| 321 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/321 | The Author, Vol. 09 Issue 05 (October 1898) | <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.+09+Issue+05+%28October+1898%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 09 Issue 05 (October 1898)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101063829988" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101063829988</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> | 1898-10-01-The-Author-9-5 | | | | | 101–124 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=9">9</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1898-10-01">1898-10-01</a> | | | | | | | 5 | | | 18981001 | tTbe Hutbor,<br />
{The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. IX.—No. 5.] OCTOBER i, 1898. [Price Sixpence.<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 />
THE Secretary of the Society begs to give notice that all<br />
remittances are acknowledged by return of poet, and<br />
requests that all members not receiving an answer to<br />
important communications within two days will write to him<br />
without delay. All remittances should be crossed Union<br />
Bank of London, Chancery-lane, or be sent by registered<br />
letter only. . ^<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 />
GENERAL MEMORANDA.<br />
FOB sorne years it has been the practice to insert, in<br />
every number of The Author, certain "General Con-<br />
eiderations," Warnings, Notdoes,&c., for the guidance<br />
of the reader. It has been objected as regards these<br />
warnings that the tricks or frauds against which they are<br />
directed cannot all be guarded against, for obvious reasons.<br />
It is, however, well that they should be borne in mind, and<br />
if any publisher refuses a clause of precaution he simply<br />
reveals his true character, and should be left to carry on<br />
his business in his own way.<br />
Let us, however, draw up a few of the rules to be<br />
observed in an agreement. There are three methods of<br />
dealing with literary property:—<br />
I. That of selling it outright.<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 />
II. A profit-sharing agreement.<br />
In this case the following rules should be attended to:<br />
(1.) Not to sign any agreement in which the cost of pro-<br />
duction forms a part.<br />
(2.) Not to give the publisher the power of putting the<br />
profits into his own pocket by charging for advertisements<br />
VOL. IX.<br />
in his own organs: or by charging exchange advertise-<br />
ments.<br />
(3.) Not to allow a special charge for " office expenses,"<br />
unless the same allowance is made to the author.<br />
(4.) Not to give up American, Colonial, or Continental<br />
rights.<br />
(5.) Not to give up serial or translation rights.<br />
(6.) Not to bind yourself for future work to any publisher.<br />
As well bind yourself for the future to any one solicitor or<br />
doctor!<br />
(7.) To stamp the agreement.<br />
III. The royalty system.<br />
In this system, which has opened the door to a most<br />
amazing amonnt of overreaching and trading on the<br />
author's ignorance, it is above all things necessary to know<br />
what the proposed royalty means to both sides. It is now<br />
possible for an author to ascertain approximately and very<br />
nearly the truth. From time to time the very important<br />
figures oonnected with royalties are published in The Author.<br />
Readers oan also work out the figures themselves from the<br />
"Cost of Production." Let no one, not even the youngest<br />
writer, sign a royalty agreement without finding out what<br />
it gives the publisher as well as himself.<br />
It has been objected that these precautions presuppose a<br />
great success for the book, and that very few books indeed<br />
attain to this great success. That is quite true : but there is<br />
always this uncertainty of literary property that, although<br />
the works of a great many authors carry with them no risk<br />
at all, and although of a great many it is known within a few<br />
copies what will be their minimum circulation, it is not<br />
known what will bo their maximum. Therefore every<br />
author, for every book, should arrange on the chanoe of a<br />
success which will not, probably, come at all; but which<br />
may come.<br />
The four points which the Society has always demanded<br />
from the outset are:—<br />
(1.) That both sides shall know what an agreement<br />
means.<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 oommon law right, which cannot be denied or<br />
withheld.<br />
(3.) That there shall be no secret profits.<br />
(4.) That nothing shall be charged which has not been<br />
actually paid—for instance, that there shall be no charge for<br />
advertisements in the publisher's own organs and none for<br />
exchanged advertisements, and that all discounts shall be<br />
duly entered.<br />
If these points are carefully looked after, the author mar<br />
rest pretty well assured that he is in right hands. At the<br />
same time he will do well to send his agreement to the<br />
secretary before he signs it.<br />
L 2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 102 (#114) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
i. "JT^VEBY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
I'J advice upon his agreements, his choioe of a pub-<br />
lisher, or any dispute arising in the conduct of his<br />
business or the administration of his property. If the advice<br />
sought is such as can be given best by a solicitor, the member<br />
has a right to an opinion from the Society's solicitors. If the<br />
case is such that Counsel's opinion is desirable, the Com-<br />
mittee will obtain for him Counsel's opinion. All this<br />
without any cost to the member.<br />
2. Remember that questions conneoted 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 Sooiety first—our solicitors are oontinually<br />
engaged upon such questions for us.<br />
3. Send to the office copies of past agreements and past<br />
accounts with the loan of the books represented. This is in<br />
order to ascertain what has been the nature of your agree-<br />
ments, and the results to author and publisher respectively<br />
so far. The Secretary will always be glad to have any<br />
agreements, new or old, for inspection and note. The infor-<br />
mation thus obtained may prove invaluable.<br />
4. If the examination of your previous business trans-<br />
actions by the Secretary proves unfavourable, you should<br />
take advice as to a change of publishers.<br />
5. Before signing any agreement whatever, send the pro-<br />
posed document to the Society for examination.<br />
6. The Society is acquainted with the methods, and—in<br />
the case of fraudulent houses—the tricks of every publish-<br />
ing firm in the country.<br />
7. Remember always that in belonging to the Society you<br />
are fighting the battles of other writers, even if you are<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 />
8. Send to the Editor of The Author notes of every-<br />
thing important to literature that yon may hear or meet<br />
with.<br />
9. 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 Sooiety 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 />
Communications for The Author should reach the Editor<br />
not later than the 21st of each month.<br />
All persons engaged in literary work of any kind,<br />
whether members of the Sooiety 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 />
Members and others who wish their MSS. read are<br />
requested not to send them to the Office without previously<br />
communicating with the Secretary. The utmost practicable<br />
despatch is aimed at, and MSS. are read in the order in<br />
which they are received. It must also be distinctly under-<br />
stood that the Society does not, under any circumstances,<br />
undertake the publication of MSS.<br />
The present location of the Authors' Club is at 3, White-<br />
hall-court, Charing Cross. Address the Seoretary for<br />
information, rules of admission, &c.<br />
Will members take the trouble to ascertain whether they<br />
have paid their subscriptions for the year? If they will do<br />
this, and remit the amount, if still unpaid, or a banker's<br />
order, it will greatly assist the Secretary, and save him the<br />
trouble of sending out a reminder<br />
Members are most earnestly entreated to attend to the<br />
following warning. It is a most foolish and may be a<br />
most disastrous thing to enter into an agreement binding<br />
for a term of years. Let them ask themselves if they<br />
would give a solicitor the collection of their rents for<br />
five years to come, whatever his conduct, whether he<br />
was honest or dishonest? Of oourse they would not.<br />
Why then hesitate for a moment when they are asked to<br />
sign themselves into literary bondage for three or five<br />
years?<br />
"Those who possess the 'Cost of Production' are<br />
requested to note that the cost of binding has advanced 15<br />
per cent." This clause was inserted three or four years ago.<br />
Estimates have, however, recently been obtained which show<br />
that the figures in the book may be relied on as nearly<br />
oorrect: as near as is possible.<br />
Some remarks have been made upon the amount charged<br />
in the " Cost of Production" for advertising. Of course, we<br />
have not included any sums which may be charged for<br />
inserting advertisements in the publisher's own magazines,<br />
or in other magazines by exchange. As agreements too<br />
often go, there is nothing to prevent the publisher from<br />
sweeping the whole profits of a book into his own pocket,<br />
by inserting any number of advertisements in his own<br />
magazines, and by exchanging with others. Some there are<br />
who call this a form of fraud; it is not known what those<br />
who practiwe this method of swelling their own profits call it-<br />
NOTICES.<br />
THE 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 />
heavy charge on the resources of the Society if a great<br />
many members did not forward to the Secretary the modest<br />
6s. 6d. subscription for the year.<br />
The Editor is always glad to receive short papers and<br />
communications on all subjects connected with literature<br />
from members and others. Nothing can do more good to<br />
the Society than to make The Author complete, attractive,<br />
and interesting. Will those who are willing to aid in this<br />
work send their names and the special subjects on which<br />
they are willing to write t<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
I.—Personal Experiences.<br />
1.<br />
IT occurs to me that some of your readers may<br />
be interested in a true story of publication<br />
within my own experience.<br />
About a quarter of a century ago I entered<br />
into an agreement with a well-known London<br />
publisher, who undertook to bear the expenses of<br />
a small book, and to pay me half the profits. It<br />
was a very unpretending book, but there was<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 103 (#115) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
supposed to be a reasonable prospect of selling<br />
it.<br />
At the end of the year in which it was pub-<br />
lished I duly received an account of it, by which<br />
it appeared that the number of copies sold was<br />
insufficient to produce a profit. Each succeeding<br />
year a similar account came in, and each time the<br />
debt against the book grew somewhat smaller.<br />
A fair number of copies were sold, but the<br />
charges for binding and advertisements invariably<br />
went near to neutralising the profits made by<br />
sales.<br />
At last, after about thirteen years, the scale<br />
was just turned. All the copies were sold out,<br />
and the profits were equally divided. My share<br />
.came to about a guinea; and of course the pub-<br />
lisher's share came to the same amount.<br />
With this result I was prepared to rest satisfied.<br />
No harm had come of the experiment; and though<br />
the profits, amounting to about is. Sd. a year,<br />
were not magnificent, still it was all so much to<br />
the good.<br />
Much to my astonishment, the publisher took<br />
a, very different view. He was quite anxious for<br />
a second edition, and represented that the cost of<br />
reprinting would be less, and the sale would<br />
probably improve.<br />
It seemed to me not worth the while, and I<br />
gave it as my decided opinion that the result<br />
would be much the same as before. However,<br />
I was overruled, and consented to repeat the<br />
«xperiment.<br />
The result showed that I was quite right. The<br />
Accounts have come in yearly in the old style,<br />
though the expenses, instead of being less, were<br />
somewhat greater. At present the book has only<br />
been on sale for eleven years, so that some years<br />
must still elapse before we can expect to have<br />
anything to divide. And, as far as I can calcu-<br />
late from the latest accounts, I think that, when<br />
the edition comes to an end, we stand to lose<br />
the guinea which the first edition so successfully<br />
achieved.<br />
The conclusion which I feel compelled to draw<br />
is this, viz., that some of our publishers really<br />
know very little about business. I cannot but<br />
think that, in this case, I could have done quite<br />
as well myself. To sell two editions of a book in<br />
more than a quarter of a century, and to make<br />
nothing by it after all, seems a very poor<br />
performance. Walter W. Sxeat.<br />
ii.<br />
Since you have done me the honour of thinking<br />
that my experiences with publishers would be of<br />
interest and profit to our brothers and sisters " in<br />
arms," I shall briefly relate them.<br />
First of all let me echo the first half of the<br />
letter of the New York paper quoted in the<br />
September issue of The Author (p 86, col. 2),<br />
and sincerely repeat my own thanks to the founder<br />
of the Society and Editor of The Author, as well<br />
as to the Secretary, whose kind and prompt<br />
assistance have for the last four or five years been<br />
a constant guide to me, and whose suggestions I<br />
have always endeavoured to realise, though, I<br />
must admit, only with partial success.<br />
This restriction is necessary, for one of our<br />
tenets (with the royalty system) is an examina-<br />
tion of accounts by an authorised lawyer; to this<br />
condition neither I nor any author-friend of mine<br />
have ever found a publisher to consent.* The<br />
reasons given are always the same: "Self-<br />
respect," "pride," "never done," "suspicion of<br />
dishonesty," "no one likes his accounts to be<br />
pried into by a lawyer," <fcc. These objections, I<br />
need hardly say, are valueless. Has one ever<br />
heard of a concern in which one partner has no<br />
right to have an audit of the accounts of the<br />
joint business? Some publishers make a show<br />
of conceding the letter of our demand for an<br />
"examination of accounts "; they say that they<br />
have no objection to an author seeing their books,<br />
that these books are always at his disposal. Of<br />
course.<br />
Of what use is it to show accounts to a<br />
man to whom a simple sum is pain, and whose<br />
total yearly arithmetical practice probably con-<br />
sists in the addition of marks at the end of each<br />
