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| 290 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/290 | Index to The Author, Vol. 07 (1897) | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=49&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Index+to+%3Cem%3EThe+Author%3C%2Fem%3E%2C+Vol.+07+%281897%29">Index to <em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 (1897)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</a> | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1897">1897</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>; <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=51&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Index">Index</a> | 1897-The-Author-7-index | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=78&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=The+Society+of+Authors">The Society of Authors</a>; <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=78&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Horace+Cox">Horace Cox</a> | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1897">1897</a> | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=4&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=London">London</a> | | | | https://historysoa.com/files/original/4/290/1897-The-Author-7-index.pdf | publications, The Author |
| 291 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/291 | The Author, Vol. 07 Issue 01 (June 1896) | <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.+07+Issue+01+%28June+1896%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 Issue 01 (June 1896)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</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> | 1896-06-01-The-Author-7-1 | | | | | 1–24 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1896-06-01">1896-06-01</a> | | | | | | | 1 | | | 18960601 | XL he Hutbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. i.] JUNE i, 1896. [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 post, 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 CONSIDERATIONS.<br />
THERE are several methods of publishing by agree-<br />
ments. Thus (1) an author may sell his work for a<br />
sum of money down: (2) he may take a share of the<br />
profits: (3) he may accept a royalty.<br />
The first method is the readiest and, where a proper<br />
price is paid, perhaps the best. It involves a certain amount<br />
of risk or doubt as to the result on the part of the buyer,<br />
and a certain amount of hesitation on the part of the seller.<br />
The anthor would do well to sell through an agent. But let<br />
him beware as to his choice of agent.<br />
At a time when the production of new books involved<br />
great risks and where the possible circle of purchasers was<br />
very small, the publishers, joining together, took half the<br />
profits as a return for their risk and services. At the present<br />
time in many cases, where there are no risks, they often take<br />
two-thirds and even more of the profits, and that after setting<br />
apart a large sum for "office expenses," allowing the author<br />
nothing at all for his office expenses. In other words,<br />
it is as if a steward were to charge first for his office<br />
and desks and then to take half or two-thirds of the<br />
remainder for himself as steward's fee. Therefore the author<br />
must in every case ascertain carefully, before signing- the<br />
agreement, what proportion is appropriated under its clauses<br />
by the publisher for himself. If the author ig in doubt, let<br />
him submit the agreement to the secretary, or to one of the<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
literary agents recommended by the secretary. Above all<br />
things he must remember that in any business transaction<br />
the one who accepts an agreement in ignorance will quite<br />
certainly get the worst of it. The folly of Bigning in<br />
ignorance is the main cause of half the quarrels between<br />
author and publisher.<br />
In the case of profit-sharing agreements, remember that a<br />
very common form of getting the better of an anthor is the<br />
practice of advertising the book in the publisher's own organs,<br />
very likely magazines of small circulation. Sometimes,<br />
also, he " exchanges " advertisements with other magazines,<br />
and charges the author as if he had paid for them. In this<br />
way the publisher may put the whole profits of a book in his<br />
own pocket. One way to prevent this sharp practice is to<br />
insert a clauso to the effect that advertisements shall only<br />
be charged at the actual price paid for them. A better way,<br />
however, is to agree beforehand npon the papers in which<br />
advertisements may be inserted.<br />
As regards the right of inspeoting the books, that need<br />
not be claimed, because it exists as the right of every<br />
partner, or joint venturer. Tou have only to demand the<br />
inspection of the books by your solicitor, your accountant,<br />
or the secretary of the Sooiety.<br />
If the book is a first book, or one that carries risk, it is fair<br />
to make an arrangement for the first edition and another for<br />
the second, and following, if any. The publisher confers so<br />
signal a service upon the young author by producing his<br />
work at all—i.e., by giving him the chanae he desires above<br />
all things—that it seems fair in such a case to yield him the<br />
larger share.<br />
In a profit-sharing agreement do not let the oost of pro-<br />
duction form a part of the agreement, otherwise you will<br />
be unable to contest it afterwards.<br />
It will be wisest never to enter into relations with any<br />
publisher unless recommended by the Society.<br />
There are many other dangers to be avoided. Serial'<br />
rights; stamping the agreement: American rights: future<br />
work: cession of copyright—these things cannot possibly<br />
bo attended to by the young author. Therefore his agree-<br />
ment should always be shown to the secretary.<br />
It has been objected that these precautions presuppose a<br />
great succes 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 be their maximum. Therefore every<br />
author, for every book, should arrange on the chance 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 />
<br />
<br />
## p. 2 (#18) ###############################################<br />
<br />
2<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
(2.) The inspection of those acoonnt books which belong<br />
to the author. We are advised that this is a right, in the<br />
nature of a common law right, which cannot bo 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 may<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 />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
I. Wj\VEEY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
fij advice upon his agreements, his choice 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 Counsol's opinion. All this<br />
without any cost to the member.<br />
2. Eemember that questions connected with oopyright<br />
and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within the<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple<br />
to use the Society first—our solicitors are continually<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 Seoretary 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 dooument 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. Eemember 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 everything<br />
important to literature that you may hear or meet with.<br />
9. The committee havo now arranged for the reception of<br />
mombers' agreements and their preservation in a fireproof<br />
Bafe. The agreements will, of course, be regarded as con-<br />
fidential documents to be road only by the Secretary, who<br />
will keep the key of the safe. The Society now offers:—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action npon<br />
them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
THE AUTHORS' SYNDICATE.<br />
MEMBERS are informed:<br />
1. That the Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the business of members of the Society. That it<br />
submits MSS. to publishers and editors, concludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects accounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the trouble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon which its services can be secured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndicate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That the Syndicate can only undertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia-<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that nil<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice should be given.<br />
6. That every attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in oil cases, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence: does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded without notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
lectures by some of the leading members of tho Society;<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for the sale and<br />
purchase of journals and periodicals; and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wanted" is open. Membors are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to the Manager.<br />
There is an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called upon in any case of dispute or difficulty. It<br />
is perhaps necessary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndicate.<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 Seoretary the modest<br />
6s. 6<l. 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 oan do more good to<br />
tho 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 Bpecial subjects on which<br />
they are willing to write P<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, whether<br />
members of tho Society or not, are invitod to oommunioate<br />
to the Editor any points connected with their work which<br />
it would be advisable in the general interest to publish.<br />
Members and others who wish their MSS. read are<br />
requested not to send them to the Office without previously<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 3 (#19) ###############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
3<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 most also be distinctly under-<br />
stood that the Society does not, under any circumstances,<br />
undertake the publication of MSS.<br />
The Authors' Club is now open in its new premises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-court, Charing Cross. Address the Secretary<br />
for information, rules of admission, Ac.<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 />
warning numbered (8). 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 five<br />
years to come, whatever his conduct, whether he was honest<br />
or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for a moment when they are asked to sign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five years P<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 means, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing sumB," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the cost of binding<br />
is Bet down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now stands<br />
at £g 4s. The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be procured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
bill is so elastic a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
arrived at.<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 practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
FROM THE COMMITTEE.<br />
At a meeting of the Committee of Management<br />
of the Incorporated Society of Authors held at the<br />
offices of the society on Wednesday, the 29th day<br />
of April, it was decided that ladies should be<br />
eligible for election on the Council of the Society.<br />
The following have been elected to the vacancies<br />
that at present exist, and have accepted their<br />
election.<br />
Mrs. E. Lynn Linton.<br />
Miss Flora L. Shaw.<br />
Miss Charlotte M. Yongb.<br />
(By Order)<br />
G. H. Thring, Sec. and Solicitor.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
1. —The Term up Literary Copyright in<br />
Different Countries.<br />
1. Copyright is perpetual.<br />
Guatemala, Venezuela.<br />
Mexico (excepting the right of representation,<br />
the term of which is the life of the author and<br />
thirty years afterwards).<br />
2. Term of Copyright is Life of Author and<br />
afterwards.<br />
80 years.—Columbia, Spain.<br />
50 years.—Belgium, Bolivia, Euuador, Finland,<br />
France, Hungary, Monaco, Norway, Portugal,<br />
Russia, Sweden, Tunis.<br />
30 years.—Germany, Austria, Denmark, Luxem-<br />
burg, Switzerland.<br />
20 years.—Haiti (if copyright is held by<br />
author's children; if held by other heirs,<br />
10 years; if by widow, for her life).<br />
10 years.—Brazil (but only if author leaves<br />
heirs), Eoumania.<br />
5 years.—Chili. (The Government can, in special<br />
cases, extend this to 10 years.)<br />
3. Term of Copyright is for a certain number<br />
of years after publication, viz.:<br />
50 years.—Holland, South African Republic.<br />
40 years.—Turkish Empire.<br />
28 years.—United States of America (dating<br />
from registration; a new registration secures<br />
another 14 years for author or his heirs).<br />
20 years.—Hawa'i.<br />
15 years.—Greece.<br />
4. Term of Copyright is for Life and sub-<br />
sequently for a number of years, or for a<br />
certain number of years after jmblication, with<br />
a minimum.<br />
Great Britain.—Author's life and seven years<br />
afterwards, or forty-two years from publication,<br />
whichsoever is longer.<br />
Italy.—Author's life, or forty years. Duriug a<br />
subsequent forty years holders of the copyright<br />
receive 5 per cent, of profits.<br />
Japan.—Author's life and five years, or thirty-<br />
five years from registration. But copyright of<br />
posthumously registered work expires thirty years<br />
after author's death.<br />
H.—American Copyright League.<br />
The following circular has been issued by the<br />
American Copyright League:—<br />
It will be recalled that soon after the passage<br />
of the copyright bill of 1891 it 'was agreed that<br />
the affairs of the League should be left in the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 4 (#20) ###############################################<br />
<br />
4<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
hands of the Executive Council. Annual<br />
meetings, being then thought to be unnecessary,<br />
were for the time abandoned, and as there was a<br />
balance of funds in the possession of the treasurer<br />
the dues were remitted until such time as it<br />
should seem necessary to reimpose them.<br />
The activity of the council bas been twofold:<br />
1. It has been directed through the secretary<br />
to forwarding the acceptance of the present<br />
statute by foreign countries, so that international<br />
copyright might become a practical as well as a<br />
theoretical achievement. The council believes<br />
that its efforts in this respect have contributed<br />
substantially to the reciprocal relations which<br />
now exist between the United States and the<br />
following nine countries of Europe, viz., Great<br />
Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark,<br />
Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, and<br />
efforts are still being made with Greece, Austria,<br />
Norway and Sweden, Mexico and the Central<br />
and South American republics. The council has<br />
realised that the accession of each additional<br />
country would make it more difficult to amend<br />
the law in the direction of less liberality, and the<br />
present situation would seem to be an ample con-<br />
firmation of this belief.<br />
2. The council was instrumental at the last<br />
Congress in defeating the very objectionable bill<br />
of Mr. Hicks, and in finally arranging, with the<br />
co-operation of the Publishers' League and the<br />
American Newspaper Publishers' Association, a<br />
compromise measure, known as the "Covert<br />
Bill," which has strengthened the copyright law<br />
by abolishing excessive penalties.<br />
The present session of Congress has been pro-<br />
lific of copyright bills, a very objectionable one<br />
being that of Mr. Treloar, of Missouri, a music<br />
publisher, whose primary object seems to be to<br />
extend the manufacturing clause of the present<br />
law to music. The appended resolutions, passed<br />
at a meeting held on April 2, show the attitude<br />
of the Executive Council toward this and other<br />
bills, and indicate our conviction of the necessity<br />
of placing the League once more on an active<br />
footing.<br />
Resolved that the Executive Council of the<br />
American Copyright League declares its opposi-<br />
tion to further limitation of the principle of inter-<br />
national copyright by any extension of the manu-<br />
facturing clause.<br />
Resolved that the Council approves the bill<br />
offered by Mr. Cummings in the present congress<br />
in behalf of American dramatists, providing more<br />
adequate means for the enforcement of dramatic<br />
copyright.<br />
Resolved that the Council approves the creation<br />
of a separate copyright office as provided in the<br />
separate bill now pending before congress.<br />
Resolved that in view of the present revival in<br />
copyright legislation and of the recent attacks on<br />
the principle of international copyright, and in<br />
view of the desirability of providing at an early<br />
session of congress for a copyright commission to<br />
consider the general subject of copyright law, the<br />
treasurer is directed to resume the collection of<br />
dues, suspended after the passage of the Act of<br />
1891, and the secretary is authorised to take<br />
steps to increase the membership of the League.<br />
By general agreement the secretary was<br />
authorised to organise the musical composers of<br />
the United States against a manufacturing clause<br />
for music.<br />
You are respectfully requested to send at once<br />
to the treasurer of the League, Mr. George<br />
Parsons Lathrop, 29, Washington-square, West,<br />
New York City, §2.00, the amount of the dues<br />
for the year 1896.<br />
It is hoped that the present opposition to the<br />
Treloar bill will succeed in staving off its con-<br />
sideration until the December session. Meantime<br />
notification will be duly given of a general<br />
meeting of the League to be held in November.<br />
Robert Underwood Johnson,<br />
Secretary A. C. L.,<br />
33 East i7th-street, New York City.<br />
April 20, 1896. atm<br />
III.—A White List.<br />
The following list is taken from the Authors'<br />
Journal (New York). It is called a White List<br />
of Editors," and is tendered as a list of editors<br />
who may be relied upon to "deal fairly and<br />
honestly with contributors." Those of our<br />
readers who contemplate an invasion of the<br />
United States may find the list useful. The<br />
Authors' Journal, it should be noted, cautions<br />
contributors. They must state when sending in<br />
MSS. that they expect payment:<br />
A. P. A. Magazine. Monthly.—San FranciBco, Cal.<br />
Appleton's Popular Science Monthly.—New York City.<br />
Arena. Monthly.—Boston, Mass.<br />
Argonaut, Ttte. Weekly.—San Francisco, Cal.<br />
Argosy. (Partly juvenile), Monthly.—New York City.<br />
Atlantic Monthly.—4, Park-street, Boston, Mass.<br />
Babyland. Monthly.—Boston, Mass.<br />
Bachelor of Arts.—15, Wall-street, New York City.<br />
Bind Cat. Monthly (short stories).—Boston, Mass.<br />
Bostonian. Monthly.—83, Newbury-Btreet, Boston.<br />
Catholic World. Monthly.—New York City.<br />
Century Magazine. Monthly.—New York City.<br />
Christian Herald. Weekly. New York City.<br />
Churchman. Weekly (religious). New York City.<br />
Cosmopolitan. Monthly.—Irvington-on-tho-Hudson, New<br />
York.<br />
forum. Monthly.—New York City.<br />
Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly.—42-44, Bond-Btreet,<br />
New York City.<br />
Golden Days. Weekly, juvenile (prices poor).—Philadel-<br />
phia, Pa.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 5 (#21) ###############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. 5<br />
Harper's Bazar. Weekly.—New York City.<br />
Harper's Monthly Magazine.—New York City.<br />
Harper's Round Table. Weekly (juvenile).—New York<br />
City.<br />
Harper's Weekly.—New York City.<br />
Herald. Sunday.—New York City.<br />
Home Journal. Weekly.—New York City.<br />
Independent. Weekly.—130, Fulton-street, New York<br />
City.<br />
Judge. Weekly.—110, Fifth-avenue, New York City.<br />
Ladies' Home Journal.—Philadelphia, Fa.<br />
Leslie's Weekly. 110, Fifth-avenue, New York City.<br />
Life. Weekly.—28, West 23rd-street, New York City.<br />
Lippineott's Magazine.—Philadelphia, Pa.<br />
Little Men and Women. Monthly.—Boston, Mass.<br />
McClure's Magazine.—52, Lafayette-place, New York<br />
City.<br />
Holland Monthly.—Des Moines, Iowa.<br />
Munsey's Magazine.—149, Fifth-avenue, New York City.<br />
New England Magazine. Monthly.—Boston, Mass.<br />
New York Weekly. Story Paper.—New York City.<br />
North American Review. Monthly.—New York City.<br />
Observer. Weekly (religious).—New York City.<br />
Our Little Ones and the Nursery.—Boston, Mass.<br />
Popular Science Review.—New York City.<br />
Printer's Ink. Weekly (matter relating to advertising<br />
and advertisement writing).—New York City.<br />
Prets. Sunday.—New York City.<br />
Press. Sunday.—Philadelphia, Pa.<br />
Puck. Weekly.—Mulberry-street, New York City.<br />
8cribner's Magazine. —131, Fifth-avenue, New York<br />
City.<br />
8t Nicholas. Monthly.—11, East 17th-street, New York<br />
City.<br />
Sun. Sunday.—New York City.<br />
The Congregationalist. Weekly.—Boston, Mass.<br />
The Ledger. Weekly.—William-street, New York City.<br />
The Outlook. Weekly.—Astor-plaoe, New York City.<br />
Times-Democrat. Sundays.—New Orleans, La.<br />
Tribune. Sunday.—New York City.<br />
Truth. Weekly.—203, Broadway, New York City.<br />
Youth's Companion. Weekly.—Boston, Mass.<br />
IV.—Canadian Copyright.<br />
We reprint in full Mr. Lea's letter on Canadian<br />
Copyright which was sent to the Times by Mr.<br />
Gold win Smith :—<br />
Philadelphia, April 10.<br />
Dear Sib,—I have looked with some interest at the<br />
Draft Act regulating the reprinting of English books in<br />
Canada, for which the Royal Assent is asked, and it appears<br />
to me that the questions involved are much larger than Mr.<br />
Hall Caine and Mr. Daldy seem to have imagined in their<br />
negotiations with the Canadian Copyright Association. To<br />
appreciate this properly it should be premised that the<br />
whole business of one of false pretences, since, under guise<br />
of legislating for the Canadian market, it is the market of<br />
the United States that is really kept in view. Every one<br />
cognisant of the book trade knows that the consumption of<br />
books in Canada is too limited to be worth the discussion<br />
which has been devoted to this measure, and that the real<br />
object of the printers, who are anxious to retain and extend<br />
the privilege of reprinting English novels, is to smuggle<br />
them into the United States in competition with the higher-<br />
priced American editions issued under arrangements with<br />
the authors as provided in the Act of 1891. There is no<br />
difficulty in effecting this in view of our long frontier, the<br />
free exchange of postal matter, and the impossibility °'<br />
excluding pirated editions imported through the mails. But<br />
for this outlet the business of reprinting English books<br />
would soaroe be worth undertaking in Canada. Sir Charles<br />
Tupper virtually admitted this when, in the Conference on<br />
the Draft Act, he alluded to the argument in its favour as<br />
"giving us, among other things, cheap literature and an<br />
industry that does not now exist."<br />
The importance of the matter to the English author and<br />
publisher, however, by no means rests solely on the diminu-<br />
tion of sales in the United States. Its most serious aspect<br />
iB the peril to which it exposes the Act of 1891, which per-<br />
mits the copyright of English books in this country, subject<br />
to the condition of manufacture here. For fifty years there<br />
has not been a copyright measure discussed in which I have<br />
not taken a more or less active part, and I am familiar with<br />
the influences which for so many years prevented the enact-<br />
ment of international copyright, and which finally secured<br />
the adoption of the existing law. So long as the labour<br />
interests opposed it there was no chance of its passage.<br />
When they were won over to its support it was adopted,<br />
though not without prolonged exertion against strenuous<br />
opposition. If it be once fairly understood that Canadian<br />
printers are enjoying an advantage which is denied to our<br />
labour and is used to its detriment, there is no little danger<br />
that the labour organisations will seek to undo the work in<br />
which they assisted five years ago; and, if once aroused to<br />
this, you know as well as I do, how respectfully their re-<br />
monstrances will be received. If you have means of<br />
warning the English interests which are threatened it<br />
would be wise for you to do so, for I am Buie that they do<br />
not recognise the danger inherent in the present and pro-<br />
spective anomalous oondition of Canadian copyright.<br />
The Draft Act seems clumsily, but is, perhaps, rather<br />
craftily, framed. Its elaborate and in some respects con-<br />
tradictory clauses are so worded as to depend greatly for<br />
their practical working upon the interpretation that may be<br />
put upon them, and the same influences which have hitherto<br />
secured legislation so curiously and defiantly disregardful of<br />
the rights of the mother oountry can safely be relied upon<br />
to obtain from the Canadian Government such construction<br />
as shall best subserve the interests of the knot of printers<br />
who seem to be all powerful at Ottawa.<br />
I hare the honour to remain very respectfully,<br />
Goldwin Smith, Esq. Henry Charles Lea.<br />
V.—The Question of Copyeight.<br />
Mr. G. H. Putnam's book of the above title,<br />
published in 1891, has just appeared in a second<br />
edition. The work is brought up to date by the<br />
addition of new material concerned with the<br />
legislation between these dates, and with cases<br />
bearing especially upon the interpretation of the<br />
American Act. The latter does not satisfy Mr.<br />
Putnam, and he renews his appeal for a commis-<br />
sion of experts to reform it, pointing out that all<br />
existing copyright systems of the world, except<br />
that of the United States, have been the work of<br />
such commissions of experts. Mr. Putnam sug-<br />
gests several amendments of the law, the principal<br />
being (1) the extension of the term of copyright,<br />
and (2) that steps should be taken as promptly<br />
as possible to remove the special grievance now<br />
existing on the part of European authors whose<br />
works require to be translated. On the latter<br />
point he proposes that the Act should voake an<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 6 (#22) ###############################################<br />
<br />
6<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
exception, in the case of a work originally issued<br />
in a foreign language, to the requirement for<br />
simultaneous publication.<br />
In a chapter on the status of Canada, Mr.<br />
Putnam gives it as his opinion that when a<br />
Canadian licence is taken out only after the<br />
English or American edition of a book has been<br />
imported diu'ing successive seasons, it will prove<br />
very difficult in practice to enforce the prohibition<br />
of such importation. As to the protest of various<br />
French associations that if Canadian manufac-<br />
ture he made a condition of copyright it would<br />
be necessary to exclude Canada from the Berne<br />
Convention, Mr. Putnam says this contention<br />
seems to him well founded. "I judge, however,"<br />
he continues, " that Canada will probably elect to<br />
be excluded from the provisions of the Berne<br />
Convention rather than to give up the right of<br />
making printing in Canada a condition of<br />
Canadian copyright."<br />
VI.—Copyright Law Reform.<br />
Copyright law reform appears to be in the air.<br />
It is said that the committee of the Incorporated<br />
Society of Authors are engaged in considering<br />
the (|Uestion, and Mr. Longman, in his inaugural<br />
address to the uewly formed Publishers' Associa-<br />
tion, speaks of the subject as the first that<br />
naturally must claim the attention of the associa-<br />
tion. Mr. Longman desires a copyright law easy<br />
to comprehend, liberal in its provisions to the<br />
producers of literature, universal in its applica-<br />
tion, and capable of being readily enforced. The<br />
present law has but little of these features. Bad<br />
grammar here, nonsense there, and lack of<br />
arrangement everywhere is the condition of the<br />
statute law in point of form. In point of sub-<br />
stance, the present awkward term of copyright<br />
for the life of author and seven years after his<br />
death, whichever may be the longer period, renders<br />
it very difficult in many cases to discover whether<br />
copyright still exists in any particular ease or not.<br />
The novelist has no protection against the prac-<br />
tical infringement of his copyright by dramatisa-<br />
tion, and the hist rian no protection against<br />
abridgment, while the contributor to a magazine<br />
cannot republish his contribution in a separate<br />
form without the consent of the proprietor till<br />
after the expiration of twenty-eight years. All<br />
these and many more defects in the law would<br />
have been remedied by Lord Monkwell's consoli-<br />
dating and amending bill, which passed a second<br />
reading in the House of Lords in 1891, subject<br />
to the condition imposed by the then Government<br />
that it should not be further proceeded with—<br />
po-sibly because the American Copyright B 11 had<br />
not then become law.—Law Journal.<br />
VII.—Sweden and Norway.<br />
In virtue of a royal decision of April 13, 1896,<br />
the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom<br />
of Sweden and Norway has informed the Swiss<br />
Federal Council, by a telegram dated the same<br />
day, that the Government has joined for Norway<br />
the International Union for the protection of<br />
literary and artistic works, concluded at Berne<br />
on Sept. 9, 1886. April 13, 1896, has been fixed<br />
as the date of accession. The Swiss Federal<br />
Council has informed the other contracting<br />
States of the accession of Norway, by a circular<br />
dated April 15, 1896.<br />
VIII.—The Paris Conference.<br />
The diplomatic conference convoked at Paris,<br />
on the 15th of April, to discuss a first revision<br />
of the Berne Convention of the 9th of Sept., 1886,<br />
concluded its labours on the 4th of May.<br />
The delegate from Haiti was unable to be<br />
present, otherwise all the contracting States were<br />
represented, including Norway, that country<br />
having joined the union two days before the<br />
opening of the conference. Fourteen other<br />
States, whicli do not at present belong to the<br />
union, sent delegates as an evidence of their<br />
interest in the work of the union. These were<br />
the Argentine Republic, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria,<br />
Columbia, Denmark, Greece, Guatemala, Mexico.<br />
Peru, Portugal, Roumauia, Sweden, and the<br />
United States of America.<br />
At the first stance a plan of procedure was<br />
drawn up, and a committee formed comprising<br />
representatives of all the States included in the<br />
union. The delegates from States which do not<br />
belong to the union were permitted to join in<br />
their debates, but not to vote. '1 he greater part<br />
of the work of the revision of the Berne Conven-<br />
tion fell to this committee, the results of their<br />
labours being afterwards put into documentary<br />
form by a sub-committee of eight members, two<br />
Frenchmen, two Germans, one Englishman, one<br />
Italian, one Belgian, and one Swiss.<br />
The conference held four seances, the committee<br />
eight, and the sub-committee six. A resume of<br />
the work done was placed before the third seance<br />
of the conference, but, in accordance with the<br />
decision of the conference, the documents will not<br />
be published until the Governments of the con-<br />
tracting States have been officially furnished with<br />
them.<br />
In the interim it may be mentioned that these<br />
documents are of three classes. The first class<br />
deals with certain modifications of the original<br />
conventions. The second class contains declara-<br />
tions interpreting various provisions of the Con-<br />
vention. The third class 1 onsists of suggestions<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 7 (#23) ###############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
7<br />
for the future. The resolutions adopted in the<br />
documents of the first and second class will, when<br />
ratified, provide amongst other things for the<br />
protection of posthumous works, aud for some<br />
more efficacious control over the reproduction of<br />
matter published in newspapers and periodicals.<br />
Authors belonging to countries not included in<br />
the Union will be treated similarly with those<br />
belonging to such countries in respect of works<br />
published for the first time within the territory of<br />
the union. The right of translation will be pro-<br />
tected as long as that of reproduction, if the<br />
translation appears within ten years of publica-<br />
tion.<br />
The next conference is to take placj at Berlin<br />
between six and ten years hence.—From Le Droit<br />
d'Auteur.<br />
NOTES FROM PARIS.<br />
APARAGRAPH in the "Literary Gossip"<br />
of the Athenseum of last week drew atten-<br />
tion to a very sad case of distress into<br />
which one of our oldest women of letters in<br />
England has fallen. The lady is just eighty-<br />
three years of age, and has been known in the<br />
Republic of Letters for the past sixty years by<br />
the name of Mrs. L. E. Warren. Her books on<br />
"How to Dress on ,£15 a Tear, as a Lady," by a<br />
Lady, and "How I Managed my House on =£200<br />
a Year "—the text-books of parsimonious aud<br />
pin-money-begrudging husbands—are very well<br />
known and must have had an enormous sale.<br />
Until quite recently Mrs. Warren was editress of<br />
the Ladies' Treasury, a monthly published by<br />
Messrs. Bemrose. The death of this publication<br />
has deprived Mrs. Warren of her only source of<br />
income. She has, moreover, been ailing for some<br />
time past, and altogether her position is a very<br />
sad one. Cannot we of the Authors' Society do<br />
something for our confrere? I was speaking of<br />
her case the other day in the Authors' Club and<br />
several gentlemen who were present said they<br />
would gladly contribute a subscription to any<br />
fund raised on her behalf. Could such subscrip-<br />
tions be received at the office of the Author?<br />
Mrs. Warren is a wonderful woman, bright,<br />
energetic, in spite of her ailments and the weight<br />
of her fourscore years. She was at work all day,<br />
for she made it a rule to read through every<br />
manuscript that was submitted to her. She<br />
"discovered" and brought into prominence,<br />
through the Ladies' Treasury, more than one<br />
author and authoress who are now basking in the<br />
sunshine of popular favour. She had also the<br />
kindness always to write to unsuccessful contri-<br />
butors to explain why a manuscript Jj^j been<br />
VOL. Til.<br />
rejected, to suggest improvements, to point out<br />
the writer's weak points, and so on. The pay-<br />
ments made by the Ladies' Treasury were very<br />
small, but Mrs. Warren had obtained from the<br />
publishers that payment should be made to each<br />
contributor as soon as the manuscript had been<br />
accepted, a practice of which she was greatly in<br />
favour. "Authors can't afford to wait" she used<br />
to say. Now shall this good old lady have to<br />
wait for a little help from her more prosperous<br />
brothers and sisters in the profession?<br />
On referring to the Athenseum again, I see that<br />
subscriptions are invited by Miss Ellen T.<br />
Masters, Mount Avenue, Ealing.<br />
One of the most successful monthly dinners -in<br />
Paris is that held by the Socie'te' de la Plume et<br />
de TEpee, a friendly association for the purpose<br />
of a monthly meeting and dinner of some of the<br />
most prominent writers and officers in France.<br />
Can one imagine such a club in England? Would<br />
the "Rag " care to co-operate with the authors? I<br />
don't think so. In France, where, as in England,<br />
the pen is mightier than the sword, the author<br />
has usually this superiority also over the soldier,<br />
that he can make a much better use of a sword.<br />
This has been demonstrated over and over again<br />
in duels between officers and men of letters. Few<br />
French officers know how to fence, most French<br />
authors do.<br />
The British Club in Paris is now a fait<br />
accompli. It had been talked about for years,<br />
and it was only, thanks to the energy of Mr.<br />
Rowland Strong, the present secretary, that it<br />
was definitely brought into being. Mr. Strong,<br />
who is one of the most successful English<br />
journalists on the Continent, has recently taken<br />
to authorship, and I understand that Mr. John<br />
Lane has in preparation a novel of Parisian life<br />
from his pen.<br />
An extremely interesting publication, which is<br />
appearing in periodical parts here, is La Revolu-<br />
tion Franraise, which is filled with illustrations<br />
of that stormy period. The text is supplied by<br />
the best authorities on the subject. I read with<br />
much interest an article contributed to the last<br />
number by M. Jules Claretie, the director of the<br />
Comedie Fran9aise. It is entitled "Napoleon et<br />
la Comedie-Francaise en Italie," and shows that<br />
it was Napoleon who first organised those pro-<br />
vincial tours which are a feature of the profes-<br />
sional life of the company of the French State<br />
Theatre. By a decree dated July 10, 1806,<br />
Napoleon, King of Italy, ordered that two com-<br />
panies recruited from the company of the Theatre<br />
Francaise should perform in Italy in order " to<br />
familiarise the peninsula with the genius of our<br />
masterpieces and to spread the kno-wleQge of our<br />
language-" Every detail is characteristic^<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 8 (#24) ###############################################<br />
<br />
8<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
arranged, and provision is made in the decree for a<br />
subsidy of 160,000 francs per annum for the main-<br />
tenance of these companies. Mile. Rancourt was<br />
appointed manageress, and under her manage-<br />
ment the two companies toured in Italy for six<br />
years, until . . . well, subsequent events.<br />
A most interesting article could be written on<br />
the relations between Napoleon and the authors.<br />
For our profession he had a very sincere contempt,<br />
yet he also took to it in the end. It is true that<br />
most of the authors, from Chateaubriand down to,<br />
say, Goldschmidt (author of " The Secrets of the<br />
Cabinets"), behaved with little dignity in their<br />
conduct towards the all-powerful emperor, who,<br />
we • find, was always disgusted with their<br />
alternate flattery and vituperation. Meneval<br />
relates that every day scores of books were<br />
sent to the Tuileries for his master's notice,<br />
and that Napoleon used to judge them<br />
mainly by their titles, in which respect<br />
he was not alone in the reading public. Out of<br />
twenty books, he would perhaps select one, the<br />
rest would be bundled into the fire. The one<br />
would be lipped open with the emperor's fore-<br />
finger and thrown away as soon as he had<br />
finished with it. If he happened to be driving<br />
when the book was done with, it would go out of<br />
the window, and so much the worse for anybody<br />
who happened to be walking near. One had heard<br />
of harmless promeneurs who received volumes at<br />
their heads in this way, as the imperial barouche<br />
dashed by, and so abject was the subjection of<br />
people in those days that books thus obtained<br />
became in many libraries the most highly-prized<br />
volumes. One excellent idea Napoleon had,<br />
which, however, his native parsimony prevented<br />
him from carrying into execution, and that was<br />
to have printed and bound in a uniform and<br />
portable form all the books in the world's<br />
bibliography which he most liked, and this for<br />
carrying them with him on his excursions de par<br />
le mondc. The same idea has come to many since<br />
Napoleon, and—as an instance known to me—in<br />
the library of the Quillinans in Ambleside there<br />
used to be a number of volumes, lavishly produced,<br />
at the private printing-press of a bibliophile<br />
baronet, who in this way did honour to his<br />
favourite authors, a hobby which cost him close<br />
upon £ 100,000.<br />
Paul de Kock's " Memoirs" have recently been<br />
unearthed in Paris, and are at this moment being<br />
prepared for simultaneous publication in England<br />
and America. They are very interesting, and full<br />
of anecdotes concerning the men of the century.<br />
Paul de Kock only saw Bonaparte once, and that<br />
was by favour of his friend the leader of the<br />
orchestra at the Tuileries. Paul de Kock had<br />
expressed a wish to see the Emperor, and his<br />
friend said to him, "Join my orchestra for one<br />
morning and you can glut your eyes on him, as<br />
we sit just opposite the Emperor's pew." "But<br />
I don't know one note from the other," said de<br />
Kock. "Never mind," said the maitre de chapelle,<br />
"I'll lend you a cornet-a-piston and you can<br />
pretend to play it." This was done, and thus Paul<br />
de Kock got a good view of the Emperor, whom<br />
he describes in very graphic language. Paul de<br />
Kock's father was guillotined under the Revolu-<br />
tion, and his mother very nearly shared his fate.<br />
Fouquier Tinville had already ordered her off<br />
to the Conciergerie, when little Paul, then a baby<br />
at breast, touched the tiger's heart by some<br />
babyish trick, and Tinville consented to leave<br />
the citoyenne at liberty until the "young citizen<br />
had been weaned." In the meanwhile Fouquier<br />
Tinville was weaned—of his taste for blood.<br />
A French author who has just returned from<br />
London speaks with some amusement of the way<br />
in which the English booksellers, and especially<br />
the clerks at the railway bookstalls, ticket the<br />
books offered for sale, much in the same way as<br />
the enterprising butcher or poulterer, or haber-<br />
dasher tickets his goods. Thus one reads of one<br />
book, " Good Reading," of another " Favourable<br />
Review," or " Good Notices," of a third " Much<br />
in Demand," or "Reading Well." In no way<br />
is the commercialism of the craft in England<br />
more clearly brought home to one. For myself,<br />
the other day, at the bookstall at Whitehaven,<br />
I was looking at a 6d. edition of one of Charles<br />
Reade's admirable novels when the clerk tried to<br />
clench the bargain by saying "Excellent value,<br />
sir." So, no doubt, it was, but why should such<br />
shop terms be applied to works of genius.<br />
No doubt the time will come when, casting<br />
aside all pretence of being artists, authors<br />
will push their wares as do all other manufac-<br />
turers. They will advertise directly, instead of<br />
indirectly, and the biggest literary fortunes will<br />
go to those who advertise best and most exten-<br />
sively. I foresee the time when the daily papers<br />
will teem with the advertisements of "Dash, the<br />
cash author," and I have imagined a whole series<br />
of effective announcements. Ad exemplum.<br />
"Dash for Value. Read and Compare."<br />
"Dash for Value. More Reading for your<br />
sixpence than offered by any other Author."<br />
"Dash for Value. Dash's Penny Novelettes<br />
are the best Cure for Insomnia, Melancholy,<br />
Headache, and Indigestion."<br />
Thingummy would, of course, compete, some-<br />
what in this style:<br />
*' Thingummy for solid British fiction. No<br />
morbid French materials used. All goods<br />
warranted home-made."<br />
"Thingummy for pure reading. Thingummy's<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 9 (#25) ###############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
9<br />
novels are supplied free from adulteration with<br />
pessimism, sensuality, and suggestiveness."<br />
"Thingummy for the Breakfast-table."<br />
'■ Thingummy for the Drawiug-room."<br />
"Thingummy for the Knifeboard."<br />
"Thingummy for the Table de Nuit."<br />
I think to live to see these things. Indeed,<br />
they seem in the immediate future. Nor is there<br />
any reason why they should not be.<br />
I notice a paragraph that is going the round of<br />
the English press to the effect that M. Felix<br />
Faure and M. Alphonse Daudet are the latest<br />
recruits in France to teetotalism. Who is it who<br />
invents these stories? Each week one reads in<br />
the paragraph papers lies as deliberate as<br />
absurd. I suppose that there are some people<br />
who earn a living by supplying paragraphs about<br />
celebrities, and find it easier to invent statements<br />
than to supply facts. I know of a " fake" con-<br />
cerning Count Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac,<br />
the poet, which has been going the round of the<br />
press for the past four years. It alleges that<br />
the count has a number of tortoises in his study,<br />
whose shells are inlaid with costly stones, the<br />
scintillations from which as the tortoises crawl<br />
about inspire the poet in his work. Who can<br />
invent such stories? Robebt H. Shebabd.<br />
NEW YORK LETTER.<br />
New York, May 16.<br />
MR. EDWARD ARNOLD sailed for England<br />
last Saturday, after a few weeks spent<br />
here in looking into the results of his<br />
venture of establishing an agency for the sale of<br />
his books in America. His experience has been the<br />
same as that of other English houses. The agency<br />
was established last July, and the results of the<br />
first year have been fairly satisfactory, but the firm<br />
will at once begin to carry other lines, especially<br />
American books, as soon as they can get them.<br />
All the publishing houses find that the cost of<br />
carrying a large line of books is so much less in<br />
proportion than that of carrying a small line, the<br />
fixed charges being so much the same, that they<br />
make an effort to get all the business they can.<br />
The books of Mr. Arnold which had some sale<br />
this year are, " Fire and Sword in the Soudan,"<br />
by Slatin Pasha, which has been their most<br />
successful book; "A Little Tour in America," by<br />
Dean Hole, who is popular here; "Twelve Hundred<br />
Miles in an Ox Wagon," by Alice Balfour; Walter<br />
Raleigh's "Robert Louis Stevenson;" Tollemache's<br />
"Benjamin Jowett; " Frederick Harj^Qp's " Early<br />
Victorian Literature;" and Colo^ Colville'a<br />
"Land of the Nile Springs." It is doubtful,<br />
however, whether more than two of these books<br />
had more than a limited sale.<br />
The spring list of the Macmillans shows,<br />
leaving out translations and classics, thirty-nine<br />
American books and twenty-seven British books.<br />
In novels nationality, most publishers agree,<br />
makes no difference; a few, however, say that<br />
there is a better demand for a novel because it is<br />
British. Most British novels have some sale<br />
here. After novels, the British books that have<br />
the most sale are a few text books; not many<br />
have any sale, but when they do sell the sale is<br />
likely to be large. Stopford Brooke's " Primer of<br />
English Literature" is an illustration, and certain<br />
editions of the classics and certain books of<br />
mathematics sell largely. The effort which is<br />
often made to work over a British text book for<br />
the American trade rarely succeeds. One notice-<br />
able thing is, that the English houses here tend<br />
to have the preference in certain works of scholar-<br />
ship, the sale of which is small everywhere, and<br />
is increased somewhat by being handled by a<br />
house which may also sell a few copies in<br />
England. For instance, the special historical<br />
studies of Harvard University are published by<br />
Longmans, Green, and Co., and the similar series<br />
of Columbia University studies are published by<br />
Macmillan.<br />
Letters written by your correspondent to some<br />
of the leading publishers and booksellers and dry<br />
goods dealers, who handle cheap books, brought<br />
out some results about the market.<br />
John Wanamaker, of Philadelphia, who pro-<br />
bably sells more cheap books than any other dealer<br />
in the country, says:<br />
"Cheap editions of 'Scarlet Letter,' 'Uncle<br />
Tom's Cabin,' and books that may be classed<br />
with them, outsell many times over the most<br />
popular recent books either British or American.<br />
Whether a book is of American or foreign author-<br />
ship, is not a question that has any influence in<br />
selling; it is a fact to which the ordinary buyer<br />
seems to be entirely indifferent. Of the new<br />
publications, the sales of ' Ian MacLaren's' books<br />
have largely eclipsed all others in our business<br />
this year."<br />
A. C. McClurg and Co., the principal booksellers<br />
of the west, say:<br />
"We are in receipt of your favour of the 2nd<br />
inst., asking for an idea of the comparative sale<br />
in Chicago of 'Trilby,' or other high-class<br />
English fiction, and the recent repriuts of the<br />
'Scarlet Letter.' 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' or other<br />
leading American novels. We would say in reply<br />
that our statistics are confined to the sales of this<br />
house, but as the record of our sales wo»lQ doubt-<br />
less be an estimate 0f the comparative oi<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 10 (#26) ##############################################<br />
<br />
IO<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
these books in this Western country, we submit<br />
you the following:<br />
Sola.<br />
Cheap American reprints:— Altemus and<br />
Dream Life in 189S Donoghue <fe<br />
Henneborry (at 25 %) 1100<br />
Editions<br />
House of the Seven<br />
Gables „ „ 2225<br />
Scarlet Letter „ „ „ 2325<br />
Uncle Tom's Cabin. „ ,, „ 4050<br />
Since publication 1-25 Ed. 5710<br />
Bonnie Brier Bush in 11/94 -25 „ 8000 ,, 13,710<br />
Trilby 9/94 at 1-75 „ 15,000<br />
Prince of India , 8/93 at 2-50 the Bet 26,100<br />
It should be noticed that McClurg and Co. sell<br />
the more expensive editions to the small dealers,<br />
but these small dealers buy the cheap reprints<br />
from the publishers.<br />
"Trilby "has sold over 200,000 copies in this<br />
country. Probably the various cheap editions of<br />
"Uncle Tom's Cabin," issued by the house which<br />
owned the copyright of the book during the past<br />
few years, before the copyright ran out, have<br />
aggregated over 230,000; and the copies of the<br />
"Scarlet Letter" 480,000, although there have<br />
been various other cheap editions of the same<br />
books on the market since the copyright expired.<br />
The attacks which have been made on the<br />
present copyright law in this session of the<br />
Legislature, and the various letters which appear<br />
about the Canadian copyright law, have led to<br />
some sharp criticisms of our present copyright<br />
law by the papers which have most weight in<br />
literary matters. One of them says, that our law<br />
of 1891 in a half-way measure, that will never be<br />
safe from attack from ignorant legislators and<br />
self-seeking publishers; that the United States is<br />
still classed with Russia by the rest of the<br />
civilised world in this matter; and that there will<br />
be no peace and no justice until we accept un-<br />
reservedly the Berne Convention, and put literary<br />
property on the same basis as other property in<br />
private and international law.<br />
Charles Scribners' Sons have begun a series of<br />
stories by English authors parallel to the series<br />
of American authors published by them.<br />
The Scribners have bought all of Robert Louis<br />
Stevenson's works which were owned by Stone<br />
and Kimball, of Chicago, and now have the right<br />
to the publication in this country of all of<br />
Stevenson's works. The books acquired from<br />
Stone and Kimball are "The Vailima Letters,"<br />
"The Amateur Emigrant," " The Ebb Tide," and<br />
"Macaire." The Scribners publish this spring<br />
"Cinderella and Other Stories," by Richard<br />
Harding Davis, one of our most popular writers<br />
of short stories.<br />
On the dissolution of Stone and Kimball, Mr.<br />
Kimball takes the business to New York and Mr.<br />
Stone keeps the Chap Book in Chicago. Next to<br />
this magazine, the success of the past year among<br />
the periodicals has been won by the American<br />
Bookman, which is practically without connection<br />
with the English Bookman, using only its Paris<br />
letter. It already has a circulation equal to that<br />
of the Critic and the Nation together, although<br />
it has existed but little over a year and is not<br />
cheap, as magazines go here now, costing 15<br />
cents. Its success has been largely due to the<br />
vivacious editing of Professor H. T. Peck, and,<br />
perhaps, partly to the custom of having all of its<br />
articles signed.<br />
The Harpers will issue next month "Tales of<br />
Phantasy and Pact," by Brander Matthews.<br />
H. C. Bunner, one of the foremost of the young<br />
American poets, died this week. On the appear-<br />
ance of some of his books in England he was<br />
highly praised by Andrew Lang, and Austin<br />
Dobson expressed the opinion that he was the<br />
most promising American poet of his generation.<br />
Mr. Dobson also wrote a poem to him. A new<br />
volume of his stories will be published this<br />
summer by the Scribners, called "Urban and<br />
Suburban Sketches." It will be illustrated by<br />
A. B. Frost. In the fall the Scribners will<br />
publish a volume of his poems, called "Ballads of<br />
the Town," illustrated by C. J. Taylor. Mr.<br />
Bunner was born in 1855; he came to New York<br />
as a boy and was a clerk. His first writing was<br />
for the Arcadian, a shortlived literary weekly.<br />
After that he did some reporting for a daily<br />
paper and then became connected with Puck soon<br />
after its foundation. This was the first comic<br />
paper which succeeded in America, and showed<br />
that the frequent statement that there were no<br />
types in America to make a comic paper possible<br />
here was inaccurate. Mr. Bunner became editor<br />
of the paper, and made a great success of it. The<br />
circulation is now somewhere over 40,000. He<br />
published also poems, novels, and plays, the last<br />
being the work of himself and Brander Matthews,<br />
who is left his literary executor. His "Airs of<br />
Arcady," published in 1884, had a very unusual<br />
sale for a book of poems. "Studies in Story<br />
Telling" were published in London in 1885; they<br />
were the joint work of Mr. Bunner and Mr.<br />
Matthews. He has since then published several<br />
volumes of New York stories, the most popular<br />
being "Short Sixes," 1890, and "More Short<br />
Sixes," 1894.<br />
N. H.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 11 (#27) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
11<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
EETURNING- to Mr. Longman's address of<br />
last month, a few observations may be<br />
made on that part of the address which<br />
concerns ourselves. Mr. Longman speaks of<br />
the diversity of interest which always exists<br />
between buyer and seller. Now, there are three<br />
methods of publishers' agreements, only one<br />
of which is that of buyer and seller. In the<br />
other two—share of profits and royalty—there is,<br />
as has been pointed out by learned counsel in<br />
these pages, a c/itasj-partnership, a joint adventure,<br />
in which the author is not a seller nor is the pub-<br />
lisher a buyer. The legal meaning of this joint ad-<br />
venture, which involves an open hand, open books,<br />
open vouchers, must never be lost sight of. As<br />
regards selling and buying, that is a method which<br />
is perhaps more to be commended than any other,<br />
provided the author receives a proper price for his<br />
book, because it prevents any subsequent ill-feeling.<br />
The new Society, according to the President,<br />
will not interfere in any agreement between<br />
author and publisher. Yet, if model agreements,<br />
such as the President proposes, are framed<br />
and adopted by us as well as by the Society<br />
of Publishers, no other agreements will be<br />
accepted by any author, and so there must<br />
be interference. Apart, however, from the pro-<br />
posed model agreements, what about agreements<br />
which are obviously designed to entrap the author?<br />
How about an agreement which gives the pub-<br />
lisher the power to swamp the whole of the<br />
profits in advertisements for which he pays<br />
nothing: as in his own magazine with a trumpery<br />
circulation of two or three thousand, or in other<br />
magazines where advertisements are exchanged?<br />
How about that delightful trick where the author<br />
is asked to accept a certain royalty which is to be<br />
"reduced by one-half if the book is sold at one-<br />
half the published price?" How about royalties<br />
deferred for many thousands of copies? It is<br />
very much to be desired that the Society of<br />
Publishers may have an early opportunity of<br />
expressing its opinion on these and similar<br />
practices. ^<br />
Mr. Longman drew attention to the trade in<br />
contraband books. He was not, probably, aware<br />
that this Society has already taken steps to stop<br />
it in the Colonies, and that vigorous action has<br />
been taken in consequence. He dwelt also upon<br />
the condition of the bookseller. For my own<br />
part I am convinced that the only way to help<br />
the bookseller is to lower the trade price.<br />
Nothing else will help him: the discount system<br />
is fairly established and cannot be overthrown:<br />
people will not pay more for their books. a]re»dy<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
they pay too much. There are three persons<br />
engaged in the book trade: the author who sits<br />
down and writes the book: the bookseller who<br />
stands up and sells the book: the publisher who<br />
sends it out and collects the money. Who ought,<br />
in common fairness, to get the most out of it?<br />
Obviously, the first and second. Who does get<br />
the most out of it? Take, once more, the familiar<br />
book which costs a shilling and is sold by the trade<br />
for 4«. 6d. On a royalty of twopence in the<br />
shilling the author gets is,: the publisher is. 6d.:<br />
the bookseller sometimes a good deal less than is.<br />
Oh! but there are the publisher's office expenses.<br />
Well? And there are also the bookseller's office<br />
expenses; and there are also the author's office<br />
expenses.<br />
The obviously weak point in the programme of<br />
the new Society is the announcement of the council<br />
that they will not interfere with the preliminary<br />
agreement. If Mr. Longman would read the<br />
Committee's book, "The Methods of Publishing,"<br />
he will understand that by far the most im-<br />
portant question for the author to consider is<br />
the rescue of his book from the thousand-and-<br />
one traps which have been set for it by certain<br />
persons, of whom some are members of hjs Society.<br />
Amid these dangers the author ought surely to be<br />
able to count upon the assistance of the Society<br />
of Publishers. Another weak point is that in the<br />
book trade it is quite possible to get on without a<br />
publisher at all. For my own part I like to reform<br />
rather than to sweep away, Yet it is perfectly<br />
certain that whenever authors choose they can go<br />
straight to the booksellers, and that if booksellers<br />
please to elect a leader who has got a head upon<br />
his shoulders, they may conduct the whole of the<br />
publishing business for themselves without the<br />
intermediary of a publisher at all. What would<br />
be the result of this arrangement? In such a case<br />
as we have just taken the author and the<br />
bookseller would have 3s. 6d. to divide between<br />
them. If the author took 2s. it would be equiva-<br />
lent to a royalty of 33 per cent., while the<br />
bookseller would take is. 6d. where he now<br />
gets from 8c?. to is. I do not say that this<br />
will be done to-day or to-morrow: but that it will<br />
be done, as soon as authors and booksellers really<br />
understand the simplicity of the arrangement, I<br />
have no doubt whatever. But, it may be objected,<br />
how about young authors? How about new pro-<br />
jects? Everything would go on just exactly as at<br />
present, only that this leader with a head on his<br />
shoulders would, with the representative of our<br />
society, stand for all the publishers in London.<br />
I ain indebted to the Newsagent a,l(} Book-<br />
sellers' for a few- remarks, which appeared<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 12 (#28) ##############################################<br />
<br />
ia<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
first in a Nottingham paper, on the recent dinner<br />
of the Booksellers' Provident Institution. "A<br />
banquet of this sort," says the writer, "makes<br />
a pleasant little truce in the great war between<br />
authors and their middlemen, but it is only<br />
a truce. The war will be resumed with renewed<br />
fury as soon as the fictitious amiability induced<br />
by a hearty meal has had time to evaporate.<br />
Authors will go on wanting as much as they<br />
can get, and grumbling if they do not get it;<br />
and publishers will go on giving as little as<br />
possible, and growling if they have to give more.<br />
And the fact that successful authors spend a<br />
pleasant hour or two in telling their publishers<br />
how nice they are, does not do away with the<br />
sterner fact that the publishers have their own<br />
battle to fight, and do not appear at all nice to<br />
beginners." Publishers, in fact, are purely business<br />
men; no one ought to resent or can deny this<br />
fact. This is common sense. It is better, how-<br />
ever, to use the after-dinner speech for kindliness<br />
than the reverse; a maxim which has not always<br />
been observed by publishers towards this Society<br />
at these dinners. It was very pleasant for Mr.<br />
Crockett to praise the followers of the publishing<br />
trade. If he meant to be taken as speaking from<br />
his own experience, one would ask him: (i) how<br />
many publishers' agreements he has received?<br />
(2) If he remains with his first publisher?<br />
(3) If not, why he left him?—this is a very<br />
important question; and (4) Why he finds it best<br />
to make use of the assistance of an agent? But<br />
the speech was post-prandial, and may be accepted<br />
in the kindly spirit in which it was meant.<br />
Meantime we shall go on keeping the light turned<br />
full upon the meaning of agreements and the<br />
shares of proceeds under various royalties.<br />
I am much obliged to a correspondent for an<br />
account of his experience with a theatrical agent.<br />
It is, briefly, this. He sent a MS. to an agent in<br />
answer to an advertisement. He received in<br />
return an offer to read a play for two guineas,<br />
furnishing the author with an opinion upon it:<br />
or a farce or short piece for one guinea. He<br />
further offered to use his best endeavour to place<br />
it for a commission of ten per cent. These terms<br />
appearing reasonable, my correspondent sent up<br />
the play, The opinion was quite unfavourable,<br />
but the agent thought it might be rewritten as a<br />
short piece, and offered a second opinion without<br />
another fee. Nothing could be fairer than such<br />
an offer. In fact, my correspondent has no<br />
complaint to make at all: it is true that he has<br />
received more favourable opinions as to his work,<br />
but opinions differ, and perhaps the agent's<br />
reader is better qualified to judge than others.<br />
But the question which is put in this letter is<br />
this. Will a manager receive and consider a<br />
play on the recommendation of this agent? I<br />
should incline to think, at first, that such a<br />
recommendation would carry with it only the<br />
weight of the agent's name, whatever that might<br />
■be. For instance, if it were known that he had<br />
furnished other managers with good pieces, his<br />
name would undoubtedly carry weight. Apart<br />
from that consideration, I should say that the<br />
use of an agent would be the introduction of<br />
business methods: copying letters: seeing to the<br />
return of the MS.; knowing what theatres were<br />
in want of a new piece: what theatres the play<br />
might suit: how it might be written up: and so<br />
forth: he would also be useful to managers in<br />
weeding out hopelessly bad MSS. It is quite<br />
conceivable that a manager would save himself<br />
trouble by taking all his plays through an agent's<br />
hands. He would be relieved of a mass of<br />
hopeless rubbish: he would not have to pay<br />
readers: and he would have placed in his hands<br />
only MSS. worth reading.<br />
In the Revue de Paris for May appears a<br />
paper called "Un Romancier Anglais" by M.<br />
Hugues Rebell. The "Romaneier Anglais" is<br />
Mr. Robert Sherard, who has furnished this<br />
paper with its Paris Letter for some time. The<br />
paper is, as may be guessed, appreciative, taking<br />
up Mr. Sherard's novels in turn. In justice to<br />
our correspondent the concluding paragraphs are<br />
quoted:<br />
"C'est avec un art tout special, procedant par<br />
demi-teintes successives et par lentes gradations<br />
que Robert. Sherard nous depeint ses hcros. II<br />
n'a point cette brutalitc de certains ecrivains qui<br />
nous decouvrent completement leurs personnages<br />
des le commencement de leur livre; il leur laisse<br />
longtemps ce clair-obscur au milieu duquel les<br />
hommes nous apparaissent tout d'abord dans la<br />
vie. Puis le visage s'illumine peu h pcu, sans<br />
pourtant venir jamais en pleine lumiere. Ainsi<br />
ceux qui nous entourent gardent-ils dans l'ombre<br />
jusqu'a la mort, quelques parties d'eux-memes.<br />
Un sentiment de picte humaine porte l'ecrivain a<br />
respecter ce mystere des etres et a. nous les<br />
montrer pudiquement voile's.<br />
"Mais si nous ne savons pas tout d'une<br />
physionomie, ce que l'auteur nous en laisse<br />
entrevoir est d'une admirable nettete" de dessin.<br />
Dans ces romans qui, ii l'exception de Un Honneur<br />
troque, sont de rapides recits, ayant l'allure vive<br />
d'un conte de Maupassant, l'auteur joint aux<br />
dons d'analyse et d'evocation des Anglais le gout,<br />
la sobriete, la vigueur de 1'esprit latin.<br />
"Cette union des deux genies a produit des<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 13 (#29) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
13<br />
ceuvres parfaites. Le temps n'est plus 011 Carlyle<br />
demandait a l'Allemagne toute sa pensee. Les<br />
rudes et puissants ecrivains du Nord se rap-<br />
prochent chaque jour davantage d'un art qui<br />
cclaire et purifie leur talent, met l'ordre et<br />
l'harmonie dans leurs idees. Sans doute le<br />
scjour a Paris, le voyage a Naples n'auront pas<br />
ete inutiles a Sherard. II y aura pris ce sens de<br />
discipline et d'elegance intellectuelle necessaire a<br />
tout ecrivain et dont les plus severes moralistes<br />
ne se peuyent passer."<br />
Here is a complaint which is unfortunately too<br />
common. An author consented, without the<br />
necessary safeguards, to a half profit system.<br />
His book, in his own opinion, was insufficiently<br />
advertised: day after day he looked into the lead-<br />
ing organs, and found no advertisement of it at all.<br />
This seeming neglect made him sore and<br />
suspicious—perhaps with cause: perhaps without.<br />
When the accounts came in he found that his<br />
book was charged with an expenditure of ,£30 on<br />
account of advertising. Where? It was not<br />
stated. There were no profits. Enraged at<br />
this return, he tore up the accounts and threw<br />
them in the fire. Now, consider the natural<br />
result of thus destroying the accounts and<br />
refusing to proceed with the business. So long<br />
as this man lives that publisher will have an<br />
enemy who will persistently accuse him of<br />
eharging for advertisements for which he himself<br />
paid nothing, and of ruining the chances of his<br />
book for the sake of making an iniquitous profit.<br />
This, one readily understands, will be bad for that<br />
publisher in proportion to the author's influence<br />
and position. But there is the other side to be<br />
considered. The author has no real proof—none<br />
whatever—of his charge, and if the publisher<br />
chooses he may bring an action against him for<br />
libel in order to show that there was no foundation<br />
for the charge. Now, would it not have been<br />
better for both sides had that author done what<br />
we are always praying him to do—put the accounts<br />
into the hands of the secretary? Then, if the<br />
publisher had treated his author honourably, the<br />
fact would have been proved, easily and trium-<br />
phantly, by producing the vouchers. In any case<br />
the secretary would have compelled him to give<br />
details; and so, whatever the result, the matter,<br />
instead of becoming an incurable festering sore,<br />
would have been cleared up one way or the other<br />
in a day or two.<br />
The following figures are interesting, taken with<br />
the agitation about Canadian copyright. They are<br />
taken from Le Droit d'Auteur:—Canada annually<br />
exports books and other printed matter to the V»lue<br />
of about 90,000 dollars. The actual ^ures in<br />
1893-1894 were 92,487 dollars and 84,566 dollars<br />
respectively. More than one-half of this sum<br />
is earned by exportation to the United States,<br />
in 1893 to the value of 57,586 dollars, and in<br />
1894, of 50,000 dollars. On the other hand the<br />
United States, between July 1, 1894, and June 30,<br />
1895, exported to Canada works to the value of<br />
522,917 dollars. And it is remarkable that this<br />
is nearly one-fourth of the whole value of the<br />
printed matter exported by the United States<br />
within the same twelve months, 2,316,217 dollars.<br />
The following paragraph was written before<br />
the "Notes from Paris" were received. Let it<br />
stand as an independent appeal. Mrs. Eliza<br />
Warren, the veteran authoress and one of<br />
the pioneers of women's journalism, was, until<br />
the end of last year, fulfilling the duties of<br />
editress of the Ladies' Treasury, in spite of her<br />
eighty-three years of age. Owing to the discon-<br />
tinuance of this magazine and other circum-<br />
stances over which she has no control, Mrs.<br />
Warren is sadly pressed by pecuniary troubles.<br />
She has passed her long life in working for others<br />
who are unable now to help her. Owing to the<br />
infirmities attendant on her advanced age, Mrs.<br />
Warren is no longer able to support herself by<br />
her pen as has hitherto been the case, and some<br />
of her literary friends are endeavouring to raise<br />
a fund to relieve her remaining years. Contribu-<br />
tions, however small, to the Eliza Warren Fund,<br />
will be gratefully received by Miss Ellen T.<br />
Masters, Mount Avenue, Ealing, and it is hoped<br />
that the large public that once gained help from<br />
her practical writings on housekeeping, cookery,<br />
and domestic economy, will now come forward<br />
and give her that assistance which she so greatly<br />
needs. ]iD<br />
Literature and scholarship are represented on<br />
the Birthday list by four names out of ninety-<br />
one; those, namely, of Max Midler, Renouf,<br />
Fitch, and the Royal Astronomer at the Cape.<br />
Professor Max Midler is not the first Oxford<br />
Professor to receive the distinction of the Privy<br />
Council. The same honour was bestowed o»<br />
the late Montagu Bernard in recognition of hu<br />
services in the settlement of the A labama claims.<br />
Thehonours bestowed upon the great Egyptologist,<br />
the distinguished chief in the Educational Depart-<br />
ment, and the Astronomer at the Cape, have been<br />
received with great satisfaction. By these dis-<br />
tinctions the English speaking world is reminded<br />
that learning and literature ate brandies oi<br />
human endeavour worthy °^ shjjP54* ^e<br />
national honours. Art, J^ic, an^cfe 1-<br />
ing, architecture, and JJJ g» 6t «ft»\ta*«al<br />
lines must wait till next- ^ «."<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 14 (#30) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
The Secretary, Mr. 6. H. Thring, has compiled<br />
froin his own experience, now extending over four<br />
years, notes which it is hoped will cover the whole<br />
field of agreements: what the various clauses<br />
should mean and what they do mean. These<br />
notes are illustrated by examples of actual agree-<br />
ments—that is to say, agreements actually offered<br />
by publishers to authors. He will very willingly<br />
give the names of the firms in question to<br />
members of the Society who may wish in their<br />
own interests to learn them. This must bo by<br />
application at the office. I would urge upon<br />
every member of the Society to look through these<br />
columns and learn, perhaps for the first time, how<br />
complicated are the difficulties which surround<br />
the subject. Even to learn these difficulties cost<br />
the committee many years of work and investiga-<br />
tion. Nor can we be certain yet that we have<br />
dragged the whole of them to light.<br />
Walter Besant.<br />
MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION.<br />
FOR many years past it has been the habit<br />
for publishers to draw up the agreements<br />
between themselves and the author, as<br />
also nearly all the printed agreements have been<br />
prepared from the point of view of the former,<br />
it is a matter of considerable importance to put<br />
before the author the ways and means to protect<br />
his own property in these agreements.<br />
The first thing to consider is, What rights of<br />
an author are these agreements to cover? The<br />
author's rights consist of, first, book rights<br />
(under which head are included translation<br />
rights); and, secondly, serial rights. In the<br />
dealings between author and publisher, the book<br />
rights alone are generally involved. These rights,<br />
then, must be protected. It is, first, clearly<br />
necessary to show the author how he can deal<br />
with these rights; and, secondly, to put forward<br />
fully the nature of such rights.<br />
The book rights may be dealt with in four<br />
different ways: —<br />
1. By an agreement for sale outright, which<br />
system will convey the copyright, and thus<br />
include the serial rights. (N.B.—This is the<br />
only form which will cover the serial rights by<br />
implication.)<br />
2. By an agreement for sale on commission.<br />
Under this method the author pays for the cost<br />
of production.<br />
3. By an agreement for profit-sharing. On<br />
this basis the most usual agreement is a half<br />
share of profits.<br />
4. By an agreement for payment by royalty.<br />
By which is meant a payment of a certain<br />
percentage on the published, or advertised, price<br />
of each book sold.<br />
All other agreements that have come to the<br />
notice of the Society do not differ from these<br />
forms, except in combining the principles of two<br />
or more of these agreements into one. Generally<br />
such combination is to the disadvantage of the<br />
author. (See "Methods of Publishing.")<br />
In considering the nature of the author's book<br />
rights, as dealt with here, it will not be necessary<br />
to discuss the question of the nature of copyright,<br />
for, with the exception of Method No. 1, the<br />
copyright is always, and ought always to be,<br />
retained by the author. It is sufficient to state<br />
that in Method No. 1 the author gives up all his<br />
property without limit or restriction, in considera-<br />
tion of a fair sum as an equivalent.<br />
The book rights, then, comprise the following<br />
sub-divisions and limitations:<br />
1.—Sub-division by Country.<br />
It is possible, and often necessary, to divide the<br />
right of publishing thus, to (1) Great Britain;<br />
(2) America; (3) the Colonies and Dependencies<br />
of Great Britain; (4) each Colony separately;<br />
(5) the Continent; (6) the United States, &c.<br />
In addition, under this heading, should be included<br />
the rights of translation into different languages,<br />
and in consequence the publication in translation<br />
form in different countries.<br />
2.—Limitation by Time or Edition.<br />
It is possible to limit the right of publishing,<br />
first, to a certain number of years, or, second, to a<br />
certain number of editions. The first should, as<br />
a general rule, be avoided, as it enables the<br />
publishers of the book, if still selling towards<br />
the end of the term, to print more than they can<br />
sell within the period, and therefore to go on<br />
selling the book after the limit assigned. It<br />
thus practically prevents the author from trans-<br />
ferring his rights except at a heavy pecuniary loss;<br />
for it has been decided in the courts that a<br />
publisher with a time limit has a right to con-<br />
tinue selling the stock in hand at the expiration<br />
of such limit, but not the right of reprinting.<br />
A time limit is, however, of considerable advan-<br />
tage to the author in case he should be desirous<br />
of collecting his works into the hands of one<br />
publisher, or of otherwise reconsidering his<br />
position.<br />
If, therefore, the author should be desirous of<br />
placing a time limit in his agreement, he must be<br />
careful by a suitable clause to protect himself<br />
from the danger pointed out above.<br />
The second is absolutely essential in educational,<br />
technical, scientific, and other works of similar<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 15 (#31) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
nature that require, through change of ideas and<br />
discoveries, to be brought up to date periodically.<br />
The author should be able to renew the control of<br />
his work.<br />
3.—Limitation by Form of Publication.<br />
That is, qua works of fiction published in<br />
England, limitation to the three volume, 6*., 3*. 6d.,<br />
&c, forms. (Other countries have also recognised<br />
forms, America has i\ dollar, Ac), qua, other<br />
books to the various prices common to the trade.<br />
It should be remarked that all the sub-divisions<br />
in No. 1 are capable of the limitations 2, 3, and<br />
vice versa, all the limitations under 2 and 3 are<br />
capable of sub-divisions in No. 1. Thus the<br />
book rights are capable of being divided into a<br />
great number of minor rights, though in matter<br />
of practice they are generally only divided into<br />
the following: (1) Great Britain; (2) the Colonies<br />
and Dependencies; (3,) the United States; (4)<br />
the Continential (Tauchnitz); (5) Translation<br />
Rights; (6) Limitation by Editions; (7) Limita-<br />
tions by Form.<br />
The author has now before him the nature of<br />
his book rights, and he must be sure before signing<br />
an agreement that he is quite clear that the por-<br />
tion of those rights he is giving away coincides<br />
with those rights that he desires to transfer.<br />
Forms op Agreement.<br />
It will be necessary to give a few general notes<br />
and hint 8 on the diverse methods of dealing<br />
with book rights.<br />
This article will not trespass on the ground<br />
covered by the "Methods of Publishing," which<br />
treats of the subject in detail, but will merely give<br />
a cursory view of the systems to be avoided, and<br />
will, when necessary, reter to the above mentioned<br />
book.<br />
In pointing out methods and clauses to be<br />
accepted with caution, it does not follow that<br />
agreements containing none of those here referred<br />
to are therefore perfect. Faults of commission are<br />
so much more easily discovered than faults of<br />
omission.<br />
Before entering further on the question of<br />
these agreements, an author should clearly under-<br />
stand that the assignment of the right of<br />
publishing, even if it continues so long as the<br />
legal term 0/ copyright, is not an assignment of<br />
copyright. The verbal distinction may be slight,<br />
but the legal distinction is large. The contract<br />
for publication is a personal contract. To give<br />
one of many differences, in a bankruptcy, if a<br />
publisher held the right to publish, the contract<br />
would terminate, if he held the copyrjgjjj fae<br />
book would become an asset of the ba^KrUpt<br />
estate.<br />
The sale of copyright is very much to be<br />
condemned, and it is only admissible in the case<br />
of "sale outright"—a method of publishing, not<br />
uncommon, which must be adopted with great<br />
hesitation and only with the advice of experienced<br />
persons. Some writers, however, hold that the<br />
best method of publishing is to sell the literary<br />
estate outright, making sure that the price given<br />
is such as to cover all reasonable chances of<br />
success. If an author desires to capitalise his<br />
rights, let him do so only after ascertaining, as<br />
carefully as possible, what those rights mean.<br />
It should be incidentally mentioned that it is<br />
practically useless, from a pecuniary point of<br />
view, to publish any work of fiction on commis-<br />
sion, and indeed to pay anything towards the<br />
production of this kind of literature. But com-<br />
mission agreements are not only useful, but<br />
sometimes essential, for books of a technical<br />
nature; and in the case of these books, if the<br />
system is carefully managed, the result to the<br />
author in the end is perhaps more satisfactory<br />
than any other form of publication.<br />
In publishing on commission the author should<br />
take care before entering into the contract—<br />
1. That the cost of production is only that which<br />
will be actually incurred.<br />
2. That he can prevent charges for advertising<br />
where no money is paid.<br />
3. That he can keep control of the advertising,<br />
the amount to be expended and the papers chosen<br />
for the advertisements.<br />
4. That he can check the charges made for<br />
corrections.<br />
(For further details see " Methods of Publish-<br />
ing," p- 63.)<br />
It may be of use, however, to print a letter of<br />
agreement, which came before the Society, and<br />
can be ranked under this head.<br />
A Proposed Agreement.<br />
"Dear Sir,—I have made a calculation respect-<br />
ing your MS., and shall be willing to publish it<br />
on the following arrangement in two volumes:<br />
"I will take the entire responsibility of its<br />
production, and the working expenses upon<br />
myself, including advertisement, if you will<br />
arrange to be responsible for 250 copies at the<br />
trade price of 12s. 6c?., or whatever number of<br />
copies is needed to bring the sale up to the<br />
quantity, if it has not been reached six months<br />
after the date of publication; the published price<br />
being 21*. Thus, if we are unfortunate enough,<br />
to sell only 150 copies, I sa^^d ask «o^Vo<br />
100 at the price named, v. -^e "Vy<br />
you would not be troubled fcvrtWT lD^wtttVB?<br />
pavment. The plan is one tWsC tte^°^<br />
worked upon, and is an « <&» * *<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 16 (#32) ##############################################<br />
<br />
i6<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
author is not responsible for the initial expenses<br />
of production, advertising, reviewing, Ac, and<br />
all sales during the time specified go to the<br />
reduction of his liability, and, if the work is<br />
fairly successful, it is published without expense<br />
to the author.<br />
"If this proposal meets with your approval,<br />
kindly let me hear from you,<br />
"Tours faithfully,<br />
"X."<br />
The preceding letter is not a letter written<br />
specially for one case, but is a formula. Others<br />
almost exactly the same have been before the<br />
Society from the same publishers again and again.<br />
Let us consider exactly what this means.<br />
The author is invited to guarantee 250 copies<br />
of the book at 12*. 6d. each. That is to say, the<br />
author guarantees a sale amounting to 156/. 5*.,<br />
so that the publisher on these figures is certain—<br />
the book being one of average length for such a<br />
price—of a good profit in any event.<br />
By this means, too, the author's and publisher's<br />
interests are at opposite poles. It is the pub-<br />
lisher's interest for the first six months not to<br />
push the book, so that he may obtain all the<br />
author's cash as under the agreement, and subse-<br />
quently to push the book that he may obtain all<br />
the profit.<br />
If the book proves worthless—it will be observed<br />
that nothing is said about the merits of the case<br />
—it is certain not to reach the sale of 250. But<br />
suppose the book turns out to be good and to have<br />
a sale of 1000, 2000, anything, what then becomes<br />
of the profits? It does not appear from the letter<br />
that the author is to have any share at all in them.<br />
But, perhaps, there was to be a subsequent letter<br />
providing for the division of profits. As far as<br />
the letter goes, if the sale reaches or exceeds<br />
250 copies, the author neither makes nor loses<br />
any money. If it falls short, he pays the<br />
difference.<br />
In some cases the publisher has been requested<br />
to state what share of profits the author is to<br />
have: a letter conies back, again a formula, that<br />
he will pay 10 per cent, after the sale of the first<br />
edition. No mention is however made of the<br />
number of the edition, and 10 per cent, is an<br />
absolutely ridiculous royalty when the author<br />
actually guarantees the cost of production.<br />
The third method is that of profit sharing.<br />
This method cannot be too strongly condemned<br />
on account of the complicated statement of<br />
accounts which is generally rendered. To an<br />
ordinary individual publishers' accounts are most<br />
difficult to understand, and in some cases are<br />
intentionally made so. (See "Methods of<br />
Publishing," page 29, half profit system; page 75,<br />
advertisements; page 83, author's corrections.)<br />
Even when the bona fides on both sides is<br />
indisputable, cases of difference of opinion are<br />
likely to occur. Either the book is over adver-<br />
tised, or advertised in the wrong papers, and<br />
therefore the profits are reduced; or the book is<br />
under-advertised and the sales thereby curtailed.<br />
Again, the amount charged for corrections,<br />
which it is almost impossible to check, may lead to<br />
a feeling of distrust, where especially (for a profit-<br />
sharing arrangement is a gwasi-partnership) there<br />
should be confidence.<br />
The writer of technical books of all sorts<br />
should beware of this form of agreement, as<br />
publishers often put forward this method of<br />
publishing as equitable where there is some risk<br />
of the sales not covering the cost of production,<br />
or of the book going slowly.<br />
If, however, the author desires to publish under<br />
this system he should obtain before entering into<br />
an agreement an estimate of the cost of produc-<br />
tion from the publisher. To this he should add<br />
the sum to be agreed upon in advertising, over<br />
which he should retain some control, and an<br />
approximate amount for author's corrections.<br />
After reckoning the total that would arise from a<br />
reasonable sale of the work, he should see whether<br />
there could be any profit left to be divided.<br />
The words "incidental expenses" are often<br />
inserted in a half-profit agreement, referring to<br />
the cost of production. This term is very un-<br />
satisfactory, and should if possible be struck out.<br />
As, however, some publishers will not enter into<br />
an agreement on this basis without demanding<br />
some deduction for office rent, expenses, &c.<br />
(the charge of "office expenses" has been fre-<br />
quently combatted in the Author), it may some-<br />
times be found policy to yield on this point. In<br />
such a case the difficulty ought to be met by some<br />
fixed sum, say 5 per cent, on the cost of produc-<br />
tion of the book. This, though the best attain-<br />
able, clause is still unsatisfactory, as it con-<br />
travenes the great basis of all agreements between<br />
the author and the publisher, namely, that their<br />
interests should if possible be in common. Office<br />
expenses, of course, if they are considered by one<br />
of the three persons concerned with the sale of a<br />
book, should bo considered by all.<br />
The fourth method is that of royalty. This<br />
is the simplest and most convenient form of<br />
agreement, the accounts are clear and easily<br />
understood, and to check them involves but little<br />
labour.<br />
The system of deferred Royalty.<br />
1. After cost of production has been covered.<br />
2. After the sale of a certain number of copies<br />
are dealt with in "Methods of Publishing," pp. 48<br />
to 62.<br />
Here it need only be said that the first of these<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 17 (#33) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
'7<br />
methods is absolutely inadmissible as involving<br />
all the objections of the profit-sharing arrange-<br />
ment, and that the second is only admissible if<br />
the royalty is proporti aiably increased after the<br />
sale of the stated number, and if the author is<br />
sure that the publishers stipulate to print a larger<br />
number than the number stated on which no<br />
royalty is paid.<br />
Now that some stand has been made to sell<br />
books at a net figure, authors should he careful<br />
that their royalty is paid on the published price,<br />
and that the book is not going to be sold net.<br />
Fifteen per cent, on the published price of an<br />
ordinary six-shilling book is equivalent to 18 per<br />
cent, on a net book at 5*.<br />
Every author who cannot command the highest<br />
scale, should, however small the royalty offered<br />
him, stipulate for an increase with increased<br />
sales.<br />
The system of a royalty increasing with the<br />
sales is equitable to both parties, and the author<br />
thereby avoids being dependent on the "gene-<br />
rosity" of the publisher if the sales are large.<br />
There are no doubt some royalties which cannot<br />
be increased, or in other words some authors, on<br />
account of their popularity, can demand the<br />
highest royalty from the beginning.<br />
An example of an increasing royalty would be,<br />
say, 10 per cent, of the published price on the<br />
sale of the first 500 copies, 15 per cent, up to<br />
1000, 17! after the sale of 1000, &c, &c.<br />
This form of payment by royalty is very con-<br />
venient for educational works. It may be doubt-<br />
ful whether an educational book will be taken up<br />
by the educational centres—if it should fail to<br />
be accepted the book can only stand a small<br />
royalty. Should the work, however, meet with<br />
the approval of teachers, it will sell in its<br />
thousands, and the returns will be great. A suc-<br />
cessful educational work, for instance, has a far<br />
greater circulation than any popular novel.<br />
As agreements have been from time to time<br />
offered where the royalty decreases with the<br />
increased circulation, it is only necessary after<br />
the former statement to mention that such an<br />
arrangement is worse than absurd.<br />
If the book is a prize book in the book lottery,<br />
the author will reap a proportionate return, and<br />
no publisher who is desirous of dealing fairly<br />
with authors will object, when the book is selling<br />
in its thousands, to paying the author accordingly,<br />
but it must be under agreement.<br />
Agreements.<br />
It has been thought advisable to print one or<br />
two forms of agreement in full, so as to shoW<br />
what are the clauses disadvantageous ^ foe<br />
author.<br />
A publisher is certainly within his rights in<br />
making any stipulations and terms he pleases. It<br />
is for the author, before acceptance, to ascertain<br />
what they mean. The following is a verbatim<br />
copy of a printed agreement.<br />
"Memorandum op Agreement made this<br />
day of 189 , between<br />
(hereinafter called 'the author,') for himself, his<br />
executors, administrators, and assigns, of the one<br />
part, and (hereinafter called the<br />
'publishers') for themselves, their executors,<br />
administrators, and assigns of the other part.<br />
Whereas the author is the proprietor of copyright<br />
in a work at present entitled<br />
which he has requested the publishers to publish<br />
on the terms and conditions hereinafter appearing.<br />
It is hereby agreed between the author and the<br />
publisher, as follows:—<br />
"1. That, subject to the hereinafter payments,<br />
the author hereby assigns to the publishers the<br />
exclusive light of printing and publishing the<br />
above work in serial and book form in Great<br />
Britain, its colonies and dependencies, in the<br />
United States of America, and in English on the<br />
Continent of Europe, and in all other countries,<br />
unless, and until rights are assigned as in clause 7<br />
thereof.<br />
"2. That all details as to the time and manner<br />
of production, publication, and advertisement, and<br />
the number and destination of free copies, shall<br />
be left to the sole discretion of the publishers,<br />
who shall hear all expenses of production, publica-<br />
tion, and advertisement, except the amount (if<br />
any) by which the cost of corrections of proofs,<br />
other than printers' errors, as per printers' invoice,<br />
exceeds an average of 5*. per sheet of sixteen<br />
pages of printed matter, which amount shall be<br />
borne by the author.<br />
"3. That the published price of the first edition<br />
shall on publication be (say 6s.) per copy, but<br />
the publishers shall have power in their discre-<br />
tion to alter the published price of any editions<br />
as they may think fit, and sell the residue of any<br />
edition at a reduced price or as a remainder.<br />
"4. That the pub ishers shall deliver to the<br />
author, ou the 29th day of September of each year,<br />
a statement of the number of copies sold, whether<br />
singly, or in editions or remainders, and whether<br />
in the British Dominions or elsewhere during the<br />
year before the preceding 30th day of March,<br />
with the price or prices at which such copies were<br />
sold.<br />
"5. That the publishers shall, at the time of<br />
delivery of said statement, pay to tV^e *u^or on<br />
all such copies sold after i QJL at al^. c Ytf^<br />
published price, a royalty ^sJoK" \m1lv<br />
lished price, and on all suc-K • ca «vt ^ "Vv^<br />
their published price, a ^fT, V»< <95aV<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 18 (#34) ##############################################<br />
<br />
i8<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
on the net receipts of such sales; and on all<br />
copies sold as remainders, that is, below one<br />
quarter of the published price, the royalties shall<br />
be per cent, on the net receipts of such sales.<br />
In calculating such royalties thirteen copies shall<br />
be reckoned as twelve, and no royalties shall be<br />
paid upon any copies presented to the author, or<br />
others, or to the Press, or upon copies destroyed<br />
by fire. The publishers shall pay to the author<br />
on publication the sum of £ in the place of<br />
royalty on the first iooo copies sold.<br />
"6. That should the publishers issue a special<br />
edition for sale in the British Colonies and depen-<br />
dencies only, they shall pay to the author, on all<br />
copies of such sold, a royalty of per cent, on<br />
the net receipts of such sales, payable as and<br />
when provided in clause 5 hereof.<br />
"7. That the publishers shall have the sole<br />
right to sell or assign the Serial, American,<br />
Colonial, Continental, Translation, and Dramatic<br />
rights in the above work, and the publishers<br />
shall pay to the author one-half of the profits<br />
from the sale of the same, such accounts to be<br />
payable as and when provided in clause 5 hereof.<br />
In the case of stereo-plates, electro-plates, or<br />
shells with rights being sold, the net profits of<br />
their sales, after deducting the invoiced cost of<br />
their production, shall be received, divided, and<br />
paid over in the same way.<br />
"8. That the publishers give no guarantee of<br />
securing the copyright outside of the United<br />
Kingdom, and do not bind themselves to issue<br />
special Colonial or Continental editions, or to sell<br />
serial, translation, or dramatic rights.<br />
"9. That the author shall be entitled to receive<br />
on publication presentation copies of the<br />
first edition of the work, and shall have the right<br />
to purchase further copies for personal use at<br />
half the published price, net.<br />
"10. That when any edition of the said work<br />
has beeu sold out the publishers shall not be<br />
bound to reprint it; but if the publishers shall<br />
not within one month after receiving a written<br />
request from the author decide to publish a<br />
further edition, the author shall be at liberty to<br />
make such arrangements as he thinks fit for the<br />
publication of any further editions, provided he<br />
takes over the moulds, stereo or electro plates, or<br />
other similar plant used for the above work, at<br />
their net cost as per iuvoice.<br />
"11. That the author guarantees to the<br />
publishers that the said work is in no way what-<br />
soever a violation of any copyright belonging to<br />
any other party, and that it contains nothing of<br />
an objectionable or libellous character, and that<br />
he and his legal representatives shall and will<br />
hold harmless the publishers from all suits, and all<br />
manner of claims and proceedings which may be<br />
taken on the ground that the said work is<br />
such violation, or contains anything objectionable<br />
or libellous. The author undertakes to execute<br />
on the request of the publishers any document or<br />
documents to confirm the transfer of any of the<br />
rights defined in the clauses 1 and 7 hereof, and<br />
to take all proceedings necessary to enforce his<br />
copyright in the British dominions, and else-<br />
where, on receiving a suitable indemnity against<br />
costs (if any). The author shall allow his name<br />
to be used in all such proceedings, and in a:l<br />
formalities necessary for registration of copy-<br />
right."<br />
Comments on the Agreement.<br />
Take first the statement of the parties to the<br />
agreement and the recital. It is a great mistake<br />
to contract with the executors, administrators,<br />
and assigns of a publisher. Publishing is a<br />
personal contract. This has been decided in the<br />
courts, and this position ought to be maintained.<br />
It is of the utmost importance to an author that<br />
the contract should not be assigned, and that in<br />
case of bankruptcy or death he should again have<br />
the right of choosing his publisher. The recital<br />
also is amusing, " a work which he (the author)<br />
has requested his publishers to publish 011 the<br />
terms and conditions hereinafter appearing."<br />
Did he make the request joined with these terms<br />
and conditions'( He could hardly have been so<br />
foolish, he knew nothing of these terms and<br />
conditions until they were thrust down his throat.<br />
Clause 1. Under this clause the publishers ask<br />
for all the book rights, all over the world, which<br />
is a great deal, but that is not all. They also ask<br />
for the serial rights all over the world. In<br />
addition to being publishers, then, they are thus<br />
at liberty to act as authors' agents and syndi-<br />
caters. The remuneration they ask for this will<br />
be considered below. There are a few rights still<br />
left to the author, and these it will be seen are<br />
secured under clause 7 to the publishers. Under<br />
this clause the author assigns nearly all his rights.<br />
Do the publishers undertake to do anything?<br />
Certainly not. In clause 8 this will be further<br />
explained. They do not even undertake to pub-<br />
lish an English edition, but have only bound the<br />
author to assign them the right to publish.<br />
Clause 2. If they had undertaken the publica-<br />
tion of an English edition, they have not bound<br />
themselves to time. This is extremely important.<br />
They might wait until they got rid of all the<br />
serial rights in England and America, or, if the<br />
author was unknown, until he made his name<br />
and thus they would get an enhanced sale at low<br />
terms, or, lastly, if the book was an educational or<br />
other technical work, they might keep an author in<br />
check while they ran a more successful man and<br />
thus hold control of the market. The manner of<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 19 (#35) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
»9<br />
production, publication, and advertisement is left<br />
to the publishers. This if read with other clauses<br />
might be fair. The unfairness appears, however,<br />
as the reader proceeds, and will be explained.<br />
Corrections.—The amount to be borne by the<br />
author for corrections (i.e., beyond 5*. per sheet<br />
of sixteen pages) is considerably larger than is<br />
ordinarily charged; 10s. and 15s. per sheet of<br />
sixteen pages is the more common arrangement.<br />
In any case the clause is badly drawn, because it<br />
does not explain what is the meaning of 5*. a<br />
sheet. What is the connection of shillings and<br />
corrections?<br />
Clause 3. The manner of publication was left<br />
in the hands of the publishers. This would be<br />
correct if it was subsequently agreed and the<br />
author knew that an edition was to be produced<br />
at a certain price. But this is not the case.<br />
The publishers can alter the published price and,<br />
take note, "can sell the residue of any edition at<br />
a reduced price or as a remainder."<br />
Clause 4 is a distinctly bad clause, as by this<br />
arrangement the publisher may retain the author's<br />
money for the benefit of his own business for over<br />
a year. The accounts are made up annually and<br />
delivered six months afterwards, when payment<br />
is made. It is possible, if the book, say, is pro-<br />
duced in April, and the largest sales take place<br />
during April and May, that the author's money<br />
will lie with the publisher until September year,<br />
nearly fifteen months.<br />
Clause 5 refers to the work evidently uf a young<br />
author, but it is the form of the clause more than<br />
the payment after 1000 copies that is so objection-<br />
able. It must be remembered here especially<br />
that under clauses 2 and 3 the manner of publica-<br />
tion and price of the work were left to the<br />
discretion of the publishers. If they therefore<br />
publish, and then sell below half price under the<br />
agreement, they can pay the author on the net<br />
returns instead of on the published price. In<br />
fact, < ases have been known to occur where the<br />
large-t sales of the book to the public libraries<br />
were made below half price, and accounts ren-<br />
dered accordingly. All that part of the clause<br />
which refers to lhe payment of royalty on copies<br />
sold below half price should be rejected. The<br />
clause is altogether badly drawn, and should in a<br />
proper agreement be remodelled.<br />
Clause 6, as it at present stands, without any<br />
price being inserted, is fair. Copies are sold to<br />
the Colonies in sheets at cheap rates, and payment<br />
is then made by a royalty on the net returns.<br />
The ultimate fairness of the agreement depends,<br />
of course, upon the amount of royalty.<br />
Clause 7 is another remarkable clause. Under<br />
clause 1 it will be remembered that the publishers<br />
obtained nearly all the rights the author possessed.<br />
Under clause 7 they claim the right to sell and<br />
assign the remainder of those rights, and, as they<br />
are only acting as agents, it would be thought<br />
that they would only make agency charges, that<br />
is, from 10 to 15 per cent, on the returns, but on<br />
the contrary, they demand jo per cent. Even<br />
should the author dramatise his work, and should<br />
it be successfully produced at a theatre, he can<br />
only do so with the publishers' consent, and then he<br />
will have to pay the publishers 50 per cent, of all<br />
the returns he gets. Should a foreign author<br />
offer him a sum down for the translation, he can<br />
only sell with the consent of the publishers, to<br />
whom again he must pay half the returns.<br />
Clause 8. It will be remembered that under<br />
clauses 1 and 7 the publishers obtain all the<br />
rights (with the exception of the bare shell of<br />
copyright) that the author had to sell, and it will<br />
be also remembered that the publishers did not<br />
undertake to publish or in fact do anything. In<br />
clause 8 the publishers expressly state that they<br />
give no guarantee of securing the copyright out<br />
of the United Kingdom, and do not bind them-<br />
selves to issue special colonial or continental<br />
editions, or to sell serial translations or dramatic<br />
rights. Perhaps it would be too much for the<br />
author to ask them to guarantee this, but they<br />
do not even bind themselves to make the attempt<br />
to do their best for the book generally.<br />
Clause 9 is, perhaps, the only clause which<br />
needs no comment.<br />
Clause 10 only refers, reading it with the agree-<br />
ment on the whole, to the publication of the<br />
English editions. All the other rights are still to<br />
be retained by the publishers under the agreement,<br />
that is, dramatic translations and other important<br />
matters of this kind. With regard to the English<br />
book rights, it is, perhaps, a reasonable clause<br />
with the exception of the latter part. The author<br />
should certainly not bind himself to take over<br />
what might be useless stereo-plates and similar<br />
plant (the latter appears very indefinite) "at<br />
their cost price." If they are taken over it should<br />
be at a valuation.<br />
Clause 11. The first part of this clause can be<br />
accepted as the ordinary guarantee clause, and the<br />
latter part is merely formal, and binds the author<br />
to do what he has undertaken.<br />
The financial side of this agreement has been<br />
omitted, but if the royalties that were actually<br />
proposed and agreed to were inserted, it would<br />
have been possible to write two or three more<br />
very eloquent and interesting paragraphs on the<br />
subject. Q. H. Thring.<br />
(To fee continued.)<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 20 (#36) ##############################################<br />
<br />
20<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
MR. PUTNAM ON EARLY BOOS<br />
PRODUCTION.<br />
THE first volume of Mr. George Haven<br />
Putnam's work on "Books and Their<br />
Makers during the Middle Ages " has just<br />
appeared in New York and London (G. P.<br />
Putnam's Sons. ios. 6c?.). A previous work by<br />
him dealt with the relations between author and<br />
public in the classic ages; in the present one the<br />
story is taken up from the fall of the Roman<br />
Empire. Part I. of this volume is devoted to<br />
Books in Manuscript, and Part II. to The Earlier<br />
Printed Books. This brings the history from<br />
476 to 1600; and in the volume to follow the<br />
work will be completed, namely, to the close of<br />
the seventeenth century. We are shown here, to<br />
begin with, how that intellectual interest was<br />
maintained during the social disorganisation of<br />
the early middle ages—for seven centuries after<br />
the fall of the Roman Empire—in the first place<br />
by the scribes of the Roman Church: "the<br />
incentive to literary labour being no longer the<br />
laurel crown of the circus, the favours of a patron,<br />
or the honoraria of the publishers, but the glory<br />
of God and the service of the Church." Then<br />
comes an account of the work of the Universities<br />
in the production of literature, following which<br />
the services of the earlier printer-publishers of<br />
Europe, and the revolution after the invention of<br />
printingin 1450, are dealt with. The author is loud<br />
in admiration for these early printer-publishers,<br />
and remarks that when at one time we see the<br />
presses of Aldus in Venice devoted almost exclu-<br />
sively to classic literature, those of Basel and<br />
Nuremberg to the work of the Church fathers, in<br />
Paris editions of the Scriptures being multi-<br />
plied, and in London a long series of romances<br />
and fabliaux being produced—" we may under-<br />
sta> d that we have to do not with a series of<br />
accidental public selections, but with the results<br />
of a definite purpose and policy on the part of<br />
capable and observing men, a policy which gives<br />
an indication of the nature and interests of their<br />
several communities, while it characterises also<br />
the aims and the individual ideals of the pub-<br />
lishers themselves." The publishing work of<br />
Aldus, says Mr. Putnam, while it does not give<br />
us precedents for royalty or copyright arrange-<br />
ments, is nevertheless very important in the<br />
history of property in literature:<br />
Aldus was able, by combining skilled editorial labour with<br />
seleoted classics, to create a great literary property, which<br />
needed only distributing macbinery and a peaceable Europe<br />
to beoome commercially valuable. He set the example also,<br />
for Italy at least, of securing privileges in each of the Italian<br />
States possessing any literary centres, and although he was<br />
not always able to prevent piratical reprinting on the part of<br />
his competitors in Florence, or even always to keep out of<br />
other cities in Italy the piracy editions from Lyons, he<br />
accomplished something towards the ideal of a copyright<br />
that should hold good for Italian territory. He even had<br />
hopes of securing, through the authority of the Pope, a<br />
system of copyright that should prove effective in all<br />
Catholic States, and it was not until long after Aldus's<br />
death that the attempts to establish a Catholic copyright<br />
system were given up by publishers as practically futile.<br />
Mr. Putman therefore places with the earlier<br />
printer-publishers the credit for securing the<br />
preliminary recognition of property in literature;<br />
and they bore also, he says, the chief burden of<br />
the long contest for the freedom of the Press from<br />
the censorship of Church and State, which in<br />
certain communities had appeared likely to<br />
throttle literary production altogether. "I can<br />
but think," he continues in his preface—<br />
I can but think that the historians of literature and the<br />
students of the social and political conditions on which<br />
literary production is so largely dependent, have failed to<br />
do full justice to men like Aldus, the Estiennes, Froben,<br />
Koberger, and Plantin, who fought so sturdily against the<br />
pretensions of Pope, bishop, or monarch to stand between the<br />
printing-press and the people, and to decide what should and<br />
what should not be printed.<br />
The author expresses a hope that in the near<br />
future some competent authority may prepare a<br />
history of copyright law, in doing which these<br />
volumes may be useful. His purpose has been,<br />
he says, to present a study of the conditions of<br />
literary production in Europe prior to copyright<br />
law; and the copyright legislation of Europe<br />
may be said to begin with the English statute of<br />
1710 known as the Act of Queen Anne.<br />
BOOK TALK.<br />
JOHN BICKERDYKE," author of "A<br />
Banished Beauty," "Days in Thule with<br />
Rod, Gun, and Camera," &c, has just<br />
published a new novel called "Lady Val's Elope-<br />
ment" (Hutchinson and Co.). He has also in<br />
the press a book on the " Wild Sports of Ireland,"<br />
which he will publish through Mr. Upcott Gill.<br />
The district which occupies the greater part of the<br />
work is the Shannon with its lakes. The book<br />
will be illustrated 'by photographs taken by the<br />
author. The subscribers' price is 3*. 6c?. a copy,<br />
to be obtained of Mr. Upcott Gill, 170, Strand,<br />
London, W.C.<br />
Two new volumes of verse are announced. One<br />
by Miss A. C. Macdonald, called "Lays of the<br />
Heather;" the other by E. M. Pledge, called<br />
"Loving Whispers." Both will be published by<br />
Elliott Stock.<br />
Mr. George Morley's "Leafy Warwickshire"<br />
has been doing well, and winning good opinions.<br />
In his new venture he does not desert Warwick-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 21 (#37) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
shire. It is to be a book of pastoral stories called<br />
"In Rustic Livery." There are four stories.<br />
The publishers will be Messrs. Dent and Co.,<br />
Aldine House. The book is dedicated to the<br />
author's friend, Mr. Eden Philpotts.<br />
The Eev. W. B. Wallace has just published a<br />
volume of stories entitled "The Clue of Ariadne,"<br />
a dramatic story: "Princess Aseneth," another<br />
of the stories, is a metaphysical romance dealing<br />
with some of the problems of life and death from<br />
a platonic standpoint. The Roxburghe Press are<br />
the publishers.<br />
No. 27 of the Humanitarian League's well-<br />
known series of publications will be on the<br />
vaccination question, by Mr. Joseph Collinson,<br />
who has written a good deal about the subject.<br />
Mr. Collinson's convictions are on the side of<br />
those who doubt and distrust the practice, and he<br />
advocates the total and immediate repeal of the<br />
compulsory law.<br />
Under the title "Missarium Sacrificia" the<br />
Rev. N. Diniock has compiled a volume of English<br />
divines, in respect of the claim of the " massing<br />
priest" to offer Christ for the quick and the<br />
dead, to have remission of pain or guilt. The<br />
work, which will occupy between 200 and 300<br />
pages, will have an extended introduction by the<br />
compiler, and will be published by Mr. Elliot<br />
Stock. The same firm announce "The Super-<br />
natural, a Rational View of the Divine Word<br />
and the Dual Nature of Man," by Katholikos,<br />
with an introduction by Prebendary Reynolds.<br />
Messrs. Bliss, Sands, and Poster request us to<br />
state that they have moved to 12, Burleigh-street,<br />
Strand, Sir George Newnes's old offices, where<br />
the Strand Magazine was born. The name of<br />
the firm will in future be Bliss, Sands, and Co.<br />
The fantastic theme of a book by Mr. W. H.<br />
Pullen, which Messrs. Dent will publish imme-<br />
diately, is a trip from Mount Olympus to London.<br />
It is called " Venus and Cupid."<br />
"A School for Saints" is the title of a new<br />
story by John Oliver Hobbes, which is about to<br />
appear. It will also be adapted for the stage as<br />
a three-act comedy.<br />
Mr. Jaakoff Prelooker, the lecturer on Russia,<br />
and the author of "Under the Czar and Queen<br />
Victoria," has written a novel entitled "Palasha<br />
and Masha—Two Sisters," which Messrs. Nisbet<br />
are to publish.<br />
The Rev. P. H. Ditchfield has written "The<br />
Sorceress of Paris: A Tale of the Days of<br />
Richelieu," which Messrs. Sampson Low and Co.<br />
will publish.<br />
Among early volumes of fiction to appear will<br />
be a story of society life by Sir W. Nevill Geary,<br />
entitled "A Lawyer's W"ife"; "Neta for the<br />
Wind," by Miss Una Taylor,- and "Gold," a<br />
Dutch-Indian novel by Miss Annie Linden.<br />
These will be published by Mr. Lane.<br />
Mr. John C. Kenworthy has a short story in<br />
the press of the Brotherhood Publishing Company,<br />
entided " The World's Last Passage." The author<br />
brings his tale to a head with certain conclusions<br />
upon life and death, which are said to be treated<br />
in a somewhat novel manner.<br />
Any one having letters of Mrs. Browning is<br />
asked to lend tbem to Messrs. Smith Elder<br />
and Co., the publishers, for use in a collection<br />
which is being prepared for publication by Mr.<br />
F. G. Kenyon.<br />
The second volume in Lane's Library, a new<br />
series of fiction, issuing of course from the Bodley<br />
Head, will be "The Sentimental Sex," by Miss<br />
Gertrude Warden, and the next "Gold," by Mrs.<br />
Annie Linden.<br />
Mr. Theodore Watts Dunton makes an<br />
announcement regaiding the unpublished pceins,<br />
by Rossetti, in his possession. He is m;iking<br />
arrangements to publish within the present year<br />
"Jan Van Hunks" and the "Sphinx Sonnets."<br />
The former of these will show a new and, he<br />
thinks, unexpected side of Rossetti's genius. Mr.<br />
Dunton, moreover, is engaged writing Rossetti's<br />
life, as to which he says, "I shall be able, and<br />
honestly al»le, to paint a much more cheerful<br />
picture of him that any that has yet been<br />
painted."<br />
Dr. Traill has put together a series of articles<br />
written during a couple of winter tours in Egypt,<br />
the last of which he finished just before the<br />
advance into the Soudan commenced. The book<br />
is called " i'roni Cairo to the Soudan Frontier,"<br />
and will be published by Mr. Lane in a few dd.ys.<br />
The first three volumes in a series of Harvard<br />
Historical Studies are about to be published by<br />
Messrs. Longmans—namely, "The Suppression<br />
of the African Slave Trade to the United States<br />
of America, 1638-1870," by Dr. E. B. du Bois;<br />
"The Contest over the Ratification of the Federal<br />
Constitution in Massachusetts," by S. B. Har.ling;<br />
and " A Critical Study of Nullification in South<br />
Carolina," by D. F. Houston.<br />
Mr. Mackenzie Bell has ready for publication<br />
his volume on Christiana Rossetti, in which there<br />
will be many personal recollections.<br />
Three hitherto unknown manuscripts by<br />
Charlotte Bronte will be offered for sale by<br />
Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson, and Hodge this<br />
month. The first was written in 1830, when she<br />
was only fourteen years old, the second in 1833,<br />
and the third in 1836. Until recently they were<br />
in the possession of a descendent of the family<br />
residing in the West of England.<br />
A. number of Pope and Swift letters are also to<br />
ty> disposed of by Messrs. Christie on the 4th<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 22 (#38) ##############################################<br />
<br />
22<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
vast., namely, the letters addressed by Pope to<br />
William Fortescue between the years 1730 and<br />
1744, and those of Swift to Charles Ford, Esq.,<br />
'besides some written to the same gentleman by<br />
Pope, Parnell, and Gay. Swift's letters cover the<br />
period between 1713-36, and are ten in number.<br />
Mr. Augustine Birrell, Q.C., M.P., has put into<br />
book form the popular lectures on the duties and<br />
liabilities of trustees which he delivered some<br />
time ago in the Inner Temple. Messrs. Macmillan<br />
will publish the work. An edition of "Res<br />
Judicata," by the same author, will be published<br />
shortly by Mr. Elliot Stock in a style correspond-<br />
ing with the new edition of '■ Obiter Dicta."<br />
Mr. Andrew Lang is editing the Poems of<br />
Burns and revising Lockhart's Life of Scott.<br />
The former is to be out for the Burns centenary<br />
next month, and the new Lockhart will appear in<br />
the autumn.<br />
A new edition of Burton's " Anatomy of Melan-<br />
choly " is being prepared by Mr. Aid is Wright.<br />
Mr. Wright will trace the references, and verify<br />
the quotations employed in the classic.<br />
Mrs. Macquoid will publish her travel book,<br />
entitled "In the Volcanic Eifel," in a few<br />
days (Hutchinson and Co.). Mrs. Macquoid<br />
h.is been assisted by her son Mr. Gilbert Mac-<br />
quoid, and it is illustrated by Mr. Thomas<br />
R. Macquoid, R.I., with many drawings. This<br />
interesting and beautiful region is very little<br />
known by the British tourist; yet it is easy of<br />
access, and the hotel accommodation is reasonable.<br />
Mrs. Macquoiil's book should open up a new held<br />
for the Briton on holiday. Except for the<br />
author's sake one would wish that it might remain<br />
unknown.<br />
It may bo considered as a favourable sign of<br />
the advanced stage which the study of German<br />
has attained in this country that a fourth edition<br />
should have been required of Goethe's "Iphigenie<br />
auf Tauris," published by Prof. Buchheim at the<br />
Clarendon Press, with an Introduction and a<br />
complete Commentary. In the former the editor<br />
takes great pains to show that the critics who<br />
found fault with Goethe because he did not<br />
represent real Greek characters in his drama, are<br />
utterly wrong, since the poet had no intention<br />
whatever of writing a play in the spirit of<br />
antiquity. We are also pleased to find that<br />
Lessing's delightful comedy, "Minna von Barn-<br />
helm," provided by Dr. Buchheim with bio-<br />
graphical and critical Introductions and annota-<br />
tions, has reached a seventh thoroughly revised<br />
edition.<br />
A second and enlarged edition of " The Pocket<br />
Guide to Cycling," by Mr. Ernest M. Bowden,<br />
has just been issued, and contains, besides a good<br />
deal of additional literary matter, a large number<br />
of illustrations. The book is of a purely practical<br />
character, and the first edition, though not<br />
illustrated, was exceedingly well received by the<br />
cycling world.<br />
A new volume of Nature Sketches, by Mr.<br />
Percy Standing, is announced bv Mr. Elliot<br />
Stock, under the title "On This High Wold."<br />
The studies are arranged in the order of the<br />
seasons, and relate to a well-known district in the<br />
north country.<br />
Mr. D. F. Hannigan, the translator of<br />
Flaubert's " La Tentation de Saint Antoine," is<br />
engaged upon translating the same writer's<br />
"Bouvard et Pccuchet " for Mr. H. S. Nicholls,<br />
of 3, Soho-square. His historical story of<br />
Ireland during the Jacobite period, called<br />
"Luttrell's Doom," is published by Messrs.<br />
Moran and Co., of Aberdeen. The article in<br />
last month's Westminster Review on "The<br />
Victorian Age of Literature and its Critics,"<br />
is also by the same author.<br />
It was stated in last month's Author that<br />
Tuer's " History of the Horn Book" was in three<br />
volumes. It is in two, not in three. The work<br />
has proved highly successful.<br />
Mr. R. Andom sends a copy of his new book<br />
entitled "Industrial Explorings in and Around<br />
London" (James Clarke and Co.). Out of the<br />
innumerable industries which are carried on in<br />
this great city, he lias given us an account of<br />
twelve, with details as to the processes, which are<br />
certainly new to most of his readers.<br />
"London and Country Rambles with Charles<br />
Dickens," by Robert Allbut (Sheppard and St.<br />
John), contains eight excursions to various parts<br />
of London and other places taken from Dickens's<br />
novels. The book shows a considerable amount<br />
of research and verification.<br />
Mr. Sam Wood forwards a copy of his " Random<br />
Rhymes" (W. R. Massie, Barnsley). Let him<br />
speak for himself:<br />
Let us be friends: wo may not now be more:<br />
Your silent glances make but poor amends<br />
For all my pain. If nougbt will love restore,<br />
Let us be friends.<br />
Love to my heart its fire no longer lends:<br />
'Tis chilled and hardened to its very core:<br />
No quickening beat your presence now attends.<br />
Yet would I not forget the joys of yore;<br />
And now that Fate has worked its cruel ends,<br />
Shake hands and smile: for my sake, I implore,<br />
Let us be friends.<br />
Mr. Mackenzie Bell publishes (Ward, Lock, and<br />
Bowden) a second edition of "Spring's Immor-<br />
tality and other Poems." We venture to congratu-<br />
late the author upon the success of his work.<br />
Mr. Elrington sends us his " Guide to Youghal."<br />
Intending tourists to Ireland will please make a<br />
note of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 23 (#39) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
23<br />
Mr. Charles Moore Jessop, physician to St.<br />
Pancras and Northern Dispensary, publishes a<br />
pamphlet called "Dress and Health," an Appeal<br />
to Antiquity and Common Sense. The essay on<br />
"Dress and Health" is prefixed by one on "The<br />
Value of Fluid Meat Food."<br />
CORRESPONDENCE.<br />
I.—Grab-alls of Literature.<br />
Here is another instance of shabby treatment<br />
under this head. From time to time I have con-<br />
tributed sketches to a country journal without<br />
ever receiving any remuneration. After the<br />
appearance of the last, I wrote to the editor<br />
suggesting that some payment would be appre-<br />
ciated. I also reminded him that my name had<br />
been long since removed from the free list of the<br />
paper. He replied that the articles had always<br />
been looked upon as gratuitous, but that if I sent<br />
them an occasional sketch the proprietors would<br />
reinstate me upon their free list. As the sub-<br />
scription is, presumably, 6*. 6d. per annum,<br />
1 declined this generous proposal as- being<br />
scarcely proportionate. The rest is silence.<br />
Cecil Clarke.<br />
Authors' Club, S.W., May 18.<br />
LT.—Postage of Proofs.<br />
For I know not how many years it has been my<br />
habit to wrap up corrected proofs—leaders and<br />
articles for a newspaper—put a string around<br />
them and address, without cover, affixing a half-<br />
penny stamp. This month our sagacious post-<br />
office has discovered that corrected proofs without<br />
one syllable of personal matter or allusion therein,<br />
of course, are "in the nature of a letter," and it<br />
makes an extra charge of a penny. An unusually<br />
wide experience of post-offices in Europe has<br />
convinced me that ours, at this time, is unequalled<br />
for stupidity and backwardness. This is the<br />
latest example. _ u. A Journalist.<br />
III.—Does a Good Review Help a Book?<br />
In " Notes and News" of the last number of<br />
the Author, there is a paragraph on the reviewing<br />
of books and its advantage to the author.<br />
Now, I have often wondered whether good<br />
reviews of a book increase the sale or not. I<br />
admit that it is a cheap form of advertisement;<br />
but I firmly believe that a real good slating<br />
increases the demand for a book six times as<br />
much as a favourable critique.<br />
I have written several novels, and out of<br />
nearly two hundred reviews of them. tnat I have<br />
seen, there have not been six really unfavourable<br />
ones, about twenty were neutral and stereotyped,<br />
the remainder were distinctly commendatory.<br />
Though my books have never been reviewed in<br />
the Times, they have been noticed in nearly all<br />
the leading London journals, including those of a<br />
literary character. I was so pleased with the<br />
praise given to one of my works that I had<br />
extracts from the reviews reprinted, and sent<br />
several hundreds of copies to my friends. I do<br />
not think they increased the sale by half a dozen.<br />
In my opinion the circulation of a book is<br />
principally in the power of the circulating library.<br />
The works of a well-known author are ordered in<br />
large quantities, and people ask and read " X.'s<br />
last," because it may very likely be discussed in<br />
conversation, and everyone likes to be up to date.<br />
Only one copy is taken of the unknown author's<br />
book, and if there be a demand for it, and it is<br />
not available, the librarian is always ready with<br />
an excuse, and offers " X.'s last" as a substitute.<br />
In the town where I am known, my books have a<br />
certain vogue, and have been added to the stock of<br />
the libraries. I took one of them from the book-<br />
shelves a short time ago and examined it; it had<br />
been rebound, many pages were missing, it was<br />
dirty, dogeared, and full of marginal notes and<br />
interlineations, all of which was very gratifying<br />
to the author.<br />
"This book seems to have had a fair amount<br />
of wear," I remarked to the lady librarian.<br />
"Oh, yes, it is almost always out," she replied.<br />
"Why don't you get a new copy? Many<br />
pages of this one are missing," I suggested.<br />
"We never increase our stock more than we<br />
can help," tshe answered, aud I fancy that is the<br />
general rule.<br />
I am not an embittered man. I write books<br />
because it gives me pleasure to do so, though it<br />
costs me greater labour than most authors, as I<br />
have not received an academic education. I<br />
think, however, I have been mainly encouraged<br />
to continue writing by the very favourable reviews<br />
my books have obtained. C. H.<br />
LITERATURE IN THE PERIODICALS,<br />
The Literary Commercial. Manchester Quarterly<br />
for April.<br />
Colour Sense in Literature. J. Havelock Ellis.<br />
Contemporary Review for May.<br />
On the Kind of Fiction Called Morbid. Vincent<br />
O'Snllivan. Savoy for April.<br />
The Victorian Aoe of Literature and its Critics.<br />
P. F. Hannigan. Westminster Review for May.<br />
Leigh Hunt. F. Warre Cornish. Temple Bar for Jnne.<br />
Modern Norwegian Literature.—I. Bjornstjerno<br />
Pjornson. Forum for May.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 24 (#40) ##############################################<br />
<br />
24<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Matthew Arnold. G. W. E. Ruaaell. Commonwealth<br />
for May.<br />
Humoub in Fiction. Professor Tyrrel. Saturday<br />
Review for May 23.<br />
The Gospel According to the Novelists.—HI.<br />
George Eliot. W. J. Dawson. Young Man for June.<br />
A Fresh View of Dean Swift. Wm. Barry, D.D.<br />
Contemporary Review for May.<br />
Some Memories of Hawthorne.—IV. Rose Haw-<br />
thorne Lathrop. Atlantic Monthly for May.<br />
Letters of D. G. Bossetti.—I. 1854. George Birk-<br />
beok Hill. Atlantic Monthly for May.<br />
Hermann Sudermann. Atlantic Monthly for May.<br />
Haunts of the Poets: The Emerald Isle and<br />
Moore. Edwin Lester Arnold. Atalanta for June.<br />
Notable Beviews.<br />
Of Professor Nettlesbip's "Lectures and Essays."<br />
Athemeum for May 2.<br />
Of B. Le Gallienne's " Betrospective Beviews: A Literary<br />
Log." Saturday Review for May 16, Spectator for May 16.<br />
Of "The Paget Papers." Times for May 6.<br />
Of Stevenson's "Weir of Hermiston." Times for<br />
May 27.<br />
There is a void in a literature for the commercial<br />
man, according to a writer in the Manchester<br />
Quarterly. Mr. Wilcock begins by joining<br />
literature and commerce in partnership; it was<br />
not always so, he says regretfully, but now<br />
certainly iiterature is a money-making business.<br />
But, on the other hand, if a man took the present<br />
teachings of literature into his commerce, they<br />
would ruin him. Unless he be a rich man, those<br />
beautiful ideals which evolve from good reading<br />
must remain creatures of reverie. "The lessons<br />
of poetry, the conclusions of our deepest, thinkers,<br />
are at variance with the customs of trade." A<br />
special literature, therefore, is wanted for the<br />
literaiy commercial man. Mr. Wilcock explains<br />
the want, and how it can be met:<br />
In all the glorious realms of literature the commercial man<br />
finds nothing set directly to the circumstances created by<br />
the nervous excitement of this material age. The complica-<br />
tion of interests, the entanglement of principles, nay, the<br />
constant endeavour of men to create new principles to fit the<br />
occasion have not yet been grasped by the literary world.<br />
... A genuine commercial literature must be produced<br />
by men direotly engaged in commerce, who daily and hourly<br />
can turn a moral mioroscope upon humanity as it works<br />
under an infinity of influences in commerce, and who see a<br />
"sort of dry and flat Sahara crowded with petty grotesque<br />
malformations, phantoms, playing meaningless antics."<br />
Meaningless they would indeed appear to the non-practised<br />
eye, but to him who knows what passes for commercial tact<br />
and smartness, full of intent and method.<br />
Mr. Wilcock rates highly the importance of the<br />
literary commercial man in the future. The old<br />
haphazard mode of doing business is killing itself<br />
out, he says, and men need more than money-bags<br />
to go to market with. Individual character is<br />
the backbone, and " the development of character<br />
is the aim of literature." With him lies the<br />
improvement of commercial customs and the com-<br />
prehension of right principles.<br />
A precise test as to whether latter-day art has<br />
degenerated is offered, writes Mr. Havelock Ellis,<br />
by the colour sense in literature. The evidence of<br />
this test by no means furnishes support for the<br />
the theory of decadence. "On the contrary, it<br />
shows that the decadence, if anywhere, was at<br />
the end of last century, and that our own vision<br />
of the world is fairly one with that of classic time,<br />
with Chaucer's and with Shakespeare's. At the<br />
end of the nineteenth century we can say this for<br />
the first time since Shakespeare died." In<br />
bringing forward this test, Mr. Ellis claims that<br />
it has two uses at least:<br />
It is first an instrument for investigating a writer's<br />
personal psychology by defining the nature of his (esthetic<br />
colour vision. When we have ascertained a writer's colour-<br />
formula and his colours of predilection, we can tell at a<br />
glance simply and reliably something about his view of the<br />
world which pages of description could only tell us with<br />
uncertainty. In the second place it enables us to take a<br />
definite step in the attainment of a scientific (esthetic,<br />
by furnishing a means of comparative study. By its<br />
help we can trace the oolours of the world as mirrored<br />
in literature from age to age, from country to oountry,<br />
and in finer shades among the writers of a single<br />
group.<br />
The writer of the article selected a series of<br />
imaginative writers, chiefly poets, from the dawn<br />
of literature to our own day, and noted the main<br />
colour words that occurred in their works, and<br />
how they were used. He presents tabulated<br />
results of this inquiry.<br />
Mr. D. F. Hannigan differs from Mr. Frederic<br />
Harrison in estimation of the Victorian age of<br />
literature. No greater novelists have appeared<br />
in England than our best writers of fiction during<br />
the last two decades, he says; and as for the<br />
materials of romance, they were never more<br />
plentiful — witness Jamieson's raid into the<br />
Transvaal and Nansen's apparently successful<br />
discovery of the North Pole. "What we most<br />
need," says Mr. Hannigan, " is a better educated<br />
public, who will be able to appreciate literature<br />
as literature-—a thing rendered unfortunately<br />
very difficult, owing to the appetite for sensa-<br />
tionalism and the prevalence of half-knowledge,<br />
which is of course only another word for super-<br />
ficiality."<br />
Mr. Vincent Sullivan appeals for greater tolera-<br />
tion to be shown to the unusual in fiction, to the<br />
man who introduces the thin presence of death.<br />
He is alarmed that "nowadays we seem to nourish<br />
our morals with the thinnest milk and water,<br />
with a good dose of sugar added, and not a<br />
suspicion of lemon at all."<br />
Dr. Birbeck Hill contributes in the Atlantic<br />
the first of a series of articles in which the letters<br />
written by D. G. Rossetti to Mr. Allingham—<br />
personally most interesting lights on the poet's<br />
character—are given.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 24 (#41) ##############################################<br />
<br />
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** Mr. Morrison la an Australian doctor who has achieved probably<br />
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Sporting Days in Southern India:<br />
BEING REMINISCENCES OF TWENTY TRIPS<br />
IN PURSUIT OF BIG GAME,<br />
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BY<br />
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AND OTHERS.<br />
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Panther. VI., VII., and VIII.—The Tiger. IX. and X.—The<br />
Indian Bison. XL and XII.—The Elephant. XIII.—Deer<br />
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Crown 8vo., cloth boards, 3s. 6d.<br />
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London: 'Horace Cox, Windaor Houae, Bream's-buildinga, E.O.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 24 (#42) ##############################################<br />
<br />
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| 292 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/292 | The Author, Vol. 07 Issue 02 (July 1896) | <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.+07+Issue+02+%28July+1896%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 Issue 02 (July 1896)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</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> | 1896-07-01-The-Author-7-2 | | | | | 25–48 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1896-07-01">1896-07-01</a> | | | | | | | 2 | | | 18960701 | TIbe Hutbot\<br />
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PAGB<br />
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Australian Poetry. By H. G. K.<br />
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Literature in the Periodicals<br />
Correspondence—<br />
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2. Literary Orab-Alls ...<br />
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4. Ignored<br />
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■11<br />
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4.',<br />
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41;<br />
47<br />
47<br />
47<br />
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3. Literature and the Pension List. By W. Morris Colles, Barrister-at-Law. (Henry Glaisher,<br />
95, Strand, W.C.) 3«.<br />
4. The History Of the Societe des Gens de Lettres. By S. Squire Sprigoe, late Secretary to<br />
the Society. 1*.<br />
5. The Cost of Production. In this work specimens are given of the most important forms of type,<br />
size of page, &c, with estimates showing what it costs to produce the more common kinds of<br />
books. Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 2*. 6d.<br />
6. The Various Methods Of Publication. By S. Squire Sprigoe. In this work, compiled from the<br />
papers in the Society's offices, the various forms of agreements proposed by Publishers to<br />
Authors are examined, and their meaning carefully explained, with an account of the various<br />
kinds of fraud which have been made possible by the different clauses in their agreements.<br />
Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 3*.<br />
7. Copyright Law Reform. An Exposition of Lord Monkswell's Copyright Bill now before Parlia-<br />
ment. With Extracts from the Report of the Commission of 1878, and an Appendix<br />
containing the Berne Convention and the American Copyright Bill. By J. M. Lelt. Eyre<br />
and Spottiswoode. it. 6d. - ~<br />
8. The Society Of Authors. A Becord of its Action from its Foundation. By Walter Besant<br />
(Chairman of Committee, 1888—1892). i*. f -'<br />
9. The Contract of Publication in Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland. By Ernst<br />
Lunge, J.U.D. it. 6d. S<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 24 (#44) ##############################################<br />
<br />
AD VER TISEMENTS.<br />
g>ocietg of Jlufljors (gncotporafeb).<br />
PRESIDENT.<br />
GEOEGE MEREDITH.<br />
8ir Edwin Arnold, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.<br />
Alfred Austin.<br />
J. M. Barbie<br />
A. W. X Beckett.<br />
F. E. Beddard, F.R S.<br />
Robert Bateman.<br />
Sir Henrt Bergne, K.C.M.G.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
Augustine Birrell, M.P.<br />
Bev. Prof. Bonnet, F.R.S.<br />
Bioht Hon. James Brtce, M.P.<br />
Eight Hon. Lord Burghclere, P.C.<br />
Hall Caine.<br />
Egerton Castle, F.S.A.<br />
P. W. Clatden.<br />
Edward Clodd.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Mabtin Conway.<br />
Hon.<br />
COUNCIL.<br />
F. Marion Crawford.<br />
The Earl of Debart.<br />
Austin Dobson.<br />
A. Conan Dotle, M.D<br />
A. W. Dubouro.<br />
Sir J. Eric Erichsen, Bart., F.B.S.<br />
Prof. Michael Foster, F.B.S.<br />
Richard Garnett, C.B., LL.D.<br />
Edmund Gosse.<br />
H. Rider Haggard.<br />
Thomas Hardy.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
Jerome K. Jerome.<br />
Rudyard Kipling.<br />
Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S.<br />
W. E. H. Lecky.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Mrs. E. Lynn Linton.<br />
Rev. W. J. Loftie, F.S.A.<br />
. Counsel — E. M. Underdown,<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Prof. J. M. D. Meiklejohn.<br />
Herman C. Meritale.<br />
Rev. C. H. Middleton-Wake.<br />
Sir Lewis Morris.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
J. C. Parkinson.<br />
Right Hon. Lord Pirbright.<br />
Sir Frederick Pollock, Bart., LL.D.<br />
Walter Herries Pollock.<br />
W. Baptists Scooneb.<br />
Miss Flora L. Shaw.<br />
G. R. Sims.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
J. J. Stevenson.<br />
Prof. Jas. Sully.<br />
William Moy Thomas.<br />
H. D. Traill, D.C.L.<br />
Miss Charlotte M. Yonge.<br />
Q.C.<br />
A. W. X Beckett.<br />
Sir Walter Besant<br />
Egerton Castle.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
SMcilort-<br />
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT.<br />
Chairman—H. Rider Haggard.<br />
Hon. John Collier<br />
Sir W. Martin Conway.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
( Messrs. Field, Roscoe, and Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields.<br />
i[ G. Herbert Thring, B.A., 4, Portugal-street, W.C. Secretary—G. Herbert Thring, B.A.<br />
OFFICES: 4, Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
.A.. IP. WATT &c SOIsT,<br />
LITERARY AGENTS,<br />
Formerly of 2, PATERNOSTER SOUARE,<br />
Have now removed to<br />
HASTINGS HOUSE, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND.<br />
LONDON", -W.C.<br />
WINDSOR HOUSE PRINTING WORKS,<br />
Offices of "The Field," "The Queen," "The Law Times," &c.<br />
Mr. HORACE COX, Printer to the Authors' Society, takes the opportunity of informing Authors that, having a very<br />
large Office, and an extensive Plant of Type of every description, he is in a position to EXECUTE any PRINTING they<br />
may entrust to his care.<br />
ESTIMATES FORWARDED, AND REASONABLE CHARGES WILL BE FOUND.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 25 (#45) ##############################################<br />
<br />
tTbe Hutbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 2.]<br />
JULY 1, 1896.<br />
[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 post, 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 CONSIDERATIONS.<br />
THESE are several methods of publishing by agree-<br />
ments. Thus (1) an author may sell his work for a<br />
sum of money down: (2) he may take a share of the<br />
profits: (3) he may accept a royalty.<br />
The first method is the readiest and, where a proper<br />
price is paid, perhaps the best. It involves a certain amount<br />
of risk or doubt as to the result on the part of the buyer,<br />
and a certain amount of hesitation on the part of the seller.<br />
The author would do well to sell through an agent. But let<br />
him beware as to his choice of agent.<br />
At a time when the production of new books involved<br />
great risks and where the possible circle of purchasers was<br />
very small, the publishers, joining together, took half the<br />
profits as a return for their risk and services. At the present<br />
time in many cases, where there are no risks, they often take<br />
two-thirds and even more of the profits, and that after setting<br />
apart a large sum for "office expenses," allowing the author<br />
nothing at all for his office expenses. In other words,<br />
it is as if a steward were to charge first for his office<br />
and desks and then to take half or two-thirds of the<br />
remainder for himself as steward's fee. Therefore the author<br />
must in every case ascertain carefully, before signiag the<br />
agreement, what proportion is appropriated under its clauses<br />
by the publisher for himself. If the author is in doubt, let<br />
him submit the agreement to the secretary, or to one of the<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
literary agents recommended by the secretary. Above all<br />
things he must remember that in any business transaction<br />
the one who accepts an agreement in ignorance will quite<br />
certainly get the worst of it. The folly of signing in<br />
ignorance is the main cause of half the quarrels between<br />
author and publisher.<br />
In the case of profit-sharing agreements, remember that<br />
very common form of getting the better of an author is the<br />
practice of advertising the book in the publisher's own organs,<br />
very likely magazines of small circulation. Sometimes,<br />
also, he " exchanges" advertisements with other magazines,<br />
and charges the author as if he had paid for them. In this<br />
way the publisher may put tbe whole profits of a book in his<br />
own pocket. One way to prevent this sharp practice is to<br />
insert a clause to tbe effect that advertisements shall only<br />
be oharged at the actual price paid for them. A better way,<br />
however, is to agree beforehand upon the papers in which<br />
advertisements may be inserted.<br />
As regards the right of inspecting the books, that need<br />
not be claimed, because it exists as the right of every<br />
partner, or joint venturer. You have only to demand the<br />
inspection of the books by your solicitor, your aocountant,<br />
or the secretary of the Society.<br />
If the book is a first book, or one that carries risk, it is fan-<br />
to make an arrangement for the first edition and another for<br />
the second, and following, if any. The publisher confers so<br />
signal a service upon the young author by producing his<br />
work at all—i.e., by giving him the chanoe he desires above<br />
all things—that it seems fair in such a case to yield him the<br />
larger share.<br />
In a profit-Bharing agreement do not let the cost of pro-<br />
duction form a part of the agreement, otherwise you will<br />
be unable to contest it afterwards.<br />
It will be wisest never to enter into relations with any<br />
publisher unless recommended by the Society.<br />
There are many other dangers to be avoided. Serial<br />
rights; stamping the agreement: American rights: future<br />
work: cession of copyright—these things cannot possibly<br />
be attended to by the young author. Therefore his agree-<br />
ment should always be shown te the secretary.<br />
It has been objected that these precautions presuppose a<br />
great Bucces 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 be their maximum. Therefore every<br />
author, for every book, should arrange on the chance 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 />
(i.) That both sides shall know what an agreement<br />
means.<br />
E 2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 26 (#46) ##############################################<br />
<br />
26<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
(2.) The inspection of those account books which belong<br />
to the author. We are advised that this is a right, in the<br />
nature of a common law right, which cannot be denied or<br />
withheld.<br />
(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 may<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 />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
1. IjTVERY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
fij advice upon his agreements, his choioe of a pub-<br />
lisher, or any dispute arising in the oonduot 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 suoh 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 connected with oopyright<br />
and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within the<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple<br />
to use the Society first—our solicitors are continually<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 asoertain 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 thuB 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, Bend the pro-<br />
posed document to the Society for examination.<br />
6. The Society is acquainted with the methods, and—in<br />
the ease 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 advanoing<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 everything<br />
important to literature that you may hear or meet 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 Society now offers:—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon<br />
them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
THE AUTHORS' SYNDICATE.<br />
MEMBERS are informed:<br />
1. That the Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the business of members of the Society. That it<br />
submits MSS. to publishers and editors, concludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects accounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the trouble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon which its services can be secured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndicate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That the Syndicate can only undertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia-<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that all<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice should be given.<br />
6. That every attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in ail cases, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence; does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded without notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
lectures by some of the leading members of the Society;<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for the Bale and<br />
purchase of journals and periodicals; and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wanted" is open. Members are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to the Manager.<br />
There is an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called upon in any case of dispute or difficulty. It<br />
is perhaps necessary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndicate.<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?<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, whether<br />
members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate<br />
to the Editor any points connected with their work which<br />
it would be advisable in the general interest to publish.<br />
Members and others who wish their MSS. read are<br />
requested not to send them to the Office without previously<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 27 (#47) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
27<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 doeB not, under any circumstances,<br />
undertake the publication of MSS.<br />
The Authors' Club is now open in its new premises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-court, Charing Cross. Address the Secretary<br />
for information, rules of admission, Ac.<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 Btill 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 five<br />
years to come, whatever his conduct, whether he was honest<br />
or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for a moment when they are asked to Bign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five years P<br />
Those who possess the "Cost of Production" are<br />
requested to note that the cost of binding has advanced IS<br />
per cent. This means, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing sums," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the oost of binding<br />
is set down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now stands<br />
at £g 4». The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be procured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
'bill is so elastio a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
arrived at.<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 practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
I.—A Modest Agreement.<br />
APEOPOSAL for the production of a book<br />
at the author's expense has been sent to<br />
the Society. It is dated a few years back,<br />
but not so far back as to make it belong to a<br />
past generation. The proposal is given below,<br />
with our estimate of the actual cost.<br />
The book contained 34 sheets, and was printed<br />
in long primer; 34 lines to a page, and 346 words<br />
to the page. The binding was simple. An<br />
edition of 1000 was struck off :—<br />
Estimate of<br />
Proposal. actual cost.<br />
Composing, paper, £ s. d. £ s. d.<br />
and printing ... 192 o o 122 o o<br />
Binding, 2 50 at %\d. 8 17 1 650<br />
Advertising (say) 25 o o (say) 15 00<br />
Publisher's fee ... 5 5 o<br />
231 21 143 5 o<br />
The author was to pay the money in advance.'<br />
The publisher would take three months' credit<br />
with the printing, and would produce the book<br />
about five months after receiving the money. He<br />
was to have 10 per cent, on all moneys received.<br />
Let us compare his returns with those of the<br />
author, supposing a sale of 500 copies at the<br />
trade price of 5*. 2d.:—<br />
I. The Publisher: £ s. d.<br />
Profit on alleged cost 82 12 1<br />
Five months' interest at 5 per cent.<br />
on .£231 + 16 o<br />
Ten per cent, on sale of 500 copies.. 12 19 2<br />
Publisher's fee 5 5 o<br />
EDITORIAL NOTE.<br />
The New York Letter has arrived this month<br />
too late for insertion.<br />
The Notes from Paris have not yet been<br />
received.<br />
The case of Bourget v. Lemerre has been heard<br />
and decided. An account of the case and its<br />
bearing upon English interests will appear in the<br />
next number of the Author.<br />
At the Conference of the Booksellers' Union<br />
on Tuesday, June 29th, held in Belfast, the<br />
subject of possible relations between the book-<br />
seller and the author was considered. Notes on<br />
this conference will appear in the next number.<br />
Total profit ,£105 12 3<br />
IL The Author:<br />
Paid to publisher 231 2 1<br />
On additional binding 8 17 1<br />
£ s. d. 239 19 2<br />
Received from sales ... 129 12 8<br />
Less 10 per cent 12 19 2 116 13 6<br />
Total loss £123 5 8<br />
II.—The Literary Agent.<br />
It is reported that certain publishers, after<br />
accepting a work placed in their hands by an<br />
agent, go l>ehuid the agent's back and address<br />
the author personally. It may be urged on their<br />
behalf that they have made no contract with the<br />
agent, and are within their rights. This may be<br />
so: in that case, the agent has to find his own<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 28 (#48) ##############################################<br />
<br />
28<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
remedy, and may be trusted to do so. But<br />
what is the position of the author? He says<br />
to the agent: "Place my book for me: I<br />
give it into your management." He is, for<br />
this book, under a contract, even though<br />
there is no written bond. He employs the<br />
agent because he cannot, or will not, under-<br />
take the trouble of managing his literary business<br />
himself. If he. after this, receives and signs an<br />
agreement behind his agent's back, he acts<br />
exactly like a man who places his affairs in a<br />
solicitor's hands, and then secretly negotiates<br />
mortgages, buys or sells land, and receives rents.<br />
Agents must explain to their clients that this<br />
must not be done: in their own interest it must<br />
not be done. Let authors only consider the<br />
probable reasons why such an attempt is made.<br />
Perhaps, however, some brief form of contract<br />
between agent and author might be agreed upon<br />
which would render this kind of action impossible.<br />
III.—The Theatrical Agent.<br />
The following letter concerns a theatrical<br />
agency :—<br />
"Some years ago I paid a 'booking fee ' to a<br />
well-known theatrical agency, and received an<br />
acknowledgment of the receipt of it and the MS.<br />
in due course; also a letter promising to ' do our<br />
best to introduce it to managers.' From that day<br />
until this, I have not heard a word from that firm,<br />
but long ago the little piece was successfully pro-<br />
duced in London, under the same title, and had<br />
a run; a fact apparently unnoticed by those who<br />
had promised to look after my interests. I have<br />
never done anything since with any agent,<br />
excepting on the ' No cure no pay ' principle."<br />
IV.—The Six-Shilling Novel and the<br />
Trade.<br />
"To quote the words of the astute advertiser of<br />
a well-known pen, the six-shilling novel has come<br />
as a 'boon and a blessing' to the bookselling<br />
trade. There can now be no doubt of its far-<br />
reaching effects. It commenced at a time when<br />
business was in a somewhat languishing state,<br />
and it has given an impetus which it would be vain<br />
to conceal, and it is to be hoped that it will con-<br />
tinue for many a long day.<br />
"We must award a good deal of the credit of<br />
the success of the movement to Mr. Hall Caine,<br />
whose 'Manxman ' attained to such a prodigious<br />
circulation. It was really a reply to the circular<br />
of Mr. Mudie and Messrs. W. H. Smith and Son,<br />
which they addressed to the publishers demand-<br />
ing a reduction of the price at which three<br />
volume novels were supplied to them. It is just<br />
possible that Mr. Hall Caine's publisher is also<br />
entitled to some of the credit for the able way in<br />
which he seconded the author's idea of sacrificing<br />
the three volume edition of 'The Manxman.'<br />
He, too, has reaped a reward as well as the<br />
author. The movement has advanced by leaps<br />
and bounds, and it is now quite an exception to<br />
see a 'three-decker ' issued by any of the publish-<br />
ing houses. There have been many successes<br />
since 'The Manxman,' but the most conspicuous<br />
has been Mr. Du Maurier's 'Trilby.' It is no<br />
rxaggeration to say that the proceeds of the sale<br />
of this volume has done more to fill the coifers of<br />
the booksellers than any other book published in<br />
1895. When in conversation with Mr. Du<br />
Maurier the other day, we took the opportunity<br />
of thanking him, in the name of the booksellers<br />
of Great Britain, for placing such a book within<br />
their reach at so moderate a price, and we also<br />
supplemented that remark by saying that the<br />
profits on the sales of his book had materially<br />
helped the booksellers to pay their rent. He<br />
smiled graciously.<br />
"The 'shilling shocker' and the two shilling<br />
novels are rapidly dying out, and we fancy they<br />
will soon be numbered among the things that<br />
were, and we do not suppose that any bookseller<br />
will regret their absence if the six-shilling novel<br />
continues to hold its own.<br />
"But here let us say, within parenthesis, that it<br />
will be futile on the publishers' part to issue<br />
novels at 6*. which are not of the first rank. The<br />
second and third rate novel will never do at 6s.;<br />
and there should be no misunderstanding about<br />
this, as the booksellers will decline to take them.<br />
They must be placed at a cheaper rate, say, at<br />
3«. 6d. or 2s. 6d. The publishers must also avoid<br />
giving too little for the money at 6s. It is almost<br />
as bad as giving too much.<br />
"The most singular thing is, that the six-<br />
shilling novel has caught on with the libraries,<br />
and their 'subscribed' members are somewhat<br />
astonishing. Although when they commenced<br />
the agitation for the publishers to reduce the<br />
terms at which they supplied the three-volume<br />
novel they never anticipated such a general<br />
recognition among the publishers of the one-<br />
volume novel, it has proved to be a great Godsend<br />
for thein. There is now no accumulation of<br />
unsaleable stock, as when a six-shilling novel is<br />
dying out of circulation there is no difficulty in.<br />
selling the used copies at 3*. and zs. 6d. To the<br />
country librarian it has also proved a great<br />
blessing, as he no longer requires to pay a heavy<br />
subucription to Mudie to have a supply of novels<br />
iu the old style. We imagine that on this<br />
account there has been a general rejoicing in the<br />
heart of every country librarian, as he has no<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 29 (#49) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
29<br />
longer to wait for the tardy supply from head-<br />
quarters, but is able to stock a book at once, and<br />
give general and immediate satisfaction to his<br />
subscribers. So, then, in conclusion, we say<br />
'Long life to the six-shilling novel.' "—Newsagent<br />
and Booksellers' Review.<br />
MATTERS FOB CONSIDERATION.<br />
(Continued from 'page 19.)<br />
Another Form of Agreement, or Proposed<br />
Agreement.<br />
THE publishers advertise in a paper, the<br />
author answers the advertisement, and<br />
forwards his MS. A letter is then received<br />
from the publishers to the following effect:<br />
"Dear Sir, — " We have much pleasure in<br />
informing you that our reader having reported so<br />
far favourably on your work, and considering the<br />
promise in it, we are prepared to undertake its<br />
publication on the following favourable terms,<br />
viz.:"—<br />
The " viz." comprises payment by the author of<br />
varying sums, and for such payment the pub-<br />
lishers undertake to print an edition of, say, 750<br />
copies.<br />
The author to have two-thirds (generally under-<br />
lined) of the profits.<br />
The publishers are also anxious to obtain the<br />
book on account of the near approach of the<br />
publishing season. There is a perennial publish-<br />
ing season, according to the varied dates on the<br />
letters "(all formulas) which they issue.<br />
The author repudiates the payment, and in<br />
return receives another letter from the publishers,<br />
who will take a less sum and take a moiety of the<br />
profits.<br />
An agreement is then forwarded to the author,<br />
and in this agreement (supposed to embody the<br />
terms of the previous contract) the greatest care<br />
is bestowed to preserve the publishers' legal<br />
position, while they accomplish their own ends.<br />
"The publishers agree to meet the demand for<br />
an edition of 750 copies, to be followed, should the<br />
demand warrant, by further editions."<br />
The author signs the agreement, and thinks<br />
that the money he has paid is going to produce<br />
an edition of 750 copies. (The sum asked in<br />
most cases will pay for an edition of 750 copies,<br />
and put a few pounds into the publisher's<br />
pocket.)<br />
The publishers however do not "give them-<br />
selves away" readily. They are not obliged to<br />
produce 750 copies, but to meet the demand they<br />
may, if they please, produce no more than 250<br />
copies, bind 100, and distribute the type.<br />
They have done their duty, and pocketed a nice<br />
little sum, for they know very well that the<br />
demand will never reach the 250 copies.<br />
If the author was rich, he could always circum-<br />
vent this clause, by ordering, through agents, up<br />
to the 750 copies. He then would have a case<br />
against the publishers. But, alas! authors are<br />
nearly always poor.<br />
There is another clause of much interest in this<br />
agreement. It runs as follows:—<br />
"The publishers shall, within thirty days after<br />
the 31st day of December and the 30th day of<br />
June in every year, deliver to the author an<br />
account showing the number of copies of the<br />
work sold from the date of the publication thereof,<br />
or during the then preceding half year, as the<br />
case may be, and of the moneys received in respect<br />
of such sales, and shall, after deducting from the<br />
proceeds of the sale of the work any expenses<br />
which may have been incurred in advertising<br />
thereof, forthwith pay to the author two-thirds<br />
or one-half (as the case may be) of such moneys,<br />
and shall retain the remaining one-third or one-<br />
half for their own use and benefit."<br />
To the uninitiated this clause looks quite<br />
straightforward and honest. The usual account<br />
clause. But mark what follows: The first<br />
accounts are sent in showing a deficit, and a<br />
further sum payable to the publishers for author's<br />
corrections (a generally unverifiable item), and<br />
for advertising. The author demurs to the pay-<br />
ment, and is then anxious to know how his money<br />
has been expended: have the books agreed upon<br />
been really produced? &c, Ac.<br />
The publishers then reply, "We are bound to<br />
furnish you with accounts under the agreement.<br />
We have fulfilled the agreement. We are not<br />
bound to do more." On the author referring to<br />
his agreement, he generally finds that he is barred<br />
by the "consideration clause" from inquiring<br />
how his money has been spent.<br />
Clauses to be avoided.<br />
A clause in which a royalty is paid on the<br />
"selling price," or the "nominal selling price,"<br />
should be altered, and the royalty should be<br />
made payable on "the published price." The<br />
former terms are ambiguous, the latter is indis-<br />
putable.<br />
Contract with a Limited Liability Company.<br />
If a private firm is turned into a limited lia-<br />
bility company it appears probable that a contract<br />
to publish can be determined even although the<br />
former partners are directors, and that, as the<br />
contract is a personal one, the firm cannot with-<br />
out the sanction of the author transfer to the<br />
company, but there is no doubt that where the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 30 (#50) ##############################################<br />
<br />
3°<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
business is virtually in tbe same hands, very little<br />
evidence would be necessary to show acquiescence<br />
in the new order of things on the part of the<br />
author.<br />
If a limited company goes bankrupt, the con-<br />
tract to publish is terminated, but if the trustee<br />
in bankruptcy carries on the business the point<br />
is rather more difficult.<br />
It is probable that the receiver, or tbe trustee,<br />
may sell the stock in hand, but cannot reprint<br />
the work.<br />
No contract should ever be made with a pub-<br />
lisher, his executors, administrators, and assigns.<br />
A contract to publish is a personal contract,<br />
and should always be kept so.<br />
This is a question of great import to authors.<br />
Royalty Clause.<br />
"Messrs. . . . to render a royalty statement<br />
to the author half-yearly, viz., to June 30 and<br />
Dec. 31, and it is understood that in making up<br />
such royalties thirteen copies shall be reckoned<br />
as twelve."<br />
Royalties should be paid on every copy sold.<br />
This is the custom of the principal publishing<br />
houses. Thirteen copies should not therefore be<br />
reckoned as twelve.<br />
Account Clauses.<br />
"Accounts shall be made up annually as soon<br />
after June 30th as practicable, and payment will<br />
be due in the January following."<br />
If a book is published early in the autumn, the<br />
chief sales occur before Christmas, and the account<br />
is rendered in the following June, if the author is<br />
paid six months after date, the publisher may<br />
hold a large part of the author's share in his own<br />
hands for nearly twelve months.<br />
Bankruptcy may also occur in so long an<br />
interval, and then the author will at most obtain<br />
only a dividend on the amount of his demand.<br />
Account Clause (No. 2).—" Account of sales<br />
of the work to be made annually to June 30,<br />
rendered and payable before the end of the year."<br />
This is subject to almost the same remarks as<br />
the previous clause.<br />
An author should therefore always try and<br />
obtain semi-annual accounts if possible.<br />
Clause binding author to offer Juture work to a<br />
publisher.—" The author shall, during the ensuing<br />
five years from the completed serial publication<br />
of the present novel or story, give to the said<br />
publisher the offer or refusal of any further novel<br />
or story he may write for newspaper publication,<br />
at the lowest price the said author will accept for<br />
the same from any other person for newspaper<br />
publication."<br />
This clause hardly comes under a treatise that<br />
deals mainly with book rights, but it gives an<br />
opportunity of commenting on a danger formerly<br />
common in bookright agreements, which should<br />
be avoided, namely, the danger of an author<br />
binding himself to a publisher for future work<br />
under any circumstances.<br />
Sale of Copyright.<br />
1. "In consideration of the sum of £<br />
to be paid as hereinafter provided, the said<br />
author agrees to sell and the said publishers<br />
agree to purchase the absolute copyright in the<br />
said author's original novel called' .'"<br />
2. "The said author agrees to sell and the said<br />
publishers agree to purchase the copyright of his<br />
novel, entitled' 'for the sum of<br />
£ payable on publication."<br />
3. "It is agreed that if and when any edition<br />
of the said work is issued at any lower price than<br />
6s. the publishers shall have the right and option<br />
of buying the copyright free from all royalty for<br />
the sum of .£50, to be paid to the author within a<br />
month from the date of publication of such<br />
edition, failing which payment this option shall<br />
be no longer in force."<br />
4. "This agreement to be binding for a period<br />
of years from the date of publication after<br />
which time, subject to any interest the publishers<br />
may then have in the work in respect of unsold<br />
copies, the said author shall be at liberty to<br />
transfer the book to some other publisher, or to<br />
renew the agreement with the said publisher as<br />
may be arranged."<br />
5. "It is agreed that the copyright of the said<br />
work is to remain the property of the said author,<br />
and that at the expiration of<br />
years from the day of , or at the<br />
expiration of any subsequent period of<br />
years thereafter, this agreement may be termi-<br />
nated by either party on giving three months<br />
notice of the intention to do so. In the event of<br />
its being terminated by the said author, he shall<br />
purchase the plates and stock in hand at the debt<br />
that may be against the said book, if such debt<br />
is greater than the cost of paper and print of the<br />
stock in hand, or if less at the cost of the paper<br />
and print of the stock in hand. But if this<br />
agreement be terminated by the said publishers<br />
the said author shall have the option of purchasing<br />
the stock on tbe before-mentioned terms, but shall<br />
not be bound to do so"<br />
6. "Copyright to remain the property of the<br />
publishers for the term of years.<br />
Accounts to be made up half yearly to 30th June<br />
and 31st December, and settled by the 31st August<br />
and 28th February following."<br />
7. "That the copyright and all rights shall<br />
remain the property of the said publishers." •<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 31 (#51) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
3*<br />
The seven clauses printed above refer mainly to<br />
the purchase of copyright.<br />
This system has already been criticised, and<br />
reference has been made to the "Methods of<br />
Publishing."<br />
It can but be repeated that it is contrary to all<br />
the author's interests to sell the copyright, or any<br />
portion of the copyright, not only when he is<br />
effecting a sale outright, but more especially when<br />
he reserves any future interest in the sales.<br />
In clause No. 2 the sum is to be paid on the<br />
date of publication. It is most important there-<br />
fore that this date should be approximately fixed,<br />
as it might be possible that the publishers either<br />
refused to publish or delayed publication. Some<br />
reasons that might prompt this action are stated<br />
in my former article.<br />
There is no clause more likely than clause 3<br />
to set the publishers, and author's interest at<br />
variance. The greater part of the agreement<br />
from which it is drawn is an elaborate statement<br />
of the royalty to be paid under certain conditions,<br />
Jrom which one would naturally infer that the<br />
MS. would be as a matter of course published<br />
at 6*. or over. But, although the author has<br />
assigned the right to publish there is no recip-<br />
rocity on the part of the publisher, he does not<br />
undertake to publish the book at all, and there is<br />
nothing to prevent him from publishing at 5s. 6d.,<br />
paying the ^650, and securing the whole copyright<br />
for that small sum.<br />
Clause 4. The question of the limitation of<br />
bookrights, much more therefore copyright, for a<br />
number of years has been referred to in the<br />
article that appeared in last month's Author. It<br />
should for legal reasons be avoided, except under<br />
the precautions already indicated in that article.<br />
For the same reason clause 5 is objectionable.<br />
If the publishers or author terminate the agree-<br />
ment there is the very difficult question of what<br />
is to be done with the stock in hand. Such stock<br />
is often absolutely useless to the author.<br />
The remarks that have already been made<br />
about the sale of copyright apply with equal<br />
force to the remaining clauses, which are inserted<br />
only because they have been taken from actual<br />
agreements.<br />
Sale of Outside Eights.<br />
1. "Except as in clause hereof, the copy-<br />
right, whether English or foreign, in the said<br />
work, including the rights of translation and<br />
publication of any dramatic version thereof, shall<br />
not be sold, assigned, or transferred by the<br />
author, either as a whole, or for a limited time,<br />
or over a limited space, without the consent of the<br />
publisher. That the proceeds of the sale or<br />
transfer of copyright, as defined in the above<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
clause, shall be divided in the proportion of one-<br />
half to the author and one-half to the publisher."<br />
2. "All amounts received for rights of transla-<br />
tion or reproduction abroad shall be divided<br />
equally between the two parties to this agree-<br />
ment."<br />
3. "Should the work be issued in America, or<br />
any other foreign country, that the profits arising<br />
from such transactions shall be divided equally<br />
between the said author and said publishers."<br />
4. "It is further understood that the said pub-<br />
lishers shall endeavour to secure copyright on the<br />
said work in the United States of America, and in<br />
the event of his succeeding shall pay to the said<br />
author two-thirds of all moneys received from the<br />
American publisher of the said work. All profits<br />
arising from minor rights, such as translations<br />
and Continental editions, to be equally divided<br />
between author and publishers."<br />
5. "If, in the discretion of the said publishers,<br />
it becomes expedient to dispose of an edition of<br />
the book at a reduced price for sale in the<br />
Australian Colonies, these copies shall not be<br />
subject to the payment of any royalty to the said<br />
author, but the profit on the transaction shall be<br />
divided into two equal portions, one of whbh<br />
shall be the property of the said author, and the<br />
other of the said publishers."<br />
6. "And the said publisher shall be entitled to<br />
dispose of any other rights (rights of translation,<br />
American rights, or such like) in the said work,<br />
the said publishers to have 50 per cent, of all<br />
profits arising out of the sale, lease conveyance of<br />
such rights, and the said author to receive the<br />
remaining 50 per cent, thereof."<br />
7. "The publishers may effect the sale of<br />
Continental rights only with the author's consent.<br />
The proceeds of such sale, if effected by the<br />
publishers, shall be divided in the proportion of<br />
three-quarters to the author and one-quarter to<br />
the publishers."<br />
Agency work may be understood to mean such<br />
work as the publisher tries to accomplish by-<br />
acting not directly with the public (for the<br />
publisher is in many cases only an agent), but<br />
indirectly with the public through another middle<br />
man.<br />
A perusal of the above clauses will show that<br />
this work covers the placing of American rights,<br />
serial rights, Colonial rights, <fcc.<br />
The sale of " outside rights " is generally placed<br />
in the hands of literary agents, as in many cases<br />
the author is ignorant of what "outside rights"<br />
go to constitute his literary property, and in any<br />
case they are difficult to handle, and require the<br />
care of a practical business man.<br />
There are literary agents in London who under-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 32 (#52) ##############################################<br />
<br />
3*<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
take this business on behalf of authors, for a<br />
charge of from 5 to 15 per cent.<br />
The question of these agents' charges has been<br />
very bitterly discussed by certain publishers, yet<br />
these same publishers, when undertaking agency<br />
work, take as their recompense anything from 25<br />
to 50 per cent. Take, for example, clause 1, supple-<br />
mentary to which in the same agreement is a<br />
clause for the sale of American rights on the same<br />
terms. Here the publishers ask 50 per cent., and<br />
get as many of the rights as they can from the<br />
author. This clause, with the exception of the one<br />
quoted at length in an agreement in last month's<br />
article, is, perhaps, as strongly in favour of the<br />
publishers and to the detriment of the author as it<br />
is possible to conceive.<br />
Even if the author acted as his own agent with<br />
regard to translation or foreign reproduction,<br />
making arrangements without the assistance of<br />
the publisher, he still must pay 50 per cent.<br />
Further, should he dramatise his work he must<br />
pay one half of the proceeds.<br />
Clauses 2, 3, and 4 all show a 50 per cent,<br />
payment to the publisher. They are more favour-<br />
able to the author, however, as they do not include<br />
so many rights, and in clause 4 the author is to<br />
get two-thirds of the proceeds arising from the<br />
sale of the American rights, if the publisher<br />
obtains American copyright. Clause 5 still<br />
claims 50 per cent., but only refers to Australian<br />
rights.<br />
Clause 6 is peculiar in some ways, more<br />
especially in its phraseology; "or such like " is<br />
indefinite. It is doubtful either whether the<br />
author could act at all as his own agent under<br />
this clause. The clause, as usual, stipulating for<br />
50 per cent. Clause 7 only affects Continental<br />
rights, and the sale must be made only with the<br />
author's consent. The author can, if he likes,<br />
act as his own agent and make all the profit, but<br />
if the publisher does act as agent the charge is<br />
25 per cent.<br />
The rights are more limited and the charge is<br />
less, but still enormous when compared with the<br />
agent's 10 per cent. It would be easy to quote<br />
clauses without end bearing on the same point.<br />
In none of the many agreements is the charge<br />
below 2 5 per cent.<br />
On these clauses it can only be added that<br />
where the author transfers the copyright the pub-<br />
lisher usually deals with all subsidiary rights<br />
without reference to the author. He sometimes<br />
shares the returns with the author and sometimes<br />
does not.<br />
A case has, however, been known in which a<br />
publisher bought the copyright from an author,<br />
and, on the book being published in England, the<br />
author neglected to secure the American rights.<br />
There were no rights therefore in America, and<br />
the book could have been pirated by anyone.<br />
An American publisher wishing to republish<br />
the work wrote to the English publisher, inferring<br />
that he was acting for the author, and stated<br />
that he was desirous of publishing the book and<br />
of paying an honorarium to do so. The pub-<br />
lisher this side, in virtue of his non-existent<br />
American rights, took the honorarium to himself.<br />
Here it may be as well to state is another and<br />
most important point that the author should be<br />
very careful about.<br />
He should not enter into a royalty agreement<br />
for the sale of the booh in England, and a profit-<br />
sharing arrangement with the same publishers<br />
for the Colonial or American edition. If he does<br />
so he must be sure that it is stated in the profit-<br />
sharing clause that the print and paper alone is<br />
to be charged against the Colonial edition.<br />
The composition was necessary for the English<br />
issue, and it is on this basis that the amount of<br />
royalty is fixed.<br />
If this item or any part of it is to be charged<br />
against the Colonial profit-sharing arrangement,<br />
then the author ought to obtain a larger royalty<br />
on the English sale, as the royalty on the English<br />
sale is based on the idea of the whole cost of com-<br />
position going against the English edition.<br />
Remainder Sales.<br />
To those who do not know it may be worth<br />
while to point out that bond fide remainder sales<br />
are the sales of a book after the general demand<br />
for the book has ceased, and when the book is<br />
virtually dead.<br />
The publishers then offer the whole of the<br />
stock in hand at cheap rates to a secondhand<br />
bookseller or sell it by public auction.<br />
Such sales realise very low prices.<br />
There are instances of remainder sales being<br />
arranged when the book is not dead. This<br />
course, under some agreements, benefits the pub-<br />
lisher but not the author.<br />
The clause referring to remainder sales are very<br />
often of an arbitrary character, for example :—<br />
"The publishers shall have the power to sell the<br />
residue of any edition at a reduced price or as a<br />
remainder."<br />
This clause occurs almost word for word in two<br />
separate agreements. It does not give the author<br />
any option of purchase, and it gives the pub-<br />
bsher the opportunity of clearing his shelves<br />
before the bond fide sales are at an end.<br />
Sometimes there is no clause relating to<br />
remainder sales, but this subject is governed by a<br />
clause leaving all rights as to the method of<br />
publication and sale of the work with the pub-<br />
lishers—then the same result occurs.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 33 (#53) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
33<br />
A practical agreement regarding remainder<br />
sales is certainly necessary, and much to be<br />
desired.<br />
Correction Clauses,<br />
i . "The said author to correct proof sheets<br />
with all reasonable despatch, and if any altera-<br />
tions or additions to proofs are made beyond the<br />
usual corrections of printers' errors he is to pay<br />
for such extra work."<br />
2. "The cost of correction of other than the<br />
printers' errors in the proofs of the said work<br />
exceeding ten shillings per sheet of thirty-two<br />
pages is to be borne by the said author, and the<br />
amount thereof shall be payable to the pub-<br />
lishers by the said author within one month after<br />
the publication of the said book."<br />
3. "All details as to the time and manner of<br />
production, publication, and advertisement, and<br />
the number and destination of free copies, shall<br />
be left to the sole discretion of the publishers,<br />
who shall bear all expenses of production, publi-<br />
cation, and advertisement, except the amount (if<br />
any) by which the cost of corrections of proofs<br />
other than printers' errors at per printers' invoice,<br />
exceeds an average of five shilling per sheet of<br />
sixteen pages of printed matter, which amount<br />
shall be borne by the author."<br />
4. "All alteration in proof sheets made by the<br />
author while the book is passing through the<br />
press, the cost of which thall exceed sixteen<br />
shillings per sheet of sixteen pages shall be at<br />
the expense of the author."<br />
5. "That the author shall not be liable for the<br />
expenses of authors proof corrections (exclusive of<br />
the correction of printers' errors) up to the<br />
amount of .£5, equivalent to 100 hours of work,<br />
but that should such charges exceed this amount,<br />
the author shr.ll be debited with the excess."<br />
Nothing is more likely to lead to disputes<br />
between the parties than corrections. A few<br />
clauses; are printed above, drawn from different<br />
agreements. The first three are exceptionally<br />
disadvantageous to the author.<br />
The charge varies, but, in the agreements from<br />
the better houses, generally lies between icw. and<br />
ids. per sheet of sixteen pages for corrections<br />
other than printer s errors.<br />
If the author exceeds this amount he has to pay<br />
the excess.<br />
The safest way is for the author to keep dupli-<br />
cate proofs with the corrections carefully copied.<br />
This process, though tedious and laborious, is<br />
sure, for otherwise the author is absolutely in the<br />
hands of the printer.<br />
The next best plan is to insert the time equiva-<br />
lent for the money value into the clause as in<br />
clause 5, so that, if the charge appears excessive,<br />
it can at once be turned into hours, when it will<br />
most likely appear ridiculous. £20 for corrections<br />
would mean 400 hours, or the work of 01 e man<br />
for forty days at the rate of ten hours a ("ay.<br />
It is useful to remember the rapidity absolutely<br />
necessary for proof corrections of daily papers,<br />
and then compare the time tak with the £20<br />
charge.<br />
It is almost impossible to really check correc-<br />
tions, as sometimes the insertion of a word will<br />
throw the type out for i.ages.<br />
An author ought to try if possible to insert a<br />
phrase or word of similar length to the phrase or<br />
word deleted, and ought to try and make full<br />
corrections, if any are necessary, when the type is<br />
in " slip form," before it is made up into pages.<br />
Other Clauses.<br />
The following clauses are not classified under<br />
r.ny particular heading, but as they have been<br />
been culled from agreements, it is as well for the<br />
author to be aware of their existence.<br />
"The publisher is, so far as his charge for com-<br />
posing, stereotyping, printing, binding, supplying<br />
paper, and furnishing copies, whether retail or to<br />
the trade, are concerned, to be regarded as princi-<br />
pal and not as agent either of the author or of<br />
any other person, and as principal he will render<br />
an account in writing made up to the usual<br />
quarter days on the first day of May, August,<br />
November, and February in each year."<br />
This clause has been taken out of a commission<br />
agreement, and suggests that the publisher is not<br />
anxious to have the accounts between himself and<br />
his printer investigated.<br />
It should not be allowed to stand. Every pub-<br />
lisher who is desirous of dealing well with authors<br />
is only too anxious to give every facility for the<br />
investigation of accounts. Is this clause intended<br />
to give the publisher an opportunity of making a<br />
large secret profit? This must not be assumed.<br />
Any honourable publisher would repudiate the<br />
suggestion and withdraw the clause.<br />
"The author undertakes to refrain from writing<br />
or publishing, or causing or assisting or licensing<br />
the publication of any other work likely to<br />
injure, compete with, or impair the sale of the<br />
work during the continuance of this license, or<br />
until the whole of the copies lawfully produced<br />
under this license shall have been disposed of."<br />
No author should allow this clause to remain<br />
in his agreement unless the publisher equally<br />
binds himself to refrain from publishing. It is<br />
a most dangerous clause without reciprocity. To<br />
meet the case it might be possible to arrange a<br />
time limit, say, of three years to either party. In<br />
the first place it would be a foolish action on<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 34 (#54) ##############################################<br />
<br />
34<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
the part of an author to destroy his own property,<br />
but it might be a very profitable thing on the<br />
part of a publisher to obtain the control over a<br />
similar work, and thus stop the competition of<br />
other publishers and hold the command of the<br />
market on a given subject.<br />
This refers to the publishing of educational,<br />
scientific, technical, <fcc, books, and it is in agree-<br />
ments for the production of these books that the<br />
above clause is generally inserted.<br />
"The author shall guarantee that there is copy-<br />
right in the said work in the United Kingdom,<br />
and that he is the proprietor thereof, and that<br />
should the publication of the said book subject<br />
the publishers to any legal proceedings, civil or<br />
criminal, in the United Kingdom, he shall in-<br />
demnify the publishers from all cost and liability<br />
whatsoever which the publisher may incur in<br />
connection with such legal proceedings."<br />
It is sometimes necessary and often reasonable<br />
to give the publisher an indemnity clause against<br />
actions for infringement of copyright or libel.<br />
But it is hardly fair to ask the author to in-<br />
demnify the publisher from "any legal pro-<br />
ceedings connected with the publication of the<br />
book." He might have a dispute with the printer,<br />
with the binder, Ac, for which the author could<br />
hardly be responsible.<br />
"That in thp event of the sale exceeding the<br />
said copies the publisher shall bear the cost<br />
of any subsequent editions or edition, and shall<br />
allow the said author a royalty of pence<br />
per shilling on the published price."<br />
This is a case of deferred royalty. If any<br />
author is compelled to accept such an agreement<br />
he should endeavour to ascertain whether the<br />
work is likely to reach the amount named, and to<br />
protect himself from the publisher refusing to<br />
let it reach the amount by binding the publisher<br />
to produce a specified number of copies.<br />
In a profit-sharing agreement a clause to the<br />
effect that "advertisements appearing in the<br />
publishers' own organs shall be charged for at<br />
half the usual tariff "—must be struck out.<br />
It costs the publishers nothing beyond the<br />
setting up of the type and an infinitesimal amount<br />
for paper, and it is unfair in a case of quasi-<br />
partnership that the one partner should benefit<br />
at the expense of the other, for in such an agree-<br />
ment, if the author has not in addition a tight<br />
hand over the advertisements, a considerable<br />
amount of profits may be sunk.<br />
Monthly periodicals are not good advertising<br />
mediums.<br />
The above clause is no doubt put forward as a<br />
sop to the author, but it must not be allowed to<br />
stand. It is unfair for one partner to make this<br />
profit and not the other. In addition it should be<br />
pointed out this clause does not cover exchange<br />
advertisements in other periodicals — another<br />
method by which the publisher obtains an advan-<br />
tage and the author does not. In other words,<br />
such a clause gives the publisher the absolute<br />
rights of swamping the whole profits of a book<br />
by advertising in his own organs.<br />
Serial Publication.<br />
It may be as well to add a few words on serial<br />
publication, by which is meant not publication<br />
in a series of books, but publication in the form<br />
of periodical issue.<br />
Serial rights are a very important part of<br />
literary property, especially as the short story is<br />
so much in vogue.<br />
Serial rights may be divided as follows:<br />
These are the common forms.<br />
1. Rights in some important London magazine<br />
or paper.<br />
2. Rights in some important American maga-<br />
zine or paper.<br />
3. Secondary rights in England.<br />
4. Secondary rights in America.-<br />
5. Rights in the Colonies and Dependencies of<br />
Great Britain.<br />
In selling any of these rights, the author should<br />
be very careful of what he is selling and of the<br />
date of publication.<br />
It is best when writing to an editor to state<br />
clearly what is offered, e.g.,<br />
"Dear Sir,—" I beg to offer you the inclosed<br />
for serial publication in '. . . .'" (naming the<br />
periodical).<br />
If the tale is accepted without any further<br />
special stipulations, then it is accepted on the<br />
terms of the letter. N.B.—Keep a copy of the<br />
letter.<br />
If the author is particular as to price, he should<br />
also state the amount per thousand words that he<br />
will require.<br />
If the author is careless, he may find that he<br />
has sold all serial rights, that his story is being<br />
syndicated in the provinces and in America, and<br />
is bringing in moneys that he could have put<br />
into his own pocket.<br />
He may find, again, that he has brought him-<br />
self within the toils of the 18th section of the<br />
Copyright Act.<br />
The 18th section runs as follows :—<br />
"XVIII. And be it enacted, that when any pub-<br />
lisher or other person shall, before or at the time<br />
of the passing of this Act, have projected, con-<br />
ducted, and carried on, or shall hereafter project,<br />
conduct, and carry on, or be the proprietor of<br />
any encyclopaedia, review, magazine, periodical<br />
work, or work published in a series of books or<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 35 (#55) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
35<br />
parts, or any book whatsoever, and shall have<br />
employed or shall employ any persons to compose<br />
the same, or any volume, parts, essays, articles,<br />
or portions thereof for publication in or as part<br />
of the same, and such work, volumes, parts,<br />
essays, articles, or portions shall have been or<br />
shall hereafter be composed under such employ-<br />
ment, on the terms that the copyright therein<br />
shall belong to such proprietor, projector, pub-<br />
lisher, or conductor, and paid for by such pro-<br />
prietor, publisher, projector, or conductor, the<br />
copyright in every such encyclopaedia, review,<br />
magazine, periodical work, and work published in<br />
a series of books or parts, and in every volume,<br />
part, essay, article, and portion so composed and<br />
paid for, shall be the property of such proprietor,<br />
projector, publisher, or other conductor, who<br />
shall enjoy the same rights as if he were the<br />
actual author thereof, and shall have such term<br />
of copyright therein as is given to the authors of<br />
books by this Act; except only that in the case<br />
of essays, articles, or portions forming part of<br />
and first published in reviews, magazines, or<br />
other periodical works of a like nature after the<br />
term of twenty-eight years from the first pub-<br />
lication thereof respectively,the right of publishing<br />
the same in a separate form shall revert to the<br />
author for the remainder of the term given by<br />
this Act: Provided always, that during the term<br />
of twenty-eight years the said proprietor, pro-<br />
jector, publisher, or conductor, shall not publish<br />
any such essay, article, or portion separately or<br />
singly, without the consent previously obtained<br />
of the author thereof, or his assigns: Provided<br />
also, that nothing herein contained shall alter or<br />
affect the right of any person who shall have been<br />
or who shall be so employed as aforesaid to<br />
publish any such his composition in a separate<br />
form who by any contract, express or implied,<br />
may have received or may hereafter reserve to<br />
himself such right; but every author reserving,<br />
retaining, or having such right shall be entitled<br />
to the copyright in such composition when pub-<br />
lished in a separate form, according to this Act,<br />
without prejudice to the right of such proprietor,<br />
projector, publisher, or conductor, as aforesaid."<br />
It will be seen from this that when the pro-<br />
prietor employs and pays (a most important<br />
feature) a writer on the terms that the copyright<br />
in the work done shall belong to such proprietor,<br />
then the proprietor can for twenty-eight years<br />
republish the work, but only with the consent<br />
of the author, but that the author may on the<br />
other hand expressly or impliedly retain his copy-<br />
right.<br />
The question what would happen if nothing<br />
was said about copyright is left open.<br />
Does the author impliedly reserve it?<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
One case decided in the courts seems to point<br />
to this view, but the question is still by good<br />
authorities considered doubtful.<br />
If the author can sell both the American and<br />
English serial rights he must arrange for simul-<br />
taneous publication so as not to lose the American<br />
copyright.<br />
There are certain periodicals that publish long<br />
stories in single numbers. This is often the case<br />
with annuals.<br />
The author when selling to such periodicals<br />
should keep this point before him, as it is possible<br />
that such circulation may damage the book rights,<br />
and if this is likely he should secure an enhanced<br />
price.<br />
The author should never sign a receipt for<br />
moneys in payment for serial use which is so<br />
expressed as to convey the copyright to the<br />
proprietor.<br />
If an author does not understand what he is<br />
signing he had better take the advice of some one<br />
who does.<br />
He should be careful of the date of publication,<br />
for the very simple reason that the tale will be<br />
published in book form, and it cannot appear in<br />
this form until it has run at any rate for some<br />
months as a serial.<br />
It is important for an author to arrange that<br />
the publication of one story does not conflict with<br />
the publication of another.<br />
There is the further question that many<br />
periodicals do not pay until publication takes<br />
place. This, of course, could not be delayed in-<br />
definitely, but the expense and difficulty of<br />
bringing the machinery of the law to work ought,<br />
if possible, to be avoided. Let the contract<br />
be quite clear by taking a little care in the<br />
beginning.<br />
Authors should be careful also that their MS.<br />
is sent type-written, If type-writing is too<br />
expensive, then the writing should be very<br />
distinct.<br />
There is no doubt however that a type-written<br />
MS. increases an author's chance of being read,<br />
and he should not neglect this chance.<br />
The author should always retain a copy in case<br />
of accidents, and should be very careful of the<br />
position and repute of the periodical he intends<br />
to deal with.<br />
G. H. Thring, Secretary.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 36 (#56) ##############################################<br />
<br />
36<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
A DIALOGUE.<br />
<br />
OURNALIST. — " When you say that the<br />
publisher never takes any risk I can listen<br />
no longer."<br />
Author.—" Where and when have we said<br />
that the publisher never takes any risk?"<br />
J. —" Why . . . everybody knows that<br />
you say it."<br />
A.—" Where did you read it or hear it said by<br />
anybody connected with the Society?"<br />
J.—" Well . . . everybody . . . ."<br />
A.—" I don't want everybody—I want you—<br />
Where did you hear it said or read it?" Silence.<br />
"You never did read it: you heard a rumour:<br />
somebody talked as if that silly statement had<br />
been made. What has been said is this—that<br />
the risks taken by publishers, with certain excep-<br />
tions, are few, and for the most part inconsider-<br />
able. A book that carries risk is generally pub-<br />
lished at the author's expense."<br />
J.—" Inconsiderable! How can you say so?<br />
The publisher has to advance hundreds for every<br />
book. Perhaps he never gets back anything."<br />
A.—" Tou speak, my dear friend, of what you<br />
know nothing. What, for instance, is risk?<br />
Define risk?<br />
J.—" The money paid for printing and pro-<br />
ducing a book. What else can it be?"<br />
A.—" It is, in fact, nothing of the kind. The<br />
publisher has longer credit with the printer than<br />
he gives to the bookseller. The risk, therefore, is<br />
the difference between the first lively sale of a<br />
book and its cost. In other words, if a book costs<br />
£100, and during the first six months its sale<br />
amounts to .£98, the publishers' risk is£2. Now do<br />
you see how risk is generally inconsiderable?"<br />
J.—"Then you issue a so-called ' Cost of Pro-<br />
duction.' They tell me that no book could be got<br />
out at the figures you give. Look at the adver-<br />
tisements. You put down £20. Why, they've<br />
got to spend hundreds on every book."<br />
A.—"Really! Hundreds! Well, but about<br />
the 'Cost of Production.' There was a little<br />
howling when it first came out. One man wrote<br />
to the papers protesting that it couldn't possibly<br />
be clone at the price. I offered to take over the<br />
whole of his printing at that price. When I did<br />
that I had a letter in my hand from a certain<br />
firm of printers—as good a house as there is in<br />
the country—offering to do work on these terms<br />
if the work was steady, that is, the whole, or a<br />
good part, of a publisher's work. And now<br />
they've left off protesting. The book is accepted<br />
to be what it is, a very fair approximation—as<br />
fair as can be got for such a varying and un-<br />
certain thing as a printer's bill."<br />
J. (grunts).—" And the advertisements?"<br />
A.—"If you count the advertisements in their<br />
own organs and their exchanges—which co»t<br />
them nothing—perhaps, hundreds. If you count<br />
the sums actually paid—a very small amount<br />
indeed—on nine-tenths of the books published, I<br />
doubt if so much as £10 can be expended in<br />
ad vertisements."<br />
j.—" Well, but there are all the fraudulent<br />
publishers whose cases you publish. Where are<br />
they? Why are they not in prison? Why are<br />
they not named?"<br />
A.—" You suggest that the cases are invented.<br />
I have seen the suggestion made in print. It<br />
was made by an author, naturally. We have not<br />
all of us as yet risen above the joy of putting a<br />
knife into as many other authors as we can.<br />
However, if you were only to read the things<br />
about which you speak, you would recognise from<br />
internal evidence that the agreements could not<br />
be invented. You would also consider that the<br />
committee of the society have actually seen all<br />
these cases and all these agreements: you would<br />
therefore ask yourself whether it is within the<br />
bounds of possibility that the committee would<br />
consent to such falsification. Why, then, are<br />
not the names published? Why are not the men<br />
prosecuted? For various reasons. First, in by<br />
far the greater number of cases the author has<br />
been simply "bested" by clauses in the agree-<br />
ment which he did not understand. You cannot<br />
prosecute a man for putting into an agreement a<br />
clause which gives him 50 per cent., while an<br />
agent would take 10 per cent. Yet the thing<br />
looks ugly on paper when it is exposed; we have<br />
exposed scores of cases such as this. Next, it is<br />
often old business—three or four years old, or<br />
more, when it comes to us: cases which it would<br />
be inconvenient or impossible to reopen. Thirdly,<br />
when a prosecution or an action might lie, the<br />
case is quickly settled by the publisher; or, which<br />
happens very often, the author will not go into<br />
court. Nothing would please the society more<br />
than to have such a case to take into court; but<br />
it grows every day more difficult: the formerly<br />
common tricks—as the overcharge of cost and<br />
the charging for advertisements not paid—are<br />
much less practised since the society was esta-<br />
blished; while, as I said just now, clauses which<br />
the author does not understand answer the purpose<br />
quite as well as the ancient dodges."<br />
J.—" And you talk everywhere about publish-<br />
ing being such a splendid business—"<br />
A.—" Look around you. Wherever publishers<br />
get on at all, they get on splendidly. There are<br />
at least a dozen big businesses all made in the<br />
last ten years."<br />
J.—" Then, since you know all the tricks, why<br />
don't you go in yourself?"<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 37 (#57) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
37<br />
A.—"A dubious compliment to ask a man<br />
why he does not become a trickster because he<br />
bus learned the tricks of others. I think you<br />
will not press that proposition."<br />
J.—" Well—then, why not go in, with your<br />
experience, and become, if you will allow that<br />
there is such a thing, an honest publisher':'"<br />
A.—"I certainly allow that there is such a thing.<br />
I know several such 'things.' But you might<br />
just as well ask me why I do not read law and<br />
become a lawyer, which is a very fine line of<br />
business. Because then, first of all, I am<br />
already in my own line, such as it is. Secondly,<br />
because every kind of business requires the<br />
possession of habits and powers and a certain<br />
training, which I have not. If you ask me, how-<br />
ever, why more young fellows with business<br />
training and habits do not turn their attention<br />
to this very lucrative line of business, I have<br />
only to reply, 'why not ?'"<br />
J.—"Well—all lean say is that I don't see why<br />
you shouldn't let publishers make their profit just<br />
the same as other people."<br />
A.—" Let them. Nobody wants to prevent<br />
them. The only thing we want is to know where<br />
we stand witb regard to the administration of<br />
our own estates. We only say—' Pray, what is<br />
your own share in this business and on this agree-<br />
ment?' They never will tell us. When we do<br />
find out, the result is not satisfactory. In the well-<br />
known 6«. case—for instance—the publisher gets for<br />
the most part i*. 6d.; the author, is.; the London<br />
bookseller about 8rf.; the country bookseller about<br />
4</. How does that strike you? Remember that<br />
the estate—the book—belongs to the author."<br />
J.—" Well; then look at the enormous office<br />
expenses."<br />
A.—" Do you mean the bookseller's office<br />
expenses? The office expenses of the country<br />
bookseller must be far greater in proportion than<br />
those of the publisher. However, we do not ask<br />
what are the office expenses of the solicitor or the<br />
medical practitioner, or the estate agent or the<br />
auctioneer—when you can show me that such is<br />
the custom in other lines I will agree to talk<br />
about the publisher's office expenses—and even<br />
then I must talk as well about the bookseller's<br />
office expenses and the author's office expenses.<br />
And now, my friend, you have retailed, without<br />
any reading or special inquiry of your own, a<br />
good deal of the loose talk which is encouraged<br />
by our friends and their allies. When you have<br />
taken the trouble to read what has actually been<br />
written and spoken, I shall be glad to hear what<br />
new objections you have to make. Meantime<br />
oblige me by asking those persons who do talk in<br />
this loose way if they will kindly read what has<br />
been said before making any comments upon it."<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
THERE exist in England to-day, an authors',<br />
a publishers', a booksellers', and a news-<br />
agents' society, and they all need but little<br />
strengthening to thoroughly represent the trade.<br />
As fighting forces, one against the other, they cari<br />
do much to protect their own particular interests,<br />
but combined, they would at once stand on a level<br />
with that vast society of Germany that has been a<br />
blessing to every interest it represents. Further,<br />
such a combination in Great Britain could at once<br />
be allied to that of Germany and France, and<br />
with very little further effort we should have a<br />
trade protection association whose workings<br />
would rapidly become world-wide, and which<br />
would govern the production and distribution of<br />
literature wherever a fount of type or a printed<br />
page existed." i<br />
The above paragraph is copied from the News-<br />
agents and Booksellers' Review. Four or five<br />
years ago an able article on the solidarity of the<br />
literary interests appeared in these columns. The<br />
writer of this paper — a well-known lady —<br />
advocated the consolidation of every interest<br />
concerned, viz., printer, binder, artist, author,<br />
middleman or distributor, and bookseller. We<br />
ought not to lose sight of the possibility of<br />
forming such a combination. It can only, how-<br />
ever, be formed on the basis of recognising the<br />
rights of each. And we seem far enough off<br />
such a recognition as yet. For instance, the<br />
authors, who must have the first say in the matter,<br />
have not yet put forward any scheme which<br />
embodies their own views. The publishers at<br />
their first meeting announced their intention of<br />
not interfering with agreements, a resolution<br />
which shuts them out of consideration in any<br />
practical proposals, because the relations of pub-<br />
lishers, both to authors and booksellers, rest<br />
entirely upon the agreements. And there are two<br />
associations of booksellers. Why two': Surely,<br />
the first step should be the amalgamation of the<br />
two societies in one.<br />
Mr. Thring's able and thoughtful paper, point-<br />
ing out some of the pitfalls and traps so carefully<br />
set in agreements ought to open the eyes of some<br />
who persistently refuse to admit that these<br />
pitfalls exist. They show, besides, that the<br />
business side of literature is extremely com-<br />
plicated: that it requires long experience before<br />
it can be mastered: that it is next to impossible<br />
for anyone to master it, except after long study<br />
and such experience as can only be got at by the<br />
Society and its secretary: that it is simple follv<br />
for anyone, with these plain facts and figures<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 38 (#58) ##############################################<br />
<br />
38<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
before him, to suppose himself capable of<br />
examining an agreement. It is, however, fair to<br />
say that many respectable publishers who have<br />
year after year gone on with the same form of<br />
agreement, have done so in ignorance of what the<br />
clauses involved, especially from the legal point<br />
of view, mean. There has been a great change for<br />
the better of late years. The terms of praise and<br />
admiration with which the other kind of pub-<br />
lisher speaks of this Society sufficiently prove<br />
this. ^ic_<br />
One or two of the clauses mentioned by Mr.<br />
Thring were not known to his predecessor, Mr.<br />
Sprigge, when he wrote the "Methods of<br />
Publishing." The mind of man is inventive.<br />
For instance, that one which kindly offers to<br />
charge only half the tariff price for advertise-<br />
ments in the firm's own organs. It looks so<br />
well! Only half! Is it not a generous—a kindly<br />
—a disinterested offer? Yet the clause places in<br />
the publisher's hands the power of taking for<br />
himself as much as he pleases of the profits of the<br />
book! He is too great and good to use that<br />
power? No doubt. Then let him give up the clause,<br />
and thereby show his greatness and his goodness.<br />
Then there is the thirteen as twelve clause. This<br />
is based upon the fact that booksellers ordering<br />
twelve copies of a book get thirteen as twelve.<br />
Sometimes they get the same.privilege by ordering<br />
twelve copies, including more works than one. But<br />
the country bookseller can seldom make so large an<br />
order on one publisher. Some allowance should<br />
certainly be made for books actually given thirteen<br />
as twelve. But does the atithor who signs such a<br />
clause realise that he actually gives up 8 per<br />
cent 'r And one very earnestly advises the<br />
author to consider very carefully as regards the<br />
American and other rights—that his agent will<br />
charge him 10 per cent., while his publisher will<br />
probably charge him 50 per cent. Are not these<br />
things worth considering 'f I hope that Mr.<br />
Thring's paper may be published separately with<br />
the agreements quoted, and perhaps others in full.<br />
A note on the miserable prices paid by certain<br />
magazines to contributors will be found in the<br />
"Correspondence." Poetry at 3*. a poem: a<br />
cheque fur 12*. 6c?. for a story of 1500 words:<br />
for an article, 5a.: for a novel of 70,000 words,<br />
£10! The papers concerned, of which a note has<br />
been taken, are not very high up in the literary<br />
ladder; but three of them, at least, are credited<br />
with a large circulation. In this payment of<br />
contributors there are several factors to be<br />
considered. The first and most important is,<br />
how much the writer will take: if there are<br />
found poets to take 3*. a poem, some people-<br />
will offer 3*.: there is the circulation of the paper<br />
to be considered; there is also the reputation of<br />
the writer and the value of his name to the<br />
paper. As regards prices paid for stories, there<br />
are, or were a year or two ago, persons who<br />
bought novels of 20,000 and 30,000 words for<br />
£2 15s. each! Our correspondent should take<br />
care to find out before he offers his contributions<br />
to the lower kind of magazine what is the scale of<br />
remuneration, or he should state his price. If<br />
authors would only become men of business in<br />
the business side of their work!<br />
It would perhaps serve a useful purpose if the<br />
prices paid per page or per thousand words by<br />
the different magazines were ascertained and<br />
published. The prices paid for serial fiction must<br />
be excepted, because they vary according to the<br />
position of the author. Here the editor is a<br />
despot: he can offer what he pleases. It is some<br />
satisfaction, however, to know that one magazine,<br />
at least, has sunk into insignificance through the<br />
starving of the fiction. Generally speaking,<br />
editors of high class magazines and journals are<br />
on such excellent terms with everybody that there<br />
is evidently complete satisfaction on the part of<br />
contributors. Nor, again, should a special offer<br />
made to get exceptional work from the only man<br />
who can furnish it, be printed and published.<br />
But it would surely be useful to have the<br />
customary tariff of every respectable magazine<br />
known and published.<br />
The following is the list of subscriptions re-<br />
ceived up to the 20th June in reply to an appeal<br />
recently made in these columns, and elsewhere,<br />
on behalf of the veteran authoress, Mrs. Warren:—<br />
£ 0. d.<br />
£ a. d.<br />
A Friend I<br />
A Poor Old Woman o<br />
Among Many o<br />
Aiton, Miss I<br />
Asher, S. G., Esq.... 3<br />
Allen, Mrs o 10<br />
Bemrose, Henry H..<br />
Esq 10 o<br />
Besant, Sir Walter.. 2 2<br />
Berkeley, Mrs o 3<br />
Carter, Miss o 5<br />
Clarke, Cecil, Esq... 1 11<br />
Dean, A., Esq o 5<br />
Doyle, Dr. Conan .. 2 2<br />
Hamilton, Miss C.J. 1 1<br />
Helmore, Miss o 10<br />
Jndd, J. W.,Esq.... 2 2<br />
Low, Miss o 5<br />
Masters, Dr. Max-<br />
well T I i<br />
Miohell, Miss G. ... o io<br />
o Parker, Dr.and Mrs. 2<br />
o Rothschild, Leopold<br />
6 de, Esq. (per Mrs.<br />
o Allen) 2<br />
Redden, MiBS o<br />
Smart, Mrs. F. G... o<br />
Toynbee. William,<br />
Esq I<br />
Three Ladies (per<br />
Miss Edwards) o<br />
Underdown, MisB... -o<br />
Welch, Miss O<br />
o o-<br />
5 o<br />
5 o<br />
6 o<br />
5 o<br />
4 o<br />
o Wood, Miss o io o<br />
H. B. C I I o-<br />
K.M.G o 2 6<br />
F. H o io o<br />
L. M i i o-<br />
A. V I o o<br />
E. H i i o<br />
£44<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 39 (#59) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
39<br />
Messrs. Bemrose and Sons, her late publishers,<br />
have kindly promised Mrs. Warren an annuity of<br />
£20. Further douations will be acknowledged<br />
in these columns by Ellen T. Masters, of 4, Mount<br />
Avenue-road, Ealing, W.<br />
The death of Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe<br />
carries the thoughts of those who are over fifty<br />
to the appearance of " Uncle Tom's Cabin." The<br />
time was what historians call a transition period.<br />
We were passing out of the eighteenth century<br />
—someone should invent a new name for that<br />
time which began with William the Third and<br />
lasted till William the Fourth. The black<br />
slavery of the Southern States was balanced<br />
by the white slavery of England. "Uncle Tom's<br />
Cabin" had its counter-part in Mrs. Trollope's<br />
"Michael Armstrong," which made compara-<br />
tively little impression, because, though the facts<br />
were as strong, the treatment was weak. It is<br />
difficult to recall the intensity and the extent of<br />
emotion which was aroused all over this country by<br />
"Uncle Tom's Cabin." Men cursed the Southern<br />
States; women wept for rage; everybody called<br />
aloud upon the North for very shame to put the<br />
accursed thing away from them. It is a curious<br />
time to remember. Yet, a few years later, when<br />
the South took up arms, in 1861, the English<br />
sympathies were with them from the first. And<br />
to think that the woman who created the<br />
indignation of the world in 1851 (?) has lived<br />
till 1896! Her second book, called "Dred,"<br />
fell comparatively flat. No writer can make the<br />
•whole world indignant more than once, even if<br />
he tries more than one subject. I suppose there<br />
is an instinctive feeling that real passion in a<br />
writer can only be awakened by personal suffering<br />
and experience, and that one's personal experi-<br />
ences are limited. The satirist lashes his tail and<br />
roars, but no one heeds him because he satirises<br />
everything. For much the same reason even the<br />
same subject fails to move the world, when<br />
treated by the same writer more than once.<br />
The note under the head of "Literary Pro-<br />
perty," concerning theatrical agents, raises the<br />
question whether an agent's fee can be with<br />
fairness demanded at the outset. It may be<br />
argued that the agent, whether he succeeds or<br />
not, has to take a great deal of trouble in going<br />
round among managers and editors, for which he<br />
is paid by the fee: that, if he succeeds, the fee is<br />
deducted from the commission: and that if he<br />
fails it has been earned by his personal trouble.<br />
On the other hand, the author may fairly say<br />
"There is the work. If you can place it you<br />
shall have the commission as your share. If you<br />
fail there will be nothing to divide." There seems<br />
something to be said fur the autlior, who certainly<br />
has had his trouble and toil in the matter. Sup-<br />
pose that the agent refuses to work without a fee in<br />
advance: suppose that the author refuses to pay<br />
unless his work is placed. Then we come to a<br />
deadlock, in which I see no way out of it but for<br />
one side or the other to give way. Eventually<br />
one must, or the author would have to go round<br />
himself with his wares and probably fail, and the<br />
agent would be unable to pay his rent, and so<br />
both together would stand at the bar of that<br />
ccurt which holds its sittings unpleasan ly near<br />
the offices of this Society.<br />
Walter Besant.<br />
AUSTRALIAN POETRY.<br />
THERE is nothing^/r'/t de siecle about colonial<br />
life; nothing indeed of any sort of " end,"<br />
all seems beginning there. Especially<br />
does the contrast with the withered cultivation of<br />
Europe strike a student of the colonists' metrical<br />
compositions; an unconventional energy, almost<br />
defiant yet free from affectation that reminds the<br />
reader of Edgar Poe or Rudyard Kipling. With<br />
a difference, no doubt; for neither Marcus Clarke<br />
nor Lindsay Gordon has anything like the inevit-<br />
ableness, or the sure artistic touch of the<br />
American or the Anglo-Indian. Yet, in a way,<br />
they are alike.<br />
But one cannot avoid a feeling of admiring<br />
surprise at the conditions revealed as well by<br />
those writers as by the public for whom they<br />
wrote; and the wonder is fed by observing that<br />
those conditions were by no means accidental or<br />
temporary, but still exist. Especially in the<br />
department of lyrical and short-narrative verse<br />
is the output of the current time remarkable; and<br />
from all that can be learned the encouragement<br />
given to it by a very small public is equally worthy<br />
of remark. Last year came Mr. A. B. Paterson,<br />
with a volume at 5*. and a large paper edition<br />
at a guinea. He is now in his fifth thousand.*<br />
This year we have Mr. Henry Lawsoti appearing<br />
in the same manner, already arrived at his second<br />
thousand, f Both volumes—in their 58. form—<br />
are fine samples of publication, unerringly<br />
printed in clear long primer on hand-nia !e paper,<br />
with gilt tops and good cloth boards.<br />
* '■ The Man from the Snowy River," and other verBes.<br />
Sydney, 1895.<br />
t "In the Days when the World was Wide," and other<br />
verses. Sydney, 1836.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 40 (#60) ##############################################<br />
<br />
4°<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
As for the authors and their works, Mr. Pater-<br />
son appears to be a native of the New South<br />
Wales "up-country," locally known by the<br />
sobriquet of "Banjo ;" he comes before us intro-<br />
duced by " Rolf Boldrewood," the famous author<br />
of "Robbery under Arms" and other fictitious<br />
presentations of Australian life, from whose<br />
preface a few extracts may be profitably offered<br />
here.<br />
"It is not easy to write ballads descriptive of<br />
the bushland of Australia . . . the maker of<br />
folk-songs for our newborn nation requires a<br />
somewhat rare combination of gifts and ex-<br />
periences . . . bright gleams of humour,<br />
pathos, and romance which, like undiscovered<br />
gold, await the fortunate adventurer. That our<br />
author has touched this treasure-trove no true<br />
Australian will deuy. In my opinion this collec-<br />
tion comprises the best bush ballads written since<br />
the death of Lindsay Gordon."<br />
Mr. Lawson, a Sydney journalist, is, perhaps,<br />
not quite so strong as " Banjo," but with a rather<br />
more workmanly technique. On one occasion at<br />
least the two have written in conscious com-<br />
petition; and a comparison of the resulting<br />
