calamities, celebra-<br />
tions, everything which has a bearing, direct or<br />
indirect, upon America, as well as topics wherein<br />
America is found to have a bearing upon the history<br />
of other countries. Not only accounts of events,<br />
but illustrations, cartoons, editorial comments<br />
from many pens have been preserved and placed in<br />
logical order. The Spanish-American War is dealt<br />
with in every detail. Letters from famous men<br />
to famous men, of noted personages to the beloved<br />
members of their family, love letters of long ago,<br />
form other volumes, and it is through this corres-<br />
pondence that much information is gained, and<br />
new sidelights are thrown upon the characters of<br />
some of the greatest men and women in history.<br />
That all possible additions may be made to the<br />
library and information unearthed, the chain-<br />
letter system has recently been made use of with<br />
The letters are usually sent to<br />
<br />
<br />
54<br />
<br />
members of patriotic societies or people specially<br />
interested in historical and literary matters, with<br />
the request that they in turn write another to<br />
friends. The letters ask for old newspapers,<br />
books, autograph letters, manuscripts, or any like<br />
contribution, Another interesting detail is that<br />
the great “Library Americana” is to be cata-<br />
logued in different colours, each colour to desig-<br />
nate some special topic.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
OBITUARY.<br />
HE Rev. Dr. W. Garden Blaikie, Pro-<br />
<br />
fessor of Theology in the Free Church of<br />
<br />
Scotland from 1868 to 1897, who died in<br />
Edinburgh on June 10, in his eightieth year, was<br />
editor for successive periods of the Mree Church<br />
Magazine, the North British Review, the Sunday<br />
Magazine, and the Catholic Presbyterian. The<br />
book by which he will be remembered.is probably<br />
his biography of David Livingstone, but his<br />
optimistic “ Better Days for Working People”<br />
was exceedingly popular, and he wrote also a<br />
biography of the Free Church founder, Chalmers,<br />
and many expository volumes, and contributed<br />
many notices to the “Dictionary of National<br />
Biography.”<br />
<br />
Dr. Norman Kerr, the great authority on<br />
inebriety, and the author of over a score of books<br />
on the subject of alcoholism, died at Hastings on<br />
May 30.<br />
<br />
Pe<br />
<br />
BOOKS AND REVIEWS.<br />
<br />
(In these columns notes on books are given from reviews<br />
which carry weight, and are not, so far as can be learned,<br />
logrollers.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
PPRECIATIONS anp ApprxEssrs DELIVERED BY<br />
Lorp Rosepery, edited by Charles Geake (Lane,<br />
5s. net), “a valuableand permanent addition to the library<br />
of British oratory” (Daily Chronicle), will be welcomed,<br />
says the Daily News, ‘‘by all who care for the study of<br />
calture and politics.’”’ There is in the volume “ statesman-<br />
ship, lofty, nobly patriotic, unselfish, and inspiring states-<br />
manship of a kind more imperatively needful to-day than<br />
in any period of the century.”<br />
<br />
MatTtTHEwW ARNOLD, by George Saintsbury (Blackwood,<br />
23. 6d.), the first volume in a new series designed to<br />
supplement the well-known ‘‘ English Men of Letters,” is<br />
not for the general reader, says the Daily News, being “ not<br />
sufficiently expository,” and ‘' sometimes too recondite.<br />
It is rather written by a critic for critics,” and “ on the<br />
ira Professor Saintsbury’s judgments seem to us to be<br />
sound.”<br />
<br />
Letters or Bensgamin Jowsrt, M.A., Master of<br />
Balliol College, Oxford, arranged and edited by Evelyn<br />
Abbott, M.A., LL.D., and, Lewis Campbell, M.A., LL.D.<br />
(Murray, 16s.) will delight readers of Jowett’s ‘' Life,” says<br />
the Daily News, the letters, which range over a great<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
variety of topics, being as “‘ characteristic of Mr. Jowett, as<br />
instinct with his shrewd, kindly wisdom,” as any similar<br />
compositions of his. One of the valuable elements in this<br />
collection, observes the Daily Telegrarh, is ‘the record of<br />
Jowett’s friendships, so keenly felt, so resolutely main-<br />
tained throughout all his life.’ ‘‘ We are grateful to the<br />
editors of these interesting letters,’ remarks the Spectator,<br />
“though we feel that they would scarcely reveal much of<br />
Jowett’s personality to those who did not already know<br />