term—when he does not get one of his boys to do<br />
it! I know that all authors are not so dull; but<br />
even if an author is shown the book concerning<br />
his works, of what use is that ?—it is the books<br />
concerning the printer of these works, those that<br />
will show whether the number of copies printed<br />
tallies with that accounted for in the royalty.<br />
In fact, I would go further, and say, with due<br />
deference to our Secretary, that the whole system<br />
of examination of accounts as at present suggested,<br />
is nugatory.<br />
Why should not a publisher have a livre d<br />
serrure, not for secret lost words, but for another<br />
pichi mignon? What can prevent his having a<br />
book for extra copies or extra editions?<br />
Of course, this would be dishonest; but an old,<br />
large, and respected firm has been found out<br />
paying royalty on zod. instead of 11rf! When<br />
an old, large, and respectable firm stoops to this<br />
infinitesimal swindling, I think authors may well<br />
feel suspicious. Again, an old friend who has<br />
had a life-long experience of authorship, a man<br />
whose name is well known to all who have been to<br />
school, who is an old man, and ought to be rich<br />
* I am speaking of the publication of school-books only,<br />
which alone haa oome under my observation.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 104 (#116) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
(but is not), when asked as to the best mode of<br />
publishing said to me sadly: "My dear friend,<br />
whichever way you publish you will be swindled.<br />
It is a remarkable fact, but a fact, that books<br />
published on the 'lump sum down ' system run<br />
through a large number of editions, whereas<br />
those on the royalty system always run very<br />
slowly." The conclusion he left to me.<br />
To take the case theoretically, is it, humanly<br />
speakiDg, likely or even possible that a man who<br />
is irresponsible, and absolutely safe against<br />
detection, should give over to another a large<br />
sum due to him, when, first, he knows the<br />
latter to be totally ignorant of the amount, and<br />
to be in the impossibility of finding out; when,<br />
secondly, a small one does just as well; and<br />
when, thirdly, there are sundry excuses such as<br />
"office expenses," "advertising," &c., to salve our<br />
qualms of conscience? After all, does not a<br />
publisher want the money more f He has his wife's<br />
carriage to keep up, his retinue of servants, his<br />
sons at Eton and Harrow, his yacht; and all these<br />
expenses are very heavy. As to the poor author,<br />
what does he want the money for? He has no<br />
wants; if he is cold, he can wrap his rug round<br />
his legs!<br />
Seriously speaking, there are in the royalty<br />
system only two safeguards possible, to my mind.<br />
One is old; it was mentioned as possible last year<br />
in The Author. It consists in exacting that every<br />
authentic copy bear the signature of both author<br />
and publisher. This was actually carried out by<br />
my father from 1850 to 1870 for his dictionary,<br />
and I can remember piles and piles of books<br />
arriving to be stamped by him and his secretary.<br />
This labour many authors would now shrink<br />
from, but there seems to me to be an alternative.<br />
It would consist simply in this, that, in the agree-<br />
ment, a clause be added to the effect that the<br />
printer should be instructed to print not a single<br />
copy without the joint signature of author and<br />
publisher.<br />
As it is, the printer receives orders from the<br />
publisher only; he cannot go behind and inquire<br />
whether this order is put down in the publisher's<br />
accounts to the author. With this clause he<br />
could not print extra editions without breaking<br />
the law, and most publishers would not even be<br />
tempted to give extra orders; for many a man<br />
will sin if sure not to be found out, who will<br />
shrink before the remotest chance of detection or<br />
of appearing dishonest in the eyes of any one<br />
person beside himself.<br />
I must now humbly, and—I may add—despon-<br />
dently, confess a failure on this point. I was<br />
recently speaking to a junior member of a good<br />
firm. He was praising the absolute straightfor-<br />
wardness of his house, saying that he had been<br />
through the drudgery and routine, and knew all<br />
the wheels and cog-wheels of the huge machinery,<br />
concluding that with his own eyes he had seen<br />
the perfect honesty of the firm. 1 now asked how,<br />
theoretically speaking, his firm would consider<br />
the addition of this clause into their agreement.<br />
His answer was, I regret to say, that such a thing<br />
would be a " slur," Ac.—in fact, the old story.<br />
However, either of these clauses would be suffi-<br />
cient to relieve the present unpleasant strain in<br />
the relations between author and publisher. The<br />
ideal would be a complete audit of printer's and<br />
publisher's accounts; if this be conceded, there is<br />
no reason for the partners in literary property<br />
ever to quarrel and tight. An author would feel<br />
in his publisher the same confidence as in his.<br />
banker.<br />
It is therefore seen that within my experience<br />
no publisher consents in his agreements to a legal<br />
examination of accounts—nay, more, to any check<br />
upou possible dishonesty.<br />
In this suspicion of possible dishonesty lies all<br />
the unpleasantness of the relations between<br />
author and publisher, and until it is removed,<br />
this unpleasantness expressed or understood will<br />
subsist. If you are honest, show it. An honest<br />
man is glad to do so; in fact, he is grateful that<br />
suspicion of his honesty be made impossible.<br />
Honesty never shuns the light. How do you<br />
expect to be trusted (as you should be) if you<br />
purposely and deliberately take the attitude best<br />
calculated to rouse suspicion?<br />
In these remarks I have only considered the<br />
royalty system, because it is undoubtedly the<br />
most important; for it is the fairest to both,<br />
parties. With a sum down either publisher or<br />
author (theoretically, at any rate) loses a legiti-<br />
mate part of his profits. In the royalty system<br />
the publisher qua capitalist reaps a high profit<br />
for his investment and "risk." This is right;<br />
but this should be all, and no possible doubt<br />
should be left to lurk in the author's mind.<br />
Sooner or later, the system of honest royalty<br />
will prevail; if the large, old, and respected firms<br />
adhere to their high and mighty ways, they will<br />
be replaced by new firms whose dealings are<br />
above board, and therefore completely satisfactory<br />
to the author. But the sooner the older firms<br />
alter their ways the better, or they will only be<br />
supported by young and untried authors, and<br />
left by those who are sure of a certain amount of<br />
sale.<br />
I now come to the practical conclusion of my<br />
tdtonnements. Eighteen months ago I tried to*<br />
get a well-known firm to publish a book of mine<br />
"on commission." I went; I offered to take<br />
all "risks," and, whereas they give a 10 per cent,<br />
royalty, / offered them a 15 per cent. royalty on.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 105 (#117) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
the sales. This proved too much. "What!"<br />
exclaimed the head, " / become author aud you<br />
publisher! No thank you!" The cat was out of<br />
the bag: huge profits or no deal.<br />
At last, after much seeking, I heard of a large<br />
firm of "distributors" who also take up pub-<br />
lishing, and came to the most satisfactory arrange-<br />
ment, which, I see in The Author (August, p. 59,<br />
col. 2) has been also adopted by Miss Braddon.<br />
I send my MS. to the printer and the books to<br />
the agent who distributes them to the booksellers,<br />
and asks me for supplies. All is here above<br />
board; and hitherto I have had nothing but<br />
satisfaction.<br />
There are three points I would finally men-<br />
tion:<br />
1. Choose your publisher or agent in or<br />
near Paternoster-row—it will avoid disappoint-<br />
ment. Booksellers send there every day, and<br />
their profits are so low that they can barely<br />
be expected to pay extra fares for their col-<br />
lectors to go further away, hence the excuses<br />
"out of print" or "binding" that are given to<br />
inquirers.<br />
2. The two other points are Nos. 3 and 4 in the<br />
scheme agreed upon by the Booksellers' Associa-<br />
tion and our Society and named in The Author<br />
(Aug. 1898, p. 63, coi. 1, fin.). "Books are to be<br />
sent on sale or return." Undoubtedly the plan<br />
offers many advantages.<br />
Unfortunately, on the one hand, I am told by a<br />
large firm of publishers that, after very many<br />
years' experience, they find that the system is not<br />
to be recommended; they say that many book-<br />
sellers strongly object to it, on the ground that<br />
books get mislaid in their stock and that they<br />
have to pay for goods they did not order and did<br />
not want; besides, that too many of the books<br />
are returned more or less damaged and require<br />
fresh binding.<br />
On the other hand, I must confess that book-<br />
sellers, for whom I feel the sincerest sympathy,<br />
are very remiss. A draper, a hair-dresser, or any<br />
other retail house will hardly allow you to leave<br />
the shop without making some purchase, however<br />
useless to yourself. On the contrary, I have<br />
hardly ever in England, save in Oxford, been<br />
shown a book that might be useful or agreeable, or<br />
urged to buy one;. and I suppose the experience<br />
of others coincides with mine. To this supine-<br />
ness might be attributed the regrettable depres-<br />
sion in the bookselling trade as well as to the<br />
cut-throat competition that booksellers have prac-<br />
tised against one another.<br />
If a member of the Society knew of an issue to<br />
this impasse I am sure he would be doing yeoman<br />
service to the Society by a communication.<br />
3. My third remark refers to No. 4 of the<br />
scheme mentioned above: "the odd copy is to be<br />
abolished." As the odd copy is generally given<br />
to the bookseller on a whole order, even if it<br />
consists of different books, and as the profits of<br />
the bookseller are generally so small, it seems<br />
that the odd copy is an advantage that should<br />
hardly be denied to him. It is an encouragement<br />
for him to buy and therefore to place books<br />
before the public.<br />
I cannot conclude without anticipating a<br />
certain amount of misrepresentation to which<br />
my condemnatory remarks against some pub-<br />
lishers might give rise.<br />
I am fully alive to the valuable help given to<br />
authors by good publishers, and gladly acknow-<br />
ledge the same with a personal feeling of<br />
gratitude. How many readers, schoolmasters,<br />
and others will take up a book merely because it<br />
bears the name of a good firm ?" The book<br />
must be good since so-and-so publish it." That<br />
name is a sort of hall mark. Besides, a good<br />
publisher will give a young author a start which<br />
will be the initial point of a brilliant career.<br />
Finally, by friendly words of encouragement, pub-<br />
lishers often give fresh life and ardour to a<br />
despondent and nervous author. In a word, it<br />
would require but a very little concession on the<br />
part of the publishers to make their relation with<br />
authors perfectly pleasant and cordial, as they<br />
should be—as pleasant as those between an<br />
author and his banker.<br />
This long tale of experiences and these many<br />
remarks may be of use to other members. I trust<br />
they may. I offer them in that hope. At any<br />
rate, they will prove conclusively how useful The<br />
Author is, and what good work the Society does<br />
in a way that it probably never suspects. Many<br />
besides myself have doubtless imbibed and thought<br />
out the ideas and doctrines propounded in The<br />
Author, and have individually and obscurely<br />
approached the publishers in the same direction.<br />
If, however, there was a little more esprit de corps<br />
among authors, publishers would make at once con-<br />
cessions which they will have ultimately to make,<br />
and which seem to me to be merely a concession<br />
to the ordinary principles of honesty.<br />
Victor Spiers.<br />
II.—The Publishers' Draft Agreements.<br />
1.<br />
I would call attention to certain facts in the<br />
publishers' draft agreements which deserve to be<br />
borne in mind very carefully.<br />
1. There is not a word said as to any means of<br />
checking accounts or preventing dishonesty.<br />
Alone among all men in the world of any trade or<br />
calling whatever, the publisher regards himself<br />
as a person whose honour and honesty are<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 106 (#118) ############################################<br />
<br />
io6<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
absolutely beyond the reach of suspicion. He is<br />
like Caesar's wife: he is like the French army:<br />
he is unlike any other person or any other institu-<br />
tion, and this in the face of the scandals and<br />
exposures constantly made in these columns.<br />
2. The right of taking—or purloining—as<br />
much of the profits as he pleases by advertising<br />
in his own organs or by exchanges is carefully<br />
reserved by preserving silence on the subject.<br />
3. In second and following editions the cost of<br />
production is greatly—very greatly—reduced.<br />
There is no composition, no moulding or stereo-<br />
typing, no corrections, very little advertising.<br />
The cost of an ordinary six shilling book may be<br />
reduced to less than od., yet no change is made<br />
in the author's royalty and no better terms are<br />
offered to the bookseller.<br />
n.<br />
No criticisms in The Author on the methods<br />
of publishers have ever equalled in point and<br />
brutal frankness their own recent f ulmination.<br />
What do publishers take us for? Do they<br />
imagine that because we are authors we are<br />
entirely devoid of business capacity, and have<br />
returned to our first childhood? With them<br />
apparently might is right, and their publishers'<br />
agreements are clearly constructed with a cordial<br />
recognition of this principle. The insult of the<br />
whole thing is, to my mind, the worst feature.<br />
Authors are not credited with common sense, to<br />
say nothing of ordinary acuteness. They are<br />
therefore to be treated with a high hand.<br />
I am convinced that publishers have dealt<br />
themselves a heavy, if not disastrous, blow. In<br />
their blind and reckless policy they would kill the<br />
goose that lays the golden egss; for it is quite<br />
certain their very existence depends on the<br />
author, while the converse is not by any means<br />
the case.<br />
Do they really think that anyone except the<br />
struggling amateur will submit work to them<br />
under these new conditions? If so, their credu-<br />
lity is on a par with their " agreements."<br />
In these proposals publishers have found a<br />