poenis is not without interest, as illustrating the<br />
contrast between opposite kinds of New South<br />
Wales life. Mr. Paterson, writing from his<br />
native point of view, calls his piece " In defence<br />
of the Bush"; it is short, nervous, and—as<br />
the author might say—without an ounce of<br />
superfluous fat. The following are some of the<br />
best lines:—<br />
So you're back from up the country, Mr. Townsman, where<br />
you went,<br />
And you're curding all the business in a bitter dis-<br />
content . . .<br />
And the road* were hot and dusty, and the plains were<br />
burnt and brown,<br />
And no doubt you're better suited, drinking lemon-squash in<br />
town<br />
But the Bush bu'h moods and changes, as the seasons rise<br />
and fall.<br />
And the men that know the bushland, they are loyal through<br />
it all. . . .<br />
Did you chance to hear a chorus in the shearers' buts at<br />
night?<br />
Did they rise np " William Riley " by the camp-fire's cheery<br />
blaze,<br />
Did they rise him as we rose him in the good old droving<br />
days? . . .<br />
And the " shy selector-children "—were they better, now, or<br />
worse<br />
Than the little city-urchins who would greet you with a<br />
curse f<br />
Is not such a life much better than the squalid street or<br />
square<br />
Where the fallen women flaunt it in the fierce electric<br />
glare,<br />
Where the sempstress plies her sewing till her eyes are sore<br />
and red,<br />
In a filthy, dirty attic, toiling on for daily bread "t . . .<br />
Did the magpies rouse your slumbers with a carol sweet<br />
and strange,<br />
Did you hear the Bilver chiming of the bell-birds on the<br />
range? . . .<br />
You had better stick to Sydney and make merry with " the<br />
push,"<br />
For the bush will never suit you, and you'll never suit the<br />
bush.<br />
Thus the up-country man, in simple strain, to<br />
whom Mr. Townsman replies in a long poem of<br />
far higher literary ambition, entitled "The City<br />
Bushman," of which the subjoined sample may<br />
suffice:—<br />
It was pleasant up the country, City Bushman, where you<br />
went,<br />
For you Bought the greener patohes, and you travelled like<br />
a" gent." . . .<br />
But we lately heard yon singing of the plains where shade<br />
is not,<br />
And you mentioned it was dusty —" all was dry and all waa<br />
hot."<br />
True, the bush "hath moods and changes," and the buah-<br />
man hath 'em, too;<br />
For he's not a poet's dummy, he's a man, the same as<br />
you j . . .<br />
And, in short, we think the bushman's being driven to the<br />
wall,<br />
And it's doubtful if his Bpirit will be "loyal through it<br />
all." . . .<br />
And the " rise and fall of seasons " suits the rise and fall of<br />
rhyme,<br />
But we know the western seasons do not run on schedule<br />
time. . . .<br />
It is up in Northern Queensland that the seasons do their<br />
best,<br />
But it's doubtful if yon ever saw a Beason in the<br />
West. ...<br />
In the bush my ears were open to the singing of the bird,<br />
But the "carol of the magpie" was a thing I never<br />
heard. . . .<br />
And the bell-bird in tbe ranges—but his " silver chime" is<br />
harsh,<br />
When it is heard beside the solo of the curlew in the<br />
marsh.<br />
Yes, I heard the shearers singing " William Riley" out of<br />
tune,<br />
Saw them fighting round a Bhanty on a Sunday after-<br />
noon. . .<br />
And we couldn't raise a chorus for the toothache and the<br />
cramp,<br />
While we spent the hours of darkness draining puddleB<br />
round the camp. . .<br />
Yon are down on trams and busses, or the roar of them, you<br />
said,<br />
And the "filthy, dirty attic," where you never toiled for<br />
bread. . . .<br />
But you'll find it very jolly with the cuff-and-collar push,<br />
And the city seems to suit you, while you rave about the<br />
bush.<br />
This is better literature, perhaps, than that of<br />
"Banjo"; yet one cannot but agree with colonial<br />
opinion, which held that " Lawson was out of it."<br />
The attempt to represent himself as familiar with<br />
the bush might pass; but the absurdity of holding<br />
up the squatter as a Cockney was too palpable,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 41 (#61) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
4i<br />
Some of Mr. Lawson's work is even better than<br />
what we have just seen; a short tale in rhyme,<br />
called "The Fire at Ross's Farm," is a favourable<br />
sample, but is too long to reproduce here, and<br />
must be judged as a whole. It will be found<br />
almost as good as the battle at the end of Scott's<br />
"Marmion " for movement and sympathy.<br />
The pattern and standard of these writers,<br />
however, is one nearer to themselves in place and<br />
time than Sir Walter. The unhappy Adam<br />
Lindsay Gordon—who shot himself at Melbourne<br />
in 1870—was originally a British officer and<br />
sporting man who again had close relations, as<br />
an author, with Whyte Melville. Like Gordon,<br />
the men whose work we have been discussing are<br />
British in character, not highly cultured nor<br />
above using local slang, or almost any language<br />
that comes handy: their two peaks of Parnassus<br />
are the racecourse and the stock farm; and the<br />
whisky is a collateral Hippocrene, never far off. It<br />
is a strange byepath of Parnassus, bearing little<br />
blossom and bordered by crude and acrid berries.<br />
But in all we breathe a rough air of earnestness,<br />
and seem to hear Rugby boys kicking and<br />
swearing in a football "scrummage," rather than<br />
dainty disciples of a decorated muse. By far the<br />
most wonderful part of the affair, however, to<br />
London authors, at least, must be that the<br />
population of the colonies—altogether less than<br />
that of London—can absorb thousands of volumes<br />
of verse in a few months. H. G. K.<br />
A LESSON PBOM NEBRASKA.<br />
THE following reminders are from a paper<br />
read before the Chicago Trade Press<br />
Association. They are found in the<br />
Authors' Journal (New Fork) for April. They<br />
may possibly be of some use on this side of the<br />
water:<br />
Abortive means untimely in its birth and so<br />
brought out before it is well matured. A plan<br />
may be abortive, but an act cannot.<br />
Accord is a stilted substitute for give.<br />
Ability and capacity are not exact synonyms.<br />
The former is the power of applying, the latter of<br />
acquiring, knowledge.<br />
Aggravate means to add to the weight of, and<br />
is not equivalent to irritate.<br />
You can administer governments, oaths, medi-<br />
cine, but not blows nor punishments; they are<br />
dealt or given.<br />
Adopt is a poor substitute for take in such<br />
phrases as " What course will you adopt?"<br />
We write of an aggressive salesman, an aggres-<br />
sive firm. The word doesn't mean enterprising or<br />
even pushing, but hitting first, making the first<br />
attack.<br />
Do not confound amateur with novice. An<br />
amateur may be an artist of great experience and<br />
skill, but he is not a professional artist. A novice<br />
is a beginner.<br />
An audience is an assembly of hearers. There<br />
can be no audience at a gymnastic performance, a<br />
pantomime, a boat-race, a sparring match, and the<br />
like. Where only the eye is appealed to, use the<br />
word spectators.<br />
Avocation is not synonymous with vocation.<br />
A man's vocation is his calling, his business; his<br />
avocations are the things that occupy him incideu<br />
tally.<br />
Do not use balance in the sense of rest,<br />
remainder, residuum, or remnant. The word is<br />
only permissible where the simile of the scales<br />
will apply as in a book-keeper's balance.<br />
Do not confound bountiful with plentiful.<br />
Bountiful means liberal, beneficent.<br />
Distinguish character from reputation. Slander<br />
may harm reputation, but not character.<br />
Commence is called vulgar by many authorities.<br />
Begin is far preferable, because it is shorter and<br />
is Anglo-Saxon.<br />
Consider means to contemplate, to ponder. Do<br />
not use for think, suppose, or regard.<br />
Constantly is not synonymous with frequently.<br />
Constantly means uninterruptedly.<br />
Deprecate is wrongly used for disapprove,<br />
censure, condemn. The word really means to<br />
beg or pray against.<br />
Description should not be used for kind or sort.<br />
Say "his clothes were of the meanest sort," and<br />
not " of the meanest description."<br />
Dirt means filth. A thing that is dirty is foul.<br />
Do not use for earth, loam, gravel, or saud.<br />
Do not use expect for suppose, think or guess.<br />
Farther should be used exclusively with<br />
reference to distance. In other connections use<br />
further.<br />
BOOK TALK.<br />
MR. ALFRED HARMSWORTH intends<br />
to make a strong feature of book review-<br />
ing in the Daily Mail. His literary<br />
department is at present in the hands of Mr.<br />
Robert Leighton, who has written many popular<br />
boys' stories. In his work on the Daily Mail<br />
Mr. Leighton is assisted by his wife, who is the<br />
principal author of the successful Answers serials,<br />
"Convict 99," "Michael Dred," and "In the<br />
Shadow of Guilt."<br />
Mr. John Bickerdyke has published through<br />
Messrs. Hutchinson and Co. a one volume novel,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 42 (#62) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE A UTHOR.<br />
entitled "Lady Val's Elopement." The book<br />
has been printed and copyrighted in America by<br />
Mr. Lippincot, and a special colonial edition has<br />
been issued. The scene of the story is laid<br />
mainly in a Thames-side village, and in Norway<br />
at the head of the Nord Fjord. In the English<br />
scenes the author has drawn on his somewhat<br />
startling experience as a progressive member of a<br />
very antediluvian board of guardians, and on<br />
his efforts to bring a little light and liberty into<br />
a somnolent agricultural village. Perhaps, how-<br />
ever, the Norwegian scenes will appeal most<br />
forcibly to the general reader.<br />
Under the title "A New Novelist," Mr. John<br />
Hogben, editor of editions of Keats and Pope,<br />
contributor to the Spectator, &c, recently de-<br />
livered an address before the Ec'ectic Society,<br />
Edinburgh, on "St. Margaret," "Dorrie,"<br />
'Sweetheart Gwen," "The Little Widow," and<br />
"Miss Grace of All Souls," by Mr. William E.<br />
Tirebuck.<br />
In the "Book Talk" of last month it was<br />
stated that Mr. Andrew Lang was revising<br />
"Lockhart's Life of Scott." He is not revising<br />
"Lockhart's Life of Scott," but has written a<br />
"Life of Lockhart," which is a very different<br />
thing.<br />
It was the third edition, and not the second, of<br />
Mackenzie Bell's work that should have been<br />
chronicled last month.<br />
Sir Herbert Maxwell is writing a monograph on<br />
Robert Bruce, which will appear as a volume in<br />
the now well-known series which Messrs. Putnam<br />
publish, namely, The Heroes of the Nations.<br />
Mr. George Moore's new story, " Evelyn Lines,"<br />
has been secured for serial publication in the<br />
Savoy, which lowers its price and becomes a<br />
monthly instead of a quarterly with the July<br />
number.<br />
Mr. Rider Haggard's new story called "The<br />
Wizard," which is running in the African Review,<br />
and is concerned with the conversion of an<br />
African savage tribe, is to be published as Arrow-<br />
smith's (Bristol) "Christmas Annual" this year.<br />
Miss Fiona Macleod has written a new novel,<br />
called " Green Fire," which will be published by<br />
Messrs. A. Constable and Co., and siinultaneously<br />
in America, in September.<br />
Mrs. Gertrude Warden will write the next<br />
volume in Lane's Library, under the title, "The<br />
Sentimental Sex."<br />
Mr. George du Maurier's new novel is to be<br />
called "The Martian." It will be^in in Harper's<br />
in October, but about a year will elapse before it<br />
appears in volume form.<br />
Miss Annie S. Swan is publishing with Messrs.<br />
Hutchinson a little volume entitled "Kinsfolk,"<br />
dealing with Scottish character.<br />
Among the autumn novels will be "The<br />
Daughter of Alouette," by Miss Mary Owen;<br />
"The Spirit of the Storm," by Mr. Ronald Ross;<br />
and " Tales of the Sea," by Mr. J. A. Barry, all<br />
to be published from the house of Methuen.<br />
Mr. Laurence Gomme is to edit for Messrs.<br />
A. Constable and C >. a series of the best<br />
historical novels and romances dealing with<br />
English history. The volumes will appear in<br />
chronological order, with an introduction to<br />
each pointing out the correspondence between<br />
the historical facts and the fiction in which they<br />
are woven.<br />
Mrs Gertrude Atherton has written a story<br />
called "Patience Sparhawk and Her Times,"<br />
which will be published by Mr. John Lane.<br />
Mr. Percy White is writing a new novel, some-<br />
what on the lilies of his "Mr. Bailey Martin,"<br />
which will be published by Mr. Heinemann in<br />
the autumn.<br />
A collected edition of Mr. George Meredith's<br />
works will begin to appear in the autumn. The<br />
author is touching them up here and there for<br />
this purpose, but no alteration of a drastic kind,<br />
it is understood, are being made. There will be<br />
a good deal of new work included iu the edition.<br />
Like the "Edinburgh" Stevenson, the issue will<br />
be to subscribers only.<br />
Mr. George Horton, the United States Consul<br />
at Athens, has written a historical story of Greece,<br />
entitled "Constantine," which Mr. Unwin is to<br />
publish.<br />
Mr. E. F. Benson has ready for publication his<br />
work called " The Babe, B.A." It is described as<br />
"the uneventful history of a young gentleman at<br />
Cambridge."<br />
Mr. Walter Hamilton is bringing out, in the<br />
Ex-Libris Series of Messrs. Bell and Sons, a new<br />
edition of his work on "French Book-Plates,"<br />
which has been out of print for sometime. The<br />
work will be larger, and much re-written. Mr.<br />
Hamilton is chairman of council of the Ex-Libris<br />
Society, and vice-president of the French Society<br />
of Collectors.<br />
Mr. A. W. Mason, author of "The Courtship<br />
of Morrice Buckler," is writing another novel,<br />
which will appear first in serial form, and then be<br />
published bv Messrs. Innes iu the autumn of<br />
1897.<br />
Mr. Gilbert Parker and Mr. Beerbohm Tree<br />
are collaborating in a dramatic version of the<br />
former's romance, " The Seats of the Mighty."<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 43 (#63) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
43<br />
Mr. Silas K. Hocking is writing a story under<br />
the title "Such is Life," for publication by<br />
Messrs. Warne in the autumn. This firm is about<br />
to issue very soon a second series of Mr. Edward<br />
Step's " Wayside and Woodland Blossoms."<br />
Mr. Gleeson White is editing for Messrs. Bell<br />
and Sons a series of popularly written books on<br />
the cathedrals of England. He himself will write<br />
the first, namely, on Salisbury Cathedral, and<br />
-each of the others likewise will be treated by a<br />
writer with special knowledge.<br />
Professor Joseph Wright is now anticipating<br />
that the first part of his stupendous Dialect<br />
Dictionary will be issued very shortly. The<br />
work has been going on for two years, and has<br />
been personally carried out largely by the Pro-<br />
fessor alone. Committees were formed at various<br />
centres, and these supplied the material to the<br />
Clarendon Press at Oxford. Professor Wright<br />
has also financed the work himself. He intends<br />
also to collect phonogram records of local speech<br />
from all parts of the British Isles, and these will<br />
find a home in the University museum.<br />
A revised edition of "Eos Rosarum," illus-<br />
trated by the author, E. V. B., will be published<br />
shortly by Mr. Elliot Stock, There will be many<br />
new contributions to this issue, besides verses by<br />
Lord Lytton, Lord Tennyson, Mr. Hamilton<br />
Aide, and Mr. J. A Symonds, which have not<br />
been published elswhere.<br />
Mrs. Katherine Hinkson has grouped together<br />
a. number of lyrics which will appear at an early<br />
date, entitled " A Lover's Breast Knot." Mr. Elkin<br />
Mathews is the publisher.<br />
A volume of posthumous poems by Sheridan<br />
Le Fanu, including a romantic play and an Irish<br />
saga, is about to be published by Mr. A. P.<br />
Graves.<br />
As a memorial of Christina Eossetti, Sir<br />
Edward Burne-Jones has undertaken to design a<br />
series of paintings for the reredos of Christ<br />
Church, Woburn-square, which the poetess fre-<br />
quented during many years. Those who wish to<br />
subscribe towards the memorial are invited to<br />
communicate with the Rev. J. J. G. Nash,<br />
incumbent of Christ Church, 92 Gower-street.<br />
A meeting of authors and journalists has inaugu-<br />
rated a memorial to the late Mr. James Ashcroft<br />
Noble. The treasurer of the fund is Mr. A. E.<br />
Fletcher, 7, De Crespigny Park, Denmark-hill,<br />
S.E.<br />
It is proposed to perpetuate the memory of<br />
the late Mrs. Rundle Charles by endowing a bed<br />
in the North London Hospital for Consumption,<br />
and subscriptions to this end are being received<br />
by Mr. Basil W. Smith, Branch Hill Lodge,<br />
Hampstead Heath.<br />
Lord Lovelace, grandson of the poet, is to edit<br />
the new edition of Byron which Mr. Murray will<br />
publish with hitherto unpublished matter.<br />
The element of chance in book-buying is exem-<br />
plified in an incident related in the illustrated<br />
London News. At Sotheby's sale-room, a few<br />
days ago, a copy of Goldsmith's "Deserted<br />
Village," the octavo edition, which it is wrong<br />
to describe as the "first," was sold by auction to<br />
an American for =£25. On the following day a<br />
well-known man of letters bought a copy of the<br />
same issue at the shop of Mr. Reeves, the book-<br />
seller, almost next door to Sotheby's rooms, for<br />
3*. The actual value of the book is somewhere<br />
between these two prices.<br />
Capt. Carl A. Thinim is engaged upon "A<br />
Complete Bibliography of Fencing and Duelling,<br />
as practised by all European Nations from the<br />
Middle Ages to the Present Day," which Mr.<br />
Lane will publish shortly.<br />
No work of great importance appeared during<br />
June, which, indeed, had a small output of books<br />
altogether. Those of first-class interest were the<br />
Duke of Argyll's weighty reminder—in a small<br />
volume, however—of "Our Responsibilities for<br />
Turkey" (Murray); Mr. A. E. FitzGerald's<br />
"Climbs in the New Zealand Alps" (Unwin);<br />
the first volume of a work on *' Greek Folk-Poesy,"<br />
edited by Mr. J. S. Stuart-Glennie (Nutt); and<br />
finally, the sporting memories of the famous<br />
hoise trainer, Mr. John Porter, in a volume<br />
appropriately entitled " Kingsclere" (Chatto and<br />
Windus).<br />
The popular exercise of cycling is having a<br />
damaging effect upon the sale of fiction. Whereas<br />
formerly people would pass their time of relaxa-<br />
tion in reading a novel, they now do so by cycling.<br />
So, at least, the booksellers say.<br />
Mr. W. Roberts, the well-known writer on<br />
book sales and kindred topics, and author of<br />
"The Book-Hunter in London" is engaged on a<br />
new work, entitled "Memories of Christie's "—<br />
that is, the famous auction mart for books. He<br />
will detail the principal sales held during the<br />
century and quarter of the firm's establishment.<br />
The work, in two volumes, will be published by<br />
Messrs. Geo. Bell and Sons during the autumn.<br />
The " Memorials" of the late Lord Selborne,<br />
practically an autobiography, is a work which<br />
will appear before long. Many legal and political<br />
personages are introduced in the pages, which<br />
are being edited by the daughter of the late peer.<br />
A work by the late M*- E. F. Benecke on "The<br />
Position of Women. in Greek Poetry" is being<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 44 (#64) ##############################################<br />
<br />
44<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
published by Messrs. Swan, Sonnenschein, and<br />
Co. The author, a promising youun Oxford man,<br />
lost his life in the Alps last summer. Two-thirds<br />
of the book had been completed, and it is now<br />
being published according to advice from com-<br />
petent authorities that it may be useful to those<br />
engaged in similar studies.<br />
Mr. H. SchUtz Wilson is about to bring out a<br />
collection of essays, historical and critical, dealing<br />
with such subjects as Goethe, Carlyle, the French<br />
Revolution, Calderon, the Conciergerie, &c.<br />
Messrs. T. and J. Manson, Lerwick, will publish<br />
next week a second edition of the translation of<br />
Ployen's "Reminiscences of Shetland, Orkney,<br />
and Scotland." This interesting book consists of<br />
a record of a voyage paid to this country in the<br />
summer of 1839, by a former amtmand and<br />
commandant in the Faroe Isles. The first edition<br />
was exhausted shortly after publication.<br />
Mr. James Baker, the author of "Mark Tillot-<br />
son," who was acting as special correspondent at<br />
the Czar's coronation for several English papers,<br />
for the Belgian Times, the Queen, and for a<br />
couple of monthlies, will contribute an illustrated<br />
article to the latest monthly publication Travel<br />
upon his journey to the Scandinavian capitals, the<br />
to Petersburg and Moscow, depicting some of the<br />
coronation scenes.<br />
"A Woman of To-morrow," by Corabe Glyn,<br />
deals in the form of fiction with the whole history<br />
of the advance movement of women during late<br />
years. The author, as a member of the Pioneer<br />
Club, and other societies advocating the recent<br />
development of women's work and position, is<br />
especially equipped for the production of such a<br />
history. The book is written by a woman and<br />
printed by women.<br />
Messrs. T. and T. Clark, of Edinburgh, have<br />
just published "A Dissertation on the Gospel<br />
Commentary of S. Ephraem the Syrian, with a<br />
Scriptural Index to his Works," by the Rev. J.<br />
Hamlyn Hill, D.D., translator of the Arabic<br />
version of the Diatessaron. This book is a<br />
critical essay on the work which Dr. Moesinger<br />
translated from Armenian into Latin, and which<br />
has an important bearing on the question of the<br />
date of the Gospels. Dr. Hill's book contains<br />
additional evidence that this Gospel Commentary<br />
emanated from S. Ephraem.<br />
"How to Dress on £15 a Tear" is not by Mrs.<br />
Warren; that book, and two others, "How to<br />
Economise like a Lady" and " Tables and Chairs"<br />
—an excellent little book on furnishing—were<br />
written by the late Mr. Whiteside Cooke.<br />
The Rev. Frederick Langbridge's new volume,<br />
"The Scales of Heaven: Poems, Narrative,<br />
Legendary and Meditative, with a few Sonnets,"<br />
is being printed and bound by the Birmingham<br />
Guild of Handicraft, and will be ready imme-<br />
diately. Its price will be 5*. net, and the author<br />
(S. John's Rectory, Limerick) will be glad to<br />
receive the names of subscribers. The first<br />
edition is limited to 500 copies.<br />
In reference to the common assertion that<br />
poetry never sells, it may be mentioned that of<br />
Mr. Langbridge's "Sent Back by the Angels"<br />
the first edition of a thousand copies was sold in<br />
less than two years. Two subsequent editions of<br />
500 have been printed, and of the last only some<br />
thirty copies remain.<br />
Two new volumes of verse are announced for<br />
early publication by Mr. Elliot Stock—" Iona, a<br />
Northern Legend," by Christabel Scott; and<br />
"Poems of Love and Nature," by C. W. Cayzer.<br />
A volume of stories entitled "The Clue of<br />
Ariadne," by Rev. W. B. Wallace, has recently<br />
been published by the Roxburghe Press. The<br />
title of the work is that of the first story.<br />
Another story, "Princess Asenath: a Meta-<br />
physical Romance," deals with some of the<br />
problems of life and death, from a Platonic<br />
standpoint.<br />
Mr. R. G. Hobbes' " Reminiscences of Seventy<br />
Years' Life, Travel, and Adventure" (Elliot<br />
Stock), is a companion volume to the work pre-<br />
viously issued by him called "Five Years in<br />
India." The book is extremely interesting to<br />
those interested in dockyards, shipbuilding, and<br />
the Royal Navy. It is probably the only book on<br />
the subject, and will remain a standard work of<br />
reference to all those who are interested in naval<br />
affairs.<br />
A remarkable price was given for a book at<br />
Messrs. Sotheby's sale-room the other day. It<br />
was a copy ot Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales,"<br />
in Caxton's fiist edition, wanting only two leaves<br />
to be complete, and well preserved. Bidding<br />
began at .£500, and finally the book became the<br />
property of Mr. Quaritch for ,£1880.<br />
With the July number of the Cornhill<br />
Magazine begins a new series, under the editor-<br />
ship of Mr. Strachey, and reverts to its old price<br />
of 1*. Mr. W. E. Norris's serial story, " Clarissa<br />
Furiosa," is nearly finished in the magazine, and<br />
it will be followed by a new serial by Mr. Henry<br />
Seton Merriman. Then will come novels by Mr.<br />
Stanley Weyman and Mr. S. R. Crockett.<br />
Mr. Edwin L. Arnold's novel "Phra the<br />
Phoenician" is being translated into German by<br />
a popular Berlin writer. It is to appear with the<br />
original illustrations, and will be followed by<br />
others of Mr. Arnold's works.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 45 (#65) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. 45<br />
LITERATURE IN THE PERIODICALS.<br />
The Attempt to Revive Intellectual Piracy<br />
Century Magazine for July.<br />
Publishers in Congress. Interview with Mr. John<br />
Murray. Daily News for June 23.<br />
An American Pirate. Lionel Johnson in Academy<br />
for June 6. Geo. W. Russell in Academy for June 13.<br />
Lord Bosebert on Free Libraries. Report in the<br />
Timet for June 26.<br />
The Popularity of Matthew Arnold. Spectator<br />
for June 6.<br />
Letters of D. G. Rossetti. IIa.—1855. G. Birkbeck<br />
Hill.<br />
Sheridan. Mr. Gladstone. Nineteenth Century for<br />
June.<br />
Current French Literature. Edmund Gosse.<br />
Cosmopolis for June.<br />
A Central Book Market. Percy Lund. Publishers'<br />
Circular for June 13.<br />
The Dangers of Irony. Professor Dowden. Saturday<br />
Review for June 20.<br />
Life in Poetry. Spectator for June 20.<br />
A Plea for the Poets. Century Magazine for June.<br />
Some Episodes in a Long Life. Blackwood's Magazine<br />
for June.<br />
Editors. A Contributor. National Review for June.<br />
Shelley's Religious Position. Rev. A. L. Lilley,<br />
M.A. Commonwealth for July.<br />
Oliver Wendell Holmes. Leslie Stephen. Motional<br />
Reriew for July.<br />
Did Chaucer meet Petrarch? J. J. Jusserand.<br />
Nineteenth Century for June.<br />
On Ian Maolaren's "A Doctor of the Old School."<br />
Saturday Review for May 30.<br />
On C. E. Vaughan's "English Literary Criticism."<br />
Saturday Review for June 6.<br />
On Mrs. Wood's "Wild Justice: A Dramatic Poem."<br />
A. T. Q. C. Speaker for June 20.<br />
On Swinburne's "The Tale of Balen. Athenseum for<br />
June 20.<br />
Mr. Murray did not appear very hopeful, says<br />
the interviewer who saw him on his return from<br />
the Publishers' Congress at Paris, on the question<br />
of whether the United States would yet be induced<br />
to join the International Union, though eventually<br />
they would, he hoped. He spoke of the Canadian<br />
question as one of great importance, and regarded<br />
in that light by the French. "It is felt," he<br />
said, "that if the Canadians are allowed to do as<br />
they propose—which will come practically to the<br />
adoption of the same system as that prevailing in<br />
the United States—it will have the effect of<br />
keeping the Americans out of the Union<br />
indefinitely."<br />
Mr. Lionel Johnson tells the Academy that he,<br />
too, like Mr. Lang in the case of "Aucassin and<br />
Nicolete," has been victimised by Mr. Mosher, of<br />
Portland, Maine, U.S.A. He took Mr. Bridge's<br />
"Growth of Love" and printed with it an<br />
article-estimate of Mr. Bridge's poetry which<br />
Mr. Johnson had written in an American<br />
magazine. "The pecuniary interest excepted,<br />
and the literary alone regarded," says Mr.<br />
Johnson, "I think it a graver injustice to pirate<br />
a magazine article and put it into a volume than to<br />
pirate a book." He is aware nothing can check<br />
these practices, but he would have Mr. Mosher to<br />
cease paying sugared compliments to his victims.<br />
Mr. Geo. W. Russell has had a quite different<br />
experience of Mr. Mosher, who asked permission<br />
to reprint " Homeward: Songs by the Way," and<br />
accepted Mr. Russell's terms without demur.'<br />
An American voice is raised in the Century for<br />
July against what is called "the attempt to<br />
revive intellectual piracy"—in other words, the<br />
Copyright Bill of Mr.* Treloar. "The main<br />
proposition of this Bill," says the article, "is to<br />
re-write the law of 1891, so that the condition of<br />
manufacture in the United States, which, in<br />
order to obtain from Congress any copyright<br />
reform whatever, was made to apply to books,<br />
chromos, lithographs, and photographs, shall<br />
now, when no such emergency exists, be extended<br />
to music, engravings, cuts, prints, <fcc. This," says<br />
the writer, " is advocated ostensibly in the interest<br />
of the American workman, but really in toat of<br />
publishers of music and engravings. At who^e<br />
expense would this bounty be bestowed? First<br />
of all, foreign composers and artists ; secondly, of<br />
all American composers and artists; thirdly, of<br />
the American public; and fourthly, of the entire<br />
system of international copyright." "Is anybody<br />
so foolish as to suppose that the passage of the<br />
Treloar Bill would not cause prompt reprisals by<br />
foreign countries i " asks the writer.<br />
Mr. Percy Lund, of Bradford, makes some<br />
suggestions for improving the bookselling trade,<br />
which he thinks lags behind, the most interesting<br />
being that in most large towns, but especially<br />
in the metropolis, there should be a book<br />
market or bazaar. The opportunities for<br />
purchasing under the present system are not<br />
sufficient, he says, and more books would be<br />
bought it' more could be seen. Mr. Lund wants<br />
the bookseller to be something more than a mere<br />
agent. The Publishers' Circular says the idea<br />
of a book bazaar in London should not be<br />
impracticable.<br />
A warning is uttered in the June Century<br />
against the "tone of contempt" with which<br />
the poetry of the day is received. The writer<br />
magnifies the office of the poet, and tells critics<br />
and public that they know not what they do.<br />
The Spectator disputes Professor Courthope's<br />
statement (in his address at the Taylor Institu-<br />
tion on June 13) that the poetry of to-day tends<br />
to conform too closely to the old romantic moulds,<br />
which no longer correspond with the reality of<br />
things. "On the other hand," says the Spectator,<br />
"the tendency is to ignore the moral limits within<br />
which we can be free. No bondage is more<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 46 (#66) ##############################################<br />
<br />
4«<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
cruel than the bondage which comes of fighting<br />
against the very law of your own true nature.<br />
It is there, as it seems to us, that the pessimism<br />
of the newer poetry arises."<br />
The writer of the article on " Editors " remarks<br />
that he has had dealings with a couple of dozen,<br />
and there is only one whom he would like to<br />
kick. His experience is against the view that<br />
literary kissing goes by favour: he has only been<br />
personally recommended to one editor, the one he<br />
quarrelled with. He passes some criticisms on<br />
the treatment of matter already accepted for<br />
publication—as to alterations, &c. As regards<br />
payment, he savs, "the only honourable rule is<br />
that all contributions written to order or by<br />
arrangement should be paid for whether used or<br />
not, and that those which are not written to order,<br />
but are distinctly accepted, should be either paid<br />
for or returned in time to be used elsewhere."<br />
The weapon of irony, says Mr. Gosse, is now<br />
almost useless in England. He is envying the<br />
French when he says this, for their possession of<br />
it "is one reason, out of many, whv it is whole-<br />
some for us to study French critical composition<br />
of the more academic class." But a strange<br />
illustration of the seeming lack of irony in<br />
France as well as England has occurred in the<br />
case of which Professor Dowden writes. The<br />
latter is President of the Goethe Society here,<br />
and recently he gave an address before that body<br />
in which he played the role of " devil's advocate."<br />
A few days later it became necessary for him to<br />
write to the papers explaining that he had been<br />
merely looking at the subject from the opposition<br />
point of view. And now he writes an article in<br />
the Saturday Review on "The Dangers of<br />
Irony," in order to put himself right with<br />
M. Rod, who had in the Debats actually welcomed<br />
the Professor's address as an example of what<br />
was called " the reaction against Goethe." The<br />
Professor will have none of this, but assures us<br />
that " the position of Goethe in the history of<br />
the intellectual development of Europe is so<br />
firmly established that admiration can include all<br />
just qualifications and can accept a boon from<br />
unfriendly criticism."<br />
Lord Rosebery, in opening a new public library<br />
at Shepherd's Bush, referred to intellectual apathy<br />
as the great danger of our nation at the present<br />
time ; and in praising Free Libraries as a counter-<br />
irritant to that apathy, he spoke of the value of<br />
what he described as a "taster" in these institu-<br />
tions, who would know not merely the covers<br />
but the contents of books, and guide readers<br />
accordingly.<br />
In an estimate of the work of the late J. A.<br />
Symonds, Mr. Harrison points the finger at the<br />
same time at his besetting fault and the dis-<br />
advantage of an Oxford education. "The fault<br />
of my education as a preparation for literature,"<br />
Symonds acknowledged, " was that it was exclu-<br />
sively literary." Herein, says Mr. Harrison, lies<br />
the cause of much of the shortcomings of the<br />
"Renaisssan.ee," the exaggeration of mere scanda-<br />
lous pedantry, of frigid conceits, and the entire<br />
omission of science. Yet he places Symonds on<br />
a very high pinnacle, and believes that his reputa-<br />
tion, which has grown in late years, will yet<br />
grow:<br />
Though Symonds had certainly not the literary charm of<br />
Buskin or Matthew Arnold, perhaps of one or two others<br />
among his contemporaries, he had no admitted superior as<br />
a critic in learning or in judgment.<br />
CORRESPONDENCE.<br />
I.—Postage of Proofs.<br />
WITH regard to the question raised by your<br />
correspondent "A Journalist," there is<br />
no room for doubt that his view is<br />
entirely correct. If he will consult the "Post<br />
Office Handbook," he will find under the heading<br />
Book Post, pages 3-4: "(f) The following docu-<br />
ments, whether containing matter in the nature<br />
of a letter or not, MS. for press and printed<br />
proofs, with corrections and instructions pro-<br />
vided" [<See other column]: "That any written<br />
or printed matter not forming part of the docu-<br />
ment itself refer solely to the arrangement or<br />
correction of the type or the execution of the<br />
work." Harriet E. Ketchlet.<br />
II.—Literary Grab-alls.<br />
I sent a poem to a prominent weekly. It pub-<br />
lished it immediately, and I received a post-card<br />
to call at the office for payment, which amounted<br />
to the magnificent sum of three shillings! I<br />
declined it with thanks, requesting my paymaster<br />
to give the amount in my name to a deserving<br />
charity.<br />
An illustrated ladies' weekly published a story<br />
of mine containing 1500 words. A cheque of<br />
12*. 6d. was sent me! I called on the business<br />
manager. He was a well-groomed young man,<br />
smelling of musk, dignity, and importance. He<br />
rang a bell, and a small boy at his request<br />
brought him a copy of the journal containing<br />
my illustrated story. My important-looking pay-<br />
master then took some string and slowly and<br />
deliberately measured my story. I could have<br />
pitched the ball of string at his head. The<br />
painful process took up time, and at last his<br />
decision came in these words: "We have paid you<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 47 (#67) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
47<br />
according to our general rate "; but I returned<br />
his cheque, and politely asked him to measure<br />
that as well, but I don't know if he will.<br />
A well-kuown journal published an article of<br />
mine on the "Reading Room of the British<br />
Museum," with an illustration. 1 received 5«.<br />
for it!<br />
I have written a sensational novel containing<br />
70,000 words. An editor of a popular paper<br />
offered me ,£10! for the serial rights, which, of<br />
course, I refused.<br />
And yet we are told that this is a golden age<br />
for literature, and that authors are more prosperous<br />
than ever.<br />
As far as my experience counts, I agree with<br />
Grant Allen in his remarks about his first book,<br />
that there is more money in sweeping a crossing,<br />
or in selling odd things at street corners.<br />
t Lunette.<br />
III.—Journalistic Poaching.<br />
I have read with interest a correspondence in<br />
one or two of the recent issues of the Author<br />
relative to the fairness, or unfairness, of women<br />
possessed of means "trespassing " on the journa-<br />
listic preserves of those who make their living by<br />
means of their pen.<br />
Will you allow me to say that I entirely<br />
endorse the views of your correspondent, who<br />
first pointed out this unfortunately largely<br />
increasing form of literary poaching.<br />
I do not wish to make any sweeping statement,<br />
or to say that no woman who is not an actual<br />
bread-winner should ever contribute to any<br />
magazine.<br />
I must myself plead guilty to having written<br />
occasionally and at rare intervals upon certain<br />
subjects (on which I had an opportunity for<br />
obtaining special information) for certain maga-<br />
zines.<br />
But the longer one lives, and the more one<br />
realises how terribly overcrowded is the journa-<br />
listic profession, the more, I think, does one<br />
regret that the actual bread-winners should find<br />
their "market" filled with those who write<br />
chiefly for amusement, and in an amateur way.<br />
The large " book market" is open to all, and<br />
in these days of small editions and small volumes,<br />
surely women of means may take advantage of<br />
publishers' offers if they wish to ventilate their<br />
ideas, rather than seek to thrust aside their less<br />
fortunate brothers and sisters in the hard race for<br />
editorial favour? Coralie Glyn.<br />
IV.—Ignored.<br />
I wonder how many writers ever take the<br />
trouble to follow up their publishers' list of<br />
"copies for review?" After my last effort I<br />
took this somewhat undignified course. It may<br />
not be uninstructive to chronicle the result of my<br />
investigations.<br />
The book was put down as having been sent<br />
out to, say, eighty-three newspapers. It was<br />
noticed, in some form or another, by fifty-three.<br />
Of the balance, which had ignored my production,<br />
I inquired of about twenty what had become of<br />
it. Ten responded, and some of the replies were<br />
edifying. One editor sent, by deputy, a pompous<br />
epistle to the effect that he could not enter into<br />
any correspondence respecting books for review.<br />
Two said they had never received the work;<br />
another had "mislaid" it. One, obviously of<br />
the fair sex, aired her views of criticism in general,<br />
anonymously. A kindly Scot—the man in<br />
possession, I presume—wrote that a certain<br />
journal had ceased to appear. One reply was<br />
unique in its sympathetic friendliness. Having<br />
lost my bantling, the proprietor actually pur-<br />
chased another copy and "noticed" me in a<br />
kindly, practical form which deserves distinct<br />
encouragement.<br />
It seems to me rather hard that so many<br />
unrecognised copies should have gone to enrich<br />
those newspapers' libraries for nothing in return,<br />
or—dare one whisper the accusation ?—found<br />
premature exposure in the troughs of the second-<br />
hand booksellers. Surely some moral obligation<br />
in fulfilment exists after the acceptance of<br />
volumes? Why not return, if it is proposed to<br />
treat them with a silence which, in their case, is<br />
certainly not golden?<br />
The practice which so often obtains nowadays<br />
seems scarcely honest or courteous to publisher and<br />
author.<br />
Cecil Clarke.<br />
Authors' Club, S.W., 20th June, 1896.<br />
V.—Editors and Contributors.<br />
The grievances complained of by " F. B. D."<br />
and Mr. Cecil Clarke in last issue are not so un-<br />
common as those gentlemen seem to imagine. I<br />
have suffered frequently in the same ways; but<br />
in Mr. Clarke's case, formal applications for pay-<br />
ment failing, I should simply enforce my legal<br />
rights by issuing a county court summons; in<br />
"F. B. D.'8" case I should assume that the<br />
editor had been badly brought up, and go<br />
on about my business. In the literary as in<br />
every other known world, the attempt to insist<br />
upon what is not a matter of right but of<br />
courtesy is worse than a waste of time, for<br />
besides being generally ineffectual, it is un-<br />
dignified.<br />
I have been writing ever since I was a youngster<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 48 (#68) ##############################################<br />
<br />
48<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
of sixteen, and am now turned thirty, and from,<br />
the first I have made it a matter of policy never<br />
to lodge a complaint unless I had legal as well as<br />
moral grounds to lodge it on, and was prepared<br />
if need were, to do more than complain—never<br />
in short, to worry an editor, and perhaps make<br />
an enemy of him, unless I was going to get<br />
some substantial reward for my pains. And that<br />
the policy has to some extent justified itself is<br />
proved by the fact that some three years ago<br />
(though I am no bachelor) 1 found I could<br />
abandon my desk in the city and live wholly by<br />
my literary work.<br />
I am not personally acquainted with any editor,<br />
I have never seen but one and him but once; and<br />
he looked no dragon, but an ordinary kind of<br />
man who could easily be as wicked as most of us,<br />
and better than some, if he made up his mind to<br />
it. He had been disinterred from amongst piles<br />
of letters and MS. for my inspection, and seemed<br />
to have so little time to be courteous and to be so<br />
worried that I got through my business with him<br />
as quickly as possible, and wished him well buried<br />
again.<br />
So far as my experience goes, the wickedest<br />
men of this class are religious editors (or editors<br />
of religious papers—the terms may not be so<br />
synonymous as they seem). When I was young<br />
I sent a poem to an old-established, high-class<br />
religious monthly. Nine months passed, I had<br />
given it up for lost, when a friend came across my<br />
poem in a then three-months-old number of the<br />
magazine. It had a full page illustration. I<br />
received no acknowledgment—no proof, no copy<br />
of the publication, no money, and I am ashamed<br />
to say I never summoned that editor, never even<br />
wrote to reproach him. Still, when I was young,<br />
I sent three poems to a popular religious weekly.<br />
The editor (a clergyman) wrote promptly accept-<br />
ing the lot, and was kind enough to characterise<br />
one of them as a " noble poem," yet he worked<br />
them all off in the course of a year without send-<br />
ing me proofs, copies, or money. I did not<br />
summons him either; his courage and ability<br />
charmed me. When I had left off being young I<br />
sent him an article. He accepted it in highly<br />
flattering terms, and as I know now that when<br />
an editor gives plenty of praise he does not mean<br />
to give any pudding, I girded up my loins and<br />
saw that my digestion was in order. I waited<br />
over two years for that meal, then I wrote and<br />
inquired after my article, fearing something fatal<br />
had happened to it. No answer. At the end of<br />
another six months I wrote again, and mentioned<br />
that some secular papers I worked for when they<br />
could not use an article within a reasonable time,<br />
as a mere matter of principle, paid for it before<br />
it was used; and asked if he would kindly let me<br />
know what principle the religious press acted<br />
upon. He withheld the information (it is, I<br />
fancy, a trade secret), but he sent a cheque—<br />
only a small cheque, of course, for when religious<br />
publishing houses do pay their contributors they<br />
do so with a conscientious sort of abstemiousness<br />
as if they knew money was the root of all evil,<br />
and sooner than imperil an author's future by<br />
giving him much, they would, in a spirit of<br />
self-sacrifice, keep it and take the risk them-<br />
selves.<br />
In these days, when a story is used and not<br />
paid for within a reasonable time, after one or<br />
two personal applications, I fix the price of it and<br />
send in a detailed account. If this is ignored, I<br />
write giving the proprietor of the journal a final<br />
week's grace, and warning him that unless a<br />
cheque is to hand by the expiration of that<br />
time I shall summons him. Only twice has the<br />
warning failed of effect. In one case the pro-<br />
prietor responded with a notice in bankruptcy.<br />
I sued the other, and he paid the debt and<br />
costs into court the day before that fixed for the<br />
hearing.<br />
One more experience I should like to mention<br />
because I believe it to be rather unique. A very<br />
old-established and reputable provincial weekly<br />
journal advertised for Christmas stories for an<br />
annual. I wrote offering to submit one at ,£1 is.<br />
per iooo words. They replied that they wanted<br />
a 5000-word story, and could not afford more<br />
than 15s. per thousand. I sent a story on those<br />
terms. They wrote accepting it, but saying<br />
stories had been offered to them at such cheap<br />
rates they could only afford 10s. bd. per thousand.<br />
I agreed to that, sooner than have any more<br />
trouble about it. Some weeks later they wrote<br />
again to know what was the lowest J would<br />
take, adding that they had a large number of<br />
stories on hand at low prices. My story suited<br />
them, but it was "solely a question of price"<br />
whether it was retained. It was late in the year;<br />
it was really not a good story, so I replied that<br />
they might have it for a couple of guineas. A<br />
week after they returned the MS. "We are<br />
sorry to say," they wrote (though their previous<br />
letter belied the statement), "that we have<br />
already accepted a story with a very similar plot<br />
to yours." It looked ugly; but they concluded by<br />
saying that they hoped to give me work next<br />
Christinas. I thanked them for the glittering<br />
prospect, but asked them to favour me by giviog<br />
the work to somebody else. Luckily my story-<br />
was accepted and published in a London maga-<br />
zine before their annual made its appearance, so<br />
I did not even sate my curiosity as to that other<br />
story by purchasing a copy. I did not care to<br />
increase their circulation for them. A.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 48 (#69) ##############################################<br />
<br />
A D VER TISEMENTS.<br />
iii<br />
LIFE ASSURANCE WITH INVESTMENT-<br />
ARTHUR N. THOMPSON, of Grafton Lodge, Bedford Park, gives Expert's Advice<br />
as to LIFE ASSURANCE WITH INVESTMENT combined. The following<br />
methods of Assurance are recommended to Authors:—<br />
PENSION SCHEME.<br />
Provision<br />
for Family and<br />
Specimen for a Male Life aged 30 next Birthday<br />
Annuity of £100<br />
per annum, com-<br />
mencing at age<br />
Annual Premium<br />
payable until that age.<br />
On attaining pension<br />
age the option is given<br />
of taking a cash<br />
payment of<br />
Provision for<br />
Self in later years.<br />
£ a. d.<br />
34 B lO<br />
22 lO lO<br />
£<br />
BB<br />
60<br />
6B<br />
18 4 &<br />
1O08<br />
948<br />
813<br />
In the event of death or surrender before the pension age, all<br />
premiums paid, except the first, would be returned together with<br />
2£ per cent, simple interest.<br />
ENDOWMENT ASSURANCES.<br />
Snms assured under these Policies are payable during the lifetime of the Assured on his attaining a given age, or<br />
■earlier in the event of death, thus combining a provision for a family in the event of the early death of the Assured, with a<br />
provision for himself in the event of his attaining the specified ago.<br />
The following is an example of an actual result shown by a selected Insurance Company :—An Author aged 40 pays<br />
jE70 8s. 4d. per annum to assure .£1000 payable on his attaining 55 or earlier in the event of death. At maturity the<br />
Polioy has been increased by profits to .£1,351 10s., which amount may be taken in cash, or may be used to purchase an<br />
annuity. The Assured thus receives a return of all the premiums he has paid with 2J per oent. compound interest thereon,<br />
his life having been assured in the meantime for a sum rising from .£1000 to .£1,351 10s.<br />
No Fee is required, provided proposal is forwarded through Mr. Thompson. All remittances may be made direct to<br />
the Insurance Company selected.<br />
RECENT VERSE.<br />
By Dr. J. A. GOODCHTLD. Cloth lettered,<br />
BALLADS. By HENBY TODD,<br />
By Dr. J. A. GOODCHILD. Cloth<br />
By EBL VIKING.<br />
LTBICS.<br />
price 6s.<br />
NOBTH COUNTBY<br />
Price 6a.<br />
TALES IN VERSE.<br />
lettered, price 6s.<br />
SONGS OP THE CASCADES.<br />
Fcap. 8vo., cloth boards, 3s. 6d.<br />
SONGS OF THE PINEWOODS. By ARTHUR CAMP-<br />
BELL. Price 3s. 6d.<br />
THE FAIREST OF THE ANGELS, and Other Verse.<br />
By MAKY COLBOBNE-VEEL. Fcap 8vo.. cloth boards, 3s. fid.<br />
"Some of the shorter lyrics are much above the average, being<br />
clear in thought and musical in expression. The merits of the collec-<br />
tion are considerable."—The Bookman.<br />
THE WANDERER IN THE LAND OF CYBI, and other<br />
Poems (1886-93). By CLIFFORD BBOOKS. Fcap. 8vo., cloth<br />
boards, 3s. fid.<br />
POEMS. By THOMAS BARLOW. Crown 8vo., bevelled<br />
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POEMS. By LEWIS BROCKMAN. Crown 8vo., cloth<br />
boards, 6s.<br />
"The ballad* are full of the spirit and directness of style proper to<br />
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Mr. Brockman is a writer of good poetic mettle, and no doubt the<br />
reading world will hear more of him yet."—Glasaotc Herald.<br />
"The graceful smoothness of Mr. Lewis Brockman's poems."—<br />
Daily Telegraph.<br />
•• He is decidedly inventive, and often highly imaginative . .<br />
The element of originality pervades the book. . . . His long poem,<br />
- Ronald's Cross,' is well sustained . . . it is like the plaint of the<br />
'Mariner,' and it holds ub."—Queen.<br />
•• A reader who values cultured sentiments and flawless versifica-<br />
tion will And much to admire."— Seottman.<br />
London: H01a0» OOI, Windsor House,<br />
i't Buildings, E.c.<br />
Crown 8vo., cloth boards, price 6s.<br />
HATHERSAGE:<br />
A Tale of North Derbyshire.<br />
BY<br />
CHARLES EDMUND HALL,<br />
Author of " An Ancient Ancestor," Ac.<br />
London: Horace Cox, Windsor Bouse, Bream's-buildings, E.O.<br />
Crown 8vo., cloth boards, 3s. 6d.<br />
Crimean & other Short Stories.<br />
BY<br />
WILLIAM .A-IDZDISOHSr.<br />
CONTENTS.— An Adjutant's Adventure: an Episode of the<br />
Crimean Campaign—From an Uuseen World—Characteristic Stories<br />
of Royal Personages—The Tsar's Axe—An Indian Legend Modernised<br />
—A Love Test—Atta: or. The Circassian's Daughter—Father Con-<br />
fessor—His Word of honour (from the German)—Dearer than Life—<br />
A Polish PrinreBB—The Evil Eye: a Story of Superstition—The<br />
Parson's Daughter—Old Love Never Rusts.<br />
London: Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-buildings, E.O.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 48 (#70) ##############################################<br />
<br />
IV<br />
AD VER TISEMENTS.<br />
THE TEMPLE TYPEWRITING OFFICE.<br />
TYPEWRITING EXCEPTIONALLY ACCURATE. Moderate prices. Duplicates of Circulars by the latest<br />
process. References to the Society of Authors.<br />
OPIITIOHS OP CLIENTS—Distinocishsd Author :—" The moat beautiful typing I ha*e ever seen." Ladt 01 Titlk :—"The<br />
work was very well and clearly done." Provincial Editor :—" Many thanks for the spotless neatness and beautiful accuracy 1<br />
MISS GENTRY, ELDON CHAMBERS, 30, FLEET STREET, E.G.<br />
THE WEST KENSINGTON TYPEWRITING AGENCY.<br />
Established 1893.<br />
MISS E. M. SIKES,<br />
13, Wolverton Gardens, Hammersmith, W.<br />
Authors' MSS. carefully and promptly copied. Is. per 1000 words.<br />
Duplicate copy half price. Legal and General Copying, l|d. per folio.<br />
Typewrit ten Circulars, Notices, Ac., by special copying process.<br />
Terms on application. Beferences kindly permitted to authors.<br />
LITERAEY PRODUCTIONS<br />
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WRITTEN by the Author of " The Queen's English<br />
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Address Secretary, Literary Office, 342, Strand, W.C.<br />
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STATISTICAL BOOK OF REFERENCE<br />
For facts relating to the Clergy in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland<br />
and the Colonies; with a fuller Index relating to Parishes and<br />
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the Church of England. Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and the Colonies;<br />
also a List of the Parishes of each Diocese in England and Wale*<br />
arranged in Hural Deaneries.<br />
T W ENTY-EIGKTM ISSUE.<br />
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Printed and Publiehed by Hobacx Cox, Windsor Uonse,<br />
'8-buildings, London, E.C. | https://historysoa.com/files/original/5/292/1896-07-01-The-Author-7-2.pdf | publications, The Author |
| 293 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/293 | The Author, Vol. 07 Issue 03 (August 1896) | <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.+07+Issue+03+%28August+1896%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 Issue 03 (August 1896)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</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> | 1896-08-01-The-Author-7-3 | | | | | 49–72 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1896-08-01">1896-08-01</a> | | | | | | | 3 | | | 18960801 | XL he Hutbor*<br />
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The Book and the Bookseller<br />
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Dinner of the Authors' Club<br />
What is Good Literature?<br />
Book Talk<br />
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3. Our Censors. 4 The Titlo<br />
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## p. 48 (#72) ##############################################<br />
<br />
AD VER TISEMENTS.<br />
^fye ^ocicfp of Jluf^ors (gncotporcttefc).<br />
Sir Edwin Arnold, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.<br />
Alfred Austin.<br />
J. M. B aerie<br />
A W. a Beckett.<br />
P. E. Beddard, F.E.S.<br />
Robert Bateman.<br />
Sir Henrt Bergnx, K.C.M.G.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
Augustine BlRRELL, M.P.<br />
Bev. Prop. Bonnet, F.B.S.<br />
Bight Hon. James Bryce, M.P.<br />
Bight Hon. Lord Burghclere, P.C.<br />
Hall Caine.<br />
Egerton Castle, F.S.A.<br />
P. W. Clatden.<br />
Edward Clodd.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Martin Conwat.<br />
F. Marion Crawford.<br />
A. W. A Beckett.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
Egerton Castle.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
Messrs. Field<br />
Solicitors<br />
f M<<br />
[a.<br />
PRESIDENT.<br />
GEOBQE MEKEIDITII.<br />
COUNCIL.<br />
The Earl of Desart.<br />
Austin Dobson.<br />
a. conan dotle, m.d<br />
A. W. Dubourg.<br />
Sir J. Eric Erichsen, Bart., F.B.S.<br />
Prof. Michael Foster, F.B.S.<br />
Richard Garnett, C.B., LL.D.<br />
Edmund Gosse.<br />
H. Bider Haggard.<br />
Thomas Hardy.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
Jerome K. Jerome.<br />
Budyard Kipling.<br />
Prof. E. Bay Lankester, F.B.S.<br />
W. E. H. Lkcky.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Mrs. E. Lynn Linton.<br />
Eev. W. J. Loftie, F.S.A.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Prof. J. M. D. Meiklejohn.<br />
Counsel — E. M. Underdown,<br />
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT<br />
Chairman—H. Bider Haggard,<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Martin Conway.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Boscoe, and Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields.<br />
Herman C. Merivale.<br />
Bev. C. H. Middleton-Wake.<br />
Sir Lewis Morris.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
Miss E. A. Ormerod.<br />
J. C. Parkinson.<br />
Bight Hon. Lord Pirbright.<br />
Sir Frederick Pollock, Bart., LL.D.<br />
Walter Herries Pollock.<br />
W. Baptiste Scoones.<br />
Miss Flora L. Shaw.<br />
G. B. Sims.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
J. J. Stevenson.<br />
Prof. Jas. Sully.<br />
William Moy Thomas.<br />
H. D. Traill, D.C.L.<br />
Mrs. Humphry Ward.<br />
Miss Charlotte M. Yonge.<br />
Hon.<br />
Q.C.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
Herbert Thrino, B.A., 4, Portugal-street, W.C.<br />
Secretary—G. Herbert Thring, B.A.<br />
OFFICES: 4, Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.<br />
IP. WATT &c S0 3ST,<br />
LITERARY AGENTS,<br />
Formerly of 2, PATERNOSTER SttUARE,<br />
Hive now removed to<br />
HASTINGS HOUSE, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND.<br />
LONDON. W.C.<br />
WINDSOR HOUSE PRINTING WORKS,<br />
Offices of "The Field," "The Queen," "The Law Times," &e.<br />
Mr. HOBACE COX, Printer to the Authors' Society, takes the opportunity of informing Authors that, having a very<br />
large Office, and an extensive Plant of Type of every description, he is in a position to EXECUTE any PBINTLNG they<br />
may entrust to his care.<br />
ESTIMATES FORWARDED, AND REASONABLE CHARGES WILL BE FOUND.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 49 (#73) ##############################################<br />
<br />
XL he Eutbor,<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 3.] AUGUST 1, 1896. [Pbice 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 post, 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 CONSIDERATIONS.<br />
THEBE are several methods of publishing by agree-<br />
ments. Thus (1) an author may sell his work for a<br />
sum of money down: (2) he may take a share of the<br />
profits: (3) he may accept a royalty.<br />
The first method is the readiest and, where a proper<br />
price is paid, perhaps the best. It involves a certain amount<br />
of risk or doubt as to the result on the part of the buyer,<br />
and a certain amount of hesitation on the part of the seller.<br />
The author would do well to sell through an agent. But let<br />
him beware as to his choice of agent.<br />
At a time when the production of new books involved<br />
great risks and where the possible circle of purchasers was<br />
very small, the publishers, joining together, took half the<br />
profits as a return for their risk and services. At the present<br />
time in many cases, where there are no risks, they often take<br />
two-thirds and even more of the profits, and that after setting<br />
apart a large sum for "office expenses," allowing the author<br />
nothing at all for his office expenses. In other words,<br />
it is as if a steward were to charge first for his office<br />
and desks and then to take half or two-thirds of the<br />
remainder for himself as steward's fee. Thereiore the author<br />
must in every case ascertain carefully, before signing the<br />
agreement, what proportion is appropriated nnder its clauses<br />
by the publisher for himself. If the author is in doubt, let<br />
him submit the agreement to the secretary, or to one of the<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
literary agents recommended by the secretary. Above all<br />
things he must remember that in any business transaction<br />
the one who accepts an agreement in ignorance will quite<br />
certainly get the worst of it. The folly of signing in<br />
ignorance is the main cause of half the quarrels between<br />
author and publisher.<br />
In the case of profit-sharing agreements, remember that<br />
very common form of getting the better of an author is the<br />
practice of advertising the book in the publisher's own organs,<br />
very likely magazines of small circulation. Sometimes,<br />
also, he " exchanges " advertisements with other magazines,<br />
and charges the author as if he had paid for them. In this<br />
way the publisher may put the whole profits of a book in his<br />
own pocket. One way to prevent this sharp practice is to<br />
insert a clause to the effect that advertisements shall only<br />
be charged at the actual price paid for them. A better way,<br />
however, is to agree beforehand upon the papers in whioh<br />
advertisements may be inserted.<br />
As regards the right of inspecting the books, that neoo<br />
not be claimed, because it exists as the right of every<br />
partner, or joint venturer. You have only to demand the<br />
inspection of the books by your solicitor, your accountant,<br />
or the secretary of the Society.<br />
If the book is a first book, or one that carries risk, it is fair<br />
to make an arrangement for the first edition and another for<br />
the second, and following, if any. The publisher confers so<br />
signal a service upon the young author by producing his<br />
work at all—i.e., by giving him the chance he desires above<br />
all things—that it seems fair in such a case to yield him the<br />
larger share.<br />
In a profit-sharing agreement do not let the cost of rc<br />
duction form a part of the agreement, otherwise you wi<br />
be unable to contest it afterwards.<br />
It will be wisest never to enter into relations with an<br />
publisher unless recommended by the Society.<br />
There are many other dangers to be avoided. Seria!<br />
rights: stamping the agreement: American rights: futurt<br />
work: cession of copyright—these things cannot possibly<br />
be attended to by the young author. Therefore his agree-<br />
ment should always be shown to the secretary.<br />
It has been objected that these precautions presuppose *»<br />
great succes for the book, and that very few books indeed<br />
attain to this great success. That is quite true : but there in<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 be their maximum. Therefore every<br />
author, for every book, should arrange on the chance of a<br />
Buccess 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 />
H 2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 50 (#74) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
(2.) The inspection of those ocoount books which belong<br />
to the author. We are advised that this is a right, in the<br />
nature of a common law right, which cannot be denied or<br />
withheld.<br />
(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 may<br />
rest pretty well assured that he is in right hands. At the<br />
fame time he wDl do well to send his agreement to the<br />
secretary before he signs it.<br />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
I. "T7WERY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
advice upon his agreements, his choice of a pub-<br />
lisher, or any dispute arising in the conduct of hie<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 Society first—our solicitors are continually<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 cose 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 everything<br />
important to literature that you may hear or meet 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 Society now offers:—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
htamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon<br />
tbem. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
THE AUTHORS' SYNDICATE.<br />
MEMBERS are informed:<br />
1. That the Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the business of members of the Society. That it<br />
submits MSS. to publishers and editors, concludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects accounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the trouble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon which its services can be secured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndicate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That the Syndicate can only undertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia-<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that all<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice should be given.<br />
6. That avery attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in all cases, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence; does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded without notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
lectures by some of the leading members of the Society;<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for the sale and<br />
purchase of journals and periodicals; and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wanted" is open. Members are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to the Manager.<br />
Thore iB an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called upon in any case of dispute or difficulty. It<br />
is perhaps necessary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndicate.<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?<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, whether<br />
members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate<br />
to the Editor any points connected with their work which<br />
it would be advisable in the general interest to publish.<br />
Members and otherB who wish their MSS. read are<br />
requested not to send them to the Office without previously<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 51 (#75) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
5'<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 Authors' Club is now open in its new premises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-court, Charing Cross. Address the Secretary<br />
for information, rules of admission, Ac.<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 gave 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 five<br />
years to come, whatever his conduct, whether he was honest<br />
or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for a moment when they are asked to sign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five 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 meanB, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing sums," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the cost of binding<br />
is set down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now stands<br />
at £g 40. The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be prooured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
bill is so elastic a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
arrived at.<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 thoBe<br />
who practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
I.—With the Booksellers at Belfast.<br />
THE following passages are extracts from the<br />
speech made by the editor of this paper<br />
before the delegates of the Booksellers'<br />
Union at Belfast:—<br />
"He had to begin with a confession of neglect—<br />
with a confession of not understanding the whole<br />
problem. He meant this: Ten or twelve years<br />
a<,ro, when he, with some other persons, friends of<br />
his, founded a society, they did not include in<br />
their scheme that solidarity of the book interest<br />
which he perceived now they ought to have done.<br />
For twelve years past they had been working<br />
perhaps self shly and entirely for themselves, and<br />
for their relations with the publishers, which, as<br />
they knew, had been by no means satisfactory.<br />
The authors had improved their owu position to a<br />
very considerable extent, but he thought they<br />
should long ago have adopted this principle—viz.,<br />
to take a book as a unit, as a common object of<br />
interest to all who were engaged in producing it,<br />
creating it, and selling it.<br />
"Meantime, he thought they had done something<br />
for the booksellers. Some six or seven years ago<br />
they produced an important volume, entitled ' The<br />
Cost of Production.'<br />
"For the first time that volume showed every-<br />
body who thought of buying it what a book really<br />
cost to produce—he meant to print, bind, publish,<br />
and advertise it.<br />
"With the cost of production must be taken the<br />
price to the trade and the selling price. Let<br />
them take a 6*. book for consideration. It was sold<br />
for 4*. 6d. The publisher got, on an average,<br />
3«. bd. The cost on editions of 3000 and up-<br />
wards of an average book as defined in the ' Cost<br />
of Production' would be about is. On an average<br />
the author, unless he was a popular author, would<br />
receive I*., the publisher it. 6d., and the book-<br />
seller is." (Cries of " No, no.")<br />
Here many of the delegates got up and called<br />
attention to the fact that it was only by ordering<br />
a dozen books at a time that they could get them<br />
at so low a price as 3*. 6d. They mostly ordered<br />
single copies, for which they had to pay 4s. 2d.,<br />
leaving only 4</. for their profit to include office<br />
expenses and living.<br />
"Well, let these figures be taken. Suppose the<br />
bookseller to get only this miserable 4c?. and the<br />
author his is., what did the publisher get out of<br />
the transaction 'i What did they think of that?<br />
(Shame.) These facts were not believed in by<br />
half the j)eople in the world, but they were per-<br />
fectly true. (Hear, hear.) In reply to these<br />
facts the publisher put forward the question of<br />
risk. Well, he had gone into that question, and<br />
no doubt there might be serious risk when<br />
publishers started new magazines, or expensive<br />
encyclopaedias, but as regarded current litera-<br />
ture, there was, as a rule, little or no risk what-<br />
ever. What he wanted them to observe was,<br />
that as regarded every branch of literature,<br />
whether they took fiction, poetry, history, essays,<br />
or, above all things, educational books, there<br />
were hundreds of authors whose works carried no<br />
risk, and whose name on the title-page was a<br />
guarantee at least of a certain amount of success.<br />
(Applause.) Then the publishers talked of the<br />
enormous amount of advertisements, but they<br />
would be surprised to learn that the i«. he put<br />
down very often covered the cost of advertise-<br />
ments as well. Considering the course of action<br />
of authors in the past, he said the publishers<br />
would have been more than hum iu if they had. not<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 52 (#76) ##############################################<br />
<br />
5*<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
taken advantage of the opportunities that had<br />
been afforded them. Why, with absolute power<br />
in their hands, they had actually given the book-<br />
seller $d. and the author is! It might have been<br />
much worse, for they might have given the book-<br />
seller 2d. and the author nothing, and nobody<br />
could have stopped them if they had done it.<br />
"Sometimes he had been called a dreamer of<br />
dreams, of which one or two of the more impos-<br />
sible had come off; he wou'd just lay before them<br />
a little dream he had about themselves. He<br />
thought they were all gathered together, four<br />
thousand strong in that building, and there<br />
stood a man in front of them and congratulated<br />
them on their strength, and he said in his<br />
dream 'Four thousand is a large number—an<br />
army; with four thousand you should do what<br />
you bke;' and they replied in the same strain.<br />
He then asked what they proposed to do, and<br />
why didn't they act, and they replied 'How are<br />
we to act? What are we to do?' Then this<br />
impossible dreamer said, 'Why don't you begin<br />
by publishing for yourselves, by yourselves, the<br />
more popular part of the books you sell?' If<br />
they did that they would increase their profit by<br />
40 per cent, on their investments. He laid that<br />
down as a proposal for the booksellers to consider.<br />
Let them not do anything to which anyone could<br />
object. Let them just add one more to the<br />
numerous publishing houses already in existence.<br />
The proposal, he held, was perfectly feasible for<br />
them and the public, and as to how far it might<br />
be developed he would leave that to them to<br />
decide. It might be said that the question of<br />
risk came in, but when their numbers ran into<br />
thousands there was no risk—not a penny.<br />
Let them take authors, who were timid and bad<br />
business people, into their partnership in the<br />
fullest and freest manner, and if the authors<br />
saw they were carrying out the principle they had<br />
laid down in a loyal and true spirit, as he had no<br />
doubt they would, they would be attracted—yes<br />
—all the best authors in the country."<br />
II.—After Belfast.<br />
We have had, in consequence of the foregoing<br />
address, another of those periodical attacks in<br />
which our figures are assailed. Yet they remain.<br />
Nothing is more certain to me than the fact that<br />
the kind of book which we called an average<br />
book; that is, exactly defined, as a book of 320<br />
pages, with about 258 words to the page, can be<br />
produced in large quantities at less than a<br />
shilling. Nothing is more certain than the fact<br />
that the average price paid by the trade for a 6s.<br />
book is 3*. 6d. in quantities of a dozen and over;<br />
and 4.V. 2f/. in single copies. Nothing is more<br />
certain, therefore, than the fact that 2*. 6d., in one<br />
case, and 3*. 2d., in the other, remains over, which<br />
should be the author's property, out of which to<br />
pay the services of the publisher.<br />
As for the question of office expenses, I do not<br />
think any one will again advance the preposterous<br />
claim that publishers alone have any office<br />
expenses to be considered. The office expenses,<br />
if they are divided over every book issued<br />
by publisher and bookseller are estimated by<br />
some of the latter at about 16 per cent, of their<br />
receipts: by some of the former at 10 per cent,<br />
of their expenses. I do not know how much the<br />
author should reckon—in many cases, of course,<br />
his expenses can never be covered by any return<br />
that the book could yield, even if he had all. Such<br />
a case as the accumulation of a library; the work<br />
of years; the copying of MSS.; travelling; all to<br />
make a history; cannot ever be repaid: yet they<br />
are genuine office expenses: even the rent of his<br />
house, which is his workshop, should be con-<br />
sidered. Suppose, however, that all the three<br />
persons concerned were to take each 10 per cent,<br />
for office expenses. How would the matter<br />
stand? I take the price to the bookseller to be<br />
34. 6c?., and the cost of the book to be is. They<br />
all take 10 per cent., i.e., 4'2d., not quite \\d.<br />
—say ^d. —for office expenses. That reduces the<br />
said 3*. 6d. to 2s. 6d. The cost of production<br />
reduces it to i*. bd., of which a fair division would<br />
perhaps be i*. to the author and 6d. to the pub-<br />
lisher.<br />
The question of advertising is always coming<br />
up. Do we count that in the shilling? Un-<br />
doubtedly we do. I suppose it will be allowed<br />
that the advertising is spread over the whole<br />
of the editions. Now, an edition in large<br />
numbers, of such a size as we have assumed, may<br />
cost under gd. a copy. Every £ 10 spent in<br />
advertising means 2\d. for 1000, i-fad. for 2000,<br />
%d. for 3000, for 6000. In other words, a book<br />
which sells 6000 copies may have =£50 spent in<br />
advertising it for 2d. a copy. When we treat of<br />
small editions, the book itself must cost, as is care-<br />
fully shown in the "Cost of Production," a good<br />
deal more than a shilling.<br />
The question how much advertising a book<br />
may bear is often an anxious one. Here every<br />
publisher follows his own plan. That some<br />
plans are unwise—that much money is wasted<br />
in advertising — one who stands behind the<br />
scenes and compares accounts as rendered by<br />
different firms cannot but understand so much.<br />
Three or four years ago the accounts of a book<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 53 (#77) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
53<br />
costing about js. 6d. were sent in. The sum of<br />
over =£200 was set down for advertising. A<br />
detailed list of papers and dates was sent in:<br />
apparently every little journal in the country had<br />
been enriched : the list was verified here and there,<br />
and seemed to be correctly drawn up. Another<br />
case occurred the other day where a book whose<br />
sale was no more than 170x3 copies was<br />
loaded with advertisements to the tune of .£96!<br />
This charge was also verified, and was, no doubt,<br />
perfectly correct—but the wisdom of spending<br />
so much on a book impossible to make popular<br />
seems doubtful. As a general rule the money<br />
spent in advertising the great mass of books is<br />
very small, for the simple and sufficient reason<br />
that the public would not buy them if we<br />
placarded the whole west front of St. Paul's with<br />
their advertisements.<br />
Here is a new point to be considered, A corre-<br />
spondent says: " In estimating the subject of cost<br />
there is a point which seems to have escaped you.<br />
It is the advantage enjoyed by the great houses.<br />
They can keep going a whole army of printers:<br />
they can order cloth for binding by the acre:<br />
they can order paper by the square mile. There-<br />
fore they get everything cheaper than the small<br />
publisher who sends in a book here and a book<br />
there, orders his cloth for binding by the yard<br />
and the paper by the ream."<br />
The correspondence about the Belfast meeting<br />
has ended, so far, in the following letters :—<br />
To the Editor of the Westminster Gazette.<br />
Sir,—An additional fact of considerable interest, whioh<br />
has just come to my knowledge, is my only exouse for<br />
addressing you again on this subject.<br />
1. In bis letter to you of July 8 Mr. R. B. Marston made<br />
the following statement:<br />
"A 6s. novel is sold to the trade at one-third off less<br />
10 per cent., thirteen copies being reckoned as twelve; this<br />
brings the amount received by the publisher to 3s. 4<J.,<br />
leaving him lod."<br />
These, he states, are the terms " to the trade."<br />
2. This statement is quite clear and distinct.<br />
3. Very well. A few days after this statement was thus<br />
publicly made a circular was issued by the firm of Sampson<br />
Low and Co., addressed "To the Trade." This circular<br />
being marked "Private," my solicitors, Messrs. Field,<br />
Boscoe, and Co., asked Messrs. Sampson Low and Co. if<br />
they would permit me to publish it. They object to its<br />
publication.<br />
4. I can therefore only inform your readers that in this<br />
circular "the Trade" are cautioned by Messrs. Sampson<br />
Low and Co. not to expect the terms which one of their<br />
directors has assured the public are given to them.<br />
5. With this circular before me, I can repeat, even more<br />
eonfiflently than before, my assertion that the price of the<br />
6>. book to the bookseller, with all discounts and allow-<br />
ances, is js. 6d. If any people object, I shall refer them to<br />
Messrs. Sampson Low and Co. My previous assertion th»t<br />
single copies pay 4». 2d. has never been denied. The prioe .<br />
asked by publishers, therefore, varies from 4s. 2d. to 3«. 4<Z.,<br />
which is apparently the price to distributors. The average<br />
price obtained by the publisher I shall still pnt at 38. 6d.—<br />
Your obedient servant,<br />
Walter Besant.<br />
Frognal, Hampstead, July 23.<br />
To the Editor of the Westminster Gazette.<br />
Sir,—Sir Walter Besant now state.-s in your columns that<br />
"the average price obtained by the publisher I shall put at<br />
38. 6(2." This is only 2d. more than my estimate, but it is<br />
8d. less than the figures given to the meeting at Belfast.<br />
Sir Walter says that we objeot to the publication of a<br />
private circular addressed to the trade, but he does not<br />
mention the reason we gave, viz., that booksellers have<br />
written to us oomplaining of trade discounts being pub-<br />
lished at all.<br />
If this correspondence should lead towards the abolition<br />
of the present stupid system of oalling the retail prioe of a<br />
book 25 per cent, more than anyone can buy it at it will not<br />
have been in vain.—Yours faithfully,<br />
B. B. Marston.<br />
St. Dunstan's House, Fetter-lane, London, E.C.<br />
Let anyone compare my letter with this answer.<br />
In my letter I show that a definite statement of<br />
figures publicly advanced was secretly denied by<br />
the same firm. I also point out that my original<br />
statement of the 4*. 2d. remains the same. Yet<br />
Mr. Marston pretends that I have reduced my<br />
original statement as to the 4*. 2d. by 8d.<br />
The end of the thing is that I come out of it<br />
with my own figures supported by this secret<br />
document letter for letter.<br />
The history in brief of the row:<br />
1. The booksellers declare that the so-called<br />
trade price of 3*. 6d. is no use to them, because<br />
they cannot order copies by the dozen.<br />
2. They further declare that for single copies,<br />
which they have to sell at 4*. 6d., they have to<br />
pay 4j. 2d.<br />
3. Enterprising publisher, drawing a herring<br />
across the real grievance by questioning the<br />
alleged trade price of 3*. 6c?., declares that it is<br />
3«. 4rf.<br />
4. Enterprising publisher's firm send out a<br />
secret circular to the trade warning them that<br />
they must not expect to get their books at the<br />
price of 3*. $d., as publicly stated by their<br />
partner.<br />
5. Another enterprising publisher enters the<br />
arena and tries another herring, denies that the<br />
book put forward as average (i.e., a book of<br />
320 pages with 258 words to a page) can be<br />
produced at a shilling even in large editions,<br />
says that the average is 352 pages, and then<br />
shows in triumph that the Society's figures are<br />
wrong.<br />
6. The person attacked exposes the public<br />
allegations with the secret denial, and shows that<br />
he has been right throughout; that the charge<br />
of the 4»- 2d. has never been denied, and that the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 54 (#78) ##############################################<br />
<br />
54<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
average return to the publisher is taken at<br />
3s. 6d.<br />
7. The person exposed brings along another<br />
herring and pretends that the charge of the<br />
4*. 2d. has been withdrawn in favour of the<br />
3*. 6d.<br />
This is the common course of all these con-<br />
troversies: a charge advanced: a herring: then<br />
another: then a third: at last the original charge<br />
remains.<br />
III.—The "Daily Chronicle" on the<br />
Controversy.<br />
The Daily Chronicle publishes a column of<br />
notes from publishers.<br />
I. Mr. Oswald Crawfurd made three statements,<br />
all of them in error.<br />
a. That I say there is no risk in publishing. I<br />
have never said anything of the kind. I say<br />
that the risk in producing the current literature<br />
of the day, considering the custom of making the<br />
new author pay for producing his own work, is so<br />
small as not to be worth considering; and this<br />
I maintain.<br />
/3. That I propose to abolish the publisher. It<br />
is impossible to abolish the publisher. As well<br />
try to abolish the capitalist. But there is not the<br />
least reason why booksellers should not print for<br />
themselves some of the popular books of the day.<br />
The great literary enterprises, the important works,<br />
will be left for the great merchant adventurers in<br />
literature.<br />
y. He says that I ought to practice what I<br />
preach. Well, I am willing to do so. But I am<br />
not a bookseller. If the bookseUers do what I<br />
have suggested I will offer them a story with the<br />
greatest pleasure.<br />
II. Mr. Heinemann says that my figures have<br />
been demolished by Mr. Marston. Really! This<br />
is indeed ingenuous! Mr. Marston advanced<br />
figures, truly, in the Westminster Gazette, but<br />
his own firm next day sent out a private circular<br />
to the trade telling them that they could not<br />
expect to get their books on those terms. The<br />
figures given in that circular were exactly mine,<br />
viz., 3«, 6d. when a dozen copies are ordered.<br />
III. Mr. Sonnenschein talked good sense and<br />
spoke with truth and candour. Observe, however<br />
(1) that I have never said that there are no risks<br />
in publishing (see above), and (2) that I have never<br />
talked such nonsense as that all novels cost the<br />
same. I say that in large editions of a certain<br />
work assumed to be an average work, with a given<br />
number of sheets and a certain size page a book<br />
may be produced at a shilling a copy, and in<br />
subsequent editions much less. "With regard to<br />
the cost of production, I think it is a great<br />
mistake to talk as though all novels cost the same.<br />
Many can be produced at a shilling a copy if<br />
sufficient copies are printed. Others cost a great<br />
deal more. One might just as well speak of<br />
building a house without explaining whether it is<br />
a cottage or mansion. I am sorry for the decline<br />
of the country bookseller. Formerly he was a<br />
small speculator and extremely useful to publisher<br />
and author. Now in most cases he has declined<br />
into a mere distributor of books, exercising no<br />
control over their selection, and practically keep-<br />
ing no stock."<br />
IV. Mr. Alfred Nutt thinks that 75 per cent,<br />
of the new books do not pay, and that the loss<br />
in half the cases falls on the publisher.<br />
An opinion of this kind is valuable in propor-<br />
tion to the experience and knowledge of him<br />
who holds it. Mr. Nutt occupies a very respected<br />
position as a publisher. I would accept any<br />
opinion of Mr. Nutt's which is based on personal<br />
experience so far as that can be taken, but the<br />
valuable works which Mr. Nutt issues can scarcely<br />
be called popular.<br />
V. Mr. Hutchinson says that he cannot produce<br />
a 6s. novel in an edition of 3000 copies at 1*. He<br />
does not, however, say that he cannot produce<br />
the assumed average book of twenty sheets which<br />
we have advanced. All books are not the same<br />
length. He says they frequently spend ,£75 in<br />
advertising a book. He also trots out the office<br />
expenses, saying nothing about the booksellers'<br />
or the authors' office expenses.<br />
VI. A bookseller, Mr. Collier, of Stanford,<br />
writes sensibly: "My own opinion is that the<br />
bulk of booksellers buy on the single-copy terms<br />
after the first subscription, and often then, and<br />
that they don't get more than 5 per cent, extra<br />
discount in any case, if so much. A bookseller<br />
with an open window who makes cheap fiction his<br />
leading trade, and gives it great publicity, pro-<br />
bably always gets his 6s. books for 4s. But not<br />
so the majority of the trade. He is able to buy<br />
in large quantities because he make that his<br />
business, but the average man who keeps an all-<br />
round stock of books—the average bookseller,<br />
that is to say—buys in small quantities. Argu-<br />
ments on the whole question ought fairly to be<br />
based on the terms usually in operation, and<br />
those terms are roundly 30 per cent, off the<br />
published price, which means getting a 6s. novel<br />
for 4s. 2«?. It is not a fair argument on the part<br />
of the publisher to take purchases in exceptionally<br />
large numbers as the basis. I judge that in any<br />
trade an exceptionally large buyer would com-<br />
mand an extra discount, especially if he had his<br />
money in his hand, but his case would not<br />
illustrate the general custom in his trade."<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 55 (#79) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
55<br />
VII. Lastly, if it is lastly, another bookseller<br />
says in the Daily Chronicle:<br />
"The contention between the retail booksellers<br />
and the publishers is simply this—the retail trade<br />
say that $d. a copy profit on each 6*. book they<br />
sell is not enough. The publishers, represented<br />
by Mr. Marston, say 4</. a copy is not all you get.<br />
Now it happens that when Mr. Marston's letter<br />
appeared my quarterly account was just due, and<br />
uii seeing his letter I naturally concluded that he<br />
meant what he said, and that he did supply<br />
retail booksellers on the terms he mentioned.<br />
Now his account against me contained several 6*.<br />
books, which were charged so as to allow me only<br />
4(1. a copy profit. I therefore deducted the differ-<br />
ence between the price he says publishers charge<br />
and what his firm were actually charging me, and<br />
sent him a cheque. This he promptly returned as<br />
being insufficient to settle the account, and at<br />
once confirmed Sir Walter Besant's statement.—<br />
I am, yours faithfully,<br />
"July 27. "A West End Bookseller."<br />
IV.—The Cost of Advertising.<br />
The cost of advertising is, I repeat, in-<br />
cluded in the cost of production. How is it,<br />
then, that in estimating (see " Cost of Produc-<br />
tion,'' p. 31) the cost of an edition of 3000,<br />
even when making allowance for the reduction<br />
in ■ the cost of paper, there is left so small a<br />
margin for advertising? The answer is this: A<br />
book which sells 3000 copies will certainly go on<br />
selling. The next edition of 3000 costs under<br />
lod. a copy. Now, the cost of advertising for an<br />
edition of 3000 is as follows. Every =£10 spent in<br />
advertising means four-fifths of a penny per<br />
copy. If, therefore, ,£25 be spent in advertising<br />
that means 2d. a, copy. But for a sale of 6000<br />
copies, every Jiio means two-fifths of a penny,<br />
and an expenditure of £40 means i%d. per copy.<br />
It is easy, therefore, to understand how the cost<br />
of advertising is included in the shilling. It<br />
must always be understood that this does not<br />
include the publishers' own organs, for which they<br />
has no right to charge anything, except by special<br />
agreement; nor exchanges, namely, advertisements<br />
inserted, and probably paid for, in other pub-<br />
lishers' organs on the understanding, tacit or<br />
expressed, that advertisements shall be sent in<br />
return to their organs.<br />
V.—The Cost of the Small Edition.<br />
When complaints are made that a book cannot<br />
be produced at the figures given in the "Cost of<br />
Production," it is always assumed that those<br />
figures are put forward for every kind of edition-<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
Thus it is ignored that (see page 31) the number<br />
of sheets, the size of the page, the number of<br />
words in the page, and the kind of type are all<br />
given. It is also ignored (see page 26) that the<br />
small edition is very carefully considered. Thus<br />
it is stated that a six shilling book printed in<br />
small pica, at 258 words to the page, and in<br />
seventeen sheets or 272 pp., would cost for 500<br />
copies, 2*. 8d. a copy; for 1000 copies, is. ioirf. a<br />
copy. It may also be calculated from the detailed<br />
figures that for 2000 copies about i*. "jd. a copy<br />
may be reckoned.<br />
The history of a very large number of books is<br />
this. An edition of 2000 copies is printed, and<br />
the type distributed. Whatever is said about the<br />
uncertainty of the book trade, it is pretty certain<br />
that certain books of a kind very well known will<br />
never reach the end of their second thousand. As<br />
a matter of fact, many of them never clear the first<br />
thousand, leaving a small profit of about ,£40 or<br />
X'50. If the author is to have a shilling royalty<br />
out of this, the publisher manifestly has nothing.<br />
Therefore, the author cannot have a shilling<br />
royalty. But that is no reason why the pub-<br />
lisher should cry out upon the "Cost of Produc-<br />
tion" and the figures put forward in that<br />
invaluable book.<br />
If, however, the book sells 1800 copies—a very<br />
fair measure of success with such books, and the<br />
author has his twopence in the shilling, the<br />
figures stand thus, always taking the length of<br />
the book as above:<br />
Cost of production, £132; author, i'yo; pub-<br />
lisher, =£93. So that it is quite evident that a<br />
very limited sale may produce quite substantial<br />
results.<br />
VI.—The Cost of Production.<br />
1 have in my hands the catalogue of a<br />
certain public library. It is four times the<br />
length of the average six-shilling book; it con-<br />
tains, in fact, about 300,000 words in 264 closely<br />
printed pages; it is bound in plain boards only,<br />
but it employs different kinds of type, which<br />
adds greatly to the expenses of composition. The<br />
librarian says, "You are interested in the cost of<br />
production. This book, of which 7500 were<br />
printed, cost to produce, as nearly as possible,<br />
9jrf. a copy." Yet a weekly paper was some time<br />
ago persuading its readers that nothing short of<br />
an edition of 30,000 copies would enable the<br />
average six-shilling book, which contains about<br />
80,000 words, to be produced for a shilling a<br />
copy. .,_ W. B.<br />
VII.—"Matters for Consideration."<br />
I am glad to report that, as one result of<br />
exposing certain facts in regard to agreements,<br />
1<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 56 (#80) ##############################################<br />
<br />
56<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
a publisher who was referred to in these columns<br />
has so far modified his offers concerning agency<br />
business that be now proposes to give the author<br />
90 per cent, instead of 50, his former custom. In<br />
other words, he proposes to be a literary agent in<br />
such matters in the same sense as the genuine<br />
literary agent. But the literary agent must<br />
always stand apart from the publisher.<br />
In my opinion it is a great mistake for the<br />
author to look to the publisher for agency work.<br />
G. H. Thbing.<br />
10. The relations of authors and editors, M.<br />
Eugene Pouillet.<br />
11. Registration, M. Lucien Lay us.<br />
12. Legal protection of artistic heritages, M.<br />
Maurice Bekaert.<br />
13. Public rights (after the lapse of author's<br />
rights) in artistic and literary works, M. E.<br />
Mack.<br />
14. The proprietorship of stereotype or other<br />
plates for reproduction, M. Davanne.<br />
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE INTER-<br />
NATIONAL LITERARY AND ARTISTIC<br />
ASSOCIATION AT BERNE.<br />
Programme.<br />
THE eighteenth Congress of the International<br />
Literary and Artistic Association will take<br />
place at Berne, from the 22nd to the 29th<br />
of August. The following is the official list of<br />
subjects proposed for consideration:<br />
1. Report on the work done by the association<br />
between the Berne Convention (1886) and the<br />
Paris Conference (1896), M. Jules Lermina.<br />
2. Paper on the Paris Conference, M. Georges<br />
Maillard.<br />
3. Means of assuring the application of the<br />
Berne Convention in the countries which have<br />
joined the union:<br />
(a) Literary works, M. Paul Ollendorf.<br />
(6) Dramatic works, M. A. Beaume.<br />
(c) Musical works, M. Victor Souchon.<br />
(<7) Painting, sculpture, and engraving, M.<br />
Georges Floury.<br />
(e) Architectural works, M. Charles Lucas.<br />
(f) Photography, M. Andre Taillefer.<br />
((/) Compliance with conditions and formalities<br />
in countries belonging to the union, M. Ernest<br />
Rothlisbcrger.<br />
4. Legislation in countries belonging to the<br />
uuion.<br />
Germany, M. Albert Osterrietli.<br />
Italy, M. Tito Ricordi.<br />
5. Copyright of contributions to journals, M.<br />
Jules Lermiua.<br />
6. The means of obtaining the adhesion of new<br />
countries to the Berne Convention:<br />
Europe, M. Maurice Mauuoury.<br />
America, M. A. Darras.<br />
7. Collaboration, M. G. Harmand.<br />
8. The rights of the creditors of authors, M.<br />
A. Vaunois.<br />
9. Proposals for a law on the rights of authors,<br />
M. Georges Maillard.<br />
NEW YORK LETTER.<br />
I.<br />
New York City, N.Y., June 12.<br />
HAMLIN GARLAND, the most prominent<br />
new writer of the Western States, is now<br />
at work on a different kind of work from<br />
any he has heretofore attempted. His reputation<br />
as a short story writer has become firmly estab-<br />
lished in the last few years ; this year he made his<br />
first experiment in novel writing with " Rose of<br />
Dutehers Cooley," which showed some power,<br />
and now he has nearly finished a piece of his-<br />
torical work for S. S. McClure and Co., a Life of<br />
Grant, which is to begin in serial form very soon.<br />
He has done a great deal of study for the sub-<br />
ject. He intends to treat it graphically and to<br />
make it read as much as possible like a novel,<br />
although it is to be exact. Mr. Garland is not<br />
only the strongest of the young writers of<br />
Chicago, to which city he now belongs, but he is<br />
the one of prominence who believes most firmly<br />
in the future of that city as a literary centre.<br />
It is already the city to which the country people<br />
of the Western States look for careers, as is<br />
graphically told in "Rose of Dutehers Cooley,"<br />
which is supposed to be largely autobiographical.<br />
Mr. Garland himself has spent most of his life<br />
in the country, and, although he now lives in<br />
Chicago, spends much of his time on a farm. It<br />
is a common thing to hear it suggested that he<br />
needs to go to more cultivated places to work out<br />
a talent which is probably the most real of auy<br />
produce) within the last few years in the west,<br />
and it is said that he himself feels a certain<br />
danger in being as conspiciously the leader as he<br />
is, but his loyalty to Chicago and his belief in its<br />
future are ardent.<br />
As surely as Mr. Garland is the strongest,<br />
Henry B. Fuller is the the cleverest of the Chicago<br />
writers. The book published here by the Century<br />
Company in May and by John Lane in London,<br />
shows that Mr. Fuller's mind has taken a new turn.<br />
He first attracted attention with a story largely<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 57 (#81) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
57<br />
of fancy, "The Chevalier of Pensieri-Vani," but<br />
his reputation has been made mainly on two<br />
stories of severe realism, "The Cliff Dwellers"<br />
and "With the Procession." "The Puppet<br />
Booth" is, on the other hand, entirely symbolic<br />
and largely in the manner of Maeterlinck. A<br />
few of the little plays are obvious parodies, but<br />
most of them arc serious efforts that seem to<br />
show a new turn of his talent. He is probably,<br />
however, doomed to failure in this line, and it is<br />
the general expectation that he will return to<br />
studies of Chicago life, though probably they<br />
will be less insistently realistic than they were<br />
before. Mr. Fuller is the only one of the<br />
Western writers of importance who does not like<br />
the life in which he is placed. A few days ago<br />
he said in a letter to a newspaper: "The trouble<br />
with life in A merica is that it. is uninteresting,<br />
and it is uninteresting largely because it has<br />
been so unsuccessful in voicing itself: 70,000,000<br />
of us, mostly inarticulate ; it is a mortifying reflec-<br />
tion. I agree with you that every native peep, if<br />
authentic, should be encouraged to go on peeping;<br />
then, some day our needs in art, in literature, in<br />
music will be met not approximately, by the<br />
handiest foreign importation, but absolutely, by<br />
productions of our own people. The twitterings<br />
of the new brood of magazinelets seem to herald<br />
the coming dawn." He has never been fond of<br />
the crude and enthusiastic city, but he has a<br />
certain loyalty to it and is interested in its<br />
future.<br />
A story by a Chicago woman, which, whatever<br />
its other qualities, smells of the soil, is the last<br />
novel of Lillian Bell, called "The Under Side of<br />
Things." She is the author of " The Love Affairs<br />
of an Old Maid." No Chicago author is more<br />
like Chicago. The novel is handled in England<br />
by Sampson Low, Marston and Co.<br />
Everybody in the literary world in Chicago is<br />
rejoicing just now that the dissolution of the firm<br />
of Stone and Kimball does not mean one less<br />
publishing house in the city. Mr. Stone has<br />
organised a new firm, H. S. Stone and Co., which,<br />
besides issuing the Chap Booh, is to go on with<br />
the publication of books, beginning with the<br />
second series of Richard Le Gallienne's Prose<br />
Fancies, a translation of the novel of "Annunzio,"<br />
and two works of more local character. "Checkers,"<br />
a story by Henry M. Blossom, jun., claims little<br />
merit other than a faithful reproduction of the<br />
slang of Chicago, which has not yet found its way<br />
into books, although it has into the newspapers.<br />
The story is at least amusing. More under-<br />
standing of the city and more vividness of expres-<br />
sion will be found in "Stories of the Streets and<br />
of the Town," by Geo. Ames, a young nmn<br />
whose work on the Chicayo Record has attracted<br />
attention for a number of years. All of those<br />
books will probably be issued before fall.<br />
Rudyard Kipling's story of 50,000 words<br />
dealing with Gloucester fishermen, has been sold<br />
in its serial rights for England and American for<br />
240 dollars a thousand words to McClure. The<br />
book is not arranged for, but it is said that, the<br />
MacMillans have made an offer for it.<br />
Chas. Scribncr's Sons have just bought 'The<br />
Sense of Beauty," by George Santayana, a young<br />
man who has thus far published one book, a<br />
volume of verse brought out by Stone and<br />
Kimball. What essay work has appeared in the<br />
magazines has been brilliant. Dr. Santayana has<br />
been teaching sesthetics and philosophy at Har-<br />
vard University, to which he will return in 1897,<br />
spending this year in England. Among the other<br />
books which the Scribners expect to bring out in<br />
fall is " The Sprightly Adventures of Marsac," by<br />
Miss Eliote Sewall, which is a New York Herald<br />
prize story, and will be brought out with illustra-<br />
tions by G. Berbeck, known from his connection<br />
with Le Chat Noir, the Courrier Franrais, and<br />
other French papers. Although both the author<br />
and illustrator are Americans the study of<br />
Bohemian Life in Paris is an interesting one.<br />
"My Village," a sketch of life in a French village<br />
near Paris, where the author lived for five years,<br />
with illustrations by the author, E. Boyd Smith,<br />
has an intimate charm. The Scribners have just<br />
announced Max Beerbohm's works, which are<br />
thus far very little known in this country.<br />
The Century Company in the fall will publish<br />
a story of Quaker life by Dr. Weir Mitchell of<br />
Philadelphia. Crowell and Co. will bring out in<br />
the fall a five volume edition of Fennimorc<br />
Cooper's Leather Stocking Tales, handsomely<br />
illustrated, with an introduction by Brander<br />
Mathews.<br />
Stephen Crane's new novel "Dan Edmonds,"<br />
which was expected in June, will not be ready<br />
until the autumn. Edward Arnold has just pub-<br />
lished " George's Mother," a story which is much<br />
inferior to the "Red Badge of Courage." The<br />
first edition is 10,000. The Appletons publish<br />
"Maggie, a Girl of the Street," which Mr. Crane<br />
wrote some years ago, and which is weaker than<br />
"George's Mother." Even in these two books,<br />
however, there is some of the power which was<br />
proved by the "Red Badge of Courage," and<br />
good work in the future from Mr. Crane is<br />
looked upon as a certainty by most of the critics<br />
here.<br />
Sarah Orne Jewett is editing the two volumes<br />
of Mrs. Thaxter's poems and prose works, which<br />
will prevent her bringing out a new volume of<br />
stories this fall. She is a writer who is likely to<br />
be better known in England as time goes on.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 58 (#82) ##############################################<br />
<br />
58<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
The fact that "Madelon," Miss Wilkins' first<br />
attempt at a novel, is sold in England, and that<br />
Miss Jewett is almost unknown there, shows that<br />
the relative merits of the two writers are not<br />
understood. They occupy a field of their own,<br />
the study of New England life, and neither<br />
stands first in this country; Miss Jewett, with<br />
more delicacy, has scarcely less power than Miss<br />
Wilkins. Miss Wilkins is not at her best in<br />
"Madelon," although the story has much strength.<br />
Tt is published by Harper and Brothers. Miss<br />
Jewett's last volume of stories called " The Life<br />
of Nancy," is published by Houghton, Mifflin,<br />
and Co.<br />
H. C. Bunner, the poet, who has just died in<br />
America, is to be honoured by a Bunner memo-<br />
rial, a medal to be awarded annually at Columbia<br />
University, to the student who submits the best<br />
essay on American literature. It is in charge of<br />
Laurence Hutton, Brander Matthews, and H. G.<br />
Paine.<br />
The American branch of the Macmillan busi-<br />
ness has been changed to a corporation, and<br />
called the Macmillan Company, but the manage-<br />
ment remains the same.<br />
G. P. Putnam's Sons announce for immediate<br />
publication in book form under the name of "The<br />
United States and Great Britain " three of the<br />
best addresses that have been delivered here<br />
during the recent international troubles; "The<br />
Relations between the United States and Great<br />
Britain, by David A. Wells; "The True Monroe<br />
Doctrine," by E. S. Phelps, formerly Minister to<br />
England, and " Arbitration," by Carl Schurtz.<br />
"By Oak and Thorn," by Alice Brown, pub-<br />
lished by Houghton, Mifflin, and Co., a series of<br />
sketches of English country, is a disappointment.<br />
Her work in New England fiction has given<br />
promise that she might sometime stand next to<br />
Miss Jewett and Miss Wilkins, but this book is<br />
deplorably weak. N. H.<br />
n.<br />
New York, July 13.<br />
One of the most interesting books to be<br />
published next, fall is a temptation to say<br />
something about a distinctive feature of current,<br />
criticism in America, and especially in this<br />
city. Our most valuable contemporary critics<br />
are not those who are known in England, for an<br />
obvious reason. What Mr. George Bernard<br />
Shaw said of himself some time ago, that he<br />
wrote for the paper which would pay him most,<br />
is of course true of our literary men on the whole,<br />
and as the newspapers and the cheap periodicals<br />
pay the best prices, and pay them not for as<br />
sound work as is demanded by a number of the<br />
leading English periodicals, but for either noto-<br />
riety or a style that will appeal to the mass of<br />
half-educated readers who give to our newspapers<br />
and magazines their immense circulations, the<br />
critics most widely known are men whose best<br />
work is in other fields of literature, and who<br />
enter criticism because their prominence makes<br />
their opinions sought.<br />
Curiously enough, at first sight, some of the<br />
solidestand subtlest criticism we have in America<br />
deals with the arts which are most inchoate<br />
here. There is no literary critic, no dramatic<br />
critic, no musical critic whose style and treat-<br />
ment are more distinguished and fertile than are<br />
those of several who write mainly of the plastic<br />
arts. This is due partly to accident, partly to<br />
the fact that the public recognises its ignorance<br />
of the plastic arts, and therefore cares more for<br />
expert criticism than it does in the case of<br />
comment on literature and the drama, where it is<br />
best pleased to see its own opinions immediately<br />
reflected. The existence of a demand for expert<br />
comment on arts which are rapidly growing in<br />
general interest has led to a great amount of<br />
writing among the New York artists, and some<br />
of them are at least as skilful with the pen as<br />
■ ith the brush. The book which will support<br />
these remarks is to be publshed by the Century<br />
Company in the fall. It is a book about French<br />
artists written by American artists, to be illus-<br />
trated by the leading engravers, Cole, Wolfe, and<br />
Kingsley. The mumber of volumes is, I believe,<br />
still undecided. The idea originated with John C.<br />
Van Dyke, the author of "Art for Art's sake,"<br />
"Principles of Art," "A Textbook of the<br />
History of Painting," and other criticism, Pro-<br />
fessor of the History of Art in Rutger's College,<br />
and on the whole the critic whose point of view<br />
is most satisfactory to the painters themselves.<br />
His work all has really one object, to explain to<br />
intelligent novices the standpoint of the artist.<br />
He is eminently sane and competent, but he has<br />
no graces or powers of expression.<br />
Before passing on to the painter critics, whose<br />
work is illustrated in this collection, a word<br />
should be said for completeness of two writers<br />
who do not appear there, since it happens that<br />
the two contemporary American writers who have<br />
made the most interesting books on art are not<br />
artists. Second to no American critic of the day<br />
for the soundest literary merit is Mrs. Schuyler<br />
Van Rensselaer, the author of a work on the<br />
Eng.ish cathedrals, one on landscape gardening<br />
called "Art out of Doors," a, book on painters<br />
called " Six Portraits," other bound volumes, and<br />
a great many magazine and newspaper articles 011<br />
art, as well as some on politics, some on literature,<br />
and a little fiction. She is one among few of<br />
our writers who have cared a great deal for style<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 59 (#83) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
59<br />
in its subtler qualities. For the years that she<br />
has been writing it has always improved. Culti-<br />
vated, personal at once and reserved, at the<br />
beginning, it has steadily gained in harmony,<br />
suppleness, and finish, while keeping the earnest-<br />
ness and solidity which were its merits from the<br />
start. She lives among society people, among<br />
artists, among politicians, and among the poor<br />
of the East side, a leader in almost every branch<br />
of New York life, and it is the breadth of her<br />
personality as well as her warmth of sympathy<br />
and her thorough study of her subjects that<br />
makes her style, which has no qualities that are<br />
showy or take a superficial attention at once, one<br />
that can well stand judgment on high standards.<br />
She writes for the general public, not the specialist,<br />
but she writes her best always. She, more than<br />
any other one writer, led to the recognition among<br />
Eastern critics of the architectural merits of the<br />
buildings at Chicago in 1892-3.<br />
W. C. Brownell, for some years a literary critic,<br />
now the reader for Scribners' publishing house,<br />
has lately written much on art, part of which<br />
appears as a book " French Art." He is seen at<br />
his best in this and in " French Traits." In the<br />
kind of criticism which is purely intellectual,<br />
where critical acumen for almost everything, Mr.<br />
Brownell stands first, in spite of the small amount<br />
of his collected work. In subtlety, sharpness of dis-<br />
tinction, preciseness of statement, logical coherence,<br />
individuality of vocabulary, and brilliancy of<br />
characterisation verging on epigram, he easily<br />
leads our critics. He is too intellectual for the<br />
public and frankly writes for a few.<br />
A inong the painter critics the only one of pro-<br />
minence who does not appear in the Century<br />
collection is John La Forge, and he writes not of<br />
contemporary work, but of art principles in<br />
general. "Considerations on Painting," pub-<br />
lished this year by Macmillan, although some-<br />
what elementary in style in its long explanations,<br />
has much sound thought clearly and firmly stated.<br />
Coming to those painters who do appear as<br />
writers in the Century book, several combine the<br />
technical with the literary point of view success-<br />
fully. Kenyon Cox, who does the articles on<br />
Puvis de Chauvannes and Baudry, writes mainly<br />
of technical qualities, but treats them broadly as<br />
well as strictly, and writes with uncommon vigour,<br />
certainty, and clearness. He is very well known<br />
here as an anonymous reviewer, and he has a<br />
quality rare among the writers who have personal<br />
acquaintance with the men they write of perfect<br />
straightforwardness in the treatment of fault8-<br />
W. A. Coffin, who does Kosseau ^, ~ na,n-<br />
Bouveret, also combines literary Q ~ Da£ 1<br />
the knowledge of a practical pa in te^^ ties * "T<br />
best work was done for the Nation 3' gome #f l^8<br />
VOL. VII,<br />
\tbe?*m<br />
Exhibition of 1889. In one of his papers to the<br />
nation, by the way, Mr. Coffin speaks of Theodore<br />
Robinson as the best of the present American<br />
impressionists, and many of the New York artists<br />
agree with him. Robinson, who died last April,<br />
has two articles in the present collection, one 011<br />
Monet, which has already appeared in the<br />
Century, and one, which at his death he left<br />
practically complete, on Corot. With a few<br />
slight revisions by his intimate friend, A. P.<br />
Jaccaci, the art editor of Scribner's Magazine,<br />
the article reads smoothly, and it shows a most<br />
attractive side of the young painter, whose<br />
admiration for Coret was high, and whose love<br />
of literature was strong and made him write well.<br />
He died while his art was still changing, and<br />
hardly anyone could be more missed.<br />
Gerome and Bontet de Monvel are done by<br />
Will H. Low, popular as a writer on art, who<br />
now has a series of articles running in McClure's<br />
Magazine. Bonnat and Laurens are done by<br />
E. H. Blashfield, one of our most prominent<br />
painters, who is a ready and intelligent critic.<br />
Gh P. R. Healey, the portrait painter, writes on<br />
Conture, Beckwith on Carolus Duran, H. W.<br />
Watrons on Meissionier, Arthur Horber on<br />
Diaz, W. H. Howe on Troyon, D. W. Tryon.<br />
one of our most delicate landscape painters, on<br />
Danbigny, Wyatt Eaton on Millet, and S.<br />
Isham on Bastien Lepage.<br />
In this connection, a book just published by<br />
C. A. Ellis, by the most prominent of our musical<br />
critics, W. F. Apthorp, should be mentioned.<br />
The volume of nearly 900 pages has analytic<br />
programmes of the twenty-four concerts given in<br />
Boston last season by the symphony orchestra of<br />
that city. Mr. Apthorp has not only commented<br />
on 105 pieces by forty-six composers in an<br />
interesting and scholarly way, but has a number<br />
of entre-actes treating of various subjects in<br />
musical history. The present interest in music,<br />
shown by Paderewski's immense success and the<br />
increasing support of the orchestra in New York,<br />
Boston, and Chicago, as well as of the opera,<br />
finds a minor illustration in the publication by<br />
the Scribners of a little book called " Delivery in<br />
the Art of Pianoforte Playing."<br />
There may be a temptation later to speak of<br />
dramatic criticism, which is at a low ebb in all our<br />
cities. As an illustration of the bad effect of cheap<br />
magazines and newspapers on literary criticism<br />
a gross instance may be cited from Munsey's<br />
Magazine, which has the largest circulation of any<br />
monthly magazine in the country. The literary<br />
critic of that periodical says: « Mr-Harold Frederic<br />
, g made his debut as a novelist with a book<br />
titled ' The Damnation of -T^eron Ware.' Mr.<br />
0** jeric is favourably kno^v^ ^0 us by his foreign<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 60 (#84) ##############################################<br />
<br />
bo<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
letters to the .New York Times, and those who<br />
have followed his work closely will not be sur-<br />
prised to find in his first novel proof that he is<br />
entitled to high rank in literature." As Mr.<br />
Frederic's stories of American life have long had<br />
a very high place in general estimation the<br />
absurdity of the remark is more than ordinarily<br />
salient. Norman Hapgood.<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
THE present number of the Autlurr is almost<br />
made up of the booksellers' grievance. It<br />
is a subject which, as is argued in another<br />
place, most materially affects us all. We must<br />
have centres of distribution and exhibition.<br />
Whether we care about books being sold or not,<br />
we care greatly about their being seen and read.<br />
The circulating library cannot take the place of<br />
the book shop: that is quite certain. It is a<br />
stupid policy and a blind policy to sweat the<br />
bookseller out of existence, Meantime it must<br />
be observed that in the whole of the contro-<br />
versy my original charge, that of making the<br />
unfortunate bookseller pay 4*. 2d. for a book<br />
which he has to sell for 4*. 6d. has never been<br />
denied, or excused, or explained away. It<br />
remains. _<br />
The "New York Letter" of last month, which<br />
arrived too late, appears in this number with that<br />
of the present month. I am happv to inform<br />
our readers that Mr. Sherard, who has been<br />
much occupied with law work of a disagreeable<br />
kind, hopes to resume his letter from Paris next<br />
month. o<_<br />
Lord Bosebery's eulogy on Robert Burns, pro-<br />
nounced at the recent Centenary Celebration,<br />
deserves to be reprinted separately as an oration<br />
of the highest literary order. I doubt if there<br />
is a single man among the whole of the literary<br />
profession who could write—not to say deliver—<br />
a tribute to the memory of a poet with so much<br />
appreciation, so much grace, so much felicity of<br />
phrase, so much originality, and in language so<br />
well sustained, and in parts, so noble. The<br />
address reminds us that the literary gift, the<br />
power of expression, is not confined to those who<br />
follow the literary profession. I hope that the<br />
address will be issued in a form more durable<br />
than that of the morning paper.<br />
The following sums have been received by Miss<br />
Ellen T. Masters, of 4, Mount Avenue, Ealing, on<br />
behalf of Mrs. Eliza Warren since the publica-<br />
tion of the former list, making a total of<br />
,£46 12.5. id. :—<br />
£ t. d. £ »■ d.<br />
Anon 0 1 6 Page/Warden, Esq. 0 10 0<br />
Cooke, the Misses 0 10 0 Toplis, Miss Grace 0 5 0<br />
Hilton, E. E 1 0 0 S. B 0 5 0<br />
In the list published in our July number, for " A<br />
Poor Old Woman," is., read 1*. id.; for Mrs.<br />
F. G. Smart, 5*., read £5 ; and for Miss G. Michell,<br />
10*., read icw. 6d. gi_<br />
Mr. Moncure Conway's paper on "Literature<br />
in America" reopens the question whether, in<br />
1891, we were right in accepting without a protest<br />
the Copyright Act as it stood, with its mis-<br />
chievous clauses. We did so on the under-<br />
standing that, but for these clauses, this Act<br />
would not be passed. We accepted the pro-<br />
verbial half loaf rather than no bread. The<br />
English grievance, as advanced by Mr. Conway,<br />
is that the author invariably loses his first work<br />
in America; at the same time, he nearly always<br />
loses his first work in this country. One does<br />
not pity him very much, because to every author<br />
the first step necessary is the publication of his<br />
first book. That is, if he is a poet, a dramatist,<br />
a novelist, or an essayist; in other words, if he<br />
is embarking upon a life of literature, the first<br />
step is the most difficult; for that first step the<br />
author must be grateful, whatever terms are<br />
offered him. The American grievance is that of<br />
his current literature of the day, 60 per cent,<br />
comes from abroad, and is obtained for nothing.<br />
This is not a good thing for American litera-<br />
ture; and, in the long run, cannot be good for<br />
American publishers. It seems a matter entirely<br />
in the hands of the American authors. And it<br />
remains to be seen whether they can be powerful<br />
enough, united enough, and independent enough,<br />
to demand the abolition or the modification of<br />
the " manufacturing clauses."<br />
Stamp your agreements. This is a warning<br />
which we are always repeating. Give them to<br />
our secretary, who will get them stamped for you<br />
and keep them for you in a fireproof safe. It will<br />
cost you sixpence or thereabouts. Now on July 9<br />
a case came before the Lord Chief Justice:<br />
Author v. Publisher. After the opening of the<br />
case the judge asked to see the agreement. It<br />
was handed up to him. He gave it back. "There<br />
is no contract," he said, "this piece of paper is<br />
worthless." The plaintiff might have taken his<br />
agreement to be stamped, on payment of a penalty<br />
of £10. But he did not. The case was taken out<br />
of court and settled somehow. Of course one is<br />
not suggesting that the plaintiff was right or the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 61 (#85) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
61<br />
defendant wrong; but the former, at any rate,<br />
failed to get his case heard because he had for-<br />
gotten to stamp his agreement.<br />
Edmund de Goncourt "uttered," according to<br />
Zola's funeral oration, "the sublime cry that the<br />
earth will one day crumble, and that his works<br />
will no longer be read." It lingers long, this<br />
ancient belief in literary immortality. The plain,<br />
broad facts stare one in the face: it seems impos-<br />
sible to ignore them: poets, dramatists, novelists,<br />
essayists, critics, historians, flourish, and achieve<br />
their name and fame in every generation: new<br />
poets, especially, and new novelists spring up<br />
every year: to this year's cinacle last year's is<br />
out of date: when they die or cease i o exist, what<br />
becomes of them? With the rarest exceptions,<br />
they are speedily forgotten, except by the student.<br />
Consider the enormous production of verse and<br />
fiction during the last hundred years: how many<br />
survive of that immense army of writers? The<br />
«arth has not crumbled. Yet they are no more<br />
read. How many works achieve a great and<br />
widespread popularity, yet are never read after<br />
the first year of their success? Think of the<br />
popular novelists who have gone on writing year<br />
after year giving good work to the world. Now,<br />
their books stand unbought, unread, not asked<br />
for in the libraries. They still retain, some of<br />
them, old disciples: these drop out, one by one:<br />
then they are remembered by one or two, at<br />
most, out of all their books. Some, less fortunate,<br />
are not remembered at all. For example, Anthony<br />
Trollope, Wilkie Collins, Charles Reade—great<br />
writers all—yet, how many readers ask for them<br />
at the library? How many buy their books?<br />
For one book of each, however, if not more known<br />
than one, these writers will be remembered. So<br />
far they are raised above the common run, even<br />
of successful writers. As for living writers, one<br />
must not inquire into the possible or the probable<br />
limitations of their endurance. Yet—one may<br />
ask—is it not so great a thing to succeed in<br />
moving and holding his contemporaries that a<br />
writer should be content with having achieved so<br />
much? An actor, a singer, a preacher, a violinist,<br />
even a statesman, thinks only of pleasing, or<br />
instructing, or advancing his own generation.<br />
Why should the author expect, or ask for, more?<br />
'Ideal,' for that, and beauty, and pathos all lie in<br />
the simply natural. . . . Let your moral take<br />
care of itself, and remember that an author's<br />
writing desk is something infinitely higher than a<br />
pulpit. ... As for orthodoxy, be at ease.<br />
Whatever is well done the world finds orthodox<br />
at last. . . . Whatever creed may be true, it<br />
is not true, and never will be, that man can be<br />
saved by machinery. . . . Let yourself go<br />
without regard to this, that, or the other."<br />
The following note may perhaps be taken, like<br />
a second-hand book, with all faults. We do not<br />
find Dr. Johnson ordered to get up and ring the<br />
bell. Yet the writer was a man of some distinc-<br />
tion in his day, though he is lost and forgotten<br />
by this time. The passage occurs in a novel of<br />
the year 1786. •<br />
"As a literary man I was invited to the houses<br />
of many respectable personages, but, proud as I<br />
might be of the honour, I met with little there<br />
but mortification. I was placed at the lower end<br />
of the table; helped to an ordinary part; not<br />
attended to, perhaps, when I spoke; requested<br />
occasionally to rise and ring the bell; not suffered<br />
to cut in at the whist table; and such other<br />
slights. As I considered myself, if not of equal<br />
rank in life with the rest of the company, yet, as<br />
having more knowledge and more abilities, and of<br />
course equally entitled to respect, I must own it<br />
hurt me. But why, if I disliked it, did I go into<br />
the way of it? Because I thought to benefit<br />
by their acquaintance."<br />
In another column will be found the programme<br />
of the Eighteenth Congress of the International<br />
Literary and Artistic Association to be held at<br />
Berne from the 22nd to the 29th of this month.<br />
It is very much to be regretted that the committee<br />
have so far been unable to find a member willing<br />
to become a delegate representing this society.<br />
Walter Besant.<br />
THE BOOK AND THE BOOKSELLER.<br />
ABOOK is without question the property of<br />
the author who creates it. As he cannot<br />
administer his own literary estate without<br />
considerable personal trouble, and, in most cases,<br />
without loss, he gives it to another person to<br />
distribute, collect, &c., araong the booksellers,<br />
^rbo distribute it among the people. There<br />
The following advice to an author has been<br />
sent to me. It seems worth the attention of all<br />
young writers. It is contained in a letter from<br />
J. R. Lowell to Mrs. Beecher Stowe, dated J^b. 4,<br />
1859.<br />
"Follow your instincts. . , , .„e r—r— — —j --, u„« —<br />
nature, and avoid what people cok, • StlC* S° K0 author, as very frequently happens, sells ins<br />
ie thus, between the owuei 0f the property and<br />
the P^pk wh° buy it, ^w0 middlemen. If<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 62 (#86) ##############################################<br />
<br />
6a<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
property, then there is only one middleman<br />
between the owner and the public.<br />
That middleman is the bookseller.<br />
Let us, as men and women of letters, put before<br />
ourselves the functions discharged by the book-<br />
seller. He is a centre of exhibition and distribu-<br />
tion: on his counter should be seen the new books<br />
which are advertised and reviewed: for the honour<br />
and dignity of letters, his place cannot be too<br />
stately and too well furnished: it should be<br />
everywhere the resort of all the reading public.<br />
No free library or circulating library can take the<br />
place of the old bookseller's shop: in any con-<br />
siderable town there should always be a flourish-<br />
ing substantial bookseller, and his position should<br />
be, in a time when the production and the<br />
purchase of books are so enormous, one of profit<br />
and credit.<br />
What is it? A position precarious, pinched,<br />
and anxious. Since the recent conference at<br />
Belfast a great many letters have been published<br />
on the subject; and it is clear, indeed, that<br />
unless authors themselves make some attempt to<br />
improve the booksellers' position they will speedily<br />
cease out of the land—except in London. This<br />
destruction of a once prosperous trade will be the<br />
greatest misfortune possible for literature from<br />
any point of view. If authors desire, in the high<br />
Parnassian vein, nothing but the reading of their<br />
books they will not get it, because there will be no<br />
one to present t^em to the public. If they desire<br />
that the commercial side should be looked after<br />
as well they will fail again, because there will be<br />
no one to sell the books. It is actually said that<br />
70 per cent, of the country booksellers have gone<br />
out of the trade in the last few years.<br />
The causes of this decay may be reduced to<br />
one. Booksellers will not stock new books, and<br />
they therefore fail to attract the public eager for<br />
novelty. They will not stock their shops, because<br />
they cannot afford to do so. They cannot afford<br />
to do so because they are compelled to pay such<br />
high prices by the publishers.<br />
Take the evidence of the Edinburgh Branch<br />
of Retail Booksellers. Their Hon. Sec. writes:<br />
"There are upwards of 130 members in the<br />
Edinburgh Branch, but out of these only one can<br />
buy in thirteens."<br />
Other booksellers speak to the same effect.<br />
As for prices. Consider the 6*. book. The<br />
cost, in large editions, may be set down, approxi-<br />
mately, at is. The author may perhaps receive<br />
1*. The bookseller pays 4*. 2d. for it in single<br />
copies, and 3s. 6d. (approximately) at thirteen to<br />
twelve.<br />
Now, consider the profits of the three persons<br />
concerned in the business, taking the assumed<br />
average book in large editions. First, single-<br />
copies—<br />
Author, 1*.<br />
Publisher, 2$. 2d.<br />
Bookseller, 4c?. If he can manage to sell his<br />
book for 5*. he gets \od.<br />
Next, copies at 4*. 2d., thirteen as twelve,<br />
with discounts, meaning 3*. 6d.<br />
Author, 1*.<br />
Publisher, is. 6d. .<br />
Bookseller, is.<br />
The publisher says that he has had office<br />
expenses. He actually has had the impudence<br />
in some cases to speak as if he alone can claim<br />
office expenses. Where are the office expenses of<br />
the author? Where are those of the bookseller?<br />
The office expenses of the publisher are some-<br />
times estimated, rightly or wrongly, at 10 per<br />
cent, of the proceeds. Those of the bookseller<br />
are estimated, according to some of the letters, at<br />
16 per cent.<br />
But will anyone tell the world why the pub-<br />
lisher should get a profit of 2s. 2d., where the<br />
author gets is. and the bookseller 4<f.?<br />
As regards other prices, the following is a list<br />
sent up by a country bookseller showing the<br />
published price, the trade price, and the price<br />
paid by the public.<br />
Price published<br />
Trade price<br />
Price paid by the public<br />
Profit for bookseller...<br />
1 0<br />
1 G<br />
2 0<br />
2 fi<br />
8 «<br />
8 0<br />
8 0<br />
0 8J<br />
1 1<br />
1 5<br />
1 9<br />
2 6<br />
8 7<br />
4 2<br />
0 0<br />
1 u<br />
1 6<br />
1 10)<br />
2 71<br />
8 9<br />
4 6<br />
0 5<br />
0 J<br />
0 10 lj<br />
1<br />
0 1J<br />
0 2<br />
0 4<br />
And out of these half-pence the bookseller has<br />
to pay rent and keep up his house!<br />
One would reckon, approximately, the pub-<br />
lisher's profit compared with the bookseller's at<br />
about six to one all through."<br />
Here are more notes on prices:<br />
A law bookseller, who takes off 20 per cent, to<br />
his cash customers, divides publishers into three<br />
classes,<br />
(1) Those who charge 4*. 6d. for a 6s. book,<br />
but, if "subscribed," i.e., two or more copies<br />
taken when first issued, at 4s. 2d.<br />
(2) Those who give the above terms with 5<br />
per cent. cash.<br />
(3) Those who give the above terms with six<br />
months' credit.<br />
He instances the purchase of a single book pub-<br />
lished at 3s. 6d. He gave 2s. 6d. and if he had<br />
bought it to sell again he would have made 2d.<br />
profit.<br />
"The other day," he says, "I bought seven<br />
copies of a book published by Messrs. . They<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 63 (#87) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
63<br />
supplied us, seven copies being as six and a half,<br />
at 2.i. 6d. less 5 per cent., that means 28. 2\d.<br />
For further copies they will charge thirteen as<br />
twelve and a half, at 2s. 6d. less 5 percent., which<br />
is • half a copy ' dearer or 2s. ^d."<br />
Why, it may be asked, should there be all<br />
these complicated discounts and per centages if<br />
you buy this way or that way? Why cannot<br />
there be a fair price agreed u]>on and enforced?<br />
Why, to repeat, should the publisher get this<br />
vast slice of profit? They used to plead that it<br />
was on account of the risk. This they cm no<br />
longer do as regards current literature. Con-<br />
sidering that the really risky l>ooks are nearly<br />
always paid for by their authors: that in every<br />
branch of literature there are scores and hundred<br />
of authors whose books carry no risk at all: that<br />
every well-known firm can always place a certain<br />
number of books brought out by them: it is<br />
ridiculous to speak of the enormous risks.<br />
Let us, however, define risk more closely.<br />
The risk of a book is generally assumed to be<br />
the cost of production. This, however, is by no<br />
means the case. Every house of standing can<br />
subscribe at the outset a certain number of every<br />
book which it produces: probably an experienced<br />
publisher knows pretty well beforehand, that is,<br />
within certain limits, how many will be subscribed<br />
at the outset. The risk is therefore the difference<br />
between the actual liability for printing, &c. (most<br />
to be paid in six months), and the amount cleared<br />
by subscription. If the cost of production is<br />
wholly covered, there is no risk properly so called.<br />
But the publisher has given his services which<br />
include his establishment. There must be some<br />
m.rginto cover this: the risk therefore may be<br />
allowed to include this margin, generally reckoned<br />
at 10 per cent, of receipts. Only in the distribu-<br />
tion of the proceeds the author's office expenses<br />
and the bookseller's expenses must be equally<br />
considered. With this definition of risk we are<br />
enabled to consider the case of a book which<br />
carries no risk: that is to say, a book which is<br />
certain, unless unforeseen accidents occur, to<br />
circulate well over the margin above-named.<br />
The problem is this:<br />
Given such a book: What should the bookseller<br />
give for it? What should the author give the<br />
publisher? What would remain to him the<br />
creator and owner of the estate 'i<br />
We may be nearer a practical answer to these<br />
questions than is suspected.<br />
So far the only answer that we have received is<br />
an attack on our figures, which does not touch<br />
the principle. We have advanced the oi.fhors'<br />
siiares in their own property very larg^i , y<br />
will certainly go up still more larg0j <•'» &nd j'1 J<br />
come to understand more and more ^ ag wi'i^rS<br />
of figures. But the advance of royalties is not<br />
the main object. It is the emancipation of<br />
literature from the middleman that we want, a<br />
recognised system in which neither author nor<br />
bookseller shall have to be a suppliant, or ask the<br />
publisher for terms, but in which both author and<br />
publisher will know that they are dealing with a<br />
book on terms which are recognised as fair and<br />
shall have proper access to those books and<br />
accounts which concern their own business.<br />
And, I repeat, we may be nearer to that solution<br />
than is susj>ected by the friends who are con-<br />
tinually declaiming . against our wicked mis-<br />
representations, while taking the greatest care to<br />
keep their own figures as dark as possible.<br />
W. B.<br />
LITERATURE IN AMERICA.<br />
By Monouke U. Conway.<br />
(Reprinted by the author's perminsion from the Chicigo<br />
Open Court.)<br />
MR. LECKY, in his new work, " Democracy<br />
and Liberty,'' has a passage on Literature<br />
in America, which is all the more impor-<br />
tant, because in the same book he has strained<br />
every point, and even the facts, to place our<br />
country politically in the most favourable light.<br />
He admits, with friendly reluctance, that in the<br />
nineteenth century America has not, in literature,<br />
produced "anything comparable to what might<br />
have been expected from a rich, highly educated,<br />
and pacific nation, which now numbers more than<br />
sixty million souls, and is placed, in some respects,<br />
in more favourable circumstances than any other<br />
nation in the world." He quotes Sir Henry<br />
Maine as saying, in his work on "Popular<br />
Government," that the want of International<br />
Copyright has crushed authorship in the Ameri-<br />
can home market by the competition of the<br />
unpaid and appropriated works of British authors,<br />
and "condemned the whole American community<br />
to a literary servitude unparalleled in the history<br />
of thought." Mr. Lecky says there is much<br />
truth in this, but. adds that "Democracy is not<br />
favourable to the higher forms of intellectual<br />
life." He rightly ignores our so-called Interna-<br />
tional Copyright Act of 1891, being too polite to<br />
pronounce it the sham it is.<br />
It is very easy to answer these criticisms with<br />
the triumphant retort of the Hon. Elijah Pogram,<br />
the original jingo portrayed by Dickens, "My<br />
bright home is in the set tin' sun." But no<br />
patriotic outburst can (rive us a fair literary<br />
rl/;C>rd for the centurv no^ting its close. It<br />
pot be said that Euj>iHU,\ has neglected<br />
C*P erican authors. Irving, I^gteUow, Bancroft,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 64 (#88) ##############################################<br />
<br />
64<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Emerson, Bryant, Motley, Holmes, Hawthorne,<br />
Lowell, Thoreau, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman,<br />
Henry James, Bret Harte, Howells, to name<br />
authors that occur to me, have received full<br />
recognition and substantial royalties in England.<br />
I do r.ot underrate our list of nineteenth ceutury<br />
American authors; in some of them are signs of<br />
an original genius rarely visible in Europe; but<br />
gather up all their productions, and how small is<br />
the harvest compared with those of England,<br />
France, and Germany! Why is this 'i Is it due<br />
to "Democracy" that many of them were for<br />
years parted from the undowered hand of litera-<br />
ture and driven to seek livelihood in custom<br />
houses, clerkships, professorships, consulates,<br />
legations? Is it because their country cares<br />
nothing for literature that our great authors in<br />
the past have so few successors 'i<br />
At the close of the American Revolution,<br />
Thomas Paine wrote: "The state of literature in<br />
America must one day become a subject of<br />
legislative conside'ation. Hitherto it has been<br />
a disinterested volunteer in the service of the<br />
revolution, and no man thought of profits; but<br />
when peace shall give time and opportunity<br />
for study, the country will deprive itself of the<br />
honour and service of letters, and the improvement,<br />
of science, unless sufficient laws are made to<br />
prevent depredations on literary property." A<br />
hundred and fourteen years have passed since<br />
Paine so wrote, and the sufficient laws have not<br />
yet, been enacted.<br />
In the earlier part, of the present century there<br />
was perhaps more excuse for this national neglect,<br />
yet we cannot fail to feel some scandal at seeing<br />
early Americans of genius coming over to England<br />
for professional education, for culture, for recog-<br />
nition. Darwin was not four years old when a<br />
South Carolinian made the discovery of natural<br />
selection, which he announced in the Royal<br />
Society in London. "In this paper," savs<br />
Darwin, " he (Dr. W. C. Wells) distinctly recog-<br />
nises the principle of natural selection, and this is<br />
the first recognition which has been indicated."<br />
After being knocked about in America—now<br />
running a theatre, now a newspaper—Wells<br />
came in advanced life to find honour and<br />
resources in England. That was a long time ago,<br />
but how much better is it now, when the nation<br />
is wealthy, and can astonish the world with its<br />
exhibition of unparalleled prosperity and material<br />
progress?<br />
There is as much cultui-e and genius in America<br />
as in any other country. No one can mingle with<br />
the youth and the teachers in American colleges<br />
without knowing that there is many a Wells who,<br />
had he any fair opportunity for the play of his<br />
powers, might achieve as much as any foreign<br />
author—probably more. It is a scandal that<br />
while writers like Lecky, Morley, Bryce, Balfour,<br />
and others are summoned with enthusiasm to<br />
help direct the Government of England, the<br />
American nation should find no use for a literary<br />
man except occasionally to send him out of the<br />
country to some foreign court or consulate; but<br />
it is not only a scaudal, it is an outrage, that in<br />
pretending to make a law for the protection of<br />
Uterary property owned by foreign authors it<br />
should really enact one legalising the piracy of<br />
60 per cent, of the books annually issued in<br />
Europe. For at least 60 per cent, of European<br />
authors are unable to fulfil the monstrous condi-<br />
tions imposed by the Act of 1891 on copyright,<br />
and their works are made lawful prey.<br />
These are the first productions of new authors<br />
whose names are not marketable until the first<br />
work has reached success. Could the young<br />
English author offer his first book to an American<br />
publisher along with Press reviews of it, and<br />
proof of its success in his own country, he could<br />
command a fair price; but the American pub-<br />
lishers have provided against that fairness by a<br />
Bill making it necessary to publish his book<br />
simultaneously with its publication in Europe.<br />
The negotiation must precede any possibility of<br />
a success that might determine the real value.<br />
And this fraud the typographers and publishers<br />
together made absolute by the provision that<br />
such simultaneous publication should involve the<br />
complete manufacture of the book in America.<br />
So the young author must either pay for manu-<br />
facturing his book in America, or take any<br />
pittance a publisher may offer, or forfeit all copy-<br />
right in America. He may make something by<br />
his second work, but his first one is at the mercy<br />
of the American publisher.<br />
But, as Montesquieu said, man never puts a<br />
chain around his brother's neck without the<br />
other end coiling around his own. The wrong<br />
done by the Act of 18g 1 to the foreign author<br />
weighs equally, or even more, on the American<br />
author; for, as I have said, only 40 per cent., at<br />
most, of Eurojxjan authors can afford to fulfil the<br />
pecuniary conditions of copyright in America, and<br />
our American writers have to compete with the<br />
remaining mass, whose appropriation can no<br />
longer be even branded as "piracy," since it is<br />
now legalised. And, although I have ascribed<br />
this fraudulent measure to certain trade interests,<br />
it could not have been enacted but by the fault, of<br />
eminent American authors who allowed their<br />
names and inlluence to be used for the Act<br />
without examining it. Mr. Lowell was president<br />
of the Copyright League, and sounded the<br />
honourable watchword, "There is one thing<br />
better than a cheap book, and that is an honest<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 65 (#89) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
65<br />
book "; but unfortunately he not did say to his<br />
League, "There is one thing better than a<br />
copyright law, and that is an honest law." It<br />
was largely his influence that drew authors into a<br />
blind alliance with keen-eyed trade unions in<br />
passing a law which authorises the " dishonest"<br />
books deplored by Lowell. His voice was<br />
assumed to be that of English authors also; and<br />
his noble labour is now covering an adidterated<br />
mixture for the foreign author, and a poison for<br />
American literature. It is probable that Congress<br />
passed it, and President Harrison signed it in<br />
ignorance of its real character. The President<br />
offered its "advantages " to England on condition<br />
that she would " reciprocate," in evident ignorance<br />
that English copyright had long been as open to<br />
foreign as to British authors.<br />
If England had really "reciprocated," and<br />
passed a law requiring every book published in<br />
London to be manufactured there, and forbidding<br />
importations of sheets or plates, Americans might<br />
have been brought to their senses or to their<br />
integrity. An American may print his book at<br />
home, send a dozen copies to England, and his<br />
work is safe from all encroachment until he<br />
chooses to send over more copies. The book's<br />
success in America becomes his marketable pro-<br />
perty in England and in every European nation.<br />
This is civilisation. The American Act is un-<br />
civilised. The just principles of literary property<br />
are perfectly settled; since the Berne Congress<br />
they have become the common law of Europe. In<br />
America these laws of literary j>roperty are<br />
acknowledged in principle by every man of<br />
common sense. The Act of 1891 has never been<br />
defended in America, except by the disgraceful<br />
plea that certain selfish trades had to be com-<br />
promised with—that half a loaf is better than no<br />
bread—and so forth. This is mere surrender to<br />
a tyranny admittedly without principle. The<br />
United States has lately menaced three mon-<br />
archies in three months, and it is to be hoped<br />
that after the presidental election is over (of<br />
course!) our American government's attention<br />
may be directed to the manufacturing monarchy<br />
in our own borders, which has placed our country<br />
outside the honourable Republic of Letters. But<br />
this oppression will not end until American<br />
authors inaugurate their revolution, form their<br />
Congress, pass their Declaration of Independence,<br />
and frame their Constitution on the principles of<br />
equity acknowledged by all honest and intelligent<br />
]>eople and adopted by all civilised nations except<br />
our own, which above all other nations requires<br />
their adoption, any adequate develojmient of<br />
literature in America being iinpossifo] j tb«<br />
present conditions. Under<br />
THE AUTHORS' CLUB.<br />
TI^HE Authors' Club gave their first ladies'<br />
I dinner on Thursday, July 17th. The chair<br />
was taken by Mr. Oswald Crawford,<br />
C.M.G., the president of the club. The guest of<br />
the evening was Mrs. Hodgson Burnett. The<br />
speeches were by the Chairman, Mrs. Hodgson<br />
Burnett, Lord Crewe, and Mr. Justin McCarthy.<br />
Mrs. Hodgson Burnett spoke as follows (the<br />
report is taken from the Queen):<br />
"Mr. Chairman, Ladies, and Gentlemen,—The<br />
first pioneer who enters a new country must, I am<br />
sure, reflect with some seriousness as to how he<br />
shall approach the native holders of the laud,<br />
whether with rich offerings of gauds and orna-<br />
ments, or with useful implements — such as fire-<br />
water—or with the explosion of great guns to<br />
till them with awe. To-night 1 am a pioneer in<br />
a new country, and I have been wondering what<br />
the etiquette of an occasion like this may be—I<br />
mean what it expects of the first woman guest of<br />
a society of distinguished men. I have asked<br />
myself if such etiquette would insist that it is my<br />
duty, in thanking my hosts for their hospitality,<br />
to draw comparisons, painful or encouraging,<br />
between the two sexes. I am not quite sure that<br />
it would—I am inclined to hope it would not, as<br />
I am afraid I am not at all clever at that<br />
kind of thing. Drawing comparisons never<br />
seemed to me to advance matters much. As a<br />
method I should say it was a little obvious and<br />
inadequate.<br />
"Then there is another thing. In the course<br />
of what occasionally appears to me a somewhat<br />
protracted existence, I have never yet discovered<br />
a good quality or a bad one which seemed to have<br />
a gender. I have found, for instance, that if a<br />
man can be selfish, a woman—by paying strict<br />
attention to business—can be selfish also; that if<br />
a man can break his word, there are women who<br />
do not always keep theirs—to the letter; that if<br />
there are women who are weak and illogical, there<br />
exist men who do not exactly embody perfect<br />
strength of mind and infallibility of reason. And<br />
I have found just as many men who keep all the<br />
Commandments at once, and live simply and<br />
truly according to the teachings of the Sermon<br />
on the Mount—just as many men as women, and<br />
just as many women as men. This is as far as<br />
somewhat careful observation has been able to<br />
lead me, and decisions so limited naturally leave<br />
one rather out of the running in any discussion<br />
as to what strengths and weaknesses are pecubarly<br />
jjjjisculiue or entirely femiunie. As to one's<br />
cCess in the work one does gutelv that is not a<br />
sl1 egtion of gender either. ?j^e big world settles<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 66 (#90) ##############################################<br />
<br />
66<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
that. If a man or woman has something to say<br />
the world wants to hear it will stop to listen,<br />
and if the thing one says does not ring clear and<br />
true, aud does not concern the world or interest<br />
it, it will not pause even for a moment—for<br />
man or woman—for woman or man. It has too<br />
much to do, too much to think, too much to<br />
suffer.<br />
"Mr. Oswald Crawford has spoken most kindly<br />
of a woman for whom I care very much. Her<br />
name is Clorinda Wildairs. To me Clorinda<br />
Wildairs implies a great deal, and I am always<br />
glad when she is understood. Not long ago a<br />
lady—not an Englishwoman—reproved me for<br />
her. 'Why,' she said, 'I think she is just<br />
dreadful. She uses such bad language.' 'Yes,'<br />
I said, 'she does. They did in those days —<br />
and what is more, they did not call it bad lan-<br />
guage. They regarded it in the light of spirited<br />
colloquialism.' 'Well,' she replied. 'anyhow, I<br />
think she was real unprincipled to kill that man.'<br />
'What,' said I, 'you think it unprincipled to kill<br />
a man! I have been gathering the impression<br />
lately that societies were to be formed to make<br />
that kind of thing a sort of religious observance.'<br />
Another lady wrote to me from America, not so<br />
much to reprove as to remonstrate. She asked<br />
ine what Little Lord Fauntleroy would think,<br />
and begged me to tell her what I meant. I have<br />
not had time to reply yet, but when I have I<br />
shall respond that in my sanguine moments I had<br />
hoped that the book itself might chance to explain<br />
what I meant, but it this hope was founded on<br />
an error of judgment, I can only say that I meant<br />
by it exactly what I meant by Fauntleroy and<br />
many other things, that after all good is stronger<br />
than evil, that love is greater than hate, and that<br />
surely somewhere—somewhere there is a Power<br />
more just to the atoms it has created than those<br />
atoms have yet learned to be to each other. It<br />
is not necessary to explain here what I meant,<br />
but if I were called upon to put its mean-<br />
ing into the briefest form, I think I should<br />
say it was this, 'To err is human—to retrieve<br />
Divine.'<br />
"I wonder if I am optimistic in saying that I<br />
believe the world is a more intelligent place than<br />
i t used to be V It is not appallingly intelligent<br />
yet, but of course a world is a thing which lays<br />
itself open to criticism. When one has nothing<br />
better to do, one can always criticise the universe<br />
and particularise the improvements it requires.<br />
I have done it myself, for hours at a time, though<br />
I have never observed that it seemed to make any<br />
difference, or that any of my little hints were<br />
taken. Still, I believe people are more logical<br />
and just-minded than they used to be—in the<br />
time, for instance, when they burned each other<br />
alive for differences of opinion, religious and<br />
otherwise. They use their brains more; and the<br />
more human beings use their brains, the more<br />
just and fair they are likely to become to each<br />
other in their efforts to solve the problem of life.<br />
In thanking my hosts for the kindness of the<br />
compliment they have paid me, I will express<br />
a thought which came to me yesterday. It is<br />
this:<br />
"I think it probable that, say a hundred years<br />
from now, a woman may stand as I do, in borne<br />
such place as this, the guest of men who have<br />
doue the work all the world has known and<br />
honoured, and she will be the outcome of all the<br />
best and most logical thinking of all the most<br />
reasonable and clear-braiued men and women—<br />
women and men—of these seething years. She<br />
will know all the things I have not learned, and<br />
she will be a woman so much wiser and more<br />
stately of mind than I could ever hope to be—<br />
she will have so much more brain, so much more<br />
fine and clear a reason, that if we were compared<br />
we should scarcely seem to be creatures of the<br />
same race. And of this woman I say 'Good<br />
luck to her, great happiness, fair fortunes, and all<br />
the fullest joyousness of living; all kind fates<br />
attend her, all good things to her-—and to the<br />
men who will be her friends.'"<br />
Mrs. Burnett sat down amid a storm of<br />
cheering.<br />
WHAT IS GOOD LITERATURE?<br />
f |"\HE following is quoted from a lecture deli-<br />
I , vered at Berkeley Lyceum, New York, by<br />
Mr. Sherwin Cody. Communicated to the<br />
Author by the lecturer:—<br />
"And what is good literature? It certainly is<br />
not literature written under the tyranny of the<br />
motto, 'Art for art's sake.' In a commonplace<br />
age, when crudity and vulgarity were the rule of<br />
the day, the literary men of the country might<br />
adopt such a motto. But the motto on which<br />
true literature is produced is 'Art for the revela-<br />
tion of the secrets of the heart.' Art exists for<br />
man, not man for art. The truest art is that<br />
which disappears, which conceals itself, because<br />
the thought that is conveyed is so much more<br />
entrancing in its interest than the mere verbal<br />
expression can ever be. Literature with a pur-<br />
pose—a purpose of discussing theology, sociology,<br />
or even ait itself—is no true literature. But art<br />
must have a purpose, nevertheless, above and<br />
beyond itself, the purpose of touching and feed-<br />
ing the human heart. The intellect belongs to<br />
science and theology and philosophy. But the<br />
heart belongs to art, and art belongs to the heart,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 67 (#91) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
67<br />
and that is the truest art which makes the heart<br />
thrill most vividly. The infamous doctrine that<br />
literature should be documents in the history of<br />
the race, that fiction should be a record of the<br />
manners and dress and tendency of a time, that<br />
philosophy should chronicle the latest ism, that<br />
poetry should be shrine of local colour, must be<br />
swept clear of the boards before one line of true<br />
literature can exist for the public. Mr. Crawford<br />
says he classifies novels of local colour in his<br />
library under the head of travel, not fiction. He<br />
is right.<br />
"I do not despise art, far from it. Three men<br />
whose names I might mention as most full of<br />
promise among the younger men, and one of<br />
older fame whose work so largely accomplished<br />
already I should class with them, are eminently<br />
scholars in their art, though two of them be<br />
young scholars and two of them be old scholars.<br />
They are not ditch diggers turned poet in a day,<br />
claiming that after all the less knowledge of art<br />
a young writer has the better seem to be the<br />
practical results. They have given years to the<br />
study of language and literature, and years of<br />
enthusiasm and toil.<br />
"Instead of despising literary art, rather I am<br />
the irrevocable foe of the literary artists of the<br />
day who never learned any literary art, and the<br />
young man or young woman who may come to<br />
me with a spontaneous production of literature,<br />
out of a full heart and utter lack of training, will<br />
find no consideration. We enshrine that of<br />
which we know least. We worship what is to us<br />
a mystery. The literati of the day who worship<br />
art for art's sake bow down to an idol veiled by<br />
thick curtains, and behind the curtains there is<br />
in reality—nothing.<br />
"But art must be forgotten before it can be<br />
useful. There are two perfect artists — the<br />
innocent and unconscious child (who is but the<br />
hand of divine intelligence) and the trained man<br />
of letters to whom art has become a second<br />
nature. Art does not exist for the sake of the<br />
artist any more than for its own sake. It is but<br />
the fluid medium through which heart speaks to<br />
heart. To represent men as you see them, to<br />
draw life as it is—all that seems to me aside from<br />
the question. I would speak that which I do know<br />
from within me; I would coin my heart's blood<br />
into the universal coin of the realm of heart. I have<br />
lived and toiled and suffered—may I not say<br />
died as who of us has not ?—and I would trans-<br />
mute my pain into life for others. Literature<br />
is for the heart to live by. What matter if the<br />
heart be clothed in a jester's gaudy tj ,, t^e<br />
correct costume of the gentleman 0Y. f,> „ \raar<br />
tr—1- - >• .1 ^- • 1 lady of ~<br />
York fashionable society. One js<br />
the white shirt front and the beggar's grimy<br />
coat, and in literature why not strip off both the<br />
grimy coat of the beggar and the white shirt<br />
front of the man of society, and present hearts<br />
in whatsoever costume imagination may supply,<br />
so that the beggar, if he take the heart to hinnelf,<br />
may not be afraid of soiling the fleckless linen,<br />
or the man of society wish to change his garments<br />
when he lays down the latest novel. Howells<br />
writes for the classes, Zola for the misses. I<br />
would that one might come who wrote for your<br />
heart and my heart, whatever garments covered<br />
it—some seer who should see so clearly that<br />
his eyes would pass through the garment as<br />
through a mist, and read the letters of eternal<br />
hope and eternal despair, eternal victory, and<br />
eternal defeat, both written side by side, and<br />
needing a seer to interpret their everlasting<br />
meaning.<br />
"That I or any one of my fellows be such a seer,<br />
is not for me to say. Whether we are or not is<br />
quite away from the point. Our hope lies not in<br />
any such fortunate possibility, but in the need<br />
of the people. When the people call for a<br />
prophet one will be given them. Do they call<br />
him now? Each reader must auswer that for<br />
himself. If he answers it loud enough, and does<br />
not forget to repeat his answer at least three<br />
times, an angel from above or an angel from<br />
below, whatever the call may be, will surely<br />
appear." Sherwin Cody.<br />
BOOK TALK.<br />
one is real, but the same heart t^Om^ntic<br />
REGINALD E. SAWLEY, author of "The<br />
Finger of Scorn" and "Ventured in<br />
Vain," has placed a new novel in the<br />
hands of Hurst and Blackett for publication in<br />
September. It is entitled " The One Alternative,"<br />
and will appear in two vol. form.<br />
Some of our readers may be glad to hear that<br />
the first really scientific critical edition of Dante's<br />
"De Vulgari Eloquentia" has just appeared in<br />
Florence (Le Monnier). It is edited and anno-<br />
tated by Professor Pio Baina, whose vast learning<br />
and power of research have been already shown<br />
to the world in his monumental works: "Le<br />
Origini dell' Epopea Francese" and "Le Fonti<br />
dell' Orlando Furioso."<br />
Mr. Stanley Waterloo, the author of two much-<br />
discussed novels, " A Man and a Woman" and<br />
« An Odd Situation," is a candidate for the post<br />
f Game Warden of the fc^tate of Illinois (an<br />
mc& closely corresponding +0 that held by our<br />
°1, jjger of the New For-^8t). Mr. Waterloo<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 68 (#92) ##############################################<br />
<br />
68<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
is a famous hunter, who has fished and shot<br />
all over the Western States, from Colorado to<br />
Florida.<br />
A fountain in memory of Robert Louis<br />
Stevenson has been erected in San Francisco.<br />
One bookseller in that pleasant city of the golden<br />
gate has filled his windows with a permanent<br />
exhibition of Stevensoniana.<br />
Books about South Africa still continue to<br />
be very rife. A new one to appear shortly<br />
is by Messrs. W. P. Purvis and L. V. Biggs,<br />
and deals with the people, progress, and problems<br />
of the countries. There will also be included<br />
a bibliography of South African literature. The<br />
handbook will be dedicated to the president<br />
and members of the Anglo-African Writers'<br />
Club.<br />
The Earl of Ashburnham has commissioned<br />
Messrs. Sotheby to dispose of his celebrated<br />
library of printed books and MSS., at Ashburn-<br />
ham Place. The printed books will be sold by<br />
auction next season, unless a suitable offer for the<br />
whole collection is made to Messrs. Sotheby in<br />
the interval. The MSS. will not be submitted<br />
to auction, but the firm will treat privately for<br />
their sale en bloc.<br />
New editions of Dickens and Carlyle are being<br />
prepared by Messrs. Chapman and Hall, the<br />
former in 6s. volumes, and the latter in 3*. 6d.<br />
The collected edition, limited to 1000 copies, of<br />
Meredith, with revisions, is to consist of about<br />
thirty-four volumes at half-a-guinea each, to be<br />
issued at the rate of two per month, beginning at<br />
the end of September.<br />
An interesting announcement for musicians.<br />
It is the forthcoming publication of the autobio-<br />
graphy of Mrs. Charles Cowden Clarke, sister to<br />
the late Mr. Joseph Alfred Novello, the well-known<br />
music publisher. Mrs. Clarke is eighty-seven<br />
years of age, a fact which gives point to the<br />
title for the volume, namely, "My Long<br />
Life." She met Mendelssohn, Mahbran, Dickens,<br />
and a host more of people in artistic circles of<br />
past generations, many of whom gathered<br />
around her father — "the father of cheap<br />
music "—as writers, composers, or critics. There<br />
will be numerous portraits to surround these<br />
reminiscences.<br />
The Rev. Dr. Parker, of the City Temple, is<br />
writing a volume of recollection.*, "Miscellanea,"<br />
which will appear this autumn.<br />
Eastbourne has adopted the Public Libraries<br />
Acts. Though located in small temporary pre-<br />
mises, a good beginning has been made, the<br />
Mayor presenting the books in the reference<br />
department. The library was formally opened on<br />
the 7th inst., by Mr. Hall Caine, a preliminary<br />
meeting being held in the Town Hall, when the<br />
author of "The Manxman" made a charming<br />
speech. Mr. Le Queux was also present, and<br />
several members of the town council and other<br />
prominent local gentlemen.<br />
The Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar, who<br />
takes such an active interest in the spread of<br />
Goethe literature, has been pleased to accept<br />
from Professor Buchheim copies of his editions of<br />
Goethe's and Schiller'3 works, published at the<br />
Clarendon Press. At the special desire of Her<br />
Royal Highness, the books have been deposited in<br />
the new Goetlie- und Schiller-Archiv.<br />
Mr. Arthur A. Sykes (of Punch, the Anglo-<br />
Russian Literary Society, Henry Blackburn's<br />
School of Art, &C.), will, in the course of<br />
a few days, publish a short account of the<br />
recent Coronation cruise of the Midnight Sun<br />
to Russia, containing forty-five illustrations<br />
(full page portraits, snapshots and sketches)<br />
by the author; humorous verses by Canon<br />
Rawnsley and others; two musical settings of<br />
the same by the Rev. M. F. Bell; and particulars<br />
of lectures, excursions, and other incidents of<br />
the trip.<br />
Sir Charles Gavan Duffy has written a history<br />
of Victoria, which will be on sale in the early<br />
autumn. The period of Sir Charles's connection<br />
with the government of the colony is discussed<br />
with much greater detail and intimacy than the<br />
rest.<br />
Mr. George Moore will probably take two more<br />
years for his novel "Evelyn Innes." Rather<br />
more than a third of the book is all that is yet<br />
written.<br />
Mr. Clark Russell's new tale of the sea is<br />
almost completed. "The Two Captains," as it is<br />
called, will first appear serially, and afterwards in<br />
book-form early next year.<br />
Mr. G. B. Burgin's new novel, entitled<br />
"Tomalyn's Quest," will be published in<br />
November by Messrs. Innes. This writer will<br />
also contribute the first story to a series<br />
called the New Vagabond Series, which he will<br />
edit.<br />
Mr. Kipling's new story is first to appear<br />
serially in the New Jteriew, beginning about the<br />
end of the year. It is called "Captain Coura-<br />
geous."<br />
Mr. George Somes Layard has written an<br />
account of "George Cruikshank's Portraits of<br />
Himself," which will be published by Mr. W. T.<br />
Spencer early this month. The volume will be<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 69 (#93) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
69<br />
illustrated with about forty drawings, many of<br />
which have not hitherto been published. "The<br />
complete and unbroken autographic record of the<br />
artist's personal appearance," says the prospectus,<br />
"from the early age of twelve to the time when<br />
he was preparing his never - to - be - completed<br />
autobiography, is unparalleled in the history of<br />
published art."<br />
A memorial edition of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"<br />
will be published by Messrs. Cassell in the<br />
early autumn, with upwards of 100 illustra-<br />
tions by a Scandinavian artist, Jenny Mystorm-<br />
Stoopendaal.<br />
Major Marriott, formerly of the Intelligence<br />
Department in the Admiralty, is preparing a<br />
volume on "England, Egypt, and the Sudan,"<br />
in which he discusses recent events and the<br />
problems of the future in connection with these<br />
territories. The book will in part be based upon<br />
Major Wingate's work on Mahdism and the<br />
Sudan, and the latter's name will, therefore,<br />
appear as joint author. Messrs. Macmillan are<br />
the publishers.<br />
A work entitled "Choir Stalls and their<br />
Carving: Examples of Misericords in some<br />
English Cathedrals and Churches" will shortly<br />
be published at two guineas by Mr. Batsford.<br />
The author is Miss Emma Phipson, who has<br />
already written a book on the animal lore of<br />
Shakespeare's time. Three hundred examples will<br />
be given, on one hundred plates, and some of<br />
the most remarkable have been taken from West-<br />
minster Abbey.<br />
The works of a selected number of the modern<br />
poets of Wales are about to be issued in series.<br />
The first volume will be the complete poetical<br />
works of "Islwyn," which Mr. Owen M.<br />
Edwards, of Lincoln College, Oxford, has in the<br />
press.<br />
The life of Mr. Hain Friswell is about to be<br />
written by his daughter. Miss Friswell makes<br />
an appeal for the loan of any letters, which will be<br />
received by her at Aber-Maw, Wimbledon, or by<br />
the publisher, Mr. Fisher Unwin.<br />
A record price for an English binding has,<br />
according to the Athenmum, been made in the<br />
sale of the Bunbury copy of the seventh edition<br />
of Cowley's "Works," 1681, which realised £126<br />
at Sotheby's the other day. "The work is un-<br />
doubtedly an elaborate and remarkable specimen<br />
of contemporary bibliopegy by an unknown<br />
craftsman, The old English morocco is covered<br />
with a blaze of gilt tooling in panels with<br />
designs of flowers and fruits, stars, and erpanpnts<br />
with centre and corner ornaments in „ esceB i<br />
blue." ^e"t>w and<br />
Miss May Bateman is to edit a Christinas book<br />
of stories and poems entitled "The Children's<br />
Hour," which is to appear in the autumn under<br />
the auspices of the Invalid Children's Associa-<br />
tion. Contributions to the volume have been pro-<br />
mised by Mrs. Hodgson Burnett, Lady Lindsay,<br />
Mrs. Molesworth, Mrs. Meade, Miss Alice<br />
Corkran, Mr. Justin McCarthy, Mr. Le Gallienne,<br />
and Mr. Oswald Crawfurd, C.M.G. The work<br />
is dedicated to the Duchess of York, and will be<br />
published by Messrs. Hatchard.<br />
The pensions granted under the Civil List<br />
during the past year—£1200—were apportioned<br />
as follows:—Mrs. T. H. Huxley (,£200), Mr.<br />
James Hammond (£120), Mr. Oliver Heaviside<br />
(£120), Mme. Louisa Bodda-Pyne (£70), Edith<br />
Mary Lady Barnby (£70), Mrs. Fanny Hind<br />
(£70), Miss Hannah Elizabeth Morris (£25),<br />
Miss Helen Francis Morris (£25), Miss Gertrude<br />
Morris (.£25), Mrs. Samuel Johu Varley (=£50),<br />
Miss Annie Walbank Buckland (£80), Miss<br />
Frances Elizabeth Dobson (25), Miss Mary<br />
Dobson (£25), Miss Julia Dobson (£25), Mrs.<br />
Margaret Anne Houghton (£50), Mr. J. S.<br />
Stuart Glennie (£100), and the Rev. Sir George<br />
William Cox (£120).<br />
The poor quality of paper used in American<br />
books is ascribed by Mr. George Haven Putnam<br />
to the fact that the number of Mohammedan<br />
pilgrims to Mecca has greatly decreased. He<br />
explains that everyone of the pilgrims was<br />
clothed in "flowing garments of finest white<br />
linen," and, as hundreds and thousands of them<br />
died by the wayside, it was at one time a profit-<br />
able business to strip these garments from the<br />
bodies, and send them to the large paper factories<br />
of Europe. Now, however, this source of supply<br />
is enormously diminished, and the quality of<br />
paper is accordingly inferior.<br />
The unpublished works of the historian Gibbon<br />
are to appear in the coming autumn, in three<br />
octavo volumes. In the first volume will be<br />
the six autobiographies, while the second and<br />
third will contain Gibbon's private letters to<br />
his father, his stepmother, Lord Sheffield, and<br />
others, written between the years 1753 and<br />
1794. Lord Sheffield, who will contribute a<br />
preface, has disposed of the copyright of the<br />
material to Mr. Murray, the publisher. The<br />
manuscripts have been acquired by the British<br />
Museum.<br />
The Earl of Suffolk, Mr. Headley Peek, and<br />
Mr, F. G. Afflalo have accepted the editorship<br />
of an "Encyclopaedia of SpOTt," which Messrs.<br />
LaWrence an(* Mullen w^ shortly begin to issue<br />
in iu°°tbly parts-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 70 (#94) ##############################################<br />
<br />
7o<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
This year has already been uncommonly<br />
prolific in mountaineering books, and two more<br />
will be published very soon by Mr. Murray.<br />
The author of these is the well-known climber,<br />
Mr. Edward Whymper. They will be<br />
"Chamuni and the Range of Mont Blanc,"<br />
and "Zermatt and the Matterhorn," and both<br />
will be illustrated.<br />
A volume of Lord Leighton's addresses to<br />
the students of the Royal Academy is about<br />
to be published by Messrs. Kegan, Paul,<br />
and Co.<br />
Mr. Clive Holland has written a number of<br />
short stories which will appear in a single volume<br />
shortly, entitled " A Japanese Victory, and Other<br />
Stories."<br />
Mr. William Sharp is writing a story entitled<br />
"Madge of the Pool" for a new series which<br />
Messrs. Archd. Constable and Co. have started.<br />
Mrs. Steel will follow with one called "In the<br />
Tideway "; and other contributors to the series,<br />
which is to be devoted to no one school, but will<br />
embrace examples of all, will be Miss Fiona<br />
Macleod and Mr. Charles Montague.<br />
Mr. William Archer has translated into English<br />
the biography of Dr. Nansen, by Rolfsen and<br />
Brogger. The publication will have illustrations,<br />
a.nd a poem by Bjornson.<br />
In last number, the books attributed to Mrs.<br />
Warren are not by the late " Mr. Whiteside<br />
Cooke," but by the late "Mrs. Whiteside Cook."<br />
CORRESPONDENCE.<br />
I.—Delated Publication.<br />
CAN any reader of the Author give a hint as to<br />
proving special damage by reason of de'ayed<br />
publication of a book? The work is a<br />
technical treatise which occupied me a long time;<br />
remuneration is by royalty, and the date fixed for<br />
publication, by a clause in the agreement, has long<br />
past; if not published soon the volume will be<br />
about as valuable as an old tourist guide or an<br />
out-of-date railway time table. T. C. B.<br />
[The writer should long ago have placed the<br />
matter in the hands of the secretary. What is<br />
the use of a society and a secretary who is also a<br />
solicitor if such cases as this are not submitted<br />
to him? Of course we know nothing of the<br />
■details, and the publisher may be wholly within<br />
his rights, but as this question stands it seems<br />
eminently one for the legal advisers of the<br />
society.—Ed.].<br />
II.—Literary Grab-alls.<br />
With regard to "Lunette's" letter in last<br />
month's issue of the Author. Surely his experi-<br />
ence as to payment is very unique?<br />
My own productions are not those of a genius,<br />
but I have never been offered the sums of 3*. or<br />
12$. (yd. for them! I have received as much as<br />
.£3 for a short story in Hearth and Home, while<br />
almost any paper is willing to give £z 2s. for a<br />
story of short length. The Sun pays £1 is. for<br />
their short front-page story, ranging in length<br />
from three-quarters of a column to a column.<br />
This is surely not bad for a daily paper?<br />
Honey Seabrooke.<br />
Why cannot " Lunette " give us the names of<br />
the publications whose editors offer the prices he<br />
mentions. A statement of fact would surely do<br />
him no harm, and might save some of us.<br />
Riccardo-Stephens.<br />
8, Coltbridge-terrace, Edinburgh, July 14.<br />
III.—Our Censors.<br />
Much has been said and written of late con-<br />
cerning the value of book criticisms. It is a<br />
most difficult question to tackle satisfactorily. I<br />
imagine, however, there are certain unfair methods<br />
of appraisement, as influencing success or failure,<br />
which deserve the fullest condemnation.<br />
Previously, in these appropriate columns, you<br />
were so friendly as to allow me to treat the<br />
subject of our critics' stock-in-trade of common-<br />
places. To-day, with your permission, I will<br />
enlarge my indictment against them.<br />
Foremost upon my black-list I would place the<br />
negligent, irresponsible reviewer. The pain and<br />
mischief occasioned by this individual is enormous.<br />
Surely the very pivot of honest criticism should<br />
be its thoroughness. How can aught save<br />
injustice result from cursory glances into any<br />
book? Better leave the investigation alone<br />
altogether than wrap up some hasty inaccurate<br />
judgment within the mean mantle of anonymity.<br />
Of course, there is no redress. There never<br />
is and never will be until signed opinions<br />
compel caution. As a victim to this inglo-<br />
rious plan, I feel keenly on the subject as no<br />
doubt many of those who may read these lines<br />
also do.<br />
The next delinquent is the fastidious, stand-<br />
offish censor whom nothing pleases in fiction. He<br />
has formed his own conception as to what a novel<br />
should be, resenting any attempt to upset his<br />
ideal. The effect of the proverbial red rag upon<br />
the bull is mild compared with the fury of this<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 71 (#95) ##############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
7i<br />
tetchy mortal under the influence of some bold<br />
"three decker" which may have chanced to intrude<br />
between the wind and his own respectability.<br />
This specimen chastises, as a rule, in the literary<br />
weeklies. His style being academic, the notices<br />
command attention, and, alas for the hapless<br />
author, no doubt influence the reading public<br />
materially. They are, to my mind, condemnable<br />
by reason of that lofty assumption of superiority<br />
over others, unbecoming even in the greatest.<br />
Moreover, the leaven of forbearance is altogether<br />
absent. Could this captious gentleman, we are<br />
disposed to ask, achieve his own standard of<br />
exellence in the line he scourges thus without<br />
mercy?<br />
Example number three—the facetious slater<br />
who, from under his cloak of humour, stabs more<br />
cruelly than even the haughty one aforesaid. Or,<br />
to coin a word, should I not write slateress? For<br />
a woman's pen is too often apparent in this<br />
description of review. We all know what the<br />
unbridled fancy of the fair sex can accomplish in<br />
print. When wit combines with ridicule the<br />
result is quite withering. If we get read after<br />
a perusal of such flashes, it can only be out of<br />
pity; and that sometimes is the unkindest sting<br />
of all.<br />
I have picked out the above as the most forcible<br />
instances wherewith to uphold my contention.<br />
There are many more ready to hand. But I<br />
must stable my lance, or I may run the risk of<br />
tilting even beyond the limits of your good<br />
nature. Grant me a final thrust. We have our<br />
review of reviews. Why not our censor of<br />
censors? With every allowance for the suscepti-<br />
bility of authors, it can scarcely be denied that<br />
the licence which obtains nowadays in the matter<br />
of book judgments is deplorable. Of course, as<br />
your journal has pertinently remarked, we must<br />
take the good with the bad. It is no use to<br />
draw in our horns like an aft'ronted snail and<br />
refuse copies. But let us in return, at least,<br />
receive that meed of justice and accuracy, which<br />
should be the mainspring of all that delicate<br />
machinery governing the world of lettess.<br />
Cecil Clarke.<br />
Authors' Club, S.W., July 17.<br />
IV.—The Title.<br />
I should feel very thankful, and I fancy the<br />
feeling would be shared by many of your readers,<br />
to know the simplest and most expeditious way<br />
for an author to ascertain whether a title he<br />
contemplates using is already appropriated.<br />
Tyeo.<br />
LITERATURE AND THE PERIODICALS.<br />
THE revival of the rural Scottish novel is<br />
hailed by the Edinburgh as a welcome<br />
sign of healthy reaction. For its paternity<br />
the writer goes back to Gait, the contemporary of<br />
Scott. Yet he hesitates to say that the popularity<br />
of the new Scottish novel will endure. "There is<br />
a certain picturesqueness in weaving thrums, and<br />
there is the sublimity of Highland grandeur in<br />
Drumtochty; but, after all, a novelist must rely<br />
upon human interest for his effects, and even<br />
genius must sooner or later exhaust the materials<br />
in a back-of-tbe-world industrial townlet, or<br />
secluded Highland glen." Moreover, there is the<br />
stumbling-block of the "semi-intelligible Scot-<br />
tish dialect," a moderate amount of which must<br />
go a long way with Southron readers, "and<br />
already we see signs that even the apostles of the<br />
new dispensation cannot repeat themselves with<br />
impunity."<br />
The National Observer sees the paper-bound<br />
book coming into vogue, and discusses the pratical<br />
philosophy of it. It admits that this cover<br />
may be objected to because it becomes dog's-<br />
eared and dirty. The book might not then<br />
be worth re-binding in more solid form, and,<br />
besides, doing this would take from it its<br />
identity. Better paper-bound than strongly but<br />
vulgarly.<br />
Mrs. Louise Chandler Moulton has been sayiug<br />
how satisfactory the Copyright Act is both to<br />
American and English, authors. "Before this<br />
Act passed," she says, "the prices of native<br />
American books seemed very high in com-<br />
parison with the pirated editions of English<br />
authors, for which no royalty had to be paid.<br />
The works of English and American authors<br />
are now sold at practically the same prices<br />
in the States, and in this way both have a fair<br />
chance."<br />
The casual contributor, says "An Editor,"<br />
does not understand his true position. His<br />
demands are frequently unreasonable, and he<br />
receives more consideration than he deserves.<br />
All this, and much more, is in reply to " A Con-<br />
tributor's" strictures on editors in a previous<br />
number of the National Review. Are manu-<br />
scripts tossed aside without being read? On the<br />
contrary. "An attempt, at the least, is made to<br />
read the most ill-written manuscript; sometimes<br />
it is even sent to the printers in the faint hope<br />
that after they have wrestled with it, the meaning<br />
0f the scrawl may be extracted." Besides, if a<br />
gjiuscript be rejected it ia ^variably returned<br />
the sender; but contributors " g° ^eyond a^<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 72 (#96) ##############################################<br />
<br />
72<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
limits of reason" when they demand that the<br />
question of accepting or rejecting and returning<br />
their work shall.be decided within a limited time.<br />
On one point concerning the aspirant the two<br />
sides agree—namely, the undesirability of intro-<br />
ductions to editors; he should eschew introduc-<br />
tions "as he would poison." Perhaps the writer<br />
in Chambers's may be thought to sum up this<br />
whole matter exactly. "After all," remarks the<br />
latter, "editors make their living by accepting<br />
good manuscript."<br />
Factory boys read Penny Dreadfuls, and at<br />
least one individual cannot say that they are any<br />
the worse for it. This writer regards it as the<br />
natural thing for the boy at a certain age, say<br />
fourteen. Factory people, as a whole, do not<br />
overtax their mental powers by deep reading, we<br />
are told, but the writer is hopeful of a higher<br />
standard being attained as she contemplates the<br />
enormous circulation of good and cheap books at<br />
the present time. In discussing what makes a<br />
novel successful, "Claudius Clear" says that<br />
if a novelist, otherwise thoroughly equipped, is<br />
profoundly imbued with religious faith, he has an<br />
immense advantage. He knows nothing, too,<br />
which so sets up the back of the average reader<br />
as an assumption of superiority, allusiveness, talk<br />
about the secret of Hegel, and stuff of that kind.<br />
"A direct and fearless simplicity establishes the<br />
best terms from the first between author and<br />
readers."<br />
Mr. Gladstone warns the young verse-maker<br />
to look whither he is going. His experience<br />
leads him to believe that the supply of poetry, or<br />
verse assuming to be poetry, is more egregiously<br />
in excess of the demand than any other descrip-<br />
tion of literature. "The prose-writer commonly<br />
has something to present to the world besides his<br />
literary form. Except in the case of very high<br />
poetry, the poet has not, and cannot have." Mr.<br />
Gladstone is very strict on the general question<br />
of putting forth a book. "I suppose it to be<br />
true," he says, *' that no one ought to add to the<br />
mass of printed books already born in the world,<br />
unless he honestly believes that he is about to<br />
contribute some addition to the stories of useful<br />
literature." A book is either a burden or a<br />
benefit The Pall Mall Gazette is amusing on<br />
the ingredients and compounding of modern<br />
literature. The Saturday Review takes up the<br />
question of Miss Linley's letters published in<br />
the recent biography of Sheridan, urging that<br />
they are fabrications. A writer in Temple Bar<br />
is funny at the expense of " literary ladies," who<br />
as a class, he says, have emancipated themselves<br />
at last, but "their earnestness and undue<br />
seriousness come in a great measure from their<br />
newness."<br />
Authors, Publishers, and Booksellers.<br />
Letters in the Westminster Gazette (entitled<br />
"Walter Besant and the Booksellers"):—Mr.<br />
B. B. Marston, July 8, 15, 25; Mr. E.<br />
Marston, July 20; Mr. Arthur D. Innes, July<br />
13, 20; Sir Walter Besant, July 10, 17, 24.<br />
Letters in the Daily Chronicle:—Mr. E. B.<br />
Marston, July 15; Walter Besant and Mr.<br />
E. Gowing-Scopes, July 16; "A West-end<br />
Bookseller," July 28. Interview with Walter<br />
Besant, the Daily Chronicle for July 14.<br />
Opinions of leading publishers, the Daily<br />
Chronicle for July 27.<br />
Authors and Publishers. M. Ferdinand Brunetitre's<br />
speech before the International Congress of Publishers.<br />
The Publishers' Circular for July 4.<br />
Recipes for Modern Literature. The Pall Mall<br />
Gazette for July 4.<br />
The Literature of Factory Workers. By One of<br />
Them. Good Words for August.<br />
Some Letters of Burns. H. Grey Graham. The<br />
Athenxum for July 25.<br />
The Death-Centenary of Burns. Articles in Strand<br />
Magazine for July, National Observer for July 25, Black-<br />
wood's for August. Report of Celebrations and of Lord<br />
Roseberry's Speeches, the Times for July 22. The Poet-<br />
Laureate's address at Irvine, the Glasgow Herald for<br />
July 20.<br />
Contributors. An Editor. National Review for<br />
August.<br />
The Return of the Rejected. How Editors Send<br />
Back Manuscripts. Chambers's Journal for August.<br />
Literary Ladies. Temple Bar for AuguBt.<br />
Oliver Wendell Holmes. By A. K. H. B. Longman's<br />
for August. By Leslie Stephen. Natio>ial Review for<br />
July.<br />
Man-making and Verse-making. Tho Right Hon.<br />
W. E. Gladstone. New Review for July.<br />
Talks with Tennyson. Wilfrid Ward. New Review<br />
for July.<br />
Dante Gabriel Rosse"T1. Quarterly Review for<br />
July.<br />
The New Scottish Novelists. Edinburgh Review<br />
for July.<br />
In Paper Cover. The National Observer for July 25.<br />
Notable Reviews.<br />
Of the Poems of Miss Rosetti and Mrs. Alexander. Lionel<br />
Johnson. Academy for July 25.<br />
Of Knowles's (compilation) "The Legends of King Arthur<br />
and His Knights. The Daily Chronicle for July 18.<br />
Of Mrs. Meynell's Essays. George Meredith. National<br />
Review for August.<br />
Of Dr. Wright's "Dialeot Dictionary." Tho Times for<br />
July 25.<br />
Of A. L. Housman's "A Shropshire Lad." National<br />
Observer for J uly 11.<br />
Of Mr. Fraser Rae's "Sheridan." Eduiburgh Review<br />
for July.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 72 (#97) ##############################################<br />
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NOBTH COUNTRY BALLADS. By HENRY TODD,<br />
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11 Some of the shorter lyrics are much above the average, being<br />
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"He Is decidedly inventive, and often highly imaginative . •<br />
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London: Horace Cn.v, Windsor House, Breaj,,^<br />
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AN AUSTRALIAN<br />
IN CHINA:<br />
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By Or. E. MORRISON,<br />
M.B.C.M. Ed in., EMi.Q-.S.<br />
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the most remarkable journey through the Flowery Land ever<br />
attempted by a Christian. ... He was entirely unarmed and<br />
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a journey—three thousand miles in length—could not fail to present<br />
many curious customs and as many curious people. But it 1b owing<br />
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travel of the many published this year. It is frank, original, and<br />
quite ungarnished by adventitious colouring.'"—St. James's Budget.<br />
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"A very lively book of travel. . . . His account of the walk<br />
of 1*500 miles from Chungking to Burma, over the remotest districts<br />
of Western China, is full of interest."—The Times.<br />
"Dr. Morrison writes crisply, sensibly, humorously, and with an<br />
engaging frankness. . . . There is not a page he has written that<br />
is Dot worth the perusal of the student of China and the Chinese."—<br />
The Scotsman.<br />
"By far the most interesting and entertaining narrative of travel<br />
in the Flowery Land that haB appeared for several years."—The<br />
World.<br />
London: Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-buildlngs, E.C.<br />
Royal 8vo., price 16s. net.<br />
Sporting Days in Southern India:<br />
BEING REMINISCENCES OF TWENTY TRIPS<br />
IN PURSUIT OF BIG GAME,<br />
CHIEFLY IN THE JWADRAS PRESIDENCY.<br />
BT<br />
Lieut.-Col. A. J. 0. POLLOCK, Royal Scots Fusiliers.<br />
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY WHYMPER<br />
AND OTHERS.<br />
CONTENTS.—Chapters I., II., and HI.— The Bear. IV. and V.—The<br />
Panther. VI., VII., and VIII.—The Tiger. IX. and X.—The<br />
Indian Bison. XI. and XII.—The Elephant. XIII.—Deer<br />
(Cervlda!) and Antelopes. XIV —The Ibex. XV. and XVI.—<br />
Miscellaneous.<br />
London; Hobace Oox, Windsor House, Bream's-buildincs. E.C.<br />
Boyal 8vo., cloth, profusely illustrated, price 12s. 6d. net.<br />
TEXAN RANCH LIFE;<br />
WITH<br />
Three Months through Mexico in a "Prairie<br />
Schooner."<br />
By MARY J. JAQ.TJES<br />
j^r.don HuRacb Cox. Windsor HoU8„. BreauiVbuildings. E.O<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 72 (#98) ##############################################<br />
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iv<br />
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| 294 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/294 | The Author, Vol. 07 Issue 04 (September 1896) | <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.+07+Issue+04+%28September+1896%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 Issue 04 (September 1896)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</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> | 1896-09-01-The-Author-7-4 | | | | | 73–96 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1896-09-01">1896-09-01</a> | | | | | | | 4 | | | 18960901 | Uhc Butbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VIL—No. 4.] SEPTEMBER i, 1896. [Price Sixpence.<br />
CONTENTS.<br />
•<br />
PAG*<br />
PAOK<br />
Warnings and Notices<br />
73<br />
National Bibliography<br />
S3<br />
Literary Property—<br />
Notes and News. By the Editor<br />
81<br />
1. "The Fol'owing Favourable Terms" ...<br />
75<br />
Feuilleton—<br />
2. Serial RlghtB<br />
76<br />
The Reputation of Bipplington<br />
si;<br />
8. The First Book<br />
77<br />
Monsters in Fiction<br />
so<br />
4. Pitts c. George and Co<br />
77<br />
Book Talk<br />
91<br />
6. The Associated Booksellers<br />
78<br />
Literature in the Periodicals<br />
:ti<br />
6. Literary and Artistic Congress<br />
80<br />
Correspondence—1. To be Returned within a Certain Time.<br />
New York Letter<br />
SO<br />
2. Injury by Detention. 8. The Title. 4. Literary Grab-alls.<br />
Reviewing<br />
82<br />
5. Criticism from a Commercial Point of View<br />
M<br />
PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY.<br />
1. The Annual Report. That for January 1896 can be had on application to the Secretary.<br />
2. The Author. A Monthly Journal devoted especially to the protection and maintenance of Literary<br />
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<br />
<br />
## p. 72 (#100) #############################################<br />
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11<br />
AD VER TISEMENTS.<br />
g>ocietp of Jluf^ots (gncotporaieb).<br />
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A W. X Beckett.<br />
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PRESIDENT.<br />
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COUNCIL.<br />
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A. Conan Doyle, M.D<br />
A. W. Dubourg.<br />
Sir J. Eric Erichsen, Bart., F.B.S.<br />
Prof. Michael Foster, F.B.S.<br />
Bichard Oabnett, C.B., LL.D.<br />
Edmund Gosse.<br />
H. Bideb Haggard.<br />
Thomas Hardy.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
Jerome K. Jerome.<br />
Budyard Kipling.<br />
Prof. E. Bay Lankester, F.B.S.<br />
W. E. H. Lecky.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Mrs. E. Lynn Linton.<br />
Eev. W. J. Loftie, F.S.A.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Prof. J. M. D. Meiklejohn.<br />
Counsel — E. M. Underdown,<br />
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT<br />
Chairman—H. Eider Haggard.<br />
Hon. John Collier<br />
Sir W. Martin Conway.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Herman C. Meriyale.<br />
Eev. C. H. Middleton-Wake.<br />
Sir Lewis Morris.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
Miss E. A. Ormerod.<br />
J. C. Parkinson.<br />
Eight Hon. Lord Pirbright.<br />
Sir Frederick Pollock, Bart., LL.D.<br />
Walter Herries Pollock.<br />
W. Baptiste Scoones.<br />
Miss Flora L. Shaw.<br />
G. B. Sims.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
J. J. Stevenson.<br />
Prof. Jas. Sully.<br />
William Moy Thomas.<br />
H. D. Traill, D.C.L.<br />
Mrs. Humphry Ward.<br />
Miss Charlotte M. Yonoe.<br />
Hon.<br />
Q.C.<br />
8dicitors ^ Messrs. Field, Eoscoe, and Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields.<br />
* \Q. Herbert Thring, B.A., 4, Portugal-street, W.C.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
Secretary—6. Herbert Thring, B.A.<br />
OFFICES: 4, Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.<br />
IE3. WATT & SO INT,<br />
LITERARY AGENTS,<br />
Formerly of 2, PATERNOSTER SaUARE,<br />
Have now removed to<br />
HASTINGS HOUSE, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND,<br />
LONDON. "W.C.<br />
WINDSOR HOUSE PRINTING WORKS,<br />
BREAM'S BTJ-IXjIDHTO-S, ZE.G.<br />
Offices of "The Field," "The Queen," "The Law Times," &e.<br />
Mr. HOEACE COX, Printer to the Authors' Society, takes the opportunity of informing Authors that, having a very<br />
large Office, and an extensive Plant of Type of every description, he is in a position to EXECUTE any PEINTLNG they<br />
may entrust to his care.<br />
ESTIMATES FORWARDED, AND REASONABLE CHARGES WILL BE FOUND.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 73 (#101) #############################################<br />
<br />
XI be Hutbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 4.]<br />
SEPTEMBER 1, 1896.<br />
[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 post, 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 0/ 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 CONSIDERATIONS.<br />
are several methods of publishing by agree-<br />
ments. Thus (1) an author may sell his work for a<br />
sum of money down: (2) he may take a share of the<br />
profits: (3) he may accept a royalty.<br />
The first method is the readiest and, where a proper<br />
price is paid, perhaps the best. It involves a certain amount<br />
of risk or doubt as to the result on the part of the buyer,<br />
and a certain amount of hesitation on the part of the seller.<br />
The author would do well to sell through an agent. But let<br />
him beware as to his choice of agent.<br />
At a time when the production of new books involved<br />
great risks and where the possible circle of purchasers was<br />
very small, the publishers, joining together, took half the<br />
profits as a return for their risk and services. At the present<br />
time in many cases, where there are no risks, they often take<br />
two-thirds and even more of the profits, and that after setting<br />
apart a large sum for "office expenses," allowing the author<br />
nothing at all for his office expenses. In other words,<br />
it is as if a steward were to charge first for his office<br />
and desks and then to take half or two-thirds of the<br />
remainder for himself as steward's fee. Therefore the author<br />
must in every case ascertain carefully, before signing the<br />
agreement, what proportion is appropriate under its clauses<br />
by the publisher for himself. If the aa(L jg ja doubt, let<br />
him submit the agreement to the secret- r to one of the<br />
VOL. Til. *?> 0<br />
literary agents recommended by the secretary. Above all<br />
things he must remember that in any business transaction<br />
the one who accepts an agreement in ignorance will quite<br />
certainly get the worst of it. The folly of signing in<br />
ignorance is the main cause of half the quarrels between<br />
author and publisher.<br />
In the case of profit-sharing agreements, remember that a<br />
very common form of getting the better of an author is the<br />
practice of advertising the book in the publisher's own organs,<br />
very likely magazines of small circulation. Sometimes,<br />
also, he " exchanges " advertisements with other magazines,<br />
and charges the author as if he had paid for them. In this<br />
way the publisher may put the whole profits of a book in his<br />
own pooket. One way to prevent this sharp practice is to<br />
insert a clause to the effect that advertisements Bhall only<br />
be charged at the actual price paid for them. A better way,<br />
however, is to agree beforehand upon the papers in which<br />
advertisements may be inserted.<br />
As regards the right of inspecting the books, that neeo<br />
not be claimed, because it exists as the right of every<br />
partner, or joint venturer. You have only to demand the<br />
inspection of the books by your solicitor, your accountant,<br />
or the secretary of the Sooiety.<br />
It' the book is a first book, or one that carries risk, it is fan-<br />
to make an arrangement for the first edition and another for<br />
the second, and following, if any. The publisher confers so<br />
signal a service upon the young author by producing his<br />
work at all—i.e., by giving him the chance he desires above<br />
all things—that it seems fair in such a case to yield him the<br />
larger share.<br />
In a profit-sharing agreement do not let the cost of pro-<br />
duction form a part of the agreement, otherwise you will<br />
be unable to contest it afterwards.<br />
It will be wisest never to enter into relations with any<br />
publisher unless recommended by the Society.<br />
There are many other dangers to be avoided. Serial<br />
rights: stamping the agreement: American rights: future<br />
work: cession of copyright—these things cannot possibly<br />
bo attended to by the young author. Therefore his agree-<br />
ment should always be shown to the secretary.<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 n^oy it '8 known within a few<br />
copies what will be their mi^j^uw calculation, it is not<br />
known what will be their xh^jb«». Therefore every<br />
author, for every should<br />
success which<br />
may come.<br />
Therefore<br />
on the chance ot<br />
The four poijw , the ^ ^ A*«s» 4cmMv4e4<br />
from the outset H *\ ve"<br />
(«0 That K / ^vN5 n« W ^<br />
mean.. ^'^ \ ^<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 74 (#102) #############################################<br />
<br />
74<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
(2.) The inspection of those account books which belong<br />
to the author. We are advised that this is a right, in the<br />
nature of a common law right, which cannot be denied or<br />
withheld.<br />
(3.) That there shall be no secret profits.<br />
(4.) That nothing Bhall 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 discoants shall bo<br />
duly entered.<br />
If these points are carefully looked after, the anthor may<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 />
HOW TO USE TEE SOCIETY.<br />
1. in VERY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
Pi advice upon his agreements, his choice 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 connected with oopyright<br />
and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within tho<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Thorefore, do not scruple<br />
to use the Society first—onr solicitors are continually<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 everything<br />
important to literature that you may hear or meet 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 Society now offers:—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon<br />
them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To onforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
THE AUTHORS' SYNDICATE.<br />
MEMBERS are informed:<br />
1. That the Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the business of members of the Society. That it<br />
submits MSS. to publishers and editors, concludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects accounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the trouble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon which its services can be secured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndicate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That the Syndicate can only undertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia-<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that all<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice should be given.<br />
6. That jvery attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in all cases, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence; does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded without notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
lectures by some of the leading members of the Society:<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for the sale and<br />
purchase of journals and periodicals; and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wantod" is open. Members are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to the Manager.<br />
There is an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called npon in any case of dispute or difficulty. It<br />
is perhaps necessary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndicate.<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 P<br />
Communications for the Author should reach the Editor<br />
not later than the 21 st of each month.<br />
All persons engaged in literary work of any kind, whether<br />
members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate<br />
to the Editor any points connected with their work which<br />
it would be advisable in the general interest to publish.<br />
Members and others who wish their MSS. read are<br />
requested not to send them to the Office without previously<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 75 (#103) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
75<br />
commusieating 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 Authors' Club is now open in its new premises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-court, Charing Cross. Address the Secretary<br />
for information, rules of admission, Ac.<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 five<br />
years to come, whatever his conduct, whether he was honest<br />
or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for a moment when they are asked to sign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five years P<br />
Those who possess the "Cost of Production" are<br />
requested to note that the cost of binding has advanced IS<br />
per cent. This means, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing sums," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the cost of binding<br />
is set down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now stands<br />
at jBq 4». The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be procured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
bill is so elastic a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
arrived at.<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 practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
I.—" The Following Favourable Tebms."<br />
THE two proposals which follow explain<br />
themselves. We have omitted the name<br />
of the author and the name of the firm.<br />
The secretary, however, will inform any members,<br />
who may desire to know the latter.<br />
D.ABSJB, July 24, tSofi.<br />
We have given this work our careful attention, and our<br />
opinion of it being favourable, we have decided to offer you<br />
the following favourable terms for its production and<br />
publication, viz.:—<br />
That in consideration of our printing 1000 copies of the<br />
book in the best style on good paper from new type,<br />
publishing at the popular price of 3s. (fi ^ jjandsome cloth,<br />
gold lettered, advertising to the amom,j r £1 a*1"* Riving<br />
you two-thirds of the proceeds of sal68 c 01 gteo *° Pay to<br />
us the sum of .£88—.£50 when you sign the agreement, and<br />
J638 when you see the last proofs.<br />
The above amount to constitute your sole' outlay, the<br />
copyright remaining your property.<br />
The expenses of all future editions to be borne entirely by<br />
us, we paying to you one half the profits.<br />
It may perhaps be superfluous to mention that reviewing,<br />
and all the many other technicalities of publishing necessary<br />
for placing the book on the market, would have our especial<br />
care.<br />
We should be glad of an early decision on our terms, as<br />
we are desirous of proceeding with the work without delay<br />
in order that it may be ready in good time for the autumn<br />
season, the best publishing season of the year.<br />
Faithfully yours,<br />
P.S.—The above payment is inolusive of revision and<br />
preparation for press.<br />
July 30, 1896.<br />
Dear Sib,<br />
We are in receipt of your favour, and regret to say we do<br />
not see our way to undertake publication on terms other<br />
than thoBe in which you at least make a payment. This is<br />
usual with new writers. We have, however, after careful<br />
reflection, decided to make you the following exceptional<br />
offer, viz.:—<br />
That you make payment of the sum of ,£70 (J640 on<br />
signing the agreement, and .£30 when you see the last<br />
proofs), and share with us in all sales of the work thus—<br />
that you receive three-fifths of the proceeds of sales on a<br />
first edition of 1000 copies. Afterwards half the profits on<br />
future editions, the expenses of which would be borne<br />
entirely by us.<br />
The expenses of advertising (full details of which would<br />
be sent you) to be a first charge on the total sales.<br />
Being anxious to meet you in the matter of terms, we have<br />
placed your payment at the lowest, consistent with good<br />
work and effective publishing.<br />
We can only now add that if you elect to entrust the<br />
publication with us, you may rely on our doing our best to<br />
make the book a suocess.<br />
Faithfully yours,<br />
We note on the above:<br />
(1) The first offer is for .£50 on signing the<br />
agreement and ,£38 on receiving first proof: but<br />
,£15 to be spent on advertising.<br />
(2) The second offer is for ,£40 on signing the<br />
agreement and .£30 on receiving first proof.<br />
None of the money to be spent on advertising.<br />
(3) The publishers in their second offer reserve<br />
the power of spending what they please on<br />
advertising.<br />
(4) Under the first proposal the author gets<br />
two-thirds of the total proceeds of the first<br />
edition of 1000 copies.<br />
(5) Under the second, proposal he gets three-<br />
fifths of the total procee<^%<br />
Let us now Sflp UBder tU '^ost^wwaUe terms,<br />
how the autV . *0u\a Xe%A- ^suppose the<br />
whole of th^T°i t e^itit^V5^ °VeSS ""^<br />
copies givex^ ft^ls J**! •W*e<br />
the aveLg^<br />
nearly too* ^ V<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 76 (#104) #############################################<br />
<br />
76<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Now, under the first offer,<br />
Author pays <£88: receives two-thirds o f <£ioo<br />
—i.e., £66 13.9. 4</.<br />
Certain loss on the best possible event,<br />
£21 6s. Sd.<br />
By the second offer.<br />
Author pays ,£70.<br />
Receipts £100, less (say) =£15 for adver-<br />
tising = £8 5.<br />
Author receives three-fifths of ,£85—i.e., £51.<br />
Certain loss on the best possible event, £19.<br />
The author's certain loss at the best gives the<br />
publishers' highest profit. They take on the first<br />
offer ,£88, less .£15 for advertisements = .£73. To<br />
this must be added the interest on the money<br />
before printers, &c, are paid. Is it too much<br />
to set this down at 10 per cent.?<br />
Thus we have for the publisher's account:<br />
.£. *. d.<br />
Received from the author 73 o o<br />
Interest on ,£73 for six months<br />
at 5 per cent 3 13 o<br />
By one-third of sales 33 6 8<br />
109 19 8<br />
From this must be deducted the cost of pro-<br />
duction, which in such cases is conducted with an<br />
eye to cheapness. Perhaps it would amount to £70,<br />
seeing that the type is not probably stereotyped.<br />
On these figures, we observe that in the event of<br />
there being a sale of the whole edition (a very<br />
unlikely event) the publisher's profit would be<br />
somewhere about ,£40 and the author's loss<br />
would be about £20. Nothing, however, has<br />
been said about corrections. Under the second<br />
offer the publisher can do what he pleases about<br />
advertisements. The author's loss may, there-<br />
fore, be anything up to the amount paid over.<br />
Does this admirable result commend this way of<br />
publishing? We have not inquired what the<br />
publisher means by taking "reviewing" into his<br />
especial care. One would like to know what he<br />
does mean. It may be added that these letters<br />
are only samples. Dozens reach the secretary, all<br />
in the same temis.<br />
The following, for example, is another proposal<br />
from the same firm. The reader will mark the<br />
wonderful resemblance of the two proposals with<br />
the little differences of liability.<br />
August I0> 1896.<br />
Dear Madam,<br />
We have given this work our careful attention, and, our<br />
opinion of it being favourable, wo have decided to offer<br />
you the following favourable terms for its production and<br />
publication, viz.:<br />
That, in consideration of our printing 1000 copies of the<br />
book in the best style on good paper from new type, pub-<br />
lishing at the popular price of 6s. in handsome cloth, gold<br />
lettered, advertising to the amount of £2^, and giving you<br />
two-thirds of the proceeds of sales, you agree to pay to ub<br />
the sum of £go, £60 when you sign the agreement, and .£30<br />
when you see the last proofs.<br />
The above amount to constitute your sole outlay, the<br />
copyright remaining your property.<br />
The expenses of all future editions to be bome entirely by<br />
us, we paying to yon one half the profits.<br />
It may, perhaps, be superfluous to mention that reviewing,<br />
and all the many other technicalities of publishing necessary<br />
for placing the book on the market, would have our especial<br />
care.<br />
We Bhonld bo glad of an early decision on our terms, as<br />
we are desirous of proceeding with the work without delay,<br />
in order that it may be ready in good time for the autumn<br />
season, the best publishing season of the year.<br />
Faithfully yours,<br />
II.—Serial Rights.<br />
The following paragraph should have been<br />
noticed last month. It appeared in the St.<br />
James' Gazette of July 7th.<br />
"Is the purchaser of the serial rights of a work<br />
of fiction entitled to go on producing the work as<br />
a serial for an indefinite number of times and for<br />
an indefinite period, if there is no express provision<br />
in the agreement to the contrary? A literary<br />
agent has, it seems, recently expressed the opinion<br />
that he is so entitled; and authors with serial<br />
rights to dispose of are recommended by a<br />
contemporary to insert in their agreements a limit<br />
of time for serial production. Seeing that it is<br />
common knowledge that publication in book form<br />
is to follow, that such publication is implied in<br />
the very fact of the separate sale of serial rights,<br />
one might have fairly supposed that it was an<br />
implied term of the bargain that the purchaser of<br />
the serial right should publish and finish publish-<br />
ing the serial within a reasonable time of the<br />
purchase. Will the Authors' Society take<br />
counsel's opinion upon the point?"<br />
This is purely a question of agreement. Serial<br />
rights are not, as a matter of fact, now under-<br />
stood to mean the first right of appearance, but<br />
the right of placing a work as a serial anywhere,<br />
and as often as can be arranged.<br />
Generally speaking, a novelist expressly states<br />
in his agreement that he sells only the first right<br />
of appearance in serial form; with, of course, a<br />
time limitation. There are, however, certain<br />
syndicates which buy " all serial" rights, meaning<br />
the right to place a work as a serial as often as<br />
they can find purchasers for it. This "second"<br />
right is so seldom worth anything that it would<br />
seem useless to make any stipulation about it. It<br />
would be well, however, if authors would take the<br />
precaution of seeing that their agreements reserve<br />
for them what they wish to be reserved. On the<br />
other hand, if a writer does not object to his work<br />
appearing here, there, and everywhere, why<br />
should he not let a syndicate buy that right?<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 77 (#105) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
77<br />
Suppose, however, that the point remains open:<br />
suppose that a syndicate purchases "the serial<br />
rights : " and that the question thus remains. "Do<br />
'the serial rights ' mean only the right of publica-<br />
tion in serial form before the volume form 9" Or,<br />
in other words, does the recognised intention of<br />
the author to publish in volume form put an end to<br />
serial right after publication in volume form? If<br />
after, why not before? In fact, experience shows<br />
that publication in serial form does good, not<br />
harm, to volume form: and one cannot see why<br />
this established fact does not apply to " second<br />
rights a-i well as "first." One important syndi-<br />
cate, at least, in buying the whole serial rights<br />
expressly states this fact in its agreements. The<br />
authors, however, are in command of the situa-<br />
tion: they can refuse to sell more than they<br />
choose: if they limit "serial rights" to first<br />
appearance, they can do so. Is it worth while to<br />
ask counsel's opinion as to what is meant by<br />
"serial" rights when the words are already<br />
practically taken to mean the power of selling a<br />
work as a serial whenever, wherever, as often as,<br />
as long as, the buyer pleases and can find a<br />
market?<br />
III.—The Fibst Book,<br />
i.<br />
In your comments on my article on American<br />
Literature, and the injustice of the United<br />
States Copyright Act, especially in depriving<br />
the European author of the earnings of his first<br />
work, you say the English author loses those<br />
earnings in his own country also. Were this<br />
true, there would still remain much difference<br />
between voluntarily parting with one's property<br />
and being robbed of it. But is it true? Surely<br />
any man able to write a book is able to secure<br />
from a publisher an agreement that the royalty<br />
shall increase with the sales. Thus his success<br />
becomes his property. If any English author<br />
has been able to secure, for his first icork, such a<br />
sliding scale, I trust he will make the fact known.<br />
Moncuee D. Conway.<br />
a.<br />
My own experience of an author's first book is<br />
that he is lucky, indeed, if he gets it taken by any<br />
one on any terms, provided that he is not obliged<br />
to pay for its production and to pay a fancy price,<br />
in most cases. When a first book is so good as to<br />
be certain of success, which is very rare indeed, it<br />
is taken, of course, without hesitation. Most first<br />
books are paid for by the authors: a few> bow-<br />
ever, are accepted by an editor jfben thev are<br />
generally bought "right out" ^ ^0 publisher,<br />
when they often turn out extremely well—for the<br />
publisher. Thus a case is in my recollection in<br />
which a story was accepted by the editor and bought<br />
by the publisher for ,£50. It ran through the maga-<br />
zine, which thus got a novel for next to nothing:<br />
the magazine type served for the volume form:<br />
several editions have been printed: the publisher<br />
has done very well indeed. And the author ought<br />
not to grumble, because he had his first chance.<br />
I have never yet seen one agreement in which the<br />
author with his first book was offered a graduated<br />
royalty. There may be such agreements, but I<br />
have never seen any. My own first novel (in<br />
collaboration) was thus managed:'<br />
(1) It appeared in Once a fVeek for £100.<br />
(2) The authors printed it themselves, gave the<br />
book, bound, to the publishers, superintended the<br />
advertising, and gave a commission to the<br />
publishers. They printed 600 copies, all of which<br />
were taken. The publisher secured about £60;<br />
the authors about .£100.<br />
(3) The cheap form was then sold for five years<br />
to another firm for £50.<br />
(4) All rights were sold out, for, I think, ,£100.<br />
(5) An American firm sent £50.<br />
The authors, therefore, contrived to divide about<br />
■£400. Not much, it is true, but in those days<br />
between the very popular authors and the less<br />
popular there was a much wider gulf than at<br />
present.<br />
The name of the book was " Ready Money<br />
Mortiboy," and I should be very glad to know<br />
how many copies of the book have been sold since<br />
its first appearance; not in any spirit of grumbling,<br />
because this selling of all rights for a small sum<br />
was then the practice, and it was not possible to<br />
do better with it. The sale outright continues to<br />
be the practice with some writers, and is a<br />
very good one, provided the proper price can be<br />
obtained. Now a new writer has no "proper<br />
price." It is quite impossible to say how far he<br />
will succeed, either from a literary or a commercial<br />
point of view.<br />
The above method is commended to a new<br />
writer who believes in his own work. He must<br />
not give bis MS. to the publisher to be printed<br />
but must print it himself. He must not give the<br />
publisher a free hand with the advertisements.<br />
He must give a liberal commission. He must be<br />
free with his Press copies. Perhaps be will lose<br />
something on his veiituve but lie will get what<br />
most he wants—his first ^a3>£fc-<br />
IV.—Pitts<br />
"In thi^<br />
injunction<br />
<br />
^ Co. {.The Times,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 78 (#106) #############################################<br />
<br />
78<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
any copies of a piece of music called 'La<br />
Filleuse,' by the celebrated composer, Joachim<br />
Eaff, or dealing with them so as to infringe the<br />
plaintiff's copyright therein. It appeared that<br />
the plaintiff was the assignee of the copyright in<br />
the piece of music in this country, and that the<br />
defendant had (inadvertently, as he alleged)<br />
purchased and sold about fourteen copies of the<br />
piece, which had been printed at Liepzig by the<br />
publishers and representatatives of the original<br />
proprietor, and published, so far as appeared,<br />
either at Brussels or Paris. The plaintiff now<br />
moved the court for an injunctiou.<br />
"Mr. Ingpen appeared for the plaintiff in<br />
support of the motion.<br />
"Mr. Scrutton, for the defendants, referred to<br />
section 10 of the International Copyright Act,<br />
1844 (7 Vict. c. 12), prohibiting the importation<br />
of 'all copies of books wherein there shall be<br />
any subsisting copyright, printed or reprinted iu<br />
any foreign country except that in which such<br />
books were first published ;' and submitted that,<br />
as the copies sold by the defendant were printed<br />
at Leipzig, where the piece of music was first<br />
published, the case was within the exception con-<br />
tained in the section, and the action therefore<br />
could not be maintained.<br />
"Mr. Ingpen, in reply, referred to section 15 of<br />
the Copyright Act, 1842 (5 & 6 Vict. c. 45), as<br />
containing an absolute prohibition against the<br />
sale in this country of imported copies of books<br />
or music entitled to copyright, and contended<br />
that section 10 of the Act of 1844 was not an<br />
enabling enactment, but merely prohibitory, and<br />
that section 15 of the Act of 1842 therefore<br />
remained in full force.<br />
"Mr. Justice Kekewich said that section 15 of<br />
the Act of 1842 contained a prohibition against<br />
the importation into this country and sale of<br />
copies of works registered here, if unlawfully<br />
printed or reprinted. The Act of 1844 was an<br />
international Act, intended to support the inter-<br />
change of copyright obligations between this<br />
country and foreign countries, but not so as to<br />
exclude the right of what might be termed the<br />
'domicile of origin' of the work. Accordingly<br />
that Act provided in effect that, where books<br />
were printed or reprinted in any foreign country<br />
in which they were first published, then the print-<br />
ing might be continued and they were not subject<br />
to the prohibition contained in the section. The<br />
law therefore was not transgressed if the<br />
books imported were first published in the domi-<br />