him,” “The collection is rather for those who wish to<br />
ascertain owatt’s viavs on ec:rtvin large public ques-<br />
tions,” says the Daily Chronicle. Literature says the<br />
letters on European politics ‘disclose a side of Jowett’s<br />
character and a range of his intellectual interests which will<br />
for most readers possess the charm of complete novelty.”<br />
<br />
Francesco Crispi, by W. J. Stillman (Richards, 7s. 6d.),<br />
is described by the Daily Telegraph as “‘a most important<br />
contribution towards the proper understanding of the<br />
present state of Italy.” “It is true,” says the Daily<br />
Chronicle, ‘‘that Mr. Stillman frankly criticises Crispi’s<br />
methods and temper, but, in so far as his policy is con-<br />
cerned, Crispi stands forth in this volume as perhaps the<br />
wisest and most upright statesman of the century.” Litera-<br />
ture describes it as ‘‘ devoid of those personal touches which<br />
make biographies live,” but as being “ impartial, judicious,”<br />
and containing valuable information as to Italian politics.<br />
<br />
James RusseLL Loweut AnD His Frienps, by Edward<br />
Everett Hale (Constable, 16s.), ‘“‘ forms a welcome postscript<br />
to Mr. Lawrence Lovell’s biography,” says the Daily News,<br />
the aim of the book being to furnish a review of the last<br />
sixty years among literary and scientific people in Boston<br />
and its neighbourhood, though among these Mr. Lowell of<br />
course takes a prominent place. ‘‘ Those who knew Lowell<br />
best and admired him most will have good reason to be<br />
satisfied with the sympathetic, but not indiscriminating<br />
portrait which is presented of him in these pages.” While<br />
it will hardly supply the place of the biography of Mr.<br />
Lowell, says Literature, we can from this work “ construct<br />
a fairly complete picture of the author of ‘A Fable for<br />
Critics’ at the beginning of his career, and of the singer of<br />
the great Commemoration Ode in middle life.” It is beauti-<br />
fully illustrated, and a good index, says the Daily Telegraph,<br />
“adds to its value as a picture of an important period in<br />
New England history and of the famous men who made it.”<br />
<br />
Tur Human Macuine, by J. F. Nisbet (Richards, 6s.),<br />
is permeated by a philosophy very much the same as that<br />
of Lamettrie, says Literature, and while the author ‘‘ does<br />
not advert to arguments which have convinced some of the<br />
scientific authorities whom he reverently cites that the<br />
materialistic theory is a faulty explanation of the world,”<br />
the essays are bracing reading, and ‘‘an excellent antidote<br />
to much unpleasant twaddle.”<br />
<br />
Henrik Issen; BJORNSTJERNDE BJORNSON (Heinemann,<br />
10s. net) critical studies, by George Brandes, whom Litera-<br />
ture calls “the most authoritative critic of North-Hastern<br />
Europe,’ contains a study of Ibsen which that journal<br />
recommends “to all those who have preserved an open<br />
mind in presence of the great Norwegian dramatist,” and<br />
an essay on Bjérnson published by Dr. Brandes in 1882.<br />
Dr. Brandes, says the Daily News, “ devotes a great deal of<br />
space to the attempt to make clear the social theories of<br />
Ibsen, though we fear that his efforts will not always be<br />
attended with complete success,” but “no appreciation of<br />
Tbsen’s genius that has yet made its appearance in the<br />
English language can-compare for fulness and insight with<br />
this volume,” the translation of which by Jessie Muir has<br />
been revised by Mr. William Archer, who contributes a<br />
preface. Lovers of literature, says the Daily Telegraph,<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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THE AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
and of tbe modern dramatic movement in particular, will<br />
<br />
be amply repaid by a perusal of this book.<br />
<br />
Huneer, by Knut Hamsun, the Norwegian writer<br />
(Smithers, 4s. net.), “ simply as a study of hunger will not<br />
be surpassed,” and the spirit and individuality of the writer<br />
could not have been more “completely preserved than in<br />
George Egerton’s admirable translation,” says the Daily<br />
Telegraph.<br />
<br />
Tus RoMANCE or A Pro-ConsuL, by James Milne<br />
(Chatto, 6s.), consists of a “ personal life and memoirs of<br />
Sir George Grey.” Literature says Mr. Milne gives his<br />
readers “‘a very fair idea of Sir George Grey himself,<br />
though a very inadequate idea of the events in which he<br />
played his part,” and the Daily News says the charm of<br />