short cut to the tether-end of the authors'<br />
patience; and those whose work is marketable<br />
will, in many instances, rid themselves of this<br />
publishers' incubus altogether and follow the<br />
excellent examples of Miss Braddon and others<br />
—examples which I, for one, will imitate at the<br />
earliest opportunity. Spero Melioka.<br />
m.<br />
Tour invitation in the September Author for<br />
an expression of opinion by all your readers<br />
on the subject of the publishers' Draft Agree-<br />
ments is my excuse for the present communica-<br />
tion. I at once confess that in the past I have<br />
thought your painting of the picture of the<br />
publisher rather on the black side than otherwise.<br />
I was grievously mistaken. As you remark,<br />
your past statements have fallen far short of the<br />
truth. All authors are deeply indebted to the<br />
Society for its strenuous fight—in the face of<br />
direst ridicule—on behalf of the rights and just<br />
dues of literary property. There is but one<br />
remedy for the present state of affairs, and now<br />
that the matter is laid bare befoi.e all who care to<br />
read, it is devoutly to be hoped that that remedy<br />
will be applied. It is that the stronger writers<br />
make a firm stand for equitable agreements.<br />
Beginners—like myself—are as dust in the<br />
balance. We can do little. It is for the giants<br />
in the literary world to turn the scale. Many of<br />
the best known names in literature are on the list<br />
of the Authors' Society. If they present their<br />
ultimatum much can be accomplished. It seems<br />
to me incredible that even the most inexperienced,<br />
most eager-to-get-into-print young author would<br />
sign the agreements put forth by the publishers;<br />
yet if this is not the case, why publish them at<br />
all? From a business point of view they are<br />
amazing—almost absurd. I have had many<br />
business agreements through my hands, but,<br />
so far as my experience goes, no business<br />
man who prides himself on any commercial<br />
acumen whatever, would so give himself away as to<br />
propound—even to his employee—such ridiculous<br />
conditions as those in question contain. I have<br />
always been led to believe that an agreement<br />
to be valid must set forth reasonable advantages<br />
accruing to both parties. In those under discus-<br />
sion where do the author's advantages appear?<br />
You ask for brevity; but before concluding may<br />
I state two suggestions which have occurred to<br />
me that may appeal to you as being worth dis-<br />
cussion:<br />
1. Would it not now be advisable for the<br />
Society to frame a set of agreements which<br />
shall adequately protect the author as pro-<br />
ducer, whilst giving the publisher what is<br />
his due as distributor?<br />
2. I believe that one or two well-known authors,<br />
to their own distinct advantage, have<br />
acted as their own distributors. On the<br />
same basis could not the Society establish a<br />
distributing department? This arrange-<br />
ment would, I think, serve a two-fold<br />
purpose. (1) To many members of the<br />
Society, whose names are a guarantee of<br />
good work, it would doubtless be a welcome<br />
innovation. (2) It would drive home the<br />
lesson the Society wishes to inculcate more<br />
forcibly than any other course. J. C. S.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 107 (#119) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE A UTHOR.<br />
III.—The Registration of Titles.<br />
There has been some discussion in the papers<br />
lately with regard to the question of titles in books<br />
and the registration of titles.<br />
As it appears from most of the correspondence<br />
that the writers are ignorant of the law that bears<br />
upon the question relating to the property in<br />
titles—as they speak of "Copyright in Titles,"<br />
whereas no such thing as copyright exists in<br />
titles—it may be as well to make a few remarks on<br />
the subject.<br />
The law referring to the right of property in a<br />
title is very clear. The interpretation of that law<br />
is exceedingly difficult and complicated. Each<br />
ease has to be decided by its own particular<br />
evidence. The law bearing on the right of pro-<br />
perty in titles comes under, and is in some ways<br />
analogous to, Trade Mark law, but titles cannot<br />
be registered like trade marks. The main ques-<br />
tion to be decided on each case, however, is<br />
whether a fraud has been committed on the<br />
public. To take an example: Suppose A. pub-<br />
lishes a book with a certain title, and the book<br />
has an established reputation and a continued<br />
and established sale, it would be impossible for<br />
B. to produce a book with a similar title, as<br />
people might obtain B.'s book when desiring to<br />
obtain A.'s, and thus would be defrauded by B.'s<br />
conduct; but, to give A. a property, A.'s book<br />
must have established itself on the market, and<br />
must be in continuous sale. The difficulty of the<br />
interpretation of the law is therefore evident, as it<br />
can only be decided on the facts of each particular<br />
case and by each individual judge as to what will<br />
constitute an established position of A.'s book on<br />
the market.<br />
The most curious case on the subject was a<br />
case entitled Maxwell v. Hogg. Messrs. Hogg,<br />
in 1863, registered an intended new magazine to<br />
be called Belgravia. In 1866, such magazine not<br />
having appeared, Mr. Maxwell, in ignorance of<br />
what Messrs. Hogg had done, projected a maga-<br />
zine with the same name, and incurred con-<br />
siderable expense in preparing it, and exten-<br />
sively advertising it in August and Sep-<br />
tember, as about to appear in October. Messrs.<br />
Hogg, knowing of this, made hasty preparations<br />
for bringing out their own magazine before that<br />
of Mr. Maxwell could appear, and in the mean-<br />
time accepted an order from Mr. Maxwell for<br />
advertising his (Mr. Maxwell's) magazine on the<br />
covers of their own publications, and the first<br />
day on which they informed Mr. Maxwell that<br />
they objected to his publishing a magazine under<br />
that name was Sept. 25, on which day the first<br />
number of Messrs. Hogg's magazine appeared.<br />
Mr. Maxwell's magazine appeared in October.<br />
VOL. IX.<br />
Under these circumstances, on a bill filed by Mr.<br />
Maxwell, it was held, that Mr. Maxwell's adver-<br />
tisements and expenditure "did not give Mm any<br />
exclusive right to the use of the name '• Bel-<br />
gravia," and that he could not restrain Messrs.<br />
Hogg from publishing a magazine under the<br />
same name, the first number of which appeared<br />
before Mr. Maxwell had published his; and on a<br />
bill filed by Messrs. Hogg, that the registration<br />
by them of the title of an intended publication<br />
could not confer upon them a copyright in that<br />
name, and that, in the circumstances of the case,<br />
they had not acquired any right to restrain Mr.<br />
Maxwell from using the name as being Messrs.<br />
Hogg's trade mark.<br />
It would appear also that if one person pub-<br />
lished a scientific book with the same title as a<br />
book of poems by another person, no action<br />
would lie, as there would be no fraud on the<br />
public, it being impossible that any person in-<br />
tending to buy the scientific book would be<br />
deceived into buying a book of poems, or the<br />
reverse.<br />
The clear facts to be remembered with regard<br />
to title, then, may be considered as follows:<br />
1. There is no copyright in a title.<br />
2. An author has only property in a title when<br />
his book has a reputation on the market, is<br />
selling, and when such reputation and sale are<br />
prejudiced by the production of any book with<br />
the same or similar title.<br />
3. The Courts must be the final arbiters on the<br />
facts of each particular case.<br />
4. Though the law is clear, the interpretation<br />
of that law is exceedingly difficult.<br />
5. Registration of a title merely gives no pro-<br />
perty in that title.<br />
6. From a practical point of view, therefore, it<br />
is better for an author as a rule to settle a point<br />
on reasonable terms than to go to law.<br />
7. It is better still for an author not to<br />
mention his title to anyone until his book is<br />
produced.<br />
Those who through personal experience have<br />
come across the question for the first time con-<br />
sider the matter as a difficulty but recently<br />
discovered, which needs immediate amendment;<br />
they may, however, rest assured that the question<br />
of legislating more fully on the point has been<br />
deeply and thoroughly discussed and considered<br />
by all those who have attempted to legislate on<br />
copyright or who are interested in the affairs of<br />
authorship. It is not a simple or one-sided<br />
question. It is exceedingly complicated, and has<br />
many sides.<br />
At present no remedy has been devised suffi-<br />
ciently satisfactory to embody in any of the draft<br />
Copyright Bills. "G. H. Thring.<br />
M<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 108 (#120) ############################################<br />
<br />
io8 THE AUTHOR.<br />
IV.—Two Curious Cases,<br />
i. Refusing to Reprint a Book.<br />
Some years ago one of the largest publishing<br />
firms in England entered into a contract with a<br />
young author for the publication of a technical<br />
book. The terms of the agreement were roughly<br />
as follows: That the publisher should stand all<br />
risk of the cost of production, and should pay the<br />
author 10 per cent. after the sale of the first<br />
2000 copies: That the copyright should belong<br />
to the publisher.<br />
The further details of the contract it is un-<br />
necessary to enter into, except to state that the<br />
publisher had practical control of the book over<br />
all the world.<br />
The book did not have a rapid sale, but, owing<br />
to its rather unique qualities, had a steady and<br />
continued one. Eight years after its first publi-<br />
cation the 2000 copies were sold out. On the<br />
author writing to the publisher and requesting<br />
that the book should be reprinted, he received a<br />
letter stating that, as there was not sufficient demand<br />
for the book amongst their customers, they would<br />
not reprint it, but they offered to sell the plates<br />
and their rights under the agreement to the<br />
author for £6, ending their letter with the fol-<br />
lowing statement: "Which is half of our loss to<br />
this date on the book."<br />
The following particulars may tend to explain<br />
the position of the author and publisher:<br />
First. The cost of production of 2000 copies<br />
of a book of the size and price referred to should<br />
be easily covered by the sale of 2000 copies.<br />
Secondly. The author should never have sold<br />
his copyright.<br />
Thirdly. Ten per cent. would have been a small<br />
royalty if offered to the author from the<br />
beginning.<br />
Lastly. After the publishers have reaped all<br />
the benefits they possibly can from the sale of the<br />
book they refuse to reprint. What their reason<br />
may be for this refusal of course it is impossible to<br />
know. They had the plates. There would there-<br />
fore only be the cost of print and paper. It<br />
could not possibly have been the very small re-<br />
muneration due to the author. The question,<br />
then, must be left an open one, but from the<br />
author's point of view the treatment was distinctly<br />
bad, and this treatment was from one of the<br />
largest firms of publishers in England.<br />
As the copyright belongs to the publishers the<br />
unfortunate author is practically at their mercy.<br />
2. A Series of Mistakes.<br />
1. The authors undertook to pay for the print-<br />
ing, binding—in a word, the manufacture.<br />
2. Accounts were to be made half yearly, pay-<br />
ment six months later; so that the publishers<br />
gained, and the author lost, the interest on their<br />
property for an average of nine months.<br />
3. The author retained the right of sale in<br />
Ireland.<br />
4. Published price, 3s. Sales to be accounted<br />
for at id. over two-thirds, i.e., at 2s. id.; but 13<br />
as 12, making the return of each book is. 1 i_fed.<br />
5. For printing, binding, and stereotyping the<br />
author was to pay is. 1 \d. each for the first 2000,<br />
after that j\d. for following orders of 2000 each.<br />
That is to say, the book was alleged to cost<br />
£.112 10s. for the first edition of 2000, and<br />
.£64 iis. Sd. for all subsequent editions of 2000.<br />
The publishers were to receive 20 per cent. on<br />
all sales in England, and 10 per cent on all sales<br />
in Ireland, where the price was to be 2.1. net. The<br />
book sold largelv in Ireland.<br />
The author does not seem to have questioned<br />
the charge for printing, which may therefore be<br />
left.<br />
6. When the first account came in a sum of .£5<br />
was charged for moulding, which was actually<br />
included in the estimate, being a part of the<br />
process of stereotyping. The general charge for<br />
moulding is 5*. or 6*. a sheet, so that if the charge<br />
for moulding is correct, the book should contain<br />
i6| sheets, or 264 pages.<br />
7. A second item in the account showed that<br />
the first 3000 copies had been charged at the same<br />
rate as that agreed upon for the first 2000.<br />
8. A third item showed that a few pages over<br />
and above those of the original estimate had been<br />
charged for as printing aDd binding (!) Now,<br />
they would certainly make a difference in the<br />
printing, but could they make a difference in the<br />
binding?<br />
9. On the author representing that the original<br />
estimate included stereotyping, the charge for<br />
£5 was withdrawn.<br />
10. As to the second mistake, that, too, was<br />
withdrawn.<br />
11. Then the publisher began to make delays<br />
and to send up accounts complicated and in-<br />
volved. Finally, the author placed them in the<br />
hands of an actuary, who found out that the<br />
publisher owed the author the sum of .£150 (less<br />
a small payment made on account), and the author<br />
compelled him to pay it.<br />
ANOTHER WORD ON ROYALTIES-<br />
fl^HKEE months ago we gave in The Author<br />
I certain figures which were actual estimates<br />
tendered by printers. The example is, as<br />
usual, the 6*. book, not necessarily a novel.<br />
From these figures the following may be made out.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 109 (#121) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
A book of 20 sheets of 16 pages to a sheet: or<br />
of 10 sheets of 32 pages to a sheet: in small pica<br />
type: with 29 lines and about 300 words to a<br />
page, costs to produce, on estimates like all those<br />
given in these columns, real and not invented:<br />
An edition of 1000 copies will cost about Is. 6d.<br />
or is. yd. to produce. This is the kind of book<br />
which has a limited sale and will not go into a<br />
second edition.<br />
An edition of 2000 copies, including moulding<br />
for a second edition and a moderate amount of<br />
advertising, can be produced for thirteen or<br />