cile of origin. The pieces of music in this<br />
case were clearly published in Leipzig, the<br />
domicile of origin, and therefore, being law-<br />
fully printed, were not within the prohibitive<br />
part of section 10 of the Act of 1845 nor within<br />
the prohibition' contained in section 15 of the Act<br />
of 1842.<br />
'* The motion being, by consent, treated as the<br />
trial of the action, his Lordship accordingly gave<br />
judgment for the defendant."<br />
The above case was tried in the High Courts<br />
before Mr. Justice Kekewich, and from the deci-<br />
sion of that judge an appeal was entered. The<br />
case on appeal was heard at the end of the sittings,<br />
and, as the question of law is exceedingly difficult<br />
and complicated, the Justices of Appeal deferred<br />
judgment. They were unable, however, to fix a<br />
date in the last Session on which to deliver judg-<br />
ment, as the research into former Acts of Parlia-<br />
ment necessitated considerable labour. The case<br />
as it stands, however, is put down for considera-<br />
tion of the members of the Society, especially<br />
those who are writers of music, to whom it<br />
specially refers. The case comes under the Inter-<br />
national Copyright Act of 1844, and does not<br />
touch the Berne Convention on any point. It<br />
applies especially to those holders of musical copy-<br />
right, of whom there are many in the Society, as<br />
music is a universal language, and needs no trans-<br />
lation for its publication in a foreign country. It<br />
applies in a much less degree to holders of<br />
literary copyright, but it is possible that it might<br />
be desirous to publish a book in its original lan-<br />
guage in a foreign country. This is of course of<br />
infrequent occurrence, but such cases have<br />
occurred. When the final decision has been given<br />
by the Justices of Appeal, if given at the end of<br />
October, it will come most probably into the<br />
December number. _ _<br />
V.—The Associated Booksellers.<br />
The following correspondence has been sent to<br />
the Author by the hon. secretary of this society :—<br />
Thb Associated Booksellers of Great Britain<br />
and Ireland.<br />
370, Oxford-street, W.<br />
July 31, 1896.<br />
Gentlemen,<br />
On behalf of the Council I beg to bring before you the<br />
correspondence which has taken place between the Council<br />
of the Publishers' Association and ourselves, from which it<br />
will be seen that we have referred to "individual pub-<br />
lishers" with respect to clause 3 of our resolutions sent to<br />
them.<br />
Our Council therefore asks you to say definitely whether yon<br />
will be prepared to ooncede (perhaps gradually) the terms<br />
asked for in clause 3, which is worded as follows :—<br />
"3. That publishers recognise that immediate relief is<br />
necessary, by charging single copies of books pub-<br />
lished at 7s. 6d. and upwards, at a net price, which<br />
would be equivalent to the net cost when the odd<br />
copy is is taken with the usual discount at settle-<br />
ment."<br />
I remain, yours truly,<br />
Thomas Burleigh, Hon. Sec.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 79 (#107) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
79<br />
Copy of resolution sent to Mr. C. J. Longman, the presi-<br />
dent of the Publishers' Association :—<br />
"That the Council having received from Mr. Longman a<br />
report of the meeting held on the 21st inst. (November),<br />
regret that the publishers decline to appoint a committee to<br />
meet the booksellers. They note, however, with satisfaction<br />
the formation of a Publishers' Association, and trust that<br />
when the new society is fully organised arrangements will<br />
be made for the meeting of the councils of the two bodies,<br />
as they are convinced it is only by the co-operation of pub-<br />
lishers with booksellers- that any improvement can bo<br />
effected in the condition of the retail trade.<br />
II.<br />
St. Dnnstan's House, Fetter-lane, London, E.C.<br />
March 27, 1896.<br />
To Thomas Burleigh, Esq.,<br />
Hon. Sec. The Associated Booksellers of Great Britain<br />
and Ireland, 370, Oxford-Btreet, W.<br />
Dear Sib,<br />
Your letter to the president of the Publishers' Associa-<br />
tion dated March 17 was considered at the first meeting of<br />
the Council, held yesterday, and I was requested to inform<br />
you that, if at any time the Booksellers' Association will<br />
submit to the Council of the Publishers' Association any<br />
definite question with a view to a joint discussion, the Pub-<br />
lishers' Association will be very happy to take it into con-<br />
e ideration, and, if found desirable, to arrange a meeting, but<br />
they do not regard a conference, without any definite<br />
object, as likely to lead to satisfactory results.<br />
Yours faithfully,<br />
R. B. Mabston,<br />
Secretary (pro tern.) of the Publishers' Association.<br />
ra.<br />
Copy of resolution sent to the hon. secretary of the Pub-<br />
lishers' Association:—<br />
"It having been conclusively proved that no combination<br />
of booksellers alone can deal with the excessive discounts<br />
which render the trade unprofitable to most retailers, the<br />
Council of the Associated Booksellers request the Pub-<br />
lishers' Association to meet them to discuss the following<br />
proposals:—<br />
"1. That all books published at net prices be sold at the<br />
full price.<br />
"2. That no greater discount than 25 per cent, be<br />
allowed upon books published on the old terms, and<br />
that steps be taken to enforce both these regula-<br />
tions.<br />
3. That publishers recognise that immediate relief is<br />
necessary, by charging single copies of books pub-<br />
lished at 78. 6d. and upwards at a net prioe, whioh<br />
would be equivalent to the not cost when the odd<br />
copy is taken with the usual discount at settlement.<br />
In the event of their not being prepared to do this (meet<br />
the Council for the purpose of discussing these proposals),<br />
the Publishers' Association be asked to make suggestions for<br />
joint co-operation."<br />
IV.<br />
Publisher's Association, Stationers' Hall, E.C.<br />
May 8, 1896.<br />
T. Burleigh, Esq.<br />
Hon Sec. Associated Booksellers of Great Britain and<br />
Ireland, 370, Oxford-atreet, W-<br />
Dear Sir,<br />
The Council of the Publishers' Asj^.t:oD have given<br />
very careful consideration to your ioftej\ oTil 20-<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
The proposals contained in it have already been circulated<br />
by your Society among the publishers individually, and<br />
have been fully discussed by them at a meeting held before<br />
the Publishers' Association was formed.<br />
The Council of the Association think it right to inform<br />
you that they cannot entertain the adoption of any plan<br />
which would involve a system of coercion or " boycotting'<br />
on their part, and it appears to them that the portion of<br />
your Council's resolution embodying proposals 1 and 2<br />
depends entirely on such a system: they therefore feel that<br />
thoy would not be justified in entering into any discussion<br />
upon this matter.<br />
If the Associated booksellers desire to modify their pro-<br />
posals in view of this decision, the Council of the Publishers<br />
Association will be most happy to consider carefully any<br />
suoh amended suggestiona-<br />
I am, dear Sir, yours faithfully,<br />
Wm. Poulten, Secretary.<br />
Copy of Resolution sent to the Publishers' Association:—<br />
"The Council regret that the Publishers' Association<br />
declines to discuss clauses 1 and 2 of their proposals, with-<br />
out which, in their opinion, no improvement in the present<br />
condition of the trade is possible."<br />
"The Council point out that the system of publishing<br />
books at net prices was introduced by publishers as a<br />
remedy for underselling, and fear that the Publisher's Asso-<br />
ciation in declining to take any steps to maintain those<br />
prices, thereby dooms the net system to failure."<br />
"The Counoil desire to know the decision of the Pub-<br />
lishers' Association with regard to clause 3 of their pro-<br />
posals, and whether the Publishers' Association is prepared<br />
to make alternative proposals as to clauses 1 and 2."<br />
The Publishers' Association, Stationer's<br />
Hall, London, E.C,<br />
July 24, 1896.<br />
Dear Sib,<br />
In reply to your communication of the 5th ult., I am<br />
directed to inform you that the Council of the Publishers'<br />
Association have no alternatives to suggest with regard to<br />
clauses 1 and 2 of your proposals, and with respect to<br />
clause 3, I am to say, that the Council consider the subject<br />
to bo a matter for arrangement by individual publishers.<br />
Yours faithfully,<br />
Wm. Poulten, Secretary.<br />
Mr. T. Burleigh,<br />
Hon. Sec. Associated Booksellers, 370, Oxford-street, W.<br />
VI.<br />
The Associated Booksellers of Great Britain and<br />
Ireland, 370, Oxford-street, W.<br />
July 31, 1896.<br />
Dear Sir,<br />
At a Council meeting held last night I was requested to<br />
acknowledge tho receipt of your letter of the 24th inst., and<br />
to call the attention of your Council to the following extracts<br />
from the report of the meeting held on Nov. 21 last, and<br />
sent to me officially by Mr. Longman.<br />
"Mr. Murray said,' It has long l°oen *e^" ^at some union<br />
or association of publishers tQ ^cal matters such as<br />
that before them and many OVW8 »5e(A™8 tneit «*tol08t<br />
should be formed.'"<br />
"It was the ._0uB op\- e ^meelangtnat, it was<br />
only by the fot^^n{ wxa^Ho*^^V"MiaW« eoutt<br />
satisfactorily ftJ£^W<br />
Tho Council<br />
are now reft<br />
Vi»\^<"wANta* 'bhkSu<br />
f<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 80 (#108) #############################################<br />
<br />
8o<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
rogret that their proposals have not been placed before the<br />
members of the Publishers' Association for discussion.<br />
I remain, yours truly,<br />
Thomas, Burleigh, Hon. Seoretary.<br />
Mr. Wm. Poulten,<br />
Seoretary the Publishers' Association.<br />
VI.—Literary and Artistic Congress.<br />
Berne, Aug. 24.<br />
The International Congress on Literary and<br />
Artistic Copyright has resolved to take steps to<br />
secure the speedy ratification of the results of the<br />
Paris conference of this year and obtain a reform<br />
of the copyright laws in the different States,<br />
particularly Great Britain and Germany. With<br />
this object the International Literary and Artistic<br />
Association will enter into communication with<br />
the societies of authors and jurists in those<br />
countries.—Daily Chronicle.<br />
NEW YORK LETTBE.<br />
Aug. 14, 1896.<br />
STONE and KIMBALL have just issued an<br />
enlarged edition of the Poems of George<br />
Santayana, which were first published in<br />
1894. Mr. Santayana, although as yet known to<br />
few, is a tempting subject of panegyric to those<br />
who believe that he is writing the best poetry<br />
produced to-day in America. This is not the<br />
highest praise, perhaps, because our level in verse<br />
just now is rather low, but one goes further in<br />
saying that many of the most intelligent people<br />
of Cambridge (the seat of Harvard University)<br />
and Boston, the two places in which his work is<br />
best known, believe that his poetry is destined to<br />
last and to grow in esteem. He is a teacher of<br />
philosophy in the University, just over thirty<br />
years of age, half Spanish, a Catholic, although<br />
one of the subtlest sceptical critics that Harvard<br />
has produced. His "Sense of Beauty," which<br />
has already been mentioned in these letters, when<br />
published by Scribner in the fall, will probably<br />
do more to make him known than these poems.<br />
Not that he writes bettor in prose (for it is hard<br />
to say in which form he has greater excellence),<br />
but for the natural reason that a great house like<br />
Scribners can give the book a circulation which<br />
a new firm like Stone and Kimball can not. Mr.<br />
Santayana is now in England, and will spend<br />
a year there, after which he will return to<br />
Harvard.<br />
The poems have a sort of second simplicity<br />
both in thought and expression, the result of<br />
long brooding by an imaginative and analytical<br />
temperament, and their technical qualities are<br />
high; they are entirely original, but they suggest<br />
occasionally that two of the author's favourite<br />
poets are Petrarch and Shakespeare. As I am<br />
one of those who believe in an important future<br />
for the poems, I take space for two of the more<br />
recent sonnets:<br />
We were together, and I longed to tell<br />
How drop by silent drop my bosom bled,<br />
I took some verses full of you, and read,<br />
Waiting for God to work some miracle.<br />
They told how love had plunged in burning hell<br />
One half my soul, while the other half had fled<br />
Upon love's wings to heaven; and you said:<br />
"I like the verses; they are written well."<br />
If I had knelt confessing " It is yon,<br />
You are my torment and my rapture too,"<br />
I should have seen yon rise in flushed disdain:<br />
"For shame to say so, be it false or true!"<br />
And the sharp sword that ran me through and through,<br />
On your white bosom too had left a stain.<br />
When I survey the harvest of the year<br />
And from time's threshing garner up the grain,<br />
What profit have I of forgotten pain,<br />
What comfort, heart-locked, for the winter's cheer P<br />
The season's yield is this, that thou art dear,<br />
And that I love thee, that is all mv gain;<br />
The rest was chaff, blown from the weary brain<br />
Where now they treasured image lieth cloar,<br />
How liberal is beauty that, but seen,<br />
Makes rich the bosom of her silent lovor!<br />
How excellent is truth, on which I lean!<br />
Yet my religion were a charmed despair,<br />
Did I not in thy perfect heart discover<br />
How beauty can bo true and virtue fair.<br />
In connection with what I said last month of<br />
the literary work being done in New York by<br />
painters, should be mentioned one of the most<br />
important books of the fall, soon to be announced<br />
by the Scribners. E. W. Blashfield is one of our<br />
most prominent painters. His interest in litera-<br />
ture, including naturally the literature of art, is<br />
keen, and his wife is a scholarly woman and a<br />
practised writer, who has lived a great deal in<br />
Italy. They will bring out this fall the only<br />
edition of Vasari published in England since that<br />
of Mrs. Foster. It will be an Edition dc Iv.re, in<br />
four volumes, with forty-eight photogravure<br />
reproductions of important paintings. Only the<br />
most prominent lives will be given, seventy in all.<br />
The men whose work is now unknown, mostly<br />
contemporaries of Vasari and important to him<br />
because of his personal interest in them, are<br />
omitted. As Mrs. Foster's text has become so<br />
familiar to the Euglish world, her translation will<br />
be kept, slight corrections being marie in notes<br />
where her lack of acquaintance with Italy led her<br />
to fail in seizing certain turns of expression. The<br />
greatest value of the new book, however, will be<br />
in the historical, critical, and philological notes,<br />
which practically amount toa summary of the results<br />
of the new school of Art criticisms, supjwrted<br />
by a thorough personal knowledge of Italy and<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 81 (#109) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
81<br />
the technical understanding of a painter. The last<br />
Italian editionof Vasari, that of Gaetano Milanesi,<br />
published in nine volumes in 1882, the result of<br />
the work of seven or eight scholars for several<br />
years, has been the main authority for names,<br />
dates, &c. The work of the Italian scholars<br />
who write for the Archivio, of the Frenchmen<br />
who write for the Gazette des Beaux Arts, the<br />
Courier de VArt, of the German scholars in the<br />
various periodicals, and the comparatively little<br />
done by the English and Americans, by Middle-<br />
ton, Rossetti, Berenson, C. C. Perkins, Loeser,<br />
and others, have been freely drawn on. Of course<br />
the Italian scholars form the main basis of this<br />
part of the work. All of the recent discoveries<br />
of concrete things, such as the framework of the<br />
Donatello altar at Padua, the singing galleries<br />
for the Delia Robbias in Florence, &c., are noted,<br />
and make it possible to see many of the works<br />
spoken of by Vasari more as he saw them than<br />
has been before possible. The estimates of the<br />
painters, which are added to the lives, are written<br />
by the two authors in conjunction, and combine<br />
technical criticism with more general appre-<br />
ciation.<br />
Last month I spoke rather severely of criticism<br />
in this country. One reservation should be made<br />
in favour of that kind of critical work intended<br />
for students in schools and colleges, which is<br />
now excellent. For instance, G. E. Woodberry,<br />
one of our first scholars, is seeing through the<br />
press an edition of Tennyson to appear this month<br />
in the series of English works being published<br />
by Longmans, Green, and Co., under the general<br />
direction of Professor George R. Carpenter, of<br />
Columbia, who has been able to get the various<br />
books of the series done by the leading teachers<br />
of English, on account of the decided wave of<br />
interest which has been growing here for some<br />
years. The series has been a marked success.<br />
In the fall the Scribners will publish twenty or<br />
more "Poems of Childhood" by Eugene Field,<br />
set to music by various composers, most of them<br />
by Reginald de Koven, the most popular of<br />
American song writers. It is to be called " The<br />
Field de Koven Song Book." The popularity<br />
of Mr. Field seems to be on a steady increase<br />
since his death. Most of these songs were<br />
written and set to music long ago, before either<br />
Mr. Field or Mr. de Koven was known to the<br />
world.<br />
Roberts Brothers, of Boston, have in prepara-<br />
tion a volume of the poems of Emily Dickinson,<br />
the strangely vivid New England spinster, whose<br />
poems and letters made a sensation here when<br />
they were published under the augpjce* °* Col.<br />
T. W. Higginson, who discovered ^e unknown<br />
writer and hailed her as a ge^,- g^e then<br />
became a decided fad for some time, and the<br />
death of the fad seems to have left a steady<br />
interest in her work, which is very crude, but<br />
intelligent and entirely typical of New England<br />
feeling away from the centres of population.<br />
A new writer from Chicago is launched by the<br />
Harpers in the recently published novel '' Jerry<br />
the Dreamer," by Will Payne, financial editor of<br />
a Chicago daily, the Chronicle.<br />
Houghton, Mifflin and Co. are collecting letters<br />
for a sixteen volume edition of the Life and<br />
Letters of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Statistics<br />
which I sent some months ago showed that<br />
"Uncle Tom's Cabin " is second in popularity to<br />
Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter" among American<br />
novels of standing. It will probably always be<br />
popular enough as a story as well as important<br />
enough as a document, to keep Mrs. Stowe's name<br />
a leading one in our literature, but as it succeeded<br />
more because it was a timely tract of power, than<br />
because of its artistic merits, it can hardly be<br />
expected that the author's relative importance<br />
will continue as great as it is now. Of the other<br />
eminent American writer who has died this year,<br />
Oliver Wendell Holmes, the contrary is true.<br />
His work depends in no way on any occasional<br />
interest, but has taken its place, apparently<br />
permanently, not very near the top, but well up,<br />
and some of his books make part of the instinctive<br />
thought of the New England people.<br />
Publishing, like every other business, is suffer-<br />
ing from the silver scare. All houses are trying<br />
to keep down their expenses, and some which<br />
were spending money with absolute freedom in<br />
the spring, are now running on as small an out-<br />
lay as possible. Campaign literature, so called,<br />
is what there is most demand for. There is a<br />
good deal of talk among writers here about the<br />
possibility of making interesting novels and<br />
treatises out of the emotional wave that has swept<br />
over the West and South for the last few years,<br />
but as yet nothing which is really literature has<br />
resulted from the silver craze. "Coin's Financial<br />
School," the famous book now dead, which ran<br />
like fire over the country two years ago, was<br />
merely laughed at by the Eastern press, which<br />
has either never appreciated the existence of the<br />
silver feeling, or has thought it best not to state<br />
it. Reports from the representatives of our<br />
Eastern dailies are received \$. two forms; one in-<br />
tended for publication, ano^et teUmg tbe editors<br />
privately how nvucb. more pt\0\1B ttve danger is<br />
than it would be Wt to stav- * ouemo^VjmNew<br />
York City has \ \ come ^ Joso^ *0T sftveT'<br />
and the most J .-ent ^SSL, ^v «-W»k *°<br />
the poorer ^ T?<br />
ago from su^N O^W A* * *<br />
Bryan, without! J 0* .Tr^ V<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 82 (#110) #############################################<br />
<br />
82<br />
THE A UTHOR.<br />
The success here of the stage versions of two<br />
popular English novels last year, "Trilby" and<br />
"The Prisoner of Zenda," has led to a determina-<br />
tion by the managers to put on this year several<br />
plays made out of popular novels. Weyman's<br />
"Under the Red Robe," Hope's "Throso," Barrie's<br />
"Little Minister," Bourget's " Tragic Idyll," and<br />
Mrs. Burnett's "Lady of Quality," are already<br />
arranged for. Norman Hapoood.<br />
REVIEWING.<br />
TI ^HE Daily Chronicle reports that certain<br />
I publishers have met together to consider<br />
the practice of appropriating whole pages<br />
of a book under the title of a review. It might<br />
be as well, we observe, if authors also had a word<br />
to say upon this subject, which seems to concern<br />
those whose reputation is at stake even more<br />
than those to whom their money is the only con-<br />
sideration.<br />
The whole question of reviewing, not this point<br />
or that point, ought surely to be taken up by the<br />
Society of Authors, either in conjunction with the<br />
Society of Publishers, or separately. The limits of<br />
appropriation or quotation must, of course, form<br />
part of the subject . A review which picks out and<br />
publishes all the "plums," obviously makes it<br />
unnecessary for the reader to buy the book. For<br />
instance, to quote a case now about twelve years<br />
old, the "Recollections of Anthony Trollope,"<br />
published after his death, contained a great many<br />
interesting stories. A copy was given to the<br />
present writer: for some reason he could not<br />
read the book for some months: when at last he<br />
found time to o]x?n it he discovered that, in one<br />
review or another, he had already become<br />
acquainted with every good thing in the two<br />
volumes. But, it may be urged, this writer was<br />
in the habit of reading all the reviews. One did<br />
not need to read all the reviews in order to learn<br />
the good things. Many of them quoted shame-<br />
lessly. Men at clubs, also, do turn over the leaves<br />
of many reviews.<br />
The practice, it is everywhere acknowledged, is<br />
unfair. How. is it to be stopped or remedied?<br />
The reviewer, to whom quotation means a saving<br />
of time and work, says that to give his readers a<br />
fair idea of the work he must quote from it. This<br />
is probably true in many cases. Yet one must not<br />
quote everything. The only step possible is a<br />
remonstrance with the editor. But that remon-<br />
strance must come from a body, not from an<br />
individual. Hitherto the individual has spoken.<br />
The Athenseum, say, prints his letter; no com-<br />
ment is made upon it, nor any answer attempted,<br />
and the question drops. The remonstrance has<br />
been thrown away. An association which seriously<br />
takes up the question and presents a remon-<br />
strance is another matter altogether.<br />
A second, and a more serious reason for remon-<br />
strance, is the personal element. There are still,<br />
unfortunately, in the world of letters many per-<br />
sonal enmities. Where the author, if a well-<br />
known man, is a resident of London and a fre-<br />
quenter of London clubs, it is pretty certain that<br />
he has made enemies; indeed, it is impossible to<br />
take a side on any of the questions which arise<br />
perpetually in the world of art and letters without<br />
making enemies. It should be, therefore, the<br />
special care of every editor to intrust a book for<br />
review to no one who is known to cherish<br />
personal enmity towards the author under review.<br />
Everyone behind the scenes; everyone who<br />
knows the staff of this or that journal; under-<br />
stands that if certain reviewers get the chance<br />
they will "slate" certain writers. The danger is<br />
perhaps equally great that they will log-roll other<br />
writers. Here, again, the protest of a single<br />
person is of no avail, while an association would<br />
be able to speak with such authority as it<br />
possesses from the reputation and the jnumber<br />
of its members.<br />
Another point is the reviewing of books in a<br />
batch. The practice is to be condemned, if only<br />
from the editor's point of view, as well as the<br />
author's. As regards the editor, by allowing<br />
books to be reviewed in the batch, he takes the<br />
surest and simplest way of destroying the literary<br />
weight and authority of his columns. Where a<br />
book is singled out for criticism and stands alone<br />
upon the page, that fact gives it special impor-<br />
tance. There are cases recorded in which a<br />
review of this kind in an important paper has<br />
instantly made the fortune of a book. But<br />
where a dozen books are reviewed all together,<br />
what is said for or against each matters prac-<br />
tically little. The "batch" are neither much<br />
advanced nor much hindered by what is said of<br />
them in the collection.<br />
There is another and a much more serious<br />
objection to this course. Some journals assign a<br />
space so insufficient, with an amount of pay so<br />
inadequate, that it is absolutely impossible for the<br />
reviewer even to read the works on which he pro-<br />
fesses to pronounce a judgment. Thus, there are<br />
papers which cram into a single column a dozen<br />
books. The reviewer (?) has to provide this<br />
column once a week for a guinea or so. It stands<br />
to reason, since a man cannot live on a guinea a<br />
week, that he cannot afford to read the books,<br />
which would indeed take more than a week to<br />
read if he did nothing else. What does he do,<br />
then? He falls back upon generalities, praising<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 83 (#111) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
83<br />
or blaming in vague terms, and quite at random.<br />
It is naturally easier and safer to damn a book<br />
than to praise it, because the latter demands the<br />
discovery of certain definite qualities which can<br />
only be found by reading. What possible weight,<br />
however, can such a notice carry with it? What<br />
must be the literary character of a paper which<br />
-carries on its critical branch in such a way?<br />
How much better to pick out a single work and<br />
to insist that the reviewer should give time to<br />
read the book? Such a system seems little better<br />
than money thrown away, and space wasted.<br />
Another, and a very important, consideration<br />
is the fitness of the writer for the work entrusted<br />
to him. The most incompetent persons are<br />
notoriously, in some papers, entrusted with the<br />
reviewing of books — young beginners in<br />
journalism; men and women who have not even<br />
read the literature of the day; men of the<br />
Bohemian smoking room, who review the dainty<br />
works of cultured gentlewomen; ladies who<br />
shrink from strength review works full of the<br />
strongest meat; persons ignorant of history<br />
review special studies in history; poetry is given<br />
to men of science; and science, perhaps, to young<br />
gentlemen fresh from a classical first at Oxford.<br />
These points, it will be observed, are only a few<br />
of those which await consideration on the great<br />
subject of reviewing.<br />
We are not bringing charges, we state only<br />
certain notorious facts which, indeed, are never<br />
found in certain journals except by accident. Why<br />
should they be found at all, considering not only<br />
the injustice done to authors, but also the mis-<br />
•chief done to a paper by the mere suspicion of log-<br />
rolling, personal animosities, and judgments<br />
pronounced on books which are not even read?<br />
NATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY.<br />
THESE has just been published at the Library<br />
Bureau, 10, Bloomsbury-street, London, a<br />
very full work on " The Theory of National<br />
and International Bibliography, with Special<br />
Reference to the Introduction of System in the<br />
Record of Modern Literature." The author of it,<br />
Mr. Frank Campbell, has been connected for<br />
twelve years with the library of the British<br />
Museum. International bibliography, he ex-<br />
plains, has for its object the promotion of rational<br />
uniformity in methods of recording national<br />
literature, so that any individual nation may be<br />
able to obtain the whole or separate sectional<br />
parts of the literary records of other State,<br />
based upon a common intelligiM gygtem; and<br />
that each State may be able wi^ e Aiffica&Y to<br />
VOL, VII.<br />
obtain exact records of the literature on any<br />
subject issued throughout the whole world,<br />
independently of geographical or political<br />
divisions. The only way to accomplish this is<br />
for each State to agree to three things:<br />
1. Each State is to agree to record its literature com-<br />
pletely year by year.<br />
2. To record it according to its natural divisions and<br />
subdivisions.<br />
3. To use the full title of a work as the unit and movable<br />
factor on which all subsequent work depends.<br />
Given the issue of a certain number of works<br />
in a certain area during a certain period, there<br />
should be, says the author, a complete record of<br />
them for the use of the reading public, such<br />
record to be issued in a convenient form at con-<br />
venient intervals of time. Where circumstances<br />
permit, the national libraries should be the<br />
centres of national systems of bibliography,<br />
because these, and these only, receive a complete<br />
collection of the national literature. He regards<br />
it as an absolute necessity that each country<br />
should issue a proper bibliographical guide to the<br />
more special collections to be found in the several<br />
libraries throughout each country, such as the<br />
French Government has published for some years<br />
under the title of "Annuaire des Bibliotheques<br />
et des Archives," to do what the "Jahrbuch der<br />
Musikbibliothek Peters" does for public and<br />
private hbraries in Europe in presenting a clue<br />
to their more special contents.<br />
Mr. Campbell has much to say of the inacceS'<br />
sibility of official documents, and, though to a<br />
less degree, the publications of the learned<br />
societies. His book was published in the middle<br />
of August, but a month earlier an international<br />
conference of representatives of scientific societies<br />
from all parts of the world was held, under the<br />
presidency of Sir John Gorst, in London, at<br />
which it was resolved to compile and publish by<br />
means of some international organisation a com-<br />
plete catalogue of scientific literature, arranged<br />
according both to subject matter and to authors'<br />
names, in which regard shall be had, in the first<br />
instance, to the requirements of scientific inves-<br />
tigators, to the end that these may find out most<br />
easily what has been pubhshed concerning any<br />
particular subject of inquiry. This work has<br />
been increasing so rapidly that the Royal Society<br />
was no longer able to cope with it through its<br />
catalogue, therefore, at it^^ateuee,Her Majesty's<br />
Government BUmmotied cotvlexeuce. It may<br />
x "^clO made an<br />
be assumed tW M*- Qvu-otfc^^0 maAe an<br />
appeal to men 1 0n\euc% »«0 to come<br />
in the<br />
The<br />
Si<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 84 (#112) #############################################<br />
<br />
84<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
is minutely set forth in the book, and will afford<br />
plenty of scope for the study and criticism of<br />
fellow-librarians. As a matter of more imme-<br />
diate interest to authors, however, Mr. Campbell's<br />
discussion of the influence of the copyright laws<br />
on the question may be quoted. After remarking<br />
that in the laws of our smaller colonies news-<br />
papers are in many instances exempt from regis-<br />
tration, and that a considerable amount of often<br />
valuable matter comes generally under the name<br />
of "Annual Reports," and is therefore exempted<br />
from registration, Mr. Campbell points out that a<br />
yet more important factor is that which refers to<br />
the legal period within which a work may be<br />
deposited. "No person is entitled to a copy-<br />
right," says the American law, "unless he shall<br />
. . . not later than the day of publication<br />
thereof . . . deliver . . . copies of such<br />
copyright book, &c." In this country, however,<br />
the law allows a wide margin of time, and the<br />
result is, says Mr. Campbell, that—<br />
Whereas in America they have the possibility of initiating<br />
a perfect system of periodical subject-catalogues up to date,<br />
we cannot do so until the law is altered. This would be<br />
no hardship to the publishers, as the issue of periodical<br />
subject-catalogues suggested would serve to advertise the<br />
publications considerably.<br />
And of course it is inferrred that the author<br />
and the bookseller would in the same way benefit<br />
from such advertisement of the publication. It<br />
is essential to the success of the scheme, says Mr.<br />
Campbell, that works to be copyrighted must be<br />
delivered at the national libraries on the day of<br />
publication.<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
THE following is another instance of the<br />
confusion of thought into which people<br />
fall in talking of literature. There are<br />
various confusions; the most common is that of<br />
mixing up the literary with the commercial value<br />
of a work. Here is a writer who complains to the<br />
Daily Chronicle that a circulating library will not<br />
take his work on account of a single paragraph<br />
alleged to be immoral; he asks whether a circu-<br />
lating library is to set itself up as a censor of<br />
literature. A bookseller, in reply, writes that he<br />
refuses to offer for sale any books which he con-<br />
siders prejudicial to morals. For instance, this<br />
offending paragraph, from his point of view,<br />
destroys the commercial value of the book.<br />
Observe that he does not touch on its literary<br />
value. Now, both sides are right. Conductors<br />
of the library, or any booksellers, have a perfect<br />
right to say, "Out of the great mass of new<br />
books offered to us we shall refuse any which<br />
we think open to charges of immorality. We<br />
shall do this for two reasons: our own reputa-<br />
tion, which means our success in business; and<br />
our own conscience. And we shall decide for our-<br />
selves what we consider immoral in reading or in,<br />
tendency, and we shall not argue about it or<br />
defend ourselves." Of course, a bookseller who<br />
would refuse, on these grounds, to procure a book<br />
in great demand might be liable to lose customers;<br />
but that is for himself to consider. On the<br />
other hand the author is quite right in protesting<br />
against any bookseller calling himself a censor of<br />
literature. This he cannot be, and cannot claim<br />
to be, because he is not, generally, a critic or a<br />
scholar. But does he, in fact, advance such a<br />
claim Y He says, on the contrary, this : " The book<br />
may be the finest work of genius ever produced.<br />
That has nothing to do with me. I say that<br />
I will not sell immoral books. I think that<br />
this is an immoral book; and I will not.<br />
sell it." Saying this is not constituting him-<br />
self a censor of literature, but a defender, up to<br />
his own powers, of public morals. If he chooses<br />
to exercise vigilance of this kind he may become,<br />
it is true, a great nuisance in being nasty-par-<br />
ticular, but he remains within his rights. More-<br />
over, there is a certain Act of Parliament which<br />
obliges a bookseller to be careful as to the books<br />
he buys and sells. If the aggrieved writer would<br />
take this view of the case he might perhaps alter<br />
the paragraph with as much protest, public or<br />
private, as he pleases. Surely, for a young writer<br />
it would seem well to accept a ruling which makes<br />
so great a difference in his access to the public.<br />
Let him reflect that the one thing essential to<br />
a young writer is access to a wide public; and<br />
there is no machinery which can do so much for<br />
the young writer in this way as a great circulating<br />
library. 3ij<br />
The confusion of literary with commercial value<br />
is one which is often shown in other ways. A<br />
certain writer, I read in a paper recently, received<br />
no more than so much for his latest work, " and<br />
that was more than it was worth." This phrase-<br />
is constantly occurring. Now, literature cannot be<br />
measured by any pecuniary standard; art of all<br />
kinds, painting, sculpture, poetry, the drama,<br />
fiction, belles lettres, may be bought and sold,,<br />
but no work of art can be appraised by any sum<br />
of money as representing its artistic and literary<br />
value. If all the world possessed perfect taste,<br />
then the commercial value might, in a certain<br />
sense, represent the literary value. As that can<br />
never be the case, the commercial value must<br />
always be kept separate from the other. If we do<br />
this we shall no longer think it necessary to be<br />
indignant because one writer, whose literary<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 85 (#113) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
85<br />
standard is low, circulates by the hundred<br />
thousand, while another, who produces literature<br />
of the highest kind, hardly runs through two or<br />
three thousand. _ o<br />
Here is a somewhat remarkable experience.<br />
Perhaps a similar application has been made to<br />
others. I received a letter written by a man of<br />
whom I know nothing: he stated that a certain<br />
man of letters, not an unknown writer at all, had<br />
sustained losses; he did not explain in what way<br />
these losses were incurred: he further stated that<br />
his friends were making up a purse to meet these<br />
losses: and he proceeded to demand from me a<br />
cheque for fifty pounds! I may add that the<br />
gentleman in question is not in any sense a friend<br />
of mine: T. have, however, conversed with him on<br />
two or three occasions. Fifty pounds I was called<br />
upon to pay down at once! There was, of course,<br />
no explanation of any authority by which the<br />
writer acted, nor can T believe that he was<br />
authorised by the gentleman concerned to ask<br />
for fifty pounds. He did not get that cheque.<br />
He then wrote asking how much I meant to give:<br />
assuming, you see, that one was in duty or<br />
honour bound to give, without any knowledge of<br />
the details, and being under no other obligation<br />
than belongs to membership in the same profes-<br />
sion. If every member of the Society of Authors<br />
were called upon to pay ,£50 to a member in<br />
trouble, that member would receive about .£70,000,<br />
which would keep him and his out of trouble for<br />
the third and fourth generation. Imagine, if<br />
you can, a barrister called upon to give £50 to<br />
another banister simply because he belonged to<br />
the Bar! I was weak enough to reply to this<br />
letter, and stated my intention of giving nothing.<br />
The writer of the letters replied as one might<br />
expect. He regretted that he thought I was one<br />
who would, &c, &c, Ac.: and it would be his<br />
"duty" to lay the letter before the gentleman on<br />
whose behalf he was writing. I suppose he has<br />
done so by this time: and I trust that he has<br />
learned, first, that if you want assistance, you<br />
must state your case fully: next, that you must<br />
not ask for impossible sums: thirdly, that you<br />
must not demand anything as a right. It has<br />
been suggested that the letter was a little trap.<br />
First, you tell a man to hand over a great cheque:<br />
you know that he will refuse: you then have an<br />
opportunity to tell people what a miserly, mean,<br />
uncharitable beast he is. I tell this little story<br />
because I should like to know if others have had<br />
the same kind of letter from the same person.<br />
Mr. Robert Sherard writes to th„ jifesttninster<br />
Gazette that Mr. Warren, for<br />
certain<br />
readers of the Author subscribed a small sum<br />
two months ago, is dying of dropsy in his eighty-<br />
fifth year. More and more it becomes imperative<br />
upon us to form a pension fund for men and<br />
women of letters. Some time ago, when the<br />
creation of such a fund was spoken of in these<br />
columns, a certain critic, or reviewer, or writer,<br />
in an evening paper, asked, with the bitterest<br />
contempt, if we were going to give pensions to<br />
unsuccessful novelists. It is a strange and mar-<br />
vellous thing to note the unreasonable jealousy<br />
with which anything proposed for the good of<br />
the literary profession is received by a certain<br />
class of writers. Of course the first and essential<br />
point about a pension fund is that it must be<br />
given to those who have been either wholly or in<br />
large part dependent upon literary work—which<br />
excludes all your unsuccessful novelists. Oh!<br />
for a man with leisure, and enthusiasm, and<br />
private means, who would take up this pension<br />
business, and work it!<br />
The following donations have been added to<br />
the Eliza Warren Fund since the publication of<br />
our two former lists:—■<br />
Marshall, Miss ...<br />
Newbald, Miss ...<br />
Oetzmann, Messrs.<br />
Parr, Mrs o 10<br />
Stables, Mrs 1 o<br />
£ s. d.<br />
o 10 o<br />
050<br />
220<br />
£ s.<br />
Chapman, the<br />
Misses 2 o<br />
Editor of Book-<br />
bits (per) o 15<br />
Harger, Madame.. 1 o<br />
Henderson.MisB... 05<br />
The total amount received by Miss Masters is<br />
now £55 as. id. i--rT<br />
It is stated that Mr. David Douglas, publisher,<br />
of Edinburgh, has issued a reprint of the<br />
addresses delivered by Lord Kosebery, at Dum-<br />
fries, on the Burns "Centenary of July 21. I<br />
have sent for a copy, which costs no more than<br />
sixpence, and is worth—but, as was advanced<br />
above, its worth cannot be translated into six-<br />
pences. .<br />
Why are American magazines devouring and<br />
destroying our own? The contents do not seem<br />
to be more readable or interesting: yet ours—<br />
except the Pall Mall and some of the so-called<br />
"popular " magazines—seem affected with a kind<br />
of dry rot. Here is one feason which, I think,<br />
will be acknowledged by ^veryone. In America<br />
magazines are cavried throv^—v. QjB'jort-omoe at one<br />
cent, per lb. wei&i t The A $.AcaJB. ^to^rVetor can,<br />
therefore, recefc£ 0. avAs^f „xi ww^ftl *nffing,<br />
^ f^eta r j55 to o-O^postage<br />
?° Hi that VW I» Z&i<br />
agents, >tj \^V* ^<br />
^v0<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 86 (#114) #############################################<br />
<br />
86<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
or "jd. a month against the American's n\d.<br />
Now an increase of $d. in each copy when you<br />
multiply by thirty, or even ten, thousand is<br />
enormous. It means the power of getting the<br />
best work from the best writers at the highest<br />
prices: the power of engaging the services of the<br />
best editors, their whole time, their whole thought.<br />
In short, it means the substitution of a prosperous<br />
magazine such as are many of the American<br />
organs, for a half starved, inefficient journal such<br />
as are some of ours. Will Mr. Henniker Heaton<br />
tak* this grievance in hand?<br />
TO AUTHORS—Plots, Novels, and Short Stories, fo<br />
Sale j uniqueness and originality guaranteed; terms<br />
from 2s.; advice given; stories revised.<br />
The above advertisement is cut from an impor-<br />
tant provincial paper. Perhaps the address of<br />
the advertiser, for certain reasons, is best with-<br />
held. There must be, one supposes, some persons<br />
who answer such an advertisement, otherwise it<br />
would not be repeated. It may be asked why, if<br />
a person can construct a plot, he does not also<br />
write the story. Perhaps it is conceivable that one<br />
may devise a fable, fit it with the situations which<br />
belong to it, and even make characters for per-<br />
forming in them, yet be unable to write the story.<br />
In such a case the deviser or inventor might be a<br />
collaborator. Instead of parting with the plot<br />
for two shillings he should boldly place his name<br />
upon the title page as one of the authors. On<br />
the other hand, when a man offers a play, a poem,<br />
a story, to the public, he is practically assuring<br />
them that he is himself the deviser or inventor of<br />
the fable. In the case of a historical novel this<br />
assurance is not needed, because the source of his<br />
story is known to everybody. In the case of a<br />
story laid in the last century, for instance, that<br />
may also, since a past time can only be recovered<br />
from its documents, be taken from some event of<br />
the time. Thus, I have myself taken the motif<br />
of a story in two cases from writings of the<br />
eighteenth century. But a modern plot, a modern<br />
fable, presented by a writer is accepted by the<br />
public as of his own devising. If it is not, then,<br />
surely, the transaction is dishonest.<br />
There is, however, no evidence of any buyer, so<br />
that the advertisement is perhaps only a temptation<br />
to dishonesty in the abstract. One may, however,<br />
imagine the aspirant who wants nothing but<br />
imagination to conceive and eyes to see, attracted<br />
by such an advertisement. It is like the<br />
mysterious wrapper in a Holywell-street shop,<br />
offering things of mystery and containing a tract.<br />
He finds two shillings: he sends a postal order:<br />
he gets back a plot, both original and unique.<br />
"A. loves B. A. has neither birth nor fortune.<br />
B. is a rich heiress, an only child, of high rank.<br />
A., presuming to speak, is kicked out by B.'s father<br />
with violence. He goes away. Years afterwards<br />
he saves B.'s father from a mad bull: he is<br />
rewarded with the hand of A." You cannot have<br />
a better plot. Hundreds of quite interesting<br />
stories have been written with a mad bull, or a<br />
pair of runaway ponies; the aspirant gets it for<br />
the ridiculous sum of two shillings.<br />
It may be supposed that this is the common<br />
variety of plot; but there is a dearer and a<br />
more subtle kind. The would-be author may<br />
go, perhaps, as high as five shillings. When<br />
one thinks of it, there are many new novels<br />
which must be constructed on a five-shilling<br />
plot. They are those which are published<br />
at the author's own expense, with a con-<br />
siderable lump thrown into the estimate. Places<br />
talked about at the time come into them: new<br />
inventions: sham science: spiritualism: fads<br />
and fancies: if the author knows nothing about<br />
the army, he will probably lay his scene in a<br />
barrack. Alas! the hand of the advertiser might<br />
be discerned everywhere: it must mournfully be<br />
acknowleged that plots may be bought like the<br />
paper and the pens with which they are written.<br />
In the notice of "Literature and the Perio-<br />
dicals" there is reference to a paper by Paul<br />
Shorey in the Atlantic Review. He is said to<br />
regard, as one of the obstacles to the writing of<br />
books that will live, the exhaustion of available<br />
motifs in the higher fields of literature. But I do<br />
not think that, the available motifs can ever be<br />
exhausted. First, every generation will always<br />
insist upon the representation of its own passions<br />
—which are common to every generation—in its<br />
own language, and with its own habits and<br />
customs. Love, jealousy, hatred, ambition, sorrow,<br />
despair, envy, disappointment, wealth, poverty,<br />
pain, joy, youth, age, growth, decay, death—all<br />
these demand, in every generation, the poet.<br />
They must be put on the stage in the fashion<br />
of the day. These passions are new with every<br />
generation, yet always the same. Does a young<br />
man find love stale and exhausted because his<br />
father was in love before him?<br />
FEUILLETON.<br />
The Reputation of Ripplington.<br />
L<br />
EIPPLINGTON-ON-SEA is not regarded—<br />
except, of course, by its own inhabitants<br />
—as a place of any great pretensions.<br />
The county guide-book dismisses it briefly in a<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 87 (#115) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
87<br />
couple of lines as " a small sea-side town, pictur-<br />
esquely situated; there are some interesting<br />
brasses in the church, and the register dates back<br />
to 1625."<br />
It would be quite imprudent, however, even to<br />
hint to the residents (who affect for the most part<br />
to prefer its appearance in winter) that Rippling-<br />
ton is ever dull. Is there not Badminton—<br />
delightful game!—in the assembly rooms once a<br />
week? Are there not frequent tea-parties, at any<br />
one of which you will meet precisely the same<br />
dozen persons? Is there not a club, in which<br />
you may take part in a rubber played on<br />
principles apparently coeval with the "parish<br />
register "?<br />
At the same time I confess to a fondness for<br />
the Uttle place. It is peaceful and tranquil; one<br />
forgets all about time there; no one is ever in a<br />
hurry at Ripplington. The shopkeepers, the<br />
fishermen, and the postman join in taking life<br />
with philosophic ease, and a sojourn among them<br />
teaches you at least that the word " directly " has<br />
a very different meaning here from that which you<br />
would attach to it elsewhere. Then, if there are<br />
absurd little jealousies between the insignificant<br />
cliques into which the gentry are divided—if<br />
there is more gossip and tittle-tattle retailed iu<br />
the club and over the tea-cups than the rigid<br />
moralist would approve—if, in a word, the place<br />
is exceedingly provincial, this need not greatly<br />
concern the visitor, who may possibly reflect that<br />
ill-natured small-talk is not absolutely unknown<br />
even in London itself.<br />
Perhaps it was this sapient conclusion, or pos-<br />
sibly the lack of any better engagement, that led<br />
me, a few months ago to run down and spend a<br />
week at the house of General Barford, an elderly<br />
uncle of mine, who, after many wanderings, has<br />
pitched his tent in Ripplington, where he is<br />
regarded with no small respect. Arriving at his<br />
house in the afternoon, I scarcely required to be<br />
told by the butler that he believed his master to<br />
be at the club. To play his daily whist in the<br />
card-room with certain other retired warriors is a<br />
duty which no claims of hospitality could induce<br />
the General to forego. Accordingly, having shaken<br />
hands with Mrs. Barford in the drawing-room,<br />
I strolled down through the town and along the<br />
esplanade, until I arrived at the little club-house,<br />
with its familiar white front, bow window,<br />
and green Venetian blinds. Making my way<br />
upstairs I found, to my great surprise, that<br />
both the card-room and the billiard-room were<br />
deserted. And when I had come downstairs<br />
again and opened the door of the library, the<br />
sight that met my eyes was as strange as it was<br />
unexpected.<br />
Standing on a chair in the mid^ f the room<br />
was my uncle, brandishing in his hand a maga-<br />
zine, from which he was apparently reading aloud,<br />
while his other fist was tightly clenched. Round<br />
him was an attentive circle of listeners, among<br />
whom I recognised almost all the regular liabitues<br />
of the place—Mr. Pember, the Vicar, Colonel<br />
Dixie, Mr. Lavington, of the Hall, little Doctor<br />
Bennet, and others.<br />
The General stopped short as I entered the<br />
room, and descended, from his perch to shake my<br />
hand. When we had assured each other that we<br />
were tolerably well, a pardonable curiosity led<br />
me to ask for an explanation of this extraordinary<br />
scene.<br />
"Don't let me interrupt you, pray," I said,<br />
"You were giving a—a recitation, I think?"<br />
My uncle's usual expression of good-natured<br />
calm gave way with alarming suddenness to a look<br />
of the fiercest indignation. "A recitation! No,<br />
sir. I was reading aloud extracts from an article<br />
in this month's Penwiper!"<br />
I was more surprised than before; never had I<br />
suspected my uncle of such perfervid enthusiasm.<br />
"Oh, I see. And who is the fortunate author,<br />
may I ask?"<br />
"Fortunate author!" spluttered the angry<br />
man. "He'd be precious unfortunate if he<br />
showed his face in Ripplington, I can tell you!<br />
I'd horsewhip him on the spot!"<br />
His audience growled its approval of this<br />
bloodthirsty sentiment.<br />
"What on earth is the matter?" I inquired.<br />
The General thrust the magazine, somewhat<br />
crumpled by his treatment of it, under my nose.<br />
"The matter? Why, look at this! In this<br />
dirty publication there's an article which libels<br />
every person in Ripplington! But the rascally<br />
editor is very much mistaken if he thinks we<br />
shall let it pass unnoticed!"<br />
"If I may say so," added Mr. Pember, sadly,<br />
"although I must deprecate any—ah, personal<br />
violence, I quite agree that some amends must<br />
be insisted on—yes, insisted on."<br />
My surprise only became greater; I knew the<br />
Penwiper very well by reputation. So far from<br />
deserving my uncle's description of it as a " dirty<br />
publication," it was an old-fashioned family<br />
magazine; its columns were the last place in<br />
which one would expect a scurrilous libel.<br />
"What does the article &a.v r" I asked.<br />
"Well, you can read j^" f°r Iowse^> later,"<br />
said the General, "It's Q^AVeo-' Seaside Fossils,'<br />
and is simply a series of v^^w^Vf. V;ats at ^°<br />
expense 1<br />
<br />
Colonel<br />
worse,<br />
author's na-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 88 (#116) #############################################<br />
<br />
88<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
of anonymous spite. The only question is, What<br />
steps had we better take in the matter?"<br />
"' Seaside Fossils,' indeed!" cried the General;<br />
"I'd fossilise the man if I had him here! I'll<br />
write to the editor to-night, and demand the<br />
writer's name. And then, by gad, we'll make<br />
things unpleasant for him. Come along, James;<br />
we may as well be getting home now."<br />
As we walked back to the Grange together I<br />
managed to elicit a few more details. It appeared<br />
that it was quite by chance that the obnoxious<br />
article had come under the General's eye. His<br />
wife had purchased this copy of the Penwiper to<br />
beguile the tedium of a railway journey. The<br />
General being something of a geologist, the<br />
title of the fatal article had caught his attention as<br />
the magazine lay on the drawing-room table;<br />
as a rule he was not a student of light literature<br />
Conceive what were his feelings at discovering,<br />
in place of the scientific essay for which he had<br />
looked, a flippant description of the residents in<br />
a seaside town. Instead of throwing it aside,<br />
however, he read steadily on; and as he did so<br />
he felt a suspicion, which soon amounted to a<br />
certainty, that an enemy had done this thing—<br />
that this was, in fact, a venomous and spiteful,<br />
but still a recognisable, caricature of Ripplington<br />
and of those who dwelt there. The vicar, the<br />
doctor, the meetings in the club, the tea-<br />
parties—all were alluded to in the most shameless<br />
way.<br />
On our return the General sent off an in-<br />
dignant letter to the editor of the Penwiper,<br />
demanding to be informed by return of post of<br />
the name of the writer of this article. I had<br />
my own opinion as to the likelihood of any<br />
answer being made; but this I prudently kept<br />
to myself.<br />
There was a dinner party at the Grange that<br />
night, and the infamous paper again formed the<br />
main topic of conversation, especially when the<br />
ladies had withdrawn. At Ripplington this<br />
interval is still of some length. The modern<br />
custom of a single glass of wine, quickly<br />
followed by a sip of coffee and a cigarette, would<br />
bo regarded as a sacrilegious innovation by the<br />
General and his friends.<br />
Nearly every man present, with the exception,<br />
by the way, of little Wilson, the curate—had his<br />
own theory about the source of the article. One<br />
or two maintained that it was evidently the work<br />
of a woman, and more than one hinted that Mrs.<br />
Bennet was the culprit, much to her husband's<br />
indignation. Someone else suggested Miss<br />
Simkins, the young lady who wrote poetry in the<br />
Ripplington Gazette. But how could a woman,<br />
the others objected, have described the interior<br />
of the club so faithfully?<br />
"For myself," observed Colonel Dixie, with<br />
much dignity, "there is little that I can object to<br />
personally in it; but its treatment of you,<br />
Doctor, and of you, Mr. Pember, is most<br />
insolent."<br />
"Nonsense!" cried the Doctor, sharply.<br />
"There's not a word in it that anyone would<br />
construe as referring to me! But it calls you all<br />
sorts of names under the guise of 'Major<br />
Bradshaw'—unless I'm very much mistaken.<br />
You're quite right as to Pember—the rascal<br />
might as well have mentioned him by name!"<br />
"Really, I cannot agree with you," remon-<br />
strated the cleric. "The gross caricatures of<br />
Colonel Dixie and of you, Doctor, are unmistake-<br />
able. But only—ah, the merest spite could pre-<br />
tend to identify me with any of the characters in<br />
the article."<br />
"Well, it's no use quarrelling about it," inter-<br />
posed my uncle. "The thing's an outrage any-<br />
how. We shall learn the name of its perpetrator<br />
in a day or two. And now, perhaps, we may as<br />
well join the ladies."<br />
II.<br />
Several days passed; but, as I had expected,<br />
the General received no answer to his letter.<br />
Then he wrote a second and still more peremptory<br />
one; but that, too, failed. In the meantime, every-<br />
one in Ripplington discussed the article in the<br />
Penwiper; but, though many persons fell under<br />
suspicion, no real clue as to its authorship was<br />
discovered.<br />
Personally, when I came to read "Seaside<br />
Fossils" for myself, I was rather surprised at the<br />
stir which it had excited. It described with a<br />
good deal of levity some of the commonest types<br />
to be found among the inhabitants of a small sea-<br />
side town; but I had no reason to believe that<br />
these were peculiar to Ripplington. As far as I<br />
could see, it would be no less easy to identify<br />
"Shermouth," the name given by the writer to<br />
his imaginary home, with any one of a hundred<br />
other places with just as much show of reason as<br />
with Ripplington. Indeed, I ventured in an ill-<br />
advised moment to suggest this view to my<br />
uncle.<br />
"Nonsense, sir," he said, curtly. "There's no<br />
mistaking what place the rascal meant; it all fits<br />
too well. He talks about the club—isn't there a<br />
club in Ripplington? He sneers at the esplanade<br />
—' that spacious promenade quite a hundred<br />
yards long,' he says. Haven't we an esplanade<br />
just that length? And he even alludes to the<br />
Red Lion Inn by its real name. No, sir! there<br />
is no possibility of mistake, and this attempt to<br />
throw dust in our eyes is suspicious—highly<br />
suspicious, sir."<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 89 (#117) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOU.<br />
89<br />
I did not grasp his meaning at the time; but<br />
later in the day, when several of my acquain-<br />
tances had returned my greetings with the<br />
coldest of bows, the truth flashed across me.<br />
The General had come to the conclusion from my<br />
attempted defence of the article that I had<br />
written it myself! However, I managed to<br />
disabuse him of this idea by declaring solemnly<br />
that never in all my life had I contributed a<br />
single line to the Penwiper. He apologised pro-<br />
fusely, and took good care that everyone else did<br />
so too.<br />
However, we came no nearer to the solution<br />
of the mystery. On Sunday Mr. Peinber dwelt<br />
significantly on " hatred, malice, and all unchari-<br />
tableness" in the Litany, and preached an<br />
eloquent sermon, bidding us bear the malicious<br />
shafts of anonymous spite with as much Christian<br />
composure as we could muster.<br />
While we were at breakfast on the following<br />
morning we were suddenly startled by a visit<br />
from the Vicar himself, who, I grieve to say,<br />
showed very little composure indeed—in fact, he<br />
was in a state of the greatest excitement.<br />
"Good morning, General," he began, breath-<br />
lessly, quite ignoring Mrs. Barford and myself.<br />
"I determined not to lose a moment in coming to<br />
you for your advice. I have just made a most<br />
horrible discovery."<br />
The General does not like Ix-ing disturbed at<br />
his meals.<br />
"Indeed?" he said, shortly. "Sorry to hear<br />
it. If you can call later -"<br />
"No, I really must tell you at once. It's about<br />
that Penwiper article—I've found out that my<br />
curate—that Mr. Wilson—wrote it!"<br />
"The deuce he did !" cried my uncle, springing<br />
up from his chair. "What proofs have you got?"<br />
"Why," the Vicar replied, producing a piece of<br />
paper from his pocket, this. After service last<br />
night I asked Wilson in the vestry for the names<br />
of some children in his district who wished to be<br />
confirmed. He wrote them down on a piece of<br />
paper—this piece of paper, in fact. This<br />
morning I happened to look at the other side—<br />
here it 13!"<br />
We crowded round eagerly. It was an ordi-<br />
nary half-sheet of notepaper, on one side of which<br />
was the pencilled list of names. Then we turned<br />
it over, and our astonished eyes saw the following<br />
printed line.<br />
"Cheque enclosed with the compliments of the<br />
Editor of 'The Penwiper,' " and, above it, "The<br />
Eev. J. Wilson," written in ink.<br />
"Well, I'm dashed!" the General exclaimed.<br />
"That Wilson of all people—come alon", Pember;<br />
we'll have it out with him at once.*'<br />
I made bold to accompany aI1j before<br />
long we had reached Mr. Wilson's lodgings, and<br />
walked into the room where that mild little man<br />
was eating his solitary breakfast. He looked<br />
considerably' astonished at our visit, as well he<br />
might. The General opened fire without delay.<br />
"Good morning, Mr. Wilson," he began.<br />
"This is an early hour for a call, perhaps. But<br />
we felt bound to lose no time in—in congratu-<br />
lating you upon your unsuspected literary<br />
talent!"<br />
Mr. Wilson simply stared at us in open-<br />
mouthed astionishment.<br />
"Yes," continued the General, "Thanks to a<br />
fortunate accident, we have been enabled to<br />
identify the author of a certain unsigned article<br />
in this month's Penwiper. Need I add that we<br />
hasten to express our gratitude for it?"<br />
Mr. Wilson still seemed considerably puzzled.<br />
"Oh, that thing of mine in the Penwiper / Glad<br />
you liked it so much—I confess I shouldn't have<br />
thought it would have interested you!"<br />
"Interest me?" shouted the General, his<br />
ponderous sarcasm giving way to his anger—<br />
"interest me? A string of dirty personalties,<br />
every one of which is libellous, a venomous"<br />
The curate shook his head sadly. "Dear me,<br />
either you or 1 am mad, it's quite clear. May I<br />
ask for a specimen of the personalities you men-<br />
tion?"<br />
"Why, it's alive with them, sir. Look at the<br />
title—' Seaside Fossils.'"<br />
"What?" cried Mr. Wilson. "I didn't write<br />
that—my paper in this month's number is called<br />
'Some points connected with the Mozarabic<br />
Liturgy.' I know nothing about the other thing<br />
—I haven't even read it."<br />
Rarely have I seen two men look so foolish as<br />
did the Vicar and my uncle at this moment. The<br />
latter, however, rallied nobly to the attack.<br />
"A likely story, sir! And you mean to say<br />
that you didn't write this attack upon Rip-<br />
plington?"<br />
"I am not accustomed to having my word<br />
doubted," said Mr. Wilson, coldly. "But if you<br />
will open that drawer just behind you, you will<br />
find the MS. of my article, which came back with<br />
the proof."<br />
The General did as he was bid, and then, look-<br />
ing extremely crestfallen, marched to the door-<br />
way. There he turned round and delivered a<br />
parting shot.<br />
"Well, sir, all I can \s, \hat I am aston-<br />
ished that a geiv^cman—1^ AoOR a clergyman—<br />
(tan think it to c*v vJfo^ wq^amg—n<br />
matter on wh- ■ • -<br />
as the Penw<br />
and out we<br />
No sooner 1<br />
^0 ^W*. va^ Wte<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 90 (#118) #############################################<br />
<br />
90<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
fell violently upon the Vicar for having made a<br />
fool of him. Why the dickens parsons never<br />
could mind their own business—and so on. And<br />
so, in the very worst of tempers, the General and<br />
the Vicar returned to their respective homes.<br />
Indeed, my uncle's condition was so volcanic<br />
during the rest of that day, that I decided to cut<br />
my visit short, and to return to town at once.<br />
Before leaving Ripplingtou, however, I had the<br />
grace to call on "Wilson and to apologise for my<br />
share in the invasion of his rooms. At the same<br />
time I explained how he had unwittingly laid<br />
himself open to suspicion. He smiled good-<br />
naturedly.<br />
"It was entirely my own fault," he said. "In<br />
future I shall be careful to sign all my articles.<br />
And it will teach the Vicar and General Barford<br />
not to jump at conclusions."<br />
Next morning I returned to London; but<br />
letters from Ripplington during the next few<br />
weeks informed me that the real culprit remained<br />
undiscovered. "But he cannot hide in obscurity<br />
much longer," wrote the General.<br />
He was quite right, though the truth was made<br />
known hardly in the way which he anticipated.<br />
Happening to glance at the next month's number<br />
of the Penwiper, I met with something which<br />
caused me to send a marked copy to the General<br />
by the next post. The passage which I had<br />
emphasised was an " Editorial Note," which ran<br />
as follows :—■<br />
"We accidentally oinitted to mention in our<br />
last number that the sketch entitled 'Seaside<br />
Fossils,' appearing in it, was an early work,<br />
hitherto unpublished, of that talented writer Mr.<br />
Thomas Nutley Johnson, whose death we had<br />
recently to deplore. That it excited no little<br />
interest was proved by the number of inquiries as<br />
to its authorship which we received. And, indeed,<br />
although it was written nearly thirty years ago,<br />
it displays much of that ready humour and<br />
happiness of phrase which earned so well-<br />
deserved a fame for the later works of its<br />
brilliant author." Anthony C. Deane.<br />
MONSTERS IN FICTION.<br />
THE human imagination, when its excesses<br />
have not been checked by science, has a<br />
curious tendency to create fabulous<br />
monsters. We have examples of this in the<br />
man-bull of the Assyrians and the Centaur of the<br />
Greeks.<br />
Gustave Flaubert, in " La Tentation de Saint<br />
Antoine," introduces a number of deformed<br />
beings, supposed at one time to have lived on the<br />
earth in a state of imperfect organisation: the<br />
Nisnas, an animal with one eye, one cheek, one<br />
hand, half a body, and half a heart; the Blemmyes,<br />
headless things with enormous shoulders, "who<br />
reduce digestion to thouglit "; the Sciapades,<br />
whose flowing locks as long as creeping plants<br />
keep them attached to the ground ; the Sadhuzag,<br />
a large black stag with a bull's head, with<br />
seventy-four antlers hollow as flutes, from which<br />
issues an indescribably sweet music; the<br />
Mantichor, a gigantic red bon with a human<br />
figure and three rows of teeth; the Catoblepas, a<br />
black buffalo with a pig's head falling to the<br />
earth and connected with his shoulders by a<br />
slender neck, long and flabby as an empty gut;<br />
and the Astomi, which pass like air-balls across<br />
the sun, composed of breezes and perfumes—" a<br />
little more than dreams, not entirely beings."<br />
The very names of these imaginary entities<br />
seem like inventions; and yet Flaubert probably<br />
found them all in the course of his omnivorous<br />
reading; for he was one of those writers who are<br />
always searching for " quaint and curious volumes<br />
of forgotten lore."<br />
Shakespeare has presented us with a type of the<br />
human monster in Caliban, which, to many<br />
readers, suggests some difficulties; for this crea-<br />
ture is not a savage, but a bestialized man, who<br />
has still many of the characteristics to which we<br />
apply the word " civilised." The ingenious Renan<br />
has endeavoured to elucidate the Shakespearean<br />
conception in a philosophical drama, purporting<br />
to show that Caliban is a human being entirely<br />
unenlightened by science and culture, by whose<br />
agency, however, he might become a perfect man.<br />
Most people have heard of that quaint old novel<br />
"Peter Wilkius," but comparatively few have<br />
read it. It relates the mythical history of an<br />
adventurous traveller who made the acquaintance<br />
of a flying woman, and married her. According<br />
to a theory which has recently been broached, the<br />
inhabitants of Mars are winged. If there be any<br />
foundation for the hypothesis, perhaps Mrs. Peter<br />
Wilkins ought to have been born in that planet,<br />
and to have in some unaccountable fashion, found<br />
her way to the earth.<br />
Everyone is acquainted with "Gulliver's<br />
Travels," in which we are introduced to the<br />
Liliputians and the Brobdingnagians. This, after<br />
all, is only another version of the Giant and the<br />
Dwarf—a fable almost as old as the world itself.<br />
That giants once dwelt upon the earth may be taken<br />
for granted. Goliath of Gath, for example, was no<br />
myth; nevertheless it is possible that he was not<br />
a being of stupendous proportions, but a very<br />
big man with six fingers on each hand—by no<br />
means an uncommon phenomenon even in modern<br />
times.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 91 (#119) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
9»<br />
The race of dwarfs may be regarded as more<br />
interesting than the colossal types of humanity,<br />
for there is something exceedingly remarkable in<br />
arrested physical development. There can be no<br />
■doubt that in mediaeval days dwarfs were actually<br />
manufactured for the purpose of being used to<br />
form appendages to Royal Courts. Grinning<br />
buffoons were also thus produced for the amuse-<br />
ment of the populace. The strange passage in<br />
"Victor Hugo's "L'Homme qui rit" describing<br />
the Comprachicos or Comprapequenos is not<br />
mere fiction but authentic history. The Compra-<br />
chicos were "buyers of children" (this is the<br />
literal meaning of the Spanish word). They<br />
traded in infants, whom they converted into<br />
monsters by a process of mutilation. The un-<br />
happy hero of this romance laughs involuntarily,<br />
because his face had been cruelly carved into a<br />
hideous laughing expression in his childhood.<br />
How far human beings may acquire the attri-<br />
butes of the lower animals is one of those curious<br />
questions which perhaps might fairly be dealt<br />
with in a psychological—or should we call it<br />
physiological ?—novel. In "Elsie Venner" Oliver<br />
Wendell Holmes attempted to grapple with the<br />
problem; but his suggestion that a snake-bite<br />
might affect a young girl's nature certainly<br />
appears rather far-fetched.<br />
As a rule novelists have fought shy of monsters,<br />
and Sir "Walter Scott's partiality for dwarfs—he<br />
introduces two in "Peveril of the Peak," and<br />
calls one of his shorter tales " The Black Dwarf"<br />
—does not seem to have infected many of his<br />
successors. We cannot find a single dwarf, or<br />
any other example of physical deformity, in<br />
Thackeray's works. George Eliot's genius was<br />
too catholic — in the best sense of the word—<br />
to concern itself about the characteristics of<br />
abnormal human beings. Even Bulwer Lytton—<br />
in spite of his love of the phantastic—has no<br />
partiality for monsters. Robert Louis Stevenson<br />
has analysed moral monstrosity in "Dr. Jekyll<br />
and Mr. Hyde." He does not, however, present<br />
us with physically abnormal characters, unless the<br />
possession of a wooden leg be considered abnormal.<br />
Until the eighteenth century, however, the<br />
subject of monsters had not begun to be scientifi-<br />
cally studied. During the present century it has<br />
been, however, elaborately investigated by Meckel,<br />
in Germany, and Geoffrey St. Hilaire and his<br />
son Isidore in France.<br />
Perhaps the time is at hand when we shall find<br />
literature assisting science in throwing light on<br />
the question. In an age which has given birth<br />
to such books as Max Nordau's "Degeneration,"<br />
nobody need be surprised to find the prohJ of<br />
monstrosity forming a new and star+lii » 10<br />
in the modern novel. D. »i !»UD? featU^<br />
BOOK TALE.<br />
THE life of the Kent peasant has attracted<br />
Miss Lilian Winser, who has made it the<br />
theme of a series of songs and lyrical<br />
stories, connected by dialogue and pleasantries,<br />
about to be published by Mr. Elkin Mathews<br />
under the title " Lays and Legends of the Weald<br />
of Kent." Mr. F. M. Hueffer announces that he<br />
and his wife have been engaged for the last two<br />
years collecting materials for just such another<br />
work.<br />
The Queen has commanded Sir Arthur Bigge<br />
to thank Mr. Arthur A. Sykes for the copy of<br />
"The Coronation Cruise of the Midnight Sun,"<br />
presented to Her Majesty.<br />
We understand that " Martin Pritchard," the<br />
author of "Without Sin," a novel which was<br />
published some time ago, and has evoked remark-<br />
able criticism here and in America, is a Loudon<br />
lady, namely, Mrs. Augustus Moore.<br />
Mr. Arthur Paterson has produced a new novel<br />
called "For Freedom's Sake," which is to be<br />
published at an early date by Messrs. Osgood.<br />
A volume of autobiographical reminiscences of<br />
the late Mrs. Rundle Charles, the author of the<br />
"Schonberg Cotta Family," is about to be pub-<br />
lished by Mr. Murray under the title " Our Seven<br />
Homes.<br />
Mr. R. D. Blackmore has concluded arrange-<br />
ments with Blackwood's Magazine for the serial<br />
publication of his story entitled "Dariel: A<br />
Romance of Surrey." It will begin in the October<br />
number.<br />
Among forthcoming verse will be a volume of<br />
lyrics by Mrs. Hinkson (Katharine Tynan),<br />
entitled "A Lover's Breast Knot," to be pub-<br />
lished by Mr. Elkin Mathews; and " The Bothie<br />
and Other Poems," by Mr. Arthur H. Clough,<br />
which will appear in Mr. Walter Scott's series of<br />
Canterbury Poets.<br />
Mr. Henley is just about clear of his labours<br />
on the Centenary edition of Burns, which he and<br />
Mr. T. F. Henderson have edited, and the first<br />
volume of his edition of Byron will be in the<br />
hands of the booksellers very shortly. The<br />
poems are being arranged as nearly as possible<br />
in a chronological order<br />
A new literary ma&a • » ;§ about to be inaugu-<br />
rated by Mr. William * a pVfs of the Hull and<br />
London firm of puKv"^ oi ^ ^e<br />
Temple Magazine i& H&W. rti * sapetvs^ !$!9"^<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 92 (#120) #############################################<br />
<br />
92<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
moreover, that the publishing house of Hutchin-<br />
son is contemplating the issue of a new monthly<br />
in October.<br />
Admirers of the late Mr. Joseph Thomson, the<br />
African traveller, will be glad to hear that a<br />
biography is already being prepared by his<br />
brother, the Rev. J. B. Thomson, of Greenock.<br />
All the six expeditions which Thomson led will<br />
be sketched in detail, and contributions of his<br />
life and work will find a place in the volume<br />
from the pens of Mr. J. M. Barrie, Dr. Gregory,<br />
Mr. Scott Keltie, Mr. E. G. Ravenstein, and<br />
others.<br />
A translation of Signor Sinigaglia's book on<br />
the Dolomites is about to be published by Mr.<br />
Fisher Unwin. There will be illustrations in it<br />
by Signor Sella, who it will be remembered<br />
also illustrated the two huge volumes on the<br />
Caucasus by Mr. Freshfield which were recently<br />
published.<br />
Another, and most likely a very important,<br />
mountaineering and exploring book will be the<br />
outcome of an expedition about to be undertaken<br />
to South America, if it should prove successful.<br />
The head of the expedition is Mr. A. E. Fitz-<br />
gerald, who recently wrote a large volume on<br />
"Climbing in New Zealand." He will endeavour<br />
to scale Aconcagua, the highest climb ever<br />
attempted.<br />
Miss Julia Dow has written an account of a tour<br />
to the English cathedrals, which will be published<br />
by Messrs. Macmillan under the title " A Cathe-<br />
dral Pilgrimage."<br />
Mr. William Le Queux has two volumes of<br />
fiction in the publishers' hands—namely, "A<br />
Secret Service," to be published soon by Messrs.<br />
Ward and Lock, and an African romance entitled<br />
"The Great White Queen," which will appear<br />
from Messrs. F. V. White's next month.<br />
Mr. William Archer's translation of the<br />
biography of Nausen, by Bnigger and Rolfsen,<br />
will be ready shortly. There will be drawings in<br />
it by leading artists of Norway, and also maps<br />
and illustrations from photographs.<br />
Mr. Rudolf Lehmaun has in preparation a<br />
collection of portraits and sketches of exceptional<br />
interest. It comprises a long series of portraits<br />
of notable men and women who have sat to him<br />
between the years 1847 at)d 1895, who include<br />
H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, the late Emperor<br />
Frederick, the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone,<br />
Pope Pius IX., Cardinal Manning, Lord Tennyson<br />
James Russell Lowell, Liszt, Chopin, George<br />
Henry Lewes, Mr. G. F. Watts, Mr. W. S.<br />
Gilbert, and a host of others—" in fact," says the<br />
prospectus, "scarcely a domain of life is un-<br />
represented." The volume, which will be pub-<br />
lished by Messrs. Bell and Sons at three guineas,<br />
in an edition of 500 copies, will contain twelve<br />
photogravures from paintings and about seventy<br />
facsimile reproductions of the drawings in half<br />
tone, some of them printed in colours. Mr. H. C.<br />
Marillier will write an introduction and short<br />
biographical notices.<br />
Mr. Clement Shorter is busy preparing his<br />
work on the Brontes for publication in the<br />
autumn. An article in one of the magazines<br />
some time ago foreshadowed what the character<br />
and trend of the book will be. He does not agree<br />
with Mrs. Gaskell and other Bronte students in<br />
their estimate of the brother, about whom he will<br />
have new material to offer. Mr. Nicholls, the<br />
husband of Charlotte Bronte, has assisted Mr.<br />
Shorter by giving him MSS. and several personal<br />
interviews on the controversial questions dis-<br />
cussed.<br />
Mr. Pett Ridge is issuing, through Messrs.<br />
White, a short story called "An Important<br />
Man." *<br />
A biography of Sir Kenelm Digby, who<br />
occupied such a prominent and adventurous posi-<br />
tion in the social, literary, and political worlds<br />
during the reigns of James, Charles I., Cromwell,<br />
and partly of Charles II., is about to be published<br />
by Messrs. Longmans, Greeu and Co. Digby's<br />
Memoirs were not published until 1827, but these<br />
did not cover his whole career; while subsequent<br />
writers have not, it is believed, covered the events<br />
of his life and times so entirely as the forthcoming<br />
work.<br />
Mr. Bret Harte will be well to the front with<br />
books this autumn. Besides his new volume of<br />
poems, which is being prepared for issue, the three<br />
short stories, "Devil's Ford," "Snowbound at<br />
Eagles," and "A Millionaire of Rough and<br />
Ready," will appear in one volume; a collection<br />
of new stories under the title " Barker's Luck"<br />
will see the light, and will contain illustrations by<br />
A. Forestier, Paid Hardy, A. Morrow, and T.<br />
Julich. Apart from these, his publishers, Messrs.<br />
Chatto and Windus, will have out within the<br />
next few days the ninth volume of the collected<br />
edition of Mr. Harte's works, containing thirteen<br />
stories.<br />
Mr. Lang's Christmas book for children this<br />
year is to be " The Animal Story Book."<br />
Several important biographical works are to be<br />
published during the autumn season by Mr. John<br />
Murray. They include "The Life of the Rev.<br />
Benjamin Jowett," by Evelyn Abbott, M.A.. and<br />
the Rev. Lewis Campbell, which will be in t wo<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 93 (#121) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
93<br />
volumes; "Life and Letters of Samuel Butler,<br />
D.D., Bishop of Lichfield," by his grandson,<br />
Samuel Butler; "A Memoir of Sir John Drum-<br />
xnond Hav, some time Minister at the Court of<br />
Morocco," which is based on his journals and<br />
correspondence, and will have a preface by<br />
General Sir Francis de Winton, KC.M.G.; and<br />
"The Life of Brian Hodgson," by Sir William W.<br />
Hunter, K.C.S.I.<br />
Mrs. Lynn Linton's new novel, "Dulcie<br />
Everton," will appear this month, in two volumes<br />
published by Messrs. Chatto and Windus.<br />
Mr. Du Maurier's new story, " Martian," will<br />
be begun in Harper's for next month.<br />
"The Charm" is the title given to the volume<br />
of eight drawing-room plays upon which Mr. W.<br />
H. Pollock and Sir Walter Besant have l>een<br />
engaged, at intervals, for some years. In the<br />
introduction to the volume, which is to appear<br />
early this autumn, the question of the difference<br />
between a stage play and a drawing-room play<br />
is discussed. The book is to have the illustra-<br />
tions by Miss Chris Hammond and A. Jule<br />
Goodman, which appeared in Pearson's in the<br />
serial form.<br />
A new story by Mr. Eobert Barr, entitled<br />
"Revenge," is announced for publication by<br />
Messrs. Chatto and Windus in a few days.<br />
The idea of bicycle-exercise injuring the reading<br />
of novels was lately paragraphed industriously in<br />
the papers. It was suggested that the one form<br />
of recreation was being found more healthy than<br />
the other. If that be so, the fact of Messrs.<br />
Chapman and Hall being about to issue a series<br />
of novels specially adapted for the cyclist to carry<br />
and read while he is on tour, may possibly be<br />
looked upon as a suggested rapprochement.<br />
The first of this series is by Mr. Charles James,<br />
and called "Two on a Tandem;" that being<br />
followed by "On the Down Grade," by Miss<br />
Winifred Graham.<br />
Another novel has been written, in collabo-<br />
ration, by Mrs. L. T. Meade and Dr. Clifford<br />
Halifax. The last was called " The Diary of a<br />
Doctor;" the title of the forthcoming story,<br />
which will be issued by Messrs. Chatto aimost<br />
immediately, is " Dr. Ramsey's Patient."<br />
Mr. Austin Dobson is issuing a third group of<br />
"Eighteenth Century Vignettes," and has written<br />
a poem called "An Epistle to a Friend," as<br />
a prologue to the volume.<br />
A new sixpenny weekly journal ig announced<br />
by Mr. Horace Whitcomb, lately Q0aaected with<br />
the Saturday lievieic. It is to be , New<br />
Saturday. ™eU<br />
Dr. Parker's forthcoming volume is to be<br />
entitled " Might Have Been: Some Life Notes."<br />
The book (6s.) is to be published by Messrs.<br />
Chatto and Windus early in the autumn. It<br />
will contain unpublished letters by John Bright,<br />
C. H. Spurgeon, Henry Ward Beecher, John B.<br />
Gough, and Henry White, of the Savoy Chapel.<br />
There will also appear in it Dr. Parker's Eulogy<br />
on Beecher, and his critical estimates of Sir<br />
Henry Irving, John Oliver Hobbes, C. H.<br />
Spurgeon, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and many<br />
others. The book is to be dedicated to Sir Wemyss<br />
Eeid, "in appreciation of the spirit and genius<br />
which have marked his brilliant professional<br />
career."<br />
Mr. Charles Bright, F.E.S.E., civil engineer<br />
and writer on electrical subjects, has recently<br />
completed an elaborate treatise on submarine<br />
telegraphy, being the first English work on this<br />
subject. As a two-guinea venture it is being<br />
brought out by subscription, and orders should be<br />
sent in to Messrs. Crosby, Lockwood, and Son,<br />
the publishers, at 7, Stationers' Hall-court, E.C.<br />
After publication the price will be raised to three<br />
guineas net.<br />
Miss Harcourt Roe will produce next month a<br />
novel treating largely of Portsmouth and of<br />
naval affairs and officers. It will be called " The<br />
Romance of Mr. Wodehouse." The publishers<br />
are Messrs. Hutchinson<br />
"Denounced," Mr. John Bloundelle-Burton's<br />
new novel, which has now concluded its serial<br />
stages, will be published shortly by Methuen and<br />
Co., in London, and at the same time by Appleton<br />
and Co., of New York, both of whom published,<br />
last spring, his " In the Day of Adversity."<br />
Miss Edith Kenyon's new novel, " The Squire<br />
of Lonsdale," will be brought out by Messrs. F.<br />
Warne and Co. It may be remembered by some<br />
of our readers as having appeared in several<br />
newspapers last year.<br />
Devonshire folk and their descendants must<br />
take notice that Mr. Charles Worthy, author of<br />
"Devonshire Parishes," "Practical Heraldry,"<br />
&c, has just published a work of importance to<br />
them in his "Devonshire Wills." Everyone<br />
knows the flood of light that is poured upon<br />
ancient manners and customs as well as f aunty<br />
history and genealogy by u^s, This book con-<br />
tains a collection of a,-^ tate^ testaxxy^taxy<br />
abstracts, together with fa,t<^ ^Wrj<br />
genealogy of many of tk Vv>5 «A V***8*<br />
in the West of Engl*^ fg^<br />
Bemrose and Sons, 23, <V -ACV . A<br />
—Heavitree, Exeter—■OST^1^<br />
subscribers. 0<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 94 (#122) #############################################<br />
<br />
94<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
The prospectus of a new edition of Carlyle's<br />
works is before us. It is proposed to complete<br />
the whole, with a volume of unpublished essays<br />
in thirty volumes large square crown. The pub-<br />
lished price is 3s. 6d. a volume: the editor is<br />
Mr. H. O. Traill, D.C.L., and the publishers are<br />
Messrs. Chapman and Hall.<br />
Miss Browning's promised volume of Travels<br />
in Hungary will appear this month. It is illus-<br />
trated partly from sketches made by the author,<br />
by Miss May Maguire and Miss Rose Le Quesne.<br />
The publishers are Longmans.<br />
LITERATURE IN THE PERIODICALS.<br />
Literature and Trade. Correspondence by ZZ.,<br />
Retired Bookseller, and R. H. Daily Chronicle for Aug.<br />
19, 20, and 21 respectively.<br />
Publishers and Booksellers. Official Correspond-<br />
ence in Publishers' Circular for Aug 22.<br />
The Catalogue of English Literature Scheme.<br />
Henry R. Tedder. The Library for August.<br />
The New Watchword of Literary Criticism.<br />
Saturday Review for Aug. 22.<br />
Novels without a Purpose. Grant Allen. North<br />
American Review for August.<br />
Present Conditions of Literary Production.<br />
Paul Shorey. Atlantic Monthly for August.<br />
A Claim for the Art of Fiction. E. G. Wheel-<br />
wright. Westminster Review for August.<br />
Cosmopolitanism in Literature. The Speaker for<br />
Aug. 15.<br />
Days with Mrs. Stowe. Annie Field. Atlantic<br />
Monthly for August.<br />
Letters of D. G. Rossetti. IV.—Goorge Birkbeck<br />
Hill. Atlantic Monthly for August.<br />
Eugene Field and his Work. Atlantic Monthly for<br />
August.<br />
An Unworked Field of Romance. Atlantic Monthly<br />
for August.<br />
The Power of the British Press. Henry W. Lucy.<br />
North American Review for August.<br />
Sir John Seeley. Herbert A. L. Fisher. Fortnightly<br />
Revieiv for August.<br />
The Ethical Impulse of Mrs. Browning's Poetry.<br />
T. Bradfield. Westminster Review for August.<br />
Political Conception. Spectator for Aug. 8. and letters<br />
of Professor Courthope and V. W., Aug. 15.<br />
Ivan Turueniev. Maurice Todhunter. Westminster<br />
Review for August.<br />
Living Critics. VIII.—Professor George Saints-<br />
bury. Arthur Waugh. Bookman for August.<br />
The Poetry of the Psalms. Spectator for Aug. 22.<br />
The Posthumous Verlaine. Spectator for Aug. 22.<br />
The Gospel According to the Novelists. IV.—<br />
Robert Louis Stevenson. W. J. Dawson. The<br />
Young Man for September.<br />
Notable Reviews.<br />
Of Berdoe's " Browning and the Christian Faith." Speaker<br />
for Ang. 1.<br />
Of Professor Crawshaw's "The Interpretation of Litera-<br />
ture." By Professor Hugh Walker. Academy for<br />
Aug. 22.<br />
"Z. Z." protests against Messrs. W. H. Smith<br />
and Sons' treatment of his novel. It has been<br />
three months on sale among their customers, and<br />
now Messrs. Smith discover that it is unfit for<br />
them to sell or circulate. The omission of one<br />
paragraph, "Z. Z." understands, would remove<br />
their objection, but he humbly refuses to consent<br />
to "this tyranny." Nor is it consistent, he<br />
argues, for them—" whose vast power practically<br />
gives them an artificial censorship "—to exclude<br />
a book which is at least a serious attempt to<br />
depict character, and yet parade on their stalls<br />
flippant weekly papers which continuously debase<br />
the moral currency with an inexhaustible outpour<br />
of innuendo. Finally, is it fair, he asks, that<br />
the last novel by a great master, against which<br />
even many of the Tatter's admirers protested,<br />
should be circulated by Messrs, Smith without<br />
restriction, while this book by a young writer is<br />
boycotted. To remove the paragraph "would<br />
have been to admit the right of booksellers to<br />
edit what they exist merely to sell." "Retired<br />
Bookseller" promptly questions this "monstrous<br />
doctrine," and opposes to it his own theory that a<br />
bookseller has a conscience as well as an author,<br />
and that he is under no obligation to sell what he<br />
thinks is pernicious. "R. H.," on the other<br />
hand, says this is going too far in the direction<br />
of self-deception on the bookseller's part. The<br />
reader, he says, applies to the bookseller to pro-<br />
cure for him a certain article, and the bookseller<br />
procures it for a consideration. Were a book-<br />
seller to give himself out as the seller of " good<br />
books", the reader would have a right to return a<br />
book which he found bad.<br />
Mr. Grant Allen refers to the novel without a<br />
purpose as "that inartistic and jejune gaud," and<br />
says the twentieth century will outgrow it, and<br />
will be right in doing so. The process of purpose<br />
has been a constant progression, beginning in<br />
England with " Sandford and Mertou " and Miss<br />
Edgeworth's stories, and in France with Voltaire<br />
and Rousseau, and continuing by way of Charlotte<br />
Bronte, George Eliot, and even Hugo, to Zola,<br />
Meredith, and other present-day writers, being<br />
only replaced in the early half of the century by<br />
the purposive poetry of Shelley, Keats, and<br />
Wordsworth. He surveys the progress of litera-<br />
ture from its outset to show that every literature<br />
as it progresses grows deeper, more purposive.<br />
"We start, in all with sagas, stories, folk-songs,<br />
miirchen. We progress to the drama and novel of<br />
character; we end with the Euripideses, the<br />
Ibsens, the Merediths." (Do we end with<br />
these ?) To be considered really first-rate, a work<br />
in literature must not merely please, but teach us<br />
somewhat. Yet the novel without a purpose will<br />
continue to be written, no doubt, "for the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 95 (#123) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
95<br />
younger generation and the inferior minds,"<br />
but in the next century the educated public<br />
will demand purpose even more than in this<br />
one.<br />
Meanwhile the Saturday owns itself confounded<br />
by the various views set forth upon the conditions<br />
and prospects of modern fiction. It reverts to an<br />
article by Mr. Hall Caine in the Contemporary<br />
some time ago, but as it cannot make out what<br />
some writers have meant by their definitions of<br />
trie words "idealism and realism," it gives a<br />
definition of its own:<br />
That Realism includes all those novels—be they what<br />
they may in other respects — which, in Mr. Podsnap's<br />
phrase, " are calculated to bring the blush of shame to the<br />
cheek of youth :" and that Idealism embraces that very<br />
considerable body of fiotion which the modern young lady<br />
can with little or no hesitation put into the hands of her<br />
brother, or even her father.<br />
And it is convinced that the British public will<br />
refuse to read works which seem to them to be<br />
immoral, even though they be works of genius,<br />
as long as the British public's "very rudi-<br />
mentary sense of artistic beauty is so completely<br />
in abeyance to their somewhat stunted sense of<br />
moral fitness."<br />
Mr. Wheelwright thinks that in the generality<br />
of fiction of the present day the sense of the<br />
beautiful is seen to have fallen into decay; rever-<br />
ence for women has become out of date; false<br />
ideals are cherished. He cannot consider as<br />
literature that what puts theory for fact and<br />
harsh effect for beautv, and he laments that the<br />
constantly recurring theme of modern fiction<br />
shows a feverish desire for novelty, with morbid<br />
psychology and ill-digested ethics.<br />
The new or unworked field of romance which<br />
is mentioned in the Atlantic is that of classical<br />
life, Greek or Roman. Why is it impossible to<br />
write such a story as will not be a mere hand-<br />
book of antiquities? asks the writer.<br />
On the question of the present conditions of<br />
literary production, Mr. Paul Shorey regards the<br />
temptation to intellectual dispersion and hasty<br />
premature production as one of two classes of<br />
obstacles to the writing of books that will live.<br />
On the slightest indication of talent a young<br />
writer's name is heralded to the four quarters of<br />
the globe; he is interviewed; his copy is eagerly<br />
competed for; and he is a celebrity when hardly<br />
out of his teens. This commercialism of the<br />
newspaper age has a good side, because it is<br />
pleasanter for the author than the old alternative<br />
of Grub-street or the patron, and the spur of<br />
ambition is probably helpful to a certain kind of<br />
craftsman. "But it is more hostile than penury,<br />
dependence on a patron, or the exercise of a<br />
regular profession, to the slow, concentrated<br />
brooding necessary to the production of permanent<br />
world-books." The other and more serious class<br />
of obstacles is the temporary exhaustion of avail-<br />
able motifs in the higher fields of literature.<br />
The realisation of all the dreams of modern<br />
science have been discounted in advance; and<br />
even in poetry no new contrivance of inventive<br />
ingenuity can surprise the poet who has already<br />
seen "the nation's airy navies grappling in the<br />
central blue." Another factor has to be taken<br />
into account besides the temporary failure of<br />
inspiration for poetry and philosophy, or the<br />
growing tyranny of the realist novel—namely,<br />
the influence of the great Universities (Mr.<br />
Shorey is, of course, writing of America) in<br />
creating a criticism based on fuller knowledge,<br />
in diffusing a truer appreciation of the heritage<br />
of 3000 years of European culture, and in<br />
establishing a rational adjustment of the claims<br />
upon our attention of the present and the<br />
past. America is now at last prepared, says<br />
Mr. Shorey, to enter upon this inheritance,<br />
and to reinterpret the past in relation to the<br />
present:—<br />
We shall soon have, to counter-balance our flourishing<br />
local fiction and the pretty bric-a-brac of the magazines, a<br />
vigorous and readable literature of scholarship, history,<br />
literary interpretation, and criticism—a literature not with-<br />
out interest and use for the present, and not without promise<br />
for the future. For the literature of the future, whatever<br />
else it may be, will not be based on ignoranoe, nor will it<br />
contract to the trivialities of the hour, the horizon of the<br />
being that looks bofore and after.<br />
Mr. Lucy says that not all the newspapers in<br />
the kingdom will force a hook into favour with the<br />
public; but given merit or capacity, recognition<br />
in the press is of inestimable value. In the<br />
personal article on the late Mrs. Stowe, the writer<br />
remarks that she was not a student of literature,<br />
and that a study of the literature of the past as the<br />
only true foundation for a literature of the pre-<br />
sent , was outside the pale of her occupations, and,<br />
for the larger portion of her life, outside of her<br />
interest. Mr. Tedder wants the Library Associa-<br />
tion to grant ,£200 or £300 to provide a rough<br />
catalogue of English literature as the basis for<br />
more serious supervision.<br />
CORRESPONDENCE.<br />
I. — To be Returned within a Certain<br />
Time.<br />
HAVING been time ^ tter time annoyed and<br />
mulcted of time ^ a r&oue? Y>y t^o^<br />
editors retaining ^<br />
wrested from a publisher-^*V5<br />
hasten to hand on to niy ^V9 # esSac*^ 1 ,0<br />
should never leave an L^JP^^^^N^<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 96 (#124) #############################################<br />
<br />
96<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
said, " without stipulating that it should be read<br />
within a certain time." Since then I have got on<br />
so very much better with the disposal of my<br />
MSS., that the hint has proved most valuable to<br />
me. A Poor Author.<br />
II.—Injury by Detention.<br />
Extract from a letter.<br />
"Messrs. A. B.'s editor hindered me tremen-<br />
duously by detaining for six or seven months<br />
the copy I was offering to the editor. I wrote Xo<br />
him again and again. I called again and again.<br />
He sat over it like a dog over a bone, and when I<br />
called, beseeching him to make haste and decide,<br />
he would lay his hand on the MS. which was on<br />
the table by his side, and would beg for a little<br />
more time. Finally, when it was too late for any<br />
one else to publish it immediately after its<br />
appearance in the newspapers, he returned it,<br />
declined with thanks and regrets."<br />
III.—The Title.<br />
"Tyro," in your August issue, propounds a<br />
rather difficult question. With all the care in the<br />
world it is sometimes impossible to avoid collision<br />
with the choice of a fellow-writer. I have found<br />
the best method to be an exhaustive search, for<br />
several years back, through Mudie's and Smith's<br />
catalogues, which are (or were) kept bound in<br />
the circular receptacle in the centre of the British<br />
Museum reading-room. If, after examination,<br />
the selected title is not discovered therein, I<br />
should think "Tyro" would be pretty safe in<br />
appropriating it. At any rate the plan possesses<br />
the advantage of being as simple and expeditious<br />
as auv other. Old Bird.<br />
Author's Club, S.W.<br />
IV.—Literary Grab-alls.<br />
Mr. Honey Seabrooke, in his letter on this<br />
subject, thinks my experience unique ; but I fancy<br />
many writers, if they liked to own up to it, could<br />
substantiate it with their own experiences. As<br />
justice is due even to niggardly editors, I have to<br />
report that the 3s. for the poem was eventually<br />
increased to 5*.! and the 12s. 6d. for the storv<br />
to 21s.! It was thus in accordance with the<br />
spirit of this economic era, a case of hard<br />
bargaining.<br />
In reply to Mr. Stephen's letter, the editor of<br />
this journal, to whom I communicated them, has<br />
the names of these liberal journals.<br />
On the other side of the question, writing for<br />
payment to an editor for a short story which had<br />
been published in his paper, I was requested to<br />
name my price; accordingly I rated it at ,£5 5s.,<br />
which was promptly sent me.<br />
I think the Author might be of great service<br />
to literary men by publishing the names of all<br />
the journals and magazines in relation to their<br />
treatment of MSS. and payment of accepted ones,<br />
of course excluding the lights of literature, who<br />
can presumably make their own terms. Such a<br />
compendium would not only be useful to all those<br />
who want to live out of this precarious profession,<br />
but it would also prove my contention, that this is<br />
not a golden time for authors. The data for<br />
this list could be furnished easily by those who<br />
read and write for this journal. My own is at its<br />
service. Lunette,<br />
V.—Criticism from a Commercial Point of<br />
View.<br />
The following remarks were suggested by an<br />
incident that recently came under the writer's<br />
notice. A lady was reading a well-known paper,<br />
when she came across some disparaging remarks<br />
on the works of Miss Marie Corelli. Throwing<br />
down the journal, the reader, a warm admirer of<br />
the authoress, exclaimed, " I shall no longer take<br />
in this paper."<br />
Now, I am not acquainted with the writings of<br />
Miss Corelli, and so am not in a position to say<br />
whether the criticism was just or not; but I have<br />
no hesitation in affirming that any paper which<br />
sneers or carps at a widely popular author com-<br />
mits a fatal mistake from a commercial point of<br />
view.<br />
For one subscriber who is attracted by stabs<br />
and sneers at an established author ten sub-<br />
scribers are lost.<br />
People who have given a novelist their favour<br />
—a liking so strong that sometimes it amounts<br />
to personal affection, which may have lasted for<br />
years—do not like to be flippantly told that they<br />
are fools, and are apt to think that a journal,<br />
which they find antagonistic to them in literary<br />
matters, will also be opposed to them in their<br />
political and social views.<br />
If I had my capital invest«d in any paper<br />
where such a criticism appeared, I would not only<br />
sack the young critic but the editor as well. I<br />
say young critic advisedly, for I think an old one<br />
would have more sense than to quarrel in this<br />
way with his bread and butter, and would<br />
reserve his virulence for young and struggling<br />
authors.<br />
My advice to the proprietors of journalistic<br />
ventures is this: "If your critic cannot speak<br />
well of a popular or long established author, see<br />
that he holds his tongue, or assuredly you will<br />
suffer in pocket." Michael Ross.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 96 (#125) #############################################<br />
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London: Horace Cox, WindBor House, Bream's-buildings. E.G.<br />
Crown 8vo., cloth boarls, 3s. 6d.<br />
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RECENT VERSE.<br />
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11 The graceful smoothness of Mr. Lewis Brockman's poems."—<br />
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AN AUSTRALIAN<br />
IN CHINA:<br />
Being the Narrative of a Quiet Journey Across<br />
China to British Burma.<br />
By G. E. MORRISON,<br />
"Mr. Morrison is an Australian doctor who has achieved probably<br />
the most remarkable journey through the Flowery Land ever<br />
attempted by a Christian ... Ho was entirely unarmed and<br />
unaccompanied, save for the coolies who carried his baggage. Such<br />
a journey—three thousand miles in length—could not fail to present<br />
many curious customs and as many curious people. But it is owing<br />
entirely to Dr. Morrison's graphic manner of description, and his<br />
acutely keen observation, that his travels are such a reality to the<br />
reader. This portly volume is one of the most interesting books of<br />
travel of the many published this year. It is frank, original, and<br />
quite ungarnished by adventitious colouring."—St. James's Budget.<br />
"One of the most interesting books of travel we remember to have<br />
read."—European Mail.<br />
"A very lively book of travel. . . . His account of the walk<br />
of 15u0 miles from Chungking to Burma, over the remotest districts<br />
of Western China, is full of interest."—The Time*.<br />
"Dr. MorriBon writes crisply, sensibly, humorously, and with an<br />
engaging frankness. . . . There ia not a page he haa written that<br />
is not worth the perusal of the student of China and the Chinese."—<br />
The Scotsman.<br />
"By far the moat interesting and entertaining narrative of travel<br />
in the Flowery Land that has appeared for several years."—The<br />
World.<br />
London : Horacr Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-bulldingB, E.C.<br />
Royal 8vo., price 16s. net.<br />
Sporting Days in Southern India:<br />
BEING REMINISCENCES OF TWENTY TRIPS<br />
IN PURSUIT OF BIG GAME,<br />
CHIEFLY IN THE JrlADRAS PRESIDENCY.<br />
BT<br />
Lieut -Col. A. J. 0. POLLOCK, Royal Scots Fusiliers.<br />
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY WHYMPER<br />
AND OTHERS.<br />
CONTENTS.—Chapters I., II., and III —TheBear. IV. and V.—The<br />
Panther. VI., VII., and VIII.—The Tiger. IX. and X.—The<br />
Indian BlBon. XI. and XII —The Elephant. XIII.—Deer<br />
(Cervidro) and Antelopca. XIV.—The Ibex. XV. and XVI.—<br />
Miscellaneous.<br />
London; HORACR Cox, Windsor Houro, Bream's-bulldintrs. E.C.<br />
Royal 8vo., cloth, profusely illustrated, price 12b. fid. net.<br />
TEXAN RANCH LIFE;<br />
WITH<br />
Three Months through Mexico in a " Prairie<br />
SohoOXxet."<br />
By MARY w<br />
London Hoeaob Oox, win*6^^-/^^^^^^V\^'i>,"1J<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 96 (#126) #############################################<br />
<br />
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THE<br />
PRINCIPLES OP CHESS<br />
IN THEORY AND PRACTICE.<br />
JAMES MASON.<br />
CONTENTS. — 1. Elements of Chess. 2. General Principles.<br />
8. Combination. 4. Exposition of Master Play Complete.<br />
London: Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream'B-buildlngs, E.C.<br />
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IN NEW SOUTH AFRICA.<br />
Travels in the Transvaal and Rhodesia.<br />
With Map and Twenty-six Illustrations.<br />
By H. LINCOLN TANGYE.<br />
CONTENTS.<br />
Introductory.<br />
PART I.<br />
Chapter I.—The Land of Gold and the Way there.<br />
,, II.—Across Desert and Veldt.<br />
,, III.—Johannesburg the Golden.<br />
IV.—A Transvaal Coach Journey.<br />
,, V.—Natal: the South African Garden.<br />
,, VI —Ostracised in Africa. Home with the Swallows.<br />
PART II —RAMBLES IN RHODESIA.<br />
Chapter I.—Eendragt Maakt Magt.<br />
,, II.—Into the Country of Lobengula.<br />
„ III.—The Trail of War.<br />
,, IV.—Goldmining, Ancient and Modern.<br />
„ V.—Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.<br />
VI —To Northern Mashonaland.<br />
VII.—Primitive Art. The Misadventures of a Wagon.<br />
Index.<br />
Loudon: Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-bujldings, E.C-<br />
Printed and Published by Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-buildings, London, £.0. | https://historysoa.com/files/original/5/294/1896-09-01-The-Author-7-4.pdf | publications, The Author |
| 295 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/295 | The Author, Vol. 07 Issue 05 (October 1896) | <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.+07+Issue+05+%28October+1896%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 Issue 05 (October 1896)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</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> | 1896-10-01-The-Author-7-5 | | | | | 97–116 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1896-10-01">1896-10-01</a> | | | | | | | 5 | | | 18961001 | TLhc Hutbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 5.]<br />
OCTOBER 1, 1896.<br />
[Price Sixpence.<br />
CONTENTS.<br />
General Considerations<br />
Literary Property—<br />
1. The Berne Congress<br />
2. Thirteen as Twelve ...<br />
3. Booksellers and Publishers<br />
4. A Photographer's Copyright Onion<br />
The Third Point of View<br />
New York Letter. By Norman Hapgood<br />
Reviewing<br />
The Prairie Songs of Hamlin Garland ...<br />
NoteB and News. By the Editor<br />
PAOi,<br />
... 97<br />
. 99<br />
. 99<br />
. 100<br />
. 100<br />
. 101<br />
. 102<br />
. 104<br />
. 105<br />
. IOC<br />
From a Penman's Workshop<br />
Loose English. By H. E. Keen*<br />
•• When I am Gone." By F. B. Doveton<br />
Book Talk<br />
Literature in the Periodicals<br />
Correspondence—1. The First Book. 2. Royalty on First Books.<br />
3. Onr Brains. 4. Monsters in Fiction. 5 The Title<br />
The Publishing Season<br />
Sir John Erichsen<br />
A Cricket Match<br />
PAGB<br />
.. 108<br />
.. 109<br />
.. 110<br />
.. 110<br />
.. 112<br />
114<br />
118<br />
116<br />
no<br />
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4. The History of the Societe des Gens de Lettres. By S. Squire Sprigge, late Secretary to<br />
the Society, i*.<br />
5. The Cost of Production. In this work specimens are given of the most important forms of<br />
size of page, &c., with estimates showing what it costs to produce the more common kirn<br />
books. Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 2*. 6d.<br />
6. The Various Methods Of Publication. By S. Squire Sprigge. In this work, compiled from the<br />
papers in the Society's offices, the various forms of agreements proposed by Publishers to<br />
Authors are examined, and their meaning carefully explained, with an account of the various<br />
kinds of fraud which have been made possible by the different clauses in their agreements.<br />
Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 3*.<br />
7. Copyright Law Reform. An Exposition of Lord Monkswell's Copyright Bill now before Parlia-<br />
ment. With Extracts from the Report of the Commission of 1878, and an Appendix<br />
containing the Berne Convention and the American Copyright Bill. By J. M. Lely. Eyre<br />
and Spottiswoode. is. 6d.<br />
8. The Society of Authors. A Record of its Action from its Foundation By Walter TStoktsi<br />
(Chairman of Committee, 1888—1892). 11.<br />
9. The Contract of Publication in Germany, Austria, Hungary, and w .^et^- W<br />
Lunge, J.U.D. 2.9. 6d.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 96 (#128) #############################################<br />
<br />
11<br />
AD VERTISEMENTS.<br />
^i)e $octetp of Jluf^ors (gncotporateb).<br />
Sir Edwin Arnold, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.<br />
Alfred Austin.<br />
J. M. Barbie<br />
A.. W. X Beckett.<br />
C E. Beddard, P.B.S.<br />
Robert Bateman.<br />
Sir Henry Bergne, K.C.M.G.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
Augustine Birrell, M.P.<br />
Bev. Prop. Bonnet, P.B.S.<br />
Rioht Hon. James Brtce, M.P.<br />
Right Hon. Lord Burghclere, P.C<br />
Hall Caine.<br />
Eoerton Castle, F.S.A.<br />
P. W. Clatden.<br />
Edward Clodd.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Martin Conwat.<br />
P. Marion Crawford.<br />
PRESIDENT.<br />
O-IEO IRQ-IE MEREDITH.<br />
COUNCIL.<br />
The Earl of Desart.<br />
Austin Dobson.<br />
A. Conan Doyle, M.D<br />
A. W. Dubourg.<br />
Sir J. Eric Erichsen, Bart., F.B.S.<br />
Prof. Michael Foster, P.B.S.<br />
Bichard Garnett, C.B., LL.D.<br />
Edmund Gosse.<br />
H. Bider Haggard.<br />
Thomas Hardy.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
Jerome K. Jerome.<br />
Eudyard Kiplino.<br />
Prof. E. Bay Lankkster, F.B.S.<br />
W. E. H. Lkcky.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Mrs. E. Lynn Linton.<br />
Bev. W. J. Loftie, F.S.A.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mua.D.<br />
Prof. J. M. D. Meiklejohn.<br />
Hon. Counsel — E. M. Underdown,<br />
Herman C. Merivale.<br />
Bev. C. H. Middleton-Wakk.<br />
Sir Lewis Morris.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
Miss E. A. Obmerod.<br />
J. C. Parkinson.<br />
Bight Hon. Lord Pirbkight.<br />
Sir Frederick Pollock, Bart., LL.D.<br />
Walter Herries Pollock.<br />
W. Baptiste Scoones.<br />
Miss Flora L. Shaw.<br />
G. B. Sims.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
J. J. Stevenson.<br />
Prof. Jas. Sully.<br />
William Moy Thomas.<br />
H. D. Traill, D.C.L.<br />
Mrs. Humphry Ward.<br />
Miss Charlotte M. Yonge.<br />
Q.C.<br />
A. W. a Beckett.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
Eoerton Castle.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT.<br />
Chairman—H. Bider Haggard.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Martin Conway.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
„ .. .. ( Messrs. Field, Eoscoe, and Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields.<br />
solicitors ^ Q Herbert Thring, B.A., 4, Portugal-street, W.C.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
Secretary—G. Herbert Thring, B.A.<br />
OFFICES: 4, Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.<br />
.A.. IP. WJ^TT &c SOIDsT,<br />
LITERARY AGENTS,<br />
Formerly of 2, PATERNOSTER SQUARE,<br />
Have now removed to<br />
HASTINGS HOUSE, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND.<br />
LONDON-, W.C.<br />
WINDSOR HOUSE PRINTING WORKS,<br />
BREAM'S BTJIT-jXJIZLSTG-S, E.O.<br />
Offices of "The Field," "The Queen," "The Law Times," &e.<br />
Mr. HOBACE COX, Printer to the Authors' Society, takes the opportunity of informing Authors that, having a very<br />
large Office, and an extensive Plant of Type of every description, he is in a position to EXECUTE any FEINTING they<br />
may entrust to his care.<br />
ESTIMATES FORWARDED, AND REASONABLE CHARGES WILL BE FOUND.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 97 (#129) #############################################<br />
<br />
XIbe Hutbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 5.]<br />
OCTOBER 1, 1896.<br />
[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 post, 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, bnt on no other sub-<br />
jects whatever. Articles which cannot be accepted are<br />
returned if Btamps for the purpose accompany the MSS.<br />
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.<br />
THERE are several methods of publishing by agree-<br />
ments. Thus (1) an author may sell his work for a<br />
sum of money down: (2) he may take a share of the<br />
profits: (3) he may accept a royalty.<br />
The first method is the readiest and, where a proper<br />
price is paid, perhaps the beBt. It involves a certain amount<br />
of risk or doubt as to the result on the part of the buyer,<br />
and a certain amount of hesitation on the part of the seller.<br />
The author would do well to Bell through an agent. But let<br />
him beware as to his choice of agent.<br />
At a time when the production of new books involved<br />
great riBks and where the possible circle of purchasers was<br />
very small, the publishers, joining together, took half the<br />
profits as a return for their risk and services. At the present<br />
time in many cases, where there are no risks, they often take<br />
two-thirds and even more of the profits, and that after setting<br />
apart a large sum for "office expenses," allowing the author<br />
nothing at all for his office expenses. In other words,<br />
it is as if a steward were to charge first for his office<br />
and desks and then to take half or two-thirds of the<br />
remainder for himself as steward's fee. Therefore the author<br />
must in every case ascertain carefully) before Bigning the<br />
agreement, what proportion is appropriated under its clauses<br />
by the publisher for himself. If the any,or is in doubt, let<br />
him submit the agreement to the seorM, 0r to one of the<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
literary agents recommended by the secretary. Above all<br />
things he must remember that in any business transaction<br />
the one who accepts an agreement in ignoranoe will quite<br />
certainly get the worst of it. The folly of signing in<br />
ignorance is the main cause of half the quarrels between<br />
anthor and publisher.<br />
In the case of profit-sharing.agreements, remember that a<br />
very common form of getting the better of an author is the<br />
practice of advertising the book in the publisher's own organs,<br />
very likely magazines of small circulation. Sometimes,<br />
also, he " exchanges " advertisements with other magazines,<br />
and charges the author as if he had paid for them. In this<br />
way the publisher may put the whole profits of a book in his<br />
own pooket. One way to prevent thiB sharp practice is to<br />
insert a clause to the effect that advertisements shall only<br />
be charged at the actual price paid for them. A better way,<br />
however, is to agree beforehand npon the papers in which<br />
advertisements may be inserted.<br />
As regards the right of inspecting the books, that neeo<br />
not be claimed, because it exists as the right of every<br />
partner, or joint venturer. You have only to demand the<br />
inspection of the books by your solicitor, your accountant,<br />
or the secretary of the Society.<br />
If the book is a first book, or one that carries risk, it is fair<br />
to make an arrangement for the first edition and another for<br />
the second, and following, if any. The publisher confers so<br />
Bignal a service upon the yonng anthor by producing his<br />
work at all—i.e., by giving him the chance he desires above<br />
all things—that it seems fair in such a case to yield him the<br />
larger share.<br />
In a profit-sharing agreement do not let the cost of pro-<br />
duction form a part of the agreement, otherwise yon will<br />
be unable to contest it afterwards.<br />
It will be wisest never to enter into relations with any<br />
publisher unless recommended by the Society.<br />
There are many other dangers to be avoided. SeriaO<br />
rights: stamping the agreement: American rights: future<br />
work: cession of copyright—these things cannot possibly<br />
be attended to by the young author. Therefore his agree-<br />
ment should always be shown to the secretary.<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 r^v-ny it ibknown witbi—o>£ev<<br />
copies what will be their mi ^ ^utn cucu\a,_«nv,\\> S»<br />
known what will be their<br />
anthor, for every book, shoul^ ^ ^ge<br />
success which will not, proVw>. JjX*9, 0«<br />
may come. ^"YJ \<br />
The four points which the \&<br />
from the outset are:— *4<br />
(1.) That both sides sh^-v ^<br />
means. \>v'<br />
V 0<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 98 (#130) #############################################<br />
<br />
98<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
(2.) The inspection of those account books which belong<br />
to the author. We are advised that this is a right, in the<br />
nature of a common law right, which cannot be denied or<br />
withheld.<br />
(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 may<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 />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
1. 1/1 VERY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
Pj advioe upon his agreements, his choice of a pub-<br />
lisher, or any dispute arising in the oonduct of his<br />
business or the administration of his property. If the advice<br />
sought is such as can be given best by a solioitor, 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 connected with copyright<br />
and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within the<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple<br />
to use the Society first—our solicitors are continually<br />
engaged upon such questions for us.<br />
3. Send to the office copies of past agreements and past<br />
aooounts 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 ohange 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 oase of fraudulent houses—the tricks of every publish-<br />
ing firm in the oountry.<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 everything<br />
important to literature that you may hear or meet 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 Society now offers :—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon<br />
them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
THE AUTHORS' SYNDICATE.<br />
MEMBERS are informed:<br />
I. That the Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the business of members of the Society. That it<br />
submits MSS. to publishers and editors, conoludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects accounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the trouble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon which its services can be secured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndioate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That the Syndioate can only undertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia-<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that all<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice should be given.<br />
6. That every attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in all cases, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence j does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded without notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
lectures by Borne of the leading members of the Society;<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for the sale and<br />
purohase of journals and periodicals; and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wanted" is open. Members are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to the Manager.<br />
There is an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called upon in any oase of dispute or difficulty. It<br />
is perhaps necessary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndioate.<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 />
6*. 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 f<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, whether<br />
members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate<br />
to the Editor any points connected with their work which<br />
it would be advisable in the general interest to publish.<br />
Members and otherB who wish their MSS. read are<br />
requested not to send them to the Office without previously<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 99 (#131) #############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
99<br />
<sommu»icating with the Seoretary. 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 Authors' Club is now open in its new premises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-oourt, Charing Cross. Address the Secretary<br />
for information, rules of admission, Ac.<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 five<br />
years to come, whatever his conduct, whether he was honest<br />
or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for a moment when they are asked to sign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five 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 means, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing sums," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the cost of binding<br />
is set down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
Added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now stands<br />
At £g 4*. The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be procured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
bill is so elastic a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
Arrived at.<br />
Some remarks have been made upon the amount charged<br />
in the " Cost of Production" for advertising. Of oourse, 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 practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
I. — The Berne Congress.<br />
f 11HE eighteenth Congress of the International<br />
I Association for the Protection of Literary<br />
Property was held iu August last. It is<br />
very much to be regretted that the efforts of the<br />
■committee to send a delegate proved fruitless.<br />
No one could be found to go, perhaps because the<br />
association is not generally considered a very<br />
practical body. However, it is a good thing to<br />
bring before people in some official manner, at<br />
regular intervals, the fact that literary property is<br />
a real thing, meaning a great deal more than the<br />
world at large understands. England seems to<br />
have been represented by one lawyer, and the<br />
greater number of members present were French.<br />
An account of the proceedings was furnished by<br />
the Athenaeum of Sept. 5, from which.the follow-<br />
ing is a brief resume:<br />
A paper was read on the " Work accomplished<br />
by the Diplomatic Conference held at Paris in the<br />
Spring of the present year." The period during<br />
which works are protected against unauthorised<br />
translation was assimilated to that of ordinary<br />
copyright, on the condition that an authorised<br />
translation is made within ten years The artick<br />
of the Convention relating to articles in news-<br />
papers and magazines was made "more stringent."<br />
And the Conference passed certain resolutions in<br />
favour of penal legislation as regards the forgery<br />
of authors' names, &c.<br />
"The Congress expressed hopes that the reso-<br />
lutions of the conference may be ratified, and that<br />
the reform of the law of copyright, which is now<br />
well started in Germany, may extend to Great<br />
Britain also. It is possible, if the Authors'<br />
Society, the English Copyright Association, and<br />
other bodies could be induced to agree, that some-<br />
thing might be done in this direction, though the<br />
inefficiency of Parliament as a legislative machine<br />
renders the success of any reform to which any of<br />
our Parliamentary busybodies might raise an<br />
objection more than doubtful."<br />
During the discussion following the paper, the<br />
Congress pronounced in favour of a Dramatic<br />
Authors' Society—presumably international—and<br />
of the formation of a bureau in each country to<br />
give legal advice on the subject of copyright else-<br />
where.<br />
Copyright in newspaper articles was advocated.<br />
A model copyright law was laid before the<br />
Congress.<br />
The rights of unpaid creditors to an author's<br />
unpublished work was discussed.<br />
Certain points of law liable to be raised by<br />
collaborateurs were also discussed.<br />
A paper was read by a Parisian barrister pro-<br />
posing to give the author or his heirs a perpetual<br />
royalty to be given after the copyright term<br />
expires.<br />
Another account of the meeting is given in the<br />
Publishers' Circular, which contains a statement<br />
that in less than fourteen years the Socie'te des<br />
Auteurs Franrais has "netted forty million<br />
francs." It would be serviceable to us if we<br />
could find out what this meaus.<br />
II.—Thirteen as Twelve.<br />
The revelations recent made as to the prices<br />
exacted of booksellers h^v'e eafted attention te ^e<br />
clause frequently prop<w 1 yd tojaltj a^esme^8-<br />
that thirteen are to be >». votJ-C^ 88<br />
The just<br />
to the<br />
ustification of « ^W^LTa<br />
trade is <*»<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 100 (#132) ############################################<br />
<br />
IOO<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
thirteen as twelve. If this were true, it might<br />
be considered, at least. But it is not true.<br />
The general rule is that when a dozen books at<br />
least are ordered—sometimes of the same work,<br />
sometimes of other books published by the firm<br />
—thirteen are sent as twelve. When a single book<br />
is ordered, or two or three only, the general rule<br />
is to charge for it, at a eertain fixed price, gene-<br />
rally 4*. 2d. on a 6s. book, occasional exceptions<br />
and modifications being made by certaiu houses.<br />
What is the average proportion of books sent out<br />
at thirteen as twelve P As no figures are forth-<br />
coming, it lies with the author to demand a<br />
modification of the clause. He must absolutely<br />
refuse to allow thirteen as twelve, unless the<br />
publisher does it also. If the publisher does<br />
allow it in every case, the author may, perhaps,<br />
do so, but not unless. Hitherto, the meanings of<br />
royalties, as published in the Author, have been<br />
based on the assumption that thirteen as twelve<br />
is the rule. Since we have now discovered that it<br />
is not the rule, we must reconsider the meanings,<br />
which shall l>e done in the next number.<br />
Note, however, that on those meanings, if you<br />
grant the clause of thirteen as twelve, you<br />
actually give the publisher that allowance twice<br />
over!<br />
A reasonable way out of the difficulty might lie<br />
to allow the publisher thirteen as twelve on a<br />
certain number of any edition. Thus on a<br />
thousand copies, if all were sent out at thirteen<br />
as twelve, there would be a loss, or giving away,<br />
of seventy-seven copies. Since the practice is not<br />
universal, but only partial, it would, perhaps, be<br />
fair to allow the publisher, say, forty copies or 4<br />
per cent, of the edition on this account, taking<br />
the full royalty on all the rest.<br />
Authors have, surely, never yet realised what<br />
they are giving away by this clause. Take, for<br />
instance, two loyalties: that of one-sixth or<br />
i6f per cent.: and that of 25 per cent.: on the<br />
common 6*. book.<br />
By this clause the author loses 7r\ per cent.<br />
That is to say, in the former he loses nearly .£4,<br />
and in the latter he loses nearly =£6 on every<br />
thousand copies.<br />
The publisher gains therefore this amount less<br />
the deduction made in certain cases—not by any<br />
means all—as the united testimony of booksellers<br />
clearly proves. Since the deduction is only made<br />
in certain cases, what justification can be pleaded<br />
for charging it upon the author in all cases?<br />
And why should the publisher get the allowance<br />
twice over? ri<br />
III.—Booksellers and Publishers.<br />
It is pleasing to note that not all publishers<br />
attempt to represent themselves as victims by<br />
talking vaguely about awful expenses; by twist-<br />
ing figures; or by confidently stating in public<br />
things which they have to deny in private. I<br />
have received from a firm of publishers the exact<br />
figures concerned with the sale of a certain work<br />
recently issued by them. The numbers sold<br />
amounted to many thousands. The published<br />
price of the book was 6s. In the first place, this<br />
firm always allowed 5 per cent, on every copy<br />
taken at 4*. 2d. or at 4*., except an inconsiderable<br />
number sold for cash over the counter, not<br />
exceeding twenty-five at the outside. The prices<br />
obtained by the publisher varied from 3*. n^d.<br />
down to a fraction under 3*. \d. The retail trade<br />
was represented by 49 per cent, of the sales—it<br />
may be remembered that one of the persons who<br />
recently engaged in the "vague talk" spoke of<br />
the wholesale trade as forming "the great bulk" of<br />
their business. It is not, therefore, "the great<br />
bulk" in every house. The average price obtained<br />
by the publisher was what has always been<br />
assumed in these columns, namely, as nearly as<br />
possible, 38. 6d. These figures are supplied by<br />
a young and rising firm which enjoys the useful<br />
credit of making "easier" terms with the trade<br />
than some of the larger and older houses.<br />
W. B.<br />
IV.—A Photographic Copyright Union.<br />
Photographs are not books. But there is a<br />
law of copyright in photographs as in books<br />
and pictures. This Union is governed by a com-<br />
mittee consisting of well-known photographers.<br />
The rules show that the members mean busi-<br />
ness: they contemplate, especially, legal action.<br />
If the society takes a case into court, two-"<br />
thirds of the damages go to the member con-<br />
cerned, and one-third to the society: if no<br />
damages are obtained, the member must pay-<br />
half the expenses: where compensation has been<br />
obtained without litigation, the society shall take<br />
25 per cent, of the amount. And the union<br />
limits the right of allowing a copyright picture to<br />
be reproduced to a certain minimum. A reserve<br />
fund is to be created. In these rules is there<br />
nothing that our Society might follow? We<br />
want a large reserve fund: we want some definite<br />
plan of action in the case of legal action: there<br />
are many cases which cry aloud to be taken into<br />
court, but members are unwilling and afraid of<br />
the consequences. If we could,- like the photo-<br />
graphers, increase our reserve by taking cases into<br />
court, surely there would be at least manifested<br />
some desire among our members to settle their<br />
disputes in this, the only possible, way.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 101 (#133) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. 101<br />
THE THIRD POINT OP VIEW.<br />
fT^HE following remarks represent an interview<br />
I with one of the trade:—<br />
"I am a bookseller. I want to point<br />
out to authors whose works I try to sell certain<br />
facta which may show them that they ought to be<br />
even more interested in the bookseller than in the<br />
publisher. There are three persons concerned in<br />
the presentation of a book to the public; they are<br />
the author who creates the book, and whoso pro-<br />
perty it is until he parts with it: the publisher,<br />
who sends it to the printer, pays the printer's<br />
bill, advertises it; and the bookseller, who orders<br />
so many copies and puts them in his window and<br />
sells them. If we ask what are the respective<br />
shares of the three in the control of the book, we<br />
very quickly discover that the second person of<br />
the three has not oniy got the whole control of<br />
the business into his own hands, but he takes the<br />
lion's share of the returns. He has obtained the<br />
control by carefully keeping things dark. He<br />
does not allow the author to know what he exacts<br />
of the bookseller: nor does he let the bookseller<br />
know what he allows the author: nor does he<br />
suffer either of them to know what he pays the<br />
printer: and by exchanges, and by charging for<br />
advertisements in his own magazine, he gets,<br />
according to the Author, a great part of his<br />
advertising done for nothing. And, of course,<br />
he keeps this last fact very dark indeed.<br />
"Your Society has broken down a part of this<br />
ignorance, which I, for one, believe to have been<br />
designed. Your Society has shown, first, what<br />
it actually costs to produce a book. I have read<br />
all the denials, and laughed over the shuffling<br />
with which they try to wriggle out of the truth.<br />
I daresay that a printer's bill is an elastic thing:<br />
but men in business do not pay more than they<br />
are obliged, and I am confident that your<br />
Society's figures are as nearly right as can be got.<br />
Moreover, I observe in all the letters that have<br />
appeared from the persons concerned that no<br />
one of the writers gives his own figures. Why?<br />
Because, if he cooked his accounts printers by the<br />
<lozen would offer to do the work for less: and if<br />
he told the truth, he would be confessing that the<br />
Society is right. Now, by exposing the Cost of<br />
Production and the meaning of Royalties, your<br />
society has done great service to booksellers, as<br />
well as to authors. I hope that every bookseller<br />
in the country will make haste to take in the<br />
Author and to procure a copy of the "Cost of<br />
Production."<br />
"The kind of service you have rendered to us<br />
is exactly the same as that which you have ren-<br />
dered to authors: the disclosure of the truth.<br />
It matters very little whether your figures are a<br />
penny above or below those of any particular<br />
book. Every book, of course, must have its own<br />
figures, and I do not suppose that yours are<br />
meant for more than the average.<br />
"I now ask permission to state the booksellers'<br />
case, and to show why authors ought to make<br />
common cause with them.<br />
"(i) Their risk.—The publisher of current lite-<br />
rature, not to speak of great ventures which<br />
require capital and carry risks, runs, as you<br />
have always said, practically little risk. If he<br />
runs any, considering the great number of popular<br />
writers, it is his own look out. That is, your<br />
Society is quite right in saying that he only<br />
publishes for authors for whose works there is<br />
some demand — generally enough to see him<br />
through by the first run of the book. The<br />
exceptions to this rule are few, but we must<br />
admit that there are exceptions. But the bookseller<br />
must buy on spec. Every book, except the earlier<br />
copies of a very popular author, is a risk. You<br />
may see on my shelves rows of books which mean<br />
failures. They cannot be sold.<br />
"(2) The office expenses.—In most publishers'<br />
houses these are reckoned at 10 per cent. In my<br />
house they are from 16 to 20 per cent. In other<br />
words, if a publisher makes 3*. 6d. for a 6*. book,<br />
or even only 3s. ^d., he pays about 4<f. for his<br />
office expenses, leaving himself, when author and<br />
printer are paid, about i*. 2d. or is. The book-<br />
seller, however, has to reduce his earnings by<br />
i^d., leaving him about b\d. on the volume.<br />
The publisher speaks of advertisements. Well,<br />
your Society has pointed out that <£io spent on<br />
advertising 2000 copies means just over id. a<br />
copy.<br />
"I would, therefore, with these facts before<br />
me, appeal to the authors. I ask them these<br />
questions:<br />
"(1.) For what reasons, for what services,<br />
should the publisher be allowed to take the lion's<br />
share?<br />
"(2.) Is it fair that the booksellers' office ex-<br />
penses and risks should be absolutely ignored?<br />
Is it fair that authors' expenses should be also<br />
ignored?<br />
"(3.) Is it right that the literature of the<br />
country should be wholly managed by the class<br />
which takes the least share of the work, the risk,<br />
and the responsibility, and for their own interests<br />
alone?<br />
"Next. I put to you authors and readers the<br />
following considerations: "V^\iat do you wish to<br />
gain by your writings'? jfc fame and name'<br />
Is it money? I take it th_» « 'wa,at ^>^V*A'aAae<br />
and your own money: but v\\ tneae {^jytf^<br />
be obtained bv means<br />
to have a clear understan.^^ N^^Vvea. ^^3^<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 102 (#134) ############################################<br />
<br />
102<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
your Society rightly calls the administration of<br />
your own estate. The value of this estate rests, I<br />
would urge you to consider, ultimately with the<br />
bookseller and the libraries. The bookseller,<br />
especially, can place your books on his shelves.<br />
He can give you a fair show: he can offer you to<br />
the public: he can recommend you: he can cause<br />
you to live on and on for years: most books die<br />
almost as soon as they are born, even good and<br />
popular books, because the bookseller has no<br />
interest to make them live. He can, in a word,<br />
do more to advance your reputation than any<br />
reviews. He wants nothing more than an<br />
encouragement to do so. But it is impossible for<br />
him to stock his shelves with your books unless<br />
he is properly treated. Remember that he has<br />
rent and ordinary expenses to pay: and that he<br />
has a wife and family to keep. There must,<br />
therefore, be a sufficient margin. Formerly, he was<br />
told that the greed of authors caused this margin<br />
to grow smaller and smaller. He now under-<br />
stands that the authors have no knowledge at all<br />
of this diminution; but it is, on the other hand, a<br />
desperate clutching at the lion's share which<br />
makes the margin grow smaller. If you ask a<br />
man to sell your book on a margin of 4</., he will<br />
not do so unless he is obliged.<br />
"I would ask you, therefore, as authors, to con-<br />
sider your position with reference to the book-<br />
seller. Do not let your attention be diverted by<br />
any false scent: if publishers claim that the<br />
figures are wrong—well, then, give them a penny<br />
or so if they like, and still ask this question—<br />
What has a publisher done for a book which is<br />
sure to sell by thousands, that he should take for<br />
his own profit as much as author and bookseller<br />
together: or that he should take more than the<br />
author, or as much as the author: or more than<br />
the bookseller, or as much as the bookseller?<br />
And if some way can be found out by which this<br />
injustice can be set right, will the authors make<br />
common cause with the booksellers? As a book-<br />
seller I can promise, in the name of the trade,<br />
that if they do, they will speedily find out where<br />
their true interests lie."<br />
NEW YORK LETTER.<br />
New York, Sept. 17.<br />
HILL AND COMPANY, who have been<br />
preparing a large Encyclopedia of Ency-<br />
clopedias, have just given notice to those<br />
employed on the work that they are dismissed,<br />
and the whole venture postponed until after the<br />
election. Their other principal undertaking, the<br />
"Library of World Literature," conducted by<br />
Charles Dudley Warner, continues, but is being<br />
kept back as much as possible in order to see what<br />
the situation will be after Nov. 3.<br />
Mr. Warner, by the way, whuse experience in<br />
the magazine business is great, commented yester-<br />
day on the paragraph in the last Author about<br />
the effect of mailing rates on the prosperity of<br />
magazines. The art editor of one of our three<br />
principal magazines also expressed his opinion on<br />
the same subject, and the business aspect was<br />
represented by a member of the publishing<br />
department of one of the principal houses. The<br />
business manager was especially strong in agreeing<br />
with the statement in the Author that the mailing<br />
rate was a very important factor in the prosperity<br />
of American magazines. He said that his house<br />
was making every effort to get as large a part as<br />
possible of its circulation on its subscription<br />
books, rather tban sell through the American<br />
News Company, which does all the distributing<br />
here, except that of Munsey's Magazine, which<br />
does its own rather than pay the high distributing<br />
charge. Scribner's Magazine now has 30,000<br />
names on its subscription list, most of them in<br />
America. Harper's and the Century also have a<br />
very large subscription list. All possible methods<br />
are used, such as offering the magazine with books,<br />
or offering two magazines together, and having<br />
agents on the road. There is some possibility,<br />
probably not very serious, that the present privi-<br />
leges will be restricted by the next Legislature.<br />
The movement for restriction grows out of the<br />
fact that some publishers are taking advantage of<br />
the favourable laws to mail what is really onlv<br />
advertising under the guise of a regular monthly<br />
or weekly periodical.<br />
These three representatives, however, of the<br />
various departments, while they agreed that this<br />
was an important element, laid a great deal of<br />
emphasis on other facts. All three of them said<br />
that decidedly the leading cause was the illustra-<br />
tion, the number and excellence of the pictures,<br />
and that all expected to see the illustrations in<br />
England grow more numerous and better. Enter-<br />
tainment has been the idea on which the circula-<br />
tions of our magazines have been built up. As<br />
Mr. Warner said: "No where else can a man get<br />
so many really good pictures for 25 cents, and<br />
the text, although not as well written as in<br />
England, is more entertaining to the large mass<br />
of people. The English magazine seems more as<br />
if it were written by experts, ours by amateurs;<br />
but ours are new in subjects, fresh and popular.<br />
This is wanted also in England, as shown by the<br />
success of Bret Harte there, which is greater than<br />
it is here, and by the former circulation there of<br />
such papers as the Detroit Free Press, with their<br />
local stories." After emphasising this literary<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 103 (#135) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOH. 103<br />
difference, he returned to his former statement<br />
that the picture side was the most important<br />
cause. The business manager referred to spoke<br />
specially of the excellence of the illustrated<br />
advertisements as one of the great reasons for the<br />
success of our magazines.<br />
Bret Harte, by the way, although less popular<br />
here than he was some years ago when his vein<br />
was new, is still much read, and Houghton,<br />
Mifflin, and Co. are to get out a complete edition<br />
of his works. It will be interesting to see<br />
whether they or the English edition, appearing<br />
about the same time, will have the greater sale.<br />
Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson said<br />
recently in Harper's Bazaar: "Henry James<br />
speaks contemptuously of Thoreau as parochial;<br />
but who can help seeing that Thoreau's parish of<br />
thoughtful readers grows and grows, while that<br />
of James is long since stationary? Who can<br />
doubt that fifty years hence the disproportion<br />
will be far greater than now? After all is said<br />
and done, the circle of American writers who<br />
established our nation's literature nearly half a<br />
cycle ago, were great because they were first and<br />
chiefly American; and of the Americans who<br />
permanently transplanted themselves for literary<br />
purposes it is pretty certain that James and Bret<br />
Harte and Leland would have developed more<br />
staying powers had they remained at home."<br />
Severe as the effect of the silver craze is on the<br />
publishing business, it has its compensations.<br />
Books on financial questions sell in unusual<br />
numbers ; almost every house has several of them,<br />
and so great is the demand for them that it seems<br />
to effect the announcement for some time ahead.<br />
On a list of the highest sales made by John<br />
Wannamaker, the great dealer in cheap books,<br />
the only novel in the first six was the " Damnation<br />
of Thereon Ware," sold in England under the title<br />
of "Illumination;" all the others were books on<br />
finance, ranging upwards from Coin's " Financial<br />
School" to several of the most sober arguments<br />
on the subject. D. Appleton and Co., who are<br />
going in especially for the publication of books<br />
on politics and finance, write me: "The political<br />
campaign has increased the demand for books<br />
upon economic and financial subjects, like Wells's<br />
'Recent Economic Changes,' Laughlin's ' History<br />
of Bimetallism in the United States,' McPherson's<br />
'Monetary and Banking Problems,' and Jevens's<br />
'Money and the Mechanism of Exchange.' So<br />
far as the present trade in general books is con-<br />
cerned business is dull, and the usual quiet of<br />
this particular season is doubtless augmented by<br />
the effects of the campaign. So far as orders for<br />
the future are concerned, however, our business<br />
is satisfactory. By this we mean orders from<br />
the trade for autumn and holiday books which<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
will be sold at retail after the election. These<br />
orders are larger than last year, indicating a<br />
trade belief in a prosperous business after the<br />
election."<br />
The American News Company has political<br />
pamphlets of all kinds sold on its stands all over<br />
the country.<br />
Macmillan and Co., who are reprinting John<br />
Morley's "Life of Richard Cobden," and pub-<br />
lishing other. volumes touching more or less<br />
on what is the absorbing interest of the day,<br />
write: "There is no doubt whatever, we think,<br />
that the present political excitement unfavour-<br />
ably affects the general business of bookselling,<br />
but it would be a little difficult, we think,<br />
to explain exactly how this comes about. We<br />
also think it probable that the lighter literature<br />
would be more affected than that for which for<br />
the most part we publish, and hence other firms<br />
dealing in light literature to a greater extent<br />
might find more difference in their business than<br />
we ourselves do.<br />
"There has been, we think, a considerable<br />
increase in the demand for political literature,<br />
and particularly for literature in any way relating<br />
to the question of money during the past six or<br />
eight weeks."<br />
Henry Holt and Co. say: "The sale of books<br />
in general literature has not been as good during<br />
the spring and summer as last year.<br />
"We find that our books on money have sold;<br />
one of them nearly three times as many as last<br />
year, counting from the beginning of January to<br />
date and the same period last year; a work on<br />
wages has increased in sale somewhat during the<br />
same period, whilst another on currency has<br />
increased 50 per cent.<br />
Scribner's Sons write: "The demand for the<br />
kind of books you mention has been increased,<br />
we think, by the political campaign. As a straw<br />
and symptom we inclose a catalogue we have<br />
recently had prepared by Professor Laughlin."<br />
Professor Laughlin is the head of the Political<br />
Economy Department at Chicago University, and<br />
one of the leading authorities of the country.<br />
The fifty books published by the Scribners on<br />
the list made by him, include recent works of<br />
all kinds, short and long, and also standard books<br />
on currency, finance, and banking. A noticeable<br />
thing about the list is that the books are intended<br />
for the general reader ratber than the student,<br />
and that is true in genera\ oi the immense sale<br />
that works on these sm ;ect8 816 IK>,W \ffl»,'m?'<br />
showing how largely ^ yv&Vttn Yu^d OaSs.<br />
Another straw to show X > 0«8 ^s ari^^r3<br />
-eading public, is given V W* etotea. .\«(«<br />
n the list report to CV^^WS<br />
of F. H. Hill, librari^ ^^^Jj*<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 104 (#136) ############################################<br />
<br />
io4 THE AUTHOR.<br />
to show that the proportion of fiction has been<br />
growing less for the past few years. The circula-<br />
tion of books and periodicals during the past<br />
year was greater according to the report than in<br />
any other institution in the world, 2,542,244, an<br />
increase of 52,192 over the preceding year.<br />
The following is the list of books:—English<br />
Prose, Fiction, 489,503; Juvenile Literature,<br />
252,791; History and Biography, 96,703; Geo-<br />
graphy and Travels, 52,694; Sciences and Arts,<br />
89,428; Poetry and Drama, 39,901; Miscel-<br />
laneous, 28,753; Foreign Languages, 123,813.—<br />
Total, 1,173,586.<br />
Next in order is the report from Manchester,<br />
England ; Boston, Mass.; and Birmingham, Eng-<br />
land.<br />
Scribners will publish in the fall " Problems of<br />
American Democracy," by E. L. Godkin, whose<br />
comments and criticisms they already publish. Mr.<br />
Godkin is the editor of the Nation, as well as of the<br />
Evening jPo**,and as an important and picturesque<br />
figure in American journalism he has but one rival,<br />
Charles A. Dana of the Sun. The active courses<br />
of both men are probable nearly over, and this<br />
is likely to be for each the last campaign. Mr.<br />
Dana has represented intelligence of a high order<br />
without moral sympathy, and has steadily opposed<br />
all efforts for political improvement. He has<br />
been a staunch defender of Tammany Hall and<br />
the spoils system, but his paper has kept its place<br />
because it was the best written and keenest of any<br />
in the country. Mr. Godkin has been the inno-<br />
vator of many of the most important improve-<br />
ments made in this country in the last twenty-<br />
five years. His new lx>ok, which contains selec-<br />
tions from his articles, comes at an opportune time<br />
in the present great political interest. It shows<br />
the originality and fearlessness of his mind and of<br />
his style. Norman Hapgood.<br />
REVIEWING.<br />
I.—Si stem and Prejudice.<br />
THE article in your September number is well<br />
chosen. The present system of reviewing<br />
leaves much to be desired. To a great extent<br />
it is a matter of personalities and of cliqueism. A.<br />
has reviewed B.'s book favourably; he meets B.<br />
at dinner, congratulates him on his success, and<br />
hints that he has contributed to it. A., himself<br />
an author, is about to publish a book; B. gets it<br />
from one of his oilices to review, and, mindful of<br />
his friend's favour, he cannot—that is, he does<br />
not wish to—avoid giving a favourable notice in<br />
return. It is with him a moral obligation—or,<br />
say, a moral politeness. Again, it happens that a<br />
man gets a book by his close friend—and he<br />
praises it to the skies. Writers who get hard<br />
things said about them in a certain paper ferret<br />
out the names of its reviewing staff, and take the<br />
opportunity of dealing a return blow when they<br />
think they have their critic's book—very often a<br />
mistaken fancy. We may observe a distinguished<br />
critic " saying things " about this or that review,<br />
and then see the latter journal discovering<br />
absurdities of composition in the reviews of novels<br />
in that critic's own organ.<br />
Not long since a writer in one of the magazines<br />
instanced the case of a prominent reviewer of<br />
books whose batch to the second-hand bookseller<br />
he had seen. He was surprised, knowing the<br />
weighty reviews which appeared from that pen,<br />
to notice how exceedingly sparing with the paper-<br />
knife the critic had been. Reviewing to-day is<br />
monstrously facile. Let me give you a contrast.<br />
One London paper devotes a column to a review<br />
of a book of travel, finds it a "truly delightful"<br />
work, and compliments the writer finally by saying<br />
that while some men who have lectured in<br />
America have made money, others made para-<br />
graphs, and others made silence, this particular<br />
man has made a book. Another London paper<br />
gives seven lines to a notice of the same work.<br />
I reproduce these lines as an instance of the<br />
facile and simple method which requires no read-<br />
ing of the book:<br />
A great deal of talk, very little account of travel, and<br />
both equally uninteresting. The two volumes are egotism<br />
rampant. Bat what can be expected from one who accepts<br />
a lady's hospitality in a foreign country for two days, and<br />
then writes complaining that "she got on oar nerves,"<br />
especially when the lady and her husband are both dead P<br />
As for the question of the wholesale extracts<br />
from any important book, publishers should get<br />
over it, in my opinion, by specifying when they<br />
send out such books a limit of space for extracts<br />
which they wish to be observed. Editors have no<br />
reason to quarrel with publishers, and they would<br />
hardly wish to go in the face of such a request as<br />
I indicate. In some papers the principle of<br />
reviewing has been lost sight of in the obvious<br />
desire to make interesting reading by quoting the<br />
main contents of a book. Will not some publishers<br />
give the Author their views on this subject?<br />
Recently I met a gentleman who was pro-<br />
posing to translate the works of a popular<br />
German writer. But he was fearful of the<br />
reception English critics might give the venture.<br />
"Nothing's done without palm oil," he remarked,<br />
with a significant gesture. I was astounded, and<br />
wondered how on earth he could get such an idea.<br />
On pressing the question I discovered that he had<br />
once been on the selected list of candidates for a<br />
librarianship, and had been told how he could<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 105 (#137) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
ensure getting the post. From what he said it<br />
seemed clear that the man who did get the post<br />
descended to the method suggested. But I<br />
pointed out that this was not a case of literary<br />
criticism, and that no breath of that type of<br />
scant1 al tainted the atmosphere of English<br />
literary circles. As a matter of fact, we have<br />
many fearless, conscientious critics. I have<br />
known such to decline reviewing a work by a<br />
personal great rival whose work he could say<br />
nothing good of, and would not review it on the<br />
ground that it might be he was prejudiced. The<br />
capable, kindly men who can be severe are<br />
wanted; the smart, facile men, to whom the<br />
penning of harsh phrases is little else than a form<br />
of self-indulgence, our journals would be well rid<br />
of. It is for this reason I offer my humble<br />
suggestion for signed reviews in all cases. Let<br />
everybody know who is criticising them. Then<br />
they will know, and the public will know, how<br />
much value to place upon that opinion. To-day,<br />
on the contrary, the merest novice may do dis-<br />
graceful harm to an author, especially to a young<br />
author. It is to be hoped that this subject will<br />
be fully and patiently discussed.<br />
Behind the Scenes.<br />
II.—Educational Criticism.<br />
In the last number of your journal Mr. M.<br />
Boss has pointed out the folly, from a commercial<br />
point of view, of critics who " sneer and carp at<br />
a widely popular author," because his admirers<br />
do not like to see their favourite insulted. Allow<br />
me to supplement this remark by calling attention,<br />
from an ethical point of view, to the injustice and<br />
unfairness so often met with in educational<br />
criticisms.<br />
Writers of fiction are, on the whole, rarely<br />
attacked from sordid motives — from "pro-<br />
fessional envy." The appetite for novel reading<br />
is insatiable, and there is room for all readable<br />
stories. Not so as regards educational books.<br />
The field is more limited, and the use of one book<br />
may preclude the use of a rival publication on<br />
the same subject; hence the great partiality and<br />
the virulence so often to be found in educational<br />
criticisms. The reign of Zoilus seems to be fairly<br />
at an end in all departments of literature, except<br />
in that of education. Some educational authors<br />
certainly pass just verdicts on the works of their<br />
confreres, although they may be rivals; but as<br />
this is not done by all writers of educational<br />
books, the editors of journals should always be on<br />
their guard when they receive from educational<br />
authors carping criticism's, mingled with personal<br />
insults, on the works of their colleagues. I leave<br />
it for another occasion to dilate more fully on<br />
this subject, which should be brought under the<br />
special notice of conductors of journals, but in the<br />
meantime I hope you will find room for these<br />
lines, more especially as your Society has begun<br />
to pay friendly attention to the welfare of educa-<br />
tional writers. An Educational Author.<br />
III.—Bevikwino.<br />
As a reviewer of books, and one who reads<br />
what he reviews, let me enter a protest against<br />
the practice of altering novels between their<br />
serial and their volume form. When we have<br />
read a work month after month in a magazine,<br />
we do not expect to have to read it all over<br />
again for review. Moreover, when the reader<br />
has got in his mind one sequence of events<br />
and has connected them with the character,<br />
it is most confusing to learn that they behaved<br />
quite otherwise, talked differently, and were<br />
moved by unexpected and hitherto unexplained<br />
motives. And the better the book, the more<br />
vexatious is the alteration. One thing, at all<br />
events, we might ask as a right: that the author<br />
should state in a preface the nature and extent of<br />
the changes made. "Critic."<br />
"PRAIRIE__SONQS."<br />
THE "Prairie Songs " are by Hamlin Garland,<br />
and they come from Chicago, where they<br />
were published in the year 1893 by Messrs.<br />
Stone and Kimball. Have they been published<br />
in this country? If so, the present writer has not<br />
seen the English edition. Whether they have<br />
appeared in English dress or not, the present<br />
writer may be pardoned for introducing to his<br />
readers a poet of originality and force if with no<br />
other quality.<br />
The volume is small, containing about a<br />
hundred short poems contained in less than two<br />
hundred pages.<br />
We will let him speak for himself, which is,<br />
after all, the readiest introduction of a poet, and,<br />
in most cases, better than the finest criticism.<br />
The songs are all of the Prairie; one feels the<br />
Prairie through and through, in every page.<br />
Before the close of the volume the reader is filled<br />
with the air, the sunshine, the loneliness, the<br />
terror, of the Prairie.<br />
O wide dun land, where the fierce Buqg sx&\te,<br />
And the wind is a furnace breath,<br />
Where the beautiful sky has a sinister \\<br />
And the earth lies dread and dry as <ie» ^<br />
Where the sod lies scorching and wa^ • Jo*1<br />
And the hot red morning has no bir^Jj,<br />
O songfless sunset land! I close<br />
In sheer despair of thy dim reach—<br />
O level waste! so lone thou art, no x>»<br />
Can tell, no pictures teaqb.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 106 (#138) ############################################<br />
<br />
io6<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
A presence like a ourse! no insects hum—<br />
No chirping crickets' oheery ring—<br />
A white mist-wall of bounding space<br />
Flecked with the swift gull's fluttering,<br />
Alone confronts the asking face!<br />
No tree stands green against the sky—<br />
The hawk swims in the blazing air,<br />
He scarce can find (though keen his eye)<br />
A human heart beat anywhere.<br />
The Prairie is not always the land of drought<br />
and scorching heat:—<br />
O the music abroad in the air,<br />
With the autumn wind sweeping<br />
His hand on the grass, where<br />
The tiniest blade is astir, keeping<br />
Voice in the dim, wide ohoir,<br />
Of the infinite song, the refrain,<br />
The wild, sad wail of the plain!<br />
And there is spring:—<br />
When the hens begin a-squawkin'<br />
An' a-rollin' in the dust;<br />
When the rooster takes to talkin',<br />
An' a-orowin' fit to bust;<br />
When the crows are cawin', flockin'<br />
And the chickling boom and sing,<br />
Then it's spring!<br />
When the roads are jest one mnd-hole<br />
And the worter trioklin' round,<br />
Makes the barn-yard like puddle,<br />
A.n' softens np the ground<br />
Till y'r ankle-deep in worter,<br />
Sayin' words y'r hadn't orter—<br />
When the jay-birds swear an' sing,<br />
Then it's spring!<br />
And here, to conclude this introduction, is the<br />
song called " Growing Old," showing the cheerless,<br />
joyless life of never-endiDg grinding poverty. We<br />
are likely to hear a great deal more—one hopes<br />
—from Mr. Hamlin Garland.<br />
F'r forty years next Easter day,<br />
Him and me in wind and weather<br />
Hare been a-gittin' bent V gray<br />
Moggin' along together.<br />
We're not so very old, of course!<br />
Bnt still, we ain t so awful spry<br />
As when we went to singin'-school<br />
Afoot and 'oross lots, him and I—<br />
And walked back home the longest way—<br />
An' the moon a-shinin' on the snow.<br />
Makin the road as bright as day<br />
An' his voice talkin' low.<br />
Land sakes! Jest hear me talk—<br />
F'r all the world, jest like a girl,<br />
Me—nearly sixty !—Well-a-well!<br />
I was so tall and strong, the curl<br />
In my hair, Sim said, was like<br />
The crinkles in a medder brook,<br />
So brown and bright! but there!<br />
I guess he got it from a book.<br />
His talk in them there days was full<br />
Of jest sech nonsense—Don't you think<br />
I didn't like it, for I did!<br />
I walked along there, glad to drink<br />
His words in like the breath o' life—<br />
Heavens and earth, what fools we women be!<br />
And when he asked me for his wife,<br />
I answered, " Yes," of course, y' see.<br />
An' then come work, and trouble bit—<br />
Not mnch time for love talk then!<br />
We bought a farm and mortgaged it,<br />
And worked and slaved like all possessed<br />
To lift that tumble grindin' weight.<br />
I washed and churned and sewed—<br />
An' childurn come, till we had eight<br />
As han'some babes as ever growed<br />
To walk beside a mother's knee.<br />
They helped me bear it all, y' see.<br />
It ain't been nothin' else but scrnb<br />
An' rub and bake and stew<br />
The hull, hull time, over stove or tub—<br />
No time to rest as men folks do.—<br />
I tell yeh, sometimes I Bit and think<br />
How nice the grave'll be jest<br />
One nice, sweet everlastin' rest!<br />
0 don't look scart! I mean<br />
Jest what I say. Ain't crazy yet.<br />
But it's enough to make me so—<br />
Of course it ain't no use to fret—<br />
Who said it was P It'6 nacherl, though,<br />
But O, if I was only there—<br />
In the past, and young once more—<br />
An' had the crinkles in my hair—<br />
An' arms as round and strong, and side<br />
As it was then!—I'd—I'd—<br />
I'd do it all over again, like a fool,<br />
I s'pose. I'd take the pain<br />
An' work an' worry, babes and all.<br />
1 s'pose things go by some big rule<br />
Of God's own book, but my ol' brain<br />
Can't fix 'um np, so I'll just wait<br />
An' do my duty when it's clear,<br />
An' trust to Him to make it straight. Goodness! noon is almost here,<br />
And there the men come through the gate!<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
SIE EDWIN ARNOLD'S case, concerning<br />
which everybody feels the greatest sym-<br />
pathy for him, should be a warning. When<br />
a poet parts with his copyright the purchaser<br />
buys—what? The right of printing it wherever<br />
he pleases? Certainly. Yet the poet would never<br />
dream of such a right. But Sir Edwin parted<br />
with the copyright: that is, with all rights. The<br />
owner of the property may even use it for adver-<br />
tising purposes if he likes. That is, at least, my<br />
opinion. The poet must therefore stipulate that<br />
the poem is not to be published except in the<br />
accepted meaning of the word—that is, in maga-<br />
zines, in books, in those columns of papers which<br />
contain the news, the reports, the communications.<br />
But not with the advertisements.<br />
There is another point which we want to clear<br />
up. If a man buys the copyright can he alter<br />
the work in any way Y That is, as yet, uncertain,<br />
the case of Lee v. Gibbings having been left un-<br />
decided. Let those, therefore, who part with<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 107 (#139) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
copyright stipulate that no change is to be<br />
made in the text.<br />
I commend general attention to the " New York<br />
Letter" of this number, and the expression of<br />
opinion on the wide success of American maga-<br />
zines compared with our own. The greater<br />
facilities of postage, especially, account for a<br />
great part of their superior circulation. As was<br />
set forth in these columns, if a publisher can<br />
send out a shilling magazine for a penny, he is<br />
obviously in a far better position than if he has<br />
to pay i\d. ■. he is also in a far better position if<br />
his magazine costs a shilling than if it costs nine-<br />
pence. Cannot something be done with our post-<br />
office? It is at all events worth trying. We<br />
greatly desire an increased demand for our<br />
magazines. Cheaper postage: the abolition of<br />
the discount: these two gains would surely bring<br />
about a speedy reformation. Whether illustra-<br />
tions are necessary or not is another question.<br />
Personally, I prefer the unassisted imagination,<br />
except with papers which really want illustration.<br />
But I believe that there is a large class of readers<br />
who cannot have too many pictures.<br />
I also recommend the contribution of the book-<br />
seller on p. 101 of this number. It should lead us<br />
to realise the fact that the bookseller is as impor-<br />
tant a factor in the management of a book as the<br />
author. He is, in fact, indispensable. The man<br />
who creates the book: then the man who distributes<br />
the book to the world: and shows the book: and<br />
calls attention to the book, these are the two who<br />
cannot possibly stand without each other. The<br />
man who goes between saves trouble; but he is<br />
not indispensable. It is, for instance, quite<br />
within the power of authors to create their own<br />
machinery to do the publisher's part. It is also<br />
equally within the power of the booksellers to do<br />
exactly the same thing. There are English writers<br />
in all branches by the hundred, who might quite<br />
fearlessly resolve on creating such machinery.<br />
For instance, in the Athenaeum of Sept. 26 there<br />
are eight pag. s of advertisements of new books<br />
and reprints, not counting the religious aud<br />
scientific books, and among these one can count<br />
without hesitation at least 120 announcements of<br />
books, concerning which it is perfectly certain<br />
that they carry no risk whatever. This is a<br />
point which must be repeated over and over<br />
again. Nothing dies harder than a bad<br />
character, and the general belief about litera-<br />
ture, that the presentation of it to the world<br />
is always risky and generally disastrous, still<br />
lingers and is still encouraged by interested<br />
persons.<br />
The second point to remark is that, above all<br />
things, authors want to be placed on the shelves<br />
and offered, at least, to the public. Unless,<br />
however, it is made worth their while booksellers<br />
simply cannot do this. One or two copies taken<br />
and sold, no more are ordercl, and the book dies.<br />
Surely it is a foolish policy to expect them to be<br />
eager about selling a book for 4.V. 6d. for which<br />
they have to pay 4*. 2d. In the correspondence<br />
on this subject this fact was never denied. "The<br />
policy is, as our bookseller says, a desperate<br />
attempt to grab, and to hold, the lion's share.<br />
It is sometimes argued that the weak point in<br />
the royalty system is that the publisher has to<br />
pay the royalties before his liabibties for produc-<br />
tion are paid. For instance, if a first edition of<br />
3000 costs him .£150; if in six tuonths he sells<br />
only 1200 he has to pay the author—say—/"6o,<br />
together with this £150, and he has only received<br />
£210, so that he has, so far, made nothing for<br />
himself; after that, however, his very large profit<br />
begins. Remember, however, that he does not<br />
bind the whole edition to begin with. I have<br />
sometimes thought that the best plan would be<br />
to deduct the actual cost of production and then<br />
to divide the selling price — say 4.S. 6d.—into<br />
three equal parts, one to author, one to publisher,<br />
and one to bookseller; or into five parts, two to<br />
author, one to publisher, and two to bookseller.<br />
Yet one remembers the half-profit system, and<br />
how it has become a thing suspect and accursed on<br />
account of the voluminous overcharges and secret<br />
profits which disgrace it still in certain quarter-".<br />
Since the recent publication of Mr. Thring's<br />
articles on the consideration of agreements, one<br />
has been brought before the notice of the secre-<br />
tary, in which the publisher, instead of attempt-<br />
ing to charge the 50 per cent, in agency clauses<br />
as was the common practice, pointed out in those<br />
articles, now proposes to hand over to the author<br />
90 pei cent, of the returns, taking the customary<br />
agency fee of 10 per cent. I think it only fair<br />
that this fact should be mentioned. Whether the<br />
change is due to these articles or to the prompt-<br />
ings of conscience does not appear, and need not<br />
be asked.<br />
To me, personally, the book of t\xe season is<br />
Skeat's "Student's Pastime." W^vft one bas<br />
known a man intimately for forty -y^ "Vv"*»<br />
known also the fixed and delilwraWV" 66°* A<br />
life; and has watched the resolute ^VsSV0 a «f°^L&»<br />
that purpose, it is intelligible that ^ ^tfV , \)1 %o^-<br />
may be, to this old friend, the b(Xi\5*~<br />
This, however, is no ordinary bool^ 4^<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 108 (#140) ############################################<br />
<br />
io8<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
there, to begin with, a collection of contributions<br />
made by our best Anglo-Saxon and early English<br />
scholar to literary journals during this long<br />
period. These alone are of the greatest value<br />
and interest. But it contains more. The author<br />
has prefixed certain notes autobiographical. I<br />
should like to have written those notes for him,<br />
because I could say in them what he cannot. I<br />
should then have related how Professor Skeat,<br />
when quite a young man, deliberately resigned<br />
every kind of work by which money can be<br />
made, and chose a line of research in which it<br />
was absolutely impossible to derive any profit of<br />
a pecuniary kind. For thirty years and more<br />
he went on enriching Anglo-Saxon and English<br />
literature with the long-lost treasures of the past.<br />
These treasures, when he began, were received<br />
even by students coldly: it is now acknowledged<br />
that they have caused the history of our litera-<br />
ture, from Beowulf to Lydgate, to be entirely<br />
rewritten. He has received his reward: not only<br />
in the Professorship which he holds: but in the<br />
consciousness of the first position among the<br />
scanty company of English students, and in the<br />
foremost place among living scholars.<br />
Walter Besant.<br />
FROM A PENMAN'S WORKSHOP.<br />
MY destiny pointed with unrelenting finger<br />
to the typewriter. So I began to learn<br />
the machine, and used to practise in the<br />
evening at a school where the use of it was taught.<br />
An employment bureau was attached to this<br />
school, and the notices of available employment<br />
were pinned to a board in the entrance hall. I<br />
did not always spend the evening in front of the<br />
typewriter; it seemed to tap the terrors of<br />
competition into my mind, and I frequently<br />
shirked it. Once I strolled into the school-<br />
building after I had avoided my duty for<br />
four nights running, and on the notice-board I<br />
saw the following announcement: "Wanted,<br />
amanuensis to literary man. Salary, £1 i$s.<br />
per week." That was just the work to which<br />
I aspired, the work for which I had vainly<br />
hoped—and the announcement was three days<br />
old already. I thought of the competition with<br />
a shudder as I walked into the employment<br />
manager's office.<br />
"I don't know whether the place is filled,"<br />
said the manager. "We have sent several people<br />
down. He wants—let me see his letter—he<br />
wants someonp who has had experience in the<br />
atelier of an English literary man. Have you<br />
that qualification r"<br />
I had not. The words "experience in the<br />
atelier" struck me as odd.<br />
Hope dies hard, and I wrote to the literary<br />
man who wanted an amanuensis. He replied<br />
that the place was taken; but he noted my<br />
acquirements, and if he were not well suited he<br />
would revert to my application. Hope became<br />
comatose. But it seemed that the popular author<br />
had not been well suited, and in a few days he<br />
wrote to me again, with a request that I would<br />
call upon him. Of course I called.<br />
"I have to deliver a plot," he observed, " the<br />
plot of a story. I don't know anything about it<br />
yet. I have to deliver it to-morrow."<br />
I was raw to the me'tier, and found nothing<br />
better to say in response than "Oh!"<br />
He seemed to hesitate for awhile; then he said,<br />
"Come upstairs." So I followed him to his<br />
workroom. It was very plainly furnished ; nothing<br />
found a place there but the tools and a few photo-<br />
graphs.<br />
He walked up and down for a few minutes,<br />
wrapped in meditation. Then he cried of a<br />
sudden, "Take your pen and write."<br />
I took my pen and soon my shorthand abilities<br />
were taxed to keep pace with current literature—<br />
current with a vengeance. My stupor increased<br />
as we proceeded, and did not expedite my pen.<br />
"Is this what sells?" I ask myself. "Is this<br />
what some some large class of people buys and<br />
reads?"<br />
For we were with the army of a first-class<br />
Continental power, and we were in the middle of<br />
the present century; yet side by side with the<br />
captain of a company in action appeared our<br />
English hero—and he was arrayed in no kipi, in<br />
no pan talon g aranee, but in a straw hat and in<br />
flannels; in one hand he bore a sword—for which,<br />
by the way, he had no scabbard—and in the<br />
other hand a pistol. Both "reeked." Soon we<br />
were introduced to a hybrid villain advanced in<br />
years, and to the beautiful young orphan, heiress<br />
to large estates and untold wealth, whom he had<br />
abducted in childhood; thus she was ignorant of<br />
her real English name and legitimate English<br />
status.<br />
"Does a responsible, known author dictate<br />
this?" I asked myself. "Well, he will find no<br />
conceivable editor or publisher to pay him for<br />
it."<br />
We finished an instalment of six thousand<br />
words (I think), and at the end of it the hero,<br />
accompanied by the French captain, had forced<br />
his way over heaped corpses into the presence of<br />
the villain; and the villain had fired a mine of<br />
powder prepared beneath his sitting-room, and<br />
had blown all the principal characters in the story<br />
through the roof, except the heroine, who had<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 109 (#141) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
109<br />
fled through the window in the nick of time. It<br />
is needless to add that the hero survived this<br />
treatment.<br />
"There!" said the literary man to his wife,<br />
when we were at supper, for the work kept us<br />
late, and he had kindly invited me to his table,<br />
"I haven't given him a plot, but I've got an in-<br />
stalment to take him, a whole instalment."<br />
The word "him" referred to the proposed<br />
editor.<br />
Then he turned to me and said, laughing, "I<br />
don't know what the plot will be yet."<br />
Well, my anticipations proved to be groundless;<br />
that story sold, and it sold well, and the book-<br />
rights were worth something after the serial pub-<br />
lication was completed.<br />
And before the story was ended I learned a<br />
rule of the workshop. The literary man had a<br />
valuable knack. He began the tale with some-<br />
thing that caught the reader's attention; he<br />
wove a story round that incident; he "kept on<br />
telling the story " (I quote him); and he always<br />
remained in touch with that central interest on<br />
which he had fixed the reader's attention.<br />
These methods do not show the application of<br />
principles of art, but they are worth knowing—<br />
at least they were very well worth knowing in<br />
his case. G. B.<br />
LOOSE ENGLISH.<br />
fl^HE question, often discussed in the Author<br />
I and elsewhere, as to whether our noble<br />
language would be seriously benefited by<br />
the establishment of a Royal Literary Association<br />
(of the nature of the French Academy) involves<br />
two distinct questions.<br />
The general consensus of opinion as to the<br />
futility of expecting any great and durable l>enefit<br />
to English letters from the constitution of such<br />
an authority derives support from French expe-<br />
rience. From the days of Richelieu downwards the<br />
Academy has failed to capture some of the<br />
greatest literary artists ; it has hardly engendered<br />
any important production; it has never even<br />
carried much weight in the pedantic province to<br />
which its operation has been chiefly confined.<br />
Pascal, La Bruyere, Boileau, Molicre, Rousseau,<br />
the Guncourts, Flaubert, Daudet, Zola, are names<br />
which shine by their absence from the lists of<br />
membership; such a self-made master as Littre<br />
repudiates the Academy's judgment on many<br />
points of grammar and orthography ; Prof. Saints-<br />
bury answers us that the purity of the French<br />
tongue has not been preserved. "The language<br />
and literature have been flooded with new words,<br />
new forms of speech, new ideas, new models."<br />
(" Short History of French Literature," 2nd edit.,<br />
p. 508.)<br />
Such changes, so far as they are required by<br />
new methods of living and scientific progress are<br />
not only deserving of discouragement, but cannot<br />
in the long run be anyhow discouraged. But<br />
there are other innovations, which may be more<br />
deplorable and may admit of correction (if<br />
opposed in time) without the cumbrous and<br />
uncertain machinery of Academies. The develop-<br />
ment of Democracy and diffusion of primary<br />
education tend to the production of vulgar neolo-<br />
gisms of which we may cull a few samples as we<br />
go-<br />
Some of these are of the nature of what are<br />
called '"Americanisms." Many of the best<br />
American authors use a style which is admirable<br />
for flexible strength and musical modulation;<br />
but certain locutions, taken from high-class trans-<br />
atlantic periodicals, will be recoguised by a little<br />
trained observation. For instance:<br />
"Back of," instead of behind; surely unneces-<br />
sary as a substitution. The same may be said of<br />
"around," used as a preposition. "Round the<br />
mahogany tree," sings Thackeray, and it is<br />
enough. Why spoil the metre, no less than the<br />
grammar, by employing a dissyllable which is an<br />
adverb; and, in good English, intransitive? As<br />
for neuter verbs, a constant mistake is to give<br />
them an active meaning. In a recent tale by so<br />
distinguished a writer as Mark Twain, an edu-<br />
cated man is represented as saying, "Nothing<br />
shall swerve me," meaning make me swerve.<br />
This is worse than the feminine "I did not<br />
trouble to go," when Lindley Murray—himself<br />
a native of Pennsylvania—would demand the full<br />
trouble myself. Another uncalled-for practice<br />
is the employment of substantives as verbs; "to<br />
mail a letter" is perhaps not worse than to post<br />
a letter; but what conceivable excuse can there<br />
be for saying, "He loaned me a hatchet?" The<br />
word "to advocate" may perhaps be cited, but<br />
it must be remembered that there was no exact<br />
verb at hand; whilst in the other case that is not<br />
so, "loan" being an established substantive of<br />
which the verb is " to lend."<br />
Some neologisms are common to both sides of<br />
the Atlantic. One can hardly take up a London<br />
paper without seeing such a sentence as<br />
"The<br />
man whom we see did this . . "-where a.<br />
small expansion would show the t^or.<br />
who did this, as we see ;" that is , tf^*6- \»<br />
actual meaning. Another palp^KA^ JwS*1^^<br />
the phrase "Santa Claus" lor<br />
gift-bringer. The proper wor<J. -vv^ «!*•"<br />
las; for a male saint could ^ W ^ ^f^V^<br />
Then, again, why do we fiud" x^^X^ \jl<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 110 (#142) ############################################<br />
<br />
1 IO<br />
THE AtlTHOU.<br />
I>eeuuiary is the right word? Moneta is a mint;<br />
and the adjective should be kept for use when we<br />
mean things of coinage or currency. All these<br />
appear gratuitous corruptions of the idiom of<br />
Shakspere, Addison, Washington Irving, and<br />
Macaulay; things that could be perhaps even<br />
now repressed by concurrent vigilance on the<br />
part of accepted authors. H. G. Keene.<br />
Brussels, August, 1896.<br />
WHEN I AM GONE!<br />
When I am gone far—very far away<br />
Beyond the glory of the dying day,<br />
Oh! let there be no pageantry of woe;<br />
No hideous hearse—no mourners moving slow.<br />
But let me to my pleasant conch be borne<br />
By comrades in the golden light of morn,<br />
Looking my last npon the soft bine sky<br />
With blythe birds singing as they bear me by!<br />
No leaden bier for me,<br />
But let my coffin be<br />
Fashioned of flowers from the greenwood wild;<br />
Then, in some corner green.<br />
Where violets bloom unseen,<br />
Lay me to rest like some poor weary child!<br />
II.<br />
When I am gone beyond the evening star,<br />
And sweet church bells from villages afar<br />
Are faintly pealing in the balmy night<br />
Of leafy June—then, in the fading light,<br />
Oh! give one thonght in some dim brambled dell<br />
To him who loved that fairy music well!<br />
One thought to him who nevermore will roam<br />
In twilight woods till darkness calls him home!<br />
But never weep for me,<br />
As haply I shall be<br />
Where restless souls at last are lulled to rest!<br />
No pang or doubt again<br />
Shall rack this fevered brain,<br />
When Mother Earth has clasped me to her breast!<br />
in.<br />
When day his course has run,<br />
And with the setting sun,<br />
Four daily cares have also found an ond,<br />
In the deep hnsh that steals<br />
Across the darkening fields,<br />
Kemember then your fond yet faulty friend.<br />
But shed no tears—the violets blue<br />
May weep for me in tears of dew,<br />
I loved them so in my past earthly days!<br />
The birds may miss me in the glen,<br />
And trembling blooms unseen by men<br />
May mourn me in the dewy tangled ways.<br />
F. B. Dovkton.<br />
Okehampton, Devon.<br />
BOOK TALE.<br />
THIS month will witness the appearance of<br />
the Progressive Review, a new shilling<br />
monthly, to be edited by Mr. J. A. Hobson<br />
and Mr. William Ciarke. It is intended to apjjeal<br />
specially to the thinking class of workmen, and<br />
trade union or co-operative society members.<br />
Consisting of 100 pages, and priced is., it will<br />
provide in each number some half-dozen articles,<br />
rather shorter than the ordinary review article.<br />
Sir Charles Dilke will contribute to the opening<br />
issue, and Mr. Edward Carpenter will have an<br />
article on "Democracy and Art." The publishers<br />
are Messrs. Horace Marshall and Son.<br />
The novels by the author of " John Westacott"<br />
having run out of print, are all to be reissued in<br />
a uniform edition, at a popular price, by Messrs.<br />
Chapmau and Hall. "John Westacott' will<br />
start the series, and during the season a new<br />
historical fifteenth century romance by Mr. James<br />
Baker will be issued by the same firm. Mr.<br />
Baker's lecture on Egypt, which was so success-<br />
ful last year at the Imperial Institute, will be<br />
given before the Aberdeen Philosophical Society<br />
in November, as well as before other lecture<br />
societies during the winter months.<br />
Mr. F. B. Doveton has made a selection of ton<br />
essays from his "Fisherman's Fancies," and has<br />
issued them in cheap form, viz., a sixpenny little<br />
volume called "Delightful Devon." The poem<br />
by him published in another column reminds us<br />
that "Q." in the Speaker calls Mr. Doveton " one<br />
of the sweetest of Devon singers now alive."<br />
The most notable publication of any kind<br />
within the last few weeks has been the first of<br />
two volumes of the Travels of His Imperial<br />
Majesty the Tsar in the East (1890-91), when<br />
Cesarewitch. Messrs. Archibald Constable and<br />
Co. have the distinction of publishing this large<br />
work, which is finely illustrated. It is written<br />
by a ltussian Prince, and edited by Sir George<br />
Birdwood.<br />
Mr. Crockett's story, which has l>een appearing<br />
in the Graphic, entitled " 1 he Grey Man," will<br />
be published immediately. There will also be an<br />
Edition dc luxe, with illustrations by Mr. Lucas.<br />
The long-announced novel by Mrs. Craigie<br />
(John Oliver Hobbes), entitled "The Herb<br />
Moon," will be published this autumn by Mr.<br />
Unwin. This publisher also announces a volume<br />
of literary criticisms by Mr. Zangwill.<br />
Mrs. Henry Norman (Mi'nie Muriel Dowie) is<br />
the writer of the first volume of short stories in<br />
a new scries which Mr. Lane is inaugurating.<br />
The title of Mrs. Norman's volume is that of the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 111 (#143) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
leading story in it, namely, " The Hmt o' Hairst"<br />
—title suggested by a line from the Scottish poet<br />
Ainslie. Among other contributors of volume.-:<br />
to this series will be R. V. Risley and Mrs.<br />
Murray Hickson.<br />
Mr. Barrie's story of child life, "Sentimental<br />
Tommy," which ran serially in Scribner's, will<br />
be published early this autumn by Messrs. Cassell.<br />
A cycling romance by Mr. H. G. Wells is very<br />
shortly to be published by Messrs. Dent, entitled<br />
"The Wheels of Chance.'*'<br />
Mr. Louis Becke has written another story of<br />
the South Seas for publication in Mr. Fisher<br />
Unwin's Century Library under the title "His<br />
Native Wife."<br />
Mr. Guy Boothby's story "Dr. Nikola," and<br />
Mr. Arthur Morrison's "Adventures of Martin<br />
Hewitt," both of which have run in the Windsor<br />
Magazine, are announced by Messrs. Ward,<br />
Lock, and Co.<br />
Mr. H. D. Lowry has now ventured into a long<br />
story, which will be issued soon by Messrs. Bliss,<br />
Sands, and Co., entitled " A Man of Moods."<br />
Mrs. Mannington Caffyn, author of "The<br />
Yellow Aster," has written a new story entitled<br />
"A Quaker Grandmother," which Messrs.<br />
Hutchinson will issue immediately.<br />
The following volumes of fiction will appear in<br />
Mr. Lane's "Kevnote" series: "Maris Stella,"<br />
by Miss Marie Clothilde Balfour; "Ugly Idol,"<br />
bv Mr. Claud Nicholson; " Shapes in the Fire,"<br />
by Mr. M. P. Shiel; "Kakemonos," by Mr. W.<br />
Carlton Dawe; "God's Failures," by Mr. J. S.<br />
Fletcher; "A Deliverance," by Mr. Allan Monk-<br />
house; "Mere Sentiment," by Mr. A. J. Dawson.<br />
A three-volume novel by Miss Brooke, author<br />
of the "Superfluous Woman," is about to be<br />
published by Mr. Heinemann. The title is " Life<br />
the Accuser."<br />
Mr. G. A. Henty has a three-volume novel,<br />
entitled "The Queen's Cup," in the hands of<br />
Messrs. Chatto and Windus for early publication.<br />
During the autumn Messrs. Henry will publish<br />
the following new novels: "The Passion for<br />
Romance," by Edgar Jepson; "The Tides Ebb<br />
Out to the Sea," by "Hugh Langley ;" and<br />
"Lady Levallion," by George Widdrington.<br />
Mr. Clark Russell will add to his sea-stories<br />
this autumn with "What Cheer!" The scenes<br />
are laid in Deal. Mr. J. A. Barry will also have<br />
a volume of tales of the sea entitled "In the<br />
Green Deep."<br />
Mr. Hardy is including "The Pursuit of the<br />
Well-Beloved" in the collected edition of his<br />
works, the issue of which is now almost complete.<br />
Mr. L. F. Austin has put together a volume of<br />
his essays, which will be published at once by<br />
Messrs. Ward and Lock, under the title, " At<br />
Random: Recollections of Literary Men."<br />
Mr. S. J. Stone, who was deputy inspector-<br />
general of police in the N.W. Provinces of India,<br />
has written a record of his sporting and explor-<br />
ing expeditions, some of which were to practically<br />
unknown country. The volume will be called<br />
"In and beyond the Himalayas," and Mr. Edward<br />
Arnold will publish it.<br />
Sir James Ramsay has written a "History of<br />
England to theDe ithof Stephen," which Messrs.<br />
Swan Sonnenschein will publish.<br />
Professor Max Muller, Dr. Garnett, Mr. F. E.<br />
Baines, and Sir Hugh Gilzean Reid, are among the<br />
writers of a book, to be called "The Civilisation<br />
of Our Day," which Messrs. Sampson Low will<br />
publish. It will consist of twenty-five essays,<br />
relating and sketching the progress in all depart-<br />
ments during this century. Mr. James Sainuel-<br />
son is editor.<br />
Another autobiography which may be expected<br />
soon is that of Sir Richard Temple. It will be in<br />
two volumes, published by Messrs. Cassell.<br />
Mr. Aubrey de Vere's reminiscences of the last<br />
fifty years will be published shortly by Mr.<br />
Arnold.<br />
Mr. Arthur Dasent is engaged on a work to be<br />
called " Through the Heart, of Mayfair." It will<br />
appear next year, from Messrs. Macmillan's, as a<br />
companion volume to the ajthor's "History of<br />
St. James's Square."<br />
"Annals of the Norfolk and Norwich Musical<br />
Festival" is a work written at intervals during<br />
the last three years bv Mr. Robin H. Legge,<br />
assisted by Mr. W. E. Hansell, which will be<br />
ready in time for the approaching Norwich<br />
Triennial Musical Festival. Messrs. Jarrold are<br />
the publishers.<br />
Mr. J. T. Cunningham, M.A., is the author of a<br />
book about to be published under the auspices of<br />
the Marine Biological Association, on the natural<br />
history of commercially valuable sea-fishes. The<br />
work is in the press, and will be published by<br />
Messrs. Macmillan.<br />
Sir Edwin Arnold has translated for the first<br />
time—as a holiday task—a very old Sanskrit love<br />
poem, which is about to be publisfo^A ^es8rt?-<br />
Kegan Paul and Co. A novelty tbe<br />
cation, which is to be called" \ ind"**^ ^°"'e<br />
Lament," is that it will be i^T^ \<br />
facsimile of Sir Edwin's marv^^v^<br />
fanciful illuminations bv him i x^^i-t^ ^<br />
Mrs. Mevnell has written a Vi-V"*"^!^ '"W ^<br />
entitled "The Darling Yo*i»g.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 112 (#144) ############################################<br />
<br />
1 I 2<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
lished by Mr. John Lane. From the Bodley<br />
Head publishing house there will also appear<br />
shortly, "The Quest of the Golden Head," by<br />
Mr. Le Gallienne," and " The Battle of the Bays,"<br />
by Mr. Oscar Seaman.<br />
Mr. W. J. Stillman is engaged on an art<br />
volume entitled "Venus and Apollo in Painting<br />
and Sculpture," which will contain eighty-one<br />
large-sized photogravures of works by the most<br />
celebrated of the old masters. The only modern<br />
example will be a Burne-Jones, the original of<br />
which belongs to the editor. Messrs. Bliss,<br />
Sands, and Co. are to publish the book towards<br />
the end of the year.<br />
Following their " Temple " Shakespeare, Messrs.<br />
Dent are about to publish a series of "Temple"<br />
dramatists, and another of "Temple" classics.<br />
Mr. Israel Gollancz will edit these new series also.<br />
Mr. Kipling's volume of poems, " The Seven<br />
Seas," is expected to be in the hands of the book-<br />
sellers within a month from this date. The pub-<br />
lishers, Messrs. Methuen, have also a volume of<br />
vprse by Mr. A. T. Quiller-Couch.<br />
A volume of verse by Mr. Theodore Watts-<br />
Dunton will be published this autumn by Mr.<br />
John Lane. Many of the poems have appeared<br />
in the Athenmim. The same publisher will also<br />
issue a volume of " New Ballads" by Mr. John<br />
Davidson, a new volume of poems by Mr. A. C.<br />
Benson, and another volume of poems, illustrated,<br />
by Mr. Lawrence Housman.<br />
Mr. John Farmer is engaged upon a volume of<br />
"Songs for Soldiers and Sailors," selected from<br />
among the best English ballads.<br />
Sir George Robertson, British Agent at Gilgit,<br />
has written an account of his experience in<br />
Kafirstan, entitled "The Kaffirs of the Hindu<br />
Kush." It will be illustrated by Mr. A. D.<br />
McCormick. and published by Messrs. Lawrence<br />
and Bulleu.<br />
Mr. George Du Maurier has lately been occu-<br />
pied on a number of original drawings for a new<br />
book by Mr. Felix Moscheles entitled "In<br />
Bohemia with Du Maurier," which Mr. Fisher<br />
Unwin is about to publish.<br />
Mrs. K. L. Parker has collected and retold in<br />
English a number of "Australian Legendary<br />
Tales," which will be published in one volume<br />
under that title by Mr. Nutt. The author lived<br />
for over twenty years among the few remaining<br />
members of the Noongahburrah tribe in inner<br />
New South Wales. There will be illustrations in<br />
the book by a native artist, and a glossary of<br />
native words will be provided.<br />
Miss Francis Armstrong, author of "A Fair<br />
Claimant, &c, will publish in October a new story<br />
in one volume entitled " A Girl's Loyalty, price 5s.<br />
(Messrs. Blackie.)<br />
Mr. John Robert Robinson, author of "The<br />
Princely Chandos," "The Last Earls of Barry-<br />
more," " Old Q.," &c, has completed a biography<br />
of Philip Duke of Wharton. It will be published,<br />
among the autumn books by Messrs. Sampson<br />
Low and Co.<br />
Mr. J. W. Oddie, M.A., Fellow of Corpus<br />
Christi, Oxford, will publish immediately a<br />
volume of translations entitled " Choice Poems of<br />
Heinrich Heine" (Messrs. Macmillan and Co.).<br />
In these translations an effort has been made<br />
to combine almost literal faithfulness to their<br />
originals, with a thoroughly poetic rendering of<br />
most of the best pieces of the great German song<br />
writer. In addition to many gems from the<br />
"Buch der Lieder," there are included several of<br />
the later poems, which have seldom been trans-<br />
lated, such as the wonderful fourteenth chapter<br />
of "Deutschland," and the terrible "Spanische<br />
Atride."<br />
Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales has<br />
accepted a copy of Mr. Arthur Lee Knight's book<br />
for children, "The Adventures of a Gunroom<br />
Monkey."<br />
LITERATURE IN THE PERIODICALS.<br />
[This precis is compiled up to the 26th of each month.<br />
All publications should reach the office of the Author by<br />
the 25th at the latest.]<br />
The Question of Reviewing. Leading article in<br />
Publishers' CircuUir for Sept. 12.<br />
Booksellers as Literary Censors. Bookseller for<br />
Sept. 4.<br />
Booksellers and Publishers. Paragraph in<br />
Athenseum for Aug. 29; Mr. Longman's letter in Athenmum<br />
for Sept. 5; Letters of Mr. S. E. WiUon and Mr. Alfred<br />
Wilson in Bookseller for Sept. 4; Letter of Mr. E. W.<br />
Humphries in Publishers' Circular for Sept. 5; Letter of<br />
Mr. James P. Britten in Publishers' Circular for Sept. 19;<br />
and leading article in last-mentioned paper.<br />
Minor Poets. Monthly Packet for September.<br />
Teaching the Spirit of Literature. W. P. Trent.<br />
Atlantic Monthly for September.<br />
The English Language. Frank GiUett. Idler for<br />
September.<br />
The Story of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Charles Dudley<br />
Warner. Atlantic Monthly for September.<br />
The Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Richard<br />
Burton. Century for September.<br />
Edmond de Goncourt. Yetta Blaze de Bury. Fort ■<br />
nightly Review for September.<br />
Library Association. Report of Annual Meeting at<br />
Buxton. Athenamm for Sept. 5 and 12.<br />
English and Americans in French Fiction.<br />
Andrew de Tcrnant. Gentleman's Magazine (or September.<br />
Literary and Numismatic Sales of 1896. Times for<br />
Sept. 8.<br />
A New Well of Literature. Speaker for Sept. 19.<br />
Goldsmith's Conversation. Speaker for Sept. 19.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 113 (#145) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Mors Reflections of a Schoolmaster: Waverley<br />
and the Iliad. Blackwood's Magazine for September.<br />
M. Paul Hervieu. Hannah Lynch. Fortnightly<br />
Review for October.<br />
H. C. Bunner. Brander Matthews. Scribner's Maga-<br />
zine for September.<br />
Dante Gabriel Bossetti. Janet Harper. Westminster<br />
Review for September.<br />
"A Literary Outrage." Letters of Sir Edwin Arnold<br />
in Times for Sept. 24 and 25, and Times' comment on<br />
former date.<br />
Notable Reviews.<br />
Of G. Thorn Drury's edition of the Poems of John Keats.<br />
Athenseum for Sept. 12.<br />
Of Mrs. Alexander's Poems. (Hymns v. Poetry.) Daily<br />
Chronicle for Aug. 26.<br />
Of Mrs. Humphry Ward's "Sir George Tressady.''<br />
W. L. Courtney. Daily Telegraph for Sept. 25.<br />
Sir Edwin Arnold was naturally surprised and<br />
indignant to find a poem -which he had written,<br />
on the subject of the Queen's reign, for a monthly<br />
magazine, reprinted on the morning of the 23rd.<br />
ult. in the middle of a page advertisement in the<br />
newspapers, *' in intimate connection of manner,<br />
type, and place with advertisements of bovril,<br />
patent medicines, and other articles useful, but<br />
not in any way connected with the august subject<br />
of the poem." The Times, however, had made<br />
inquiries before accepting the advertisement, and<br />
the advertisement agent produced the correspon-<br />
dence. "Of course," the latter had written, "it<br />
is understood that, as I mentioned in my previous<br />
letter, on receiving your poem and paying you<br />
cash your price, I become the absolute proprietor<br />
of the copyright of this poem, and I am at liberty<br />
to use it as I like, whenever and wherever Hike."<br />
To this Sir Edwin Arnold had replied: "I accept<br />
in full the conditions which you attach to this<br />
payment." In his rejoinder in the Times, Sir<br />
Edwin states that, in this acceptance, he never<br />
heard and never dreamed of any advertising<br />
element.<br />
It is a difficult question, says the Publishers'<br />
Circular, to say what are the proper limits of<br />
quotation in reviews, inasmuch as no hard and<br />
fast lines can be drawn for the guidance of the<br />
reviewer. The writer is discussing the matter<br />
it propos the article in the Author last month,<br />
which suggested that the whole question of<br />
reviewing ought to be taken up by the Society of<br />
Authors, either in conjunction with the Society of<br />
Publishers or separately. "There can be no<br />
question whatever," our contemporary proceeds,<br />
"that long quotations tend to damage the<br />
fortunes of a book." Indeed, "it is well known<br />
that many brilliant people derive almost their<br />
entire knowledge of current literature from<br />
extracts in so-called reviews." How, then, to stop<br />
the evil?<br />
Most editors leave reviewing wholly to subordinates; but<br />
if their attention were drawn to the abuses of which the<br />
writer in the Author complains, not without cause, we feel<br />
sure that reform would follow.<br />
And on the general question, after allowing<br />
that as a rule reviewers do their work "with<br />
intelligence and judgment," the Publishers'<br />
Circular concludes as follows:<br />
Reviews, it is sometimes said, have not the influence they<br />
onoe had. Perhaps not. But in one respect, if in one<br />
only, their power seems to us to be increasing; if they are<br />
no longer potent to help, they are, when unfairly done<br />
potent to hinder. So far the contributor to the Author is<br />
unquestionably right.<br />
The cry of the booksellers goes up to the pub-<br />
lishers. "The latter, however," says Mr. Britten,<br />
"like the Great Powers of Europe, stand by and<br />
watch the massacre, apparently too much dis-<br />
tracted to agree to an effectual remedy." It is<br />
the discount system that is complained of prin-<br />
cipally, but there is also a feeling against the<br />
interference of drapery and other stores with the<br />
trade. On this latter point, to take it first, the<br />
Publishers'1 Circular remarks as follows:<br />
Is a man who adds a book department to his drapery or<br />
his grocery business to be excluded from the magic oircle<br />
because he happens to be a draper or a grocer, as well as a<br />
seller of books? A unanimous answer to that qnestion<br />
would do much to restore the peace, if not the prosperity,<br />
of the trade. But for complete unanimity we are likely to<br />
hare some time to wait.<br />
Mr. Alfred Wilson and Mr. E. W. Humphries<br />
suggest that as the leading tobacco manufacturers<br />
have recently laid down the law that merchants<br />
who sell their goods under the published prices<br />
will, after a certain date, not be supplied, so pub-<br />
Ushers should act in regard to booksellers who<br />
undersell.<br />
The Athenseum a few weeks ago inquired<br />
what the use of the Publishers' Association<br />
was, seeing that it had declined to discuss two<br />
proposals for amendment made by the Associated<br />
Booksellers, and had said with regard to a third<br />
that it was a matter for the individual publisher<br />
to decide.<br />
Mr. C. J. Longmau, Chairman of the Pub-<br />
Ushers' Association, replied to the Athenseum to<br />
say that it had omitted the most important part<br />
of the proposal, namely, that in reference to the<br />
first and second points "steps should be taken<br />
to enforce them." These points, it may be<br />
recalled, were (1) "that all books published at<br />
net prices be sold at the fuU price," and (2)<br />
"that no greater discount than 25 per cent, be<br />
allowed upon books published on the old terms,<br />
and that steps be taken to enforce both these<br />
regulations." Mr. Longman continued. •<br />
The only suggestion made for enforcing the% te8a^a't*0nft<br />
involved coercion or boycotting in some t0>.^ «AVt>***<br />
this that the oouncil of the Publishers' ^0.*etCe<br />
not willing to discuss. The general qu^f^tji* v\ °0^:<br />
up again before the Publishers' Associatio^***^ ^<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 114 (#146) ############################################<br />
<br />
ii4<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
and no doubt before the Booksellers' Association also, and<br />
Bhonld any feasible solution be found, it will be welcomed<br />
by the publishers no less than by the booksellers themselves.<br />
Mr. Alfred Wilson states, however, that<br />
Messrs. Longmans on one occasion refused to<br />
supply him with a book unless he promised not<br />
to let a certain firm have copies of it. This corre-<br />
spondent adds:<br />
The system by which high-priced books are credited by<br />
publishers to the authors twenty-five as twenty-four, though<br />
not a retail bookseller in the oountry is able to avail himself<br />
of the odd copy offered in mockery, is hardly an honest one,<br />
and if the publishers could see their way to allow the book-<br />
sellers that 4 per cent, on single copies, an advantage would<br />
be 'given us which would re-act to the benefit of the<br />
publishers in the long run.<br />
Mr. S. R. Wilson says bookselling has de-<br />
generated to the huckster's barrow, and recom-<br />
mends his country friends to stand aloof and let<br />
the publishers sell tbeir books themselves.<br />
Meanwhile the Publishers' Circular asks book-<br />
sellers not to expect the impossible, and reminds<br />
them that the interests of publisher and book-<br />
seller are indissolubly bound together.<br />
On the subject of booksellers as censors of<br />
literature, referred to in this column last month<br />
in connection with the action of Messrs. Smith<br />
withdrawing a certain novel from their stalls, the<br />
Bookseller does not suppose that either side would<br />
always carry out their contention to its logical,<br />
for, after all, booksellers are men of business first,<br />
and they will always in these doubtful cases act<br />
as they think will be best for their business<br />
reputation in the long run.<br />
COBBESPONDENCE.<br />
I.—The First Book.<br />
IQUITE agree with the editor that an author<br />
is lucky if he gets his first book taken on<br />
any terms, provided that he is not obliged<br />
to pay for its production.<br />
I have just experienced this "luck," having<br />
parted with all rights of a short novel for a small<br />
sum. I had thoughts of submitting the proposal<br />
to the secretary before accepting, but, on second<br />
thoughts, decided it was not necessary, the offer<br />
coming from a well-known man of letters, and one<br />
of the leading houses. I do not think many new<br />
writers are in a position to do as the editor advises,<br />
namely, to print their first book themselves; for<br />
these nothing remains but to write on and submit<br />
their stories till success comes; this is what I<br />
have had to do, and it has taken years, but I do<br />
not think my fortune is made yet.<br />
Alan Oscar.<br />
[Note.—My own experience in printing at my<br />
own exj>en.se was related as an example to those<br />
who are willing to take the risk of a first book.<br />
By this method one at least avoids the common<br />
overcharges of paying for production.—Ed.]<br />
II.—Royalty on First Books.<br />
As both you and Mr. Moncure Conway ask for<br />
au instance where an English author has obtained<br />
gradually increasing payments for successive<br />
editions of a "first book," and as it seems fair<br />
that publishers, when liberal, should have the<br />
credit of it, I may mention a case where I con-<br />
ducted the arrangements with Messrs. Blackwood<br />
on the above footing. The author received ,£50<br />
for the first edition, and was paid on a gradually<br />
rising scale for each successive edition, until the<br />
royalty reached 2 5 per cent of the published price<br />
(counting thirteen as twelve), and has remained<br />
at that rate for the last six editions. The sales<br />
in this country havf exceeded 14,000 copies; in<br />
America about half that number (for which the<br />
author has received about .£75 in spite of the<br />
Copyright Act); and about 5000 in the Colonies.<br />
The author's total receipts have considerably<br />
exceeded £1000, and the book is still selling, so<br />
that I doubt not that the publishers, have done<br />
very well tod.<br />
The arrangement was an entirely business one,<br />
as I was a complete stranger to Messrs. Black-<br />
wood, and they were unaware of the name of the<br />
author (who had never published anything before)<br />
for some time after publication.<br />
Sept. 14. in A Member.<br />
III.—Our Brains.<br />
The practice which prevails amongst certain<br />
journals of appropriating gratis or at the<br />
meanest possible figure, all they can lay their<br />
hands upon, has of late been severely condemned<br />
in the columns of the A uthor. A system equally<br />
unfair is that whereby contributions are utilised<br />
for the purpose of elaborating more or less viva-<br />
cious paragraphs without our receiving a cent of<br />
recompense. Surely he, or she, who supplies<br />
stock for the editorial stewpan deserves a share<br />
of its nutrition? Many papers thrive exceedingly<br />
upon this inglorious method of brain-sucking.<br />
Their defence is that it is necessary to manipu-<br />
late the substance by deft hands into a shape<br />
which shall be palatable to the particular organ's<br />
clientele. That is a very convenient excuse for<br />
paying nobody, and is altogether unsound. One is<br />
reluctant to price such wares straight off, trusting<br />
to mutual consideration and courtesy. And this<br />
is only too often all the reward we get for our<br />
confidence!<br />
Does not my complaint apply also in a degree to<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 115 (#147) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
"letters to the editor?" A writer may chance to<br />
initiate a correspondence which proves quite a<br />
godsend to some newspaper in want of a fillip.<br />
But recognition, save that of private glory,<br />
rarely comes his way. As the topic has, in all<br />
probability, been launched anonymously, he does<br />
not even enjoy the benefit of an advertisement.<br />
Cecil Clarke.<br />
Author's Club, S.W. Sept. 19, 1896.<br />
IV.—Monsters in Fiction.<br />
Your contributor, D. F. Hannigan, raises a<br />
question about monsters, and regards the problem<br />
of monstrosity as one which has not yet been<br />
solved: "Perhaps the time is at hand when we<br />
shall find literature assisting science in throwing<br />
light on the question." The paper is concerning<br />
monsters in fiction, and assumes that the centaur<br />
and the man-bull are fabulous creations of a<br />
luxuriant imagination. This is no doubt the<br />
general impression; but may not the monsters of<br />
mythology have been symbolical of ideas and<br />
truths, and fashioned consistently in accordance<br />
with a principle?<br />
"Gorgons, and hydras, and chiniaeras dire."<br />
carry us back at once to Ancient Greece, where<br />
the legends meant something. Visitors to Athens<br />
and Rome, Pompeii and Naples, will remember<br />
how often the Minotaur is represented, as well as<br />
Medusa's snaky head. There was religious zeal<br />
and theological meaning in these frequent repro-<br />
ductions. Egyptian gods and goddess combine the<br />
human body with the head of a cow or ram, a<br />
hawk or an ibis. It is not to be supposed that<br />
learned priests conceived that such beings existed<br />
in any literal sense. In early times people talked<br />
in figure, and used emblems, to a much larger<br />
extent than now. The truths of their astro-<br />
religious system were set forth in symbol; and<br />
the religious teaching was acted in ceremony.<br />
The multitude could then see, as they did in a<br />
later age when Pilate washed his hands in token<br />
of innocency.<br />
It should be as possible to recover this lan-<br />
guage of symbol as it has been to decipher the<br />
hieroglyphics themselves; and then it would be<br />
found that there was a fitness in every representa-<br />
tion, however grotesque. As a single example<br />
let us take the man-bull of Assyria. It unites<br />
the parts of three animals, and sometimes four,<br />
namely, the head of a man, the body of a bull,<br />
the wings of an eagle, and the claws of a lion.<br />
These were four signs of the Zodiac — the<br />
four quarter signs, associated with the summer<br />
aud winter solstice, and the vernal and autumnal<br />
equinox. The eagle in some Zodiacs takes the<br />
place of the scorpion. The man-bull would thus<br />
be the symbol of the ecliptic circle and the<br />
four chief "houses" of the sun. The Greek<br />
sphinx, according to the common idea, comprised<br />
the head and breast of a woman, and a lion's<br />
body with wings; but sometimes the tail of a<br />
serpent was included. The Egyptian sphinx—<br />
uniting only the human head and breast and a<br />
lion without wings might possibly represent the<br />
two solstices. The sun might be viewed in two,<br />
aspects, or three, or four; and the symbolical<br />
figure would say—These are a 11 one!<br />
In the monsters of mythology there was.,<br />
symbol and sense; but when Flaubert tells of<br />
"headless things with enormous shoulders," it is<br />
not so, nor when "Peter Wilkins" marries a<br />
flying woman. These are instances of what your<br />
contributor calls a human imagination with its<br />
excesses unchecked by science; but the man-bull<br />
of the Assyrians and the Centaur of the Greeks<br />
had a sober and serious origin. As to dwarfs,<br />
Stanley's African race run to more than four feet<br />
high, while the pygmy sons of Ptah were only of<br />
one cubit; and being seven in number, like the<br />
Cabiri, they meant something.<br />
Geo. St. Clair.<br />
V.—The Title.<br />
Referring to the answer which your correspon-.<br />
dent " Old Bird" has kindly given to my inquiry,<br />
does not the case seem eminently one for organisa-<br />
tion? Instead of each author hunting over<br />
Smith's or Mudie's catalogues at the British<br />
Museum, or paying some one else to do so, might<br />
not a catalogue of titles be compiled and kept up<br />
to date with comparative ease, if the co-operation<br />
of the authorities were obtained? A fee might<br />
be charged for consulting it, or, on application<br />
and payment by letter, a certificate that such and<br />
such a title was or was not in the list at such and<br />
such a date might be procured; and the scale<br />
could be so regulated that all expenses might be<br />
defrayed; to the saving in the long run of time<br />
and trouble to everyone concerned, not omitting<br />
the officials of the Museum themselves.<br />
Tyro.<br />
THE FUBLISHINa SEASON.<br />
TI^HE following is a resume of the an-<br />
I nouncements made in the Athcnceum for<br />
September:<br />
Athenaeum, Sept. 5, i&c\f, .. -w<br />
Cassell and Co. announce 21 woj-u 'j^, ■.<br />
and Tales, 12 (apparently<br />
and biography, 6 (one book a-tw \\%'<br />
2 SHvjjSP<br />
risk); Poetry, 1; Reprints, z<br />
Mr. Fisher tlnwin announce^<br />
^ 1 \&<br />
HP<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 116 (#148) ############################################<br />
<br />
u6<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Novels and Tales, i 7; History and Biography,<br />
17; Belles Lettrcs, 5; Children's books, 3;<br />
Travel, 5; Essays, &c, 5.<br />
Messrs. W. and R. Chambers announce 18 works,<br />
viz.: Novels and Tales, 14; Science, 1; His-<br />
tory and Biography, 2; Reprint, 1.<br />
Messrs. Skeffington and Son announce 9 works,<br />
all religious.<br />
Athenteum, Sept. 12.<br />
Clarendon Press:—Theology, 10; Classics, 5;<br />
Oriental, 7; General Literature, 5; Art and<br />
Archaeology, 7; History, Biography, and Law,<br />
11; Science, 4; Sacred Books of E., 3; Anee-<br />
dota Oxon., 8.—58.<br />
Dent :—Fiction, 18; History, Belles Lett res,<br />
6.—24.<br />
Innes :■—History and Law, 4 ; Travel, 1 ; Belles<br />
Lett res and Verse, 4; Sport, 3; Fiction,<br />
10.—22.<br />
Nutt :—Folk and Fairy Lore, 11; Translation,<br />
5; Belles Lett res, 6.—22.<br />
Hodder and Stoughton:—Fiction, 5; Theological,<br />
12; History and Travel, Biography, 5.<br />
Skeffington:—Fiction, 2; History, 1; Belles<br />
Lettres, 1.<br />
Athenaeum, Sept. iy.<br />
Maemillan :—Reprints, 13 ; Fiction, 6 ; Travel, 9;<br />
Biography and History, 10; Theology, 2; Eco-<br />
nomics, 7; Classics, 12; Religious, 2.<br />
Heinemann :—Reprints, 7; Fiction. 23; Travels,<br />
2; Biography and History, 16.<br />
Sampson Low:—Fiction, 7; Travel, 3; Biography<br />
and History, 8; Theology, 4; Boys', 5.<br />
Constable:—Reprints, 7; Fiction, 8; Travel, 1;<br />
Poetry, 3; Religious, 3.<br />
Athenaeum, Sept. 26.<br />
Cambridge University Press:—Theology, 18;<br />
Oriental, 4; Classical, 5; Law, History, and<br />
Economics, 12; Belles Lettres, 5 ; Educational,<br />
3; History, Biography, and Miscellaneous, 11.<br />
Messrs. Sonnenschein :—Philosophy and Theo-<br />
logy. 7 ; History, 12 ; Belles Lett rex and Art, 3;<br />
Reprints, 3; Miscellaneous, 4; Social Eco-<br />
nomics, 9.<br />
Mr. John Lane :—History, 2; Belles Lettres and<br />
Poems, 41 ; Fiction, 18.<br />
Seeley :•—Fiction, 2; Miscellaneous, 4.<br />
SIB JOHN ERICHSEN.<br />
BY the death of Sir John Erichsen the Society<br />
has lost a warm friend and supporter,<br />
while the medical and scientific world have<br />
lost one of its greatest lights. The career of Sir<br />
John has been one long succession of dist inguished<br />
work, • rewarded by distinguished posts. He<br />
became a member of the Royal College of Sur-<br />
geons in 1839, and a fellow in 1845. He lectured<br />
on physiology at Westmiuster Hospital, became<br />
assistant surgeon at University; professor of<br />
surgery there in 1850; Holme Professor of<br />
Clinical Surgery in 1865; he was put on the<br />
Council of the College of Surgeons in 1869;<br />
examiner in 1875; president in 1880. He was<br />
LL.D. of Edinburgh; F.R.S. ; fellow of many<br />
foreign societies; President of the Royal Medical<br />
and Chirurgical Society; senior surgeon to the<br />
Queen, with other posts of honour. He was the<br />
author of the "Science and Art of Surgery. He<br />
was made a baronet in 1895, but leaves no<br />
children.<br />
AUTHORS v- PRESSMEN.<br />
ri^HIS match, played for the first time last<br />
I year, and won by the Press Club, took<br />
place on Lord's Cricket Ground a day late,<br />
having l>een postponed from the previous Thurs-<br />
day through rain. The Press won the toss and<br />
put their rivals in, with the result that the<br />
Authors scored 216 for the loss of only one<br />
wicket. The feature of the game was the fine<br />
play of Dr. Conan Doyle, who scored 101 not out.<br />
During three hours' cricket he gave no chance,<br />
and hit eleven fours, five threes, and eleven twos.<br />
With Tyssen, who made 97, the Doctor put on<br />
178 for the first wicket. The Press Club had just<br />
a little over an hour's play, and in this period lost<br />
six wickets for 81, so that they had much the worst<br />
of the draw. Score:<br />
Authors' Club.<br />
A. Conan Doyle, not out 101<br />
C. A. Tyssen, e Jones, b Groves 97<br />
G. Duckworth, not ont 8<br />
Extras 10<br />
•Total (1 wkt) 216<br />
* Inningrs declared closed.<br />
G. H. Duckworth, H. A. Holt, G. C. Ives, E. R.<br />
Tottenham, J. M. Barrie, W. H. Winter, R. Bennett, A. S.<br />
Openheimer, and Frankfort-Moore did not bat.<br />
Press Club.<br />
G. Groves, c Duckworth, b IveB 24<br />
H. B. Smith, c and b Holt 18<br />
H. V. Jones, c Tissen, b Doyle 17<br />
G. Bull, b Holt °<br />
H. Preston, not out 12<br />
W. T. A. Beare, b Holt 2<br />
S. J. Southerton, b Doyle °<br />
J. Barr, not out 3<br />
Kxtras 5<br />
Total 81<br />
"J. Wilson." C. Edwards, and E. R. Ward did not bat.<br />
Daily Kexcr.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 116 (#149) ############################################<br />
<br />
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BY<br />
CHARLES EDMUND HALL,<br />
Author of " An Ancient Ancestor," &c.<br />
London: HORACE Cox, Windsor HouHe, Bream's-buildings. E.C.<br />
In demy 8vo., price 12s. net, by post 12s. 6d.<br />
Six Months in a Syrian Monastery.<br />
Being the Record of a Visit to the Headquarters of the Syrian<br />
Church in Mesopotamia, with some account of the Yazidis, or Devil<br />
Worshippers of Mosul, and El Jilwah, their Sacred Book.<br />
By OSWALD H. PARRY, B A.<br />
(Of Magdalen College, Oxford.)<br />
Illustrated by the Author. With a Prefatory Note by the<br />
Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Durham.<br />
M The author of tin* haudsomc volume presents 1 a detailed Btudy of<br />
a relic of history pursued off the track of general research;' he has<br />
sought to give, and has succeeded in giving, *a picture of quiet life in<br />
a country much abused, and among a people lhat command less than<br />
their share of ordinary interest.' 1 West ward the tide of Empire takes<br />
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certainly, as Mr. Parry points out, does the ebb of travel rwturn<br />
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Ixindon: Horack Cox, Windsor House, Brenm's-buikllngs, jj q<br />
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Crimean & other Short Stories.<br />
BY<br />
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CONTENTS.— An Adjutant's Adventure; an Episode of the<br />
Crimean Campaign—From an Uuseen World—Characteristic Stories<br />
of Royal Personages—The Tsar's Axe—An Indian Legend Modernised<br />
—A Love Test—Atta; or, The Circassian's Daughter—Father Con-<br />
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IN NEW SOUTH AFRICA.<br />
Travels in the Transvaal and Rhodesia.<br />
With Map and Twenty-six Illustration*.<br />
By II. LINCOLN TANOYE.<br />
CONTENTS.<br />
Introductory.<br />
PART I.<br />
Chapter I.—The Land of Gold and the Way there.<br />
,, II.—Across Desert and Veldt.<br />
in.—Johannesburg the Golden.<br />
,, IV.—A Transvaal Coach Journey.<br />
V.—Natal: the South African Garden.<br />
,, VI—Ostracised in Africa. Home with the Swallows.<br />
PABT II —RAMBLES IN RHODESIA.<br />
Chapter I.—Eendragt Maakt Magt.<br />
II.—Into the Country of Lobengula.<br />
„ III.—The Trail of War.<br />
,, IV.—Goldmining. Ancient and Modern.<br />
V.—Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.<br />
VI.—To Northern Mashonaland.<br />
.. VII.—Primitive Art. The Misadventures of a Wagon.<br />
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tions. Crown 8vo.. cloth boards, price 2s. Cd. net.<br />
London: Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-buildings, E.C.<br />
iPrinted and Published by Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-buildings, London, E.C. | https://historysoa.com/files/original/5/295/1896-10-01-The-Author-7-5.pdf | publications, The Author |
| 296 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/296 | The Author, Vol. 07 Issue 06 (November 1896) | <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.+07+Issue+06+%28November+1896%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 Issue 06 (November 1896)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</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> | 1896-11-02-The-Author-7-6 | | | | | 117–144 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1896-11-02">1896-11-02</a> | | | | | | | 6 | | | 18961102 | XL he Hutbot\<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 6.]<br />
NOVEMBER 2, 1896.<br />
[Price Sixpence.<br />
CONTENTS.<br />
General Memoranda<br />
Literary Properly—<br />
1. A Book on the Law of Copyright<br />
2. The Average Return<br />
Notes from Paris. By R. H. Shorard ...<br />
New York Letter. By Norman Hupgood<br />
The Church Congress and Fiction<br />
PA(!E<br />
... 117<br />
... 119<br />
... 119<br />
... 119<br />
... 122<br />
... 124<br />
The Russian Press Bureau<br />
Notes and News. By the Editor<br />
Book Talk ... •<br />
Literature in the Periodicals<br />
The Berne International Literary and Artistic Congress<br />
Prize Competitions<br />
PAOK<br />
... 124<br />
... 198<br />
... 127<br />
... 129<br />
... 131<br />
... 144<br />
PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY.<br />
1. The Annual Report. That for January 1896 can be had on application to the Secretary.<br />
2. The Author. A Monthly Journal devoted especially to the protection and maintenance of Literary<br />
Property. Issued to all Members. Back numbers are offered at the following prices:<br />
Vol. I., ior. 6(7. (Bound); Vols. II., III., and IV., 8s. 6d. each (Bound); Vol. V., 6s. (>,/.<br />
(Unbound).<br />
3. Literature and the Pension List. By W. Morris Colles, Barrister-at-Law. (Henry Glaisher,<br />
95, Strand, W.C.) 3*.<br />
4. The History of the Societe des Sens de Lettres. By S. Squire Sprigge, late Secretary to<br />
the Society, i*.<br />
5. The Cost of Production. In this work specimens are given of the most important forms of type,<br />
size of page, &c, with estimates showing what it costs to produce the more common kinds of<br />
books. Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 2*. 6d.<br />
6. The Various Methods of Publication. By S. Squire Sprigge. In this work, compiled from the<br />
papers in the Society's offices, the various forms of agreements proposed by Publishers to<br />
Authors are examined, and their meaning carefully explained, with an account of the various<br />
kinds of fraud which have been made possible by the different clauses in their agreements.<br />
Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 3*.<br />
7. Copyright Law Eeform. An Exposition of Lord Monkswell's Copyright Bill now beiore Parlia-<br />
ment. With Extracts from the Report of the Commission of 1878, and 8JV A'PPen4lx<br />
containing the Berne Convention and the American Copyright Bill. By J. a* -tMt. ^>'re<br />
and Spottiswoode. is. 6d. A><br />
8. The Society of Authors. A Record of its Action from its Foundation. By<br />
(Chairman of Committee, 1888—1892). 1*. * NV<br />
9' ^ Lun?e° J.U-^M011 in Qerman?' Austria< Hungary, and Switzer.\ \^<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 116 (#152) ############################################<br />
<br />
11<br />
AD VER TISEMENTS.<br />
g>ociefp of Jluf^ors (gncorporateb).<br />
8ir Edwin Arnold, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.<br />
Alfred Austin.<br />
J. M. Barrie<br />
A. W. 1 Beckett.<br />
P. E. Beddard, P.E.S.<br />
Robert Bateman.<br />
Sir Henry Bebgne, K.C.M.G.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
augubtine blrrell, m.p.<br />
Rev. Prof. Bonnet, P.E.S.<br />
Right Hon. James Bryce, M.P.<br />
Right Hon. Lord Burghclere, P.C.<br />
Hall Caine.<br />
Egerton Castle, F.S.A.<br />
P. W. Clatden.<br />
Edward Clodd.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Martin Conway.<br />
P. Marion Crawford.<br />
A. W. 1 Beckett.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
Egerton Castle.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
( Messrs. Field<br />
Solicitors—<br />
PRESIDENT.<br />
GEOBGE M33EETJITH<br />
COUNCIL.<br />
The Earl of Desart.<br />
Austin Dobson.<br />
A. Conan Doyle, M.D<br />
A. W. Dubourg.<br />
Sir J. Eric Erichsen, Bart., F.R.S.<br />
Prof. Michael Foster, F.R.S.<br />
Richard Garnett, C.B., LL.D.<br />
Edmund Gosse.<br />
H. Rider Haggard.<br />
Thomas Hardy.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
Jerome K. Jerome.<br />
Rudyard Kipling.<br />
Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S.<br />
W. E. H. Lecky.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Mrs. E. Lynn Linton.<br />
Rev. W. J. Loftie, F.S.A.<br />
Sir A. C Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Prof. J. M. D. Meiklejohn.<br />
Counsel — E. M. Underdown,<br />
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT.<br />
Chairman—H. Rider Haggard.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Martin Conway.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Roscoe, and Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields.<br />
Herman C. Merivale.<br />
Rev. C. H. Middleton-Wake.<br />
Sir Lewis Morris.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
Miss E. A. Ormerod.<br />
J. C. Parkinson.<br />
Right Hon. Lord Pirbright.<br />
Sir Frederick Pollock, Bart., LL.D.<br />
Walter Herries Pollock.<br />
W. Baptists Scoones.<br />
Miss Flora L. Shaw.<br />
G. R. Sims.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
J. J. Stevenson.<br />
Prof. Jas. Sully.<br />
William Moy Thomas.<br />
H. D. Traill, D.C.L.<br />
Mrs. Humphry Ward.<br />
Miss Charlotte M. Yonge.<br />
Hon.<br />
Q.C.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
( G. Herbert Thbing, B.A., 4, Portugal-street, W.C.<br />
Secretary—G. Herbert Thring, B.A.<br />
OFFICES: 4, Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.<br />
J±. IP. WATT &c SOILST,<br />
LITERARY AGENTS,<br />
Formerly of 2, PATERNOSTER SdUARE,<br />
Have now removed to<br />
HASTINGS HOUSE, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND,<br />
LONDON. W.C.<br />
WINDSOR HOUSE PRINTING WORKS,<br />
BBBAM'S BXJIJ_,IDI2SrC3-S, ZE.C.<br />
Offiees of "The Field," "The Queen," "The Law Times," &e.<br />
Mr. HORACE COX, Printer to the Authors' Society, takes the opportunity of informing Authors that, having a very<br />
large Office, and an extensive Plant of Type of every description, he is in a position to EXECUTE any PRINTING they<br />
may entrust to his care.<br />
ESTIMATES FORWARDED, AND REASONABLE CHARGES WILL BE FOUND.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 117 (#153) ############################################<br />
<br />
Zhc Hutbor*<br />
(Hie Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 6.]<br />
NOVEMBER 2, 1896.<br />
[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 post, 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 some years it has been the praotioe to insert, in<br />
every number of the Author, certain " General Con-<br />
siderations," Warnings, Notices, Ac, 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 fow 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. VII.<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 />
HI. The royalty system.<br />
In thiB system, which has opened the door to, a most<br />
amazing amount 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 connected with royalties are published in the Author.<br />
Readers can also work out the figures themselves from tho<br />
"Coat 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 succeSB. 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 be their maximum. Therefore every<br />
author, for every book, should arrange on the chance 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 Bides 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 common 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 8haU he no charge f or<br />
advertisements in the publisher's own oTSfM1* 9114 ""v 11vL<br />
exchanged advertisements; and that ^ AKbco^6<br />
duly entered,<br />
If these points are carefully look;e^<br />
rest pretty well assured that he ia jJj ^JiV" ^je* ^ \»<br />
samo time he will do well to<br />
sscretary before he signs it.<br />
,1<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 118 (#154) ############################################<br />
<br />
118 THE AUTHOR.<br />
SOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
I. Ij^ VERY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
|U advice upon his agreements, his choice 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 connected with copyright<br />
and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within the<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple<br />
to use the Society " first—our solicitors are continually<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 noto. 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 everything<br />
important to literature that you may hear or meet with.<br />
9. The committee have now arranged for the reception of<br />
members' agreements and their preservation in a fireproof<br />
Bafe. The agreements will, of course, be regarded as con-<br />
fidential documents to be read only by the Secretary, who<br />
will keep the key of the safe. The Society now offers :—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon<br />
them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
THE AUTHORS' SYNDICATE.<br />
MEMBERS are informed:<br />
1. That the Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the business of members of the Society. That it<br />
submits MSS. to publishers and editors, concludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects accounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the trouble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon which its services can be secured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndicate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That the Syndicate can only undertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia-<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that all<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice should be given.<br />
6. That every attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in all cases, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence; does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded without notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
lectures by some of the leading members of the Society;<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for the sale and<br />
purchase of journals and periodicals; and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wanted" is open. Members are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to the Manager.<br />
There is an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called upon in any case of dispute or difficulty. It<br />
is perhaps neoesBary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndicate.<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 Socioty 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 P<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, whether<br />
members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate<br />
to the Editor any points connected with their work which<br />
it would be advisable in the general interest to 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 Authors' Club is now open in its new premises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-court, Charing Cross. Address the Secretary<br />
for 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 tho 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 five<br />
years to come, whatever his conduct, whethor he was honest<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 119 (#155) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
119<br />
or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for a moment when they are asked to sign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five 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 means, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing Bums," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the cost of binding<br />
is set down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now standB<br />
at £g 4s. The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be procured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
bill is so elastic a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
arrived at.<br />
Some remarks have been made npon 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 practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
M<br />
FROM THE COMMITTEE.<br />
<br />
T the meeting of committee, Wednesday,<br />
Oct. 14, sixty-two new members were<br />
At the same meeting a resolution was passed<br />
"that the deep regret of the committee 011 the death<br />
of Mr. George Du Maurier should be communi-<br />
cated to the widow and family.<br />
It was ordered that the translation of the<br />
report of the International Congress of Berne,<br />
made for the committee by the Eev. F. Cresswell,<br />
should be published in the Author, with such<br />
omissions as might be found advisable.<br />
(By order) G. Herbert Thring.<br />
contains ten chapters—on history of literary<br />
copyright, unpublished works, literary copyright<br />
by statute, dramatic copyright, musical copy-<br />
right, engravings, paintings, drawings and photo-<br />
graphs, sculpture, international copyright, and<br />
colonial copyright. Though these are contained<br />
all within a hundred pages, the arrangement of<br />
the book, and the references to the 260 or so<br />
cases cited in the course of the author's com-<br />
ments, are as convenient as they could possibly be<br />
made. The rest of the volume is taken up with<br />
a reprint of the statutes from 1734 onwards.<br />
Mr. Cohen has made no attempt to discuss what<br />
the law ought, to be, "although its present con-<br />
dition is generally admitted to be unsatisfactory."<br />
"But, as there seems no immediate pi'ospect of<br />
reform," he hopes that his book may be of use to<br />
the profession as well as to those interested In<br />
this branch of the law. The book is published<br />
at 7s. 6d. net.<br />
n.—The Average Return.<br />
I have been favoured by a firm of publishers<br />
with an accurate return of the circulation of<br />
a certain book. It has enjoyed a large cir-<br />
culation, and it was issued in the customary<br />
manner, viz., with large discounts to wholesale<br />
buyers and exporters. The returns are extremely<br />
instructive. One notes that, while we have been<br />
recently informed that the "bulk" of books go<br />
to the wholesale distributors, these figures show<br />
that the retailers take very nearly 50 per cent, of<br />
the whole. They also show that 3.V. 6d. is very<br />
properly assumed as a very fair average. Now<br />
publishers differ one with another: but their<br />
little differences are mostly known. Perhaps<br />
booksellers will be good enough to send a few<br />
accounts, so that the practice of every firm of<br />
any importance may be ascertained, and, if neces-<br />
sary, published. W. B.<br />
TO CORRESPONDENTS.<br />
A<br />
LL the correspondence of the mouth is held<br />
over till the next number in consequence<br />
of pressure on our space.—Ed.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
I.—A Book on the Law of Copyright.<br />
"TT^HE Law of Copyright, with an Appendix<br />
I of Statutes," is the title of a work by<br />
Mr. B. A. Cohen, Barrister-at-law, which<br />
has just been published by Messrs. Jordan and<br />
Sons, 120, Chancery-lane, London. The work<br />
> .NOTES FROM PARIS.<br />
always envied those fortunate pen-<br />
men who are able, undisturbed by any<br />
event, to perform their reuular and daily<br />
IrHAVE<br />
men who are ' able,<br />
event, to perform their reguiai ^<br />
tasks with the promptitude and V«ncUWl lately<br />
machine. It is a faculty which, YdcVi «<br />
for myself, I never possess^ footM * a this<br />
is my firm belief cannot W<br />
is the opinion of M b eV<br />
often ha! to Ag**** Wf J<br />
inertia, willingV** UttOto^ ^ uc...^<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 120 (#156) ############################################<br />
<br />
120<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
out any hope that one could school oneself into a<br />
practice so remunerative. Alas! the misery that<br />
one feels, as day after day goes by and never the<br />
mind wakes up, with that awakening which man<br />
feels in every fibre. It is a temporary paralysis—<br />
one knows this, yet one is always haunted by the<br />
dread that it will last for ever; that the field is<br />
not merely lying fallow in the sun, but is, from<br />
exhaustion, barren and shall never bear harvest<br />
again. I have just passed through such a period.<br />
Enfin, here we are again.<br />
I have been told that inquiries have been made<br />
at the Home Office about the uniform, or Court<br />
dress, which the Poet Laureate, by virtue of his<br />
ofrue, is entitled or expected to wear. Was there<br />
ever any such uniform r One has not heard of it<br />
in this century at any rate. Neither Southey nor<br />
Wordsworth had one, nor Lord Tennyson. Yet<br />
that is no reason why there should not be one,<br />
especially when the Laureate is supposed and<br />
expected to perform functions at Court.<br />
This reminds me that it was on one sohtary<br />
occasion only that Wordsworth wrote to the order<br />
of the Court. When he accepted the Laureate-<br />
ship it was with the express stipulation that he<br />
should perform none of its irksome duties. In<br />
u aking this stipulation, or rather in refusing the<br />
post until it was made, he had poor Southey in<br />
mind. Southey grinding out his odes with tears in<br />
his eyes and the perspiration on his brow, com-<br />
forted only by the thought that the salary<br />
attached to this post was sufficient to pay the<br />
premium of the life insurance policy which he<br />
had taken out for the benefit of his family. The<br />
only occasion on which Wordsworth was com-<br />
manded to perform the duty of his office was<br />
when the Prince Consort was to be installed<br />
as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, and<br />
there was wanted an ode for the festival. Seeing<br />
how strongly Bishop Wordsworth, the poet's<br />
cousin, had opposed the Prince Consort's election<br />
to this office, it strikes one that high irony<br />
overhung the order that was dispatched to Eydal<br />
Mount. It came at a most unpropitious time,<br />
just at the time, indeed, when the poet's daughter<br />
was dying, and one who was present has described<br />
to me with what distress it was received. From<br />
his table to the sickroom, from the bedside of his<br />
dying daughter back to his table, the unhappy<br />
poet walked, and never was poetry on a less<br />
inspiriting subject written under more dispiriting<br />
circumstances. As a matter of fact it was not<br />
written, at least Wordsworth did not himself<br />
alone write more than a few lines of it. Just<br />
when, in utter despair at the hopelessness of the<br />
task, he was about to give in, Quillinau offered<br />
to help him. The two poets sat up most of the<br />
night "poeting." Quillinau wrote most of the<br />
ode, which was put to music, and was printed on<br />
white vellum.<br />
The correspondent of the Time* at Chris-<br />
tiania during the Nansen festivities was Mr.<br />
Benham, a brother of the Benham of the Author's<br />
Club, whose loss we all so much regret. Poor<br />
young Benham, who had written some excellent<br />
plays, used to say that the troubles of the drama-<br />
tist only began when he had finished writing his<br />
play. He referred, of course, to the difficulties<br />
of placing the work, of satisfying managers and<br />
actors, and so on. I could not help remembering<br />
his words, when the other day I heard of the<br />
difficulties which were met with by Alexandre<br />
Dumas Jih, when he was trying to get his " Dame<br />
Aux Camelias" acted, a piece which has since<br />
been played in Paris alone more than one thousand<br />
times. It was first read to Dumas pi-re, who<br />
accepted it enthusiastically for the Theatre His-<br />
torique, which he was then managing. Unfor-<br />
tunately, a fortnight later the direction Dumas<br />
failed for want of capital. It was next read by<br />
Hostein, who returned it to the author, sans<br />
reflexions. It was next offered to the directors<br />
of the Gymnase, but they refused it on the ground<br />
that they were playing "Manon Lescaut," and<br />
could not produce, as its successor, a play of<br />
similar character. Dennery read it next, for the<br />
Theatre Historique, but did not see his way, &c.<br />
Paul Ernest, next, accepted it for the Vaudeville,<br />
but went bankrupt before he could produce it.<br />
Then Dcjazet read it, but declined it because she<br />
did not like the part of Marguerite. Dumas<br />
then took it to Lecourt, the new lessee of the<br />
Vaudeville. A week later he found it lying<br />
in his concierge's lodge. It had been re-<br />
turned without a word. Finally, H. Worms<br />
induced Bouffc, Lecourt's successor at the<br />
Vaudeville, to accept it. Dumas' difficulties<br />
were, however, by no means over. The censor,<br />
M. de Beaufort, refused to licence it, and adding<br />
insult to injury said to the expostulating young<br />
dramatist, " And we are rendering you a service<br />
iu refusing our permission; the public would not<br />
stand more than the first act." However, after a<br />
year had passed, Dumas pvre was able to interest<br />
M. de Moray on his son's behalf; Moray saw the<br />
censor, and the veto was withdrawn. The piece<br />
was finally produced for the first time on Feb.<br />
2, 1852. One knows with what success. I com-<br />
mend this true story to those whom disappoint-<br />
ment discourages.<br />
Why will English people insist on abbreviating<br />
Monsieur into "Mons."? I see "Mons. This"<br />
or " Mons. That" every day. It is a barbarism.<br />
No Frenchman writes Mons. He either writes<br />
Monsieur or M., occasionally Mr. When people<br />
write to me as " Mons." I always answer them<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 121 (#157) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
I 2 I<br />
as " Mist." It is just as usual an abbreviation.<br />
And in the same way a good means of stopping<br />
people from misspelling one's name is to give<br />
them tit for tat, to misspell their names in<br />
exactly the same way as they have done, either<br />
by doubling a letter or omitting one. If per-<br />
sisted in as long as one's correspondent persists<br />
in his carelessness, it points a moral. I once had<br />
a correspondent named Murray, who used to<br />
bestow an extra " r" on my name. I cured him<br />
of this spendthrift habit by similar liberality.<br />
Three or four letters addressed " Murrray" effected<br />
the cure.<br />
Whenever I am in Berlin, I go and put a few<br />
flowers on Chainisso's grave. I was much dis-<br />
tressed last month when in Berlin to find this<br />
grave in a terrible state of neglect, overgrown<br />
with weeds, the stone fallen down; so changed<br />
from when I had seen it last, that I had difficulty<br />
in recognising it. One cannot understand such<br />
neglect, for Chamisso is still a favourite poet in<br />
Germany, and it is right he should be. There<br />
are exquisite lines in his "Frauen-Leben," and<br />
many of his other lyi ics are part and parcel of<br />
one's mental pleasure-house. So a fuss was<br />
made in the papers. I hope it has done good.<br />
Chamisso must not be forgotten.<br />
Chamisso was a Frenchman by birth, but<br />
educated in Germany, lived there and wrote in<br />
German. I have in idle moments speculated on<br />
the questions which are raised by this circum-<br />
stance. Would Chamisso have been a poet if he<br />
had remained in France? What poetry would<br />
he have written? How far does language<br />
stimulate poetry!' We all know Schiller's<br />
lines:—<br />
Weil ein Vera dir gelingt in eino gebildeten Sprache<br />
Die fur Dich dichtet mid denkt, glaub'st Da sohon Dichter<br />
zu sein.<br />
But what / want to know is how far a lan-<br />
guage thinks and poetises for one. I do not<br />
think I ever could have rhymed in Norwegian,<br />
which is also an "educated language" (eine<br />
gebildete Sprache), and I am quite certain as to<br />
my certain failure in Polish. But leaving such<br />
small beer out of the question, will you wonder<br />
with me what would have happened if Madame<br />
Shakespeare mere, before the birth of William,<br />
had migrated to the Hague or Amsterdam—say,<br />
for better prospects in the glove trade—if<br />
William had been bom there, had been educated<br />
there, had learned to speak, to write, to think in<br />
the fat, sluggish language of the Netherlands?<br />
What would have come of it? Or if Poe instead<br />
of turning Westwards had gone to E.S.E. and<br />
become a Hungarian. So I wonder, and puzzle,<br />
and think.<br />
Another fraternal partnership has been arranged<br />
in the republic of letters, to wit, between Paul<br />
Marguerite and his brother. No more literary<br />
work is to appear signed " Paul Marguerite." A<br />
"collective" signature has been registered. I<br />
regret to say that I do not remember it, if indeed<br />
I ever knew it. Then why talk of the matter at<br />
all, being so ignorant? Well, people like Paul<br />
Marguerite and all his works. He appeals to the<br />
middle classes; his books sell; he makes so many<br />
thousand francs a year, and so, and so, one ought<br />
to appear, at least, to know something. And what<br />
I know is that Mr. Paul Marguerite has taken his<br />
brother into literary partnership, and that the<br />
firm will sign .<br />
I am so sorry that a cracked inventor, hungry<br />
for publicity, is annoying poor old Jules Verne.<br />
You must have read all about it. The inventor<br />
imagines that Verne pourtrayed him in a recent<br />
novel, and is now suing the old gentleman for<br />
libel. There are no libel laws, pour ainsi dire, in<br />
France, and the inventor in question knows very<br />
well that he can obtain nothing but the adver-<br />
tisement. On the other hand, it seems cruel that<br />
so old a man as Jules Verne, who is a cripple,<br />
should be disturbed in his laborious life for such<br />
purposes.<br />
Did I ever tell you, by the way, that Jules<br />
Verne has never earned more than =£800 a year in<br />
his life?<br />
I began this letter by writing about people of<br />
the pen who have the faculty of working every<br />
day with the regularity and promptitude of a<br />
machine. Did you know that Saint-Beuve, of<br />
the Lundis fame, used to work every day from<br />
6 a.m. to noon, year in, year out, with a cup of<br />
milk and a croissant for all sustenance in the<br />
meanwhile. Afternoons he used to meander, and<br />
was a p.m. Hyde to his a.m. Jekyll. It was a<br />
curious contrast. One notorious afternoon, he,<br />
who had been a sage and a gentleman in the<br />
morning, became an ass and a cad. I refer to<br />
that Good Friday on which he asked Prince<br />
Bonaparte to dinner at a fashionable restaurant,<br />
and had roast j>ork, and so on, at table; such<br />
bad taste. But in the mornings he was steadfast<br />
and regular, although his work shews no sign<br />
of inspired steadfastness and regularity. It reai8<br />
as inspired.<br />
is totally unknown \ l°U ^ ^ d%0^aKT<br />
is as well known * 5°*Hj, ***** fe^l<br />
about it. NoK \***tj\&*> JgrJT<br />
them. \me*. .» so i0^K^°<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 122 (#158) ############################################<br />
<br />
122<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
NEW YORE LETTER.<br />
New York, Oct. 12.<br />
THE Harpers have already sold the first<br />
edition of the number of the magazine con-<br />
taining the first part of "The Martian," a<br />
very unusual thing, and the issue was an extra-<br />
ordinarily large one. The second edition is now<br />
out. They are naturally proud of Du Maurier's<br />
success in America, which they think has been<br />
greater in every way than it has been in England.<br />
Mr. J. Henry Harper said, in conversation last<br />
week, that he believed it would be the last great<br />
success of a three-volume novel in England. He<br />
believes the success due much more to real<br />
literary merit than to novelty, and cites Du<br />
Maurier's remark to him, that he was not a new-<br />
writer, but one who, in his dialogues in Punch,<br />
had all his life been writing stories in which<br />
chapters were condensed into paragraphs.<br />
Mr. Harper said in the same conversation that<br />
Du Maurier was particularly fortunate in having<br />
no early inferior works on hand to throw on to<br />
the market after his sudden success. He men-<br />
tioned Stephen Crane, the young American<br />
novelist, now on a short vacation in England,<br />
whose fame was made by the "Bed Badge of<br />
Courage," and immediately dimmed by the pub-<br />
lication of all his earlier efforts. Mr. Harper also<br />
spoke of certain English novelists as possible<br />
examples of the same error.<br />
The habits of Mr. Alden, the editor of Harper's<br />
Magazine, throw some light on the question of<br />
large circulations. The Harpers believe, as do<br />
the editors of our other leading magazines, that<br />
the postal laws have much to do with making<br />
their success possible, even in England indirectly,<br />
because they need to be established here in order<br />
to publish there more costly magazines than they<br />
could on circulations no larger than those they<br />
have abroad. But Mr. Harper said, in the same<br />
conversation, that the most general explanation<br />
that could be given of the success of any one<br />
magazine in this country was its keeping in close<br />
contact with various classes of people in all<br />
parts of the country. Mr. Alden not only reads<br />
the letters written to the firm and to all of his<br />
friends about the contents of the magazine, but<br />
he looks over the enormous mass of manuscripts<br />
rejected by his subordinates, in order to find out<br />
what subjects people write about, what ones are<br />
attracting them. He finds this one of the most<br />
effective ways of watching those waves of interest<br />
in special branches of literature which sweep<br />
over the whole country, or part of the country,<br />
at various times. The mass of the people who<br />
submit contributions are poor writers, but intelli-<br />
gent readers, typical of the class to which the<br />
magazine appeals. Mr. Harper said that, in<br />
choosing fiction, the only question considered was<br />
the general goodness of the story, but that, in<br />
choosing general articles, the amount of space<br />
given to subjects of local interest and the amount<br />
given to things of more interest abroad were care-<br />
fully fixed.<br />
The sub-committee of the Committee on<br />
Patents, which has the Treloar Bill in charge—<br />
Mr. Treloar, of Missouri, B. L. Fairchild, of New-<br />
York, and H. C. Kerr, of Ohio—will meet in this<br />
city immediately after the election, and will report<br />
to Congress soon after it gets together. George<br />
Haven Putnam believes that in the Committee<br />
on Patents there is a small majority in favour of<br />
the Treloar Bill, but no efforts are being spared<br />
by the various societies interested in defeating<br />
this obstruction to international copyright to do<br />
what they can to get the Morrill and Bankhead<br />
Bills passed instead.<br />
W. D. Howells, who has a habit of discovering<br />
a new writer every few months, has brought into<br />
prominence Paul Lawrence Dunbar, a young<br />
negro poet; the discovery of the past month.<br />
Some time ago he published on his own account,<br />
with the help of a friend, a volume of poems<br />
called "Majors and Minors," and after Mr.<br />
Howell's article on him Dodd, Mead, and Co.<br />
accepted a volume called " Lyrics of Lowly Life,"<br />
which appears this month. The young writer,<br />
who is but twenty-three, is the son of a slave<br />
and a freed woman, and is now in charge of an<br />
elevator, writing in his spare moments. The<br />
poems have originality and a certain freshness,<br />
but no qualities that promise importance. The<br />
writer is now becoming known to tho country on<br />
a lecturing tour conducted by Major Pond. Mr.<br />
Howell's discoveries during the last ten years<br />
have made famous many young men and women<br />
who have sunk back into obscurity again. At<br />
one time, for instance, everybody talked about<br />
Ironquill, the Kansas poet, now forgotten, who<br />
also was fresh and local and sincere, but no<br />
writer of verse. "The Negro in America," by<br />
Fred. L. Hoffman, published by the Macmillan<br />
Company recently, is an elaborate attempt to<br />
show that the black race has such bad moral<br />
qualities that it is doomed to extinction on this<br />
continent.<br />
Mr. Howells writes a good deal too much.<br />
There are few of his readers who do not prefer<br />
his earlier works. Besides his books he writes<br />
much for the newspapers without discrimination.<br />
A few weeks ago he had a long illustrated article<br />
on current literary topics in the New York<br />
World, one of the worst sensational papers in the<br />
country. This example from the leading novelist<br />
caused a certain amount of hostile comment.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 123 (#159) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
123<br />
The future of the essay in this country is a<br />
subject about which there has lately been an<br />
■uncommon rush of discussion. Mr. Charles<br />
Dudley Warner began with a protest against the<br />
too lenient tone of newspaper reviewers, and<br />
since then a number of the periodicals have<br />
treated the subject of criticism from various<br />
points of view. The Chap-Book has been<br />
making a speciality of it through several issues,<br />
giving in its notes its own opinion that literary<br />
criticism has been killed here by the lack of<br />
demand for it, and now, when an editor invites it,<br />
be is unable to get it, especially the kind in which<br />
attention is given to form. Several writers have<br />
answered this statement in the Chap-Book and<br />
elsewhere, among those writing in the magazine<br />
itself being Maurice Thompson and Brander<br />
Matthews. Mr. Matthews takes the view that<br />
criticism has never been good anywhere, but that<br />
it is better in America now than it was in the<br />
days of Poe, or at any other time, although by<br />
the custom of reviewing all the leading books<br />
of leading publishers the conditions are made<br />
harder than they are in Prance. H. S. Stone<br />
and Co. will publish shortly a volume of essays<br />
"taken from the Chap-Booh, and thus test their<br />
theory that there is a larger demand now for the<br />
essay than the conventional publishers believe.<br />
It is noticeable, however, from the announcements<br />
of the leading houses, that more essays than ever<br />
before are to appear during the coming year,<br />
th-ere being hardly a house that does not have at<br />
least one volume of them. Stone and Co. are<br />
making a special attempt in building up their<br />
new business to bring new writers to light.<br />
Their last discovery is George Ade's "Artie,"<br />
which is full of more or less accurate Chicago<br />
slang, already somewhat known there through the<br />
newspapers. Another Chicago house, Way and<br />
Williams, also brings to notice a new writer,<br />
I. K. Friedman, with "A Lucky Number." Mr.<br />
Matthews, by the way, who is one of the most<br />
ardent believers in national spirit in our litera-<br />
ture, begins the book which the Harpers issued<br />
last week, "Aspects of Fiction," with an essay<br />
on " American Literature." The volume contains<br />
some of his best work, notably an essay called<br />
"The Penalty of Humour," in which a very high<br />
place is given to Mark Twain.<br />
George Santayana's "Sense of Beauty" was<br />
published last week by the Scribners. Its value<br />
as a philosophical treatise on aesthetics, with less<br />
bias and a better combination of philosophic aud<br />
artistic interests than has often been given before,<br />
is exceptional, but from a literary point of view<br />
the greatest attraction of the book is in the style,<br />
which for smoothness and delicacy without pre-<br />
cociousness probably has not its equal among<br />
▼OL. VII.<br />
recent American books. One interest of the<br />
writer's attitude towards life is the mixture of<br />
classical training and taste with a thorough belief<br />
in the artistic possibilities of our contemporaries'<br />
conditions. A passing reference to that one<br />
among the American poets who in his appeal to<br />
the more intelligent of his countrymen has to-day<br />
no rival, unless it be Emerson, thus sums up the<br />
secret of Whitman's power:<br />
"But occasionally the beauties of Democracy<br />
are presented to us undisguised. The writings<br />
of Walt Whitman are a notable example.<br />
Never, perhaps, has the charm of uniformity in<br />
multiplicity been felt so completely and so<br />
exclusively. Everywhere it greets us with a<br />
passionate preference; not flowers but leaves of<br />
grass, not music but" drum-taps, not composition<br />
but aggregation, not the hero but the ave/age<br />
man, not the crisis but the vulgarest moment;<br />
and by this resolute marshalling of nullities, by<br />
this effort to show us everything as a momentary<br />
pulsation of a liquid and structureless whole, he<br />
profoundly stirs the imagination."<br />
The annual meeting of the National Conven-<br />
tion of the American Association of News-<br />
dealers, Book-dealers, and Stationers, held last<br />
week in Boston, called attention again to the<br />
inroads made by the great department stores on<br />
the business of those news-dealers who sell not<br />
only periodicals, but novels, political pamphlets,<br />
and other lines of books. The department stores<br />
often sell them much under the ordinary market<br />
rate. Various efforts have been made to prevent<br />
this, and an attempt was made to induce the pub-<br />
lishers to refuse to sell to these stores, or to sell<br />
at the same price as they asked for small orders.<br />
Nothing has come of it, however. The complaint<br />
is the same that is being made by retailers in all<br />
branches against this new system of immense<br />
shops, which seems to be steadily absorbing the<br />
whole field.<br />
Still another volume of Emily Dickenson's<br />
poems is just out, by Roberts Brothers, resulting<br />
from a new discovery of posthumous poems. The<br />
demand is steadier and larger for these poems<br />
than for those of any other American, even<br />
Longfellow. As was especially emphasised by<br />
the English critics, her form ig most remark-<br />
able for its defects, and xtufortft* ifc *° t<br />
be hard for a foreigner F boW *°UC<br />
delicate local Bavour * XI to see in be*<br />
abstract thought, WV,: , ,er<i ia botO 1 -^e*<br />
Englandism in it JJJ es8euCe 0*<br />
allusions<br />
On the list of<br />
\Sx<><br />
ITeri^nf S5>PfV<br />
illustrates ag^*V\Y. \WT» »tt<br />
ft<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 124 (#160) ############################################<br />
<br />
124<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
English branch-Louses are very rapidly extending<br />
their American publications.<br />
Kipling, who has been shared by four pub-<br />
lishers, is now to be issued in uniform editions<br />
by the Scribners, by subscription, in the<br />
"Thistle" edition; also containing Stevenson<br />
and Barrie. Norman Hapoood.<br />
?»•««■<br />
THE CHURCH CONGRESS AND FICTION.<br />
THE Church Congress, as usual, devoted<br />
some of its time to the discussion of the<br />
modern novel. The Dean of Rochester<br />
led off with the conventional joke about not being<br />
thrilled by the hero's hairbreadth escapes, because<br />
we know that he has got to live till the end of the<br />
volume, at least. The novel of adventure is not<br />
the only kind of novel, to begin with. But the<br />
real answer to such talk is, that if the writer is a<br />
good story-teller and knows how to hold his<br />
reader, no such consideration can enter the mind,<br />
which is entirely absorbed in the story. If it is not,<br />
then the reader is defective on the side of imagina-<br />
tion, or the writer is no true story-teller. This<br />
concession once made to the gallery, the Dean<br />
addressed himself to the subject of books immoral<br />
and indecent. On the topic he spoke with force,<br />
but with some exaggeration. One might argue<br />
that certain books which he would call immoral<br />
were not advanced by the author with the design<br />
of teaching immorality, but that of exposing<br />
evils. Then would arise the greater question as<br />
to the limitations of art meant to be exhibited.<br />
Or one might point out with perfect truth, first,<br />
that the really popular authors of the day are not<br />
immoral at all; and that books which must be<br />
admitted to be immoral have had for the most<br />
part a limited sale.<br />
Canon Ainger spoke with greater originality<br />
and much greater weight.<br />
The evil of such books was generally not in<br />
their grossness or in the deliberate " making the<br />
worse appear the better reason." The danger<br />
too often of the book was in ostentatious pre-<br />
tensions to morality; only that it sets itself to<br />
teach a new morality of the author's own, an<br />
invention, an advance and refinement on the<br />
ethics of the Gospel. But there was another<br />
class, not so distinctly mischievous, but scarcely<br />
less so indirectly—viz., the novel which parades<br />
itself as the champion of religion and morality<br />
against a Godless age, and attracts its readers by<br />
spurious sentiment, spurious eloquence, spurious<br />
philosophy, and, it must be added, a total absence<br />
of humour. This kind of book sold by the<br />
hundred thousand. The >nly remedy for a taste<br />
of this sort was improvement of education and/<br />
the old-fashioned method of the cultivation of the<br />
true religious sense. Great thoughts come from<br />
the heart, and true cultivation of the heart quite<br />
apart from book learning would teach men to-<br />
distinguish the real from the spurious even in<br />
the domain of literature. He would recommend<br />
his clerical friends never to recommend "shoddy<br />
romances" simply on the ground that they are<br />
ostensibly on the side of faith and morals; Non<br />
tali mtxilio. He sometimes felt tempted to reply<br />
to some lady champion of our creed as Sir Peter<br />
Teazle replied to Mrs. Candour—" Madam, when<br />
I tell you the lady they are attacking is a par-<br />
ticular friend of mine, I hope you will not take<br />
her part."<br />
.».«:<br />
THE RUSSIAN PRESS BUREAU.<br />
OFFICIALDOM in Russia grinds slowly, and!<br />
likewise grinds exceedingly small. Nothing<br />
could well surpass the minuteness with<br />
which every detail relating to the special corre-<br />
spondents at the Coronation was arranged and<br />
supervised by the Russian Press authorities. To<br />
begin with, every journalist and artist had to-<br />
forward his five photographs to the Press Bureau<br />
last March. These were stamped and counter-<br />
signed and deposited in various archives, one<br />
being eventually returned to the owner on his<br />
arrival in Moscow. This was inclosed in a neat<br />
little leather portfolio, and bore a label with the<br />
correspondent's name and paper, granting him<br />
permission to pass without let or hindrance, and<br />
generally to obtain information. It was supposed<br />
to be shown on demand, but in addition more-<br />
obvious means were taken to ensure the recog-<br />
nition of pressmenandartists. Thosewhowereduly<br />
accredited were given a gilt and enamel badge to<br />
be worn in the button-hole, and a yellow ticket<br />
for insertion in the low-crowned top-hat of the<br />
droshky driver for the time being. Armed with<br />
these credentials the brethren of the brush and<br />
pen were free to come and go where they liked,<br />
into the Kremlin, the Imperial Palaces, and else-<br />
where behind the scenes.<br />
The festivities and ceremonies were concluded<br />
in Moscow about the beginning of June, and now,<br />
at the end of September, the various newspaper<br />
representatives have been pleasantly reminded<br />
that the Russian Government has not forgotten<br />
them. With the characteristic thoroughness<br />
which marks the proceedings of the Muscovite<br />
bureaucracy, a packet has been forwarded to each<br />
pressman and presswoman, containing a silver<br />
medal, a silver token, two diplomas or certificates<br />
in Russian, a pamphlet in French giving<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 125 (#161) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
125<br />
the names of all the writers, artists, and photo-<br />
graphers carefully classified, and a list, also in<br />
French, of these foregoing five items. The medal<br />
is not quite as large as a florin, and bears on the<br />
obverse the Emperor's head with his titles, and<br />
on the reverse the Imperial crown with the legend<br />
"Koronovan v Moskvye (crowned in Moscow),<br />
14 Maya 1896." Attached is a piece of blue<br />
ribbon of the St. Andrew order. The silver<br />
token is somewhat smaller, and bears on one side<br />
the Imperial Crown and cyphers of Nicolas and<br />
Alexandra, wit h the motto " V nami Bogh" (God<br />
with us). The other side is similar to the<br />
medal.<br />
The diplomas set out at some length the<br />
occasion of the presentation of the medal and<br />
token, and authorise the donee, whose name is<br />
spelt in his own language and in phonetic<br />
Russian, to wear these decorations.<br />
La3tly, the catalogue gives elaborate particulars<br />
as to the 250 correspondents. Of these 97 were<br />
Russian, with 47 artists, 15 of whom were<br />
members of the Academy of Fine Arts, the famous<br />
Repin being one of the number. Of the foreign<br />
Press representatives, France headed the list with<br />
24, England and Germany came next with 18<br />
a-piece, and America sent 7. The other nation-<br />
alities contributed 2 7 altogether. E ven Japan was<br />
represented by Mr. Asahina Ohisen, editor of the<br />
Tokio Nichi-Nichi Shimbun, and by another<br />
pressman. The list concludes with the names of<br />
57 Russian and foreign photographers authorised<br />
to take views.<br />
The whole affair is a marvel of elaboration, as<br />
indeed were the arrangements at the Press<br />
Bureau in the Rakhmsinovski Pereulok at Moscow<br />
at the time of the Coronation. These final<br />
souvenirs, the despatch of which had been care-<br />
fully timed to take place during the Tsar's visit<br />
to Great Britain, will long be treasured by those<br />
who were fortunate enough to be present at one<br />
of the greatest spectacles of the century.<br />
Arthur A. Sykks,<br />
Special Correspondent at the Tsar's<br />
Coronation.<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
AT the last—the fortieth—annual meeting of<br />
the Birmingham Literary Association,<br />
the President, Mr. J. J. Moffatt, seized<br />
the opportunity to advance a few plain truths on<br />
the position and the work of the society. We<br />
gather from his remarks: first, that the society<br />
numbers 250 members: that they hold debates<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
and fortnightly meetings: that these meetings<br />
have not been, of late, numerously attended:<br />
that the society gives every year two prizes to<br />
the Midland Institute: and that, in his opinion,<br />
the society should do something more tangible<br />
and definite for literature. He proposed, for<br />
instance, the foundation of a lectureship on<br />
English Literature.<br />
The question raised by this address is not<br />
whether Birmingham has, or has not, done any-<br />
thing for the "encouragement" of literature,<br />
but what literary societies as a rule might, or<br />
could, do. It seems to me that they could do a<br />
very great deal for the creation and the mainte-<br />
nance of sound and wholesome taste: for the<br />
cultivation of the poetic side of a time too prac-<br />
tical: for the suppression of the froth and<br />
frivolity that is now read in such vast quantities<br />
and bought up so eagerly. This kind of work<br />
could be carried out in many ways: by lectures:<br />
by discussions: by courses of reading: by ex-<br />
aminations: by scholarships and prizes. Young<br />
people want that kind of direction in their<br />
reading which will lead them up to the levels<br />
where it becomes impossible to read a book<br />
badly written, creeping, vulgar. Such work<br />
carried on in a great city like Birmingham might<br />
in a short time revolutionise the reading of the<br />
people.<br />
Another function of the Literary Society might<br />
be very useful, and so far it has never been<br />
attempted. It is this: the reviews of books which<br />
appear in many provincial papers are mere worth-<br />
less notes, written hurriedly by some young<br />
reporter who simply has no time to read the<br />
books. It is well if he does not carry off his<br />
ignorance of the book by some ill-bred and spite-<br />
ful snarl. Of course there are many exceptions<br />
to this apparently sweeping statement; and there<br />
are many provincial papers where the literary<br />
department is as well looked after as the political<br />
or the local. The proposal, however, is that the<br />
Literary Society should take over the literary<br />
department of local papers, and should furnish<br />
them with reviews of selected books, carefully<br />
written, by members who would undertake to read<br />
the books and to chat pleasantly over tne""<br />
contents. A bad, vulgar, or immoral book-would<br />
be passed over in silence unless it became<br />
occur. The Liter'* J*^ ™uld f>?«-<br />
pay the reviewer Rt!I ™% 8u0^4' V tP ^<br />
ordinary pay of Q****^ \<br />
the scheme, W £0-<br />
paper would ^ ^ ^ ^ ^"Ltat* V^5<br />
duction to wlx ^ ^\k te^ ^ ,£P Q%<br />
would order t^^V^ >^ ot 60, » 0,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 126 (#162) ############################################<br />
<br />
126<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
ask for them at their libraries. To increase and<br />
spread abroad the demand for good books is surely<br />
an object worthy the attention of every Literary<br />
Society.<br />
A Literary Society, especially in a huge city<br />
like Birmingham, should be missionary in its<br />
character, and aggressive. It should stretch out<br />
its arms in every direction: it should endeavour<br />
to reach with its lectures and its courses of<br />
reading every class—the shop boy and the shop<br />
girl: the working man and the working woman:<br />
it should have centres and branches and local<br />
secretaries: it should teach history and social<br />
economics: it should take poetry to the people:<br />
it should encourage the young people to read<br />
good books by examination and prizes: it should<br />
teach them what good writing means: it should<br />
encourage them to attempt, themselves, the<br />
expression of their thoughts.<br />
Would it not, further, be possible for such a<br />
society to affiliate itself with the Society of<br />
Authors? It could do much for our Society in<br />
its own centre; we could do much for that society<br />
"by our own organisation and the help of our<br />
members. .<br />
The number of members elected on Wednes-<br />
day, Oct. 14th, was, as has been announced<br />
elsewhere, sixty-two, which is extremely satis-<br />
factory. It is always found thai after one of<br />
the usual series of letters in the papers abusing<br />
and misrepresenting the Society, an increased list<br />
of candidates appears at the next meeting of<br />
committee.<br />
Meantime, how are these new members consti-<br />
tuted? Out of the sixty-two new members there<br />
were twenty-one novelists; the rest represented<br />
various other branches of literature. The weakest<br />
branch so far as our meml>ers are concerned is that<br />
of education. Yet it ought to be the strongest,<br />
because there is no kind of literary property more<br />
real and more valuable than that of education.<br />
At the same time there is none which wants more<br />
light and more exposure. The deferred royalties:<br />
the miserable royalties: the wretched sums<br />
advanced: call aloud to be dragged into the light.<br />
Of course, there are other reasons, in educational<br />
books, why an author desires publication. Yet<br />
in this, as in every other branch, every man who<br />
has property to be administered should take care<br />
that his estate is administered, or sold, on<br />
business principles. Tor this reason let the<br />
educational writer come to the Society, When<br />
the educational sub-committee, now sitting,<br />
has sent in its report we shall perhaps be in a<br />
better position to command the confidence of<br />
these writers.<br />
A most amazing letter appears in a paper<br />
which, it appears, advertises for stories. We<br />
learn from the editor's note that the writer of the<br />
letter has "conveyed" a story from another<br />
paper, changed the title, put his own name at the<br />
end, and sent it in to the editor. Apparently,<br />
either before or after publication, the editor dis-<br />
covered the thing, and, very naturally, complained.<br />
The conveyancer writes a letter in which he<br />
explains his methods. The claim that he might<br />
crib a story which was not "reserved"—what-<br />
ever that may mean—is really delightful: "You<br />
do not actually advertise for original stories, and<br />
the source from which 'A Ghostly Smoker'<br />
was derived, namely, 'A Ghost that Smoked,'<br />
was taken from the halfpenny novelette 'The<br />
Mayflower,' and as it had no mention of being a<br />
reserved story, I cannot altogether understand<br />
why you are holding me up to public ridicule,<br />
especially in view of the fact that some journals<br />
accept short stories non-original if no reserve<br />
rights exists, and it is difficult to draw the line<br />
where no reserve rights are mentioned. With<br />
reference to the short stories I sent you in, for<br />
example, 'Nora,' &c, the plots resemble those<br />
they were taken from, but the reading is altered,<br />
and in this respect tales which appear, and con-<br />
tinue to appear occasionally, have their origin in<br />
the same way: in a love story, for instance, the<br />
beginning and ending is generally practically the<br />
same."<br />
We shall probably hear a good deal more of<br />
this kind of thing. The journals which advertise<br />
for short stories can now be reckoned by the<br />
hundred. Many of them pay fairly well for their<br />
MSS. There are a great many ladies who live<br />
and make reasonably good incomes by writing<br />
short stories. Some of the papers have a large<br />
staff of ladies upon whom they mainly depend;<br />
from all quarters we hear of clerks, working<br />
girls of all kinds, young and old, driving the pen<br />
in the attempt to make an addition to their<br />
incomes in this way. In fact, story-telling must<br />
be recognised as one of the professions of the<br />
day. There is so great an abundance of short<br />
stories buried in the past and present pages of<br />
magazines and journals: there is so great a<br />
temptation to disj in these mines for plots and<br />
characters and situations, that we must not be<br />
surprised to hear of wholesale pilfering. Fortu-<br />
nately, the greater the success of this subter-<br />
ranean work, the more it is published in papers<br />
of wide circulation, the more likely it is to be<br />
detected; some one or other is sure to find it out<br />
and to proclaim it. Meantime, one would suggest<br />
a simple means of dealing with such a case, pro-<br />
vided that the editor did not prosecute. It is to<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 127 (#163) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
127<br />
send the name and address of the offender to the<br />
secretary of this Society, to be by him sent to<br />
every editor in London.<br />
Sir Walter Beaut will be interested to learn that Mrs.<br />
Cowden-Clarke's experience of publishers has been "most<br />
agreeable. Contrary," she says, " to the prejudiced opinion<br />
sometimes expressed that authors and publishers are often<br />
antagonistic in their transactions, I hare invariably met with<br />
courtesy and kindliness. Ever since an interview I once<br />
had with Lord Byron's John Murray, another that I had<br />
with Mr. Colburn, I have been treated with consideration,<br />
and even with amiability."<br />
The above is a cutting from an evening paper.<br />
I cut it out and reproduce it here because it is a<br />
model of muddleheadedness from beginning to<br />
end. This good lady, Mrs. Cowden-Clarke, says<br />
that though there is a "prejudiced opinion " that<br />
authors and publishers are " often antagonistic"<br />
in their transactions, yet she has been always<br />
treated with courtesy. Who denies the courtesy?<br />
"What has that got to do with the unsettled<br />
questions between author and publisher? It is<br />
the very essence of business that it must be con-<br />
ducted with courtesy. And why should I be<br />
interested to learn that this lady has been treated<br />
with courtesy? What has the critic got into his<br />
head? My friends have been bringing to light<br />
and publishing, so that all may read, the whole<br />
business of producing a book. This has roused<br />
th.e wrath of certain persons who prefer the works<br />
of darkness. But they may still remain deeply,<br />
be-autifully courteous. They may be as courteous as<br />
Castilians, even when they present an agreement<br />
based on an assumption of the author's absolute<br />
ignorance. oi_<br />
The following sums have been received by Miss<br />
Ellen T. Masters, of Mount-avenue, Ealing, in<br />
response to her appeal on behalf of Mrs. Eliza<br />
Warren, since the publication of the last list.<br />
The total amount now reaches ,£57 4*. yd.<br />
£. *. d.<br />
Forrester, Mrs. .. o 10 6<br />
Turing, Herbert,<br />
Esq. (per) o 7 6<br />
£. s.<br />
Parr, Miss (per)... o 1<br />
West, Miss 1 o<br />
d.<br />
0<br />
o<br />
Walter Besant.<br />
BOOK TALE.<br />
AN interesting announcement is made by<br />
Messrs. Bell of a book on the late<br />
William Morris as an industrial and<br />
decorative artist, which they hope to have out by<br />
Christmas. The writer is Mr. Aymer Vallance,<br />
a disciple of Mr. Morris, and he will give thirty<br />
to forty full-page plates and other illustrations,<br />
for which all branches of Mr. Morris's work—in<br />
tapestries, carpets, wall-papers, stained glass, &c.<br />
—have been requisitioned. The volume will be<br />
entitled "The Art of William Morris: An Illus-<br />
trated Record," and, in addition to other features,<br />
Mr. Temple Scott is preparing for it a bibliography<br />
of practically everything which Mr. Morris<br />
wrote.<br />
The title of Mr. Justin Huntly McCarthy's<br />
new novel is "The Royal Christopher." It is<br />
announced by Messrs. Chatto and Windus for<br />
next week.<br />
Mr. Gilbert Parker has completed a new story,<br />
which will be called "The Pomp of the<br />
Lavilettes."<br />
Dr. Conan Doyle's new work, " Rodney Stone,"<br />
will appear this month.<br />
Mr. Kipling's volume of poems, "The Seven<br />
Seas," is almost due from the publishers, Messrs.<br />
Methuen.<br />
A story by Mrs. Aylmer Gowing, entitled<br />
"Goods of Gold," will be published in a few days<br />
by Messrs. White.<br />
Mr. Hardy is revising his story " The Pursuit<br />
of the Well-Beloved." It will not come out until<br />
the spring, and will then be the last volume in<br />
the collected edition of his Wessex Novels pub-<br />
lished by Messrs. Osgood.<br />
"A Pyschic Vigil," the work of an anonymous<br />
hand, is among the books announced by Messrs.<br />
W. H. Allen and Co.<br />
A novel of Yorkshire village life, by "Mary-<br />
Beaumont," the author of '• A Ringby Lass," will<br />
be published this autumn by Messrs. Dent.<br />
Miss Violet Hunt has completed a story<br />
entitled "The Way of Marriage," and Miss<br />
Winifred Graham one called " A Strange Solu-<br />
tion," both of which will be published by Messrs.<br />
Chapman and Hall.<br />
Mr. J. S. Fletcher has written a historical<br />
romance of the Civil Wars, entitled "Mistress<br />
Spitfire," which will be published bv Messrs.<br />
Dent,<br />
Messrs. Chapman and Hall are publishing soon<br />
a volume of travel through Sa\tb.alien and the<br />
remoter parts of Sihpria ~ a "The New<br />
Siberia," by Mr. Har^f Lr of " ^<br />
Pekin to Calais by lLaMt'aut lorks-<br />
Mr. Israel ZaL^ *** & t<br />
stories dealing » on » *V *J<br />
East, and ont ^Mfc <M S^C^<br />
mas number o£ v»*fcttt Tf\\A ;« &e<br />
by Mr. Arth^ ^ ««." a fpj*<br />
ElkinMathe^ ^ > V*<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 128 (#164) ############################################<br />
<br />
128<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Mr. William Koberts is writing upon the art<br />
sales which have taken place at Christie's well-<br />
known auction rooms. The work will be in two<br />
volumes, with many illustrations, and one of its<br />
chief purposes is to indicate the various ups and<br />
downs of the numerous English and foreign<br />
schools of paintings for the past century and a<br />
and quarter. It is to appeal to the general reader,<br />
and Messrs. Bell hope to publish it in December.<br />
Lord Roberts' volume of Indian reminiscences<br />
will appear this month. It will contain portraits<br />
of Lord Clyde, Lord Napier, Sir James Outram.<br />
and others.<br />
Gen. Sir Evelyn Wood is publishing, through<br />
Messrs. Bell, a work on "Achievements of<br />
Cavalry."<br />
A book about the Indian Mutiny is being<br />
published soon by Messrs. Kegan, Paul, and Co.,<br />
edited from Gen. Alexander's MS. by Mr. F. W.<br />
Pitt. The title is "Incidents in India and<br />
Memories of the Mutiny ; with some Account of<br />
Alexander's Horse and the ist Bengal Calvary."<br />
A history of the Monastic Orders has been<br />
written for English readers by the Rev. F. C.<br />
Woodhouse. and will shortly appear from the<br />
house of Wells Gardner, Darton, and Co.,<br />
entitled " Monasticism, Ancient and Modern."<br />
"On Southern EngUsh Roads," by Mr. J. J.<br />
Hissey, will be published this season by Messrs.<br />
Bentley. There will be a route map, and nume-<br />
rous illustrations from the author's sketches.<br />
A new uniform edition of the novels by Mr.<br />
James Baker, author of "John Westacott," is<br />
being prepared for issue by Messrs. Chapman and<br />
Hall. This author also will appear with a novel<br />
of the fifteenth century during the present season.<br />
Mr. Sidney Pickering has written a novel<br />
which will be published shortly by Messrs.<br />
Lawrence and Bullen, entitled "Margot."<br />
Great activity prevailed in the book world<br />
during October. From Sept. 22 to Oct. 21<br />
there were published (according to the lists in the<br />
London papers) 455 books, exclusive of annual<br />
volumes of periodicals or books in foreign lan-<br />
guages. The number is distributed sectionally<br />
as follows:—Fiction, 162; Theology and Philo-<br />
sophy, 49; Poetry, 23; Biography and Auto-<br />
biography, 22; History and Politics, 20; Edu-<br />
bation, 17; Art and Belles Lettres, 17; Science<br />
and Natural History, 10; Travel, 10; Medical, 2;<br />
Reprints, new editions, and translations, 86;<br />
Miscellaneous, 37.<br />
Dr. Richard Garnett is editing the Public<br />
Library Series, which is one of Mr. George Allen's<br />
enterprises. The following volumes have been<br />
arranged for: "Library Construction and Archi-<br />
tecture," by Mr. J. J. Burgoyne; "The Free<br />
Library," by Mr. J. J. Ogle; "Library Adminis-<br />
tration," by Mr. A. W. Robertson; "The Prices<br />
of Books,"* by Mr. H. B. Wheatley.<br />
Mrs. Warren Clouston is the writer of a volume<br />
on " Early English Furniture," which Mr. Edward<br />
Arnold will publish. It will have a number of<br />
illustrations of work done by the English cabinet-<br />
makers of olden days.<br />
"Prehistoric Man and Beast" is the title of a<br />
new work by the Rev. H. N. Hutchinson, the<br />
author of " Extinct Monsters." It will be pub-<br />
lished by Messrs. Smith, Elder, and Co., with a<br />
preface by Sir Henry H. Howorth, M.P., and<br />
drawings by Mr. Cecil Alden.<br />
The Glasgow Newsagents' and Booksellers'<br />
Union has resolved to allow discounts on<br />
magazines no longer. Henceforth the full<br />
publishing prices will be charged.<br />
Mr. Edward Pennington, a Scottish journalist,<br />
is writing a book on Sam Bough, who was a<br />
well-known figure in Edinburgh art circles of his<br />
day. The work will deal entirely with the<br />
artistic side of the painter's life.<br />
Dean Farrar's new book, "The Bible: Its<br />
Meaning and Supremacy," will be published<br />
immediately by Messrs. Longmans.<br />
Authors who observe the remarkable cheapness<br />
of paper will be interested in the following note<br />
from the New York correspondent of the Daily<br />
Mail: "One of our leading paper experts has<br />
organised a mammoth stock company for starting<br />
paper-making on American lines near London.<br />
The capital is all subscribed, and important<br />
developments will follow. Attention will be<br />
chiefly devoted to paper for newspapers, but<br />
calendered papers will be a speciality. The stock<br />
is held by leading paper men here. Experts have<br />
been reporting on the situation in England ever<br />
since the World's Fair, where the scheme had its<br />
inception. It is claimed that the American mills<br />
will be able to undersell English manufacturers,<br />
and to supply a superior article. I will cable<br />
details in a few weeks."<br />
The second volome of "Literary Anecdotes of<br />
the Nineteenth Century," by Dr. Robertson<br />
Nicoll and Mr. T. J. Wise, will be published<br />
shortly. Among the contents will be a hitherto<br />
unpublished tale by Charlotte Bronte; a review<br />
of Mr. Meredith's "The Shaving of Shagpat,"<br />
written by George Eliot in the Leader; and a<br />
number of letters by Elizabeth Barrett Browning<br />
which have not previously been published.<br />
A volume of verse by the late distinguished<br />
scientist, Mr. G. J. Romanes, is to appear from<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 129 (#165) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
129<br />
Messrs. Longmans on an early date, with an intro-<br />
duction by Mr. Herbert Warren, the President of<br />
Magdalen College, Oxford. The same firm have<br />
also a collection of essays by Mr. Romanes on<br />
their list of forthcoming books.<br />
Mr. William C. Hazlitt promises some new<br />
material concerning Charles Lamb and his sister<br />
in his volume to be published shortly by Mr.<br />
Elkin Mathews, entitled, "The Lambs; Their<br />
Lives, their Friends, and their Correspondents."<br />
Messrs. Smith, Elder, and Co. will publish in<br />
the course of November a one-volume novel<br />
(price 6*.) entitled " Drifting," by Archie Arm-<br />
strong.<br />
Mr. Henry Charles Moore has been awarded<br />
the £200 prize offered by Messrs. Partridge<br />
and Co. for the best story sent into them. It is<br />
a story of adventure in Burraah, and will be pub-<br />
lished as a serial in the Osborne.<br />
George Moore. Cosmo-<br />
Pi.. T. Q. C. Speaker for<br />
F. Reginald Statham.<br />
I. Bookman<br />
LITERATURE IN THE PERIODICALS.<br />
Copyright Reforms. The New Saturday for Oct. 24.<br />
A Question in Copyright. "Nullum Tempos Occurrat<br />
Honestati." Letter in the Spectator for Oot. 10.<br />
American Criticism To-Day. Brander Matthews.<br />
Chap-Book for Oot 1.<br />
Criticism. I. Zangwill. Inter alia in "Without Pre-<br />
judice." Pall Mall Magazine for November.<br />
Sensation Novels. World for Oct. 24.<br />
The Legitimate Uses of Fiction. Ingrad Harting-.<br />
Girl*' Own Paper for November.<br />
The Moral Idea in Fiction.<br />
polie for October.<br />
The Moral Idea in Fiction.<br />
Oct. 17 and 24.<br />
The Real Robert Elsmere.<br />
New Review for October.<br />
Copyright At Home. W. Morris Colles.<br />
for October.<br />
What to Read. Addresses by Sir Arthur Arnold and<br />
■Sir Theodore Martin. The Daily Chronicle for Oct. 19<br />
and 21.<br />
Journalism as a Profession. Fred Wilson. West-<br />
minster Review for October.<br />
The Photographic Copyrioht Union : Its Position and<br />
IProspeots. The Photographers' Record for October.<br />
Books as Comforters of the Soul. Spectator for<br />
Sept. 26, and ensuing correspondence on Oct. 3, 10, and 17.<br />
Browning's Theism. Josiah Boyce. The New IForld<br />
for September.<br />
Love-Lore from Abbotsford. Two hitherto unpub-<br />
lished letters of Sir Walter Scott's. Girls' Own Paper for<br />
November.<br />
The Sir Walter Scott Memorial. Lord Lothian.<br />
Letter in the Times for Oct. 7.<br />
The Decline of the Political Novel. Glasgow<br />
Herald for Oot. 10.<br />
Re-reading. Spectator for Oot. 24.<br />
Fashionable Life in Fiction. British Review for<br />
<Oct. 24.<br />
Penny Dreadfuls. Correspondent to the Daily<br />
Telegraph for Oct. 23; leading article Oct. 24.<br />
The BOOKSELLING Question. Letter by "Ex-Pub-<br />
lisher " in the Publishers' Circular for Sept. 25; by " Good-<br />
will " in Oot. 3.<br />
William Morris. Walter Crane. The Progressive<br />
Review for November.<br />
George du Maurier. R. C. Lehmann. Speaker for<br />
Oct. 10.<br />
Humour in Poetry. National Observer for Oot. 24.<br />
The Boy in Fiction. The New Saturday for Oct. 3.<br />
The Sale Dinner. The Daily Chronicle for Oct. 24.<br />
Revelations of an Album. (Containing reminiscences<br />
of Charles Beade and other writers.) Joseph Hatton.<br />
The Idler for October.<br />
Notable Reviews.<br />
Of L. R. Farnell's "The Cult of the Greek States."<br />
Franklin T. Richards. Academy for Oct. 17.<br />
Of Walter Pater's " Gaston de Latour." Athtnieum for<br />
Oct. 17.<br />
Of '• Ian Maclaren's" "Kate Carnegie and Those<br />
Ministers." Professor Marcos Dods. British Weekly for<br />
Oot. 22.<br />
Of the Carrow Library Catalogue (" Bibliotheca Norfol-<br />
ciensis "). Eastern Daily Press for Oot. 22.<br />
Of B. A. M. Stevenson's "The Art of Velasquez."<br />
Athenicum for Oct. 24.<br />
The law of Copyright, says the New Saturday,<br />
is at present in a condition of muddle; and the<br />
task of clearing it up, so that no author would be<br />
left in doubt as to his rights, would be worthy the<br />
best efforts of a great statesman. The presump-<br />
tion is strong, says our contemporary, that the<br />
new Copyright Bill drafted by the Society of<br />
Authors, the Publishers' Association, and the<br />
Copyright Association, while useful in its way,<br />
"will not be found to provide for that final<br />
settlement of all vexed questions which commends<br />
itself to the thorough-going advocates of reform."<br />
Although it is a step on the right road:<br />
Idealists would like to see a large measure, arranging,<br />
among other things, to make copyright perpetnal, so that<br />
the writer of a popular book might have as good a chance of<br />
founding a family as the compounder of a popular<br />
patent medicine.<br />
This same question of the perpetuity of<br />
copyright is raised by "Nullum Tempus Occurrat<br />
Honestati " in the Spectator. The correspondent<br />
believes that if a writer leaves his copyright to a<br />
college on trust for the charitable and educational<br />
purposes of the institution, the copyright is<br />
thereby made perpetual. But suppose a writer,<br />
wishing to provide f or his Vidcm or children by<br />
leaving them his copyright ilk »nd *3<br />
thereupon keep the ffl *?*<br />
before its time to WW tffl, 81* hcu, M<br />
making a presejXTj J^re ■ Can M >K<br />
college, prevent U<* ^rk\^ n <fe<br />
from expiring 'J* foe uv" 0 tf><br />
should WvS*. «f*J?- ^ « &<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 130 (#166) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
it for nineteen years to his widow, and then in<br />
perpetuity to a college?<br />
The need of competent criticism is felt more<br />
sharply in America to-day than ever before, says<br />
Mr. Brander Matthews. But there has been no<br />
falling off; on the contrary, there are more honest<br />
and capable critics in the United States now than<br />
there were in any period of the past. Really<br />
great critics, he observes, have always been<br />
very scarce everywhere ; far scarcer than great<br />
novelists or great dramatists. The important point<br />
of his article is its emphasis of the desirability,<br />
and observance of the growing popularity, of the<br />
signed criticism. One of the chief reasons, he<br />
says, why criticism is finer and more influential<br />
in France than it is in either Great Britain or<br />
the United States, is that the critic in France<br />
warrants his opinions with his signature, saying<br />
boldly what he has to say about another man's<br />
work, with no mask of skulking disguise.<br />
Authors of experience know the immense superi-<br />
ority of the signed to the unsigned book review,<br />
and so does the general public. The practice is<br />
spreading, and in time may become general:—<br />
It will have the disadvantage, of course, of putting an<br />
increased premium ou the work of the writers who have<br />
well-known names; but, after all, the writers with the well-<br />
known names are probably those who best deserve to be<br />
*^»own. And, on the other hand, it will have the advantage,<br />
I think, of increasing the class of writers who are not<br />
multifarious as the ordinary newspaper reviewer is now<br />
forced to pretend to be, but who have educated themselves<br />
in one or more specialties. It will aid in developing critics<br />
who may fairly be called experts in poetry and in fiction.<br />
Mr. Zangwill also touches on the subject of<br />
criticism, which may be, he says, an inductive<br />
science. With this distinction, however—that the<br />
critic must be a judge as well as an analyst.<br />
The power of recognising colours or of counting legs is<br />
common to mankind; the power of recognising fine humour<br />
and true poetry belongs only to the few; and criticism can<br />
only be made scientific by the hypothesis of a great critio,<br />
whose palate is accurately sensitive, who sums up the taste<br />
of the highest spirits of his day much as a great poet sums<br />
up their emotion or intellect<br />
But the critic can at any rate judge by genres,<br />
tasting every book by the standard of its own<br />
aim. He has a right to demand form, but no<br />
right to object to any form the author may<br />
choose. Passing on to define the naturalistic<br />
novel, Mr. Zangwill says that from the artistic<br />
standpoint, naturalistic novels must be primarily<br />
gauged not by the truth in them, but by the<br />
art in them. There is only one test. Do they<br />
stimulate? Then they are art despite all their<br />
science! Do they depress > Then, whatever else<br />
they are, they are not art. In short:<br />
Every novel that deals truly with life is naturalistic—in<br />
fact, the word novel should mean the " naturalistic novel"<br />
—any other kind of story should be classified as romance.<br />
Mr. Zangwill, finally, might be replying to^some<br />
of the criticism made in the Church Congress<br />
discussion on literature, when he say that " a book<br />
is not a thing that has a definite self-existence ;.<br />
it needs the co-operation of the reader's mind."<br />
While the World is extolling the virtues of the<br />
sensation novel, and saying that at the present<br />
moment in the largest and best sense it holds a<br />
popularity which has never been greater, Mr.<br />
George Moore writes in Cosmopulis that the<br />
English novel has never stood up to the great<br />
moral questions as Shakespeare stood up to them,<br />
in " Lear," "Macbeth," and "Othello," and that<br />
by consequence it has never produced a novel of<br />
the first order. For the test of an essentially,<br />
great novel is that it deals with primary moral<br />
ideas, and judged by this test prose fiction began<br />
with Balzac, and has been continued by Flaubert,<br />
Tourgueneff, and Tolstoi:—<br />
If the reader will turn from Balzac to his favourite Saxon<br />
novelist, Fielding or Thackeray, he will find there men and<br />
women admirably observed in their superficial appearanoes;<br />
he will find men and women depicted as we see them; each<br />
will be Btamped with his or her age, and with the habits<br />
and customs of his or her class. But the emotions which<br />
move them will be always secondary emotions. . . .<br />
That we do not express ourselves as openly as Fielding is-<br />
an unimportant literary accident. The essential is that the<br />
Saxon discovered the materialist novel in " Tom Jones," and<br />
liked it so much that he has gone on producing it ever since.<br />
"Ex-Publisher," writing on the congested con-<br />
ditions of retail bookselling, which is "not really<br />
abnormal," says the time seems to have arrived<br />
when the publishers should seriously consider as-<br />
to the adoption of the "sale or return" system<br />
in some modified form.<br />
The two new letters by Sir Walter Scott concern<br />
his son's love affairs, principally asking an exten-<br />
sion of Christmas leave from the lad's regiment<br />
in order that these might be arranged.<br />
Journalism, if it is to be judged by the salaries<br />
paid its members, must take rank with the-<br />
unskilled trades, says Mr. Fred. Wilson. So he<br />
would have the profession form a mutual and<br />
protective society, the Institute of Journalists not<br />
being, in his opinion, an effective body.<br />
A writer of penny dreadfuls champions the<br />
cause of the fraternity, which it appears possesses<br />
a small Association. This literature he calls a<br />
"really high-principled form of amusement."'<br />
The highwaymen and harum scarum lads depicted<br />
therein are never found triumphant in the end:<br />
on the contrary, they are all either stabbed or<br />
otherwise disposed of in a proper manner." The<br />
Daily Telegraph, in whose columns the letter<br />
appears, advises the Association to keep pegging<br />
away in the cause of virtue, and, if possible, to let<br />
their high moral aim appear even more conspicu-<br />
ously than at present.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 131 (#167) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
l3'<br />
THE BERNE INTERNATIONAL LITERARY<br />
AND ARTISTIC CONGRESS.<br />
REPORT OF THE BERNE INTERNA-<br />
TIONAL LITERARY AND ARTISTIC<br />
CONGRESS, held from the 22nd to the 29th<br />
August, 1896. *<br />
Translated from Le Droit d'Auteur, organe offioiel da<br />
Bnrean de 1'Union internationale pour la protection des<br />
oeuTres litt<5raires et artistiques. Neuvii-me anni;e. No. 9,<br />
page 118.<br />
I.—General Survey.<br />
THE annual congresses of the International<br />
Literary and Artistic Association follow,<br />
but do not resemble one another. This<br />
assertion may appear trivial, but the fact is of<br />
profound significance. It is, in reality, a con-<br />
sequence of circumstances of some importance—<br />
the condition of the international protection of<br />
copyright (a condition which is ceaselessly alter-<br />
ing), the nature and origin of the works laid<br />
before the Congress, and finally the choice of the<br />
place of meeting.<br />
The previous congresses, especially those of<br />
Milan, Antwerp, and Dresden, have resembled a<br />
preliminary general review of forces. They were<br />
organised with a view of drawing together im-<br />
pressive assemblies of authors, and artists, and<br />
also in order that the authors and artists might<br />
for-mulate their claims in a satisfactory manner;<br />
because the revision of the Berne Convention<br />
seemed to be imminent. All their reports bore<br />
evidence to one solid central aim, which was to<br />
bring the compact of union to a state of perfec-<br />
tion as quickly as possible. The Dresden Con-<br />
gress, the first held in the German Empire, was<br />
especially important, both on account of the<br />
large attendance of German authors and pub-<br />
lishers, and also on account of the general pro-<br />
clamation of the "desiderata" of authors of<br />
every language and of various shades of opinion.<br />
This year the situation was changed. The<br />
diplomatic conference at Paris had, in the spring,<br />
undertaken the difficult task of bringing forward,<br />
necessary changes in the constitution of the<br />
union, and, until its decisions should be definitely<br />
sanctioned, an interval of rest seemed indis-<br />
pensable.<br />
Berne enjoys the honour of being the seat of<br />
the International Bureau of the Union, and<br />
Berne, which one of the speakers at the Congress<br />
was kind enough to designate the citadel and<br />
sanctuary of international protection of intel-<br />
lectual works, showed itself deserving of the<br />
choice by exactly hitting, as it seems to us, the<br />
* Compare the Author, August, 1896, page 56. (Trans-<br />
lator's note.)<br />
happy mean of a welcome exempt from display,<br />
but full of cordiality, and of a friendly hospi-<br />
tality without ostentation.<br />
II.—The Work of the Congress.<br />
The business sittings of the Congress were held<br />
in the " Salle du Conseil des Etats." These sittings,<br />
of the usual number of eight, were of a very<br />
laborious character, so that it was found possible<br />
to complete, under the firm and able guidance of<br />
M. Pouillet, almost the whole programme, although<br />
it was a very long one.<br />
In this sketch of the labours of the Congress<br />
we shall follow the order of the connected subjects<br />
as they appear in the arrangement of resolutions<br />
adopted, rather than the order of the sittings.<br />
We place first the reports, which consisted simply<br />
of records, and were of the nature of minutes.<br />
Report upon the Labours of the Paris<br />
Confcrence.<br />
The Conference having at its first sitting<br />
appointed its officers,* and having listened with<br />
interest to the addresses of welcome of a number of<br />
delegates, commenced its agenda with the study<br />
of a subject of the highest moment, the revision<br />
of the Berne Convention by the Paris Diplomat it-<br />
Conference. M. Georges Maillard, who had been<br />
one of the secretaries of the Conference, succeeded<br />
in laying open judiciously, but perfectly clearly,<br />
the particular situation iu which the Conference<br />
found itself placed, the nature of the arrange-<br />
ments which it adopted, the legal and practical<br />
results obtained, and finally the moral effect of<br />
the gathering upon the countries outside the<br />
Union. Basing his remarks on the last chapter of<br />
his printed report, the speaker gave an analysis<br />
both of the proposals and of the amendments<br />
presented to the Conference. This resume was the<br />
occasion of the adoption of a resolution t in which<br />
an expression of the satisfaction caused by the<br />
marked improvements obtained is skilfully con-<br />
nected with an express k 11 of regret that other<br />
reforms had been postponed. As the Paris<br />
Conference itself expressed a hope that the Berlin<br />
Conference might issue a standard form of the<br />
term of convention, the Association also declared<br />
its intention of devoting itself next year t0 ^e<br />
preparation of new directions which nnS^J^L<br />
tea «f<br />
followB :—Presidents of Jj(<br />
dent of the Confedeti<br />
■-Ouour<br />
the Confederation.<br />
Dieroks<br />
dents<br />
bOTg Appeal >V>^5<br />
t See .<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 132 (#168) ############################################<br />
<br />
132<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
taken into consideration by diplomatists when the<br />
date of the reunion of the second Conference<br />
arrived.<br />
Legislative action in the Countries belonging to<br />
the Union.<br />
The successive ratification of the decisions of<br />
the Paris Conference by all the contracting<br />
countries, as well as the preparation of ulterior<br />
progressive revisions of the Berne Convention,<br />
are intimately connected with the legislative<br />
evolution which is taking place in the different<br />
States. The Association accordingly at every<br />
Congress directed its attention to the new de-<br />
velopments in the legal world. This subject<br />
was treated at Berne in the following manner.<br />
M. Osterrieth reported first of all upon the<br />
movement which is at the present time in<br />
Germany preceding a revision of the internal<br />
laws of the Empire respecting copyright. The<br />
Government intends to undertake this revision at<br />
an early date. The report contained useful infor-<br />
mation respecting the divergent views of German<br />
authors and publishers who are asking for a<br />
more satisfactory or more profitable legislation.<br />
On the other hand M. Poinsard explained the<br />
effect of the new ordinance on the Principality of<br />
Monaco respecting copyright, dated June 3, 1896.<br />
This ordinance set an example to be followed, as<br />
it was the first to realise some of the reforms<br />
adopted this spring at Paris.* M. Poiusard's<br />
statements were particulary interesting, as the<br />
author of the revised text, M. H. de Roiland,<br />
Attorney-General of the Superior Tribunal of<br />
Monaco, was present at the sitting, and was able<br />
to add some additional explanations, particularly<br />
respecting the complete protection of serials<br />
(romans-feuilletons) and of novels. During the<br />
sitting M. de Rolland also presented to the<br />
Congress the Prince of Monaco's invitation to<br />
hold the next reunion in his Principality. This<br />
invitation was accepted with thanks, and the<br />
nineteenth Congress of the Association has been<br />
fixed for next April.<br />
This is the place to add that the Hellenic<br />
Government had charged Dr. Kebedgy to repre-<br />
sent it officially at the Berne Congress. This<br />
was an evidence of the importance which the<br />
Greek Government attached to being directly<br />
informed of labours in which the Association is<br />
at present engaged, for which there is a parti-<br />
cular reason. A new law respecting copyright<br />
in intellectual works is under consideration in<br />
Greece, and Dr. Kebedgy, who took an active<br />
part in the discussions on several occasions,<br />
* For the text of this ordinance, and some remarks sug-<br />
gested by it, see Droit d'Auteur, 1896, pp. 89 and 93.<br />
entered into the question of how far, in his opinion,<br />
his compatriots would be able to go in the way of<br />
protecting copyright.<br />
Finally, M. Porumbaro, delegate of the<br />
Athenaeum of Bucharest, briefly explained the<br />
situation in Roumania. In his opinion a<br />
revision of the national legislation ought to<br />
precede the accession of his country to the Union.<br />
In his capacity of member of the Roumanian<br />
Parliament it is his intention to urge parliamen-<br />
tary measures for the removal of difficulties.<br />
We have thus insensibly approached another<br />
point in the programme.<br />
The means of obtaining new adherents to the<br />
Berne Conference.<br />
M. Maurice Maunoury having been prevented<br />
from attending the Congress, the conclusions of<br />
the report which he had prepared on this subject,<br />
and especially with reference to the European<br />
States, were presented by M. Maillard. These<br />
conclusions, completed by some useful additions<br />
from M. Poinsard, speak for themselves.* The<br />
local organisation of centres from which infor-<br />
mation may be diffused, and of an efficient<br />
propaganda, is a matter for private or united<br />
energy. At the same time, if it is desired to<br />
persuade the diplomatic authorities of certain<br />
countries to labour principally to bring new States<br />
into the Union, and not to conclude private<br />
treaties bearing on literary questions (except in<br />
such cases as make accession to the Union<br />
temporarily impossible), the result must, to a<br />
very great extent, depend upon personal relations<br />
with the authorities or with their representatives,<br />
and upon private influence. However, as the<br />
report observes, there is something which the<br />
Association itself can, as a corporate body, satis-<br />
factorily carry into effect. That is an investiga-<br />
tion of the causes which in each country stand in<br />
the way of an accession to the Union, an examina-<br />
tion of the situations of the publishing trade, and<br />
of the methods of piracy. It will be necessary to<br />
draw up nothing short of monographs respecting<br />
the state of the law in the several countries<br />
respecting the cause and origin of various<br />
restrictive enactments; respecting the local needs<br />
in the way of translation; of dramatic represen-<br />
tation; of musical performance, &c; in a word, to<br />
individualise the knowledge of the actual state of<br />
things in the different countries so as to make<br />
all action in the interests of the Union more<br />
practical.<br />
For several years past M. Darras has, with the<br />
assistance of M. Eisenmann, drawn up very<br />
accurate reports "on legislative action with regard<br />
* See below A, II.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 133 (#169) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
'33<br />
to copyright in the three Americas." M. Darras<br />
was not this year able to come to Berne, nor to<br />
draw up his report; and M. Ernest Rothlisberger<br />
was therefore entrusted, with the delivery of an<br />
oral report upon the same subject. He reviewed<br />
all the events of importance in this department<br />
which have taken place since the last Congress<br />
at .Dresden, whether in English America (the<br />
Canadian law—suggestion of Mr. Hall Caine), in<br />
the United States (suggested legal projects of<br />
Messrs. Cummings, Hills, and Treloar), or in<br />
Latin America, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa-Rica,<br />
Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil, the countries which<br />
have signed the convention of Montevideo, and<br />
the Argentine Republic. It was at the conclusion<br />
■of this report that the Congress adopted a<br />
resolution amounting to a vote of encouragement<br />
and symjmthy for the valiant champions of<br />
international copyright in the United States.*<br />
The Congress heard with particular satisfaction<br />
of the progress which our cause has made in<br />
Mexico, in Costa-Rica, and lastly in the Argentine<br />
Republic, where it was eloquently defended by<br />
M. Cane, minister of that country at Paris.f<br />
ifeans of assuring compliance with the terms of<br />
the Berne Convention in countries belonging to<br />
the Union.<br />
The Association perseveringly pursues a double<br />
aim ; on the one hand, the territorial extension of<br />
the Union; on the other, a constantly more<br />
perfect and easier compliance with the provisions<br />
of the Berne Convention. Concerning the second<br />
of these two aims not less than six reports were<br />
prepared.<br />
Literary works. — Respecting the protection<br />
accorded these works in the countries which have<br />
signed the Convention, M. Ollendorf, the Paris<br />
publisher, showed in his report that the various<br />
stipulations of the Convention are, on the whole,<br />
very scrupulously observed in the States in ques-<br />
tion. But in cases when difficulties arise abroad,<br />
or when it is necessary to apply to the tribunals,<br />
there is always some hesitation about the means<br />
which it may be best to employ. For this reason<br />
M. Ollendorf proposed the establishment in every<br />
country of a legal office "composed of lawyers<br />
belonging to all nationalities, and entrusted with<br />
the duty of enlightening and guiding their com-<br />
patriots in cases of external lawsuits, as well as<br />
with that of staving off litigation." After a full<br />
discussion the Congress agreed to this, in this<br />
sense, that the Association will exert itself to find<br />
in each State competent and trustworthy lawyers<br />
* See below B, IV.<br />
+ It is the intention of Le Droit d'Auteur to publish<br />
shortly the very instructive report on the Paris Conference,<br />
Addressed by M. Cane to his government.<br />
who will, in their own country, take up the causes<br />
of foreign authors whose interests may be in-<br />
fringed.*<br />
M. Ollendorf pleaded also for the suppression<br />
of the guaranty judicalum solrif in cases relating<br />
to literary and artistic property. The Congress<br />
was unanimous in regarding this guaranty as an<br />
anti-liberal measure, contrary to the spirit of the<br />
Convention. But as the matter is connected<br />
with the question of obtaining in one country<br />
guarantees for the execution of judicial sentences<br />
in another, it was decided to make the point the<br />
subject of further investigations.];<br />
Dramatic icorks. — The report presented by<br />
M. Beaume, which was full of accurate data<br />
respecting the treatment of rights of dramatic<br />
representation, proved much less optimistic than<br />
that of M. Ollendorf. According to M. Beaume<br />
the protection accorded to dramatic works leaves<br />
much to be desired. This is not only in conse-<br />
quence of the omissions and restrictions of the<br />
Convention (Article 9), nor only in cousequence<br />
of the unfavourable provisions of the laws of<br />
certain nations (for example those of Switzer-<br />
land), but also owing to the practices of dramatic<br />
managements, conducted on purely commercial<br />
lines, and also in part owing to the absence of<br />
organization amongst authors. M. Beaume<br />
considered that the best means of securing<br />
general protection, at least in the countries<br />
belonging to the Union, was that the dramatic<br />
authors should follow the example of the French<br />
dramatic authors, who, united in a society (the<br />
prosperity of which is astonishing), have suc-<br />
ceeded in protecting perfectly even the interests<br />
of their foreign confreres who pay the same<br />
percentages. In the course of the discussion,<br />
M. Hildebrandt, the delegate of the German<br />
Literary Society, § remarked that the French<br />
dramatic authors, instead of applying to his<br />
society to watch over the rights of representation<br />
and translation in Germany, sold their rights<br />
out and out to the directors of German theatres<br />
who came to Paris, and so lost all further control<br />
over their work. He therefore warmly advo-<br />
* See Resolution A, III.<br />
t Caution judicatum solvi. Caution in Trench 1»* 00"f"<br />
sponds with Caution in SWtfoYi 1 , «iuivalenl <»<br />
Guaranty in English law. G^*' W<br />
one person binds hhnaeYf ,Uuara,% is a conW* ^ act<br />
in the case of the failuj* J? W * * *° J**<br />
it is to do the thine. „! ot Bom« otw r,ets<>»*_ xfr***<br />
it is to do the thing „„ ot BomO otW xfl*#>* „<br />
himself is generally8 ^^anteed, P° 0Tl<br />
person who is Prim*-^ the *Hr*K . v„At»^ -flit1- tt*<br />
the form of judio^^ WwB J lU m W^iV^i tfi<br />
surety becomes g*£ »<br />
i Seriftstelle^.^ ^<br />
/<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 134 (#170) ############################################<br />
<br />
134<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
rated the international federation of societies<br />
founded for the mutual protection of the rights<br />
of authors. An investigation respecting the<br />
foundation of such societies was accordingly<br />
declared desirable.<br />
Painting, Sculpture, and Engraving.—M.<br />
Yauuois, who defended the theses of the report of<br />
M. Fleury (who was absent), made similar<br />
remarks respecting painting, sculpture, and<br />
engraving. The slightly modified conclusions<br />
drawn from this report expressly enunciate the<br />
ideas of a coalition of authors, and of the<br />
fouudat ion of a syndicate of the different national<br />
associations with a view to maintaining (before<br />
the tribunals) the rights of reproduction, and<br />
more particularly those belonging to members,<br />
and declared to be intrusted to their society.*<br />
Musical tcorhs.—The report promised by M.<br />
Souchon was not presented, as he had not been<br />
able to come to Berne. His absence was<br />
unfortunate, as it was much to be desired that<br />
some authorised voice should proclaim the<br />
incontestable rights of composers, and at the<br />
same time should furnish information concerning<br />
the possibilities of the reoeptiou of percentages,<br />
and the constitution of the society of authors,<br />
composers, and publishers of music. An open<br />
discussion ou this subject, to which the Swiss<br />
Press was especially looking forward, would<br />
certainly have dissipated a great many misunder-<br />
standings.<br />
Architectural works.—M. Ch. Lucas was able<br />
to interest all his hearers by his speech in favour<br />
of the cause which he has defended for years—the<br />
legal protection of architectural works. His<br />
brief statement bristled with facts. He pointed<br />
out why the legal protection of designs was<br />
insufficient, why the architect ought to be<br />
guaranteed against rebuilding and reconstruction,<br />
and where certain decisions of the French tribunals<br />
were open to criticism. Whilst making some<br />
remarks in explanation of the unfavourable<br />
attitude of German legislation as regards the<br />
claims of architects, M. Lucas declared categori-<br />
cally that there could be no question about the<br />
protection of such work as was, in the places<br />
where it existed, absolutely without originality.<br />
After this the resolution in favour of the protection<br />
of architectural works which were really indivi-<br />
dual, new, and in effect artistic creations, met with<br />
no opposition.f<br />
Photographic works.—The report of M. Taillefer<br />
was read and supplemented by M. Davanne.<br />
After a brief allusion to the somewhat different<br />
views of the German photographers, M. Davanne<br />
concluded with a repetition of the wish that<br />
photographs should be placed in the same rank<br />
with other works of art. Complete protection<br />
was still claimed for them, because the measure<br />
of protection assured by the Paris Conference<br />
(protection to the extent secured respectively by<br />
the laws of the different States belonging to the<br />
Union), though large, still left a scandalous<br />
disparity.*<br />
The Compliance tcith Conditions and Formalities<br />
in the Countries belonging to the Union.<br />
M. Ernest Rothlisberger had prepared a<br />
detailed report upon this complicated subject.<br />
The report was a little dry, but of great assistance<br />
towards a just and easy realisation of what an<br />
author's rights, in the conventional and legal<br />
sense, are. The exercise of these rights depends,<br />
in the Union, only upon the accomplishment of<br />
the conditions and formalities prescribed by the<br />
internal legislation of the country in which the<br />
work is published. Compliance with this simple<br />
rule proves, in practice, difficult, on account of<br />
the difference of the laws of various nations.<br />
M. Rothlisberger, after having drawn a distinction<br />
between conditions and formalities, first of all<br />
enumerated the former. They turned out to be<br />
more numerous than is generally supposed. After<br />
this he explained the formalities, that is to say,<br />
registration, and legal deposit of copies of the<br />
work, so far as these are connected with protec-<br />
tion of copyright. For this purpose he classed<br />
the States belonging to the Union into four<br />
groups:<br />
1. Countries in which there are no formalities.<br />
2. Countries in which formalities are the excep-<br />
tion.<br />
3. Countries in which formalities are the rule,<br />
but neglect of them does not affect the author's<br />
rights.<br />
4. Countries in which they are obligatory,<br />
under the penalty of loss of copyright.<br />
The working of the formalities (delay, place,<br />
authority, fee, certificate, legal consequences) was<br />
rendered clear by comparative tables. Starting<br />
from this base M. Rothlisberger claimed for<br />
authors of the countries belonging to the Union<br />
a number of facilities for the accomplishment of<br />
these formalities within the jurisdiction of the<br />
Union. In his opinion these facilities should not<br />
be sanctioned de lege ferenda by new enactments,<br />
but should logically result from a liberal interpre-<br />
tation of the Convention. We cannot here enter<br />
into the grounds of the speaker's demands. But<br />
the resolutions passed on the subject are suffi-<br />
ciently explicit.! We shall mention only two<br />
* Resolutions B, III., b.<br />
f See Resolutions B, a.<br />
* Resolutions B, b.<br />
t Resolutions A, III.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 135 (#171) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
i35<br />
modifications which the Congress made in the<br />
propositions laid before it. M. Rothlisberger<br />
desired that it should be remembered that the<br />
Berne International Bureau could take the steps<br />
necessary to procure for the persons interested<br />
the certificate sanctioned in Article 11, paragraph 3,<br />
of the Convention. This certificate shows that<br />
the formalities required by law have been com-<br />
plied with. This privilege of the Berne Bureau<br />
was recognised by the Diplomatic Conference of<br />
1885: (Actes, p. 37). But the Congress, going<br />
still further, decided to express a formal desire<br />
to the effect that the Bureau should be itself<br />
charged to deliver the certificates in question.<br />
Further, M. Rothlisberger had proposed to<br />
request, by a desire of the Congress, that the<br />
authorities of those countries in which the legis-<br />
lation does not make the copyright of any works,<br />
or the copyright of certain classes of works,<br />
depend upon special conditions or formalities,<br />
should have the goodness to make special official<br />
declarations to this effect, so that the International<br />
Bureau may transmit these declarations to the<br />
persons whom they may concern. The Congress<br />
adopted a resolution in accordance with which it<br />
is the province of the Berne Bureau to take the<br />
steps necessary to procure the declarations in<br />
question.<br />
Finally M. Rothlisberger declared himself,<br />
on principle, in favour of the complete suppres-<br />
sion of all formalities if they in any way tend to<br />
obstruct either the genesis of the author's rights<br />
or their protection. Because, on every occasion<br />
when registration, or legal deposit of the work,<br />
is prescribed by a law respecting intellectual<br />
property, the legislator, in search of something<br />
to ensure the regular accomplishment of these<br />
formalities, yields to the temptation to deprive<br />
the author, who does not comply with the legal<br />
requirements, of the power of taking legal action,<br />
or even, in many countries belonging to the<br />
Union, deprives him of all rights in his work.<br />
It will be only in the case of this rule of the loss<br />
of rights disappearing from the Statute-books of<br />
the countries in question, in consequence of a<br />
revision of their internal laws, that it will be<br />
possible logically to renew the request adopted<br />
at the last Dresden Congress in favour of the<br />
suppression of all conditions and formalities a?<br />
necessary for international protection. According<br />
to M. Rothlisberger, whose arguments we cannot<br />
lere produce, the establishment of good national<br />
bibliographies would amply suffice to give civil<br />
rights to^literary works. As for artistic works,<br />
they are almost everywhere dispensed from the<br />
formalities; a fact which proves that the desired<br />
reform (the disappearance of formalities from the<br />
domain of copyright) is perfectly realisable.<br />
An entirely different opinion was upheld by<br />
M. Lucien Layus, who presented a report<br />
entitled "On Legal Deposit" (" Du depot<br />
legal"), in which he gave, in a concise form,<br />
much interesting information concerning the<br />
origin of this formality. The deposit of copies<br />
was instituted for reasons of the most different<br />
kinds: with the aim of enriching national<br />
collections; in order to furnish a proof of date,<br />
that might determine the duration of the copy-<br />
right; as an assistance to the police ; and for the<br />
protection of public order. However, in the<br />
countries where the law of legal deposit exists,<br />
but where compliance with it is incumbent on the<br />
printer, a number of inconveniences arise, incon-<br />
veniences affecting both the copyright and the<br />
national collections. The necessity of a reform<br />
is manifest, and with a view to obtaining this<br />
reform M. Layus recommended the adoption of<br />
three resolutions. In his opinion the legal deposit<br />
thus reformed, and reformed first of all in France,<br />
represented a measure which should be recom-<br />
mended to all States. In conclusion, his report<br />
contained the following passage: "It is to be<br />
desired that the obligations of registration and of<br />
legal deposit by the publisher should be at an<br />
early date adopted by all the countries in which<br />
this is not at present the rule."<br />
The Association had adopted contradictory reso-<br />
lutions on this subject. At one time it had<br />
voted in favour of the extension of the obligation<br />
of legal deposit to all countries of the Union,<br />
adding a resolution that this deposit ought to be<br />
independent of the author's copyright. (Barce-<br />
lona. Antwerp.) At another time it had been<br />
in favour of the suppression of all formalities in<br />
the international administration. (Dresden.) It<br />
was necessary to decide frankly by a resolution in<br />
favour of the formalities or against them.<br />
Several votings which took place in the course of<br />
the sittings proved that the partisans of the<br />
abolition of formalities, whose opinious were<br />
confirmed by criticisms of the defectiveness of the<br />
present system of legal deposit, had at their com-<br />
mand a considerable majority.<br />
The only solution of the situation, possible<br />
appeared to be a division condemning one or tne<br />
other of the two systems. This extremity. ^ow"<br />
ever, was avoided, thanks to the rit °^ con"<br />
ciliation which animated hruV. *.i *P ,.fpiS8 and<br />
.ich animated both U A .rress<br />
the authors of the reports. at ^ C° utoP°8ed,<br />
to add to the resolutions VfV- < V ^M118 *riipra'<br />
the one adopted at the l^J/\ctl<br />
met*1<br />
of Publishers.<br />
influence *f ^opy^^^ %^ ^ $r ^<br />
other hand, he was T^^Vfc , „»*<br />
• movements in the ^\<$<br />
/<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 136 (#172) ############################################<br />
<br />
136<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
might be desirable in the countries where the<br />
deposit is statutory, and to vote for the resolutions<br />
under discussion, limiting their effect to these<br />
countries. The whole Congress seemed at last to<br />
be agreed to admit that the formalities might be<br />
local or national measures of internal order, but<br />
that it would be best to put an end to the<br />
entanglement of such measures with the recogni-<br />
tion and administration of the author's copyright.<br />
Should any State desire, for whatsoever reasons,<br />
to prescribe registration or legal deposit of<br />
literary works, or of certain artistic works, let it<br />
determine all these details by special enactment,<br />
but not in the law concerning intellectual pro-<br />
perty. Copyright ought to be respected without<br />
the authors being obliged to comply with any<br />
formalities whatsoever.<br />
These important decisions were arrived at<br />
without opposition. It may, therefore, be hoped<br />
that this question will not again appear amongst<br />
the agenda of a literary or artistic Congress.<br />
Newspaper Copyright. (*)<br />
The brief but precise report of M. Paul Gave<br />
laid down as a principle that no literary compo-<br />
sition, inasmuch as it is an intellectual product,<br />
ought to be reproduced without authorisation,<br />
even though it may first have appeared in a<br />
newspaper. It miglit be quoted, provided always<br />
that the quotations did not degenerate into dis-<br />
guised piracy. What, however, was to be said<br />
about the protection of news? These were the<br />
facts: "Certain newspapers put themselves to a<br />
great expense in order to secure interesting tele-<br />
grams, and to have correspondents in every<br />
locality (often in localities at a great distance)<br />
where remarkable events were taking place. The<br />
news which they thus procured was openly,<br />
shamelessly pillaged. Such things were to be<br />
found as periodicals created for this very purpose,<br />
periodicals appearing a few hours after their eon-<br />
temporaries, and borrowing from them the whole<br />
of their telegrams and news, obtained at a great<br />
expense, and thus offering a recapitulation of<br />
everything useful and interesting published on the<br />
same day. Such things were to be found as pro-<br />
vincial papers whose editors, living in the capital,<br />
telegraphed or telephoned complete articles pub-<br />
lished in the leading journals, and did not scruple<br />
to reproduce these same articles twelve or eighteen<br />
hours before the other journals, those that had<br />
been pillaged, could reach the towns where the<br />
piracies appeared."<br />
It was, however, important to distinguish<br />
between mere news (information brutale) based<br />
upon a simple fact, and given without any intel-<br />
* De la propriety littt'raire en mativre de presse.<br />
lectual labour (which might be reproduced<br />
freely), and news in which some personal<br />
element appeared, the result of labour and of<br />
literary composition, and so capable of being<br />
protected like any other writing.<br />
An animated and brilliant discussion followed<br />
the reading of this report. M. Albert Bataille,<br />
delegate of the International Union of Journalists'<br />
Societies * founded at Buda-Pest in last July.f<br />
unfolded, in an erudite speech, listened to with<br />
the greatest attention, the transformation through<br />
which modern journalism is passing—the dis-<br />
appearance of learned articles, and of didactic<br />
elements, and the predominance of news, of<br />
"impressions," new, rapid, well-written and well-<br />
balanced. It was against the pilfering of this<br />
sort of intelligence that journalists demanded<br />
protection without the necessity of asserting that<br />
their copyright was reserved. Hitherto, by means<br />
of the present Convention at Berne, and its<br />
revised Article 7, protection had been afforded for<br />
"what was least journalistic, the literary<br />
portion ;" % for the future every individual article<br />
ought to be protected by formal declarations—<br />
with a solitary exception. In the interests of the<br />
influence which the newspaper ought to exert, it<br />
was desirable that political articles, as well as<br />
speeches, should be freely reproduced and left to<br />
public discussion, unless this was expressly<br />
forbidden. With respect to mere news, especially<br />
that communicated by telegraphic agencies, it<br />
would be perhaps right to ask for an " industrial"<br />
protection, on the ground of illegal competition,<br />
or, perhaps, a protection for twenty-four hours<br />
might be instituted, as at the Cape. There was<br />
here no question of the protection of intellectual<br />
property, but only of the protection of priority of<br />
information.<br />
All the subsequent speakers declared that the<br />
Association was disposed to continue its investiga-<br />
tions of these questions (investigations which<br />
had been commenced in Paris and London), and<br />
to support the journalists in their claims. M.<br />
Wauwermans, at the same time, called attention<br />
to the fact that the legal protection is often very<br />
wide, but the journalists never make use of it<br />
against the abuses of which they are the victims.<br />
At least in Belgium the French journals whose<br />
articles are reproduced imhesitatingly, and even<br />
with the signatures removed, never institute legal<br />
proceedings, and never even ask for a mention of<br />
the source from which the borrowed matter may<br />
come. Other speakers opposed the free repro-<br />
duction of political articles, without exception,<br />
and demanded that they should be treated as<br />
* Union Internationale des Associations de presse.<br />
t See Droit d'Auteur, 1896, pag-e 97.<br />
X " Ce qu'il y a de moins journal, la partie litteraire."<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 137 (#173) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
137<br />
any other articles. The journalist ought to<br />
be the master of his own work. Finally, as it<br />
was shown that different usages respecting news-<br />
paper publication prevailed in different countries,<br />
it was resolved to set aside the two points under<br />
discussion for further consideration.* The<br />
assembly was unanimous in declaring the neces-<br />
sity of protecting all written matter appearing in<br />
a newspaper.<br />
The Rights of Collaborateurs.<br />
This question, introduced by M. Georges<br />
Harmand, also called forth ample discussion.<br />
In general, his report, carefully studied and<br />
supported by evidence, was warmly approved.<br />
This report treated in succession of the definition<br />
of collaboration, a definition which the Congress<br />
decided to reject; the rights of collaborateurs,<br />
equal in the absence of any agreement to the<br />
contrary; principles established for the publica-<br />
tion of the completed work, in case of refusal to<br />
publish on the part of one of the collaborateurs;<br />
the cession of collaborateurs' rights; the funda-<br />
mental principle of the indivisibility of the work;<br />
the distinction between works produced by<br />
collaboration and collective works; the duration<br />
of the collaboration.<br />
A strong opposition was raised against a view<br />
which M. Harmand wished to see adopted<br />
respecting the expiration of the rights of collabo-<br />
rateurs. It was admitted that so long as one of<br />
them lived he ought to exercise all rights in com-<br />
bination with the heirs of deceased coilaborateurs.<br />
But, further than this, M. Harmand supposed<br />
that, in the case of a work produced by collabo-<br />
ration, there might be several periods of duration<br />
of copyright, each one dating from the decease of<br />
one of the collaborateurs. The heirs or assigns<br />
of each of these deceased collaborateurs would<br />
thus lose their rights at the expiration of a<br />
certain time reckoned from the decease of their<br />
particular collaborateur. To whom then would<br />
the totality of the rights revert? M. Harmand<br />
was of opinion that, as by degrees the rights of<br />
the other collaborateurs, or of their assigns,<br />
lapsed, the survivor ought to acquire all the<br />
rights, and that his share of the emoluments<br />
should be augmented by those belonging to the<br />
collaborateurs who predeceased him. He took no<br />
notice of the heirs or assigns of the survivor.<br />
The opposition, taking their stand upon the<br />
ground that a work written in collaboration is<br />
indivisible, and that all rights in it are equal,<br />
carried a resolution to the effect, that the rights of<br />
all heirs of such collaborateurs as have pre-<br />
deceased others, subsist together jointly until the<br />
one limit of copyright calculated from the death<br />
* BeBolution C, in.<br />
of the collaborateur who last remains alive shall<br />
have been reached. Only in the case when there<br />
are no heirs of a deceased collaborateur, the share<br />
belonging to this collaborateur should be distri-<br />
buted amongst the other collaborateurs or their<br />
assigns. Thus no part would be without an<br />
owner, nor could be pocketed by theatrical direc-<br />
tors, S)-c., who were making payments to the<br />
collaborateurs.<br />
Thus amended, the principles adopted respect-<br />
ing collaboration were considered by the Congress<br />
deserving of being incorporated in the laws of the<br />
various nations as being the expression of the<br />
wishes of authors of all kinds of works.*<br />
The Rights of Creditors over Intellectual Works.<br />
According to M. Albert Vaunois the author has<br />
a double right over his creation. He has a<br />
pecuniary right, which is a commercial matter.<br />
And he has a moral right attaching to his own<br />
persou. So long as the author lives his moral<br />
right is indisputable, and precludes any inter-<br />
ference 011 the part of others. If he has not<br />
alienated his right no one can put himself in his<br />
place or deprive him of his property by a forced<br />
execution. The creditors have no claim except<br />
upon the profits resulting from agreements freely<br />
made by the author. After the death of the<br />
author, measures taken for a forced execution of<br />
claims upon his rights should be pleaded before<br />
the tribunals in the presence of his heirs, or of his<br />
executors.<br />
These ideas of M. Vaunois's, extremely bold<br />
ones regarding a subject to which very little<br />
attention has been hitherto paid, a subject<br />
also very insufficiently investigated by legis-<br />
latures and judges, met with a somewhat<br />
vigorous resistance. That manuscripts could<br />
not be seized by creditors, nor, in general,<br />
unpublished works (even after a man's death),<br />
and that, therefore, much more uKiinished<br />
works could not be seized, was universally ad-<br />
mitted. The creditors ought not to be able to<br />
obtain possession of these works with a view to<br />
publishing them against the will of the author or<br />
his heirs. But after the work had been pub-<br />
lished, there was not, in the opinion °^ manv<br />
speakers, any particular reason for mtilctin8 *ue<br />
creditor, who might also deserve coBsl^erati°n'<br />
nor for giving the autbor the Uei4 o£<br />
exceptional privilege, likeW \n , n, teaewtt1<br />
against him. As a Ker^J^™*5 *L<br />
—o — r< ■ \ v.. a rtJP<br />
between the moral right » a w&6 ojV ,<br />
seemed not very clearly ^ ^ ytf^J^leL<br />
the preliminary labou^ ^fovfe^ £ \ \<br />
* Besolutions B, II.<br />
f See hia draft of a<br />
7<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 138 (#174) ############################################<br />
<br />
'33<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
'Congress accordingly voted that this question<br />
.should be referred to its next meeting.*<br />
The Type for Reproduction.<br />
M. A. Davanne devoted himself to several<br />
problems, which have at present been but little<br />
examined, " with the wish of seeing them studied<br />
and solved." His tiactate was entitled, "The<br />
Ownership of the Type, and more particularly of<br />
the Phototype, or Photographic Negative: an<br />
Attempt at some Definitions."<br />
According to M. Davanne the term "type"<br />
ought to be applied to every work, and to every<br />
mechanical instrument which serves for obtaining<br />
from an original manifold reproductions resem-<br />
bling it. The original constitutes the definite<br />
realisation of the author's conceptions, and the<br />
reproduction, distinct from the copy, is a repre-<br />
sentation of the original by various means.<br />
Often the " type" is itself the original (as in the<br />
case of etchings or photographic negatives); at<br />
other times it is formed in imitation of the<br />
original (composition of type, die, mould).<br />
When the copies are to be numerous the instru-<br />
ment for reproducing them is multiplied by the<br />
fabrication of counter-types (stereotype, electro-<br />
type, transfer from engraved plates to litho-<br />
graphic stones, and casts of casts).<br />
Who is the owner of the type? Basing his<br />
views upon the example of letterpress printing,<br />
M. Davanne replies to this question thus: The<br />
owner of the material type is the person who has<br />
made it. The right to use it, or the right to<br />
allow it to lje used, belongs to the person who has<br />
-ordered it. The right to destroy it belongs<br />
equally to both persons. M. Davanne next<br />
■■applied these principles to the ownership of a<br />
photographic negative, making an exception of<br />
those cases where there are express or tacit<br />
understandings to the contrary, cases which are<br />
numerous. Kegarding portraits, M. Davanne<br />
maintains that the customer has no right to<br />
demand the surrender of the negative, and that<br />
the photographer has the right to refuse to sur-<br />
render his negative, because he has the right to<br />
-destroy it. At the same time this right equally<br />
belongs to his customer. In certain cases the<br />
customer tacitly agrees to surrender the right to<br />
make use of the negative, especially if he is<br />
paid to be photographed. Finally, M. Davanne<br />
examined the case of a tacit agreement permitting<br />
the customer to demand the surrender to himself<br />
-of the negative.<br />
Of the Lapse of Copyright.^<br />
In his report devoted to the lapse of copyright,<br />
* Resolutions C, II.<br />
+ " Do domains pnbii-," i.e., cf the palli: ownership of<br />
•terary property.<br />
M. Ed. Mack, (a specialist in all that concerns<br />
the duration of copyright*) first of all established<br />
a delicate distinction between the rights of the<br />
public, a right to the enjoyment of an intellectual<br />
work, and the lapse of copyright, which he<br />
characterised as an expropriation of the heirs or<br />
assigns of the author, for the benefit of any one<br />
who chose to turn the author's works to his own<br />
profit, so long as this person simply conformed<br />
with the rules of the open competition of the<br />
market, a state of things which sometimes led to a<br />
diminution of the price the public pay for the<br />
work. Having reviewed the enactments of various<br />
Legislatures on this subject, M. Mack examined<br />
the provisions of the Italian law, which sanctions<br />
a second period of protection, during which, after<br />
the lapse of the author's right, the public pay the<br />
author a certain sum. This system appeared to<br />
him to present great advantages. If the practical<br />
aim of a unification of the various laws respecting<br />
the duration of copyright after death were<br />
pursued, M. Mack was in favour of Jifty years<br />
after death; at the same time his own preferences<br />
were in favour of an absolute copyright of eighty<br />
years dating from the publication of the work.<br />
But—and herein lay the originality of his pro-<br />
position—after the lapse of this first period of<br />
of eighty years, the author's copyright ought to be<br />
extended to a hundred years, or even to perpetuity<br />
on condition that the previous exclusive right to<br />
reproduce should be transformed into a right to a<br />
royalty, a kind of payment on the part of the public.<br />
This plan is already partly followed by the Society<br />
of French Dramatic Authors, who receive per-<br />
centages even for works of which the copyright<br />
has lapsed. The public right to become possessed<br />
of works after the lapse of copyright could not bo<br />
too much curtailed. Its consequences were bene-<br />
ficial neither to the public nor to contemporary<br />
literature.<br />
As M. Mack had declined to ask for a vote<br />
upon the conclusions at which he had arrived, the<br />
debate upon the best period for the duration<br />
of copyright took place at the time of the con-<br />
sideration of the draft of a normal law prepared<br />
by M. Maillard.<br />
Draft of a Normal Laic.<br />
To avoid misunderstanding, it was, in the<br />
opinion of the author of this draft, necessary to<br />
explain exactly both the origin and the aim of his<br />
proposal. At the Dresden Congress M. Maillard<br />
presented a work in which he had, in accordance<br />
with previous votes of the Association, formulated<br />
the principles on which a unification of the various<br />
national laws ought to proceed. The "principles<br />
of legislative uniformity" were to constitute a<br />
"See Droit d'Auteur, 1894, p. 11.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 139 (#175) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE A UTHOR.<br />
i39<br />
sort of programme for the champions of copy-<br />
right, the " platform" of a propaganda destined<br />
to lead popular opinion in countries where the<br />
reform of the local legislation is contemplated,<br />
and to give the efforts of authors and artists the<br />
unity of aim indispensable in their struggle for<br />
their aims. In conformity with the resolution<br />
adopted at Dresden, these principles have been<br />
transformed by M. Maillard into a draft of a law<br />
w-hich might serve as a base for the work of<br />
unification. The suggested draft is essentially<br />
perfectible, and it will be easy to modify it from<br />
year to year, in accordance with the results of<br />
further investigations, or in accordance with the<br />
march of ideas. The draft thus gives the mini-<br />
mum protection respecting which agreement is at<br />
present possible amongst the nations who have<br />
signed the Convention; and it embodies the ideal<br />
whole of what it is possible to hope to see before<br />
long in international dealings. "It must be<br />
understood," M. Maillard adds, "that we do not<br />
pretend to offer this document as the only legisla-<br />
tion acceptable in each country. Where a suffi-<br />
cient legislation or jurisprudence already exists<br />
we do not ask for any immediate change. . . .<br />
But wheresoever the desirability of a new law is<br />
admitted by the national representatives, we<br />
should like to see all the new laws based upon<br />
some common norm. Given the same funda-<br />
mental ]>rinciples, similar enactments would be<br />
passed, whilst the details might be left to be<br />
settled in such a manner as not to be distaseful<br />
to the feelings of the individual nationalities."<br />
This draft drawn up to serve as a "norm for<br />
legislative reforms" was discussed at several<br />
sittings, whensoever an occasion presented itself<br />
during the debates on various reports, and more<br />
particularly at the last two sittings. We give<br />
below the text as it appeared at the close of the<br />
deliberations. This will make it unnecessary for<br />
ua to enter into a detailed account of the debates,<br />
and we shall mention only some of the leading<br />
tendencies of these discussions.<br />
The draft speaks of "literary and artistic"<br />
works, an expression which some wished to see<br />
altered into "intellectual" works, whilst others<br />
desired that it should be complemented by the<br />
express addition of " scientific works." It would<br />
be right to inquire how far it might be possible<br />
to protect even the scientific ideas of learned<br />
men.<br />
Respecting Article 1 of the draft, M. Hilde-<br />
brandt demanded a more precise wording, some<br />
more exact fixture of the limits of rights, such as<br />
would not interfere with the liberty to hiss a<br />
melody in the streets, nor hamper the rights of<br />
circulating libraries. There would be a risk of<br />
endangering the revision of the German law if,<br />
in determining the author's rights, the criterion<br />
of financial advantage * was not adopted. Re-<br />
speetingtheperformance of musical works,it would<br />
be desirable, in order to avoid specific difficulties<br />
in Alsace-Lorraine, and in Switzerland, to take<br />
percentages only from societies receiving pecu-<br />
niary advantage from the performance. To this<br />
M. Maillard replied that this was interpreting<br />
his words in an exaggerated manner; but that at<br />
the same time it was light to protect not only the<br />
pecuniary interests but also the moral rights of the<br />
author; to protect not his work only but also his<br />
person, so that he could if he chose completely<br />
forbid the reproduction of his work. He insisted<br />
that it was above everything necessary to sanction<br />
a principle, making allowance for the restrictions<br />
which might have to be introduced in various<br />
countries, on account of local and temporary<br />
needs; for example, in such cases as workmen's<br />
choral societies, &c. At present it was necessary<br />
to find some wording which took account on the<br />
one hand of the pecuniary interests, and on the<br />
other hand of the moral right of the author.<br />
Respecting the duration of copyright, the Con-<br />
gress, after a long debate, voted for that of<br />
eighty years after death. Those in favour of<br />
fifty or thirty years after death were in a minority.<br />
However, some members handed in a declaration<br />
that in their opinion the period of eighty years<br />
was too long. Only a few votes were given in<br />
favour of an equal recommendation of one<br />
hundred years after publication. In fact it<br />
seemed undesirable to propose at the same time<br />
t wo solutions of this question. Besides, the second<br />
plan presupposed the legal deposit of the copy to<br />
prove the date of publication, and, when it<br />
applied to several corrected editions of the same<br />
work, would lead to inconveniences. The calcu-<br />
lation of the period of copyright from the death<br />
of the author, though not altogether free from<br />
objection, seemed to present a better foundation<br />
for legal uniformity.<br />
Accordingly the Congress resolutely suppressed<br />
all the provisions of the draft relative to the<br />
necessity of "legal deposit" preceding civil or<br />
penal proceedings, as well as those concerning<br />
the legal deposit of posthumous works, whose<br />
copyright is to last eighty years. date oi<br />
the publication of these works co\x\A \>e e*8^<br />
established by proofs in accordance w*Vi cO1*11001-1<br />
law, in the same manner as tW rW ^ , t>u^<br />
cation of artistic works ia ^ oi &c, U, a<br />
present established. '111 P^t, 0t *<br />
After the above modifi.c^., ^<br />
the draft was substantiaV^^WS VaA w^-u<br />
in which th^Hv ft^^V^<br />
resolution<br />
$ SI s<br />
Wirthschaftliche JTutrun^ ^^^PS&fc<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 140 (#176) ############################################<br />
<br />
140<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
gratitude to M. Maillard for the work which he<br />
had laid before it.*<br />
The following is the text which will be recon-<br />
sidered at Monaco:<br />
Article 1.—The author of an intellectual<br />
work f has the exclusive right to publish it, and<br />
to reproduce it by whatsoever process, in what-<br />
soever form, and for whatsoever purpose.<br />
Under the term literary or artistic works are<br />
understood all enunciations of written or spoken<br />
thought, dramatic, musical, and chorographic<br />
works, and all the works of the graphic and<br />
plastic arts.<br />
These works remain subject to the present law<br />
whatsoever may be their merit, the use to which<br />
they are put, or their object.<br />
The official acts of public authorities, and<br />
judicial decisions, cannot be made the subjects of<br />
a cojjyright.<br />
Article 2.—Copyright exists during the whole<br />
of the life of the author, and extends to eighty<br />
years after his death for the advantage of his<br />
heirs and assigns.<br />
Article 8.—The copyright of anonymous<br />
works lasts for eighty years from the date of<br />
the first publication of the work. This right is<br />
exercised by the publisher so long as the real<br />
author does not make himself known.<br />
If the author should make himself known<br />
before the expiration of eighty years the work<br />
ceases to be anonymous, and the duration of the<br />
copyright is prolonged in accordance with the<br />
terms of Article 2.<br />
Works which appear under the name of an<br />
ideal person will be treated as anonymous<br />
works.<br />
Article 4.—A work produced by collaboration<br />
is indivisible.<br />
In case of disagreement amongst the eollabora-<br />
teurs the tribunals are competent to determine<br />
the time and manner of publication.<br />
The rights of the assigns of a collaborateur<br />
who has predeceased another exist until the expi-<br />
ration of the period of eighty years after the<br />
death of the last surviving collaborateur.<br />
In the absence of heirs or grantees of one of the<br />
collaborateurs his share falls to the other eollabo-<br />
rateurs or to their heirs or assigns.<br />
Article 5.—The legitimate editor of a posthu-<br />
mous work has the exclusive right of reproduction<br />
for a period of eighty years from the date of the<br />
day of the first publication of the work.<br />
By posthumous works are meant intellectual<br />
works which have never been published during<br />
the life of the author with his consent.<br />
* Resolutions C, I.<br />
f (Euvre d'exprit.<br />
Article 6. — Every reproduction, whole or<br />
partial, made without the author's consent is<br />
illegal.<br />
Translation, dramatic representation,* and<br />
musical performance^ without the author's con-<br />
sent, are similarly illegal.<br />
Equally illegal are also, without the author's<br />
cofsent, reproductions which exhibit abridge-<br />
ments, enlargements, or modifications, such as<br />
adaptations, dramatisations, transformations of<br />
dramatic works into novels, musical arrange-<br />
ments, reproductions by another art, &c.<br />
Article 7.—The author is presumed to have<br />
authorised analyses and partial citations of his<br />
work made for critical, polemical, or educational<br />
purposes, the name of the author and the source<br />
being indicated.<br />
In addition, speeches made at the public<br />
debates of deliberative assemblies, or at public<br />
assemblies, may be reproduced for the purpose of<br />
conveying information.<br />
Article 8.—Writings which have appeared in<br />
the newspapers or in periodical miscellanies are<br />
protected in the same manner as all other intellec-<br />
tual works.<br />
Article 9.—The right of reproduction is inde-<br />
pendent of the ownership of the original (manu-<br />
script or work of art) the transfer of the<br />
original does not therefore of itself convey a<br />
transfer of the rights of reproduction, and vice<br />
versa.<br />
The cession of the author's rights (right of<br />
publication, dramatic representation, musical per-<br />
formance, translation) is always to be interpreted<br />
restrictively.<br />
The author who has ceded bis rights of repro-<br />
duction retains, so long as he has not abandoned<br />
his quality of author, the right to prosecute<br />
pirates, § to watch over the reproduction of his<br />
work, and to oppose all alterations made without<br />
his consent.<br />
The author who has ceded the material object<br />
which constitutes his work has the right to<br />
oppose all public exhibition of the work if it has<br />
been modified without his consent.<br />
Article 10.—Every reproduction which is<br />
illegal according to the terms of Article 10,||<br />
whether reproduction of a published or of an<br />
unpublished work, constitutes the crime of<br />
piracy.<br />
Those who knowingly sell, expose for sale, or<br />
introduce into foreign countries for commercial<br />
* Representation.<br />
t Execution.<br />
X L'objet mate'riel (mannicrit on ceuvre d'art).<br />
§ (Jontrefacteurs.<br />
|| Sic. Query, Article 6. (Si.r read as dir). Translatoi's<br />
note.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 141 (#177) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
141<br />
purposes pirated objects, are guilty of the same<br />
crime.<br />
Article ii.—The author or his assigns can<br />
require the police to seize objects alleged to be<br />
pirated, as well as to seize the plates, moulds, or<br />
matrices, and other utensils which have served,<br />
or are intended to serve specially for the fabrica-<br />
tion of such objects.<br />
In the case of a representation or performance<br />
the authors can proceed in the same manner to<br />
the seizure of the whole of the receipts.<br />
Article 12.—The manager or director of<br />
public entertainments must be furnished with the<br />
previous consent in writing of the author or of<br />
his assigns.<br />
Article 13.—The sale of pirated objects, as<br />
well as that of plates, moulds, or matrices, and<br />
of other utensils having served, or being intended<br />
to serve specially for the fabrication of such<br />
objects, shall be declared to be for the profit of<br />
the author.<br />
In the case of illicit performances or represen-<br />
tations, the receipts seized shall be granted to the<br />
plaintiff in the proportion of the part of the<br />
representation or performance which his work<br />
formed.<br />
The whole to be without prejudice of the fullest<br />
damages.<br />
Article 14.—The present law applies to all<br />
authors, whatsoever their nationality, and in<br />
whatsoever place the work may for the first time<br />
have appeared.<br />
Agreement with Publisher*<br />
M. E. Pouillet had elaborated twelve "Prin-<br />
ciples of legislation respecting the agreement with<br />
publisher," which, in his opinion, are of a nature<br />
to meet with the approval of all, inasmuch as<br />
they take all interests into consideration. In<br />
accordance with his own proposal, this subject<br />
was postponed. It is at present being studied in<br />
several quarters, and in France in particular atten-<br />
tion must be turned to the law pro^josed by<br />
M. Vigne d'Octon, against which also two<br />
speakers declared themselves emphatically during<br />
the sitting.<br />
The Congress concluded its labours by voting<br />
its thanks to the Swiss Press, and especially to the<br />
Berne Press, for the attention paid to its labours,<br />
and for the perfect exactitude of the reports pub-<br />
lished.<br />
Appendix I.—Resolutions voted by the<br />
Berne Congress.<br />
A.—Administration of the Union.<br />
I.—Present and future revision of the Berne<br />
Conveution.<br />
• Contract d'editioii.<br />
1. The Congress while registering with grati-<br />
tude the resolutions adopted by the Paris<br />
Conference, expresses its desire that they may be<br />
as soon as possible confirmed by the Governments.<br />
2. At the same time regretting that the<br />
interests of composers and publishers of musical<br />
works, of journalists, of architects, and of photo-<br />
graphic artists* have not obtained all the satisfac-<br />
tion which they might legitimately have hoped,<br />
the Congress expresses its desire that the prepara-<br />
tion of new provisions respecting these questions<br />
may be placed upon the agenda of the next<br />
Congress.<br />
II. —Preliminary steps towards the extension<br />
of the Union by the accession of other States.<br />
The Congress expresses its desire—■<br />
1. That the literary and artistic societies of<br />
every country within the Union would do their<br />
utmost to pave the way for the accession of other<br />
non-unionist countries, by organising in these<br />
countries centres from which information may be<br />
diffused, efficient propagandas, and active com-<br />
mittees charged with the task of creating a move-<br />
ment of popular opinion in favour of the Conven-<br />
tion of 1886.<br />
2. That the Association should prepare careful<br />
statistics respecting both the present situation in<br />
these countries, and the me;ins by which they<br />
could Ihj pursuaded to improve the position of<br />
foreigners by protecting their intellectual labours.<br />
3. That at each Congress a report should be<br />
presented giving an account of the efforts made,<br />
and of the results obtained in each country, and<br />
indicating what the Association might do to<br />
attain the aim pursued by the local committees.<br />
4. That unionist countries, whilst pursuing as<br />
their principal aim the extension of the Borne<br />
Union, should do their utmost to multiply parti-<br />
cular treaties between themselves and non-<br />
unionist countries.<br />
5. That in all these treaties, whatsoever they<br />
be, made between unionist and non-unionist<br />
countries, it should be stipulated that the latter<br />
undertake to join the Berne Union within a given<br />
time, and that as short as possible.<br />
III. —Formalities.<br />
A. Respecting the countries in which the<br />
formality of legal deposit is prescribed by the<br />
national laws, the Congress expresses the follow-<br />
ing desires :—■<br />
1. Immediately upon the publication of any<br />
printed work, two copies ought to be deposited for<br />
the national collections. In the case of prints,<br />
music, and other productions, except printed<br />
matter in the strictest sense, and published sepa-<br />
rately, three copies should be deposited.<br />
* A.uteur$ de Photographie.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 142 (#178) ############################################<br />
<br />
I 42<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
The deposit should be accompanied by a<br />
detailed description, made in the form at present<br />
in use in each country. A certificate of deposit<br />
should be given to the depositor free of charge.<br />
2. It will be incumbent on the publisher of the<br />
work to make the deposit, or, failing the pub-<br />
lisher, ou the author. The printer shall not be<br />
required to deposit excepting in the case of works<br />
appearing without name of either author or<br />
publisher.<br />
3. The copies so deposited ought to be perfect,<br />
and in the condition in which they are ordinarily<br />
sold; or, if they are not intended for sale, an<br />
intimation of that particular circumstance should<br />
be made.<br />
4. The neglect of the formalities ought to<br />
have no influence upon the copyright of the<br />
work, and should in no case involve the loss of<br />
the author's rights, nor the loss of the right to<br />
proceed in a court of law in the case of the<br />
infringement of these rights.<br />
H. With a view to increasing the facility of the<br />
accomplishment of the formalities within the<br />
actual area of the Union the Congress is of<br />
opinion—<br />
I. That evidence of compliance with the requi-<br />
site formalities in the case of the original work,<br />
in the country in which the work has its origin,<br />
is sufficient to secure in the rest of the Union<br />
protection for other forms of publication or of<br />
reproduction in which the work may appear.<br />
2. That the fact of having complied with the<br />
formalities required of an assign in the country<br />
in which the work originated should constitute<br />
sufficient proof of the status of an assign.<br />
3. That the copyright cannot lapse in other<br />
countries within the Union until after the longest<br />
limit of time allowed for the performance of<br />
formalities in the country in which the work<br />
originated shall have expired.<br />
4. That the author's exemption from formali-<br />
ties in the country in which the work originated<br />
ought to be respected in other countries.<br />
5. That the production of a certificate, proving<br />
that the prescribed legal formalities have been<br />
complied with, ought to be limited to the case<br />
when this compliance has lx;en disputed by the<br />
opposite side, and that the words, "the case<br />
occurring," * employed in Article 11, paragraph 3,<br />
of the Convention ought to be interpreted in this<br />
sense.<br />
In addition the Congress expresses its desire—<br />
1. That the Berne International Bureau may be<br />
intrusted with the delivery of the certificates<br />
required by Article 11, paragraph 3, of the<br />
Convention.<br />
* he cas e'ehvant.<br />
2. That for the countries where the Legislature<br />
does not make the enjoyment of the author's<br />
rights dependent upon conditions or sj>ecial for-<br />
malities, whether in the case of all intellectual<br />
works or in the case of certain kinds of intel-<br />
lectual works, the International Bureau may<br />
obtain official declarations to that effect.<br />
C. With a view to the future revision of the<br />
Berne Convention and as a matter of principle<br />
the Congress declares it to be desirable—<br />
1. That the regulations respecting the formali-<br />
ties of registration and of legal deposit should no<br />
longer appear in laws respecting the copyright of<br />
literary and artistic works, but should be the<br />
subjects of special enactments.<br />
2. That paragraph 2 of Article 2, and para-<br />
graph 3 of Article 11 of the Berne Convention<br />
should be suppressed, and that in the future no<br />
formality should be requisite for the international<br />
protection of the author's rights.<br />
B.— Various Jiesolutions.<br />
I. (a) Architectural works.<br />
The Congress expresses its desire that architec-<br />
tural works should be protected by all the legis-<br />
lations and by all the international Conventions in<br />
the same way as all other artistic works.<br />
(b) Photographic works.<br />
The Congress renews the expression of the<br />
desire already expressed at previous Congresses<br />
that, as regards protection, photographic works<br />
may be put upon the same footing as all the<br />
other graphic arts.<br />
II. Rights of Collaborateurs.<br />
(a) The Congress is of opinion—<br />
1. That collaborateurs have equal rights in<br />
the completed work, both regarding publication<br />
and regarding the division of the profits resulting<br />
therefrom.<br />
2. That in the case of a refusal to authorise<br />
publication "on the part of one of the collabo-<br />
rateurs, hi; can, at the demand of the others, be<br />
compelled by a legal decision to allow the publica-<br />
tion of the completed work. Nevertheless, he<br />
may require the publication to take place without<br />
his name appearing, or without his being required<br />
to participate either in the expenses or the profits<br />
of the said publication.<br />
3. That the surviving coUaboratour has the<br />
right to exercise, for the whole period during<br />
which the law extends the copyright, all the rights<br />
of publication, in union with the heirs of deceased<br />
collaborateurs.<br />
4. That the rights of the assigns of a colla-<br />
borated who has predeceased his fellows extend<br />
to the expiration of the period of copyright deter-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 143 (#179) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
H3<br />
mined by the decease of the last surviving<br />
collaborateur.<br />
In the case of one of the collaborateurs having<br />
neither heirs nor grantees, his share passes to the<br />
other collaborateurs or to their assigns.<br />
(b) The Congress expresses its desire that all<br />
legislation respecting collaboration should embody<br />
these principles, and that a unification of the<br />
legislations on these bases should be effected at<br />
an early date.<br />
III. Organisation of Protection.<br />
Foundation of societies and of legal offices.<br />
(a) The Congress entrusts to the Association<br />
the task of considering the formation in every<br />
country of societies which may render the same<br />
services as the French societies of authors and<br />
composers.<br />
(b) The Congress expresses its desire—■<br />
1. That a society of painters, sculptors, and<br />
engravers, entrusted with the protection of the<br />
rights of its members, should be founded in every<br />
country of the Union.<br />
2. That the members belonging to such<br />
societies should bind themselves not to cede the<br />
right of reproduction of their works except<br />
through the agency of the Society.<br />
3. That these societies should reciprocally<br />
support one another in resisting infringements of<br />
the rights of their members.<br />
(c) The Congress entrusts to the Association<br />
the task of taking the measures necessary to<br />
establish legal offices in every country, with a<br />
view to studying, and, if necessary, watching the<br />
diversities affecting intellectual property.<br />
IV. Amelioration of the laws of the United<br />
States.<br />
The Congress with pleasure takes official cog-<br />
nisance of the efforts made by the Copyright<br />
Leagues of the United States to combat the<br />
attempts which are at present being made to<br />
restrict the law of 1891; and it applauds the<br />
promises which the Leagues make to continue<br />
their struggle to obtain amelioration of this law.<br />
C. Future Labours.<br />
I. Draft of Normal Law.<br />
The Congress, approving in principle the pro-<br />
ject of the unification of copyright laws, intrusts<br />
the standing committee of the Association with<br />
the task of preparing, against the next Congress,<br />
a final revision of a normal law.<br />
At the same time the Congress tenders its<br />
warmest thanks to M. Georges Maillard, the<br />
author of the draft, and expresses the hope that<br />
he will undertake the report upon the final<br />
scheme.<br />
II. Definition of the Author's moral and mate-<br />
rial Rights.<br />
The Congress being of the opinion that the<br />
question of the rights of creditors cannot be<br />
settled until a clear distinction has been<br />
drawn between the moral rights of the author<br />
and his rights to material profits resulting from<br />
the sale of his work, expresses its desire that the<br />
Association should, against the next Congress,<br />
make an investigation of the definition of the<br />
moral and pecuniary rights of the author, and<br />
should draw from the distinction between the two<br />
any logical consequences that may ensue.<br />
III. Newspaper Articles.<br />
The Congress reserves for the consideration of<br />
the Committee of Works of the Association the<br />
question of the protection of political articles.<br />
Also the Congress expresses its desh-e that the<br />
protection of news, independently of its form,,<br />
should be set down amongst the agenda of the<br />
next Congress.<br />
rV. "Caution Judicatum solvi." *<br />
The Congress, being resolutely in favour of<br />
the suppression of the Caution "Judicatum<br />
solvi," accompanied by measures fitted to secure<br />
the execution of sentences from one country to<br />
another, expresses its desire tha this question may<br />
be reconsidered, and placed among the agenda of<br />
the next Congress.<br />
V. Type for Reproduction.<br />
The Congress expresses its desh-e that the<br />
Association shoidd consider the general definition<br />
of the type for reproduction and investigate the<br />
rights connected with it.<br />
Appendix II.—Bibliography of the Berne<br />
Conference.<br />
1. The "Bulletin de l'Association litteraire et<br />
artistique internationale. Juillet, 1896" (Official<br />
Report of the International Literary and Artistic<br />
Association. July, 1896), contains the following<br />
works:<br />
(a.) "Principes d'uue legislation sur le contrat<br />
d'edition" (Principles of Legislation respecting<br />
the agreement with publisher), by Eug. Pouillet.<br />
(Two pages.)<br />
(6.) "Essai d'un projet de loi international"<br />
(Draft of a normal law) respecting international<br />
copyright, by Georges Maillard. (Four pages.)<br />
2. The following Reports, which will be sub-<br />
sequently collected into a volume, have been<br />
presented in accordance with the programme of<br />
the Congress.<br />
(a.) "Examen des travaux de la Conference<br />
* See above, '< Literary Works," page 133 (note).<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 144 (#180) ############################################<br />
<br />
i44<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Paris" (Report upon the labours of the Paris<br />
Conference), by Georges Maillard. (Fourteen<br />
pages.)<br />
(b.) "Des moyens d'assurer l'application de la<br />
Convention de Berne dans les pays adherents"<br />
(Means of assuring compliance with the terms of<br />
the Berne Convention in countries belonging to<br />
the Union) in the case of—<br />
I. Literary works, by Paul Ollendorf. (Three<br />
pages.)<br />
II. The right of representation of dramatic<br />
works, by A. Beaume. (Eight pages.)<br />
III. Painting, sculpture, and engraving, by<br />
Georges Fleury. (Three pages.)<br />
IV. Photographic works, by Andre Taillefer.<br />
(Three pages.)<br />
V. Compliance with conditions and formalities<br />
in the countries belonging to the Union, by Ernest<br />
Rothlisberger. (Twenty-eight pages.)<br />
(c.) "Mouvement legislatif dans les pays de<br />
l'union" (Legislative Action in the countries<br />
belonging to the Union)—<br />
I. Germany, by Albert Osterrieth. (Three<br />
pages.)<br />
II. Monaco, by Leon Poinsard. (Four pages.)<br />
(d.) "Des moyens d'obtenir de nouvelles<br />
adhesions a l'Union de Berne" (The means of<br />
obtaining new adherents to the Berne Conven-<br />
tion), by Maurice Maunoury. (Four pages.)<br />
(e.) "De la propriete litteraire en matiere de<br />
presse" (Newspaper copyright), by Paul Gaye.<br />
(Three pages.)<br />
(/.) "Etudes sur les droits des eollaborateurs<br />
dans les ceuvres de la pensee" (The rights of<br />
eollaborateurs in intellectual works), by Georges<br />
Harman. (Eleven pages.)<br />
(</.) "Du droit des ercanciers sur l'oeuvre<br />
intellectuelle" (Tlie rights of creditors over intel-<br />
lectual work), by Albert Vaunois. (Three pages.)<br />
(h.) "Du depot legal" (On legal deposit),<br />
suggestion for the reform of the present law, by<br />
Lucien Layus. (Five pages.)<br />
(».) "Du domaine public pour les ceuvres<br />
littt:raires et artistiques" (Lapse of copyright<br />
of literary and artistic works), by Edouard Mack.<br />
(Eleven pages.)<br />
(//.) "De la propriete du type, particulierement<br />
du phototype ou cliche photographique" (On<br />
the ownership of the type, and more particularly<br />
of the phototype or photographic negative), an<br />
attempt at some definitions, by A. Davanne.<br />
(Eight pages.)<br />
3. Pamphlet distributed at the Congress, " Die<br />
Frage nach dem Eigentum am Negative" (The<br />
question of the ownership of the photographic<br />
negative), by Bruno Meyer (nineteen pages), a<br />
reprint from Deutsche Photoyraphen-Ze'duuy<br />
(German Photographic Journal). 1896.<br />
PRIZE COMPETITIONS.<br />
IT has been suggested by a correspondent that<br />
a great many people—men and women—for<br />
whom the higher flights of literature are<br />
impossible, or for whom an opening and a begin-<br />
ning are ardently desired, would be greatly helped<br />
by information as to the prize competitions con-<br />
tinually offered by magazines and country papers.<br />
These competitions are sometimes for stories, and<br />
sometimes for essays, biographical sketches, verse,<br />
or papers on some practical subject. Since the<br />
Society of Authors, and therefore its organ, exists<br />
for workmen in every branch of letters, the sug-<br />
gestion has been adopted, and it is proposed to<br />
publish, month by month, a list of prize compe-<br />
titions. Since, again, there are so many writers of<br />
stories for magazines and journals as to constitute<br />
a profession by itself, it is hoped that readers of<br />
the Author will put this list into the hands of<br />
those to whom the information will prove useful.<br />
£10 10*. each for original stories accepted, to<br />
cover five weeks, about 2500 words for<br />
each instalment.—Editor of the Weekly<br />
Herald, Glasgow.<br />
£1 is. each for original stories accepted, complete<br />
in one instalment of about 2500 words.<br />
— Editor of the IVeehly Herald,<br />
Glasgow.<br />
£5 5«. for best original short story; minimum<br />
2000 words, maximum 3000. Not later<br />
than Dec. 31.—Editor of the Osborne<br />
Magazine, 9, Paternoster-row, London.<br />
.£5 5*. for best original biographical article;<br />
dealing with famous living English men<br />
or women; minimum 2500, maximum<br />
3500. Preference if accompanied by<br />
material for illustration. Not later<br />
than Dee. 31.—Editor of the Osborne<br />
Magazine, as above.<br />
£10 10s. for practical essay on " How to form a<br />
School Library with Penny Books."<br />
Competition open to teachers only. Not<br />
later than Nov. 15.—Editor of the<br />
Review of Reviews, Norfolk - street,<br />
London. (See Review of Reviews for<br />
October.)<br />
^5 5*-> ^3 3a > an<l "£2 2S- f°r l'sts °f best<br />
hundred books as an ideal home library<br />
for the average man. Not later than<br />
Nov. 15.—Editor of the Review of<br />
Reviews, &c, as above.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 144 (#181) ############################################<br />
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BY<br />
CHARLES EDMUND HALL,<br />
Author of " An Ancient Ancestor," &a.<br />
London: Horace Cox. Windsor House. Bream's-buildings. E.C.<br />
In demy 8vo., price 12s. net, by poet 12s. 6d.<br />
Six Months in a Syrian Monastery,<br />
Being the Record of a Tiait to the Headquarters of the Syrian<br />
Church in Mesopotamia, with some account of the Yazidis, or Devil<br />
Worshippers of Mosul, and £1 Jilwah, their Sacred Book.<br />
By OSWALD H. PARRY, B.A.<br />
(Of Magdalen College, Oxford.)<br />
Illustrated by the Author. With a Prefatory Note by the<br />
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"The author of this handsome volume presents 'a detailed study of<br />
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towards the East . . . As a volume descriptive of life and travel<br />
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persons who are more particularly concerned with the old Syrian<br />
Church, or in the solution of the problem indicated above, it is one of<br />
quite unique attraction. A pathetic interest attaches to the account<br />
of the Yazidis included in this volume, for it contains part of their<br />
sacred writings, the original manuscript of which was in the hands<br />
of Professor Robertson Smith for translation at the time of his<br />
death."—PublWitrS Circular.<br />
London: Horack Cox. Windsor House. Bream's-buildings. E.C.<br />
Now ready, price 2s. 6d., cloth.<br />
A FLYING VISIT<br />
TO THB<br />
AMERICAN CONTINENT.<br />
WITH NOTES BY THE WAY.<br />
By F. DALE PAWLE.<br />
London: HOBACB Cox, Windsor House. Bream's-buiMingn, E.C.<br />
Now ready. Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged. Crown 8vo.,<br />
limp cloth, 2s. Cd. net; postage, 3d. extra.<br />
THE<br />
PRINCIPLES OF CHESS<br />
IN THEORY AND PRACTICE.<br />
jambs "v:m:.a.sonsr.<br />
CONTENTS. — 1. Elements of Chess. 2. General Principles.<br />
8. Combination. 4. Exposition of Master Play Complete.<br />
London: Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-buildings, E.C.<br />
THE ART of CHESS. By James Mason. Price Ss.<br />
net, by post 5s. 4d.<br />
THE KNIGHTS and KINGS of CHESS. By the Rev.<br />
O. A. MACDONNELL, B.A. With Portrait and 17 Illustra-<br />
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London: Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-buildings, E.C.<br />
Now ready, demy 8vo., cloth boards, price 10s. 6d.<br />
IN NEW SOUTH AFRICA.<br />
Travels in the Transvaal and Rhodesia.<br />
With Map aud Twenty-six Illustrations.<br />
By 11. LINCOLN TANG-YE,<br />
CONTENTS.<br />
Introductory.<br />
PAET I.<br />
Chapter I — The Land of Gold and the Way there.<br />
,, 11.—Across Desert and Veldt.<br />
,, IIL—Johannesburg the Golden.<br />
,, IV.—A Transvaal Coach Journey.<br />
V.—Natal: the South African Garden.<br />
,, VI.—Ostracised In Africa. Home with the Swallows.<br />
PAET II —BAMBLES IN RHODESIA.<br />
Chapter I.—Eeniiragt Maakt Magt.<br />
of Lo<br />
III.—The Trail of War.<br />
II.—Into the Country (<br />
bongula.<br />
IV.—Goldmining, Ancient and Modern.<br />
V.—Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.<br />
VI —To Northern Mashonaland.<br />
V1L—Primitive Art. The Misadventures of a Wagon.<br />
Index.<br />
London: Horace Cox. Windsor House, Bream's-buildings, E.C.<br />
Crown 8vo., cloth boards, 3s. 6d.<br />
Crimean & other Short Stories.<br />
BY<br />
WILLIAM ADDISOlsT.<br />
CONTENTS. — An Adjutant's Adventure: an Episode of the<br />
Crimean Campaign—From an Uuseen World—Characteristic Stories<br />
of Royal Personages—The Tsar's Axe—An Indian Legend Modernised<br />
—A Love Test—Atta; or. The Circassian's Daughter—Father Con-<br />
fessor—His Word of Honour (from the German)—Dearer than Life—<br />
A Polish Princess—The Evil Eye: a Story of Superstition—The<br />
Parson'a Daughter—Old Love Never Rusts.<br />
London: Uoracb Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-buildings, E.C.<br />
RECENT VERSE.<br />
Cloth lettered,<br />
By HENRY TODD,<br />
GOODCHILD. Cloth<br />
By EEL VIKING.<br />
By ARTHUR CAMP-<br />
LYRICS. By Dr. J. A. GOODCHILD.<br />
price 5s.<br />
NOBTH COUNTRY BALLADS.<br />
Price 6s.<br />
TALES IN VERSE. By Dr. J. A.<br />
lettered, price 5s.<br />
SONGS OP THE CASCADES.<br />
Fcap. 8vo., cloth boards, Ss. 6d.<br />
SONGS OF THE PINEWOODS.<br />
BELL. Price 8s. 6d.<br />
THE FAIREST OF THE ANGELS, and Other Verse.<br />
By MABY COLBOBNE-VEEL. Fcap. 8vo., cloth boards, 8s. 6d.<br />
"Some of the shorter lyrics are much above the average, being<br />
clear in thought and musical in expression. The merits of the collec-<br />
tion are considerable."—The Bookman.<br />
THE WANDERER IN THE LAND OF CYBI, and other<br />
Poems (1886-93). By CLIFFOBD BBOOKS. Fcap. 8vo., cloth<br />
boards, 3s. 6d.<br />
POEMS. By THOMAS BARLOW. Crown 8vo., bevelled<br />
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POEMS. By LEWIS BROCKMAN. Crown 8vo., cloth<br />
boards, 5b.<br />
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"Mr. Brockman is a writer of good poetic mettle, and no doubt the<br />
reading world will hear more of him yet."—Glasgow Herald.<br />
"The graceful smoothness of Mr. Lewis Brockman's poems."—<br />
Daily Telegraph.<br />
"He is decidedly inventive, and often highly imaginative. . .<br />
The clement of originality pervades the book. . . . His long poem'<br />
* Ronald's Cross,' is well sustained . . . it is like the piaint of tv*1<br />
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"A reuder who values cultured sentiments and flawless vert4\«\<br />
tion will find much to admire."—Scotsman. ^**i*A-<br />
London: Horack Cox, Windsor House, Bream's Buildings.<br />
<br />
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Printed and Published by Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-buildings, London, E.C. | https://historysoa.com/files/original/5/296/1896-11-02-The-Author-7-6.pdf | publications, The Author |
| 297 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/297 | The Author, Vol. 07 Issue 07 (December 1896) | <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.+07+Issue+07+%28December+1896%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 Issue 07 (December 1896)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</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> | 1896-12-01-The-Author-7-7 | | | | | 145–176 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1896-12-01">1896-12-01</a> | | | | | | | 7 | | | 18961201 | TLhc Hutbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 7.] DECEMBER 1, 1896. [Price Sixpence.<br />
CONTENTS.<br />
General Memoranda<br />
148<br />
TAOE<br />
Notes from Abroad. By B. H. Sherard<br />
PA91<br />
161<br />
The Authors' Club<br />
147<br />
New York Letter. By Norman Hapgood<br />
ItU<br />
Literary Property—<br />
Puolications of the Year 1895<br />
164<br />
1. An Official Report of the Paris Conference ...<br />
147<br />
Copyright<br />
165<br />
— 2. Denmark and the Union<br />
149<br />
Notes and News<br />
165<br />
3. Agreement with Publisher<br />
149<br />
Prize Competitions<br />
167<br />
4. Proposed Law for the Stamping of Books<br />
150<br />
Literature In the Periodicals<br />
167<br />
a. The Question of Agreements<br />
ISO<br />
Book Talk<br />
169<br />
«. (iriffith r. The Tower Publishing Company Limited nrH<br />
Correspondence.—!. The Title. 2. The First Book. 3. A Plea<br />
Moncrieff<br />
UI<br />
for Signed Criticisms. 4. Educational Criticisms. 5. Thirteen<br />
7. Control of Copyright<br />
152<br />
as Twelve. 6. "A Falling Off." 7. "Publication." 8. An<br />
8. The Liability of Publishers<br />
152<br />
Inquiry 9. Copyrights. 10. The Completion of Mr. Spencer's<br />
9. Pitt Pitts r. E. George and Co<br />
153<br />
Philosophy<br />
17«<br />
PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY.<br />
1. The Annual Report. That for January 1896 can be had on application to the Secretary.<br />
2. The Author. A Monthly Journal devoted especially to the protection arid maintenance of Literary<br />
Property. Issued to all Members. Back numbers are offered at the following prices:<br />
Vol. I., io«. 6d. (Bound); Vols. II., III., and IV., 8«. 6d. each (Bound); Vol. V., 6s. 6d.<br />
(Unbound).<br />
3. Literature and the Pension List. By W. Morris Colles, Barrister-at-Law. (Henry Glaisher,<br />
95, Strand, W.C.) 3*.<br />
4. The History of the Societe des Gens de Lettres. By s. Squire Spkigge, late Secretary to<br />
the Society, is.<br />
5. The Cost of Production. In this work specimens are given of the most important forms of type,<br />
size of page, Ac, with estimates showing what it costs to produce the more common kinds of<br />
books. Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 2s. 6d.<br />
6. The Various Methods Of Publication. By S. Squire Sprigge. In this work, compiled from the<br />
papers in the Society's offices, the various forms of agreements proposed by Publishers to<br />
Authors are examined, and their meaning carefully explained, with an account of the various<br />
kinds of fraud which have been made possible by the different clauses in their agreements.<br />
Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.G. 3*.<br />
7. Copyright Law Reform. An Exposition of Lord Monkswell's Copyright Bill now before Parlia,<br />
ment. With Extracts from the Beport of the Commission of 1878, and an Appendix<br />
containing the Berne Convention and the American Copyright Bill. By J. M. Lely. Ey-*^<br />
and Spottiswoode. is. 6d.<br />
8. The Society of Authors. A Becord of its Action from its Foundation. By Walter Besj^^<br />
(Chairman of Committee, 1888—1892). i*.<br />
9. The Contract of Publication in Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland. By E-^<br />
Lunge, J.U.D. 2*. 6r/.'<br />
<br />
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AD VER TISEMENTS.<br />
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GBOEGE MBBEDITH<br />
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Jebome K. Jebome.<br />
RUDYARD KlFLING.<br />
Prof. E. Ray Lankesteb, F.R.S.<br />
W. E. H. Lecky.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Mbs. E. Lynn Linton.<br />
Rev. W. J. Loftie, F.S.A.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mns.D.<br />
Pbof. J. M. D. Meiklejohn.<br />
Herman C. Mebivale.<br />
Ret. C. H. Middleton-Wakk.<br />
Sib Lewis Morris.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
Miss E. A. Ormebod.<br />
J. C. Pabkinson.<br />
Right Hon. Lord Pirbbight.<br />
Sib Fbedkbick Pollock, Babt., LL.D.<br />
Walteb Hebbies Pollock.<br />
W. Baptists Scoonks.<br />
Miss Flora L. Shaw.<br />
G. R. Sims.<br />
S. SguiRE Sfbigge.<br />
J. J. Stevenson.<br />
Pbof. Jas. Sully.<br />
William Mot Thomas.<br />
H. D. Tbaill, D.C.L.<br />
Mbs. Humphby Waed.<br />
Miss Chablotte M. Yonge.<br />
Hon. Counsel — E. M. Underdown, Q.C.<br />
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT.<br />
A.. W. X Beckett.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
Eoerton Castle.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
Solicitors—<br />
Chairman—H. Rider Haggard.<br />
Hon. John Collier<br />
Sir W. Martin Conway.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Messrs. Field, Roscoe, and Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields.<br />
Herbert Thring, B.A., 4. Portugal-street, W.C.<br />
IS<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
Secretary—G. Herbert Thring, B.A.<br />
OFFICES: 4, Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.<br />
J±. IP. WATT <fe SOILST,<br />
LITERARY AGENTS,<br />
Formerly of 2, PATERNOSTER SQUARE,<br />
Have now removed to<br />
HASTINGS HOUSE, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND,<br />
LONDON. W.C.<br />
WINDSOR HOUSE PRINTING WORKS,<br />
IB^IE-A-IMI'S BXTILDIlTGrS, ZE.O.<br />
Offiees of "The Field," "The Queen," "The Law Times," &e.<br />
Mr. HORACE COX, Printer to the Authors' Society, takes the opportunity of informing Authors that, having a very<br />
large Office, and an extensive Plant of Type of every description, he is in a position to EXECUTE any PRINTING they<br />
may entrust to his care.<br />
ESTIMATES FORWARDED, AND REASONABLE CHARGES WILL BE FOUND.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 145 (#185) ############################################<br />
<br />
tTbe H u t b o r,<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 7.]<br />
DECEMBER I, 1896.<br />
[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 notioe that all<br />
remittances are acknowledged by return of post, 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. _il<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 />
EOB some years it has been the practice to insert, in<br />
every number of The Author, certain " General Con-<br />
siderations," Warnings, Notices, &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 gnarded 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 pntting the<br />
profits into his own pocket by charging for »d?. .. ernents<br />
VOL. VII."<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 Bystem.<br />
In this system, which has opened the door to a most<br />
amazing amount 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 connected with royalties are published in the Author.<br />
Readers can also work out the figures themselves from tho<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 be their maximum. Therefore every<br />
author, for every book, should arrange on the chance 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 common law right, which cannot be denied or<br />
withheld.<br />
(3.) That there shall be no Becret profits.<br />
(4.) That nothing shall be charged which has not b^et.<br />
actually paid—for instance, that there shall be no charge, c<br />
advertisements in the publisher's own organs and non^ *<br />
exchanged advertisements; and that all discounts slxa\-»^0T<br />
duly entered.<br />
If these points are carefully looked after, the anthi^^<br />
rest pretty well assured that he is in right hands. ^ ^^ViS<br />
same time he ^jll do well to send his agreement;<br />
secretary befot^ }je siguB it.<br />
<5f<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 146 (#186) ############################################<br />
<br />
146<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
1. IiTVERY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
CJ advice upon his agreements, his choice of a pub-<br />
lisher, or any dispute arising in the oonduct 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 U 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 connected with copyright<br />
and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within the<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple<br />
to use the Society first—our solicitors are continually<br />
engaged upon such questions for ns.<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, Bend 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 Sooiety 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 everything<br />
mportant to literature that you may hear or meet 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 />
THE AUTHORS' SYNDICATE.<br />
<br />
EMBERS are informed:<br />
1. That the Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the business of members of the Society. That it<br />
submits MSS. to publishers and editors, concludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects aocounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the tronble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon whioh its services can be secured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndicate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That the Syndicate can only nndertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that all<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice should be given.<br />
6. That avery attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in nil coses, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence; does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded withont notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
lectures by some of the leading members of the Society;<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for the sole and<br />
purchase of journals and periodicals; and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wanted" is open. Members are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to the Manager.<br />
There is an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called upon in any case of dispute or difficulty. It<br />
is perhaps necessary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndicate.<br />
NOTICES.<br />
I^HE 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 Sooiety 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 whioh<br />
they are willing to write P<br />
Communications for the Author should reach the Editor<br />
not later than the 21 at of each month.<br />
All persons engaged in literary work of any kind, whether<br />
members of the Society or not, are invited to oommnnioate<br />
to the Editor any points connected with their work which<br />
it would be advisable in the general interest to publish.<br />
Members and others who wish their MSS. read are<br />
requested not to send them to the Offioe without previously<br />
communicating with the Seoretary. The utmost practicable<br />
despatch is aimed at, and MSS. are read in the order iu<br />
which they are reoeived. It must also be distinctly under-<br />
stood that the Sooiety does not, under any circumstances,<br />
undertake the publication of MSS.<br />
The Authors' Club is now open in its new premises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-court, Charing Cross. Address the Secretary<br />
for information, rules of admission, Ac.<br />
Will members take the trouble to .ascertain whether they<br />
have paid their subscriptions for the year t 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 ont 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 />
<br />
<br />
## p. 147 (#187) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
i47<br />
for a term of years. Let them ask themselves if they<br />
would give a solicitor the collection of their rents for five<br />
years to oome, whatever his oondnct, whether he was honest<br />
or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for a moment when they are asked to sign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five years?<br />
Those who possess the "Cost of Production" are<br />
requested to note that the cost of binding has advanced 15<br />
per oent. This means, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing sums," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the cost of binding<br />
is set down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now stands<br />
at £9 41. The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be procured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
bill is bo elastic a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
arrived at.<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 whioh 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 practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
-An Official Report of the Paris<br />
Conference.<br />
THE AUTHORS' CLUB,<br />
REFERRING to the proposal of the Authors'<br />
Club to change its quarters—a question<br />
which has been referred to the members<br />
for decision—the Literary World broaches the<br />
subject of amalgamating this club with the New<br />
Vagabond Club. The latter, it says, has largely<br />
taken the wind out of the sails of the Authors' by<br />
its monthly reunions. It recognises that the one<br />
is a club in the old sense of having a permanent<br />
residence to which members can go at all times,<br />
while the other is merely a dining club with a<br />
purely nominal subscription. Our contemporary<br />
proceeds to make the following suggestion:<br />
"The simplest way of combining would be to<br />
make the monthly dinner the joint function<br />
of both clubs, and perhaps it might be<br />
possible to admit members of the New Vagabond<br />
Club to some of the privileges of the other on a<br />
reduced subscription. We have never seen much<br />
hope of success in the policy of narrowing the<br />
range of the Authors'. In these days small clubs<br />
necessarily mean large subscriptions, and authors<br />
are not, with rare exceptions, rich enough to<br />
afford them. If the committee could halve the<br />
subscription (four guineas), and thereby attract<br />
ten times the members, we should see more<br />
promise in the undertaking. There are examples<br />
of success achieved on these lines in the popular<br />
political clubs within a few doors of the Authors'<br />
present quarters."<br />
Translated from Le Droit d'Auteur, Oct. 15, 1896, p. 132.<br />
IT is important, when speaking of the results<br />
of the Paris Diplomatic Conference, to dis-<br />
tinguish between those which amount to a<br />
material and substantial advantage gained by the<br />
International Fnion, and those wbich constitute<br />
only steps towards a higher ideal of the inter-<br />
national rights of authors. Among the former must<br />
be ranged the decisions adopted on May 4, 1896,<br />
and the legislative modifications which they have<br />
already occasioned, as at Monaco, or may hereafter<br />
occasion. Such changes, however, are neither<br />
considerable nor numerous. But by no means<br />
few are the indirect consequences of the Con-<br />
ference, those moral results which the reunion<br />
will necessarily entail, which appear to be likely<br />
to be of very great value.<br />
The Berne Union has made everyone feel its<br />
vitality. It may meet with great practical<br />
difficulties in certain countries, but in its own<br />
breast it feels no misgivings. Its members may<br />
entertain divergent views about several questions,<br />
but no country disputes the leading principle<br />
which suggested the foundation of this new<br />
International Convention. No Government is<br />
hostile to the Union. On the contrary, all are<br />
animated by the strongest desire to perfect and<br />
to consolidate its work.<br />
That is the origin of the cordial and lofty unity<br />
of feeling which dominated all the discussions of<br />
the Conference. That is the origin of the<br />
energetic and fruitful exchange of ideas, and of<br />
that sense of joint responsibility which relegated<br />
personal and national opinions to the background,<br />
in order to bring into relief the one common cause,<br />
the strengthening the bonds of the Union. And it<br />
was impossible that a spectacle so encouraging<br />
at a time like the present, should not impress<br />
the delegates of the fourteen countries which<br />
have not yet signed the Berne Convention.<br />
These gentlemen found themselves in the<br />
presence of a power, actuated by a definite aim,<br />
and resolved upon attaining it by steps, deliberate<br />
it is true, but sure. That is what several of the<br />
delegates remarked at the Conference itself<br />
Others will have said the same thing to th.%lr<br />
Governments. A great tide of sympathy;<br />
surging up around the Union, as it beco^<br />
better known, and better appreciated; and. Vv^?<br />
tide of sympathy, in itself of the greatest v»v^*<br />
will sooner or later lead to action. Vvs,i<br />
The first Toice to have made itself of$^<br />
heard is that 0{ M- Miguel Cane\ Minister ^^-V^n^<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 148 (#188) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Argentine Republic at Paris; an acute observer,<br />
and a literary man of high rank, as his works<br />
prove. The report addressed by the Argentine<br />
delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs at<br />
Buenos Ayres, on May 8, 1896, has been pub-<br />
lished by an Argentine journal, not inconside-<br />
rately, but, as we are informed, "on purpose to<br />
evoke expressions of opinion." The conversion<br />
of a man of M. Cane's intellectual standing<br />
should be placed to the credit account of the<br />
Conference of Paris. He has become a fully<br />
convinced apostle of the cause of the Convention,<br />
and makes before his fellow countrymen the<br />
most explicit avowal of his sentiments. This<br />
fact might well be recommended to the considera-<br />
tion of those who, on the other side of the sea,<br />
suppose that they can still defend the lawfulness<br />
of literary piracy. We shall analyse this report<br />
for their benefit.<br />
M. Cane, after having briefly described the<br />
results of the Conference, explains the position<br />
of the delegates representing countries outside<br />
the Union, and more particularly his own; and<br />
he says:<br />
"In one of my first communications I explained<br />
to your Excellency that my views, at the moment<br />
when I received the honourable commission to<br />
represent my Government at the Conference,<br />
were opposed to all arrangements respecting<br />
literary and artistic property. In fact, the subject<br />
had never seriously occupied my attention, and I<br />
must humbly confess that I was even ignorant<br />
of the approval, on the part of the Argentine<br />
Congress, of the Treaty concluded at Monte<br />
Video on Jan. 11,1889. I was at this time of the<br />
opinion, a mistaken one, that it was by no means<br />
advantageous for a country that produced little<br />
or nothing in the way of art to agree to treaties<br />
intended to limit the free right of reproduction of<br />
foreign intellectual works. In this matter I did not<br />
take my stand upon the question of the material<br />
interests of the publishing trade (about which I<br />
was indifferent), but I took the higher view of<br />
the possibility of placing within the reach of the<br />
public at the low prices which illegitimate re-<br />
production makes possible, the means of in-<br />
structing their minds, and of improving their<br />
tastes.<br />
"But in the presence of the Treaty of Monte<br />
Video, which is at present law amongst us, I at<br />
once perceived that it was no longer possible for<br />
me, in my official character, absolutely to main-<br />
tain these positive opinions, when the Argentine<br />
Government—following the bent of the civilised<br />
world—had admitted the principle of the recog-<br />
nition of the rights of the intellectual worker.<br />
Afterwards, reflection, seconded by long conver-<br />
sations with eminent men, amongst whom were<br />
many of those who were delegates at the Con-<br />
ference, convinced me that the liberty to commit<br />
literary theft, which is accorded to the publisher<br />
and booksellers in the Argentine Republic, must<br />
in the end inevitably lead to two results, and<br />
these results are already palpably discernible<br />
amongst us.<br />
"The first is the propagation, generally in the<br />
form of vile translations, of an unwholesome, low-<br />
classed literature, absolutely incapable of elevating<br />
or even of maintaining at its present level the intel-<br />
lectual status of our country, which if not high, is<br />
frankly progressive, like that of all new countries. It<br />
is not literary works of the highest class that tempt<br />
the covetousness of publishers, but naturalistic<br />
novels, indecent prints (estampes obscenes), trivial<br />
music, and marbles and bronzes which can be<br />
termed works of art only by an indulgent misuse<br />
of words. Is it for the sake of insuring diffusion<br />
of educational forces of this sort that a country<br />
is justified in stifling the voice of conscience com-<br />
manding it to protect all lawful rights?<br />
"The second result is that the nation's own pro-<br />
ductiveness, in the way of literature and of the arts,<br />
does not find, and cannot find, the means neces-<br />
sary for its existence and for its development, in<br />
consequence of the irresistible competition of the<br />
foreign product, whose form and character I have<br />
just described. Now, if, guided by a sense of<br />
moral dignity, and by a sense of what I believe<br />
I have demonstrated to be the wider interests of<br />
our country, the Argentine Republic would join<br />
the Berne Convention, the publishers established<br />
amongst us would have, when reproducing foreign<br />
works, to pay the authors for their rights. If<br />
compelled to do this, it is certain they would not<br />
dream of reproducing any works except those of<br />
the highest rank, whose importance and certain<br />
sale would indemnify them from the expenses<br />
incurred in the acquisition of the rights. As for<br />
foreign educational works, one of two things will<br />
ensue: either their value will guarantee a profit<br />
which will amply compensate for the payment<br />
made to the authors, or else they will not<br />
be reproduced, but be easily replaced by national<br />
productions.<br />
"Apart, however, from all these utilitarian con-<br />
siderations, I am persuaded, vour Excellency,<br />
that if a tinker possesses, by law, the absolute<br />
right over any saucepan which he has made,<br />
there can be no reason, in a civilised country<br />
like ours, for depriving of the same legal pro-<br />
tection the literary man or the artist, who by<br />
intense cerebral labour has produced a book, a<br />
picture, a statue, or an opera. The base of our<br />
social organisation is property. The theory in<br />
accordance with which a work of art is less the<br />
individual production of the artist than the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 149 (#189) ############################################<br />
<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
149<br />
product of his epoch or his intellectual circum-<br />
stances, and so ought rather to belong to<br />
humanity collectively (because that has rendered<br />
the production possible) than to the individual,<br />
could not be logically applied to intellectual<br />
products alone. It would be even more reason-<br />
ably applicable to those industrial products<br />
which the law, nevertheless, distinctly protects.<br />
"These are the views which, as well as the<br />
above-mentioned Treaty of Monte Video of 1889,<br />
■determined the attitude I felt it my duty to take<br />
at the last sitting of the Conference. In the few<br />
•words which I, on that occasion, spoke to express<br />
my thanks for the invitation addressed to my<br />
-Government by the Government of France, I<br />
mentioned what had been already done in this<br />
direction in the Argentine Republic—I refer to<br />
the example of honesty set by some of our<br />
journals who have made arrangements with<br />
foreign authors for the reproduction of their<br />
works—and, without committing my Government,<br />
I expressed my resolute intention to do all in my<br />
power to persuade the Argentine Republic to join<br />
the Berne Convention.<br />
No doubt, at th3 present moment, our accession<br />
to the Union involves practical difficulties, because<br />
there is no law regulating such matters amongst<br />
us. The Berne Convention constantly refers to<br />
the interior legislation of the contracting countries,<br />
to which legislation it leaves a very wide latitude.<br />
And in case of a contravention of the Treaty, our<br />
tribunals would not be able to exact penalties<br />
which do not exist. I believe, then, that if the<br />
Argentine Government decides upon entering<br />
into the Union created by the Berne Convention,<br />
the first step to be taken will be to pass a special<br />
law bearing upon these matters."<br />
M. Cane then recommends that in the prepara-<br />
tion of this enactment a middle course should be<br />
taken between the French law, which is very<br />
concise and very liberal, and the new Norwegian<br />
law, which is very explicit. In his opinion it<br />
would be enough, until further experience had<br />
been gained, to establish a recognition of the<br />
author's right, the duration of copyright, a clear<br />
enumeration of the works which are to be pro-<br />
tected, and the penalty to be exacted for any<br />
infraction of the law. When the working of the<br />
new law had brought its faults, or inconveniences,<br />
to light, it might be reformed; or even abrogated,<br />
if joining the Union turned out, after all, pre-<br />
judicial to the evident interest of the country.<br />
In M. Cane's opinion, however, there is no danger<br />
of its turning out to be anything of the kind.<br />
We sincerely congratulate M. Cane upon the<br />
promptitude with which he has entered the lists<br />
m the cause of honesty and right, and not less<br />
upon his courageous explanations, which are 3,<br />
victorious confutation of the obstinate prejudices<br />
of many of his compatriots.<br />
II.—Denmark and the Union.<br />
A copyright law, which would permit Denmark<br />
to join the Berne Union has a good chance of<br />
being passed by the Danish Parliament which<br />
assembled on Oct. 5. Since Norway has joined<br />
the Union active opposition to international copy-<br />
right in Denmark is much diminished. {Droit<br />
<TAuteur.)<br />
III.—Agreement with Publisher.<br />
The Droit d'Auteur giveB the following points<br />
from the report upon "Agreement with<br />
Publisher," which M. Pouillet presented to<br />
the Berne Congress. It should be mentioned<br />
that the Association has given up the project of<br />
elaborating an international law for the regula-<br />
tion of the publisher's agreement, first of all, on<br />
account of the vast differences of usage in<br />
different countries ; and, secondly, because it was<br />
impossible to provide for all contingencies. On the<br />
other hand, its investigations led to the esta-<br />
blishment of a certain number of points, respect-<br />
ing which there exists, at least in theory, a pretty<br />
general agreement. These points are :—<br />
The agreement with the publisher is a contract<br />
by which the author confers upon the publisher<br />
the right to reproduce his work in a certain<br />
number of copies.<br />
The agreement is always presumed to refer to<br />
one kind of reproduction only, and to be of<br />
limited application.<br />
If the agreement does not fix the number of<br />
editions, the publisher has a right to publish only<br />
one edition.<br />
The author cannot renounce the usual hono-<br />
rarium unless there is an expressed understanding<br />
to that effect.<br />
The author is to assure the publisher the free<br />
enjoyment of the right ceded him.<br />
The publisher is to publish the work as promptly<br />
as possible, and to make it known to the public by<br />
all means at his disposal.<br />
If the agreement refers to several successive<br />
editions, the publisher is to bring out the new<br />
editions so as to avoid any interruption in the<br />
delivery of the work.<br />
tC\ 1 • WOrk' -ulUbed as banded over by<br />
fiJtS? "i0 1» V^tt ^bidden to make<br />
a^r. The 6bape at notes or<br />
jnake in the proofs<br />
_„ consider nseinl,<br />
^ ,. u,ts a t,D be •<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 150 (#190) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
these corrections do not diminish the value of the<br />
work.<br />
The rights conferred upon the publisher by the<br />
agreement cannot be transferred by him, except<br />
in the case of his parting with his stock-in-trade.<br />
If the dues payable to the author depend upon<br />
the number of the copies sold, the publisher<br />
ought to vouch for the number sold by a memo-<br />
randum signed both by himself and by the<br />
printer, He ought also to furnish the binder's<br />
memorandum.<br />
Every fraud respecting the number of copies<br />
published will be punished as a penal offence,<br />
without prejudicing the damages to be claimed.<br />
IV.—Proposed Law for the Stamping of<br />
Books.<br />
In July last M. Vignu d'Octon, Member for the<br />
Department of Herault, delivered to the Bureau of<br />
the Chamber of Deputies a draft of a law requir-<br />
ing an official stamp to be affixed to every copy of<br />
every work published in France. In explanation<br />
of his aims we subjoin the enacting clauses of the<br />
proposed law.<br />
Art. i.—Printed publications of every kind,<br />
with the exception of newspapers and periodical<br />
publications, and of those which comprise<br />
altogether less than one page of letterpress, are<br />
to have affixed to them a special stamp intended<br />
as a guarantee of their authenticity. In the case<br />
of works in several volumes the stamp is<br />
to be affixed to every volume. In the case<br />
of works which appear in parts the stamp is to be<br />
affixed to the first part of every volume, if the<br />
actual text of the work comprised in the part<br />
extends at least to one page of letterpress, exclu-<br />
sive of title, engravings, preface, introduction, or<br />
table of contents.<br />
Art. 2.—At the time when each stamp is<br />
affixed the State shall be entitled to receive a sum<br />
not exceeding one centime per copy. A public<br />
regulation shall determine all details respecting<br />
the affixing of the stamp, the places in which it<br />
shall be affixed, the forms in which the affixing of<br />
the stamp shall be registered, and all other<br />
measures for the execution of this law.<br />
Art. 3.—The stamp is obligatory, and forms an<br />
integral part of the volume. Every unstamped<br />
copy will be regarded as a piracy.<br />
Art. 4.—Works of which the copyright has ex-<br />
pired do not require to be stamped.<br />
Art. 5.—The present law applies to Algiers and<br />
the Colonies.<br />
M. Vignc d'Octon explains his reasons for<br />
proposing this law as follows :—<br />
"The existing laws and enactments require<br />
j>rinters and publishers to deposit, at the Pre-<br />
fecture and at the Home Office, two copies of the<br />
works which they publish, and bind them at the<br />
same time to declare the actual number of printed<br />
copies drawn from the press. Without wishing<br />
to enter into all the reasons which prompted these<br />
regulations, it is evident that authors would find<br />
in the exact compliance with the above formalities<br />
both an evidence of the royalties to which they<br />
are entitled, and also an easy method of verifying<br />
the multiplication of their works. But if the<br />
formalities of deposit are exactly complied with,<br />
the same cannot be said of the declarations con-<br />
cerning the number of copies printed. As a<br />
rule, no information is given after the first<br />
edition. Such statements as are made present no<br />
guarantees of correctness; and there is no way of<br />
checking thorn. In consequence, difficulties<br />
between authors and publishers are not only<br />
possible, but, as a matter of fact, frequently<br />
occur; difficulties which arise from the peculiar<br />
character of literary property, and indeed from<br />
the very nature of intellectual works. At the<br />
same time, it cannot be doubted that every copy<br />
of a work printed without the consent—whether<br />
gratuitous or remunerated—of the author is a<br />
piracy; and both authors and readers should be<br />
secured against this piracy. In the course of last<br />
March the committee of the Societe des Gens de<br />
Lettres had presented to it by M. Chosson (the<br />
author of the most exhaustive, fullest, and<br />
clearest work on literary property which we<br />
possess) a suggestion that volumes should l)e so-<br />
stamped as to verify the number of copies printed.<br />
No action, however, was taken, as it was feared<br />
that all private enterprise would be powerless<br />
to check long established commercial practices,<br />
howsoever great their injustice. I ought not to<br />
omit to mention that, at a date which I cannot<br />
exactly fix, my illustrious master, M. Edmond de<br />
Goncourt, devoted himself to the consideration<br />
and preparation of a law to the same effect.<br />
My proposal is, therefore, one analogous to that<br />
of M. Chosson and of M. Edmond de Goncourt;<br />
and I make it considering that it is the first duty<br />
of the Legislator to correct the imperfections of<br />
previous laws, and to regulate the possession and<br />
working of intellectual property, which, by its<br />
very nature, is insufficiently protected by general<br />
enactments." _<br />
V.—The Question of Agreements.<br />
Mr. H. A. Moncrieff writes to the Publishers'<br />
Circular and Booksellers' Record, of Nov. 21,<br />
upon a recent decision on a question of copy-<br />
right law. Generally speaking, he says, in agree-<br />
ments made between authors and publishers,<br />
based upon the principle of a division of profits,<br />
the idea is that the publisher shall find the money<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 151 (#191) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
•5'<br />
for the joint venture, take all risks, bear all losses,<br />
and divide any profits at certain fixed periods.<br />
In the case to which he refers, a certain publisher<br />
A. had contracted with an author B. to print and<br />
publish his works on these conditions. The<br />
agreements for each book were of a personal<br />
nature, only the actual contracting parties being<br />
mentioned. For a time matters went smoothly,<br />
but presently there seem to have been differences<br />
about profits. Shortly afterwards A. got into<br />
financial difficulties, and Mr. Moncrieff was<br />
was appointed receiver.<br />
"On going through A.'s agreement," he says,<br />
"I saw that my rights, even under the compre-<br />
hensive order made by the Court, were by no<br />
means definite, and for this reason I approached<br />
B. with a view to induce him to buy out A., and<br />
so be free to make arrangements elsewhere for the<br />
future publication of his works. Interviews and<br />
negotiations dragged on for over two months, and<br />
it is only fair to B. to say that he acted throughout<br />
in a courteous snd friendly way. Unfortunately,<br />
I failed to obtain an offer from him. Finally,<br />
another publisher, C, made an offer for the stock<br />
and such rights as I had, C. being prepared to<br />
take all risks, and I verbally agreed to accept this<br />
offer, subject to the consent of the Court. It<br />
will be understood that B. could only claim one<br />
half interest in the stock and plant, and as C.<br />
was prepared to make new and liberal terms<br />
with B., the arrangement promised to satisfy all<br />
parties. . , . At this stage of the proceed-<br />
ings the family solicitor was consulted and a<br />
writ was promptly issued. The author was 'pro-<br />
tected' by stopping the circulation of his books<br />
and the revenue therefrom, and the advantages<br />
of this action are somewhat doubtful. The writ<br />
claimed:<br />
"(i) Au injunction against A. and the receiver,<br />
restraining either or both from parting with or<br />
selling any of the property comprised in any<br />
of the several agreements between A. and B.<br />
"(2) That these contracts had lapsed and deter-<br />
mined by A.'s failure, B. being an uupaid credi-<br />
tor; and in the Court it was argued that, A.<br />
being insolvent, the solvent partner, B., was en-<br />
titled to custody.<br />
"(3) Damages for breach of contract and power<br />
to appoint a receiver.<br />
"The motion was argued at some leDgth, and<br />
many well-known precedents were, as usual,<br />
cited. Eventually the Court held:<br />
"(1) That the contracts between A. and B. were<br />
of a personal nature, and could not be assigned by<br />
A. without the consent of B.<br />
way of trade, but B. was entitled to his share of<br />
any profits arising from such sales.<br />
"(3) That the property as a whole should not<br />
be sold or assigned to a third party within the<br />
consent of the Court."<br />
"This decision," continues Mr. Moncrieff,<br />
"decides for the time being a point upon which<br />
much uncertainty of opinion seems to prevail,<br />
and it may be capable of wide application. If<br />
A. personally and expressly- contracts with B.,<br />
the former cannot assign and transfer the sup-<br />
posed benefits—or otherwise—to a third party<br />
without the consent of B., and that consent B. is<br />
not legally bound to give.<br />
"If A. takes a partner into business with him,<br />
these personal contracts do not pass to that<br />
partner. Unless he continues the business in<br />
A.'s name he may have no right to reprint A.'s<br />
books, and it is doubtful whether he can publish<br />
them at all except by consent. If A. wishes to<br />
sell a few of his unprofitable speculations, and<br />
he often does wish, he is absolutely at the mercy<br />
of the authors under such contracts as these.<br />
The so-called goodwill of A.'s business, so far as<br />
it consists of personal contracts, is not his own,<br />
but a joint and indivisible asset, and as such<br />
cannot be transferred without the consent of all<br />
parties interested.<br />
"While willing to admit that there is something<br />
to be said from the author's point of view, I<br />
contend that these personal contracts imply a<br />
grave risk to the publisher. It goes without<br />
saying that many firms quite understand this,<br />
and never put their hands to such documents.<br />
But I have in my possession at this moment over<br />
fifty agreements, some printed forms, and bearing<br />
names well known in the publishing world, and<br />
the bulk of them make no provision for con-<br />
tingencies highly probable in ordinary life.<br />
Common sense and mutual interests may prove<br />
sufficient to counteract mischief in many cases,<br />
but after my own experiences of late I should<br />
prefer to rely on a tight and comprehensive agree-<br />
ment, with a stamp on it."<br />
ere<br />
"(2) The existing stock, being joint proper<br />
sated while the contracts were valid an.(j h<br />
force, could be sold by the receiver in the na ^<br />
—'<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
VI.—Griffith v. The Tower Publishing<br />
Company Limited and Moncrieff.<br />
(High Court of Justice.—Chancery Division,<br />
before Mr. Justice Stirling.)<br />
This case raised a question of considerable<br />
importance to authors and publishers as to the<br />
assignability of the rights under a publishing<br />
agreetnent. The plaintiff was the author of<br />
three >,0vel3) catted "The Angel of the Revolu-<br />
tion'» ifflffa Romanoff, or the Syren of the<br />
SkU A 0uttaws of the Air," in<br />
^ V' & „r\i °f "which be had entered into an<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 152 (#192) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
agreement with the Tower Publishing Company<br />
for their publication in volumes, the novels<br />
having previously been published in serial parts<br />
in Pearson's Weekly, The agreements in ques-<br />
tion were made by letters passing between the<br />
manager of the company and the plaintiff, and<br />
by them the company undertook the publication<br />
of the books upon the terms that they took all<br />
risks and were only to charge the plaintiff with<br />
actual out-of-pocket costs of printing and adver-<br />
tising, and were to hand over to him half of the<br />
ascertained profits. The copyright of the works<br />
was to remain with the plaintiff and Mr. Pearson,<br />
with the proviso that the defendant company was<br />
to have the sole right of producing the works iu<br />
volumes subject to the agreements. The defen-<br />
dant Moncrieff was the receiver, who had been<br />
appointed by the court in a debenture-holder's<br />
action brought against the company, and he had<br />
informed the plaintiff that it was his intention to<br />
sell the whole of the assets of the company,<br />
including the benefit of the agreements between<br />
the company and the plaintiff, without consulting<br />
him. In consequence of this the plaintiff brought<br />
this action, and now moved for an injunction to<br />
restrain the defendants from selling without his<br />
consent any of the property or assets in their<br />
possession under or by virtue of the agreements,<br />
and also from selling or assigning without the<br />
like consent the benefits, rights, or interest<br />
alleged by the defendants to be vested in them<br />
under the agreements.<br />
Mr, Millar, Q.C., and Mr. T. B. Napier<br />
appeared for the plaintiff, and argued that such<br />
agreements were merely personal to the individual<br />
entering into them, and could not be assigned.<br />
They relied upon the following cases:—Hole v.<br />
Bradbury (L. Rep. 12 Ch. Div. 886); Stevens v.<br />
Benniny (24 L. J. 153, Ch.), and Read v. Bentley<br />
(4K. &J. 656).<br />
Mr. Hastings, Q.C., and Mr. E. Ford, for the<br />
defendant Moncrieff, contended that the principle<br />
of those authorities did not apply to the case of<br />
an agreement between an author and a limited<br />
company. With regard to the copies of the books<br />
in his hands as receiver, and the illustration plates<br />
and other matters in connection therewith, he was<br />
willing to undertake not to dispose of them except<br />
under the direction of the court in this action.<br />
The company did not appear.<br />
Mr. Justice Stirling said that, if the agreement<br />
in question had been entered into by the plaintiff<br />
and an individual or a partnership firm, the<br />
authorities were clear that the contract was of a<br />
personal nature, and the benefit of it was not<br />
assignable. It was said that there was a difference<br />
between that case and the case of a similar con-<br />
tract with a limited company. His Lordship<br />
would hesitate long before accepting that view<br />
of the law. The result would, he thought, be very<br />
startling to many authors who had entered into<br />
publishing agreements with the numerous firms<br />
which had recently been turned into limited com-<br />
panies. It would be going too far to lay down<br />
such a principle. Authors might reasonably have<br />
confidence in a company, just as much as in an<br />
individual or partnership firm. His Lordship<br />
thought it would be wrong to draw any such<br />
distinction as was suggested. The other part of<br />
the case had been very fairly met by the defendant,<br />
and his Lordship would accept the undertaking.<br />
From the Times, Oct. 31.<br />
VII.—Control of Copyright.<br />
It is absolutely necessary that writers of scien-<br />
tific, technical, medical, educational, theological,<br />
&c., works, should not part with their copyright.<br />
These books 0 instantly require to be brought up<br />
to date on account of new discoveries and fresh<br />
knowledge on the subject. It is therefore of the<br />
utmost importance that the author should he<br />
able at stated intervals to regain the control of<br />
his book. Several cas. s have come before the<br />
Society in which a specialist writer on a given<br />
subject has had the fruits of his labours taken<br />
out of his hands by the fact that he has sold<br />
the copyright, and cannot regain control of his<br />
work.<br />
VTII.—The Liability of Publishers.<br />
At the Westminster County Court, yesterday,<br />
his Honour, Lumley Smith, tried the case of<br />
JVatson v. Newnes, ,in which the plaintiff, Mr.<br />
Robert Watson, a journalist and author, sued<br />
Messrs. George Newnes and Co., publishers, to<br />
recover damages for injury alleged to have been<br />
done to the manuscript of a novel which had been<br />
placed in their hands with a view to publication.<br />
The plaintiff was called, and said he was a<br />
journalist. In the early part of the present<br />
year he submitted to the defendants the manu-<br />
script of a novel for the purpose of inser-<br />
tion in one of their journals. But, after keeping<br />
it for five months, the defendants returned it, in<br />
a damaged and disordered condition. The defence<br />
was that the novel was found to be unsuitable<br />
for publication, and that so far as the defendants<br />
were aware, it was returned in the same con-<br />
dition as it was received, In giving judgment<br />
his Honour said the plaintiff's case failed as to<br />
the delay, and as to the damage to the manu-<br />
script he did not think it was proved. Judg-<br />
ment, therefore, would be for the defendants.—<br />
The Daily News, Nov. 13.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 153 (#193) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
i53<br />
IX.—Pitt Pitts v. E. George and Co.<br />
Friday, November 6, 1896.<br />
In the Court of Appeal, before Lord Justice<br />
Lindley, Lord Justice Lopes, and Lord Justice<br />
Kigby.<br />
[From the shorthand notes of Messrs. Marten,<br />
Meredith, and Henderson, 13, New-inn, Strand,<br />
taken for the Society.]<br />
Judgment.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—The plaintiffs aie the<br />
assignees of the English copyright in a German<br />
piece of music published at Leipsic, and they<br />
seek to restrain the defendants from importing<br />
into this country for sale here, copies of the<br />
piece of music lawfully printed in Leipsic and<br />
sold to the defendants in Brussels.<br />
The title of the plaintiffs is admitted; and it<br />
is conceded that although they have not registered<br />
their assignments, that circumstance is imma-<br />
terial having regard to the International Copy-<br />
right Act, 1886, and to the decision in Hanf-<br />
staengl v. The American Tobacco Company (1895,<br />
1 Queen's Bench, page 347). It is further con-<br />
ceded that the question turns on the statutes<br />
relating to copyright in books, and not on the<br />
statutes relating to the performance of musical<br />
composition or dramatic pieces.<br />
Mr. Justice Kekewich decided that the defen-<br />
dants were not infringing the plaintiffs' rights;<br />
and from that decision the plaintiffs have<br />
appealed.<br />
The case turns on the true construction of<br />
sections 2, 11, 13, 15, and 17 of the Copyright<br />
Act, 1842 (5 & 6 Victoria, chapter 45) ; and of<br />
sections 2, 3, 10 of the International Copyright<br />
Act, 1844 (7 Victoria, chapter 12). The Copy-<br />
right Act of 1842 (5 <fc 6 Victoria, chapter 45)<br />
has no reference to copyright in foreign works<br />
under any International Copyright Act. It<br />
contains, however, two sections for the protection<br />
of copyright in other books, namely, sections 15<br />
and 17. Section 15 gives a remedy by action on<br />
the case for (1) printing in any part of the<br />
British dominions, for sale or exportation, any<br />
book in which there is copyright, without the<br />
consent in writing of the proprietor of the copy-<br />
right; (2) importing for sale or hire any such<br />
book so unlawfully printed; (3) selling, publish-<br />
ing, or exposing for sale or hire any such book<br />
known to have been so unlawfully printed or<br />
imported; (4) possessing for sale or hire any<br />
such book known to have been so unlawfully<br />
printed or imported. The section is so wordpri<br />
as apparently not to hit the importation of co> •<br />
printed in foreign countries. This result V^S<br />
to the use of the expressions "such book" ^\jg<br />
vou vii.<br />
"so having been unlawfully printed," which<br />
occur after the clause which prohibits printing.<br />
I understand these expressions to mean as follows:<br />
"Such book" means any book in which there ia<br />
copyright under the Act. "So having been un-<br />
lawfully printed," means printed in any part of<br />
the British dominions without the written consent<br />
of the proprietor of the copyright. Section 17,<br />
however, goes further as regards the importation<br />
of printed books first composed or written or<br />
printed and published in the United Kingdom.<br />
If there is copyright in such books, the importa-<br />
tion of copies into any part of the British<br />
dominions for sale or hire, except by the pro-<br />
prietor of the copyright or by some one autho-<br />
rised by him, is absolutely prohibited wherever<br />
such copies may be printed, and all such copies<br />
may be seized and destroyed by the officers of<br />
customs or excise. Penalties, moreover, are<br />
inflicted on the importers, and on persons who<br />
sell, publish, expose for sale, or let for hire copies<br />
known by them to have been unlawfully imported.<br />
This section, however, is confined entirely to<br />
printed books first composed or written, or<br />
printed and published in the United Kingdom.<br />
It does not apply to other books. Neither of these<br />
sections prohibits importation for private use, but<br />
only importation for sale or hire; neither of them,<br />
moreover, is framed with a view to protect copy-<br />
right in books first published in foreign countries,<br />
nor would the language of these sections be<br />
applicable to such books unless made so by some<br />
other statute. Neither of these sections, moreover,<br />
alludes to any remedy by way of injunction. But<br />
having regard to well settled principles of Courts<br />
of Equity, there can be no doubt that an injunc-<br />
tion would be granted to protect the owner of<br />
copyright conferred by the Act, and to restrain<br />
an infringement of either section.<br />
I pass now to the International Copyright Act,<br />
1844 (7 & 8 Victoria, chapter 12). This statute<br />
replaced an earlier International Copyright Act<br />
of 1838 (1 & 2 Victoria, chapter 59), which was<br />
found insufficient for the purpose of enabling the<br />
Crown to confer on the authors of works first<br />
published in foreign countries, copyright to the<br />
same extent and with the same remedies for<br />
infringement as the authors of works first pub-<br />
lished in this country enjoyed under our own<br />
Copyright Acts. The preamble of the Act of 1844<br />
alludes to this defect, and its main object is to<br />
remedy it. Accordingly section 2 enables the<br />
Crowti to confer on the authors of books first pub-<br />
lished in foreign countries, the privilege of copy-<br />
right Vi rei*1' an<^ sec^on 3 Cllacts that persons on<br />
wh.<\ tike , privilege i8 conferred shall be entitled<br />
to IV* 8 fit °* t1ie Act 5 & 6 Vlttoria> chapter<br />
*Vtv hefl^wie manner as if such books had been<br />
45> *2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 154 (#194) ############################################<br />
<br />
'54<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
first published in the United Kingdom. The<br />
language of this section 3 is so important that I<br />
will read it: "And be it enacted that in case any<br />
such order shall apply to books, all and singular<br />
the enactments of the said Copyright Amendment<br />
Act, and of any other Act for the time being in<br />
force with relation to the copyright in books<br />
first published in this country, shall from and<br />
after the time so to be specified in that behalf in<br />
such order and subject to such limitation as to the<br />
duration of the copyright as shall be therein con-<br />
tained, apply to and. be in force in respect of the<br />
books to which such order shall extend, and which<br />
shall have been registered as hereinafter is pro-<br />
vided, in such and the same manner as if such<br />
books were first published in the United King-<br />
dom." Then there is an exception about the<br />
British Museum which I pass over. This<br />
section, unless controlled by section 10, requires<br />
the court in effect, and so far as possible,<br />
to apply sections 15 and 17 of 5 & 6 Victoria,<br />
chapter 45, to books first published in foreign<br />
countries. But before attempting to do this it is<br />
necessary to consider section 10 of the Act of<br />
1844, and to ascertain to what extent, if at all, it<br />
modifies section 3 or excludes the application of<br />
the sections 15 and 17 of the Act of 5 & 6 Victoria,<br />
chapter 45. Section 10 of the 7 & 8 Victoria,<br />
chapter 12, is as follows: "And be it enacted<br />
that all copies of books wherein there shall l>e any<br />
subsisting copyright under or by virtue of this<br />
Act, or of any Order in Council made in pursuance<br />
thereof, printed or reprinted in any foreign<br />
country except that in which such books were<br />
first published, shall be, and the same are hereby,<br />
absolutely Tjrohibited to be imported into any<br />
part of the British dominions, except by or with<br />
the consent of the registered proprietor of the<br />
copyright thereof, or his agent authorised in<br />
writing, and if imported contrary to this pro-<br />
hibition, the same and the importers thereof shall<br />
be subject to the enactments in force relating to<br />
goods prohibited to be imported by any Act<br />
relating to the customs ; and as respects any such<br />
copies so prohibited to be imported, and also as<br />
respects any copies unlawfully printed in any<br />
place whatsoever of any books wherein there shall<br />
be any such subsisting copyright as aforesaid,<br />
any person who shall in any psrt of the British<br />
dominions import such prohibited or unlawfully<br />
printed copies, or who, knowing such copies to be<br />
so unlawfully imported or unlawfully printed,<br />
shall sell, publish, or expose to sale or hire, or<br />
shall cause to be sold, published, or exposed to<br />
sale or hire, or have in his possession for sale or<br />
liire, any such copies so unlawfully imported or<br />
unlawfully printed, such offender shall be liable<br />
to a special action on the case at the suit of the<br />
proprietor of such copyright, to be brought and<br />
prosecuted in the same courts and in the same<br />
manner, and with the like restrictions upon the<br />
proceedings of the defendant, as are respectively<br />
prescribed in the said Copyright Amendment<br />
Act with relation to actions thereby authorised to<br />
be brought by proprietors of copyright against<br />
persons importing or selling books unlawfully<br />
printed in the British dominions." It will be<br />
observed that this section expressly excepts from<br />
its operation the importation of copies made in<br />
the country in which the copyright book was first<br />
published. This exception is quite new, and the<br />
reason for it is not stated. Moreover, the<br />
express prohibition against importation does not<br />
extend to copies printed in any of the British<br />
dominions. Such copies are, however, included<br />
in the second part of the section, which gives a<br />
remedy by action in respect of the importation<br />
of books unlawfully printed anywhere. The con-<br />
sequence appears to be that the Customs-house<br />
officers cannot, under section 10, seize any copies<br />
of a foreign book in which there is copyright<br />
under the Act of 1844 unless such copies have been<br />
printed in some foreign country other than that in<br />
which the book was first printed. Copies printed in<br />
that country or in any part of the British dominions<br />
cannot be so seized under the section in question.<br />
The reason for this is difficult to discover. The<br />
power of seizing copies wrongfully imported for<br />
sale or hire under section 17 of the 5 & 6 Victoria,<br />
chapter 45, extends to copies printed anywhere<br />
abroad.<br />
Again, in framing section 10 the Legislature,<br />
in prohibiting importation, has drawn no dis-<br />
tinction between importation for sale or hire and<br />
importation for other purposes. The distinction<br />
drawn is between importation with the consent of<br />
the proprietor of the copyright, and importation<br />
without such consent. This was no doubt deemed<br />
an improvement. But why section 10 was framed<br />
as it is, and why, if intended to qualify and cut<br />
down the effect of section 3, those two sections<br />
should be left as they are, I confess I am unable<br />
to discover. But however difficult it may be to<br />
account for the language in which section 10 is<br />
expressed, it is not difficult to interpret that<br />
language as it stands. Beading it in its plain<br />
literal sense, the present case is expressly excepted<br />
from the operation of the section, for the impor-<br />
tation complained of is of copies not only printed,<br />
but also lawfully printed, in the country in which<br />
the copyright work was first published. So<br />
that the present case is not covered either by<br />
the first part of the section, which prohibits im-<br />
portation; nor by the second part, which gives a<br />
remedy by action. We are thus thrown back<br />
on sections 15 and 17 of 5 & 6 Victoria,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 155 (#195) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
i55<br />
chapter 45, with a direction (see sect. 3 of the<br />
Act of 1844) to apply them to a case to which<br />
their language is apparently inapplicable, and<br />
with a statement (see the preamble) that the<br />
•object is to confer on the owners of copyright in<br />
foreign works greater rights than would have<br />
been conferred upon them under the earlier Inter-<br />
national Copyright Act, and similar in all respects<br />
to those enjoyed by British authors.<br />
The work here in question must be deemed to<br />
have been first published in this country, and<br />
the plaintiff must be treated as if he were the<br />
owner of the copyright in this country in such<br />
work. Section 30? the Act of 1844 clearly requires<br />
these assumptions to be made. Section 3 does<br />
not say "first printed and published," but I do<br />
not attach importance to this verbal criticism.<br />