the book ‘‘is to be found in the graphic glimpses of his<br />
own life, given in Sir George Grey’s own striking phrases.”<br />
<br />
From Comte to Kipp, by Robert Mackintosh (Mac-<br />
millan, 8s. 6d. net.), a critical study of the various thinkers<br />
who have tried to build a sociology on a biological basis, is<br />
yaluable, says Literature, in “ that it contains a good many<br />
clever reflections on the details of the method of evolution,<br />
and on the nature and limitations of it when applied to<br />
human society.”<br />
<br />
Tur SoLrTary SUMMER (Macmillan, 6s.), by the author<br />
of “Elizabeth and Her German Garden,” “readable and<br />
delicately humourous ” as the first (Daily Chronicle) is even<br />
more charming than that book, says the Spectator. “ After<br />
reading it we are as ignorant of the nature and growth of<br />
plants as, we suspect, she is,’ but “she teaches us the<br />
positive value of intercourse with Nature, and the untold<br />
mischief of coming to love the fuss and turmoil of which<br />
our lives are perhaps inevitably full.” The “ autobiography<br />
of a cultured and cbservant woman” (Literature), “‘it is,<br />
says the Guardian, “ an admirable example of the desultory<br />
yet literary style of which some Jadies seem to possess the<br />
secret.”<br />
<br />
Lire AND NATURE IN THE ENGuLIsH Laxgs, by the Rev.<br />
H. D. Rawnsley (Maclehose, 5s.) is described by the<br />
Spectator as ‘“‘a very pleasant volume by one who knows<br />
and loves what he is writing about.” ‘ We could imagine<br />
no more charming companion to any meditative Lake<br />
visitor,” says the Daily Chronicle, than this collection of<br />
sketches by a true and close observer of thecountry. ‘‘ His<br />
descriptions of the shepherds’ meetings are full of humour<br />
and skilful description.”<br />
<br />
Avuraority anp ARcHmOoLOGY, Sacred and Profane,<br />
edited by David G. Hogarth (Murray, 16s.) is a volume of<br />
more or less popular essays by writers of obvious com-<br />
petence, containing the results of recent archeological<br />
research in relation to biblical and classical literature. The<br />
Daily News describes it as “an excellent wor Pe<br />
<br />
Tue POLITICAL STRUWWELPETER, by Harold Begbie,<br />
illustrated by F. Carruthers Gould (Richards, 3s. 6d.) is<br />
good-tempered satire and harmless mirth, says the Daily<br />
News; ita personages “belong to the world of English<br />
politics, and both Mr. Gould’s drawings and Mr. Begbie’s<br />
bright and facile rhymes are devoted to fables in which<br />
these celebrities play conspicuous parts.’ The Chronicle<br />
speaks of the ‘‘extraordinary cleverness of Mr. Gould’s<br />
disciplinary pencil.” ‘The most serious politician,” says<br />
Literature, “ will hardly maintain his gravity wherever he<br />
may open the book.”<br />
<br />
Aurrep THE GREAT, edited by Alfred Bowker (Black,<br />
58s. net) gives a noble “idea of this emancipator of his<br />
country and true founder of the English nation,” says the<br />
Daily News. In this “series of contributions by the nine<br />
<br />
55<br />
<br />
distinguished writers whose names are set forth on the title<br />
page,” there is, says the Daily Chronicle, something to suit<br />
every taste, “for though not all its readers will be able to<br />
appreciate the occasional bits of Anglo-Saxon and Latin,<br />
the greater portion is written in a thoroughly lucid and<br />
attractive form.”<br />
<br />
Lapy Lovisa Stuart (Douglas, 7s. 6d.) is a volume of<br />
selections from the manuscripts of this friend of Sir Walter<br />
Scott’s, which has been edited by the Hon. James A. Home.<br />
A memoir of John, Duke of Argyll and his family occupies<br />
about half the book; there are four letters of Scott’s and<br />
eight or ten of Lady Louisa’s, the former being described by<br />
Literature as delightful, with ‘‘ here and there a touchingly<br />
beautiful allusion to the sorrows of his old age.”<br />
<br />
Tye Ciry oF THE Sout (Richards, 5s. net), poems, is not,<br />
says the Daily Telegraph, ‘“‘ an essay in the art of writing<br />
verse; it is work of a remarkably high order, and reveals<br />
the temperament of a poet who writes because it is in him<br />
to do so.” ‘All through the book one comes upon lines<br />
which are astonishing in their beauty and their distinction.”<br />
<br />
Tur Open Roan, by E. V. Lucas (Richards, 5s.) a little<br />
book of selections to provide ‘‘ companionship on the road<br />
for city dwellers to make holiday,” is above the average of<br />
its kind, says the Guardian; and “ strikes a note of<br />