fourteen pence.<br />
An edition of 3000 copies can be produced for<br />
a shilling a copy, including moulding, but not<br />
stereotyping.<br />
But a second edition of 3000 copies, with<br />
stereotyping, can be produced for eightpence.<br />
In the second edition there is neither composi-<br />
tion, nor corrections, nor moulding, and very<br />
little advertising.<br />
It is quite possible to reduce these figures<br />
still lower. Paper was never so cheap, and<br />
becomes cheaper.<br />
Now any royalty that may be offered must be<br />
based upon these figures, or something like them.<br />
On the first, or only, edition of 1000 copies the<br />
publisher and author begin to divide after 520<br />
copies are sold; they may make more, however,<br />
than is apparent, because they need not " mould"<br />
a book which is not going into a new edition:<br />
they do not bind more than they want: and they<br />
do not advertise so much as is set down.<br />
On the second supposition if all the copies are<br />
sold, a profit is made of about .£230.<br />
On the third, of about .£380.<br />
On the last, however, and on all following<br />
editions, there is a great change.<br />
The profit on every copy, if all are sold, may ,<br />
now actually reach the sum of 2s. l0d.<br />
Observe carefully that no further concession is<br />
ever made to the bookseller when this improve-<br />
ment sets in.<br />
It is therefore quite clear that he has been, and<br />
is, treated with great injustice.<br />
What change is made in the position of the<br />
author? As a rule, none. The publisher sweeps<br />
all into his own pocket.<br />
It is therefore necessary that the whole system<br />
of royalties should be altered, and to this point we<br />
shall next proceed. Meantime we remark that the<br />
huge saving on the cost of production in the second<br />
and subsequent editions is not so much as alluded<br />
to in the publishers' Draft Agreements. We must<br />
imagine the committee agreeing together at their<br />
sittings, because they could not possibly ignore<br />
the point, in a solemn and heartfelt prayer that<br />
authors would never find it out.<br />
A bookseller, quoted on another page, writes:<br />
"The odd copy is a curse to us. I can get a 6*.<br />
book for 3*. gd. by taking seven. But I must sell<br />
them all or I lose. For an odd copy I must pay<br />
4*. 2d." He sells it at 4*. 6d. In the latter case,<br />
he gets 4rf. profit, in the former gd., out of which<br />
he has to pay carriage and his office expenses.<br />
The publisher for the same volume—in the<br />
second edition which, by our figures, costs Sd. a<br />
copy—pockets 2*. l0d. less the sum he gives the<br />
author—rarely, until lately, more than 1 s. So we<br />
have the scale of profits :—<br />
Author, who contributes all the work, is.<br />
Bookseller, who takes most of the risk, 4d., or<br />
at best gd.<br />
Publisher, who takes the rest of the risk, if<br />
there is any, has I*, l0d.<br />
It hardly seems quite equitable, does it?<br />
Let us draw up another table showing what<br />
various royalties mean for the second and follow-<br />
ing agreements. We must, however, point out<br />
that these figures are not final. Every step which<br />
we take forward brings us to a clearer under-<br />
standing of the facts, i.e., of the enormous profits<br />
hitherto made by publishers. That they think<br />
themselves absolutely entitled by right to<br />
enormous profits, and that they believe book<br />
sellers and authors entitled to no profit at all, is<br />
clearly shown by their Draft Agreements.<br />
Here, however, are the figures for the second<br />
edition:—<br />
On a 6s. volume gives the<br />
A percentage of<br />
Publisher<br />
Author<br />
s. d.<br />
,. d.<br />
5<br />
2 6f<br />
° 3i<br />
10<br />
2 2|<br />
0 7i<br />
15<br />
'"*<br />
0 IOj<br />
20<br />
1 7i<br />
I 2f<br />
25<br />
1 4<br />
i 6<br />
3°<br />
• of<br />
'9s<br />
35<br />
0 8}<br />
40<br />
0 5*<br />
2 4.i<br />
45<br />
0 if<br />
2 8f<br />
But, says the publisher, "There are my office<br />
expenses." Quite so. Every business has its<br />
office expenses. There are also the author's office<br />
expenses, and there are the bookseller's expenses.<br />
Another way to approach the subject, and<br />
perhaps a better way, because all the copies will<br />
not perhaps be sold, is to let the royalty begin<br />
when the cost of producing the edition is defrayed.<br />
This method, however, can only be allowed where<br />
the publisher gives proofs of honesty. Thus, if<br />
the second edition of 3000 copies costs .£95,<br />
the expense is defrayed by the sale of 544 copies.<br />
If it costs a little more or less, because this<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 110 (#122) ############################################<br />
<br />
tio THE AUTHOR.<br />
estimate is only for a book of a definite size and<br />
price, this number can be changed. Since the rest<br />
of the edition is pure profit, all that has to be<br />
done is to arrange the proporlion. I would<br />
suggest:<br />
(i.) For the bookseller, better terms in second<br />
and following editions: he should claim<br />
the right to share in the increased profit;<br />
(2.) For the publisher, one-third of what is<br />
left when the cost is paid.<br />
(3.) For the author, two-thirds.<br />
THE CASE OF THE BOOKSELLER,<br />
IEARNESTLY invite booksellers to a con-<br />
sideration of the figures given in these<br />
columns. The question of terms and shares<br />
and charges most closely concerns the author,<br />
which is my excuse for speaking on the subject.<br />
In reference to the figures, my own scheme is<br />
something as follows:<br />
1. The present system, by which the bookseller<br />
has to take all the risk, should be replaced by a<br />
system of sale or return; that is to say, that the<br />
bookseller should be free to order, as at present,<br />
as many books as he pleases, but that, in order<br />
for other books to get a chance of exhibition or<br />
sale, the publisher should send him copies on sale<br />
or return. The bookseller, however, must be free<br />
to refuse or to take these books. It is objected<br />
that they sometimes get lost or soiled. Well, if<br />
they cannot be sold on the bookseller's shelves,<br />
they will certainly not be sold on the publisher's<br />
or the bookbinder's shelves. There is, therefore,<br />
no real loss.<br />
2. In the choice of books on order, the book-<br />
seller is at present guided by the name of the<br />
author, his own judgment of a book, and the<br />
demand for a book. He wants them to unite<br />
advice and information. For this purpose he<br />
wants a small and private paper devoted entirely<br />
to his own interests. In this paper he should<br />
receive every month a brief account of such books<br />
as are likely to be popular. He might thus be<br />
saved from heavy loss. The cost of this little<br />
paper, with the editor or reader, would be covered<br />
by a guinea subscription from every member of<br />
the Association. Publishers would, of course,<br />
have to send copies of books to the office of the<br />
paper.<br />
This paper need not concern itself with any<br />
other ii'.atter than (1) the figures which have<br />
proved so useful to ourselves: those, namely,<br />
which show the cost of production, the position<br />
of the authors, and that of the booksellers; and<br />
(2) the advice as to the new books offered.<br />
It would be most necessary to find readers<br />
of the utmost integrity, who could be relied<br />
upon not to take bribes or to recommend<br />
friends. With this object it would be desirable<br />
to find a person wholly unconnected with London<br />
coteries.<br />
3. Armed with a knowledge of these figures, it<br />
would be easy for the Booksellers' Association to<br />
demand equitable terms. It is ominous that<br />
many publishers, when the royalties of authors<br />
began to be raised, declared that they would have<br />
to raise their terms to the booksellers.<br />
4. I have long thought that the Association<br />
might provide itself with editions of non-copy-<br />
right works. Such editions would cost them<br />
nothing—literally nothing. Consider," The Vicar<br />
of Wakefield" is a book that is certain always<br />
to sell. If a cheap shilling edition of that work<br />
were issued by the Booksellers' Association for<br />
themselves, and, if every bookseller took no more<br />
than three copies, the whole expense would be<br />
defrayed, while, if 10,000 copies were sold, there<br />
would be a considerable profit. This is a certain<br />
source of income: there would be no loss: the<br />
Authors' Society would perhaps advise in the<br />
choice of the series. The trade price of the Asso-<br />
ciation's own series, instead of being 8|rf. would<br />
be 6rf. and still leave a margin.<br />
A country bookseller sends a publisher's list of<br />
prices. It is as follows. They are nearly all<br />
cheap books:<br />
Published<br />
Price.<br />
d.<br />
6<br />
0<br />
o<br />
6<br />
6<br />
o<br />
6<br />
o<br />
6<br />
Trade Price.<br />
8. d.<br />
5 4<br />
2<br />
1<br />
6<br />
9<br />
5<br />
1<br />
41<br />
If seven Copies<br />
of each are<br />
Ordered.<br />
s. d.<br />
U Twelve "As-<br />
sorted," then<br />
as Thirteen.<br />
d.<br />
o<br />
o<br />
4<br />
3i<br />
7<br />
Ti<br />
o<br />
7S<br />
4<br />
If, be points out, he takes an "assorted" lot—<br />
four at is.: three at 2*. 6rf.: three at 3*. 6d. -. one<br />
at 5*.: one at 6*.: one at 7s. 6d.: and receives<br />
in addition to the above allowances a discount<br />
of 5 per cent. for payment to time; "and if I<br />
sell the whole lot I make a handsome profit of<br />
3s. 5<Z., out of which must be deducted the<br />
carriage, which amounts to is. or is. 3rf."<br />
In a word, out of a margin of 2s. 3c/*.,<br />
outlay of £1 7*. 3rf., the bookseller takes<br />
sale, and has to pay rent, rates and taxes,<br />
ants and other expenses.<br />
"It is only," he writes, "a question of time for<br />
the country bookseller to be driven out of exist-<br />
on an<br />
risk of<br />
assist-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 111 (#123) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
ence, unless the present arrangements are speedily<br />
altered." And so, indeed, it seems to me.<br />
How does the publisher stand, therefore, as<br />
regards author and bookseller? The following<br />
figures show the necessity of understanding the<br />
whole case, including the production, the book-<br />
seller and the author. We take the "assorted"<br />
price and 13 as 12. The cost of production is set<br />
do .vn on an average book:<br />
< ublished<br />
Price.<br />
Trade Prloe<br />
less 5 per<br />
Cost of<br />
Production.<br />
Author's<br />
Rojaltv<br />
10 per ct-nt.<br />
Author's<br />
Royalty<br />
20 per cent.<br />
cent.<br />
*. d.<br />
*. d<br />
f. d.<br />
d.<br />
». d.<br />
7 6<br />
4 9<br />
■ 3<br />
9<br />
1 6<br />
6 0<br />
3 9i<br />
I 0<br />
r.<br />
1 1'i<br />
5 0<br />
3 2<br />
0 10<br />
6<br />
I 0<br />
3 6<br />
2 i\<br />
0 8<br />
4s,<br />
0 8|<br />
2 6<br />
1 6<br />
0 7<br />
3<br />
0 6<br />
Now consider the respective winnings of each<br />
of the three in this delightful game:<br />
(1.) Author's royalty at 10 per cent.:<br />
Price of book.<br />
Author at 10<br />
per <*r•nt.<br />
d.<br />
9<br />
71<br />
6<br />
41<br />
1<br />
Publisher.<br />
«. d.<br />
2 9<br />
2 If<br />
1 10<br />
o 8<br />
Bookseller.<br />
d.<br />
o ioj<br />
o 8.1<br />
o 7<br />
° 5i<br />
o 34<br />
(2.) If the author has 20 per cent. we have the<br />
fol.owing figures, cost of production and trade<br />
price as before:<br />
Price of book.<br />
Author at 20 per<br />
<,mt.<br />
Publisher.<br />
Bookseller.<br />
,. d.<br />
S. d.<br />
s. d.<br />
7 6<br />
1 6<br />
2 0<br />
0 ioi<br />
6 0<br />
I 2*<br />
■ 5!<br />
0 8^<br />
5 0<br />
I O<br />
1 4<br />
0 7<br />
3 6<br />
O 83<br />
0 7hl<br />
0 si<br />
2 6<br />
0 6<br />
0 5<br />
0 31<br />
These figures are recommended for careful<br />
consideration.<br />
The cost of production is only approximate, but<br />
it is just above the average. For instance, I<br />
have before me an estimate for producing a book<br />
which may be priced at js. 6d., 6s., or 58.,<br />
according to the fancy of the publisher. The<br />
price for an edition of 3000 copies, composing,<br />
printing and paper, is 6d. a copy, and it is<br />
every day done more cheaply. The binding will<br />
be under 4d.<br />
These figures show the position of the book-<br />
seller, author, and publisher, on those books only<br />
which the bookseller buys of the publisher. But<br />
a j;reat part of the business is carried on by<br />
m ans of the distributing agents, who get better<br />
VOL. IX<br />
ti-nns. Therefore we have arrived at 3*. 6d.<br />
as the average sum received by the publisher for<br />
a 6*. book. As regard the cost, however, it must<br />
be remembered that the second and following<br />
editions cost a great deal less than the first.<br />
W. B.<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
IN another column I submit certain figures to<br />
the consideration of booksellers. I have<br />
long felt that their case demands the atten-<br />
tion of all persons interested in literature from<br />
the literary as well as the commercial point of<br />
view. In getting some relief for them we<br />
should be advancing our own interests from both<br />
points of view. If literature is to reach the<br />
people it must l.e exhibited and offered for sale.<br />
If the bookseller cannot do this, who can? I<br />
invite readers of The Author to consider this<br />
point, and if they have any advice to tender I<br />
shall be glad to receive it.<br />
Also in that other column will be found a note<br />
from a country bookseller about publishers' terms.<br />
It shows that if he takes an "assorted" lot,<br />
that is, thirteen, from a list, he gets them as<br />
twelve. It also shows that if he sells them at the<br />
discount price of 25 per cent. off, he makes the<br />
handsome profit of 2*-. 3rf. from the whole. It he<br />
does not succeed in selling the whole he loses<br />
that profit. Do these figures bring home to us<br />
the present position of the bookseller? What<br />
do the publishers want to do? They would raise<br />
the price of books to the public: they would<br />
make the bookseller still go on taking most of the<br />
risk: they would bind him in chains so that he<br />
should not be allowed to do what what he pleased<br />
with his own. What do they propose to do with<br />
the author: They claim the right to charge<br />
what they please in addition to every item of cost:<br />
to charge what they p/ease for office expenses. I<br />
have shown that they may, if they please, take<br />
what share of the profits they please, and call it<br />
humorously half profits.<br />
I do not think that one point in the recent pro-<br />
posal to enslave the bookseller has received quite<br />
the attention which it deserves. A 6*. book was<br />
to be "reduced" to 5*. That meant increased<br />
from 4.V. 6d. to 5s. The booksellers who now pay<br />
various sums from 3*. ~\d. to 4*. 2d., but averag-<br />
ing 3s. 8rf., were to pay 3s. l0d. The publishers<br />