To attribute importance would nullify section 3.<br />
I take " publish in section 3 to include printing<br />
for publication. They appear to me necessarily<br />
to involve as consequences that the expressions<br />
"such book" and "so having been unlawfully<br />
printed" which occur in sections 15 and 17 of<br />
5 & 6 Victoria, chapter 45, must be applied to<br />
the work the copyright in which belongs to the<br />
plaintiff. I have already pointed out that this<br />
could not be their meaning in the statute 5 & 6<br />
Victoria, chapter 45. Even if section 15 cannot<br />
be held to apply owing to its language being<br />
restricted to printing in the British dominions,<br />
section 17 can, for, as already pointed out, its<br />
scope is under. To hold that neither section<br />
applies is to hold that section 3 of the Act of<br />
1844 is absolutely nugatory; and in obedienee<br />
to this section the difficulties in applying<br />
sections 15 and 17 of 5 & 6 Victoria, chapter 45,<br />
to this case must be got over. The alterna-<br />
tive is to hold that the plaintiff has no<br />
remedy for a manifest injury, and that Parlia-<br />
ment failed in 1844 to give effect to its de-<br />
clared intention. Mr. Scrutton, in his very able<br />
argument, almost persuaded me that this was so.<br />
His contention was that section 10 was intended<br />
to be a code containing a complete enumeration<br />
of the remedies available for an infringement of<br />
copyright in foreign works, and that it was in-<br />
consistent with sections 15 and 17 of 5 & 6<br />
Victoria, chapter 45, if applied to such copyright.<br />
I confess I was much struck with this contention,<br />
but I cannot adopt it. Section 10 is certainly<br />
not a complete code, for in the face of section 3<br />
it cannot be regarded as impliedly depriving the<br />
proprietors of copyright under the Act of 1844<br />
of any of the rights which that section, and the<br />
statute there referred to, confer upon them, ijn<br />
truth is, that when closely examined section<br />
will be found not to cover the whole »>, \°<br />
covered by section 3 and the incorporated s^?^d<br />
15 and 17 of 5 & 6 Victoria, chapter 45.<br />
What then is the true inference from the express<br />
exception in section 10? Is it to be inferred that<br />
the foreigner entitled to copyright in this country<br />
is liable to have that copyright infringed by any<br />
importer of books printed in his own country?<br />
Or is the inference to be that as regards such<br />
books he is entitled to the same protection as a<br />
British author would have under the Act of<br />
1842? The latter inference is most in accordance<br />
with legal principles and good sense, and is the<br />
only inference which is consistent with the<br />
preamble and section 3 of the Act of 1844.<br />
If the defendants' contention were correct, it<br />
would follow that a foreign author could assign<br />
his English copyright, and import and sell copies<br />
of his work here in competition with his own<br />
assignee unless prevented from so doing by<br />
express agreement. Such a state of our law<br />
would not be very creditable, and I am glad to<br />
find that the court is not driven to hold the law<br />
to be so unsatisfactory; nor to hold that, owing<br />
to a blunder in drafting, the Legislature has con-<br />
spicuously failed to attain its declared and mani-<br />
fest object.<br />
One other point was urged which requires<br />
notice. The defendants are purchasers of the<br />
books they have imported, and it is contended<br />
that they have a right to dispose of those books<br />
as they like without any interference from the<br />
owner of the foreign copyright or from the<br />
plaintiffs who claim under him.<br />
The right, however, of the defendant to use in<br />
this country the books which he bought abroad<br />
depends on the law of this country, and not on<br />
the law of the place of sale. The copyright in<br />
this country confers upon the plaintiffs rights here<br />
which no contract of sale abroad by other persons<br />
can deprive them of. Even if the defendant had<br />
bought his copies direct from the proprietor of<br />
the foreign copyright, the defendant would be in<br />
no better position as against the plaintiffs than<br />
such proprietor himself; and for reasons already<br />
given he could not justify what the defendant<br />
claims the right to do.<br />
The appeal must be allowed with costs here<br />
and below.<br />
An injunction must be granted to restrain<br />
future importations for sale or hire without the<br />
consent of the plaintiff, and there must be an-<br />
inquiry as to the damages sustained by the<br />
plaintiff by reason of the importation for sale<br />
or h.ire of 9UC^ copies before the date of this<br />
j^^^gtice Lopes.—It is with great diffidence<br />
thj»4^ i-rfot from m? ^rot,hers in this case, who<br />
H \ al*1 ^ore familiar than I am with these<br />
^.^ . ..K'T* 1 Ms/but after careful consideration I<br />
£cte,^vit after careful consideration<br />
\ /<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 156 (#196) ############################################<br />
<br />
•56<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
have arrived at the same conclusion as Mr.<br />
Justice Kekewich in the Court below.<br />
The piece of music in question was first<br />
published in Leipsic, and the plaintiffs are<br />
the assignees of the English copyright<br />
in this German piece of music. Copies of<br />
the piece of music printed in Leipsic and sold to<br />
the defendant in Brussels have been imported<br />
into this country for sale here. The plaintiffs<br />
seek to restrain the defendants from such<br />
importation. Whether they can do so depends<br />
on certain provisions in the Copyright Acts<br />
which are by no means clear. Sections 15 and 17<br />
of the 5 & 6 Victoria, chapter 45, have been<br />
relied on. I cannot discover how the prohibition<br />
contained in section 15 can apply to the importa-<br />
tion of books printed in foreign countries in<br />
which an English author had no copyright. This<br />
section applies to the British dominions only.<br />
Nor can I see how section 17 applies to a case<br />
like the present. It is directed against the<br />
importation of foreign copies of copyright works,<br />
first composed or written or printed in the United<br />
Kingdom. This piece of music was first<br />
published in a foreign country, namely, in<br />
Germany. ■<br />
We must now look at the 7 & 8 Victoria,<br />
chapter 12, and the important section is section<br />
10. This section deals with copies of books<br />
(books by the interpretation section including<br />
sheets of music) subsisting under this Act or of<br />
any Order in Council made in pursuance thereof,<br />
but printed or reprinted in this country. If<br />
there was nothing more this section would cover<br />
the present case, but there occur in the section<br />
these important words " in any foreign countries<br />
except that in which such books were first<br />
published." I am unable to disregard this excep-<br />
tion, which in my judgment was inserted to meet<br />
a case like the present. It is said that the<br />
exception is to be disregarded because section 3<br />
of the same Act says that "in case any such<br />
order" (that is to say, the Order in Council)<br />
"shall apply to books all and singular the enact-<br />
ments of the said Copyright Amendment Act<br />
(5 & 6 Victoria, chapter 45) and if any other<br />
Act for the time being in force with relation to<br />
the copyright in books first published in this<br />
country shall from and after the time so to be<br />
specified in that behalf in such order, and sub-<br />
ject to such limitation as to the duration of the<br />
copyright as shall be therein contained, apply to<br />
and be in force in respect of the books to which<br />
such order shall extend, and which shall have<br />
been registered as hereinafter is provided in such<br />
and the same manner as if such books were first<br />
published in the United Kingdom," &c.<br />
The question is whether anything in the section<br />
is so repugnanc to the exception contained in<br />
section 10 as to render it inoperative. I think<br />
they may be read together, section 3 dealing with<br />
foreign countries, not being countries where such<br />
books were first published, and section 10<br />
excepting countries where the books were first<br />
published. It is said this imposes a great hard-<br />
ship on the plaintiff and assignee circumstanced<br />
in the same way as the plaintiff. That may be so,<br />
but we have to construe the Acts of Parliament,,<br />
and the plaintiff might have protected himself<br />
by an express covenant.<br />
I think that this appeal should be dismissed<br />
with costs.<br />
Lord Justice Rigby.—This case has been argued<br />
only on the construction of the two Acts of 1842<br />
and 1844, as modified with reference to registra-<br />
tion by section 4 of the Act of 1886. It seems<br />
necessary, however, to refer to other Acts for the<br />
purpose of arriving at a clear view of the whole<br />
scheme of copyright law at any given time. The<br />
material section of the Acts are singularly<br />
involved in their provisions, owing, no doubt,<br />
partly to the difficulty of getting through Parlia-<br />
ment any Bill extending the right of authors, and<br />
partly to the fact that provisions for the protec-<br />
tion of copyright were confused with provisions<br />
for the protection of revenue, as will hereafter<br />
appear.<br />
The Copyright Amendment Act, 1842 (5 <fe 6<br />
Victoria, chapter 45), whether by section 15 or<br />
by section 17, provides only against importation<br />
for sale or hire. A book lawfully printed abroad<br />
might, so far as this Act is concerned, be law-<br />
fully imported by the owner for his own private<br />
use, although not for sale or hire. The statute<br />
of 1709, the 8th of Anne, chapter 19, gave copy-<br />
right only in Great Britain, and made no distinc-<br />
tion between copies imported for sale and other<br />
copies imported. The distinction between impor-<br />
tation for sale and other importations was in 1735,<br />
as I think for the first Time, introduced in an Act<br />
for the protection of copyright in engravings—<br />
that is the 8th George II., chapter 13. But the<br />
Act which seems to have afforded a basis for<br />
section 17 of the Act of 1842 is the Act of 1739,<br />
the 12th of George II., chapter 36. It was not a<br />
copyright statute at all, but a Revenue Act<br />
founded upon the consideration that the duty on<br />
paper imported for printing books exceeded the<br />
duty on printed books. The statute was not<br />
required for the protection of copyright in books.<br />
It was fully effectuated as to importations by the<br />
statute of 1709. The prohibition extended to<br />
books in which there was no copyright, if only<br />
there had been a printing of them within twenty<br />
years. The printing was in that Act the very<br />
thing aimed at, whilst in the Copyright Acts the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 157 (#197) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
157<br />
protection of the owner of the copyright is the<br />
important point. This Act related to importa-<br />
tions into Great Britain only. The International<br />
Copyright Act of 1838 (1 & 2 Victoria,<br />
chapter 59), repealed by the Act of 1844, by<br />
section 1, empowered Her Majesty by Order in<br />
Council to direct that the authors of books pub-<br />
lished in any foreign countries, or their executors,<br />
administrators, and assigns, should have the sole<br />
liberty of printing and reprinting such books<br />
within the United Kingdom and every other part<br />
of the British dominions. Sect. 8 enacted that" if<br />
any person in the United Kingdom or any other<br />
part of the British dominions should print, reprint<br />
or import for sale "—there is no doubt the word<br />
means imported from a foreign country for sale<br />
—" any book to which the Order in Council should<br />
extend without the consent of the author or other<br />
proprietor of the copyright first had and obtained in<br />
writing, shall be liable to special action on the<br />
case at the suit of the author or other proprietor<br />
of the copyright." It is manifest that the<br />
copyright here spoken of is the British<br />
copyright under the British International Copy-<br />
right Act, and it is to be observed that no<br />
exception is made of books imported from the<br />
foreign country where they were first published.<br />
On the other hand, the importation of books<br />
otherwise than for sale, as for instance for hire or<br />
for the private use of the importer, was not struck<br />
at. The Copyright Amendment Act, 1842, like<br />
the Act of 1838, extended the copyright to the<br />
whole of the British dominions. Section 15<br />
of this Act is in pari materia with section 8<br />
of the Act of 1838. Its operation is extended<br />
as to imports by adding to the words "for<br />
sale" the words "or hire," but as to the<br />
importations which it is aimed at we should<br />
expect to find them to be the same in both<br />
sections, and I have been unable to see any<br />
reason why there should be any difference in<br />
this respect. Section 17 of the Act as before<br />
suggested, and a comparison of the wording, shows<br />
it is evidently based 011 the Act of 1739, adding<br />
to the words "for sale" the words "or hire."<br />
Probably in both sections the words "or hire"<br />
are introduced because of the development of the<br />
circulating library system. Comparing therefore<br />
the Act of 1838 with that of 1842, the first named<br />
Act authorised, subject only to questions raised<br />
on the precise construction of section 15 and 17<br />
of 'he later Act, at least the same amount of<br />
protection from imported books to be given to<br />
copyright under that Act, which was giv^n<br />
to copyright in books first published iu 11<br />
United Kingdom by the last Act, except +,<br />
importation for hire was not prohibited. Jjfe.*W<br />
Act prevented the importation from f. Hqgf<br />
countries of books for the private use of the<br />
importer. It is, however, material to be noted tint<br />
by an Act to amend the laws relating to the<br />
Customs (5 & 6 Victoria, chapter 49), which came<br />
into operation a few days after the Copyright<br />
Amendment Act, and must have been before<br />
Parliament while the last-mentioned Act was<br />
under consideration, on a recital in section 23<br />
"that great abuse had prevailed with respect to<br />
the introduction into this country for private use of<br />
works reprinted abroad, to the ureat injury of the<br />
authors thereof and of others," it was by section<br />
24 enac ed that from and after the 1st April, 1843,<br />
all books wherein copyright should be subsis ing,<br />
first comjx>se.! or written or printed in he United<br />
Kingdom, and printed or reprhred in any other<br />
country, should be and the same were absolutely<br />
prohibited to be imported into the United<br />
Kingdom. It seems therefore that there was no<br />
substantia! depar.ure as to importations from the<br />
policy of the Act of 1709. We have to approach<br />
the consideration of th j International Copyright<br />
Act, 1844, with the knowledge that provision was<br />
made against importation for sale or hire<br />
contained in the Copyright Amendment Act, 1842,<br />
and for absolute prohibition of importations, even<br />
for private use, in the later Act of the same<br />
session, whilst the International Copyright Act,<br />
1838, was clearly imperfect in both respects. We<br />
should expect therefore that adequate although<br />
not necessarily identical provisions would be con-<br />
tained in the Act of 1844 with reference to both<br />
subjects, and in my judgment such provision is<br />
made accordingly as to books imported for sale or<br />
hire by section 3, and as to books absolutely<br />
prohibited by section 10. If the sections as to<br />
imports iu the Copyright Amendment Act,<br />
1842, are not incoqwrated into the Act of<br />
1844, it is obvious that the proprietor of copy-<br />
rights under this later Ac1., assuming him for<br />
the moment to be a different person from the<br />
owner of the copyright in the country where the<br />
book was first published, would be in so much<br />
the worse position than the owner of the copy-<br />
right in the book first published in the United<br />
Kingdom, and that the two rights would be essen-<br />
tially different, the object of the Acts being to<br />
make them as far as possible the same. Take,<br />
for instance, the case before us of a book first,<br />
published in Germany. The proprietor of the<br />
copvright in the British dominions would indeed<br />
have as to all countries but Germany, the ex-<br />
tended right of having stray copies in the bags of<br />
tovn-; ,fS tonfi8cated for his benefit, but in ex-<br />
cha " for tbis comparatively unimportant advan-<br />
t&j>^of ucott^ nave to 8Vrt>Imt to an unlimited<br />
be<br />
from every part of Germany itself,<br />
UYv •-,11 j L — ———J''<br />
tl\ *HiTt* * which it would be most likely the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 158 (#198) ############################################<br />
<br />
158<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
book would be printed. The very person from<br />
whom the derived title might, as far as copyright<br />
alone is concerned, import and sell as many of<br />
the boots as he could get a market for, or set up<br />
circulating libraries like Mudie's for the diffu-<br />
sion throughout Her Majesty's possessions of the<br />
very book as to which he had parted with his<br />
copyright in those dominions. What he could<br />
do any other person could do. Under conditions<br />
of trade favourable to books made in Germany,<br />
the copyright in the British dominions under the<br />
Act would be absolutely worthless, and the bene-<br />
ficial object of the Act entirely frustrated. This<br />
consideration affords, in my judgment, a very<br />
strong presumption against the suggested con-<br />
struction which would make section 10 of the Act<br />
of 1844 an entire code with reference to importa-<br />
tions from abroad.<br />
It is, however, said that by appropriate cove-<br />
nants with the owner of the original copyright<br />
the assignee may be protected. The suggestion,<br />
of course, involves the assumption that the copy-<br />
right law has altogether failed to afford adequate<br />
protection; but the possibility of adequate pro-<br />
tection being given by covenant is by no means<br />
clear. The British Legislature is supposed to<br />
say to every person everywhere: "You may import<br />
for every purpose books to which our British<br />
international copyright extends if only you go<br />
to Germany for them." The proprietor of the<br />
original copyright might indeed covenant not<br />
himself to introduce into the British dominions<br />
any other books, but how can he effectually pro-<br />
vide against the acts of other persons i He<br />
might enter into a warranty that no other person<br />
should import books from Germany, so as to<br />
make himself liable to the damages that might<br />
arise, but the actual importation he would be for<br />
the most part unable to prevent. It is by no<br />
means certain that in every country to which an<br />
Order in Council mav extend there must be a law<br />
preventing the printing for exportation (it never<br />
existed in our country till 1842) of copyright<br />
books, and there is no evidence that there is any<br />
such law in Germany.<br />
It is, however, unnecessary in my judgment<br />
further to consider the construction of the Act<br />
on the assumption that is left open to us. The<br />
preamble of the Act makes it plain that the repeal<br />
of the Act of 1838 was intended not for the pur-<br />
pose of limiting, but for the purpose of increasing<br />
the powers of Her Majesty as to remedies for<br />
infringement of copyright under the Act. This,<br />
in my judgment, makes it incumbent on the<br />
courts to construe the Acts, if it can reasonably<br />
be done, to make them as effectual as those given<br />
by the existing law for the protection of home<br />
copyright, so as to avoid the great injury to the<br />
proprietor of copyrights that I have before<br />
pointed out.<br />
Now section 3 of the Act, in what seems to me<br />
quite clear and unambiguous terms, provides that<br />
all and singular of the enactments of the Act of<br />
1842, including, of course, sections 15 and 17,<br />
unless their language is clearly inappropriate, should<br />
apply to the books to which such order will extend<br />
which have been registered as hereafter men-<br />
tioned in such and in the same manner as if such<br />
books were first published in the United Kingdom.<br />
Registration is now unnecessary by the Act of<br />
1886, and the exceptions in section 3 are for pre-<br />
sent purposes irrelevant, but it may be observed<br />
that the power reserved to Her Majesty by Order<br />
in Council to make exceptions which are found<br />
necessary would obviate any inconvenience arising<br />
from the very sweeping terms in which the<br />
enactments of the Copyright Acts are applied to,<br />
and, in fact, made part of the Act now before the<br />
Court. It is not alleged that by the Order in<br />
Council applicable to the present case any relevant<br />
exception is made. Of course it may be found<br />
that sections 15 and 17, or one of them, are from<br />
the terms incapable of being applied to the case<br />
of copyright, and might not be able to be applied<br />
to importations from the country of origin, but<br />
such a conclusion ought not to be accepted without<br />
necessity, having regard to the grave results<br />
already pointed out. The contentions with regard<br />
to the two sections are, of course, in the main<br />
dependent on one another. I must do full justice<br />
to the able argument of Mr. Sorutton, which for<br />
the time went far to convince me that section 15<br />
deals only with books unlawfully printed in the<br />
British dominions. It may be that he has in his<br />
favour the strictly literal reading of the words of<br />
the section: "11 any person shall in any part of<br />
the British dominions print any book without the<br />
consent of the proprietor," it may be that makes<br />
the unlawfulness depend on the place as well as<br />
want of consent, and that the words " so unlaw-<br />
fully printed" cannot be fully satisfied without<br />
importing both elements. I cannot say that this,<br />
as a mere matter of grammar, may not be correct,<br />
but when you look to the substance and meaning<br />
of the section, I think that the words " unlaw-<br />
fully printed " mean only " printed without con-<br />
sent," otherwise no sufficient effect is given to<br />
the provisions as to importation from parts<br />
beyond the sea. What is the meaning of<br />
speaking of importation into any place in Her<br />
Majesty's dominions from parts beyond the<br />
sea? It is a phrase which is perhaps not very<br />
accurate, but I think it means from places<br />
outside Her Majesty's dominions. It would<br />
be strange if the words were used as to a transfer<br />
from one part of Her Majesty's dominions by sea<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 159 (#199) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
'59<br />
—if they were distinguishing for instance between<br />
a transfer from New Zealand to Australia, and a<br />
transfer between one Australian colony and<br />
another, or, what may seem a stronger case,<br />
a transfer between England and Ireland,<br />
or a transfer between England and Scot-<br />
land or Wales. I cannot see how you can<br />
avoid the conclusion that that distinction would<br />
have to be taken unless the words applied<br />
to foreign countries. But a still stronger argu-<br />
ment to my mind arises from the fact that if the<br />
words as to imports refer only to transfers from<br />
one part of Her Majesty's dominions to the<br />
other, they add absolutely nothing to the section,<br />
and may be struck out without altering its opera-<br />
tion in the slightest degree. We have only to<br />
read the section to see that that is so. I will<br />
read it as if there was nothing about importa-<br />
tions: "If any person shall in any part of Her<br />
Majesty's dominions print any book "—I let that<br />
go by—" in which there shall be a subsisting<br />
copyright, without the consent in writing of "—I<br />
will leave out the words now about importing for<br />
sale as being immaterial, because I want to test<br />
what the section means—" or shall sell, publish,<br />
or expose for sale or hire," and so on, "or have<br />
in his possession for sale or hire any book so<br />
unlawfully printed"—leaving out the word<br />
"imported."—" then he shall have a special action<br />
on the case." Now, I say upon the construction<br />
to be put on the section everything is contained<br />
there. Of course we have the word " imported,"<br />
and we have it brought in in a very important<br />
manner, "unlawfully printed or imported without<br />
such consent." It is not necessary to read this<br />
as extending to "unlawfully imported,"' but<br />
"unlawfully printed or imported without con-<br />
sent," but I say if that means from one part of<br />
the dominions to the other the words have abso-<br />
lutely no meaning, all you have to show is that<br />
they were unlawfully printed within Her Majesty's<br />
dominions, and that the man has them in his<br />
possession knowing that fact. What is added by<br />
saying "or imported without the consent of the<br />
proprietor "? Nothing. The first part of it is<br />
all sufficient to found a special action on the case,<br />
and the second is a condition which cannot<br />
operate unless the first is there. It seems to me<br />
to be demonstrated—it is not a matter of con-<br />
jecture—that upon that section the importation<br />
spoken of will include—I will not say necessarily<br />
—importations from foreign countries. If that<br />
be so, we have a clear enactment in section 15,<br />
clearly incorporated in section 3 of the Act of<br />
1844 prohibiting—not absolutely, but prohibiti^,<br />
—importations if they are for sale or hire, the pv, *<br />
sent case being a case of sale. Now we tuf^ *<br />
section 10, and what do we find there? Wo. H)<br />
VOL VII. \k<br />
now dealing with a part of the Act which replaces<br />
nothing in the Copyright Act, but, for the pur-<br />
poses of international copyright, something in the<br />
Customs Act of 1842. I do not say that it<br />
replaces it in the same words. If it had done it<br />
would have been enough to incorporate that as<br />
is incorporated the Act of 1842; but it was<br />
manifestly felt that the words of that Customs<br />
Act were not altogether appropriate to the case of<br />
international copyright, and therefore that Act<br />
was not incorporated, and is not referred to or<br />
mentioned, but provision is made by section 10<br />
for what is thought to be the proper treatment of<br />
the question of absolute prohibition in the parti-<br />
cular case of a foreign publication receiving copy-<br />
right here. I will not read what I have put down<br />
particularly about that section, but it comes to<br />
this. I have dealt with prohibition for sale or<br />
hire by section 3, incorporating section 8. That<br />
is practically the same thing as is done for home<br />
copyright. I have not hitherto dealt with the<br />
question of absolute prohibition because that<br />
was dealt with by the Customs Act to which I<br />
have not referred. What then is reasonable r<br />
What they thought reasonable does not appear<br />
to mo to be difficult to explain. It was an abso-<br />
lute protection against importations, not giving<br />
a special action, but an absolute prohibition<br />
except from a foreign country.<br />
Now, the result of that is that, with regard to<br />
imjwrtations from what I call the country of<br />
origin, you must rely on section 8 of the Copy-<br />
right Act, and you must show that that was sale<br />
or hire. That enables every person—and there<br />
may be a great number of them who have<br />
bought a book in the country of origin—to bring<br />
it into this countrv for their own private use.<br />
They take into consideration the question of the<br />
practice which had been aimed at by the Customs<br />
Act of 1806. They will not have that at all.<br />
They prohibit even for private use from any<br />
place except the country of origin. With reference<br />
to the country of origin they do not make any<br />
provision at all for absolute prohibition, though<br />
the prohibition for sale or hire is, as might be<br />
expected, found in another section of the Act.<br />
Now, the conclusion to which I have arrived<br />
clearly as to the meaning and construction of<br />
section 15 of the Act of 1842 makes it unneces-<br />
sary for me to consider the clear construction.<br />
I do not think there can be a clear construction,<br />
hut, at anv rate, what is the true construction of<br />
section 17. That, as I have said before, is a very<br />
involved section. It is absolutely senseless in<br />
liianv rt« of & ^ °-° not ne8itate to say, but it<br />
's at ^ te tf^°^veo- ano- complicated by reason<br />
1 c w^tiy ttgt consider the somewhat ridiculous<br />
Ufatl^^uonforthe purposes of copyright<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 160 (#200) ############################################<br />
<br />
i6o<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
that Act of 1739 which had nothing to do with<br />
copyright at all, but was simply an Act to protect<br />
the revenue. I will not give a definite opinion as<br />
to the construction of that, but I am by no me ins<br />
satisfied on the true construction of that section,<br />
taken in conjunction with section 73 of the Act<br />
of 1844, that the proprietor in this country of the<br />
British international copyright might not have a<br />
protection even if section 15 did not exist. I am<br />
by no means satisfied of that, but I do not go<br />
further than that. On the construction of the<br />
Act of 1844, and on the construction of section 15<br />
of the Act of 1842, I arrive unhesitatingly at the<br />
conclusion that there is ample protection in a case<br />
of this kind for the owner for the time being of<br />
the British international copyright, and the<br />
appeal, in my judgment, should be allowed,<br />
with the consequences stated by Lord Justice<br />
Lindley.<br />
Mr. Cozens-Hardy. — My Lords, the parties<br />
have made an arrangement as to costs, which<br />
your Lordships will give effect to.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—Yes.<br />
Mr. Cozens-Hardy.—Then, as to the injunc-<br />
tion, I have got the words which your Lordship<br />
read.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—Either keeping for sale<br />
or hire.<br />
Mr. Cozens-Hardy.-—I should suggest your<br />
Lordships should vary the words: Injunction<br />
granted to restrain the future importation for<br />
sale or hire without the consent of the plaintiff,<br />
inquiry as to damages sustained by the plaintiff<br />
by reason of the importation for sale or hire of<br />
such copies before the date of this judgment. I<br />
have nothing to say on that except this: Ought<br />
not the injunction to go to restrain the sale or<br />
hire of copies which the defendant already has?<br />
This injunction only restrains the future im-<br />
portations.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—Has not he sold those<br />
he has got.<br />
Mr. Cozens-Hardy.—I do not know. Your<br />
Lordship intended, of course, I presume, to<br />
prevent him selling copies which he has already<br />
imported. I do not know how that is.<br />
Mr. J. E. Adkin.—The affidavit states the<br />
fact.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—I understood there was<br />
no controversy about that.<br />
Mr. Adkin.—There is a controversy, if I might<br />
say a few words to your Lordship. This agree-<br />
ment has been arrived at between the parties with<br />
regard to costs, and with reference to that it seems<br />
to me, and I understand from my client that the<br />
agreement extended to this, that there should be<br />
no further costs incurred. My client is willing to<br />
submi . to thi injunction, but with regard to an<br />
inquiry my client has in his affidavit already<br />
admitted the receipt of a certain number of copies,<br />
which he accounts for, and he in his affidavit has<br />
offered to give an undertaking not to sell auy<br />
more. However, the legal point has been argued<br />
here, and no doubt an injunction must go against<br />
him, but those are all the copies he has had, and<br />
it is so stated in his affidavit, and there is no doubt<br />
about it, and the result of putting my client to<br />
the costs of an inquiry as to damages will be to<br />
do away with the agreement as to costs. My sub-<br />
mission is it was understood there should lx'<br />
no inquiry as to damages, for there wei-e no<br />
damages.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—I do not know what<br />
agreement you have arrived at.<br />
Mr. Adkin.—My friend, Mr. Scrutton, who has<br />
been in this case alone, is in the other court at<br />
the present moment, and is addressing the court.<br />
Would your Lordship defer this question as to<br />
the form of the order till he can come in?<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—It strikes me you ought<br />
to arrange it between you.<br />
Mr. Cozens-Hardy.—I have the agreement in<br />
my hand signed by my learned junior and Mr.<br />
Scrutton. It does not say a word about the<br />
inquiry as to damages. It deals with the costs<br />
in the court l elow and here.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.— Do you want an in-<br />
quiry?<br />
Lord Justice Bigby.—It is a small matter.<br />
Mr. Adkin.—Would your Lordship allow me to<br />
read one paragraph hi the defendants' affidavit<br />
which I think will state the facts.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.-—I think this is a little<br />
irregular. You have cither agreed or you have<br />
not agreed. If you have agreed, carry out the<br />
agreement. The order will be drawn up by the<br />
registrar to carry out the agreement. If you have<br />
not agreed, what we have said is right.<br />
Mr. Cozens-Hardy.—We shall not pursue the<br />
inquiry if we find there is nothing in it.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—Do not put it in if you<br />
do not want it.<br />
Lord Justice Kigby.—No doubt it is a small<br />
matter, and if you are satisfied with the affidavit,<br />
you will not want an inquiry.<br />
Mr. Cozens-Hardy.—We can probably agree as<br />
to the figures. My right is to have this inquiry<br />
which your Lordship has given me.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—Yes. Then there is no<br />
agreement as to costs. That all goes if your<br />
opponent is right.<br />
Mr. Cozens-Hardy.—There is no question about<br />
the costs.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—I do not know what<br />
the agreement is. Settle it with the registrar.<br />
Mr. Cozens-Hardy.—If your Lordship pleases.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 161 (#201) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTUQll.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—Aud if there is any<br />
■difficulty it can lie mentioned to us.<br />
Mr. Adkin.—Then we will decide this question<br />
before the registrar, with liberty to apply.<br />
Lord Justice Lindley.—Do not decide it—<br />
settle it.<br />
I may say that I have taken the opportunity<br />
of looking through all the Acts of Parliament<br />
I know of relating to this complicated matter,<br />
and in spite of my endeavours to exhaust all the<br />
statutes I think I missed one altogether. It is<br />
in a most complicated state. I do not mean that<br />
I missed a Copyright Act, but one of the Customs<br />
Acts.<br />
NOTES FROM ABKOAD.<br />
I^HE following notes were made in Norway,<br />
where I spent six weeks in September and<br />
October. They may be found of interest,<br />
and if so, I shall be glad to send a fresh batch<br />
next month.<br />
The Norwegians, who gave us much of their<br />
language, seem to be greatly interested in English<br />
literature. Norway has quite recently " adhered"<br />
to the Berne Convention—that is to say, she<br />
joined the Convention only three months ago—<br />
and yet her interest in English literature continues.<br />
I write "and yet," because she has now to pas-<br />
tor what three months ago she could take without<br />
a bare " I thank you." Which shows that her<br />
interest is a real one.<br />
All the Norwegian newspapers publish feuille-<br />
tons. Whilst I was in Christiania every feuilleton<br />
published in a Norwegian paper was a translation<br />
from the English. The Verdens Gang — the<br />
principal paper on the left side—for instance,<br />
was publishing the "Pige of Orleans," which you<br />
will recognise as Mark Twain's "Maid of<br />
Orleans." I heard, by the way, that the pro-<br />
prietors had paid for the right of translation and<br />
serial publication of this book "very much more"<br />
than they paid for one of Zola's novels, " Rome,"<br />
for instance. However, as I also know that for<br />
Zola's " Rome " they only paid 200 crowns (about<br />
eleven guineas), the sum cannot have been a very<br />
extravagant one. Elsewhere I saw Robert<br />
Ban-'s " Damen-Reporteren" (Lady Reporters),<br />
which is, of course, his "A Woman Intervenes ";<br />
stories from Tit Bits, and so on—nothing but<br />
English fiction. In the booksellers' shops one<br />
saw translations from Conan Doyle, from Mrs.<br />
Humphry Ward and Fergus Hume, to mention<br />
a few names only. Our literary celebritieg<br />
are as well known in Christiania and Beri>A<br />
as they are in Birmingham or in Lo^f?<br />
Indeed better, for in Norwav everybody jv. ^U.<br />
and mos! people take an interest in literature,<br />
whilst in England .<br />
There would be a good source of additional<br />
income here, for our popular authors, were it not<br />
for the fact that Denmark is still outside the<br />
Convention. Now Danish as a written language<br />
is the same as Norwegian, although as a spoken<br />
language it differs somewhat. The Danhh<br />
publishers and newspaper proprietors can there-<br />
fore take what their Norwegian confreres have tj<br />
buy, and under these circumstances competition<br />
is difficult for the latter. "I would like to buy<br />
the Norwegian rights of such a book," said au<br />
able editor to me, "but I cannot afford to pay<br />
very much for it, as it will be ' taken' by<br />
(here the name of a widely circulated Danish<br />
paper) "which competes with me." I mention<br />
these facts to recommend English authors to be<br />
lenient and considerate when dealing with Nor-<br />
wegian publishers.<br />
The Danes, by the way, help themselves most<br />
liberally, not only to our literature, but to our<br />
ideas. I saw a paper in Copenhagen which was<br />
a replica of one of the Messrs. Harmsworth's<br />
publications, and I have before me on my table a<br />
weekly periodical, also issued in Copenhagen,<br />
which is an exact copy of Tit-Bits, green cover,<br />
typographical arrangement, features and all. It<br />
is called Dit oa Bat (" This and That"), and is<br />
widely advertised in Norway and Sweden. It<br />
contains three serials, translations of English<br />
works, and these are Mr. du Maurier's "Trilby,"<br />
Conan Doyle's "Rodney Stone," and Fergus<br />
Hume's "Tattoo-Morderen," which, I suppose, is<br />
the story called "Tracked by a Tattoo" which<br />
the firm of Cassell and Co. advertised so liberally<br />
some months back. "The Martian" is also<br />
now apj)earing in more than one Danish news-<br />
paper. This is rather hard on English writers.<br />
I cannot miss this opportunity of acknow-<br />
ledging in the names of all the foreign journalists<br />
who visited Christiania at the time of the recep-<br />
tion of Dr. Nansen and his brave crew of the<br />
Fram, the great courtesy and hospitality which<br />
was shown to all of us by our confreres! of the<br />
Norwegian Press. The gentlemen of the Verdens<br />
Gang especially, Messrs. Thommessen, Hammer,<br />
and Gulbransen, did everything that could be<br />
done, not only to help us in our work, but tj<br />
render our stay in their town an agreeable one.<br />
We were taken for drives; we were introduced<br />
to the people we wanted to know; we were<br />
sumptuously entertained. I could not help<br />
thinkxna how a Norwegian journalist, en mission<br />
to IjQ^oli '"om,i ^e differently received aud<br />
rt^ttiessen, editor and part proprietor of<br />
thft * c G""?-invited me to meet Bjornstein<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 162 (#202) ############################################<br />
<br />
the a union.<br />
Bjornson at his house, and, as I sat next to him<br />
at dinner, between him and Fru Sigurd Ibsen,<br />
his daughter, T had abundant opportunity of<br />
conversation. I had met the foremost Norwegian<br />
poet many years ago in Paris, when, for political<br />
reasons, he had left his country, and I found<br />
that the long years had developed his enthu-<br />
siasms, instead of diminishing them. He is a<br />
wonderful old man, who will do in the future<br />
even greater things than he has already done.<br />
His countrymen hold him in very high esteem,<br />
and I shall not readily forget with what enthu-<br />
siasm he was received by several thousands<br />
i if people when he rose to speak at the jwpular<br />
fete which was the last of the festivities<br />
given in Christiania in honour of Nansen<br />
and his comrades. Few poets can afford to In-<br />
active in political life also, but Bjornson has<br />
known how to win fame and affection both as a<br />
]>oet and as a politician. I hardly know in<br />
which capacity his countrymen love him better.<br />
I was amused and interested in watching the<br />
fight that went on round Nansen. All the leading<br />
publishing firms in Europe and America con-<br />
tested for the right of publishing his book on<br />
his experiences in the Arctic regions. When I<br />
left Christiania he had not yet signed any con-<br />
tracts, but I understood that the immediate<br />
receipts on account which will be paid to him on<br />
delivery of his manuscript will exceed 15,000, a<br />
sum which does not include what may come to him<br />
in the way of honoraria for articles for maga-<br />
zines and newspapers. I know for a fact that he<br />
was so busy with his book, that he refused an<br />
offer of 100,000 mark from a German leeture-<br />
agent for a lecture to be repeated in a hundred<br />
different German towns, with all expenses paid into<br />
the bargain; that he refused to allow himself to<br />
be interviewed for a lower fee than £2 50 for a<br />
short conversation, and so on. So that, from<br />
a financial-literary point of view, his expedition<br />
has not been an unsuccessful one. He is working<br />
very hard at his book, and keeps a secretary<br />
and twoexpert stenographersconstantlyemployed.<br />
Literary work—the North Pole explorers apart<br />
seems to l>e very badly paid in Norway.<br />
Publishers there pay authors so much or so little<br />
by the sheet of sixteen pages. Ibsen sold the<br />
copyright of one of his first books for about<br />
£12 to a publisher at Bergen. This publisher,<br />
however, not long ago tore up the contract, and is<br />
now paying Dr. Ibsen a royalty, Journalists<br />
is"£t'v*P meagre salaries. Fifteen pounds a month<br />
miin<n^idered a good salary for a good all-round<br />
j^or(. \And it must be remembered that all<br />
3janvegian journalists are University men.<br />
theirtv of them speak several languages, all of<br />
X have some knowledge of English and<br />
German. A journalist on the staff of a Christiania<br />
daily would translate an English, French, or<br />
German feuilleton as a part of his daily work,<br />
without extra remuneration. As a class they are<br />
very wrell-read men. It was my privilege to visit<br />
several of them in their homes, and as I always<br />
judge a man by the books he has on his shelves, I<br />
can speak of them with high admiration. At one<br />
gentleman's house in particular, I saw amongst<br />
the hundreds of books which lined the walls of<br />
the room in which he worked when at home,<br />
every book of any importance which has been<br />
published, in any language, on the social question<br />
during the last ten years. I thought of my own<br />
library and hid a blush. At another house I saw<br />
a very fine collection of historical works, all well-<br />
thumbed too. Their owner was receiving 1200<br />
crowns a year (.£67) as all-round man on a small<br />
daily, an income which he eked out by con-<br />
tributing articles at four cere (|<f.) the line to<br />
such papers as would accept outside contributions.<br />
This pay of four cere a line is considered good<br />
pay for outside contributions on most of the<br />
Norwegian papers; a foreign correspondent is<br />
handsomely remunerated at a penny the line.<br />
The gentleman in question showed me an article<br />
of three columns which he was sending to order<br />
to a daily paper. I afterwards saw the editor,<br />
and heard, casually, that twenty crowns (£1 2s. 6d.)<br />
would be paid for this article. It must be<br />
remembered that Norway is a very small country,<br />
and that competition amongst publishers is cut-<br />
throat. A book by a Norwegian author which<br />
goes to 5000 copies is as great an exception as was<br />
•■ Trilby " in England and America.<br />
Robert Harboeouoh Sherakd.<br />
NEW YORK LETTER.<br />
New York, Nov. 17.<br />
HAMLIN GARLAND, much as he dislikes<br />
city life, has been in New York frequently<br />
of late on account of the history of<br />
Grant which he is writing for McClure and Co.<br />
He read aloud to me some of the poems quoted in<br />
the October number of The Author, to explain<br />
that his was not the arbitrary, but the musical,<br />
theory of verse, so that it cannot be properly read<br />
by anyone who does not feel intimately the spirit<br />
of it. For instance, to take illustrations only<br />
from the poems quoted in The Author, "The<br />
Wild Sad Wail of the Plain" does not make<br />
music at all unless it is read like a wail; and in<br />
the lilies<br />
How nice the grave'll be, jest<br />
Ono nice, sweet everlastin' rest<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 163 (#203) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
the long meditative pause after "be" and the<br />
lingering on "jest" (the inevitable mode of<br />
speech for the characters represented) are, of<br />
course, necessary to the verse. Mr. Garland's<br />
greatest power is his intensity of feeling, which<br />
is brought out strongly in his own reading.<br />
After he had read from the poems he went on to<br />
talk about them. "I hold Lanier's theory of<br />
verse," he said; "it is not measured by feet, but<br />
by intervals of time." It will perhaps be remem-<br />
bered by Englishmen interested in the young<br />
American poet, that the London Spectator was<br />
among the first papers to announce Lanier's<br />
genius. Mr. Garland, who has never been<br />
abroad, will probably be in England in the<br />
spring. "If I can get up the courage, I will go<br />
to London in April or May," he said; "I can take<br />
a horse and a couple of blankets, and camp out<br />
from Denver to San Francisco, but I can't stand<br />
water. I am a prairie man ; I want to go to London,<br />
Paris, and Berlin, that is all I care for; that is<br />
where the young men are grouped, men in<br />
sympathy with progress."<br />
In the Life of Grant, Mr. Garland is using a<br />
method unusual in the writing of history.<br />
Nothing is foreshadowed. The author thinks it<br />
a cheap method of getting contrast to tell when<br />
writing about Grant's boyhood, for instance, that<br />
such and such an influence had such and such a<br />
consequence at Gettysburg, perhaps. He writes<br />
about the boy Grant as if his readers were hearing<br />
of him for the first time. "I want to do it in<br />
such a way that people shall say how human he<br />
was; especially to show that there was no luck<br />
about his career; that he worked for everything."<br />
After this work is over, in six months or a year,<br />
he will write more verses from time to time, but<br />
give his main attention to the drama and the<br />
novel. His first work will be a long dramatic<br />
conception, probably put first in the novel form,<br />
dealing with the interaction of the plain and the<br />
mountain. "I am coming to do more and more<br />
work relating to the mountains," he said. "It is<br />
a sad thing, the passing away of the wild things<br />
of the country. Every time I go into the<br />
mountains and the plains they are a little more<br />
tracked; and when I stay in the cities I<br />
feel as if I were wasting my time. I love<br />
the prairies, and the prairies are gone, and only<br />
the plains remain. It is a requiem of the prairie<br />
that I put in my book of verse. The gofer,<br />
the rattlesnake, the vulture, the Indian, the<br />
settler, and all the birds and animals are dis-<br />
appearing. 1 think I have told the true story of<br />
the prairie. There is no love, no history or<br />
religion in the poems, so they have not sol<j<br />
much; all are directly on their theme. After £<br />
lost my prairies, I found them again lifted 10,00^<br />
feet above the sea in the Rocky Mountains. On<br />
those mountains I can tell the altitude by the<br />
foliage; the higher you go the more beautiful it<br />
becomes. I have a book dealing with this<br />
characteristic of the mountains—the growing<br />
beauty as you ascend—planned and partly written;<br />
it will deal with the wild places, with the wild<br />
trails where few go. I am a hunter, and I ride my<br />
horse 13,400 feet high. I like to be where the<br />
wild animals are, where the mountain sheep are,<br />
but I never kill anything. It seems to me a<br />
cheap thing to take a modern 16-shooter and kill<br />
these innocent things; I used to do it."<br />
Mr. Garland's simple, easy manner corresponds<br />
with his words, and makes him a charming<br />
talker. His theory of art, often misquoted, is<br />
a simple one. "A man must be himself. To be<br />
himself he is sure in the larger number of cases<br />
to be local in his study and in his emotions, but<br />
he should be universal in his appeal. That is<br />
where I am misrepresented. I am the last man<br />
in the world to uphold cheap work, but I<br />
do uphold localism, such as is found in<br />
Barrie, Maclaren, and in this country in Riley<br />
and Miss Wilkins, such as Crane is doing in<br />
New York, and Fuller in Chicago. But after<br />
a man has chosen his subject his method<br />
should be the best there is in the world. An<br />
artist has no business to consider anybody<br />
but himself when he is creating his work. I put<br />
the creative energy above culture, but I am an<br />
evolutionist, and I believe in knowing what has<br />
been done; but we should know it in order to be<br />
better able to work out our own salvation here in<br />
America. The Greek art is much stronger than<br />
the Roman because it is indigenous, and the<br />
Roman borrowed from the Greek. Whitman<br />
lived and died for this principle, and he has been<br />
a great inspiration to me." Mr. Garland calls<br />
himself an impressionist. In describing the<br />
kinds of originality he cares for he names Ibsen,<br />
Whitman, Carlisle, and Monet. And speaking of<br />
one writer whose work is especially marked by<br />
culture, whom he liked very much, but in whom<br />
he felt a lack of something vital, he said, " Man<br />
needs mud, clean mud—the mud of the lane, and<br />
not the mud of the street."<br />
Mr. Garland is one of the group of American<br />
writers who believe that a larger portion of litera-<br />
ture which is read by Americans is, every year,<br />
produced in America. The announcements of the<br />
magazines for the coming year do something to<br />
support tHs belief- They certainly show more<br />
A aierica,r,„ iV,ftn usual in the serials. In McClure's<br />
Tn wh; * \?T Garland's " Life of Grant" is to<br />
as a* . 1 "^collections of War Times," by<br />
rll5\ 1\ ty@*thfi San> ifi a^80 to appear in serial<br />
f!, ^' of />r's tae Stockton and Howells<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 164 (#204) ############################################<br />
<br />
164<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
and Du Maurier in serial fiction. Owen Wister will<br />
give a number of sketches of Western life, and<br />
there will be serial papers on American History<br />
by Professor Woodrow Wilson, Professor J. B.<br />
McMaster, and James Barnes. The Round Table<br />
follows the same general line, having serial<br />
articles on the War of 1812; the Story of Texas<br />
and the gold fields, and other things in Western<br />
life. The Bazaar and the Weekly show almost<br />
entirely American writers and American sub-<br />
jects. The number of serials which are not<br />
fiction seems to be greater this year than ever<br />
before. This is looked upon by some people<br />
closely connected with our magazines as one of<br />
the secrets of their success. It has never been<br />
tried in England, except by the Pall Mall,<br />
and by it only spasmodically. The Century,<br />
for instance, has for its most prominent serial,<br />
"Campaigning with Grant," by General<br />
Horace Porter. Its two serials in fiction<br />
are by Dr. Weir Mitchell, of Philadelphia, and<br />
F. Marion Crawford. In the Atlantic Monthly<br />
serials on general subjects are also prominent,<br />
among them the "Reminiscences of General<br />
T. W. Higginson," and the "Interpretation of<br />
Democracy in the United States," by E. L.<br />
Godkin, the editor of the Nation and the Evening<br />
Post; and a series of direct studies of the people<br />
in various sections of this country. The only<br />
serial story announced is by Charles Egbert<br />
Craddock. Finally, IScribners Magazine will<br />
have among its serials "Undergraduate Life in<br />
the Colleges," by various graduates; a series of<br />
articles on leading industries, a series on<br />
"Woman's Art of Living," and a number of<br />
articles on travel by Richard Harding Davis and<br />
others. Charles Dana Gibson, the artist, will<br />
appear for the first time as a writer in some Im-<br />
pressions of London. In fiction, two important<br />
serials are novels by Richard Harding Davis and<br />
W. D. Howells, each to run six months.<br />
Norman Hapgood.<br />
PUBLICATIONS OF THS YEAR 1895.<br />
LE DROIT D' AUTEUR" gives the fol-<br />
lowing statistics for the year 1895,<br />
which are interesting, though they leave<br />
a good deal to be desired. It is especially to be<br />
regretted that no information is forthcoming<br />
respecting how the 12,496 French books are made<br />
up, and the great diversity of the various classifi-<br />
cations renders impossible any satisfactory com-<br />
parison of the literary activity of the various<br />
nations in the respective provinces of philosophy,<br />
science, art, and belles lettres •—<br />
Great Britain.<br />
New New<br />
Books. Editions.<br />
Theology and Sermons 501 ... 69<br />
Educational, Classics, Philo-<br />
logv 660 ... Ill<br />
Noveis and Stories 1544 ■■• 347<br />
Law and Jurisprudence 57 ... 33<br />
Political and Social Economy,<br />
Commerce 163 ... 23<br />
Arts, Sciences, Illustrated<br />
Works 96 ... 16<br />
Geography, Travels 263 ... 75<br />
History, Biography 353 ... 68<br />
Poetry and Drama 231 ... 16<br />
Almanacs, " Ana." 311 ... —<br />
Medicine 153 ... 53<br />
Belles Lettres, Essays 400 ... 42<br />
Miscellanies, Pamphlets 749 ... 182<br />
Total 5481 1035<br />
United States of America.<br />
New New<br />
Books. Editions.<br />
Novels 1050 ... 64<br />
Law 480 ... 51<br />
Theology 47' ••■ 35<br />
Educational, Philology 456 ... 32<br />
Literary, History, Miscel-<br />
lanies 455 ... 13<br />
Juvenile Works 365 ... 10<br />
Political and Social Science... 313 ... 22<br />
Poetry 294 ... 15<br />
Physical and Mathematical<br />
Science 313 ... 22<br />
History 185 ... 8<br />
Biography, Memoirs 167 ... 13<br />
Medicine, Hygienics 141 ... 22<br />
Travels 134 27<br />
Fine Arts, Illustrated Books 133 ... 7<br />
Industrial Arts 100 ... 11<br />
Philosophy 55 ... 6<br />
Domestic Economy, Agricul-<br />
ture 48 ... 4<br />
Sport 34 ... 5<br />
Humorous and satirical works 32 ... —<br />
Total 5101 368<br />
1894. 1895.<br />
Germany 22,570 ... 23,607<br />
France i3»53° ••• 12,495<br />
Italy 9,416 ... 9,437<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 165 (#205) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
'65<br />
COPYRIGHT.<br />
THE following letter appeared in the Sjwctator<br />
some weeks ago. I believe that no auswer<br />
was printed in the paper. I cut it out at<br />
the time, mislaid it, found it agaiu, and submitted<br />
it to Sir Frederick Pollock. He has very kindly<br />
given me his opinion, which is subjoined.—Editor.<br />
"To the Editor of the Spectator.<br />
"Sir,—I have read with interest your valuable<br />
remarks on copyright, it propoi of Matthew<br />
Arnold's poems in the Spectator of Oct. 3. If a<br />
writer leaves his copyright (as the late Master of<br />
Balliol did) to the University of Oxford or of<br />
Cambridge, or to any college in either, or to<br />
certain other" learned bodies, on trust for the<br />
charitable and educational purposes of the<br />
institution, it is, I believe, the fact that the copy-<br />
right is thereby made perpetual, and does not<br />
expire in the ordinary course. Whenever this<br />
plan is adopted, such scandals as you mention are<br />
impossible. But I should like further informa-<br />
tion on a point connected with this. A writer<br />
may wish to provide for his widow or children by<br />
leaving them his copyright. Supposing he does<br />
this, and they thereupon keep the copyright till,<br />
say, six months before it is timed to expire, can<br />
they then, by making a present of the copyright<br />
to an Oxford College, prevent it at the last hour,<br />
so to speak, from expiring at all, or is it necessary<br />
that this should have been done by the author<br />
himself in his lifetime? Or again, supposing a<br />
copyright has twenty years to run, can the author<br />
bequeath it for nineteen years to his widow and<br />
then in perpetuity to a college ?—I am, Sir, &c,<br />
"Nullum Tempus Occtjrrat Honestati."<br />
the opinion.<br />
"The Act is 15 Geo. III., c. 53. The gift or<br />
bequest must be by the author or his representa-<br />
tives, and the profits must be devoted to the<br />
advancement of learning. I think the general<br />
funds of a college in either university would be<br />
presumed to be so devoted. Of course, any arrange-<br />
ment for returning any part of the profits to the<br />
donor or his successors would be fraudulent and<br />
void, and possibly make the whole gift invalid.<br />
With regard to the transference of an author's<br />
copyright by his widow to one of the privi-<br />
leged foundations: if the widow, <fcc, be the<br />
author's legal personal representative, it seems the<br />
gift would be good. And with regard to the last<br />
sentence of the letter, I see nothing in the Act to<br />
prevent the gift from being subject to a preceding<br />
life or other limited interest. Our copyright legis-<br />
lation, however, is so perplexed that it is difficult to<br />
give an off-hand opinion upon any part of the suj^<br />
ject with any confidence. "F. P."<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
IQUOTE the following from the Westminster<br />
Gazette. I am not greatly interested in the<br />
facts recorded, because in The Author we are<br />
not concerned about a writer's income, but in the<br />
management of his property with honesty and<br />
fairness :—<br />
Hannah More is looked down upon now and forgotten by<br />
the writing fraternity. Yet she was no mean citizen of<br />
the republic of letters in her own day. Her "Cajleba in<br />
Search of a Wife " brought her .£2000 in one year, although<br />
published anonymously, and altogether she computed that<br />
she had earned .£30,000 by writing during her lifetime,<br />
most of which went in philanthropic work. What would<br />
Sir Walter Besant nay to this? When Cadell and Davis<br />
sent their first statement of " Coolebs," Hannah More found<br />
that "the cost of printing, paper. *c. is exorbitantly in-<br />
creased, and I had near .£5000 to pav for expenses, besides<br />
all the bookseller's profits: partly in consequence of my<br />
having given more for the money than any book that has<br />
lately appeared; as you know, books do not sell in propor-<br />
tion to their intrinsic value, but to their size." Two<br />
editions were sold in a fortnight after its appearance in<br />
December, 1809, and twelve editions in nine months.<br />
America consumed 30,000 copies. She did not oonfess to<br />
the authorship until it had run through several editions.<br />
The italics are mine. I should very much like<br />
to know what was in the writer's mind—what he<br />
was thinking—when he asked that question.<br />
What should I say to it, except to express a hope<br />
that the agreement was fair and fairly carried<br />
out? We are fighting for a principle, not for<br />
guineas: the desire of the Society is, and always<br />
has been, to recover for authors the command of<br />
their own property, to make them as much<br />
independent owners of literary property as they<br />
are of house property, and to show them what<br />
steps they should take for the administration and<br />
safeguarding of that property in the same<br />
manner as they look after property of every<br />
other kind. Above all, we are not carrying on an<br />
ignoble strife for more money, though this is<br />
charged against us. Little by little these things<br />
are beginning to be understood, yet such questions<br />
as the above show that they are as yet very far<br />
from being understood.<br />
I also observe that the Publishers Circular<br />
trots out again the old statement, disproved and<br />
denied a thousand times.that the Authors' Society<br />
says that a publisher never takes risks. What<br />
the Society has said, and repeats, is that a pub-<br />
lisher ta,Ves verv ^ew "sks—as little risk as<br />
riOSsiWe . l\ at there are hundreds of writers whose<br />
r jj8 . » tn» ^Q 0I risk. Of course this<br />
rfectl *6 statement wul continue to be<br />
0^ t ^ tf^ei , the time will come when certain<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 166 (#206) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
publishers will recognise the advantage of open<br />
books and open dealing iu all respects.<br />
Here is an illustration of what risk means. It<br />
is a common practice with some—perhaps all—<br />
publishers to subscribe a new book to the London<br />
trade before it is sent to the printers. By this<br />
method they learn the extent of the risk they run,<br />
if any, and have some guide to the size of the<br />
first edition. Thus, suppose a six shilling book:<br />
if the Loudon trade take 500 copies, the pub-<br />
lisher may decide upon an edition of 1000. At<br />
3*. 6c?. a copy he has thus made ,£87 10s. What<br />
margin of risk is left may be ascertained by a<br />
reference to "The Cost of Production."<br />
If there is any one subject on which publishers<br />
might be expected to know something, it would<br />
be the value of reviews in promoting the sale of<br />
books.<br />
(1.) Does a laudatory review help a book?<br />
(2.) Does a hostile review injure a lx>ok?<br />
Never were there collected together opinions<br />
so various and so conflicting as those taken from<br />
the St. James's Budget, which will be found on<br />
p. 168. Now, my own personal experience covers a<br />
good many years. I have carefully watched the<br />
reviews of my own and other books during the<br />
whole period. My experience is that where<br />
books are lumped in a batch it matters nothing<br />
at all what is said of any one book. In the case of<br />
a paper, however, which reviews only books of im-<br />
portance; gives a special review of reasonable<br />
length; and insists on its reviewer reading the<br />
book: the effect of the review is immediate and<br />
striking. Where books are lumped in the batch,<br />
the remarks of the reviewer, who has not had time<br />
to read any, are either vaguely benevolent or<br />
venomously ill-informed. What publishers and<br />
authors alike should desire is selection by the<br />
editor, and an impartial judgment after reading<br />
the book by the reviewer.<br />
As for the complaint that copies sent out for<br />
review go to the secondhand shops before the<br />
edition is out, surely that may be met by the<br />
simple practice of sending no more copies to the<br />
office where such things a> e allowed. It is rather<br />
inconsistent to be crying out that reviews are no<br />
good and still to be sending the books, though<br />
tbey go at once to the secondhand bookseller.<br />
Our New York correspondent, Mr. Norman<br />
Hapgood, corroborates my own views, expressed<br />
more than once, as to the use of the serial in<br />
magazines. The serial in fiction we have always<br />
with us; the serial which is not fiction, but his-<br />
tory, biography, travel, is common in American<br />
magazines but never seen in our own, except the<br />
Pall Mall. Yet there can be no doubt that a<br />
valuable and interesting book, run through<br />
a magazine, might enormously increase the<br />
popularity of the magazine, while it might<br />
increase tenfold the influence of the book.<br />
Imagine Seeley's "Expansion of England" run<br />
through the Nineteenth Century! Another<br />
point, which may perhaps be called sordid, would<br />
be the improvement of the property represented<br />
by the "Expansion of England." Like a novel,<br />
the book would have its serial rights at home, in<br />
the United States, in the Colonies, and on the<br />
Continent. There are not many great teachers in<br />
the world, but there are some, and it might be<br />
considered, even by them, worth while to multiply<br />
their direct influence by the thousand and the<br />
value of their property by the hundred.<br />
Another trouble over a title is reported in the<br />
"Book Talk." These troubles are likely to occur<br />
more often, as writers grow more anxious to find a<br />
happy title. I do not know how far the author of a<br />
dead and buried novel, twenty years old, and for-<br />
gotten for as many, could claim the right of<br />
keeping a title to himself. He would, at least,<br />
have to sho.v some actual or probable loss and<br />
damage to himself. Yet there are so many novels<br />
whose authors would not admit that they were<br />
dead, that one may very easily infringe on the<br />
rights of property. I have discovered an easy<br />
method of minimising the danger. It is to get a<br />
copy of Messrs. W. H. Smith's catalogue of books<br />
on sale. There will be found a list of novels,<br />
among other books, which seen.s to include every<br />
novel which can pretend to be still in demand.<br />
Armed with this catalogue, the seeker after a title<br />
can protect himself. jiq<br />
The new books of the season are all out by<br />
this time, and one can consider the nature and<br />
extent of the output. There are before me the<br />
Athenceum and the Spectator, both for Nov. 21,<br />
1896. These two papers contain the greatest<br />
number of book advertisements, and we may<br />
therefore expect to find nearly the whole of the<br />
new books announced in these columns. In fact,<br />
there are advertisements by thirty publishers.<br />
The books produced, though by no means all that<br />
were promised in the " forthcoming " lists, amount<br />
to a goodly number. They are classified as<br />
follows. Observe, however, that the classification<br />
runs over, so that a book on art may be also a<br />
book of biography; and a "novel" may be<br />
a collection of children's stories; and a book of<br />
travel may be also a book of sport.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 167 (#207) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
167<br />
Under the head of history are also included<br />
books of biography, literary criticism, essays,<br />
<fcc. Of these there are 81 ; of books of travel,<br />
16; on political economy, 7; on art, 19; on<br />
religion, 19; of poetry, 17; on sport, 6; science,<br />
22; novels, 107; reprints, 160. The total<br />
number of books is 454.<br />
In this list, new editions or translations of the<br />
classics are omitted. There is hardly any book<br />
in the list which belongs to educational literature.<br />
Religious literature is quite inadequately repre-<br />
sented, and the list of books on science is most<br />
incomplete. The list, however, may stand for the<br />
books of the season which are offered to the<br />
average reader of the cultivated class. The<br />
reprints contain new editions of novels now<br />
running; of old novels—Scott, Charles Dickens,<br />
Charles Reade; of many illustrated books and of<br />
standard editions. Among the novels are new<br />
books by well known writers: by writers not so<br />
well known: and by new writers. It remains to<br />
be seen whether any of the new writers are also<br />
"coming men." iiiri<br />
The most remarkable feature of the list is,<br />
however, the great number of biographies and<br />
memoirs. The following is a list, perhaps not<br />
quite complete, of an astonishing collection for one<br />
season. They are: Lives, Letters, or Recollections<br />
of Lord Blachford, Samuel Butler, D.D., Fori<br />
Madox Brown, John Constable, Sir Charles Halle,<br />
Philip Gilbert Hamerton, Sir John Drummond<br />
Hay, Maria Josepha Holroyd, the Jerningham<br />
Letters, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Lord Leighton,<br />
Princesse de Lamballe, John Gibson Lockhart,<br />
Francis Orpen Morris, Albert Moore, Nansen,<br />
Rev. Professor Charles Pritchard, Sloane's<br />
Napoleon Bonaparte, and Mr. Augustine Birrell's<br />
new edition of Boswell's Johnson.<br />
PRIZE COMPETITIONS.<br />
THOSE of our readers who are interested in<br />
the current prize competitions may note<br />
the following :—<br />
£10 10s. each for original stories accepted, to<br />
cover five weeks, about 2500 words for<br />
each instalment.—Editor of the Weekly<br />
Herald, Glasgow.<br />
£1 is. for original stories accepted, complete<br />
in one instalment of about 2500 words.<br />
— Editor of the Weekly Herald,<br />
Glasgow.<br />
.£5 5*. for best original short story; minimum<br />
2000 words, maximum 3ooo ^<br />
than Dec. 31.—Editor of the Osborne<br />
Magazine, 9, Paternoster-row, London.<br />
£5 5*. for best original biographical article;<br />
dealing with famous living English men<br />
or women; minimum 2500, maximum<br />
3500. Preference if accompanied by<br />
material for illustration. Not later<br />
thau Dec. 31.—Editor of the Osborne<br />
Magazine, as above.<br />
Byron—Shelley—Keats, In Memoriam (endowed)<br />
Yearly Prizes, for the best essay in<br />
English, written by a woman of any<br />
nation. The prizes for 1897 will be as<br />
follows: Byron's "The Giaour."—First<br />
prize, <£io; second prize, £5. Byron's<br />
"Cain." — First prize, £10; second<br />
prize, =£5. Shelley's Prose Letters.—<br />
First prize, £\o; second prize, .£5.<br />
Shelley's "Hymnto Intellectual Beautv."<br />
—First prize, £7; second prize, £$;<br />
third prize, £3. Keats' "Hyperion."—<br />
One prize, £$. Prizes awarded in<br />
August, 1897. Enquiries should be<br />
addressed to Mrs. Crawshay, 12, War-<br />
wick-road, Paddington, W., London.<br />
Essays not to exceed ten pages of<br />
twenty-one lines in length, and to be<br />
sent before June 1, 1897.<br />
LITERATURE IN THE PERIODICALS.<br />
The Reviewer and the Reader. A Symposium of<br />
Publishers. St. James's Budget for Oct. 30.<br />
A Plea for Unsigned Criticism. Notes in the Chap<br />
Boole for Nov. 1.<br />
The Watson v. Newnes Action. Literary World for<br />
Nov. 20. Publishers' Circular for Nov. 21.<br />
Copyright at Home. II. W. Morris Colles. Book-<br />
man for November.<br />
The Disfiguring of Review Copies of Books.<br />
C. K. S. in Illustrated London News for Oct. 24; Mr.<br />
McQvaine in St. James's Budget for Oot. 30.<br />
The " Academy." First number of New Series. Nov. 14.<br />
"Oliver Twist." An Old Question of Author and Pub-<br />
lisher. Daily Chronicle for Nov. 9.<br />
The Abuse of Fiction. Ingrad Harting. Girl's Ov 'i<br />
Paper for December.<br />
The Modern Babel. Pr0fe88or Mahaffy. Nineteenth<br />
Century for November.<br />
Politics in Recent It»t. „ m .u,mo&'*<br />
Magazine for November. *ICTU>S. OoAwo**<br />
Influence of the o^. t xf%.<br />
Charies F. Thwing, LL.t> L^*JB IN \*WlCA« ^ {ot<br />
November. "«0rtK American Re»*«<br />
Autograph Letter . wf»<br />
^o„r for December. °* *V &<br />
.William Morris. . hlw<br />
. ****** "V<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 168 (#208) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Pemocritus of Abder\. W. B. Wallace. Humanitarian<br />
for November.<br />
Eobkrt L. Stevenson, Illustrator. Joseph Pennell.<br />
Winter number of the Studio.<br />
A Novel from the Platform. (Referring to lecture<br />
by Mr. Hall Caine.). Report in Scotsman, Nov. 7. Mr. W.<br />
Jerrold's letter in the Daily Chronicle for Nov. 12.<br />
Notable Reviews.<br />
Of Lang's " Life and Letters of J. G. Lockhart." Mrs.<br />
Oliphant. Blackwood's Magazine for November.<br />
Of Stnrgis's "European Architecture." Times for<br />
Nov. 7.<br />
The lesson to be learned from the Watson v.<br />
Newnes action, says the Literary World, is that<br />
authors should be more businesslike in their<br />
dealings with editors. If an author is not willing<br />
to leave a MS. to be considered at the editor's<br />
convenience, however long a time that may entail,<br />
he should state a period within which it must be<br />
returned. The Publishers' Circular, commenting<br />
on the case, represents publishers in this matter<br />
of manuscripts as struggling to do their duty in<br />
the face of the impatient author, "never once<br />
making a bitter retort about the kind of excel-<br />
L nee they are so often asked to admire and<br />
purchase." Only those behind the scenes can<br />
have any idea of the number of manuscripts sub-<br />
mitted to London publishers in the course of<br />
twelve months. The "reading" and corre-<br />
spondence involved are prodigious. "The head<br />
of one of the largest publishing houses in London<br />
recently stated that his firm published on an<br />
average some 3 per cent, of the manuscripts sent<br />
in for approval."<br />
We are stating a simple fact when we say that every<br />
year it costs publishers immense sums to deal with books<br />
which never reach the booksellers. On this point statistics<br />
would furnish surprising information. Considering the very<br />
small percentage of books that ever get beyond the manu-<br />
script stage, it will easily be understood, even by the<br />
uninitiated, that the expense of dealing with rejected works<br />
is no trivial item in the annual expenditure of publishers.<br />
That in addition to being made to pay for examining matter,<br />
which in most cases ought never to have been put on paper,<br />
they Bhould be compelled to read unsolicited manuscripts<br />
according to limits of time set by the sender, and be further<br />
held responsible for accidental damage sustained—perhaps<br />
in the course of transit—is a view which only the unreason-<br />
able could take.<br />
The views of individual publishers upon the<br />
question of how Press notices affect the sale of<br />
books are given in the Sf. James's Budget. Mr.<br />
Elkin Mathews thinks that they have a great<br />
influence with the public, and is persuaded that<br />
readers wait for reviews to appear before they<br />
buy a book. Mr. John Murray's opinion is that<br />
if the work is thoroughly done it invariably helps<br />
the book, whether the notice is adverse or favour-<br />
able. Mr. Fisher Unwin is of opinion that people<br />
have become more independent than formerly,<br />
and prefer to use their own judgment rather<br />
than rely upon the newspaper critic. They would<br />
much rather have served up to them a description<br />
of the contents of a book than be provided with<br />
mere log-rolling and glorification. He adds that<br />
the latter alone is of no service to the publisher<br />
in the long run, however much it may promote<br />
the temporary interests of the author. Messrs.<br />
Ward, Lock, and Co. say that the influence of<br />
Press notices is of vast importance or is of no<br />
importance at all, in proportion as to whether<br />
the criticism is well founded upon fact or not.<br />
Messrs. Bell and Sons think that as regards novels,<br />
cheap and popular books, Press notices influence<br />
the public very largely; on the other hand, im-<br />
portant intellectual books, appealing to a com-<br />
paratively limited circle, are not much affected<br />
by reviews. The experience of Messrs. W. H.<br />
Allen and Co., again, is that with novels and<br />
that class of literature many reviews are of<br />
no practical use, although in books of travel<br />
and technical works careful criticism can do<br />
a great deal. "The majority of people read<br />
books in which they have been previously<br />
interested, either in subject or author," say<br />
Messrs. Allen, with whose view that of Messrs.<br />
Osgood, M'llvaine, and Co. is on all fours.<br />
Mr. James Bowden likewise says that favourable<br />
reviews affect the sales if the book is what the<br />
public want. Messrs. Blackie and Son admit<br />
that reviews cannot be done without; a favour-<br />
able one is beneficial to the sale of a book, but<br />
an unfavourable one is not necessarily detri-<br />
mental. Messrs. Chapman and Hall regard the<br />
accumulated effect of reviews as valuable, although<br />
scarcely any direct effect can be traced from any<br />
one review. Messrs. Hutchinson says that where<br />
the consensus of opinion is in favour of a book<br />
the reviews are a great help to the publisher ; but<br />
Mr. John Lane believes that controversial reviews<br />
of a good book have a m >st telling effect.<br />
Messrs. Sampson, Low, Marston and Co. say<br />
that in these enlightened days it takes an ava-<br />
lanche of concentrated praise to induce readers<br />
to give any attention whatever to a book, while<br />
faint praise has still the power to damage a good<br />
book irretrievably. Messrs. Chatto and Windus<br />
say that the days are past when a very good<br />
review in a high-class journal could "make"<br />
a book; while, finally, Messrs. Kegan Paul<br />
and Co. regard reviews as making not the least<br />
difference to the sale of a book, and as being<br />
only read by publishers and the authors<br />
reviewed.<br />
As to the effect of that kind of reviewing which<br />
consists in giving many and long extracts from<br />
the book under notice, all the publishers who<br />
alluded to it—namely, Mr. Murray, Messrs.<br />
Hutchinson, Messrs. Ward Lock, Mr. Elkin<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 169 (#209) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
169<br />
Mathews — condemned the practice. "The<br />
reader feels," said Mr. Murray, " that he has got<br />
so good an idea of the book that he does not want<br />
to read it."<br />
The question of what becomes of books sent out<br />
for review was also remarked upon by several<br />
publishers. "C. K. S." in the Illustrated London<br />
News first raised this question by way of a<br />
protest against the custom of many publishers in<br />
stamping (" disfiguring ") review copies of books.<br />
The reply of the publishers—expressed in terms,<br />
it must be observed, of strong feeling by Messrs.<br />
Constable, Sampson Low, and Mr. Mathews—is<br />
that in many offices the books are so disposed of<br />
that in the case of nearly every one sent for<br />
review, copies may be bought in the second-hand<br />
shops before the edition is actually issued to the<br />
trade.<br />
Are there too many books? Yes, says the St.<br />
James's writer in summing up the foregoing<br />
interviews. "Too many books, and consequently<br />
too much criticism. The very number of the<br />
volumes issuing from the press makes it<br />
impossible to adequately notice more than a few."<br />
How signed, as compared with anonymous<br />
reviews, affect sales was a matter touched upon<br />
only by Mr. Mcllvaine, but his opinion is suffi-<br />
ciently striking. "A signed review," he said,<br />
"is undoubtedly important, whether favourable or<br />
unfavourable. An anonymous one, except in<br />
leading journals, is ineffective to increase or<br />
diminish the sales of any book." As a com-<br />
mentary on the discussion of this question, one<br />
may point to the case of the Academy, which, in<br />
taking on a completely new and modern dress and<br />
spirit, under a new editor, and a new proprietor—<br />
Mr. Lewis Hind and Mr. John Morgan Richards,<br />
respectively—has made the most radical internal<br />
change of all by banishing the signed review and<br />
adopting anonymity. The Chap Booh article by<br />
Professor Brander Matthews in support of the<br />
French custom is replied to vigorously by the<br />
writer of "Notes" in that periodical. Anony-<br />
mous articles, says this backer of the old method,<br />
mean neither cowardice nor recklessness; and a<br />
signature neither adds to nor detracts from the<br />
weight of judgment. The " anonymous " system<br />
is admittedly imperfect, but there are the two<br />
extremes; if the unsigned article now and then<br />
gives the scoundrel who finds his way into every<br />
business too obvious an opportunity, the other<br />
method of universal signatures opens the door<br />
to unashamed villainy and destroys the worth<br />
and dignity of criticism. Notoriety would spoil<br />
the critic. The critic's work, existing not for the<br />
signature's sake but for its own, stands or fall8<br />
by its merits. The critic alone amone of<br />
letters is forbidden to bolster Up ^"^gj<br />
articles by the conjuring of a name. On the<br />
other hand, if once the signature becomes omni-<br />
potent there is an end of criticism. The larger the<br />
name the more worthless the work ; and the journal<br />
would become a mere album of autographs.<br />
Mr. Hall Caine spoke a new story from a<br />
Dundee platform, by way of opening the<br />
Armistead course of lectures. The Daily<br />
Chronicle having styled this "a new form of<br />
entertainment," a correspondent in its columns<br />
immediately pointed out that, in Mr. Thomas<br />
Hardy's story, "The Hand of Ethelberta," the<br />
heroine's efforts to support her brothers and<br />
sisters in their London home takes the form of<br />
telling stories to fashionable audiences in a West<br />
End hall.<br />
Professor Mahaffy regards the use of one<br />
common language in addition to the mother<br />
tongue of each people, as the arrangement which<br />
would bring order out of the prevailing confusion of<br />
the modern Babel. It would produce an enormous<br />
saving of time, and tend to the nearer and better<br />
knowledge of the world's progress among all<br />
people. The English is to be this salving<br />
"common tongue," as its preponderance all over<br />
the world is so great. The attempt to settle the<br />
problem by inventing an arbitrary tongue has<br />
been ineffectual, and will never succeed, he says,<br />
in the face of practical languages which are the<br />
natural growth of the human mind, spoken and<br />
understood already by millions of men. The<br />
Professor wishes, therefore, that we should<br />
encourage such gradual and modern licences—<br />
i.e., in the matter of spelling—as may make<br />
English easier to acquire.<br />
BOOK TALK.<br />
DEAN BUTCHER, of Cairo, is the author<br />
of a historical tale about to be published<br />
by Messrs. Blackwood, entitled "Armenoso<br />
of Egypt." It is based upon the romance of<br />
Armenoso, who was to have been the bride of<br />
Constautine, had not fate decreed otherwise.<br />
Mr. Edward Clodd has nearly completed a new<br />
work entitled "Pioneers of Evolution: From<br />
X Causeda£* J *-rf-»<WJ<br />
will be published in tC Atbfi Movement *<br />
Grant Richards. m^d\e of January by »<br />
Messrs. Chapman ~ . y.<br />
J*\e announcement ^fl* *«£ »<br />
|>ea. That is, t* a % ^-cVeu9 tot:<br />
filling each. In, ^V>^W L»s ti> V><br />
^Mst be rem eme^ 9*<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 170 (#210) ############################################<br />
<br />
170<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
works are still copyright. The edition is to be<br />
printed on good paper, with decorative red cloth<br />
binding, and a frontispiece picture in each case.<br />
A new historical novel by Dr. Conan Doyle<br />
will be published shortly, entitled " Uncle Bernac:<br />
A Memory of the Empire."<br />
Mr. Herbert Russell, son of Mr. Clark Russell,<br />
has placed a story- with Messrs. Sampson Low,<br />
which will be issued immediately, entitled "The<br />
Longshoreman."<br />
Mr. Anthony Hope is at work on a new novel<br />
which will probably be called "Born in the<br />
Purple."<br />
Mr. George Knight is the author of a romance<br />
called " The Circle of the Earth," which is an-<br />
nounced for early publication by Messrs. Ward,<br />
Lock, and Co.<br />
A novel by Mr. Charles Kennet Burrow,<br />
called "The Way of the Wind," is about to<br />
appear from the house of Messrs. Kegan Paul<br />
and Co.<br />
Miss Dora McChesney has written a historical<br />
novel called "Miriam Cromwell, Royalist."<br />
Messrs. Blackwood will publish the book.<br />
Mrs. Croker has a new three volume novel in<br />
the hands of Messrs. Chatto and Windus for<br />
early publication.<br />
The next volume in the new Irish Library,<br />
edited by Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, and published<br />
by Mr. Unwin, will be ''Bishop Doyle: A Bio-<br />
graphical and Historical Study." The author is<br />
Mr. Michael McDonagh, a journalist in London,<br />
and author of " The Book of Parliament."<br />
Captain Mahan has completed his important<br />
"Life of Nelson," which will be published in two<br />
volumes, containing portraits and battle-plans, by<br />
Messrs. Sampson Low about March.<br />
Miss Kingsley has almost finished the volume<br />
relating her recent travels and adventures in<br />
West Africa. The country dealt with lies in the<br />
region of the French Congo and the Cameroons,<br />
including Corosco. There will be a map and<br />
several illustrations in the volume, which will<br />
be called "The Log of a Naturalist in West<br />
Africa."<br />
Sir Richard Burton's MSS. have been placed<br />
in the hands of Mr. W. H. Wilkins, to be pre-<br />
pared for publication. They include a book on<br />
"Human Sacrifice amongst the Sephardim or<br />
Eastern Jews;" "Ladislas Magyars," a volume of<br />
African travels; a '* History of the Gypsies ;"<br />
"The Book of the Sword," and two additional<br />
volumes of Camoens. These books will he<br />
brought out at intervals during the next two<br />
years. Much earlier, however, there will appear<br />
what has been described as the Life of Burton<br />
from the point of view of the Burton family.<br />
It is founded on unpublished letters and docu-<br />
ments, and written by Miss Georgina M. Stisted,<br />
niece of the traveller. It is called " The True Life<br />
of Captain Sir Richard Burton."<br />
The late Mr. George Augustus Sala's " Common-<br />
place Book " is being prepared for publication by<br />
Mrs. Sala. The original volumes are to be pre-<br />
sented to the British Museum.<br />
Lord Amherst of Hackney recently came into<br />
possession of a MS. of the New Testament, sup-<br />
posed to be in Scots. It was shown to Dr.<br />
Murray, the editor of the new English Dictionary,<br />
who has no doubt that it is a Scottish version of<br />
Wyckliffe's translation, and from specimens sub-<br />
mitted to him he concludes that it may date from<br />
1500, or thereabout. Lord Amherst has con-<br />
sented to the publication of the MS. by the<br />
Scottish Text Society, which will issue the work<br />
to its members. Mr. Hughes-Hughes, of the<br />
British Museum, has begun the transcription,<br />
and it will be edited by the Rev. Dr. Walter<br />
Gregor.<br />
The enticements offered to book-buyers in<br />
America, though always of an ingenious character,<br />
have not until quite recently possessed the ele-<br />
ment of the bizarre in such a striking degree as<br />
this. Messrs. Scribner's have published a new<br />
"History of the United States," and the first<br />
edition has been bought up by the Tribune, who<br />
state that the work is not obtainable in the<br />
ordinary way from the bookseller, nor through<br />
the "oily-tongued agent," but in the following<br />
way:—<br />
Ring up The Tribune-Scribnera History Club, Tele-<br />
phone No.—, any time from eight a.m. to nine p.m. Give<br />
the operator your name and address. He has under his<br />
hand direct wires to every District Telegraph Offioe in<br />
New York and Brooklyn. In two minntes a uniformed<br />
boy from the branch nearest you will be on his way with<br />
sample volumes (a complete set if you prefer) and full par-<br />
ticulars. No charge for the service. Keep the boy as long<br />
at you like. Pay the messenger no money.<br />
The following is the inscription borne by the<br />
monument of the late Prince Henry of Batten-<br />
berg at Balmoral, which has just been erected.<br />
The author of the quatrain is the Marquis of<br />
Lome:<br />
"Brief life, in sport and war so keen.<br />
Mourned by these winds in heath and fir,<br />
As where the falling breakers stir<br />
The palms that crown thy oloBing scene."<br />
The library of the late Prince Louis-Lucien<br />
Bonaparte, consisting of a unique collection of<br />
philological works representing a cost of .£40,000,<br />
has been bought from the Princess by Mr. H. S.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 171 (#211) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
171<br />
Nichols for something like an eighth of that sum.<br />
Some strong criticisms have been passed upon the<br />
Corporation of the City of London for allowing<br />
its negotiations for the purchase of the library<br />
to fall through, London being the proper and<br />
most suitable place for this splendid accumula-<br />
tion.<br />
Mr. Charles J. H. Halcombe, the author of<br />
"Tales of Par Cathay," is producing a work on<br />
China entitled " The Mystic Flowery Land." It<br />
will be published soon by Messrs. Luzac and Co.,<br />
with illustrations.<br />
Mr. Hugh Clifford, British Resident at Pahang,<br />
is publishing early in the new year through Mr.<br />
Grant Richards, a volume of stories illustrating<br />
life and character in the Malay Peninsula.<br />
"Reliques of Old London," is the title of a<br />
book which Messrs. George Bell and Sons are<br />
about to publish. It consists of a group of<br />
studies of houses of the period from the Great<br />
Fire to Queen Anne. These studies are drawn in<br />
lithography by Mr. T. R. Way, and the letter-<br />
press descriptions arc from the pen of Mr. H. B.<br />
Wheatley.<br />
A proposal to place a memorial window in the<br />
church of the parish in which Oliver Goldsmith<br />
was born, has been made by the Rector of Fergney,<br />
Among those who are giving sympathy and sup-<br />
port to the project are Professor Skeat, Professor<br />
Hales, Mr. Edmund Gosse, Mr. Austin Dobson,<br />
Sir Walter Besant, and Mr. Edward Bell.<br />
Subscriptions to the fund may be addressed<br />
either to the Rev. J. H. Rice, Fergney Rectory,<br />
Mullingar; or Professor Hales, 1, Oppidan's-road,<br />
London, N.<br />
The Kelmscott Press announces that Spenser's<br />
"Shepheardes Calender" will be ready shortly,<br />
bound in half-holland, with twelve full-page illus-<br />
trations by A. J. Gaskin. The third volume of<br />
the " Earthly Paradise" will also appear shortly,<br />
and will be followed by the other five volumes in<br />
due course, as well as by "Sire Degravaunt,"<br />
"The Water of the Wondrous Isles," and another<br />
romance by the late Mr. William Morris called<br />
"The Sundering Flood," particulars of which will<br />
be issued later. Two projects announced in the<br />
summer—namely, the folio editions of Froissart<br />
and of "Sigurd the Volsung"—have been<br />
abandoned. After its present engagements are<br />
fulfilled, the Kelmscott Press will be closed.<br />
Mrs. William Morris asks all those who may<br />
possess letters of her late husband's, or notes of<br />
conversations with him, or other documents likely<br />
to be of service in the preparation of his biorTrauhy.<br />
to be so good as to send them to Mr. J "Vy \r ■kail<br />
(27, Young-street, Kensington, W. j. jjj^ j*tte«<br />
will be especially welcome. All documents will be<br />
carefully returned.<br />
In his work on Christina Rossetti, Mr.<br />
Mackenzie Bell will enter very elaborately upon<br />
exposition and analysis of all that writer's books<br />
—fourteen in number. Of the eight chapters<br />
which will make up the book, three will be bio-<br />
graphical. There will be several portraits, and a<br />
bibliography compiled by Mr. John P. Anderson,<br />
of the British Museum.<br />
The attention given to literary matters by the<br />
London morning papers is on the increase. The<br />
Morning Post has, during the month, made a con-<br />
cession to the modern spirit by inaugurating a<br />
special page of reviews and literary news weekly<br />
—on Thursday.<br />
The volume of reminiscences by the late Mrs.<br />
Rundle Charles, author of "The Schonberg-Cotta<br />
Family," is being brought out by Mr. Murray,<br />
under the title " Our Seven Homes."<br />
Miss B. M. Croker's Irish novel, " Beyond<br />
the Pale," at present appearing serially in the<br />
weekly edition of the Times, will be published<br />
in book form in London and New York on<br />
Jan 15.<br />
November was as busy as possible in the<br />
publishing trade. The huge batches of special<br />
Christmas books go to swell the number, but,<br />
apart from these, a fairly interesting and<br />
important production appeared. In fiction there<br />
were new volumes by Dr. Doyle, Mrs. Steel, and<br />
Mrs. Craigie; in poetry Mr. Rudyard Kipling's<br />
"The Seven Seas" (Methuen); in travel Mr.<br />
Selous' "Sunshine and Storm in Rhodesia"<br />
(Rowland Ward); and in biography, Mr. Archer's<br />
"Nansen," from the Norwegian (Longmans).<br />
Mr. Herbert Spencer brought his work on<br />
Synthetic Philosophy to a conclusion with the<br />
volume entitled "The Principles of Sociology"<br />
(Williams and Norgate).<br />
It is six and thirty years since this work was<br />
commenced, and Mr. Spencer, in a touching<br />
retrospect, alludes to his many deterrents and<br />
relapses during the labour. Doubtless in earlier<br />
years, he says, some exultation would have<br />
resulted in finding the end of such a work at<br />
length reached, "but as _ on ieeUug*<br />
weaken, and now nay T P,r« is in<br />
emancipation. Still tW^£ *!• « t&e<br />
consciousness that wZ* « aateiaW » d<br />
Mattered health W"**> tosmrage^nts, *<br />
fulfilling the purpo^*' r^eiM me 1<br />
. A little township . N W vp><br />
JMst been re;cfiri<JVV ^ol^>n&> v*<br />
* name gft, ^ ^ ^ oye<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 172 (#212) ############################################<br />
<br />
172<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
to change it, and to call it after the heroine of, as<br />
he said, "a story which has lately deeply moved<br />
me." A plan of the town has been drawn up<br />
with streets and squares and avenues all bearing<br />
the familiar names of the characters in the late<br />
Mr. Du Maurier's novel.<br />
A new sixpenny monthly, which will discuss<br />
questions connected with literature, politics,<br />
religion, education, sociology, and kindred sub-<br />
jects, is announced. The title is the New Century<br />
Jierieic, and the first number will appear on the<br />
18th.<br />
Lady Halle is about to publish a volume of<br />
■extracts from letters written to her by Sir Charles<br />
Halle, in which the musical events of England<br />
during the last twenty-six years are discussed.<br />
These would have appeared in the work which Sir<br />
Charles, had he lived, intended to produce.<br />
A correspondent to the Publishers' Circular of<br />
Nov. 14 suggests the formation of a society for<br />
private librarians.<br />
Mark Twain's book, "Tom Sawyer, Detective,"<br />
will be published in the course of a few days by<br />
Messrs. Chatto and Windus.<br />
"The Money-Spinner and Other Character<br />
Notes," by Henry Seton Merriman and S. G.<br />
Tallentyre, will be published shortly by Messrs.<br />
Smith, Elder, and Co.<br />
In Japan the present rate of exchange has<br />
greatly affected scholarship, prices having nearly<br />
doubled themselves. Altogether the Japanese<br />
scholar's path is a difficult one, and only a man<br />
of independent means can carry out a literary<br />
career. Study used to he loved for its own sake,<br />
and a young man would rather bear the title of<br />
student than possess <£iooo. Now, however,<br />
education is constantly spoken of as learning<br />
how to make a livelihood. It is gratifying to<br />
hear, however, that a project is on foot to establish<br />
a large public library in Tokyo by amalgamating<br />
the three existing institutions, and to purchase<br />
foreign works in sufficient number to form an<br />
establishment worthy of the nation. In order to<br />
do this it is calculated that for many years it will<br />
be necessary to spend at least £ 10,000 in foreign<br />
works.<br />
A book on glass painting, by Mr. Henry<br />
Holiday, is in course of publication by Messrs.<br />
Macmillan. The volume will contain twelve<br />
collotype pictures, and many illustrations in the<br />
text, from designs by Sir Edward Burne-Jones,<br />
Mr. W. B. Eichmond, Mr. Christopher Whall,<br />
and Mr. Holiday.<br />
Mr. F. M. Lutyens has written a sporting<br />
■story, "Mr. Spinks and his Hounds," which will<br />
be published by Messrs. Vinton and Co. The<br />
book is to be embellished with about sixty illus-<br />
trations from original drawings by Mr. C.<br />
Lutyens.<br />
"Backward or Forward '<" the last of the<br />
series of Indian problems, by Colonel H. B.<br />
Hanna, will be published next month by Messrs.<br />
A. Constable and Co. The present volume deals<br />
largely with the financial aspect of the Forward<br />
Policy, also with the effect of that policy upon the<br />
loyalty of the people of India, and the native<br />
army.<br />
Mr. Leonard Merrick informs us that the novel<br />
published by Messrs. Chatto and Windus, under<br />
the name of " A Daughter of the Philistines," has<br />
unfortunately had to change its name, as Messrs.<br />
Tillotson already have a story in the field with<br />
that title. It will therefore be called, " Cynthia:<br />
a Daughter of the Philistines."<br />
Lord Roberts has accepted the invitation of the<br />
New Vagabond Club to be its guest on Dec. 9 at<br />
the Christmas dinner. To this dinner ladies may<br />
be invited. Mr. Rudyard Kipling will also be<br />
present.<br />
The governing bodies of the Royal Historical<br />
Society and the Camden Society have agreed to<br />
unite the institutions (subject to ratification by<br />
special meetings shortly to be held), the members<br />
of the Camden becoming fellows of the Royal<br />
Historical after May 1 next. Amongst other<br />
advantages anticipated from the union, it is<br />
believed that it will be possible to issue every year<br />
three volumes of publications in the style of the<br />
old Camden series, and a volume of trans-<br />
actions. In a lecture on the 19th ult., Mr.<br />
Frederic Harrison suggested that the two<br />
societies should collaborate in the preparation of<br />
a competent bibliography of English History.<br />
Messrs. Hurst and Blackett have just brought<br />
out, in their well-known three-and-sixpenny series,<br />
a new and revised edition of Miss Eleanor<br />
Holmes's first novel, "In Time to Come."<br />
"Through Another Man's Eyes,'' a story by the<br />
same writer, is to be issued shortly in Messrs.<br />
Jarrold and Son's Greenback series.<br />
A one-volume edition at a popular price of<br />
Andrew Tuer's "History of the Horn Book " will<br />
shortly be issued. The two volume edition de<br />
luxe is stated to be nearly out of print.<br />
Miss Helen M. Burnside has written her<br />
"Reminiscences " of twenty years of work for fine<br />
art publishers in the Christmas number of Hearth<br />
and Home, which subject is also dealt with by<br />
Mr W. James Wintle in the Christmas number<br />
of the Windsor Magazine. The Artistic Litho-<br />
graphic Company publishes three illustrated<br />
Christmas poems by Miss Burnside, entitled<br />
"Our Ancestors," "For Auld Lang Syne," and<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 173 (#213) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
173<br />
"'Neath Christmas Snows." Several highly<br />
artistic "black and white" calendars, for which<br />
Miss Burnside has written "Story Poems," are<br />
issued by Messrs S. Hildesheimer and Company.<br />
Perhaps the most interesting publication of the<br />
season will be issued this month as a Christmas<br />
and New Year book by the Roxburghe Press,<br />
entitled "My Father as I Recall Him," by the<br />
late Miss Mamie Dickens. It is full of anecdote and<br />
information of Charles Dickens's home life. Miss<br />
Mamie Dickens was not able to revise the final<br />
proofs previous to her death, but this has been<br />
kindly undertaken by Mrs. Perugini (Kate<br />
Dickens). The work will contain some illustra-<br />
tions from photos, &c., never before published, and<br />
will by produced in a most dainty style, Mr. Charles<br />
F. Rideal being responsible for its " get up," It<br />
will also have a specially designed cover.<br />
CORRESPONDENCE.<br />
I.—The Title.<br />
THERE can be no doubt that if the proposal<br />
made by " Tyro," anent the above, could be<br />
adopted it would be a great boon to writers.<br />
But I fear it is unlikely that any private firm or<br />
individual will be found willing to undertake<br />
what must develop into quite a colossal compila-<br />
tion. The British Museum authorities are the<br />
proper people to help us, and I hope they may be<br />
so disposed, on the lines indicated. Failing this<br />
desirable result, " Tyro" should regularly consult<br />
the Bookseller and the Publishers' Circular, whose<br />
lists are reliable and exhaustive. When I was a<br />
young bird I nursed a pet scheme, which I fondly<br />
trusted might some day bear good fruit. It was<br />
that the title, being a product of the brain equally<br />
with the story one contrives to produce, might be<br />
registered as the inventor's sole property, say, as<br />
soon as the manuscript was completed and lodged<br />
with a publisher for judgment. I even had the<br />
courage to carry my project into the stern pre-<br />
cincts of Stationers' Hall. Strange to say,<br />
beyond a tolerant smile, my suggestion met with<br />
no encouragement there, and I walked do a n<br />
Ludgate-hill feeling very sad after my rebuff. I<br />
am still obstinate enough to cling to my notion<br />
as one not altogether imbecile. Old Bird.<br />
Authors' Club, S.W., Oct. 17.<br />
II.—The Fiest Book.<br />
1.<br />
I should like to give you, for the ^<br />
benefit of struggling authors, my exp^ hling °*<br />
my first book. It was not the first h ^ienCC °*<br />
^\ that I<br />
had written by any means, but the first I had<br />
succeeded in getting into print and giving to the<br />
world. I had just arrived in England after a<br />
summer spent in the United States, and I sat<br />
down and wrote a novel naturally dealing largely<br />
with incidents in that land—in fact I called it on<br />
the title page "An Anglo-American Romance."<br />
1 felt very sanguine as to the success of my book<br />
(and so indeed did others to whom I showed it).<br />
So confident about it did I feel that—knowing<br />
the repeated rejections it would probably have to<br />
undergo at the bands of publishers—I took the<br />
rather rash course of having the work printed at<br />
my own expense. The next difficulty was to find<br />
a London publisher who would under any circum-<br />
stances whatever allow his name to appear on the<br />
title page of a book which he had not had<br />
printed at his own printers, in his own particular<br />
style of " get up," and in his own way. I then<br />
gave a printed (but unbound) copy into the hands<br />
of a literary agent, who submitted it at once to a<br />
young firm of publishers, who directly replied<br />
that they should not have hesitated to publish<br />
the work entirely at their own expense had they<br />
not already undertaken as much risk as they felt<br />
justified to incur. They would, however, still be<br />
pleased to publish it on a 10 per cent, commission<br />
if the author would finance. Having already<br />
financed the printing, and there remaining but<br />
little more in this way to do, and being anxious<br />
to get my book brought out on almost any terms<br />
at all, this was agreed to, and the novel appeared.<br />
Messrs. Smith and Messrs. Mudie took a con-<br />
siderable number of copies, and more were sold<br />
besides, but not sufficient to recoup me my outlay,<br />
simply from the book being badly introduced,<br />
badly published, and insufficiently advertised,<br />
and I have hitherto not received a penny of<br />
actual profit for all my work. In certiin libraries<br />
to which I gave copies I see the book is as<br />
popular as a book can well be, and is—solely on<br />
its own interest—being constantly read.<br />
I have before me in print as 1 write this, a<br />
lecture delivered by the editor in April, 1884, on<br />
"The Art of Fiction," in which he advises<br />
"Never, never, never pay for publishing a novel;"<br />
yet in the case of " Ready Money Mortiboy" this<br />
distinguished novelist says he managed his own<br />
first novel in this way. I admit that in this ease<br />
the arrangement seems a good one, because the<br />
authors had already netted £,100 for their serial<br />
rights.<br />
H an author must not undertake the expenses<br />
and risk of his first book, and he can find no<br />
publisher who will do so, what other course can<br />
{,e take i" This is a question which has perplexed<br />
f0r some years.<br />
■r ii.ink it would be beneficial if some of our<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 174 (#214) ############################################<br />
<br />
i74<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
veteran writers would give us shortly a little of<br />
their experience with their first or early works.<br />
T. D. L.<br />
[" T. D. L." misunderstands the facts. I<br />
warn everybody never, on any account, to pay<br />
for the publication of his own book; first,<br />
because he will be almost certainly overcharged<br />
as to the cost; next, because if the book<br />
is worth publishing any good publisher will<br />
willingly take it; thirdly, because it is very<br />
rare for an author who has paid a publisher in<br />
advance to get back his money; fourthly, because<br />
certain low class publishers live by deluding<br />
young writers into tbe belief that they are going<br />
to reap great fortunes out of a worthless MS.<br />
The management of "Ready Money Mortiboy"<br />
was a very different thing. The authors had it<br />
printed and bound economically; they gave it to<br />
a publisher on commission; they kept an eye—<br />
one of the eyes was experienced—on its manage-<br />
ment; they made the printer's bill payable after<br />
the publisher's first returns; and they never had<br />
to pay anything out of pocket at all. Moreover,<br />
they knew very well, from its success as a serial,<br />
that it would " go."—Ed.]<br />
ii.<br />
The editor is too ardent a champion of authors'<br />
rights to suggest any course which might play<br />
into the hands of grasping or so-called " timid"<br />
publishers. Yet does it not seem as if the very<br />
breath of such a proposal as printing one's first<br />
book at one's own expense (especially coming<br />
from such an authority) may be pointed to with<br />
triumph by the publisher as a justification of his<br />
invariable talk of " risk "?<br />
In this matter of the issue of a first work,<br />
there is one thing, perhaps, not undeserving of<br />
inquiry. In these days a considerable number of<br />
publishers absolutely decline to take up any<br />
books other than those from the pens of authors<br />
whose name is established. The latter-day pub-<br />
lisher sees that an author has made a stupendous<br />
hit with one book, and he and his colleagues<br />
instantly enter into frenzied competition for the<br />
same writer's next work—perhaps a hopeless<br />
MS. of long standing, already rejected by every<br />
publisher in turn. The question arises, what is<br />
the use of a " taster" to the majority of present<br />
publishing firms?<br />
On the whole, though I speak as one who lays<br />
himself open to facetious comment, as one not<br />
having yet touched the goal of acceptance,<br />
while modestly disclaiming the title of an " un-<br />
appreciated genius," I read with pleasure " Alan<br />
Oscar's" lesson of manly patience to new authors<br />
—" to write on and submit their stories till<br />
success comes." J. Q.<br />
III.—A Plea for Signed Criticisms.<br />
The trenchant remarks of " Behind the Scenes,"<br />
in the October issue of The Author, should be<br />
well considered by all who recognise the import-<br />
ance of a subject which must appeal forcibly to<br />
writers of every grade. In particular his con-<br />
cluding paragraphs deserve to be writ large indeed,<br />
as they indicate the very pivot upon which turns<br />
the whole latter-day method of reviewing. I, for<br />
one, most cordially agree with "Behind the<br />
Scenes" that until our critics are made respon-<br />
sible by signature, or at any rate by genuine<br />
initials, as a means of identification, for the<br />
opinions they express, the hatchet of discord<br />
between us will never be buried. "Nor is it just<br />
that it should be when circumstances are dispas-<br />
sionately considered. If a writer send forth his<br />
title-page inscribed with his name, surely he<br />
has a right to expect equal frankness from those<br />
who sit in judgment upon his work, and who<br />
wield no inconsiderable power to make or mar his<br />
fortunes. It does seem a crying shame that there<br />
should only too often be no redress for the<br />
maligned fictionmonger, smarting perchance under<br />
censure provoked by some notice, slovenly, in-<br />
accurate, and, above all, anonymous. It is easy<br />
enough for authors who have reached the top of<br />
the tree to ignore, from its summit, the shafts<br />
which fail to hurt them. But most of us are<br />
only swarming up a trunk the foothold on which<br />
is slippery and insecure. Hence these tears.<br />
Cecil Clarke.<br />
Authors* Club, S.W.<br />
IV.—Educational Criticism.<br />
I fully agree with the remarks of "An Edu-<br />
cational Author," in the current number of your<br />
journal, that "editors of journals should be on<br />
their guard when they receive from educational<br />
authors carping criticisms, mingled with personal<br />
insults, on the works of their colleagues." In no<br />
branch of literature is there so much abuse of<br />
criticism as in that of education. I have no<br />
personal grievance in the matter, never having<br />
published an educational work, but I have been<br />
connected with the "profession," and I know<br />
what an injustice is frequently done to educa-<br />
tional authors. Unfortunately, most people do<br />
not read between the lines, and so they do not<br />
discover the venom hidden under the cover of<br />
what is conventionally called "fair criticism."<br />
One of the most distinguished headmistresses<br />
in this country, whose death was a great<br />
loss to the profession, once told me, "When-<br />
ever I read an exhaustive virulent criticism<br />
on an educational work, I immediately procure<br />
the book, as I assume that, if it were not an<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 175 (#215) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
•75<br />
important publication, the critic would never<br />
have taken so much pains to revile it at full<br />
length; and, as a rule, I find tbat the severely<br />
censured book is a good one." The fact is that<br />
the educational Zoilus reigns supreme in this<br />
country. He will often extol to the skies trashy<br />
publications, but let him hit upon a meritorious<br />
work, and he will be sure to tear it, critically, to<br />
pieces. All friends of education must therefore<br />
be grateful to you for having given publicity to<br />
the remarks of " An Educational Author," which<br />
may open the eyes of many an editor to the<br />
abuse of criticism as far as educational works are<br />
concerned. Fair Plat.<br />
V.—Thirteen as Twelve.<br />
Since discovering, some years ago, that in the<br />
majority of cases booksellers do not order books<br />
in dozens, and have them delivered according to<br />
bakers' measure, I have felt inclined to resent<br />
somewhat strongly the custom which prevails<br />
amo>ng publishers of paying no royalty to the<br />
author on one out of every thirteen copies they<br />
sell of his book.<br />
I went so far as to argue the point, when<br />
arranging the terms of a profit-sharing agreement<br />
(the publisher taking all risks) with a member of<br />
one of the largest firms of publishers we have.<br />
It was even possible, as I pointed out, if he neg-<br />
lected to account for every thirteenth book he<br />
sold, for his firm to make a small profit, while I,<br />
the author, who had been offered "half profits,"<br />
might receive nothing. He admitted that I was<br />
correct, but said that the difficulty of distin-<br />
guishing in the accounts between books sold by<br />
the dozen and books sold in less numbers was so<br />
considerable that if he were to account for the<br />
actual sales he would have to increase his staff' of<br />
clerks. I marvelled at this, but the end of it<br />
was he refused point blank to alter his usual<br />
custom, and I had the choice of taking the book<br />
out of his firm's hands, and probably losing that<br />
publishing season, or agreeing to his terms in<br />
this particular.<br />
But there was another firm, and it gives me<br />
great pleasure to mention it by name—Messrs.<br />
Hutchinson and Co.—which this spring published<br />
a novel of mine called " Lady Val's Elopement."<br />
An offer of a certain royalty was made. "How<br />
do you account for your sales?" I asked, " actual<br />
copies sold, or the thirteen as twelve plan?" I<br />
hope it is no breach of confidence for me to give<br />
the reply, which is greatly to Mr. Hutchinson's<br />
credit. "On the actual sales, of course," jje .<br />
"the thirteen as twelve business is a mer^ ■ ,1. »<br />
"But the usual custom," I found aiiv, "lt<br />
pelled to add. "We do not carry onodj. M COffl"<br />
in that way," he remarked, drily, and jiyw Musiu?sS<br />
hf«otl'<br />
fidence at once. Perhaps I have not quoted the<br />
exact words, but our conversation was much to<br />
the effect given.<br />
Here we have a precedent, and a precedent is a<br />
great step forward. If the thirteen as twelve<br />
method were not the custom of the trade, it<br />
might be called strong and unpleasant names.<br />
It is a bad and unfair custom, and that an<br />
important firm of London publishers will have<br />
nothing to do with it is gratifying and en-<br />
couraging<br />
Of course, the only result of the older firms<br />
insisting on unfair and inaccurate, but customary,<br />
methods of accounting for books sold is that,<br />
while they are the richer by a few pounds over<br />
any particular book, they most certainly lose the<br />
best of the younger writers without whom, in a<br />
few years' time, their businesses cannot be carried<br />
on. Authors will naturally take their MSS. to<br />
the younger, more enterprising, and, I may say,<br />
more fair-dealing firms. John Bickerdyke.<br />
VI.—"A Falling Off."<br />
I am a novelist and a woman. From time to<br />
time I have a story to offer. It is never a very<br />
pleasant thing to submit your own wares,<br />
especially when you are conscious that the<br />
person who is to buy them is always thinking for<br />
how little he can get them. I wish to publish a<br />
little experience connected with these dealings.<br />
I am told, not once, but always, not by one man<br />
but by many, the same story. "Dear me!" he<br />
sighs, "if this story had been as good as your<br />
last, I should have given you twice as much as I<br />
gave you then. But there is a sad falling off—<br />
very sad. I cannot, really, offer you more than so<br />
much"—naming a greatly reduced figure. I<br />
have to take it, or go elsewhere, to be told the<br />
same thing. The sham and pretence are shown by<br />
the fact that they forget on each occasion that they<br />
said exactly the same thing before. So that it is<br />
clearly a stock excuse for running down a helpless<br />
woman. Clio.<br />
VII.—" Publication."<br />
What is the exact meaning of the word " publi-<br />
cation "? The legal sense is known, but what is<br />
the meaning generally understood as between<br />
author and publisher f I will give three instances<br />
of different values being attached to the word.<br />
Book A.—I as author contract to deliver the<br />
complete MS. by March 31, 1896; the publisher<br />
contract* to produce—" publish" is the word used<br />
in the "Memorandum of Agreement"—the book<br />
, later than May 15. No advance is to be<br />
n . -vvith respect to royalties. I do not receive<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 176 (#216) ############################################<br />
<br />
176<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
the usual complimentary copies until October;<br />
even up to date of writing no copies have been<br />
sent out for review, nor to my knowledge have<br />
any been sold, or offered for sale; but the pub-<br />
lisher writes me, "The act of publication takes<br />
place the moment a complete copy is produced."<br />
Book B.—The publishers contract with me to<br />
issue the book in the autumn of 1896, and to pay<br />
me on publication a specified sum on account of<br />
royalties. This book is issued to the libraries<br />
and booksellers in September, and in the same<br />
month I receive complimentary copies, but when<br />
I apply for the money payable on publication I<br />
am informed that the directors will fix a date for<br />
settlement.<br />
Book C.—This was issued to booksellers in<br />
1894, was duly advertised, reviewed, and sold. It<br />
has not been entered at Stationers' Hall, nor is<br />
it to be found at the British Museum; in short,<br />
the provisions of the Copyright Acts have not<br />
been complied with, and, as the copyright of this<br />
book rests with the author, I regard it as a matter<br />
of some importance that it should be so published<br />
as to enable me to maintain those rights.<br />
Can it be maintained that anyone of these three<br />
books has been published? T. C. B.<br />
VIII.—An Inquiry.<br />
Can any of the readers of The Author kindly<br />
inform me where I can find an article on<br />
"Famous and Curious Bets"? I have seen such<br />
an article, but cannot remember where.<br />
Harold R. Wintle.<br />
IX.—Copyrights.<br />
In last issue you refer to the "lifting" of<br />
a short story entitled " A Ghostly Smoker." The<br />
idiot who stole it seems to think that because the<br />
word "reserved "—he may mean "copyright"—<br />
was not printed at the beginning or end, the<br />
story is unprotected, and becomes the property of<br />
any gutter-prowler who may choose to annex<br />
it. But according to English law, the mere art of<br />
publication gives copyright, and this applies to<br />
all original matter, including stories, short and<br />
long. Andrew W. Tuer.<br />
The Leadenhall Press, E.C.<br />
X. — The Completion of Mr. Spencer's<br />
Philosophy.<br />
[From The Times, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1896.]<br />
To the Editor of The Times.<br />
Sir,—All students of Mr. Spencer's writings<br />
will desire to join in the words of your leader of<br />
Saturday last, that " We heartily congratulate Mr.<br />
Herbert Spencer on having at length completed<br />
the great work of his life. . . . Our present<br />
concern is with the fact that the system of<br />
synthetic philosophy has at length received its last<br />
touch, and that this stupendous undertaking has^<br />
in spite of all difficulties, been launched on the<br />
world. It is with no empty form of words that<br />
we congratulate the author on his success, and on<br />
the pleasure he can now feel in his well-earned<br />
emancipation."<br />
My object in addressing you is to ask if it may<br />
not be possible to form a sufficiently strong com-<br />
mittee, representative of all philosophy and science<br />
in the United Kingdom, to induce Mr. Spencer to<br />
allow, as a mark of congratulation, some repre-<br />
sentation of himself to be made and placed in one<br />
of the permanent and officially recognised galleries<br />
or museums of Loudon, such as the National<br />
Portrait Gallery, the rooms of the Boyal Society,<br />
or one of the halls of the South Kensington<br />
Museum.<br />
What form the representation should take, and<br />
to whom the commission should be intrusted,<br />
would, of course, have to be decided by the com-<br />
mittee in consultation with Mr. Spencer himself.<br />
When the preliminaries had been discussed and<br />
settled, and it was known that Mr. Spencer would<br />
consent to sit—the most difficult matter apparently<br />
that the committee would have to arrange—I feel<br />
sure that the necessary funds would be forth-<br />
coming to carry out the project to a successful<br />
conclusion, as the names of several are known<br />
to me who would be only too delighted to partici-<br />
pate in the formation of a memento of the greatest<br />
philosopher that our country has produced, and<br />
whose equal has not appeared in the present<br />
century, for, as you truly say, "As a writer he<br />
has attained a reputation not only in his own<br />
country, and has exercised an influence not only<br />
on English thought. In Germany and Russia he<br />
stands even higher than he does here, and has<br />
been more thoroughly studied in the most<br />
abstruse and least popularly attractive of his<br />
books."<br />
Will any of those who would like to be con-<br />
nected with this movement kindly communicate<br />
with me? They will, of course, understand that<br />
I am writing entirely upon my own responsibility,<br />
and without Mr. Spencer's knowledge. I would<br />
it were possible to add that his permission for a<br />
portrait or statue had been obtained.—I am, Sir,<br />
your obedient servant,<br />
F. Howard Collins.<br />
Churchfield, Edgbaston.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 176 (#217) ############################################<br />
<br />
A D VER TISEMENTS.<br />
in<br />
ELLIOT STOCK'S NEW VOLUMES OF VERSE.<br />
In crown 8vo., cloth, price 3a. 6d.<br />
LEAVES IN THE WIND. Bv ANTHONY<br />
C. UEANE.<br />
In crown 8to., oloth, price 5s.<br />
A TRIP TO FAIRYLAND; or, Happy<br />
Wedlock. With other Poetical Pieces. By the Rev.<br />
JOHN MORGAN, Rector of Llanilid and Llanharan,<br />
Glamorganshire.<br />
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41 A reader who values cultnred sentiments and Hai,;.<br />
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A FLYINQ VISIT<br />
TO THE<br />
AMERICAN CONTINENT.<br />
WITH NOTES BY THE WAY.<br />
By F. DALE PAWLE.<br />
London: Horace Co:<br />
or House, Bream's-buildlngs, E C.<br />
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IN NEW SOUTH AFRICA.<br />
Travels in the Transvaal and Rhodesia.<br />
With Hap and Twenty-six Illustrations.<br />
By H. LINCOLN TANGYE.<br />
CONTENTS.<br />
Introductory.<br />
PART I.<br />
Chapter I.—The Land or Gold and the Way there.<br />
,, II.—Across Desert and Veldt.<br />
,, III.—Johannesburg the Golden.<br />
„ IV.—A Transvaal Coach Journey.<br />
., V.—Natal: the South African Garden.<br />
,, VI.—Ostracised in Africa. Home with the Swallows.<br />
PART II —RAMBLES IS RHODESIA.<br />
CBAPTIR I —Eendragt Maakt Magt.<br />
II.—Into the Countrv of Lobengula.<br />
,, III.—The Trnll of War.<br />
IV.—Goldmining, Ancient and Modern.<br />
"V.—Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.<br />
"VI —To Northern Mashonaland.<br />
"\'II.—Primitive Art. The Misadventures of a Wagon.<br />
Index-<br />
nd°n:<br />
: Horace Cox. Windsor House, Bream s-buildings, E U.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 176 (#218) ############################################<br />
<br />
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HATHERSAGE:<br />
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BY<br />
CHARLES EDMUND HALL,<br />
Author of " An Ancient Ancestor," Ac.<br />
London: Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream'a-buildings. E.G.<br />
Printed and Published by Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream's-buildings, London, E.C. | https://historysoa.com/files/original/5/297/1896-12-01-The-Author-7-7.pdf | publications, The Author |
| 298 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/298 | The Author, Vol. 07 Issue 08 (January 1897) | <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.+07+Issue+08+%28January+1897%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 Issue 08 (January 1897)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</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> | 1897-01-01-The-Author-7-8 | | | | | 177–208 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1897-01-01">1897-01-01</a> | | | | | | | 8 | | | 18970101 | XL he H u t b o t\<br />
{The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 8.]<br />
JANUARY i, 1897.<br />
[Price Sixpence.<br />
CONTENTS.<br />
Notieea, «fec<br />
Literary Propel ly—<br />
1. Contract of Publication<br />
2. Notes on an Agrtement<br />
». Pitts r. Gforge<br />
I. Savage r. Noely<br />
5. Exaggeration of Authors" Rights<br />
6_ Dramatic Representation in Italy<br />
Xoteai from Abroad. By R. H. Sherard<br />
New Toik Letter. By Norman Hapgood<br />
Notes and News. By the Editor<br />
The Booksellers' Grievances. By Julie Sutter<br />
... 179<br />
... 182<br />
... 183<br />
... 181<br />
... 185<br />
... 187<br />
... 188<br />
... 189<br />
... 191<br />
... 105<br />
The Guild of Literature and Art ...<br />
Is there an American Literature';<br />
Cheap Fiction in Germany<br />
Book Talk<br />
Literature in the Periodicals<br />
Correspondence.—1.'-Hons." 2. Stamps with MSS. 3.<br />
1'AOK<br />
197<br />
1!)7<br />
199<br />
-.03<br />
203<br />
■ Thirteen<br />
as Twelve." 4. Reviews and Advertisements. r>, ''To J. G."<br />
8. Still Looser English. 7. "A Want." 8. The Ethics of ths<br />
Review Copy. '.». Monsters in Fiction. 10. The First Bojk.<br />
11. "Wanted, a Strike." 12. Touting Publishers 20t<br />
Obituary 2PS<br />
PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY.<br />
1. The Annual Report. That for January 1S96 can be had on application to the Secretary.<br />
2. The Author. A Monthly Journal devoted especially to the protection and maintenance of Literary<br />
Property. Issued to all Members. Back numbers are offered at the following prices:<br />
Vol. I.,'io«. 6d. (Bound); Vols. II., III., and IV., 8s. 6d. each (Bound); Vol. V, 6s. 6J.<br />
(Unbound).<br />
3. Literature and the Pension List. By W. Morris Colles, Barrister-at-Law. (Henry Glaisher,<br />
95, Strand, W.C.) 3*.<br />
4. The History of the Socie'te des Gens de Lettres. By S. Squire Sprigge, late Secretary to<br />
the Society, is.<br />
5. The Cost Of Production. In this work specimens are given of the most important forms of type,<br />
size of page, &c, with estimates showing what it costs to produce the more common kinds of<br />
books. Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, "W.C. 2*. 6d.<br />
6. The Various Methods Of Publication. By S. Squire Sprigge. In this work, compiled from the<br />
papers in the Society's offices, the various forms of agreements proposed by Publishers to<br />
Authors are examined, and their meaning carefully explained, with an account of the various<br />
kinds of fraud which have been made possible by the different clauses in their agreements.<br />
Henry Glaisher, 93, Strand, W.C. 3.S.<br />
7. Copyright Law Reform. An Exposition of Lord Moukswell's Copyright Bill now before Parlia-<br />
ment. With Extracts from the Report of the Commission of 187S, and an Appendix<br />
containing the Beme Convention and the American Copyright Bill. By J. M. Lely. Eyre<br />
and Spottiswoode. is. 6d.<br />
8. The Society of Authors. A Record 0f its Action from its Foundation. By Walter Besant<br />
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9. The Contract of Publication in QQt, Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland. By Erxst<br />
Lunge, J.U.D. 2s. 6d. *<H<ffl7' *^<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 176 (#220) ############################################<br />
<br />
11<br />
AD VER TISEMENTS.<br />
^t)e g>ociefp of Jlufljors (gncotporateb).<br />
Sir Edwin Arnold, K.C.I.E., C.S.I<br />
Alfred Austin.<br />
J. M. Barrie<br />
A. W. X Beckett.<br />
F. E. Beddard, F.R.S.<br />
BOBERT BaTEMAN.<br />
Sir Henry Bergne, K.C.M.G.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
Augustine Birrell, M.P.<br />
Eev. Prof. Bonnet, F.R.S.<br />
Eight Hon. James Brtce, M.P.<br />
Bight Hon. Lord Burghclere<br />
Hall Caine.<br />
Egerton Castle, F.S.A.<br />
P. W. Clatden.<br />
Edward Clodd.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Martin Conwat.<br />
F. Marion Crawford.<br />
PRESIDENT.<br />
GEOEGE MEREDITH.<br />
COUNCIL.<br />
The Earl of Desart.<br />
Austin Dobson.<br />
A. Conan Doyle, M.D<br />
A. W. Dubourg.<br />
Prof. Michael Foster, F.E.S.<br />
Eichard Garnett, C.B., LL.D.<br />
Edmund Gosse.<br />
H. Eider Haggard.<br />
Thomas Hardy.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
Jerome K. Jerome.<br />
Eudyard Kipling.<br />
Prof. E. Bay Lankester, F.B.S.<br />
W. E. H. Lecky.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Mrs. E. Lynn Linton.<br />
Eev. W. J. Loftie, F.S.A.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Prof. J. M. D. Meiklejohn.<br />
P.C.<br />
Herman C. Merivale.<br />
Eev. C. H. Middleton-Wake.<br />
Sir Lewis Morris.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
Miss E. A. Ormerod.<br />
J. C. Parkinson.<br />
Eight Hon. Lord Pirbright.<br />
Sir Frederick Pollock, Bart., LL.D.<br />
Walter Herries Pollock.<br />
W. Baptiste Scoones.<br />
Miss Flora L. Shaw.<br />
G. E. Sims.<br />
S. Squire Sprigoe.<br />
J. J. Stevenson.<br />
Prof. Jas. Sully.<br />
William Moy Thomas.<br />
H. D. Traill, D.C.L.<br />
Mrs. Humphry Ward.<br />
Miss Charlotte M. Yonge.<br />
Hon. Counsel — E. M. Underdown, Q.C.<br />
A. W. X Beckett.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
Egerton Castle.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT<br />
Chairman—H. Eider Haggard.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Martin Conway.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Solicitors—<br />
( Messrs. Field, Eoscoe, and Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields.<br />
[ G. Herbert Thring, B.A., 4, Portngal-street, W.C.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
Secretary—G. Herbert Thring, B.A.<br />
OFFICES: 4, Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.<br />
_A_. IE3. "WJ^TT &c SO 1ST,<br />
LITERARY AGENTS,<br />
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Have now removed to<br />
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Offices of "The Field," "The Queen," "The Law Times," &e.<br />
Mr. HORACE COX, Printer to the Authors' Society, takes the opportunity of informing Authors that, having' a very<br />
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<br />
## p. 177 (#221) ############################################<br />
<br />
XT be Hutbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 8.]<br />
JANUARY i, 1897.<br />
[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 />
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they are officially signed by G. Herbert<br />
Thring, Sec.<br />
THE Secretary of the Society begs to give notice that all<br />
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important communications within two days will write to him<br />
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letter only. i<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 />
FOE some years it has been the practice to insert, in<br />
every number of Tlie Author, certain " General Con-<br />
siderations," Warnings, Notices, &c, for the guidance<br />
of tho 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 clanso 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 attev, j 1 j.<br />
(1.) Not to sign any agreement in which the<br />
duction forms a part. °0st of Pr0'<br />
(2.) Not to give the publisher the power<br />
profits into his own pocket by charging for _,* >,„jf,'n(? the<br />
VOL. VII.<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 tho 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 amount 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 connected with royalties are published in the Author.<br />
Readers can 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 be their maximum. Therefore every<br />
author, for every book, should arrange on the chance 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 arc advised that this is a right, in the<br />
nature of a common law right, which cannot bo 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 =sha be<br />
duly entered.<br />
If these points are carefully looked after, the author may<br />
rest pretty well assured that he is in right hands. At tho<br />
- time he will do well to send his agreement to tho<br />
8 atftry before he signs it.<br />
1 X 2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 178 (#222) ############################################<br />
<br />
178 THE AUTHOR.<br />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
I. "Tjl VERY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
JQj advice upon his agreements, his choice 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 />
w ithout any cost to the member.<br />
2. Remember that questions connected with copyright<br />
and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within the<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple<br />
to use the Society first—our solicitors are continually<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 everything<br />
important to literature that you may hear or meet 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 Society now offers :—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon<br />
them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
->.«<.<br />
THE AUTHOES' SYNDICATE.<br />
MEMBERS are informed:<br />
1. That the Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the business of members of tho Society. That it<br />
submits MSS. to publishers and editors, concludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects accounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the trouble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon which its services can be secured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndicate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That tho Syndicate can only undertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia-<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that nit<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice shonld be given.<br />
6. That every attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in all cases, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence: does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded without notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
leoturcs by some of the leading members of the Society;<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for the sole and<br />
purchase of journals and periodicals; and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wanted" is open. Members are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to tho Manager.<br />
There is an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called npon in any case of dispute or difficulty. It<br />
is perhaps necessary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndicate.<br />
NOTICES.<br />
THE Editor of The Author begs to remind members of the<br />
Society that, although the papor 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 aro willing to write?<br />
Communications for the Author should reach the Editor<br />
not later than the 21 st of each month.<br />
All persons engaged in literary work of any kind, whether<br />
members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate<br />
to the Editor any points oonnected with their work which<br />
it would be advisable in tho general interest to publish.<br />
Members and others who wish their MSS. read are<br />
requested not to sond them to the Office without previously<br />
communicating with the Secretary. The utmost practicable<br />
despatch is aimod at, and MSS. aro read in the order in<br />
which they aro received. It must also bo distinctly under-<br />
stood that tho Society docs not, under any circumstances,<br />
undertake the publication of MSS.<br />
The Authors' Club is now open in its new promises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-court, Charing Cross. Address tho Secretary<br />
for information, rules of admission, &c.<br />
Will members take tho 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 tho<br />
trouble of sending ont a reminder.<br />
Members are most earnestly entreated to attend to the<br />
following warning. It is a most foolish and may bo 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 givo a solicitor the collection of their rents for five<br />
years to come, whatever his conduct, whether he was honest<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 179 (#223) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
i79<br />
or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for a moment when they are asked to sign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five 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 means, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing sums," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the cost of binding<br />
is set down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now stands<br />
at £9 48. The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be procured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
bill is so elastic a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
arrived at.<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 pooket,<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 practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
I. — The Contract op Publication in<br />
Germany, Austria. Hungary, and Switzer-<br />
land.<br />
[By Ernest Lunob, J.U.D. Published for the Society of<br />
Authors.]<br />
THE contracts made between author and pub-<br />
lisher do not come within the provisions of<br />
the German Code of Commerce, apparently<br />
because German legislators did not frame their<br />
definitions of "commercial" contracts in such a<br />
way as to include them, although why they did<br />
not is not very clear. To have done so would<br />
undoubtedly have placed the business arrange-<br />
ments of a publisher with a poet on the same<br />
level as his arrangements with a printer, but the<br />
poet would hardly object to such an association in<br />
the eye of the law, if, as a compensation, the law,<br />
in a condensed, codified, and comprehensive form,<br />
extended to him its protection. In the absence of<br />
such protection, in Germany and in the countries<br />
that have either adopted or followed its commer-<br />
cial code, the author is at the mercy of such prin-<br />
ciples and enactments as may exist outside of the<br />
code, coupled with such special laws as may<br />
have been framed from time to time to suit his<br />
special circumstances.<br />
In this country we have not found jt neces-<br />
sary to institute a commercial code, bm had we<br />
done so, we should hardly have ac^ \ j 0ne<br />
■which provided for the interpretation c<br />
ment of such contracts as the ^0. enf<>rc~"<br />
embraces, and at the same time (J1(j M^aB c°<br />
arrangements so nearly akin to them as those<br />
which a writer makes with the person who is to<br />
perform the more or less mechanical and com-<br />
mercial task of distributing his books. In con-<br />
sequence of the exclusion referred to, Herr Lunge<br />
has had to content himself with the citation and<br />
discussion of extracts from the special enactments<br />
alluded to, where they exist, and from text-books<br />
dealing with the subject in hand. Of such text-<br />
books we Deed hardly say that they are the<br />
works of writers whose authority is recognised<br />
and respected, but is not in any way binding<br />
upon those who preside in courts of law. He<br />
has compiled an interesting little work, technical,<br />
of course, but instructive to those who are<br />
acquainted with the position of English authors,<br />
and who wish to compare it with the conditions<br />
existing in other countries.<br />
As a preliminary to such a study we find a<br />
dissertation on the condition of book-publishing<br />
from the earliest days of literature to the time<br />
when printing from movable types was invented,<br />
and also during and immediately after that<br />
momentous period of its history. In this the<br />
author has had the advantage of studying the<br />
works of German writers who have brought their<br />
usual care and acumen to bear upon the subject,<br />
while they have had, in the case of Roman<br />
literature at least, some foundation upon which<br />
to build their theories.<br />
But it is a far cry from the day when Tryphou<br />
published for Martial to the days when printing<br />
was first invented, and even then, Herr Lunge<br />
points out, questions of authors' rights did not<br />
arise at once in the books produced under the<br />
new circumstances of production.<br />
The early printers turned their attention to the<br />
printing of the great classical works, and the<br />
labours of contemporary scholars were only<br />
rewarded by them when they had engaged them<br />
to revise and emend the texts of bygone genera-<br />
tions. Thus, however, the direct connection<br />
between writers and printers was established,<br />
though it was only a hiring of work by the latter<br />
(such, at least, is Herr Lunge's view), aud it was<br />
followed by the employment of printers by the<br />
authors of the day to produce their works, while<br />
the authors themselves undertook the burden of<br />
publishing them.<br />
The dealings of Martin Luther with the pro-<br />
ducers of his works are cited as types at this<br />
])oint, and among the conclusions arrived at it is<br />
said that "to these types of contract we may<br />
trace the origin of a modern rule, according to<br />
which the authors may control the production<br />
and claim proof sheets, but must bear the cost<br />
e ^reasonably numerous alterations." With<br />
_ajd to this last instance, one is inclined to<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 180 (#224) ############################################<br />
<br />
i8o<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
suggest that were printing and book-writing alike<br />
the inventions of yesterday, and a firm of pub-<br />
lishers discovered to-day, side by side with the<br />
house of an author, we should find the author<br />
to-morrow correcting his own proofs, and the<br />
publisher insisting on his paying if he made too<br />
many "author's corrections." Each is too natural<br />
and obvious a result of their mutual relations to<br />
require media>val ancestry to account for it.<br />
Publishing arrangements without a law of copy-<br />
right, and without a sufficient demand for<br />
literature or a sufficient prospect of profit from<br />
its production, must necessarily have been<br />
primitive; and, to show how slowly modern<br />
methods were developed even after copyright was<br />
recognised, Herr Lunge quotes Goethe, writing in<br />
1824, to the effect that" Fifty years ago a contract<br />
for the future was unimaginable," and he goes on<br />
to point out that in the Prussian Code of 1794<br />
there is no actual provision for the primary<br />
obligation of publishing—namely, that the pub-<br />
lisher should actually produce the work—although<br />
from some passages in the code it seems to have<br />
been taken for granted. Much of this code is<br />
still in force, we are told, while statutes dealing<br />
with publishing have, since been passed in<br />
Austria (1811), in the Canton of Zurich (1853-56),<br />
in Saxony (1865), in Hungary (1875), and<br />
Switzerland (1883); and the relations of author<br />
and publisher have from time to time been<br />
affected by passages in acts dealing primarily<br />
with copyright.<br />
As has been suggested, in considering the<br />
"Contract of Publication/' as Heir Lunge calls<br />
it, it is difficult to get over a feeling that it ought<br />
not to be in any essential point different from<br />
every, or any, other kind of contract. It appears<br />
to be the German view that the court has to<br />
discover what the parties intended when they<br />
came together, and an English lawyer would<br />
hardly dissent from this, although he might look<br />
askance at the 27.8th article of the German Code<br />
of Commerce, which enjoins upon the court the<br />
study of the contracting parties' meaning or<br />
wishes, rather than the exact criticism and<br />
interpretation of what they may have expressed<br />
in writing. That, at least, is how we read the article<br />
in quest ion; but, after all, a contract is a contract all<br />
over the civilised world, and where the parties have<br />
clearly expressed themselves no difficulty need<br />
arise. Where they have not so expressed them-<br />
selves, some people think that special legislation<br />
is needed to assist them; others do not. As<br />
Sir Page Wood aptly said in Reade v. Bent ley,<br />
"agreements between authors and publishers<br />
assume a variety of forms. Some are so clear<br />
and explicit that no doubt can arise upon them,"<br />
while in other cases " it is much to be regretted<br />
that contracts should be framed with such<br />
uncertainty, when it would have been so easy to<br />
make them certain."<br />
Presumably, therefore, the statutes cited by<br />
Herr Lunge, and his quotations from standard<br />
writers, are intended to show the manner in which<br />
German tribunals will fill in the blanks left in<br />
publishers' agreements; blanks which are usually<br />
supplemented in our country by evideuce of<br />
custom, where admissible, while sometimes<br />
implied covenants are sought to be inferred from<br />
the nature of the case, either with or without<br />
evidence of custom to support them. For<br />
example, an English judge might be reasonably<br />
expected to infer that a publisher was bound to<br />
use diligence in procuring the sale of a work that<br />
he had contracted to bring out, while he might<br />
expect evidence of custom before he imported<br />
into an agreement silent on that point an obliga-<br />
tion to distribute copies for review, and to issue<br />
public advertisements of the work; or else he<br />
would require evidence that reviews and advertise-<br />
ments must necessarily be obtained before the<br />
publisher would be said to have done his best in<br />
the matter. In Germany and the other countries<br />
we are dealing with, it seems that such matters<br />
are provided for by statute, as Herr Lunge at<br />
pp. 50-51 refers to sections of statutes of Saxony,<br />
Hungary, and Switzerland, besides citing the<br />
views of Bluntschli, a writer to whom he makes<br />
frequent reference. It is while upon this branch<br />
of his subject that he tells us, that in case of<br />
litigation, the court will appoint experts to<br />
examine whether the publisher made due efforts<br />
to sell the work. On this point he gives as his<br />
authority two German writers, Dernburg and<br />
Stobbe, but possibly owing to the limited space<br />
at his command, does not inform us whether this<br />
power of the court is often made use of, whether<br />
it is of practical utility to the author, or what<br />
machinery is at the command of the court for<br />
enforcing its behests upon the " experts" and for<br />
remunerating them for their trouble. With us,<br />
we need hardly say, the calling of such evidence<br />
would rest with the litigants.<br />
At the commencement of his treatise upon the<br />
existing law, Herr Lunge gives some definitions<br />
which seem to curtail the dimensions of the<br />
subject he treats of almost unnecessarily. At<br />
page 1 y he limits the " contract of publication"<br />
to "the agreement whereby a person acquires<br />
from an author, or his legal successors, an ex-<br />
clusive right to copy a Work of literature or art,<br />
iind engages to procure and publish the copies at<br />
/lis own e.rjjcnsc and risk." Passing over the rest<br />
of this definition, and bearing in mind the last<br />
words of it, we come lower down on the page to<br />
the "essentials of the contract," the third of<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 181 (#225) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
181<br />
which is "publication at the publisher's own<br />
expense and risk " ; while below this we find three<br />
conditions that are described as "not essential,"<br />
and one of these is " that the publication should<br />
take place at the expense and risk of the publisher<br />
alone." What this means we do not clearly see<br />
from the definitions only, but turning to a passage<br />
on the next page we conclude that the publisher<br />
must l)ear some part, possibly infinitesimal (as<br />
there is no definition of how much), of the cost<br />
of production; and it is there definitely stated<br />
that where a publisher contracts to bring out a<br />
book at the author's risk and expense the contract<br />
is not a "contract of publication." This would<br />
exclude such a contract from all provisions of the<br />
law that follow, such as, for instance, the pro-<br />
tection given by the power of the court, already<br />
mentioned, to examine into the amount of diligence<br />
used by the publisher in distributing the work.<br />
In these circumstances one would have expected<br />
Herr Lunge to state under what heading, whether<br />
of commercial contracts or otherwise, publication<br />
at the author's risk falls in Germany, Austria,<br />
Switzerland, and Hungary, even if he did not<br />
consider them to be properly called "contracts of<br />
publication."<br />
After considering the " essentials" of a " con-<br />
tract of publication," Herr Lunge proceeds to<br />
discuss its other conditions in the countries of<br />
which he writes. Under the heading " Nature of<br />
the Right of Publication " we are able to gather<br />
that an express assignment is necessary before<br />
the publisher can be held to have acquired the<br />
copyright in the work, and complete control over<br />
it, or the right of translation, or (in dramatic<br />
works) of public performance. His next headings,<br />
"Work Planned by Another," "Classification of<br />
the Contract of Publication," "Form, Validity,<br />
Construction," "Chief Restrictions," " Exclusive-<br />
ness of the Right of Publication," serve to<br />
emphasise the conclusion that codification and<br />
special legislation do not necessarily, to any great<br />
extent, simplify or make easy the position of those<br />
sought to be benefited.<br />
There are few matters touched on in these pages<br />
which are not in England matters of contract,<br />
either expressed or implied, and in Germany, &c,<br />
they appear, though in many cases their position<br />
as such is specially defined by law, to be as a<br />
rule matters of contract still.<br />
When we come to the next heading," Extent<br />
of the Publisher's Rights," the first few lines<br />
show that we are on less familiar ground.<br />
"The number of editions that the publisher is<br />
authorised to produce is usually fixed by the<br />
contract. But this point is frequently overlooked<br />
in settling the terms of the agreement. L4 ^js<br />
case the right transferred is presumed to<br />
one edition only, and the author's permission is<br />
requisite for every new edition"; while further on<br />
we find that this is not the case in Austria,<br />
where, unless an author has disposed of his work<br />
with a reservation, the publisher has a right<br />
to publish all editions. These and other pas-<br />
sages point to a practice of authors changing<br />
publishers, not on producing a new book, but<br />
during the run of a single work. One can recall<br />
such a thing happening in England, but pre-<br />
sumably it was in such a case a matter of special<br />
arrangement, and a publisher with us who had<br />
accepted and printed a book, even under one of<br />
the loose agreements unfortunately so often<br />
made, would be a little surprised to hear that he<br />
had not the option of continuing to do so, or that,<br />
unless he had conspicuously failed in his obli-<br />
gation, the same book could be passed on to<br />
another. Of "editions " and their limits a good<br />
deal is said at this point, and we notice that in<br />
Saxony an edition is "limited" to 1000 copies,<br />
which presumably does not mean that it may not<br />
consist of a lesser number. Both in this con-<br />
nection and elsewhere we find that German<br />
publishers are apparently, from a legal point<br />
of view, more under control than are their<br />
English brethren; whether they are so in prac-<br />
tice, or whether the inherent strength of their<br />
position enables them to contract out of their<br />
liabilities, we are naturally not told in a book that<br />
is merely an exposition of the law. A pub-<br />
lisher, for instance, may not "stereotype the<br />
work nor have the type standing without the<br />
author's permission or control," which looks as if<br />
the integrity of publishers was not regarded as<br />
capable of resisting the temptation to add sur-<br />
reptitiously to editions lawfully placed on the<br />
market. It is also laid down that the publisher<br />
"may issue no new edition or reprint without<br />
first offering the author an opportunity of making<br />
the necessary improvements," limitations being<br />
imposed to restrict unreasonable demands on either<br />
side.<br />
Besides the points already referred to, we find,<br />
under the heading "Performance by the Pub-<br />
lisher," various questions touched on regarding<br />
the printing, get-up, and general details of the<br />
carrying out of the publishing contract, from<br />
which, again, it seems that the publisher is by<br />
no means his own master where the contract is<br />
silent. They are details which with us would be<br />
included in a "reasonable" performance of the<br />
contract, and would be decided in accordance with<br />
expert evidence called by the parties. One is<br />
inclined, by the way, to wonder whether an obli-<br />
gation " to put the whole manuscript in print and<br />
suppress no part of it," to quote Herr Lunge's<br />
words at page 48, implies that a German pub-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 182 (#226) ############################################<br />
<br />
l82<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
lisher may not elide matter which he is advised,<br />
after the work is accepted, may be r.sented by<br />
somebody as a libel.<br />
Recourse may aga;n be had to expert evidence,<br />
we find, where a doubt has arisen as to the proper<br />
amount to be paid by author to publisher, owing<br />
to none having been fixed beforehand, but the<br />
payment of the author is not necessarily to be<br />
interred merely from the contract of publication<br />
having been entered into. That a fee was intended<br />
to be paid may, however, be shown from the<br />
circumstances in which the parties contracted,<br />
from their previous dealings, from the nature of<br />
the work, or from the fact that the writer is known<br />
to work habitually for money.<br />
The questions affecting the assignment of the<br />
contract are all fully discussed, and may be studied<br />
with interest. Suffice to say, the contract seems<br />
to be regarded in Germany, as in England, as a<br />
personal one, and that in Germany, as in England,<br />
it is highly desirable to provide, in a written<br />
agreement, in the clearest possible way for any<br />
contingencies, such as the death or bankruptcy of<br />
one of the parties. Of bankruptcy Hcrr Lunge<br />
Fays, and we can echo his sentiment: "This<br />
chapter of our subject has neither in theory nor<br />
by casuistry attained a satisfactory development."<br />
A fuller appreciation of the contents of his little<br />
hand-book of the law of our neighbours can be<br />
attained to by those who like to read the book<br />
itself.<br />
II.—Notes on an Agreement.<br />
An agreement issued by a firm of publishers<br />
in printed form has within the last few months<br />
been placed before the secretary of the Society<br />
of Authors more than once for his opinion. It<br />
is an excellent agreement as far as the publishers'<br />
point of view is concerned; but, in case it should<br />
be presented to any other author, it will bo well to<br />
make some few remarks in order to show that it is<br />
not so advantageous to the author. The financial<br />
scale of the agreement is not touched upon in this<br />
article. It is an agreement which appears to be<br />
drawn up especially for the authors of technical<br />
and scientific works. Clause II. runs as follows:—<br />
The copyright in this work and translation b thereof,<br />
including all copyright, foreign and other rights under<br />
existing or future treaties or conventions with America, or<br />
other foreign countries, and under the Canadian Copyright<br />
Act, 1875, and any other present or future Indian or foreign<br />
or Colonial Act, and all rights of translation and reproduc-<br />
tion, and all other Imperial, Colonial, or Foreign rights<br />
which now or during the continuance of the legal term of<br />
copyright shall be or become appurtenant to the proprietor<br />
of the copyright of the work, shall be the property of the<br />
said publishers subject to the payment to the said author<br />
of a royalty of ... in the shilling on the retail price<br />
of all copies of the English edition sold beyond the first<br />
. . . copies, and one-half of any profits that may be<br />
realised from the rights of traLslation and reproduction, or<br />
any other Imperial. Colonial, or Foreign rights which now<br />
or during the continuance of the legal term of copyright<br />
shall be or become appurtenant to the proprietor of the<br />
copyright of the work, or from the sale of early sheets or<br />
stereotype plates of the said work to the United States or<br />
elsewhere.<br />
Provided that if it should be thought advisable to dispose<br />
of copies of the said work, or of the remainder, at a reduced<br />
price, either in England or abroad, which is left to the<br />
judgment and discretion of the said publishers, the royalty<br />
to be paid to the said author is to be calculated on the<br />
amount of such sales, instead of on the retail price of the<br />
book.<br />
It cannot be too strongly pointed out to technical<br />
writers, that is to say writers of scientific, medical,<br />
theological, educational, &c, works, that the sale<br />
of copyright to publishers maybe most disastrous.<br />
It is constantly necessary to bring works of this<br />
character up to date, as new discoveries are made<br />
and new facts come to light. For the author's<br />
reputation it is then necessary that he should be<br />
able to have the control of new editions of his<br />
book. This he cannot possibly have if the copy-<br />
right is in the hands of the publishers. It may<br />
be answered that the publishers for their own<br />
reputation would desire the book to be re-e:lited<br />
by the original author; but as the point is of so<br />
much greater importance to the author than the<br />
publisher, the control should be in the author's<br />
hands. It is possible also to conceive a case<br />
where the publisher might want to run a book<br />
from the pen of a younger and perhaps more<br />
popular author on the same subject. Possessing<br />
the copyright he could do so to the detriment of<br />
the first author and his work. In any event it<br />
should not be left in the power of the publishers<br />
to act as they like in the matter. Further, the<br />
publishers may if they choose sell the book at a<br />
reduced price (see clause), and the royalty is to<br />
be calculated on the net amount of such sales.<br />
A bond fide remainder sale is clear, but who is to<br />
determine what is a reduced price? The question<br />
is delightfully vague. With regard to this clause,<br />
then, it must be repeated that the sale of the<br />
copyright is absolutely prejudicial to the author's<br />
position. In addition he transfers all rights of<br />
translation, reproduction, and foreign rights.<br />
These rights, if they are purchased at all, are<br />
generally purchased by foreign agents by merely<br />
writing to the English publishers, and the ques-<br />
tion is rather one of agents' thau publishers' work.<br />
A great deal has been written in The Author<br />
about agency charges by publishers for this kind<br />
of work. It is merely necessary to repeat that 50<br />
per cent, seems a very large proportion to pay for<br />
work which an agent will do for 10. In Clause III.<br />
the whole general management, production, publi-<br />
cation, and reprinting is left to the judgment of<br />
the publishers, and the author finally binds him-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 183 (#227) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
self to allow the publishers to make any terms or<br />
refuse any terms with regard to translations, Ac.,<br />
that they choose. As the publishers have asked<br />
for the whole copyright in Clause II., it is only<br />
natural from their point of view that they should<br />
ask for the whole management of the book in<br />
Clause III.; but even if the author has sold every<br />
right that he possesses, it would be as well if the<br />
publishers were compelled to contract so as to<br />
produce the book only in a certain form and at a<br />
certain price. It is certainly probable that the<br />
book would be produced in the best style, but<br />
these matters should not be left undetermined.<br />
There might at some future date be a transference<br />
of the copyright to another house, and it would<br />
then be impossible for the author, unless there<br />
was a clause in the agreement to that effect, to<br />
have any control over the manner of production<br />
of his book.<br />
Why, too, should the publishers be allowed to<br />
refuse terms for foreign sale, translation, Ac.?<br />
This is a natural corollary on the sale of the<br />
copyright, and only further emphasises the disas-<br />
trous effect of such sale.<br />
The copyright has been sold to the publishers.<br />
There is nothing from the author's point of view<br />
in the agreement to prevent the publishers alter-<br />
ing the book, abridging it, or otherwise dealing<br />
with it, so long as such alteration or abridgment<br />
does not constitute a libel on the author's literary<br />
reputation. Such a libel is an exceedingly<br />
difficult and variable quantity to ascertain. A<br />
clause ought to be inserted, whenever the author<br />
is rash enough to place all his copyrights in the<br />
publishers' hands, that the book should continue<br />
to be published without alteration except with the<br />
sanction of the author, and always with his name<br />
attached.<br />
It nrast be repeated that the sale of the copy-<br />
right, in the case of technical books, may prove in<br />
the long run a most ruinous step for the author<br />
to take.<br />
In a subsequent clause the author under-<br />
takes, in consideration of the royalties reserved,<br />
to edit new editions of the work and to bring the<br />
book thoroughly up to date. For this he is<br />
"•ffered no fresh remuneration, but, putting this<br />
question aside, the great objection to the clause as<br />
it stands, is that the publishers are not in any<br />
way bound to ask the author to re-edit the book,<br />
although the author binds himself to do so if<br />
asked. There is a lack of reciprocity. This<br />
point is of the utmost importance, as no author<br />
would care to have his book re-edited, when he<br />
would be able to undertake the task, bv anv<br />
gentleman whom it might suit the publishers'<br />
whim to ask. The publishers' answer to thi8 as<br />
in all these matters, is, of course, that they ^ ' 11<br />
VOL. VII. "^u<br />
not think of doing anything contrary to the best<br />
interests of the book. This may or may not be,<br />
and the definition of "best interests " from the<br />
publishers' point of view may be, nay often is,<br />
opposed to the author's definition. Examples<br />
prove this true, but, whether true or not, such<br />
frank surrender should not be allowed in a legal<br />
document.<br />
There are some other minor difficulties in the<br />
same agreement, which are chiefly the outcome of<br />
the transference of the author's copyright.<br />
Clause IX., which is an account clause, is objec-<br />
tionable in that a book published in the month of<br />
January would have the accounts rendered at<br />
Midsummer and the royalties under the agree-<br />
ment paid in December, so that the publishers<br />
would retain the author's money and obtain<br />
substantial interest on the same in the working<br />
of their business for over nine months. In the<br />
second rendering of the accounts (they are<br />
rendered annually on the same dates, as already<br />
stated) they hold the same advantage of the<br />
author's money for nearly eighteen months.<br />
This practice of retaining the author's money for<br />
so long a period is, of course, very convenient for<br />
the business of a large house, and may represent<br />
a considerable increase in the profit.<br />
Publishers are at liberty to offer whatever<br />
agreements they think fit to an author, but what<br />
the Society maintains, and rightly, is that the<br />
author should have a full explanation of the<br />
consequences of signing such document set before<br />
him.<br />
Any member who chooses can by inquiry<br />
at the Society's Office have full particulars on<br />
this case. li_ G. H. T.<br />
III.—Pitts r. George.<br />
Considerable difficulties attend the recent<br />
judgment of the Court of Appeal in the im-<br />
portant copyright case of Pitts t». George<br />
(see The Author for December), in which<br />
Lord Justice Lindley and Lord Justice Rigby,<br />
dissentiente Lord Justice Lopes, overruled the<br />
judgment of Mr. Justice Kekewich in the Court<br />
below. Although the decision does justice<br />
between the parties, it seems very doubtful<br />
whether it is legally correct, and whether, in their<br />
desire to prevent an obvious injustice, the judges<br />
have not disregarded the plain words of a statute.<br />
The facts were very simple. The plaintiff was<br />
the assignee of the English copyright in a piece of<br />
music called "La Fileuse," by Joachim Raff,<br />
which was first printed and published in Leipzig,<br />
in November, 1870. The defendant bought, in<br />
October, 1895, at Brussels fourteen copies of this<br />
piece of music which had been printed in Leipzig,<br />
and imported them into this country for sale. An<br />
v<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 184 (#228) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
injunction was claimed by the plaintiff. By the<br />
ioth section of the International Copyright Act of<br />
1844 it is in substance provided that all copies of<br />
books, wherein there is any subsisting copyright<br />
under that Act, or any Order in Council made<br />
thereunder, "printed or reprinted in any foreign<br />
country except that in which such boohs were first<br />
published" are absolutely prohibited to be impor-<br />
ted into any part of the British Dominions except<br />
with the consent of the registered proprietor of<br />
the copyright, and may be seized by the Customs<br />
officers ; and it is further provided that, in respect<br />
of the importation of such copies or of copies<br />
•unlawfully printed in any place whatsoever, an<br />
action on the case lies at the suit of the registered<br />
proprietor of copyright. It is obvious, therefore,<br />
that, if this section stood alone, the plaintiff in the<br />
case under discussion would have possessed no<br />
remedy, because the infringing copies were law-<br />
fully printed in the place where the work was<br />
originally printed and published. But the 3rd<br />
section of the Act of 1844 provides that all the<br />
enactments of the Copyright Act of 1842 are to<br />
apply to books included in the order under the<br />
International Act in the same way as if such<br />
books were first published in the United Kingdom,<br />
and the Court of Appeal has now decided that, by<br />
virtue of the 15th and 17th sections of the Act<br />
of 1842, the plaintiff was entitled to succeed in<br />
the face of the ioth section of the Act of 1844<br />
above referred to.<br />
The effect (put very shortly) of the 15th and<br />
17th sections of the Act of 1842 is the following:<br />
By the 15th section no person in any part of<br />
the British Dominions is to print copies of a<br />
book in which there is subsisting English copy-<br />
right, nor to import any copies so having been<br />
unlawfully printed from parts beyond the seas,<br />
the remedy being an action on the case. By the<br />
17th section no person is to import into any part<br />
of the British Dominions, a book first composed<br />
or printed and published in any part of the United<br />
Kingdom and reprinted in any country or place<br />
whatsoever out of the British Dominions, and<br />
copies so imported may be seized by any officer of<br />
Customs or Excise.<br />
The 15th section obviously does not touch the<br />
case in hand, and if the 17th section applies, the<br />
provisions of section 10 of the Act of 1844 must<br />
be disregarded, which is the effect of the decision<br />
of the Court of Appeal. This seems open to<br />
criticism, mainly upon two grounds:<br />
(1.) If the decision is correct the ioth section<br />
of the Act of 1844 is absolutely nugatory, because<br />
every remedy thereby provided is available under<br />
the Act of 1842.<br />
(2.) The Act of 1844 is an international<br />
statute, whereas the Act of 1842 is an English<br />
statute, and it is a strange conclusion that inter-<br />
national rights are to be defined, not by the<br />
International Act itself, but by reference to an<br />
English Act.<br />
Moreover, it is quite possible to give effect to<br />
the incorporating section of the Act of 1844<br />
without disregarding the ioth section of that<br />
Act, by holding that all provisions of the English<br />
Act other than those which deal with international<br />
rights are to apply to books included in the Inter-<br />
national Act.<br />
No doubt this will work great injustice in cases<br />
such as the present, but this is by no means an<br />
unique instance of an unjust result due to slovenly<br />
draftmanship of Copyright Acts, and it is not<br />
difficult to see how the error arose. The drafts-<br />
man of the Act of 1844 probably had before him<br />
the Act of 1842, and thought he would amalgamate<br />
sections 15 and 17, the result produced being the<br />
ioth section. It was observed, that, by the 17th<br />
section of the Act of 1842, there was no right to<br />
seize a book imported unless reprinted in some<br />
place out of the British Dominions, and hence no<br />
doubt the exception was introduced into the ioth<br />
section in favour of books lawfully printed in the<br />
place of original publication. This seems to be<br />
a simple explanation of the error, but the remedy<br />
should be found, not in applying a highly strained<br />
and (it is submitted) incorrect construction to the<br />
Act of 1844, but in remodelling the copyright<br />
statutes, which are generally admitted to be in a<br />
hopeless state of confusion.<br />
B. A. Cohen,<br />
11, King's Bench Walk.<br />
IV.—Savage v. Neely.<br />
The fraternity of writers has found a champion<br />
in Col. Richard Henry Savage, who for the last<br />
six months has been waging war in the courts<br />
against his publisher, F. Tennyson Neely. Col.<br />
Savage first sued for an accounting under a<br />
royalty contract as to number of books printed<br />
and sold, to whom sold, and the amounts received<br />
therefor, the number of books on hand, and of<br />
damaged books returned, and the amounts of alJ<br />
charges and claims against the defendants and<br />
the nature of the same, and on an appeal to the<br />
Supreme Court, Appellate Division, obtained an<br />
order for the complete production of all papers,<br />
and also an order for the fullest personal exami-<br />
nation of the defendant before trial, all the books<br />
and vouchers being in his (Neely's) possession.<br />
On Sept. 2, 1896, Mr. Neely refused to produce<br />
the printing bills and complete set of account<br />
books as called for, claiming that the bills were<br />
mislaid or stolen; whereupon Judge Roger A.<br />
Pryor ruled him guilty of contempt of court in<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 185 (#229) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
not producing these necessary papers, and<br />
assigned the trial of his contempt only to Referee<br />
N. H. T. Melliss.<br />
This trial has had fifteen hearings, the defen-<br />
dant being forced by the court to pay all the<br />
expenses as a part punishment, and in early<br />
December a decision of the referee 'will determine<br />
the gravity of his adjudged contempt. Judge<br />
Pryor denied a motion to try the whole case on<br />
its merits before a referee, and the personal<br />
examination of the defendant will be resumed<br />
until everyone of the so-called missing or stolen<br />
papers has been accounted for, and every charge<br />
of the publisher's one-sided accounts verified on<br />
oath by the production of papers. The main<br />
accounts of Mr. Savage's eleven novels seem to<br />
have been kept on certain loose sheets which<br />
appear and disappear at convenient times. The<br />
main trial on the whole issue will occupy a year or<br />
more, and be heard in open court.—From the<br />
American Authors' Guild Bulletin.<br />
V.—Exaggeration or Authors' Rights.<br />
(From Das Recht der Feder, a fortnightly journal of the<br />
German " Sohriftsteller Genossenschaft."<br />
Amongst the "Observations on the Berne<br />
Congress," which we find in the supplement<br />
of the Allgemeine Zeitung, those have particu-<br />
larly interested us which describe the exten-<br />
sion of authors' rights, asserted to be demanded<br />
by the Berne Congress, as going too far, and<br />
as amounting to "exaggerations which would<br />
lead to the application to copyright of the<br />
ideas of property peculiar to Roman law; ideas<br />
which are in effect foreign to modern views of<br />
property, and have no status in Germany."<br />
We wish to reply to this, at once, and plainly,<br />
that there exists no question at all of an exagge-<br />
ration of authors' rights, but only one of an<br />
extension of time during which the author<br />
■would receive benefit from his work ; and that<br />
this is what this remarkably officious ebullition<br />
attacks, because a compliance with the wishes<br />
of the Congress "would lead to making the<br />
profits of intellectual labour, for an exaggeratedly<br />
long period, a source of inheritance beneficial<br />
exclusively to the family which had the accidental<br />
good fortune to be directly descended from some<br />
celebrity, whilst the public were, for an equally<br />
long period, hindered from the enjoyment of his<br />
works."<br />
This allegation makes it plain that the officious<br />
writer had more especially in view the draft* of<br />
George Maillard, who recommended that the<br />
duration of copyright should be extended to<br />
eighty years after the death of the author.<br />
•See The Author, Nov. 1896, p. 140. (Translator'* . \<br />
vol. vii. "riote.;<br />
In consequence we must conclude that this<br />
proposal does not meet with the approval of our<br />
Government, and we will ourselves admit that<br />
we are not uneasy about it, because the proposal<br />
is not one of any importance. The proposal<br />
arose merely out of a feeling that the Congress<br />
should labour for a uniformity of legal enact-<br />
ments respecting copyright. And, indeed, copy-<br />
right is a matter exceptionally adapted for inter-<br />
national codification; though a uniformity of<br />
enactments respecting it can be brought about<br />
only by means of compromise.<br />
A glance at the various enactments respecting<br />
the duration of copyright at present in force<br />
suffices to show how multiform they are.<br />
A smaller group of countries measures the<br />
duration of copyright from the date of publica-<br />
tion : Greece, fifteen years; Hawai, twenty; the<br />
United States, eighteen; allowing an extension<br />
of fourteen years; Turkey, forty; Holland and the<br />
South African Republic, fifty. Italy secures the<br />
author, besides an absolute copyright of forty<br />
years, a percentage, payable to the author or his<br />
heirs, during another forty years.<br />
The other States give the author protection for<br />
the duration of his life, and for a certain period<br />
afterwards reckoned from his death. Thus Eng-<br />
land gives seven years, with a minimum duration<br />
of copyright for forty-two years; Roumania, ten<br />
years ; Denmark, Germany, Luxemburg, Austria,<br />
Switzerland, thirty years; Belgium, France,<br />
Monaco, Tunis, Finland, Hungarv, Norway,<br />
Russia, and Sweden, fifty; Spain, eighty.<br />
Of these two systems of determining the<br />
duration of copyright, that which fully protects<br />
the author during his life, and reckons the further<br />
duration of protection from his death, seems<br />
the more practical. The reckoning is based upon<br />
universally known dates, whilst the other plan<br />
necessitates the introduction of registration. And<br />
Maillard's proposal, for this reason, adopted this<br />
system of reckoning. The countries in which it<br />
prevails, if we except England, Roumania, and<br />
Spain, fall into two groups. One of them gives<br />
protection for thirty, the other for fifty years after<br />
the author's death.<br />
Any one wTbo, like Maillard, was aiming at<br />
uniformity, must perceive that to extend the<br />
benefits conferred by legislation is easier than to<br />
diminish them. The group of countries which<br />
give fifty years protection, would hardly be dis-<br />
posed to abridge the limit. On the other hand<br />
the group of countries which give thirty years<br />
protection have already, in the example of those<br />
which give fifty, a good argument for approving<br />
of an extension of their limit; every limit of<br />
time being in itself nothing more than an arbi-<br />
trary enactment. Only two things are perfectly<br />
t2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 186 (#230) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
logical and consistent—either an absolute refusal<br />
of any protection, or a perpetual protection. In<br />
an arbitrary enactment the choice of this limit of<br />
time or that must be indifferent. It would be,<br />
therefore, a practical way of choosing to select<br />
that limit, which has the greatest prospect of<br />
being generally accepted. That is the limit of<br />
fifty years.<br />
Maillard in his draft took the longest term of<br />
protection at present existing, that of Spain.<br />
But in his study of comparative law at the<br />
Dresden Congress, he, on the contrary, proposed<br />
a uniform limit of fifty years. The proposal in<br />
his draft therefore refers simply to the position<br />
of the author's successors after his death; and<br />
we shall not regard it in any other light. But<br />
we cannot imagine what could lead any reform of<br />
the German law of copyright (unless it was to be<br />
absolutely subversive, instead of completely final)<br />
to reject the fifty years duration of protection,<br />
However, this officious writer informs us that<br />
"the family which has the accidental good fortune<br />
to be directly descended from some celebrity,<br />
would enjoy the fruits of his intellectual labour<br />
for an exaggeratedly long period, which is con-<br />
tradictory to modern legal sentiments."<br />
The social democrats and socialists will prick<br />
up their ears when they hear that. So, by-and-<br />
by, when thirty years after the death of the<br />
testator, landed proprietors are, by the national<br />
Legislature, deprived of the estates and tenures<br />
which they have inherited, and the holders of<br />
shares and stocks deprived of the property which<br />
has come to them in the same way, we authors<br />
shall have nothing to say against it, seeing that<br />
our copyrights are treated in this same manner.<br />
But so long as material wealth can be bequeathed<br />
exempt from all molestation, so long as the idea<br />
of property held by the Roman Law is tolerated<br />
by "the modern legal sentiment," in the case of<br />
every other sort of possession, so long we shall<br />
be unable to perceive why the author should be<br />
robbed of the intellectual fruits of his labours.<br />
This officious writer informs us, however, that<br />
this is because "the public advantage to be<br />
derived from intellectual works would be ham-<br />
pered."<br />
So, if Cotta* had to pay a honorarium to the<br />
surviving heirs of Schiller or Goethe, or if the<br />
Royal Theatre had to hand over a percentage<br />
for performances of "Faust," or "Tell," then<br />
Tom, Dick, and Harry would be hampered in<br />
their enjoyment of these intellectual productions.<br />
Certainly not! Tom, Dick, and Harry would<br />
have long ago had an opportunity, at school, to<br />
enjoy these intellectual productions, more or less.<br />
* The well-known German publisher. (Translator's note.)<br />
In the literary club they would have made some<br />
further acquaintance with them, and, as people<br />
who occasionally seek amusement in the theatre,<br />
they would there have indulged themselves<br />
further in the same enjoyment. All that would<br />
probably happen would, be that they would not<br />
have bought the "complete works " from Herr<br />
Cotta if he had not brought down his prices. That,<br />
at the same time would be a matter of no impor-<br />
tance, so far as the popularity of the works were<br />
concerned. It is not the size of the edition that<br />
popularises a work, but the warmth with which it<br />
is received. Notwithstanding the cheapness of<br />
the collected editions. I myself possess neither a<br />
complete Goethe nor Schiller. And as a fact I<br />
would never buy one of these cheap editions. But<br />
I will bet that I know more of Schiller and<br />
Goethe than thousands of people who have placed<br />
their " collected works" upon their bookshelves<br />
merely on account of their smart bindings, or for<br />
the sake of winning a repiitation for literary<br />
tastes. The numl)er of copies of a book sold has<br />
nothing to do with its reception by the nation.<br />
The nation assimilates the intellectual treasures<br />
of its great authors in many ways independent of<br />
mere reading. If the high price of a book deters<br />
people from purchasing it, there are still lending<br />
libraries, which give the reader what he wants for<br />
a small price. And there are public libraries,<br />
which meet the needs of those desirous of educat-<br />
ing themselves without any payment at all.<br />
But if any one is really of the opinion that<br />
cheap editions popularise the enjoyment of<br />
intellectual treasures, it is not thereby demon-<br />
strated that the lapse of copyright is necessary to<br />
make such editions possible. The honorarium<br />
paid the author has a very small influence upon<br />
the cost of the book. We have very cheap books<br />
which have brought their authors very large<br />
profits, and expensive books for which the authors<br />
have never received a single farthing. The price<br />
of a book depends upon the edition which it is<br />
possible to sell. Small editions, a high price;<br />
large editions, a small price; that will always be<br />
the rule. The publisher who has perceived that<br />
a book will sell well, will not hesitate for an<br />
instant about placing a cheap edition in the<br />
market, because lie will earn more by the wide<br />
sale than he can by disposing of smaller editions<br />
at a higher price.<br />
In consequence, the duration of the copyright,<br />
that is to say the prolongation of the duty of<br />
paying a honorarium, neither hinders an<br />
intellectual work from making its way to the<br />
heart of the nation, nor the production of cheap<br />
editions of the work. Thus the arguments for<br />
limiting the author's right to a given period fall<br />
entirely to the ground. This is also the more<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 187 (#231) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
true because, in point of fact, it i.s not the public<br />
that are benefited, but only those industrial<br />
classes who work intellectual productions for<br />
their personal commercial profit. They are<br />
presented with what is stolen from the authors.<br />
If it be, however, resolved that certain advan-<br />
tages attach to the practice of leaving the<br />
publication of books to the competition of the<br />
publishers, or the production of dramatic works<br />
absolutely free to the directors of theatres (as is<br />
done in Switzerland), the Italian law demon-<br />
strates that this by no means prevents the<br />
author's rights from being so far recognised that<br />
he, or his heirs, may receive a certain percentage<br />
from the commercial profits, even after the actual<br />
term of copyright his expired. Piracies and<br />
pieces upon which no percen ages have to be<br />
paid, are not put upon the boards with the aim of<br />
advancing the cultivation of the nation, nor in<br />
the interests of art, but simply with an intention<br />
of filling the manager's pockets. And the mere<br />
fact that the newer literary and dramatic produc-<br />
tions have to suffer sensibly from the advantage<br />
taken of these privileges, granted to the book<br />
trade and the theatre at the expense of the<br />
author, should be one more reason for extending<br />
in some rational manner the present duration of<br />
copyright, The period of fifty years can be<br />
justly demanded, and justly granted. M. H.<br />
VI.—Dramatic Representation in Italy.<br />
The following extract from our Italian con-<br />
temporary / Diritti d'Autore, the official organ<br />
of the Italian Society of Authors, which has just<br />
reached us, may interest some of our readers :—<br />
"Humbert I.,<br />
by the grace of God and the will of the nation<br />
King of Italy.<br />
"Seeing that the tenth article of the Act<br />
respecting the authors of intellectual works of<br />
Sept. 19, 1892, No. 1012 (3rd series), fixes at<br />
eighty years the duration of the author's rights<br />
of works intended for public representation, of<br />
ballets, and of all musical compositions, and<br />
appoints that this period shall be calculated from<br />
the day of the first representation or of the publi-<br />
cation of the work;<br />
"Since the musical work 'II Barbiere di<br />
Siviglia,' by Gioachino Rossini, was represented<br />
for the first time on Feb. 16, 1816, and that in<br />
consequence it will, in accordance with the terms<br />
of the fore-mentioned article of the law, become<br />
public property on Feb. 16, 1896:<br />
"Since the Musical Lyceum of Pesaro is to a<br />
great extent supported by the income which it<br />
receives from the performance of the aforftmeii-<br />
tioned opera, and that this income will cease<br />
upon the work's becoming public property, thus<br />
impeding the maintenance of this noble institu-<br />
tion, founded by the munificence of the immortal<br />
Gioachino Rossini:<br />
"Whilst reserving ulterior arrangements of a<br />
more general nature respecting the reform of the<br />
law of Sept. 19, 1892, which are to be placed<br />
before the National Parliament . . . .;<br />
"We decree—the lapse of the copyright,<br />
appointed by article 10 of the law of Sept. 19,<br />
1892, No. 1012 (3rd series), is, in the case of the<br />
opera 'II Barbiere di Siviglia,' by Gioachino<br />
Rossini, prorogued for two years, to be reckoned<br />
from Feb. 16, 1896."<br />
• •••••*<br />
On this decree / Diritti d'Autore makes the<br />
following observations:—<br />
The period of eighty years of the copyright of<br />
"II Barbiere di Siviglia," bequeathed by Rossini<br />
to the Musical Institute of Pesaro* expired on<br />
Feb. 16 last; and the honourable Barazzuoli,<br />
prompted by this fact, and urged by the repre-<br />
sentatives of the institution in question, as well as<br />
by other persons of influence, conceived, in con-<br />
sequence, an idea of proposing certain radical<br />
alterations in the copyright law.<br />
In the meantime, in order that the institute at<br />
Pesaro should not lose its rights to the work, the<br />
Minister obtained a Royal Decree, of the date of<br />
Feb. 10 last, by which the duration of the copy-<br />
right was extended for two years, or, more<br />
strictly speaking, the time during which the<br />
"Liceo " at Pesaro will be able to receive fees for<br />
the performance of " D Barbiere di Siviglia."<br />
It may be seriously doubted whether this pro-<br />
vision is strictly regular, or to be defended, if<br />
regard be had to the institutions of the country.<br />
It would be difficult to justify a Government<br />
which, without reference either to Chamber or<br />
Senate, promulgated a law whose whole scope was<br />
to benefit a single individual, no matter whether<br />
that individual be a person or an individual<br />
institution, by conferring on the individual rights<br />
which the existing laws did not sanction, whilst<br />
all the other citizens, who found themselves in<br />
precisely similar circumstances, were excluded<br />
from these benefits, even after the law has been<br />
made.<br />
A case altogether similar with that which<br />
occasioned the Royal Decree in question, recently-<br />
occurred in Austria, after the death of Richard<br />
Wagner. The Austrian law, of Oct. 19, 1846,<br />
accorded to the heirs of an author a copy-<br />
right of ten years only, for the representation or<br />
performance of a dramatic or musical work; the<br />
* Rossini's native town.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 188 (#232) ############################################<br />
<br />
188<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
time being reckoned from the death of the author.<br />
In consequence, the rights of the widow and sons<br />
of Wagner lapsed in Austria on Dec. 31, 1893,<br />
at a time when the repertoire of the celebrated<br />
master was still in great demand at all the<br />
theatres.<br />
Remonstrances were on all sides addressed to<br />
the Austrian Government, with the aim of<br />
averting so gross an injustice, and on April 26,<br />
1893, a general laic was published with the assent<br />
of the two Chambers of the Empire, by which<br />
the copyright of dramatic representation was<br />
prolonged for all authors for two years beyond<br />
the period fixed by the law of Oct. 19, 1846. The<br />
only persons excepted were the managers to whom<br />
authors had ceded the right of representation for<br />
the whole period accorded by the previous law.<br />
This was the provision made in favour of the<br />
family of Wagner. His works were not to<br />
become public property in Austria before they<br />
did so in Germany and other States. But this<br />
provision was made by a general enactment,<br />
extended to all the inhabitants of the empire<br />
who might find themselves in a similar situation.<br />
Afterwards, by the new Austrian law respecting<br />
authors' rights in works literary, artistic, and<br />
photographic (Dec. 20, 1895, s. 43), the duration<br />
of copyright was extended to thirty years after<br />
the death of the author.<br />
On the other hand, our Royal Decree of Feb. 10,<br />
1896, does not accord with the third article of<br />
the statute, which directs the legislative power to<br />
be exercised by the King and the two Chambers<br />
collectively. It is a law ud personam, and this<br />
may much weaken the good effects of the inten-<br />
tions that directed it.<br />
We know, in fact that the Court of Reports,<br />
united in session on Feb. 13 last, determined that<br />
the Royal Decree should be registered with a<br />
reservation of its presentation to Parliament to<br />
be converted into law.<br />
NOTES FROM ABROAD.<br />
IT is a curious circumstance about Norwegian<br />
litterateurs that they invariably take the<br />
first opportunity of leaving their fatherland,<br />
however great may be the enthusiasm which they<br />
display in writing of it in verse or prose. Of<br />
Ibsen's long self-imposed exile we all know.<br />
Bjornson is very rarely in Norway, in despite of<br />
all his patriotism. In fact, he told me at<br />
Thommessen's dinner that he never felt really at<br />
home outside of Rome, that Rome was the ideal<br />
home for the brain-worker, and that this was his<br />
conviction in spite of the fact that he has lived<br />
many years in Paris, for which it is generally<br />
claimed that it is the ideal dwelling-place for the<br />
artist; an opinion also held by Mr. Jonas Lie,<br />
the novelist, who spends his life there, with<br />
occasional excursions into the. forest of Fontaine-<br />
bleau. Bernt Lie, his nephew, on the other hand,<br />
who is also a novelist, sticks to Christiania, and<br />
maintains that there is no city in the world to<br />
compare with it. But Wilhem Krag, the young<br />
poet, dramatist, and novelist, who is Bernt Lie's<br />
friend, has Christiania in holy horror, and flies to<br />
Paris or Rome whenever funds permit. His work<br />
is very excellent, and he is looked on in Norway<br />
as the man of the future.<br />
I hear that the Verdens Gang is publishing, or<br />
is about to publish, Kipling's "Captains Coura-<br />
geous." To judge from its opening chapters, it is<br />
a story which will suit the Norwegians down to<br />
the ground, fishing: deep seas, boats, and strong<br />
and hairy men. "We hanker after action," said<br />
an editor to me, and indeed the thumb-twiddling<br />
pessimists of Christiania and elsewhere preach in<br />
the desert in their own country. Nansen and his<br />
crew have glorified action, and it is deeds, not<br />
mental phrases, that the Norwegians want to hear<br />
about.<br />
For the last two months the Verdens Gang, in<br />
the absence of Mr. Thommessen, has been run by<br />
three men alone. It is a daily paper, appearing<br />
twice a day. This will show that the Norwegian<br />
journalist has to work for his living, and hard.<br />
Competition is so keen, the public so small, adver-<br />
tising so cheap, that expenses have to be kept<br />
down. Even as it is worked, the profits of the<br />
Verdens Gang, the principal Left paper in Nor-<br />
way, cannot exceed .£4000 a year.<br />
Mr. Thommessen, the editor, is a remarkable<br />
man, a born journalist, who holds amongst<br />
Scandinavians the position held by Henri<br />
Rochefort in France. He is a writer of equal<br />
ability and an editor of great enterprise. He was<br />
first to publish Nanseu's telegram, and paid<br />
1000 kroners for the privilege. His version<br />
contained much more matter than the one<br />
published in England. He has the best writers<br />
in Norway attached to his paper—Gunnar<br />
Heeberg, for instance, writes his dramatic<br />
criticisms. He gives an illustrated interview<br />
each week, which is written and illustrated by<br />
Christian Krogh, who is the first painter in<br />
Norway, and who writes with the wit and the<br />
verve of a boulevardier. The Verdens Gang is<br />
the only paper in Christiania which appears on<br />
Monday morning; the other editors observe the<br />
Sabbath by not working on that day, whence<br />
no paper on Monday morning. Thommessen<br />
proposes shortly to bring out a Sunday edition<br />
also, for he says it is needed. He is one of the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 189 (#233) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
189<br />
best-hearted men living, a bon viveur and a<br />
delightful talker. One is very glad to hear that<br />
he has recovered from a very serious illness, which<br />
at one time threatened to be fatal.<br />
I am very sorry to hear of the death of Paul<br />
Arene, at the age of fifty-three. Many of us in<br />
Paris had a very high opinion of Paul Arena's<br />
work, and not very long ago Jean Richepin wrote<br />
in Le Journal to point out, with all his force and<br />
fire, what high claims were his to a seat in the<br />
Academy. Arene led a Bohemian life, and seemed<br />
to have a preference for the Latin quarter, but<br />
his talents were bright to the end. He will be<br />
missed in the republic of letters, for he was a<br />
sincere man and his art was sincere, and that is,<br />
now-a-days, a rare thing, when the prccieu.v ridi-<br />
cules rule the roast.<br />
French authors seem to be asking very ridiculous<br />
prices for the English rights of their books. I<br />
met a translator a day or two ago who complained<br />
to me that it was impossible for him to get hold<br />
of any French books for translation purposes,<br />
because of the absurd prices which were being<br />
demanded. He mentioned that one second-rate<br />
novelist had asked ,£800 for the English rights<br />
of one of his recent works, and there were other<br />
demands in proportion.<br />
Francois Coppee is so sympathetic a man that<br />
one is delighted to hear that he is at last achieving<br />
popular success as a novelist also. Of his last<br />
novel, "Le Coupable," more than twenty-four<br />
editions were ordered before publication, and it is<br />
selling well still.<br />
The ways of the Official Receiver in England<br />
are peculiar. A novelist of my acquaintance has<br />
recently received a demand from such an official<br />
for a sum of over £5 for corrections. The cor-<br />
rections were on a novel published by the bank-<br />
rupt firm for which the receiving was being<br />
effected. The amusing part is that the author<br />
had never received a penny of the substantial<br />
sum to which, under his contract with this firm,<br />
he was entitled.<br />
I have been reading Paul de Kock's " Memoirs"<br />
of late, and very interesting have I found thorn.<br />
The book is full of amusing anecdotes, mainly<br />
literary. There is one story about a dramatic<br />
author called Martainville which sounds incre-<br />
dible, but is vouched for by the writer. Martain-<br />
ville was a man of great talents, but, like many<br />
such, had little liking for work. He had been com-<br />
missioned by the manager of the Gaite The .Ire<br />
to write a pantomime, but could never be induced<br />
to bring the book. One day he was very hard up<br />
and went to ask the manager for a "bit on<br />
account" of the contract. The manager refused,<br />
saying that it was his experience that " jjjjg on<br />
account" never produced any work. "fi^, „ gai<j<br />
he, "bring me two acts at the end of the month<br />
and I'll pay you .£20 in advance." "You shall<br />
have them in ten days," said Martainville. In<br />
ten days he arrived with a roll of paper under<br />
his arm, untied the packet, and commenced<br />
reading. The manager and his partner were<br />
delighted. The dialogue was witty in the<br />
extreme, the songs and lyrics sparkling, and<br />
the situations most effective. "We shall<br />
have a run of 300 nights," said the manager,<br />
when the two acts had been read, "if the rest<br />
is as good." "Give me my 500 francs," said<br />
Martainville, tying up his packet. "Here you<br />
are. Bring the rest as soon as you can." "All<br />
right, bon jour." After Martainville had left, the<br />
manager opened the packet to have another look<br />
at the manuscript. The packet consisted of blank<br />
paper; there was not a line of writing to be seen.<br />
Martainville had improvised the whole two acts<br />
as he stood there. It was not till six months<br />
later that he supplied the written play. The<br />
manager found it very inferior to the improvi-<br />
sation.<br />
Robeet Harborouoh Shebabd.<br />
NEW YORK LETTER.<br />
New York, Dec. 15, 1896.<br />
GEORGE HAVEN PUTNAM, whose firm<br />
has for a great many years made a<br />
speciality of books on economic science,<br />
in conversation the other day about the recent<br />
Election, said that it not only made an<br />
enormous demand for campaign literature proper,<br />
but greatly increased the sale of standard books,<br />
even of the most serious kind. For instance,<br />
William A. Shaw's "The History of Currency"<br />
sold during the summer by hundreds. What<br />
interested Mr. Putnam, even more than the effect<br />
of the Election on the sale of books, was the effect<br />
of books on the result of the Election. The con-<br />
ditions here, he said, were so unlike those in<br />
England, that the whole method of reaching the<br />
pubhc was different. In the publication of<br />
economic books he has always limited himself to<br />
those in the doctrines of which he believes, and he<br />
takes a strong interest in their effect on the<br />
people. To have a book reach the provincial<br />
papers in England, he said, was a comparatively<br />
simple thing. If it was reviewed in the Times,<br />
the Daily Telegraph, the Daily News, and a<br />
few other London papers, it was seen over the<br />
whole of Great Britain, whereas, however fully a<br />
book might be noticed by all the papers in New<br />
York, it would not reach Arkansas and Texas at<br />
all. Therefore one of the ways the publisher<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 190 (#234) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
takes to reach the remote parts of the country is to<br />
give copies of his books to the correspondents in<br />
New York who write letters on the literature<br />
of the day to hundreds, or even thousands, of<br />
paj>ers throughout the country. Another method<br />
is to give to the editorial writers, who sometimes<br />
mention the books in their editorials; and still<br />
another means, of growing importance, is to give<br />
to college instructors. The demand for books on<br />
economic subjects from the colleges is rapidly<br />
increasing; every course in history and political<br />
economy has a long list of reference books to be<br />
consulted by the students in connection with the<br />
regular text books of the course, and in these<br />
lists lies a large opportunity for the publisher.<br />
Books are also given to the committees of political<br />
societies, and during the Election an enormous<br />
amount of missionary work was done in this way.<br />
Mr. Putnam himself was a member of the litera-<br />
ture committee of the Chamber of Commerce.<br />
He said that from all this work there is to the<br />
publisher no very direct return, but that the reward<br />
does come in the end through the increased de-<br />
mand for sound economic books. The second<br />
volume of Mr. Putnam's "Books and their<br />
Makers during the Middle Ages," which is just<br />
appearing, deals in its closing chapters with<br />
privileges, censorships, and legislation in Italy,<br />
Germany, France, and England, and with the<br />
development of the conception of the literary<br />
property. Another book of immediate interest<br />
to New York, which has the question of trans-<br />
jjortation for one of its most difficult problems,<br />
is the 89th number of the "Questions of the<br />
Day" series, " A General Freight and Passenger<br />
Passage," by James L. Cowles.<br />
The Bill to stop dramatic piracy, which has<br />
passed both houses of Congress and seems almost<br />
certain to become a law at this Session of Congress,<br />
gives much satisfaction to our dramatic authors<br />
and managers, although they wanted more than<br />
it gives them. The effort to secure legisla-<br />
tion to prevent country companies from stealing<br />
plays has been carried on for years against the<br />
most discouraging indifference of Congress and<br />
the public. The probable final success ■ is one of<br />
the signs of the gradual education of the country<br />
to the truth that the people have rights even in<br />
the productions of their brains. William Gillette,<br />
prominent here as a writer of plays as well as an<br />
actor, said to me the other day that the attitude<br />
of almost everybody in Congress was: "The<br />
people like to see your play. The more com-<br />
panies that give it the more widely it is seen.<br />
What is the sense of passing laws to keep it<br />
from being played'(" Against such elementary<br />
opinions it has been almost hopeless to contend.<br />
Mr. Gillette also emphasised what has been felt<br />
by writers for a long time, that the right to<br />
collect damages for piracy and the right to get<br />
an injunction are no protection at all in the small<br />
places, because the men who produce the plays<br />
are so irresponsible that a judgment would be<br />
worthless, and because the injunctions have held<br />
only in the district where they were issued, so<br />
that when a manager is forbidden by the court to<br />
produce a play at any one-night stop, he simply<br />
appears before the curtain and says to the<br />
audience that another play will be given instead,<br />
and then he passes on to the next town and gives<br />
the pirated drama, unless an injunction is also<br />
waiting for him there. The present Bill pro-<br />
vides that the injunction of a Federal court may<br />
be enforced in all parts of the country. The Bill<br />
is not as stringent as the laws of England and<br />
France, and the dramatists and managers wished<br />
to have a violation of the copyright laws made a<br />
misdemeanour, but in that they failed. Mr.<br />
Charles H. Hoyt, the manager and playwright,<br />
said that he had lost 250 dollars a week on one<br />
play, "The Texas Steer,'' on royalties, simply<br />
because the pirate company had stolen the piece<br />
and gone into the territory where his company<br />
was to appear. The stealing was so shameless<br />
that press clippings were frequently sent to him<br />
inviting him to go and see the pirate performance<br />
if he wished to learn how the play ought to be<br />
given. Sometimes the pirates would take both<br />
the play and the name; sometimes only the play,<br />
and sometimes only the name. The trouble is<br />
mainly in this country, but not entirely. Mr.<br />
Gillette said that a friend of his recently in<br />
London stepped into a small theatre to see a play,<br />
the name of which was unfamiliar to him, but he<br />
soon found himself at a representation of Mr.<br />
Gillette's best-known drama, "Held bv the<br />
Enemy."<br />
The Chicago literary atmosphere loses a good<br />
deal this year from the absence, not only of<br />
Hamlin Garland, who is in New York, but of<br />
Henry B. Fuller, who shares with him the first<br />
place in Chicago, and who is going to spend the<br />
winter in Italy. He made his reputation at one<br />
step by the publication of a novel, " The Chevalier<br />
of Pensieri-Vani," which succeeded on account of<br />
its delicate reproduction of the Italian atmosphere,<br />
although all the author knew of Italy had been<br />
gained in Chicago. A recent addition to the new<br />
literary set of Chicago is Mrs. E. W. Peattie, the<br />
author of a book of short stories called " A Moun-<br />
tain Woman," who has just come there to live<br />
from Omaha. A few months ago Eobert W.<br />
Herrick, a Harvard graduate of 1890, returned<br />
from his first European trip to take up his work<br />
at Chicago University. The Scribners will soon<br />
publish his first novel; they have already j>ub-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 191 (#235) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
191<br />
lished a number of short stories. During his<br />
college days he was looked upon as the most<br />
thorough Eastern member of his circle in temper,<br />
ament and prejudice, but, like many of our young<br />
literary men, he has felt the charm of Western<br />
possibilities, and his work has improved rapidly<br />
under their influence. He came back this fall<br />
from Europe feeling only upset and confused by<br />
what he had seen there, and willing to settle down<br />
for a long time to do literary work with Western<br />
material.<br />
Copelaud and Day have just published a book<br />
of verse by a class-mate of Mr. Herrick's,<br />
Herbert Bates, who went to the Far West to teach,<br />
but could never suit himself to his environment,<br />
and has now returned to New York. He<br />
expressed his longing for the East in the title of<br />
his book, " Songs of Exile," a pretty volume, one<br />
of the attractive "Oaten Stop" series in which<br />
these young publishers are giving expression to<br />
the minor poets of the country, many of whom<br />
deserve to be heard, at least for a moment. Mr.<br />
Bates is among the best of them, without a strong<br />
voice, but with a sweet one. Speaking of the<br />
rather surprising number of young poets from<br />
west of the Mississippi, the Nation in its last<br />
issue said, " There is a steady supply, from what<br />
may be called the Bryan region of the country, of<br />
poetic volumes which have a certain promise and<br />
a certain pathos. There is in them a genuine<br />
love of nature, with a fair amount of local<br />
colouring in that respect. There is a good deal<br />
of the romance of domestic antiquity; of The<br />
Old Farm and The Clock that Father Used to<br />
Wind. There is also a good deal ot James<br />
Whitcomb Riley. There is much of encourage-<br />
ment in them, however, to the patriotic and<br />
patient spirit, which is checked only when they<br />
occasionally strike a false note and indulge in<br />
rhapsodies about 'dead Guenevere' and 'a<br />
glove of mauve.' The same paper pointed out<br />
that the faults of these Western minor poets are<br />
mainly in the direction of turgidity, but the<br />
Eastern States, with less of that, have more of<br />
the kind of affectation which is usually borrowed<br />
from the French.<br />
The increasing interest in school matters all<br />
over this country during the last few years finds<br />
an illustration in the fact that for the first time<br />
one of our most distinguished men of letters has<br />
undertaken to get out an edition of a text-book.<br />
George E. Woodbury, equally eminent as a poet<br />
and as a critic, edits Tennyson's "Princess"<br />
for use in the schools, in the series of English<br />
classics which Longmans, Green, and Co. are<br />
publishing under the general direction of pr0.<br />
lessor George R. Carpenter, who has secu^j ag<br />
editor for each book a man of some position rfhe<br />
VOL VII.'<br />
same firm is about to begin a series of books on<br />
the practical workings of the functions of State<br />
and society, with especial reference to American<br />
conditions and experience, entitled " The American<br />
Citizen" series, to be under the editorial direc-<br />
tion of Professor A. B. Hart, of Harvard, who is<br />
himself to contribute the volume on "Actual<br />
Government as applied under American Con-<br />
ditions." Norman Hapoood.<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
EEADERS will find, in .the Correspondence<br />
of the Month, a letter by "Annabel<br />
Gray," in which a general charge is<br />
brought against the Press. It is that good<br />
reviews can be, and are, purchased by advertise-<br />
ments. The Author receives and publishes letters<br />
of every kind from writers—even when these<br />
letters betray prejudice or ignorance. It may be<br />
that a certain number of people do hold the<br />
absurd belief that a great paper is influenced by<br />
the money spent in its columns. Let the belief<br />
be spoken out, not whispered. The sooner such<br />
an opinion is published the better. Those who<br />
know anything about a great daily paper, and<br />
especially those who have from time to time<br />
written critical papers for its columns, know per-<br />
fectly well that the question of advertisement<br />
never enters into the reviewer's mind at all, and<br />
cannot possibly do so, because he knows nothing<br />
about the advertisements. The book is given to<br />
him, and he is entrusted with the simple responsi-<br />
bility, without any other consideration whatever,<br />
of giving his critical opinion on the work.<br />
Among the schemes of the Reverend Brooks<br />
—" poor minister and author "—was a Home for<br />
Authors and a "National Bureau of Social Life<br />
and Literature." Neither scheme has succeeded.<br />
The Home for Authors was intended, we pre-<br />
sume, to be conducted on much the same lines<br />
as that other home on the Battersea side<br />
for decayed, unsuccessful, and strayed dogs.<br />
There would be a lethal chamber in it, at the<br />
service of any inmate after the lapse of so many<br />
days. A Home for Authors! For what authors?<br />
The young—the hopeful—the old—the hopeless<br />
—all would probably crowd into it. A thousand<br />
pities that so useful an institution could not be<br />
taken up. Now that Mr. Brooks has failed, I<br />
venture to commend it to the committee—the<br />
Publication Committee—of the Society for the<br />
Promotion of Christian Knowledge. They could<br />
maintain their authors in such a Home on econo-<br />
s<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 192 (#236) ############################################<br />
<br />
192<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
mical principles—porridge is nourisliing and<br />
cheap—such as would allow a still further<br />
retrenchment of prices; and the lethal chamber<br />
would be a most comfortable retreat for them.<br />
As for the "National Bureau of Social Life<br />
and Literature," one is staggered at the immen-<br />
sity—the audacity—of the conception. Social<br />
Life and Literature! Does it mean to meet the<br />
Regius Professor of History, and a dance small and<br />
early? Does it mean dinners at which the authors<br />
of the "penny dreadful" v. ill sit with and between<br />
the highest aristocracy of the land? Indeed,<br />
one knows not what was meant by this great<br />
philanthropist. Perhaps he may yet succeed in<br />
establishing his National Bureau.<br />
I am very sorry to learn that the Guild of<br />
Literature and Art is to be wound-up. A<br />
history of the society, extracted from the Daily<br />
Chronicle, will be found on another page. Why<br />
did the society fail? There were several reasons.<br />
In the first place its managers could not make<br />
people understand that literary and artistic folk<br />
may be very clever, and may even provide the<br />
world with the greatest possible delight, but may<br />
at the same time be very poor, may break down<br />
prematurely, may be most deserving of a pension.<br />
The efforts they made to persuade people to this<br />
effect proved useless. They had to face the<br />
prejudice, which still exists, that literary and<br />
artistic people are thriftless—that they receive<br />
immense sums, that they spend everything on<br />
oranges and skittles, and that to help them is a<br />
foolish waste of charity. Better help the stupid<br />
poor than the clever poor. Then the possible<br />
recipients of the pensions, seeing how small was<br />
the amount collected, lost interest and belief in<br />
the Guild, and gradually withdrew. Out of their<br />
slender funds the trustees have from time to time<br />
made small grants, doing, in fact—in a small way<br />
—the work of the Royal Literary Fund. Now the<br />
money has to be divided between the Royal<br />
Literary Fund and the Artists' Benevolent Insti-<br />
tution. It is a pity that our society is not to<br />
receive the whole. An Association which has run<br />
up the value of literary property so enormously<br />
surely does more for Literature than one which<br />
helps authors in need, and has already abundant<br />
funds for the purpose.<br />
There has been an interesting little discussion<br />
in the Daily Chronicle which involves nothing<br />
less than the right (?) of a publisher to alter the<br />
words of an author or a translator. It is most<br />
important than this question should be settled by<br />
the Courts. Mr. Lee's case, remained like a<br />
famous tale, half told. 1 trust that the<br />
Committee, whenever they get such a case, will at<br />
once bring an action and have it tried. In the<br />
case before us the facts are not denied. Mr.<br />
Alfred Sutro had arranged with Messrs. Henry<br />
for a translation of Maeteriinck's "Seven<br />
Princesses" for this year's "Pageant." He did<br />
the work; submitted it to M. Maeterlinck, who<br />
made certain corrections; and sent it in. When<br />
the book came out he found that his translation<br />
had been altered everywhere: sentences put in;<br />
sentences struck out in the proof, re-inserted; yet<br />
his name still appearing as the translator. The<br />
answer is that the translator had not said that his<br />
work was approved by the author, and that an<br />
"expert" was put on to restore the original text.<br />
The rejoinder to this, however, is that neither<br />
publisher nor editor has the right to alter a word<br />
of a signed paper or a signed work. And this is<br />
the point which we wish to get estabbshed. If<br />
the law gives the publisher or editor such a right,<br />
we should have to contract out of that right. It<br />
does not appear that the alterations were made in<br />
anything but good faith and in the desire to be<br />
accurate, so that the only question in the case is<br />
the right of the publisher or editor to alter or add<br />
or omit anything in a signed paper.<br />
Mr. R. W. Gilder has been talking about the<br />
work of an editor. To be the editor of a great<br />
monthly magazine, I have always thought, must<br />
be to occupy a most laborious and difficult post.<br />
A magazine is a receptacle for every kind of<br />
rubbish: one has to wade through the rubbish in<br />
order to pick out the good work which may be<br />
lying in the midst of the pile. To read MSS. all<br />
day long would be to some men simply madden-<br />
ing. But the old-fashioned notion that a maga-<br />
zine must be made up wholly of voluntary contri-<br />
butions is being gradually abandoned. The best<br />
and most popular magazines are those whose<br />
contents are carefully arranged beforehand; and<br />
the most successful editor is no longer the man<br />
who can most readily discuss literary worth, but<br />
the man who can tell beforehand what the public<br />
want to read about and knows where to get it.<br />
And the magazine filled with voluntary contribu-<br />
tions just thrown in is nowadays on the down-<br />
ward grade. ^<br />
In the last century there was a magazine which<br />
knew what people wanted to read, provided it for<br />
them, and flourished mightily in consequence.<br />
This was the Town and Country Magazine.<br />
The proprietors, or the editor, saw that people<br />
desired to read about fashion and the world of<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 193 (#237) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
'93<br />
fashion: that they also desired to read about the<br />
scandals and the amours of the great world.<br />
Therefore the readers of this magazine were pre-<br />
sented every month with a paper called "Bon<br />
Ton," in which were narrated the love passages<br />
of two pretended personages, accompanied by<br />
imaginary portraits. These articles were fur-<br />
nished for more than ten years, month by month,<br />
by a certain Count Carracciole, of whom I know<br />
nothing more. He died in 1792; his continuator<br />
failed in making the portraits re*l, and the<br />
magazine toppled and fell. Yet the circulation<br />
had reached 16,000. It is the same thing to-day.<br />
The magazine which studies the tastes of its<br />
readers, whether they are cultured readers or the<br />
reverse, gets on. oi_<br />
Mr. Cecil Clarke sends a letter on paying for<br />
the first book. What he says is much to the<br />
point. It is useless to argue with a man who<br />
has a poem or a novel which he wants, above all<br />
things, to publish. He wants a chance—the<br />
chance of being heard. It is no use warning him<br />
that he will only lose his money; it is no use<br />
pointing out to him the truth, that printing his<br />
book will not give him the chance, becau e, in all<br />
probability, no one will buy the book ; no one will<br />
order it ; no one will read it. A poetic friend of<br />
mine, some thirty years ago, paid for the publica-<br />
tion of his poems. It cost him about ^£30. There<br />
was a contemptuous notice of it in half a dozen<br />
lines in one paper only. The number of copies<br />
sold to the public was three. Did that man get<br />
his chance of being heard? Printing, observe, is<br />
not publishing, as those who pay for the printing<br />
of their books generally discover.<br />
I have been reading in a paper called Hearth and<br />
Home a very clever vindication of her own posi-<br />
tion by a lady who acts as critic for that paper.<br />
Miss Frances Low, the lady in question, who signs<br />
her paper, lays it down as a rule which people<br />
ought to understand, viz., that opinion is not<br />
criticism. A reader says, "I like this book."<br />
Very well: why do you like it? What are your<br />
standards of criticism? Why should anyone be<br />
influenced by your opinion? Miss Low says,<br />
"The average reader is no more competent to<br />
express any criticism of any value on literature<br />
than the average spectator on art." This is per-<br />
fectly true, but it is impossible to persuade people<br />
that it is true, and that their opinions are valueless.<br />
A literary critic, she goes on, must possess "taste,"<br />
which is the same thing as saying that a musical<br />
critic must possess an ear. Now, "taste'.' cannot<br />
be got by any amount of thought, but it may be<br />
cultivated by study of the great masting of<br />
literature—by long study, and, as I ventu <> to<br />
think, by personal attempt and effort. For<br />
instance, it stands to reason that there must be<br />
always something wanting in the art criticism of<br />
a man who does not know by actual personal<br />
experience the difficulties of drawing and paint-<br />
ing; the way that effects are produced, the<br />
real triumph over difficulties. So the literary<br />
critic who has never essayed to build the majestic<br />
ode or the tragedy, or even to construct and write<br />
a story, can certainly never do full justice to the<br />
result where the writer has actually achieved his<br />
intention, nor can he find out where the difficulties<br />
have proved too great for the artist. There are<br />
two difficulties in the way of Miss Low's teaching<br />
being accepted. First, the fact that some editors<br />
still believe that the office-boy is as good as any-<br />
body else for the post of critic, whether of<br />
literature, art, music, or the drama. The other<br />
difficulty is that the individual opinion will still<br />
continue to guide the world. Quoth one to<br />
another, " I like this book." Then the other reads<br />
it, and likes it too. And so the book is handed<br />
on, and the writer gets into vogue and the voice<br />
of the critic is unheeded.<br />
I have often thought that the critic ought to<br />