modernity,” says Literature “ which will not fail to please<br />
readers who complain that the compilers of anthologies<br />
are too fond of following a beaten track.”<br />
<br />
A Hisrory oF AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY, by Leonard<br />
Woolsey Bacon (Clarke, 10s. 6d.), is welcomed by the<br />
Spectator as a work “aiming at, and for the most part<br />
attaining, an appreciation of the best in diverse schools of<br />
religious thought, in their growth and their present con-<br />
dition, and as thus calculated to aid the better under-<br />
standing of America by the English people.” Literature<br />
says itis “excellently arranged and written.”<br />
<br />
Rorert Rarkes: THe MAn anp His Worx,’ edited<br />
by J. Henry Harris (Arrowsmith, 7s. 6d.), has auch<br />
biographical value, says Literature, including much<br />
evidence drawn from the recollections of Gloucester<br />
residents who knew Raikes.<br />
<br />
A Srupy or WAGNER, by Ernest Newman (B. Dobell,<br />
12s.) is criticised by Literature, which says that the<br />
Wagnerian theory of the complete domination of the poet<br />
(in the relation between music and poetry), ‘‘ has had such<br />
an influence upon his successors and upon the musical<br />
thoughi of our day that we are glad to welcome a fearless<br />
exponent of the opposite theory.”<br />
<br />
Tur CoLuMN AND THE ARCH: Essays on Architectural<br />
History, by William P. P. Longfellow (Sampson Low,<br />
108. 6d.), cannot fail to be extremely interesting to any<br />
reader cf artistic taste, says the Daily Chronicle. “ The<br />
subject is treated in a suggestive and unhackneyed<br />
manner.” Literatwre describes it as ‘“‘a work of real<br />
technical value.”<br />
<br />
Tus GAME AND THE CANDLE, by Rhoda Broughton<br />
(Macmillan, 6s.), is described by the Guardian as “ mainly<br />
a study in her usual style of human passion; in this case<br />
one in which the salient points are intense egotism and<br />
folly’; and ‘‘there is scarcely a character who does not<br />
seem to have been put as it were ina pillory for the reader’s<br />
edification and amusement.”<br />
<br />
I, THov, AnD THE OTHER Onn, by Mrs. Amelia E. Barr<br />
(Unwin, 6s.), is ‘a sweet and tender love story,” says the<br />
Daily Telegraph; ‘‘no more charming romance of the kind<br />
has been told in recent years,” the book carrying with it<br />
“ something of the fragrance cf an old-world garden.” The<br />
<br />
<br />
56 THE<br />
<br />
excitement of the days of the Reform Act of 1832 is<br />
effectively used, remarks the Daily Chronicle, “and the<br />
book as a whole is pleasant and refreshing.”<br />
<br />
Tp DOMINION OF DREAMS, by Fiona Macleod (Constable,<br />
6s.), consists of tales whose essential quality, says the<br />
Spectator, which “gratefully welcomes” them, is “ that<br />
they are of no time, neither conscientiously up to date nor<br />
elaborately out of date. The scene is laid for the most part<br />
in the Western Highlands, but, beyond a stray minister, the<br />
characters are all of the humblest class.” Literature speaks<br />
of “the extreme beauty and subtlety of Fiona Macleod’s<br />
writing,’ and says she sees the Gael through a mist of old<br />
tradition, and the volume ‘deals exclusively with the folk<br />
who hover on the indeterminate strip of space that separates<br />
sanity from madness.” ‘‘ There is poetry in all descriptions<br />
of scenes and periods, however strange and fantastic,’’ says<br />
the Daily Telegraph.<br />
<br />
GERALD FrtzGBRALD, by Charles Lever (Downey, 6s.),<br />
which appeared originally as a serial in the Dublin Univer-<br />
sity Magazine, but never saw the light in book form in<br />
Lever’s lifetime, is a plausible, romantic superstructure<br />
reared on a basis of fact, says the Spectator. The picture<br />
which he gives us of the sottish Pretender (Charles Edward)<br />
‘redeemed from insignificance by his romantic past, and of<br />
his train of needy hangers-on, is true enough in spirit,<br />
while Lever’s familiarity with Italian society of all grades<br />
lends verisimilitude to the setting of thestory. The canvas<br />
is crowded with historic personages, including Alfieri,<br />
Madame Roland, and Mirabeau, and even where the portraits<br />
deviate most widely from authentic records, they are invari-<br />
ably endowed with energy and vivacity of expression.” As<br />
a story it will “add little to Lever’s fame,” says Literature,<br />
“but there are in it some excellent pieces of writing.”<br />
<br />
THE SATELLITE’s Stowaway, by Harry Lander (Chap-<br />