therefore proposed an extra 2d. a volume for<br />
themselves under this arrangement. This they<br />
called a disinterested Btep in the interests of the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 112 (#124) ############################################<br />
<br />
I I 2<br />
THE A UTHOR.<br />
bookseller. At their meeting one gentleman was so<br />
ill-advised as to ask what the author would gain<br />
—or lose—by the change. Nothing was said. It<br />
is easy to understand, however, what would<br />
happen to the unfortunate third partner. All his<br />
royalties now are calculated on the price being 6s.<br />
His friends the publishers would, perhaps, say,<br />
"My dear fellow, we sell the book more cheaply,<br />
but you shall not lose. You had the magnificent<br />
royalty of 10 per cent. before—you shall hare it<br />
still.' There! And now go and write to the<br />
papers, and say that even a publisher, despite the<br />
Society of Authors, can be nobly just!" .And I<br />
wonder how many of our members there are who<br />
see through the simple trick. Why, it is exactly<br />
like that really very pretty trick in which the<br />
author is made to agree to " half the royalty" if<br />
the publisher sells the book at " half the price."<br />
One practitioner, a deeply honourable man—<br />
religious, too—played this game, as has already<br />
been exposed, with a two volume novel. The<br />
"face " price was a guinea: the library price was<br />
generally something under half-a-guinea: all the<br />
copies, therefore, were sold under half price. And<br />
I wonder how many have fallen victims to a trick<br />
that is so barefaced and so simple. It would have<br />
been just the same with the royalties under the pro-<br />
pose'I change, and, as in the famous "half price<br />
half royalty " trick, no one would have been more<br />
surprised than the publisher himself when the<br />
truth was communicated to him.<br />
Here are some figures showing the " half price,<br />
half royalty" trick. The trade price of a 6s.<br />
book is, say, 3s. Sd. The author has a 20 per<br />
cent. royalty upon it, i.e., is. 2\d. The cost of<br />
production is is. The publisher gets is. 5frf.<br />
He sells the book at 3*., which is what lie calls<br />
"half price." The author has to take a half<br />
royalty, j\d. The publisher now gets is. 4-J-tf., so<br />
that if he were to reduce the price of his book<br />
he onlv gets *d. less, while the author is reduced<br />
b7 7\d.<br />
In the other case of a net book reduced to 5s.,<br />
but the trade priee increased to 3s. i0d., the<br />
10 per cent. royalty would be 6d.: the 20 per cent.<br />
royalty is., and soon, compared with 7|rf., i*. 2}d.,<br />
and so on. _____<br />
It is announced as a "new departure " that a<br />
firm of publishers — Messrs. Macmillan — are<br />
going to produce a book "on the instalment<br />
system." Is that new? Why, travellers have<br />
been going up and down the country getting<br />
subscribe s to pay by instalments for many<br />
years. The book tout is an old and well-established<br />
nuisance. The work is to be sold by the book-<br />
sellers, and the paragraph before m*» says, '• Book-<br />
sellers will now have an opportunity of showing<br />
to what extent they are able and willing to benefit<br />
by a departure which is clearly in their interest."<br />
How it is more in their interest to sell in this<br />
way than in any other is not explained. Clearly<br />
it is for the interest of the publishers that the<br />
booksellers should sell their wares for them.<br />
But, unless better terms than usual are offered<br />
the unhappy booksellers, of which the world<br />
knows nothing, it is difficult to understand the<br />
special interest to the booksellers in "the new<br />
departure." Now, when the slavery scheme<br />
was to the front the bookseller was admonished<br />
that the new departure was to " his intere-t," but<br />
nothing was said then, or now, as to the interest<br />
of the publishers.<br />
From time to time there appears in the papers<br />
a correspondence about a title the use of which<br />
has been challenged by some publisher or author<br />
who had previously used it. The case affords an<br />
opportunity for a good deal of loose talk on the<br />
difficulty of finding titles which have not been<br />
used. Everybody has adventures of his own to<br />
relate, and certainly some cases are very hard.<br />
A title which seems exactly to suit the book has<br />
to be abandoned in a hurry and a new one<br />
chosen. Yet the first struck a note: it seemed<br />
to prepare the reader for what followed. A few<br />
weeks ago I received and was asked to publish<br />
a correspondence on the subject. It seemed to<br />
me that more would be gained by getting a state-<br />
ment of the law upon the subject. Hence the<br />
paper by Mr. Thring, in which the reader is<br />
instructed as to the kind of protection which the<br />
law grants to owners of literary property in this<br />
respect. Tbe whole point seems to be this:<br />
There is no copyright in a title, but if A. B.<br />
brings out a book bearing the same title as one<br />
already before the public, and if it can be proved<br />
that the sale of the second book is injuring, or<br />
likely to injure, that of the first, a court of law<br />
would probably restrain A. B. from continuing<br />
the sale of his book under that title.<br />
Walter Besant.<br />
THE NAME OF THE PUBLISHER.<br />
1.<br />
IHAVE made inquiries in various directions<br />
as to my opinion that the public do not care<br />
about the name of the publisher. The reply<br />
from the general reader has been mostly to the<br />
effect that he cares no more about the name of the<br />
publisher than the name of the printer. Two or<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 113 (#125) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
three reply that they know Dent's books to be<br />
wonderfully got up, and that they like John Lane's<br />
books for the same reason. Otherwise they do<br />
not mind. I subjoin two or three opinions. I<br />
am glad to publish the opinion of Mr. Alfred<br />
Wilson, though he does not agree with me, because<br />
his illustration of the importance to an author of<br />
getting his books all together shows that in such<br />
a case the name of the publisher is a considera-<br />
tion. W. B.<br />
II.<br />
I notice that in your August number the Editor<br />
says that "the public care nothing . . . who<br />
is the publisher of a book," and that ihey are<br />
absolutely indifferent to this.<br />
Any bookseller will know, as I do, that the<br />
public looks at a new book of travel, if published<br />
by Murray, or a new book of belles lettres pub-<br />
lished by Macmillan, with a prepossession in its<br />
favour. The remark is often made to me, " I don't<br />
know the author, but the book is published by , it is likely to be good."<br />
A cheap his orical resume has the chances much<br />
against it, prima facie, but let it be issued at<br />
5*. in the Story of the Nations series, and it is<br />
(•ure of a certain amount of success at least.<br />
It is well known to all booksellers that if an<br />
author has an odd book or two by a publisher<br />
other than his regular one, however well it may<br />
sell at the time, it is soon forgotten, and has a<br />
comp iratively small sale.<br />
When "Romola" could not be had uniform<br />
with George Eliot's other works it had a much<br />
smaller sale than the others, now it sells quite as<br />
well. Certainly a new book by the writer of the<br />
moment will sell equally well at first, whoever<br />
publishes it, but the after sale will with equal<br />
cei tainty be much affected by its omission from<br />
the list of the author's other books.<br />
In short, I believe it to be to an author's<br />
interest to go to a good publisher, and to keep to<br />
himself if possible; and if his terms are some-<br />
what higher than those of a seconil-rate firm, it<br />
will yet be often worth while to accede to them.<br />
Perhaps I may claim that my opinions on the<br />
subject, whether right or wrong, are at least<br />
impartial, as I have not the least pecuniary<br />
interest in the matter, one way or another.<br />
Alfred Wilson (Bookseller).<br />
18. Grracechurch-street, E.C.<br />
in.<br />
I am a reader of books, not a writer. I suppose<br />
I am one of the public. In answer to your<br />
question, I confess that I have never troubled<br />
myself with the name of the publisher. I know<br />
the names of Longman and Murray, and one or<br />
two more, I suppose, but I do not think they<br />
have any more to do with the contents of the<br />
book than the paper-maker. I suppose there is a<br />
paper-maker somewhere, but I am not concerned<br />
to know his name. One of the Public.<br />
IV.<br />
The question is a very simple one, and easily<br />
answered.<br />
I don't believe one ordinary reader in twenty<br />
ever troubles about the name of the publisher;<br />
but is not this on account of his modesty? Run<br />
your eye along any of your shelves. What strikes<br />
you is the title of the book and its author's name.<br />
In many cases the publisher's name is not<br />
apparent at all:—<br />
4<br />
Tennyson's Works<br />
id Sonnete<br />
Si<br />
i's Garden<br />
a<br />
tat<br />
W<br />
.*»<br />
Barrie.<br />
rCraftsma<br />
Q<br />
..0<br />
m<br />
a<br />
"3<br />
W. Besant.<br />
'5<br />
P<br />
£<br />
i<br />
o<br />
<<br />
o<br />
Poems ai<br />
&<br />
M<br />
Veroniof<br />
Alfred<br />
Barraok R<br />
§<br />
&<br />
The Littl<br />
s<br />
TheMaste<br />
Still, the publisher has an important function<br />
to perform. We cannot certainly have a coat<br />
without the weaver of the cloth (author), but we<br />
should do very badly without the tailor (pub-<br />
lisher). Joseph Parkek.<br />
39, Drvden-streot, Nottingham.<br />
Sept. i, 1898.<br />
V.<br />
Mr. Henry Glaisher, on being asked if the<br />
public inquire or care about the publisher of a<br />
book, says :—" If a buyer has come for a special<br />
book which he desires to possess, he cares nothing<br />
about the name of the publisher: it makes no<br />
difference to him. If, however, he is looking<br />
over the shelves, intending to buy a book and<br />
uncertain whether to do so or not, his decision<br />
will often be made with reference to the publisher.<br />
If he sees a name which he has not learned to<br />
associate with rubbish, but the reverse, he will<br />
take that book in preference to one issued by a<br />
publisher whom he does not know, or whom he<br />
knows unfavourably. For this reason it is a<br />
decided advantage to have the name of a pub-<br />
lisher of repute on the title page. That is to say,<br />
one of twenty houses, and it matters little which."<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 114 (#126) ############################################<br />
<br />
ii4 THE AUTHOR.<br />
THE DRAMATISATION OF NOVELS.<br />
[From the Grwloi*.]<br />
NOUS recevons de notre correspondant de<br />
Londres l'intéressante lettre suivante:<br />
Londres, 25 août.<br />
L'éloquente et énergique protestation de M.<br />
Emile Bergerat, reproduite par le Gaulois dans<br />
le courant de ce mois, contre l'usage de drama-<br />
tiser les romans français en Angleterre sans<br />
l'autorisation des auteurs, et le caractéristique<br />
incident survenu ces jours derniers entre MM.<br />
Victorien Sardou et Oscar Méténier d'une part,<br />
et M. Paul Potter de l'autre, au sujet de la<br />
pièce dramatique lirée ou adaptée de la Haine<br />
et de Mlle. Fi/r par l'auteur américain, ont<br />
attiré à nouveau l'attention du public anglais sur<br />
quelques points particulièrement défectueux de<br />
la législation actuelle concernant la propriété<br />
littéraire.<br />
Une de ces imperfections, des plus graves, est<br />
sans contredit le droit légal, octroyé parle dixième<br />
article de la Convention de Berne, de faire repré-<br />
senter sur la scène un roman dramatisé sans le<br />
consentement de l'auteur. Cet article inique, M.<br />
Emile Bergerat nous l'a fait observer, n'a jamais<br />
pu être abrogé malgré les incessants efforts des<br />
délégués français aux congres internationaux<br />
réunis pour décider des droits artistiques et<br />
littéraires. La délégation britannique, seule<br />
entre toutes, s'y opposa systématiquement et de<br />
toutes ses forces, non sans reconnaître, par<br />
manière d'amende honorable, que " c'était là une<br />
chose fâcheuse." On ne saurait mieux s'accuser,<br />
et à la vérité ce serait se méprendre que<br />
de ne pas croire que tel est le sentiment<br />
unanime du monde des lettres en Angleterre. Et<br />
pour preuves voici deux lettres, que M. Henry<br />
Arthur Jones, un des auteurs dramatiques les<br />
plus distingués d'outre-Manche, et sir Walter<br />
Besant, le romancier bien connu, ont eu la<br />
courtoisie de m'adresser sur cette intéressante<br />
question.<br />
Lisons d'abord la lettre de M. Henry Arthur<br />
Jones. A sa mordante franchise, on y reconnaît<br />
l'auteur des Masqwraders et du Triomphe des<br />
Philistins:<br />
"Cher Monsieur,—En réponse a votre lettre,<br />
permettez-moi de déclarer qui ma cordiale sym-<br />
pathie est acquise aux auteurs français qui se<br />
plaignent que leurs œuvres soient mises à con-<br />
tribution et en état discrédit pour le théâtre<br />
anglais. Parmi les honnêtes gens, il ne saurait<br />
exister deux opinions sur cette matière. Que ce<br />
soit légal ou non, c'est un vol : un honnête homme<br />
ne s'appropriera jamais le mouchoir d'un autre,<br />
même s'il sait qu'il ne sera pas traduit devant les<br />
tribunaux pour ce fait; il s'appropriera encore<br />
moins le produit de la pensée d'autrui.<br />
"Je participerai cordialement à toute mesure<br />
tendant à protéger en Angleterre les droits légaux<br />
des auteurs français. En attendant, je ne saurai<br />
exprimer trop fortement mon dégoût pour un<br />
usage, qui est, en général, aussi préjudiciable aux<br />
intérêts du drame qu'aux intérêts de l'honnêteté<br />
internationale.<br />
"Veuillez agréer, cher monsieur, etc.<br />
"Henry Arthur Jones."<br />
La lettre plus détaillée de sir Walter Besant,<br />
l'éminent romancier qui, depuis de longues années,<br />
s'occupe activement de l'amélioration des lois<br />
relatives aux droits d'auteur, est non moins<br />
affirmative que celle de M. Henry Arthur Jones.<br />
La voici:<br />
"Cher Monsieur,—La question de propriété<br />
littéraire en ce qui concerne la dramatisation d'un<br />
roman est telle que vous l'avez expliquée.<br />
L'adaptateur est inattaquable devant la loi, si,<br />
en se servant du canevas, il ne se sert en même<br />
temps de la partie dialoguée du roman.<br />
"La Société des Auteurs *t institué, en plusieurs<br />
occasions, des comités à l'effet de preparer un bill<br />
sur la propriété littéraire. Une des clauses de ce<br />
6/7/ interdit la dramatisation des romans. Ce bill<br />
a été lu déjà, en seconde lecture, par lord Monks-<br />
well, â la chambre des lords. Ceux-ci se décidèrent<br />
alors, bien inutilement, du reste, à instituer à leur<br />
tour une commission d'enquête, chargée de rédiger<br />
un rapport sur des faits connus de tout le monde.<br />
Croira-t-on en France que cette commission ne<br />
tint aucun compte de l'existence des auteurs?<br />