take into account, as a factor in the case, the<br />
popularity, or the reverse, of the author. Why<br />
does one writer achieve popularity at a bound and<br />
another fail altogether—other things being appa-<br />
rently equal. Miss Low, it appears, has spoken<br />
of a certain unnamed writer as theatrical, false,<br />
and vulgar. Yet he is popular. Why? Because<br />
he is theatrical, false, and vulgar? Those who<br />
admire him do not recognise these qualities in<br />
him. They are attracted by other qualities—else<br />
why are there so many books, theatrical, false, and<br />
vulgar, which fail utterly? and why are there so<br />
many books, neither theatrical, false, nor vulgar,<br />
which succeed? It is surely the duty of the com-<br />
plete critic to explain popularity or attractiveness.<br />
Is it the style? Perhaps. The popular book is a<br />
book which may or may not be those three<br />
adjectives; but it must have the power of charm-<br />
ing by way of presentation, by brightness of<br />
dialogue, by reality, by vividness. The writer<br />
must believe in his book or his readers will never<br />
believe in it. Is there not also something of the<br />
personal element? In poetry, the drama, fiction,<br />
one sees the writer behind the page, and if he<br />
reveals a pleasant, genial, generous personality, his<br />
readers speedily get to love him, and through him<br />
his books. But these remarks are only submitted<br />
for the consideration of the complete critic.<br />
The Manchester Guardian, in calling attention<br />
to the numbers of books of 1895 as published in<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 194 (#238) ############################################<br />
<br />
194<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
last month's Author, takes exception to the<br />
classification which enables Germany, France, and<br />
Italy each to show double the number of new<br />
books that Great Britain or the United States<br />
has produced. It is an exception which must be<br />
recognised. The number of new books ought not<br />
to contain every little pamphlet, reprinted article,<br />
and degree thesis that passes muster in these<br />
three countries for a book. In fact, if we reckon<br />
as books only those which appear in the daily list<br />
of a few newspapers—which is, indeed, all that we<br />
need reckon, for the rest are books which are not<br />
lx>oks—the yearly list of all books in Great<br />
Britain is very much smaller in number than<br />
that given in The Author, viz., 6516. I propose<br />
this year, beginning with Jan. 1, to have a list<br />
compiled from the London daily papers alone<br />
which will give all the books of the least<br />
importance as literature. Such things as trade<br />
lists, pamphlets, &c, " books that are no books,"<br />
as Charles Lamb said, will not appear; nor will the<br />
schoolgirl goody books appear, even as juvenile<br />
fiction. I think that in this way we may arrive at<br />
a greatly improved list of our own books: at the<br />
same time it will become still more difficult to<br />
compare this list with that of Germany.<br />
Mr. George Putnam's estimate as to the readi-<br />
ness and ease with which a book can be brought<br />
to the notice of the people in England (see " New<br />
York Letter," p. 189) will hardly be accepted by<br />
those who have studied the question in this<br />
country. He says that if a book was " reviewed<br />
in the Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Daily<br />
News, and a few other London papers, it was seen<br />
over the whole of Great Britain." Nothing of<br />
the kind. Certain London papers do, as a rule,<br />
go over the whole country, to clubs and country<br />
houses, but they certainly do not reach the people.<br />
The local papers must be used in order to reach<br />
them. The true way to put it is that if the<br />
people are to get hold of a book it must be intro-<br />
duced to them by the local papers, reviewed by<br />
the local papers, advertised in the local papers;<br />
and I do not think there is very much difference<br />
in this respect between Bolton or Wipan and<br />
Arkansas. It would, however, be interesting to<br />
know how many copies of the great London<br />
papers do get beyond twenty miles of London,<br />
not including those taken by hotels and clubs.<br />
Mr. Gladstone's views on the collection and<br />
buving of books must be interesting, if only for<br />
the lengthened period during which he has been<br />
a collector. In his recent letter to Mr. Quaritch<br />
on the subject (Academy and Times) he says<br />
that he has bought about 35,000 volumes.<br />
Among the books in his possession he mentions a<br />
copy of Hannah More's "Sacred Dramas," given<br />
to him by the author in 1815, when he was only<br />
six years of age; a copy of Hallam's "Constitu-<br />
tional History" in quarto, given him bv Arthur<br />
Hallam; early and original copies of Scott's<br />
novels; and a collecti m of Prayer Books with<br />
suggested alterations—there are thirty of them,<br />
and not one in a second edition, yet the publica-<br />
tion of the book no doubt made the improver<br />
extremely happy. Mr. Gladstone complains that<br />
the binding of books is dearer than it was when<br />
he was young, and not so good. Perhaps that<br />
is so, but the improvement in bookbinding, both<br />
in artistic taste—materials, colour, decoration—<br />
and in the case of opening a book, has been<br />
enormous. Many quite cheap books are now<br />
turned out in a style not possible ten years ago.<br />
He says that book buyers have immense advan-<br />
tages over their predecessors in accessibility and<br />
cheapness; that the secondhand trade has been<br />
enormously increased; and that the " public spirit<br />
of many publishers" has been in favour of book<br />
buyers. Here Mr. Gladstone seems to confuse<br />
things. It is quite true that the buying of new<br />
books is much cheaper than it was fifty years ago.<br />
At the present moment six shillings is the favourite<br />
price for the book of essays, of imagination, of<br />
criticism. This six shillings means four shillings<br />
and sixpence: because publishers are beginning<br />
to find out that it is better to trust the public<br />
than to confine themselves to the libraries.<br />
In another five years the 4*. 6d. book will have<br />
become 3s. 6d.; in five years after that 2*. 6d.<br />
But as regards the buying of secondhand books,<br />
which is the point considered, there may be more<br />
shops, but there are fewer bargains. Secondhand<br />
booksellers are not only more numerous, but they<br />
are also more learned in their trade. The two-<br />
penny basket no longer contains treasures; if a<br />
man has got a valuable book he has had to pay<br />
for it. However, it is pleasant to find the veteran<br />
of book collectors talking pleasantly about his<br />
hobby.<br />
Miss Ellen T. Masters, of 4, Mount-avenue,<br />
Ealing, has received the following sums on<br />
behalf of Mrs. Eliza Warren since the publication<br />
of the last list, and a total of <£6o 16s. id. has<br />
now been reached :—<br />
£. «. d.<br />
Beard, Mrs o 5 o<br />
C. H. S. (per Editor<br />
of the Epicure)... 050<br />
Kelly, C. A. Esq.... 1 1 o<br />
Eitton, Miss (2nd<br />
donation) .. o 5 o<br />
£. s. d<br />
"Rachel " (per Miss<br />
Bowsell) o 10 6<br />
Walker, Mrs 1 o o<br />
Whiteley, W., Esq.<br />
(per Miss Bowsell) 050<br />
Walter Besant.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 195 (#239) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
THE BOOKSELLEBS' GRIEVANCES.<br />
AHINT or two may be useful, showing how<br />
these things are managed abroad. Also<br />
there is one particular hardship of the<br />
British booksellers which so far has not been<br />
mentioned.<br />
1. There are no discount hooks abroad. It was<br />
stated in The Author the other day that the<br />
discount book must continue, because the public<br />
would never give 6*. for a book they can get at<br />
4*. bd. It stands to reason that the public<br />
prefer the cheap book to the expensive one, and<br />
it is in the interests of national education that<br />
books should be cheap, but why not call a spade<br />
a spade? Is it not a foolish, even a hurtful<br />
pandering to that love of a bargain which works<br />
such mischief in other directions, if the buyer is<br />
allowed to imagine he has the book he wants<br />
cheaper than it is really worth f If it is to be<br />
sold at 4«. bd., then advertise it at 4*. bd. This,<br />
at any rate, is done abroad.<br />
2. The German publisher allows the bookseller<br />
a uniform trade discount of 33 per cent. Of the<br />
4*. bd. book, therefore, the German bookseller has<br />
not fourpence, but eighteenpence for his own<br />
share. Obviously it is worth his while then to<br />
lay himself out for the sale of books.<br />
3. Publishers allow him other facilities, notably<br />
that, as a rule, he is not expected to run any risk;<br />
they allow him as many copies as he asks for " on<br />
sale," there being a general annual settling time<br />
between publishers and booksellers in Germany,<br />
after the great Leipzig Book Fair, more correctly<br />
called the annual conference of the trade. Unsold<br />
copies go back to the publisher, he only requiring<br />
such to be returned in good condition.* Of<br />
course there are exceptions; a publisher may<br />
announce certain books for cash down only, but<br />
they are the exception.<br />
4. Publishers and booksellers in Germany enjoy<br />
the same social position. I have seen a pub-<br />
lisher's circular addressing the booksellers as<br />
"Gentlemen Colleagues," and not in mere phrase<br />
only. Both are Buchhiindler alike, the former<br />
being the Verlags-Buchhilndler (publishing or<br />
issuing book-trader) the latter the Sortiments-<br />
liuchkindlcr (retail book-trader) — they are<br />
neither more nor less than "booksellers" both of<br />
them, with a common interest; and both are<br />
* It should perhaps be noted that the German Parcels'<br />
Post carries ten pounds weight for sixpence all over the<br />
Empire, and for threepence within fifty miles, which<br />
facilitates the constant transmission of books between pub-<br />
lishers and booksellers. A publisher need not always wait<br />
till his books come back; he may call them back from 0. slow<br />
neighbourhood and send them where he knows the*, ia a<br />
demand. re w<br />
educated men, educated with a view to the real<br />
knowledge of books.<br />
5. Under this system the German publisher<br />
does not need to do mu:h advertising. He issues<br />
his circulars to the retail booksellers whose busi-<br />
ness it is to make books known; and they make<br />
them known, each bookseller in his own locality—<br />
not by "Pears' Soap" advertisements, but by<br />
personal interest. Here the country bookseller,<br />
unable to make a living, is almost a defunct<br />
species; in Germany every little country town<br />
has a well-stocked bookshop, the new books laid<br />
out in the window.<br />
6. The German bookseller has no need, like his<br />
confrere here, to eke out a living by Christmas-<br />
cards and knick-knacks, not even by means of<br />
stationery. The stationer in Germany does not<br />
sell books. The only articles you ever find in a<br />
German Bttchhandhmg, besides the books, are<br />
photographs and engravings: and these not<br />
always. A Buchhandlunr/ is sacred to books; on<br />
entering it, though it be a "shop," you enter an<br />
atmosphere of literature, a library in fact; and<br />
you would nev. r accost the salesman before you<br />
otherwise than as a gentleman, viz., as a man of<br />
the culture which befits him. You hardly ever<br />
find more than two or three customers at a time<br />
in a Gtrman Biichhnndhtny, these having a<br />
chance then of being properly attended to, both<br />
in their own interest and (if one may say so) in the<br />
interest of books in general; if so minded, they<br />
can have no end of information, often valuable<br />
information, at the bookseller's hands. Here, if<br />
you want a book (especially at Christmas time<br />
when authors would like their books to ba w^ll to<br />
the fore), you find yourself cheek by jowl with a<br />
jostlin; crowd of buyers of Christmas-cards and<br />
fiddle-faddles, the poor book being lucky if it<br />
gets in edgeways. Men are what we make them,<br />
and is it likely the British bookseller (a few<br />
exceptions, of course, taken for granted) will ever<br />
rise to the true interests of literature, so long as we<br />
allow him to make his real living by means of<br />
stationery, flower-vases, and pretty trumpery<br />
which catches the eye? To the trumpery he<br />
will, he must, d vote his energies, for it is his<br />
living.<br />
7. As to the practical results of the foreign<br />
system, the German bookseller, as a rule, is a well-<br />
to-do man; and publishers have never been known<br />
to starve, not even in the Fatherland. German<br />
authors, as a class, certainly have not yet awakened<br />
to the defending of their interests as British<br />
authors have. Authors' honorariums often are<br />
poor in Germany j for the matter of that, they<br />
can be poor here. Of my own personal experi-<br />
ence I am able to state that even as a beginner I<br />
have had 12 and 15 per cent, royalties in Germany<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 196 (#240) ############################################<br />
<br />
196<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
for my own work, and 20 per cent, for transla-<br />
tions, concerning which I acted for a well-known<br />
English author. These translations have sold in<br />
many editions, leaving one the satisfaction that if<br />
the publisher had his fair gain, the booksellers<br />
certainly had theirs (one-third of the published,<br />
i.e., nett price), author and translator at the same<br />
time not going empty away. I know for a fact<br />
that the booksellers in the case of these transla-<br />
tions have been most active, and there was never<br />
any advertising worth mentioning.<br />
The other day I happened to want a certain<br />
five-shilling book. The book is issued at a certain<br />
place in the City; but, of course, if I want any<br />
book I am not going to spend eightpence on even<br />
a third - class railway ticket and additional<br />
omnibus, besides the wear and tear to one's<br />
health and clothes, not to mention trouble and<br />
time. I go to a bookseller, giving him my order,<br />
and—such is human heedlessness—I never for a<br />
moment think of the eightpence I am inflicting<br />
on him. Of course, if he be a thriving bookseller,<br />
enjoying the chief custom of the locality, he may<br />
have half a dozen, or a dozen orders together with<br />
mine, and the eightpence falls into proportion.<br />
But what of the small stationer, who also would<br />
like to live?<br />
This is what happened the other day. I gave<br />
my order to a small bookseller, having a fancy<br />
for the humble shop where any additional order<br />
is a godsend. •' How soou can I have the<br />
book?" I asked thoughtlessly. "To-morrow<br />
evening," says the obliging stationer. Accord-<br />
ingly the following evening I looked in for my<br />
book. It had just arrived, i.e., a parcel had just<br />
been brought from the City by the stationer's own<br />
messenger, containing two other books besides<br />
mine. "It is a five-shilling book," I said, "and<br />
I think, nett." In order to make sure, the<br />
stationer produced the invoice, and, being a<br />
simple person, even showed it to me.<br />
"So you make sixpence on this book for your-<br />
self?" I said, " this is interesting."<br />
"Yes," says the stationer; "but only because<br />
it is a nett book." In fact the stationer's earnings<br />
on the three books in that parcel were tenpeuce.<br />
"And you have sent to the City for that, spend-<br />
ing eightpence on fares, leaving you twopence on<br />
these three books for sole gain?"<br />
"Yes; and if the books had all three been<br />
discount books,* we should have been out-of-<br />
pocket—we often are."<br />
* This being the point. The above-named five shilling<br />
book being a special publication should not, one would hope,<br />
stand as an example; surely nett priced books, few and far<br />
between though they are, are calculated to leave to the<br />
bookseller more than 10 per cent't The point here is that<br />
three discount books can leave a bookseller out-of-pocket.<br />
Now, surely this is iniquitous, and this is how<br />
the system works with small booksellers. They<br />
take your order for a book, though it leaves them<br />
a loser, their one hope being that you may require<br />
a packet of notepaper at the same time, or be<br />
caught with some fancy article on the counter<br />
you do not really want. A bookseller in the<br />
same locabty—and it is a populous, even supposed<br />
to be a literary, neighbourhood—who for a couple<br />
of years has tried to live by books solely, has just<br />
shut up his shop, having "failed."<br />
Is it in authors' interests, or, indeed, is it in<br />
the interests of literature, that this state of things<br />
should continue?<br />
Hints have been thrown out in the Author now<br />
and again that authors might rise independent of<br />
the present system. And why should they not?<br />
In that social state of the future which, as some<br />
think, sooner or later must evolve out of present<br />
confusion, the State, in the interest of the nation,<br />
will be sole purveyor of literature. There are<br />
unconscious beginnings of this in Germany even<br />
now; the State even now in Germany, by means<br />
of the Imperial post-office, being almost sole dis-<br />
tributor of newspapers, and largely of periodicals.<br />
You leave your orders at the nearest post-office,<br />
and your daily papers, or weeklies and monthlies,<br />
are brought to you by the postman with your<br />
letters. To be sure, this might end in dispensing<br />
with the booksellers rather than with the pub-<br />
lishers, which is not at present aimed at; yet it<br />
shows how throughout a vast country matters<br />
can with advantage be simplified in the hands of<br />
one agency. It does away, at any rate, with one<br />
great nuisance familiar in British streets, where<br />
half-starving boys and girls, nay, men and women,<br />
are permitted to cry their lungs out through fair<br />
weather and foul, in order to make a wretched<br />
penny or so, for perhaps an hour's crying. News-<br />
paper proprietors become miUionaires with the<br />
assistance of this voluntary labour on their<br />
behalf; the heedless public get their papers free<br />
of distributing charge; the ragged street news-<br />
vendor going to the devil. In the hoped-for state<br />
of the future, poor folk who now half starve for<br />
our convenience would find something better<br />
to do.<br />
In the meantime why should not an association<br />
like ours, of over a thousand men and women,<br />
make a beginning towards a better state of<br />
things? being our own publishers, and seeing<br />
to justice all round. Authors have the grandest<br />
of all callings in being the educators of the<br />
public mind. Why should we not, as a<br />
Society, set about it, having a care that books<br />
be cheap as well as good, produced and sold by<br />
fair play?<br />
Julie Suttee.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 197 (#241) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
197<br />
THE GUILD OP LITERATURE AND ART<br />
TO BE WOUND UP.<br />
"nnO-DAY is the latest time for depositing<br />
I private or local Bills to^be proceeded with<br />
during the ensuing Session, and among<br />
those to be handed in is one to which a melan-<br />
choly interest attaches. It provides for the<br />
winding-up and dissolution of that Guild of<br />
Literature and Art, which was originated at<br />
Knebworth as long since as the end of the year<br />
1850.<br />
"Dickens threw himself into the scheme with his<br />
accustomed energy, and made great exertions to<br />
secure its success. Writing in 1850 to Bulwer<br />
Lytton, he said:<br />
"I do devoutly believe that this plan, carried by the sup-<br />
port which I trust will be given to it, will change the status<br />
of the literary man in England, and make a revolution in<br />
his position which no Government, no power on earth but<br />
his own, could ever effect. I have implicit confidence in the<br />
scheme—so splendidly begun—if we carry it out with a<br />
steadfast energy.<br />
"The Guild was formed for the purposes of aid-<br />
ing those of its members who followed literature<br />
or the fine arts as a profession to obtain and con-<br />
tinue insurances upon their lives, of establishing<br />
a provident sickness fund, of providing dwellings<br />
for the benefit of its members, and of granting<br />
annuities to members and their widows; and in<br />
furtherance of these purposes a fund was raised<br />
by voluntary contributions. Sir Edward Bulwer<br />
Lytton offered to endow the association, as soon<br />
as it could legally accept and hold the same, with<br />
a piece of land for the erection of the dwellings<br />
so contemplated, and a private Act to incorporate<br />
the Guild, and to enable it to hold the land in<br />
question, was obtained in 1854. In that Act<br />
there appears the names of William Spencer,<br />
sixth Duke of Devonshire (at whose town resi-<br />
dence Bulwer Lytton's ' Not so Bad as we Seem,'<br />
and Mark Lemon's farce, 'Mr. Nightingale's<br />
Diary,' which were written for the benefit of the<br />
fund, were first produced before a large audience,<br />
including the Queen and Prince Albert, the great<br />
drawing-room of Devonshire House being filled<br />
with a stage and the library turned into a green-<br />
room), the late Earl Granville, Sir Charles East-<br />
lake, P.R.A., John Forster, Gilbert A'Beckett,<br />
Wilkie Collins, Peter Cunningham, Mr. (after-<br />
wards Sir) Austen Henry Layard, Mark Lemon,<br />
Clarkson Stanfield, William Telbin, Sir J. Emer-<br />
son Tennant, John Tenniel, Dickens and Bulwer<br />
in association with the Guild.<br />
"About two acres of land situated at Stevenage<br />
were subsequently granted to it on certain con-<br />
ditions by Bulwer, afterwards the first Lord<br />
Lytton, and upon this land two cottages ^ere<br />
erected. John Forster remarks, in his ' Life of<br />
Dickens,' that the Guild 'was not taken up<br />
by the class it was meant to benefit, and every<br />
renewed exertion more largely added to the<br />
failure.' The promoters of the Act say, 'For<br />
several years the number of members of the<br />
Guild has gradually decreased, and no new<br />
members have been elected, nor have any sub-<br />
scriptions or donations been received by the<br />
Guild; and it has now no annuitants, nor do any<br />
of its members reside in the dwelling-houses,'<br />
but grants have from time to time been made by<br />
the council to necessitous members in pursuance<br />
to the objects of the Guild, or some of them. The<br />
property of the Guild consists of £2112 odd<br />
invested in 'Goschens,' a small balance at<br />
Coutts', and the land and houses at Stevenage.<br />
It is proposed, with the assent of the remaining<br />
members of the Guild, to divide the money in<br />
equal moieties between the Royal Literary Fund<br />
and the Artists' General Benevolent Institution;<br />
the land and houses are to be assigned to either,<br />
as may be agreed, or placed in trust for the joint<br />
benefit of both or either, subject to a right of<br />
purchase within twenty-one years by the present<br />
Earl of Lytton.<br />
"And so, Parliament willing, there will next<br />
Session be an end to the once famous 'Guild of<br />
Literature and Art.'"<br />
Daily Chronicle, Dec. 21, 1896.<br />
IS THERE AN AMERICAN LITERATURE?<br />
THIS is the title of an article in the Dial<br />
of Chicago by Mr. F. Lewis Pattee. He<br />
answers his own question by an argument<br />
in the affirmative. There is, he says, a literature<br />
distinctively American, as easy to be recognised<br />
as the men who wrote it are easily recognised as<br />
Americans :—<br />
"There is no one, I think, who will not admit<br />
that the case of two indejiendent literatures<br />
written in the same language is a wholly unpre-<br />
cedented one: but it is no argument that because<br />
a thing is unprecedented it is therefore impossible.<br />
The discovery of America was an unprecedented<br />
event. It was a most marvellous and world-<br />
revolutionising event. There are men, even<br />
among those whose ancestors for generations<br />
have been natives of the new soil, who have not<br />
ceased to wonder about it, who insist upon measur-<br />
ing it only by old world standards, on treating it as<br />
if it were merely a vast addition to the area of<br />
Europe. America in the first centuries after its<br />
discovery was almost literally a new world. Man<br />
never went to live in an environment more strange<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 198 (#242) ############################################<br />
<br />
.198<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
to him. Every element save that of race tended<br />
to separate the minds of the settlers from those of<br />
their kindred in the motherland. There was<br />
something in the air of the new continent, in its<br />
Tastness and freedom, in its unlimited wealth<br />
and unprecedented opportunities, that tended to<br />
put a new spirit into its sons—to breed a new<br />
race with a new outlook and new ideals. Three<br />
hundred years of this environment have produced<br />
a peculiar people, with a distinct and strongly<br />
marked individuality, living under an unpre-<br />
cedented form of government.<br />
"The element of epoch has had its share in the<br />
problem. The past century has been an unprece-<br />
dented one, and nowhere more so than in America.<br />
It has been a century of quick growths, of broad<br />
and enduring foundations laid with unheard of<br />
rapidity. It would have been madness a century<br />
ago to have prophesied even a fraction of the<br />
wonders which were to take place on our soil.<br />
The history of the development of Western<br />
America reads like a page from 'The Arabian<br />
Nights.' What an era of bustle and stir!<br />
Where else in all history can you find similar<br />
conditions? When have men been thrown more<br />
fully upon their own resources? The Revolu-<br />
tion, that furnace that tried the metal of our<br />
character to its utmost limit, was our heroic<br />
period. The mad struggle in the forests of a<br />
new world was at length over; the colonists found<br />
themselves face to face with a bewildering and<br />
undreamed of situation. Then came the recon-<br />
struction period, whicli called for almost super-<br />
human wisdom. The early years of the new<br />
government, with their test cases, their doubt and<br />
uncertainty; the opening of the vast areas<br />
beyond the Alleghanies, with their almost in-<br />
terminable forests and prairies, with their swarm-<br />
ing fauna and strange flora.<br />
"That the American literature is written in the<br />
English language, is, in the minds of many, an<br />
insuperable argument against its independence.<br />
But this in reality is the least of all the argu-<br />
ments. Literature springs from the soul; it is<br />
the embodiment of hopes and fears, of moods gay<br />
or melancholy, of experience, of sensation, of<br />
conjecture, and the language is only the lifeless<br />
medium of communication. Do Homer into any<br />
language, and he is still Greek. No translation<br />
can take the French out of Hugo or the Russian<br />
out of Tolstoi. It has been safe to define a<br />
literature as all the writings in a given language.<br />
So firmly fixed is this idea that a recent critic of<br />
Roger Bacon, who wrote in the thirteenth<br />
century, declares that ' his writings, being all in<br />
Latin, do not belong to English literature.' To<br />
what literature, then, do they belong? This<br />
habit of classifying literature according to the<br />
medium through which it has passed has come<br />
from the fact that in the history of the old world<br />
there have been no two nations with distinct<br />
governments and personalities using the same<br />
language. It remained for the new world to<br />
break this precedent.<br />
"Can we never achieve our literary indepen-<br />
dence? Must we go down through the ages for<br />
ever tied intellectually to the apron strings of<br />
our mother? The idea is absurd. It is certain,<br />
unless civilisation be obscured by other dark ages,<br />
that we shall never di ift away from England in<br />
our language, but we are constantly drifting from<br />
her in everything else. We are doing our own<br />
thinking, solving our own problems in our own<br />
way, and we have been doiug so for a century.<br />
It was in 1820 that Sydney Smith demanded of a<br />
British public, 'Who reads an American book?'<br />
In the meantime we have produced an Emerson,<br />
a Poe, a Cooper, a Hawthorne, a Whittier, a<br />
Lowell, a Whitman—there is no end to the list.<br />
The writings of these men have been no feeble<br />
imitation of European models. They have been<br />
strong and intensely original; they have over-<br />
flowed with a spirit of a new world; they have<br />
been coloured by its soil and permeated with<br />
Americanism, until to attempt to remove this<br />
native element would be to destroy the fabric.<br />
Men like Cooper and Whitman and Mark Twain<br />
would have ljeen impossible on any other soil.<br />
"Then for more than a century we have been<br />
making our national songs. There are hundreds<br />
of lyrics that have burst hot from the American<br />
heart, and that profoundly thrill every American,<br />
which yet mean nothing to an Englishman save<br />
as he translates into them his own emotions of<br />
fatherland. Are these hymns not our own r Is<br />
it not foolishness to speak of such songs as the<br />
'Concord Hymn,' 'The Star Spangled Banner,'<br />
'My Country 'tis of Thee,' and 'The Battle<br />
Hymn of the Republic,' as English songs in<br />
America? Did we not evolve them from as pro-<br />
found and tragic an experience as did England<br />
her 'Rule Britannia'?<br />
"It seems to me that it may be laid down almost<br />
as an axiom that when a distinct nation has<br />
acquired a distinct personality, and has produced<br />
writers and writings tui generis, reflecting the<br />
soil, the spirit, the individuality of that people,<br />
then that nation has a distinct literature, no<br />
matter what may be the language in which it is<br />
written. American literature is proud of its<br />
origin. It passed its infancy and childhood in<br />
the land of Chaucer. The first chapters of its life-<br />
history are the same as those in the history of<br />
English literature. But in its early manhood it<br />
migrated to a new world. Its character was<br />
evolved during centuries amid unprecedented<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 199 (#243) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
199<br />
surroundings. It stands to-day united to England<br />
by only one of the four great elements that deter-<br />
mine the character of aliteiature—thatof race; and<br />
even this tie is a weak one, since the average<br />
American citizen can boast but a small fraction of<br />
English blood."<br />
CHEAP FICTION IN GERMANY.<br />
(From Das Recht der Feder.)<br />
AJAHN'S Literary Institute, in Nuremberg,<br />
sends the following announcement to<br />
* the various editorial offices :—<br />
Un precedentedly cheap copy! Please take a<br />
post card and order from A. Jahn's Literary<br />
Institute the newest and finest romances for<br />
selection, namely:<br />
"Of Humble Rank." By Hellmuth. About<br />
3000 lines. 4 marks.<br />
"The Singer's Love." By Hellmuth. About<br />
3000 lines. 4 marks.<br />
"Princess Juichen." By Hermannsdorfer.<br />
About 400 lines. 4 marks.<br />
"In the Forester's House." By Hermanns-<br />
dorfer. About 400 lines. 4 marks.<br />
"Castle Hohenau." By Hermannsdorfer.<br />
About 1600 lines. 2 marks.<br />
"City Air." By Gilly. About 3500 lines. 5<br />
marks.<br />
"Parting from Life." By Gilly. About 2500<br />
lines. 2 marks.<br />
"The Post-Office Robbery." By B. E. Konig.<br />
About 300 lines. 4 marks.<br />
"Proud Souls." By Liebel-Monninger. About<br />
3000 lines. 4 marks,<br />
"The Woman." By Bronner. About 300 lines.<br />
4 marks.<br />
"The Son of the Executioner." By Steinnick.<br />
About 10,000 lines. 10 marks.<br />
"Foreign Debt." By Steinriick. About 12,000<br />
lines. 8 marks.<br />
"Billows of Fate." By Heinberg. About 7000<br />
lines. 5 marks.<br />
"Idol Million." By Dr. Weiss. About 8000<br />
lines. 6 marks.<br />
"Voluntary Poverty." By John Armstadt. About<br />
5000 lines. •; marks.<br />
"Little Baroness." By John Armstadt. About<br />
7000 lines. 5 marks.<br />
A. Jahn's new Feuilletou Journal; This<br />
publication appears every Friday, and costs<br />
quarterly (thirteen numbers) only ^ marks,<br />
39 pfennings postage. Every number contains<br />
one large romance (serial), one eler, w 1<br />
(serial), one concise humourous piec^ n°VS<br />
story. Each number comprises fiy Or<br />
* to sere*<br />
pages, and contains from 800 to 1050 lines of<br />
letterpress. Subscriptions may commence at any<br />
date. Each new subscriber immediately receives<br />
the beginning of the romance, &c. Subscriptions<br />
payable in advance, or will be raised after the<br />
first number. Each subscriber is entitled to<br />
reprint all the contents at any date he pleases.<br />
The publication is not sent simultaneously to<br />
competing journals. A larger "Number" is also<br />
published weekly, containing at least ten pages,<br />
and comprising from 1600 to 2100 lines of letter-<br />
press—double as much as the smaller number.<br />
Price quarterly (thirteen numbers) 10 marks, and<br />
39 pfennings postage. Larger journals will find<br />
the quarterly subscription covered by the use of a<br />
single contribution out of the large quantity of<br />
matter offered. A half-yearly subscription<br />
(10 marks) will provide smaller journals with<br />
matter sufficient for a whole year. Painful and<br />
improper stories excluded. Only perfectly moral<br />
and pure matter offered.'<br />
The following letter has been received from the<br />
Institute in reply to inquiries :—<br />
Honoured Sir,—We send you with this a small<br />
catalogue of novels, Ac, bat wish to add that new matter is<br />
published almost every week. We are delivering short<br />
stories of 120 to 200 lines at five marks the ten stories.<br />
Longer stories, from 200 to 700 lines, at seventy-five<br />
pfennings to one mark each. If you are about to publish,<br />
it will be best for yon to order a selection from ns, in which<br />
case we shall be able to send you a great variety from<br />
which to choose.<br />
Our self-respect and the protection of our<br />
calling makes it a positive duty to protest<br />
energetically against such underselling. It is of<br />
course evident that it is possible only because<br />
persons such as Herr Jahn can always find<br />
authors who are contented with the most<br />
miserable fee. At the same time the announce-<br />
ment shows that Herr Jahn has a large number<br />
of manuscripts offered him, and will be in a<br />
position to place further wares at the disposal of<br />
his clients. This may be so; but authors of this<br />
sort must be treated in the same manner as the<br />
agencies of the character treated above. We<br />
therefore beg any managers of literary agencies,<br />
who are ready to join us in taking steps to<br />
prevent this kind of competition, to communicate<br />
with us at once. We shall then immediately<br />
issue invitations for a full discussion of the sub-<br />
ject.—The Editor.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 200 (#244) ############################################<br />
<br />
200<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
BOOK TALK.<br />
ANEW volume by the Poet Laureate, entitled<br />
"The Conversion of Winckelmann and<br />
Other Poems," will be published early<br />
this month by Messrs. Macmillan.<br />
Mr. John Buchan has written a story<br />
entitled "John Burnett of Barns," which is to<br />
appear in Chambers's Journal, and will afterwards<br />
be published as a book by Mr. Lane.<br />
A story by the late Miss Rossetti is shortly to<br />
be published by Mr. James Bowden. It is<br />
entitled "Maude," and contains a number of<br />
lyrics and poems. Mr. William Michael Rossetti,<br />
Miss Rossetti's literary executor, is allowing the<br />
book to be published on condition that it is put<br />
forward only as a youthful work, as it was written<br />
when Miss Rossetti was twenty. Mr. Rossetti<br />
contributes a preface.<br />
Mr. E. W. Pugh, the author of "A Street in<br />
Suburbia," has written a new novel entitled "A<br />
Man of Straw," which Mr. Heinemann will pub-<br />
lish shortly.<br />
Among the forthcoming books from Messrs.<br />
Chatto and Windus area volume of" New Poems"<br />
by Bret Harte j a novel entitled "Sebastiani's<br />
Secret," by S. E. Waller; "An Anxious Moment,"<br />
by Mrs. Hungerford j and " A Missing Witness,"<br />
by Mr. Frank Barrett.<br />
Mrs. Barry Pain has written a novel, which<br />
Messrs, Osgood, M'llvaine, and Co. will publish<br />
in the spring, under the title of " Saint Eva."<br />
Mr. St. Loe Strachey has gathered a number<br />
of his essays and studies together, and is printing<br />
them in a volume to be published by Messrs.<br />
Smith, Elder and Co., entitled "From Grave to<br />
Gay."<br />
Mr. Morley Roberts is engaged upon a new<br />
book, dealing with certain phases of life in the<br />
the East End of London.<br />
Mr. H. G. Wells is working on another highly<br />
imaginative story. It will be called "The War of<br />
the Worlds," and its serial publication will begin<br />
early this year.<br />
Miss Macmahon has put a new novel in the<br />
hands of Messrs. Hutchinson for early publication.<br />
It is called " The Touchstone of Life." The same<br />
publishers are about to issue " The Black Mass,"<br />
a novel by Mr. Frederic Breton.<br />
The publication of the edition of Byron which,<br />
as we announced some time ago, Mr. Murray is<br />
bringing out, will be begun this month. It will<br />
be remembered that this is to be printed largely<br />
from the original MS., and that it will contain a<br />
great deal of hitherto unpublished matter, includ-<br />
ing letters addressed by the poet to Mr. Murray's<br />
grandfather, and papers in his possession which<br />
belonged to Byron's solicitor. The Earl of<br />
Lovelace, Byron's grandson, is supervising the<br />
work.<br />
At a public meeting held in Edinburgh, under<br />
the presidency of Lord Rosebery, it was resolved<br />
that" it is desirable that steps be taken to provide<br />
by public subscription a memorial in honour of<br />
the late Robert Louis Stevenson." An executive<br />
committee was appointed, with Professor Masson<br />
as chairman. The secretary, Mr. J. H. Napier,<br />
solicitor, 12, Queen-street, Edinburgh, will be glad<br />
to obtain the address of all who are willing to<br />
assist in the movement. The form which the<br />
memorial will take is not yet decided. In a letter<br />
to the Times, Mr. Edmund Gosse said that<br />
whatever its ultimate expansion, it should not<br />
fail to start with the idea of a portrait in<br />
sculpture.<br />
Authors, unlike artists and musicians, have<br />
hitherto been without a reference book all to<br />
themselves. The deficiency is being made up,<br />
however, for Mr. George Allen announces that<br />
he will begin with 1897 the annual issue of "The<br />
Literary Year-Book." It will make its appear-<br />
ance this month, and will be a record of the<br />
literature and literary events of the past year,<br />
and will also contain a directory of authors.<br />
Copyright in the earlier poems of Robert<br />
Browning expired a few days ago, and several<br />
cheap editions have already been placed on the<br />
market. Messrs. Bumpus, the West End book-<br />
sellers, have been expressing the opinion that it<br />
is women, more than men, who buy Browning's<br />
poems—cultured ladies of the higher middle class<br />
and the titled class. Although never likely to be<br />
a "people's" poet, Browning is selling more<br />
largely year by year.<br />
An important work is about to engage the<br />
leading historical scholars of this country and<br />
America. Under the title "The Cambridge Modern<br />
History," Lord Acton, the Regius Professor of<br />
Modern History at Cambridge, has undertaken<br />
to edit for the Syndics of the University Press a<br />
comprehensive history of modern times. The<br />
work will appear in twelve volumes of about 700<br />
pages, and will cover the period from the end of<br />
the Middle Ages to the present day. Each<br />
subject will be dealt with by a specialist. The<br />
first volume will deal with the Renaissance, and<br />
will be published in October, 1899. The scope of<br />
the work will be seen from the following official<br />
particulars:<br />
Universal history will be regarded not as the sum of<br />
local histories, but as a series of events transcending<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 201 (#245) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
20I<br />
nations, belonging to mankind, so that the nations severally<br />
will come on for treatment when they carry flame or fncl,<br />
and are operative in the common human canse.<br />
Individual thought will be treated parallel with collec-<br />
tive action, not for itself, and therefore not substantively<br />
and separately, but as successive waves pass over Europe—<br />
theology in the sixteenth century, philosophy in the seven-<br />
teenth, politics and economics in the eighteenth, historical<br />
methods in the early nineteenth century, scientific in the<br />
later.<br />
Political ideas will be traced and expounded as com-<br />
pletely as political action.<br />
The predominant ideal is that all forces at the present<br />
time are to be exhibited in their origin and progress and<br />
substance, so that the past shall contribute what it may<br />
to make the present intelligible.<br />
Among those who have undertaken to write the<br />
History are the following: Sir "William Anson,<br />
Mr. James Bryce, Professor Bury, the Bishop-<br />
Designate of London, Principal Fairbairn, Pro-<br />
fessor Flint, Mr. James Gairdner, Mr. S. "R.<br />
Gardiner, Dr. Garnett, the Rev. F. A. Gasquet,<br />
Mr. Frederic Harrison, Major Hume, Mr. R. H.<br />
Hutton, Professor Jebb, Mr. Laughton, Mr.<br />
Lecky, Mr. Sidney Lee, Sir Alfred Lyall, Mr.<br />
John" Morley, Mr. Oman, Sir F. Pollock, Dr.<br />
Sidgwick, Mr. Spencer Walpole, Principal Ward,<br />
and Viscount Wolseley. The Bishop of Oxford<br />
will assist the work with his advice.<br />
Readers of The Author will often have observed<br />
the references to the question of how much of a<br />
book a reviewer is entitled to quote without a<br />
breach of the copyright laws. This question, we<br />
understand, is about to be raised by Messrs.<br />
Smith, Elder, and Co., Mrs. Humphry Ward's<br />
publishers, who have applied for an injunction to<br />
restrain Mr. W. T. Stead from publishing, in his<br />
Popular Novel series, an abridgment of "Sir<br />
George Tressady."<br />
A manual on "Teaching and School Organi-<br />
sation, with especial reference to Secondary<br />
Instruction," is about to be published by Messrs.<br />
Longmans, Green, and Co. It is edited by Mr.<br />
P. A. Barnett, M.A., who was formerly Professor<br />
of English Literature at Firth College, and its<br />
object is to collect and co-ordinate for the use of<br />
students and teachers experiences in special<br />
branches of educational practice, and to cover the<br />
work of secondary schools of both higher and<br />
lower grade.<br />
The Weekly Sun published its annual literary<br />
supplement with the issue of Dec. 5. Among<br />
other features of the paper, there were long<br />
accounts of the Authors' Club and the Society of<br />
Authors.<br />
The "English Catalogue of Books " f on(.<br />
is being compiled by Messrs. Sanm.;. '9<br />
Marston and Co., who would be gla(f .£n ^OW,<br />
would send particulars—publisher's ^ authorS<br />
***e, price.<br />
&c.—of their works which have appeared during<br />
the past year.<br />
Mr. J. R. Thursfield and Col. Sir George S.<br />
Clarke, R.E., have collaborated on a work entitled<br />
"The Navy and the Nation," which Mr. Murray<br />
will publish this month.<br />
The large circulation obtained by the Navy<br />
and Army Illustrated, during its first year, has<br />
induced the proprietors to increase the size of<br />
the paper, and also to provide their readers with a<br />
serial dealing with naval and military adventure.<br />
Mr. John filoundelle-Burton has been engaged<br />
for this purpose, and the new romance which he<br />
will supply commences at once. The subject<br />
selected is that of the War of Succession in<br />
Spain, and the hero, who is one of Marlborough's<br />
cuirassiers, sees service of a startling venture<br />
both on land and sea. Several artists of promi-<br />
nence have also been engaged for the illustration<br />
of Mr. Bloundelle-Burton's novel.<br />
Mr. G. A. Henty has written a novel entitled<br />
"The Queen's Cup," which will be published in a<br />
few days by Messrs. Chatto and Windus.<br />
An historical romance by Mr. William Westall<br />
will be published soon by Messrs. Chatto and<br />
Windus.<br />
"The Dagger and the Cross " is the title of<br />
Mr. Joseph Hatton's new novel, an historical<br />
romance of the seventeenth century. It is being<br />
published serially under the auspices of Messrs.<br />
Tillotsons and Sons, in a select number of weekly<br />
journals in England, the Colonies, India, and<br />
America. The volume edition will be issued<br />
through the press of Messrs. Hutchinson early in<br />
the spring.<br />
"Revelations of an Album," by Joseph Hatton,<br />
appearing monthly in the Idler, are more or less<br />
reminiscent of many interesting celebrities whom<br />
the author has met or counted among as friends<br />
during his active association with journalism and<br />
literature over a number of years. They are<br />
admirably illustrated by Mr. W. H. Margetson,<br />
the author's son-in-law, and should eventually<br />
make an entertaining volume.<br />
Presentation copies of Miss Browning's book<br />
"A Girl's Wanderings in Hungary," have been<br />
most graciously accepted by the Prince of Wales,<br />
the Duchess of York, the Duke of Teck, the Queen<br />
of Belgium, the Crown Princess of Austro-<br />
Hungary, the Archduchess Maria-Dorothea,<br />
Duchesse d'Orleans; all of whom have since<br />
expressed their thanks and their keen appreciation<br />
of its contents. Mr. Gladstone has also written<br />
Miss Browning an autograph note of congratula-<br />
tion.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 202 (#246) ############################################<br />
<br />
202<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
A volume by the late Archbishop of Canter-<br />
bury, dealing with the life and times of Cyprian,<br />
Bishop of Carthage, will shortly be published by<br />
Messrs. Macmillan. The Archbishop had the<br />
final proofs while making the journey in Ireland<br />
just before his death.<br />
Mr. E. A. Armstrong has written a novel<br />
which, under the title of "Under the Crcum-<br />
stances," will be published very shortly by Messrs.<br />
Smith and Elder.<br />
Thomas Cobb's new story, " Mr. Passingham,"<br />
will be published early in the New Year by Mr,<br />
John Lane (The Bodley Head) as a volume of<br />
"The Pierrot Library."<br />
A new edition of Mi's. Leith-Adams' novel,<br />
"Madelon Lemoine,'' complete in one volume,<br />
is shortly to be added to Messrs. Jarrold and<br />
Son's Green-Back Series; and a six-shilling<br />
edition of " Colour-Sergeant, No. 1 Company," by<br />
the same writer, is also to be published by them.<br />
A new serial by Mrs. Leith-Adams will commence<br />
in Household IVorih early in the new year. It<br />
will be entitled "A Mighty Love."<br />
"The Three Daughters of Night," is the title<br />
of a new novel by Dere R. Vane to be published<br />
by Messrs. Hutchinson early in the new year.<br />
This is the author's most important work since<br />
"The Sin and the Woman," a story that excited<br />
a good deal of interest and some controversy on<br />
its appearance two or three years ago.<br />
The publisher of Stanley Waterloo's much-<br />
discussed American novel "A Man and a<br />
Woman," has received the following note from<br />
Mr. Gladstone :—" Dear Sir,—I thank you for<br />
your great courtesy. My ideas, formed upon<br />
older models, do not follow those of the book;<br />
but I think the letter of the mother a gem, and<br />
the narrative is of great interest in connection<br />
with the divorce laws of America, and consequent<br />
or accompanying changes in the conception of<br />
the family life. Yours very faithfully—W. E.<br />
Gladstone."<br />
Miss Jeanette L. Gilder, the well-known editor<br />
and proprietress of the New York Critic, in<br />
January next is to start a new critical magazine<br />
called the Month.<br />
The Tatler, a daily literary paper issued by the<br />
New York publishing house of Stone and<br />
Kimball, makes this interesting query—" It is<br />
worth asking, why our writers—with very rare<br />
exceptions, including of course Mark Twain, who<br />
seems to sell everywhere—have no audience in<br />
Australia. At the present time American<br />
theatrical managers are discovering Australia as<br />
a continent worth discovering, and the success of<br />
some of their ventures there makes us wonder<br />
why the Australians, if they can be interested in<br />
American plays, should not be interested in<br />
American books as well."<br />
Those "minor novelists" of America, con-<br />
cerning whom metropolitan critics are wont to be<br />
so crushingly sarcastic, are certainly arousing<br />
themselves. The startling English success of<br />
young Mr. Stephen Crane's sanguinary novel has<br />
been duplicated by Mr. Stanley Waterloo's " A<br />
Man and a Woman," and Mr. Opie Read's "A<br />
Kentucky Colonel," novels almost as striking in<br />
their way, and much more intimately and<br />
genuinely American.<br />
Mrs. F. A. Steel, whose Indian stories directly<br />
challenge comparison with those of Mr. Kipling,<br />
furnishes another example of the success of one<br />
who comes to literature comparatively late in life,<br />
like the author of " Trilby."<br />
It is said that before he even left the steamer,<br />
on his arriving at New York, a reporter asked<br />
Mr. Barrie his views on the silver question, to<br />
which querv Mr. Barrie discreetly made answer,<br />
"Silver and gold have I none; go ye rather to<br />
my publishers."<br />
The following pathetic negro dialect poem is<br />
by Opie Read, who, with Hamlin Garland, Stanley<br />
Waterloo, and H. B. Fuller, is a leader of the<br />
Chicago literary group, from which have emanated<br />
works of a high degree of literary excellence.<br />
Mr. Read's extraordinarily vivid novel of life in<br />
the Southern States before the late war, "A<br />
Kentucky Colonel," has been lately issued by<br />
Messrs. A. and C. Black:—<br />
October.<br />
De leaf's turned jailer an' de cnekle-burr's brown<br />
An' de grass is Btreaked wid de gray o' age—<br />
Natnr is er wavin' 'twixt er smile and er frown<br />
An' de red in de sky puts de bull in er rage.<br />
De old woodpecker has bushed up his song<br />
An' de old crow scratches whar we thrashed out de<br />
wheat,<br />
An' de ole bluejay sorter haster hop er long<br />
Caze de frost made him stiff in de j'ints o' his feet.<br />
De po' ole dove is er mou'nin' ergin<br />
An' it pear mighty like dat her heart is gwin'er break,<br />
An' it makes de jailer-hammer sorter nod his head and<br />
grin,--<br />
Ah, Lawd er massy, dat bird is er rake.<br />
De soft win' comes like de Bighin' o' er child<br />
An' scatters dead leaves o'er de graves on de hill,<br />
An' de eyes o' de rabbit look strange an' wild<br />
As he hops mongst de rocks by de moss-covered mill.<br />
I strolls in de woods when de ebenin's come<br />
An' listene to der music o' de trees dat wave,<br />
An' mer heart beats low like er muffled up drum<br />
As I kneel by de side o' her little boy's grave.<br />
We laid him ter slum'er w'en de grass was gray<br />
An' de leaves had blushed at de gaze o' de sun;<br />
Wen natnr had got down on her knees fur ter pray—<br />
W'en er dead cricket lay whar er spider had spun.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 203 (#247) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
"At times," says one of the intimate friends<br />
of the one great Australian poet, Adam Lindsey<br />
Gordon, " Gordon was the strongest, most weird,<br />
mysterious man I ever saw, and I could not help<br />
feeling almost afraid of him; and yet there was<br />
a fascination about him which made me like to<br />
sea him."<br />
Concerning Gordon's poems poor Francis Adams<br />
once wrote, in his clever though shallow Austra-<br />
lian criticisms: "One of them, indeed, 'The<br />
Rhyme of Joyous Garde,' is magnificent. It is<br />
the one great poem yet written in Australia. In<br />
earlier days of an enthusiastic first acquaintance-<br />
ship, I committed myself, I remember, to the<br />
opinion that it was worth all 'The Idylls of the<br />
King' put together. I would not put it quite that<br />
way now, but it seems to me that, taken with<br />
Mr. William Morris's 'Defence of Guinevere,'<br />
'The Rhyme of Joyous Garde' is assuredly the<br />
one product of flesh and blood which has pro-<br />
ceeded from the attempt to utilise the Arthurian<br />
legend in modern poetry."<br />
LITERATURE IN THE PERIODICALS.<br />
On the Selling of Books. J. Shajlor (of SimpkiD,<br />
Marshall, and Co.). The Nineteenth Century for December.<br />
Booksellers' Errors. "W. E.'b " letter in the Daily<br />
Chronicle for Dec. 12.<br />
Bad Spelling. "A Publisher's " letter in the Times for<br />
Deo. 14.<br />
Literature, Newspapers, and the Public. The<br />
British Review for Dec. 5.<br />
Little Pharisees in Fiction. Agnes Repplier.<br />
Scribner's Magazine for December.<br />
The Poetry op the Earl of Lytton. Professor<br />
Saintsbury. The Forum for December.<br />
American Women and American Literature. The<br />
Hon. Hugh H. Lusk. The Forum for December.<br />
Sterne. Herbert Paul. The nineteenth Century for<br />
December.<br />
Realism in Fiction. British Review for Deo. 19.<br />
The Roman Church in French Fiction. Macmillan's<br />
Magazine for December.<br />
A Guess at the Origin op Hamlet. Arthur T.<br />
Lyttelton. National Review for December.<br />
Some Characteristics op Shakespeare. The<br />
Master of BJliol. Contemporary for December.<br />
Shelley at Tremadoc. MacmiUnn's Magazine for<br />
December.<br />
Journalistic Remuneration. Chambers's Journal<br />
for December.<br />
Journalism as a Profession. W. N. Shansfield. •<br />
Westminster Review for December.<br />
Some Aspects of Matthew Arnold, q j- firys<br />
Norgate. Temple Bur for December.'<br />
Reminiscences of Lord Tenntson ,<br />
Magazine for January. The TemP™<br />
Mr. Gladstone on Book Collect^<br />
Part VIII. of "Contribution! to a Diet; * Q. Lgttflr ^<br />
Book Collectors," published by Bernard Qi./*^*.,. , n -liab<br />
^k^J 01 bOS'<br />
Editorial Discretion with Contributors. Letters<br />
of Alfred Sutro (Dec. 15 and 19), and the Editor of "The<br />
Pageant " (Dec. 17) in the Daily Chronicle.<br />
Notable Reviews.<br />
Of W. E. Henley's edition of Byron. Academy for<br />
Dec. 19.<br />
Of Herbert Spenoer's "Principles of Sociology."<br />
Atlienseum for Deo. 19.<br />
Of Dr. Andrew Dickson White's <; History of the Warfare<br />
of Science with Theology in Christendom. Times for<br />
Deo. 8.<br />
Do authors spell badly? According to " A<br />
Publisher" they do. This gentleman mildly<br />
suggests that we are in the midst of an epidemic<br />
of bad spelling. The number of people who write<br />
misspelt letters and offer for publication mis-<br />
spelt works of fiction, seems, he says, to l)e steadily<br />
on the increase. He gives the experience of a<br />
single day in proof of what he says. On this day,<br />
within a few hours, he chatted with a lady novelist,<br />
a woman of culture, who confesses that she can-<br />
not spell, and to correct whose proofs a special<br />
reviser will have to be employed; received a<br />
letter from an author in Scotland, an F.S.A.<br />
Scot, who only stumbles over the word frontes-<br />
piece until the end is reached, when he shows the<br />
cloven hoof in the expression "c.rceed to my<br />
request"; and a letter from another author<br />
offering " a story of eutreatjues and adventure."<br />
Curiously enough, the complainant himself makes<br />
a broad error in spelling. "For the past twenty<br />
years," he says, "I have received thousands of<br />
letters a year from more or less educated people,<br />
and I am struck with the prevalance (sic) of badly-<br />
spelt letters of late." The (sic) is from the<br />
Times.<br />
As a member of a large firm of wholesale book<br />
merchants, Mr. Shaylor's opinion on the sale of<br />
books is of interest, but it is not very original.<br />
Although no rule can be laid down that will<br />
entirely regulate the sale of books, he has no<br />
hesitation in stating that a certain sale can always<br />
l)e relied on for a book that really has value in it.<br />
"To obtain this let it be one into which the<br />
author has put his best thoughts from a realistic<br />
or ideal standpoint, let it be carefully written and<br />
re-written, so that its merit may come up to the<br />
standard of literary culture. Then let it be well<br />
printed and attractively bound, and issued by a<br />
publisher who has a reputation to maintain. The<br />
publisher will see that the distributing agencies<br />
work it well with the booksellers, and will adver-<br />
tise it judiciously, and if possible get it talked<br />
about. By these means if a large sale is not secured<br />
there will, at least, be one satisfactory alike to<br />
author, p1<br />
ublisher, and bookseller." Mr. Shaylor<br />
has, * f,! attracting public attention. Tho " new<br />
authors11<br />
>ecial comment on the methods of<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 204 (#248) ############################################<br />
<br />
204<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
author," he says, " usually belongs 1o a clique of<br />
men who write of each other in the Press, and<br />
talk of each other at their club, in drawing-<br />
rooms; in season or out of season matters not,<br />
so that they are talked about. Cases could be<br />
mentioned in which an author has ordered copies<br />
of his recently published book from several book-<br />
sellers, stating that he would call for them in a<br />
few days. This he failed to do, and the book-<br />
sellers have been obliged to place the copies in<br />
their stock." Mr. Shaylor, moreover, finds fault<br />
with the publisher's " reader" as often having no<br />
.sympathy with the subject of the MS. he is con-<br />
sidering, and lays to his charge the refusal of<br />
many MSS. which have afterwards been pub-<br />
lished with marked success. But it will l)e on<br />
the question of the future of the bookselling<br />
trade that Mr. Shaylor's views will command<br />
most attention, and in this connection he suggests<br />
that a better understanding between the Pub-<br />
lishers' Association and the Association of Book-<br />
sellers might result in a way being found to<br />
place the trade in a more satisfactory condition.<br />
The difficulty is of course the question of dis-<br />
counts. At the present time, he says, the book-<br />
selling trade is suffering more acutely from<br />
competition than any other.<br />
A commentary on Mr. Shaylor's suggestion<br />
that it is in booksellers themselves, and not in<br />
bookselling, that the decay is most noticeable, is<br />
supplied by a bookseller's assistant at Great<br />
Yarmouth. How, he says, can the small pro-<br />
vincial bookseller afford to pay intelligent assis-<br />
tants \f "He cannot do so from the absurdly<br />
inadequate profits which, except in concerns<br />
having very large turnovers, the present day<br />
bookselling business yields." The cut-throat<br />
competition of the 25 per cent, discount, he says<br />
further, is rapidly reducing the trade to mere<br />
dealing in so much weight of printed paper.<br />
The English of our newspapers is called<br />
seriously in question by the British lievietc,<br />
which complains of it as a thing of ready-made<br />
phrases rapidly pieced together, and as tending to<br />
deaden the reader's appreciation of anything that<br />
is more accurate. Two other conditions un-<br />
favourable to style are—the growth of the<br />
reading public, and the growth of writing as a<br />
profession. The vast mass of readers are<br />
imperfectly educated, and they form the writer's<br />
most important patrons. The writer, therefore,<br />
who regards writing as a profession, is constantly<br />
tempted to adjust his style, not to his own inner<br />
standard of excellence, but to the crude taste of<br />
an uncritical public. Another condition that<br />
militates against style is certain qualities in the<br />
English language itself—its want of inflection,<br />
the ambiguity of its pronouns, and the flaccidity<br />
of its structure. But after all, says the writer,<br />
whatever may be the results of an ideal perfection<br />
in style, one thing is certain, that professionally<br />
it will not pay; and if ever English prose is to be<br />
advanced to real perfection, the result must be<br />
due to men who either possess riches or who are<br />
indifferent to them, and who are, above all,<br />
indifferent to democratic state and the entire<br />
financial aspect of democratic rewards.<br />
Mr. Wilson's depreciation of journalism as a<br />
poorly-paid profession is replied to in the West-<br />
minster Review by Mr. Shansfield. He holds<br />
that to put the average remuneration at <£ioo a<br />
year is to under-estimate it; but it is the alleged<br />
wane in the demand for literary ability in the<br />
newspaper world that he is most concerned in<br />
contradicting. It requires a man of education to<br />
be a good journalist, he says, and a good journa-<br />
list will more and more in the future be able to<br />
command a larger wage. As for the mechanical<br />
reporter, he is doomed to be gradually swept off<br />
the field. A writer in Chambers's provides some<br />
rates of journalistic remuneration, by way of<br />
enlightening the fugitive contributor. The Times,<br />
he states, will pay from five to ten guineas for an<br />
article contributed by a correspondent, and rather<br />
than lose a good one considerably more. The<br />
rate on the other great London dailies is as a rule<br />
two guineas per column. The St. James's Gazette<br />
and the Westminster pay a guinea and a half;<br />
the Globe pays a guinea for its "turnover," and<br />
the Evening Standard two guineas a column for<br />
the essays that are a feature of its outside page.<br />
Among the weekly reviews, the Spectator and the<br />
Saturday lievietc give as much as five guineas<br />
for accepted articles, but in their case attention<br />
should lie drawn to the editorial warning that<br />
the sending of a proof is no guarantee of<br />
acceptance.<br />
.<br />
CORRESPONDENCE.<br />
I.—" Mons."<br />
MR. E. H. SHERARD has done well to hft<br />
up his voice against the barbarism of<br />
"Mons." for " Monsieur." A still more<br />
common one in England, and as bad, is " Mrflle."<br />
for "Mademoiselle." I think I have also seen<br />
"MJme." "Mine." and "Mile." are the correct<br />
abbreviations. It was lately, if it is not now,<br />
distinctly rude to abbreviate "Monsieur" or<br />
"Madame" in the address of a letter.<br />
The blunder "Saint-Beuxe" in the same<br />
article is doubtless due to the printer.<br />
I must be allowed to observe that Mr Sherard<br />
would not talk of the " fat, sluggish language of<br />
the Netherlands" if he had read any modern<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 205 (#249) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
205<br />
Dutch prose. The average of prose style in the<br />
Netherlands is much better than in Germany,<br />
and any Dutch scholar would be ashamed to write<br />
in the clumsy and involved fashion which is<br />
thought good enough for scientific works by most<br />
learned Germans. _ _ II.<br />
II.—Stamps with MSS.<br />
It is natural that magazine and newspaper<br />
proprietors should protect themselves against<br />
loss by imposing the above condition. At the<br />
same time, at least from its sentimental aspect,<br />
the need for so stringent a rule is to be deplored.<br />
None of us care to anticipate rejection. Com-<br />
pliance, however, with this decree conjures up the<br />
dismal possibility in most unromantic fashion.<br />
When the "stamped directed envelope," ad-<br />
dressed to ourselves, stares us iu the face, the<br />
prosj>ect is quite distressing. Could not patrons<br />
be persuaded to trust their contributors a little<br />
more in this matter of postal outlay? We may<br />
not all be clever: I fain hope most of us are<br />
honest. Nor would the confidence reposed be<br />
altogether one-sided. We send our stamps. Do<br />
we always get them back again r But I suppose<br />
we are so elated when receiving those pleasant<br />
remunerative slips, in exchange for brainwork,<br />
as not to trouble about such trifles. The cruel<br />
business is where both MS. and stamps are<br />
unceremoniously appropriated — an experience<br />
which has also come to some of us of late, in-<br />
cluding one of my own brood. Old Bied.<br />
Authors' Club, S.W., Dec. 11, 1896.<br />
III.—Thirteen Copies as Twelve.<br />
Iu last issue of The Author my good and<br />
clever friend John Bickerdyke tells us that Mr.<br />
Hutchinson, the publisher of his last novel, says<br />
that "the thirteen-as-twelvo business is a mere<br />
trick." But Mr. Hutchinson knows that, while<br />
in high-priced works likely to have a limited sale<br />
such terms are unnecessary and unadvisable,<br />
books, no matter the selling price, which it is<br />
hoped may " run away," have an infinitely better<br />
chance if the booksellers be bribed with the odd<br />
copy, and is charged thirteen as twelve. A fairly<br />
saleable book offered on these terms will be<br />
stocked and shown to every person who enters the<br />
shop ; but when the inducement is withheld, the<br />
bookseller will often order a single copy, or he<br />
may say, " I will wait till I am asked for it." As<br />
a case in point let me mention the cheap edition<br />
of Phil May's "Gutter-Snipes " (bougie out-<br />
right by the Leadenhall Press), which t|le hook-<br />
seller has at the usual discount, an.(J . , n<br />
copies as twelve. Can this be justly (J^ thirteen<br />
"a mere trick "? Andrew \y.s^ribed »s<br />
The Leadenhall Press, E.C. • TuER.<br />
IV.—Reviews and Advertisements.<br />
With regard to authors and publishers, it will<br />
be seen on reflection that the public will only<br />
buy what is put under their nose. Certain<br />
wealthy and powerful publishing houses are able<br />
to do this, the great librarians and monopolists<br />
buying largely of them. The works of well-<br />
known and gifted writers, and the novels that<br />
are accepted by the literary taster of any eminent<br />
firm, are forced upon the public by the medium<br />
of repeated and incessant advertisement, in-<br />
evitably followed by good reviews. The two are<br />
indivisible; but the advertisement, more than the<br />
review, sells the book. Would any critic "cut<br />
up" the works issued by a wealthy firm, or<br />
firms expending many thousands yearly in<br />
the columns of the papers he represents? An<br />
author's poverty, which may be after all his only<br />
crime, is a great barrier in achieving permanent<br />
literary success. Paid paragraphs to establish<br />
his name are very expensive luxuries. To have a<br />
wealthy or aristocratic clientele is also of great<br />
assistance. The public are indifferent, generally<br />
opinionless; they care for externals, pleasure,<br />
visiting, shopping—what they eat, drink, and<br />
wear, but books—to tempt them must be forced<br />
upon their notice. Clever, attractive, silly or<br />
common-place novels, if glorified by log-rollers,<br />
heavily advertised, and "worked up," will go;<br />
but these same books issued under any other<br />
conditions, by less pushing and wealthy firms,<br />
would be passed over unnoticed, and generally<br />
anathematised by the London Press and those<br />
who guard the sacred ring.<br />
Personal interest and influence count for a<br />
good deal in successful authorship, when one man<br />
may review for a dozen papers, but money is<br />
invincible. Continuous advertisement (not spas-<br />
modic, which is always wasted) will sell any-<br />
thing. Annabel Gray.<br />
V.—To "J. G."<br />
I note "J. G.'s" reference to myself in The<br />
Author. May I give him a word of cheer, and<br />
also remark upon his letter? He must find a<br />
"taster" who can appreciate his work; the most<br />
popular have had to make their start. I think<br />
that, in all probability, a '• taster" is an absolute<br />
necessity to a publishing firm; the further I go<br />
the more I seem to see this necessity, especially in<br />
these days of—dare I say it ?—bad, superficial<br />
work. The only safe road to success seems to me<br />
to lie through " trouble, sorrow, need"; and the<br />
worst of it is that success, when it comes, some-<br />
times unlearns the lesson. Then, out come the<br />
boneless M-SS- of which •• J. G." speaks Even<br />
tbemost p°P our modem writersliave no;<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 206 (#250) ############################################<br />
<br />
206<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
been strong: enough to resist the blandishments<br />
of the almighty dollar, and have foisted their<br />
former early failures upon the public on the<br />
strength of their latter successes. Write on,<br />
"J. G."! (there is nothing else for it) till you<br />
have written something which has some grain of<br />
worth in it; you will probably get it accepted.<br />
Absolutely without a single literary friend (in<br />
fiction), and with no guide as to how or where to<br />
submit my work, my chief want has seemed to<br />
myself to be an adviser. But I am beginning to<br />
think that even in this I was mistaken, and that<br />
nothing but some particle of worth in what is<br />
written will give it any marketable value.<br />
At last I have found an appreciative friend (I<br />
am sure I may call him so) ; but I am by no<br />
means sure of success yet. Still, I hope on. I<br />
have also—at last—set myself to please the<br />
severest taskmaster ; I might appear irreverent in<br />
naming him.<br />
"J. G." states that, as yet, he is not in the<br />
ranks of the accepted. I would say to him " work<br />
and hope, but set yourself a high aim, and do<br />
not be in a hurry. Some day you may learn to<br />
thank God that your early work was rejected, as<br />
I do." Alan Oscar.<br />
VI.—Still Looser English.<br />
The excellent paper on " Loose English," which<br />
appeared in your October issue, moves me to<br />
wonder if the writer of it has ever been confronted<br />
with such an enormity as the word ('() " affaired"<br />
used in the sense of occupied. "She was too<br />
much affaired with her own thoughts" occurs in<br />
a recently published novel from the firm of Ward<br />
and Downey; and this is not a misprint, as<br />
might be imagined, for the word is used in a<br />
similar sense elsewhere in the book. Nothing<br />
much worse could be found in America.<br />
And will no one raise a protest against the<br />
splitting of infinitives? I remember, when I<br />
was very young, reading the "Ride to Khiva," in<br />
which, as well as I recollect, scarcely a single<br />
infinitive escapes this barbarous treatment—and<br />
wondering over it, as over something strange and<br />
new; but since those days the splitting process<br />
has crept onward and upward.<br />
One finds it difficult to discover any widely read<br />
book published within the last ten years in which<br />
one will not meet at least a dozen hideously mis-<br />
placed adverbs divorcing what no adverb should<br />
put asunder; and the newer the books, the more<br />
frequent the divorce. From Kidd's "Social<br />
Evolution" to "The Sorrows of Satan," they are<br />
all tarred with the same brush—the trail of the<br />
split infinitive is over them all, "and nothing<br />
said" by the reviewers, who seem as indifferent<br />
to the murdering of style as the European Powers<br />
to the murdering of the Armenians. So much of<br />
slipshod negligence is being allowed without<br />
protest to range itself as literature, that one<br />
scarcely marvels at a young lady novelist's daring<br />
to become "affaired with her own thoughts."<br />
She probably does not care for the opinion of<br />
critics who might tell her "to immediately lay<br />
down her pen." M. Penrose.<br />
VII.—A Want.<br />
Is it not time that we had a good Gernian-<br />
Envhsh dictionary? Those which at present do<br />
duty ar<j German, or German-American, which<br />
is not precisely the same tiling. They contain<br />
such English words as "forinsecal," "fortrail,"<br />
"occlude," "inition," "inlagary "; and such ex-<br />
pressions as "to be astern of one's reckoning,"<br />
"to lark one," " to get the run upon one," "to<br />
gouge," meaning to trick, "lady-bishop," meaning<br />
bishop's wife, "within a six-month." "to cut<br />
shines, or didoes," "hotch-potch" for "mob,"<br />
"giugle" for "jingle," "aglet" for small plate,<br />
"squab " for " easy-chair," "squab!" as an inter-<br />
jection, "to ambition something," "to clap a<br />
trick upon one," &c, all of which are so many<br />
pitfalls for the unwary foreigner. S. G.<br />
VIII.—The Ethics op the Review Copy.<br />
Some discussion has been taking place as to<br />
the disposal by reviewers of books sent them.<br />
According to certain publishers, copies of new<br />
books can be had at the second-hand shops<br />
in Holy well-street even before the works have<br />
been issue! to the public. Now, a book sent<br />
to be reviewed is a presentation copy, and a<br />
reviewer may suivly, if he does not think it worth<br />
adding to his library, sell a presentation copy<br />
with the same freedom of conscience as he<br />
would sell a book he had paid for, considering<br />
always, of course, that the presentation has been<br />
an impersonal one, i.e., through a newspaper or<br />
journal. It is his property, to do what he likes<br />
with. The evil is when a reviewer hastens to sell<br />
his copy practically the moment he gets it,<br />
instead of waiting a reasonable time, and thus<br />
deprives the publisher and bookseller of the first<br />
full benefit of sales. I trust this practice is not<br />
so very common after all. But it is to detect<br />
i-uch cases, I presume, that certain publishers<br />
choose to put an indelible stamp on the review<br />
copies, afterwards tracing, if possible, the persons<br />
■—let us not call them reviewers, please—who<br />
have thus shamelessly put the books on the<br />
market. When it goes that length, publishers<br />
are assuredly justified in striking off certain<br />
papers from its future lists. But I have seen it<br />
alleged, as a question apart, that reviewers do<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 207 (#251) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
207<br />
not like to receive a fine book thus marked—<br />
"disfigured," some call it—and to place it on<br />
their shelves. Is this so? Why, as a literary<br />
workman, I regard it rather as a source of pride<br />
—certainly it causes me no annoyance—to have<br />
as many books as possible marked in this way<br />
adorning my shelves. Reviewer.<br />
IX.—Monsters in Fiction.<br />
I have read with considerable interest D. F.<br />
Hannigan's article on ."Monsters in Fiction,"<br />
and George St. Clair's letter on the same subject.<br />
I am inclined to think that these "prodigious<br />
growths" are neither the creations of the human<br />
imagination nor symbols with a deep recondite<br />
meaning. May they not rather represent different<br />
stages in the wonderfid history of evolution of<br />
which our planet has been the scene? May they<br />
not have been the tentative efforts of Nature's<br />
prentice-hand? According to Aristotle, Nature<br />
experiences many failures before she can send a<br />
perfect article out of her workshop.<br />
Empedokles of Akragas, 440, B.C., an evolu-<br />
tionist considerably older than Darwin—main-<br />
tains this view. He enumerates four periods of<br />
development; and his description of them are<br />
sufficiently ghastly—strangely reminding us of<br />
the modern emulation of Mrs. Shelley's Franken-<br />
stein. During the first period, according to the<br />
Greek philosopher, heads without necks, arms<br />
without shoulders, and eyes without foreheads<br />
wandered over the primal earth. During the<br />
second age these stray members were joined<br />
together in haphazard fashion, and thus creature<br />
il§w\o(f>aviis, as weird and hideous as any that the<br />
fantastic imagination of a Gustave Flaubert or a<br />
Shakespeare has depicted, came into existence:<br />
flovyivrj (ivhpoTrputpa, or bulls with men's faces<br />
(rj., Assyrian man-bulls), and vice rent/; beings<br />
with faces and breasts before and behind; mino-<br />
taurs, sphinxes, centaurs, ehimaeras, et hoc genus<br />
omnc. In the third period "perfect types"<br />
emerged, but without distinction of sex—the<br />
"androgyne" of Lucretius (<;/'. Darwin's " herma-<br />
phrodite ascidians ") ; while the fourth and last<br />
stage is the existing order of things.<br />
In the above account I have simply reproduced<br />
in the briefest way—adding a few illustrative<br />
comments—the " placita " of Empedokles.<br />
W. B. Wallace.<br />
X.—The First Book.<br />
Sermons upon sermons might be preached on<br />
e "Never, never, never pay for pul,lisl •<br />
.jvel" text. The ripeness of , uslllnb<br />
stablishes without doubt the wisdo^*ptTieilCC<br />
advice. But what man is there so ej0 of suC"<br />
^ent as t°<br />
bring the warning home to the aspirant fired with<br />
ambition to seek the public verdict as to work<br />
which has cost him much diligence, thought,<br />
possibly some self-denial? The preacher may<br />
spare his breath and his arguments with a writer<br />
thus pressing his ewe-lamb, in the form of a first<br />
completed effort, to his literary bosom. What-<br />
ever its worth, the result belongs to him and him<br />
alone. Hand and brain have united to produce<br />
an ideal in which he believes and has even learnt<br />
to love. It must therefore go forth to the world,<br />
publishers' adverse judgments notwithstanding.<br />
Surely that is only a natural impulse it would<br />
require something stronger than the mere<br />
risk of money to check. So long as hope,<br />
aspiration, the dpsire after fame exist, the<br />
sanguine creator of books will continue to pay for<br />
his chance of a hearing. Yes, "chance." That<br />
is the false beacon which will lure Mr.<br />
Verdant on to the rock of sadness and disillusion.<br />
But until he has been buffeted by the rude waters<br />
of failure, it is useless to attempt to trim his<br />
barque to prudence. Poverty, we are told, is the<br />
surest friend in the long run. If not always a<br />
welcome visitor, he hits home and is severely<br />
practical. Perhaps, therefore, it is best to<br />
purchase one's experience at his hands. After<br />
prolonged acquaintance, some of us have come<br />
to the conclusion that his arguments carry more<br />
weight than a whole sheaf of discourses, let<br />
them be ever so well-intentioned.<br />
Cecil Clarke.<br />
Authors' Club, S.W., De.'. 18, 1896.<br />
the<br />
u<<br />
I'<br />
XI.—Wanted, a Strike.<br />
Grumbling about publishers in the pages of<br />
The Author is like railing against habitual<br />
drunkenness in a church full of respectable<br />
citizens, but this particular grumble is going to<br />
be converted into a sugges ion to our successful<br />
brethren and sisters.<br />
The length of time which many articles are<br />
kept by magazine editors (or, rather, is it not the<br />
publisher who is to blame r) increases year by<br />
year, and now it is not uncommon to have one's<br />
work "translated" from month to month, and<br />
even annouuced for three or four years in succes-<br />
sion. This is provoking from several points of<br />
view, financial and other«isj; perhaps the more<br />
so, wdien one is sat upon by a scathing critic in<br />
terms of this character: "Mr. X. evidently is<br />
not up to date; this subject was thrashed out<br />
some eighteen moDths ago by Mr. Z. in the<br />
'Demon'; an(l surely even the editor of the<br />
ever-blimdering 'Lamb' might have known so<br />
^Now it 's °^ coulse no use ^or rallk an*^<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 208 (#252) ############################################<br />
<br />
208<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
file to be independent. "If you don't like the<br />
terms you can keep your articles to yourself," is<br />
certainly what we should be told if we protested.<br />
But surely the officers of the literary army might<br />
help us. If the distinguished Deans and Canons<br />
of the Church, if the eminent Cabinet Ministers,<br />
and the popular "a shilling-a-word" writers who<br />
appear in divers monthlies would only resolve to<br />
boycott all and every editor and publisher who<br />
refuses to pay ready money for accepted literary<br />
wares to all contributors, great and small, the<br />
matter would soon be settled agreeably. It would<br />
be as great a charity as doling out blankets and<br />
soup to the indigent; for these magazine articles<br />
are the blankets and soup of the hard working<br />
authors, who have to pay for their ink long<br />
months before they get paid for their brains.<br />
Ready money payments all round is what the<br />
world wants to relieve it of one of its most<br />
deadly curses—demoralisation through long credit.<br />
The tradesmen have found out the advantages of<br />
the ready money system; why should brain-<br />
workers have to give long credit for their work?<br />
Me. X.<br />
[One agrees perfectly with the writer of this<br />
note. But his remedy would surely prove no<br />
remedy at all. For suppose the writers who can<br />
afford to be independent refused to write except<br />
for money on delivery of MS 3., how would that<br />
help those who are not independent?—Ed.]<br />
XII.—Touting Publishers.<br />
It seems to me that The Author cannot too<br />
often repeat the warning that young, or even old<br />
and experienced writers, should have no dealings<br />
under any circumstances with publishers who,<br />
openly as well as covertly, advertise for MSS.<br />
No reputable firm would ever stoop to such<br />
practices any more than a physician of good<br />
standing would think of soliciting patients.<br />
[ believe, too, that it should be repeatedly<br />
pointed out, that although such publishers have<br />
on their lists books by several winters of the first<br />
rank, these works are not generally bought from<br />
the authors, but from a syndicate who have pre-<br />
viously used the novels in serial form, and sell<br />
the book rights to the highest bidder.<br />
More than one distinguished author has indig-<br />
nantly protested at his name being used as a<br />
lure for the unwary writers of both sexes.<br />
Such firms do not publish books to sell, but<br />
for what they can make in producing and adver-<br />
tising them at the author's expense.<br />
With your permission (at some future time) I<br />
should like to give your readers my experience<br />
with one of these touting firms.<br />
A Recent Victim.<br />
OBITUARY.<br />
MR. COVENTRY PATMORE died at<br />
Lymington on Nov. 26, aged seventy-<br />
three. His father, Peter Patmore, was<br />
the friend of Keats, Coleridge, the Lambs, and<br />
other writers of that period. The boy was<br />
furnished with an introduction to Leigh Hunt,<br />
who being shown his first verses remarked "He<br />
is a poet." In 1844 his first volume was<br />
published, " Tamerton Church Tower, and Other<br />
Poems." In 1846 he became an assistant<br />
librarian at the British Museum. He was the<br />
friend of Millais, Ruskin, and Rossetti; and the<br />
poem called "The Seasons," in the first number<br />
of the Genu, was by young Patmore. His great<br />
poem, " The Angel in the House," which began<br />
to appear in 1853, had a great and immediate<br />
success both in Britain and America. "The<br />
Unknown Eros" appeared in 1877. He wrote a<br />
good deal for reviews and magazines, and a series<br />
of papers in the St. James's Gazette, afterwards<br />
published anonymously in a volume, entitled<br />
"How I Managed and Improved my Estate," was<br />
his, the estate being Heron's Ghyll, near East<br />
Grinstead. In recent years he produced two<br />
volumes of essays, "The Principles of Art," and<br />
"Religio Poetae "; and a little book of religious<br />
aphorisms entitled " Rod, Root and Flower." He<br />
edited The Children's Garland and the biography<br />
of his friend "Barry Cornwall." Although he<br />
kept rather aloof from the world, Mr. Patmore<br />
was socially a charming man. "As far as I<br />
know," says Ruskin of Patmore after the<br />
the appearance of "The Angel in the House,"<br />
"he is the only living poet who always strengthens<br />
and purifies."<br />
Miss Mathilde Blind, the poet, died in Londou<br />
on Nov. 26. She was the author of numerous<br />
volumes of verse, including " The Prophecy of St.<br />
Oran," " The Heather on Fire," "The Ascent of<br />
Man," "Songs and Sonnets," and "Birds of<br />
Passage." Her single work in prose fiction was<br />
the romance "Tarantella." Among her other<br />
work were a translation of the Journal of Bash-<br />
lrirtseff, critical monographs on George Eliot and<br />
Mine. Roland, and editions of selections both<br />
from the poems and the letters of Byron. Miss<br />
Blind, who was fifty-four years of age, was a<br />
step-daughter of Karl Blind.<br />
Mrs. Brookfield, the friend of Thackeray, who<br />
it is understood drew the character of Lady<br />
Castlewood in "Esmond" from her,' was the<br />
author of several novels, and published some<br />
years ago a number of delightful letters by<br />
Thackeray. Her husband, the late Rev. W. H.<br />
Brookfield, was the friend of Ttimyson.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 208 (#253) ############################################<br />
<br />
AD VER TISEMENTS.<br />
iii<br />
Ready about the middle of January.<br />
THE LITERARY YEAR-ROOK<br />
1897<br />
EDITED BY<br />
FREDERICK G. AFLALO, F.R.G.S., &c.<br />
An Exhaustive Book of Reference for all Writers and Readers<br />
of Books.<br />
AMONG THE CHIEF FEATURES ARE :-<br />
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Portraits and Biographical Sketches of a number of Distinguished Authors.<br />
The Year's Obituary, with Portraits.<br />
A New and Complete Calendar for Literature.<br />
Some Account of the Chief Literary and Scientific Clubs, and Learned Societies<br />
and Institutions in the Kingdom, with their Addresses.<br />
Directories of Authors, Publishers, and Booksellers.<br />
A Directory of the chief Free, Public, and Subscription Libraries in Great Britain<br />
and Ireland.<br />
Practical Information in connection with the Reading Rooms of the British Museum,<br />
Bibliothique Nationale (Paris), and K'dnigliche Bibliothek (Berlin).<br />
Articles on various Literary matters.<br />
Information concerning the Production of Books and the Processes in Illustration.<br />
&c, &c, &c.<br />
About 300 pages, crown 8vo., cloth, 3s, 6d.<br />
It is hoped that this volume, which deals with every matter of practical interest to<br />
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LONDON:<br />
GEORGE ALLEN, RUSKfN h0USE, 156, CHARING GROSS ROAD,<br />
AND BOOK^LLERft<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 208 (#254) ############################################<br />
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s-buildings. E.C,<br />
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| 299 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/299 | The Author, Vol. 07 Issue 09 (February 1897) | <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.+07+Issue+09+%28February+1897%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 Issue 09 (February 1897)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</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> | 1897-02-01-The-Author-7-9 | | | | | 209–236 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1897-02-01">1897-02-01</a> | | | | | | | 9 | | | 18970201 | Uhc Hutbor.<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 9.] FEBRUARY 1, 1897. [Price Sixpence.<br />
CONTENTS.<br />
PACE<br />
PAO«<br />
Notices, &c<br />
209<br />
Is there an American Literature?<br />
226<br />
Literary Properly—<br />
Book Talk<br />
217<br />
I. Editor and Author<br />
211<br />
Correspondence.—1. The I.S A. as Publishers. 2. Educational<br />
2. Cost of Production<br />
212<br />
Criticism. 3. A Want. 4. The County Contributor. 5. A<br />
3. Notes on Agreements<br />
213<br />
Voice from Chili. 6. Facetious Reviewing. 7. The Fiction ot<br />
4. Publishing on Commission<br />
214<br />
the Future. 8. Thirteen Copies as Twelve. 9. Presentation<br />
5. Publications of the International Bureau<br />
214<br />
Copies. 10. Reviewing. 11. Reviewing or Puffing?<br />
221)<br />
The Battle of Books in the Eariy Fifties<br />
215<br />
1 Mr. Herbert Spencer's Portrait<br />
288<br />
New York Letter. By Norman Hapgood<br />
220<br />
'Literature in the Periodicals<br />
Obitusry<br />
284<br />
NoteB and News. By the Editor<br />
222<br />
234<br />
The Byron Papers<br />
225<br />
1 The Books of the Month<br />
23C<br />
PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY.<br />
1. The Annual Eeport. That for January 1896 can be had on application to the Secretary.<br />
2. The Author. A Monthly Journal devoted especially to the protection and maintenance of Literary<br />
Property. Issued to all Members, 6*. 6d. per annum. Back numbers are offered at the<br />
following prices: Vol. I., io«. 6d. (Bound); Vols. II., HI., and IV., 8s. 6cl. each (Bound);<br />
Vol. V., 6s. 6d. (Unbound).<br />
3. Literature and the Pension List. By W. Morris Colles, Barrister-at-Law. (Henry Glaisher,<br />
95, Strand, W.C.) 3*.<br />
4. The History of the Societe des Gens de Lettres. By S. Squire Sprigoe, late Secretary to<br />
the Society, i*.<br />
5. The Cost Of Production. In this -work specimens are given of the most important forms of type,<br />
size of page, &c, with estimates showing what it costs to produce the more common kinds of<br />
books. Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 2s. 6d.<br />
6. The Various Methods of Publication. By S. Squire Sprigge. In this work, compiled from the<br />
papers in the Society's offices, the various forms of agreements proposed by Publishers to<br />
Authors are examined, and their meaning carefully explained, with an account of the various<br />
kinds of fraud which have been made possible by the different clauses in their agreemoats.<br />
Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 3*.<br />
7. Copyright Law Reform. An Exposition of Lord Monkswell's Copyright Bill now before Parlia-<br />
ment. With Extracts from the Report of the Commission of 1878, and an Appendix<br />
containing the Berne Convention and the American Copyright Bill. By J. M. Lely. Eyre<br />
and Spottiswoode. is. 6d.<br />
8. The Society of Authors. A Record of its Action from its Foundation. By Walter Besant<br />
(Chairman of Committee, 188§ jg 2j I4..<br />
3. The Contract of Publication ia „ „ Aust™ Hungary, and Switzerland. By Ernst<br />
Lunge, J.U.D. is. 6d. WmS&J* A"slna> a 5<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 208 (#256) ############################################<br />
<br />
11<br />
AD VER TISEMENTS.<br />
^i)e goctefg of Jluf^ors (§ncotporafe5).<br />
Sib Edwin Arnold, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.<br />
Alfred Austin.<br />
J. M. Barrik<br />
A. W. a Beckett.<br />
F. E. Beddard, F.R S.<br />
Robert Batekan.<br />
Sib Henbt Bergne, K.C.M.G.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
augustine blrrell, m.p.<br />
Rev. Prof. Bonnet, F.B.S.<br />
Eight Hon. James Bryce, M.P.<br />
Right Hon. Lord Burghclere, P.C.<br />
Hall Cains.<br />
Egerton Castle, F.S.A.<br />
P. W. Clatden.<br />
Edward Clodd.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Martin Conwat.<br />
F. Marion Crawford.<br />
PRESIDENT.<br />
GEOBGE MEEEDITH<br />
COUNCIL.<br />
The Earl of Desart.<br />
Austin Dobson.<br />
a. conan dotle, m.d<br />
A. W. Dubourg.<br />
Pbof. Michael Foster, F.B.S.<br />
Richard Garnett, C.B., LL.D.<br />
Edmund Gosse.<br />
H. Rider Haggard.<br />
Thomas Hardy.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
Jerome K. Jerome.<br />
Rudyard Kipling.<br />
Prof. E. Ray Lankesteb, F.R.S.<br />
W. E. H. Lecky.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Mrs. E. Lynn Linton.<br />
Rev. W. J. Loftie, F.S.A.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Prof. J. M. D. Meiklejohn.<br />
Herman C. Merivale.<br />
Rev. C. H. Middleton-Wake.<br />
Sir Lewis Morris.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
Miss E. A. Ormerod.<br />
J. C. Parkinson.<br />
Right Hon. Lord Pirbright.<br />
Sir Frederick Pollock, Bart., LL.D.<br />
Walter Hebries Pollock.<br />
W. Baptists Scoones.<br />
Miss Flora L. Shaw.<br />
G. R. Sims.<br />
S. Squire Sprioge.<br />
J. J. Stevenson.<br />
Prof. Jab. Sully.<br />
William Moy Thomas.<br />
H. D. Traill, D.C.L.<br />
Mrs. Humphry Ward.<br />
Miss Charlotte M. Yonge.<br />
A.. W. X Beckett.<br />
Sib Walter Besant<br />
Egerton Castle.<br />
W. Morrib Colles.<br />
Hon. Counsel — E. M. Underdown, Q.C<br />
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT.<br />
Chairman—H. Rider Haggard.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
S. Squire Sprigge.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Martin Conway.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
-j . ., ( Messrs. Field, Roscoe, and Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields.<br />
i G. Herbert Thring, B.A., 4, Portngal-street, W.C. Secretary—G. Herbert Thrino, B.A.<br />
OFFICES: 4, Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.<br />
-A.. IP. WATT &c sonsr,<br />
LITERARY AGENTS,.<br />
Formerly of 2, PATERNOSTER SQUARE,<br />
Have now removed to<br />
HASTINGS HOUSE, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND,<br />
LONDON, W.C.<br />
WINDSOR HOUSE PRINTING WORKS,<br />
BREAM'S BTTILZDIILSra-S, E.G.<br />
Offices of "The Field," "The Queen," "The Law Times," &e.<br />
Mr. HORACE COX, Printer to the Authors' Society, takes the opportunity of informing Authors that, having a very<br />
large Office, and an extensive Plant of Type of every description, he is in a position to EXECUTE any PRINTING they<br />
may entrust to his care.<br />
ESTIMATES FORWARDED, AND REASONABLE CHARGES WILL BE FOUND.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 209 (#257) ############################################<br />
<br />
XL he Hutbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 9.]<br />
FEBRUARY i, 1897.<br />
[Peice 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 post, 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 Bent 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 Btamps for the purpose accompany the MSS.<br />
GENERAL MEMORANDA.<br />
IT^OK some years it has been the praotice to insert, in<br />
J every number of The Author, certain " General Con-<br />
siderations," Warnings, Notices, &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 obviouB 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 t<br />
(1.) Not to sign any agreement in which thn , » ' «<br />
duction forms a part. 0 Cost of pro-<br />
(2.) Not to give the publisher the power r.»<br />
profitu into his own pocket by charging for 'pitting ^e<br />
VOL. VII.'<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 np 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 solioitor 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 amount 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 connected with royalties are published in the Author.<br />
Readers can also work out the figures themselves from the<br />
"Cost of Production." Let no one, not even the youngeBt<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 suooess. 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 be their maximum. Therefore every<br />
author, for every book, should arrange on the chance of a<br />
success which will not, probably, come at all; but which<br />
may oome.<br />
The four points which the Society has always demanded<br />
from the outset are:—<br />
(t.) 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 common 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 fo<br />
advertisements in the publisher's own organs and none tor<br />
exchanged advertisements; and that all discount*! sha be<br />
duly entered.<br />
If these points are carefully looked after, the author may<br />
rest Dretty we^ assured that he is in right hands. At the<br />
*.;mn he will do well to send his agreement to the<br />
secretary before he s.gnsxt.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 210 (#258) ############################################<br />
<br />
2io THE AUTHOR.<br />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
I. "T7WERY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
JQj advice upon his agreements, his choice of a pub-<br />
lisher, or any dispute arising in the oondnct of hie<br />
bnsinesB 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. Bemember that questions connected with copyright<br />
and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within the<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple<br />
to use the Society first—our solicitors are continually<br />
engaged upon suoh 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 yonr agree-<br />
ments, and the resnlts 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 docnment to tho Society for examination.<br />
6. The Society is acquainted with the methods, and—in<br />
the case of fraudulent nouses—the tricks of every publish-<br />
ing firm in the country.<br />
7. Bemember 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 yon 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 everything<br />
important to literature that you may hear or meet 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 Society now offers:—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon<br />
them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
THE AUTHORS' SYNDICATE.<br />
MEMBERS are informed:<br />
1. That tho Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the bnsiness of members of the Society. That it<br />
gnbmits MSS. to publishers and editors, concludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects accounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the trouble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon which its services can be socured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndicate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That the Syndicate can only undertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia-<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that all<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice should be given.<br />
6. That overy attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in all oases, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence; does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded without notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
lectures by some of the leading members of the Society;<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for the sale and<br />
purchase of journals and periodicals: and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wanted" is open. Members are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to the Manager.<br />
There is an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called upon in any cose of dispute or difficulty. 'It<br />
is perhaps necessary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndicate.<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?<br />
Communications for the Author should reach the Editor<br />
not later than the 21 st of each month.<br />
All persons engaged in literary work of any kind, whether<br />
members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate<br />
to the Editor any points connected with their work which<br />
it would be advisable in the general interest to 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 Authors' Club is now open in its new premises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-court, Charing Cross. Address the Secretary<br />
for information, rules of admission, &c.<br />
Will members take the trouble to ascertain whether they<br />
have paid their subscriptions for the year P 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 five<br />
years to come, whatever his conduct, whether he was honest<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 211 (#259) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
2 I I<br />
or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for a moment when they are asked to sign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five 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 means, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing sums," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the cost of binding<br />
is set down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now stands<br />
at J69 4«. The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be procured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
bill is so elastic a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
arrived at.<br />
Some remarks have been made upon the amount charged<br />
in the " Cost of Production " for advertising. Of oourse, we<br />
have not included any Bums 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 practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
I.—Editor and Author.<br />
I^HE Committee of the Society of Authors<br />
have taken the opinion of counsel on the<br />
following point. A member of the Society<br />
sent a MS. to the editor of a magazine. The<br />
MS. was not returned, and on application to the<br />
editor by the Secretary of the Society the editor<br />
refused to hold himself in any way responsible<br />
for the return of MSS., trusting to a notice<br />
inserted amongst the advertisements in his<br />
magazine, which ran as follows:<br />
Unsolicited contributions are not returned nnder any<br />
circumstances. In case of acceptance, notification is made<br />
within a month from the receipt of the MS.<br />
The editor further objected to the intervention<br />
of ihe Secretary, who is also Solicitor for members<br />
in tluse cases, and as such intervenes as a right.<br />
The former point is naturally one of great im-<br />
portance to everybody concerned, and counsel's<br />
opinion was asked on the matter. In the case for<br />
counsel his attention was called especially to the<br />
case of magazines as differing from the daily<br />
papers. The three questions put were as follows:<br />
1. Whether the editor is responsible when an<br />
author has not become cognizant of any<br />
notice disclaiming responsibility. If yes,<br />
to what extent responsible.<br />
2. Whether an editor would be taken to t>e<br />
responsible with reference to + L' xj<br />
cular case, as the notice is not • ^ ■<br />
a prominent place in the iuq,^, tinted 111<br />
posing that the author has n^^iiie, sUP"<br />
Seen sue11<br />
notice, and that editors under ordinary<br />
circumstances are responsible.<br />
3. If the editor who inserts a notice is not<br />
responsible unless the notice come to the<br />
cognizance of an author, on whom does<br />
the burden of proof lie'?<br />
Below is counsel's opinion.<br />
"Editor and Author.<br />
"i.I am of opinion that if a manuscript be sent<br />
to the editor of a magazine without any previous<br />
request or agreement, the editor is not responsible<br />
for its loss while in his possession unless the loss<br />
be due to some gross negligence on his part.<br />
So long, however, as the manuscript remains in<br />
his possession the editor is bound to return it on<br />
demand, and the publication in his magazine of<br />
a notice that he will not return manuscripts does<br />
not, in my opinion, alter his liability in this respecs<br />
towards an author who was not cognizant of such<br />
notice when he sent in the manuscript.<br />
"The editor's responsibility for the manuscript<br />
while in his possession is, in my opinion, that of a<br />
gratuitous or voluntary bailee, who is answerable for<br />
loss through his gross negligence, but not for any<br />
ordinary neglect. (See 1 Smith's Leading Cases,<br />
10th edition, pp. 189, et seq.) If the manuscript<br />
has been lost, the onus lies upon the author to<br />
shew that the loss was caused by the editor's<br />
gross negligence, for which alone the editor is<br />
answerable. (See Story on Bailments, 9th edit. s.<br />
410, and the cases referred to in the notes there.)<br />
"If the manuscript was in the editor's<br />
possession when its return was demanded, the<br />
editor is liable, in my opinion, to an action of<br />
detenue if he refuse to return it. Evidence that<br />
the editor received the manuscript would raise a<br />
presumption that it was still in his possession<br />
when the demand was made. But the editor could<br />
rebut that p»esumption by proving that the manu-<br />
script was lost prior to the demand. The editor<br />
would not escape liability by proving that he had<br />
improperly destroyed or wrongfully parted with<br />
the manuscript (see Jones v. Dowle, 9 M. & W.<br />
19) or had lost it through his gross negligence<br />
(see Eeeve v. Palmer, 5 C.B..N.S. 84). But it<br />
would be a good defence for the editor to show<br />
that before its return was demanded the<br />
manuscript was lost without default on his part<br />
(see 5 C.B., N.S. pp. 85-89), or in some manner<br />
which could not be ascertained. In the latter<br />
cases the editor would not be liable unless the<br />
author could adduce affirmative evidence cf gross<br />
negligence (see Powell v. Graves, 2 Times L.B.<br />
663; Howard v. Hams, C. & E. 253).<br />
"2 I ain °^ °I^n'on *na* m the particular<br />
case referred to the author sent his manuscript<br />
to tl &toT *Q ^>coraD-ce of the existence of any<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 212 (#260) ############################################<br />
<br />
212<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
such notice as that -which is in the magazine, then<br />
the editor could not successfully rely upon the<br />
notice as a defence to any action brought against<br />
him. In this case the notice would in my opinion<br />
be immaterial, but, of course, the editor might<br />
have a complete defence on other grounds, such<br />
as those I have already referred to in my answer<br />
to the first question. Ef the author saw or knew<br />
of the notice before he sent his manuscript, I think<br />
he would be held to have sent it on the terms of<br />
such notice: (see Parker v. South-Eastern Rail-<br />
way Company, 2 C. P. D. 416; Richards v.<br />
Rowntree (1894), A. C. 217). The exact part of<br />
the magazine in which the notice is inserted is im-<br />
material, except in so far as it renders it more or<br />
less likely that the author in fact saw or did not<br />
see the notice, assuming that he ever saw the<br />
magazine. I would point out that there is a<br />
reference to the notice on page 27 of the<br />
magazine.<br />
"3.I am of opinion that the burden of proving<br />
that the author was cognizant of the notice would<br />
lie upon the editor.<br />
"T. Willes Chitty."<br />
From the Committee.<br />
6. Herbert Thring.<br />
II.—Cost or Production.<br />
We are so well accustomed to assurances that<br />
it is impossible to get work done at the cost indi-<br />
cated by the Society's book, that it is hardly<br />
worth while repeating that those figures were<br />
arrived at by estimates sent in from different<br />
printers. In any case they were only offered as<br />
approximate, because a printer's bill is a very<br />
elastic document indeed. Here, however, we<br />
submit a case which illustrates the amount of<br />
belief which is to be placed in those who, con-<br />
tinually asking and receiving estimates, declare<br />
that our figures are impossibly low.<br />
Estimates were asked from three printers of<br />
the cost of composition, printing, and binding for<br />
a certain MS. The paper was supplied separately.<br />
The book was one of 440 pages, each page con-<br />
taining twenty-eight lines, and the type was<br />
small pica. The binding was to be quite simple,<br />
but what is called "handsome."<br />
Let us take first the figures given in the "Cost<br />
of Production." Very nearly the exact size of<br />
page and the type are given on pp. 18 and 19.<br />
Our page is slightly larger.<br />
1. Composition at £1 7*. 6d. a sheet of sixteen<br />
pages.<br />
2. Printing 1000 copies at 10s. 6d. a sheet; or,<br />
2000 copies (see p. 57) at 16*. a sheet.<br />
3. Paper at 16s. a sheet.<br />
4. Binding at 27*. per 100 volumes, or ^\d. a<br />
volume. (But for the last two years an announce-<br />
ment has been made regularly in The Author to<br />
the effect that binding has gone up 15 per cent.<br />
This brings the binding very nearly to 3frf.<br />
But this was an estimate for a three-volume<br />
novel. The volumes in this form are small. On<br />
p. 27 the binding of a single volume is put<br />
down at 4<f.)<br />
Now for the estimates.<br />
I. A town firm, one of the very best printers<br />
in London:<br />
1. Composing per sheet of thirty-two pages at<br />
£2 lis. per sheet, i.e., £1 5s. bd. the sheet of<br />
sixteen pages.<br />
2. Printing 1000 copies at 8.?. Sd. a sheet.<br />
3. Binding 1000 copies, ,£16 u»., i.e., very<br />
nearly 3-j"//. a copy.<br />
4. Printing 2000 copies at 14*. 2d. a sheet.<br />
5. Paper at 10s. a sheet.<br />
II. —A country firm :—<br />
1. Composing £1 js. a sheet.<br />
2. Printing 1000 at 9s. a sheet.<br />
3. Printing 2000 at 14s. a sheet.<br />
III. Another London firm:<br />
1. Composing and printing 1000 copies at<br />
£2 3«. 3|</. a sheet.<br />
2. Composing and printing 2000 copies at<br />
£2 Ss. Sd. a sheet.<br />
3. Paper at 12*. a sheet.<br />
Compare these estimates with our own figures:—<br />
Society.<br />
1st Printer.<br />
2nd Pi inter.<br />
Composition per theet 1<br />
Printing 1000 per sheet o<br />
Paper per sheet o<br />
Binding per vol o<br />
Printing 2000 copies per sheet)<br />
(" Cost of Production," p. 28) j 0<br />
S. d. £ s.<br />
7» 1 5<br />
10 6 o 8<br />
16 o o 10<br />
04 o o<br />
16 2 o 14<br />
d.<br />
6<br />
8<br />
o<br />
3 1 a<br />
2<br />
3rd Printer.<br />
£ s.<br />
£ s. d. £ s. d.<br />
1 70 2 3 3^ (for<br />
o 9 o composing and printing)<br />
o 12 o<br />
0140<br />
( composing and print ing,<br />
I 288a sheet.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 213 (#261) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
213<br />
The figures are actually lower than our<br />
■own all along the line. The estimates are in<br />
Mr. Thring's hands. They can be seen by<br />
members.<br />
It cannot be denied that if instead of one<br />
book the printers were asked for an estimate of<br />
five-and-twenty books, all these figures would be<br />
greatly reduced.<br />
III.—Notes on Aoeeements.<br />
I. LITERARY.<br />
The following agreement has been handed to<br />
the secretary of the Society. It has been signed<br />
by an author, and, like all the agreements printed<br />
in The Author, can be verified by any member of<br />
the Society who cares to inquire at the office for<br />
full particulars. The outlines of this agreement<br />
have been printed in The Author two or three<br />
times previously, as the publisher issues the same<br />
printed form on nearly every occasion. On this<br />
particular occasion the figures of the agreement<br />
are perhaps rather more in favour of the publisher<br />
than usual, owing to the author's ignorance and<br />
to the fact that he obtained no advice before<br />
signing the document.<br />
It will be seen on perusal that the publisher is<br />
to publish " an edition" of a certain work, and<br />
to sell it at the published or advertised price of<br />
10.9. 6d. per copy; this edition is to be the pro-<br />
perty of the said publisher. There is no state-<br />
ment as to how large the edition is to be, so that<br />
if the book should prove a success the publisher<br />
might, if he chose—there is nothing to pre-<br />
vent him—claim the first edition to be one of<br />
3000 or perhaps 5000 copies.<br />
Nest, the author is to guarantee at the end of<br />
nine months the sale of 450 copies at the price of<br />
six shillings, or ,£135. This amount will almost<br />
certainly cover all the cost of production, if only<br />
a small edition is produced in the first instance,<br />
and will also put a certain sum into the publisher's<br />
pocket.<br />
Keinark, therefore, that it is not to the interest<br />
•of the publisher to push the book until the expira-<br />
tion of the nine months, because he will then<br />
demand the author's money according to the<br />
agreement, and afterwards he will put in his own<br />
pocket the proceeds of every book sold. If the<br />
book is not a success, the publisher is well paid,<br />
and the author, inasmuch as he has to purchase<br />
three or four hundred copies of his own book, has<br />
to take upon himself really the publisher's duty<br />
■of putting these copies upon the market in order<br />
to endeavour to recoup his outlay. For writing<br />
the book therefore; for paying for the cost of<br />
production; and for undertaking to a 1<br />
large<br />
extent the publisher's duty, the author obtains<br />
nothing whatever; and, further, has very little<br />
probability of ever obtaining anything, if, as has<br />
been pointed out, there should be practically no<br />
limit to the first edition.<br />
Memorandum of Agreement made this day of<br />
between (publisher) of the one part, and<br />
(author) of the other part. The said publisher<br />
hereby agrees to produce in tasteful form, and publish in<br />
the usual manner at his own expense, an edition of a<br />
volume written by the said author and entitled" ,"<br />
the said volume to consist of 504 pages, crown octavo size,<br />
and to be published at ten shillings and sixpence per copy.<br />
The said author hereby agrees to be responsible for the Bale<br />
of 450 copies of the said volume, and undertakes, at the<br />
expiration of nine months from the date of publication, to<br />
purchase at the rate of six shillings per copy whatever<br />
number of copies, if any, be necessary to make the sales<br />
up to the said number of 450 oopios. This edition to be<br />
the property of the said publisher, and all proofs of the<br />
same to be corrected and returned promptly to the printer<br />
by the said author. It is understood that the copyright of<br />
the said volume is, and remains, the property of the author.<br />
As witness, &c.<br />
II. MUSICAL.<br />
The following agreement was handed to a<br />
composer by one of the best-known musical<br />
publishing houses. It was a printed form, and<br />
there appears to be no doubt, as one or two other<br />
copies of this agreement have been sent to the<br />
office, that it is the usual form handed by this firm<br />
to composers. It is in the form of a letter to be<br />
signed by the composer and to be handed to the<br />
publisher, and, like all musical publishers'<br />
agreements, which are at present considerably<br />
worse for the composer than the literary pub-<br />
lishers' for the author, it asks for everything that<br />
the composer possibly has to give, and offers the<br />
smallest of small royalties in return; the royalty<br />
not to increase with the sales if the piece is a<br />
success, as very often happens, and only to be<br />
paid after the sale of a certain number of<br />
copies, the price of which would be almost, if<br />
not more than, sufficient to cover the cost of<br />
production. On it being pointed out to the<br />
publisher that the composer would also like to<br />
have a signed copy, it was stated that it was not<br />
the custom of the publishing house, and the com-<br />
poser finally had to give up this point if he<br />
desired to see his music published. By this step,<br />
of course, the publisher obtains the whole copy-<br />
right, but does not bind himself in any way<br />
even to produce the work if he does not feel so<br />
inclined. The composer, therefore, has only to<br />
rely upon the good faith of the publisher. In<br />
this particular case there seems to have been no<br />
reason to doubt that good faith, but it is not the<br />
proper wav *° conduct a business transaction, and<br />
the sooner that musical publishers are brought to<br />
s tb>t it is necessary to have a formal contract<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 214 (#262) ############################################<br />
<br />
214<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
between themselves and the composers on reason-<br />
able terms the better.<br />
London,<br />
To Messrs.<br />
I hereby assign to you the whole of my oopyright (includ-<br />
ing the right of pnblio performance), for Great Britain<br />
and Ireland and the Colonies, in my , entitled<br />
"in consideration of your paying me a royalty<br />
of pence per copy on all copieB sold of the «ame:<br />
thirteen copies to be considered as twelve, and the firBt<br />
2O0 copies not to be subject to royalty.<br />
London,<br />
To Messrs.<br />
I hereby assign to you the whole of my copyright and<br />
right of performance for the United States of America, in<br />
my , entitled" "in consideration of your<br />
paying me a royalty of per cent, on the marked prico<br />
of all copies Bold of the same in the said country, or<br />
imported from the United States into Canada. The first<br />
200 copies not to be aubject to royalty.<br />
IV.—Publishing on Commission.<br />
There has been received a circular from a firm<br />
hitherto unknown offering terms for publishing<br />
on commission. The terms are these:<br />
1. The author to pay the estimated cost before the work<br />
goes to press.<br />
2. The publishers allow vouchers and keep open books.<br />
3. They advertise their books in a monthly catalogue<br />
which circulates 80,000 a year, or 6666 6 every month. (The<br />
repeating decimal is probably a special feature in the circu-<br />
lation.)<br />
4. The publishers reserve the right of taking the " usual<br />
discount on printing, &c."<br />
5. They acoonnt for all sales at 25 as 24, or at 13 as 12,<br />
with S percent off.<br />
6. Copies Bent out of London must have the porterage<br />
charged to the author.<br />
7. The publishers take a 10 per cent, commission.<br />
Now let us consider. The author pays before-<br />
hand, say, £120 to cover all expenses, including<br />
advertising. It is assumed that the publishers'<br />
statement of the estimate is honest. In fact,<br />
this examination of the circular is not an attack<br />
upon the bona Jides of the publishers at all. The<br />
book perhaps sells 750 copies. About half the<br />
number sold are taken by 12 as 12. It will be<br />
found that the publishers therefore, by putting<br />
down all at 13 as 12, put into their pockets, on a sale<br />
of 750 copies, a sum of a little over £3 to which<br />
they are not entitled. The 5 per cent, discount<br />
on the sale of 750 copies, taking an average of<br />
3«. 6d. a volume, amounts to j£6 i is. 3d., for which<br />
no right or reason exists.<br />
The publishers need not pay their printers for<br />
six months. They have therefore the use of the<br />
author's money for that time. And if they are<br />
dishonest they may charge the full amount, con-<br />
cealing the discount. The charge of 10 per cent,<br />
on the sales means ,£13 zs. 6d.<br />
Now let us see how the author's account will<br />
stand.<br />
£ s. d. £ s. d.<br />
Payment 120 o o<br />
10 percent commission ... 13 2 6<br />
5 per cent discount on cost<br />
of production 3 o o<br />
5 per cent 011 sales 6 11 3<br />
Alleged 13 as 12 3 o o<br />
145 13 9<br />
By sales:<br />
750 copies at 3s. 6d 131 5 o<br />
Loss 14 8 9<br />
H5 13 9<br />
The author, then, on a moderate sale of 750<br />
copies, loses .£14 8s. yd.<br />
The publishers on the other hand have some-<br />
thing pleasant out of the transaction, viz,:<br />
£ s. d.<br />
Commission 13 2 6<br />
Discount on printing, &c 3 o o<br />
5 per cent on sales 6 11 3<br />
Use of author's money for an average<br />
of 9 months at 5 per cent 4 10 o<br />
Alleged 13 as 12 3 o o<br />
<£3o 3 9<br />
Not a great sum, but these are not great people.<br />
Besides, 30 such books in the year would make<br />
quite a pretty lit;le income.<br />
V. — Publications of the International<br />
Bureau.<br />
The Berne International Bureau for the Pro-<br />
tection of Literary and Artistic Property has re-<br />
quested us to mention that—■<br />
The International Bureau for the Protection of<br />
Literary and Artistic Property replies to requests<br />
for information sent to it by its official organ<br />
Lc Droit d'Auteur, if the question is one of<br />
general interest; by letter, under cover, when<br />
the question is of a private nature.<br />
The following documents can be procured<br />
from the International Bureau. All questions<br />
respecting the protection of literary and<br />
artistic property are, at the present date,<br />
much more generally studied than they have<br />
been for the last ten years. Of this fact, which<br />
is well known, we have a proof in the great<br />
number of requests addressed to us for informa-<br />
tion as to where it is possible to obtain the official<br />
documents relating to the history of the founda-<br />
tion of the Literary and Artistic Union. We<br />
believe that we shall be doing a service to<br />
all that are interested in these questions, as well<br />
as to those journals whose readers are concerned<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 215 (#263) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
2'5<br />
about them, by publishing here a list of the docu-<br />
ments for sale at our Bureau. These are the<br />
following:<br />
1. The "Actes" of the three international<br />
diplomatic Conferences held at Berne in the<br />
years 1884, 1885, and 1886, to fix the terms of<br />
the Berne Union. Three numbers, large paper,<br />
stitched, in wrapper. 1884, eighty-nine pages;<br />
1SS5, eighty-one pages; 1886, forty-four pages.<br />
2. Copies of the "Convention d'Union,"<br />
Sept. 9, 1886; official edition in two languages,<br />
German and French.<br />
3. Complete file of Le Droit d'Auteur, each<br />
year stitched in wrapper.<br />
4. Conspectus of the wishes expressed by the<br />
various Congresses and Assemblies since the foun-<br />
dation of the Union, stitched in wrapper. 1896,<br />
twenty-three pages.<br />
5. Studies on divers questions connected with<br />
the revision of the Berne Convention. Special<br />
edition of the principal articles which have<br />
appeared on this subject in Le Droit d'Auteur,<br />
1896, seventy pages.<br />
In addition the Bureau will send gratis to any-<br />
one asking for them the following Studies, which<br />
have been separately printed:—<br />
1. The relations existing between the Berne<br />
Convention and the Swiss law respecting literary<br />
and artistic property on the one hand, and the<br />
treaties concluded on the other hand by Switzer-<br />
land. A Conference by Professor A. d'Orelli,<br />
eight pages.<br />
2. The codification of the laws respecting the<br />
protection of author's rights in Great Britain.<br />
Twenty-five pages.<br />
3. The fundamental principle of the Berne<br />
Convention. Four pages.<br />
Hie official documents relative to the recent<br />
Paris Diplomatic Conference will not be placed<br />
at the disposition of the public until after the<br />
ratification of the Acts adopted at Paris, which<br />
will take place in the spring of next year.<br />
We may add that the Bureau of the Union for<br />
the Protection of Industrial Property, a bureau<br />
which is under the same management as our own,<br />
sells the Acts of the Paris Conference, 1880,<br />
1883; Rome, 1886; and Madrid. 1890, at which<br />
the Convention of March 20. 1883 was either<br />
drawn up or revised; the file of Propriety Indns-<br />
tricllc, 1885-1896; and the first volume of the<br />
•' Reeueil " of laws and treaties respecting indus-<br />
trial property, which has just appeared.<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
THE BATTLE CF BOOKS IN THE EAELY<br />
FIFTIES.<br />
TINHERE W'IS a bookselling question fifty<br />
I years ago a good deal keener than that of<br />
to-day, yet bearing some points of resem-<br />
blance to it. An article appeared in the West-<br />
minster Review of April 1852, entitled "The<br />
Commerce of Literature." The writer, it trans-<br />
pired shortly afterwards, was Mr. John Chapman,<br />
a young and enterprising publisher and book-<br />
seller in the Strand, who was also proprietor and<br />
editor of the Westminster Review. The tax upon<br />
paper and upon advertisements; the duty on<br />
foreign books; our anomalous literary relations<br />
with America; and the conditions of book dis-<br />
tribution, were all questions which Mr. Chapman<br />
passed under lengthy and minute review.<br />
Mischievous Profits to Booksellers.<br />
The bookseller supplied his customer without<br />
commission, and depended for his profit on a<br />
discount to be obtained from the publisher.<br />
This system was the parent of innumerable con-<br />
flicts and trouble. "The nominal discount allowed<br />
to the trade," wrote Mr. Chapman, " i.e., by the<br />
publisher to the bookseller, is 25 per cent.; more-<br />
over, twenty-five copies are charged as twenty-<br />
four, and in cases of low-priced books thirteen as<br />
twelve, or seven as six and a half." The great<br />
publishers also held annual or semi-annual sales<br />
—attended by the " select booksellers of London<br />
and Westminster "—with the accompaniments of<br />
dinners and wine. Provincial booksellers were<br />
rigorously excluded; and on these occasions the<br />
remainders, or unsold copies of publications which<br />
had ceased "to sell" at their original prices, were<br />
offered on reduced terms, or sold by auction, while<br />
new works, often even before they had been<br />
issued, were offered at 10 and 15 per cent, below"<br />
the trade price, with the advantage of long credit.<br />
These enormous profits—varying from 2: to 40<br />
per cent., besides the twenty-fifth or thirteenth<br />
book — tempted enterprising men to offer a<br />
portion of this discount to private purchasers in<br />
order to increase their connections and the<br />
amount of their returns. But to do this was to<br />
fly in the face of<br />
A Formidable Pha.la.nx op Monopolists.<br />
Indolent tradesmen, publishers who wished to<br />
add to their vocation that of retail booksellers,<br />
and, lastly, the book merchants of Paternoster-<br />
row, all had inducements to extinguish competi-<br />
tion. These last-named, whose chief source of<br />
strength lay in the fact that the partners of the<br />
greatest publishing houses in London were also<br />
extensive book merchants and retail vendors,<br />
B B<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 216 (#264) ############################################<br />
<br />
2 1 6<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
supplied the literary institutions and libraries—<br />
hence the loss of this branch of trade would be<br />
more serious to them than to the small book-<br />
sellers, who di 1 not purchase on such advan-<br />
tageous terms, but whose competition might<br />
prove nevertheless injurious. At this point we<br />
must turn back to 1774, in order to get the incep-<br />
tion of the idea of cheap books and free trade<br />
in selling, and by consequence, the beginning of<br />
an opposing association to keep up prices. In<br />
that year James Lackington began business<br />
humbly, with only five pounds, but in a few<br />
years his annual sale grew to 100,000 volumes,<br />
and he was invited to attend the trade sales.<br />
"When first invited to these trade sales," he<br />
says in his "Memoirs," "I was very much sur-<br />
prised to learn that it was common for such<br />
as purchased 'remainders,' to destroy one-<br />
half or three-fourths of such books, and to<br />
charge the full publication price, or nearly<br />
that, for such as they kept on hand; and<br />
there was a kind of standing order amongst<br />
the trade, that in case anyone was known<br />
to sell articles under the publication price, such<br />
person was to be excluded from trade sales; so<br />
blind were copyright holders to their own interest."<br />
Lackington reflected that if some of the books<br />
were not worth six shillings, they were worth three<br />
or two; and he resolved not to destroy any books<br />
that were worth saving, but to sell them off at<br />
half or quarter of the publication prices. In spite<br />
of strenuous opposition in the trade, his husiness<br />
prospered enormously; and the Booksellers' Asso-<br />
ciation sprang into being in 1806 to prevent the<br />
spread of the practice he had initiated. The<br />
operations of this body of monopolists, which saw<br />
many ups and downs, had a certain rude<br />
thoroughness. About 1830, for instance, they<br />
hired spies to discover by what means booksellers<br />
on the "black list" succeeded in purchasing<br />
through indirect channels those books which were<br />
denied to them directly by the publishers. The<br />
spies followed such booksellers as pertinaciously as<br />
their own shadows. In Aug. 1831 a party of the<br />
defaulters" sallied forth, and Mr. Bounds (the<br />
secretary of the combination) and his accomplices<br />
were immediately on their track. "Cabs were<br />
taken to the river, where they embarked, the spies<br />
with them, and were carried as far as Calais, where<br />
for some days the four travellers took up their<br />
quarters at the Hotel de 1'Europe. They then<br />
adjourned to the Hotel d'Orleans at Boulogne,<br />
where they rested three days, and then took<br />
flight again for Dover. Here the booksellers<br />
separated in order to perplex their pursuers, one<br />
of whom lost his cue by intoxication, while the<br />
other on reaching Hythe gave up the chase and<br />
returned to London to report his proceedings to<br />
the committee, which, it is said, having on this<br />
occasion expended <£8o only to be defeated,<br />
reluctantly determined to discontinue the costly<br />
system."<br />
The Laws: Inconsistency and Casuistry.<br />
Nearly the whole trade, however, comprising<br />
about 2400 persons, signed an agreement to<br />
observe the arbitrary laws of the combination,<br />
and though a powerful blow was dealt it in<br />
Professor Babbage's work "On the Economy of<br />
Machinery and Manufactures," it rallied, and in<br />
1849 a warning was issued—signed by Longman,<br />
Brown, and Co.; Simpkin, Marshall, and Co.;<br />
Whitaker and Co.; and Hamilton, Adams, and<br />
Co.—to such booksellers as bad been acting con-<br />
trary to the regulations for the guidance of the<br />
trade, agreed to at the Albion Tavern, Oct. 3,<br />
1848. This had not much effect, however, and at<br />
a general meeting in Exeter Hall, on July 12,<br />
1850, the following declaration was drawn up to<br />
be signed by every bookseller residing within<br />
twelve miles of the General Post Office, before he<br />
could be allowed to trade with the subscribers.<br />
It was signed by 1200 booksellers:<br />
1 at. That we will not supply books at trade price, except<br />
to those who are in possession of a ticket. Special trades<br />
dealing occasionally in books connected with their trade,<br />
may be supplied with such books at trade price, at the<br />
discretion of each bookseller.<br />
2nd. That, as a general rule, no greater allowance than<br />
10 per cent, for cash be made to private customers uncon-<br />
nected with the trade or with publishing.<br />
3rd. That, as a general rule, no greater allowance than<br />
15 per cent, be made to book societies.<br />
4th. That we will not advertise, or ticket, at less than the<br />
publication price copyright books, unless bond fide second-<br />
hand or unless depreciated by the publisher, or such as<br />
are notoriously unsuccessful.<br />
We mutually agree that any one systematically acting<br />
contrary to these regulations, after remonstrance, shall be<br />
no longer considered entitled to the privileges of the trade.<br />
But the law-makers failed to keep their own<br />
Jaws. The chairman himself (Mr. J. M. Richard-<br />
son at that time) admitted that he supplied books<br />
to the Society for Promoting Christian Know-<br />
ledge, and that the latter re-sold them to its<br />
members at cost price. Another prominent<br />
member supplied books to one of the colleges at<br />
25 per cent discount. A third supplied the books<br />
to form the Bank of England library at a similar<br />
discount; and so on. Several Glasgow booksellers<br />
would on no account be guilty of selling a hook<br />
under its published price, but to be equal with<br />
their neighbours who had no such scruples, they<br />
fell upon the following expedient:—" If a person<br />
asked one of them for a book, published at 2s. 6d.<br />
for example, it was offered to him at that price,<br />
but if he objected that he could get it at 28. else-<br />
where, the vendor at once overcame the difficulty<br />
by cutting open a few leaves of the volume, or if<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 217 (#265) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
217<br />
it chanced to be cut when published, by allowing<br />
a drop of ink to deface it—the conscientious<br />
bibliopole being able to regard it in that condi-<br />
tion as 'second-hand,' and therefore holding<br />
himself entitled, according to orthodox principles,<br />
to sell it at a reduced price!"<br />
The Effect upon the Author.<br />
Mr. Chapman's contention on the ground of<br />
the public interest, was that booksellers were<br />
willing to accept less profit than was allowed<br />
by the regulations, and therefore to sell books<br />
at a cheaper rate. How vitally the author was<br />
affected by the system of distribution that pre-<br />
vailed, may be seen readily from the single<br />
case of Mr. Babbage's book, one of those upon<br />
which the writer based his article. The retail<br />
price, 68., on 3052 copies, produced =£915 121.<br />
Of this sum ,£266 os. 1 id. was paid for printing,<br />
paper, and taxes on paper and advertisements;<br />
£61 os. lod. was the publisher's commission; and<br />
the author received £283 6s. lid., thus leaving<br />
the enormous sum of .£305 3*. 4c?. to be divided<br />
among the wholesale and retail booksellers. The<br />
booksellers therefore received £21 16s. 5f/. more<br />
for distributing it than the author received for<br />
writing it!<br />
The Times on the Controversy.<br />
The facts of the dispute were placed before<br />
the readers of the Times, which immediately<br />
followed up Mr. Chapman's article. The great<br />
journal could not discover any valid reason for<br />
"this anomalous interference with the free course<br />
of competition and the natural operation of<br />
trade," and did not hesitate to call the methods<br />
of the publishers "an organised system of<br />
coercion." It had been argued in justification of<br />
the existing practice that it commanded the assent<br />
of the vast majority of the trade, but the Times<br />
dismissed this argument as invalid, because in<br />
the face of such absolute powers as the Book-<br />
sellers' Association possessed over its members it<br />
was plain that the number of those venturing to<br />
dissent would be exceedingly few. A great many<br />
letters poured into the Times within the next few<br />
weeks. Messrs. Longman, Brown, and Co. and<br />
Mr. John Murray wrote jointly, saying that the<br />
Association was not a publishers' association, and<br />
that as publishers they were no further interested<br />
in it than so far as it had been supposed to pro-<br />
mote the solvency of the trade and the prosperity<br />
of literary speculations. Mr. Richard Bentley<br />
took quite the contrary view, remarking that a<br />
glance at the list of the members of the committee<br />
of the Association would show that, with nrobably<br />
two exceptions only, it consisted of ]>ub]jshers aU<*<br />
the wholesale book merchants of Put,,* , ^ row,<br />
vol. vii. trnost«r-r<br />
"who are interested in the maintenance of<br />
monopoly."<br />
Fifteen per cent, quite Sufficient.<br />
Mr. Murray stoutly maintained that 25 per<br />
cent, was not too much to allow the book-<br />
seller. Nevertheless Messrs. Bickers and Bush,<br />
Leicester-square, one of the most constant oppo-<br />
nents of the Booksellers' Association, promptly<br />
proved that as a matter of fact they were con-<br />
ducting their business satisfactorily on 15 per<br />
cent, discount. Mr. Sydney Williams, Henrietta-<br />
street, was one of a number who gave similar<br />
testimony. And two months later, after the Times<br />
had in one of its articles estimated the discount<br />
at 33 per cent., "Parvus Julius," writing from<br />
Lincoln's-inn, said that even this was "con-<br />
siderably understating" it. He added:<br />
Retailers always get twenty-five copies of the larger<br />
works at the price of twenty-four copies. Of pamphlets<br />
they get thirteen to the dozen. Thns, for 100 books sold<br />
over the counter at 10*. each the retailer has only paid<br />
96 times 7«. 6d.; his outlay is JE36, and his return .£50. A<br />
profit of ill4 on ^36 is equal exactly to 385 per cent.<br />
Energetic Steps taken by Authors.<br />
On May 4,1852, a meeting, numerously attended<br />
by authors (and a few booksellers who had<br />
smuggled themselves in as spies), was held at<br />
Mr. Chapman's, 142, Strand. Mr. Charles Dickens<br />
took the chair. Amongst the men distin-<br />
guished in literature and science who were<br />
present were Professors Owen, Newman, and<br />
Ansted, Mr. Babbage, Mr. Tom Taylor, Dr.<br />
Lankester, Dr. Arnott, and Mr. Crabbe Robinson;<br />
and letters concurring in the views of the<br />
meeting were read from Mr. Carlyle, Mr. John<br />
Stuart Mill, Mr. Gladstone, M.P., Professor de<br />
Morgan, Mr. James Wilson, M.P., Mr. Cobdeu,<br />
M.P., and others. From this meeting there arose<br />
the definite steps taken which ended in abolition<br />
of the trade restrictions. Five resolutions were<br />
adopted, declaring that free trade ought to be<br />
applied to books as to all other articles of com-<br />
merce; that the principles of the Booksellers'<br />
Association were not only opposed to Free Trade,<br />
but were tyrannical and vexatious in their opera-<br />
tions, and had the effect of keeping the prices of<br />
books much higher than they would otherwise<br />
be; and that the retailer, not the publisher,<br />
should determine the retail prices.<br />
Mr. Gladstone on the Trade.<br />
Mr. Gladstone had already denounced the<br />
Booksellers' Association as unjust in principle<br />
and injurious in practice, and he wrote Mr.<br />
Bentley that only feelings of personal regard had<br />
restrained him from taking more public steps in<br />
the matter. He furnished a practical eomni'Mvt<br />
on his own words by supplying certain mn-c m-<br />
11 h i<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 218 (#266) ############################################<br />
<br />
2l8<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
firming booksellers with his pamphlets on Italy,<br />
which his publisher—being a member of the<br />
combination—could not sell to those persons.<br />
But at length Mr. Gladstone took "more public<br />
steps." In his speech in the House of Commons<br />
on May 12, 1S52, during the debate on the Paper<br />
Duty, he said he did not believe there was any<br />
article for which the public were called on to pay<br />
a price so high, in comparison with the actual<br />
cost of production, as books. The system of the<br />
bookselling trade was a disgrace to their state<br />
of civilisation. With the exception of the works<br />
of certain distinguished authors—with the excep-<br />
tion of such cases as Macaulay's "History of<br />
England"—new publications in an enormous<br />
majority of cases scarcely ever passed the sale of<br />
500 copies. An immense proportion of those that<br />
were published did not pay their expenses at all;<br />
and he believed the number that passed the sale<br />
of 500 copies was certainly not more than some-<br />
thing like 5 per cent., or, at any rate, not more<br />
than from one-twentieth to one-tenth of the whole<br />
number produced. The Government could do a<br />
great deal for the removal of the evils; not so<br />
individuals. "If a particular person who has<br />
a work to publish says, 'I will fix the price of<br />
this work at one-half the ordinary charge,' he<br />
merely makes a victim of himself without in<br />
the slightest degree affecting the state of the<br />
market, or without acting sensibly on the demand<br />
fur his own book. The book societies and<br />
circulating libraries are not sensibly affected<br />
by the price of the book being more or less;<br />
and consequently the natural healthy play which<br />
ought to regulate the price which the books<br />
ought to fetch and the price of books in general—<br />
the operation of those principles is totally inter-<br />
cepted by this system, which has been so long in<br />
action."<br />
A Symposium of Authors.<br />
A circular inviting the opinion of authors was<br />
issued on April 30, 1852, by Messrs. John W.<br />
Parker and Son, and about a hundred replies,<br />
embracing the views of every branch of intellec-<br />
tual production, were received and afterwards<br />
published. This was the question that was put<br />
to them:<br />
If a retail bookseller, of ascertained credit and respect-<br />
ability, applies to your publisher for copies of any book in<br />
which yon are directly or indirectly interested, which he is<br />
ready to purchase on the terms at whioh the publisher has<br />
offered them to the trade at large, but with the avowed<br />
intention of retailing his purchases at a smaller profit than<br />
that provided for between the wholesale rate and the retail<br />
price fixed for single copies, do you consider the intention<br />
to sell at a low rate of profit a good and sufficient reason<br />
why the publisher should refuse to supply him with books<br />
which he is ready to purchase and to keep in stock at his<br />
own risk r<br />
The authors almost unanimously replied, " No.""<br />
There were only three exceptions, and these were<br />
not very pronounced in any direction. The<br />
following are a selection of replies:<br />
J. S. Mill.—I think that there is no case in<br />
which a combination to keep up prices is more<br />
injurious than in the sale of books; and I wish<br />
success to the [" rebel "] booksellers in their resist-<br />
ance to the trade regulations which restrict their<br />
liberty of selling books at a low price.<br />
Alfred Tennyson.—I am for free-trade in<br />
the bookselling question, as in other things.<br />
Charles Dickens.—No; most certainly not.<br />
Thomas Carlyle.—My answer to this "ques-<br />
tion," for my own interests, and for those of the<br />
world, so far as I can see them, is decidedly " No,,<br />
it is not a sufficient reason "; and, indeed, I can<br />
see no issue, of any permanency, to this contro-<br />
versy that has now arisen, but absolute free-trade<br />
in all branches of book-selling and book-pub-<br />
lishing.<br />
Goldwin Smith.—The intention to sell at a low-<br />
rate of profit does not appear to me a good and<br />
sufficient reason why a publisher should refuse to<br />
sell a book to a respectable retail dealer.<br />
Herbert Spencer (after answering "No,"<br />
added) :—On the contrary, believing, as he does,<br />
that every reduction in the cost of distributing<br />
books must inevitably extend their sale, and by<br />
so doing increase authors' profits, Mr. Spencer is<br />
of opinion that a publisher will best serve<br />
authors by giving the underselling retailer every<br />
facility.<br />
Charles Darwin.—As an author of some<br />
scientific works, I beg to express strongly my<br />
opinion thai, both for the advantage of authors<br />
and the public, booksellers, like other dealers,<br />
ought to settle, each for himself, the retail price.<br />
Charles Kingsley (having answered " No,"<br />
added).—The gain deducted from the profits of<br />
booksellers by the cheap plan will go—First, to<br />
the consumer: and I suppose there can be no<br />
doubt that if a book be good and right it is good<br />
and right that it be sold as cheap as possible.<br />
Next, to the producers—under which term I<br />
include, not only authors, but publishers.<br />
Professor Newman.—It appears to me trans-<br />
parently equitable that a publisher who at all<br />
sells books to a second party should allow that<br />
party to be the sole judge at what prices the<br />
books shall be again sold; and that every attempt<br />
to control one another's sales is inconsistent with<br />
the nature of property, confounds men's notions<br />
of right and wiong, and can lead to nothing but<br />
waste of valuable goods, capital, and time, of so<br />
serious a nature that evasions and duplicity will<br />
be widely used as a partial remedy for so great<br />
an evil.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 219 (#267) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Dr. Lindley.— I am of opinio;! that, the<br />
retailers of books should bo free to fix for them-<br />
selves the profit they require, and that it is<br />
unwise and unjust that publishers should inter-<br />
fere in the matter. I believe that it is impossible<br />
to name any considerable branch of trade, except<br />
bookselling, in which that interferenci is even<br />
attempted.<br />
Professor Craik.—In so far as the point<br />
involved in your "question" rests upon purely<br />
economical or commercial grounds, it plainly will<br />
not bear arguing. The only thing that a person<br />
interested in the sale of any kind of production<br />
or commodity can desire or care for, with a view<br />
to its pecuniary returns, is that the sale, at a<br />
given price, should be as extensive as possible.<br />
So long, therefore, as the retail dealer giv ;s me<br />
or my publisher our own price for the books<br />
which he purchases, we have nothing more to<br />
ask. His rate of profit, let it be as low, or, if<br />
you will, as inadequate as it may, does not affect<br />
ours.<br />
Professor Ansted, F.R.S.—I say most dis-<br />
tinctly and emphatically No. I cannot distin-<br />
guish any difference between the tradi in books<br />
and other articles; nor do I see what possible<br />
advantage can be gained to authors or the public,<br />
nor inde :d to the bookselling trade itself in any<br />
branch, by putting restrictions on the mode<br />
which any retailer may think the best of dealing<br />
with purchases he may have made in the fair<br />
way of business.<br />
Charles Babbage, F.R.S.—I consider the<br />
purchaser of any of my works is fully entitled to<br />
sell them at any price he may find most con-<br />
venient.<br />
The Dean of Hereford (Very Rev. Richard<br />
Dawes).—I think every retail bookseller ought<br />
to be allowed to sell at any rate of profit he<br />
may think proper.<br />
Lieut.-Gen. Sir Charles Napier, G.C.B.—<br />
No!<br />
Dr. L. Schmitz.—No, I do not; I believe that<br />
such a retail dealer will increase the sale of the<br />
work, and thereby benefit both author and<br />
publisher.<br />
Dr. Forbes Winslow.—I think the attempt<br />
to make the retail bookseller sell at a price<br />
previously agreed upon by the large trader is an<br />
unjust and tyrannical proceeding, and must, if<br />
acted upon, very materially limit the circulation<br />
of books, and consequently injure a'l classes of<br />
the community.<br />
G. Cornewall Lewis, M.P.—It appears to<br />
me not desirable that the publishing booksellers<br />
should attempt to enforce upon retailers the<br />
exaction from their customers of f]j) £UH retail<br />
price originally appointed by tbeij^ C! e8f if the<br />
retailers ai-e willing- t) sell to the public at a less<br />
price.<br />
Leigh Hunt (after apologising for delay).—<br />
But I was anxious to make myself better<br />
acquainted than I was with the details of the<br />
"Question," in order that I might add the<br />
remarks desired of me, and so give all the<br />
strength I could to my approval of that spirit of<br />
free trade and cheapness in literature, in which I<br />
hid already expressed my hearty concurrence to<br />
Mr. Chapman.<br />
Archdeacon Hone. — I think that the<br />
removal of thi restriction imposed on the book<br />
trade by a combination of publishers and retailers<br />
would issue in the increased sale of books.<br />
The Commission of Inquiry.<br />
The resolutions adopted by the afore-mentioned<br />
meeting of authors, as well as the re [dies to<br />
Messrs. Parkers' question, were placed before a<br />
Commission of three gentlemen, to which at<br />
length the publishers agreed to submit the issue.<br />
This consisted of Lord Campbell, the Dean<br />
of St. Paul's (Dr. Miliuau), and Mr. George<br />
Grote. Both sides were to state their cases, but<br />
a hitch occurred to the original meeting, as only<br />
the representatives of the Association appeared.<br />
The " undersellers " wrote that they had not had<br />
sufficient notice. On May 17, however, both<br />
parties came before the Commission at Stratheden<br />
House. The following geutlemen were present:<br />
"Uxdei!sellers." — Messrs. Bush, Bickers, W. Teg?,<br />
and Jjhn Chapman, of London; Mr. Perrin, of the firm of<br />
Horge and Perrin, of Manchester; and Mr. Griflin, of<br />
Glasgow.<br />
Booksellers' Association.—Mr. W. Longman (the<br />
Chairman), Mr. Murray, Mr. J. H. Parker (.Ox'ord), Mr.<br />
Pickering, Mr. Beilby (Birmingham). Mr. Douglas (Edin-<br />
burgh), Mr. Taylor (of Mr. Hatehard's), Mr. R. B. Seeley,<br />
Mr. J. J. Miles, Mr. Rivington, Mr. Bohn, and Mr. S. Low<br />
(Secretary to the London Association).<br />
Mr. Longman, in his speech defending the<br />
Association, said its object was to destroy com-<br />
petition in the retailing of books, and insinuated<br />
its disinterestedness by remarking that those who<br />
would most benefit by competition would be the<br />
aforesaid "book-merchants," who had big capital<br />
and every facility for doing business on a large<br />
scale. He was convinced that Lackington's<br />
system of underselling was totally different from<br />
that of the present day; it was extensively prac-<br />
tised in Lackington's time, and met with the<br />
approbation of the publishers. Mr. Lackington<br />
bought " remainders,"—the copies of unsuccessful<br />
books which remained on the publishers' hands—<br />
and sold them at a reduced pricii If the Book-<br />
sellers' Association ceased to exist, Mr. Longman<br />
feared thit not a little confusion and ruin would<br />
ensue; but he l.elieved it would be u:ces?ary for<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 220 (#268) ############################################<br />
<br />
220<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
a time to let events take their natural course.<br />
The retail booksellers, unless they speculated,<br />
only received 25 per cent. A reduction of the<br />
allowance had been recommended, and that<br />
appeared to him the best suggestion that had<br />
teen made, but it would be attended with very<br />
technical difficulties.<br />
The Association Condemned.<br />
The result of the inquiry was a complete victory<br />
for the " free traders." The Commission decided<br />
that the regulations were unreasonable and inex-<br />
pedient, and contrary to the freedom which<br />
ought to prevail in commercial transactions.<br />
The consideration that weighed most with the<br />
Commission was the peculiar mode in which<br />
in the book trade the wares to be disposed<br />
of were distributed. They recognised that there<br />
was a great advantage to literature in having<br />
respectable booksellers' shops in London, Edin-<br />
burgh, and Dublin, and all work was thereby<br />
made known more efficiently than by advertising.<br />
"But," continued the report, " the existence of a<br />
larger number of retail establishments than is<br />
necessary to supply the commodity to the public<br />
has an evident tendency to raise the price to the<br />
consumer; and, according to all experience, the<br />
demand will increase as the price is diminished<br />
(though not perhaps to the extent contemplated<br />
by some of the more ardent opponents of the<br />
'regulations')."<br />
In accordance with this decision, the Book-<br />
sellers' Association was dissolved—for this was<br />
the understanding with which its representatives<br />
approached the Commission (although the" under-<br />
sellers," on the other hand, had distinctly refused<br />
to alter their system of business even should the<br />
decision of the Commission go against them,<br />
while the authors also had taken up the position .<br />
that a compromise was impossible). The dissolu-<br />
tion took place after a stormy debate on May 28,<br />
1852. On June 19, the Scottish Booksellers'<br />
Protective Association followed suit—surlily.<br />
Clearing the Air.<br />
Immediately afterwards there appeared in<br />
Frasers Magazine a remarkably able review of<br />
the whole dispute, under the title "The Makers,<br />
Sellers, and Buyers of Books." This writer also<br />
demonstrated, by facts and figures, that the<br />
Association's system was for the benefit not<br />
of the retail bookseller, but of the wholesale<br />
purchaser. He agreed, too, with Lord Campbell<br />
that "the bookselling trade will have the best<br />
chance of flourishing without any special regula-<br />
tions of any sort." Only after the decision of<br />
Lord Campbell and his colleagues did the<br />
Athenmim give its opinion, which had been kept<br />
in type, but of which it had withheld publication<br />
on hearing that the question was to be considered<br />
by a conference arranged by the parties themselves.<br />
The Athenwum came to the same conclusion<br />
as the Commission. Merely to reduce the dis-<br />
count, it wrote, would be a waiver of the whole<br />
question. "The sole, simple, and safe principle<br />
seems to be, in this as in all other cases, leave the<br />
buyer and the seller to arrange terms between<br />
themselves." Ou June nth the Times repeated<br />
the old arguments in favour of free trade, because<br />
it assumed from evidences before it that the pub-<br />
lishers were extremely ill-satisfied, and more<br />
desirous of reviving their system under another<br />
name than of acquiescing in the deliberate<br />
opinion of their own selected arbitrator. The<br />
Tilarm on this score on the part of the Times was,<br />
however, unnecessary, for seeing this article, Mr.<br />
Bevis E. Green, who had been chairman of a<br />
meeting of the principal publishers held on the<br />
previous Saturday, at once communicated to the<br />
Times the following resolutions proposed at that<br />
meeting by Mr. Thomas Longman, and unani-<br />
mously passed:<br />
1. That the meeting declare that they have no intention<br />
of taking any steps to oontrol the dealings of the retail<br />
booksellers with the public.<br />
2. That this meeting consider it probable that it may be<br />
expedient before long to rednce the retail prices and trade<br />
allowances on some books already published.<br />
3. This meeting are not prepared at present to recom-<br />
mend and pat in foroe the second resolution.<br />
"I unwillingly intrude myself on the public,"<br />
Mr. Green added, " and trust that, as the question<br />
now appears to be at rest, we may receive that<br />
valuable support from the public Press which is<br />
so important to all concerned in the publication<br />
of books."<br />
NEW YORK LETTER.<br />
New York, Jan. 15.<br />
THE increase in the number, scope, and<br />
excellence of the critical journals is one of<br />
the most noticeable signs in the literary<br />
field just now. A new monthly has just been<br />
born, the Month, published by the editors of the<br />
Critic, and made up of matter which appears in<br />
that weekly. It is reported that the admitted<br />
object of the new periodical is to compete<br />
directly with the Bookman, which has had great<br />
influence in starting up other periodicals since<br />
the American edition sprang into being some<br />
two years ago. Nothing is said in the Month<br />
about the Critic, probably from a realisation of<br />
the danger to the circulation of the weekly made<br />
by the fact that a reader can now get most of the<br />
contents of four numbers of the weekly for<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 221 (#269) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
22 1<br />
10 cents. To-day's mail brings the first number<br />
of the new Chap-Booh, in which it enters the<br />
field of the critical journals, while keeping its<br />
own features. It is no longer noticeable for its<br />
smallness, being in its new form about the size of<br />
the Saturday Review. Magazine editors in New<br />
York treat this little Chicago venture with more<br />
consideration than would be expected for a<br />
periodical not free from callowness, and the<br />
reason they do so is that they realise that it has<br />
in it something vital and sincere, although as yet<br />
crude. It occupies its new fie'.d alone, and has<br />
every promise of success. With these two signs<br />
of increased interest in literary criticism should<br />
be put the Book Buyer, which has been a mere<br />
advertising pamphlet for Charles Scribners' Sons<br />
until the last two numbers, have brought it<br />
decidedly into the field of the magazines. It<br />
adheres more strictly to book subjects than the<br />
Boohman, but it has variety, and intends to have<br />
more, containing not only criticisms of current<br />
works but general literary essays. The last two<br />
numbers have had signed reviews by the most<br />
prominent literary critics of America. Taking<br />
the birth of these periodicals, all of which are<br />
practically new, with the increase in the output<br />
of literary essays by the publishing houses, one<br />
is justified in concluding that the taste for<br />
criticism in America is rapidly growing. The<br />
literary daily which sprang up here a few weeks<br />
ago, called the Daily Tattler, died in a fort-<br />
night, partly because it was too flippant, the<br />
danger to which many of our newest publications<br />
are falling in the desire to escape dryness. The<br />
newspapers also show the tendency to give more<br />
and more attention to comment on literature.<br />
The New York Times, which has had several<br />
disastrous years, is, under new management,<br />
gaining thousands of subscribers a week, and<br />
improving rapidly in all departments. It pub-<br />
lishes now a special supplement on Saturday,<br />
which is really a separate paper containing book<br />
reviews, literary gossip and editorials on purely<br />
literary matters ; and the Sunday edition contains<br />
an illustrated article on some book. The other<br />
papers give more and more space to reviewing,<br />
and one of the editors of the most sensational<br />
dailies in town said the other day to me that he<br />
believed the Times showed a clear foresight of<br />
the coming popular demand in its emphasis of<br />
literature and art.<br />
Opposed to this increase in papers which aim<br />
at the interest of culture, however elementary,<br />
must be put the ever-growing number of flashy<br />
monthlies. Some new; some made °ver out °^<br />
magazines which found respectabi^ and twenty-<br />
five cents a failure, and decided ' frV ror ten<br />
cents and a larger if lower a ~ce. The<br />
inventor of the ten cent system, and the man<br />
who carried it out with remarkable ability, Frank<br />
A. Munsey, who has kept his magazine in the<br />
biggest circulation of any monthly in the country,<br />
has just started a new venture somewhat in the<br />
field of the Ladies' Home Journal. His success<br />
with the public has been so great that his ideas<br />
may be worth quoting. In the advertisements<br />
of his new venture he asseits very frankly the<br />
principles on which he appeals to the reading<br />
public. "This house is somewhat noted for<br />
doing things quickly. An idea, and, presto, the<br />
thing itself! A few days ago the Puritan was<br />
a conception ; to-day it is a fact. This is the way<br />
we do things. It is dramatic. There is a hum<br />
about it that is an inspiration. Hurried work<br />
does not show the effect of the polishing stone;<br />
but to be alive—a tangible fact—with imperfec-<br />
tions, is better than to be a polished idea that<br />
has no life, no place. The Puritan is here—this is<br />
the concrete fact."<br />
"We like to read from pictures—to get the<br />
story from pictures. It is quick, easy, dramatic.<br />
The salient points are seen instantly; the mind,<br />
in a flash, fills in the detail, and the reader has<br />
the story—all he desires of it, in these rapid<br />
transit days. Picture-reading to the reader is<br />
what shorthand is to the stenographer.<br />
A note in the December number of The Author<br />
about the duties of majazine editors calls to<br />
mind the fact that Mr. Alden, the editor of<br />
Harjiers Magazine, follows a course directly<br />
contrary to that of most of our editors. The<br />
others read only those contributions which have<br />
passed under the eyes of their assistants. Mr.<br />
Alden, in order to keep up more thoroughly with<br />
what the people are writing about, and also to<br />
form his own judgment on any new note sounded<br />
in the work of some unknown writer, has only<br />
the purely illiterate contributions sorted out for<br />
him, and then glances at all the others, after<br />
which he hands the ones which are neither<br />
certainly good nor certainly bad to an as>istant<br />
to sort out, leaving the final decision for himself<br />
on a second reading.<br />
In the correspondence which has been pub-<br />
lished for some weeks in the Dial of Chicago on<br />
the subject of American Literature, there has<br />
been a general agreement that when the great<br />
American novel appears, the novel which is to<br />
have at once general importance and distinct<br />
local characteristics, politics will be one of its<br />
main themes; a description of that part of<br />
American history which consists in the formation<br />
of a new political life to harmonise with new<br />
social and physical conditions. It is also said by<br />
most of the writers on this subject that the novel<br />
will be democratic, and ethically representative of<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 222 (#270) ############################################<br />
<br />
222<br />
the a union.<br />
a civilisation based upon Puritanism. All the<br />
suggestions are of necessity vague, but they all<br />
reflect an opinion, widespread among our serious<br />
thinkers, that if this country ever has a national<br />
literature it will be made out of an original<br />
treatment of our .special social and political<br />
conditions.<br />
Some New York importers fear that the free<br />
importation of books devoted to scientific research<br />
is in danger at this time of proposed tariff revi-<br />
sion, as the lahour unions, not appreciating how<br />
small is the sale of these books, the importance<br />
of which is mainly to the student, seem to be<br />
stirring themselves for an attack on this section<br />
of the present law. The following circular was<br />
sent out on Nov. 27:<br />
"To Collectors and other Officers of the<br />
Customs:<br />
"The attention of (Xficeiu of the Customs is<br />
invited to paragraph 410 of the Act of August<br />
28, 1894, which is as follows:<br />
Books, engravings, photographs, bound or unbound,<br />
etchings, music, maps, and charts, which thall have been<br />
printed more than twenty years at the date of importation,<br />
and all bydrographic charts and scientific books and<br />
periodicals devoted to original scientific research, and publi-<br />
cations issued for their subscribers by scientific and literary<br />
associations or academies, or publications of individuals for<br />
gratuitous private circulation, and public documents issued<br />
by foreign governments.<br />
"It has been represented that books aud<br />
periodicals not strictly 'devoted to original<br />
scientific research' have been admitted to free<br />
entry, under too broad a construction of para-<br />
graph 4io; the Department accordingly notifies<br />
Officers of Customs that the terms of the law must<br />
he carefully observed.<br />
"The Solicitor of the Treasury advises the<br />
Department that, in his opinion, the words<br />
'scientific books and periodicals devoted to<br />
original scientific research' relate to new dis-<br />
coveries in the field of science, and do not include<br />
text-books, compilat ous and discussions of scientific<br />
subjects already understood.<br />
"This construction of the law is concurred in<br />
by this Department.<br />
"Charles S. Hamlin,<br />
"Assistant Secretary.<br />
"1896. Department Circular No. 158. Division<br />
of Customs."<br />
This circular is generally believed to have been<br />
caused by the influence of the typographical<br />
unions, and although in itself it is of compara-<br />
tively little importance, it shows the activity of an<br />
influence which will undoubtedly do all it can<br />
during the reconstruction of the tariff to increase<br />
the duties on books.<br />
Norman Hatgood.<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
ri^HE opinion of Mr. Chitty, Q.C., will he read<br />
B with considerable interest by editors of<br />
magazines and journals. According to this<br />
opinion an editor does not protect himself by the<br />
usual announcement that lie will not be responsible<br />
for the safety or the return of MSS. sent to him.<br />
It is, of course, quite clear that some way must be<br />
found out of this impasse. My own sympathies<br />
are entirely with the editors, l>ecause I know<br />
something of the mass of "stuff" that is poured<br />
in upon them from all quarters. In the case of<br />
journals which have a limited circulation, the<br />
return postage of MSS. and the extra clerical<br />
expense in sending them back, are a serious con-<br />
sideration. The difficulty is this: An editor<br />
generally depends to a certain extent on contribu-<br />
tions uninvited; out of a hundred things sent in,<br />
he finds one that he is aide to accept: the other<br />
ninety-nine he has to reject. Shall he throw<br />
them into the waste-paper basket, or shall he<br />
send them back to the contributor? Generally he<br />
does tli3 latter, but demands very proper] v stamps<br />
for return postage. Sometimes he announces that<br />
he does not ask for outside contributions, and<br />
that he will not send them back. And now this<br />
opinion informs him that he has no right to take<br />
up this position. Fortunately, The Author is a<br />
paper whose aims and ruison d'etre are so limited<br />
that the editor is not overwhelmed with MSS.<br />
We are bound by our Articles of Association to<br />
protect and define literary property in every way,<br />
and to throw light upon every dark place dis-<br />
coverable—these aims do not much encourage the<br />
casual outsider. However, as I said above, my own<br />
sympathies in this matter of MSS. rejected are<br />
entirely witli editors, and I hope that they may<br />
find a way out.<br />
What right has publisher or editor to alter,<br />
add to, or omit any part of an author's manu-<br />
script? In my own view, none, if the work<br />
is signed. It seems impossible to believe that<br />
any Court of Law would hold that he has the<br />
right of making changes except in work that is<br />
unsigned. If a writer offers an article to a news-<br />
paper or journal which is accepted by the editor<br />
us an anonymous contribution, or if he writes<br />
an anonymous article, say, as a member of the<br />
staff, he has no reputation to make or to lose<br />
by this piece of work. Moreover, the editor<br />
assumes the whole responsibility for the article.<br />
The contributor, to put the thing plainly, sends<br />
in a piece of work which may be altered or<br />
finished, or changed in any way that the respon-<br />
sible editor pleases. But when a paper or a book<br />
is signed, everything is different. The reputation<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 223 (#271) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
223<br />
of the author is concerned in it; he presents hi-;<br />
work as his, all his, and no other's. He sells, or<br />
gives, the right of publishing this MS. as his;<br />
he does not invite, nor would he accept, the<br />
degradation of having his work corrected.<br />
This position has been repeatedly taken up in<br />
these columns. It is, however, greatly to be desired<br />
that the question should be heard in a Court of Law.<br />
Meantime, here is a case which happened recently.<br />
The author, a well-known novelist, arranged for<br />
the serial right of a story in a certain periodical.<br />
The story was to appear in the magazine first,<br />
anonymou-ly; but in volume form afterwards.<br />
The editor had to deal, therefore, with an anony-<br />
mous work which might seem to give him the<br />
right of alteration. But, as the work was to<br />
appear afterwards with the author's name, it was<br />
only anonymous for so many months. Therefore<br />
the author would have had to explain that the<br />
differences between the volume form aud the<br />
serial, if any, were due to the editor and not<br />
made with her consent; and that she had not<br />
invited the editor's corrections, and did not<br />
admit his literary superiority or his power of<br />
improving her style.<br />
Now when the proofs came in, she found that,<br />
certain alterations had been made. She refused<br />
absolutely to accept them. She said that she had<br />
sent in a MS. to be used for a certain purpose,<br />
exactly as it left her hands, and that she neither<br />
invited, nor would she accept, any "improve-<br />
ment " offen d by the editor. She therefore for-<br />
bade the publication of the story in its amended<br />
form, and took away the MS. to another publisher,<br />
who brought it out in his magazine. She might<br />
perhaps have insisted on the publication of the<br />
story as agreed upon: in that case the matter<br />
would have been taken, very usefully, into the<br />
Courts. Meantime, novelists are warned against<br />
such alterations. The name of the magazine is<br />
with Mr. Thring.<br />
The following is from the Literary World of<br />
Jauuaiy 15:—<br />
May I be allowed to put on record, through the<br />
columns of your paper, my indignant protest against the<br />
alteration by publishers of the text of an author's book<br />
without his knowledge or consent 1 There are five editions,<br />
dated 1895, of a book which I wrote thirty-two years ago<br />
now offered for sale by a certain firm of publishers,<br />
in which four outrageous alterations have been made<br />
in the text for tho purpose of suiting certain en-<br />
gravings introduced into the more expensive editions.<br />
On page 207 ten lines are inserted giving Robin the<br />
character of a mean and contemptible rascal which is<br />
■entirely at variance with the spirit of my story. Page 334<br />
has had three lines taken out and three inset.j j which<br />
confuse the narrative in a ridiculous q,. ' On<br />
page 41S an incident has been wholly revereej1 0 ^ what<br />
I wrote; while upon page 479 eleven lines have been<br />
cut out t> introduce a pi'ture which has nothing what-<br />
ever to do with the text. The story H thus twisted<br />
altogether from the purpose which I originally designed.<br />
The question, never yet decided, is whether a<br />
publisher who has bought the copyright of a book<br />
has bought the right to publish any part or<br />
parts of it, to omit portions, to insert portions—<br />
in a word, to alter as he desires.<br />
Suppose, for instance, a publisher in possession<br />
of the copyright of Shakespeare's sonnets. Would<br />
he be allowed to alter the lines; to take out<br />
phrases which he disapproved; to add lines<br />
which chinged the sonnet into .something non-<br />
descript? Suppose a publisher owning the<br />
copyright of Tennyson. Would he lie justified<br />
in publishing a Tennyson "improved" by a<br />
scribe in his own office? The thing is absurd.<br />
Why, then, is it less absurd when a lesser than<br />
Tennyson is concerned? The principle is the<br />
same, whether the author is at the top or the<br />
bottom of the ladder. But the question has<br />
never been decided in a court of law. Surely it<br />
is time to get it decided. Meanwhile, the tempo-<br />
rary remedy is for the author to insert a clause<br />
in the agreement that the right of publishing<br />
means publishing as a whole and without altera-<br />
tion or omission of any kind.<br />
The reading of tho L?eds people is shown jby<br />
the returns of the Free Libraries, Fiction, of<br />
course, heads the list. The most popular authors<br />
are Marie Corelli, Dora Russell, " Rita," and Mrs.<br />
Hungerford, among th 3 factory girls and the<br />
middle class of pe q>!e. Coming to the men, who<br />
seem numerically of less importance than the<br />
women in Leeds, "Trilby," of which twenty<br />
copies are on the shelves, is never left on the shelf<br />
for ten minutes; Stanley W. ymau and Conan<br />
Doyle are the next favourites. Annie S. Swan is<br />
a good second to Marie Corelli. Leeds people do<br />
not read poetry at all. Crockett and Maclaren<br />
and Barrie seem to be under a cloud. It will be<br />
only temporary. Hardy's earlier books are in<br />
great request. "Ouida" is forgotten. But—to<br />
repeat—Marie Corelli leads the .way. "More<br />
books of Marie Gondii's a e being lead at this<br />
moment than of any oLher novelist, living or<br />
dead." -■-<br />
It is the part of the complete critic to explain,<br />
and to account for. the popularity of a writer.<br />
Now the most popular writer of the day, who<br />
changes from year to year, is one X. Why?<br />
What qualities are those which create such a<br />
popularity? Weakness? No. Silliness? No.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 224 (#272) ############################################<br />
<br />
224<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Vulgarity? No. A w.'ak, or silly, or vulgar<br />
writer never becomes, therefore, popular. Why,<br />
then, is this X. popular \ No critic so far has<br />
ever considered the question. It is no answer to<br />
fay that people like skimble-skamble stuff;<br />
because they do not. They will not have it.<br />
Tennyson, Scott, Longfellow, Marryatt, Dickens,<br />
have always had an immense hold upon the<br />
people. Their work is not skimble-skamble stuff.<br />
The critics, when a writer becomes popular, have<br />
got to explain why. Then let them tell us what<br />
qualities has this X. in common with these<br />
writers? I put aside altogether the theory that<br />
what the people desire is vulgarity and clap-<br />
trap. If that is what they want, why, I repeat,<br />
are the authors above-named in such request and<br />
popularity?<br />
The case lately brought before the courts, which<br />
was concluded by Mr. Stead's offer to submit<br />
extracts to the publishers, is a really remarkable<br />
example of the prevalent belief, not only that<br />
literary property does actually belong to the<br />
publisher, but that it must belong to him. Now, if<br />
he buys it, of course, it belongs to him: but if he<br />
administers it on terms agreed upon it ought not,<br />
and need not, belong to him. Arbitrarily to<br />
assume that property belongs necessarily to a<br />
steward or agent—to argue on the assumption<br />
that it must belong to him—would be remark-<br />
able if it were so treated by a newspaper; it<br />
becomes more remarkable still when it is so<br />
treated by a judge, by counsel, and by every-<br />
body concerned. Besides, apart from the pecu-<br />
niary part of the question, has the author nothing<br />
to say as to reprinting portions of his own<br />
work? Surely the author is the person most<br />
concerned. His reputation depends upon the<br />
faithful presentation of his work. Yet no one<br />
in this case suggested that the author had any-<br />
thing whatever to do with the business. One<br />
would like to ask the counsel concerned if they<br />
think that the publisher really ought to have and<br />
to hold, and is entitled to have and to hold, literary<br />
property created and originally belonging to the<br />
author.<br />
The secondhand booksellers not only under-<br />
stand their trade, but have also of late introduced<br />
a few allurements or temptations for the collector.<br />
A favourite dodge is to advertise "first editions."<br />
Now one who really collects has no notion of col-<br />
lecting for a fall, but for a rise. How many first<br />
editions of the present current literature will have<br />
the slightest value in twenty years' time 'i One<br />
says this without in the least wishing to under-<br />
rate the writers of the present day. They now<br />
command the ear of the reading world. Do they<br />
expect to command the ear of the reading world<br />
in twenty years to come? Anthony Trollope was<br />
no mean writer in the sixties; he commanded the<br />
ear of an enormous circle of readers. Who would<br />
care to purchase at a fancy price, as believing<br />
that it will run up in value, the original edition of<br />
any one of his novels? There are many other<br />
names whom it would be cruel to mention, in<br />
their day greatly popular, but now subject to<br />
that law of selection which takes one or two of our<br />
author's works and consigns the rest to oblivion.<br />
Nay, these gentlemen still set down in their cata-<br />
logues at a hi«hprice first editions of books ten or<br />
twenty years old, and now as completely forgotten<br />
as if they had never been written. But I sup-<br />
pose your genuine collector passes them by.<br />
We have on several occasions spoken in these<br />
columns on the folly of paying for publication.<br />
A correspondent (in the January number of<br />
The Author) touches the true reason when<br />
he points out the overwhelming desire of a<br />
man, who has made a book, to present it to the<br />
public. He wants to be heard. He thinks that<br />
if he gets a chance, he too will run over the-<br />
face of the habitable globe like Du Maurier with<br />
"Trilby." It is no use trying to keep him back:<br />
he must publish : he will pay. Therefore he pays;<br />
but does he publish? Let us consider. A con-<br />
sideration of the facts may lead him to understand<br />
that he pays: but he certainly does not publish.<br />
To publish means not only printing and bindin,g<br />
but also offering to the world. How is a book<br />
offered to the world? By the booksellers, by<br />
the libraries, by the advertisements. There<br />
is no other way. If a book is not so-<br />
offered it is not published. Now, what happens?<br />
A MS. is submitted to publishers to whom as a.<br />
class we have always accorded the natural desire-<br />
to acquire the right of publishing good work.<br />
Three readers, one after the other, decline this-<br />
MS. That ought to be enough. Unfortunately it<br />
is quite true that readers have been known to-<br />
make terrible mistakes; it is understood that they<br />
do not at all times understand what people want;<br />
perhaps a nvstake has been made over this MS..<br />
Therefore the author listens while a proposal is<br />
made to him. He accepts; he pays beforehand,<br />
and he pays through a feature not intended for-<br />
the process; his book is ready. Then? Then—<br />
nothing. The booksellers will not take it; the<br />
libraries will not take it; in most cases it is not<br />
seriously offered to booksellers; it is not adver-<br />
tised: in a word, it is not published. We come<br />
to another question; if it is not published, if it<br />
is not produced, if it is not offered, if it is not<br />
distributed, if it is not circulated; what is. done-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 225 (#273) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
225<br />
. to it? It is shelved until the pretended publisher<br />
writes a curt letter explaining that he cannot<br />
have it taking up costly room upon his shelves.<br />
Then it is sold as remainder stock at nothing a<br />
volume: and thus the end of a dream. But it is<br />
no use telling the aspirant these things. He<br />
wants a chance; he pays a hundred pounds; and<br />
he gets no chance; not the faintest chance.<br />
Now I will tell this dreamer how he can get<br />
his chance. He must find a printer who will<br />
undertake his work at reasonable terms; he must<br />
undertake to pay for printing and binding on<br />
easv terms — say with six months' credit; he<br />
will bind, however, only a few copies to begin<br />
with; he must then print a circular describing<br />
the work, designed for booksellers; he must<br />
offer copies on sale or return on liberal terms;<br />
where a country bookseller takes copies the<br />
author must advertise ; he must advertise a little,<br />
feeling his way as the book goes; he must issue<br />
it to the trade from his own house unless he can<br />
arrange with his binder; he must send it for<br />
review to a chosen list of London and country<br />
papers, remembering that the dailies are by far<br />
the best friends of literature as regards<br />
advertising; and, after a year or so of this<br />
amusement, if he is still out of pocket, he will<br />
certainly find that he has done a great deal better<br />
with his book than if he had paid his hundred<br />
pounds down to the man who made him so<br />
"favourable" an offer.<br />
The note from the Daily Chronicle on the<br />
Byron letters serves as a reminder that letters<br />
belong to the person who writes them, and not to<br />
the person to whom they are written. The<br />
latter, of course, may say that the paper is his,<br />
and the ink: he may put them away and lock<br />
them up: in this way he may prevent their<br />
publication. He cannot, however, publish them<br />
himself without the consent of the heirs and<br />
executors of the writer, nor can he forbid their<br />
publication. Let us have patience; in another<br />
generation or two there will be less sensitiveness<br />
as to private details. Would Shakespeare's great-<br />
great-great grandson care very much about that<br />
alleged drinking bout which hastened the end of<br />
the Stratford Bard? I think not.<br />
'• Mr. X." proposes (see the January number)<br />
that the leading men and women in letters<br />
shall agree to boycott all editors vrh0 do not<br />
pay on accepting an article, aurj veep tne<br />
author waiting for months or ^ * The<br />
first difficulty is that even if ill the > a men<br />
and women of letters did agree to such an act of<br />
association it would not make the least difference<br />
in the world to the editors of magazines, because<br />
they can get on pretty well without the leading<br />
men and women of letters. Not these—not the<br />
historians, poets, novelists, dramatists, who stand<br />
in the front rank—keep the magazines supplied,<br />
but quite another folk. In fact, these celebrated<br />
people are not generally wanted at all. The writers<br />
to whom the editor very naturally looks are<br />
the experts in the subjects—scientific, political,<br />
economical—which are at the moment before the<br />
world. Next he looks for travellers who can<br />
discourse on the countries at the time most before<br />
the world. The things of the day arranged, he<br />
has the choice of an immense number of articles<br />
offered to him by people who desire, above all, to<br />
appear before the world. A great many can write<br />
cleverly and attractively within their range.<br />
One of our greatest historians, Sir John Robert<br />
Seeley, who died a year or two ago, hardly<br />
ever wrote in any magazine. One could mention<br />
other great names whose record is unconnected<br />
with any magazine, or only occasionally connected<br />
with one. When these great writers send an<br />
article to a magazine it is generally by invitation.<br />
They do so in entire ignorance of the character<br />
of the editor, who, on the levels on which these<br />
scholars write, is not likely to be one of the kind<br />
objected to. Boycotting, in fact, is impossible<br />
and impracticable, even if it were desirable. My<br />
correspondent laments that he is not independent.<br />
Then, to speak plainly, he must put up with<br />
the consequences of dependence, which involve<br />
waiting upon the will and pleasure of the editor.<br />
Here, however, is another way. How would it<br />
do to inform the editor courteously that the con-<br />
tributor is grateful at being accepted, but that<br />
'his circumstances oblige him to offer the editor<br />
no more than three or four or five months of<br />
delay. If the editor does not see his way to<br />
accepting such a limitation of time, he will send<br />
back the contribution, with no bad feeling or<br />
angry words, or quarrel, on either side at all. If<br />
the editor really desires the paper he will accept<br />
the limitation or propose another. And this is<br />
the only solution of the grievance that seems to<br />
me feasible. Walter Besant.<br />
THE BYEON_PAPEES.<br />
INTEREST has been excited by the announce-<br />
ment which comes from the legal repre-<br />
sentatives of the Byron family. The effect<br />
of it, of course, is that they mean to "exercise<br />
their right of controlling the publication" of any<br />
new Byron letters or documents. In other words<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 226 (#274) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
they say " yon must not publish anything which<br />
Lord ov Lady Byron may have written unless you<br />
first have our approval."<br />
There have been signs for some time back that<br />
we are hastening towards a Byron boom, when<br />
any fresh material would be keen reading for the<br />
public. It was important to understand the full<br />
meaning of the official announcement—what was<br />
behind it—and accordingly light has been sought<br />
in a quarter likely to be well informed. What<br />
was gathered? The executors of Lord Byron were<br />
Lord Broughton and Mr. Kinnaird. After their<br />
deaths their authority descended to others. The<br />
names of the present holders of that authority one<br />
did not learn. Similarly, stewardship over any<br />
documents Lady Byron may have left is repre-<br />
sented to-day. Speaking generally, and taking<br />
both Lord Byron and Lady Byron, a variety of<br />
material his been in the possession of the family.<br />
Other material is known to be scattered about—<br />
letters written by the Poet or Lady Byron—<br />
and over these it is now proposed to exercise the<br />
right of approval so far as publication is con-<br />
cerned. That is to say, if a man writes a letter<br />
to any person, that person does not secure the<br />
least ownership in the contents. What was<br />
written remains the writer's, although the paper<br />
and the ink are nece'sarily the property of the<br />
receiver.<br />
So the law was explained; and when the<br />
writer of a letter dies his ownership in its con-<br />
tents descends to his executors. Here we havo<br />
the position in reference to Byron correspondence,<br />
and the reason why the legal representatives have<br />
made their intimation is simple enough. They<br />
wrish to protect the memory of the Byrous from<br />
any misapprehensions or misunderstandings—to<br />
obviate the publication of unauthorised or<br />
unauthenticated Byronia. Since Byron's death,<br />
for instance, two distinct sets of forgeries are said<br />
to have been palmed off upon the world as true<br />
Byron letters. Again, neither Byron nor Lady<br />
Byron would have cared, perhaps, to have some<br />
of the letters published which they did .write,<br />
One sees, therefore, the iutended effects of the<br />
announcement, and the line of law upon which it<br />
is based. As to the latter, it appears that an<br />
instance in point aro.-e only a few years ago in<br />
reference to the proposed publication of some<br />
Bulwer Lytton letters, and then the rights of the<br />
executor were duly upheld. It will be curious<br />
to see how the Byron renaissance is affected by<br />
what may. perhaps, be describe! as an ultimatum<br />
of considerable dimensions.—Daily Chronicle,<br />
Jan. 25, 1897.<br />
IS THERE AN AMERICAN LITERATURE?<br />
rTYHE Dial writer. Mr. Pattee, who pleads<br />
J for American literature as distinct from<br />
British, or, as he calls it, English litera-<br />
ture, seems to me to confuse things. No one, for<br />
instance, would claim a great poem written by<br />
an American in the United States as belonging<br />
in any sense to this country. No one has ever<br />
claimed Lowell, Longfellow, Holmes, Emerson,<br />
Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, or any<br />
other great American writer, as belonging to the<br />
literary history of this countrv. On the con-<br />
trary, we are ready to acknowledge all that Mi-.<br />
Pattee claims for them—that they are distinc-<br />
tively American; their atmosphere, their con-<br />
ditions are American j no Englishman would<br />
have written quite in their way: their speech<br />
betrayeth them. But what is the language in<br />
which they write? It is English, the language<br />
that grew up in this island, in the southern part<br />
of this island, which is called after the name of<br />
that southern part; the language which is spoken<br />
by five great Republics and one Kingdom : or, if<br />
you please, the language spoken by two great and<br />
powerful Confederations. Unless, therefore, one<br />
of these Confederations changes its language, its<br />
literature will continue to be, first and above all<br />
things, that of its language. Cannot American<br />
literature be content uot to be tied by apron<br />
strings, as Mr. Pattee puts it, to its mother, but<br />
to be an independent branch; perhaps destined to<br />
be the greater of two branches, perhaps destined<br />
to be one of five or six branches of the noble<br />
literature which we call English 'i There are no<br />
more illustrious ancestors that the American poet<br />
can desire than those which he possesses. They do<br />
not make him dependent on the place where they<br />
flourished: they are his possession, while Byron,<br />
Tennyson, Browning,are in no sense his possession,<br />
any more than Lowell and Longfellow are the<br />
possessions of Swinburne and Austin Dobson.<br />
Did not Professor Brander Matthews put the<br />
matter plainly and sufficiently when he claimed<br />
that English literature covers all that is written<br />
in the English language, while that by no<br />
means gives English literature to England,<br />
whose modern literature is British? There<br />
is, in a word, the local and current literature,<br />
most of which is ephemeral and fleeting : there<br />
are many thousands of books p\iblished every<br />
year in this country which never get beyond the<br />
narrow seas, and are, indeed, not much wanted<br />
within those limits. Good or bad, they make<br />
up modern British literature: a very few,<br />
which are demanded all over the world by those<br />
who speak the common langu<ge, form English<br />
literature. R. L.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 227 (#275) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
2 2 J<br />
EOOK TALK.<br />
MR. W. D. HOWELLS says that " there is<br />
no American poet who has done so much<br />
as James Whitcomb Riley to define the<br />
familiar America of most Americans, or to reveal<br />
the heart of our common life in terms of such<br />
universal import and appeal." Mr. Whitcomb<br />
Riley is a poet belonging to the same school as<br />
the late Eugene Field, of Chicago, the author of<br />
the lovely lyric "Little Boy Blue."<br />
Auer his bibliography of Robert Browning's<br />
works, which has been appearing in the Atkenieum,<br />
Mr. Thomas J. Wise is about to compile those of<br />
Lord Tennyson and Robert Louis Stevenson. He<br />
make.* an appeal for the loan of material, parti-<br />
cularly lists of magazine and newspaper articles<br />
by Stevenson. Mr. Wise's address is 15, St.<br />
George's-road, Abbey-road, St. John's Wood,<br />
Loudon.<br />
Mr. Herbert Flowenlew will very shortly pro-<br />
duce a satire under the title of " The Tenth Muse"<br />
(Fisher Unwin). Later on in the spring lie will<br />
bring out a novel, the name of which is not yet<br />
advertised, through Mr. John Lane.<br />
"The Dreams of Dania," a tale of Irish life,<br />
by the Rev. Frederick Langbridge, will be<br />
published shortly by Mr. James Bowden. It run<br />
last year in the Leisure J/our as a six months'<br />
serial.<br />
"The Three Daughters of Night" is the title of<br />
a new novel by Derek Vane, just published by<br />
Messrs. Hutchinson. This is the author's most<br />
important work since " The Sin and the Woman,"<br />
a story that excited a good deal of interest and<br />
some controversy on its appearance two or three<br />
years ago.<br />
A volume of the letters and speeches of the late<br />
Farl of Carnarvon is being prepared by Sir George<br />
Svdenham Clarke for publication under the title,<br />
'•The Defence of the Empire."<br />
Miss Marie Corelli's new novel, "Ziska," will<br />
appear from Mr. Arrowsmith's on the 15th inst.<br />
Mr. Crockett's new novel, "Lad's Love," will<br />
In? published a fortnight hence by Messrs. Bliss,<br />
Sands, and Co. It has appeared serially in a<br />
condensed form, and is spoken of as not having<br />
much " dialect," although it is a Galloway story.<br />
Mr. A. Hilliard Atteridge, who acted for a<br />
London paper as special correspondent with the<br />
British forces in the recent Soudan campaign, is<br />
about to publish, through Messrs. Innes a book<br />
011 the subject, entitled "Towards IfJ^j-tourn."<br />
Maps, portraits, and illustrations f 0rji the<br />
author's photographs will be given. 1<br />
There is to be a new volume of detective<br />
stories by "Dick Donovan" very soon, entitled<br />
"The Chronicles of Michael Danevitch" (who<br />
is supposed to belong to the Russian secret<br />
police). Messrs. Chatto and Windus are the<br />
publishers.<br />
The firm of C. Arthur Pearson, Limited,<br />
announce that they will greatly extend their book-<br />
publishing trade, and among their enterprises will<br />
be a series of volumes at 2s., by leading English<br />
authors, which will include travels, autobio-<br />
graphies, &c, as well as fiction. Mr. G. B.<br />
Burgin is to take charge of this development of<br />
Messrs. Pearson's business.<br />
Mr. Gladstone's complaint of the quality and<br />
the cost of modern uookbiuding has been followed<br />
up by enquiries made on behalf of the Stationer,<br />
Printer, and Fancy Trades Register, which<br />
publishes the opinions of Mr. R. Birdsall, North-<br />
ampton, Messrs. Kelly and Sons, London, and<br />
Mr. J. Rosenbluth, Edinburgh. Mr. Birdsall lays<br />
the blame on bad paper rather than bad glue.<br />
It would be interesting to know, he says, what<br />
proportion, if any, of linen fibre is now to be<br />
found in, say, fifty samples of modern printing<br />
papers. The only difficulty in so binding a book<br />
that it will lie open is the quality and thickness<br />
of the paper, some paper being so stiff and thick<br />
that no treatment will make the books lie flat.<br />
As to the cost, says Mr. Rosenbluth, "if you<br />
would ascertain what publishers pay for binding<br />
it would no doubt surprise you to know that<br />
books can open at all." Messrs. Kelly say that<br />
if material is less reliable to-day than it was fifty<br />
years ago, the workmanship is better.<br />
This trade organ, by the way, in speaking of<br />
Smith, Elder, and Co. v. Stead, remarks that<br />
reviews may serve three purposes: (1) first,<br />
though not foremost, to warn readers from bad<br />
books; (2) to excite interest in books, and lead<br />
readers of the review to read the book itself;<br />
(3) to act as a substitute for the volume under<br />
notice. Our contemporary, of course, thinks that<br />
the sooner the last course is stopped the better.<br />
It expresses, too, the idea which a correspondent<br />
originated in The Author some months ago,<br />
namely, that "perhaps it would be the best<br />
course for the review editor to consult the book<br />
publisher or copyright holder before he makes any<br />
questionable extracts."<br />
A novelette by Richard Wagner, entitled " A<br />
Pilgrimage to Beethoven," is being published by<br />
the Open Court Publishing Company. Few<br />
persons are aware, says the announcement, that<br />
Wagner devoted himself to belles let ties. This<br />
little volume, selected as a type of his literary<br />
productions, is a rare story, and gives, under the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 228 (#276) ############################################<br />
<br />
22S<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
#uise of a mythical conversation with Beethoven,<br />
Wagner's own views of musical art.<br />
Dr. Nansen's book is to be called "Farthest<br />
North." Captain Sverdrup, who had charge of<br />
the Fram after Nansen left her, will supply an<br />
appendix to the book.<br />
Mr. Louis Becke will is <ue another volume of<br />
South Sea stories during the spring.<br />
Mr. Brayley Hodgetts has placed with Mr.<br />
Macqueen a story entitled "A Russian Wild-<br />
flower,'' which will appear soon.<br />
Mr. Clark Russell's new story, "The Last<br />
Entry," will be published by Messrs. Chatto<br />
and Windus. Mr. Russell has been remarking,<br />
in connection with the correction of his proofs,<br />
that printers can never be trusted with the lan-<br />
guage of the sea.<br />
Among other announcements of Messrs. Chatto<br />
and Windus are " Three Partners," by Mr. Bret<br />
Harte, and "A Missing Witness," by Mr. Frank<br />
Barrett.<br />
Mr. Leonard Merrick's story, entitled "Oue<br />
Man's View," will be published by Mr. Grant<br />
Richards, a new publisher.<br />
Miss Jessie Middleton, a journalist, has in<br />
preparation for early publication an edition of<br />
the poetical works of James Clarence Mangan,<br />
the Irish poet.<br />
From the new volume of Mr. J. H. Slater's<br />
"Book-Prices Current," we learn that from<br />
December, 1895, to November, i8q6, 47,268 lots<br />
of books were disposed of, and the amount<br />
realised was £80,111. This shows an average of<br />
£1 13*. lod. per lot, as compared with £1 11s. 4<Z.<br />
in 1895, ,£ 1 8s. 5<7. in 1894, and £1 6s. "jd. per<br />
lot in 1893. The reason of the increase, says<br />
Mr. Slater, is not that prices were in the aggre-<br />
gate much higher, but that a few very extra-<br />
ordinary aud extremely valuable books contributed<br />
so lavishly to the grand total that it was raised<br />
to the extent of several thousand pounds above<br />
its proportionate, and therefore normal, level.<br />
Amongst these were one imperfect copy of the<br />
first edition of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales,"<br />
printed by Caxton about the year 1478, sold for<br />
£1020, and another for £1880, which raised the<br />
average on the whole year's sales by as much<br />
as i*. 2d. Still, Mr. Slater thinks that books of a<br />
certain kind are selling rather better than they<br />
have done for some time past, and this change is<br />
due to the improvement in the state of trade.<br />
He points out this year again that among the<br />
classes of books which have fallen on evil days<br />
are the manufactured "limited editions" of<br />
contemporary authors, usually poets and essayists;<br />
they have absolutely vanished.<br />
Mr. B. Fletcher Robinson, who wrote the<br />
volume on " Rugby Football " for Messrs. Innes's<br />
Isthmian Library, has undertaken the general<br />
editorship of this series of books on sport,<br />
resigned, owing to the pressure of other work,<br />
by Mr. Max Pemberton.<br />
The fund for the Huxley memorial is now<br />
about £2900, which has come from all parts of the<br />
world. The full-sized model for the statue, on<br />
which Mr. Onslow Ford, R.A., is engaged, is well<br />
advanced; and the t rustees of the British Museum<br />
of Natural History at South Kensington have<br />
accepted the offer of the statue itself, which will<br />
be in marble. The nature of any additional<br />
memorial must largely depend upon the amount<br />
still to be subscribed. Professor G. B. Howes,<br />
Royal College of Science, South Kensington, S.W.<br />
is the hon. secretary.<br />
To his numerous contributions to the study of<br />
Early and Middle English, Dr. Sweet is adding<br />
a " Student's Dictionary of Anglo-Saxon." The<br />
head words are given in plain modern English,<br />
and brevity and conciseness have been aimed at<br />
throughout. The Clarendon Press will publish<br />
the work.<br />
Two important books about Africa are announced<br />
by Messrs. Methuen, namely, by Sir H. H.<br />
Johnston on " British Central Africa," and by<br />
Captain Sidney Hinde on " The Fall of the Congo<br />
Arabs." The latter is au account of the Belgian<br />
expedition to the Upper Congo.<br />
At a general meeting of the London Library<br />
the committee received authority to borrow<br />
£25,000 to cover the expenses of reconstructing<br />
the library. The number of members has<br />
increased in eight years from 1600 to 2380.<br />
The death took place recently of Mr. Robert<br />
Harrison, who was formerly secretary and libra-<br />
rian to the London Library, and in that capacity<br />
assisted a great many famous writers—Thackeray,<br />
Carlyle, Charles Reade, Kingsley, George Eliot,<br />
Lord Lytton. When writing " The Virginians,"<br />
Thackeray came for a Life of General Wolfe.<br />
"I don't want," he said, "an historical account<br />
of his career, Lord Mahon's book gives me that,<br />
but I want something that will tell me the colour<br />
of his breeches." The most conspicuously<br />
original man among them was Carlyle, Mr.<br />
Harrison told the Librarians'Conference in 1891:<br />
He often visited tbe library. His conversation was most<br />
amusing, fall of extravagant and exaggerated statements,<br />
and always ending with a loud langh, apparently at himself.<br />
He need the library books extensively for his later works,<br />
and was guilty of the reprehensible praotice of writing on<br />
the margins of their books. HW remarks were never<br />
meaningless, bnt chiefly consisted of corrections of dates<br />
or errors in the text.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 229 (#277) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. 229<br />
COBRESPONDENCE.<br />
I.—The I. S. A. as Publishers.<br />
IS not the idea contained in the concluding<br />
remarks of Julie Sutter's letter feasible and<br />
worth close consideration? It seems almost a<br />
■duty for this Society to show the world of letters<br />
how a book should be turned out on true business<br />
lines, with every detail square and above board, no<br />
false parade at the start, no mystifying accounts<br />
at the finish. Such a departure could not fail to<br />
furnish a most excellent model. And why should<br />
not the venture prove lucrative as well? That<br />
the opportunity would be welcomed by members,<br />
I imagine there can be no manner of doubt.<br />
This old bird's eyes are growing a bit filmy. He<br />
hopes they may yet be gladdened with a sight of<br />
the inscription, I. S. A., upon many a title-page.<br />
According to Julie Sutter there are certain<br />
valuable hints in respect of literature " made in<br />
Germany" which are by no means to be despised.<br />
Let us hasten to consider them for our mutual<br />
advantage. Old Bird.<br />
Authors' Club, S.W., Jan. 9th, 1897.<br />
II.—Educational Criticism.<br />
As a University graduate, taking almost as<br />
great an interest in the cause of education as if<br />
I were personally engaged in that profession, I<br />
was very glad to read some recent letters in your<br />
journal on the subject of educational criticism;<br />
for it is difficult to form any idea of the amount<br />
of injustice perpetrated in this branch of litera-<br />
ture. Some time ago, the Spectator had some<br />
sensible letters commenting on the absence of<br />
rancour in the English political world; it were<br />
much to be desired that we could likewise speak<br />
of the absence of rancour in the educational<br />
world, but, unfortunately, such is not the case.<br />
Just as there is no branch of literature in which<br />
so much log-rolling is going on, so there is none<br />
in which so much relentless hostility is prevalent.<br />
It is true that, as your correspondent, "Fair<br />
Play," has pointed out, intelligent people will<br />
systematically disbelieve any virulent educational<br />
criticism; but, unfortunately, there are still some<br />
innocent readers who implicitly believe them, and<br />
others who are always inclined to accept the bad<br />
rather than the good. But the worst feature of the<br />
evil is that the whole department of educational<br />
criticism is brought into discredit by the ubiqui-<br />
tous educational log-roller, although there are<br />
still some honest and impartial educational critics.<br />
It is hard to see how the evil is to be eradicated,<br />
but the only practical remedy lies in the hands of<br />
editors, to whom your first corresjoadent on the<br />
subject, signing himself an "Education^ ^uthor,"<br />
has addressed a sensible warning. If they made<br />
a practice of rejecting all acrimonious and person-<br />
ally insulting criticism on educational works, they<br />
might succeed in putting down an abuse which<br />
causes so much mischief, and inflicts so much<br />
pain. _^^o__ B.A. (Oxon.)<br />
III.—A Want.<br />
A correspondent writes :—" S. G." asks in the<br />
last number, " Is it not time that we had a good<br />
German-English Dictionary?" There is a great<br />
probability that the want will be supplied. I<br />
have just seen announced that the celebrated<br />
Germanist Dr. Daniel Sanders has undertaken to<br />
compile the German-English part of Professor<br />
Muret's excellent "Encyclopodisches WSrterbuch<br />
der Englischen Sprache" (published by Langen-<br />
scheidt at Berlin), and that the first Lieferung<br />
will be issued by the beginning of this month.<br />
Professor Sanders combines profound scholar-<br />
ship with the knack of producing thoroughly<br />
practical books, and so it may be confidently<br />
expected that his German-English dictionary<br />
will supply the desideratum.<br />
IV.—The Country Contributor.<br />
May I call your attention to a want that is<br />
greatly felt among contributors to magazines<br />
who live in the country and abroad.<br />
Supposing we have from fifteen to twenty<br />
articles out at a time, we are obliged to buy from<br />
fifteen to twenty magazines weekly or monthly, as<br />
the case may be, till we see our work in print.<br />
Sometimes we are obliged to look out for more<br />
than a year before we are rewarded, so you may<br />
imagine how little profit remains.<br />
Are there none among your readers who for a<br />
small fee would undertake to make a weekly visit<br />
to a reading-room in town and look up our articles<br />
for us? We should be grateful.<br />
A Well-wisher.<br />
V.—A Voice from Chili.<br />
I am too far away, and generally too much in<br />
"the wilds," to keep in touch with the Society,<br />
but it may interest my fellow members to learn<br />
that in this little Republic they have a good<br />
precedent for claiming more liberal terms in<br />
regard to postage of printed matter.<br />
For the encouragement of literature all news-<br />
papers, magazines, and pamphlets are posted<br />
free in Chili; so that in the most out-of-the-way<br />
parts the press of Valparaiso or Santiago can<br />
be obtained by arrangement at face value.<br />
Letters may equally be re-addressed again<br />
and again without extra charge. In the cities<br />
letters are posted for 2 centivos, while from one<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 230 (#278) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE A UTIIOR.<br />
end of Chili to tli<* other they only cost<br />
5 centivos, or little over Jr/. When it is con-<br />
sidered that the length of Chili is about 2400<br />
miles, the advantages to the people of the<br />
country can be better appreciated. It is true<br />
that the working of the system is not equal to<br />
the intention. But England can say nothing as<br />
to this so long as the penny postage principle<br />
has been persistently ignored in practice, and in<br />
place of the rich and populous centres paying for<br />
the less populous extremities, no facilities—<br />
postal or telegraphic—are extended without local<br />
guarantees. We may hate given the world the<br />
lead, but it has passed us hopelessly in liberal<br />
treatment of Press and people. This will remain<br />
so long as the country is robbed, by a monopoly,<br />
of thrte millions sterling anuually, which belongs<br />
to the people for increased facilities.<br />
W. Anderson Sjhth.<br />
.Coronel de Chili, Dec. 16, 1896.<br />
VI.—Facetious Eeviewino.<br />
Has not the individual who uses a responsible<br />
calling as a vehicle for the advancement of his<br />
own facetiousness been somewhat lightly treated<br />
by those who have of late propounded their views<br />
upon the duties of critics? No one who takes the<br />
trouble to follow the methods of latter-day bouk-<br />
dissection can be blind to the existence of a<br />
school worked upon these offensive lines at the<br />
expense of the unfortunate writer. Most of us<br />
appreciate genuine humour. When, however, we<br />
supply the opportunities for the misplaced efforts<br />
of other.-, the relish for it is distinctly bitter.<br />
Few, perhaps, will dispute the fact that such<br />
notices are, in themselves, clever and amusing.<br />
But are they criticisms at all in the accepted<br />
sense? To employ the literary scalpel for the<br />
selfish purpose of slashing and wounding seems<br />
to me an altogether mischievous abuse of power.<br />
Yet such is surely only too often the practice of<br />
many reviewers of the class I venture to condemn.<br />
One experts advice rather than ridicule from the<br />
conscientious examiner. When he sacrifices his<br />
talents upon the altar of smartness the result is<br />
undignified. It is not a pleasant reflection that<br />
the stories we are weaving in serious inood may<br />
prove mere pegs for the facetious critic's sallies.<br />
Authors' Club, S.W. Cecil Clarke.<br />
Jan. 19th, 1897.<br />
VII.—The Fiction of the Future.<br />
As the editor shows himself so ready to throw<br />
open the columns of The Author to correspon-<br />
dence, I should like to elicit the ideas and<br />
opinions of those of our members and others<br />
competent to form an opinion on a question which<br />
has frequently occurred to me of late, and which<br />
seems to me of importance, namely, What is the<br />
present position of the English novel and the<br />
immediate future of English fiction?<br />
That we are in a state of transition and that<br />
the end of the nineteenth century brings with it<br />
the end of an era in fiction, that we are moving<br />
towards something different, appears to me to be<br />
the case. But whither are we tending?<br />
The long-laboured :md long-winded efforts- in<br />
fiction of some of our still most highly respec ed<br />
forefathers and foremothers, running into two<br />
or three hundred thousand words, and culmi-<br />
nating in or gravitating into the old yellow-back<br />
which was to be seen in every other reading<br />
young lady's hand, as characteristic of the mid-<br />
Victorian epoch of fictional literature, has become<br />
a thing of the past, and possibly the ancient<br />
yellow-back relegated to the retirement of the<br />
museums as examples to the young of what their<br />
grandfathers and grandmothers once read. The<br />
"three-decker," which has had a highly cieditable<br />
innings and done good service in its day, is now<br />
condemned, and will very soon no more meet<br />
modern requirements than Nelson's gallant old<br />
ship the Victory, now lying in Portsmouth<br />
harbour, will stand by the side of modern fast<br />
cruisers and ironclads. I can tell what won't be.<br />
I can tell that these forms of fictional literature<br />
will be things of the past. But what will take<br />
their place?<br />
Fiction, in some shape or form, the reading<br />
world will hunger for, and will pay for, and will<br />
have. The detective story has had its run. The<br />
noble red man enthralled the imagination of our<br />
schoolboy days, the untrodden wilds of Africa<br />
have been tapped of wonderous romance, our<br />
own social life has been depicted in all its<br />
forms. But what must be the next craze? What<br />
form will it take? is what I ask, and what I<br />
don't know, unless, if I may hazard a suggestion,<br />
we follow on American lines—short, crisp,<br />
original, thrilling, tragic, like everything else in<br />
the United States. But this would open a wider<br />
question than I can hope for a moment to be<br />
allowed space to discuss.<br />
One thing: it seems to me that the greater and<br />
increasing speed at which we live will render<br />
impracticable and intolerable to the patience of<br />
readers any but shorter or more exciting books,<br />
and these, of course, only of one-volume length.<br />
That serial publications will continue to absorb<br />
vast quantities of fiction there can be no doubt.<br />
But what besides? T. W. D. L.<br />
VIII.—Thirteen Copies as Twelve.<br />
In the January issue of The Author my old<br />
friend Mr. Tuer, who writes on this subject,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 231 (#279) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
231<br />
appeal's to have misunderstood my letter which<br />
was published in your December number. My<br />
complaint was that the majority of publishers in<br />
rendering an author his royalty accounts pay him<br />
no royalty on every thirteenth copy, on the<br />
grounds that when a bookseller orders a dozen<br />
copies they have to give him a copy in.<br />
It is no doubt a fact that while many book-<br />
sellers are unable to order a dozun copies of any<br />
particular book, they, to put it in bookseller's<br />
language, secure the odd copy by sorting up<br />
various books; that is, they take a mixed dozen<br />
and are given a thirteenth volume of some kind<br />
in. At the same time publishers, particularly the<br />
smaller firms, undoubtedly sell a certain number<br />
of copies in ones, twos, and threes, in which < ase<br />
there is no thirteenth copy given away. The<br />
author is thus, one might almost say, defrauded<br />
of his royalty on a certain number of copies, and<br />
there also comes in the very important question<br />
whether the publisher is entitled to refuse to pay-<br />
royalty in those cases where he "gives away,"<br />
as he terms it, a thirteenth copy to any person<br />
ordering a dozen copies of one book, or of various<br />
books.<br />
I hope Mr. Tuer, and othars who may have read<br />
the letter, will understand that J was not running<br />
a tilt against the system of (to use Mr. Tuer's<br />
word) "bribing" the bookseller to take a dozen<br />
copies by giving hiin an extra one in; and in<br />
defending that system he has, if he will forgive<br />
me saying it, entirely missed my point. To<br />
include a few extra articles in the price (or to<br />
sell at a lower price, which is the same thing)<br />
when a large quantity is taken, is a common<br />
practice in most trades, and there is nothing un-<br />
reasonable in it. In the publishing trade the<br />
custom of handing to a bookseller thirteen<br />
volumes when he pays for twelve, seems to me<br />
unobjectionable, except so far as it gives the<br />
publisher an opportunity of declining to pay the<br />
author one-thirteenth of the royalties to which he<br />
is entitled. The arrangement seems to me not<br />
only primitive but unbusinesslike. In almost any<br />
other trade—that of the baker perhaps excepted—<br />
the thirteenth copy would be done away with in<br />
favour of increased discount on large orders.<br />
The bookseller is not really given a copy; he<br />
is sold the books at a lower price in considera-<br />
tion of his taking a certain number.<br />
I trust I have made it quite clear that both my<br />
letter and Mr. Hutchinson's remark referred not<br />
to transactions between publisher and bookseller,<br />
but between publisher and author, and that I<br />
was justified in applauding Messrs. Hutchinson's<br />
system of, when rendering royalty accounts,<br />
ignoring the fact that they give thirteen copies as<br />
twelve to the bookseller, on the grounds that the<br />
thirteenth copy is a matter of business between<br />
the publisher and bookseller, and does not<br />
concern the author. I am glad to know that in<br />
this opinion they do not stand alone.<br />
The whole subject, I would venture to sug-<br />
gest, might with advantage be discussed and<br />
settled by the new Association of Publishers and<br />
our Society. John Bickerdyke.<br />
IX.—Presentation Copies.<br />
The following correspondence should be of<br />
interest to readers of The Author. Blankton is<br />
really one of the wealthier quarters of London.<br />
Mr. " X. Y. Z." is strongly of an opinion that to<br />
comply with such a request would be not only<br />
weak-minded but wrong—his reason appears in<br />
his letter:<br />
From the Blankton Free Public Library<br />
(supported by J'oluntary Contributions) to<br />
X. V. Z., Esq.<br />
Dear Sib,—I am writing in the name of the committee<br />
of the above Institution to ask if you will kindly help us<br />
with some of your books, as a free gift. Finding they are<br />
asked for, but unfortunately owing to over small subscrip-<br />
tion list, being a voluntary library, the funds will not<br />
permit ns to purchase. All previous efforts to obtain<br />
assistance from the rates have proved unsuccessful. We<br />
have over 600 free readers, and could increase our number<br />
considerably if we bad more books. As many noted<br />
authors like yourself have most generously helped us, I<br />
trust that we may not appeal to you in vain to aid us to<br />
distribute good literature among the people, who cannot<br />
afford to buy books for themselves.—I am, dear Sir,<br />
The Librarian.<br />
Reply of X. Y. Z., Esq.<br />
Dear Sir,—1 have carefully considered your request<br />
for books. It seems to me that Blankton people should<br />
have the rudimentary public spirit necessary to support a<br />
free library adequately. I fail to see why I should atone<br />
for the meanness of the local ratepayer. I entirely respect<br />
your motivea, but I believe your methods are unsound.<br />
The more successful your library the less need (parsimony<br />
will say) for assistance from the public funds.—Yours<br />
faithfully, ^ X. Y. Z.<br />
X.—Reviewing.<br />
Unquestionably "Annabel Gray" is right to a<br />
certain extent. I know that in certain cases the<br />
editor in giving out a book to the reviewer<br />
reminds him that the author is a friend, and this<br />
ev' 11 when the policy of the paper is a perfectly<br />
honest one in matters of notice. There are<br />
probably few journals so completely organised<br />
that there is entire independence in the respect<br />
of reviewing. A journal for which I used at one<br />
time to do some reviews, the Nation, of New<br />
York, had a rule which was observed as rigidly<br />
as possible, never to give a book for review to a<br />
member of the staff who was either a friend or<br />
an en- my of the author, but it was impossible<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 232 (#280) ############################################<br />
<br />
232<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
to refuse to raview a book by a friend of the<br />
editor, and difficult to prevent this fact from<br />
influencing the mind of the reviewer. But if<br />
thi friendship involved also the giving of the<br />
advertisement to the paper it would be still more<br />
difficult to stop the quid pro quo, viz., a shade<br />
in the review. The translation of personal friend-<br />
ship into interested relation is so easy ihat it is<br />
difficult to draw any line of demarcation. The<br />
direct praise of a book because of the advertise-<br />
ment is, I should think, very rare with any journal<br />
of sufficient character to exercise any influence on<br />
the public, but there is a fonn of log-rolling in<br />
reviewing which is equally dishonest, and which,<br />
to my personal knowledge, has been in one<br />
eminent case tried with preat success. Several<br />
friends of the author, in more or less intimati<br />
relations with several hading journals, secured<br />
the reviewing of the book, and were provided<br />
with early proof-sheets of if, so that th«y had<br />
leisure to prepare elaborate reviews before the<br />
general public or the Press at large had a sight<br />
of it. Their reviews were all printed at the<br />
earliest moment possible after the issuing of the<br />
book, and before any unfriendly critic had a<br />
chance to say a word to stem the torrent of<br />
laudation which was set in motion by the clique.<br />
The consequence was, naturally, the impression<br />
on the public of an unanimity of approval which<br />
was far from being the fact. W.<br />
XI.—Reviewing ok Puffing?<br />
Most persons who care anything about<br />
literary criticism, and who reflect upon its<br />
condition in England to-day, will agree with<br />
your correspondent, Cecil Clarke, that "signed<br />
criticism" is desirable if any improvement is to<br />
be hoped for. But—and I have some know-<br />
ledge of the facts—I believe this change to bi<br />
imperative, not because unsigned criticism gives<br />
an opportunity for personal spite and malignity<br />
on the part of the reviewer, but because the<br />
present system of "puffs," by dishonest, incom<br />
petent "critics,'" is infinitely more injurious to<br />
anything that can be called literature, than the<br />
wholesale slashing and slaughter of the critics of<br />
yesterday. The argument that signed criticism<br />
by Jones or Smith would have no weight, may be<br />
disposed of in an instant. At the present<br />
moment with whom does the greater mass of<br />
reviews have any weight? Not certainly with<br />
any person of scholarship, taste, and acquaint-<br />
anceship with letters in England, France,<br />
Germany, and Italy. This body of readers<br />
attaches no more weight to the " notices" of one<br />
paper than another, and knows that on an<br />
average they are pretty much on the same level.<br />
When, as occasionally happens, the name of<br />
Professor Dowden, or Professor Hutchinson, or<br />
Mr. Hale White is appended to a review, no<br />
matter where it appears, the attentive considera-<br />
tion of those persons whom the French called<br />
lettres, is immediately secured, and the same<br />
process takes place when reviews appear unsigned<br />
by men of critical judgment and scholarship.<br />
This, however, only affects a small section of the<br />
reading public; whereas the puffing system<br />
carried on by most papers affects the mass of<br />
readers, and is no doubt responsible for the<br />
national taste in fiction at this moment. Books<br />
are puffed, either because the publishers are good<br />
advertising customers, or because the authoress<br />
meets the editor in society, or because she (or he,<br />
as the case may be) is a friend of the critic; or<br />
because the eminent Mr. So-and-so (also a friend)<br />