man, 3s. 6d.), is a “high-spirited and readable book.”<br />
(Spectator) which will captivate ‘all novel readers who love<br />
the sea, and do not object to a certain amount of coarse-<br />
ness in language and brutality in treatment—a coarseness,<br />
be it understood, which is never really base or of evil<br />
repute.”<br />
<br />
WHEN THE SLEEPER Wakgs, by H. G. Wells (Harpers,<br />
6s.), is the story “of a man who falls into a cataleptic<br />
trance of over 200 years’ duration, and awakes to find<br />
himeelf, not only a kind of museum curiosity, guarded like<br />
a treasure, but also the heir to untold wealth, in a new and<br />
strange world.” The Daily News says that ‘‘Mr. Wells<br />
beats Jules Verne on his own ground,” while the Guardian<br />
describes it as “‘an enthralling effort of imagination,”<br />
“vivid and bizarre as a powerful nightmare.”<br />
<br />
Aw IpugR IN OLD FRANCE, by Tighe Hopkins (Hurst,<br />
6s.), is a series of essays, “graphic pictures of old French<br />
life, which will be equally interesting to the ignorant and<br />
the well-informed,” says Literature. ‘‘We have seldom<br />
read a more charming book of its kind.”<br />
<br />
SILENCE Farm, by William Sharp (Richards, 6s.) paints<br />
for us “ with no little success,” says the Daily Telegraph,<br />
country scenes in the Lowlands with strong, characteristic<br />
figures of farmers and farm labourers amid changing<br />
aspects of sky and lands.” ‘The story, painful as it is, is<br />
exceedingly well told,” and “leaves a clear and artistic<br />
impression on the mind.” The chief character is a rank<br />
egoist and sensualist. “The story is powerful and tragic,’<br />
says the Daily News.<br />
<br />
Tue Arm oF THE Lorp, by Mrs. Comyns Carr (Duck-<br />
worth), is a “‘ powerful and lurid story,” says the Daily News,<br />
and, apart from its tragic intercst, ‘“‘ a careful study of<br />
certain phases of religious belief.”<br />
<br />
AUTHOR.<br />
<br />
Lesser Destinizs, by Samuel Gordon (Murray, 6s8.), is<br />
described by the Daily Chronicle as “ a most careful study<br />
of the language, tone, and manners of the lower strata of<br />
London’s working folk.” The book is “reasonably read-<br />
able,” says Literature, “and might even be popular if the<br />
atmosphere were somewhat lees sordid.” No recent author<br />
that the Spectator has come across ‘has reproduced with<br />
greater skill and spirit the rough chaff and badinage in<br />
which the London street-arab notoriously excels.” ‘“ There<br />
is far more knowledge of human nature in Mr. Gordon’s book<br />
than in the works of those who excel him in the vigour of<br />
their realism.”<br />
<br />
Tue Inpivipua.ist, by W. H. Mallock (Chapman, 6s.),<br />
as a work of art, says Literature, suffers by the preposses-<br />
sions of a writer with a social purpose.’ The Daily News<br />
describes the novel as “of course a very clever book”—<br />
an acidulated, but not on that account less amusing,<br />
satire,” in which the author “is very sarcastic about<br />
‘ settlements’ in general, and he is specially unkind to poor<br />
Bloomsbury.” The Daily Chronicle says that the book<br />
smacks of the eighties, but that “here and there are some:<br />
clever touches and some acute observations,” while the<br />
Daily Telegraph finds it ‘a merely brilliant social satire.’””<br />
The Spectator says the book exhibits a polished style, an<br />
eres observation, a sense of beauty, and a vein of genuine<br />
satire.”<br />
<br />
Onz Poor Scrupuez, by Mrs. Wilfred Ward (Longmans,<br />
6s.), is a “thoroughly interesting, well-written novel”<br />
(Daily Chronicle), the characters of which are a house-party<br />
of a cousin or two, a man and a girl, and a literary man.<br />
‘* The picture she draws of an old Catholic home and family<br />
is excellent,” says the Daily Telegraph, the Spectator finds<br />
it “singularly interesting and stimulating,” while the<br />
Guardian, besides praising the work as wholesome, and<br />
“ far above the average in cleverness and interest,” remarks<br />
that ‘‘in a day when all the serious novels are of agnostic<br />
tendency, it is delightful to have to speak of one in which<br />
religious faith and principle are made to triumph over the<br />
snares of the world and the flesh.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
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<br />
“THE AUTHOR<br />
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STRAND, W.C. SS | https://historysoa.com/files/original/5/464/1899-07-01-The-Author-10-2.pdf | publications, The Author |