Elle se contenta de recueillir les témoignages de<br />
quelques éditeurs et ce fut tout.<br />
"Après que j'eus signalé dans la presse cette<br />
manque d'égards à la littérature, la commission<br />
me convoqua incontinent et sans cérémonie devant<br />
elle. C'était là un manque de courtoisie auquel<br />
je ne m'attendais guère de la part d'une com-<br />
mission nommée par les Lords. Comme je<br />
m'étais toujours occupé cependant de l'adminis-<br />
tration de la propriété littéraire par les éditeurs,<br />
et comme je ne faisais pas partie du " copyright<br />
committee nommé par la Société des Auteurs, je<br />
n'eus pas l'occasion de me plaindre de cette<br />
impolitesse. Je refusai néanmoins de paraître<br />
comme témoin alléguant que je ne fusais pas<br />
partie de te comité.<br />
"Le monde littéraire désire profondément re-<br />
médier, entre autres injustices, à celle dont il est<br />
ici question. Je doute cependant de l'efficacité<br />
de nos efforts, du moins pour quelque temps<br />
encore. Il se présente, en effet, cette difficulté:<br />
la colonie du Canada, et je crois aussi l'Australie,.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 115 (#127) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
réclament le droit de rédiger leurs propres lois<br />
sur la propriété littéraire. La promulgation d'un<br />
bill en Angleterre pourrait donc susciter d'acri-<br />
monieuses discussions relativement au droit de<br />
législation de la mère-patrie, et à celui reven-<br />
diqué par ses colonies, et le gouvernement actuel<br />
ne se souci guère de soulever de telles discussions.<br />
Le cas et des plus intéressants et je vous con-<br />
seille d'y donner toute votre attention. Je n'ai pas<br />
de doute que notre secrétaire, M. G. H. Thring,<br />
serait heureux de vous donner connaissance des<br />
point s principaux de la question, laquelle ne peut<br />
manquer d'offrir un vif intérêt à vos compatriotes,<br />
toujours prêts à marquer aux hommes de lettres<br />
le respect que nos Lords ont jugé convenable de<br />
transmettre aux éditeurs.<br />
"Soyez cependant assuré, cher monsieur, que<br />
nous ferons tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir,<br />
afin que la loi actuellement en vigueur soit<br />
revisée et que les droits d'auteur d'un roman<br />
soient respectés.<br />
"Veuillez agréer, cher monsieur, etc.<br />
"Walter Besant."<br />
Il importe de s' arrêter ici sur un des passages<br />
les plus instructifs de la lettre de sir Walter<br />
Besant. C'est celui qui a trait au bill lu en<br />
seconde lecture, par Lord Monkswell, à la<br />
Chambre des lords, le 1 1 mai 1891. Ce projet<br />
de loi, élaboré, comme nous le dit sir Walter<br />
Besant, sous les auspices de la Société des<br />
Auteurs de la Grande-Bretagne, contient l'impor-<br />
tante clause qui suit:<br />
"Comme il n'existe aucune propriété sur les<br />
idées, il est facile de s'approprier, sans commettre<br />
aucun acte attentatoire au droit d'auteur, la<br />
trame entière d'un roman et de la reproduire en<br />
fait sous forme dramatique. Nous proposons de<br />
déclarer ces actes qui, maintenant ne sont que<br />
moralement condamnables, ligalement punis-<br />
sables. . . ."<br />
Pourquoi, depuis 1891, les législateurs de la<br />
Grande-Bretagne ne se sont-ils plus occupés du<br />
bill soumis par lord Monkswell 't Sir Walter<br />
Besant nous donne la raison, assez convaincante<br />
du reste, que le gouvernement actuel ne désire<br />
guère soulever des discussions tendant à régler<br />
sur une nouvelle base les rapports de la métro-<br />
pole avec les colonies.<br />
En effet, une des dispositions du projet de loi<br />
lu par lord Monkswell accordait aux colonies la<br />
liberté de législation relativement à la propriété<br />
littéraire, et cela eût éf é, selon l'opinion du comte<br />
de Kimberley et du lord-cbancelier, un achemine-<br />
ment vers la destruction de l'unité de l'empire<br />
britannique, au point de vue de la protection<br />
internationale de la propriété littéraire.<br />
L'année dernière cependant, lord Monkswell<br />
revint de nouveau à l'attaque et la Chambre des<br />
lords résolut de se réunir en comité secret afin<br />
de discuter le projet de loi, article par article. H<br />
est à espérer que les pairs d'Angleterre nous<br />
feront bientôt connaître le résultat de leurs débats<br />
et que le bill sera renvoyé à la Chambre des com-<br />
munes, pour y recevoir force de loi. On ne saurait<br />
trop se hâter, car les tripatouiLkws continuent<br />
leur besogne. n T. Beatjgeard.<br />
Nous recevons la lettre suivante :—<br />
"Saint-Lunaire (Ille-et-Vilaine),<br />
villa Caliban, 29 août 1898.<br />
"Mon cher Nicolet,—Il y a d'honnêtes gens<br />
dans les Lettres, et à Londres comme ailleurs.<br />
Deux de nos confrères d'outre-Manche, M. Henry<br />
Arthur Jones et sir Walter Besant nous en<br />
donnent fièrement la preuve. J'ai lu leurs lettres<br />
de réponse à la consultation de M. T. Beaugeard,<br />
le correspondant du Gaulois en Angleterre; elles<br />
me paraissent décisives. Au nom des principes<br />
de droiture communs à tous les peuples, et<br />
honneur de toutes les races, ces nobles esprits<br />
flétrissent la piraterie littéraire, sous quelque<br />
drapeau qui la couvre et dans quelques eaux<br />
qu'on l'exerce. Le débat est donc clos de ce côté<br />
par un arrêt de la simple conscience publique, et,<br />
elle aussi, grâce à Dieu, internationale.<br />
"Il n'y a plus qu'à en attendre la sanction.—<br />
Cette sanction, écrit sir Walter Besant, ne dépend<br />
plus que de la Chambre des lords, déjà saisie<br />
par lord Monkswell de la question d'ensemble de<br />
la propriété littéraire, question, ajoute-t-il, qui<br />
serait depuis longtemps résolue au gré des intérêts<br />
lésés, s'il ne s'y entremêlait point . . . de la<br />
politique !—Oh! cette politique que l'on recontre<br />
partout où l'on ne cherche que de la justice, quelle<br />
vie elle nous fait, et dans quelle Europe!<br />
"Ici, le plus simple et le plus modeste droit des<br />
gens, id est: le droit au revenu de la propagation<br />
des fruits du talent et du travail, ne se heurterait<br />
plus, paraît-il, qu'aux prétentions autonomiques<br />
de l'Australie et du Canada, qui pourraient<br />
refuser le bénéfice même d'une telle réforme<br />
parce qu'elle émanerait de la jurisprudence<br />
anglaise et lui viendrait de la mère-patrie. Ces<br />
colonies, en effet, ne souffrent plus d'autre<br />
législation que la leur, et la communauté de la<br />
langue ne leur impose pas la solidarité philo-<br />
logique.<br />
"Si j'entends bien sir Walter Besant, là serait<br />
le motif de la réserve des Lords et de leur retard<br />
à proposer aux communes les tables de la pro-<br />
priété littéraire garantie. Car, en effet, si<br />
l'Australie et le Canada nous leurrent au moment<br />
où l'Angleterre renonce à nous leurrer, si<br />
nos ouvrages paraissent, démarqués, non ré-<br />
munérés, volés enfin, à Sydney ou à Québec, en<br />
langue anglaise, au lieu d'être publiés à Londres,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 116 (#128) ############################################<br />
<br />
n6<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
la mere-patrie est dupe du marche, et son honneur<br />
lui reste pour compte. Mylords, le propre de<br />
l'honneur est de rester pour compte. II me<br />
semble, d'ailleurs, que l'Angleterre est assez<br />
riche pour s'en payer de gratuit, de l'honneur qui<br />
demeure en fricbe et ne rapporte rien a ses<br />
seigneurs.<br />
"Au resume, mon cher Nicolet, attendons un<br />
peu, puisque ce tres loyal et brave homme de<br />
Walter Besant nous convie a la patience, et<br />
fions-nous a lord Monkswell, qui travaille pour<br />
nous la probite anglo-saxonne. II est vrai que,<br />
d'autre part, l'avise correspondant du Gaulois<br />
nous presse de nous defendre contre le dd-<br />
bordement grandissant de ce qu'il veut bien<br />
appeler, pour me flatter, le tripatouillage, de telle<br />
sorte que nous voila entre les deux conseils<br />
comme l'ane de Buridan entre les deux picotins<br />
d'avoine.<br />
"Le plus sage serait, je crois, de provoquer un<br />
nouveau congres de Berne et de renouveler<br />
l'essai d'entente professionnelle de septembre<br />
1887. Un grand poete, Charles Algernon<br />
Swinburne, universellement admire, pour l'Angle-<br />
terre; le comte Leon Tolstoi, pour la Russie, et<br />
notre Victorien Sardou, ne refuseraient pas d'en<br />
presider les seances, et les autres pays de l'Tlnion<br />
s'y feraient representer par des maitres nationaux<br />
non moins illustres et autorises, car il faut en<br />
finir peut-etre. J'y invite de la part de sir<br />
Walter Besant le Canada et l'Australie, et au<br />
nom de la presse francaise j'y reinvite la Belgique,<br />
qui a adhere a la convention de Berne, mais dont<br />
un citoyen m'ecrit, ce matin meme, de Bruxelles,<br />
'En sept supplements de dimanche, cinq journaux<br />
bruxellois ont reproduit, sans en indiqu < la<br />
source, souvent meme sans designation d'aut . ,<br />
cent vingt-neuf articles, nouvelles ou chroniques<br />
du Journal, Gaulois, etc., etc'<br />
"Et ceci, ami Nicolet, est memorable<br />
"Cordiales poignees de mains.<br />
"Emile Bergerat."<br />
.?»•«*—<br />
THE DEMAND FOR CHEAP BOOKS IN<br />
AMERICA.<br />
THE article in a recent number of the New<br />
York Tribune on the subject of cheap<br />
books attracted much attention, and many<br />
people who read it believed (says that journal)<br />
that by placing wholesome literature on the<br />
market at reasonable prices the unclean books of<br />
the United States would be driven out of the<br />
market and would follow the "penny dreadfuls"<br />
of England.<br />
Mr. John Elderkin said that he agreed with Sir<br />
Walter Besant, and saw only good in cheap books<br />
of a superior kind. He said:<br />
"It is now over twenty-five years since<br />
Donnelly, Lloyd, and Co., of Chicago, began the<br />
reprinting of standard novels in cheap paper<br />
quartos under the name of 'The Lakeside<br />
Library,' in order to fill in the time in dull<br />
seasons, when their presses were unoccupied by<br />
commercial printing, which was the business<br />
carried on by the firm. It was fully a year<br />
before this enterprise attracted any attention,<br />
although the circulation of novels in this cheap<br />
form was constantly increasing and the New<br />
York people were growing restive at the probable<br />
results. I remember riding uptown in the street-<br />
car with J. W. Harper, jun., a noble man, who<br />
was at that time the head of the firm of Harper<br />
and Bros., and urging him to protect his library<br />
of select novels by beginning their reissue at<br />
once in similar form. Mr. Harper did not<br />
realise fully at that time the gravity of the<br />
situation, and it was not until after the 'Seaside<br />
Library' had achieved a great success that the<br />
Harpers entered the field with their ' Franklin<br />
Square Library.'<br />
"The magnitude of the issue in cheap form of<br />
the standard novels is not realised by the pub-<br />
lishers of books in good bindings, or by the<br />
public generally. In the ' Seaside Library ' alone<br />
there were half a million copies sold of every<br />
one of Dickens's books during the first five<br />
years of their publication in that form. The<br />
novels of Sir Walter Scott, Amelia B. Edwards,<br />
Mrs. Henry Wood, "Ouida," William M. Thacke-<br />
ray, Fenimore Cooper, W. Clark Russell, and all<br />
the popular novelists who have come on the<br />
stage since have enjoyed an enormous popu-<br />
larity through the facility and cheapness of<br />
manufacture and the low rate of postage, not to<br />
speak of the competition among publishers,<br />
which have combined to send their works over<br />
the country in almost incredible quantities,<br />
bringing them within the reach of rich and poor.<br />
Later have come the 10 cent magazines, which<br />
have had such great success, and which are a<br />
direct offshoot of the cheap library serials.<br />
"I believe that the habit of reading and the<br />
number of readers of books in this country have<br />
been increased many fold by this good literature<br />
issued in cheap form. Now everybody reads<br />
books, and not even the daily newspapers, with<br />
their war extras and all the stimulating attrac-<br />
tions of pictures and coloured inks and blanket<br />
sheets, are able to counteract the strong desire<br />
on the part of the public for good fiction, which<br />
continues to sell in rather better form of paper<br />
and binding in enormous quantities. I think we<br />
have the greatest reading public in America<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 117 (#129) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
n7<br />
which has ever existed in the history of the<br />
world, and that the taste of this public is improv-<br />
ing and demands a higher quality of literary<br />
work and illustration. In the old library serials<br />
it was the really good novels that had the largest<br />
sale.<br />
"That the better class of books has decreased<br />
the demand for all the class of literature which<br />
was formerly published in the dime novel series<br />
and in the weekly story papers is well known to<br />
all publishers of such matter. The dime novel<br />
business has absolutely passed out of existence.<br />
All the cheap weekly papers that have not<br />
materially changed their form and improved<br />
their literary contents and their illustrations have<br />
lost greatly in circulation. I could name a dozen<br />
authors who supplied the weekly press with the<br />
popular serials whose names were kuown from<br />
one end of the country to the other who are now<br />
almost forgotten and who have left no successors.<br />
Some of these writers had incomes of 10,000<br />
dollars a year. I once offered the late Mrs. May<br />
Agnes Fleming 75,000 dollars for ten stories,<br />
which offer was declined. There is no such<br />
demand for stories by writers of Mrs. Fleming's<br />
quality as would justify any publisher of a cheap<br />
weekly paper in paying more than 500 dollars for<br />
a serial by one of them. The indications ef the<br />
improvement in the taste of the public in reading<br />
matter crop out on every side, and, prices being<br />
equal, the majority of readers will take the better<br />
book. My experience of twenty-five years as an<br />
editor justifies me in saying that the average<br />
quality of literary matter offered in the weekly<br />
papers is higher, showing that literary cultiva-<br />
tion of aspirants has improved, and that the<br />
average intelligence and faculty of writing are<br />
advancing.<br />
"I believe that books and libraries in this<br />
country are to enjoy still greater appreciation, and<br />
that we have been sowing seed in the last twenty-<br />
five years which will give to our publishers during<br />
the twentieth century an immensely remunerative<br />
business."<br />
Stephen F. Farrelly, manager of the American<br />
News Company, did not agree wholly with Mr.<br />
Elderkin as to the dislodgement of the low grade<br />
literature.<br />
"Cheap books," he said, " have stimulated the<br />
business and have made the sales larger every<br />