has described a volume of mediocre painstaking<br />
essays in extravagant language, and the "critic"<br />
is too ignorant or too timid to express an honest<br />
contrary opinion.<br />
For example, a few weeks ago a journal-—I<br />
will not say at what period in the day it appears<br />
—exhausted language to puff a second-rate<br />
cleverish novel. It was a lone: review, nearly a<br />
page long. Yet the glaring untruth to life—and<br />
what is more important to all artistic propriety?—<br />
which is to be found in the figure of a country<br />
servant who talks "epigrams" precisely of the<br />
same quality and order as the authoress's own,<br />
were never even hinted at. Now this review is<br />
not taken, as it ought to be, as the expression of<br />
opinion on the part of a young gentleman who<br />
verv likely had the privilege of talking to the<br />
brilliant and possibly handsome authoress the<br />
night before at dinner, but as the deliberate<br />
record of a paper with some literary reputation<br />
and tradition, and, per se, carrying authority and<br />
weight. Had the review been signed, it would<br />
be easy in future for persons of discernment to<br />
know what value to attach to the literary opinions<br />
of the critic responsible for it; and to discriminate<br />
between the reviews of this individual and those<br />
of better-informed and more impersonal members<br />
of the staff—a great gain all round. Here is<br />
another instance. There has appeared this season<br />
an edition of some of Hans Auderseu's stories<br />
which, though containing the actual incidents<br />
of the original, are, owing to the version in which<br />
they are given, nothing but a travesty of the<br />
exquisite art of this poet. Now I have taken the<br />
trouble to collect the "reviews" that have<br />
appeared; and I find amongst some twenty not a<br />
single comment upon the production of this<br />
version, so remote from the beauty of the real<br />
Andersen, but, instead, interjections about its<br />
being a "charming gift book " and the like. It<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 233 (#281) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
233<br />
is perfectly clear not only that these critics,<br />
attached to highly respectable papers with literary<br />
reputations, have never read the German version<br />
of the stories, but that they are furthermore<br />
unacquainted with the perfect rendering of them<br />
by Dr. Dulcken.<br />
Now why should persons wholly unacquainted<br />
with the elementary knowledge of their crafts-<br />
manship be entrusted with the functions of<br />
criticising? We cannot all be classical scholars,<br />
but surely, at least, the man or woman who<br />
gets up to criticise even the most trumpery<br />
modern novel should have some standard to<br />
which to refer; and how can he (or she) do this<br />
without a prolonged and persistent study of the<br />
best that has been written, at any rate in English,<br />
French, German, and Italian, and with some<br />
acquaintanceship, if only gained by translation,<br />
of the spirit of classical literature? Why should<br />
there not be an examination for the critic upon<br />
the book he is going to review with some such<br />
questions as these ?—<br />
What is bis age?<br />
What are his favourite authors?<br />
What are his chief studies?<br />
Does he ever read any literature prior to the birth of<br />
Tolstoi and Ibsen p<br />
Does he dine ont with authors and authoresses: and is<br />
he on terms of friendship with the fashionable ones?<br />
Is he usually honest in the expression of his opinion?<br />
F. H. L.<br />
MR. HERBERT SPENCER'S PORTRAIT.<br />
ALETTER from Mr. F. Howard Collins<br />
appeared in the Times on Jan. 6, com-<br />
municating the address of congratulation<br />
which had been forwarded to Mr. Herbert Spencer,<br />
and the reply of the latter to the same. Mr. Collins<br />
added: "I am happy to be able to state that<br />
Mr. Hubert Herkonier, R.A., has expressed his<br />
gratification at being asked by the committee,<br />
and has consented to undertake the painting of<br />
the portrait. An account, entitled 'The Herbert<br />
Spencer Portrait Fund,' has been opened at the<br />
western branch of the Bank of England, Burling-<br />
ton-gardens, W., to which donations may be sent."<br />
The following is the address •.—<br />
The Camp, Sunningdale, Dec. 16, 1896.<br />
Dear Sib,—We, the undersigned, offer you our cordial<br />
congratulations upon the completion of your "System of<br />
Synthetic Philosophy."<br />
Not all of us agreeing in equal measure with its conclu-<br />
sions, we are all at one in our estimate of the great<br />
intellectual powers it exhibits, and of the immense effect it<br />
has produced in the history of thonght; nor are we less<br />
impressed by the high moral qualities which have enabled<br />
you to concentrate those powers for so many years upon a<br />
purpose worthy of them, and, in spite of all obstacles, to<br />
carry out eo vast a design.<br />
To the many who, like us, have learned to honour<br />
the man while profiting by his writings, it would be a<br />
satisfaction to possess an authentic personal likeness of the<br />
author. It has therefore occurred to us that the occasion<br />
might be appropriately marked by requesting you to<br />
permit us to employ some eminent artist to take your<br />
portrait with a view to its being deposited in one of our<br />
national collections for the benefit of ourselves and of those<br />
who come after us.<br />
We hope that your health may be benefited by the<br />
leisure which you have earned so well, and that you may<br />
long continue to enjoy the consciousness of having com-<br />
pleted your work.<br />
The above address was signed by eighty-two<br />
of the leading men and women in the sciences<br />
and literature in the Kingdom. Mr. Herbert<br />
Spencer replied as follows :—<br />
"2, Lewes-crescent, Brighton, Dec. 19, 1896.<br />
"My dear Hooker,—If, as may fitly be said, the<br />
value of congratulations increases in a geome-<br />
trical progression with the eminence of those<br />
offering them, I may, indeed, be extremely<br />
gratified by the accumulation coming from men<br />
standing so high in various spheres. And an<br />
accompanying pleasure necessarily results from<br />
the good wishes expressed for my health and<br />
happiness during my remaining days.<br />
"The further honour offered has caused in me<br />
some mental conflict. Eight years ago, to the<br />
inquiry whether I would sit for a subscription<br />
portrait to be painted by Millais, I replied nega-<br />
tively, assigning the reasons that the raising of<br />
funds to pay the costs of conferring marks of<br />
approbation had grown into an abuse; that the<br />
moral coercion under which contributions were<br />
in many cases obtained was repugnant to me;<br />
and that I objected to have my known and<br />
unkuown friends asked to tax themselves to the<br />
required extent. These reasons survived, and,<br />
swayed by them, I recently sent a copy of the<br />
letter in which they had been stated to the<br />
gentleman with whom the proposal now made<br />
originated, thinking thereby to prevent further<br />
trouble. I was unaware to how large an extent<br />
the proposal had been adopted, and how dis-<br />
tinguished were the numerous gentlemen who<br />
had given it their support. I now find myself<br />
obliged either inconsistently to waive my objec-<br />
tion or else rudely to slight the cordially-expressed<br />
feelings and wishes of so manv whose positions<br />
and achievements command my great respect.<br />
Between the alternatives there seems to be practi-<br />
cally no choice. I am compelled to yield to the<br />
request made in so sympathetic a manner by<br />
signatories so eminent, and at the same time<br />
must express to them through you my full sense<br />
of the honour done me.<br />
"I am, my dear Hooker, sincerely yours,<br />
"Herbert Spencer."<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 234 (#282) ############################################<br />
<br />
234<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
OBITUARY.<br />
SIR TRAVERS TWISS, Q.C., D.C.L., the<br />
eminent jurist, died on Jan. 14, in his<br />
eighty-eighth year. His works included<br />
"A View of the Progress of Political Economy<br />
in Europe since the 16th Century," "The Law of<br />
Nations in Time of Peace," "The Law of Nations<br />
in Time of War," and " The Black Book of the<br />
Admiralty."<br />
Mrs. Hungerford died at Bandon, Ireland, on<br />
the 24th ult. She was the author of over forty<br />
novels, besides numerous short stories and maga-<br />
zine articles. Her literary career began when,<br />
as a young wife of eighteen years of age, she wrote<br />
"Phillis," which Messrs. Smith and Elder pub-<br />
lished on the strong recommendation of Mr. James<br />
Payn, their reader. "Molly Bawn," the novelist's<br />
second venture, had a great success, and all<br />
through the subsequent years Mrs. Hungerford<br />
had a constant public for her books. Among<br />
others, these included " The Duchess," very popu-<br />
lar in America, "Portia," " Airy Fairy Lilian,"<br />
"Rossmoyne," "A Life's Remorse," "Under-<br />
currents,'" "A Born Coquette," "Lady Patty,"<br />
"Nor Wife, nor Maid." Only three weeks ago<br />
Mrs. Hungerfcrd's last published book, a col-<br />
lection of (ales entitled "An Anxious Moment,<br />
&c." appeared; but two finished stories remain<br />
which it had been arranged should appear this<br />
spring. Mrs. Hungerford, who was twice married,<br />
was the daughter of the late Canon Hamilton,<br />
rector and vicar choral of St. Fanghnan's Cathe-<br />
dral, Ross Carberry, county Cork, one of the<br />
oldest churches in Ireland. The cause of death<br />
was typhoid.<br />
Mr. Frederic John Mouat, M.D., F.R.C.S.,<br />
LL.D., who died at Kensington, on Jan. I2tb,<br />
was president of the Royal Statistical Society<br />
from 1890-92, and member of the Senate of<br />
Calcutta University. He was the author of " An<br />
Atlas of Anatomy, with descriptive letterpress<br />
in English and Hindustani," "A Manual of<br />
Anatomy," and other works, and was joint author<br />
of "Hospital Construction and Management,"<br />
"Prison Ethics and Prison Labour," &c.<br />
A historian of India passed away in Mr. James<br />
Talboys Wheeler, whose works included "History<br />
of India," in four volumes; "Shorter History of<br />
India and the Frontier States," and " India under<br />
British Rule." Mr. Wheeler was Assistant-<br />
Secretary in the Indian Foreign Office during the<br />
Viceroyalty of Lord Lawrence, and afterwards<br />
held the post of secretary to the Chief Commis-<br />
sioner of British Burma.<br />
Mr. Robert Harrison, the Librarian of the<br />
London Library, (76), had lived about ten years<br />
n Russia in early life, and was well-informed<br />
upon Russian literature. He wrote a small book<br />
entitled "Nine Years in Russia"; and, in con-<br />
junction with the late Mr. Gostwick, " The Out-<br />
lines of German Literature." He also edited.<br />
Mackenzie's " Universal Dictionary of Biography."<br />
Sir Isaac Pitman, the inventor of phonography,<br />
died at Bath on the 22nd, aged 84.<br />
The Rev. Thomas Arnold, Northampton, (8o),<br />
was the author of "Education of Deaf Mutes:<br />
A Manual for Teachers."<br />
Miss Isabella Blackwood (85) was the eldest<br />
daughter of the founder and editor of Maga, and<br />
recollected Sir Walter Scott dining at her father's<br />
house at Newington.<br />
The venerable French geographer, M. Vivien de<br />
St. Martin, has died at the age of 94.<br />
LITERATURE IN THE PERIODICALS.<br />
Twenty Years of Reviewing. Professor George<br />
Saintsbury. Blackwood's Magazine for January.<br />
The Question of Reviewing. Opinions of authors in<br />
the Westminster Gazette for Jan. 7, 12, 15, 18, 19, and<br />
22; The National Observer for Jan. 19.<br />
Non-Literary People. The Spectator for Jan. 16.<br />
Victorian Literature. Andrew Lang. Good Words<br />
for February.<br />
Literary Recollections. Professor F. Max MiiUer.<br />
Cormopolis for January.<br />
William Morris: The Man and His Work. William<br />
Sharp. Atlantic Monthly for Deoember.<br />
Thackeray's Haunts and Homes. Eyre Crowe, A.R.A.<br />
Scribner's Magazine for January.<br />
A Brilliant Irish Novelist (William Carleton). G.<br />
Barnett Smith. Fortnightly Review for January.<br />
Novels of Irish Life. Macmillan's Magazine for<br />
January.<br />
Mr. Charles Lamb of the India House. Macmillan's<br />
Magazine for January.<br />
Hk.n 11 ik Ibsen. R. H. Shcrard. Humanitarian for<br />
January.<br />
The New Realism. H. D. Traill. Fortnightly Review<br />
for January.<br />
Coventry Patmore. Arthur Symons. The New Review<br />
for January.<br />
Professor Saintsbury delivers himself as the<br />
Old Reviewing Hand. Except that he once<br />
refused a book in Syriac, because he does not<br />
know the language, and that he has always<br />
declined books on the currency, he has written<br />
reviews of all kinds of work. He has had twenty<br />
years' experience, but he says that it is only at<br />
the end of the journey that a man becomes a<br />
really qualified reviewer. It is very fascinating<br />
work, and he is as sure that there is an Art of<br />
Criticism as he is that there is no Science in it.<br />
Specialist knowledge is not, as a rule, necessary<br />
or even desirable in the critic. There is at the<br />
present moment a little too much reviewing. The<br />
individual review, and even the "chorus of<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 235 (#283) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
235<br />
reviewers," indolent or otherwise, has lost some<br />
of its old authority. "Reviews come out so<br />
thick and so fast that any mark made by a single<br />
one on that elastic target the public apprehension<br />
is quickly effaced by others." Here is what<br />
Professor Saintsbury thinks is demanded at the<br />
present day:<br />
Fewer reviews; greater concentration of power and<br />
authority in those that are given; something like despotism,<br />
provided it be vigilant, intelligent, and benevolent on the<br />
part of the editor; better training in the history and methods<br />
of criticism in general literature and knowledge.<br />
The critic's business is in the main that of<br />
judging, not the man or the merits of the man so<br />
much as the work and the nature, rather than<br />
the merits or demerits, of the work. The blame<br />
and the praise will occur, but they are rather<br />
accidents than essentials of the critic's function.<br />
For the rest, Professor Saintsbury regards the<br />
mere "account rendered " as the worst review of<br />
all; though it is rivalled by the kind which<br />
simply makes the book a peg on which to hang<br />
the reviewer's own reflections, grave or gay. In<br />
all the varieties, however, ignorance, as usual, is<br />
more to blame than malice, and not ignorance of<br />
fact so much as what may be called ignorance of<br />
art.<br />
Some rather despairing views of the criticism<br />
in vogue have been elicited by the Westminster<br />
Gazette. Mr. David Christie Murray, for<br />
instance, has come to the conclusion that in the<br />
lump the criticism of fiction is hopelessly incom-<br />
petent or incurably dishonest. Perhaps a score<br />
of journals, he says, offer a real aid to judgment.<br />
Hundreds more are quite outside the sphere of<br />
sordid influences, but are manned by people who<br />
follow the lead of the critical smasher, whose<br />
business it is to make false coin pass for U'ue.<br />
"Edna Lyall" wishes that the rompte-rendu form<br />
of review were abolished, and helpful criticism<br />
take its place. Mrs. Sarah Grand has been<br />
astonished by the bias, the absence of anything<br />
like dispassionate consideration, and the utter<br />
want of discrimination shown by most of her<br />
critics; and she is sorry to say that she has also<br />
been horrified by their want of honesty. On the<br />
other hand, Mr. Crockett, Mr. Hall' Caine, and<br />
Mr. Blackmore express themselves generally<br />
satisfied, the last declaring, however, that the<br />
reviewer's first duty is to the public. Mr. Le<br />
Gallienne regards log-rolling. <r la Leigh Hunt,<br />
as desirable; but he differentiates between<br />
this and dishonest reviewing. Mr. Ian Mac-<br />
Laren thinks reviewers should be a distinct order<br />
in the- profession of letters, and that their<br />
reviews should be signed just as a report by a<br />
scientific expert is signed. Mr: Lends Hind, Mr.<br />
Henry Norman, and Mr. Clement Shorter, as<br />
literary editors, pronounce upon the cire which<br />
is taken to secure fair reviews and to detect<br />
merit. Log-rolling, says Mr. Norman, simply<br />
wouldn't pay; editors don't go to sleep in these<br />
matters, and if a reviewer of a reputable paper<br />
puffs a bad book, he is likely to hear of it very<br />
soon from his editor. Mr. Hind, the editor of<br />
the Academy, in the same way, is almost inclined<br />
to deny the existence of log-rolling altogether.<br />
Mr. Shorter, however, says the force of circum-<br />
stances is all too strong for us to get quite rid<br />
of it.<br />
Among ready suggestions of defect which<br />
crop up in all these letters, the most notable is<br />
that which comes at the same moment from Mr<br />
George Gissing and Mrs. Sarah Grand—namely,<br />
the reviewer's habit of quoting sentences uttered by<br />
a character in a novel as though they came from<br />
the author himself. "In one little story of mine,"<br />
says Mrs. Grand, "a very pompous character<br />
talks of a sound having 'penetrated to the inner-<br />
most recesses of audition.' One reviewer tore<br />
this passage from the text and quoted it as an<br />
example of my own execrable style, with a com-<br />
ment on the prica which he stated I received for<br />
such stuff." Mr. William Archer, unlike most of<br />
the other authorities, thinks the practice of<br />
pluralism is to be viewed with a certain suspicion;<br />
for, as we all have likes and dislikes, it is<br />
extremely unfair that the reviewer who has in<br />
one paper c.illed a book bad should take advan-<br />
tage of his influence to do the like in five<br />
or six other papers. Mr. Oswald Crawfurd<br />
suggests that reviews should be written<br />
from a less superior standpoint—authors being<br />
human beings, and reviewers not absolute gods.<br />
Mr. George Manville Fenn wishes, for one<br />
thing, that the reviewer could grasp the fact<br />
that a novel is often written to suit the needs<br />
and clientele of some particular magazine, and<br />
to appear in serial form. Mr. Max Pember-<br />
ton t'e:irs that there is a good deal of dishonest<br />
work done in the shadow of anonymity, and<br />
suggests that where a review is very bitter it<br />
should bear the signature of its author. "A<br />
Literary Editor" explains the difficulties of his<br />
office. He says that the residue of books—the<br />
crowd of novels and poems by altogether un-<br />
known people which remain after the others have<br />
been divided into their classes of history, science,<br />
novels by well-known writers, and so on—are<br />
generally dealt with by a more or less haphazard<br />
selection being made, the preference being given<br />
to the books of well-known publishers or to those<br />
which have been well advertised by the puff<br />
preliminary. And it. does not pay a reviewer to<br />
carry out the ideal of reading a large number of<br />
books for no purpose beyond the purely negative<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 236 (#284) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
one of ascertaining that they are not worth<br />
reviewing. A writer in the National Observer,<br />
finally, upholds the class of reviewers for per-<br />
forming well a thankless task, and says they<br />
will assure you that they have to read 'so much<br />
trash that when a well-written and able book<br />
comes their way they are almost reduced to tears<br />
of thankfulness.<br />
THE BOOKS OF THE MONTH.<br />
UNDER this heading it is proposed to give<br />
a monthly return of all the books worthy<br />
of being called books published during<br />
the month, excluding the little story books, &c.,<br />
which swell up the enormous total of books<br />
returned in the annual list.<br />
[December 24 to January 23—135 Books.]<br />
Allen, G. Historical Guide to Florence. 3 6 net. Richards.<br />
., Historical Guide to Paris. 3/6 net.<br />
Anonymous. Watch-Song of Heabane the WitneBS. 10 fi. Murray.<br />
Austin, A. The Conversion of Winckelmann, Ac. 6 - Macmillan.<br />
Bax, P. B. J. The Cathedral Church of St. Asaph, ft - net. Stock.<br />
Beardslev. Aubrey. A Book of Fifty Drawings. 10 6 net. Smitbers.<br />
Benson, E. F. The Babe, B.A. 6 - Putnam.<br />
Bewes, W. A. Church Briefs. 18 - net. Black.<br />
Bickerstaff, J. B. Philomath Triumphant, 4c. 1 - net. Andrews.<br />
Blackmore, E. The British Mercantile Marine. 3 6. Griffin<br />
Blaikie,W.G. Thomas Chalmers (Famous Scots Series). 16. Oliphant.<br />
Bolt, Ben. Anthony Jasper. 2 - Unwin.<br />
Bo wen, H. W. International Law. (/- Putnam.<br />
Braddon. Mrs. London Pride. Simpkin. Marshall.<br />
Breton, F. The Black Mass. f. - Hutchinson.<br />
Burroughs, J. (Selections). A Year In the Fields, t - Smith. Elder.<br />
Cartwright, Mrs. E. A Slight Indiscretion. 1- Unwin.<br />
Cberbullez.V. With Fortune Made (tr. M. E. Simkins). fi - Hutchinson<br />
Colls, W. L. Pictorial Photographs (18 Plates). 21- Kegan Paul.<br />
Conder, C. B. Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. 10H9-1291. 71\.<br />
Palestine Exploration Fund.<br />
Crane. S. The Black Riders, and other Lines. Heinemann.<br />
Crawford, J. H. Summer Days for Winter Evenings. Macc(ueen.<br />
Croker, B. M. Beyond the Pale. Chatto.<br />
Crump. A. Wide Asunder as the Poles. 6 - Longmans.<br />
Clodd, E. Pioneers of Evolution. 6 -net. Richards.<br />
Collectanea, Third SerieB (Professor Burrows, editor). 21, - Frowde.<br />
Craggs, J. U. Heavy Trial Balances Made Easy.'.' 6. Scientific Press.<br />
Dawkins. G. H. Present-Day Sires and the Figure System. H. Cox.<br />
Diet, of National Biography—xlix. Robinson—Russell. Smith, Elder.<br />
Duggan, J. The Life of Christ. 6/- Kegan Paul.<br />
Duryea, A. S. P. Sir Knight of the Golden Pathway. 5 - Putnam<br />
Dutton. Thos. Obesity. Its Cause and Treatment. It! net. Kimpton.<br />
Eales.S.J. Msbillon'B "St. Bernard "—iii..iv. 12- net each. Hodgej.<br />
Emerson. P. H. Ca.ibs. the Guerilla Chief. 6 - Nutt.<br />
Evans, E. E. Ferdinand Lassalle and Heleue von Donnizes. 1 -<br />
Sonnenachein.<br />
Eyre-Todd, G.. editor. Scottish Poetry of the 18th Century—v. -<br />
Glasgow: Hodge.<br />
Fletcher, J. S. God's Failures. S <> net. Lane.<br />
Fyne (N'eal). Tbe Land of the Living Dead. 3 6. Drane.<br />
Gardner, E. A. Handbook of Greek Sculpture—ii. 5 - Macmilltn.<br />
ciibbon. Edward. Autobiographies and Letters. 316. Murray.<br />
„ J. C. The Ambassador of Christ. Washbourne.<br />
Gissing, A. Tbe 8cholar of Bygate. HutchinBon.<br />
Gregor. N. T. History of Armenia. 3/- J. Heywood.<br />
Harland, M., and Herrlck, C. T. National Cook Book. 7 fi. Unwin.<br />
Harper, A. P. Pioneer Work in Alps of New Zealand. 21 - net.<br />
Harria, J.C. Sister Jane. 6,'- Constable.<br />
Haycraft, T. W. Executive Powers in Relation to Crime, fi -<br />
Bulterworth.<br />
Hazlitt, W. C. Four Generations of a Literary Family (The Hazlitts).<br />
31 fi. Redway.<br />
Henty, G. A. The Queen's Cup. 15-net. Chatto.<br />
Howetson, G. H. The Strike, and Other Poems. 5- Putnam.<br />
Higgs, H. The Physiocrats. 3 fi. Macniillan.<br />
Hoffman, Professor, editor. Every Boy's Book of Sport. Routledge.<br />
Holm, A. History of Greece (from Gorman)—iii. 'I - net. MacTifllan.<br />
Hungcrford, Mrs. An AnxiouB Moment, &c. 8(6. Chatto.<br />
Hunter. Sir W. W. The Thackerays in India. 2 6 net Frowde.<br />
Hutcbeson, J. 0. Young Tom Bowling. 5/- Warne.<br />
Ibsen, H. John Gabriel Borkman (tr. W. Archer). Heinemann.<br />
James, C. The Finger and the Ring, fi,- Ward and Downey.<br />
Johnson, J. C. F. Getting Gold; a Practical Treatise. 8 6. Griffin.<br />
Keashey, L. M. The Nicaragua Canal and the Monroe Doctrine.<br />
18.- Putnam,<br />
Keightley, S. B. The Last Recruit of Clare's. 6 - Hutchinson.<br />
Kingidev. Mary H. Travels in West Africa. 21 - net. Macmillan.<br />
Kirby, W. F. A Handbook to Order Lepldoptera—iii. 6/- W.H.Allen.<br />
Lang. A. Pickle, the Spy. 18;- Longmans.<br />
Langdon, W. E. Application of Electricity to Rail. Workings. Spon.<br />
Larchey, L. Narrative of Capt. Colgnet (tr. Mrs. Carey). 3/6. Chatto.<br />
Leach, A. F. English Schools at Reformation. 12 - net. Constable,<br />
^eakc, F. Historic Bubbles. Suckling and Galloway,<br />
Xentzner, K. Short Hist, of Danish Language. The editor, at Oxford.<br />
Lepsius, L. Armenia and Europe (ed. J. R. Harris). fi,-<br />
Hodder and Stougbton.<br />
Lindsay, J. Recent Advances in Theistlc Philosophy of Religion.<br />
12 6 net. Blackwood.<br />
Lorimer. G. C. (ed.). People's Bible History. 20 - Christ. Com. Co.<br />
Lowe, C.E. Cyclopaedia of Musicians and Musical Events. 2 - Weekes.<br />
Lydekker, R. (editor). The Royal Natural History. Warne.<br />
Macalister. R. A. S. Ecclesiastical Vestments. Stock.<br />
MacDonagh, M. Bishop Doyle, J.K.L 2 - Unwin.<br />
Marmery, J. V. Wit, WiBdom, and Folly. Digby, Long.<br />
Martin, Mrs. H. Gentleman George. Hurst and Blacken,<br />
Maurier, George du. English Society (Sketches). 12 6. Osgood.<br />
Miller, Esther. The Sport of the Gods. 6 - Innes.<br />
Morgan, Sir G. O. Eclogues of Virgil in English Hexameter Verse.<br />
4 C net. Frowde.<br />
Morrison, W. D. Juvenile Offenders. I',- Unwin.<br />
Newton, A. A Dictionary of Birds—Part iv. 7 6 nM. Black.<br />
Ogle. W. Tr. of Aristotle on Youth and Old Age, Ac. 7 fi. Longmans.<br />
Paullan (L.). The Beggars of Paris (tr. Lady Herschell). Arnold.<br />
Peek. H. (editor). The Poetry of Sport. Longmans.<br />
Peel. Sir R. A Bit of a Fool. 6 - Downey.<br />
Phillpotts, E. Lying Prophets. 6 - Innes.<br />
Phillpson, J. The Art and Craft of Coachbuilding. Bell,<br />
i'hilpot, Mrs. J. H. The Sacred Tree. 8 6 net. Macmillan.<br />
Post, M. D. Strange Scheme* of Randolph Mason. 8 fi. Putnam.<br />
Powell, Q. H. Animal Episodes and Studies in Sensation. 3 6 net.<br />
Redway.<br />
Putnam, G. H. Books and their Makers during the Middle Ages—li.<br />
Putnam.<br />
Renton. A. W. Law of and Work in Lunacy. Stevens and Haynes.<br />
Revnolds, Sir J. Essays and AddiesseB. 12/- net Macmillan.<br />
Rideal, S. Water and its Purification. Crosby, Lockwood.<br />
Risley, J. S. The Law of War. 12/- Innes.<br />
R. V. The Sentimental Vikings. 2 6 net Lone.<br />
Roberts, Lord. Forty-t >ne Years in India. 86/- Bentley.<br />
Roliettson, J. M. The Saxon and the Celt (Sociology). Univ. Press.<br />
Robinson, Percy. Relics of Old Leeds. Batsford.<br />
Romanes, G. J. Essays (edited by C. L. Morgan). 6 - Longmans.<br />
Rushington. W. L. Shakespeare an Archer. Liverpool. Lee.<br />
Sabbab, J. M. Fanti Customary Laws. 21 -net. Clowes.<br />
Salkeld-Cooke, H. Reprobatus, or the Journey of Death a -<br />
Church Printing Co.<br />
Sanders, N. A Comedy of Three. 1, - I'nwin.<br />
Sargant, A. Brownie (with music and illustrations). Dtnt.<br />
Scholey, H. Electric Tramways and Railways. 2 - Paasmore.<br />
SchwartzkopfT, P. Prophecies of Jesus Christ (tr. N". Buchanan*. •> -<br />
Edinburgh : Clark.<br />
Sen, Sun Yat. Kidnapped in London. 1 - Bristol: Arrowsmith.<br />
Sergeant. A. The Idol-Maker. 6/- Hutchinson.<br />
Sharp. Win. Madge o' the Pool, and other Tales. 2 6. Constab'e.<br />
Shuckburgh, E. S. History of Helvetian War. 1, 6. Clsy.<br />
Soldene. E- My Theatrical and Musical Recollections. 10 fi. Downey.<br />
Street, G. S. The Wise and the Wayward. 4 6 net. Lane.<br />
Stuart-Glennie, J.S., editor. Greek Folk Poesy—ii. IOC. Nutt.<br />
Tarliell, F. B. History of Greek Art 6 - Macmillan.<br />
Taylor, H. O. Ancient Ideals. W - Putnam.<br />
Thompson, N. (}.. and Cannan, F. L. Figure Skating. Longmans.<br />
Tirard, N. Diphtheria and Antitoxin. 7 6.<br />
Trobridge, O. By a Way They Knew Not. Spiers.<br />
Tubeuf, K. Diseases of Plants induced by Cryptogramic Parasites<br />
(tr. W. G. Smith). IS - net. Longmans.<br />
Tweedale. V. "And They Two ." 3(1 Redway.<br />
Tytler. Sarah. Lady Jean's Son. 6/- Jarrold.<br />
Underhlll, F. T. Driving for Pleasure. 28/- net. Heinemann.<br />
Warriner, John. National Portrait Gallery of British Musicians.<br />
14 - net. Simpson Low.<br />
Watson, R. S. Hist, of Lit. and Philos. Soc. of Newcastle. 21 - Scott.<br />
Watson. William. The Yoar of Shame. 2.6 net Lane.<br />
Watt, W. A. Theory of Contract in its Social Light. 3- Edin : Clark.<br />
Wenall. W. With the E-d Eagle. 6/- Chatto.<br />
White, u.,.v Strange, E. F. (editors). Canterbury Cathedral. 1 6. Bell.<br />
.. Salisbury Cathedral. 1 S. Bell.<br />
Wflemann. J. P. Brazilisn Exchange. Wilson.<br />
Willis, J. C. Manual and Dictionary of the Flowering Plants and<br />
Ferns. Clay.<br />
Wundt, W. Outlines Psychologv (tr. C. H. Judd). Williams & Norgato.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 236 (#285) ############################################<br />
<br />
AD VER TISEMENTS.<br />
iii<br />
IR/IE^IDir ABOUT MARCH.<br />
THE LITERARY YEAR-ROOK<br />
1897<br />
EDITED BY<br />
FREDERICK G. AFLALO, F.R.G.S., &c.<br />
An Exhaustive Book of Reference for all Writers and Readers<br />
of Books.<br />
AMONG THE CHIEF FEATURES ARE :-<br />
A Critical resumi of the past year's Literature, by Krnest Rhys.<br />
Portraits and Biographical Sketches of a number of Distinguished Authors.<br />
The Year's Obituary, with Portraits.<br />
A New and Complete Calendar for Literature.<br />
Some Account of the Chief Literary and Scientific Clubs, and Learned Societies<br />
and Institutions in the Kingdom, with their Addresses.<br />
Directories of Authors, Publishers, and Booksellers.<br />
A Directory of the chief Free, Public, and Subscription Libraries in Great Britain<br />
and Ireland.<br />
Pz-actical Information in connection with the Reading Rooms of the British Museum,<br />
Bibliothkque Nationale (Paris), and Knnigliche Bibliothek (Berlin).<br />
Articles on various Literary matters.<br />
Information concerning the Production of Books and the Processes in Illustration.<br />
&c, &c, &c.<br />
About 300 pages, crown 8vo., cloth, 3s. 6dm<br />
It is hoped that this volume, which deals with every matter of practical interest to<br />
the Literary World, will supply a long-felt want.<br />
LONDON:<br />
GEORGE ALLEN, RUSKIN HOUSE, 156, CHARING CROSS ROAD,<br />
AND OF ALL BOOKSELLERS.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 236 (#286) ############################################<br />
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♦ LEGAL AND<br />
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| 300 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/300 | The Author, Vol. 07 Issue 10 (March 1897) | <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.+07+Issue+10+%28March+1897%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 Issue 10 (March 1897)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</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> | 1897-03-01-The-Author-7-10 | | | | | 237–272 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1897-03-01">1897-03-01</a> | | | | | | | 10 | | | 18970301 | XL he Hutbot\<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 10.] MARCH i, 1897. [Price Sixpence.<br />
CONTENTS.<br />
PAOE<br />
Notices. Ac. 237<br />
Prom the Committee 239<br />
Literary Property—<br />
1. An Agreement—With a Heply 2*0<br />
2 Public Performance of a Dramatic Work not Equivalent to<br />
Publication 241<br />
■% The Beginnings of Literary Property 248<br />
Notes from Elsewhere. By R. H. Sherard 244<br />
New York Letter. By Norman Hapgood 246<br />
The Literary Year Book 247<br />
The Return of MSS 248<br />
Notee and NewB. By the Editor 248<br />
Sunnysiie— the Home of Irving 251<br />
PAGE<br />
Theocritus 253<br />
Vilstor Rydberg 253<br />
An Intelligence Department 255<br />
Annual Dinner of the Incorporated Society of Authors 256<br />
The Battle of the Books 2*9<br />
Subjunctive Mood: its Present-day Use 261<br />
Correspondence—1. The I.S.A. as Publisher. 2. Editor and<br />
Contributor. 3. Reviewing. 4. Popularity. 5. The House<br />
where Byron was Born. 6. Paying for Publication 2«2<br />
Book Talk 267<br />
Literature in the Periodicals ■ ... 269<br />
Obituary 271<br />
The Books of the Month 271<br />
PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY.<br />
1. The Annual Report. That for January 1896 can be had on application to the Secretary.<br />
2. The Author. A Monthly Journal devoted especially to the protection and maintenance of Literary<br />
Property. Issued to all Members, 6*. 6d. per annum. Back numbers are offered at the<br />
following prices: Vol. I., io«. 6d. (Bound); Vols. II., HI., and IV., 8s. 6d. each (Bound);<br />
Vol. V., 6s. 6d. (Unbound).<br />
3. Literature and the Pension List. By W. Morris Colles, Barrister-at-Law. (Henry Glaisher,<br />
95, Strand, W.C.) 3*.<br />
4. The History of the Societe des (Jens de Lettres. By S. Squire Sprioge, late Secretary to<br />
the Society. I*.<br />
5. The Cost of Production. In this work specimens are given of the most important forms of type,<br />
size of page, Ac, with estimates showing what it costs to produce the more common kinds of<br />
books. Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 2*. 6d.<br />
6. The Various Methods of Publication. By S. Squire Sprigge. In this work, compiled from the<br />
papers in the Society's offices, the various forms of agreements proposed by Publishers to<br />
Authors are examined, and their meaning carefully explained, with an account of the various<br />
kinds of fraud which have been made possible by the different clauses in their agreements.<br />
Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 3*.<br />
7. Copyright Law Reform. An Exposition of Lord Monkswell's Copyright Bill now before Parlia-<br />
ment. With Extracts from the Report of the Commission of 1878, and an Appendix<br />
containing the Berne Convention and the American Copyright Bill. By J. M. Lely. Eyre<br />
and Spottiswoode. is. (id.<br />
3. The Society of Authors. A Record of its Action from its Foundation. By Walter Besant<br />
(Chairman of Committee, 1888—1892). u.<br />
9. The Contract of Publication in Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland. Bv Ernst<br />
Lunge, J.U.D. 2s. 6d.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 236 (#288) ############################################<br />
<br />
11<br />
AD VEIi TISEMENTS.<br />
^t)e gioctefp of Jlutl)ors (gncoTporafeb).<br />
8ir Edwin Arnold, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.<br />
i lfred Austin.<br />
J. M. Barrix<br />
A. W. a Beckett.<br />
F. E. Beddard, F.R.S.<br />
Robert Bateman.<br />
Sir Henry Berone, K.C.M.G.<br />
Sir Walter Bksant.<br />
AU0U8TINE BlRRELL, M.P.<br />
Rev. Prof. Bonnet, P.R.S.<br />
Rioht Hon. James Brtce, M.P.<br />
Right Hon. Lord Burohclere, P.C.<br />
Hall Caine.<br />
Egerton Castle, F.S.A.<br />
P. W. Clatden.<br />
Edward Clodd.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sir W. Martin Conway.<br />
P. Marion Crawford.<br />
PRESIDENT.<br />
G-EOEO-E MEEEDITH.<br />
COUNCIL.<br />
The Earl of Desart.<br />
Austin Dobson.<br />
A. Conan Doyle, M.D<br />
A. W. Dubouro.<br />
Prof. Michael Foster, P.R.S.<br />
Richard Garnett, C.B., LL.D.<br />
Edmund Gosse.<br />
H. Rider Haggard.<br />
Thomas Hardy.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
Jerome E. Jerome.<br />
Rudyard Kipling.<br />
Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S.<br />
W. E. H. Lecky.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Mrs. E. Lynn Linton.<br />
Rev. W. J. Loftie, F.S.A.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Prof. J. M. D. Meiklejohn.<br />
Herman C. Merivale.<br />
Rev. C. H. Middleton-Wake.<br />
Sir Lewis Morris.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
Miss E. A. Ormerod.<br />
j. c. parkin80n.<br />
Right Hon. Lord Pirbriqht.<br />
Sir Frederick Pollock, Bart., LL.D.<br />
Walter Herries Pollock.<br />
W. Baptists Scoones.<br />
Miss Flora L. Shaw.<br />
G. R. Sims.<br />
S. Squire Spriooe.<br />
J. J. Stevenson.<br />
Prof. Jas. Sully.<br />
William Moy Thomas.<br />
H. D. Traill, D.C.L.<br />
Mrs. Humphry Ward.<br />
Miss Charlotte M. Yonoe.<br />
Hon. Counsel<br />
E. M.<br />
A W. a Beckett.<br />
Sir Walter Besant.<br />
Eqerton Castle.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
Underdown, Q.C.<br />
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT.<br />
Chairman—H. Rider Haggard.<br />
Hon. John Collier<br />
Sir W. Martin Conway.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Henry Norman.<br />
S. Squire Spriooe.<br />
Solicitors—<br />
( Messrs. Field, Roscoe, and Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields.<br />
\ G. Herbert Thring, B.A., 4, Portugal-street, W.C.<br />
Secretary—G. Herbert Thring, B.A.<br />
OFFICES: 4, Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.<br />
.A.. IP. WATT &c SOlsT,<br />
LITERARY AGENTS,<br />
Formerly of 2, PATERNOSTER SdUARE,<br />
Have now removed to<br />
HASTINGS HOUSE, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND<br />
LONDON. W.C.<br />
WINDSOR HOUSE PRINTING WORKS.<br />
IBIRylE.A.IMI'S BTJILTJIZCsTO-S, lE.C.<br />
Offices of "The Field," "The Queen," "The Law Times," &e.<br />
Mr. HORACE COX, Printer to the Authors' Sooiety, takes the opportunity of informing Authors that, having a very<br />
large Office, and an extensive Plant of Type of every description, he is in a position to EXECUTE any PRINTING they<br />
may entrust to his care.<br />
ESTIMATES FORWARDED, AND REASONABLE CHARGES WILL BE FOUND.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 237 (#289) ############################################<br />
<br />
XL he Hutbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 10.] MARCH i, 1897. [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 post, 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 />
I7>OB some years it has been the praotioe to insert, in<br />
'every number of The Author, certain " General Con-<br />
fiderations," Warnings, Notices, Ac., 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 />
hit 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. VH-<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 />
HI. The royalty system.<br />
In this system, which has opened the door to a most<br />
amazing amount 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 iB now<br />
possible for an author to ascertain approximately and very<br />
nearly the truth. From time to time the very important<br />
figures connected with royalties are published in the Author.<br />
Readers can 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 be their maximum. Therefore every<br />
author, for every book, should arrange on the ohanoe of a<br />
success which will not, probably, come at all; but which<br />
may come.<br />
The four points whioh 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 common 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 oharge for<br />
advertisements in the publisher's own organs and none tor<br />
exchanged advertisements; and that all disoounts shall be<br />
duly entered.<br />
If these points are carefully looked after, the author may<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 />
C C 2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 238 (#290) ############################################<br />
<br />
238 THE AUTHOR.<br />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
i. I/WERY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
I'J advice upon hia agreements, his choice of a pub-<br />
lisher, or any dispute arising in the conduct of his<br />
business or the administration of his property. If the advioe<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. Bemember that questions connected with copyright<br />
and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within the<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple<br />
to use the Society first—our solicitors are continually<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, Bend 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 trioks of every publish-<br />
ing firm in the country.<br />
7. Bemember 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 everything<br />
important to literature that you may hear or meet 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 oourse, be regarded as con-<br />
fidential documents to be read only by the Secretary, who<br />
will keep the key of the safe. The Society now offers:—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon<br />
them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
THE AUTHORS' SYNDICATE.<br />
MEMBERS are informed:<br />
1. That the Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the business of members of the Society. That it<br />
submits MSS. to publishers and editors, concludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects accounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the trouble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon which its services can be seoured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndicate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That the Syndicate can only undertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia-<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that all<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice should be given.<br />
6. That every attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in all cases, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence; does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded without notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
lectures by some of the leading members of the Society;<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for the sale and<br />
purchase of journals and periodicals; and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wanted" is open. Members are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to the Manager.<br />
There is an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called upon in any case of dispute or difficulty. It<br />
is perhaps necessary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndicate.<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 />
6«. 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?<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, whether<br />
members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate<br />
to the Editor any points connected with their work which<br />
it would be advisable in the general interest to 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 doeB not, under any circumstances,<br />
undertake the publication of MSS.<br />
The Authors' Club is now open in its new premises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-court, Charing Cross. Address the Secretary<br />
for information, rules of admission, &o.<br />
Will members take the trouble to ascertain whether they<br />
have paid their subscriptions for the year? 11 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 iB 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 five<br />
years to come, whatever his oonduct, whether he was honest<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 239 (#291) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
239<br />
or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for a moment when they are asked to sign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five years P<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 means, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing sums," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the cost of binding<br />
is set down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now stands<br />
at J69 4«. The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be procured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
bill is so elastic a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
arrived at.<br />
Some remarks have been made upon the amount charged<br />
in the " Cost of Production " for advertising. Of coarse, 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 practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
FROM THE COMMITTEE.<br />
I.<br />
AT a meeting of the Committee of the Society<br />
of Authors, held 011 Wednesday, Jan. 20th,<br />
Mr. Ri.ler Haggard was unanimously<br />
elected Chairman for the second time. Mr. F.<br />
Storr accepted a seat on the Committee of<br />
Management.<br />
n.<br />
At a meeting of the Committee of Management<br />
of the Society of Authors, held at the offices of<br />
the Society, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, it was<br />
decided, with a view of broadening and strengthen-<br />
ing the usefulness of the Society, to appoint two<br />
permanent affiliated committees to deal with<br />
questions arising with regard to the copyright in<br />
musical publications and artistic productions.<br />
The Honourable John Collier has consented to<br />
become chairman of the committee dealing with<br />
Art. Other members of the committee are not<br />
yet formed, nor have the members of the musical<br />
committee yet been settled.<br />
m.<br />
The court that you keep is the only one<br />
open to all. I cannot allow the apology which<br />
has lately appeared in the Artist to be printed<br />
and published without asserting my right to reply<br />
to it.<br />
This apology runs as follows (omitting names,<br />
which are immaterial for the purposes of this<br />
letter) :—<br />
On page — of our issue for there appeared an<br />
article under the heading of" "commenting upon<br />
an advertisement inserted by Messrs. in the<br />
""newspaper of the last. We have<br />
referred to this advertisement and find nothing in it to<br />
support the statements, or warrant the insinuations made<br />
by our contributor, and we very much regret that such an<br />
article should have appeared in our columns On the<br />
matter being called to our attention, we recalled the<br />
issue as far as possible, and cancelled the article, and we<br />
now desire to express our regret and offer our Bincere<br />
apologies to the proprietors of the" "and to<br />
Messrs. for its appearance, and for any annoyance<br />
or damage it may have caused them.<br />
The so-called article (one of a number of<br />
paragraphs) was written by me.<br />
Now, permit me to say in reply to what has<br />
been said on one side, that in writing it [ was<br />
stoutly supported by the parties concerned in the<br />
Artist. I submitted to the editor what I had<br />
written, and asked him to look to it before decid-<br />
ing to publish—an unusual precaution to take.<br />
He afterwards reported to me that what I had<br />
said was juRt what should have been said; that<br />
the proprietors shared his opinion that it was<br />
time for the Artist to declare its position, and<br />
to make a determined stand; that the impend-<br />
ing threat of an action was a matter of no<br />
account: that they would adopt my words as<br />
their own, and stand by me whatever befel.<br />
There was more to the same effect which need<br />
not be repeated.<br />
He remembers, and cannot deny, that, referring<br />
to a particular passage in the article, he even<br />
suggested to me that I might have strengthened<br />
my case. This, I should say, was said after the<br />
number was published, and pending the issue of<br />
the negotiations with the parties who claimed to<br />
be aggrieved.<br />
Now, the editor has informed me, in reply to a<br />
pressing question of miue, that these parties<br />
have been pacified by an assurance that nothing<br />
with my name attached to it should be allowed,<br />
for the present at least, to appear in his paper,<br />
and I have satisfied myself, as I have every one<br />
of my friends, that the proprietors of the Artist,<br />
in order to exonerate themselves, have merci-<br />
lessly sacrificed their contributor. As if to<br />
add insult to injury, they have used, directly<br />
referring to me, a very offensive word. They may<br />
perhaps say in reply that the word "insinua-<br />
tion " as commonly used means less than it does<br />
to me, and that they did not suppose it would<br />
be taken so seriously. If they are willing to<br />
say only so much, and that publicly, they will<br />
be understood to have apologised for their<br />
apology.<br />
I have respectfully submitted the facts and as<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 240 (#292) ############################################<br />
<br />
240<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
respectfully ask if I have not just cause of<br />
complaint? _,<br />
1 Ernest Radford.<br />
Hillside, Liverpool-road, Kingston-<br />
on-Thames, Feb. 20, 1897.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
I.—An Agreement—With a Reply.<br />
ri^HE following notes on this agreement<br />
I appeared in The Author of lust month.<br />
As a reply has been received from the<br />
publisher concerned, the notes and the agree-<br />
ment are reprinted, so that readers may be able<br />
without reference to the February number to<br />
form their own conclusion on the subject.<br />
I. NOTES ON AN AGREEMENT.<br />
The following agreement has been handed 1o<br />
the secretary of the Society. It has been signed<br />
by an author, and, like all the agreements printed<br />
in The Author, can be verified by any member of<br />
the Society who cares to inquire at the office for<br />
full particulars. The outlines of this agreement<br />
have been printed in The Author two or three<br />
times previously, as the publisher issues the same<br />
printed form on nearly every occasion. On this<br />
panicular occasion the figures of the agreement<br />
are perhaps rather more in favour of thepub.isher<br />
than usual, owing to the author's ignorance, and<br />
to the fact that he obtained no advice before<br />
signing the document,<br />
It will be seen 011 perusal that the publisher is<br />
to publish " an edition" of a certain woik, and<br />
to sell it at the published or advertised price of<br />
io*. 6d. per copy; this edition is to be the pro-<br />
perty of the said publisher. There is no state-<br />
ment as to how large the edition is to be, so that<br />
if the book should prove a success the publisher<br />
might, if he chose—there is nothing to prevent<br />
him—claim the first edition to be one of 3000 or<br />
perhaps 5000 copies.<br />
Next, the author is to guarantee at the end of<br />
nine months the sale of 450 copies at the price of<br />
six shillings, or ,£135. This amount will almost<br />
certainly cover all the cost of production, if only<br />
a small edition is produced in the first instance,<br />
and will also put a certain sum into the publisher's<br />
pocket.<br />
Remark, therefore, that it is not to the interest<br />
of the publisher to push the book until the expira-<br />
tion ot the nine months, because he will then<br />
demand the author's money according to the<br />
agreement, and afterwards he will put in his own<br />
ket the proceeds of every book sold. If the<br />
k is not a success, the publisher is well paid,<br />
and the author, inasmuch as he has to purchase<br />
three or four hundred copies of his own book, has<br />
to take upon himself really the publisher's duty<br />
of putting these copies upon the market in order<br />
to endeavour to recoup his outlay. For writing<br />
the book therefore; for paying for the cost of<br />
production; and for undertaking to a large extent<br />
the publisher's duty, the author obtains nothing<br />
whatever; and, further, has very little probability<br />
of ever obtaining anything, if, as has been pointed<br />
out, there should be practically no limit to the<br />
first edition.<br />
Memorandum of agreement made this day of<br />
between (publisher) of the one part, and<br />
(author) of the other part. Tbe said publisher<br />
hereby agrees to produce in tasteful form, and publish in<br />
the usual manner at his own expense, an edition of u<br />
volume written by the said author and entitled" ,"<br />
the said volume to consist of 504 pages, crown octavo size,<br />
and to b« published at ten shillings and sixpence per copy.<br />
The said author hereby agrees to be responsible for tbe salo<br />
of 450 copies of the said volume, and undertakes, at the<br />
expiration of nine months from the date of publication, to<br />
purchase at the rate of six shillings per copy whatever<br />
number of copies, if any, be necessary to make the sales<br />
up to the said number of 450 oopies. This edition to be<br />
the property of the said publisher, and all proofs of the<br />
same to be corrected and returned promptly to the printer<br />
by the said author. It is understood that the copyright of<br />
the said volume is, and remains, the property of the author.<br />
As witness, Ac.<br />
II. THE PUBLISHER'8 ANSWER.<br />
In the February number of The Author, on<br />
page 213, there is a reference to one of my agree-<br />
ments (although my name is not mentioned), on<br />
which I should be glad if you will allow me<br />
to make some observations.<br />
It is stated by the writer of the "Notes " :—<br />
1. "That the publisher is to print an edition of<br />
a certain book and sell it at the published or<br />
advertised price of 10*. 6d. per copy.<br />
2. "That there is no statement as to how large<br />
the edition is to be, so that, if the book should<br />
prove a succees, the publisher might, if he chose<br />
—there is nothing to prevent him—claim the first<br />
edition to be one of 3000, or, perhaps, 5000<br />
copies.<br />
3. "The author is to guarantee at the end of<br />
nine months the sale of 450 copies at the price<br />
of bs.<br />
4. "It is not in the interest of the publisher to<br />
push the book until the expiration of the nine<br />
months, because he will then demand the author's<br />
money according to the agreement."<br />
In answer to No. 1, it is only needful to point<br />
out that no publisher could sell copies of a book<br />
he issued at the published price. The rate at<br />
which the work mentioned in the agreement was<br />
sold was 6*. 2d. net.<br />
The other points_ had better be answered by a<br />
poc<br />
boo<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 241 (#293) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
241<br />
statement of what actually took place in regard<br />
to the book to which the agreement applied, as<br />
actual fact and practical instance are more con-<br />
clusive than general speculation :—<br />
2. The number of the edition which it was<br />
arranged to print at starting was 750, and this<br />
number was actually printed; not "3000 or<br />
perhaps 5000."<br />
3. The author does not guarantee the sale of<br />
450 copies, under the agreement, but to take what<br />
ever number of copies it may be necessary to<br />
briny the sales up to this quantity, should it not<br />
have been reached in nine months, from the date<br />
of publication; all the sales going towards the<br />
450. As a matter of fact in this case the sales<br />
only reached 189, the author was asked to take<br />
261 copies at the agreed price, minus seventy-two<br />
which he drew for his own sale among friends,<br />
amounting in effect to 199 copies.<br />
4. Whatever the " interest of the publisher " may<br />
mean as spoken of by the writer in The Author,<br />
in the present instance the book was certainly<br />
pushed adequately. It was advertised in twenty-<br />
six newspapers and magazines at an outlay of<br />
.£20 ; announcements were sent out to the extent<br />
of 16,500 to private persons and the trade, by post;<br />
and seventy-eight copies were sent for review and<br />
presentation.<br />
That a book thus worked should have sold so<br />
poorly scarcely seems the fault of the publisher.<br />
With regard to the agreement itself, it may be<br />
well to say that it is not used in the case of books<br />
for which a large sale can be certainly expected,<br />
and is only employed where it is needful, either<br />
because of the subject of the book in hand, or<br />
because the author is unknown. It is a via<br />
media between the author taking the risk upon<br />
himself, and the publisher purchasing the copy-<br />
right.<br />
For the instances it is applicable to, the agree-<br />
ment is an equitable one; at all events, it cannot<br />
be a very bad one, for it has been used in the case<br />
of many members of the Society of Authors; and<br />
one of the best known members of its Council has<br />
had two books brought out under its conditions<br />
quite recently.<br />
The Publisher Concerned.<br />
iii. rejoinder.<br />
The price of the book has nothing to do with<br />
the case.<br />
The actual treatment of the book in question<br />
has nothing to do with the case, which turns on<br />
the wording of the agreement.<br />
The objections to the agreement are left abso-<br />
lutely untouched, viz.:<br />
The publisher may make his edition consist of<br />
any number that he pleases.<br />
The author certainly does guarantee the sale of<br />
450 copies. The words of the agreement are<br />
"agrees to be responsible for the sale of 450<br />
copies." He guarantees, therefore, so much<br />
money as represents that sale.<br />
It certainly is not to the interest of the pub-<br />
lisher to push the book till after nine months,<br />
when the whole edition becomes his. The actual<br />
sale of the book in question: the management<br />
of the book by the publisher: the cost of adver-<br />
tising: these things have nothing to do with the<br />
wording of the agreement, or with the powers<br />
which it gives the publisher.<br />
That members of the Society or its Council<br />
have accepted the agreement is to be lamented,<br />
but the fact does not make it a good agreement,<br />
nor does it deprive the agreement of the objec-<br />
tions pointed out last month.<br />
II.—Public Performance of a Dramatic<br />
Work not Equivalent to Publication.<br />
That the public performance of a dramatic work<br />
under certain statutory regulations is equivalent<br />
to its publication, has become generally accepted<br />
in England as a kind of axiom. It is therefore<br />
at least interesting, if not instructive, to find this<br />
opinion treated by a legal tribunal not only as<br />
no axiom at all, but also as a view distinctly con-<br />
trary to fact.<br />
This has recently happened in Italy, and full<br />
reports of the case, and of an application for leave<br />
to appeal (which was immediately refused), are<br />
contained in the official organ of the Italian<br />
Society of Authors, which the secretary of the<br />
Society has been so courteous as to send us.<br />
These reports, of some length, contain a number<br />
of particulars of a very interesting kind, which<br />
we omit here, in order to give as briefly as possible<br />
the main facts of the case. These are as follows.<br />
In the year 1883 Meilhac and Grille produced in<br />
Paris a comedy entitled "Ma Camarade," and a<br />
few days after the first representation ceded the<br />
Italian rights to Teodoro Michaelis. These rights<br />
subsequently changed hands several times. (The<br />
Italian "Society for the Acquisition, Protec-<br />
tion, and Encouragement of Dramatic Works"<br />
bought them for 4000 francs, and sold them<br />
again for 4250.) But in 1895 the Marchese<br />
Theoduli was the sole proprietor of all the Italian<br />
rights.<br />
In 1894 (nine years after the production of the<br />
piece) the Parisian publisher, Caiman Levi,<br />
printed " Ma Camarade" and offered it for sale<br />
in Paris, after having duly complied with the<br />
requirements of the French law by depositing<br />
two copies of the work at the Ministry of the<br />
Interior, on March 3, 1894.<br />
In the year 1895, Luigi Raspantini, manager<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 242 (#294) ############################################<br />
<br />
242<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
of an Italian dramatic company, "La Compagnia<br />
Pia Marchi, Maggi, e Soci," having procured a<br />
copy of the printed work, had a free translation<br />
of it made by Giuseppe Brignone, and with the<br />
consent of Giuseppe Pietriboni (director of the<br />
company), the play was performed at thePaganini<br />
Theatre at Genoa in May 1895, and the following<br />
June at the Politeama of Livorno, without the<br />
consent of the Marchese Theoduli having been<br />
either obtained or even sought.<br />
Hereupon the Marchese took legal proceedings<br />
against Raspantini, Pietriboni, Brignone, and<br />
Pia Marchi.<br />
The defendants failed in an attempt to dispute<br />
the Marchese's rights, which were easily estab-<br />
lished; but they pleaded that "Ma Camarade"<br />
having been performed for the first time in 1883,<br />
the right to translate had become public property<br />
after Dec. 31, 1893, in accordance with the terms<br />
of the Berne Convention.<br />
Bv the terms of the Berne Convention the<br />
author has the exclusive right of making or<br />
authorising translations fur a period of ten years,<br />
dating from the publication of the original work.<br />
On this point all parties were agreed. But the<br />
question arose, "At what date was 'Ma<br />
Camarade' published?" The defendants con-<br />
tended that the play was published at the date<br />
of its first performance in Paris in 1883. The<br />
Marchese Theoduli, on the contrary, maintained<br />
that the work was not published until Caiman<br />
Levi offered it for sale in 1894. And the court<br />
decided in favour of the Marchese, affirming that<br />
the ten years during which the author held the<br />
right of translation dated from March 3, 1894.<br />
The reasons given for this verdict are deserving<br />
of attention.<br />
"The publication of a work," it was said,<br />
"does not consist in any kind of production,<br />
by which it is made known to a larger or<br />
smaller number of persons. The author him-<br />
self, or any other person, by his authority,<br />
may make known the subject of the work,<br />
or the work itself, by acquainting others, and that<br />
even in public, with the manuscript, or design, or<br />
rough draft, or by reading the work, or by<br />
causing it to be represented, or by delivering a<br />
speech, without thereby publishing his work, or<br />
prejudicing his rights.<br />
"In short, publication is not the same thing as<br />
publicity. Publication is a complex act, by<br />
virtue of which a work, or its subject, is not<br />
merely communicated to the public in some way<br />
or another, but also is, so to say, placed at the<br />
common disposal of the whole of the public.<br />
So long as a dramatic work has been only<br />
represented, it cannot be said to be published;<br />
because by representation it has acquired only a<br />
more or less extended publicity; and it still<br />
remains within the power of the author to with-<br />
draw the work from the stage, or absolutely to<br />
destroy it. But when a work intended for<br />
dramatic representation is disseminated in a<br />
printed form, it may then be really said to be<br />
published, because everyone is at liberty to<br />
j>rovide himself with a copy and to make any use<br />
of it which he pleases."<br />
And, in support of the decision that represen-<br />
tation is not publication the following passage<br />
was quoted from the Italian code:<br />
"In the declarations concerning musical works<br />
and compositions, intended for dramatic repre-<br />
sentation, it should be explicitly stated whether<br />
they have been or have not been performed pre-<br />
viously to their publication."<br />
The defendants were sentenced to pay an<br />
augmented fine. In the terms of the sentence,<br />
"inasmuch as the law respecting the author's<br />
rights has been violated on various occasions,<br />
with an identical criminal intention, so that the<br />
offence assumes the character of a repeated mis-<br />
demeanour, the ordinary fine is increased by one-<br />
sixth." The translator was subjected to the same<br />
penalties as the director, the manager, and Pia<br />
Marchi, and the question of damages remained<br />
to be settled elsewhere.<br />
Subsequently the defendants applied for leave<br />
to appeal. By no means the least interesting<br />
feature of this application was a document of<br />
considerable length laid before the court by the<br />
Advocates Coen and Trincheri, in which they<br />
discuss, with much learning and acumen, the<br />
whole question of the relations of public represen-<br />
tation and publication. Leave to appeal was<br />
refused on the ground that the case was not one<br />
for appeal, seeing that the law was perfectly<br />
plain. But the court at the same time expressed<br />
itself in terms even stronger than those used at<br />
the trial.<br />
"Representation and publication are two terms<br />
absolutely opposed to each other, and without a<br />
point in common. The publication of a work is<br />
the permanent dissemination of the work itself,<br />
which passes into the hands of the public and<br />
remains there, so that the sphere of its action is<br />
limited neither by time nor by locality. The<br />
work can be procured and used everywhere.<br />
Representation, on the other hand, is of a tempo-<br />
rary character. The form which the work<br />
assumes in representation depends upon the kind<br />
and variety of the interpretation given to it by<br />
those who perform it, upon the exigencies of the<br />
theatre, and the ability of the actors. And the<br />
work is not placed at the disposal of the spec-<br />
tators."<br />
In commenting upon this interesting case, the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 243 (#295) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
243<br />
Droit d'Auteur, whilst applauding the sentence<br />
of the Italian tribunal, aptly draws attention to a<br />
"declaration " made at the Paris Conference on<br />
the May 4, 1896:—<br />
"By published works (oeuvres publiies) must be<br />
understood works that hare been published {iditees)<br />
in one of the countries of the Union. Consequently<br />
the representation of a dramatic, or an operatic<br />
work, or the performance of a musical work, or<br />
the exhibition of a work of art, does not consti-<br />
tute publication."<br />
It is true that the Italian court took no notice<br />
of this declaration. And it has not yet, indeed,<br />
been ratified by the countries represented at the<br />
Paris Conference. But it will be seen that the<br />
declaration exactly accords with the view taken by<br />
the Italian law. It also suggests a very natural<br />
question: Why should the performance of a<br />
drama be equivalent to publication, when the<br />
exhibition of a picture is not? A picture<br />
exhibited at the Royal Academy must be placed<br />
before a very much larger section of the public<br />
than a play which has a short run. Still the<br />
legislatures of Great Britain and the United<br />
States of America, that is to say, the laws by<br />
which almost the whole of the profits of English<br />
dramatic authors are secured to them, hold that<br />
the play is published. Probably that opinion is<br />
also so engrained into the minds of most English-<br />
men that the advocates of a reform of the copy-<br />
right laws would hardly think of modifying a<br />
principle so universally accepted as that "public<br />
representation of a play is publication." But this<br />
view can no longer be considered incontestible.<br />
Even in the present state of the law it seems<br />
possible for the view taken by the Italian Legis-<br />
lature to be of importance to English dramatic<br />
authors. Popular English plays are reproduced<br />
abroad, in countries belonging to the Berne Union<br />
as well as in countries outside it. The English<br />
dramatic author seldom publishes, as the Italian<br />
law defines publication. What would happen if,<br />
finding that ten years after the production of his<br />
play in London a "free translation" of it was<br />
running on the continent, he were to print and<br />
publish r It is evident that in Italy, at any rate,<br />
he would have created himself ten years of<br />
dramatic rights.<br />
III.—The Beginnings op Literary Property.<br />
The second and last volume of Mr. George<br />
Haven Putnam's work on "Books and Their<br />
Makers in the Middle Ages," carries the study<br />
of the conditions of the production and distri-<br />
bution of literature from 1500 to 1709. Down to<br />
the latter year, the conception of literary pro-<br />
perty had not yet reached any very advanced<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
stage of development; but students of the whole<br />
question of book-production will follow with<br />
interest Mr. Putnam's narrative of the gradual<br />
change in the direction ultimately of making<br />
property in an intellectual creation fully analo-<br />
gous to property in a material creation. In the<br />
section devoted to this part of his subject, he<br />
shows that during the first two centuries after<br />
printing, the conditions in England had very<br />
little influence upon the development of any<br />
European system for controlling literary produc-<br />
tion. The work of the earlier English printers<br />
was addressed much more to the tastes of the<br />
local public than to the requirements of the<br />
scholars of Europe, and while a certain propor-<br />
tion of books in Latin were printed here, this<br />
proportion was small compared with the under-<br />
takings of the contemporary publishers of<br />
Holland, Prance, and Germany. In the two<br />
latter countries the State followed Italy's policy<br />
towards literary production, namely, of legisla-<br />
tion upon a system of privileges for short terms<br />
and limited territory; while Holland differed<br />
only in being the first of the European States to<br />
issue privileges without conditions depending<br />
upon censorship. The English system appears<br />
to have taken shape without any reference to<br />
Continental precedents. It grew up in connec-<br />
tion with the monopoly of printing in the United<br />
Kingdom given by charter in 1556 to the<br />
Stationers' Company, an organisation which<br />
differed from the book trade association of Paris<br />
in that it had no direct connection with either of<br />
the two Universities, and held its authority from<br />
the Crown. The regulations of this Company<br />
became the law for the control of the book trade,<br />
and for the control also of the literary property<br />
(the property in "copy ") that was from year to<br />
year increasing in importance. The basis of<br />
the authority of the Stationers' Company was<br />
the theory that all printing was the preroga-<br />
tive of the King, who asserted direct ownership<br />
and monopoly in the most remunerative of<br />
the earlier productions of the English Press,<br />
namely, prayer-books, editions of the Bible, year-<br />
books, Acts of State, &c. Mr. Putnam shows,<br />
however, how the later effect of this royal<br />
absolutism was, curiously enough, to secure an<br />
earlier and more definite recognition in England<br />
than was reached in any other country for pro-<br />
perty in literary production, and for the right of<br />
literary producers to control and to enjoy the<br />
results of their labours. It was the general<br />
understanding at the close of the seventeenth<br />
century that authors possessed in their produc-<br />
tions a perpetual right of property, and that this<br />
right could be assigned. Had the practice con-<br />
tinued of retaining one literary language for<br />
D D<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 244 (#296) ############################################<br />
<br />
244<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Europe, the possibility of securing one system<br />
for controlling and protecting literary production<br />
throughout Europe, Mr. Putnam thinks, would<br />
have been much furthered, and the date of inter-<br />
State European copyright probably advanced by<br />
a century or more. Finally, the conclusion Mr.<br />
Putnam has arrived at upon the copyright<br />
legislation of the present day is that a compact<br />
between the author and the State is not only<br />
equitable but logical, and that it secures a satis-<br />
factory solution for the vexed question concerning<br />
copyright in perpetuity. "The author," he con-<br />
cludes, " asks for a larger measure of protective<br />
service from the State than that required by the<br />
owner of property like a house (or, for that<br />
matter, of any other class of property), and he is<br />
willing in return for such special service, if the<br />
results of his labours may, by adequate legisla-<br />
tion, be assured for his immediate descendants,<br />
to surrender to the community the property-right<br />
in perpetuity, which under his inherent right and<br />
at common law was as fully vested in him, as is<br />
the title of a house in the man who has pro-<br />
duced it."<br />
NOTES FROM ELSEWHERE.<br />
IT may interest some of my readers to know<br />
that I have taken steps that a full and<br />
complete inquiry be held into the facts in<br />
dispute between Dr. Ibsen and myself. In the<br />
meanwhile I will say nothing more as to the<br />
newspapers which treated me, as I consider,<br />
with gross unfairness; one was a paper to which<br />
I have contributed since its foundation. There<br />
is little solidarity amongst English journalists.<br />
In Paris an editor sticks to his contributors, and<br />
the contributors stick to one another, as long as<br />
no mala fides has been proved in any one of<br />
them. It is a pity that there is not more of that<br />
spirit elsewhere.<br />
I am writing this particular letter from St.<br />
Ives, in Cornwall, where I am taking a writer's<br />
holiday, which means that I am writing here<br />
harder than ever. It is a pretty place, and the<br />
people are interesting, and the walks in the lanes,<br />
with the primroses on the banks on either side,<br />
or on the cliffs, with the Atlantic, and so on;<br />
but I fear there is little of literary interest to<br />
chronicle in this place, so that I should have<br />
difficulty in complying with the request of a<br />
member of the Authors' Club, who writes to me<br />
saying, "Write us letters from Cornwall, and<br />
give France a rest." The people seem great<br />
readers—of penny novelettes; except the artists,<br />
v?ho subscribe to White's lending library or to<br />
Smith's bookstall. We get our London papers<br />
at six in the evening, and never get a sight of the<br />
evening papers, and on Sundays we are altogether<br />
without news of the remote world. The most<br />
popular book in St. Ives at present, that is to say<br />
the book which is most asked for at the lending<br />
library, is Guy Boothby's "The Beautiful<br />
White Devil." I have heard it much discussed.<br />
There are two or three literary people here,<br />
amongst others a young Swede named Carl Olson,<br />
who writes excellent English, and has high ideals.<br />
He lives amongst the fishermen and dresses in<br />
corduroys, and will do well yet.<br />
One real literary trouvaille which I have made<br />
here is in the person of Mr. Anthony, the post-<br />
master of St. Ives, an old gentleman who knows<br />
Cornwall and the Cornish an fond, and writes<br />
about them in a highly entertaining manner. He<br />
has read me several of his manuscripts, poetry<br />
and prose (for he has published little, and that<br />
little only in the local papers), and I was really<br />
interested. There are fine turns in the Cornish<br />
dialect, and a particular humour which has a<br />
savour of its own. I told Mr. Anthony to send<br />
some of his papers up to the London magazines,<br />
but he will not believe that anyone would care to<br />
print his writings, much less to pay for them. I<br />
am endeavouring to induce him to try the experi-<br />
ment. Our literature is sadly deficient in pict ures<br />
of provincial English life. Cornwall should be<br />
at least as interesting to English readers as the<br />
Kail-yard, and far more understandable.<br />
Halestown, near here, was once the home of<br />
Sir Henry Irving, as a lad, for some years. • I<br />
have seen the dame's school where he was first<br />
taught, and the little chapel—it is the chapel of<br />
the Halestown Bible Christians—where, as a boy<br />
of eleven, he gave his first recitation. He has<br />
always kept a soft place in his heart for<br />
Halestown and St. Ives. It is not, I hope,<br />
impertinent to add that he paid the old lady's<br />
rent up to her death, and that she was buried at<br />
his expense. Further, that he interests himself<br />
in local charities in his well-known manner.<br />
Some people here remember him as a lad, but do<br />
not seem to realise to what an eminence he has<br />
raised himself. For the rest, "play-acting" is<br />
for the most part looked on with holy horror in<br />
this pious and dissenting land, and one old man<br />
has been heard to say, when told of Sir Henry's<br />
great success on the stage, "Nay, nay, he's never<br />
come to that, surely," meaning to defend him<br />
against a supposed calumny.<br />
Bravo, Rodenbach! I say bravo, Eodenbach,<br />
because George Rodenbach has put his heel on a<br />
scandal which was being fanned into bright flame<br />
by certain scandal-mongers in Paris, and, I hope,<br />
crushed and extinguished it. I refer to the<br />
scandal about the Victor Hugo mhiage and<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 245 (#297) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
245<br />
Sainte-Beuve. Sainte-Beuve's doubtful morality<br />
has been already alluded to in these pages, and<br />
in his " Livre d'Amour," originally published in<br />
1843, he made certain insinuations which give<br />
some appearance of truth to things which the<br />
boulevard scandal-mongers are saying of her of<br />
whom her husband wrote in 1834:<br />
C'est elle, la vertu but ma tfte penchee,<br />
La figure d'alb&tre en ma maison caohtte.<br />
I knew the Victor Hugos a quarter of a<br />
century ago, and have remained on friendly terms<br />
with the family ever since. Indeed, the very last<br />
signature which Victor Hugo wrote was in a<br />
certain birthday book which I had taken to his<br />
house for the purpose. I may, therefore, with<br />
some authority, echo George Rodenbach's " Lie!"<br />
and I do so here. This raking-up of scandals<br />
about the dead is the work of literary hyaenas<br />
and jackals, and should be severely condemned.<br />
Those who think as I do were disgusted with<br />
the Georges Sand-Musset expose, because we<br />
admire and love both Georges Sand and Alfred<br />
de Musset, and respect their memories. We were<br />
delighted that the Censor prohibited the produc-<br />
tion of a play which was intended to spread the<br />
scandal still wider.<br />
As I wrote once in these pages, there was<br />
in Sainte-Beuve a Jekyll and a Hyde. He was<br />
Jekyll till noon, and Hyde till 5 a.m. He was<br />
Jekyll in all his writings, except in this fatuous<br />
"Livre dAmour," in which he was emphatically<br />
Hyde. Hugo turned the Hyde out of the house,<br />
for all that he admired the Jekyll, and the follow-<br />
ing lines were left by him "to be published in<br />
case the libel (" Le Livre d'Amour," which was<br />
withdrawn almost immediately after publication,<br />
by Sainte-Beuve) appears, otherwise let this ugly<br />
wraith be spared." As the scandal-mongers are<br />
republishing here and there, in suggestive frag-<br />
ments, the " Livre d'Amour" libel, Hugo's answer,<br />
his posthumous defence of his honour and of the<br />
honour of his descendants, has now been made<br />
public. This is a copy of it:<br />
A S...-B...<br />
Que dit-on? on m'annonee nn libelle poethume<br />
De toi. C'est bien. Ta fange est faite d'amertnme;<br />
Rien de toi ne mY'tonne, 6 fourbe tortaenx.<br />
Je n'ai point oublio ton regard monstmenx,<br />
Le jour oil je to mis hors de chez moi, vil drole,<br />
Et qne, snr l'esoalier te ponasant par l'epaule,<br />
Je te dis: "N'entrez pins, monsieur, dans ma maison!"<br />
Je vis luire en tee yeux toute la trahison,<br />
J'apercus ta fureur dans ta penr, 0 coupable,<br />
Et je oompris de qnoi pouvait ctre capable<br />
Ta lucbett! changoe en baine, le dugout<br />
Qu'a d'elle-m<?me une ame oil s'amasse un egout,<br />
Et ce que mtfditait ta laideur dcdaignee;<br />
Car on pressent la toile en voyant l'araignee!<br />
A subscription has been started in Paris for<br />
the erection of a statue to Paul Verlaine, and.<br />
vol. VII.<br />
already <£6o has been collected. The committee<br />
expects to have the necessary amount in a short<br />
time. Subscriptions are coming in from all parts,<br />
especially from Belgium. To think that poor<br />
Verlaine has been gone from us for more than a<br />
year!<br />
Great complaints are being made about the<br />
want of room in the Bibliotheque Nationale. The<br />
distracted librarians do not know where to store<br />
the books and papers which come pouring in<br />
every day. Seventeen years ago a fine piece of<br />
land at the corner of the Rue Colbert and the Rue<br />
de Richelieu was bought by the Government for<br />
=£280,000 for the purpose of extending the<br />
buildings of the National Library, but no use has<br />
been made of this land except as a cabbage field.<br />
A few lop-eared rabbits have also been reared<br />
upon it by a bucolic sub-librarian. I suppose<br />
that the money cannot be spared. Yet France<br />
spends one thousand francs a minute on her<br />
army.<br />
"Messidor," a lyrical drama, libretto by Zola,<br />
and music by Alfred Bruneau, was performed on<br />
Saturday night, for the first time, at the Opera.<br />
I hear it was a great success. The work is pub-<br />
lished by Fasquelle.<br />
The sale of Edmond de Goncourt's pictures<br />
alone has realised upwards of ,£20,000.<br />
An attempt was made last century by a worthy<br />
citizen of the town of Caen to found an academy<br />
bearing his name. He bequeathed his house,<br />
library, and a sum of money for this purpose.<br />
His heirs-at-law, however, refused to carry out his<br />
wishes, and nobody seemed to think it worth<br />
while to sue them. Goncourt's relations seem to<br />
take the same view of the matter , and there are<br />
good times in store for the Parisian lawyers.<br />
All authors are interested in newsagents, who<br />
for the most part, especially in the country, are<br />
booksellers also, and this being so, any influence<br />
which we possess as a society should, I think, be<br />
used in furtherance of an amendment of the law<br />
on libel, which, as it stands at present, bears<br />
heavily and with great injustice on newsagents,<br />
who, as distributors of the paper or book con-<br />
taining the alleged libel can be sued as co-defen-<br />
dants. A case came recently before Justice<br />
Vaughan Williams at the Bodmin Assizes, in<br />
which Mr. White, bookseller and newsagent in<br />
this town, was sued as co-defendant in an action<br />
for damages (.£5000 was claimed) for an alleged<br />
libel which had appeared in one of the papers<br />
which Mr. White keeps in stock. The judge<br />
from the very first refused to admit that the<br />
newsagent was in any way liable, and the whole<br />
case was eventually dismissed, each party having<br />
to pay its own costs. The unfortunate newsagen<br />
had accordingly to pay his solicitor and counsel,<br />
D D 2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 246 (#298) ############################################<br />
<br />
246<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
was put to other expense, suffered great anxiety,<br />
was forced to waste a whole week hanging about<br />
the Assize Court at Bodmin waiting for the case<br />
to come on, and all this because he had sold a<br />
few copies of the paper containing the passages<br />
complained of. The matter is being taken up in<br />
Parliament, and it is to be hoped that the law<br />
may speedily be amended. As it stands, it<br />
exemplifies admirably the " Summum jus, aumma<br />
injuria" of the Romans.<br />
Robert H. Sherard.<br />
St. Ives, Cornwall.<br />
NEW YORK LETTER.<br />
New York, Feb. 15, 1807.<br />
ABOOK of four short stories to be published<br />
in March by the Century Company has,<br />
among many points of interest, the<br />
suggestion of a very individual note of the treat-<br />
ment of East-side life in fiction. Mrs. Schuyler<br />
Van Rensselaer, after gaining a high reputation<br />
as a critic of art and a writer and worker for<br />
political and social improvement, has recently<br />
taken to making sketches of several parts of New<br />
York life. The four stories in this volume have<br />
already appeared in magazines. The first two<br />
published dealt with the poor quarters which in<br />
common parlance are called "the East Side,"<br />
although a large part of the west side has<br />
exactly the same nature. Of the other two, the<br />
first, from which the book bears its name, "One<br />
Man Who Was Happy," has no special local<br />
significance, but as a piece of strong intimate<br />
analysis of personal character, it is the most<br />
remarkable piece of writing in the book. The<br />
other, "Mary," is a slight sketch, graceful and<br />
complete in form, suggesting the mode of exis-<br />
tence of an old lady of the former generation in<br />
prosperous circumstances, who has outlived all<br />
the elements of her former world. The two<br />
stories which tell of the slums are "Corinna's<br />
Fiametta" and "The Lustigs." They are<br />
not especially skilful in construction, for<br />
Mrs. Van Rensselaer has not yet fully<br />
mastered the narrative art, but they throw7<br />
an interesting light on the question so much<br />
discussed here of how this part of the city<br />
ought to be treated in fiction. After a life<br />
crowded with experiences and successes of many<br />
kinds, Mrs. Van Rensselaer finds actual work<br />
with the simple poor, without sentimentality—<br />
pure friendship in short—as interesting a thing<br />
as there is in the town. The majority of our<br />
writers about these districts look only for local<br />
colour and put it on by the pailful. Mrs. Van<br />
Rensselaer knows her East-side friends intimately<br />
enough to keep her perspective, to see that the<br />
larger, more important elements of human nature<br />
are the same up town and down, and so in showing<br />
the peculiarities, the especial conditions and<br />
problems of their existence, she keeps her sense<br />
of proportion. This accurate striking of the<br />
right note makes many of her readers hope she<br />
may give more time to fiction, in which her<br />
mixture of strong understanding, experience,<br />
humour, and seriousness find a field where these<br />
qualities are needed.<br />
Two publishers have given informally, in con-<br />
versation within the past week, their ideas on this<br />
subject. One of them, speaking to a young man.<br />
J. L. Steffens, for whom he had sent an account<br />
of the new spirit shown in his newspaper sketches<br />
of East-side daily happenings, said that most of<br />
the fiction that has been made out of the poor<br />
quarters of New York had marked faults of scope<br />
and manner. Stephen Crane, for instance, sought<br />
always either the horrible or the picturesque<br />
episode, and his stories did not include the essen-<br />
tial conditions of that part of the city, did not<br />
give to the various elements their proper relative<br />
importance. Cahn, the last writer to gain notice,<br />
a young Jew, knew the life intimately, but did<br />
not have an adequate command of the language.<br />
What the publisher hoped that Mr. Steffens might<br />
furnish in a novel was what he has been giving<br />
in his newspaper sketches, a perfectly cold, objec-<br />
tive, half humorous account of scenes which he<br />
sees in his experience as a police reporter.<br />
Another publisher also said last week that this<br />
is especially demanded as a re-action from the<br />
emphatically picturesque and sentimental. Still<br />
he would be a rash person who would undertake<br />
to say what the best manner is for the treatment<br />
of this subject. Some go so far as to say we<br />
shall never make literature out of it by any<br />
device. Most observers, however, believe that<br />
the public want to know more about it, and that<br />
the man who strikes the right vein will have<br />
unlimited appreciation. A young critic remarked<br />
the other day that he believed the fortunate man<br />
would be either a Baudelaire or a Kipling, a man<br />
who would treat it for the pictures it offered, and<br />
not bother about any significance but the pic-<br />
turesque; or a man who would get hold of the<br />
dramatic human elements and idealise them in<br />
the artistic, although not in the ethical, sense,<br />
represent them rather than copy them, and make<br />
good literature by making good narrative. "Any<br />
good story is good literature," said Charles<br />
Dudley Warner a couple of weeks ago.<br />
Another decidedly individual book will come<br />
out of Chicago in a month or two. For some<br />
years Peter Dunne, an Irish-American, not yet<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 247 (#299) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
247<br />
thirty, has been writing sketches in the Chicago<br />
Evening Post and the Chicago Times-Herald,<br />
telling the opinions of a philosophical saloon-<br />
keeper named Dooley, upon the events of the<br />
day. They were uneven, naturally, as they were<br />
turned out every week, but undoubtedly the<br />
collection will include the shrewdest and wittiest,<br />
and if it does it will be one of the pleasantest<br />
manifestations of Chicago literary activity that<br />
have appeared for a long time. Dooley repre-<br />
sents at his best, as well as anyone, the spirit<br />
and attitude of the Irishman whose experience<br />
has been gained in America. Mr. Dunne himself<br />
began as a boy selling newspapers, was a reporter<br />
in his earliest teens, then an editorial writer, and<br />
now has an important editorial position on the<br />
Times-Herald. Way and Williams are the<br />
publishers of the sketches.<br />
Leaving the books about people for the books by<br />
them, one notices as the most conspicuous produc-<br />
tion of the last month a volume of sea stories by a<br />
labouring man, called " On Many Seas," published<br />
by the Macmillan Company. The writer, who<br />
has always been an engineer, sometimes on the<br />
elevated railroad, sometimes running a standing<br />
engine, calls himself Frederick Benton Williams,<br />
but his real name is Herbert E. Hamblen. He<br />
never got higher, in spite of his intelligence, on<br />
account of his lack of tact, and the same spirit<br />
has been brought out strongly by his literary<br />
success. A friend of his, an Englishman named<br />
William S. Booth, now acting as librarian for the<br />
East Side House, used to hear him tell these<br />
stories and finally induced him to write them<br />
down. After very slight corrections, mainly in<br />
punctuation and in capitals, Mr. Booth had them<br />
published, and the first edition of 1700 was<br />
exhausted on Saturday. S. S. McClure and Co.<br />
immediately asked for a series of similar stories.<br />
The narration in the novel had been simple and<br />
strong, absolutely without literary affectation, but<br />
the author has had his head turned a little, and<br />
now he is producing high sounding phrases<br />
which McClure and Co. cannot use. They ask in<br />
vain for stories like "On Many Seas." Mr.<br />
Hamblen has become literary, and tells them he<br />
will write as he chooses.<br />
In noticing recent fiction, mention should be<br />
made of "Old Dorset; or, Chronicles of a New<br />
York Country Side," by Robert Cameron Rogers,<br />
published by G. P. Putnam's Sons. He is the<br />
author of "The Wind in the Clearing," a volume<br />
of poems, and" Will-o'-the-Wisp," a sea story of<br />
the war of 1812. The new volume treats of a part<br />
of the country less written about than New<br />
England and the west and the south, but central<br />
New York, although it has perhaps less striking<br />
characteristics than many States, is yet worth<br />
picturing. Mr. Rogers has done it simply, with<br />
enough accuracy of observation and pleasantness of<br />
feeling to make the book worth reading by anyone<br />
who is interested in keeping up with that part of<br />
our literature which relies especially on the<br />
interest in certain localities.<br />
A piece of news is just now finding its way<br />
among the magazine men, and will soon be public.<br />
Two years ago Mr. A. F. Jaccaci left McClure's<br />
Magazine, tempted by an attractive offer to<br />
become the art editor of Scribner's Magazine.<br />
His success in two years has been so great that,<br />
when the McClures felt able to make him an<br />
offer to return, the Scribners offered him a salary<br />
just about twice the size of the one with which<br />
they originally tempted him. In spite of that Mr.<br />
McClure has been able to secure him, and he will<br />
go, as soon as his place at Scribner's can be<br />
filled. He not only becomes the art editor, but<br />
has a certain part in the literary editing of the<br />
magazine. The stock of that periodical is now<br />
worth 200 per cent. The circulation is about<br />
300,000. It has just reached the stage where it<br />
pays for itself, as it has been in existence just about<br />
three years, and the owners are full of unlimited<br />
confidence in its future.<br />
Norman Hapgood.<br />
THE LITERARY YEAR BOOK.<br />
ACOPY of the "Literary Year Book" for<br />
1897, edited by F. G. Aflalo and published<br />
by Mr. George Allen, has been received<br />
by the Editor.<br />
The book must be judged, not as though it was<br />
one of a long series, but as the first of a new<br />
series.<br />
A literary Year Book has long been wanted.<br />
The Committee of the Authors' Society considered<br />
last year a project for starting such an annual<br />
themselves, but abandoned it when it was dis-<br />
covered that a serious attempt to supply the want<br />
was being undertaken by Mr. George Allen.<br />
The book contains a literary causerie; the law<br />
and university terms; an account of public<br />
libraries and of literary clubs; certain articles on<br />
literary subjects; a conspectus of books published<br />
within the last six years; notes on copyright,<br />
printing, and magazine articles; the correction<br />
of proofs; a Directory of Authors, another of<br />
publishers, and a third of booksellers; with many<br />
other points.<br />
The literary causerie with which the book opens<br />
is pleasantly written. One would, however, point<br />
out that in a literary year-book we do not want<br />
criticism or even praise. The work should be<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 248 (#300) ############################################<br />
<br />
248<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
strictly practical. There are a good many portraits,<br />
about which one would also remark that the<br />
selection, year by year, of Authors for such repre-<br />
sentation, is perhaps calculated to displease those<br />
who are not selected. Some of the addresses are<br />
absurd, as, for instance, the address of Mr.<br />
James Bryce, which is given as the "Society of<br />
Authors." The Directory of Authors is defective;<br />
but this was to be expected in a first beginning.<br />
A list of Authors can hardly be called exhaus-<br />
tive, when a very brief examination proves the<br />
omission of the following names, among others :—<br />
Marie Corelli, Maxwell Gray, Justin H. Mc-<br />
Carthy, W. E. Henley, Gilbert Parker, Mrs.<br />
Clifford, F. Wedmore, Walter Crane, W. Prothero,<br />
Canon Knox Little, Louis Becke, Guy Boothby,<br />
Sarah Tytler, Florence Warden, Helen Mather,<br />
Mary A. Dickens, William Archer, Joseph Knight,<br />
Dean Farrar, Beatrice Whitby, Mrs. Molesworth,<br />
George Macdonald, Edna Lyall, J. E. Muddock,<br />
L. T. Meade, Rhoda Broughton.<br />
The same objection holds as to the list of<br />
booksellers. In short, the book is useful as it<br />
stands, but incomplete. It begins on right lines.<br />
We are quite prepared to believe that the points<br />
we have noted, with others not noted, will be<br />
rectified before the next edition.<br />
THE RETURN OF MSS.<br />
WITH reference to the opinion given in the<br />
last number of The Author as to the<br />
law on the subject of MSS. offered to<br />
a magazine or paper, the editor of the Bookman<br />
publishes in the February number opinions from<br />
many other editors on the subject.<br />
The general opinion and practice seem to be:<br />
(1) that the return of uninvited MSS. is not<br />
guaranteed: (2) that MSS. are returned when<br />
stamps are sent in: (3) that it would be unjust<br />
to make editors responsible for uninvited MSS.<br />
All these points are simply stated by the editor<br />
of the Pall Mall Magazine. The editor of the<br />
Windsor states that last year he received 1500MSS.,<br />
out of which he accepted thirty-five, i.e., less than<br />
3 per cent. The editor of the English Illustrated<br />
will not guarantee the safe return of MSS., yet<br />
does his best to return them. The editor of the<br />
Westminster Gazette will not hold himself respon-<br />
sible, and gives advice to contributors, which they<br />
would do well to read and to remember. The<br />
editor of Cassell's Magazine says that he con-<br />
siders himself free from liability if he announces<br />
that opinion beforehand. The editor of Temple<br />
Bar sends back everything he can. The editor of<br />
the St. James's Gazette does not guarantee<br />
return, but does in practice return MSS. The<br />
editor of the Idler follows the same practice.<br />
The editor of Macmillan's Magazine relies on a<br />
long standing notice in his journal, but does not<br />
state what it is. The editor of the Woman at<br />
Home will not promise to return unsolicited MSS.,<br />
but, in fact, does do so in every case. This lady<br />
also points out the fast increasing practice of<br />
choosing beforehand the writers and the subjects<br />
for a magazine so that an editor does not any<br />
longer depend upon the casual post.<br />
These letters are very satisfactory, so far as<br />
they go. That is to say, practice seems everything<br />
while opinion matters little. "You shall have<br />
your MSS. back," say the editors in effect; "most<br />
of them are awful rubbish; we can only use about<br />
3 per cent.; they would be better in the basket;<br />
you shall have them back however, only we do<br />
not hold ourselves responsible."<br />
To all of which the opinion of Mr. Chitty,<br />
contained in The Author last month, remains<br />
unanswered. He says, in effect, "Gentlemen,<br />
whether you hold yourselves responsible or not;<br />
whether you announce your refusal to guarantee<br />
return or not; you are in the eyes of the law, under<br />
certain conditions, which I have set forth, respon-<br />
sible for the safety of authors' MSS."<br />
So that these letters in the Bookman do not<br />
seem to answer the question at all, which is one<br />
of law, not of opinion.<br />
As for the courtesy and the patience of long-<br />
suffering editors struggling with piles of MSS.,<br />
mostly rubbish, most of us have experienced<br />
these qualities, and are ready to recognise them<br />
fully. Having done so, the question of respon-<br />
sibility remains, and we still await an answer<br />
to, or a criticism upon, the opinion of Mr.<br />
Chitty.<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
ANOTE will be found in "Book Talk" of<br />
this month which illustrates the great and<br />
growing difficulty of finding a title not<br />
already used. There are few writers of novels,<br />
. plays, poems, or essays who have not experienced<br />
this difficulty. Twice have I changed my title:<br />
twice have I been permitted to keep a title although<br />
it had been used before. I remember reading once<br />
how Miss Braddon had to change her title three<br />
times. This is especially an Authors' question, and<br />
I would suggest that our members should them-<br />
selves consider and suggest how it can be met.<br />
To begin with, it is rare indeed to select a title<br />
already used by any well-known writer—though<br />
in the case referred to above this has been done.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 249 (#301) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
249<br />
We may assume that the rights invaded are, as a<br />
rule, only nominal. But we cannot narrow our<br />
case to this single point. We must assume that<br />
the possession of the title is literary property.<br />
What should be done, in case of infraction by<br />
another writer, either to protect property or to<br />
get possession of the title?<br />
On another page will be found an extract from<br />
a New York paper called the Progress of the<br />
World, containing an account of Washington<br />
Irving's house " Sunnyside." It is now proposed<br />
to buy up the house and preserve it as a national<br />
monument. There are many of our readers who,<br />
like myself, cherish the greatest affection for the<br />
memory of Washington Irving. If any reader<br />
of this paper would wish to communicate his<br />
sympathy with this intention, or would wish to<br />
be allowed to contribute, I shall be very glad to<br />
send his name to the American Committee, as<br />
soon as it is formed, for the purchase of the<br />
house. .<br />
I beg to thank my correspondent, "Author and<br />
Editor," for his letter on the rights of correction.<br />
It is a pity that it is unsigned, because his name<br />
would carry even greater weight than his very<br />
sensible remarks. He says in effect:<br />
(1.) Signed papers by known writers must not<br />
be altered without their consent.<br />
(2.) In case of errors of language, fact, or taste,<br />
interference must be made by the editor, always,<br />
as a rule, with the approval of the writer.<br />
In other words, we lay down a principle; but<br />
in practice we allow a certain amount of infrac-<br />
tion. We say to an editor, "No. Tou shall<br />
not alter my work which is signed." And we<br />
add, "Yes, you were quite right to put that<br />
date right, and to put that fact more correctly."<br />
Yet the principle remains. It is like a weapon,<br />
only to be used in case of necessity. We trust<br />
our editors, as a rule, implicitly in such matters.<br />
It is only in such cases as that referred to last<br />
month, where the editor chose to alter, against<br />
the author's wish, a work of imagination, that<br />
the principle must be asserted, the weapon<br />
drawn. ...<br />
I hare received a letter on writers and reviewers-,<br />
which is signed. I do not, therefore, feel myself<br />
at liberty to cut it about or to omit passages. Yet<br />
I must either omit passages or refuse to print the<br />
letter. Will correspondents understand that this<br />
is not a paper for "slashing" paragraphs about<br />
individual writers or classes of writers? Several<br />
other letters have reached me on the subject, about<br />
which enough has for the moment been said. It is<br />
quite wide of the mark to say that there is excellent<br />
criticism to be found. Nobody denies it. Also it is<br />
quite untrue to say that reviewers never read books;<br />
are always incompetent; are log-rollers; and so<br />
forth. Yet it is true that there exist such persons<br />
who in some quarters are allowed to write what<br />
they call reviews. I hope that out of this corre-<br />
spondence, which has been falsely called an attack<br />
upon critics, there has emerged a general feeling<br />
that a book is not advanced in the esteem of the<br />
ublic by an off-hand, vague notice among a<br />
ateh; but that a serious review by a writer<br />
who knows the subject and has read the book, is,<br />
and must be, of the greatest advantage to that<br />
book. Therefore, that such a review is a gift—a<br />
most important gift—in the hands of the editor.<br />
I learn by a paragraph in the St. James's<br />
Gazette that Mr. Charles Dudley Warner is about<br />
to edit, in thirty volumes only, the whole of the<br />
best literature of the world, from the stone records<br />
of Assyria and Egypt down to our own times.<br />
Picture the pride at finding your own pro-<br />
ductions in this collection! Imagine yourself<br />
one-thirtieth of humanity, so to speak, of the<br />
whole of humanity as represented by its litera-<br />
ture. The best literature in the world in thirty<br />
volumes. Let us see. We must leave one volume<br />
to the stone records of Assyria and Egypt,<br />
at least . Homer will want a place, and — but let<br />
us draw up a list:—Homer, JSschylus, Euripides,<br />
Sophocles, Aristophanes, Thucydides, Pindar,<br />
Plato, Aristotle, Theocritus, Virgil, Horace,<br />
Terence, Catullus, Plautus, Ovid, Livy, Caesar—we<br />
cannot spare one of these, and no doubt there are<br />
many others. China will send Confucius. I omit<br />
the sacred books of the world. Then England will<br />
contribute Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden,<br />
Pope, Fielding, Keats, Byron, Wordsworth,<br />
Browning, Tennyson, Scott—say a round dozen.<br />
France will be represented by Moliere, Eabelais,<br />
Montaigne, Boileau, Voltaire, Hugo, say but six;<br />
Spain by Cervantes and Calderon; Portugal by<br />
Camoens; Germany by Goethe and Schiller—<br />
and here we stop, for we have got forty Masters<br />
already, without counting the quantities of<br />
"best" literature produced by the "second best"<br />
writers when at their " best." A stupendous task,<br />
indeed!<br />
"Maxwell Gray " has placed in my hands the<br />
following appeal:—<br />
"When Christina Rossetti died, more than two<br />
years as;o, there was a chorus of appreciation of<br />
her work from the Press. Not only great, but<br />
the greatest woman-poet of the age, she was<br />
called. It may not be generally known that a<br />
memorial has long been planned in the shape of<br />
a, reredos in Christchurch, Woburn-square, the<br />
P<br />
1)<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 250 (#302) ############################################<br />
<br />
25°<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
church she regularly attended. Sir Edward<br />
Burne-Jones has kindly consented to design a<br />
series of paintings for this when the necessary<br />
funds for its erection in the church are found,<br />
▼iz., ,£150. Of this, I believe only about £70 or<br />
.£80 has been subscribed. In the printed list<br />
before me I find only eight names known in<br />
literature, including that of Mr. Swinburne.<br />
"Of the thousands who delight in Christina<br />
Eossetti's poems, both in England and in America,<br />
there must at least T>e hundreds who would be<br />
glad to contribute some small sum to this modest<br />
and beautiful memorial of one of the greatest<br />
ri, Colville Houses, W.; Rev. J. J. Glendinning<br />
Nash, 92, Gower-street, W.C., Incumbent of<br />
Christchurch, Woburn-square."<br />
The following amounts have been received by<br />
Miss Ellen T. Masters for Mrs. Eliza Warren<br />
since the publication of the last list. The total<br />
now reached is £62. 18*. id.:<br />
£. e. d. £. x. ,i.<br />
"Alpha" 1 o o "Jessie" o 1 o<br />
"Anon" o 3 o N. C. W o 2 o<br />
Cooke-Taylor, Mrs. 050 Robins, The Misses o 10 o<br />
Gooddy, Mibb o 1 o<br />
<br />
8UNNYSIDE.<br />
poets and writers of the age; while her brothers<br />
and sisters in letters, poor though the majority<br />
must be, should feel it a stigma upon them that<br />
the work is still waiting for want of so pitiful a<br />
sum.<br />
"I therefore beg of your courtesy space for this<br />
letter calling attention to the proposed memorial.<br />
It has the sanction of Mr. Rossetti, whose sub-<br />
scription heads the list. Donations may be sent<br />
to the Rossetti Memorial Account in the Bank of<br />
England, or to—W. M. .Rossetti, Esq., 3, St.<br />
Edmund's-terrace, N.W.; R. W. Dibdin, Esq.,<br />
17, Russell square, W.C.; G. A. A. Nelson, Esq.,<br />
Mrs. Warren is suffering mich from dropsy,<br />
and is in a distressing condition of weakness<br />
which keeps her now entirely confined to her<br />
room. Her mental powers have retained their<br />
vigour throughout, and her strength of character<br />
is but little impaired. Mrs. Warren expresses<br />
much gratitude to all those who have so kindly<br />
responded to Miss Masters' appeal on her<br />
behalf. Walter Besant.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 251 (#303) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
25"<br />
SPNNYSIDE-THB HOME OF IRVING.<br />
ABOUT five and twenty miles from the<br />
ancient and renowned city of Manhattan,<br />
formerly called New Amsterdam, and<br />
vulgarly New York, on the eastern hank of the<br />
expansion of the Hudson, known among the<br />
Dutch mariners of yore as the Tappan Zee, being,<br />
in fact, the great Mediterranean Sea of the New<br />
Netherlands, stands a little old-fashioned stone<br />
mansion all made up of gable ends, and as hill<br />
of angles and corners as an old cocked-hat. It is<br />
willows, we come to the famous old Dutch cottage<br />
covered with a tangled maze of ivy, wisteria, and<br />
other vines. Beyond rolls the Hudson, its broad<br />
expanse dotted with sails, and its distant views<br />
terminating in rocky headlands and wooded hills.<br />
High up on the gable end looking toward the<br />
Hudson, fastened securely to the wall, are the<br />
figures in iron—1656. Of course this does not<br />
mean that the building, as it is, was finished<br />
at that early date. It merely marks the date<br />
when the beginning was made from which the<br />
present structure has been evolved.<br />
<br />
said, in fact, to have been modelled after the<br />
cocked-hat of Peter the Headstrong, as the<br />
Escurial was modelled after the gridiron of the<br />
blessed St. Lawrence."<br />
Such is the description which Washington<br />
Irving gives of Sunnyside—the home in which<br />
this pioneer of American letters rounded out a<br />
mellow and beautiful old age.<br />
Turning west from the old post road, which<br />
skirts the eastern bank of the Hudson, down the<br />
winding lane, which follows the course of Willow<br />
Brook, deeply shaded by elms, chestnuts, and.<br />
VOL VII.<br />
Irving, in "Wolfert's Roost," and in other<br />
sketches, has invested the old Dutch cottage with<br />
a unique legendary history. In the famous days<br />
of Peter Stuyvesant, as Irving relates it, there<br />
lived an intrepid Dutch burgher of no mean repu-<br />
tation, Wolfert Acker, who gathered up his<br />
valuables, and, with his household, sought the<br />
unmolested solitude of the wilderness. He<br />
built him a house on the banks of the stream<br />
which his own countrymen had introduced into the<br />
geographies of the world. He took possession<br />
uf thi8 new home in the eventful year 1656.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 252 (#304) ############################################<br />
<br />
252<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Bidding farewell to the world of conflict, he<br />
determined henceforth to claim the deeper joys<br />
of peace and prosperity. In token of this fixed<br />
purpose he inscribed over his door his favourite<br />
Dutch motto, "Lust in Rust" (pleasure in<br />
quiet). The mansion was henceforth called<br />
Wolfert's Rust (Wolfert's Rest), but by the<br />
uneducated, "Wolfert's Roost," probably from<br />
its quaint cockloft look, and from its having a<br />
weathercock perched on every gable. The drowsy<br />
days of the seventeenth century rolled on, and<br />
Wolfert Acker slept with his fathers—not<br />
altogether peacefully, it seems, for among the old<br />
gray, moss-grown trees of his apple orchard<br />
behind the house—the only remaining relic of his<br />
labours—may be seen, according to the popular<br />
legend, his restless ghost stealing pensively along<br />
of a bright moonlight night.<br />
Jacob Van Tassel, with his " great goose-gun,"<br />
next appears on the scene, whose patriotic exploits<br />
in the Revolutionary war brought down the<br />
wrath and the guns of the British on his devoted<br />
head. The venerable walls and gables were<br />
shattered, the creaking weather-cocks were<br />
brought low. The valiant defender fled, leaving<br />
behind shapeless ruins. Years of conflict ensued.<br />
In the meantime the Roost remained a melan-<br />
choly ruin, its stone walls and brick chimneys<br />
alone standing, the resort of bats and owls.<br />
Superstitious notions prevailed about it. None<br />
of the country-folk would venture alone at night<br />
down the rambling lane which led to it, over-hung<br />
with trees and crossed here and there by a wild<br />
wandering brook. The story went that one of<br />
the victims of Jacob Van Tassel's great goose-<br />
gun had been buried here in unconsecrated ground.<br />
But during the peace that followed the Revolu-<br />
tion, Jacob Van Tassel returned and again made<br />
the wilderness to blossom as the rose. Once<br />
more he put up the glittering weather-cocks and<br />
hung his great goose-gun over the fireplace.<br />
Here the venerable Diedrich Knickerbocker found<br />
him tilling his broad acres and smoking his pipe<br />
contentedly in the chimney corner. His last<br />
days were lighted up by the golden visions of the<br />
past, and his great Dutch heart beat its last<br />
patriotic beat beside the river of his fathers.<br />
In the spring of 1835, on his return from his<br />
tour on the prairies, Irving spent a few days with<br />
a relative at Tarrytown, and it was during this<br />
visit that he decided to settle down in some snug<br />
retreat, and shortly chose the location of the old<br />
Dutch cottage on the present site of Sunnyside.<br />
The deed of purchase was signed June 7, 1835.<br />
Irving began remodelling the old house at once,<br />
and frequent reference is made in his letters of<br />
the year to the work which received so much of<br />
his attention. The next month after the deed<br />
was drawn he writes to his brother Peter: "You<br />
have been told, no doubt, of the purchase I have<br />
made of ten acres, lying at the foot of Oscar's<br />
farm, on the river bank. It is a beautiful spot,<br />
capable of being made a little paradise. There<br />
is a small stone Dutch cottage on it, built about<br />
a century since, and inhabited by one of the Van<br />
Tassels. I have had an architect up there, and<br />
shall build up the old mansion this summer. My<br />
idea is to make it a little nookery in the Dutch<br />
style, quaint, but unpretending. It will be of<br />
stone."<br />
He seems to have torn down the old cottage<br />
nearly to the ground, for in a letter written early<br />
in October of the same year he writes: "It has<br />
risen from the foundations since my previous<br />
visit, and promises to be a quaint, picturesque<br />
little pile." Toward the close of the same month<br />
he again writes: "The porch is carried up and<br />
the workmen are in want of the inscription stone,<br />
previous to removing the scaffolding." A month<br />
later he says that " like all meddling with stone<br />
and mortar the plan has extended as I built,<br />
until it lias ended in a complete, though moderate-<br />
sized family residence. It is solidly built of stone,<br />
so that it will last for generations." The cottage<br />
was completed, furnished, and Irving first made<br />
it his home in October, 1836—fifteen months after<br />
he had purchased the property. Later a wing<br />
was added to the cottage and eight adjoining<br />
acres to the estate. For nearly a quarter of a<br />
century Sunnyside was the home of Irving.<br />
The interior of Sunnyside, as one would<br />
suspect from the outward view, is full of corners<br />
and crannies. The dining room, sitting room, and<br />
library take up nearly all of the first floor. The<br />
library, a "workshop" as Irving called it, is a<br />
cosy little room at the south-east corner. With-<br />
out and within the cottage is practically unchanged<br />
since Irving's death. The library, containing chiefly<br />
choice editions of authors whom he personally<br />
knew, remains intact as he left it. The study<br />
table presented to him by his publishers stands<br />
in the centre of the room; scattered through<br />
the house are interesting pictures, among which<br />
are several choice portraits of the author, repre-<br />
senting him at the various stages of his career, with<br />
here and there many mementoes which Irving<br />
brought back from his long residence in Europe.<br />
As the Progress of the World said last month,<br />
"the time is not a long way off when Sunnyside<br />
can be purchased." The letters which we print<br />
herewith, and addit ional ones which space will not<br />
permit publication this month, but will appear<br />
next, indicate howr enthusiastically the country<br />
would respond to a well-directed effort to pur-<br />
chase and preserve this great literary landmark.<br />
—From the Progress of the World, New York.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 253 (#305) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
253<br />
THEOCRITUS.<br />
I reached a wood of olives grey,<br />
Beneath whose boughs yon saw the sea,<br />
Bright pastures fringed the sunny bay,<br />
There at one tall tree's foot he lay,<br />
Theocritus of Sioily.<br />
The Bunshafts nickering through the shade<br />
Fell on his brow ; a pipe had he<br />
Whereon a lovely strain he played,<br />
(Babbled a brook, the branches swayed),<br />
Theocritus of Sicily.<br />
"Sweet is the murmur of the pine,<br />
And sweet the streamlet's melody.<br />
Nor Ibbs the goat-herd's song divine;"<br />
(Ab, sweet indeed that pipe of thine,<br />
Theocritus of Sioily !)<br />
"Begin, dear Muse, the pastoral strain,<br />
Sing wild Simaetha'B agony,<br />
Sing PolyphemnB1 love-sick pain,<br />
And Daphnis dead,"—(oh, Bweet refrain,<br />
Theocritus of Sicily!)<br />
It is thy very voioe I hear!<br />
Sundered by many a century,<br />
The bee hums round, the nooks browse near,<br />
Thy form before me rises clear,<br />
Theocritus of Sioily.<br />
For we who love the grassy shade,<br />
The woodland's tranced mystery,<br />
Still hear thy piping faintly played,<br />
And see thee 'neath the olive laid,<br />
Theocritus of Sioily!<br />
Emma Gubney Salter.<br />
VILSTOR RYDBERG.<br />
A SWEDISH AUTHOR.<br />
THE man who bore the above name has<br />
been dead more than a year. But that<br />
name will remain, and its fame will no<br />
doubt increase the more the life and works<br />
of its owner will be known. Maybe his name<br />
will be one of the standard names, not only in<br />
literature, but even in the history of humanity<br />
and Christianism. As it is now in Sweden,<br />
Norway, Denmark, and Finland, that is in all<br />
countries where the Scandinavian tongue is<br />
spoken and understood, there is but one opinion<br />
about ViUtor Rydberg—that of admiration and<br />
respect. Literary men from the most radical to<br />
the most conservative agree in honouring his<br />
memory, though it is true that until now he is<br />
wholly understood only by a few, and very likely<br />
will remain so for many and many a year. And<br />
the reason is that he is quite single, stands<br />
entirely alone in the Scandinavian literature.<br />
He never belonged to any party, he never, like<br />
Bjornson and partly Ibsen, and many others<br />
followed the literary paths which superficj„n<br />
Danish critics pointed out to Scandinavian<br />
authors. He never became common or vulgar,<br />
but always went his own way. Above the level<br />
of the parties, as well as above the level of<br />
modern times, he seems to be a man of the<br />
future. And that is, perhaps, the more the case,<br />
as his occupation as an author was nearly con-<br />
nected with that of a philosopher. Few poets<br />
ever understood to dress their thoughts of the<br />
mysteries of life in such a harmony and beauty.<br />
In philosophic or religious matters h»- wrote<br />
the most upon the topics of the doctrines of the<br />
Bible. Among such works are to be noticed<br />
"The Genealogy of the Patriarchs in the<br />
Genesis" and "The Doctrine of the Bible, con-<br />
sidering the Last Times." He took the position of<br />
a critic, not exactly against the Bible itself, but<br />
rather against the orthodox views of the Church,<br />
and he tried and succeeded in putting the<br />
doctrines of the Bible in a clearer and more<br />
satisfying light. It is only too natural that<br />
his books should excite a storm on the<br />
part of the orthodox clergy, but Rydberg<br />
was determined to fight the battle out, and<br />
he did it in a glorious way. The greatest<br />
excitement and opposition was erected by his<br />
book, "The Doctrine of the Bible about Christ,"<br />
a standard work of religious philosophy, where<br />
the author holds quite a new opinion as to the<br />
doctrine of the Bible about the person of Christ.<br />
He says that the Bible never taught that Christ<br />
was God, and he proves it not only by the words<br />
of the New Testament, but also by showing the<br />
views of the Hebrews in the Old Testament upon<br />
the matter. But according to the Bible, Christ<br />
is not an ordinary man either. He is the first<br />
man in spirit as Adam was the first man in the<br />
flesh, he is th« first-born of the Eternal, and<br />
therefore able to save the lost mankind. Man-<br />
kind is an integrity, Christ is the ideal of man<br />
kind as well as its "heart," and mankind never<br />
can be happy until all are united in Christ. So<br />
he takes the same views upon the doctrines of the<br />
Bible about "the last times," as the Rev. Dr.<br />
Farrar; but Rydberg proves his point of view<br />
strongly and irresistibly only from sentences in the<br />
Bible i self. The Church, of course, has not<br />
changed views upon the matter, but there are<br />
thousands and thousands of men and women<br />
who have adopted Viktor Rydberg's views upon<br />
those important questions.<br />
Vilstor Rydberg must be regarded as a<br />
founder of a novel view of life. His own views<br />
do not quite clearly appear in his critical essays.<br />
But these views he exhibits more in his literary<br />
works of prose and poetry. The philosopher and<br />
the poet melt into one in his artistic novels and<br />
j,j9 beautiful rhymes. His first novel, "Friby-<br />
<br />
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## p. 254 (#306) ############################################<br />
<br />
254<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
taren i Ostersjon" (" The Pirate in the Babic<br />
Sea") was not of very great value. His most<br />
important novel, "Den siste Athenaren" (" The<br />
last Athenian "), a story from the fourth century,<br />
treating the fights between the Athanasian and<br />
Arian creeds, must be regarded as a classical<br />
work of the highest standard. It is a work<br />
historically true as well as perfect in composition<br />
form—the best historical novel that has ever been<br />
written in the Scandinavian language His last<br />
novel," Vapensmeden " (" The Armourer"), a tale<br />
of the time of the Reformation in Sweden, is<br />
a story full of clever thought, but more a praise<br />
of beauty and fullness in life than an exactly<br />
true description of the existence of man in the<br />
sixteenth century.<br />
In all his works Vilstor Rydberg preaches a<br />
new, and still an old, gospel: the necessity of<br />
art in literature, the necessity of showing thu<br />
essence of life, not its mere surface. He pro-<br />
claims the right of beauty against the rising<br />
spirit of materialism, the spirit of engines and<br />
business, a spirit that already possesses a whole<br />
part of the world, and now, under the name of<br />
"Americanism," is going to make everything<br />
base, mean, common, and vulgar in the old<br />
world, and until yet almost seems to have con-<br />
quered the French literature. In a preface to the<br />
Swedish translation of Benjamin Kidd's boot<br />
"The Social Evolution," Vilstor Rydberg has<br />
expressed his thoughts about the danger that<br />
threatens the white race on the part of the yellow<br />
one, and that danger is the god that rules the<br />
present time: the all conquering money, the<br />
industrialism, the sin-flood of engines and busi-<br />
ness upon earth.<br />
In his religious books he puts down rather the<br />
true doctrines of the Bible than his own thoughts.<br />
His own views upon matters of life and death and<br />
of the whole existence, are, as has been already<br />
said, expressed in his poems in the most clever<br />
and convincing way. There are three collections<br />
of these. The outward form is perfect, but their<br />
contents are such that they fill up the form ; form<br />
and idea are one. In the first collection there are<br />
among the most charming and playful poems, as<br />
forinstance,"DeCadandeCarnen" ("The Bathing<br />
Children "), some of grand power and wild despair.<br />
But behind the deepest despair, there shimmer<br />
rays of consolation and hope for mankind. Such<br />
is "Den Flygande Hollandaren" (" The Flying<br />
Dutchman"), where the author makes the ghostly<br />
captain meet with the wandering Jew. Such is even<br />
his "Oro" (" Restlessness "), and many others.<br />
"Dexippos." is a song of the most classic value.<br />
"Prometheus and Ahasoerus" is, perhaps, the most<br />
important and epoch-making of his first collection.<br />
Here Noah tells his children how the gods threw<br />
Prometheus from Heaven and fettered him in an<br />
abyss of the Caucasus, because he had stolen the<br />
light from Heaven for the benefit of the poor chil-<br />
dren of the earth who dwelt in darkness. And<br />
he will be free if he subjects to the Zens, the " god<br />
of time." But then mankind again will be<br />
imprisoned in darkness. The old Greek tale<br />
makes him free through Herlailes. Rydberg<br />
makes him still dwell there in the abyss of the<br />
Caucasus.<br />
To Prometheus comes here the wandering Jew,<br />
who often appears in Rydberg's poems. He is<br />
the practical man, the business man, a kind of<br />
representative of Americans, the man who<br />
accommodates himself to the struggle for life<br />
and money, who bows to the " god of time," and<br />
tries to persuade Prometheus to submission. But<br />
there lies Prometheus still fighting against the<br />
"Olympus," against the "god of time," aud<br />
counselling the sons of men to despise the<br />
"god of time" and worship the God of Eternity.<br />
But Prometheus will never submit; he waits for<br />
the hour of his salvation, when he will be free<br />
and throw down 'the god of time from hiu throne.<br />
But now he lies there in fetters and the vulture<br />
tears his breast.<br />
Vilstor Rydberg's first collection contains a<br />
wonderful translation of Edgar Allan Poe's<br />
"The Raven." It might be said that the trans-<br />
lation even gives more than the original. The<br />
third collection contains another translation from<br />
the same author, that of "The Bells." This<br />
third collection marks the highest point of<br />
Vilstor Rydberg's development. It is his last<br />
work, crowning his attainment in life. It con-<br />
tains among others the poem "Grottekvarnen"<br />
("The Mill of Grotte"), one of the finest and<br />
most striking poems ever written in the new or<br />
t he old age.<br />
The giant women Feuja and Meuja threw two<br />
rocks on the surface of " Midgard." Of those<br />
two were made two millstones, which were given<br />
to the king Frode Fridleifsson in Switiod. In a<br />
war he succeeded in taking prisoners the two<br />
giant women, and he let them turn the stones<br />
in the Mill of Grotte. First they produced gold<br />
and gave safety to the king and his people.<br />
But the king's heart was hardened by the craving<br />
for gold, and he refused the giant women<br />
sufficient rest, and so they let the mill go at such<br />
a speed that the millstones burst, and there came<br />
fire and death to destroy the king and his people.<br />
But in reality King Frode is not yet dead, and<br />
the Mill of Grotte still works with might and<br />
main. The mill is immense. It is as big as the<br />
world. Its middle pillar is the axis of the world,<br />
around which the heavens are revolving. The<br />
mill is revolving more and more wildly round its<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 255 (#307) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
255<br />
axis; this mill of industrialism and money<br />
craves more and more people for its destroying<br />
work, and the wandering jew, the old Ahasverus,<br />
tells its story to the author, as he heard it already<br />
in the first century.<br />
King Frode is sitting on his throne, and<br />
his first chancellor, the Mammonspriest, comes.<br />
He wants more people for the Grotte mill; the<br />
men are too few, he wants all the women, young<br />
and old, all the "serf-women," to work the<br />
damned work of Grotte. He gets them. But<br />
Grotte is not satisfied. The Mammonspriest<br />
therefore wants all the little children to grind in<br />
the Mill of Grotte. He gets even them. But<br />
the Mammonspriest invents still more effective<br />
means of doubling the production of Grotte. This<br />
means is competition, and now the Mill of Grotte<br />
is a power of the world. All men, women, aud<br />
children work and labour for their life, not to he<br />
trampled down in the struggle round the pole of<br />
Grotte or to be whipped to death by the drivers<br />
of the priests of Mammon. The priests of<br />
Mammon make a feast every year, and they paint<br />
the colours of joy on the withered faces of the<br />
tormented slaves of Grotte. But from thousands<br />
and thousands of throats there arises a roar and<br />
cry of agony, mixed with curses over the god<br />
Mammon and prayers to the Lord Eternal to crush<br />
the priests of Mammon and save Mankind.<br />
Now follows a song from one of the serfs,<br />
an almost heaven-storming protest and cry for<br />
vengeance over the spirit of money and engines<br />
that puts its stamp upon all the best in the<br />
world, upon the work and mind of men. The<br />
serf is trampled down and killed, but he dies<br />
with a triumphing security of coming vengeance<br />
and deliberation.<br />
The Mill of Grotte stands still. But the poem<br />
ends with a sermon by the high priest of<br />
Mammon—a bloody satire upon American utili-<br />
tarianism—where he preaches the gospel of money<br />
and egotism against the gospel of humanity and<br />
Christianism. And he ends his sermon with the<br />
words: Yes, our realistic politics is successful<br />
and glorious,<br />
And more than Adonai and Oden,<br />
Zeus and Ammon,<br />
la glorious and fall of grace<br />
Oar Mammon.<br />
"The Mill of Grotte" is the last great work<br />
Vilstor Rydberg left to posterity. It might be<br />
called his will. It is impossible to give a complete<br />
picture of this very remarkable poem. It would<br />
require a translation of the whole work, because<br />
almost every line contains a treasure. But in<br />
a few words it will suffice to say that this work,<br />
like Vilstor Rydberg's others, is a fight against<br />
ugliness, commonness, and plainness in life, art<br />
and literature, a fight fought with weapons of<br />
beauty and genius.<br />
The writer of these lines was once fortunate<br />
enough to see the famous author in his home.<br />
Vilstor Rydberg owned a pretty villa by the sea,<br />
looking upon the beautiful islands near Stock-<br />
holm. Here in the midst of a fine scenery I had<br />
the opportunity of seeing and speaking to him.<br />
He was a thorough gentleman of an almost<br />
supernatural calmness, and though I only saw<br />
and talked to him for a little while, I got the<br />
impression of a high, powerful spirit, of an influ-<br />
ence that will outlive material destruction and<br />
death.<br />
His gospel of beauty and human love, contrast-<br />
ing against the spirit of industrialism and ugli-<br />
ness, has not be^n preached in vain. There are<br />
signs that the fruits of his work will ripen in<br />
some of the best and noblest of the young<br />
Scandinavian authors who have thrown off the<br />
"Grotte-yoke" of French literature and Danish<br />
criticism, which long has put its superficial stamp<br />
on Scandinavian literature.<br />
Vilstor Rydberg has kept up the standard of<br />
beauty in Sweden. Tliis standard has after his<br />
death been taken up by two young Swedish<br />
authors, and those two must now be regarded as<br />
the first poets of the north.<br />
W. Hermanson<br />
AN INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT.<br />
ACORRESPONDENT "A Well Wisher"<br />
has called atteution to the existence of a<br />
want felt especially by authors who reside<br />
at a distance from London or any other central<br />
fount of literary information, or who reside<br />
abroad. Your correspondent has, however, only<br />
touched in his note upon the fringe of wider<br />
question. Take the example of an author who<br />
spends some months of his year in London and<br />
some months in the country or abroad. I<br />
estimate that the amount of literary work tint<br />
I can do in the country is four or five times what<br />
I can get done in London, as the calls upon one's<br />
time and attention in London are so constant and<br />
so many.<br />
The advantages of foreign residence or foreign<br />
travel to a writer are inestimable, esp cially so I<br />
think in the United States. But there is this<br />
drawback: the English or London author far<br />
away from his reference libraries, such as the<br />
London Library or the British Museum, is very<br />
much it the same disadvantage as a mechanic<br />
0(11(1 be who goes to a distant " job" without his<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 256 (#308) ############################################<br />
<br />
256<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
tools ; only the position of the author is rather the<br />
worse.<br />
For an author to carry a reference library in<br />
his portmanteau or box is impossible or impractic-<br />
able, even if he own the books. At any rate he is<br />
pretty sure not to get far on with his work without<br />
experiencing the want of some item of information<br />
which he is equally sure not to have at hand.<br />
It has occurred to me that a department or<br />
adjunct to the Society of Authors—call it if you<br />
will the "Intelligence Department"—might be<br />
established with but little trouble, and be made<br />
perhaps a source of some profit even to the parent<br />
Society, rather than of any expense.<br />
I would venture to suggest that this depart-<br />
ment be placed in charge of a gentleman of some<br />
literary acquirements, and that he be made<br />
responsible to the Committee of Management and<br />
be under its control; his duties to be to make such<br />
references and researches at the libraries on<br />
behalf of members, and to make such extracts, as<br />
may be desired.<br />
I do not of course suggest that members or<br />
others (for others might employ the department<br />
as well) should be allowed the advantages of this<br />
"Intelligence Department " for quite the value of<br />
a "footless stocking without a leg," but I think<br />
no member desiring the services of such would<br />
object to a subscription of say 5*. a year (or<br />
non-members, say, 10*. 6c?.). At this rate 800<br />
subscribers would produce an income of =£200 a<br />
year or more with which to pay the expenses of<br />
management and working, and might leave some<br />
balance of profit towards the funds. The "Intel-<br />
ligence Department" would of course have a<br />
small beginning like many things besides, but<br />
might like all things be hoped to grow.<br />
I merely put my suggestion forward in the<br />
rough for what it is worth, and trust that, if<br />
practicable, it may be thrashed into better shape,<br />
and that other members may express their views.<br />
I would also suggest that part of the duties of<br />
the department be the supplying of subscribers<br />
thereto with new or secondhand or library books<br />
on such special subjects as they might desire,<br />
which would be an additional source of revenue<br />
or profit, although, of course, I cannot go into<br />
details here. T. W. D. L.<br />
ANNUAL DINNER OP THE INCORPORATED<br />
SOCIETY OP AUTHORS.<br />
rl!HE Right Honourable Sir John Lubbock,<br />
I Bart., M.P., presided at the annual dinner<br />
of the Society of Authors, held on Wed-<br />
nesday, Feb. 10, at the Holborn Restaurant. The<br />
following members and guests were present:—<br />
His Excellency the Italian Ambassador, Mr.<br />
A. W. a Beckett, the Eev. Dr. H. Adler, Mr.<br />
Grant Allen, Mrs. Grant Allen, Sir Arthur Arnold,<br />
Lady Besant, Sir Walter Besaut, the Rev. Pro-<br />
fessor T. G. Bonney, F.R.S., Ac., Lady Colin<br />
Campbell, Mr. Egerton Castle, Mr. Edward<br />
Clodd, the Hon. John Collier, Sir Martin Conway.<br />
Dr. Moncure D. Conway, Mr. Conan Doyie, Mr.<br />
R. Garnett, C.B., Mr. Kenneth Grahame, Miss<br />
Clo. Graves, Sir W. J. Grove, Mr. H. Rider<br />
Haggard, Mr. A. Hope Hawkins, Mr. Holman Hunt,<br />
Mr. R. Le Gallienne, Mr. J. M. Lely, Sir James<br />
Linton, Mrs. Lynn Linton, Mr. J. N. Maclean<br />
(President Institute of Journalists), Miss Florence<br />
Marryat, the Rev. C. H. Middleton-Wake, Mr.<br />
Felix Moscheles, Mr. Henry Norman, Mr. Joseph<br />
Pennell, Mrs. Steel, Mr. J. Ashby Sterry, Air.<br />
J. J. Stevenson, Mr. Samuel Wilks, M.D., F.R.S.<br />
(President Royal College of Physicians), Mr. C. T.<br />
Hagberg Wright, Mrs. Abrahall, Mr. J. R. Adam-<br />
son, Mr. Percy Ames, Mr. A. Armstrong, Mrs.<br />
Armstrong, Mrs. Gertrude Atherton, Mr. James<br />
Baker, Mr. E. A. Barron, Mr. Louis Becke, Mrs.<br />
Bchenna, Mr. Mackenzie Bell, Mrs. Oscar<br />
Beringer, Mr. P. Besant, Mr. J. A. Blaikie, Mr.<br />
C. F. Clifford Borrer, Mr. J. S. Cowley Brown,<br />
Mr. Bernard Bussy, Lieut-Col. J. R. Campbell,<br />
Miss Beatrice Chambers, Miss E. R. Chapman,<br />
Mr. A. Chatto, Sir W. T. Charley, Q.C., Mr. E. T.<br />
Cook, Mrs. G. Corbett, Mrs. Craigie, Mrs. Cuthell,<br />
Mrs. Dambrill Davis, Mr. Edward Dicey, C.B.,<br />
the Rev. J. Meldrum Dryerre, Miss Doyle, Mrs.<br />
E. M. Edmonds, Mr. E. M. Edmonds, Mr. Charles<br />
Edwardes, Mr. T. Mullett Ellis, Mr. E. J.<br />
Garwood, Mr. C. Goi-e, Mrs. Aylmer Gowing, Mr.<br />
R. Greene, Mr. H. G. Groser, Captain E. A.<br />
Haggard, Mr. Bernard Hamilton, Colonel Har-<br />
court, Mrs. Haweis, Mr. Clive Holland, Mr.<br />
Percy Hulburd, the Rev. Prebendary Harry<br />
Jones, Mr. Kennedy Jones, Mr. C. A. Kelly, Miss<br />
A. Kenealy, the Rev. S. Kinns, D.D., Miss<br />
Knight, Miss Augusta Larner, Miss Lefroy,<br />
the Rev. A. G. L'Estrange, Lady William<br />
Lennox, Mr. Stanley Little, Mrs. Stanley Little,<br />
Mr. Algernon Locker, Mr. J. Louis, Mr. Sidney<br />
Low, Mrs. Belloc Lowndes, General Macdonald,<br />
Mr. J. De Courcy Macdonell, Mrs. Marillier, Mr.<br />
H. W. Massingham, Mr. S. B. G. McKinney, Mr.<br />
H. Morrah, Mr. A. P. Murphy, Mrs. Orpen, Miss<br />
Emma Phipson, Mr. L. Owen Pike, Mr. J.<br />
Prelooker, Mr. John Rae, Mr. F. A. R. Russell,<br />
Mr. Owen Seaman, Mr. R. Sisley, Mr. Douglas<br />
Sladen, Mrs. Burnett Smith, Mr. R. K. Spender,<br />
Mrs. Spender, Mr. M. H. Spielmann, Mrs. Sprigge,<br />
Mr. S. S. Sprigge, Mr. Malcom Stark, Miss Steel,<br />
Mr. A. S. Stevenson, D.L., Mr. W. G. Thorpe.<br />
Mr G. H. Thring, Mrs. Thring, Mr. H. Thornhill<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 257 (#309) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
257<br />
Tiinmins, Miss Grace Toplis, Mr. T. S. Townend,<br />
Mr. Andrew Tuer, the Rev. Charles Vovsey, Mr.<br />
A. P. Watt, Mrs. Woolaston White, Mr. W. H.<br />
Wilkins, and Mrs. Yonge.<br />
A part of the following report, is taken from<br />
the Daily News. The translation of the Italian<br />
Ambassador's speech is special for the Society.<br />
The toast of "The Queen" having been pro-<br />
posed,<br />
The Chairman gave " The Incorporated Society<br />
of Authors." He said he had been looking<br />
through the accounts of some previous dinners<br />
of the Society, and he had studied what his dis-<br />
tinguished predecessors in the chair had said in<br />
proposing that toast. What was his surprise<br />
and almost indignation to find that they had said<br />
already, but more eloquently, what he had in-<br />
tended to say himself. He thought he had just<br />
reason to complain. What could have come,<br />
feebly perhaps, but appropriately, from him<br />
was mere affectation from them. (Laughter.) It<br />
was useless for him now to repeat, with more<br />
reason, no doubt, but less skill, what they had so<br />
well said—so well, indeed, that they ought ob-<br />
viously never to have said it at all. (Laughter.)<br />
They had been told on high authority that no<br />
wise man should ever read a new book. But<br />
while he yielded to no one in his admiration for<br />
the masterpieces of antiquity we must remember<br />
that they were now but thinly spread over the<br />
past. In the first place there was no such thing<br />
as a really old book. Mr. Gladstone wrote a<br />
book on Homer, and called it " Juventus Mundi."<br />
He (Sir John Lubbock) could not help thinking<br />
that a very misleading title. In the history of<br />
the world—-he did not mean the physical universe<br />
—but even in the history of the world of man,<br />
the siege of Troy was an affair of yesterday.<br />
And yet few, if any, books went back even that<br />
little way. Take Homer as having written three<br />
thousand years ago — had there been down<br />
to the present time one book in ten years<br />
which could be called a masterpiece from a<br />
literary point of view? Indeed, until quite<br />
recently there were no novels, there were<br />
no children's books. The Romans had a saying<br />
that a child should learn nothing that he could<br />
not learn on his feet. (Laughter.) The devo-<br />
tional works of mediaeval times, with some few<br />
exceptions, were no doubt works of art, and full<br />
of lovely pictures, but as for the meaning, they<br />
might apply what the school child said, of a<br />
parable—that it was a heavenly story with no<br />
earthly meaning. (Laughter.) When they came<br />
to this century—and even omitting living writers,<br />
of whom they could not judge fairly—the case<br />
was surely different. It had produced in England<br />
alone Scott, Thackeray, Dickens, George Eliut<br />
Kingsley, Macaulay, Carlyle, Grote, Tennyson,<br />
Browning, Wordsworth, Shelley, Keble, Byron,<br />
Darwin, Tyndall, Huxley, and many others.<br />
(Cheers.) Moieover, the progress had been<br />
steady and gradual. Even thirty years ago edu-<br />
cation was at a low ebb. At that time there<br />
were several hundred schoolmasters and school-<br />
mistresses — mainly, he believed, the latter—<br />
who could not write. (Laughter.) So that<br />
we had not only, as Lord Sherbrooke said, to<br />
educate our masters, but even to educate our<br />
schoolmasters. (Laughter.) The Queen's reign<br />
had been remarkable in many respects, but in<br />
nothing more than the extraordinary develop-<br />
ment of English literature. Moreover, if books<br />
had increased, readers also had, happily for<br />
authors, multiplied at least in proportion. During<br />
the present reign more schools, and colleges, and<br />
polytechnics had been founded in the British<br />
Empire than in all its previous history. Every<br />
town and even every village had an efficient<br />
elementary school. All these spread a love of<br />
reading; perhaps, however, not so much as they<br />
might. Then there were the public libraries.<br />
For his part, however, he was disposed to think<br />
that anything which developed the love of read-<br />
ing must in the long run enhance the demand for<br />
books. (Hear, hear.) It was often said that the<br />
number of works of fiction read far outnumbered<br />
those on science or art; but it must be remem-<br />
bered that they took a much shorter time to read.<br />
It was generally assumed that every educated<br />
person knew how to read. That was one of the<br />
many popular delusions. Some books should be<br />
skipped through. Those which deserved to be read<br />
carefully required not only attention, but imagina-<br />
tion, and from that point of view the University<br />
Extension Society and the Home Reading Union<br />
were doing valuable service. (Hear, hear.) In<br />
conclusion, Sir John Lubbock said he wished to<br />
express what he knew was the appreciation which<br />
scientific men had for literature. Scientific men<br />
looked upon the works of authors with feelings<br />
not indeed of envy, but of congratulation. In<br />
some respects authors had the advantage of scien-<br />
tific men. Who now read Kepler, or Galileo, or<br />
Buffon, or Cuvier? Science was so progressive<br />
that even the works of the greatest observers and<br />
discoverers were soon out of date. With<br />
literature it was very different, and in proposing<br />
the health of the authors and their society he<br />
would say that hardly any company could be<br />
brought together which had contributed, and was<br />
contributing more, to brighten the lives of our<br />
countrymen. (Applause.) With the toast Sir<br />
John Lubbock coupled the name of Mrs. Steel,<br />
regarding whom he remarked that her works had<br />
done much to increase our understanding of<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 258 (#310) ############################################<br />
<br />
258<br />
THE A UTHOR.<br />
India, and therefore to promote the maintenance<br />
of our rule in that country. (Applause.)<br />
Mrs. Steel, in rising to reply, was loudly<br />
cheered. She spoke with complete self-possession,<br />
and in a voice which was well heard throughout<br />
the room. That the hearing or making of<br />
speeches—especially after a good dinner—coidd<br />
be anything but disagreeable to any sane and<br />
healthy man or woman she could not believe. In<br />
India upon such occasions they always called upon<br />
the youngest member present to speak, and he was<br />
called the sacrificial lamb. (Laughter.) She<br />
could lay no claim to youth, but as she had been<br />
asked to make the sacrifice she did it gladly. She<br />
paid a tribute to the reception which women<br />
writers met with in England. It was true that<br />
a captious critic might think that the composition<br />
of the Council of the Authors' Society, which<br />
consisted of fifty-six men and four women, was<br />
not quite what it should be. However, it was<br />
ever thus. She remembered visiting a prison in<br />
India, over whose portals was inscribed, " Room<br />
for 700 men and six women." (Laughter.) What<br />
a tribute, she thought, to female virtue! But<br />
her guide corrected her; it was evidence, he said,<br />
only of the superior cleverness of women.<br />
(Laughter.) Passing to deal with the work of<br />
the Authors' Society, Mrs. Steel referred to the<br />
fact that in seventeen years the membership of<br />
the Society had increased from thirteen to 1300,<br />
and she mentioned its efforts with regard to pro-<br />
te' ting authors' interests in regard to copyright.<br />
The ambition of the Society was to become the<br />
recognised headquarters of the literary profession,<br />
just us the Royal Academy was recognised as the<br />
headquarters of the artistic profession. This aim<br />
would never be attained unless the members of<br />
the Society cultivated esprit de corps. She had<br />
been much struck in reading Lord Roberts's auto-<br />
biography, with his account of a fight in which<br />
soldiers of the East and of the West, of white<br />
skin and of dark, of the Crown and of the<br />
Crescent, were alike engaged, and the record of<br />
their victory was t his :—" Taken in the name of<br />
the 2nd Ghoorkas." That was the spirit in which<br />
Mrs. Steel desired to see the authors win their<br />
victories. Let their hits be made " in the name<br />
of the Society of Authors." (Cheers.) Mrs.<br />
Steel, it may be added, had occasion incidentally<br />
to " refer to the Prince of Darkness. He figured<br />
as the author (I should sav the publisher) of all<br />
evil."<br />
The toast of "The Guests" was proposed by<br />
Sir Martin Conway. Mr. Justin McCarthy had<br />
lieen put down to propose this toast, but he was<br />
not present, so Sir Martin Conway at short notice<br />
waa called upon. Referring to Mrs. Steel's speech,<br />
Sir Martin said he was not the sacrificial lamb, but<br />
the scapegoat. Then he made a sort of an apology<br />
to Mr. Holman Hunt, and the company, including<br />
Mr. Hunt, laughed heartily. Then Sir Martin<br />
looked over to Sir Walter Besant, who had not<br />
got to speak, and said the latter was digesting his<br />
dinner as comfortably as he (Sir Martin) ought to<br />
have been doing. Another good joke, and there<br />
was more laughter. Then Sir Martin chaffed the<br />
editors of London daily newspapers who had been<br />
amongst the company, but who, of course, had long<br />
ago left to discharge their arduous duties (we will<br />
not mention names, but most seemed to have<br />
delayed going to Fleet-street long enough to hear<br />
Sir Martin's speech), and then he spoke of the<br />
literary and art work of the Italian masters, and<br />
coupled with the toast the name of General<br />
Ferrero, the Italian Ambassador.<br />
The Italian Ambassador responded to the toast<br />
in French. The following is a translation of his<br />
speec h:<br />
Monsieur le President, Mesdames, Messieurs,—<br />
I fully appreciate the importance of an invitation<br />
which procures me the honour of finding myself<br />
in the midst of so many thinkers of a great<br />
country. I wish to express my gratitude for the<br />
kind reception I have found among you. I am<br />
particularly touched by the sympathetic discourse<br />
of the speaker I have just heard. He has referred<br />
to my country's literature in a manner which few<br />
Italian men of letters could equal. I cannot<br />
attempt to compete with his courtesy and eloquence<br />
by putting into words my admiration for the<br />
literature of England. But it will not, I believe,<br />
be inappropriate to this occasion to advert to<br />
some of the broad impressions which the thinking<br />
man of a foreign land experiences when contem-<br />
plating the manifestations of the intellectual life<br />
of your great country. There is no need to con-<br />
sult bibliographies in order to form an idea of<br />
the enormous wealth of your literature in every<br />
conceivable branch of learning. Indeed, the<br />
only cause for wonder would be were it otherwise.<br />
In a nation which extends its dominions over a<br />
large portion of the globe, in a nation which<br />
occupies by far the highest place in commerce<br />
and industry, in a nation the triumphs of which<br />
are mainly due to the influence of some of the<br />
finest inventive and and creative intelligencies o<br />
the world; in such a nation, I say, we must<br />
find at the same time the cause and the effect<br />
of the highest literary and scientific develop-<br />
ment. I have spoken of the wealth of your<br />
literature; allow me to speak of a quality which<br />
strikes us strangers more especially—I mean the<br />
measure, the soundness, the healthiness of<br />
thought which preponderates in it. An essen-<br />
tially practical people, endowed with a degree of<br />
mental calmness rarely met elsewhere, a people<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 259 (#311) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
259<br />
that ever checks its thought by fact, that<br />
is ever absorbed in great enterprise, could<br />
not allow itself to be attracted by a literature<br />
devoid of a practical, or, as the phrase goes, of<br />
common sense. It is true that phantasy and<br />
imagination have their place, and a great one too,<br />
in intellectual manifestation, but, in this atmo-<br />
sphere they are not allowed to fly away beyond<br />
the pale of reason. A palpable proof of this is<br />
to be found in philosophical literature. Among<br />
the thinkers of the world, English philosophers, in<br />
my opinion, occupy the very first rank, chiefly, be<br />
it said, on account of the intellectual equilibrium<br />
which is one of their most distinguishing cha-<br />
racteristics. In your philosophical literature we<br />
find no sign of nebulosity on the one hand, of<br />
hard "doctrinarianism " on the other. English<br />
literature at large seems indeed to cany with it<br />
an atmosphere of its own, the healthiness of which<br />
the foreign reader breathes with a new delight;<br />
it alway bears a special stamp, immediately<br />
recognisable. This originality is no doubt due to<br />
the exceptional position of the country, and to the<br />
mental character of a nation geographically so<br />
situated. In such a country a dislike for the<br />
majority of ideas proceeding from outside is<br />
almost an affair of instinct. A comparative study<br />
of the mutual borrowings, of the reciprocal<br />
infiltrations, as one might say, of the literature<br />
of different countries would doubtless be highly<br />
instructive. It would certainly prove that the<br />
literature of England remains that which is the<br />
least indebted to the others—and happily so;<br />
she lias thus been saved from the contagion of the<br />
doctrinal ideas which have brought so much harm<br />
to other countries. There can, however, be nothing<br />
absolutely hard and fast in a statement of this<br />
kind, and I shall, therefore, allow myself a passing<br />
allusion to the inspirations which English<br />
literature has found from time to time in that<br />
of Italy. My country owes to yours a debt of<br />
gratitude for the profound study which you<br />
have devoted to its glories of old, artistic and<br />
literary, and for the appreciative sympathy<br />
you have always displayed in that quarter.<br />
And here I owe an expression of thanks, cordially<br />
given, to the gentleman who has proposed the<br />
health of your guests, for his courteous and<br />
warm-hearted remarks on this subject. One of<br />
the observations which the foreigner cannot fail<br />
to make concerning men of letters and men of<br />
science, is that here, more than anywhere else,<br />
they play an important part in the political life<br />
of their country. Of such we have not a few<br />
illustrious examples in this very gathering to-<br />
night. England is essentially the land of freedom.<br />
Many other nations, of course, possess institu-<br />
tions similar to yours, but the habit of freedom<br />
dates in this country from an older period; all<br />
the trials, the ordeals that a people has to go<br />
through when it has only just lately conquered<br />
its liberty, are long since past with you.<br />
Freedom asserts itself even more by the manner<br />
of thought than by laws. Now this freedom,<br />
which is to human thought what pure air<br />
is to the lungs, is the main cause of the<br />
glorious soaring, not only of the literature,<br />
but also of every display of the intellectual<br />
life of Great Britain. It is to this honest<br />
conception of the meaning of freedom, among<br />
other things, that we must attribute the<br />
qualities which more particularly distinguish<br />
English journalism. Monsieur le President,<br />
Mesdames et Messieurs,—Among the virtues<br />
which more specially belong to your nation, one<br />
of the greatest is the gratitude with which you<br />
reserve the memory of the men who have made<br />
er glorious. When I visited for the first time<br />
this vast metropolis, I felt immediately drawn<br />
towards Westminster Abbey. The sight of so<br />
many monuments dedicated to the memory of<br />
men who have brought honour to humanity,<br />
evoked before my mind a magnificent ideal<br />
picture of this country's greatness. Never shall<br />
I forget the impression made upon me by the<br />
stone which covers the ashes of Newton, whereon<br />
are inscribed these noble and simple words:<br />
"Quod mortale erat Isaaci Newton." When, in<br />
so vivid a manner, almost tangible I might say,<br />
we see before us so many men who have been an<br />
honour to mankind, there surges in our heart a<br />
feeling of gratitude for the fatherland of those<br />
illustrious dead; and it is impossible to resist a<br />
feeling of sincere affection for a nation which has<br />
done so much for the progress of human intel-<br />
lect. The countries that gave birth to Dante and<br />
Shakespeare, to Galileo and Newton, have cer-<br />
tainly an intellectual kinship, and it is by you,<br />
thinking men and women, that this kinship will<br />
best be understood.<br />
Mr. Rider Haggard then proposed the health<br />
of the Chairman, and the proceedings terminated.<br />
A reception was subsequently held.<br />
THE BATTLE OP THE BOOES.<br />
I.<br />
E paper with this title in last month's<br />
Author will have been published in vain<br />
if it does not lead to the consideration of<br />
the present position. In 1852 all the men of<br />
letters spoke without hesitation in favour of free<br />
trade. Would they do so at the present day?<br />
This remains to be ascertained.<br />
P<br />
h<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 260 (#312) ############################################<br />
<br />
26o<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Let me remark that in 1852 the publishers had<br />
not yet arrogated to themselves the complete con-<br />
trol of the circulation of literature. A certain defe-<br />
rence was still paid to those who produce the<br />
literary wares—the creators of literary property.<br />
Their opinion was actually asked. Some deference<br />
was also paid to the booksellers.<br />
At the present moment the creators and the<br />
owners of literary property are contemptuously<br />
thrust aside. The recent proposal to sell books<br />
at a net price—fixed—without discount—has been<br />
made without the least recognition of the right of<br />
authors to have any voice in the management of<br />
their own affairs.<br />
Now the practice at the present moment is this:<br />
All retail bookshops have to take off 2 5 per cent.<br />
The railway stalls do not take off this discount.<br />
The 25 per cent, off is now so much an esta-<br />
blished reduction that if a net price were imposed<br />
the public would not buy the book until the<br />
discount was allowed. To speak, therefore, of a<br />
6*. book is to speak of a 4*. 6d. book.<br />
The trade of bookselling has long been decay-<br />
ing, and is now in a very bad way indeed. It is<br />
reported that 70 per cent, of country booksellers<br />
have succumbed during the last ten years.<br />
Publishers have refused to recognise the fact<br />
of the discount. If a 6s. book is ordered, the<br />
bookseller has to pay for it 4*. id. in some<br />
houses; 4*. in others; with a discount for pay-<br />
ment within a certain limited time. If the book-<br />
seller can order twelve copies of the book, he<br />
receives thirteen for the same price. If he can<br />
order twelve copies of other books from the same<br />
publisher, he gets thirteen as twelve. If he<br />
orders twelve copies from the distributing agency<br />
of any books he gets thirteen as twelve.<br />
The publisher receives about 3*. 6d. a copy for<br />
a 6s. book, in some cases a little more, in some a<br />
little less.<br />
If the 6s. book is an average size, and has a<br />
large circulation, he can most certainly (see the<br />
February number, p. 212) produce it for a<br />
shilling a copy. If he only prints a thousand<br />
copies, each copy would cost him about is. ^d.<br />
Here, then, are the data for an average 6s. book<br />
with a large circulation:<br />
Cost of production is is. a copy.<br />
The public pay for each copy, 4s. 6d.<br />
There remains the sum of 3s. 6d. to be divided<br />
between author, bookseller, and publisher.<br />
The question is as to the share to be taken by<br />
each. Whenever the question is put publicly,<br />
the red-herring crosses the trail. There are two<br />
principal red-herrings—<br />
I. The risk. The answer to this is (1) that<br />
there are hundreds of writers whose works carry<br />
no risk whatever; (2) that publishers when they<br />
bring out any kind of book generally get it sub-<br />
scribed by the London trade before they go to<br />
print with it. If they were to obtain no sub-<br />
scriptions, I very much doubt whether they would<br />
ever publish it. Their real risk, then, is the<br />
difference between the actual cost of production<br />
and the amount realised by the subscriptions.<br />
Thus, if the book costs ,£100 and the subscription<br />
list is £99 19s. iod., the risk is twopence.<br />
Again, as to risk, what about the bookseller?<br />
He has to stock the book. Every book on his<br />
shelves means risk; every book that remains on<br />
his shelves means failure and loss.<br />
And as to the author. The risk to him, apart<br />
from that of reputation, is the cost of time and<br />
work—his personal expenses and maintenance—<br />
in preparing, studying, and writing. Is that no<br />
risk?<br />
In point of fact, in far the greater number<br />
of cases, the respective risk may be stated as—the<br />
author's first, the bookseller's next, and the pub-<br />
lisher's last and least.<br />
II. The second red herring is " office expenses."<br />
This is an amazingly daring pretence. Why<br />
should the publisher's "office expenses" be con-<br />
sidered more than the solicitor's, or the draper's,<br />
or the doctor's? Why should his office expenses<br />
be considered more than the author's? Why more<br />
than the bookseller's? Have not the booksellers<br />
their rent to pay; their assistants; their taxes?<br />
Now, with these data before us, let us face the<br />
question and endeavour to find an answer. We<br />
have always, even while exposing the most malig-<br />
nant misrepresentations, endeavoured to find such<br />
a solution as will safeguard the rights of pub-<br />
lishers. We must not forget, however, that<br />
jmblishers in most cases and—except when they<br />
are editors—are middlemen. Now, no middlemen<br />
are absolutely necessary; they are only useful in<br />
saving trouble. Their place may be taken any<br />
day either by printers, or by papermakers, or by<br />
booksellers, or by authors themselves.<br />
The Editor.<br />
II.<br />
The paper on this subject in The Author for<br />
February is interesting and instructive. Men of<br />
letters, the Commission of Inquiry, and the Times<br />
and Athenieum representing the Press, were in<br />
favour of the sound principles that a bookseller,<br />
having bought a book, ought to be free to sell it<br />
at any price which paid him and suited his trade.<br />
Free trade in books has been the rule for two<br />
generations, much to the advantage of authors<br />
and the public.<br />
During the last few years some publishers have<br />
been introducing the thin end of a harmless-<br />
looking wedge into the book trade, which might<br />
easily be driven home, and which, ifj[driven home<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 261 (#313) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
would make it necessary for the whole " Battle of<br />
Books" to be fought over again in the last years<br />
of the century. The name of this harmless-<br />
looking wedge is—" net price."<br />
John Lascelles.<br />
HI.<br />
May I bring before your readers another point<br />
in the discussion of the conditions of bookselling<br />
in the early fifties, not involved in the ground<br />
covered by the interesting article in The Author<br />
for February. Mr. Chapman pointed out that<br />
advertisements formed a terrible item in the cost<br />
of a great majority of books. This outlay was<br />
caused, first, by the great number of advertising<br />
media, in which the publisher must make known<br />
his publications if he would reach each class; and<br />
secondly, by the fact that the millions, having no<br />
literary appetite, had to be tempted by every device<br />
that ingenuity could suggest. Were the people<br />
generally educated, they would be on the alert for<br />
every new product of the Press, and then one adver-<br />
tising medium would suffice. "If the publishers<br />
were to issue a weekly periodical, containing<br />
classified advertisements of all the works pub-<br />
lished in Britain during the successive intervals,<br />
each contributing towards the cost in proportion<br />
to the space his advertisement might occupy, to<br />
which should be added an accurate and compre-<br />
hensive report, classified with equal care, of all<br />
works published abroad, a million copies (or<br />
several millions, if found needful) could be distri-<br />
buted gratis throughout the country to every<br />
literary institution, reading-room, book society,<br />
and private individual that would apply for it, at<br />
a small expense compared with the enormous<br />
aggregate sum now annually lavished on the<br />
same object. The result would obviously be a<br />
great advantage to authors, publishers, and the<br />
public. By the concentration of literary adver-<br />
tisements into one medium, a large number of<br />
second and third rate periodicals now mainly<br />
dependent upon them would fall to the ground,<br />
and thus a barrier to sound instruction in the<br />
form of the superficial and profitless reading they<br />
too often supply, would give way to books of a<br />
truly informing and elevating kind." T.<br />
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD: ITS PRESENT-DAY<br />
USE.<br />
""T"TTHETHER she possesses the means of<br />
V Y realising it or not," "If it were not for<br />
the guarantee of Europe," " If Greece<br />
is incapable and unfitted to undertake the task,"<br />
"If they are unable to maintain an agreement on<br />
this point," are four sentences taken from the first<br />
leader only in the Times of to-day (Feb. 19), and<br />
suggest the heading of this article, for a hundred<br />
years ago one of the best of English prose writers<br />
would have said, "Whether she possess," "If<br />
Greece be incapable," and "If they be unable,"<br />
and many authors even now would say that the<br />
latter was the more elegant form of the two.<br />
But which is correct—and why is it so? Will<br />
some learned grammarians aid the readers of<br />
these pages by expounding the present rule upon<br />
this subject, which, when followed, will be<br />
acknowledged by authorities, and at the same<br />
time be so succinct and clear as to be of practical<br />
service in the everyday life of a writer? That<br />
brief rules are in existence, and are followed not<br />
only by those with a University training, but<br />
by those yclept "'Varsity Dons," may be gathered<br />
from such remarks as one sometimes hears them<br />
make—" Oh! if there's doubt use 'be,' if not<br />
use 'is.'" "If you can get 'should' into the<br />
sentence, but not without, put 'be.'"<br />
That the question at issue is not so simple as<br />
may at first appear will be evident on taking a<br />
brief glance at its history. In 1819, William<br />
Cobbett, in his interesting and readable "Grammar<br />
of the English Language," with the curious title-<br />
page, " Intended for the use of schools and young<br />
persons in general, but more especially for the<br />
use of soldiers, sailors, apprentices, and plough-<br />
boys," says, in reply to the question " What are<br />
the cases in which we ought to use the subjunctive<br />
form ?" that " Bishop Lowth, and, on his autho-<br />
rity, Mr. Lindley Murray, have said that some<br />
conjunctions have a government of verbs; that<br />
is to say, make them or force them to be in the<br />
subjunctive mode. And then these gentlemen<br />
mention particularly the conjunctions if, though,<br />
unless, and some others. But (and these gentle-<br />
men allow it) the verbs which follow these con-<br />
junctions are not always in the subjunctive mode;<br />
and the using of that mode must depend, not<br />
upon the conjunction, but upon the sense of the<br />
whole sentence. How, then, can the conjunctions<br />
govern the verb? It is the sense, the meaning of<br />
the whol« sentence, which must govern, and<br />
of this you will presently see clear proof. 'If<br />
it be dark, do not come home. If eating<br />
is necessary to man, he ought not to be<br />
a glutton.' In the first of these sentences<br />
the matter expressed by the verb mag be or<br />
mag not be. There exists an uncertainty on<br />
the subject. And if the sentence were filled<br />
up it would stand thus: 'If it should be dark,<br />
do not come home.' But in the second sentence<br />
there exists no such uncertainty. We know, and<br />
all the world knows, that eating is necessary to<br />
man. ^e could not fill up the sentence with<br />
should > an<^' therefore, we make use of is. Thus,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 262 (#314) ############################################<br />
<br />
262<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
then, the conjunction if, which you see is em-<br />
ployed in both cases, has nothing at all to do with<br />
the government of the verb. It is the sense<br />
which governs. . . . As to instances in which<br />
authors have violated the principles of grammar<br />
with respect to the use of the modes, I could<br />
easily fill a book much larger than this with<br />
instances of this kind from Judge Blackstone and<br />
Dr. Johnson."<br />
How frequently the subjunctive mood—as we<br />
now say—was used before, and at the time the<br />
foregoing was written, will be evident to all those<br />
who remember the works of one whom Sir Walter<br />
Scott described in his diary as "That young lady<br />
[who] had a talent for describing the involve-<br />
ments, feelings, and characters of ordinary life<br />
which is to me the most wonderful I have ever<br />
met with. The big bow-wow I can do myself like<br />
anyone going; but the exquisite touch, which<br />
renders commonplace things and characters<br />
interesting from the truth of the description, and<br />
the sentiment, is denied to me." He speaks of<br />
Jane Austen, whose style has been praised by<br />
Southey, Coleridge, and Macaulay. There can,<br />
therefore, be no hesitation in saying that a<br />
hundred years ago the subjunctive was very much<br />
used.<br />
What is its position now? Mr. Mason, in the<br />
thirty-seventh edition of his " English Grammar,"<br />
published last year, writes: "In modern English<br />
it is getting (unfortunately) more and more<br />
common to use the indicative mood in cases<br />
where the subjunctive would be more correct.<br />
Thus, for 'see that all be in readiness,' many<br />
people say ' see that all is in readiness '; for ' if<br />
that were to happen' they say 'if that was to<br />
happen.'"<br />
Professor Meiklejohn, in the fourteenth<br />
•edition of his "English Language" (1896)<br />
says: "The subjunctive mood has for some<br />
years been gradually dying out. Few writers,<br />
and still fewer speakers, use it. Good writers<br />
are even found to say, 'If he was here I should<br />
tell him.'" He goes on to state that "the sub-<br />
junctive mood was used—and ought to be used—<br />
to express doubt, possibility, supposition, conse-<br />
quence (which may or may not happen), or wish,<br />
all as moods of the mind of the speaker." His<br />
very phrase " ought to be used " leads the reader<br />
to doubt whether he quite expects this very com-<br />
plex rule to be followed by all good writers,<br />
especially as "the subjunctive mood has for some<br />
years been gradually dying out."<br />
To repeat my question—is there no rule for this<br />
mood acknowledged by the authorities, and so<br />
succinct and clear as to be of practical service in<br />
the everyday life of a writer '(<br />
F. Howard Collins.<br />
CORRESPONDENCE.<br />
I.—The I. S. A. as Publisher.<br />
In The Author of this month the Editor<br />
gives more excellent advice to aspirants after<br />
literary fame. But there is one flaw in his<br />
suggestions. There will often be an insuperable<br />
objection to publishing a book either from the<br />
home of the writer or from the house of his<br />
bookbinder or printer.<br />
Could not the Society of Authors remove this<br />
difficulty by establishing an office from which<br />
books published at the risk of authors could be<br />
issued, copies sent to chosen London and country<br />
papers for review, advertisements arranged, and<br />
copies offered on sale or return where such a<br />
step is desirable. Of course an author would<br />
have to make a suitable d-posit to meet out-<br />
goings, and to pay a fee that would cover office<br />
expenses. Where a book succeeded the office<br />
could continue to publish it, and give the writer<br />
the whole net profit on its sale. Is not this<br />
worth trying? Robert B. Holt.<br />
10, Bedford-place, Russell-square, W.C., Feb. 13.<br />
II.—Editor and Contributor.<br />
1.<br />
Your remarks on the ethics of editorship can<br />
hardly, I think, be accepted beyond a certain<br />
point. In the case of signed articles by profes-<br />
sional writers of ability, nothing, I admit, should,<br />
or need, be touched by the editor, save with the<br />
writer's consent. This may be taken as an axiom<br />
—in theory. In practice it is not possible: at<br />
least, in many magazines. In my ten years'<br />
experience, during which many of the most<br />
eminent writers in the country have contributed<br />
over their names to my pages, I have never but<br />
twice received any objection from writers for<br />
such editorial interference as I am forced to make,<br />
and I am constantly in receipt of letters of<br />
acknowledgment and thanks.<br />
It is obvious that in a signed article no opinions,<br />
nor sense, may be altered, no additions made with-<br />
out the author's approval. This rule is absolute;<br />
but at times it may be necessary to expunge, if<br />
trouble is not to ensue. There are three forms<br />
of errors constantly to be dealt with—errors of<br />
language, errors of fact, and errors of taste. If<br />
the editor is not to be judge in these matters,<br />
what is the use of an editor? If these errors are<br />
made, where is the " degradation" of having them<br />
put right? It would manifestly be objectionable,<br />
for several reasons, for me to give examples that<br />
would satisfy your readers; but I am convinced<br />
that were you, Sir, to glance through the corrected<br />
pages that I pass for press, you would acknow-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 263 (#315) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
263<br />
ledge that your desire to see such errors as those<br />
to which I have referred pass uncorrected would<br />
tell against the literary quality of the magazine,<br />
and against the reputation of the writers them-<br />
selves. You may reply that in the case of a<br />
magazine devoted to special interests, contributors,<br />
even though professional writers, are looked to<br />
rather for their knowledge than for their literary<br />
style, and that, therefore, some beneficent inter-<br />
ference with their text is not to be regarded as<br />
objectionable. But it is a matter of principle<br />
which you assert, and which in practice is not of<br />
universal application.<br />
Author and Editor.<br />
11.<br />
In your note on Mr. Chitty's opinion as to the<br />
liability of editors for the return and safe custody<br />
of unasked-for MSS., you say your own sym-<br />
pathies are entirely with the editors. I should<br />
say most men of sense will agree with you. The<br />
whole point in the case is to fix the senders of<br />
MSS. with notice of the terms on which they will<br />
lie received. The burden of proving that notice<br />
was actually received is on the editor. In this an<br />
editor is nearly sure to fail, as MSS. are now<br />
sent in on approval.<br />
An editor can give himself absolute protection<br />
in this way. With each number of his magazine<br />
he must issue one or more coupons ; each of those<br />
coupons containing the terms on which he will<br />
receive unsolicited MSS., together with a state-<br />
ment that no MS. will be read unless it is<br />
accompanied by a coupon signed by the sender.<br />
As all persons who send MSS. wish them to be<br />
read, the writers of papers would lose no time in<br />
acquainting themselves with the rule as to<br />
coupons, and in complying with it. The editor<br />
would then, in every case, have the most positive<br />
evidence that notice of his rules had been received<br />
by the sender of a MS., and that the MS. was<br />
sent subject to his rules. An editor who did not<br />
wish to oblige all his would-be contributors to<br />
buy his magazine or beg one of his coupons,<br />
might state that either a signed coupon or a<br />
signed copy of it must accompany every un-<br />
solicited MS. as a condition of its being read.<br />
If I were an editor I should give the alternative,<br />
so as not to seem to force my magazine upon<br />
persons wishing to submit their work for my<br />
approval. John Lascelles.<br />
hi.<br />
One aim of our Society is to raise the<br />
tone of all connected with literature, and<br />
there is no doubt that it is doing much<br />
towards that end. I recently wrote a polite<br />
note to the editor of one of our leading<br />
"religious" (!) weeklies, offering him an article<br />
(gratuitously), but saying before sending it 1<br />
should be obliged if he would say whether (pro-<br />
vided, of course, he should approve of it when<br />
read) such an article would be acceptable or not.<br />
I may add that I have often written articles<br />
for that paper, which have been published by a<br />
former editor, but for which I have never<br />
received one penny of remuneration. I may also<br />
say that, being a brother clergyman and a vicar<br />
of some standing in London, and an author of<br />
several books, I wrote to him not as "Editor,"<br />
but under his own proper name. He was not<br />
courteous enough even to reply; in fact, the offer<br />
was rudely snubbed.<br />
Further, I sent an article to this same editor<br />
some months before, inclosing stamps for its<br />
return, and though I begged that, if not accepted,<br />
it should be returned, it was never returned, the<br />
stamps were kept, and no notice whatever was<br />
taken of my note. I am sorry to say I have<br />
received similar treatment from other editors.<br />
Is this conduct worthy of literature? If an<br />
editor has not time just to write "declined," to<br />
say nothing of two more words, "with thanks,"<br />
he might have politeness enough to let one have<br />
a MS. back that he must know cost the writer<br />
hours of labour. „.„ C. J.<br />
III.—Reviewing.<br />
1.<br />
May I add my testimony to a point touched on<br />
by Mr. George Gissing and Mrs. Sarah Grand on<br />
the subject of reviewing; namely, the habit of<br />
some reviewers "of quotiug sentences uttered by<br />
a character in a novel as though they came from<br />
the author himself." I read some years ago in a<br />
Church paper of high standing a review of a novel<br />
of mine in which the reviewer, after animadverting<br />
in unfavourable terms on the persons" of dull<br />
religious habits" with whom he suggested that my<br />
lot was probably cast, proceeded to comment in the<br />
strongest manner on my supposed views respecting<br />
the clergy, giving quotations from my book in<br />
proof of his assertions. The first of these quota-<br />
tions was so much altered for the worse that I did<br />
not immediately recognise it. The second was<br />
correctly rendered. Both were spoken by cha-<br />
racters in the booh, respecting a type of cleric not<br />
more worthy of reverence than the well-known<br />
"Mr. Slope." The reviewer omitted to mention<br />
the cordial praise of another class of clergyman<br />
which immediately followed on the same page.<br />
M. C.<br />
11.<br />
The following is au illustration of the above<br />
letter. "Jr. "]Sote by the Author" is Dickens's<br />
own note<br />
"A n^. * VloBOP^y arises here whether Mr. Peck-<br />
eniff b^?^\0tl 0*? ^ good reason to say that he was<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 264 (#316) ############################################<br />
<br />
264<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
specially patronised and encouraged in his undertakings.<br />
All his life long be had been walking up and down the<br />
narrow ways and bye-places with a hook in one hand and<br />
a crook in the other, scraping all sorts of valuable odds and<br />
ends into his pockets. Now, there being a special pro-<br />
vidence in the fall of a sparrow, it follows (so Mr. Pecksniff<br />
would have reasoned) that there must also be a special<br />
providence in the alighting of the stone, or stick, or other<br />
substance which is aimed at the sparrow. And Mr. Peck-<br />
sniff's hook or crook, having invariably knocked the<br />
sparrow on the head and brought him down, that gentleman<br />
may have been led to consider himself as specially licensed<br />
to bag sparrows, and as being specially seized and pos-<br />
sessed of all the birds he had got together. That many<br />
undertakings, national as well as individual—but especially<br />
the former—are held to be specially brought to a glorious<br />
and successful issue, which never could be so regarded on<br />
any other process of reasoning, muBt be clear to all men.<br />
Therefore the precedents would seem to show that Mr.<br />
Pecksniff had good argument for what he said, and might<br />
be permitted to say it, and did not say it presumptuously,<br />
vainly, or arrogantly, but in a spirit of high faith and<br />
great wisdom meriting all praise."—(Excerpt from " Martin<br />
Chuzzlewit.")<br />
Note by the author.—" The most credulous reader will<br />
scarcely believe that Mr. Pecksniff's reasoning was once<br />
set upon as the author's!"<br />
III.<br />
I glean from the opinions recently advanced by<br />
some of those whose duty it is to review works of<br />
fiction that the avalanche of volumes which at<br />
times descends upon the editorial throne is chiefly<br />
responsible for the desultory notices complained<br />
of. Few will regard this as a sound excuse. If<br />
the rush be so great as to endanger the prospects<br />
of individual and thorough examination, let the<br />
selected few have the l)enefit thereof, the balance<br />
being greeted with an acknowledgment only, until<br />
such time as the stream runs quieter. If we<br />
get ignored, it would be a more pleasant expe-<br />
rience than being made the victims of a slovenly<br />
verdict against which there is no appeal. In the<br />
matter of criticism our forefathers may not have<br />
been so smart. They were certainly often more<br />
just, courteous, and, above all, careful.<br />
Authors' Club, S.W., Cecil Clarke.<br />
Feb. 9.<br />
IV.<br />
I have read with increasing surprise the letters<br />
on this subject which have been appearing in The<br />
Author. Tour correspondents 6eem to regard<br />
reviewing as a religious function, involving I<br />
know not what moral responsibilities on the part<br />
of the reviewer. In my opinion they expect too<br />
much. To begin with, you must not expect a<br />
reviewer to be a critic. There are not a hundred<br />
critics alive in the whole world at any one time,<br />
so there cannot be enough of them to go round.<br />
A reviewer is a man who can write rapidly a<br />
rough estimate of the kind of opinion of any book<br />
likely to be held by the average reader of the<br />
journal in which the review appears. It is his<br />
business to consider his readers as much as the<br />
book reviewed. He has to tell his readers whether<br />
the book is the kind of book they, being possibly<br />
the fools they are, will like to read. Thus the<br />
same reviewer writing in half a dozen journals on<br />
the same book will write of it in half a dozen<br />
different ways. He may justly praise it in one<br />
journal and damn it in another.<br />
I will give an instance. There is a book called<br />
"Dolomite Strongholds" by J. Sanger Davies.<br />
As editor of the Alpine Journal, I inserted in<br />
that magazine a strongly condemnatory review.<br />
The book was not a good one from the point of view<br />
of an expert climber. But I myself reviewed the<br />
same book in a popular weekly, and I praised it,<br />
for it is quite amusing, and even informing, to<br />
non-mountaineering folk, and will give them no<br />
false notions of any importance compared with<br />
the utterly false conceptions of the whole moun-<br />
taineering business which they bring to the<br />
reading of it.<br />
As to novel reviewing I know nothing, having<br />
never read a new novel in my life, but always<br />
come to novels long after public opinion on their<br />
merits was declared and confirmed by time.<br />
Other sorts of reviewing present other kinds of<br />
problems. If a book pretends to be a contribu-<br />
tion to knowledge, the reviewer's business is to<br />
find out whether the facts in it are correct and<br />
the research scholarly. If he finds facts inaccu-<br />
rate and research slipshod, it is his duty in mercy<br />
to studious persons to kill that book if he can. I<br />
have killed three books in my time for such<br />
reasons, the only three I ever reviewed with open<br />
hostility, and I did so over my own name where I<br />
was permitted to sign it. Where a book is harm-<br />
less, one does one's best to praise what can be<br />
found praiseworthy in it.<br />
We have all had experience of being reviewed,<br />
but our reactions from such experiences seem to<br />
be various. I never go out of my way to collect<br />
and read reviews of my own works, but a certain<br />
number always come under an author's eye, and<br />
he naturally reads the earlier ones. Once or<br />
twice I have detected the hand of a foe; but<br />
seldom. What strikes me most forcibly is the<br />
general capacity manifested by the modern<br />
journalist, his skill in finding out what a book<br />
contains, his facility in setting it out. As a rule<br />
I have recognised the justice of a reviewer's<br />
condemnation, from his own point of view. A<br />
book of mine, which was a catalogue of fifteenth<br />
century Dutch prints, was once sent by an<br />
editor's oversight (very forgivable surely in the<br />
hurry of to-day) to his reviewer of novels, and<br />
included in the weekly batch. The man could<br />
make nothing of it—of course not; he was reduced<br />
to joking about it, and so solved what must have<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 265 (#317) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOB.<br />
265<br />
been an awkward problem for him. His praise<br />
or blame were alike immaterial, and could<br />
neither help nor harm the book. A single review<br />
has very little effect on a book, for the simple<br />
reason that few people read only one journal.<br />
Most of us skim a number of journals, and see<br />
several reviews of any book. Verbal recommen-<br />
dation is what makes the fortune of a book.<br />
When a man says, in a club smoking-room, "You<br />
should read such a book; I have read it; it is<br />
very interesting "—that does a book good. Most<br />
reviewers go about town talking of books. They<br />
do more good to authors by that means than by<br />
their written notices.<br />
It is nonsense to rave against the nature of<br />
things. Reviewing is a necessity of the day. It<br />
has to be done by the writers of the day under<br />
the conditions that exist. If you can change the<br />
conditions and re-educate the writers you can<br />
change the reviews; not otherwise. You might<br />
as well rave against the east wind and hope to<br />
soften i4, W. Martin Conway.<br />
IV.—Popularity.<br />
1.<br />
The Editor in last month's Author, asks:<br />
What are the qualities which create popularity<br />
in a writer? I have thought a good deal on<br />
the subject, and have gleaned many opinions<br />
from the novel-reading public of a small country<br />
town. The conclusion I have arrived at is that<br />
the first quality necessary to popularity, and the<br />
one cloaking a multitude of literary sins, must be<br />
a certain rousing power, the gift of arresting<br />
attention and stirring emotion, either by startling<br />
plot, exaggeration and caricature, or vivid sensa-<br />
tional diction. Of course when this quality is<br />
allied to artistic taste we all recognise genius, but<br />
the majority knows nothing about art canons, and<br />
accepts fustian for force. It is not "silliness,<br />
weakness, or vulgarity " that attracts the ordinary<br />
reader, but a perfervid emotionalism, and if this<br />
be combined with well-established moral senti-<br />
ments, so hammered in and driven home that<br />
there can be no mistaking the author's meaning,<br />
so much the better for the author. Life is a dull<br />
thing to most persons, and they like their fiction<br />
to supply the lacking colour without shocking or<br />
perplexing them.<br />
Next to the arresting quality, I would place<br />
perfect simplicity, prettiness, and pathos, at-<br />
tributes dear because soothing to every one<br />
of us.<br />
A word in regard to Dickens. From many<br />
inquiries I find that, in the provinces at least, it<br />
is difficult to make young persons read him at<br />
all. And I cannot help thinking the Editor is<br />
mistaken in his opinion that Tennyson, Scott,<br />
Longfellow, Marryatt, and Dickens have still "an<br />
immense hold on the people." New editions are<br />
bought by old lovers, and given by parents and<br />
guardians to the young, but I believe librarians<br />
and booksellers will confirm my view that the<br />
youth of to-day does not read these, and others of<br />
our best authors, except under compulsion. I<br />
should be only too glad to learn that I am wrong<br />
in this conclusion. M. L. P.<br />
11.<br />
In your paragraph (p. 223) relating to Free<br />
Libraries, are you falling into the error of the<br />
newspapers, in which one so often sees the con-<br />
clusion drawn that the popularity of a work is<br />
shown by the frequency of its issue?<br />
Is not frequency of issue rather dependent on<br />
notoriety—from whatever cause arising? The<br />
number of copies of any work in a library being<br />
limited, applicants for books really liked will<br />
commonly hear that they are "out." The<br />
persons who have hold of them may often keep<br />
them as long as they are allowed—to read a<br />
seeond time, or to pass from hand to hand through<br />
a family; whereas books which are only got<br />
through by much skipping are soon brought<br />
back to the library, where they are ready for<br />
reissue to people who are prepared to take what<br />
they can get.<br />
At the British Museum there is a copy of<br />
Tennyson's "In Memoriam," the first pages of<br />
which are very dirty, but the latter quite clean,<br />
fairly showing, to my mind, the extent to which<br />
each portion has been read. Are we to conclude,<br />
therefore, that the last part is much less to the<br />
public taste than the first? Rather it is to be<br />
supposed that the fame of the poem led people to<br />
commence its perusal, but that it really afforded<br />
them little entertainment.<br />
So with books. Before speaking of, say,<br />
Martin Tupper as a popular author, one would<br />
like to see whether the sold copies of his works<br />
have become much soiled, as well as how often<br />
they show evidence of being gifts—their notoriety<br />
often leading to a purchase, the possessor on<br />
experience of their contents being disappointed.<br />
As regards taste, a good deal may be learned by<br />
examining the edges of the pages of some works<br />
in public libraries, e.g., volumes of State Trials.<br />
F. R.<br />
V.—The House where Byron was Born.<br />
Now that we are promised what the newspapers<br />
somewhat irreverently term a Byron " boom," it<br />
may j±qI Y>e inopportune to mention a fact which<br />
will pT0\)ably come as a surPrise to many rea,3ers<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 266 (#318) ############################################<br />
<br />
266<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
of The Author. When the house, No. 24, Holies-<br />
street, Cavendish-square, where the illustrious<br />
poet was born, was rebuilt, the tablet notifying<br />
the circumstance was taken down. This, I think,<br />
was in the spring of 1891. More than once I have<br />
agitated through the Press and elsewhere that<br />
so suitable a spot should not be allowed to<br />
remain without an inscription of some kind.<br />
The owners and occupiers, a large firm of haber-<br />
dashers, who carry on their business in this and<br />
the adjacent houses, promised a long while ago<br />
to remedy their neglect. But that promise has<br />
never been fulfilled, although Lord Byron's<br />
effigy is used by them as a trade-mark.<br />
Is not this a case the Byron Society should<br />
take up? It is only the site of the original<br />
house, but none the less it seems a pity that the<br />
record of so noteworthy a birthplace should be<br />
allowed to sink out of notice, when its per-<br />
petuation could be so easily accomplished.<br />
C.<br />
VI.—Paying for Publication.<br />
I am still rather puzzled by your advice to<br />
authors never to pay for publication, unless it is<br />
intended to apply only to such books as novels,<br />
volumes of essays, and the like. I freely admit,<br />
however, that my experience is limited, and that<br />
my perplexity may be due to ignorance. But it<br />
seems to me that if authors never paid for publi-<br />
cation, a large number of really useful books in<br />
the drier departments of literature would never<br />
see the light. I know of at least a few instances.<br />
I remember that some years ago a friend of mine<br />
who is rather an authority on history, began to<br />
write a book on an historical subject with which<br />
he was well acquainted, and on which a book was<br />
then (and still is) much needed. He went up to<br />
London with his manuscript to see a prominent<br />
publisher, and bore as the certificate of his ability<br />
to do the work creditably a letter of introduction<br />
from a historian of some celebrity. The pub-<br />
lisher received him graciously and offered to<br />
publish the first volume of his work for a pay-<br />
ment of ,£400. When the kind offer was<br />
declined, he said that out of consideration for<br />
the letter of introduction he would consent to<br />
take three-quarters of the expense upon himself,<br />
if my friend would pay the other quarter. This<br />
also was declined, and the book never appeared.<br />
I have done some historical work myself, and<br />
having published some books through the Chris-<br />
tian Knowledge society, for which I was<br />
paid by them, wished some time ago to bring<br />
out another book, somewhat longer and more<br />
important. For certain reasons I was un-<br />
willing this time to offer the book in the<br />
first place to the S.P.C.K. I wrote accordingly<br />
to a well-known firm mentioning the subject of<br />
the book and what I had previously written,<br />
stating that I did not wish to publish it at my<br />
own expense, and asking whether I should send<br />
the MS. for their consideration. I received a<br />
reply that they declined its publication. Another<br />
leading firm subsequently offered to publish it<br />
for about .£140, and finally I allowed a third firm<br />
to bring it out, but I had to bear all the expenses.<br />
The book has been well reviewed, and has been<br />
adopted as a text-book in one degree-giving<br />
college, but it has not yet paid expenses. On<br />
the other hand I have gained in reputation by<br />
its publication, and I believe that a sudden tem-<br />
porary rise in my income was largely due to the<br />
publicity I thereby gained.<br />
I may be mistaken, but I do not think it would<br />
have been so well received had it been brought<br />
out by the S.P.C.K. I am pretty sure it would<br />
neither have done so much good nor brought me<br />
so much credit had it been brought out otherwise<br />
than through a regular publisher as suggested in<br />
your February number. I mention these points<br />
in no spirit of carping criticism, but because I am<br />
anxious to know whether there are publishers who<br />
would take such books aud publish them except<br />
at the author's cost, and whether I have acted<br />
foolishly or not in publishing as I did.<br />
I was told by a fairly good authority that the<br />
publication of historical works, unless they were<br />
"popular" works, must cause loss either to<br />
publisher or author. This may not apply to<br />
authors of celebritv, but is it generally true?<br />
L. M. N.<br />
[It is a very good thing for " L. M. N.'s " friend<br />
that he refused to pay £400. That must have<br />
been a stupendous MS. which would cost =£400<br />
to produce, unless there were many illustrations.<br />
Probably it was only that publisher's little way.<br />
It used to be a very common little way to<br />
multiply the cost of production by three or four<br />
when the author was going to pay for publish-<br />
ing. The way is not so easy now, which<br />
explains the otherwise strange dislike with which<br />
some publishers regard the Society's "Cost of<br />
Production." "L. M. N." seems to think that<br />
literature considered as an article of commerce<br />
is different from anything else. He should under-<br />
stand that publishing is a trade, and a very<br />
good trade too: that it is conducted in order to<br />
make money: that all books which are "popu-<br />
lar" are eagerly published: and that unless a<br />
book is popular enough to be bought, that book<br />
will be a loss.—Ed.j<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 267 (#319) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
267<br />
BOOK TALE.<br />
THE subject of Mr. E. F. Benson's novel is<br />
opportune, the scene being laid in Greece<br />
seventy years ago, during the struggle<br />
between the G-reeks and the Turks. The story<br />
will first run in the Graphic.<br />
An Irish story by Mr. Richard Dowling will be<br />
published by Messrs. Chatto and Windus, entitled<br />
"Old Corcoran's Money,"<br />
Mr. Zangwill's "Dreamers of the Ghetto " will<br />
appear in the autumn.<br />
Mr. Sidney Pickering, author of " The Romance<br />
of His Picture," has another novel appearing<br />
through Messrs. Lawrence and Bullen next<br />
month, called "Margot."<br />
Mrs. Edith E. Cuthell's novel, "Sweet Irish<br />
Eyes," will be published this month by Messrs.<br />
Skeffington.<br />
Mr. Kipling has completed a new short story,<br />
entitled " Slaves of the Lamp."<br />
Mr. Robert Buchanan is about to issue two new<br />
books, "The Ballad of Mary the Mother " and<br />
"The New Rome." Mr. Buchanan says he is the<br />
only surviving religious poet, and possibly the<br />
last of the race.<br />
Messrs. Bliss, Sands, and Co. announce "The<br />
Adventures of John Johns," by Mr. Frederic<br />
Carrel, and "Her Fortunate Grace," by Miss<br />
Gertrude Atherton.<br />
Mr. Meredith's article, " An Essay in Comedy,"<br />
is being published in a small volume by Messrs.<br />
Constable. It appeared originally in the New<br />
Quarterly Review in 1877. Mr. Meredith entered<br />
upon his seventieth year on the 12th ult.<br />
A new story by Mr. Silas K. Hocking, entitled<br />
"The Blindness of Madge Tindall," will be pub-<br />
lished shortly by Messrs. Warne.<br />
"Who is She?" is the title of a novel by<br />
Professor P. Jones, to be published by Messrs.<br />
Nichols.<br />
Mr. Crockett's " Lad's Love " is due for publi-<br />
cation on the 12th.<br />
The personal life of the Queen which Mr.<br />
Richard Holmes is writing for the Goupil Gallery<br />
art monographs is expected to be ready by the<br />
great celebrations in June. The Edition de luxe, on<br />
Japanese paper, price J68, is sold out.<br />
A new edition of "Letters addressed to A. P.<br />
Watt," has just been issued by Messrs. A. P.<br />
Watt and Son, with a number of additional letters<br />
from authors. These all testify to the value of<br />
the literary agent, or, to be precise, of Mr. Watt's<br />
services in selling the writer's literary works to the<br />
greatest possible advantage.<br />
Major J. R. Macdonald, of the Royal Engineers,<br />
who was engaged in the survey for the Uganda<br />
railway, has written a work on "Soldiering and<br />
Surveying in British East Africa," which will be<br />
published by Mr. Edward Arnold.<br />
A record by Mr. Francis McNab of his journey<br />
in South Africa is to be published by Mr. Arnold,<br />
entitled " On Veldt and Farm."<br />
Sir George Trevelyan, who has retired from<br />
Parliament because of ill-health, is engaged upon<br />
an historical work dealing with the end of the<br />
last century.<br />
Sir Martin Conway's book on his recent expe-<br />
dition is expected to be ready this month, and<br />
will be called "The First Crossing of Spitz-<br />
bergen."<br />
"British Moralists " is the title of two volumes<br />
of selections, principally from writers of the<br />
eighteenth century, which Mr. L. A. Selby-Bigge<br />
has prepared for publication by the Clarendon<br />
Press.<br />
A new series of classical texts for the use of<br />
English-speaking students, edited by well-known<br />
scholars, is about to be published by Messrs.<br />
Methuen. Among the editors are Professor<br />
Tyrrell of Dublin, Dr. Sandys of Cambridge, and<br />
Professor Robinson Ellis of Oxford.<br />
A Somali-English Dictionary is to be published<br />
by Messrs. Kegan Paul.<br />
There are 2186 magazines published in the<br />
United Kingdom. Fifty years ago the number<br />
was 200.<br />
The Bronte Society's museum at Haworth is to<br />
be formally opened at Easter.<br />
Two new romances by the late William Morris<br />
are about to be published from the Kelmscott<br />
Press. The first to appear will be "The Water<br />
of the Wondrous Isle," and some time after-<br />
wards there will come "The Sundering Flood,"<br />
which is the last romance written by Mr.<br />
Morris.<br />
The Rev. Morris Fuller, vicar of St. Mark's,<br />
Marylebone, is writing the biography of Bishop<br />
Davenant, who occupied the See of Salisbury<br />
and assisted Archbishop Laud in carrying out<br />
his reforms. Messrs. Methuen will publish the<br />
volume.<br />
The book called "Four Generations of a<br />
Literary Familv—the Hazlitts," by Mr. Carew<br />
Hazlitt, has been withdrawn from sale by<br />
Mr. Redway, owing to complaints as to its<br />
character.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 268 (#320) ############################################<br />
<br />
268<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Mr. Gosse is to edit for Mr. Heinemann a series<br />
•of short histories entitled "Literatures of the<br />
World." Among those who will contribute<br />
volumes are Professor Dowden, Dr. Garnett, Dr.<br />
Verral, Professor G. G. Murray, and Dr. C. H.<br />
Herford.<br />
A new and cheap edition of Dr. Hill Burton's<br />
"History of Scotland" will be published by<br />
Messrs. Blackwood in eight volumes.<br />
Professor Rhys and Mr. Brynmor Jones, who<br />
sat on the Welsh Laud Commission, are joint<br />
authors of a work entitled " The Welsh People,"<br />
announced for publication by Mr. Unwin.<br />
"England in the Days of Old " is the title of<br />
a work which Mr. William Andrews has written,<br />
and will publish shortly.<br />
The life of the late Lord Tennyson, by<br />
his son, the present lord, will be published in<br />
October.<br />
When Sir Kichard Burton was Consul at<br />
Damascus, he collected material for a work now<br />
entitled " Human Sacrifice among the Sephardi'm,<br />
or Eastern Jews; or the Murder of Padre<br />
Tomaso." The book was written, but, owing to<br />
its strong anti-semitic tendencies, publication was<br />
delayed. It is now about to be published, prac-<br />
tically as it left the author's bands, by Messrs.<br />
Hutchinson.<br />
Mr. Gladstone will publish this spring a second<br />
series of " Gleanings" from his occasional writings.<br />
The first volume will contain ecclesiastical and<br />
theological essays.<br />
An uncatalogued collection of nearly 40,000<br />
volumes, containing the greater part of Bishop<br />
Stillingfleet's library, has been discovered by Dr.<br />
Stokes in Marsh's Library, Dublin.<br />
The book of chapters of medical life and work,<br />
which was finished by Sir Benjamin Ward<br />
Richardson just before he died, is to be published<br />
immediately by Messrs. Macmillan, entitled "Vita<br />
Medica."<br />
Mr. Francis Thompson's new book, to be pub-<br />
lished by Messrs. Constable, will be called " Odes<br />
and Other Poems."<br />
In sending copies of Dr. Nansen's book to the<br />
Press for review, the publishers, Messrs. A.<br />
Constable and Co., requested editors not to<br />
publish extracts or quotations from it exceeding<br />
in all 1000 words. "The safeguarding of our<br />
interests in this country and in America," they<br />
added, "compels us to impose this condition."<br />
We imagine that Messrs. Constable have thus set<br />
an example that is likely to be followed by many<br />
other hrinses.<br />
"Here is rather a novel experience for people<br />
of letters," says the Daily Chronicle. "An<br />
author has just received the following letter :—<br />
My attention has been attracted by a notice in the<br />
of [naming the book]. In it the reviewer<br />
finds fault in style and English. You might find me useful.<br />
I devote myself wholly to revising, and work for some<br />
of the most successful authors. Naturally, I never give<br />
their names, but I can refer you to Messrs. Hutchinson,<br />
the publishers, for whom and for whose authors I do a good<br />
deal of work. The inclosed circular, too, will probably<br />
satisfy yon of my competence for what I undertake.—Yours<br />
faithfully, A. Heald (Anglophil).<br />
"The author's first impulse was naturally to desire<br />
the scalp of the person who wrote the letter. On<br />
second thoughts, however, it was regarded as a<br />
good joke," and sent to our contemporary for<br />
publication.<br />
Mr. Eustace Reynolds-Ball contributes to the<br />
March English Illustrated Magazine an article<br />
(illustrated from original protographs) on Shelley<br />
Land and the Levantine Riviera. It appears<br />
that there is some risk of the historic Casa Magna,<br />
near Spezia, where Shelley lived during the last<br />
few months previous to his death, being pulled<br />
down to make room for "eligible villa residences."<br />
Mr. Reynolds-Ball suggests that a fund should be<br />
raised by subscription to preserve the house as a<br />
memorial of the poet. Perhaps the Society for<br />
the Preservation of Places of Historic Interest will<br />
consider the proposal.<br />
Mr. Herbert Flowerdew, whose satire, called<br />
"The Tenth Muse," was announced in these<br />
columns, now writes to explain that he has<br />
unwittingly taken a title already used by Sir<br />
Edwin Arnold, and that he has therefore changed<br />
his title to " In an Ancient Mirror."<br />
Headon Hill has delivered complete "copy" of<br />
the serial which he was recently commissioned by<br />
Messrs. Cassell and Co. to write for their Family<br />
Magazine, and is now engaged upon the proofs<br />
of his next volume. The book, which will<br />
shortly be issued by Messrs. Ward, Lock, and<br />
Co., is entitled "Beacon Fires," and deals with<br />
stirring events on the British coasts in war<br />
time.<br />
Messrs. Chapman and Hall will shortly publish<br />
a novel by Mr. Alan Oscar, entitled "Captain<br />
Kid's Millions." The first part of the story<br />
appeared in Chapman's Magazine for February;<br />
with a sequel added it is now to appear as a 6*.<br />
book.<br />
Mr. John Pendleton, the author of "Our<br />
Railways," and other works, has just completed a<br />
novel, "The Ivory Queen," a story of strange<br />
adventure, which will be published shortly by<br />
Messrs. Osgood, Mcllvaine and Co.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 269 (#321) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
269<br />
Here is a pretty subject for the research of the<br />
unoccupied specialist in Court literary affairs. A<br />
second-hand bookseller offers in his recently issued<br />
catalogue, under the number 9282, "Deutsche<br />
Gedenkbliitter, 1870-1871" (German memorial<br />
leaves), published for the benefit of the funds of<br />
the Patriotic Women's Aid Society. The price is<br />
twenty marks. The volume so offered for sale is,<br />
the Berlin correspondent of the Daily News says,<br />
the copy which the late Empress Augusta sent to<br />
Queen Victoria, as a present, and bears the follow-<br />
ing dedication written by the Empress: "To my<br />
dear Victoria, from her faithful sister, cousin, and<br />
friend, Augusta." Nobody can say how this<br />
book came into the possession of the bookseller.<br />
A correspondent of the Daily Chronicle has<br />
been "discovering" Pietari Paivarinta, who was<br />
born seventy years ago at Ylivieska, not far out-<br />
side the Arctic circle. The son of a poor labourer,<br />
his youth was spent in abject misery. He married<br />
at twenty, and cleared himself a patch in the vast<br />
forest. Later on he became parish clerk, and,<br />
enjoying a little leisure, wrote letters to the<br />
patriotic papers. At forty, he ventured to pub-<br />
lish a volume entitled "Episodes of the Great<br />
War," and every Tear he has repeated the experi-<br />
ment. His tales have a distinct flavour, marking<br />
well the difference between the Turanian type of<br />
humanity and the more familiar type of peasant<br />
of Russia or Scandinavia. Paivarinta is hale and<br />
hearty, and not without honour in his own<br />
country.<br />
Two of the scarcest of the Kelmscott Press books,<br />
namely, "King Florus,'' on vellum (of which the<br />
issue was but twelve copies in all), and the same<br />
on paper, have been stolen from the shop of<br />
Messrs. Jones and Evans, Queen-street, Cheap-<br />
side. A propos the theft, some particulars of<br />
how such things are done have been supplied to<br />
the Westminster Gazette. Sometimes the thief<br />
leaves behind him another volume which is out-<br />
wardly the same as the one taken. A single leaf<br />
is often all that he wants to complete a volume,<br />
and in this event he simply slips in a piece of wet<br />
string and puts the book back on the shelves;<br />
then, when the leaf has been rotted through, he<br />
returns and carries it off. Occasionally, as in<br />
the case of the house painter who carried off a<br />
first edition of Burns from Lord Rosebery's<br />
house, the thief is ignorant of the value of the<br />
book, but the most daring thefts are usually<br />
committed by those who know something about<br />
the subject—broken-down publishers, literary<br />
hacks who have seen better days, and so on.<br />
LITERATURE IN THE PERIODICALS.<br />
The Bookselling Trade in 1896. Bookseller for Feb. 5.<br />
Reviewing. Opinions of authors in Westminster Gazette<br />
for Jan. 27 and Feb. 10; of Mr. Lang in Longman's for<br />
March; of Mr. Payn in Windsor for March.<br />
The Battle of the Books. Professor Raleigh.<br />
Cosmopolis for February.<br />
The Child in Recent English Literature. Pro-<br />
fessor Sully. Fortnightly Review for February.<br />
Wordsworth's Youth. Leslie Stephen. National<br />
Review for February.<br />
The Rival Poet in Shakespeare's Sonnets. O. A.<br />
Leigh. Westminster Review for February.<br />
The Indian Mutiny in Fiction. Blackwood for<br />
February.<br />
The Celtic Renascence. Andrew Lang. Blackwood<br />
for February.<br />
Ancient Bohemian Poetry. Frederick Count Lntzow.<br />
New Review for February.<br />
William Morris, Philanthropist and Poet. D. F.<br />
Hannigan. Westminster Review for February.<br />
Gibbon's Life and Letters. H. W. Paul. Nineteenth<br />
Century for February<br />
Reminiscences of Matthew Arnold. Dean Farrar.<br />
Temple Magazine for March.<br />
Notable Review.<br />
Of Morris's ■• The Well at the World's End." Athensrum<br />
for Feb. 20.<br />
The apotheosis of the six-shilling novel, in one<br />
volume, was the leading feature of the bookselling<br />
trade of 1896—according to the results of an<br />
inquiry which the Bookseller has been conducting.<br />
A complete consensus of opinion is found as to the<br />
benefit which the bookseller has gained from the<br />
abolition of the three volume novel, and the<br />
subs itution of the single volume one. The latter<br />
is purchasable by the majority of people at the<br />
very time that all the papers are full of its merits<br />
or demerits, while under the previous regime the<br />
six-shilling edition was often kept back till all<br />
active interest in the book had died away. The<br />
prosperity of the six-shilling novel has meant<br />
the decline of the cheap yellow-back and the<br />
shilling shocker, and curiously enough, the latter<br />
has been supplanted by the 6rf. popular magazine.<br />
The growth of magazine literature, indeed, has<br />
been so grrat that some booksellers are afraid that<br />
it will do permanent harm to the craft of hook-<br />
selling pure and simple. A competitor more often<br />
complained of however, is the " cycling mania."<br />
"We fear," says our contemporary, "that we<br />
cannot offer our readers any hopeful anticipation,<br />
at least for two or three years, as cycling certainly<br />
seems to have come to stay, and whether for good<br />
or evil, will have to lie made the best of."<br />
There is a feeling in favour of other classes<br />
of books besides fiction being offered in the<br />
popular six-shilling form. History, biography,<br />
and travel, the Bookseller informs us, find ready<br />
purchasers, but in many cases these books are<br />
issued at prices which are almost prohibitory,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 270 (#322) ############################################<br />
<br />
270<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
and compel readers to obtain them from the<br />
library. Fiction was the literature most in<br />
demand during 1896, especially tales dealing<br />
with the romance of history. "The 'problem'<br />
novel and the ' sexual' novel would seem to have<br />
had their day, and have ceased to be at any rate."<br />
Another important feature in the past year was<br />
the increase of tasteful reprints, and it is clear<br />
that this field is capable of great development.<br />
Although the year throughout the Kingdom<br />
was successful beyond the average of the last<br />
two or three years (and it is interesting to<br />
note, by the way, that in Ireland reading has<br />
increased at an abnormal rate), the booksellers<br />
continue to air their grievance of discounts. In<br />
some towns associated action is being taken to<br />
put down undercutting; this movement, says<br />
the Bookseller, indicates the only way out of the<br />
difficulty, "and we are told more than once that<br />
the discounts now given do not sell a single copy<br />
more than would be bought under contrary con-<br />
ditions." There is a general desire to see the net<br />
system largely extended, and some even see in<br />
its entire adoption a way out of the present<br />
difficulties of the book trade. As to which, hear<br />
our contemporary :—<br />
However this may be, it is clear enough that, under the<br />
existing system, books of solid literature and of permanent<br />
learning, appealing to the fen rather than the many, must<br />
be at a great disadvantage, as booksellers are afraid to stock<br />
them, the profit resulting being usually too small to cover<br />
the risk; for with the minimum profit at present possible, the<br />
quicker return offered by ephemeral literature is the only<br />
means ef keeping out of the bankruptcy court.<br />
The Booksellers' Association has moved in this<br />
matter by lately issuing a circular to its members<br />
informing them that at a meeting of delegates of<br />
their society and the Publishers' Association, it<br />
was sugge>ted by the latter that to improve the<br />
state of the retail trade an effort should be made<br />
to revert to 2d. in the i*. discount, and that net<br />
books should be sold at net prices.<br />
In order to enforce this, the sub-committee of the Pub-<br />
lishers' Association are prepared to recommend to their<br />
Council that the present trade terms should be given only<br />
to those booksellers who pledge themselves not to exceed<br />
2(2. in the 18. discount, and to maintain the published price<br />
of net books; those who are unwilling so to pledge them-<br />
selves, to be supplied at script, net, and no odd copy.<br />
"Unless the booksellers are practically unani-<br />
mous in giving their assent to the proposal," the<br />
circular added, " it cannot proceed further."<br />
Miss Florence Marryat has no reason to com-<br />
plain of her own critics, but she thinks the<br />
reading world would get on just as well if there<br />
were no criticism at all. The time is not very<br />
different, remarks Miss Marryat, from that in<br />
which Churchill wrote:<br />
Through whim (our critics) or by envy led;<br />
They damn those authors whom they never read.<br />
Mr. Lang does not regard ordinary reviewing of<br />
books which are not novels as very healthy. Mr.<br />
James Payn thinks signed critiques a mistake,<br />
as the critic ought to be impersonal, and in a<br />
signed criticism of your friend's work, he says,<br />
you are speaking directly to him. Anonymity<br />
lends a fictitious importance to journalists, says<br />
Ouida, who also believes that only two out of<br />
every hundred books issued in England are worth<br />
the paper they are printed upon; while Mr.<br />
Muddock regards it as a matter of common<br />
justice that the producers of books should know<br />
who are the persons who sit in judgment upon<br />
them.<br />
The ideal novel of the Indian Mutiny has still<br />
to be written, says a critical writer in Blackwood.<br />
Of all the trreat events of this century, as they<br />
are represented in fiction, the Indian Mutiny has<br />
taken the firmest hold on the imagination, yet the<br />
many novels, beginning with " Maurice Dering"<br />
in 1864, which have treated the subject have been<br />
dealing with the trivialities. The Blarfticood<br />
writer wants the great living facts of the Mutiny<br />
taken up. It should stand to the epoch of which<br />
it treats as "Westward Ho !" does to the age of<br />
Elizabeth, ever stimulating, ever refreshing. And<br />
who should we like to write it? He, says the<br />
writer, "upon whom more than on any other in<br />
this generation the mantle of Charles Kingsley<br />
has fallen "—Mr. Rudyatd Kipling.<br />
Professor Sully analyses some of the recent<br />
child books by Mr. Kenneth Grahame, Mr.<br />
Canton, Mr. Barrie, Mrs. Meynell, and others.<br />
With growing intimacy and with deeper observa-<br />
tion, our writers, he says, may be expected to do<br />
better. What is wanted is a frank recognition<br />
of the truth that a child is a subject worthy in<br />
itself of the finest artistic pourtrayal, and that<br />
in the hands of a man it may be admirable with-<br />
out being elongated into a prodigy, and highly<br />
entertaining without being broadened out into a<br />
huge joke.<br />
Mr. Gosse gives a portrait of the late Coventry<br />
Pat more, and Mr. Louis Garvin praises his odes.<br />
To know the man is here indeed, says Mr. Gosse,<br />
essential to the apprehension of his writings. And<br />
the man was angular, vivid, discordant, and yet<br />
exquisitely fascinating. Some called him " namby-<br />
pamby " and " mild," but to hear this was only<br />
entertainment to those who really knew that "he<br />
was the most masterful of men, the very type of<br />
that lofty moral arrogance which antiquity<br />
identified with the thought of Archilochus."<br />
Mr. Garvin is among those who believe Pat-<br />
more's "St. Valentine's Day" to be not un-<br />
worthy of comparison with the "Ode to tiie<br />
Nightingale," of Keats, and with Shellev's " Skv-<br />
lark."<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 271 (#323) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
271<br />
OBITUARY.<br />
THE BOOKS OF THE MONTH.<br />
PROFESSOR CHARLES TOMLINSON,<br />
F.R.S., died at Highgate in his eighty-<br />
ninth year. He was the author of many<br />
handy text-books on natural philosophy, meteor-<br />
ology, and natural history; and in 1854 he<br />
edited " Tomlinson's Cyclopaedia of Useful Arts,<br />
Mechanical and Chemical Manufactures, Mining<br />
and Engineering." He wrote the lives of<br />
Smeeton, Cuvier, and Linnaeus, and was also the<br />
author of "The Inferno of Dante Translated<br />
into English Tierce Rhyme," "Essays Old and<br />
New," "The Chess-Player's Manual," and other<br />
works.<br />
Professor William Wallace, of Oxford Univer-<br />
sity, died at Oxford on the 19th ult. from the<br />
effects of a bicycle accident. Since 1882 he was<br />
White's Professor of Moral Philosophy, succeed-<br />
ing Mr. T. H. Green. As a writer Professor<br />
Wallace was known as the interpreter of certain<br />
German schools of philosophy. Among his works<br />
were "The Logic of Hegel," "Epicureanism,"<br />
"Kant," " Prolegomena to the Study of Hegel,"<br />
and " Hegel's Philosophy of Mind."<br />
The Rev. Samuel Harvey Reynolds, scholar,<br />
teacher, and man of letters, died at Biarritz on<br />
the 7th ult., at the age of sixty-five. He edited<br />
"Bacon's Essays" and "Selden's Table-Talk,"<br />
wrote many magazine articles, and was an earnest<br />
student of Dante. When the Professorship of<br />
Poetry at Oxford became vacant at the close of<br />
Matthew Arnold's tenure, many of Mr. Reynolds'<br />
friends were anxious that he should offer himself<br />
as a candidate.<br />
The Rev. Walter Gregor, LL.D., secretary of<br />
the Scottish Text Society, a high authority on<br />
Scottish folk-lore and the author of several works,<br />
died at Bonnyrigg on the 4th ult.<br />
The Ven. George Gresley Perry, archdeacon of<br />
Stow, in the diocese of Lincoln, who has died at<br />
the age of seventy-seven, was an authority on<br />
religious history, and wrote " The History of the<br />
Church of England," and a few other books.<br />
The Rev. Francis Jacox, the Shakespearean<br />
student and commentator, who also wrote<br />
"Aspects of Authorship, or Bookmarks and<br />
Bookmakers," and other works, died at St. John's<br />
Wood on the 5th ult. in his seventy-first year.<br />
Abroad, the deaths occurred of Jacinto Gullina,<br />
the well-known Italian dramatic author; and<br />
Ernst Konrad Ziletmann (" Konrad Telmann "),<br />
the German novelist.<br />
[January 25 to February 23—181 Books.]<br />
Abbott. E. E. The Spirit on the Waters. Macmillan.<br />
Adams, G. Burton. The Growth of the French Nation, 6/-<br />
Maczuillon.<br />
Andrews. E. B. The History of the Last Quarter-Century in the<br />
United States. 1870-189"). 80 - Kegan Paul.<br />
Anonymous. The Earl and the Knight: Passages from a Ministerial<br />
Diary. 1/- King.<br />
Armstrong, A. Under the Circumstances. 6/- Smith, Elder.<br />
Atteridge, A. H. Towards Khartoum. 16/- Innes.<br />
Bain, J. A. Life of Fridtjof Nansen. 6/- Simpkin.<br />
Banks, Mrs. G. L. The Manchester Man (special edition). 15/- net.<br />
Manchester: A. Hey wood and Son.<br />
Barrett, Frank. A Missing Witness. Chatto.<br />
Beazley, 0. B. The Dawn of Modern Geography. 18/- Murray.<br />
Betts, E. St. G. Sun and Mist (Poems). 8/6 net. Unwin.<br />
Bjdmson, Bjornstjerno. Magnhild and Dust. 8/- net. Heinemann.<br />
Book-Plate Annual and Armorial Year Book 1897. 9/6. Black.<br />
Bourinot. J. G. Canada (Story of the Nations). 6/- Unwln.<br />
Brewer, J. F. The Speculators. 6/- Methuen.<br />
Brouardel, P. Death and Sudden Death (tr. by F. L. Benham). 10,6.<br />
Brown, A. Mercy Warren [Biography]. 6/- Murray.<br />
Buckland, A. W. Margaret Moore, Spinster. 6/- Ward and Downey.<br />
Buck-master, J. C, editor. A Village Politician [John Buckley], 6/-<br />
Unwin.<br />
Burroughs, J. Whitman: A Study. 6 - net. Constable,<br />
Burrow, C. K. The Way of the Wind. 8 6. Kegan Paul.<br />
Canning, Hon. A. S. G. History in Fact and Fiction, 6/-<br />
Sniith. Elder.<br />
Carnarvon, (4th) Earl of. The Defence of the Empire (ed. by Sir G. S.<br />
Clarke). 6/- Murray.<br />
Causton, J. F. A Modern Judas. 6/- Digby.<br />
Cave, H. W. The Bulned Cities of Ceylon. Sampson Low.<br />
Chambers, G. F. The Story of the Weather Simply Told. 1/-<br />
Newnes.<br />
Chaney, H. J. Our Weights and Measures. 7/6. Eyre and Spottis-<br />
woode.<br />
Christiansen, 0. Elements of Theoretical Physics (tr. W. F. Magie).<br />
12/6 net Macmillan.<br />
Church, the late Dean. Occasional Papers. 10 - Macmillan.<br />