year, and have surely given those people who had<br />
the inclination an opportunity to read good books;<br />
but they have not driven the blood-and-thunder<br />
novels from the market. There is still a great<br />
demand for them, and I think it will continue for<br />
some time. There can be no doubt as to the<br />
improvement of the public taste through cheap<br />
books. This is shown by the great demand for<br />
the popular modern novels, somo of which have<br />
sold in phenomenal quantities."<br />
Mr. Farrelly said that standard works in cheap<br />
form could not be sold, and were really out of<br />
the market. People who want sets of Dickens,<br />
Scott, Thackeray, or other standard writers buy<br />
them for their libraries and want good and expen-<br />
sive editions; but new English novels and<br />
popular translations are wanted in cheap form.<br />
CORRESPONDENCE.<br />
I.—His First Play.<br />
I'VE been for some years the at once happy<br />
and unhappy author of a first play. You'll<br />
have guessed rightly that my happiness<br />
arises from my appreciation of the merits of that<br />
play, but you'll have guessed wrongly that my<br />
unhappiness arises from want of equal apprecia-<br />
tion on the part of managers. "It's wus nor<br />
that": I'm unhappy because it seems to me use-<br />
less to offer the piece to a manager at all—and<br />
I've never yet done so.<br />
It's in two acts, contains nine scenes, and—as<br />
far as I can judge from reading it aloud, and<br />
allowing time for "business" and scene-shifting<br />
—would take about an hour and a quarter,<br />
certainly not over an hour and a half. Now, it<br />
used to be common for a manager to give three<br />
pieces in an evening, and usually one of them,<br />
often two, would be of middle length. But the<br />
middle-length piece seems to have disappeared<br />
altogether. The entire performance now consists<br />
either of a single play taking three hours, or of<br />
two plays, of which the first takes only from half<br />
to three-quarters of an hour, while the second<br />
takes from two and a quarter to two and a half<br />
hours.<br />
I can't either shorten or lengthen the play<br />
without injuring it. And, rather than do that,<br />
I'd print it as a piece of literature, and never try<br />
to get it acted at all. But, if I wait ten years, is<br />
there any chance that the middle-length piece<br />
will have its day again? Or is there possibly<br />
even now a manager here and there in this<br />
country, or in America, who'd take such plays if<br />
he could get them to his mind? If so, where or<br />
how may he be found?<br />
I've been asked "Why don't you print it?<br />
That wouldn't prevent its being played after-<br />
wards." But wouldn't it? Wouldn't a manager<br />
think its freshness lost? Of course, if I did<br />
print it, probably only a few dozen people would<br />
ever see it; but the manager wouldn't know that<br />
—or, if he did know it, he might be so unac-<br />
quainted with the habits of the reading public as<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 118 (#130) ############################################<br />
<br />
n8<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
to suppose that the number of its readers must<br />
bear some relation to its interest.<br />
But is there any objection to printing "for<br />
private circulation only," and sending in that<br />
form to managers for their consideration? And<br />
would there be any harm in sending to reviews<br />
as well, for the purpose of obtaining press<br />
opinions which might help to get the piece pro-<br />
duced? Van Drusen.<br />
II.—Cheap Literature—An Echo from a<br />
Bookseller.<br />
Do not worry about the man who win sell a<br />
magazine at $d. Some people were alarmed<br />
when Mr. Stead supplied the best of all litera-<br />
ture at one penny per volume. He sold them, I<br />
suppose, in millions. We stocked them, and<br />
sold hundreds of some numbers for the first dozen<br />
or so; then we had less call for them, the novelty<br />
had worn off.<br />
Lawyers could have plenty of work at a penny<br />
a letter, but their fee is 3*. \d.<br />
Authors, don't worry! Get as much as you<br />
can for your work. If you give men your brains<br />
they won't appreciate it, and if Harmsworth<br />
was to give his magazine away he would not get<br />
all the custom; and if the Nineteenth Century<br />
was a penny a time very few more people would<br />
read it.<br />
There must be people to provide "all sorts and<br />
conditions of men" with the literature they<br />
want, and it is the lucky man who can read<br />
what the public really want, and can afford to do<br />
it at a price that will suit the pocket s of those he<br />
caters for. Get a shilling magazine as much<br />
worth is. as Harmsworth's, and it will sell pro-<br />
portionately well. nii J. P.<br />
III.—Typewritten Manuscripts (?).<br />
As a new member, may I ask if any notice of<br />
what would appear a contradiction in terms, has<br />
up to now been taken in your columns? I refer<br />
to the term used by editors " type-written manu-<br />
script*." Now, if a MS. be type-written it is quite<br />
evident that it cannot claim to being manuscript.<br />
Perhaps it seems a small matter, but surely our<br />
langua.e is not so poor, as be obliged to keep to<br />
the old term, when such an order of things has<br />
almost passed away.<br />
Permit me to make clearer my meaning. Pub-<br />
lishers advertise sometimes after this manner, as<br />
do also editors—<br />
1. Type-written manuscripts (?) will receive<br />
careful attention," or<br />
2. "Manuscripts of all kinds will receive con-<br />
sideration, &c."<br />
Alas! for the writer who knows no better, his<br />
beautifully Aanrf-written MS. receives but a<br />
passing glance—unless his writing is already<br />
well-known to the reader—many publishers not<br />
troubling to read books or articles unless type-<br />
written. Now, beginners are not all aware of this<br />
fact. Would not it be to the credit of the Society<br />
of Authors to put right this little matter?<br />
Auden Amyand.<br />
IV.—Amateur Journals.<br />
I have read with interest the correspondence on<br />
this subject, and while I believe that amateur<br />
journalism is no occupation for adults, I am<br />
assured from my own experience of it that very<br />
many writers of eminence have made their first<br />
bows to a reading public (small, but enthusiastic<br />
perhaps) by its means. As a child's toys predict<br />
the future tastes of the man, so does association<br />
with amateur journalism—in the youthful—<br />
indicate a natural inborn love of literature.<br />
The mature amateur journalist avows incom-<br />
petency and vanity since he would gladly join the<br />
ranks of paid writers had he talent enough for<br />
the purpose, but not being able to encompass this<br />
object, gratifies his conceit by gratuitous con-<br />
tributions to whatsoever publications will accept<br />
them.<br />
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except<br />
for money," observed Dr. Johnson. Amateur<br />
writers of years of discretion should ponder upon<br />
it awhile.<br />
The inclosed little production I venture to<br />
send for your inspection, in which I am un-<br />
certain whether to take pride or shame after the<br />
lapse of intervening years, but over which I was<br />
at the time greatly busied, sufficed to introduce<br />
at least one young scribbler to print, whose book-<br />
lets are now familiar in our mouths as household<br />
words, and whose personality is pronounced in the<br />
London world of letters. The list of contributors<br />
will, I am sure, prove very interesting as years<br />
roll on.<br />
Meanwhile the editor is striving to emulate the<br />
successes of one or two of his staff.<br />
As Miss M. L. Pendered says, a magazine for<br />
young—necessarily amateur—writers, conducted<br />
by a professional editor, sympathetic and dis-<br />
criminating, might act with wholesome effect on<br />
the rising generation of writers; but its circula-<br />
tion would be restricted to the contributors and<br />
those interested in their work. To the general<br />
public their names would still remain unknown.<br />
Herbert W. Smith.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 119 (#131) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
n9<br />
BOOK TALE.<br />
DEAN STUBBS has written for the Vic-<br />
torian Era series a work entitled" Charles<br />
Kingsley and the Christian Social Move-<br />
ment." The book will contain two poems by<br />
Kingsley, which were originally published anony-<br />
mously in the group of tracts called " Politics for<br />
the People," and which have not appeared in the<br />
.collected edition of Kingsley. Messrs. Blackie<br />
will publish the book next month.<br />
A series of twelve books, furnishing a view of<br />
the world in 1900, is projected by Mr. Heine-<br />
oiann, under the editorship of Professor H. J.<br />
Mackinder. The first will be published at the<br />
beginning of next year, and the whole series will<br />
be completed early in 1900. Among the volumes<br />
and their authors are the following: "Britain<br />
and the North Atlantic," by Professor Mackinder;<br />
"Scandinavia and the Arctic Ocean," by Sir<br />
Clement R. Markham; "France and the Mediter-<br />
ranean," by M. Elisce Eeclus; "Central Europe,"<br />
by Professor Joseph Partsch; "Africa," by Dr.<br />
J. Scott Keltie; "The Near East," by Mr . D. G.<br />
Hogarth; "The Far East," by Mr. Archibald<br />
Little; "The Russian Empire," by Prince Kro-<br />
potkin; "India," by Colonel Sir Thomas Holdich;<br />
and " Australasia and Antarctics," by Dr. H. 0.<br />
Forbes.<br />
Mr. Harry Quilter is about to start business as<br />
publisher, with a view of filling the place left<br />
vacant by the death of William Morris and the<br />
closing of the Kelmscott Press. Fine art works<br />
will be his chief mitier, but he will also publish<br />
novels and general works, in which the printing,<br />
design, decoration, and binding will be made a<br />
feature. The first book from Mr. Quilter will<br />
appear next month.<br />
Mr. John Davidson's long-expected new lite-<br />
rary play will be published by Mr. Lane this<br />
month.<br />
"The New Rorne " is the title of a volume of<br />
verse by Mr. Robert Buchanan, which is to appear<br />
shortly.<br />
Miss Helen Hay, daughter of the American<br />
Ambassador, will bring out in London this<br />
autumn, through Messrs. Duckworth, a volume<br />
of poems, with the title " Some Verses."<br />
A new volume of stories, by Ian Maclaren, will<br />
appear during the autumn from Messrs. Hodder<br />
and Stoughton.<br />
Mr. Crockett's Graphic serial, " The Red Axe,"<br />
will be published shortly by Messrs. Smith, Elder,<br />
and Co. A new serial by him will begin in the<br />
Cornhill for 1899.<br />
A new edition of the works of Whyte-Melville<br />
is being edited by Sir Herbert Maxwell, for pub-<br />
lication by Messrs. Thacker.<br />
Mr. J. W. Headlam, of Cambridge, is preparing<br />
a volume on Bismarck and the new German<br />
Empire, which Messrs. Putnam will publish.<br />
Mr. William Jacks, formerly M. P. for Stirling-<br />
shire, who published a translation of Lessing's<br />
"Nathan " four years ago, has for some time been<br />
engaged upon a life of Bismarck, which will<br />
appear shortly.<br />
Two forthcoming biographies which will appeal<br />
to ecclesiastical readers are the Life and Letters<br />
of Dr. Henry Robert Eeynolds, by his sisters, and<br />
an account of the late Dr. Stoughton's career, by<br />
his daughter. Both will be brought out by<br />
Messrs. Hodder and Stoughton. A third work of<br />
similar interest is the Life of the Master of<br />
Uppingham, the Bev. Edward Thring, which has<br />
been written by his friend, Mr. George B. Parkin,<br />
Headmaster of the Collegiate School, Frederiekton,<br />
New Brunswick, and will be published shortly by<br />
Messrs. Macmillan. The life of Professor<br />
Henry Drummond, by Professor George Adam<br />
Smith, and that of the Rev. Dr. Dale, by his son,<br />
Mr. A. W. Dale, both to be published also by<br />
Messrs. Hodder and Stoughton, are other<br />
interesting contributions to the leligious bio-<br />
graphies of the year.<br />
For the art interest, the book of this autumn<br />
will be the memoir of Sir John Millais, which<br />
has been done by his son, Mr. J. G. Millais,<br />
assisted by the copious diaries and notes kept<br />
methodically by the late President of the Royal<br />
Academy.<br />
Mr. Justin McCarthy has written a short<br />
history of the United States, designed for Eng-<br />
lish readers. It will come shortly from Messrs.<br />
Hodder and Stoughton.<br />
Mr. George Gissing is editing an issue of<br />
Dickens's works for Messrs. Methuen.<br />
The last story written by the late Mr. James<br />
Payn is believed to be that which a " Christmas<br />
Tree," to be published by Messrs. Downey, will<br />
contain. It will be side by side in the volume<br />
with contributions by Miss Braddon, Mr. Frankfort<br />
Moore, Mr. Christie Murray, Mr. Baring Gould,<br />
Mr. G. Manville Fenn, and others.<br />
A new novel by Mr. Anthony Hope is to begin<br />
its serial appearance after Christmas, the title<br />
being " The King's Mirror," and the hero a royal<br />
lad, whose nurse not only imparts to him an<br />
idea of his greatness as a born king, but spanks<br />
him.<br />
Sportswomen are about to have a library for<br />
themselves. Miss Frances Slaughter is editing a<br />
series of volumes in which Mrs. Burn, daughter<br />
of Colonel Anstruther Thomson, writes on fox-<br />
hunting, Mrs. Penn Curzon, whose father was<br />
formerly master of the Devon and Somerset<br />
Staghounds, on stag hunting, and Susan, Countess<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 120 (#132) ############################################<br />
<br />
120<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
of Malmesbury, on angling, while other noted<br />
sportswomen deal with various fields. There are<br />
to be two volumes at present, and possibly a<br />
third afterwards in this Sportswoman's Library,<br />
which Messrs. Constable are to publish, and<br />
which will be dedicated to the Countess of<br />
Worcester.<br />
One of the most popular books of this year is<br />
likely to be the biography of the late "Lewis<br />
Carroll," the children's favourite, which has been<br />
written by his nephew, Mr. S. D. Collingwood,<br />
and will be published at a moderate price by Mr.<br />
Fisher Unwin. It will be illustrated by many of<br />
his own sketches. Mr. Dodgson in his early years<br />
compiled three magazines, in manuscript, in<br />
which the genius which was afterwards to be<br />
shown in " Alice in Wonderland," is exhibited in<br />
little. There is also the record of a Russian<br />
tour with Canon Liddon, and new portraits<br />
of Mr. Ruskin, Tennyson, the Rossettis, Mr.<br />
Holman Hunt, Mr. George Macdonald, and<br />
others.<br />
Official people will be interested in the life of<br />
the late Mr. Henry Cecil Baikes, Postmaster-<br />
General, which is written by Mr. St. John Raikes<br />
and will be published this autumn.<br />
The new novel by Mrs. Edna Lyall, which is to<br />
appear this month, is laid in Keswick and London<br />
during the seventeenth century. "Hope the<br />
Hermit" is its title, and among the real<br />
characters who are introduced are George Fox<br />
and Archbishop Tillotson.<br />
A volume of essays on the philosophy of<br />
religion, by Mr. T. Bailey Saunders, will appear<br />
shortly.<br />
An interesting contribution to the literature<br />
on the pre-Baphaelite movement is about to be<br />
published. It will be Mr. Ruskin's letters to<br />
Rossetti between the years 1852 and 1867, which<br />
relate to various subjects, but are mainly con-<br />
nected with art. The volume, which is edited by<br />
Mr. William Rossetti and published by Mr.<br />
George Allen, will also contain letters by Brown-<br />
ing, Bell Scott, Coventry Patmore, and others.<br />
Mr. Euskin enjoys good health.<br />
"The Life of William Morris," by Mr. J. W.<br />
Mackail, will appear this autumn from Messrs.<br />
Longmans.<br />
A study by Mr. Sheridan Pureell, of Cardinal<br />
Newman as Anglican and as Catholic, will be<br />
published by Messrs. Macmillan.<br />
A novel by Mr. A. J. Dawson, dealing with<br />
Moorish life in the Riff country, and in Tangier,<br />
and entitled " Bismillah," is to be published in a<br />
few days by Messrs. Macmillan.<br />
Miss Charlotte M. Yonge has written a history<br />
of the parishes of Hursley and Otterbourne, which<br />
Messrs. Macmillan will publish.<br />
A biography of Sir Astley Cooper Key, by<br />
Admiral Colomb, is among Messrs. Methuen's<br />
forthcoming books.<br />
A new threepenny magazine is to follows fast on<br />
the appearance of the Harmsworth, and in the<br />
same field. A million copies of the Royal<br />
Magazine, as it is to be called, will be printed and<br />
out by Oct. 14. Messrs. Pearson are the firm to<br />
publish it. It is eloquent of the scale upon which<br />
such things are done, that Messrs. Pearson pro-<br />
pose to spend .£20,000 in advertising the maga-<br />
zine, and to put aside £50,000 which they are pre-<br />
pared to exhaust to run it. The Harmsworth<br />
last month, by the way, raises its price to $\d. in<br />
order to give the booksellers a working profit.<br />
A sixpenny magazine for girls is also being<br />
started this month. It will be called the GrirVs<br />
Realm, and the publishers are Messrs. Hutchin-<br />
son.<br />
"Paterson's Parish, a Lifetime Amongst the<br />
Dissenters," by the Rev. Dr. Joseph Parker, of<br />
the City Temple, will be published in October by<br />
Mr. Thomas Burleigh.<br />
A story of peasant life in the Ardennes entitled<br />
"God is Love," by Mr. T. Mullett Ellis, author<br />
of " Tales of the Klondyke," will be published<br />
very shortly by Mr. Thomas Burleigh.<br />
An unconventional novel, entitled "A Social<br />
Upheaval," by Isidore G. Ascher, will be pub-<br />
lished in the early autumn by Messrs. Lawrence<br />
Greening and Co. The book will present certain<br />
aspects of socialism in a novel and humorous<br />
manner, with a background of strong sensational<br />
incidents.<br />
"The Main Chance," by Miss Christabel Cole-<br />
ridge, which has been running through the<br />
Monthly Packet for 1898, will be brought out in<br />
one volume form by Messrs. Hurst and Blackett.<br />
during the autumn.<br />
Messrs. Chapman and Hall have in the press a<br />
work by Mr. A. Eedcote Dewar on "From<br />
Matter to Man : a New Theory of the Universe."<br />
The work demonstrates in detail the natural<br />
evolution of man, life and mind; the arguments,<br />
being backed by a wealth of illustration from<br />
every department of science.<br />
Mr. Herbert Morrah, author of " The Faithful<br />
City," published last year by Messrs. Methuen„<br />
has a new novel ready. The book is entitled<br />
"The Optimist," and will appear during the<br />
present month. Messrs. Pearson are the pub-<br />
lishers.<br />
Professor Skeat has nearly completed his<br />
edition of "jElfric's Saints' Lives," printed for<br />
the Early English Text Society. This edition,,<br />
begun nearly seventeen years ago, is founded on<br />
MS. Julius E. 7, in the British Museum, and con-<br />
tains about thirty-seven Homilies, most of which<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 121 (#133) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
121<br />
are here printed for the first time. -SUlfric's<br />
Homilies, originally written at the close of the<br />
tenth century, were re-transcribed and imitate 1<br />
during nearly two centuries, and he is therefore<br />
justly regarded as the father of early English<br />
prose, for which reason his name is worthy of<br />
being held in honour by students of pure<br />
English.<br />
A new book by the Poet Laureate will appear<br />
shortly. The title is " Lamia's Winter Quarters."<br />
Mr. Wasey Sterry leads off, with a volume on<br />
Eton, a series of histories of our great public<br />
schools by various writers, which Messrs. Methuen<br />
have projected.<br />
We summarise as follows a number of works of<br />
fiction which are announced: "Windy Haugh,"<br />
by Graham Travers (Blackwood); "The Phan-<br />
tom Army," by Mr. Max Pemberton; and<br />
"Despair's Last Journey," by Mr. David Christie<br />
Murray (Pearson); "Rodman, the Boat-Steerer,"<br />
by Mr. Louis Becke, and "The Romance of a<br />
Midshipman," by Mr. Clark Russell (Unwin);<br />
"The Battle of the Strong," a romance of 1798,<br />
by Mr. Gilbert Parker.<br />
Mrs. Gertrude Atherton is just publishing,<br />
through Mr. Lane, a story entitled "The Cali-<br />
fornians," and in the spring a short novel called<br />
"A Daughter of the Vine" will be published<br />
from her pen.<br />
Mr. George Laurence Gomme is extending his<br />
studies in the way of illustrating periods of<br />
history by the means of romantic literature. A<br />
year ago he edited some specimens of this kind in<br />
English history, calling the volume " The King's<br />
Story Book." He is editing Constable's Library<br />
of Historical Novels and Romances (which has<br />
been coming out at somewhat long intervals) in<br />
which are Lord Lytton's "Harold, the Last of<br />
the Saxon Bangs," Charles Macfarlane's "The<br />
Camp of Refuge," and Kingsley's "Westward<br />
Ho! Mr. Gomme is now editing a Tolume to<br />
be called "The Queen's Story Book," which<br />
will begin with the Battle of Hastings, and end<br />
with the Chartist riots, and contain examples<br />
selected from Scott, Thackeray, Lytton, Galt,<br />
Ainsworth, Defoe, Peacock, Beaeonsfield, and<br />
other writers.<br />
The International Press Congress at Lisbon has<br />
just finished its work, and we hope to give some<br />
account of its sittings in our November issue<br />
from the pen of Mr. James Baker. This writer,<br />
who was in September acting as special corre-<br />
spondent in Holland at Queen Wilhelmina's<br />
installation, his articles appearing in the Pall<br />
Mall Gazette and the Queen, is now in Lisbon.<br />
He has just seen the last sheets of his new novel<br />
through the press. This is of the same period as<br />
his last work, " The Gleaming Dawn," but does<br />
not deal with the religious struggles of the 15th<br />
century; it is a story of adventure.<br />
Mr. Michael MacDonagh proposes t:i do for<br />
Irish wit and humour in his book, " Irish Life and<br />
Character," which Messrs. Hodder and Stoughton<br />
will shortly publish, what Dean Ramsay in his<br />
popular work "Reminiscences of Scottish Life<br />
and Character" has done for Scotland. It will<br />
be the first attempt which has been made to give<br />
a complete picture of the manners, customs, and<br />
ways of thought of the Irish people, illustrated<br />
by copious anecdote and the personal experiences<br />
of the author.<br />
Among forthcoming novels is one by Mr. James<br />
M. Graham, whose historical romance, "The Son<br />
of the Czar," took a conspicuous place among the<br />
successful books of last year. Mr. Graham's<br />
new story is called "A World Bewitched." As<br />
the title indicates, the subject dealt with is that<br />
most painful of superstitions which was almost<br />
universal among Christians a few centuries ago.<br />
There were men of commanding genius, men. like<br />
Rabelais, Montaigne, Shakespeare, who heartily<br />
despised the prevailing belief in witchcraft. There<br />
were sceptics of a more sinister kiud, who, from<br />
motives of gain, vengeance, or delight in human<br />
wretchedness, took advantage of the general<br />
credulity to keep the fires of the stake in constant<br />
activity; and the sceptics last referred to figure<br />
prominently in Mr. Graham's tale. The period<br />
chosen is the early part of the 17th century.<br />
The scene is laid in the neighbourhood of the<br />
Pyrenees. The publishers will be Messrs. Harper<br />
and Brothers.<br />
PUBLICATIONS OF THE YEAR 1397.<br />
LE DROIT D'AUTEUR " gives the follow-<br />
ing statistics for the year 1897 in an<br />
extremely interesting article containing<br />
a mass of information, for which we must refer<br />
our readers to the pages of our valuable con-<br />
temporary:<br />
Great Britain—<br />
New books<br />
New edition,..<br />
Total<br />
United Sea tea<br />
France<br />
Germany<br />
Italy<br />
Holland<br />
Denmark<br />
Norway<br />
Sweden .<br />
1896.<br />
1897.<br />
1<br />
5234<br />
6244<br />
1339<br />
1682<br />
6573<br />
7926<br />
5703<br />
4928<br />
12,738<br />
13.799<br />
23,861<br />
23.339<br />
9778<br />
9732<br />
2880<br />
1128<br />
1167<br />
S77<br />
529<br />
1506<br />
1642.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 122 (#134) ############################################<br />
<br />
I 22<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
It will be remarked that the United States<br />
«hows a diminution. Austria and Russia have<br />
made no returns. Those for Hungary have not<br />
advanced beyond 1895 (1407).<br />
The analyst of the publications of the United<br />
States presents several interesting features:—<br />
Works by authors<br />
of other nationalities<br />
printed iu the<br />
United S a'es.<br />
New Publications.<br />
Works by American<br />
authors.<br />
s<br />
■<br />
n<br />
11<br />
0<br />
3d<br />
O<br />
0<br />
m<br />
■<br />
k<br />
0<br />
K<br />
>5<br />
713<br />
156<br />
358<br />
352<br />
«59<br />
474<br />
35<br />
491<br />
—<br />
18<br />
447<br />
45<br />
376<br />
23<br />
93<br />
Educational<br />
395<br />
36<br />
385<br />
4<br />
42<br />
Literary history and<br />
261<br />
'54<br />
313<br />
■5<br />
87<br />
3'9<br />
50<br />
299<br />
9<br />
61<br />
175<br />
21<br />
155<br />
2<br />
39<br />
180<br />
67<br />
■34<br />
29<br />
84<br />
166<br />
22<br />
116<br />
7<br />
65<br />
History<br />
189<br />
49<br />
180<br />
11<br />
47<br />
Biography<br />
193<br />
12<br />
71<br />
22<br />
112<br />
129<br />
24<br />
132<br />
3<br />
18<br />
Travels<br />
149<br />
20<br />
99<br />
9<br />
61<br />
Fine arts and illus-<br />
trated works<br />
108<br />
3«<br />
11<br />
4<br />
124<br />
Mechanical arts ...<br />
96<br />
H<br />
82<br />
28<br />
Philosophy<br />
70<br />
6<br />
47<br />
4<br />
25<br />
Domestic and rural<br />
economy<br />
52<br />
5<br />
35<br />
—<br />
22<br />
Comic and satirical<br />
33<br />
5<br />
19<br />
—<br />
24<br />
17<br />
5<br />
15<br />
1<br />
6<br />
Total<br />
4171<br />
757<br />
3?i8<br />
495<br />
i"5<br />
OBITUARY.<br />
WE regret to announce the death of the<br />
Earl of Desart. His lordship caught a<br />
cold while on board his yacht at Wendur,<br />
and died a few days later—on September 15—<br />
from internal inflammation. He had been an<br />
invalid for many years, and was fifty-three years<br />
of age. William Ulick O'Connor Cuffe, the late<br />
Earl of Desart, was the fourth Earl, and was a<br />
son of the third Earl and of a daughter of the<br />
first Earl Cawdor. He succeeded his father in<br />
1865, and married Ellen, daughter of H. L.<br />
Bischoffsheim, of Bute House, South Audley-<br />
street, London. He was the author of numerous<br />
novels, including "Children of Nature," "Kelver-<br />
.dale," "Helen's View," "Lord and Lady<br />
Piccadilly," "Love and Pride on an Iceberg,"<br />
and others, his last work being "The Raid of<br />
the Detrimental," which was published by Messrs.<br />
Pearson last year. He also did a little in<br />
journalism. His death makes the second loss<br />
within a few months to the Council of the<br />
Society of Authors, of which the late Earl was<br />
a member for ten years. The remains were<br />
interred on Monday, the 19th ult., at Lord<br />
Falmouth's picturesquely situated little cemetery.<br />
The coffin was borne to the graveside by eight<br />
y a chtsmen. The chief mourners were the Countess<br />
of Desart, the Hon. Sir J. Hamilton, and Lady<br />
Margaret Cuffe, Major and Lady Kathleen<br />
Pilkington, Captain the Hon. Otway Cuffe, the<br />
Hon. A. E. Henniker, and Mrs. Wemyss.<br />
THE BOOKS OF THE MONTH.<br />
[August 24 to Sept. 23.—304 Books.]<br />
Adcock, A. St. J. In the Image of God 3/6. Skefflngton.<br />
Alexander, A. Physical Training at Home. 2/- net. Cox.<br />
Anderson. R. J. Hereiity. 1/2. Galway: M. Claytosu<br />
Andom, R. Martha and I. 3/6. Jarrold.<br />
Andrews, S. J. Christianity and anil-Christianity in their Final Con-<br />
Iliet. 0- Putnam.<br />
Andrews, William. Bygone Punishments. 7/6. Andrews.<br />
Anonymous. A Bitter Penitence. 1/6. Stevens.<br />
Anonymous. Booke of Sundry Draughtes, principalv serving for<br />
Glasiers, and not impertinent for Plasterers and Gardiners, Ac.<br />
10,6. Reprint of original 1615 edition. Leadenhall Press.<br />
Anonymous (Author of "Bertha's Fate"). Knight or Knave? 1/6.<br />
Stevens.<br />
Anonymous (E. A. D.). Gift of Best. 1/- Frowde.<br />
Anonymous (An Expert Oil Refiner). Oils, Tallow, and Grease, for<br />
Lubricatira, Ac. 7/6 net. Scott and Greenwood.<br />
Anonymous (E. E H.). Allie. or The Little Irish Girl. 1/6. Gall.<br />
Anonymous (A German Staff Officer). Greco-Turkish War of 1897.<br />
Tr. by Frederica Bolton. 5/- Sonnenschein.<br />
Anonymous (Auth ir of " Laddie "). Belle. 3/6. Chambers.<br />
Anonymous. Elizabeth and her German Garden. 6/- Macmillan.<br />
Arnold, D Tales and Rhymes for Happy Times. 2/6. Bel. Tract Soc.<br />
Arnold, T. Notes on Beowulf. 3/6. Longmans.<br />
Asplen, L O. A Thousand Years of English Church History. *7-<br />
net. Bell.<br />
Avery, H. The Triple Alliance. A Tale 3/6. Nelson.<br />
Bslfour, Andrew. To Arms! 6/- Methuen.<br />
Ballard, S (tr.) Fairy Tales from Far Japan. 2/6. Bel. Tract Soc.<br />
1'ankea, A. Essays and Enigmas. 2/6. Partridge.<br />
Barlow, Jane. From the East unto the West. A Novel. 6/- Methuen.<br />
Barnby, L. H. Some Elementary Remarks on Musical Theory. 1/-<br />
Weekes.<br />
Barrett, G. S. Musings for Quiet Hours. 1/6. Rel. Tract Soc<br />
^arrows, S. J. The Isles and Shrines of Greece. 8/6. Low.<br />
Bedford, H. L. The Twins that did not Pair. 2/- Bel. Tract 8oc.<br />
Bell, Mackenzie. Pictures of Travel, and other Pi<br />
7/6.<br />
3/6. Hurst.<br />
Cath. Truth Soc<br />
White.<br />
Banks.<br />
7/6. Cox.<br />
Ward and L.<br />
Oliphant.<br />
Low.<br />
Bellord. Meditations on Christian Dogma.<br />
Bentley, H. C. A Near Thing, Ac. 1/-<br />
Berry, G. J. Iscah: A Tale for the Times. 3/6.<br />
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