Clarke. A. A Monograph on the Cathedral Church of Wells.<br />
1/6 net. Smith.<br />
Clarke, Sir G. S. and Thursfield, J. B. The Navy and the Nation. 14/-<br />
Murray.<br />
Cleeve. Lucaa. The Water-Finder. 3/6. Hutchinson.<br />
Cliffe, F. H. A Daughter's Grief. 3 0 net, Bellairs.<br />
Cornish, V. Short Studies in Physical Science, Mineralogy,<br />
Chemistry, and Physics. 5/- Sampson Low.<br />
Costelloe, B. F. C. and Muirhead, J. H. Aristotle and the Earlier<br />
Peripatetics (tr. from Zeller). 24/- Longmans.<br />
Cowley, A. E. and Nenbauer, A. (editors). The Original Hebrew of a<br />
Portion of EccleslasticuB(xxxix. 15 to xlix. 11). 10/6 net. Frowde<br />
Crane. Stephen. The Little Regiment. 2.6 net. Heinemann.<br />
Craufurd, A. H. Christian Instinct and Modern Doubt. 6/- Clarke<br />
Doudet, Alphonse. Jock (tr. by L. Ensor). 5,- net. Dent.<br />
Dawe, W. C. Kakemonos: Tales of the Far East. 3 6 net. Lane.<br />
Dewe, J. A. New Thoughts on Current Subjects. Stock.<br />
Dawson, A. J. Mere Sentiment. 3. 6 net. Lane.<br />
Duff, Sir M. E. Grant. Notes from a Diary. 1851-72. 18/- Murray.<br />
DuncanB. How Money Makes Money. Wilson.<br />
Eastlake, F. W., and Yozki-Aki. Yamoda. Heroic Japan. 18,-<br />
Sampson Low.<br />
Ebert, H. Magnetic Fields of Force (tr. from German by C Burton).<br />
Part I. 10/6 net. LongmanB.<br />
Eeles, F. 0. Church and other Bells of Kincardineshire. 5/- net.<br />
Stock.<br />
Encyclopaedia of the Laws of England. By eminent legal authorities.<br />
VoL I. Abandonment to Bankruptcy. 20/- net Sweet and<br />
Maxwell<br />
Everard, H. S. 0. Golf In Theory and Practice. 8/6. Bell.<br />
Farningham^M. In Evening Lights. 2/6. Clarke<br />
Farrar, F. W., and otherB. Prophets of the Christan Faith. 15 -<br />
Clarke.<br />
Fendall, P., and Russell, F. Out of the Darkness. 6 - Smith, Elder.<br />
Fitzgerald, Rear Admiral, C. 0. P. Life of Vice-Admlral Sir Georgn<br />
Tryon, KC.B. 21/- Blackwood.<br />
Fitzgerald, P. F. The Rational, or Scientific, Ideal of Morality.<br />
7/6 Sonnenschein.<br />
Fleming, Mrs. (A. M. Kipling). A Pinchbeck Goddess. 8 6.<br />
Heinemann.<br />
Fletcher, W. Y. Foreign Bookbindings in the British Museum. 63,'-<br />
Eegan Paul.<br />
Fothergill, C. A Matter of Temperament 6/- Black.<br />
Frazer. R. W. British India (Story of the Nations aeries). 5 -<br />
Unwlr.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 272 (#324) ############################################<br />
<br />
272<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
"G. G." Great Scott. The Chaser, Ac. 3 6 net. Bellairs.<br />
Gallon, Tom, Tatterley. ft - Hutchinson.<br />
Gardiner. L. The Sound of a Voice. 6 - Hurat and Blackett.<br />
Garrett, E., and Edwards, E. J. The Story of an African <>isis.<br />
3 6. Constable.<br />
Gill. W. A. Edward Cracroft Lefroy. 5'- net. Lane.<br />
Glynn, AnnaL. A Pearl of the Realm 6,- Hutchinson.<br />
Gordon, JameB. The Village and the Doctor 6 - Methuen.<br />
Gordon, Samuel. A Handful of Exotics 8 6. Methuen.<br />
Gower, Lord E. Selections from the Letters of De Brosaea. 10 6.<br />
Regan Paul.<br />
Graham. D. Is Natural Selection the Creator of Species. 6'- Digbv.<br />
GrenfelL B. P., and Hunt, A S. (editors). Greek Papyri., eerie* II.<br />
12 fi net. Froude.<br />
Hall. R. N. Gilbert Vance, Curate. 6/- Western Mall.<br />
Harris J. R. and H. B. Letters from the Scenes of the Recent<br />
Massacres in Armenia 6 - Nisbet.<br />
Herrord, C. H. The Age or Wordsworth (H indbook Eng. Lit.) 3 «.<br />
Bell.<br />
Hill, J, and Bacon. G. F. Dinah Fleet. 6/- Downey.<br />
Bills. A. E Elflnn's Luck and Other Poems. 4 0 net. Innes.<br />
Hindo S. L The Fall of the Congo Arabs. 12 6. Methuen.<br />
Hohenlohe-Ingelflnge. Kraft Prinz zu. Conversations on Cavalry<br />
(tr by Lieut. C Beiehmann) 7 6 Eeliher.<br />
Hooley, E. T. Tarragal, or Bush Lifein Aust alia 3 6. (Jay and Bird.<br />
Hope. Anthony. Phroso, a Romance 6/- Methuen.<br />
Houghton. A. E. Gilbert Murray, a Novel, fi - Smith. Elder.<br />
Howard. J. J. and Crisp, F. A- Visitation of Ireland—Vol. I Sub-<br />
scription price 21/- Private Press of F. A. Crisp.<br />
Howard, W. The Evolution of the Universe. 12 6 net. Nisbet.<br />
Humphry, Mrs. Manners for Men. 1/- Bowden.<br />
JameB. Henry. The Spoils of Poynton. 6/- Heiuemann.<br />
Johnson. J. Musa Medic a. 2/6. Savoy PreBS.<br />
JohiiBton-Smiih. F. J. The Captain of the Dolphin and Other Poems<br />
of the Sea. 3 6 net Digby.<br />
Johnstone, T. B. The Land o' Cakes and Brither Scots. Gardner.<br />
Jokai, Maurus. The Green Book, or Freedom under the Snow. 6'-<br />
Jiirrold.<br />
Keith, G. S. Plea for a Simpler Faith Kegan Paul.<br />
Knight. E. F. Letters from the Soudan, s i; net. Maemillan.<br />
Knott, C. G. Physics. An Elementary Text-Book. Chambers.<br />
Lander. H. Weighed in the Balance 4 fi net. Lane.<br />
Lear. Mrs. H L.Sidney. 'Joy." a Fragment. 2/6. Longmans.<br />
Leask W. K. James Boswell (FanioiiB Scots). 1/6. Ollphant.<br />
Le Gallienne, B. The Quest of the Golden Girl. 5 - net. Lane.<br />
Le Gallienne, R.. editor. Walton and Cotton's "The Compleat<br />
Angler." 1ft - net. Lane.<br />
Lep lletler, E. Madame Sins-Gone (tr. J. A. J de Vllliers) 3 6.<br />
Chatto.<br />
Leys. J K. The Lawyer's Secret. 3,6. Warne.<br />
Liu. J. J. The Nieene Creed. 6/- Sonnenschein.<br />
Litcrfiry Yeor-Book, 1897. 8/6. G. Allen.<br />
Locke. Clinton. The Age of the Great Western Schism [Eras of the<br />
Christian Church]. 6/- Clark<br />
Luckock, H. M. Footprints of the Apostles. 12/- Longmans.<br />
Ludlow, J. M. The Age of the Crusaders [Eras of the Christian<br />
Church]. 6/- rlark.<br />
Macdonaltl. J. C. Chronologies and Calendais. 7 6. Andrews.<br />
Madden, J. The Wilderness and Its TenantB. 42,- Simpkin.<br />
Maitland, F. W. Domesday Book and Beyond 15/- Clay.<br />
Markby. Sir Wm The Indian Evidence Act. 3 6 net. Frowde,<br />
Marlowe, C (Harriet Jay). The Strange Adventures of Miss Brown.<br />
Buchanan.<br />
Maude, Captain F. N. Voluntaiy versus Compulsory Service. .*> -<br />
Stanford.<br />
Maude, W. C. Property Law for General Readers. Wilson.<br />
Mason. C. M. Parents and Children, fi/- Kegan Paul.<br />
Me Lin lock, R. Goethe's ■' Faust." 1st part. 10 - net. Nutt.<br />
Me1v>l]),J. Crystal Gazing and the Wondeis of Clairvoyance. -<br />
Nichols.<br />
Mllman. C. Through London Spectacles. 3/6. Smith. Elder.<br />
Molloy, J. F. A Juatitifd Sinner. 6/- Downey.<br />
Moore, H. S. The New Rules of the Road at Sea. 3/- Potter<br />
Moult on. L. C. In Childfood's Country. Bowden.<br />
Mtiller. F. Max Contributions to the Science of Mythology. 32 -<br />
Longmans.<br />
Mailer, Mrs. Max. Letters from Constantinople. 6 - Longmans.<br />
Nansen, Fridtjof. Farthest North. 42/ net.<br />
Napier, A. D. Leitb. The Menopause and its<br />
Neuman. B P. The Supplanter.<br />
NeviuB J. L. Demoo Possession and Allied<br />
Newton. A. V. Patent Law and Practice.<br />
Nisbet. Hume. The Swampers.<br />
Norris. W. E. Clarissa Furiosa. 6 -<br />
Ommanney, G. D. W. A Critical Dissertation<br />
Creed. 16/-<br />
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&c, &c, &c.<br />
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| 301 | https://historysoa.com/items/show/301 | The Author, Vol. 07 Issue 11 (April 1897) | <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.+07+Issue+11+%28April+1897%29"><em>The Author</em>, Vol. 07 Issue 11 (April 1897)</a> | | | <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049239455</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> | 1897-04-01-The-Author-7-11 | | | | | 273–300 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=89&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=7">7</a> | | | | | | | | | | | <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=76&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1897-04-01">1897-04-01</a> | | | | | | | 11 | | | 18970401 | Ube Hutbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
V0L.VII.—N0.11.] APRIL i, 1897. [Price Sixpence.<br />
CONT<br />
PADS<br />
Notices, &C 273<br />
From the Committee 27s<br />
Lkor&ry Property—<br />
1. An Agreement 276<br />
. 2. Copyright in New Zealand 277<br />
3. Damages for the loss of a MS 277<br />
4. Infringement of Copyright 278<br />
6. The Nineteenth Congress of the International Literary and<br />
Artistic Association at Monaco 279<br />
The Book Trade of Germany 280<br />
Corrections 280<br />
New York Letter. By Norman Hapgood 281<br />
ENTS.<br />
PAH<br />
Notes from Elsewhere. By B. H. Sherard 283<br />
Notes and News. By the Editor 285<br />
Some Volumes of Verse 287<br />
Editor and Contributor. By Bartle Teeling 288<br />
"Stories Wanted" 289<br />
Correspondence.—1. The Subjunctive Mood; Its Present Day Use.<br />
2. Paying for Publication. 3. Viktor Bydberg. 4. The House<br />
where Byron was Born. 5. Corruption of the Language ...291<br />
Literature In the Periodicals 295<br />
Book Talk S96<br />
Obituary 298<br />
The Books of the Month 299<br />
PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY.<br />
1. The Annual Report. That for January 1896 can be had on application to the Secretary.<br />
2. The Author. A Monthly Journal devoted especially to the protection and maintenance of Literary<br />
Property. Issued to all Members, 6*. 6d. per annum. Back numbers are offered at the<br />
following prices: Vol. I., ios. 6d. (Bound); Vols. II., III., and IV., 8s. 6d. each (Bound);<br />
Vol. V., 6s. 6d. (Unbound).<br />
3. Literature and the Pension List. By W. Morris Colles, Barrister-at-Law. (Henry GUaisher,<br />
95, Strand, W.C.) 3*.<br />
4. The History Of the Societe des Q-ens de Lettres. By S. Squire Sprioge, late Secretary to<br />
the Society, is.<br />
5. The Cost of Production. In this work specimens are given of the most important forms of type,<br />
size of page, Ac, with estimates showing what it costs to produce the more common kinds of<br />
books. Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 2s. 6d.<br />
6. The Various Methods Of Publication. By S. Squire Sprigge. In this work, compiled from the<br />
papers in the Society's offices, the various forms of agreements proposed by Publishers to<br />
Authors are examined, and their meaning carefully explained, with an account of the various<br />
kinds of fraud which have been made possible- by the different clauses in their agreements.<br />
Henry Glaisher, 95, Strand, W.C. 3*.<br />
7. Copyright Law Reform. An Exposition of Lord MonkswelPs Copyright Bill now before Parlia-<br />
ment. With Extracts from the Report of the Commission of 1878, and an Appendix<br />
containing the Berne Convention and the American Copyright Bill. By J. M. Lely. Eyre<br />
and Spottiswoode. is. 6d.<br />
8. The Society of Authors. A. Record of its Action from its Foundation. By Walter Besant<br />
(Chairman of Committee, 1888—1892). is.<br />
9. The Contract of Publication in Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland. By Ernst<br />
Lunge, J.U.D. 2s. 6d.''~<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 272 (#328) ############################################<br />
<br />
11<br />
AD VER TISEMENTS.<br />
^t)e J5octefp of Jluf^ors (gttcorpor ateb).<br />
Sib Edwin Arnold, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.<br />
A ipred Austin.<br />
J. M. Babbie<br />
A. W. X Beckett.<br />
P. E. Beddabd, F.B.S.<br />
ROBERT BATSMAN.<br />
Sib Henry Bergne, K.C.M.G.<br />
Sib Walter Besant.<br />
Augustine Bibbbll, M.P.<br />
Rev. Pbop. Bonnet, F.B.S.<br />
Bight Hon. Jakes Bbtce, M.P.<br />
Bight Hon. Lord Bubqhclebe, P.C<br />
Hall Caine.<br />
Egebton Castle, F.S.A.<br />
P. W. Clatden.<br />
Edward Clodd.<br />
W. Morris Colles.<br />
Hon. John Collieb.<br />
Sib W. Mabtin Conway.<br />
F. Marion Crawford.<br />
PRESIDENT.<br />
GEORGE IMIIEIEaiEIDITIH:<br />
COUNCIL.<br />
The Earl of Desabt.<br />
Austin Dobson.<br />
A. Conan Dotle, M.D<br />
A. W. Duboubg.<br />
Prof. Michael Fosteb, F.B.S.<br />
Bichabd Gabnett, C.B., LL.D.<br />
Edmund Gosse.<br />
H. Bideb Haggabd.<br />
Thomas Hardt.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
Jebome K. Jebome.<br />
Budyabd Kipling.<br />
Pbop. E. Bay Lankesteb, F.B.S.<br />
W. E. H. Lecky.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Mbs. E. Lynn Linton.<br />
Bev. W. J. Loftie, F.SA.<br />
Sir A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Pbof. J. M. D. Meiklejohn.<br />
Herman C. Mebivalb.<br />
Bet. C. H. Middleton-Wake.<br />
Sib Lewis Mobbis.<br />
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J. C. Parkinson.<br />
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W. Baptists Scoones.<br />
Miss Floba L. Shaw.<br />
G. B. Sims.<br />
S. Squire Spbigge.<br />
J. J. Stevenson.<br />
Pbof. Jas. Sully.<br />
William Moy Thomas.<br />
H. D. Tbaill, D.C.L.<br />
Mrs. Humphby Ward.<br />
Miss Charlotte M. Yonge.<br />
Hon. Counsel — E. M. Undebdown, Q.C.<br />
A W. a Beckett.<br />
Sib Walteb Besant.<br />
Egerton Castle.<br />
W. Mobbis Colles.<br />
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT<br />
Chairman—H. Bideb Haggard.<br />
Hon. John Collier.<br />
Sib W. Martin Conway.<br />
Anthony Hope Hawkins.<br />
J. M. Lely.<br />
Solicitors-<br />
( Messrs. Field, Boscoe, and Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields.<br />
I G. Herbert Thbing, B.A., 4, Portugal-street, W.C.<br />
Sib A. C. Mackenzie, Mus.D.<br />
Henby Norman.<br />
S. Squire Spbigge.<br />
Secretary—G. Herbert Thbing, B.A.<br />
OFFICES: 4, Pobtugal Stbeet, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.<br />
IP. WATT <3c SON,<br />
LITERARY AGENTS,<br />
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Have now removed to<br />
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Offiees of "The Field," "The Queen," "The Law Times," &e.<br />
Mr. HOEACE COX, Printer to the Authors' Society, takes the opportunity of informing Authors that, having a very<br />
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## p. 273 (#329) ############################################<br />
<br />
TZhc Hutbor*<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. u.] APRIL i, 1897. [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 post, 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, bnt 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 />
EOE some years it has been the practice to insert, in<br />
every number of The Author, certain " General Con-<br />
siderations," Warnings, Notices,&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 againBt, 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 iB 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. VII.<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 syBtem, which has opened the door to a most<br />
amazing amount 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 connected with royalties are published in The Author.<br />
Readers can 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 be their maximum. Therefore every<br />
author, for every book, should arrange on the chance 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 common 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 tor<br />
exchanged advertisements; and that all discounts shall be<br />
duly entered.<br />
If these points are carefully looked after, the author may<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 />
secretory before he signs it.<br />
F F 2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 274 (#330) ############################################<br />
<br />
274 THE AUTHOR.<br />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
I. |/>VERY member has a right to ask for and to reeeire<br />
l*J advice upon his agreements, his choice of a pub-<br />
lisher, or any dispute arising in the condnct 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 connected with copyright<br />
and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within the<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not Bcruple<br />
to use the Society first—our solicitors are continually<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 yon 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 everything<br />
important to literature that you may hear or meet 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 tho safe. The Society now offers:—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon<br />
them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
THE AUTHORS' SYNDICATE.<br />
~V|~ EMBERS are informed:<br />
J_TJ_ j . That the Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the business of members of tho Society. That it<br />
submits MSS. to publishers and editors, concludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects accounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the trouble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon which its services can be secured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndicate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That the Syndicate can only undertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia-<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that ail<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice should be given.<br />
6. That every attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in all cases, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence; does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded without notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
lectures by some of the leading members of the Society;<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for tho sale and<br />
purchase of journals and periodicals; and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wanted" is open. Members are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to the Manager.<br />
There is an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called upon in any case of dispute or difficulty. It<br />
is perhaps necessary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndicate.<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 Seoretary 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?<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, whether<br />
members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate<br />
to tho Editor any points connected with their work whioh<br />
it would be advisable in the general interest to 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 mnst also be distinctly under-<br />
stood that the Society does not, under any circumstances,<br />
undertake the publication of MSS.<br />
The Authors' Club is now open in its new premises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-court, Charing Ctosb. Address the Secretary<br />
for information, rules of admission, Ac.<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 savo him tho<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 givo a solicitor tho collection of their rents for five<br />
years to come, whatever his conduct, whether he was honest<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 275 (#331) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
275<br />
or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for a moment when they are asked to sign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five 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 means, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing sums," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the cost of binding<br />
is set down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now stands<br />
at Jtg 4«. The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be procured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
bill is bo elastic a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
arrived at.<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 Bums 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 practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
FROM THE COMMITTEE.<br />
AMEETING of the Council and Shareholders<br />
of the Society was held in the Japan Room<br />
of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical<br />
Society, 20, Hanover-square, on the 3rd March at<br />
four o'clock. Mr. H. Rider Haggard took the<br />
chair. The report and balance-sheet of the Society<br />
for the past year were laid before the meeting, and<br />
after some discussion were adopted.<br />
General Meeting.<br />
The Annual General Meeting of the Incor-<br />
porated Society of Authors was held on the 3rd<br />
March at 4.30 p.m. at the rooms of the Royal<br />
Medical and Chirurgical Society, 20, Hanover-<br />
square, W. Mr. H. Rider Haggard presided.<br />
Amongst those present were the following: Sir<br />
Walter Besant, Mr. H. M. Lely, Mr. W. Morris<br />
Colles, Mr. Anthony Hope Hawkins, Mr. A. W.<br />
a Beckett, Mr. J. J. Stevenson, Miss Challice,<br />
Mr. Mackenzie Bell, Mr. Bram Stoker, Mr. Basil<br />
Field, Lady Colin Campbell, Mr. F. Gribble, Mr.<br />
J. Louis, and many other members of the Society.<br />
The Chairman, before commenting on the<br />
report, read the following statement: "Since the<br />
report was drafted, Mr. Hall Caine, whose great<br />
services in Canada the Society has already acknow-<br />
ledged, has informed the Committee that he had<br />
been in communication with the Colonial Office<br />
and the Dominion Government on the subject of<br />
Canadian copyright. The Committee, not being<br />
at present in possession of detailed information<br />
as to Mr. Caine's action, were unable to make any<br />
statement in regard thereto." He then proceeded<br />
to take the salient points in the report, and said<br />
the Society had lost during the past year tlirough<br />
death several old members and strong supporters,<br />
among them being Miss Mathilde Blind, Sir J. A.<br />
Crowe, Sir J. Eric Ericksen, Professor Middleton,<br />
Mr. George du Maurier, and Sir B. W. Richard-<br />
son. During the year there had been a far-<br />
reaching alteration made in the constitution of<br />
the Society. Last year, at the annual meeting,<br />
the matter of the admission of ladies to the<br />
Council was discussed, and he had to inform<br />
members that, in pursuance of an arrangement<br />
then made, five ladies had consented to be<br />
elected members of the Council, and it was<br />
believed that this movement would tend to the<br />
advantage of the Society, as it was wished that<br />
the Society should be as representative as possible<br />
of both sexes. The finances for the year, he was<br />
glad to say, were on the whole very satisfactory.<br />
They had now an income of over ,£1200 a year,<br />
and a capital account of ^£595, of which J6450<br />
was left the Society by legacy. Considering what<br />
their resources had been in past years, he thought<br />
they had every reason to congratulate themselves.<br />
During the year 208 new members had been<br />
elected, and the cases which had been dealt with<br />
in the offices of the Society numbered no fewer<br />
than no, which was a large increase on the<br />
number for the previous year. Out of a member-<br />
ship of about 1200 no fewer than between 800<br />
and 900 members had been in communication<br />
with the secretary for advice, which really showed<br />
that the Society had been a great boon and<br />
assistance to the large majority of its members.<br />
Last year it was suggested that the Committee<br />
was not sufficiently representative, and therefore<br />
the Committee had taken steps, according to a<br />
resolution passed at the general meeting, to obtain<br />
the opinions of members, and to get committee-<br />
men nominated from the members to meet a sub-<br />
committee and discuss the matter. So little did<br />
the members appear to be dissatisfied with the<br />
management, that no one was nominated to<br />
represent the body of members, so that it<br />
appeared that there was a good deal of excite-<br />
ment without any real foundation of complaint.<br />
During the year the matter of the copyright laws<br />
had been considered in conjunction with others<br />
interested, and the subject was still being pressed<br />
on. He thought that what they all needed was<br />
more esprit de corps, for it was only when such a<br />
spirit animated them that they could do any-<br />
thing real for the great profession of authorship.<br />
It was because the Society did its best to promote<br />
unity of aim that it was entitled to the support<br />
of every author in the kingdom. Some people<br />
thought that the profession of authorship was a<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 276 (#332) ############################################<br />
<br />
276<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
most remunerative one—as remunerative as that<br />
of an Arctic explorer, for instance—(laughter)—<br />
but it was a fact that a large proportion of<br />
authors were by no means rich. It was to help<br />
those who were not strong enough to help them-<br />
selves that the Society aimed, and, in fact, the<br />
Society was the only one that had seriously taken<br />
up the difficulties which beset the profession of<br />
authorship. They were not a warlike Society,<br />
and they did not exist to promote quarrels and<br />
war between publishers and authors. They<br />
existed, it was true, to obtain the rights of<br />
authors, and that they considered it their duty to<br />
do; but they wished to attain that end by esta-<br />
blishing those rights upon a firm and fixed basis.<br />
At the conclusion of the Chairman's address<br />
there was a discussion on various matters relat-<br />
ing to the interests of the Society.<br />
Mr. Perry Coste, in the course of the discussion,<br />
thought the Society might be more representative<br />
of the general profession, and suggested that the<br />
society should be divided into different branches<br />
or faculties with that object in view.<br />
The Chairman said the Committee did its best<br />
to embrace the several sections of literature, and<br />
had just established a sub-committee in relation<br />
to music, the drama, and art.<br />
Replying to a question as to whether journa-<br />
lism could not be more represented, Sir Walter<br />
Besant said that the Institute of Journalists<br />
well looked after that particular branch. More-<br />
over, the Authors' Society did not wish to act in<br />
rivalry or hostility to the Institute.<br />
A long discussion arose out of a proposition to<br />
issue a list of the members of the Society, and it<br />
transpired that a great number of authors would<br />
not allow their names to be published, some even<br />
joining only on the understanding that their<br />
names should not be published.<br />
The Chairman said he could not quite under-<br />
stand the reason, but he suggested that some were<br />
afraid that publishers would not take their work;<br />
but he did not think there was the slightest<br />
ground for that suspicion.<br />
Finally the following motion proposed by Mr.<br />
Percy Ames and seconded by Mr. J. Louis was<br />
passed: "The Committee are requested to take<br />
the sense of the members of the Society as to the<br />
publication of a list of the Society."<br />
A vote of thanks was then proposed to the<br />
Chairman by Mr. Anthony Hope Hawkins, and<br />
seconded by Sir Walter Besant.<br />
The proceedings then terminated.<br />
The Committee have decided to form three<br />
affiliated sub-committees to deal with questions<br />
relating to art, music, aud the drama.<br />
The Art Sub-Committee, which is already<br />
formed, will consist of the Hon. John Collier<br />
(chairman), Sir W. Martin Conway, and Mr.<br />
M. H. Spielmann.<br />
Mr. C. Villiers Stanford has consented to take<br />
the chair of the Musical Sub-Committee. Mr.<br />
J. L. Molloy has also consented to join. No other<br />
member has as yet been appointed.<br />
The Sub-Committee on questions relating to the<br />
Drama will consist of Mr. Henry Arthur Jones<br />
(chairman) and Mr. A. W. a Beckett. The other<br />
places are still vacant.<br />
Or. Herbert Thring, Secretary.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
I.—An Agreement.<br />
THE publisher concerned returns to the<br />
attack, aud again very carefully avoids the<br />
real points. These are that, by the terms<br />
of the agreement, the publisher may make his<br />
edition as large as he pleases; that the author<br />
has to guarantee so much money; that after nine<br />
months the whole edition becomes the publisher's<br />
property. No talk can get away from these hard<br />
facts.<br />
"In the Rejoinder, marked III. in The Aut/ior<br />
for March, concerning ' An Agreement,' the writer<br />
sets out by saying that ' the price of the book in<br />
question has nothing to do with the case '; 'the<br />
actual treatment of the book in question has<br />
nothing to do with the case.' If this is so, it<br />
seems scarcely needful to have raised these points<br />
in dealing with the agreement, or brought them<br />
forward as objectionable.<br />
"The contention of your writer, now that it has<br />
been shown that the book in question has been<br />
well and liberally treated, and that the author has<br />
beeu done justice to, seems to be rather that the<br />
agreement is theoretically faulty, and that this is<br />
of more importance than the treatment the author<br />
has received. This, truly, is putting the letter<br />
before the spirit.<br />
"I contend that, however perfect an agreement<br />
may be, there are always people who will break<br />
through it, if they are dishonest and set them-<br />
selves to do so. The satisfactory publication of<br />
a book depends more on the good feeling and<br />
honesty of purpose of both author and pubUsher,<br />
than on the most elaborate and carefully drawn-<br />
out agreement. Let me put a case which has only<br />
recently occurred in illustration of this. I agreed,<br />
four years ago, with an author that he should<br />
write a book of a given length, on a given subject.<br />
The agreement was definite and unmistakable.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 277 (#333) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
The author drew the payment at the outset, and<br />
promised to deliver the MS. by a given date.<br />
When the date for the delivery of the MS. arrived<br />
he stated that he could not possibly carry out his<br />
agreement, and offered to substitute another book<br />
on a totally different and quite unsuitable sub-<br />
ject, for the one bargained for. This offer was<br />
declined, and the author was invited to return the<br />
fee he had received. After numerous applications<br />
for repayment, at intervals during the four years<br />
that followed, the matter was put into the solici-<br />
tors' hands, and finally the Lord Mayor's Court<br />
recovered the fee. Here is a case of fraud with<br />
a perfect agreement, which may well be cited in<br />
comparison with a fair and liberal carrying out of<br />
an imperfect one.<br />
"The Publisher Concerned."<br />
II.—Copyright in New Zealand.<br />
The New Zealand Photographers' Copyright<br />
Act has just come into force in that colony. The<br />
Act divides photographs into three classes—(i)<br />
Photographs of natural scenery, &c, taken by<br />
any person at his own expense and for his own<br />
pleasure or profit; (2) Portraits of individuals or<br />
groups; (3) Photographs taken to order or for<br />
trade purposes. Full copyright protection for<br />
five years is granted the photographer in the first<br />
class, provided the word "protected," name of<br />
photographer, and date of taking, appear as part<br />
of the original plate and on each print. In<br />
class 2 the person photographed is declared to be<br />
the owner of the copyright, and not the photo-<br />
grapher. A sitter can therefore absolutely prevent<br />
any New Zealand photographer including his or<br />
her photograph in any series of notorious<br />
criminals or professional beauties he may be issti-<br />
ing, though nowadays it is much more likely<br />
that the beauty would feel flattered at the know-<br />
ledge that her features were considered so super-<br />
excellent. In any case the owner of a really<br />
first-class " photographic" face—which does not<br />
necessarily mean the most beautiful face—will be<br />
able to exact a royalty should ever a demand<br />
spring up for it. In the case of the third class,<br />
the copyright is declared to vest in the person<br />
who employs the photographer to do the work.<br />
Penalties are provided for reproducing or publish-<br />
ing any portrait or photograph without the con-<br />
sent in writing of the original owner, which<br />
should provide a new source of income for the<br />
criminal classes in blackmailing the cheap illus-<br />
trateds. However, some reproductions of photo-<br />
graphs which are to be seen from time to time<br />
under the guise of "illustrations," frequently<br />
suggest the idea that their perpetrators should<br />
come under the law of libel; but the New<br />
Zealand public man will now have an easy means<br />
of redress when he discovers himself represented<br />
in a public print as two blots and a fly track.<br />
The only thing is that it might be a nice legal<br />
point as to whether such misrepresentations<br />
were "reproductions" or " publications" of the<br />
original photographs to which they bear such<br />
very distant likeness.—Evening Mail, Sydney.<br />
III.—-Damages for the Loss of a MS.<br />
(Before Mr. Justice Grantham, without a Jury.)<br />
Kelly v. Clarke.<br />
In this case the plaintiff claimed damages for<br />
breach of a contract of bailment. The defendant<br />
did not admit the value of the article bailed, and<br />
counterclaimed for rent due.<br />
Mr. Clavell Salter appeared for the plaintiff;<br />
and Mr. Yelverton for the defendant.<br />
The plaintiff, a solicitor's conveyancing clerk,<br />
was the author of a book on conveyancing forms,<br />
called "Kelly's Conveyancing Draughtsman."<br />
This was published by Messrs Butterworth, and<br />
a second edition was brought out in 1881. The<br />
Conveyancing Act was passed soon after, and the<br />
plaintiff set about the third editiou, which took<br />
him about twelve months. Id November, 1885, he<br />
was going into the country and deposited the<br />
manuscript for this third edition, in a brown-paper<br />
parcel, at the Chancery-laue Safe Deposit, which<br />
then belonged to the defendant Colonel Clarke,<br />
and got a receipt for it and paid a deposit of 7s 6d.<br />
In March, 1896, the plaintiff was approached by<br />
Messrs. Butterworth as to the third edition of his<br />
book, aud went to the Chancery-lane Deposit, and<br />
saw the manager and asked for the parcel, and<br />
also asked what rent he owed. The manager<br />
referred him to Col. Clark. The plainiiff, on<br />
depositing the manuscript, gave his father's<br />
address as his; two demands for rent at 2 5.5. per<br />
annum were sent to him at that address on Sept.<br />
27, 1890, and on March 12, 1891, but these were<br />
never received by him. In 1894 the present com-<br />
pany took over the business of the Chancery-laue<br />
Deposit from Col. Clarke; they had at the pre-<br />
sent time nothing to do with Clarke. Clarke<br />
eventually removed this brown paper parcel,<br />
amongst other things, from the strong room at<br />
Chancery-lane. The plaintiff put his loss at 100<br />
guineas; two other witnesses put it at 75 guineas.<br />
Mr. Yelverton contended that, though no doubt<br />
his client had received a brown paper parcel, yet<br />
there was no reasonable evidence that this parcel<br />
contained this valuable manuscript. Only the<br />
plaintiff had given evidence of it. The parcel had<br />
been mislaid somehow. The defendant was entitled<br />
to rent.<br />
It was contended by Mr. Salter, in opening the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 278 (#334) ############################################<br />
<br />
278<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
ease, that the defendant could not claim rent,<br />
because he had not kept his contract to safely<br />
keep and deliver this parcel.<br />
In the course of the case, Mr. Sykes said he<br />
had been instructed on behalf of the present<br />
Chancery-lane Deposit Company, to say that they<br />
had no concern in this deposit at all, and were<br />
not concerned in this litigation, but that they were<br />
quite ready to assist the court in any way in their<br />
power.<br />
Mr. Justice Grantham, in giving judgment,<br />
said he should assess the damages for the loss of<br />
this work at 75 guineas. There was evidence that<br />
the defendant had the book up to 1894; he<br />
should, therefore, give him rent at the rate of 25*.<br />
a year. There would be judgment for the plaintiff<br />
for the 75 guineas, less nine years' rent at 2 5*. a<br />
year.<br />
Mr. Yelvertou asked the learned judge to sepa-<br />
rate the claim and counterclaim, and give the<br />
defendant judgment on the counterclaim.<br />
This was refused.<br />
Judgment was given for the plaintiff for<br />
,£67 io«., with costs of the trial and general costs,<br />
the defendant to have the costs of the counter-<br />
claim.— Times, March 16.<br />
IV.—Infringement of Copyright.<br />
1.<br />
(Before Mr. Justice Homer.)<br />
BROOKS V. RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY.<br />
This was a motion by the plaintiff, the well<br />
known fine art publisher, of 171, Strand, London,<br />
for an interim injunction restraining the defen-<br />
dants from printing and selling, &c, any copies<br />
of a publication called the Child's Companion<br />
containing a certain woodcut. The plaintiff com-<br />
plained that the woodcut was an infringement of<br />
a picture by G. A. Holmes entitled " Can't you<br />
Talk ?" the copyright of which was sold to his<br />
firm in 1875, and of which he was now the<br />
registered proprietor, or an infringement of the<br />
design or engraving of such picture. The picture,<br />
as appeared from an engraving produced, was a<br />
composition of a collie dog and a child on a stone<br />
floor, with the background of a wall with a door on<br />
the left, out of which a cat was looking. Above<br />
the dog was a table, on which was a tub with a<br />
spoon or a pestle in it. The plaintiff stated that<br />
about Fell. 14, 1897, his attention was called to<br />
the defendants' publication of the woodcut in<br />
question, and that the woodcut reproduced exactly<br />
almost the whole of the details of the picture—<br />
the collie dog, both in attitude, expression and<br />
position, the wall, the table, tub, and spoon being<br />
exact copies of what appeared in the copy-<br />
right work, whilst the position of the door and<br />
cat were the same, although some slight altera-<br />
tions in detail were made in the door and the<br />
attitude of the cat. The only differences between<br />
the picture and the woodcut were that in the<br />
woodcut the figure of the child had been removed<br />
and in its place two cats and a tortoise had been<br />
inserted, while the background and foreground<br />
had been increased and some new details intro-<br />
duced. The Child's Comvanion was a monthly<br />
periodical, and the woodcut in question appeared<br />
in the November issue of 1896 as an illustration<br />
to a tale entitled'• A Strange Visitor." In the<br />
woodcut the tortoise was the principal object on<br />
the floor, bein g somewhat large for a tortoise, and<br />
the attention of all the other four animals was<br />
riveted on the tortoise, the cats glaring at it with<br />
expressions of terror or astonishment. The<br />
expression of the dog in both woodcut and picture<br />
was one of calm and fixed attention. Th- defen-<br />
dants stated that they had purchased the block<br />
from which the woodcut was taken some five<br />
years ago from a man whom they had lost sight<br />
of. It was agreed that the motion should be<br />
treated as the trial of the action. The defendants<br />
had on the plaintiff's complaint at once with-<br />
drawn the publication. The plaintiff waived any<br />
claim for damages.<br />
Mr. Neville, Q.C., and Mr. E. Knowles Corrie<br />
appeared for the plaintiff.<br />
Mr. Levett, Q.C., and Mr. Scrutton, for the<br />
defendants, submitted that the dog was the only<br />
detail common to the picture and woodcut, and<br />
that both depended for their meaning or pictorial<br />
idea on other details, and that these details and<br />
the meaning had very little in common. The<br />
idea created by the picture was not that con-<br />
veyed by the woodcut, and the production of the<br />
woodcut was not within the Copyright Acts, the<br />
object of which was to prevent any interference<br />
with either the artist's reputation or the com-<br />
mercial value of his work (Hanfaengl v. Empire<br />
Palace, L. R., 1894, Ch., 109; per Lord Justice<br />
Lopes, p. 131).<br />
Mr. Justice Romer said that he thought the<br />
woodcut was an infringement of the plaintiff's<br />
copyright. The principal part, or one of the<br />
principal parts, of the copyright picture was the<br />
figure of the dog with a particularly sagacious or<br />
benevolent appearance. That appearance, together<br />
with the form and attitude of the dog, had been<br />
copied, and the defendants' dog was a repro-<br />
duction of the plaintiff's dog. Other portions of<br />
the plaintiff's picture had also been reproduced<br />
by the defendants. It was not only the dog<br />
which was taken, but also the feeling and artistic<br />
character of the plaintiff's work. They had taken<br />
the design whilst substituting cats and a tortoise<br />
for the child in the original. Wherever one found<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 279 (#335) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR. 279<br />
a direct copy of a substantial portion of a copy-<br />
right work, that substantial portion constituted an<br />
infringement if it was a copy in an ordinary<br />
sense. For instance, if a person were to take an<br />
historical picture and take out of it the principal<br />
figure and reproduce that figure without the other<br />
surroundings, that would be an infringement.<br />
The present case was a stronger case, because the<br />
defendants had not only taken the principal<br />
figure of a dog, but had copied as well the senti-<br />
ment of the picture. By a society like the defen-<br />
dants what had been done had been done inad-<br />
vertently. They offered an undertaking in the<br />
terms of the application. This he accepted. The<br />
defendants muwt pay the costs.— Tlie Times.<br />
n.<br />
(Before Mr. Justice Kekewich, on March 18.)<br />
SMITH V. THE NEW PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED<br />
AND MESSRS. CHATTO AND WINDUS.<br />
This was an action brought by the plaintiff,<br />
Mr. William Thomas Smith, the registered author<br />
and proprietor of the copyright in a certain<br />
original painting called "They Forged the Last<br />
Link with their Lives," an Arctic picture, against<br />
the defendants, the New Publishing Company<br />
Limited, the owners, and Messrs. Chatto and<br />
Windus, the publishers, of a monthly publication<br />
known as the Idler, and the plaintiff claimed an<br />
injunction to restrain the defendants, their agents,<br />
and servants, from infringing the plaintiff's<br />
copyright by publishing a representation of the<br />
said original painting, "They Forged the Last<br />
Link with their lives," in the Idler; he also<br />
asked for delivery up of all copies, blocks, photo-<br />
graphs, &c, and damages. The plaintiff alleged<br />
that on March 12, 1896, he wrote to the art<br />
editor of the Idler, expressing a wish to do work<br />
for them, and inclosing a photograph of the<br />
above-mentioned painting to the art editor as a<br />
specimen, and that the defendants without his<br />
consent published a copy of the picture in the<br />
May number of the Idler.<br />
The defendants denied that the plaintiff had<br />
any copyright in the painting until registration<br />
on May 18, 1896. It was also contended on their<br />
behalf that the plaintiff by sending the photo-<br />
graph, in accordance with the practice of the<br />
trade, implied that he consented to its publica-<br />
tion in the Idler.<br />
Mr. Willis Bund and Mr. J. W. Baines<br />
appeared for the plaintiff; Mr. Eenshaw, Q.C.,<br />
and Mr. D. M. Kerley for the defendants.<br />
Mr. Justice Kekewich said that he did not<br />
consider that the sending of the photograph of<br />
the painting to the art editor was an invitation<br />
to publish a representation of it, though the art<br />
editor honestly thought so. A wrong had been<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
done, and he should award the plaintiff a<br />
substantial sum as damages — namely, .£25.<br />
There would also be an order for delivery up to<br />
him of the books containing the pictures, also<br />
the blocks, negatives, photographs, &c., and the<br />
defendants would have to pay the costs of the<br />
action.<br />
V.—The Nineteenth Congress of the Inter-<br />
national Literary and Artistic Associa-<br />
tion at Monaco.<br />
In accordance with the resolution passed at the<br />
last Congress at Berne, the nineteenth Congress<br />
of the International Literary and Artistic Associa-<br />
tion will be held at Monaco from April 17 to 24.<br />
The following is the Ust of subjects placed upon<br />
the programme, together with the names of the<br />
members who will present reports on the several<br />
subjects:<br />
1. On the distinction between the author's<br />
pecuniary and moral rights. Consequences of<br />
this distinction.—M. Jules Lermina.<br />
2. On the public domain paying a perpetual<br />
royalty.—M. E. Mack.<br />
3. On the contract with publisher.—M. E.<br />
Pouillet.<br />
4. On the reproduction of political articles.—<br />
M. A. Osterrieth.<br />
5. On the proprietorship of news.—M. A.<br />
Bataille.<br />
6. On rights in historical documents.—M.<br />
Marbeau.<br />
7. Desiderata of musical composers.—M. V.<br />
Souchon.<br />
8. Desiderata of Architects.—M. C. Lucas.<br />
9. Desiderata of photographers.—M. A. Tail-<br />
lefer.<br />
10. On the proprietorship of the autograph,—<br />
M. Or. Harmand.<br />
11. On the definition of type.—M. Davanne.<br />
12. Project of a law respecting literary pro-<br />
perty.—M. Ot. Maillard.<br />
13. On legislative work and the currents of<br />
public opinion in different countries.—M. Alcide<br />
Darras.<br />
14. On the organisation of national committees<br />
for the study of the present situation in countries<br />
outside the Union, and the organisation of a pro-<br />
paganda with a view to the extension of the Union.<br />
—M. L. Poinsard.<br />
15. On the creation of legal offices in foreign<br />
countries.—M. L. Layus.<br />
16. On opportunities to be afforded the public<br />
of becoming acquainted with the existence of<br />
author's exclusive rights.—M. E. Rothlisberger.<br />
17. On the suppression of the "caution"<br />
judicatum solvi.—M. de Glermont. (See The<br />
Author, Nov. 1896, p. 133.)<br />
G G<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 280 (#336) ############################################<br />
<br />
280<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
THE BOOK TRADE OF GERMANY.<br />
THE United States Consul at Breslau has<br />
prepared an interesting report on the<br />
condition and methods of the book trade<br />
in Germany, which is published in the last<br />
issue of Consular reports by the Department<br />
of State in Washington. The Consul says<br />
even in this changing age the organisation of<br />
the German book trade remains in principle<br />
what it has long been. The two main prin-<br />
ciples which make the trade as flourishing as<br />
it is are the fixed selling price and the right of<br />
the retailer to return unsold books. The first,<br />
combined with very long credits, is the solid basis<br />
of the existence of the small retail house, and has<br />
favoured the establishment of retailers every-<br />
where. There is in Germany one bookseller for<br />
every 5000 inhabitants, and the consequence of<br />
retail shops being found everywhere is that the<br />
German publisher spends little in advertising, for<br />
he sends out all his novelties on sale according to<br />
a system established with the retail trade, or<br />
special wishes of the retailers, which he leams by<br />
means of his inexpensive circulars. In no other<br />
trade is there so close an understanding cultivated<br />
as between the German bookseller and his<br />
educated customers. The retailer circulates all<br />
his new books amongst likely buyers, and they<br />
become better known than through advertise-<br />
ments. The retailer pays for all the books<br />
bought during the year at the Easter Fair of the<br />
following year. The discounts vary according to<br />
the class of book, from 25 per cent, on the selling<br />
price on scientific books to 40 and even 50 per<br />
cent, on juvenile literature, besides which eleven<br />
copies are sent for ten, or thirteen for a dozen.<br />
The enormous number of scientific books pub-<br />
lished in Germany, including pamphlets, can only<br />
be explained by the existence of the intelligent<br />
retailers all over the country. The legal organi-<br />
sation of the trade is the Verein in Leipsic, con-<br />
sisting of 2685 members, which lays down regula-<br />
tions for the members of the trade amongst<br />
themselves, and for them in their dealings with<br />
the public. Thus the maintenance of the selling<br />
price (5 per cent, being allowed for cash, periodi-<br />
cals excepted) is rigidly insisted on, and if the<br />
rule is broken it is adjudged by the Verein that<br />
publishers shall not supply the offender, or that<br />
they shall give him no credit or discount. Con-<br />
nected with this institution is a sort of publishers'<br />
and booksellers' clearing-house in Leipsic, by<br />
which the ordering by retailers and the keeping<br />
of accouni s between them and the publishers are<br />
facilitated and simplified, and the processes of<br />
ordering, packing, despatching, and paying are<br />
greatly cheapened. The system, which is a very<br />
old one, is described in detail by the Consul. It<br />
appears designed to prevent a great variety of<br />
petty expenditure, and to it, coupled with the<br />
fixed selling price and the long credit, he attri-<br />
butes the success of the trade in Germany.—■<br />
Times, March 18.<br />
CORRECTIONS.<br />
THE power to correct proofs must certainly<br />
remain with the author. Otherwise there<br />
would be no sense in letting him have<br />
proofs. But, again, he cannot expect a free<br />
hand, or he might burden the book with a charge<br />
for corrections which would leave nothing over.<br />
The subject was treated in ZVte Author, vol. 4,<br />
p. 283. The information is repeated, because<br />
after three years there must be many members<br />
of our Society who have forgotten the very im-<br />
portant figures there presented.<br />
It is common for agreements of the profit-<br />
sharing kind (which so seldom lead to any profits)<br />
to contain a clause granting the author per-<br />
mission to correct to the extent of so much per<br />
sheet: "ten shillings, fifteen shillings, twenty<br />
shillings," as the case may be. It is never<br />
explained to the author what this allowance<br />
means, when the proofs are placed in his hands.<br />
Nor, should he begin to exceed the allowance, is<br />
he warned of his liabilities. We shall probably<br />
have to return to the danger of these liabilities<br />
next month by quoting a case in illustration.<br />
Now, what does this allowance of ios., or<br />
whatever it may be, per sheet, mean to the<br />
author? A printer charges " corrections " by the<br />
time they take. He charges at the rate of ia 2d.<br />
or 1*. id. an hour. How can an author correct<br />
work and time? In this way—<br />
1. The substitution of one word for another<br />
takes about three or four minutes—say three<br />
minutes and a half. Therefore seventeen words can<br />
be changed in an hour, representing i*. 3d. So that<br />
an allowance of 20s. per sheet means the change<br />
of 272 words in a sheet, or seventeen words a page.<br />
2. If, instead of a word, the author changes a<br />
phrase, making the line run over, causing the type<br />
to be shifted, perhaps, for a whole page to follow,<br />
then a single correction may cause an hour's<br />
work. The author must take great care not to<br />
correct in this careless manner. Let him be<br />
studious not to disturb the lines.<br />
A safe rule is to have duplicate proofs, and to<br />
enter the corrections on both proofs. In case of<br />
dispute the duplicate proof can be referred to.<br />
The best plan is to typewrite the whole, aud to<br />
treat the type-written copy as a first proof cor-<br />
rected for press.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 281 (#337) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
NEW YORK LETTER.<br />
New York, March 16th, 1897.<br />
WIDE public interest has been attracted by<br />
a crusade, started a couple of weeks ago,<br />
against the two newspapers having the<br />
largest circulation in the United States. Some<br />
club or library led off by passing a resolution that<br />
the World and the Journal should not be kept<br />
on file in the reading-room, and the idea spread<br />
with remarkable rapidity until, in less than a<br />
fortnight, almost every important club in this<br />
city, besides libraries and other associations here<br />
and in the surrounding towns, have taken similar<br />
action, while on Saturday Yale started the move-<br />
ment among the colleges. It is a purely moral<br />
protest against the exploiting of indecency and<br />
sensationalism by flagrant pictures and lurid<br />
descriptions in the two papers which reach the<br />
largest number of the common people. A little<br />
earlier a Bill was introduced into the Legislature at<br />
Albany, by Mr. Ellsworth, making the publication<br />
of a picture of a person without his consent a<br />
ground for damages; a measure which was caused<br />
by some particularly heartless " illustrations," and<br />
some particularly vile ones. The result was rather<br />
unexpected. It might well have been anticipated<br />
that these papers would only rejoice in the<br />
notoriety they got from the Legislature and the<br />
clubs, and in the consequent increase of circula-<br />
tion j but they have apparently become frightened,<br />
for Sunday's editions of both of them were much<br />
less objectionable than usual, and the World has<br />
amused the community by coming out in support<br />
of the Ellsworth Bill. Probably it was the adver-<br />
tisers who called the halt. It might please more<br />
subscribers to raise as much protest as possible,<br />
but the big advertisers who support the news-<br />
papers—especially the 1 cent sheets, of which<br />
the selling price does not pay for the paper alone<br />
—know that they would be unfavourably affected<br />
by the disgust of decent men, emphasised by the<br />
scores of protests made within two weeks from<br />
the pulpit, from the clubs, the libraries, and the<br />
colleges. It was the advertisers who stopped the<br />
same papers from talking about the bad business<br />
outlook a short time ago.<br />
The publishers' advertisements are a rather<br />
interesting thing to watch, and if one has the<br />
knowledge necessary to make a few corrections in<br />
first conclusions, they give an excellent indication<br />
of the nature of the public which reads the<br />
various papers. During 1896 the Evening Post,<br />
which has the best book-reviews published in the<br />
country, printed 172,819 agate lines of publishers'<br />
advertisements, or 596 columns, which was 71 per<br />
cent, more than ap|>eared in any other daily<br />
newspaper in the United States in the same year,<br />
VOL. VII,<br />
and 25 per cent, more than was printed in all<br />
other New York evening papers together. The<br />
Sun, which comes second, has excellent book-<br />
reviews of its own limited kind, those on Sunday<br />
being mere abstracts, and those on week days<br />
elaborately jocose. It had in the neigh-<br />
bourhood of 100,000 lines, but it is to be<br />
remembered that neither it nor any of the other<br />
papers is so strict in price as the Post, which<br />
never offers the "special inducements" which are<br />
made to a considerable extent by all other principal<br />
papers here, with the possible exception of the<br />
Tribune. The Tribune, the most respectable<br />
organ of the Republican party, which is read by<br />
the better class of business men, published some-<br />
thing like 85,000 lines; the Times in the<br />
neighbourhood of 50,000; and not one of the<br />
sensational papers, although their circulations are<br />
many times as high, published anything worth<br />
mentioning in comparison with these amounts.<br />
The Evening Post broke the record for one day<br />
on Dec. 12 with forty-six and three-quarter<br />
columns of publishers' advertisements.<br />
The extent to which advertising is carried by<br />
the publishers has one drawback, as I believe,<br />
although there is a decided difference of opinion<br />
about the amount of effect which it has on the<br />
reviews. Certainly the papers which have the<br />
most publishers' advertisements are the strictest<br />
in their literary standards, but some which are<br />
desirous of gaining a reputation for literary<br />
excellence are made very gentle in handling all<br />
books, especially, perhaps, those of the largest<br />
publishers. The importance of publishers'<br />
advertisements as part of the business of<br />
American newspapers, also leads some of them<br />
into the temptation to review altogether too<br />
many books, which helps to lower the quality of<br />
the criticisms. It seems as if a number of the<br />
leading papers are afraid to throw any book into<br />
the waste-basket without at least a few lines of<br />
meaningless praise.<br />
Books of essays continue, it seems to me, to be<br />
the most interesting and the most significant<br />
class of books published just now. Even though<br />
ouc of them is the publication of an English<br />
house, the author of it is of so much importance<br />
in this country that it may not be improper to<br />
say something about it here. "The Will to<br />
Live," by Professor William James, is the work<br />
of a man who comes very close to being the<br />
most brilliant essayist we have; whose literary<br />
qualities are perhaps as distinguished as his<br />
philosophical powers. The papers which make<br />
up this volume deal with the border land<br />
of philosophy, most of them with almost prac-<br />
tical problems upon which philosophy throws<br />
light, especially with a defence of religion<br />
g a 2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 282 (#338) ############################################<br />
<br />
282<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
against the too exaggerated claims of some<br />
scientific or pseudo-scientific critics, somewhat in<br />
the spirit of Mr. Balfour's books. The vigour<br />
and readiness of their style make them very<br />
noticeable from the purely literary point of view,<br />
and the author's powers of expression accounts<br />
for a large part of the deep influence which he<br />
had at Harvard University, especially among the<br />
abler students. The current joke about the two<br />
brothers is that Henry is too much of a psycho-<br />
logist to be a satisfactory novelist, and William<br />
too much of a literary man to be a satisfactory<br />
psychologist, is of course not intended to be<br />
taken seriously, but in suggesting the high degree<br />
of Professor James's literary power it carries a<br />
truth. Anyone who followed the reviews of his<br />
"Psychology" must have noticed that the most<br />
eminent philosophical authors were tempted to<br />
put special emphasis on the literary qualities of<br />
the book. I will quote only Mr. Bryce, who said<br />
in the Speaker, "In it metaphysics have again<br />
condescended to speak the language of polite<br />
letters, and learning has been wise enough to<br />
take wit for her companion." The influence<br />
which Professor James has at Harvard would<br />
be hard to overstate. It begets the love of<br />
miscellaneous experience which we are beginning<br />
to look upon as one thing that is shaping itself<br />
as part of the still unformed American character,<br />
and of which Walt Whitman is the prophet, but<br />
it is all tempered with the care of the scholar and<br />
the basis of calmness of the man of high social<br />
and artistic culture.<br />
Harper and Brothers have just arranged to<br />
bring out in their series of American essayists a<br />
volume of the work of a man who was not known<br />
in the literary world three years ago, and has now<br />
already stepped into a prominent place. Pro-<br />
fessor H. T. Peck, of Columbia College, the editor<br />
of the American Bookman, whose essays this<br />
volume is to contain, expects to have them ready<br />
for publication in the fall. The following sub-<br />
jects, which have already been treated in the<br />
Bookman, will show to some extent the trend of<br />
his thought: William Dean Howells, The Evolu-<br />
tion of a Mystic (Huysmans), The Migration of<br />
Popular Sons, The New Child and its Picture<br />
Books, American Feeling towards England, Presi-<br />
dent Cleveland (April Bookman). Other papers<br />
still to be written and appear in the volume are<br />
A great National Newspaper, George Moore,<br />
Marcel Prevost.The Progress of Fonetik Befawnn,<br />
and some few others. In this series a volume by<br />
T. W. Higginson has just been issued, and one by<br />
Mark Twain is in type. The latter will be much<br />
more generally know as an essayist after this<br />
volume has been published, as his critical work<br />
haw thus far appeared only in magazines.<br />
Professor George R. Carpenter has an interest-<br />
ing problem on his hands. He has been com-<br />
missioned to edit a volume of American prose,<br />
not including living authors. The first decision<br />
which he has made is that not more than thirty<br />
or thirty-five ought to appear in it, and the ques-<br />
tion of admission and exclusion is going to lead<br />
to a more systematic attempt to place some of our<br />
authors as regards their permanent literary im-<br />
portance than has yet been made. To take oni<br />
instance, few prose writers have been of more<br />
influence in New England than Margaret Fuller,<br />
and many would give her a prominent place in<br />
such a volume, yet Mr. Brander Matthews, whose<br />
recent volume on American literature has gone<br />
through five editions of 10,000 each, and who is,<br />
of course, one of the first authorities on American<br />
literature, would as certainly exclude her on the<br />
ground that she yvas only a personality and a<br />
journalist, which is true enough, although perhaps<br />
not conclusive; for the personality which affected<br />
such a large number of the leading New England<br />
thinkers of her day runs all through the half-<br />
dozen volumes of her work, which still have<br />
enough circulation to show that the influence is<br />
still at work. Morover, if representativeness<br />
counts for much, it would be difficult to find any-<br />
body in whom the transcendental spirit appears<br />
in more energetic and it might be said in cruder<br />
form; certainly no writer was ever more American<br />
or more New England than she. A score of<br />
questions like this will arise, including that of the<br />
place to be given to the Federalist writers, of<br />
course the most notable single group of authors<br />
we have ever had.<br />
Some of them, by the way, are treated popu-<br />
larly in an excellent volume just published by<br />
Thomas Y. Crowell iind Co., consisting of essays<br />
by Professor William P. Trent, called " Southern<br />
Statesmen of the Old Regime," including Wash-<br />
ington, Jefferson, Randolph, Calhoun, Stevens.<br />
Toombs, and Jefferson Davis. His judgment is<br />
that Jefferson is the most influential of all our<br />
statesmen, the one having the largest and most<br />
philosophical understanding. His point of view<br />
towards Jefferson Davis is particularly interesting,<br />
because it keeps a fair balance between the igno-<br />
rant Northern condemnation, and the equally<br />
ignorant Southern laudation and sentiment. He<br />
calls him: "An able and versatile man, a fairly<br />
typical representative of his people and their cause,<br />
a good man with thoroughly pure intentions;, a<br />
gentleman, and a wonderfully gallant soldier ^ a<br />
wonderfully misunderstood and ofttimes slandeifed<br />
and ill-treated man, and finally a statesman who,<br />
though he made many grave errors, was a failure<br />
not so much from his own lack of ability to govern<br />
as through the inherent weakness of the cause he<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 283 (#339) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
283<br />
represented." Professor Trent is a little need-<br />
lessly controversial, but he has information and<br />
sanity enough to make this book on some of our<br />
most interesting men a valuable contribution.<br />
Frank A. Munsey has asked some of our leading<br />
writers of fiction to contribute to his magazine<br />
papers on their own favourite novelist. Mr.<br />
Howells will lead, but he refuses to be bound by<br />
the subject, and will treat several men. Mr.<br />
Matthews will come second, and discuss Thackeray,<br />
selecting as his favourite book one of the least<br />
known, which, perhaps, it would be unfair to<br />
mention yet; and Mr. Howells happens to agree<br />
with him in thinking that this little-read book is<br />
Thackeray's best.<br />
Last month I spoke of Mr. Jaccaci's going to<br />
McClure's. Frank N. Doubleday, who, as pub-<br />
lisher, has had much to do with the building-up<br />
of Charles Scribner's Sons' business, has also gone<br />
to the same firm, which, in the fall, will begin the<br />
publication of books, and probably soon carry it<br />
on on a large scale.<br />
Mr. McClure has just engaged Stephen Crane<br />
to go to Greece to report the war—if there is any<br />
—for McClure's Magazine, and if there is not, to<br />
describe the situation. Mr. Crane had started for<br />
Cuba for the Journal, but was unable to get<br />
further than Florida. The idea that imagination<br />
and literary power is needed to report important<br />
public events is growing, and Mr. Crane's work<br />
in fiction is, of course, just the kind which makes<br />
this experiment a promising one.<br />
Norman Hapgood.<br />
NOTES PROM ELSEWHERE.<br />
St. Ives, Cornwall.<br />
ISEE that the Authors' message to the King<br />
of the Creeks has been ridiculed in certain<br />
quarters. The King of the Greeks is the<br />
true friend of literary folks, and, were it on this<br />
ground alone, has a claim on our sympathy and<br />
admiration. I wish I had a fraction of the twenty<br />
drachmae pieces which in his time he has bestowed<br />
upon needy homines de lettres in Paris. I knew<br />
one poor old fellow—a ruined Polish nobleman<br />
who used to sit in the Cafe de la Paix writing<br />
pamphlets—who counted on the King for a<br />
regular source of income. He was certain of his<br />
twenty francs every time H.M. came to Paris, and<br />
when desiring anything particularly which he<br />
could not afford at the time, would put it off " till<br />
King George comes."<br />
This old Polish nobleman—since dead of star-<br />
vation—had a method of his own of placing his<br />
literary wares, which consisted of four-page<br />
pamphlets, marked " price one franc." He used to<br />
send copies by unfranked letter-post to all the<br />
princes and potentates under the sun, with the<br />
words " I am starving" (which was strictly true)<br />
written on a piece of letter-paper. He sent away<br />
hundreds of these missives every month, to digni-<br />
taries as diverse as the Pope of Rome and the<br />
Emperor of China. Once when I pointed out to him<br />
that his letters could certainly never reach the<br />
kings and emperors to whom he addressed them,<br />
he answered: "Well, supposing the letter only<br />
falls into the hands of the man who sweeps down<br />
the Emperor's front steps, he is sure to be a<br />
marquis at least, and a marquis is quite as good<br />
for my purpose as the patron."<br />
A new French novelist of whom I am hearing<br />
much good spoken is M. Emile Pouvillon. His<br />
latest novel is called "L'Image." M. Armaud<br />
Silvestre, who is certainly one of our best<br />
literary critics, speaks of him as follows:<br />
"'L'Iniage' ne saurait qu'augmenter la renoinmce<br />
si legitiniement conquise par cet ecrivain, d'une<br />
saveur meridionale si intense dans une formule<br />
du francais le plus noble et le plus pur. La<br />
personalitc littcraire de Pouvillon et sa reelle<br />
originalitc sont dans l'intiinitc du detail toujours<br />
merveilleusement decrit, et dans la subtilite d'une<br />
psychologie toujours ingenieuse." M. Pouvillon<br />
has been writing for some years, apparently<br />
without succeeding in " imposing his literary per-<br />
sonality," an injustice of circumstances to which<br />
I am glad to call attention.<br />
Speaking of new books and new editions, I<br />
would recommend anyone who delights in humour<br />
and would be interested to read about life in a<br />
French barracks, to invest in Georges Courte-<br />
line's " Vie de Caserne," published by the Edition<br />
Nationale, with illustrations by Dupray. It is<br />
a splendid book, diverting in the extreme; a<br />
typographical and artistic triumph.<br />
Courteline is a writer who, although he has<br />
suffered bitterly from life, always writes of<br />
life in its pleasantest aspects. As such he is<br />
particularly appreciated by those of us who,<br />
finding life indeed cruel and sad, wish in our<br />
diversions to forget this circumstance awhile.<br />
Why is it, by the way, that whilst the men who<br />
write cheerfully about life are usually the men<br />
who have suffered, the pessimists almost in-<br />
variably are men who, by their tastes and in-<br />
stincts, draw a maximum of enjoyment —<br />
sensual in the main—out of the existence which<br />
they so persistently decry?<br />
For my part, I have made up my mind to put<br />
sugar in my tea in the future. No more bitter<br />
draughts for me of my own composition. Life<br />
forces enough of those down one's throat.<br />
Squeers was quite right when he insisted that<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 284 (#340) ############################################<br />
<br />
284-<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
"cheerfulness and good spirits must be kept up."<br />
One can get all the gloomy ■ exposure that one<br />
requires of the baseness and egotism of mankind<br />
without reading the pessimists of fiction and fact.<br />
Only the other day I came across an instance of<br />
these qualities, which exceeds anything that<br />
Maupassant ever imagined.<br />
Some years ago a German vessel was wrecked<br />
on the coast of Cornwall. The crew were all<br />
saved, but for many days the ship's cook, who<br />
had been nearly drowned in the surf as he was<br />
being dragged ashore, lay between life and death<br />
in a cottage by the sea, to which he had been<br />
earned for dead after the wreck. The man who<br />
kept the cottage attended to him night and day<br />
with the greatest kindness, providing him with<br />
the diet, stimulants, and restoratives which had<br />
been ordered by the doctor. When he was asked<br />
for his bill he made out a list of charges, which<br />
barely covered his out-of-pocket expenses, amount-<br />
ing in all to ^£5. When the captain saw the total<br />
he grew very angry, and at first refused to pay it,<br />
remarking, "This is a bad job for me. It would<br />
have been very much better for me if the fellow<br />
had been drowned." "And he meant it too," said<br />
the cottager, who told me this story one beautiful<br />
morning last week As we stood in an idyllic<br />
garden in one of the fairest scenes in England.<br />
Again, only yesterday, I heard that some fisher-<br />
men whose boat was run into and sunk by a<br />
foreign barque, refused to take refuge on this<br />
vessel, and remained in the water for hours until<br />
they were picked up by another lugger of the<br />
fishing fleet, because they feared that the<br />
foreigners might murder them in order to get rid<br />
of the witnesses who could testify .against them<br />
in a claim for compensation by the owner of the<br />
fishing smack. I defy any professional pessimist<br />
to invent two human documents more sad than<br />
these.<br />
Readers of The Author who possess French<br />
dictionaries should write in, in their proper places,<br />
the following words: Incuriosite (want of<br />
curiosity), UnicitS (oneness), Papillonnage<br />
(butterflying, flirtation), Febrilite (a state of<br />
feverishness), Inentamee (not broken in upon),<br />
Mondial (a variation of mondain). At least,<br />
such readers as read Bourget, in whose novel<br />
"L'Idylie tragiq ue," the above neologisms, amongst<br />
others, are to be met with. If not of the Academy,<br />
these words are at least of the Academician,<br />
Bourget to wit, and such is Bourget's influence<br />
that already they pass as current coin. It is a<br />
pity we have no coiner of wrords of some autho-<br />
rity in England, for there are many words lacking<br />
in our tongue. One word, for instance, is<br />
wanting to describe those men of letters whose<br />
work consists in embroidering on tissues of<br />
reported fact, and who cannot be described purely<br />
and simply as novelists, for that terra implies<br />
imagination and invention.<br />
It is just possible that, for want of buildings,<br />
the two annual Salons will not be held in Paris<br />
either next year or in 1899, the Palace de<br />
l'lndustrie and the Pavilion des Arts Libcraux,<br />
in which respectively the Salon des Champs-<br />
Elysces and the Salon du Champ de Mars have<br />
been held, having to come down in view of the<br />
Exhibition of 1900. This prospect is most cheer-<br />
ing to those newspaper correspondents whose<br />
routine duty it is to describe these exhibitions<br />
and to criticise the pictures. I have "done"<br />
the Salons for more than ten years, and have<br />
come to look forward with holy horror to May<br />
("May month" we say in Cornwall). The<br />
fatigue of inspecting so many thousand canvases<br />
is no light one. Headache is a certain perquisite;<br />
the monotony of art, whose development is so<br />
lamentably slow, is depressing in the extreme;<br />
and the obligation under which one labours of<br />
writing only of "arrived" painters, the public<br />
in general earing nothing for new men, is revolt-<br />
ing to one's sense of justice. We shall all be<br />
very glad of a rest. It is proposed, by the way,<br />
that in future the Salons shall only be held<br />
triennially, but it is too much to hope to see that<br />
carried into effect.<br />
In speaking of St. Ives from a literary point of<br />
view last month, I was guilty of several omissions.<br />
To begin with, I ought to have mentioned that<br />
there is an old lady here who knew Charles<br />
Kingsley as a boy, and can talk for hours about<br />
him. I should also have referred to Mr. Herbert<br />
Thomas, editor of the Camborne Post, who is the<br />
author of many striking ballads on Cornish men<br />
and matters. We have also here Dr. Havelock<br />
Ellis—at this moment he is writing in a log-<br />
cabin adjacent to the one in which I am writing<br />
—who has realised an ideal literary life. I ought,<br />
further, to have referred to Mr. H. D. Lowry,<br />
the novelist. Since I have been in Cornwall my<br />
appreciation of his work has greatly increased,<br />
and I look confidently to his future. He has a<br />
splendid field, and is an excellent workman.<br />
I hope that next month I shall be able, as a<br />
variation, to write a letter on German literary<br />
matters, having it in mind to ship to Hamburg,<br />
and thence south to see the spring on the Bavarian<br />
Highlands, taking Berlin and Munich on the<br />
way. Robert H. Shebabd.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 285 (#341) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
285<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
ALETTER from Sir John Lubbock points<br />
out that the opening sentences of his<br />
speech at the dinner are omitted in the<br />
report. This omission is very much to be<br />
lamented. The printers maintain that they left<br />
out nothing of the "copy" placed in their<br />
hands. The MS. was sent by the secretary as he<br />
received it from the reporters to the printing<br />
office. We can only offer our apologies to our<br />
distinguished chairman.<br />
I call very serious attention to the extract from<br />
the Times of March 18th, on the book trade in<br />
Germany. Compare it with our own:<br />
1. In Germany books are sent out on sale or<br />
return.<br />
2. Here they are not. Every book remaining<br />
on a bookseller's shelves is a failure and loss.<br />
3. The discounts vary from 25 per cent, on the<br />
selling price of scientific books, to 40 or 50 per<br />
cent, on juvenile literature, besides which eleven<br />
copies are sent as ten, or thirteen as twelve,<br />
with 5 per cent, for cash.<br />
4. Here the 4*. 6d. book is sold in single copies<br />
at 4«. or 4*. 2d. a copy, with a discount which<br />
reduces it to about 3*-. 90?., and thirteen as twelve.<br />
Publishers sell for less to distributing agencies at<br />
about 38. 5*/., making their average as near as<br />
possible 3*. 6d. The booksellers cannot, as a<br />
rule, afford to order twelve copies of the same<br />
book, or twelve copies of books published by the<br />
same publisher.<br />
5. In Germany there is one bookseller to 5000<br />
people.<br />
6. Here the booksellers have declined by, it is<br />
said, 70 per cent.<br />
7. In Germany a fixed price is the rule.<br />
8. Here a fixed discount of 25 per cent, to the<br />
public is the rule, in towns at least.<br />
9. In Germany the bookseller's shop is the<br />
place of resort of all the educated classes. There<br />
are exposed to view the whole of the new books<br />
at all likely to appeal to general readers.<br />
10. Here no one in the country can see the new<br />
books at all; they are not exhibited—in other<br />
words, they are not published. It is certainly<br />
not publication, in any sense of the word, to print<br />
a book, advertise it, and order a traveller to<br />
mention it. The public want to see the books.<br />
Except in a very few shops the new books are not<br />
ordered, or exhibited, or offered, nor do the<br />
people go to the bookseller's shop to see them.<br />
In a word, the English system has killed 70<br />
jjer cent, of the English booksellers; it is rapidly<br />
killing the remainder. In the interests of our<br />
property caunot the Society take steps to save<br />
the man who sells — the man without whom<br />
literature could not exist?<br />
The following is au extract from the New York<br />
Critic. The honour of this invention for trading<br />
on the folly and the vanity of people is, however,<br />
our owu. It is now some three years since the<br />
method was brought to light, and duly honoured<br />
in the pages of The Author :—<br />
"The literary aspirant would seem to be the<br />
victim of more than one scheme. One of my<br />
readers sends me a letter which he has received<br />
from the publisher of a periodical. A reader of<br />
this column would naturally be too intelligent a<br />
person to be the victim of a wily publisher; but<br />
there are those who might easily fall into his toils.<br />
This is the circular letter that my correspondent<br />
received:<br />
In reply to your answer to advt. of 'Author,' in Sunday's<br />
Herald, would say the plans are about perfected for the<br />
issuance of a new magazine of stories, entitled ■ ,<br />
and to whose columns we cordially invite you to contribute.<br />
We offer the following proposition: We will print your<br />
story (if accepted) on condition that the same is offered as a<br />
free contribution to our columns, and that, in addition<br />
thereto, you are willing to purchase, and pay for on<br />
delivery, at least 200 copies of magazine, at the rate of 5<br />
cents a copy, or we will mail them from this office to any<br />
addresses you may furnish. This will bring your name as<br />
a magazine writer direct to the attention of your friends,<br />
together with the opportunity of submitting to publica-<br />
tions of a more pretentious character already published<br />
contributions of which you are the author. Thus, yon<br />
see, we offer you an opportunity for placing yourself<br />
prominently in the field as a recognised writer of fiction,<br />
which will eventually yield returns of a satisfactory<br />
pecuniary character.<br />
We have our own printing plant and presses, and you are<br />
respectfully requested to advise us at your earliest conve-<br />
nience whether or not you desire to place your manuscript<br />
(under the above conditions) in the hands of our reader for<br />
approval or rejection. The magazine will enter the field as<br />
a competitor of The Black Cat and similar publications, but<br />
will be of a purely literary character, the space devoted to<br />
the insertion of advertising matter being very limited.<br />
"The generosity of this offer will no doubt<br />
appeal to a large audience, for there are those<br />
who would rather see themselves in print without<br />
pay than not see themselves in print at all.<br />
Against the expense of 200 copies at 5 cents<br />
each they would not protest, for what is 200<br />
times 5 cents against the glory of being an<br />
author r But you may be sure of one thing—<br />
that they would not send a copy of the paper to<br />
anyone who, they had reason to think, had<br />
received one of these circulars."<br />
Does poetry pay? I find a contribution to the<br />
literature of this subject in au American paper.<br />
"Ballad the Bard," a poet from Iowa, who is, I<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 286 (#342) ############################################<br />
<br />
286<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
suppose, known to all the world excejjt myself, is<br />
announced as being about to appear at a certain<br />
theatre: he will recite his own poems first, and<br />
will rub them in, or lecture upon them, afterwards.<br />
I think the line ought to be drawn after the<br />
recitation. Certainly in this country poets do<br />
not as a rule dare to ask people to listen while<br />
they recite their verses. But to expect them, in<br />
addition, to listen to a lecture upon them—No : it<br />
would be too much, much too much. However,<br />
that is what "Ballad the Bard" is doing at this<br />
moment. The paragraph goes on to say that the<br />
poet has written 44,678 lines of verse. "But,"<br />
it is added, "even production on this enormous<br />
scale has never paid him well, and he has to carry<br />
on a farm to make a living."<br />
Is there any " proper" length that can be laid<br />
down for a story? The length which is accept-<br />
able to editors first, and suits book form next, is<br />
the " proper " length. A contributor to this issue<br />
thinks that, for a first effort, the length should<br />
not exceed 30,000 words: and he finds a good<br />
many published works of that length. On<br />
the other hand, the short stories, for which there<br />
is now so large a demand, are not allowed to<br />
exceed 4000 words in the weekly magazines which<br />
want them. I think that a young writer should<br />
not tie himself down to any fixed length in<br />
planning and constructing his story, but should<br />
consider nothing but the natural development of<br />
the plot and the dramatic situations which it<br />
allows. When he comes to offer his work for<br />
publication he can then alter, correct, or add in<br />
order to bring it within the limits wanted. If we<br />
consider the reader, a length of only 30,000 words<br />
is much too limited, if the story is good. In that<br />
case, indeed, one cannot have too much of it.<br />
Dickens carried on his novels to something like<br />
400,000 words, and nobody complained: but<br />
perhaps the public would resent such a demand<br />
upon their attention from his successors. The<br />
three-volume novel, which critics continually<br />
likened, with as much originality as truth,<br />
unto the bed of Procrustes, actually varied<br />
from 90,000 words to 250,000 words. The<br />
present popular six-shilling novel varies from<br />
60,000 to 200,000 words. I think that the little<br />
booklet of 30,000 words has had its day. At all<br />
events, let us hope so. To sit down to a really<br />
admirable story—one remembers several excellent<br />
stories which appeared in that form—and to see<br />
it thrown away on a little thing that could be read<br />
in an hour, was a terrible waste : all the more when<br />
the story, as happened in the case of one writer at<br />
least, was full of gocd things, epigrams—un-<br />
expected "strokes," as the old writers called<br />
them.<br />
The following letter received by an editor has<br />
come into my hands. It requires no comment:<br />
anything that could be said is obvious:—<br />
Dkab Sir,—This morning I had the pleasure of reading a<br />
notice of my little book of" . . ," taken from last<br />
Tuesday's . It is qnite a flattering review; and very<br />
comforting to a man who is starving. The kind-hearted<br />
reviewer says he envies me my temperament, but I feel sure<br />
he would not have envied me my lot during the last few<br />
months—it has literally been a time of starvation for me.<br />
Briefly, here is my history. I began to work in the minfs<br />
before attaining my ninth birthday. At an early age—in<br />
my nineteenth year—I married, and later developed a taste<br />
for literature, mainly reading. At twenty-two I left the<br />
pits to work in a boiler-factory, and presently I began to<br />
scribble verses in my spare time. After a while I tried my<br />
hands at prose, and by the time I was twenty-four or five<br />
one or two of my contributions were accepted for a London<br />
periodical, that in which Stevenson's "Treasure Island"<br />
first appeared. I made steady progress, taking infinate<br />
pains to make my work readable. I had everything to learn,<br />
and spelling was fearfully difficult, but ere long I had the<br />
satisfaction of receiving a few shillings nearly every week<br />
for some little story, article, or a set of verses. During 1895<br />
I nearly made a living by journalistic work, earning an<br />
average of a little over £1 per week. My work appered<br />
in various publications, and I worked very hard in the hope<br />
of doing better, but my health failed. However, I continued<br />
to do my best, bnt my prose work was not very successful.<br />
I wrote one novel, which brought me in a munificent (?)<br />
£16 1 os.<br />
The" . . "are a selection of some eighty pieces<br />
from several hundred which have been previously published<br />
—mostly in ... At present, though able to do good<br />
work, I can hardly get a story, an article or a set of verses<br />
accepted.<br />
I have received a letter from a member of the<br />
Society in which he shows a strong jealousy of<br />
publishers' readers. I have persuaded him to<br />
withdraw the letter, and 1 only refer to it in<br />
order to call attention to the fact that such<br />
prejudice exists. The writer says that readers<br />
are all authors: that they are jealous of all other<br />
authors: and that their jealousy will not allow<br />
them to give an unbiassed judgment. Perhaps<br />
this prejudice may exist in other minds. There-<br />
fore, let us consider the facts. First of all, pub-<br />
bshers' advisers are not all authors: many of<br />
them are, it is true. I know certain firms where<br />
no book is accepted until one of the partners<br />
himself has read it. Next, we must always<br />
remember that publishers are men of business.<br />
They publish books in order to make money, like<br />
any other men of business. There are no senti-<br />
mental considerations at all about them. If,<br />
therefore, this man of business discovers that the<br />
reader whom he pays for advising him as to the<br />
pecuniary value of a work has begun to advise<br />
him in accordance with private spite and malice,<br />
he would very soon make short work of that<br />
reader. But, it may be urged, a reader may<br />
strongly advise against a work, thinking that he<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 287 (#343) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
287<br />
is doing this honestly, and deceived by his own<br />
prejudices. When that work was produced else-<br />
where successfully, confidence in that reader<br />
would certainly be lowered or altogether lost. It<br />
is true that readers make mistakes: who does<br />
not? It is true that every publisher can point<br />
to excellent work being rejected. It is also true<br />
that many MSS. lie on the border line: it is<br />
unlikely that they will succeed, and a reader hesi-<br />
tates to recommend his firm to a probable loss.<br />
They go elsewhere. For some reason they have a<br />
run. One must not blame a reader for hesitation<br />
over an uncertain MS. In a word, I do not believe<br />
that authors as a rule have any cause of com-<br />
plaint against readers; while there are readers<br />
who possess a sort of instinct which tells them<br />
whether a MS. will succeed or not. I believe it<br />
is the fact that the late Mr. George Bentley, who<br />
at one time published nothing that he had not<br />
read, never made a mistake in his estimate of a<br />
book. Walter Besant.<br />
SOME VOLUMES OF VERSE.<br />
WE have before us several volumes of<br />
verse by writers chiefly new. As is the<br />
custom of The Author, which, for<br />
obvious reasons, cannot criticise the works of the<br />
members of the Society, we will allow every one<br />
of these young poets to recite a poem of his or<br />
her own making. The first is a book (Elliot<br />
Stock) called " Meetings and Partings, with other<br />
Verses and Translations," by E. C. Ricketts<br />
(Cornelia Wallace), author of "Flowers: A<br />
Fantasy," and " Mountain Monarchs."<br />
The following is a translation of Sully Prud-<br />
homme's lines, beginning "Vous qui m'aiderez<br />
dans mon agonie ":<br />
Ye who will aid me in my dying hour.<br />
Utter no word.<br />
To speed my flight sweet strains alone have power;<br />
Let such be heard.<br />
Music can sooth, enchant, and loosen ties<br />
To things below.<br />
Speak not, I pray you, but in kinder wise,<br />
Ah! lull my woe.<br />
1 tire of words—vain words that only tend<br />
Truth to conceal:<br />
Better are sounds I need not comprehend,<br />
Their voice I feel.<br />
My soul shall plunge in melody's full streams<br />
Till her last breath;<br />
Then float from soft delirium to dreams,<br />
From dreams to death.<br />
The second book before us is "The History of<br />
a Soul," by Kathleen Bebenna (Digby, Long).<br />
It is dedicated to Philip Bourke Marston, " whose<br />
wondrous life hath been revealed to her whchn I<br />
call Idriss."<br />
The soul passes from one existence to another.<br />
The soul is none other than Philip Bourke Mar-<br />
ston, whose history, revealed to " Idriss," has been<br />
versified by Kathleen Behenna. At its first per-<br />
fect birth, the soul was known as Heliobas; next<br />
as Rameses II.; thirdly, as Homer; fourthly, as<br />
Mithradates VI.; then followed a period in Hell;<br />
afterwards it became Omar I., Caliph of Persia;<br />
after this, Geoffrey L'Estrange of France; lastly<br />
as Philip Bourke Marston. It will be seen<br />
that this was a soul singularly favoured, and<br />
with very long intervals between the incarna-<br />
tions. Let us take a passage from the sojourn in<br />
Hell:<br />
Within this deep and vast expanse of night,<br />
Where no sun sheds its glorious beaming light;<br />
No light of moon, or aught but faint pale star—<br />
The circling earth which shineth from afar.<br />
To this I fell from my soul's perfect birth<br />
Far lower then than mortals of the earth:<br />
And there I met far sadder sights, I ween,<br />
Than even Dante's eye hath ever seen.<br />
O God of Love, how great Thou art in might!<br />
"Leaves in the Wind," by Anthony C. Deane<br />
(Elliot Stock) is a little volume of a lighter kind.<br />
Here is an example, called "Yuletide Reflec-<br />
tions ":<br />
Bright in many coloured binding,<br />
Here they lie a goodly row!<br />
Now we may rejoice at finding<br />
Tales of ice and misletoe.<br />
How the wise lived " ever after ";<br />
How the fool his folly saw,<br />
Scenes of honest mirth and laughter,<br />
Such as Dickens loved to draw.<br />
What? You think so? How belated<br />
Is your knowledge, if you look<br />
For romances antiquated<br />
In a modern "Christmas book "!<br />
Bather hail the newer fashion,<br />
Pitiably the hero's died,<br />
And tho heroine's hopeless passion<br />
Ends, of course, in suicide.<br />
Genial writers of the present,<br />
Always we reoeive from you,<br />
Tales designedly unpleasant—<br />
Men that don't and maids that do.<br />
Gloomy screeds with gloomy morals,<br />
Dirty scenes of dirty slums,<br />
Stories of domestic quarrels,<br />
You provide, when Christmas comes.<br />
Though sincere in your persuasion<br />
That the world's an idle show,<br />
Could you not—for this occasion—<br />
Let your pessimism go '<<br />
Though your dullful view encumbers<br />
Every modern novel's theme,<br />
"Tell us not in "—Christmas—-numbers<br />
Life is but an empty dream "!<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 288 (#344) ############################################<br />
<br />
288<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
14 Poems of a Naturalist" (Chiswick Press) by<br />
Marcus S. C Rickards. Here is a short poem<br />
called " Life on the Wane ":<br />
My friends are like the flowers<br />
That grace the sunny hours:<br />
Death is the blight whose shade<br />
Doth mar them till they fade.<br />
Ah! what a bevy did adorn<br />
The plot where one dies every morn.<br />
My heart is like a field<br />
Of trees with golden yield:<br />
Death is the gale whose force<br />
Doth Btrip, without remorse,<br />
The fruit of each arboreal type<br />
That should have smiled till fully ripe.<br />
My life is but the gloom<br />
That silvery stars illume:<br />
Yet, Bwift as hurrying clouds,<br />
Death one by one enshrouds:<br />
And soon—how soon! I shall be left<br />
'Mid darkness, of their light bereft.<br />
But courage! coming spring<br />
Steals back on flowery wing,<br />
Fresh summer bids the root<br />
Breed new maturing fruit.<br />
And never midnight held dark sway<br />
That issued not in golden day.<br />
■>•<——■<br />
EDITOR AND CONTRIBUTOR.<br />
AS the question of the responsibility of editors<br />
in the matter of unsolicited manuscripts<br />
is at present being warmly discussed in<br />
literary circles, will you allow me space in your<br />
columns for the following remarks:<br />
Some time ago I sent my first contribution to<br />
a magazine of the highest standing, and received<br />
from the editor a very courteous acknowledge-<br />
ment, and a cheque for twenty guineas.<br />
Since then I have contributed articles to<br />
another high-class magaziue, and as I am not<br />
personally acquainted with the editor or any<br />
member of the staff of any magazine in England,<br />
I may, without presumption, conclude that my<br />
contributions are published on their merits and<br />
have a certain marketable value.<br />
On the 16th of November last I sent an article<br />
to a high-priced magazine (which for the moment<br />
I prefer not to name, as possibly the editor may,<br />
after reading this, consider that he owes me an<br />
an explanation either through your columns or<br />
otherwise). My manuscript was registered, my<br />
name and address were written most legibly on it,<br />
and postage stamps were enclosed for its return in<br />
case of rejection. It is now more thaji three<br />
months since I sent that article, and as it con-<br />
tained information which was then new, but is<br />
now no longer new, my article has deteriorated<br />
in value.<br />
Since I sent it I have written three times to<br />
the editor (not bellicose or threatening, but polite<br />
and courteous letters) and have even enclosed a<br />
stamped addressed envelope, but cannot get him<br />
either to return my MS. or to say if he intends to<br />
accept it.<br />
As I live out of England, I have never seen a<br />
copy of his magazine, and therefore do not know<br />
what are his rules as to unsolicited manuscripts;<br />
but I have always considered that the office of a<br />
magazine was an open market for literary contri-<br />
bution, and that an author could with as much<br />
confidence send his literary goods to the editor,<br />
as a farmer could send his horse unsolicited to<br />
Mr. Tattersall's stables, without fear of its being<br />
appropriated or destroyed.<br />
The editor of that magazine has not only kept<br />
or destroyed my article, which I at least consider<br />
of value, but he has also kept the $\d. in postage<br />
stamps which I sent him ; and if he has received<br />
1500 MSS. within the year (as the editor of the<br />
Windsor has), and if each author has sent him<br />
the same amount in postage stamps that I have<br />
sent, he has realised from this source alone the<br />
goodly sum of =£28 2*. 6d.<br />
One of the correspondents of the Bookman<br />
(which has opened its columns to a discussion on<br />
the question of unsolicited manuscripts) com-<br />
pares a magazine article sent to an editor to a<br />
sample of goods sent by a tradesman. This is<br />
incorrect.<br />
If a few paragraphs of the article, or an<br />
entire article which had already been published<br />
by the same author, were sent, it would be a<br />
sample of his style, but the article itself is no<br />
more a sample than is the horse sent to Mr.<br />
Tattersall's a sample of the horses the farmer<br />
may have on his farm. It is a marketable article<br />
to be bought, or to be returned to its owner, who<br />
has not only consigned his goods, in all con-<br />
fidence, to a registered dealer in literary goods,<br />
but has paid for the return of those goods if<br />
found unsuitable to the requirements of that par-<br />
ticular dealer; and the article sent should be<br />
returned quickly, before the opportune moment<br />
for its appearance in another magazine should<br />
have passed. The editor is no more justified in<br />
holding it until "out of season" than would a<br />
seed merchant, whose store might be too full, be<br />
justified in accepting from a confiding nursery<br />
gardener seeds in the spring and returning thein<br />
in the winter when the season for their sale had<br />
passed. If be were himself too busy to return at<br />
once the surplus goods, he should employ a<br />
sufficient number of hands to do so, otherwise<br />
his establishment is badly and dishonestly con-<br />
ducted; and it would be well if he bore in mind<br />
that, though now he is very flourishing, his stores<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 289 (#345) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
289<br />
may some day be empty, and he may be very<br />
glad to receive unsolicited goods. But will the<br />
badly treated gardener send them in?<br />
As to the legal question of the responsibility<br />
of editors I am not qualified to offer an opinion;<br />
but if a horse dealer were to paint on his gate<br />
that he would not be responsible for unsolicited<br />
horses, and if that dealer were to appropriate<br />
or destroy any one of those horses, especially<br />
if sufficient money were sent with it to defray<br />
the expenses of its return, would any Judge in<br />
England hold him blameless?<br />
A few months ago I received a parcel from<br />
England, and a French custom-house incorrectly<br />
charged duty on it. I reclaimed the amount.<br />
The custom-house official to whom I wrote replied<br />
(his letter was unstamped, and I had to pay<br />
double postage), acknowledging that the charge<br />
was wrongfully made, but stating that it was<br />
contrary to the rules to refund the money.<br />
Doubtless it was contrary to his rules, but what<br />
right has anyone to make unto himself rules<br />
which are not in accordance with the rules of<br />
equity 'i<br />
I do not know what are the rules of the<br />
magazine to which I sent my last article, but I<br />
consider that the editor has acted even worse<br />
than that custom-house official, for, while he kept<br />
only the wrongfully charged duty, the editor has<br />
kept or destroyed my goods, and appropriated<br />
my money.<br />
Let him be charged by any twelve of his peers,<br />
and if they are honest English gentlemen as well<br />
as magazine editors, he will not be acquitted.<br />
March, 1897. Bartle Teeling.<br />
"STORIES WANTED."<br />
[all eights reserved.]<br />
IHAVE just concluded the painful experience<br />
of reading through (professionally) a few<br />
dozen of the effusions which are attracted<br />
by an advertisement to the above effect. I think,<br />
although I am no notable critic, that I might<br />
almost be in a position to render service to<br />
beginners by pointing out their faults.<br />
Let me say at once that I also am a lieginner,<br />
although a beginner of some years now, and one<br />
who has arrived at being able to live on his work.<br />
I "read " with no cut-and-dried didacticism, but<br />
conscientiously, sympathetically, and with rever-<br />
ence. That reverence is tempered with the scepti-<br />
cism of the war-worn who has learnt to translate<br />
"genius" by " oof."<br />
Priino, then, regretfully I urge it, do not let<br />
the contempt of the heaven-born drive you to<br />
overlooking paltry mechanical details in sublime<br />
reliance on the genius of the whole. A reader<br />
is, in one form or another, always paid for his<br />
work; an editor, if he reads, pays himself iu<br />
time. It is not unfair to say that, as a rule, short<br />
stories are put out for judgment at so much the<br />
dozen. Now, in all forms of work, you come<br />
sooner or later to give as little as you can for<br />
your money; and the most conscientious critic<br />
is liable to weariness and to shirking, and to<br />
saying to himself as he chucks the manuscript<br />
aside, " After all, what matter if I pass over one<br />
good thing in a dozen F No one will ever know,<br />
and / get paid just the same."<br />
Therefore, my fellow-novice, don't give him the<br />
chance of rejecting you perfunctorily by exact-<br />
ing too much from his mental concentration; let<br />
the form at least l>c perfect, so that, if there is a<br />
soul within, it may shine out by itself. Hiding<br />
your light under a bushel may be an excellent<br />
motto in morality; but hiding your talent under<br />
a napkin of illegible manuscript is decidedly<br />
injudicious for success. Some critics, too, hate<br />
you of malice prepense, and dub your careless-<br />
ness snobbery.<br />
To carry out this first counsel observe these<br />
elementary rules. Punctuate ; punctuate properlv,<br />
make a study of punctuation and of paragraphs.<br />
Half a good style depends on the judicious choice<br />
of stops, the psychological beginning of a new<br />
paragraph. Never, if you can help it, have a whole<br />
page of your MS. unbroken; it appalls the<br />
reader even in typo. And, ladies especially—with<br />
apology—l>e more generous with theeommas; do<br />
not despise the useful semi-colon; and come down<br />
royally with full stops. Once grasp the impor-<br />
tance of the colon and stop, and you will<br />
have made the first step towards the deletion of<br />
that persistent, that maddening, that irrefugible<br />
And. Taboo "and"; turn round on " and";<br />
shun as you would the plague that irrepressible<br />
"and." "And" damns more stories than even<br />
bad writing ; sixteen "ands" in one paragraph,<br />
without so much as a comma between them, is the<br />
limit at which the reader's hair turns grey and<br />
his furniture is demolished.<br />
Next, as to writing. Here and there a man has<br />
a legible and characteristic hand, which permits<br />
his meaning to be grasped by the usual cursory<br />
glance down the page; but women — never.<br />
Ladies may form their letters perfectly legibly,<br />
although I have rarely come across one who<br />
differentiates her u's and n's; but almost invari-<br />
ably thev fill up all the white of the virgin sheet<br />
with tlreir largeness, or their flourishes, or their<br />
bold t's and lengthened y's, until the weary eye<br />
sees nothing but an indecipherable mass of<br />
hieroglyphics. Writing does not consist in well-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 290 (#346) ############################################<br />
<br />
290<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
formed letters; that is the mere rudiment of the<br />
art. Good writing should allow an equal distri-<br />
bution of the black and the white by distinct<br />
spaces between each word, and distinct " leads"<br />
between each line; if your y above inns into your<br />
1 below, the effect is ruined. Therefore I advise<br />
all ladies whose ambition soars beyond certain<br />
family and Christian publications at 5*. or<br />
1 os. a thousand, to get their things typed. If<br />
they are making a business, or at least a<br />
permanent pleasure, of writing, they would do well<br />
to invest in a typer of their own. I know well the<br />
appalling expense of the thing; I know well the<br />
beautiful faith in one's own caligraphy, and have<br />
never used one myself. But that is because I have<br />
managed to make a start without one, and at the<br />
beginning wrote a minute and careful hand; nor<br />
are all of us built with the necessary objeetive-<br />
ness and patience to convey our thoughts by<br />
machine. None the less I think it a useful in-<br />
vestment in more ways than one—you cannot see<br />
the glaring faults of your style and punctuation<br />
in manuscript; and, after all, the "latest im-<br />
provements" are not necessary to you who have<br />
time to fill—there is a most handy, if slow, little<br />
machine at ,£3 3*., the price of typing about a<br />
dozen tales.<br />
Resume, then—get your stuff typed.<br />
Another elementary precaution .is in the way<br />
you put up your MS. Do not, unless you go to<br />
the expense of having your type bound in book<br />
form (and then it must be thick), do not fasten it<br />
down the side ; fasten it at the corner only. If<br />
you write a small, neat hand, use lined sermon-<br />
paper of half foolscap size; if a large, sprawling<br />
hand, used unlined foolscap with a ruled margin.<br />
In all cases, in my opinion, the facility of reading<br />
is greatly increased by a piece of cardboard at<br />
the back—but the back only; your critic loves<br />
his easy chair and pipe, and unstiffened dinisy is<br />
difficult to hold straight in one hand. To say<br />
write on one side of the paper only is, I think,<br />
unnecessary; no one makes the other mistake<br />
now. For a long MS., tape is better than a paper<br />
fastener; but do not fix up much more than 100<br />
pages together, or it becomes unwieldy. Finally,<br />
in the case of a long story divided in several lots of<br />
MS., do for your own sake prefix each with a<br />
blank page marked with title, number of lot,<br />
and name, or if in many separate chapters jot<br />
down the title in the corner, and on the first title-<br />
page make a note of how many lots there are in^<br />
all; otherwise in a trayful of MSS. scattered<br />
over the floor you are very apt to have a part mis-<br />
laid, or interrupt you» critic's reading, r<br />
The last, and almost most important, item to<br />
lie considered in your format is the length.<br />
What is the good of sending up a story of 7000<br />
or Sooo words? Do you ever come across such a<br />
one in the popular journals at which you are pre-<br />
sumably aiming? A beginner should endeavour<br />
to keep himself—or herself—between 2000 and<br />
4000 words; four columns of Tit-Bits, for<br />
instance, is about 3000 words; four pages of the<br />
Strand makes about 3700. And as it is the<br />
hardest thing possible to write a genuine story<br />
in less than 5000 words, the beginner would do<br />
very well, even if he or she has been beginning<br />
for many years, to break off "right now," and<br />
devote some months to the arduous but splendid<br />
exercise of concentration. It teaches you many<br />
things, things as yet undreamt of in your<br />
philosophy. For apart from helping you to<br />
slough your article of subjectiveness and verbosity,<br />
you learn in the process that your chosen calling<br />
is not after all the easiest one in the world which<br />
any " genius " can put his hand to from the word<br />
Go. On the contrary, it is almost as hard in its<br />
technicalities as painting; and that, and that<br />
only, is why after all it pays so excellently well.<br />
Do you think a man can fix his tariff at ,£5, £10,<br />
£20 a thousand words through mere luck, favour,<br />
or logrolling? And yet this means, for the<br />
laziest and least ambitious, a comfortable<br />
bachelor income of, say, £400 a year: twenty<br />
tales, only four months work to the slowest,<br />
placed in the hands of your agent, and the tariff<br />
autocratically fixed! Of course, there are, as<br />
there always have been, and in every trade, a few<br />
brains endowed with that rapid power of cram<br />
called genius, or favoured with an exceptional<br />
environment, supported by an exceptional popu-<br />
larity or tact, which gives them the first offer and<br />
a fictitious momentum when it is profited by;<br />
but rest assured that the rule is, as with paintiij0^<br />
as with music—work, work, and hard work!<br />
If your discursiveness cannot be bound—and I,<br />
'iff not us, suffer from that complaint, and have not<br />
mastered the lucrative short story yet—then cast<br />
yourself despairingly into the wordy, hopeless<br />
novel. It will take you at least five times<br />
as many years to draw from it the pay you<br />
could get with the same work out of short<br />
stories, but it is a more magnificent prize<br />
when you "get there"; and of course, if<br />
you desire that mere paltrjf. phantom called<br />
Fame, a well-bound novel is Jlftiething to display<br />
to your friends. You should fix as your limits<br />
for the novel from 50,000 to 70,000 words, but<br />
there is a wide market nowadays in the i*. 6</.<br />
"libraries" for^ short stories expanded to from<br />
30,900 to 50,000 words. If you are about to<br />
make a new attempt, without suocjss yet to guide<br />
you, start in on a 30,000 tale: if you cannot reduce<br />
it to 3000 you can " easily" expand it to 30,000.<br />
And for the f>.i. novel, do not yet unlock the flood-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 291 (#347) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
291<br />
gates of six figures; remember that the longer it<br />
is the more it costs to print, and that you must<br />
be a very big man before many publishers will<br />
set up your 150,000—and pay you for it.<br />
In a subsequent article I shall offer some<br />
comments on the substance of one's work: the<br />
relative importance of dialogue, plot, description,<br />
and moralisings, and the vitalness of the opening<br />
chapter. It is a matter which I shall approach<br />
with extreme diffidence. M .<br />
CORRESPONDENCE.<br />
I. — The Subjunctive Mood: Its Present<br />
Day Use.<br />
1.<br />
IN Dr. Sweet's "New English Grammar,"<br />
Part I., p. 193, I find: "The subjunctive is<br />
very little used, even in the educated form<br />
of spoken English, and in vulgar speech it<br />
disappears entirely."<br />
The question as to the use of the subjunctive<br />
mood lias been much complicated by the pre-<br />
valent superstition that certain forms of expres-<br />
sion are, for some mysterious reason, to be<br />
authoritatively considered as "correct," without<br />
any hint or definition as to what the controlling<br />
authority really is.<br />
The truth is that many English people judge<br />
their own language by a Latin standard. Latin<br />
is a dead language, in the sense that it is now<br />
immutable, and its laws of syntax admit of no<br />
further alteration. It therefore affords no guide<br />
whatever for the usages of a living language such<br />
as English, which gives proofs of its vitality by<br />
its ceaseless changes in vocabulary, in usage, and<br />
even in syntax. Historically, the verb to wear is<br />
weak, and the past tense was, for a long time,<br />
icered (as it used to be spelt); but such a usage<br />
is dead and buried, and the expression "he<br />
u eared a hat on his head" would now be ridicu-<br />
lous. In like manner, the use of the subjunctive<br />
mood is fast dying, and will soon cease, except<br />
in cases where the author wishes to call attention<br />
to the form of his sentence; as, for example, for<br />
the purpose of emphasis. That is, practically,<br />
the sole use of it at present. It is in place when-<br />
ever we are quoting, or imitating, or suggesting<br />
the style of writers of a previous period; but<br />
when we are really using the language of the<br />
present day it is much better to let it alone,<br />
unless there is a strong reason for being em-<br />
phatic. Yet there is no objection to such a sen-<br />
tence as the following: "If it were not for the<br />
guarantee of Europe, we should have little hope<br />
of security." For the fact is that, in this case,<br />
the whole phrase "if it were not" is what has<br />
happily been denominated a "petrified" phrase,<br />
a form which, from long custom, has become<br />
familiar to us, and does not strike us as un-<br />
usual.<br />
The true rule for pronunciation is this: be<br />
careful to pronounce words like the majority of<br />
your educated neighbours, if you wish to avoid<br />
being laughed at; and remember that pronuncia-<br />
tion is subject to frequent changes. And the<br />
true rule for syntax is like unto it: construct<br />
sentences like those commonly used by the most<br />
approved authors of the present day, if you wish<br />
to be intelligible; but in this case some archaisms<br />
are permitted, amongst which such petrified<br />
phrases as "if it be" and "it' it were " may be<br />
included, because they are still in occasional use,<br />
even in the spoken language. But, except in<br />
such phrases, there is really no point in pretend-<br />
ing that the subjunctive mood is alive. The sen-<br />
tence "Whether she possesses the means of<br />
realising it or not" is thoroughly sanctioned by<br />
the daily usage of the best speakers, and the<br />
forcible change (for such it really is) of possesses<br />
to possess can only be justified by the wish to<br />
impart emphasis or solemnity to the supposition,<br />
which is effected, to a certain degree, by the<br />
inversion of the sentence, i.e., by introducing the<br />
supposition at the beginning of it. To utter such<br />
a sentence as " 1 will give her a new hat, whether<br />
she want one or not," would surely be somewhat<br />
ridiculous, though it is quite "correct" in the<br />
dialect of East Anglia.<br />
Walter W. Skeat.<br />
11.<br />
If I were able and willing (which I am not)<br />
to publish a complete grammar dealing with all<br />
points of English diction, there certainly would<br />
be a chapter in it dealing with the subjunctive<br />
case. So that the use of the subjunctive is not a<br />
case of certainty or doubt—there is no doubt at<br />
all in the above sentence. Yet there is a factor<br />
which prevents one using the form " if I was able<br />
and willing." To determine the use of the sub-<br />
junctive in modern English we have, I think,<br />
only to examine closely several such sentences,<br />
and analyse the mental feelings which give rise<br />
to them. The sentence quoted from the Times:<br />
"If Greece is incapable and unfitted to undertake<br />
the task," in reality expresses quite a different<br />
feeling or idea from " If Greece be incapable and<br />
unfittec%to undertake the task," and this, again,<br />
is different from " If Greece were incapable."<br />
A close consideration of the varying under-<br />
lying ideas, which I have had to make in<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 292 (#348) ############################################<br />
<br />
292<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
endeavouring pictorially to explain the subjunc-<br />
tives of French, German, and modern Greek,<br />
has, 1 think, given a clue which your correspon-<br />
dent Howard Collins may possibly find reasonable<br />
and useful.<br />
It is dependent upon the shaq) distinction<br />
between objective and subjective expressions; the<br />
first express outward facts, and the second inward<br />
thoughts about outward facts—for instance,<br />
"Greece is a country on the Mediterranean,"<br />
and "J think that Greeks are a brave nation."<br />
Now, although a sharp distinction may be<br />
drawn between sentences of the first class, such<br />
as "an engine draws a train," and the second,<br />
"I hope my moaning is dear," as being the one<br />
an expression of outward perception and the<br />
other of inward feeling, yet, nevertheless, any<br />
expression of outward or objective fact may be<br />
made inward or subjective by the alteration of<br />
its terms, such as "I hope that the engine is<br />
.strong enough," or "If the engine were strong<br />
enough the train would go 100 miles an hour."<br />
This being so, there is still a third point to<br />
notice, namely, that any future event is proble-<br />
matical by its very nature, and "the engine will<br />
draw the train" only provided many jwssible<br />
things—if the boiler does not burst, if the line<br />
is clear, if the driver turns on steam, if it is<br />
strong enough to do so. Out of these possibili-<br />
ties I may choose to mention one—the question<br />
of strength—but this does not al'er the statement<br />
to any but a simple " future indicative "—and " If<br />
the engine it strong enough it will draw the<br />
train" is in reality better expressed thus: the<br />
engine will draw the train (if it is strong enough,<br />
if the driver turns on steam, if, &c., &c.)—a<br />
pure future indicative with one condition given<br />
(gif=if) or mentioned.<br />
But now, on the other hand, I am at perfect<br />
liberty in my imagination to imagiue impro-<br />
babilities or even impossibilities, and then I<br />
ought to, and in most cases must, employ a sub-<br />
junctive: "If the engine tcere powerful enough<br />
(and if the road trere true) the train might go<br />
at 150 or even 200 miles an hour;" or, again, "if<br />
Greece were incapable," &c.<br />
Further, I myself may not be sure, yet still put<br />
iuv hypotheses, and then I should say, "That<br />
engine is powerful, but not sufficiently so—at<br />
least, 1 think not"; "If it be (which I doubt)<br />
sufficiently strong it will move that train,"—or<br />
"If Greece be incapable and unfitted, then we<br />
must arrange in other fashion for the government<br />
of Crete."<br />
. In both cases" if it be" expresses an hypttthesis,<br />
"if it is" a condition.<br />
In a word, the rule seems to lie: if the state-<br />
ment it that of a future objective fact with<br />
conditions attached, use the simple tense, but if<br />
the statement be (as it may well be) a subjective<br />
hypothetical case, or if it were (as in certain<br />
circumstances I can imagine it might be) a<br />
purely hypothetical case, then employ the sub-<br />
junctive.<br />
I have incorporated the instances of the use<br />
in the argument the better to illustrate the rules,<br />
which if they are true, as I think they are, may<br />
prove of use to those in doubt on similar<br />
occasions.<br />
In many cases, however, the difference in idea<br />
is so slight that the desire for directness of<br />
diction overcomes the desire for grammatical<br />
accuracy. Howard Swan.<br />
4, Arundel-street, Strand.<br />
in.<br />
From Mr. Howard Collins's article on "The<br />
Subjunctive Mood," Ac., in the last issue of The<br />
Author, I gather:<br />
1. That it is becoming an increasing practice<br />
with the writers of the present time to use the<br />
indicative mood where the subjunctive would be<br />
more proper, or, at least, more elegant.<br />
2. That such a practice was almost unknown<br />
amongst good writers a hundred years ago, and<br />
ljefore that—by which I understand during the<br />
eighteenth century.<br />
3. That the subjunctive mood has for some<br />
years been gradually dying out.<br />
Now, with regard to the first and third of these<br />
statements, I am not in a position to offer positive<br />
evidence, which would, indeed, entail no small<br />
amount of labour; but my general impression is<br />
altogether the other way. If Mr. Collins will<br />
take a dip almost anywhere amongst the second-<br />
rate novels of the last twenty years—more espe-<br />
cially in those by ladies—T think he will find<br />
that the tendency is quite the reverse; that<br />
not only is the subjunctive mood very much used,<br />
but not unfrequently very much abused also. I<br />
am convinced that there are, and have been,<br />
plenty of writers who, finding this matter a little<br />
perplexing, and not having the patience to get to<br />
the bottom of it, have contented themselves with<br />
the simple and convenient rule that, whenever<br />
doubt, possibility, or contingency are implied—and<br />
more especially whenever a sentence begins with<br />
the word if—the subjunctive should be used in<br />
till cases.<br />
This, however, I do not think justifiable, aud<br />
so far from regarding a sentence like those quoted<br />
by Mr. Collins from the Times as the sign of a<br />
slovenly style, it is to me evidence that the writer<br />
has scholarly instincts, and has thought it worth<br />
his while to study the language which is the vehicle<br />
of his ideas.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 293 (#349) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
293<br />
As to the assertion that this use of the indica-<br />
tive is a thing of recent usage, and was compara-<br />
tively rare in the last century, I think that is<br />
easily disposed of. I have not time to go fully<br />
into the matter, but I subjoin a few examples,<br />
which I fancy sufficiently bear me out, and which<br />
T found on a very brief inspection of the books<br />
quoted.<br />
"Spectator," No. 8. "If we are rightly informed,<br />
the rules that are observed in this new society,"<br />
Ac.<br />
"Spectator," No. 262. "If he has not the pomp<br />
of a numerous train, and of professors of service<br />
to him, he has every day he lives," Ac.<br />
"Spectator," No. 340.—" Whether such or any<br />
other are true causes, all men have a yearning<br />
curiosity," &c.<br />
"Citizen of the World," Let. 74—" K he trans-<br />
gresses the common forms of breeding, mistakes<br />
even a teapot for a tobacco box, it is said," &c.<br />
"The Present State of Polite Learning," Chap.<br />
12.—" If, then, there ever comes a time when taste<br />
is so far depraved," &c.<br />
"Rasselas," Chap. 27.—" If he gratifies one he<br />
will offend another," <fcc.<br />
Thus the classics of the last century. Take a<br />
few from the writers at the beginning of this, to<br />
which Mr. Collins specially refers.<br />
"But if that is the case you must write to<br />
your mother, to beg that you may stay a little<br />
longer."—"Pride and Prejudice," Chap. 37.<br />
"Have a care, my Lord Colambro; if she sets<br />
her heart upon you forLadv Isabel, she has you,"<br />
&c.—" The Absentee," Chap. 6.<br />
"My lords, if it is your pleasure to gang on wi'<br />
this matter," &c.—" Heart of Midlothian," Chap.<br />
23- . .<br />
Later still, in the thirties, we find Coleridge,<br />
whom I think we may regard as a purist in lan-<br />
guage, adding his authority to the same practice.<br />
"If men are neither the one nor the other, but<br />
a mere aggregation of individual bipeds," &c.—<br />
"Table Talk" ("Citizens and Christians," Mav 3,<br />
1832).<br />
I can quite sympathise with Mr. Collins's<br />
desire for a practical rule in this matter, and if<br />
he care to follow the one that has guided me<br />
through life, and which I learned before I was in<br />
my teens, it is entirely at his service. At the<br />
same time I am far from asserting that it is<br />
generally accepted by the authorities, or that its<br />
authenticity is unimpeachable.<br />
"Sentences that imply contingency and futurity<br />
require the subjunctive mood; as,' If he be alone,<br />
give him the letter.' When contingency and<br />
futurity are not both implied, the indicative ought<br />
to be used; as, ' If he speaks as he thinks, he may<br />
safely be trusted.'"<br />
This is the tenth rule of syntax in "The<br />
Principles of English Grammar," by William<br />
Lennie. W. Braunston Jones.<br />
Laphroing, Islay, N.B.,<br />
March 17, 1897.<br />
IV.<br />
Allow me to say, in reply to the letter of your<br />
correspondent F. Howard Collins, in the March<br />
number of The Author, that the simplest and<br />
most easily remembered rule governing the use<br />
of the subjunctive mood is this :—<br />
Only when there is a concurrence of contingency<br />
and futurity should the verb be in the subjunctive<br />
mood. When there is either contingency without<br />
futurity, or futurity without contingency, the<br />
verb should be in the indicative mood. The one<br />
exception to this rule occurs in the use of the<br />
imperfect tense of the verb to be, when ocr<br />
language is intended to denote contingency<br />
merely. The verb should then be in the subjunc-<br />
tive mood. See my work, "Learned Men's<br />
English: The Grammarians," Part 2, p. 8.<br />
George Washington Moon, Hon. F.R.S.L.<br />
II.—Paying for Publication.<br />
Similar to " L. M. N.," I have often wondered<br />
why authors are advised never to pay for publica-<br />
tion if they care to run the risk and have the<br />
means to do so. Of course, they must do it with<br />
their eyes open, but there may be results more<br />
precious to them than the receipt of a cheque<br />
from a publisher, or even the satisfaction of<br />
personal vanity. I know there are authors who<br />
will frankly reply that people with means to try<br />
experiments usually belong to the dilettanti<br />
class, and had better be kept out of the ring of<br />
established purveyors of good literature. Even<br />
if the writing be good, there is a bar sinister in<br />
the case of those who do not follow literature<br />
as their profession or mingle much with the<br />
literary coteries of the day. Again, the pub-<br />
lisher may reply, that if a writer simply has in<br />
view the presentation of copies to private friends<br />
and others, or, in the case of a very small sale of<br />
his book, the handing over of the remainder of an<br />
edition to public libraries, it might as well have<br />
been printed for private circulation only.<br />
Thus far the literary critic and the publisher.<br />
But is it not an established fact that publication<br />
casts a halo over a book, foreign to it when<br />
issuing merely from a printer's office, and has not<br />
the quixotic author every right to make vise of<br />
this advantage if able to do so? If his work is<br />
well done, it may be the means of at least giving<br />
pleasure to those who frequent public libraries,<br />
though the well-known critic may pass by on the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 294 (#350) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
other side, and the publisher may shrug his<br />
shoulders and think the presuming author a fool<br />
for his pains.<br />
However, as a rule, I believe original work<br />
eventually stands or falls on its merits. But<br />
what I would like to know is this: Many readers<br />
are still left who, in spit* of increased inter-<br />
course with foreign lands, care to read a good<br />
foreign work in translation. Why do we come<br />
across people who openly acknowledge that it is<br />
more the matter contained than the manner of<br />
doing it with which they are concerned, and must<br />
not the one be irrevocably bound up with the<br />
other?<br />
Ida L. Benecke.<br />
i 8, Canfield-gardens.<br />
III.—Viktor Rydberg.<br />
Mr. Hermann's article on Viktor (not "Vil-<br />
stor") Rydberg, is a record for misprints,<br />
although, as Swedish words are as frequently<br />
misspelt in it as English, this is probably due to<br />
your correspondent's handwriting.<br />
Your readers may be interested to know that<br />
there is the strongest resemblance between Ryd-<br />
berg's "Den Sista Athenaren" and the late<br />
Charles Kingsley's "Hypatia." In both tales the<br />
scene is laid in a provincial seat of learning at the<br />
close of Paganism; in bot h the heroine is a Pagan<br />
maiden, whose beauty and intelligence make her<br />
a formidable foe to Christianity, to which she<br />
nevertheless leans at the last; she is murdered<br />
under circumstances of great atrocity by Christian<br />
priests; and, in both, the Roman governor is a<br />
Laodicean, and the villain a priest named Peter.<br />
Yet the resemblance is probably accidental, for<br />
the Swedish work, which shows far deeper know-<br />
ledge of the history and manners of the period<br />
than the English, was the later by a few years;<br />
and in none of his other works (so far as I know)<br />
does Rydberg show any acquaintance with current<br />
English fiction.<br />
The resemblance was turned to good account by<br />
the gentleman who adapted "Hypatia" for the<br />
stage a few years ago; for the characters of<br />
the Jew and his daughters, who appear in the<br />
play but not in the novel, seem to be taken<br />
straight from Rydberg's book. I do not think<br />
any of our critics noticed the source of the drama-<br />
tist's inspiration at the time. F. Legge.<br />
IV.—The House where Btron was Born,<br />
i.<br />
Referring to my previous communication on<br />
the subject of Lord Byron's birthplace, it may<br />
interest readers of The Author to learn that a<br />
gentleman, more fortunate than myself, has<br />
succeeded in obtaining a reply from the owners<br />
of No. 24, Holies-street. They state that a<br />
tablet is "in preparation, and would soon be<br />
placed in its proper position." Is it too much to<br />
hope that this memento may be affixed by<br />
April 19 next, which is the anniversary of the<br />
illustrious poet's decease at Missolonghi? Of<br />
course, the inscription should make it perfectly<br />
clear to this and future generations that the site<br />
only of the house is indicated. C.<br />
Authors' Club, S.W.<br />
March 18. 1897.<br />
11.<br />
"C." remarks in The Author of March, that<br />
the lar^e firm of haberdashers who carry on<br />
their business in 24, Holies-street, have promised<br />
to put up an inscription of some kind, but have<br />
not done so. I have been assured that Mr. Lewis<br />
is only waiting to decide upon a suitable memorial,<br />
to put one up to the late poet.<br />
Caroline Creyke.<br />
V.—Corruption of the Language.<br />
"Back of" instead of "behind " ; unnecessary.<br />
"Around" instead of "round "; adverb used<br />
as a preposition.<br />
Present subjunctive for conditional: "He<br />
stipulated that I pay him interest." TJngram-<br />
matical.<br />
The above are mostly Americanisms.<br />
Accusative for nominative: "The man whom I<br />
know wrote this." Sometimes in British jour-<br />
nalism. The full phrase, "The man who, as I<br />
know, wrote," shows at once where the mistak e<br />
comes in.<br />
"Monetary " for " pecuniary." Ditto. Mone-<br />
tary is properly used of coinage or currency.<br />
Motieta, a surname of Juno, in whose temple the<br />
Romans struck money; thence a Mint. I met<br />
with this in a tale by Mark Twain; not as a bit<br />
of dialect, but put into the mouth of an educated<br />
man.<br />
Neuter verba used transitively: "Nothing shall<br />
swerve me."<br />
Uncalled for use of substantive as a verb, e.g.,<br />
"he loaned me," instead of "he lent me," &c.<br />
(The word " to advocate" is a case of the kind;<br />
it has been adopted generally, but it met a real<br />
want, unlike the case just cited, for which there<br />
is no such justification. "Loan " is, of course, a<br />
substantive, of which the corresponding verb is<br />
"to lend.")<br />
The above are only noted as a few instances of<br />
gratuitous corruption of the language of Shakes-<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 295 (#351) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
295<br />
pere and Addison, of Washington Irving and<br />
Hacaulay. The practice is not to be confounded<br />
with the changes exacted by new needs and uses.<br />
These no man can oppose, but wanton corruption<br />
can be checked by unceasing vigilance on the part<br />
of good and influential authors.<br />
Brussels, Aug., 1896. H. G. Keene.<br />
LITERATURE IN THE PERIODICALS.<br />
The Publishers' Association and the Discount<br />
Question. Bookseller for March. Publishers' Circular<br />
for March 20.<br />
The Contributor as Editor. Frederic M. Bird.<br />
Lvppincott's for March.<br />
Methods of Literary Work. John Dennis. Leisure<br />
Hour for April.<br />
Winter in Scottish Poetrt. Florence MacCunn.<br />
Oood Words for March.<br />
What is a Realist? Arthur Morrison. New Review<br />
for March.<br />
Gibbon. Leslie Stephen. Natiottal Review for March.<br />
Thackeray's Philosophy. Macmillan's Magazine for<br />
March.<br />
The Story op Cressida. Macmillan's Magazine for<br />
March.<br />
Picturesquene8b in History. The Bishop of London.<br />
Cornhill Magazine for March.<br />
Walter Pater. Stanley Addleshaw. Gentleman's<br />
Magazine for March.<br />
The Pronunciation of Greek in England. J.<br />
Gennadins. Contemporary Review for March.<br />
Benedict Spinoza. W. B. Wallace. Humanitarian for<br />
March.<br />
Wilkie Collins. Academy for March 20.<br />
Notable Reviews.<br />
Of several books under heading of "The Short Story:<br />
How Not to Write It." Daily Chronicle for March 20.<br />
Of Vol. III. of Henley and Henderson's Centenary<br />
Edition of " Burns." Athenseum for March 6.<br />
The suggestion of the Publishers' Association<br />
that an effort should be made by the retail trade<br />
to revert to the 2d. in the is. discount finds<br />
favour with the Bookseller, which agrees that<br />
this would mean a distinct improvement on the<br />
existing arrangements. But the Bookseller is<br />
not sanguine enough to hope that the proposal<br />
will be unanimously accepted, even by discount<br />
booksellers, unless the publishers are prepared to<br />
take adequate means to impose it. This latter<br />
condition, in our contemporary's opinion, is vital.<br />
Meanwhile the organ of the booksellers is glad<br />
that the Publishers' Association has relinquished<br />
its non possumus attitude towards the grievances<br />
of the retail trade.<br />
The result of the circular issued by the Asso-<br />
ciated Booksellers to their members regarding<br />
the suggested reform is said by the Publishers'<br />
Circular to be as follows:<br />
Country Lond. Total<br />
Number of Booksellers written to<br />
respecting the proposed change ... 509 66 575<br />
Number who agreed to proposal 483 49 532<br />
Number who declined 7 2 9<br />
Number who did not answer 19 15 34<br />
Mr. Arthur Morrison asks " What is a realist?"<br />
because Dr. Traill and other critics have said he<br />
is of the mysterious fraternity. But Mr. Morrison<br />
has never called himself a realist, nor put forth<br />
any of his work as realism. He appeals for the<br />
absolutely untrammelled liberty of the artist.<br />
Being a simple writer of talcs who takes whatever<br />
means lie to his hand to present life as he sees it,<br />
he declines the label of the schoolmen and the<br />
sophisters. Constable was called a realist, he<br />
says, and Corot too; but who calls these painters<br />
realists now. The so-called "realist" is the man<br />
who discards the conventions of the schools, and<br />
presents his matter in individual terms of art.<br />
For a while the schoolmen abuse him as a realist;<br />
and in twenty years' time, if his work have life in<br />
it, he becomes a classic. Mr. Morrison explains<br />
the christening of the realist thus:<br />
A man of independent talent, with the courage of his own<br />
vision, interprets what he sees in fresh terms, giving to<br />
things a new reality and an immediate presence. They of<br />
the schools appear with dulled eyes from amid the heap of<br />
precedents and prescriptions that compass them about, and,<br />
distracted at seeing a thing sanctioned by neither precedent<br />
nor prescription, dub the man realist, and rail against him for<br />
that he fits none of their pigeon holes.<br />
The following amusing extract from a letter<br />
from Wilkie Collins to one of his editors, is pub-<br />
lished for the first time in the Academy of March<br />
20. A suggestion seems to have been made by<br />
the editor to the novelist as to the advisability of<br />
the latter deleting a common expletive, and this<br />
is the reply:<br />
The " damns " (two " damns " only, observe, in the whole<br />
story) mark the characters at very important places in the<br />
narrative. The " compromise " which you suggest is simply<br />
what they would not say. I know of no instances of a<br />
writer with any respect for his art or for himself who has<br />
ever made the concession which your friends ask of me. My<br />
story is not addressed to young people exclusively—it is<br />
addressed to readers in general. I do not accept young<br />
people as the ultimate court of appeal in English literature.<br />
Mr. Turlington (the character in the story in question) must<br />
talk like Mr. Turlington—even though the terrible conse-<br />
quence may be that a boy or two may cry " damn" in imita-<br />
tion of him. I refer your friends to Scott and Dickens—<br />
writers considered immaculate in the matter of propriety.<br />
They will find "damn" where "damn " ought to be in the<br />
pages of both those masters. In short, I am damned if I<br />
take out " damn!"<br />
An interesting collection of the methods of<br />
great literary workers is given by Mr. John<br />
Dennis. Wordsworth's study was in the open<br />
air; he never wrote down as he composed, but<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 296 (#352) ############################################<br />
<br />
296<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
composed walking, riding, or in bed, and wrote<br />
down after. Southey worked with a clerk-like<br />
regularity; but, Milton, Gray, and Coleridge had<br />
to wait for their inspiration. De Quincey was<br />
amazingly unmethodical; Charles Lamb did not<br />
write with ease, and acknowledged himself " an<br />
author by fits"; while the poet Campbell was a<br />
prodigious procrastinator, who often ran away<br />
into the country from his work at the time when,<br />
as an editor, he was most wanted in London. Sir<br />
Walter Scott confessed to a capricious kind of<br />
indolence, which very often inclined him to ex-<br />
change the task of the day for something he was<br />
not obliged to do at the moment, or, perhaps, not<br />
at all. Stevenson, unlike his great master, Scott,<br />
worked slowly, and toiled over his sentences; and<br />
we know that Carlyle, when at Ashestiel, rose at<br />
five, seated himself at his desk at six, and, by the<br />
time the family had assembled, had done enough<br />
to " break the neck of the day's work." Anthony<br />
Trollope was so business-like as to write the same<br />
number of lines on each page. Pope used to call<br />
a servant from her bed four times in oue night to<br />
supply him with ink and paper, lest he should<br />
lose a thought.<br />
BOOK TALK.<br />
WE regret to announce that the hope held<br />
out quite recently by a correspondent<br />
in this journal, that English readers<br />
of German will soon be provided with a<br />
thoroughly reliable German-English Dictionary,<br />
by Dr. Daniel Sanders, will not be fulfilled,<br />
that distinguished lexicographer having died<br />
on the nth ult., in his seventy-seventh year,<br />
in the midst of his arduous work. The loss<br />
to Teutonic philology is almost irreparable,<br />
but let us hope that the publishers of Muret's<br />
excellent "Encyklopadisches Worterbuch der<br />
Deutschen und Englischen Sprache," the first<br />
part of which has just been completed, will be<br />
able to secure for the second part the services of<br />
a German scholar who is fully conversant with<br />
English, both theoretically and practically.<br />
Mr. Wilfrid Ward is in sight of the end of<br />
his long-expected work, the "Life of Cardinal<br />
Wiseman," and the publication will take place<br />
shortly.<br />
Mr. Fitzgerald Molloy has just completed a<br />
story entitled "A Devil's Hand,'' which will<br />
run in serial form.<br />
Mrs. Riddell is the author of " Did He Deserve<br />
It ?" a story which Messrs. Downey will publish<br />
shortly.<br />
Mr. J. C. Snaith, who is a Nottingham young<br />
man still under twenty years of age, has written<br />
a second novel, which is to be published by<br />
Messrs. Innes. It is a romance of the Prince<br />
Charlie rebellion, called "Fierce Heart, the<br />
Soldier." Mr. Snaith's first book, " Mrs. Dorothy<br />
Marvin," appeared about two years ago.<br />
Mr. Ricardo Stephens has written a novel<br />
called "Mr. Peters," which Messrs. Bliss, Sands,<br />
and Co. are to publish before Easter.<br />
The biographer of the late Professor Drummond<br />
will in all probability be the Rev. Dr. Stalker, of<br />
Glasgow, who is also of the Free Church denomi-<br />
nation.<br />
Mr. Kipling's short story," "Slaves of the<br />
Lamp" is to appear in Cosmopolis for April and<br />
May.<br />
Mr. Henry Ochiltree, author of "Redburn,"<br />
has written a story called " Out of Her Shroud,"<br />
which Messrs. Black have in hand for publi-<br />
cation.<br />
A novel by Mr. Christie Murray, entitled " A<br />
Rogue's Conscience," will be published by Messrs.<br />
Downey in a few days.<br />
Mr. Murray is issuing a cheap edition of the<br />
"Life and Letters of Princess Alice," in view of<br />
the Queen's Record Reign celebrations. Princess<br />
Christian, who edited the work, has now revised<br />
it, and added the last letter written by Princess<br />
Alice.<br />
The " Memoirs of Hawthorne," which appeared<br />
in the Atlantic Monthly from the pen of his<br />
daughter, Mrs. Lathrop, are to be published in<br />
book form. They deal with Hawthorne's life in<br />
Salem, Lennox, and Concord, his consulate at<br />
Liverpool, and the years of travel in France and<br />
Italy.<br />
Dr. J. C. Wills has written a novel called<br />
"His Dead Past." It will be published shortly<br />
by Messrs. Chatto and Windus. This firm also<br />
announces " Rie's Diary," a volume of a gossipy<br />
character by Miss Anne Coates.<br />
The seventh, or supplementary, volume of<br />
Professor Skeat's edition of Chaucer's Works will<br />
shortly be ready. It will be entitled " Chaucerian<br />
and Other Pieces," and will contain a selection of<br />
twenty-nine pieces that have been at various times<br />
printed in the chief editions of "Chaucer's<br />
Works." It is remarkable that the number of<br />
authors represented in this selection can hardly<br />
be less than sixteen, of whom no less than nine<br />
are known by name, viz., Usk, Gower, Hoccleve,<br />
Scogan, Lvdgate, Ros, Henrvson, Clanvowe, and<br />
Walton.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 297 (#353) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
The bound volume of the Critic for July-<br />
December, 1896, contains the record of 2815 new<br />
books published during that period, and reviews<br />
of 1635 of the more important—among them<br />
being Mrs. Humphry Ward's "Sir George<br />
Tressady," Eudyard Kipling's "Seven Seas,"<br />
Barrie's "Margaret Ogilvy" and "Sentimental<br />
Tommy," Shorter's "Emily Bronte and Her<br />
Circle," the first volume of Professor Sloane's<br />
"Life of Napoleon," and Dr. Hirsch's " Genius<br />
and Degeneration," to mention but a few. Added<br />
to this are a number of essays and sketches—<br />
among them Mr. Zangwill's papers on literary<br />
criticism, an account of the sesquicentennial of<br />
Princeton, with portraits of the receivers of<br />
honorary degrees-; Mr. Gerald Stanley Lee's<br />
account of Ian Maclaren as a lecturer, and records<br />
of the dramatic, artistic, and musical happenings<br />
of the period covered. Biographical sketches and<br />
estimates are given of the work of the writers<br />
who have died—Harriet Beecher Stowe, George<br />
du Maurier, William Morris, and others.<br />
Mr. H. G. Wells's new serial, " The War of the<br />
Worlds," will begin in the April number of<br />
Pearson's Magazine. It is a story describing<br />
the invasion of the earth by the inhabitants<br />
of Mars, the war they made against men,<br />
and the terrible destruction, chiefly in England,<br />
caused by this war. The story culminates in<br />
an account of London silent and deserted save<br />
for the Martians.<br />
Dr. Edward Eggleston's history of life in the<br />
United States during the seventeenth and<br />
eighteenth centuries will be published in this<br />
country at the same time as in America, and the<br />
first volume may be looked for within the next<br />
few days.<br />
"Naples in the Nineties," by Mr. Neville<br />
Rolfe; "Through Finland in a Cart," by Mrs.<br />
Alec Tweedie; "A Handbook on Christian<br />
Rome," by two writers whose names will be<br />
known by their initials OLly; and a volume by<br />
Mr. F. C. Burnand, called " Zig-Zag Guide to the<br />
Coast of Kent," with illustrations by Mr. Phil<br />
May, are announced by Messrs. A. and C. Black<br />
for early publication.<br />
"The death of Professor Drummond," remarks<br />
the Academy, "calls to mind the warfare that<br />
waged between the booksellers on the publication<br />
of ' The Ascent of Man.' Professor Drummond<br />
had great faith in the net system, and the book<br />
was issued at ys. 6d. net. Though the majority<br />
of booksellers sold it at the net price, there were<br />
exceptions. A large firm of London booksellers,<br />
for instance, declared that they did not recognise<br />
the right of the publishers to dictate terms, and<br />
sold the book at 7*. A large number of book-<br />
sellers refused to stock the book at all, and, in the<br />
trade, the comparative small sale of 22,000 which<br />
the 'Ascent of Man' has attained is generally<br />
attributed to this fact. This seems to show that,<br />
at least with high-priced books likely to have a<br />
large sale, the net system does not answer."<br />
Mr. J. W. Hales states that enough money has<br />
been subscribed for the Goldsmith memorial<br />
in the village church of Ferney, and a design for<br />
the window h-is been approved. A Goldsmith<br />
window is also to be erected in St. Saviour's,<br />
South wark.<br />
A grant of .£150 has been made by the Trea-<br />
sury out of the Royal Bounty Fund to Mrs. Fox<br />
and Mrs. Brush, the two surviving daughters of<br />
William Carleton, the Irish novelist.<br />
Professor Skeat has given notice that no more<br />
publications will be issued by the English Dialect<br />
Society. The roll of the society's books amounts<br />
to eighty, several of which have only recently<br />
been published by Mr. Frowde. Now that the<br />
"English Dialect Dictionary " is well started, the<br />
object for which the society was originally estab-<br />
lished is practically attained, says Professor<br />
Skeat. "Since the society was first founded in<br />
June, 1823, up to the close of 1896," he continues,<br />
"work has been accomplished of which we have<br />
all some reason to be proud, notwithstanding<br />
many shortcomings and occasional errors." It is<br />
hoped that members of the society will now<br />
transfer their subscriptions to Professor Wright<br />
for the purposes of the Dictionary.<br />
The Bishop of Durham has placed with Messrs.<br />
Macmillan, for publication, a work entitled<br />
"Christian Aspects of Life."<br />
Mr. John S. Farmer has in preparation a series<br />
of privately printed reprints of scarce books and<br />
unique MSS., which will bo issued by Messrs.<br />
Gibbings and Co. The first of the series, to<br />
appear immediately, will be Goddard's " Satiry-<br />
call Dialogue," of which only one copy is known<br />
to exist. Goddard flourished in the early part of<br />
the seventeenth century, belonged to the Middle<br />
Temple, and was extremely caustic in his satire<br />
on women. He published three books, which Dr.<br />
Furnival prepared in 1878 for republication, but<br />
they were never issued. His notes and material<br />
have been placed at the disposal of the present<br />
editor.<br />
A "Chinese Biographical Dictionary," com-<br />
piled by Mr. Herbert A. Giles, late English<br />
Consul at Ningpo, will shortly be published by<br />
Mr. Bernard Quaritch.<br />
Two volumes of Mrs. Oliphant's history of<br />
the Blackwoods are finished. They deal with<br />
the first William Blackwood and his son John.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 298 (#354) ############################################<br />
<br />
298<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Sir Herbert Maxwell is publishing, through<br />
Mr. Arnold, a book of sketches of nature, entitled<br />
"Memories of the Months."<br />
There is about to be issued by Messrs.<br />
Putnam's a seventh edition, re-written and with<br />
new material, of a manual of suggestions. for<br />
beginners in literature, entitled "Authors and<br />
Publishers." It contains, together with general<br />
hints for authors, a description of publishing<br />
methods and arrangements; directions for pre-<br />
paring MSS. for the press; explanations upon<br />
book manufacturing; the text of the United<br />
States Copyright Law; and information regarding<br />
international copyright.<br />
Mr. Arthur Pearson is starting about the<br />
middle of May a daily newspaper to be called the<br />
Daily American. It will, of course, cater specially<br />
for American readers in London.<br />
Mayfair is the title chosen for a new literary<br />
and artistic weekly, edited by Mrs. Roy Devereux,<br />
which is about to appear.<br />
The Reformer, a new monthly political and<br />
religious journal, will be on the lines of Mr.<br />
Bradlaugh's National Reformer, and will have<br />
among its contributors Dr. Moncure D. Conway,<br />
Mrs. Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner, Mr. Edward<br />
Carpenter, and Mr. H. S. Salt.<br />
Mr. James Nieol Dunn, editor of Black and<br />
White, has been appointed editor of the Morning<br />
Post.<br />
Tolstoy's " Ivan the Terrible" has been drama-<br />
tised by Dr. Arnold Eilvart, of the Croydon<br />
Brotherhood.<br />
The original autograph manuscript of Keats's<br />
"Endymion" was sold at Sotheby's on the ioth<br />
ult. for £695. It consists of 181 leaves, all but<br />
one in the handwriting of the poet. At the same<br />
sale the au'ograph MS. of "Lamia" sold for<br />
£305.<br />
Mrs. Hays Hammond is writing an account,<br />
from a personal point of view, of the occurrences<br />
in Johannesburg during the disquietude of<br />
fifteen months ago, during which her husband,<br />
who is an American mining engineer, played a<br />
not unimportant part.<br />
Professor James, of the chair of pyschology in<br />
Harvard University, ispublishing, throughMessrs.<br />
Longman's, a volume of essays entitled "The<br />
Will to Believe." The author is brother to Mr.<br />
Henry James.<br />
Dr. Murray's stupendous new English Diction-<br />
ary has been brought to the end of the first five<br />
letters of the alphabet. The number of words<br />
which this involves is no less than 89,591, of<br />
which 62,254 are main words, 10,156 special com-<br />
binations explained under main words, and<br />
13,181 subordinate words. From an analysis of<br />
the main words we gather that 47,786 are in<br />
current use, 15,952 are obsolete, and 2516 are<br />
alien.<br />
Mrs. Campbell Praed has written a story called<br />
"Nulnia," which will be published by Messrs.<br />
Chatto and Windus shortly.<br />
The next volume in the Book Lover's Library,<br />
published by Mr. Elliot Stock, will be " The New<br />
Novels of Charles Dickens: A Bibliographv and<br />
Sketch," by Mr. F. G. Kitten.<br />
Miss Hannah Lynch has written a new novel<br />
entitled " Jinny Blake," which Messrs. Dent have<br />
in the press.<br />
Mr. Joseph Hatton's new novel, " The Dagger<br />
and the Cross," will be forthcoming early this<br />
month.<br />
"The Romance of Isabel, Lady Burton: The<br />
True Story of Her Life," told in part by herself<br />
and in part by Mr. W. H. Wilkins, will be issued<br />
in two volumes by Messrs. Hutchinson.<br />
OBITUARY.<br />
PROFESSOR HENRY DRUMMOND died<br />
on the 11 th ult., at Tunbridge Wells, after<br />
a long illness. He was born at Stirling<br />
forty-six years ago, and studied at Edinburgh<br />
University with R. L. Stevenson and John<br />
Watson, afterwards proceeding to Tubingen. In<br />
1883 was published his first book, " Natural Law<br />
in the Spiritual World," which attracted great<br />
attention among theologians and scientific men.<br />
The book sold very largely, having gone through<br />
twenty-nine editions, and was translated into<br />
several languages. "The Ascent of Man," pub-<br />
lished in 1894, was most critically received. It<br />
consisted of the Lowell Lectures which Professor<br />
Drummond delivered in America, and the object<br />
of the work was to show how the greatest factor<br />
of evolution had been overlooked iu almost all<br />
contemporary scientific thought—this factor being<br />
the "struggle for love," as a corollary to the<br />
struggle for life, or, in other words, the "struggle<br />
for the life of others." More than 20,000 copies<br />
of this work have been sold, but the most popular<br />
of Professor Drummond's books is the non-<br />
controversial pamphlet "The Greatest Thing in<br />
the World," of which 300,000 copies have circu-<br />
lated. Of " Pax Vobiscum," also a shilling booklet,<br />
130,000 copies have been disposed of. In 1877<br />
Professor Drummond was appointed lecturer in<br />
science at the Free Church College in Glasgow,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 299 (#355) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
299<br />
and in 1884 was raised to the rank of professor.<br />
He accompanied Sir Archibald Geikie on a<br />
geological expedition to the Rocky Mountains, as<br />
well as to Africa, and had also visited Australia,<br />
China, and Japan. His African travels resulted<br />
in the popular account entitled "Tropical<br />
Africa."<br />
Mr. Henry Blackburn died on the 9th ult., at<br />
Bordighera, while returning from Rome, where he<br />
had been wintering. He originated and edited<br />
the well-known publication "Academy Notes,"<br />
and many other guides to picture galleries during<br />
recent years. His best-known work is probably<br />
the " Memoir of Randolph Caldecott," published<br />
in 1889, which enjoyed a considerable success.<br />
Prior to this caine various books of continental<br />
travel, such as " Picluresque Normandy," "Art in<br />
the Mountains: the Story of the Passion Play,"<br />
"Artists and Arabs," "Summer Life in the<br />
Pyrenees," "Travelling in Spain," "Breton<br />
Folk," and "The Harz Mountains." The last<br />
book published by Mr. Blackburn was " The Art<br />
of Illustration."<br />
The Rev. Robert Hunter, LL.D., the distin-<br />
guished lexicographer, died at his residence in<br />
Epping Forest, aged seventy-four. While residing<br />
in Edinburgh he wrote a school " History of India"<br />
and a "History of the Missions of the Free<br />
Church." During the years 1864-66 he was resi-<br />
dent tutor in the Theological College, Queen's-<br />
square, London, and on his retirement from that<br />
position he began the great work of his life, " The<br />
Encyclopaedic Dictionary." Seventeen years later<br />
the work reached completion and was published<br />
by Messrs. Cassell.—He had since written a " Bible<br />
Student's Manual."<br />
Dr. E. Cobham Brewer, author of the widely-<br />
known "Dictionary of Phrase and Fable," died<br />
on the 6th ult., at the residence of his sou-in-law,<br />
Edwinstowe Vicarage, Notts, aged eighty-seven.<br />
Previous to this work, which has gone into twenty-<br />
five editions, Dr. Brewer published in 1850 a<br />
"Guide to Science." Other works which<br />
subsequently came from his pen included a<br />
"Political, Social, and Literary History of<br />
Germanv," " The Smaller History of Germany,"<br />
"The "Reader's Handbook," "The Historic<br />
Note-Book," "Theology in Science," a "Dic-<br />
tionary of Miracles," and many other educational<br />
books.<br />
Mr. Wilton Jones, the well-known London play-<br />
wright, was for many years on the staff of the<br />
Vorkshire Post, and wrote a large number of<br />
pantomimes, and several dramas. "The Cruel<br />
City," a successful Surrey drama, was written by<br />
Mr. Jones in conjunction with his wife (Miss<br />
Gertrude Warden). Mr. Jones, who was in the<br />
prime of life, died from heart mischief on the 1 st<br />
March.<br />
Abroad, the deaths occurred of Alexander<br />
Petrovitch Milukov, the veteran Russian his-<br />
torical and literary authority; and the poet<br />
Friedrich Emil Rittershaus.<br />
THE BOQES OP THE MONTH.<br />
[February 24 to March 23—207 Books.]<br />
Adye, F. The Queen of the Moor. 6/- Macmillan-<br />
Ameriean Text-Book of Prosthetic Dentistry. 26/- Hlrschtleld<br />
A. M. O. T. C. M. The Marriage Question. 1/- Sinipkin.<br />
Andrews, W. England in the Days of Old. 7/6. Andrews.<br />
Anonymous. The Descendant; a Novel. 6/- Osgood<br />
Anonymous. The Unknown God. 2/6. net. Redway.<br />
Anstey, F. Puppets at Large. 5-'- Bradbury.<br />
Arber, E. The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers. 6;- Ward and<br />
Downey.<br />
Atherton. G. Patience Sparhawk and Her Times. 4,0. Lane.<br />
Bailey, M. B. A New Industry. 7 6. Simpkin.<br />
Balfour, F. H. Unthinkables. Bentloy.<br />
Baring-Gould, S. Guavaa The Tinner. 6/- Methuen.<br />
Barnes. M. 8. Studies in Historical Method. 2/6. Isbister.<br />
Barrere, A., and Leland, C. G. A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon, and<br />
Cant. 15/- Bell.<br />
Baseley, Mrs. The Dowager's Secret. 1/- Sinipkin.<br />
Boers, II. A. Initial Studies in American Letters. Gj. Gay and Bird.<br />
Bell, Mrs. (trans, and editor). Memoirs of Baron Lejeune. 24/-<br />
Longmaus.<br />
Belloc, Bessie H. A Passing World. 6/- Ward and Downey.<br />
Benocke, E. The Cross Beneath the King and other Poems. 2/6.<br />
Benham, Wm. Winchester Cathedral. 1/- net. Isbister.<br />
Boardman, Emery. Winning Whist. 2/6. Bliss.<br />
Boissier, G. Cicero and His Friends. 5/. Innes.<br />
Boyle, Robert. The Lectures. Vol I. 6/- Frowdc.<br />
Bremncr, C. Education of Girls and Women in Great Britain. 4 6.<br />
Sonnenschein.<br />
Bright, Dr. J. F. Joseph II. [Foreign Statesmen.] 2,6. Macmillan,<br />
Bright, Dr. J. F. Maria Theresa. [Foreign Statesmen ] '2 (J.<br />
Macmillan.<br />
Bruce. Corinna. All in All. 6/- Hurst and Blackett.<br />
Bullock, Shan F. King o' Hushes. 1/6. Ward, Lock.<br />
Bund, J. W. W. The Celtic Church of Wales. 12/6 net. Nutt.<br />
Burdett, H. C. Burdetfs Official Intelligence for 1897. 50/-<br />
Spottlswoode.<br />
Caird, E. Individualism and Socialism. Glasgow : Mackhose.<br />
Carrel, F. The Adventuros of John Johns. 6/- Bliss.<br />
Castle, E. J. Shakespeare, Bacon, Jonson, and Greeno: A Study.<br />
Sampson Low.<br />
Cecil, Hugh M. Pseudo-Philosophy at the End of the Nineteenth<br />
Century. I. An Irrationality Trio: Kidd, Drummond, Balfour.<br />
10/- University Press.<br />
Chaffers, Wm. Marks and Monograms on European and Oriental<br />
Pottery and Porcelain, eighth edition, materially augmented; ed.<br />
by F. Litchfield. 42/- Gibbings.<br />
Chapman, E. U. Marriage Questions in Modern Fiction. 3/6. Lane.<br />
Chesney, A. G. Historical Records of the Maltese Corps of the British<br />
Army. Clowes.<br />
Chetwynd-Stapylton, H. E. The Stapletons of Yorkshire. U.-<br />
Longman.<br />
Chevrillon, Andre. Romantic India, (trans, by W. Marchant).<br />
Heinemann.<br />
Cholmondeley, Mary. A Devotee. 3/6. Arnold.<br />
Clark, C. My Yarns of Sea-Foam and Gold Dust. 6 - Digby.<br />
Clarke. I. The Episode of Alethea. 6- Innes.<br />
Clere, M. E. C. Sworn Allies. 6/- Hurst and Blackett.<br />
Cobban, J. M. Wilt Thou Have this Woman? 6/- Methuen.<br />
Cocks, A. H. The Church Bells of Buckinghamshire. SI/- net to<br />
subscribers. Jarrold.<br />
Constable. H. S. Equality. 1 - Liberty Review.<br />
Cooper, E. H. Mr. Illako of Newmarket. 3 Heinemann.<br />
Cornford, L. Cope. The Master-Boggara. 4/6 net. Lane.<br />
Craig, G. C Federal Defence of Australasia. 5/- Clowes.<br />
Crapper, E. H. Practical Electrical Measurements. 2/6. Whittaker.<br />
Crockett, S. B. Lad's Love. 6/- Bliss.<br />
Crooke, W. The Popular Religion and Folk-Lore of Northern India.<br />
21/- net. Constable.<br />
Carzon, Right Hon. G. N. The Pamirs and the Source of the Oxus.<br />
6/- net. Stanford.<br />
Cust. A. P. P. York Minster. 1/-net. Isbister.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 300 (#356) ############################################<br />
<br />
3°°<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Outhell, E. E. Sweet Irish Eyes. 3/6. Skefflngton.<br />
Danson, J. T. Our Commerce In War, and How to Protect It.<br />
Blades.<br />
Dawson, A. J. In the Bight of Benin. Lawrence.<br />
DaWBOn, Sir J. W. Belles of Primeval Life. «/- Hodder and<br />
Stoughton.<br />
Devlin, F. Municipal Beform in the United States. 4/- Putnam<br />
Dewar, George A. B. The Book of the Dry Fly. Lawrence<br />
Diehl, A. M. A Last Throw. «/- Digby.<br />
Dolman, T. C. Dr. Nansen. The Man and His Work. 1/- S.P.C.K.<br />
Dowson, E. The Pierrot of a Minute. 7/6 net. Smithers.<br />
Dumlllo, Alice. On the Gogmagogs. 1/- Unwin.<br />
Eller. Ingatherings. 3/6. Andrews.<br />
Erekine, P. J. Lady Cycling. Scott.<br />
Essays in Liberalism. By Six Oxford Men. 3/6. Cassell.<br />
Farrar, Dean. Westminster Abbey. 1/- net. IsbiBter.<br />
Fea, Allan. The Flight of the King (Charles II.). 21/- net. Lane.<br />
Ferguson, V. Munro. Life Again. Love Again. 6/- Hurst.<br />
FinFayson, J. Life and Works of Dr. Bobert Watt. 3/6, Smith, Elder.<br />
Forster. J. From Grub to Butterfly. 6/- Ward and Downey.<br />
Foster, Bev. Edgar. A Dead Man's Thoughts. 3/6. Boxburghe Pres.<br />
Freeman, G. M. The Law and Practice of Compensation. 28/-<br />
Land Agtmt't Record.<br />
Gerard, D. Angela's Lover. \j- Constable.<br />
Gerard, Dorothea. A Spotless Reputation. 6/- Blackwood.<br />
Gladstone Bight Hon. W. E. The Eastern Crisis. 6d. Murray.<br />
Gough, General Sir C, and Innes, A. D. The Sikhs and the Sikh<br />
Wars 16/- Innes.<br />
Grant, James. The Romance of War. 6/- Bliss.<br />
Green, Anna Katharina. That Affair Next Door. 6/- Putnam.<br />
Green. S. G. Jennifred, and other Verses. 67- Stock.<br />
Oroesbeck, T. , The Incas. 10/- Putnam.<br />
Hake, A. E. Irish Finance, an Un-Royal Commission, and—A<br />
Lady. 1/- Watts.<br />
Hall, B. Fish Tails and Some True Ones. 6/- Arnold.<br />
Bamerton. P. G. The Mount; narrative of a Visit to the Site of a<br />
Gaulish City on Mont Beuvray. 3/6 Se ley.<br />
Hardy. Thomas. The Well-Beloved. 6/- Osgood.<br />
Harraden.B. Hilda Strafford and the Remittance Man. 3/6. Blackwood.<br />
Hartwright, H. The Story of the House of Lancaster. 9/- Stock.<br />
Hay, Col. John. Pike Country Ballads, 4c. Edited by H. Morley.<br />
Boutledge.<br />
Beaton, A. Beauty and Art. 6/- Heinemaun.<br />
Henham, E. G. God, Man, and the Devil. A Novel. 3/6. Skefflngton.<br />
Hitehens. B. Flames. 6/- Heinemann.<br />
Hillis, Newell D. A Man's Value to Society. 8/- Oltphant.<br />
Holland, Cllve. A Writer of Fiction. 276. Constable.<br />
Hope, Andree. Ivan Alexandrovitch. A Siberian Romance. 3/6. Unwin.<br />
Houtnm-Schlinder, General A. Eastern Persian Irak. 5/- Murray.<br />
Howe, Herbert A. A Stndyof the Sky. 6/- Macmillan<br />
Hughes, A. Practical Bints on District Nursing. 1/- Scientific Press.<br />
Humphreys, A. L. The Private Library. Hatchards.<br />
Uungerford, Mrs. Lovice. A Novel. 6 - Chatto.<br />
Hurtou, W. The Doomed Ship. 3/6. Andrews.<br />
Hulton, F B. Mechanical Engineering of Power Plant. 22, 6 Chapman.<br />
Button, W. H. The Church of the Sixth Century. 6/- Longman.<br />
Imperialist. CecilRhodes: Biographyand Appreciation. 7/6. Chapman.<br />
Innes, Lieut-Gen. McLeod. The Sepoy Revolt. 8/- Innes.<br />
Jaccaci, A. F. On the Trail of Don Quixote, Lawrence.<br />
Jokai, Maurus. 'Midst the Wild Carpathians. 8/- Jarrold.<br />
Judson, H. P. Europe in the lath Century. 6/- Gay and Bird.<br />
Judson, H.P. The Growth of the American Nation. 6/- Gay and Bird.<br />
Kenealy, Arabella. Belinda's Beaux, and other Stories, 6/- Bliss.<br />
Kennedy. H. A A Man with flack Eyelashes. 3/6. Methuen.<br />
Kenyon, E. C. The Squire of Lonsdale. 3/6 Warne.<br />
Ker. W. P. Epic and Romance. 10/-net. Macmillan.<br />
Kidson, E. Allanson's Little Woman. 3/6 Jarrold.<br />
King, C. Under Fire. 8/6. Warne.<br />
Knight. George. The Circle of the Earth. 16. Ward, Lock.<br />
Lachlan, B. Elements of Algebra. 2/6 Arnold.<br />
Lang, A. A Collection of Ballads (Diamond Series). 16. Chapman.<br />
Lang, Cosmo Gordon. The Young Clanroy. 6/- Smith. Elder.<br />
Lee, Gerald Stanley. The Shadow Christ, 2,6. Unwin.<br />
Liddell, Canon. St. Alban's Abbey. l/-net. IsbiBter.<br />
Lidgett. E. S. An Ancient People [Armenian History ] 1,'- Nisbet.<br />
Lucas, C. P. Historical Geography of the British Colonies. Vol. IV.<br />
South and East Africa. 9/6. Frowde.<br />
Lilpke, E. The Elements of Electro-Chemistry (tr. by M. M. Pattlson<br />
Mulr. 7/6 Grevel.<br />
MacCauley, C. An Introductory Course in Japanese. 10 6.<br />
r Sampson Low.<br />
Macdonagh, M. The Book of Parliament 6/- Isbister.<br />
Macdonald, J. E. L. Soldiering and Surveying in British East<br />
Africa, 1891-1894. 16/- Arnold.<br />
Mackie. John. They That Sit in Darkness. 6/- Hutchinson.<br />
MacMshon, Ella. The TouchBtonc of Life. 6/. Hutchinson.<br />
Macnab, Frances. On Veldt and Farm. 8/6. Arnold.<br />
Malleson, Col. G. B. The Lakes and Rivers of Austria, Bavaria, and<br />
Hungary. Chapman.<br />
Mnrget, W. A Contribntion to the History of the Respiration of Man<br />
Churchill.<br />
Marryat, Florence. A Passing Madness. 6/- Hutchinson,"<br />
Maxwell, Sir H. Robert the Bruce. [Heroes of Nations. J 6/-Putnam<br />
McChesncy, L. C. Under Shadow of the Mission. 6/- Methuen.<br />
McMillan, Mrs. Alec. The Evolution of Daphne. White<br />
Meredith, George. An Essay on Comedy. 6/- Constable.<br />
Millar, W. Plastering: Plain and Decorative. 18/- Batsford.<br />
Moore, F. Frankfort. The Jessamy Bride. 6/- Hutchinson.<br />
Morris, Rev. David. The Growth of Sacrificial Ideas connected with<br />
the Holy Eucharist 2/- Longman.<br />
Murray, G. A History of Ancient Greek Literature. 6/- Heinemann.<br />
Neville, H. Students' Handbook of Practical Fabric Sculpture. 6/-<br />
Slmpkin.<br />
Nokaed, Dixie. The Hidden Truth, and other Poems. Stewart.<br />
O'Grady, S. The Flight of the Eagle. 6/- Lawrence.<br />
O'Neill, J. The Night of the Gods: An Inquiry into Cosmic and<br />
Cosmogonic Mythology and Symbolism. Vol H. Nutt.<br />
Orpen, Mrs. Perfection City. 6/- Hutchinson.<br />
Orred, Meta. Glamour. 4/6 net. Lane.<br />
Pain, A. Saint Eva. 6/- Osgood.<br />
Palgrave, Francis T. Landscape in Poetry. 7/6. Macmillan.<br />
Peard, Frances Mary. The Career of Claudia. 6/- Bentley.<br />
Penderel, E. As a Roaring Lion. 6/- Skefflngton.<br />
Pendleton, John. The Ivory Queen. 3/6. Osgood.<br />
Phillips, F. Moods: Their Mental and Physical Character. 1/.<br />
Churchill<br />
Pickering, Sidney. Margot 6/- Lawrence.<br />
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LONDON. AV.C.<br />
WINDSOR HOUSE PRINTING WORKS,<br />
BREAM'S BUILDINGS, E.G.<br />
Offices of ''The Field,'' "The Queen." "The Law Times," &e.<br />
Mr. HORACE COX. Printer to the Authors' Society, takes the opportunity of informing Authors that, having a very large Office, and an<br />
extensive Plant of Type of every description, he is in a position to EXECUTE any PRINTING tht-y may entruat lo his care.<br />
ESTIMATES FORWARDED, AND REASONABLE CHARGES WILL. BE FOUND.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 301 (#361) ############################################<br />
<br />
XT b e H u t b o t\<br />
(The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.)<br />
CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT.<br />
Vol. VII.—No. 12.] MAY i, 1897. [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 />
tliey 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 post, 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 0/ London, Chancery-lane, or bo 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 />
EOR some years it has been the practice to insert, in<br />
every number of The Author, certain " General Con-<br />
siderations," Warnings, Notices, Ac, 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 thoy 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 oarry on<br />
his business in bis 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 Belling 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. VII.<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 amount 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 connected with royalties are published in The Author.<br />
Readers can also work out the figures themselves from the<br />
"Costof 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 be their maximum. Therefore every<br />
author, for every book, should arrange on the chance 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 common law right, which cannot be denied or<br />
withheld.<br />
(3.) That there shall be no secret profits.<br />
(4.) That nothing shall bo 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 may<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 />
H H 2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 302 (#362) ############################################<br />
<br />
3°2 THE AUTHOR.<br />
HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY.<br />
i. li\VERY member has a right to ask for and to receive<br />
t'J advice upon his agreements, his choice 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 connected with copyright<br />
and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within the<br />
experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple<br />
to use the Society first—our solicitors are continually<br />
engaged upon such questions for ns.<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 everything<br />
important to literature that yon may hear or meet with.<br />
9. The committee have now arranged for the reception of<br />
members' agreements and their preservation in a fireproof<br />
Bafe. 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 Bafe. The Society now offers:—(1)<br />
To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To<br />
stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon<br />
them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments<br />
due according to agreements.<br />
THE AUTHORS' SYNDICATE.<br />
MEMBERS are informed:<br />
I. That the Authors' Syndicate takes charge of<br />
the business of members of the Society. That it<br />
submits KSS. to publishers and editors, concludes agree-<br />
ments, examines, passes, and collects accounts, and, gene-<br />
rally, relieves members of the trouble of managing business<br />
details.<br />
2. That the terms upon which its services can be secured<br />
will be forwarded upon detailed application.<br />
3. That the Authors' Syndicate works only for those<br />
members of the Society whose work possesses a market<br />
value.<br />
4. That the Syndicate can only undertake any negotiations<br />
whatever on the distinct understanding that those negotia-<br />
tions are placed exclusively in its hands, and that all<br />
communications relating thereto are referred to it.<br />
5. That clients can only be seen by the Director by<br />
appointment, and that, when possible, at least two days'<br />
notice should be given.<br />
6. That every attempt is made to deal with all communi-<br />
cations promptly. That stamps should, in all cases, be sent<br />
to defray postage.<br />
7. That the Authors' Syndicate does not invite MSS.<br />
without previous correspondence; does not hold itself<br />
responsible for MSS. forwarded without notice; and that<br />
in all cases MSS. must be accompanied by stamps to defray<br />
postage.<br />
8. That the Syndicate undertakes arrangements for<br />
lectures by some of the leading members of the Society;<br />
that it has a "Transfer Department" for the sale and<br />
purchase of journals and periodicals; and that a " Register<br />
of Wants and Wanted" is open. Members are invited to<br />
communicate their requirements to the Manager.<br />
There is an Honorary Advisory Committee, whose services<br />
will be called upon in any case of dispute or difficulty. It<br />
is perhaps necessary to state that the members of the<br />
Advisory Committee have no pecuniary interest whatever in<br />
the Syndicate.<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?<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, whether<br />
members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate<br />
to the Editor any points connected with their work which<br />
it would be advisable in the general interest to 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 Authors' Club is now open in its new premises, at<br />
3, Whitehall-court, Charing Ctosb. Address the Secretary<br />
for information, rules of admission, Ac.<br />
Will members take the trouble to ascertain whether they<br />
have paid their subscriptions for the year P 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 five<br />
years to come, whatever his conduct, whether he was honest<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 303 (#363) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
303<br />
or dishonest? 0£ course they would not. Why then<br />
hesitate for s moment when they are asked to sign them-<br />
selves into literary bondage for three or five 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 means, for those who do not like the trouble<br />
of "doing sums," the addition of three shillings in the<br />
pound on this head. In other words, if the cost of binding<br />
is set down in our book at eight pounds, to this must now be<br />
added twenty-four shillings more, so that it now stands<br />
at J89 4*. The figures in our book are as near the exact<br />
truth as can be procured; but a printer's, or a binder's,<br />
bill is so elastic a thing that nothing more exact can be<br />
arrived at.<br />
Some remarks have been made upon the amount charged<br />
in the " Cost of Production" for advertising. Of oourse, we<br />
have not included any sums whioh 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 o 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 practise this method of swelling their own profits call it.<br />
THE MANAGEMENT OF "THE AUTHOR."<br />
I.<br />
f~W "^HE following circular, which explains itself,<br />
I was sent to the Committee on April 1:<br />
"Frognal End, Hampstead,<br />
April 1st, 1897.<br />
"It is quite clear to me that without the appro-<br />
val of the Committee, renewed or expressed from<br />
time or time, it must become impossible for me to<br />
continue as editor of this paper. It is their paper;<br />
it is the organ of the Society; the Committee have<br />
therefore, a full right to the control of the journal<br />
on general principles.<br />
"I therefore take the opportunity of the ap-<br />
proaching conclusion of the seventh volume to<br />
invite the opinion of the Committee on the<br />
subject.<br />
"My own view as to the work specially laid down<br />
for such a paper is that it must be the absolutely<br />
fearless advocate of authors' rights in literary<br />
properly. With this object I have kept steadily<br />
before me the three great principles of the Society<br />
—principles which, I am well aware, must be<br />
fought out for a long time before we get them<br />
passed into universal practice.<br />
"The principles are briefly—<br />
(1) The book belongs to the author, and not to<br />
the publisher, unless the author cedes it.<br />
(2) The author has the right of knowing what<br />
any proposed agreement gives to the pub-<br />
lisher compared v ith what it gives the<br />
author.<br />
(3) He has the right to audit any accounts<br />
submitted to him.<br />
"In support of these principles I have endea-<br />
- voured to pour into the pages of The Author all<br />
the light that can be obtained upon everything<br />
connected with the publishing of books, e.g., the<br />
cost of printing; the cost of paper; the meaning<br />
of corrections; the cost of binding; the price to<br />
the trade; the price to the distributing agencies;<br />
the money spent in advertising; the meaning of<br />
royalties, &c. All these things have appeared in<br />
these pages over and over again. They have<br />
drawn me into endless controversies, which I<br />
have been left to fight out quite alone. Pub-<br />
lishers have denied the truth of the figures<br />
even when I had the bills in my hands and<br />
was actually copying them. I have had to offer<br />
publicly to carry on their printing by myself at<br />
the figures given in the paper. Less than a year<br />
ago one publisher wrote to the papers giving<br />
certain figures as regards the trade which his own<br />
firm were actually compelled, in a "secret and<br />
confidential" circular to the trade, to disown the<br />
very next day! This I at once discovered and<br />
denounced.<br />
"At the same time I have published almost<br />
with every number some proposed agreement,<br />
with comments. The publishers concerned have<br />
generally met these facts with silence. Of late<br />
their defence has been that the facts are stated<br />
without names—a suggestion that the facts are<br />
inventions. In this respect, however, The Author<br />
goes as far as can be expected. It publishes the<br />
exact facts, leaving the persons concerned to<br />
announce themselves—but their modesty always<br />
keeps them in the background—and with the<br />
offer that the Secretary is ready to give the<br />
names concerned to any members who wish to<br />
learn them.<br />
"I have made arrangements for a monthly<br />
letter from Paris and from New York, chiefly on<br />
subjects which concern our own affairs. I have<br />
admitted correspondence freely from our own<br />
members, thinking it wise, even when grievances<br />
are imaginary, to let them be ventilated. There<br />
are also columns concerning new books, in which<br />
members have the right, which they exercise freely,<br />
of inserting announcements of their own books.<br />
Criticism I have found necessary to exclude<br />
entirely.<br />
"The columns on "Literary Property" are<br />
devoted to all kinds of questions concerning this<br />
great subject. I think we can fairly boast that<br />
nothing has ever before been done for literary<br />
property compared with what has appeared in<br />
The Author. Of ourse I acknowledge most<br />
readily that the valuable opinions of Counsel, such<br />
as those of Mr. H. H. Cozens-Hardy, Q.C.Mr.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 304 (#364) ############################################<br />
<br />
3°4<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Blake Odgers, Q.C., Mr. James Rolt; certain<br />
most useful papers by Sir Frederick Pollock, and<br />
other documents, have been presented by the<br />
Committee as contributions to the maintenance<br />
of literary property.<br />
"1 submit to the Committee that it is not enough<br />
to print such things as the meaning of agreements,<br />
royalties, &c, once for all. They are quickly<br />
forgotten; interested persons are always ready to<br />
try it on again; the facts must be reprinted over<br />
and over again. We are dealing with a set of<br />
men brought up in sharp business habits, whose<br />
perpetual aim is to get his work from the writer<br />
on terms favourable to themselves. What some<br />
of us call fraud, and some call trading on ignor-<br />
ance, some of these people call sharp business.<br />
If The Author has done any good in the past,<br />
that good will quickly vanish and be forgotten<br />
unless the paper is continued on the old lines, and<br />
the figures and facts repeated from time to time.<br />
"I submit again, as proof positive that The<br />
Author is doing great good, the fact that many<br />
persons concerned are continually denouncing the<br />
paper, showing that they regard it as a paper of<br />
the greatest importance, and that they read it with<br />
the greatest jealousy; and are either crying out<br />
that its facts are not true, or, if they cannot do<br />
that, are scheming and working underhand for<br />
its suppression or alteration.<br />
"I therefore lay before the Committee this<br />
statement, and invite their consideration of the<br />
whole question. To my own mind, it is clear that<br />
the maintenance of the Society's principles can-<br />
not be even attempted unless we have such an<br />
outspoken organ carried on quite fearlessly. But<br />
I cannot continue any longer to advocate these<br />
principles unless I am assured of the approval<br />
and the support of the Committee. I have<br />
therefore sent round this circular, and I propose<br />
to absent myself from the meeting on Monday<br />
in order that the Committee may either discuss<br />
this question then, or may name another day for<br />
the discussion.<br />
"Lastly, I beg that this letter may be taken<br />
as my resignation of the editorship of The<br />
Author, but that I am willing to be re-elected,<br />
provided the Committee approve of my conduct,<br />
of the paper in the past, and are ready to support<br />
me in its conduct for the future on the same<br />
lines. Walter Besant."<br />
II.<br />
The Committee, at their meeting of Monday,<br />
April 5, passed the following Resolut:on in reply<br />
to this circular:<br />
"The Committee < nauimously desire to retain<br />
you in the position of editor. Speaking generally,<br />
they accept the principle of your three points.<br />
They thank you for your efforts on their behalf,<br />
and they look forward to a continuance of those<br />
efforts in the future.<br />
"Whilst recognising fully the responsibility of<br />
an editor, and the necessity for freedom in the<br />
management of his paper, the Committee, anxious<br />
to meet your views in every way possible, yet feel<br />
sure that you will not wish them to abdicate all<br />
influence over the paper, or to refrain from ex-<br />
pressing to you any considerations that may occur<br />
to them in regard to the views expressed or the<br />
line adopted in what is, and is publicly stated to<br />
be, the official organ of the Society of Authors."<br />
III.<br />
The completion of the seventh volume of The<br />
Author may properly be made an occasion for<br />
examining into some of the services which it has<br />
rendered to the cause which it maintains. This<br />
cause is the definition and defence of Literary<br />
Property in the interests of those who create it,<br />
and those to whom it belongs until they part<br />
with it.<br />
The class of those to whom this kind of pro-<br />
perty is a real and a very important matter has<br />
very largely increased of late. On every side<br />
we see experts creating most valuable property in<br />
their own subjects: writers on education, writers<br />
on medicine, law, science, music, art, putting forth<br />
books for which there is an ever-increasing public;<br />
writers of new travels, new histories, new bio-<br />
graphies, widely in demand; writers of plays<br />
which may be mines of gold; writers of fiction<br />
for which there is an unprecedented demand. To<br />
all these writers The Author is addressed. We<br />
shall show here why it should be regarded as<br />
a paper which it is not only desirable but neces-<br />
sary to keep up.<br />
Apart from what it has done, the hostility with<br />
which it is regarded by certain persons is in itself<br />
a guarantee that it is doing a good work. For<br />
The Author, like the Society to which it belongs,<br />
considers publishers from the one point of view<br />
which is dignified and sensible. It speaks of<br />
them as so many men of business—a manner of<br />
consideration which ought to offend no honest<br />
man—liecause they are, and always will be, men<br />
whose business it is to make money by producing<br />
and selling literature. That is to say, t heir work is<br />
to get books that sell, to acquire the control or<br />
the administration of such works on favourable<br />
terms, whether with the bookseller at one end<br />
or with the author at the other end. The<br />
Author's Society and The Author have examined<br />
into the various agreements by which authors<br />
are induced to part with their rights: they have<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 305 (#365) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
3°5<br />
proved what these agreements mean. Not only<br />
in the pages of this journal, but also in the book<br />
entitled "Methods of Publishing," they have<br />
exposed the true meaning of these agreements,<br />
and pointed out that in many cases they mean<br />
a surrender of almost everything to the pub-<br />
lisher.<br />
This exposure has met with the most violent<br />
animosity; the figures have been denied over<br />
and over again in the most impudent manner;<br />
attacks of the most venomous kind have been made<br />
in the papers; these attacks, however, always<br />
answered, continually renewed and answered again,<br />
have proved of the greatest value to the Society.<br />
Another class which has proved curiously<br />
hostile to the Society and its organ is that nume-<br />
rous body of literary people who hang about<br />
publishers' offices. Some of them are paid for<br />
touting for their employers—a dignified occupa-<br />
tion indeed for a man of letters; some are paid<br />
for doing any kind of work that is wanted; some<br />
are occupied in compiling books, which they sell<br />
for trifling sums; some are employed in editing<br />
and writing introductions for books; some are<br />
poets of small demand who are unpractical<br />
persons easily deceived into the belief that there<br />
is no such thing as literary property; some are<br />
readers; some look for the chance of getting an<br />
article accepted in the firm's magazine; all are<br />
dependents, and in that capacity regard writers<br />
who are not dependent with greeu eyes. This<br />
large class of literary men regards the objects of<br />
the Society with a strange jealousy. One hears,<br />
from time to time, what they say, and how they<br />
feel on the subject of Literary Property, of which<br />
they have themselves obtained so small a share.<br />
It is proposed, therefore, to set forth some of<br />
the contributions made by The Author towards<br />
the maintenance of literary property.<br />
Let us take the first volume only.<br />
Of what may be called "solid matter in this<br />
volume there are papers from Counsel learned in<br />
the law on Copyright in Lectures and Sermons:<br />
on the proposed American Copyright Law: on<br />
the Society's new Copyright Act: on Copyright<br />
in Magazine Articles: a valuable paper by Wilkie<br />
Collins on American Copyright: and on Canadian<br />
Copyright.<br />
There are exposures of agreements and<br />
"cases" by the dozen, with the figures and<br />
the proof of what is meant: other "cases"<br />
between editor and author, also by the dozen:<br />
the exposure of bogus publishers: the corre-<br />
spondence between the Society and the late Mr.<br />
W. H. Smith: papers on the Colonial Book<br />
Markets and American Piracies : the controversy<br />
in full between the Editor and the Society for the<br />
Promotion of Christian Knowledge: a statement<br />
of what is meant by royalties: analyses of lists<br />
of new books: all kinds of proposals for future<br />
development: and, what is more than all, a firm,<br />
clear view maintained in the face of those who,<br />
either for interested motives or from ignorance<br />
or from muddleheadedness, were continually then,<br />
as they are now, trying to obscure the issues, and<br />
to draw a herring across the scent.<br />
Various methods of publishing, especially the<br />
so-called " Half Profit" system: the "Commis-<br />
sion Book ": Literary management of all kinds:<br />
the Agent: the hostility to the Agent: law reports<br />
of literary cases: Collaboration: Literature and<br />
the State: the Civil List: national distinctions<br />
for literary men: Literature in the colonies r<br />
Accounts and communications of other literary<br />
societies in America, France, and Germany.<br />
Also the Literature of the Magazines, with<br />
hundreds of questions and difficulties which have-<br />
sprung up around this important subject, such a£<br />
the length of time which a contributor should allow<br />
to the editor before accepting or refusing: before<br />
printing and publishing: before paying. In<br />
this very important branch the paper has done<br />
good service, not only in securing payment—in<br />
some cases by threats of law—but also in recalling<br />
to certain editors of the lower kind the fact that<br />
even to contributors courtesy is due. An impor-<br />
tant legal decision was obtained under the chair-<br />
manship of Sir Frederick Pollock, in the case of<br />
Macdonald v. The National Review, when it was<br />
held that to send a contributor the proof of his<br />
paper must be considered as acceptance.<br />
The Author has exposed many tricks of unscru-<br />
pulous publishers. Thus, for instance, the " Half<br />
Price " trick. The way is this. A clause in the<br />
agreement assigns the author a certain royalty;<br />
but "if the price of the book is lowered 10 one-<br />
half or under" the royalty shall be half. It seems<br />
plausible, and as it will certainly be tried on<br />
again—all the tricks are—it is well to repeat the<br />
case here. It was a two volume novel published<br />
at 21s. The author was to receive a royalty of<br />
15 per cent., i.e., 3*. i$d. a copy. Now the sole<br />
buyers of the two volume novel were the libraries.<br />
They paid, as a rule, from 9*. to I is. a copy. By<br />
lowering the price to 10s. 6d. the publisher lost<br />
nothing: but he had to pay the author is. 6-?itd.<br />
instead of 3*. i\d. Thus he gained about 1*. 6d.<br />
on every copy.<br />
The paper has shown up the nature of tricks<br />
connected with printer's corrections. It is now<br />
possible for the author by keeping his first proofs<br />
to test the charge under this head. For instance<br />
(vol. 4, p. 234): Corrections are generally charged<br />
either at i«. or is. 2d. an hour. This means an<br />
hour's work of the compositor. Ho can, as a<br />
rule, substitute one word for another in three or<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 306 (#366) ############################################<br />
<br />
3°6<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
four minutes ; or say, about seventeeu words in<br />
an hour. The author has therefore only to count<br />
his corrections in order to arrive at an estimate of<br />
the charge that can be made on this account.<br />
Rut, if he so corrects as to make the line run on<br />
and displace perhaps often a page, a larger allow-<br />
ance must be made. It is common in agreements<br />
to al'ow the author so much for corrections, say,<br />
10*. a sheet. This means 136 words in a sheet.<br />
The paper has been enriched by legal opinions<br />
upon certain subjects of the highest importance.<br />
Thus, Sir Frederick Pollock advanced in his<br />
opinion (vol. 4, p. 5) that there should be no<br />
mystery in the production of books: tint so ret<br />
profits are not admissible: that the author is<br />
1 utitled to full and true accounts, and to be<br />
charged only with actual expenditure. These<br />
points have been claimed by the Society from the<br />
outset: but their advanc ement by a lawyer of the<br />
greatest weight and standing was—and is—a<br />
great support to the Society.<br />
Another most important opinion was that of<br />
Mr. H. H. Cozens-Hardy, Q.C., and Mr. J. Rolt.<br />
A paper had been prepared on the question of<br />
publishers' charges generally. The case was that<br />
of a so-called " half profit" system agreement.<br />
This paper, with the reply, is so important that<br />
it is reproduced here for the benefit of those<br />
members who have not seen it, or have for-<br />
gotten it.<br />
Another point of great importance is that of<br />
risk. It is constantly affirmed by those who<br />
know nothing of the matter that publishers are<br />
always incurring enormous risks in return for<br />
which they are entitled to take three-fourths,<br />
nine-tenths, or anything that they please, of<br />
the profits of a successful book. When this<br />
claim is disputed, they raise a cry that the Society<br />
denies that pubbshers ever take risk. It is<br />
important, therefore, to know what risk means.<br />
I put aside such great enterprises as an Encyclo-<br />
paedia: a Dictionary of National Biography: and<br />
so forth. There are very few of these works: they<br />
are published by no more than two or three<br />
houses. I speak of general literature. Now,<br />
before a work is printed it is sent round among<br />
the London trade. The initial risk, therefore, is<br />
the difference between the fiist subscription by<br />
the London trade and the cost of production.<br />
AY hen the book is produced there is another sub-<br />
scription which again lowers the risk. As the<br />
smaller publishers very, very seldom produce a<br />
book by a perfectly unknown hand, it stands to<br />
reason that the risk thus ensured amounts to<br />
next to nothing, if anything at all.<br />
Another point on which light has been poured<br />
is the cost of advertising. (See The Author,<br />
Nov. 1895, p. 120) :—<br />
"Everything that is unknown is enormous.<br />
That is why the cost of advertisements generally<br />
looms before the imagination as so stupendous.<br />
The following table will explain what advertising<br />
a book really means. It shows, that is, how much<br />
is added to the cost of a book by advertising to<br />
the extent of =£5, .£20, &c, up to =£100 for 1000,<br />
zooo, up to 40,000 copies. The figures mean<br />
pence:<br />
Edition.<br />
£lO<br />
£20<br />
^30<br />
£50<br />
£80<br />
.£100<br />
d.<br />
d.<br />
d.<br />
d.<br />
d.<br />
d.<br />
d.<br />
1000<br />
45<br />
12<br />
i9i<br />
24<br />
2000<br />
1<br />
■A<br />
2'i<br />
35<br />
6<br />
91<br />
12<br />
3000<br />
1<br />
f<br />
i j<br />
4<br />
6|<br />
8<br />
5000<br />
n<br />
is<br />
2 *<br />
2|<br />
3H<br />
4*<br />
TT<br />
10,000<br />
a<br />
■I<br />
-> s<br />
m<br />
'A<br />
iff<br />
2i<br />
IT<br />
a ft<br />
20.000<br />
3<br />
ft<br />
0<br />
ft<br />
n<br />
'1<br />
40,000<br />
lii<br />
ft<br />
t»__<br />
~i<br />
1 ♦<br />
TBB<br />
15<br />
"It will be seen from this table that, while the<br />
cost of advertising is very large per copy for<br />
small editions, for large editions it may be<br />
almost neglected as for single copies. Thus to<br />
spend jL'ioo in advertising a book of which no<br />
more than 1000 copies are printed or can be<br />
sold, adds 2s. to the cost of every volume; so that<br />
(see Cost of Production, p. 31) if a book of<br />
20 sheets of 34 lines and 339 words to a page in<br />
long primer, without moulding or stereotyping, and<br />
allowiug 4sf/. a copy for binding, cost £79, or<br />
with corrections about ,£80, i.e., is. y\d. to each<br />
copy, an additional 2*. on the production makes<br />
such a book published at a loss. Sometimes this<br />
price is raised to ys. 6d., or even more, in order to<br />
allow for advertising. Sometimes, again, pub-<br />
lishers seem perfectly reckless about the money<br />
spent in advertising. Thus, an account was some<br />
time ago sent to the Society showing that about<br />
.£230 had been spent in advertising a book pub-<br />
lished at ys. 6d., of which souie 6000 copies had<br />
been sold. A detailed account was demanded and<br />
furnished. The account appeared to be quite<br />
correct, being examined and tested here and there.<br />
It seemed as if the publisher had been ransacking<br />
the country to find the least eligible of country<br />
papers. This, hewever, was an extreme case.<br />
On the other hand, when a book reaches, say,<br />
10,000 copies, ,£50 can be spent upon it without<br />
adding any more than 1 irf. to the cost of produc-<br />
tion, while, with a very large circulation of<br />
40,000 copies ,£200 can be spent, if necessary—<br />
but it would not be necessary—without adding<br />
more than i^d. to the cost.<br />
"It is neecless to say that these figures do not<br />
include advertisements which cost nothing, i.e.,<br />
those of the publishers' circulars, magazines, Ac.,<br />
nor those which are simple exchanges."<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 307 (#367) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
3°7<br />
As The Author began, so it has gone on. It<br />
is a magazine of papers connected with the<br />
Administration of Literary Property. There is<br />
no other paper which touches the subject, except<br />
with the purpose aforesaid of obscuring issues,<br />
and making the falsa appear to be the true.<br />
The Author is the necessary accompaniment of<br />
the Society: were it not for The A uthor nothing<br />
could be known of what the Society is doing, or<br />
whether it is doing well or ill.<br />
It has been objected that the paper is some-<br />
times dull. If it does its work, what does that<br />
matter? Criticism is excluded l>ecause we cannot<br />
very well be criticising each other: consequently<br />
nothing is said about the literary position of any<br />
new books. Meantime the very angry way in<br />
which certain publishers speak of it is the clearest<br />
possible proof that it it doing i(s work, and that<br />
thoroughly.<br />
LITERARY PROPERTY.<br />
I.—Secret Profits.<br />
(Reprinted from The Author, Vol. IV., p. 394.)<br />
I. CASE FOR COUNSEL.<br />
THE Incorporated Society of Authors desires<br />
to be advised as to the legal position of<br />
authors under a certain well-known form<br />
of pubUshing agreement, known as the share-<br />
profit system, in reference to the charges made<br />
by publishers and otherwise, particularly as<br />
tested by the manner in which the courts would<br />
deal with charges in the publishers' accounts if<br />
they were being taken by the court.<br />
A case which raises the point on which counsel's<br />
opinion is sought is as follows:<br />
An author, A. B., enters into an agreement<br />
with publishers, C. D. and Co., in the following<br />
terms:<br />
Copy of Agreement.<br />
Memorandum of agreement made this day of<br />
between A. B. of the one part and C. D. and Co. of the other<br />
part.<br />
It is agreed that the said C. D. and Co. shall publish, at<br />
their own rule and expense—(title of work); the exclusive<br />
right of printing and publishing which shall be vested in<br />
the said C. D. and Co., subject to the following conditions,<br />
viz., that after deducting from the produce of the sale<br />
thereof all the expenses of printing, paper, binding,<br />
advertising, discounts to the trade, and other incidental<br />
expenses, the profits remaining of every edition that may be<br />
printed of the work during the term of legal copyright are to<br />
be divided into two equal parts, one part to be paid to the<br />
said A. B. and the other to belong to the said C. D. and Co.<br />
The books to be accounted for at the trade sale price, 25<br />
as 24, unless it be thought advisable to dispose of copieB,<br />
or of the remainder, at a lower price, which is left to the<br />
discretion of the said publisher. Acoounts to be made up<br />
annually to Midsummer, delivered on or before Oct. 1st, and<br />
settled by cash in the ensuing January.<br />
VOL. VII.<br />
Some time subsequent to the publication of the<br />
book, au account in the following terms was sent<br />
to the author :—■<br />
Publisher's Account.<br />
As rendered to the Author.<br />
£ s. d.<br />
Composition (17 sheets at £ 1 ios.) 25 10 o<br />
Printing ( „ „ 12s.) 10 4 o<br />
Paper ( „ „ £1 os.) 17 o o<br />
Moulding 4'3 3<br />
Stereotyping 8 8 3<br />
Binding (at £2 $s. per 100 copies) 22 10 o<br />
Advertising 41 10 6<br />
Corrections 4 010<br />
Paper Wrappers 1 13 o<br />
Postage 1 7 o<br />
.£136 16 10<br />
Proceeds of sale of 950 copies at<br />
3». 6d £166 5 o<br />
Incidental expenses (5 per cent.<br />
deducted) 8 6 3<br />
■57 18 9<br />
136 16 10<br />
£21 1 11<br />
Alleged half profits iio 10 11<br />
Which shows that, after the sale of the whole of<br />
an edition of 1000 copies, profits to the extent of<br />
,£10 10s. lid. were credited by the publishers to<br />
the author as his half share. Upon a close<br />
investigntion of the account, it was discovered<br />
that on all the cost of production—i.e., com-<br />
position, printing, paper, moulding, stereotyping,<br />
and binding—the pubbshers had added to the<br />
actual cott 10 per cent, on each item. This<br />
addition had been made secretly, and the author<br />
was not in any way informed of what had taken<br />
place. The following amended account shows the<br />
actual amounts of charges invoiced to the pub-<br />
lishers by their printer, paper-maker, binder, and<br />
advertising agent in respect of the items before<br />
referred to:—<br />
Real Cost of Production.<br />
£ s. d.<br />
Composition (17 sheets at £ 1 7*.) 22 19 o<br />
Printing ( „ „ ion. 6d.) 8186<br />
Paper ( „ „ i8». a sheet) 15 6 o<br />
Moulding ( „ „ 58. a sheet) 4 5 o<br />
Stereotyping ( „ „ 9*. a sheet) 7 13 o<br />
Binding at $d. per volume 20 16 8<br />
Advertising 20 o o<br />
Corrections 308<br />
Paper Wrappers 1 10 o<br />
Postage, &c 016 o<br />
jEios<br />
4<br />
10<br />
Proceeds of sale of 950 copies at an average<br />
of<br />
3s. 6<f. a copy<br />
... 166<br />
5<br />
0<br />
Less the coat<br />
... 105<br />
4<br />
10<br />
Profit<br />
...£61<br />
0<br />
_•<br />
Actual half profits to author on this account<br />
... £30<br />
in<br />
1<br />
I I<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 308 (#368) ############################################<br />
<br />
3o8<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
With regard to the item of advertisements, it<br />
was further found that the publishers, being only<br />
able to show vouchers to the amount of £20, the<br />
rest of the sum charged was made up of charges<br />
for advertisements in the publishers' own maga-<br />
zines, for which, of course, they paid nothing, and<br />
"exchanges" with other magazines, i.e. adver-<br />
tisements in magazines for which the publishers<br />
pay nothing, they in their turn inserting gratis in<br />
their own magazines similar advertisements for the<br />
publishers of the other magazines. It is suggested<br />
that the charge for incidental expenses was inde-<br />
fensible.<br />
The result is that the author was entitled to<br />
.£30 io*. id., but the publishers proposed to give<br />
only £10 io«. ltd.<br />
Nature of relationship between parties to<br />
agreement.—Dealing now with several points that<br />
arise on this case :—<br />
( I.) The above agreement is what is commonly<br />
inown as a share profit agreement, and it is sub-<br />
stantially, though there may be minor points of<br />
difference, what is offered by all publishers, as a<br />
share profit agreement, the share being usually,<br />
as here, one half.<br />
As to the general position of the parties under<br />
such an agreement, it is submitted that although<br />
the author is not able to be sued by any outsider<br />
in case of default of the publisher, the agreement<br />
amounts to a partnership agreement, or joint<br />
adventure in the nature of partnership qua the<br />
book concerned; or if not to an agreement for<br />
partnership or joint adventure, then to an agree-<br />
ment making the publisher trustee for the returns<br />
due to the author, and, therefore, unable to make<br />
any profit out of his trust other than such, if any,<br />
as he has expressly stipulated for, and the half<br />
share of profits.<br />
(II.) Duty of the publisher to account.—The<br />
author in the above agreement cedes to the pub-<br />
lishers the exclusive right of printing and pub-<br />
lishing the book during the legal term of copy-<br />
right, and such is the effect of most share-<br />
profit agreements. The consideration for this is<br />
the publisher paying to the author half profits—<br />
i.e., half of the net proceeds of sale of copies<br />
after expenses of the publishers have been<br />
deducted. It is presumed that whatever be the<br />
precise legal relationship of author and publisher<br />
under such an agreement as above, the pub-<br />
lishers are bound to account fully and exactly<br />
to the author, and this appears to involve, as<br />
of right, without any express provision in the<br />
agreement, (a) production of vouchers for all<br />
expenses charged by the publishers, and (6) pro-<br />
duction of such books as are usually kept by<br />
publishers recording sales; also all records of<br />
books received, and the stock in hand, in order<br />
to enable the author to check the number of<br />
books accounted for as sold. On this point it is<br />
believed some publishers would contend that their<br />
word is to be accepted as absolute as to number<br />
of sales in such cases, but this, it is submitted,<br />
is wrong, and that the author has the above right<br />
of examining the publishers' books.<br />
As regards the vouchers, the production of<br />
these seem to be essential. If they are produced<br />
they would reveal such a transaction as that<br />
disclosed in the before-mentioned accounts with-<br />
out the necessity of instituting independent<br />
inquiries of printers, binders, &c., from whom it<br />
might be difficult for an author to obtain infor-<br />
mation.<br />
(III.) Right of publisher to charge more than<br />
actual expenses.—Several questions arise on the<br />
accounts above set out as to the publisher's dis-<br />
bursements; and first, there is the addition of 10<br />
per cent, to the actual prices charged him for the<br />
several items of work done—printing, binding,<br />
&c. It is submitted that this is equally indefen-<br />
sible, whether (a) the publisher discloses to the<br />
author that he has charged at a higher rate than<br />
he himself is charged, there being nothing in the<br />
agreement providing for his charging what he<br />
likes; or (6) as in the above instance, he conceals<br />
this, and so makes a secret profit. The matter<br />
appears to be analogous to the transactions which<br />
were held to be indefensible in Williamson v.<br />
Barbour (9 Ch. Div. 529).<br />
The defence of the publishers would probably<br />
rest on "custom of trade"; an open and well<br />
recognised usage the publisher could not prove,<br />
and an infrequent or secret practice it is believed<br />
would not constitute a custom.<br />
This matter was discussed in a recent case of<br />
Eideal v. Kegan Paul and Co., but this was only<br />
before the Registrar of the City of London<br />
Court. In that case the agreement, a half-profit<br />
one, proved that in the accounts "the work shall<br />
be debited with all expenses of every kind of or<br />
incidental to the publication of each edition of<br />
the work, including Mr. George Redway's charges<br />
for printing, plates, illustrations, stereotyping,<br />
paper, binding, and advertising." Mr. Redway<br />
charged more for these things than prices invoiced<br />
to him, and the registrar held he could not do so.<br />
(IV.) Whether publisher's conduct fraudulent.<br />
—Would the court regard the conduct of a pub-<br />
lisher who made a secret profit in the manner<br />
before stated as fraudulent, so that, e.g., he would<br />
be ordered to pay the costs of an action for<br />
account if such a fact was brought to light in it?<br />
(V.) Discounts.—There is another question<br />
which is often mixed up with the question under<br />
head No. III., but which is really quite a distinct<br />
matter, and apparently moredifficult of decision—■<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 309 (#369) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
that is the question of discounts which a publisher<br />
gets allowed him from the printers, binders,<br />
paper-makers, &c, he deals with.<br />
It is customary for a publisher to obtain six<br />
months' credit from a printer. If he pays cash<br />
he receives certain discounts. If these discounts<br />
are to go into his own pocket, what is there to<br />
prevent him from arranging with the printer for<br />
a bill off which he is to receive heavy discounts<br />
in order to bring the actual cost to the publisher<br />
down to ordinary prices, but seriously affecting<br />
the state of accounts between author and pub-<br />
lisher? It is submitted that any advantages<br />
obtained for the quasi partnership by cash pay-<br />
ments should be credited to the book. Counsel is<br />
referred to the accompanying print of article,<br />
"Some Considerations of Publishing," by Sir<br />
Frederick Pollock, in which this point is fully<br />
discussed.<br />
(VI.) Right to charge for advertisements not<br />
actually paid for.—A very important point, which<br />
is also dealt with in Sir F. Pollock's paper, and<br />
which is of dally occurrence on publishers'<br />
accounts, is as to the charge for advertisements.<br />
As seen in the before-mentioned instance, pub-<br />
lishers charge what they call scale prices (being<br />
the prices they would charge to outside persons,<br />
such as makers of soaps, pills, Ac), for<br />
(a) Advertisements inserted in their own<br />
magazines, including their own trade lists<br />
of books.<br />
And (6) advertisements inserted by exchange<br />
without payment in other publishers'<br />
magazines.<br />
In neither case does the publisher pay directly<br />
or indirectly anything more than the cost of<br />
printing and paper for the pages of advertise-<br />
ments, and possibly a mere trifle extra for<br />
carriage and binding. It is submitted that<br />
beyond these small payments the publisher ought<br />
not to charge the author anything in respect of<br />
such advertisements.<br />
It will no doubt be contended by the pub-<br />
lishers who do make these charges that if they<br />
did not insert these book advertisements they<br />
would be able to advertise so many more soaps<br />
and pills; but even if this were the fact (which it<br />
probably is not), it is submitted that it forms no<br />
legal justification,<br />
A strong case exemplifying the evils of this<br />
system occurred as follows :—<br />
A clergyman named A. gathered many notes<br />
about his church, intending to write a history<br />
about it. Pressure of other work made it difficult<br />
for him to digest and write out his notes, and<br />
after some delay he handed everything over to B.,<br />
who wrote the book out. B. then having full<br />
powers, he went to C., a publisher. He said to<br />
VOL. VII<br />
C, "We want this handsomely printed and bound<br />
We ask no remuneration. It can never have a<br />
very large sale. We therefore ask you to take it<br />
off our hands completely, only reserving the right<br />
to take as many copies as A requires at cost<br />
price." This proposal was willingly accepted. B.<br />
went away for his health, having told A. all about<br />
the (verbal) agreement into which he had entered,<br />
and explained in particular that under no circum-<br />
stances was A. to be called upon to make any<br />
money payment. As soon as his back was turned<br />
C. sent A. a bill for ,£30 for advertising. It so<br />
happened that among C.'s clerks was a young man<br />
who was connected with A.'s church, where he<br />
had been educated. This clerk seeing A. by<br />
chance in C.'s anteroom waiting for an audience,<br />
conferred with him on the subject, having only<br />
time to say " Do not pay anything without seeing<br />
the vouchers." A. took this advice. C. showed<br />
him vouchers for .£3 4*., which A. paid under<br />
protest. C. promptly cashiered the clerk who<br />
had given A. the advice. When B. came home<br />
and heard the story he went to C. and said,<br />
"You must at once return the =£3 4*. to A. with<br />
an apology, as you know perfectly well he owed<br />
you neither £30 nor .£3." But this C. would not<br />
do.<br />
If the publisher is justified in charging for<br />
either of the above-mentioned kinds of advertise-<br />
ments, the matter must be further considered<br />
from other points of view.<br />
Counsel will observe what a large door is opened<br />
to fraud if the right of charging for advertise-<br />
ments which cost nothing or next to nothing<br />
be conceded to a publisher. There is nothing to<br />
prevent him from putting the whole profits of a<br />
book in his own pocket by largely advertising in<br />
his own magazines or by exchanges.<br />
Further, it has been found by long experience<br />
thai a book will only "stand" a certain amount<br />
of advertising—i.e., there is a point at which<br />
further expenditure does not advance sales, and<br />
is only money wasted: also, in the opinion of<br />
many experts, the advertising of books in maga-<br />
zines is of very little use (because most of the<br />
English magazines have a very limited circulation)<br />
compared with their advertisement in the great<br />
daily papers.<br />
(VII.) Moulding and stereotyping. — The<br />
accounts above set out contain a charge for<br />
moulding, which is rightly charged to the first<br />
edition of a book of more than ephemeral interest,<br />
because the moulds are taken in case a new<br />
edition should be called for. But the stereo-<br />
typing need not be executed, and seldom is,<br />
until the second edition is wanted. If a pub-<br />
lisher charges stereotyping when it is not done,<br />
this no doubt will be indefensible. If it is done<br />
1 1 2<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 310 (#370) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
unnecessarily, can lie be made to bear the amount<br />
himself?<br />
(VIII.) Right to deduct a charge for incidental<br />
erpenses.—It will be seen in the above accounts<br />
that the publishers have charged "paper<br />
wrappers" and "postage," presumably for send-<br />
ing copies of the book for review, and have de-<br />
ducted 5 per cent, from the proceeds of sale for<br />
"incidental expenses"; and publishers justify<br />
such a charge by saying that it is to cover the<br />
book's share of their general office expenses (rent,<br />
wages, Ac). This seems clearly indefensible; the<br />
publisher gets half the profits for (i) his risk of<br />
loss if there is any risk—very few publishers do,<br />
in fact, run risks through the book not paying<br />
expenses—this falls entirely on the publisher ; and<br />
(2) his position in the publishing trade, for which<br />
his offices, his clerks, travellers, &c, are a tine<br />
qui! non.<br />
The questions on which counsel is asked to<br />
advise are as follows:<br />
1. What is the exact relationship between the<br />
parties to a share-profit agreement; is it<br />
one of partnership, or rather joint adven-<br />
ture, or of trusteeship, or what?<br />
2. In any view of the relationship, ought not<br />
the publisher to render full accounts, and to<br />
give full opportunity of checking them by<br />
production of vouchers and books as<br />
mentioned above?<br />
3. Is the publisher entitled, under a share-profit<br />
agreement, to charge expenses at a higher<br />
rate than he himself makes; whether this<br />
is disclosed to the author after the con-<br />
tract, or is a secret profit made by the<br />
publisher?<br />
4. If the answer to the last question is in the<br />
negative, would not the existence of such<br />
charges, when proved to the court, be a<br />
sufficient case for reopening a settled<br />
account which contained charges embody-<br />
ing such profits?<br />
5. Is the publisher under a share-profit agree-<br />
ment entitled to charge the author the<br />
full amounts of invoices to him for<br />
expenses of the book when he himself only<br />
pays such amounts less discounts?<br />
6. Has the publisher the right under a share-<br />
profit agreement to charge for advertise-<br />
ments (a) inserted in his own magazines<br />
or trade lists, and (b) inserted in other<br />
publishers' magazines by exchange with-<br />
out payment?<br />
7. Can the publisher under a share profit agree-<br />
ment charge stereotyping against the first<br />
edition where it is not done?<br />
8. Has the publisher under an ordinary share-<br />
profit agreement, in the absence of ex-<br />
press stipulation, the right to deduct a<br />
percentage on books sold for "incidental<br />
expenses."<br />
11. counsel's opinion.<br />
1. In our opinion, an agreement such as that<br />
set out in the above case creates between the par-<br />
ties to it a joint adventure, involving some (but<br />
not all) of the incidents of partnership, and con-<br />
stitutes a fiduciary relation on the part of the<br />
publisher towards the author.<br />
2. Under such an agreement the publisher is, in<br />
our opinion, bound, in any view of the relation-<br />
ship of the parties, to render proper accounts<br />
and to produce all books and documents neces-<br />
sary for the proper vouching of the items of such<br />
accounts.<br />
3. Under such an agreement the publisher is, in<br />
our opinion, only entitled to deduct from the pro-<br />
ceeds of sale the actual expenses of printing,<br />
paper, &c, and he cannot therefore charge such<br />
expenses at a higher rate than he actually pays.<br />
It would not, in our opinion, make any difference<br />
in this respect whether the publisher, after the<br />
execution of the agreement, informed the author<br />
that he intended to charge, or had in fact charged,<br />
the expenses at such higher rate (unless there<br />
were additional circumstances which might evi-<br />
dence a waiver or abandonment of rights on the<br />
part of the author) or kept the matter secret.<br />
4. If the existence of such charges as those<br />
mentioned in the last question were satisfactorily<br />
proved, it would, in our opinion, be a sufficient<br />
ground for reopening the account in which such<br />
charges were contained, even though such account<br />
had been settled and approved by the author,<br />
assuming, of course, that the account had been<br />
so approved by him in ignorance of its containing<br />
such charges.<br />
5. This question is one of some difficulty, but,<br />
in our opinion, the publisher, under such an<br />
agreement, is only entitled to charge for what he<br />
actually pays, and therefore cannot charge the<br />
full amount of the invoice where he obtains a<br />
discount.<br />
6. The publisher is, in our opinion, only en-<br />
titled under such an agreement to charge the<br />
actual cost of advertisements, whether inserted in<br />
his own magazines or trade lists, or those of other<br />
publishers. He cannot charge against the author<br />
the sum which a stranger would have paid for the<br />
insertion of such an advertisement. The actual<br />
cost in case (6) would in effect appear to be the<br />
actual cost to him of inserting in his own maga-<br />
zine an advertisement in exchange for the adver-<br />
tisement of the work in question in another<br />
publisher's magazine.<br />
7. The publisher is not, in our opinion, entitled<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 311 (#371) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
to charge for work which has not in fact lieen<br />
done.<br />
8. The term "incidental expenses" in the<br />
above-mentioned agreement is extremely vague<br />
and unsatisfac'ory, but, in our opinion, it includes<br />
those expenses which, or a portion of which, are<br />
incidental to the particular book referred to in the<br />
agreement, and does not include a shire of estab-<br />
lishment charges generally. Unless, however, the<br />
charge for incidental expenses could be shown<br />
to be excessive or improper, the publisher would<br />
not, in our opinion, I e called upon to furnish a<br />
detailed account of the items of which it was<br />
made up, and the fact that the amount of such<br />
incidental expanses was arrived at by taking a<br />
percentage on the returns would not, in our opinion,<br />
of itself render the charge improper.<br />
Herbert H. Cozens-Hardy.<br />
J. Kolt.<br />
Lincoln's Inn. Dec. 9, 1893.<br />
II.—The Meaning ok Royalties.<br />
The following tables were published in the first<br />
volume of The Author. They are reproduce; 1<br />
here, because too much publicity c.innot be<br />
given to the meaning of royalties. The ordinary<br />
six shilling book is taken, as usual, with the<br />
number of sheets, &c, as in the "Cost of<br />
Production,"<br />
"I. On the sale of the first 1,000, costing ,£100.<br />
Per cent.<br />
Roytlly of<br />
6<br />
10<br />
15<br />
30<br />
25<br />
30<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
PuM.her.<br />
CO<br />
45<br />
30<br />
15<br />
—<br />
Author ...<br />
15<br />
10<br />
45<br />
60<br />
75<br />
*><br />
II. On the sale of the next 3,000, costing ^150.<br />
Per cent.<br />
5<br />
10<br />
15<br />
20<br />
•a<br />
30<br />
3'<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
Pa' 1 shci<br />
350<br />
285<br />
240<br />
195<br />
150<br />
10.»<br />
60<br />
Author ...<br />
45<br />
90<br />
135<br />
180<br />
225<br />
270<br />
315<br />
III. On the sale of<br />
an edition of 10,000, costing<br />
£400.<br />
Per cent<br />
5<br />
10<br />
15<br />
20<br />
25<br />
30<br />
.r.<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
£<br />
rutlUher<br />
1200<br />
1050<br />
too<br />
750<br />
603<br />
450<br />
Author...<br />
150<br />
800<br />
450<br />
600<br />
750<br />
900<br />
1050<br />
"Since it is more common to meet with a success<br />
corresponding with the second than with the first<br />
table, let us consider what the figures mean. They<br />
speak for themselves, but for those who cannot<br />
understand figures let us explain.<br />
"' Your publisher, dear Sir or Madam, when he<br />
benevolently offers you a £5 pjr cent, royalty, will<br />
on a second edition of 3000 copies make £330 to<br />
your .£45, i.e., eight times your share. If he<br />
gives you 10 percent.—which is common—he will<br />
make £285 to your £90, that is, three times your<br />
share. If 15 per cent, he will make £240 to<br />
your £135, i.e., twice your share. If 20 per cent.,<br />
£195 to your £180. If 25 per cent. £170 to<br />
your ^"225. If £30 per cent., £105 to your £270.<br />
Consider this, and refuse the .£10 per cent, with<br />
indignation.'"<br />
Since the above figures were printed royalties<br />
have gone up very generally and enormously;<br />
thanks, especially, to the publicity given by The<br />
Author. Printing and paper have gone down, so<br />
that the table ought to be revised. For the<br />
present, howeve •, let it pass.<br />
Still, however, trading on ignorance, certain<br />
publishers pointed out that these figures made no-<br />
allowance for their " office expenses." Never was<br />
a more impudent attempt. They have never<br />
even offered to consider the "office expenses"<br />
of booksellers, on the one hand, whose "office<br />
expenses " are from 16 to 20 per cent, on their<br />
sales: nor of authors, whose office expenses are,<br />
as has been pointed out elsewheiv, just as real.<br />
IIT.—Copyright in Photographs.<br />
(Before Mr. Justice Col ins, without a Jury, on<br />
April 12.)<br />
Melville t\ Hulton.<br />
This was an action brought by Mr. G. C.<br />
Melville, a photographer, carrying on business at<br />
Market-street, Manchester, against Messrs. E.<br />
Hulton and Co., of Mark-lane, Manchester, the<br />
proprietors and printers of a daily pap^r called<br />
the Sporting Chronicle, and of two weekly papers<br />
respectively called the Athletic Neics and the<br />
Sunday Chronicle, for damages for infringement<br />
of copyright. The plaintiff, by his statement of<br />
claim, said that he was the author and proprietor<br />
of a photograph of one Frederick E. Bacon, a<br />
well-known athlete, and that the defendants had,<br />
without the consent of the plaintiff in writing,<br />
colourably imitated or multiplied for sale, and did<br />
sell, a large number of copies of the said photo-<br />
graph. The publications complained of w re:—<br />
(i)In the Sporting Chronicle of Sept. 19 and<br />
Oct. 5, 1896 ; and (2) in the Sunday Chronicle<br />
of Sept. 20 and Oct. 1896. The defendants said<br />
that the plaintiff never was, an.l is not now, the<br />
author or proprietor of th? photograph, and that<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 312 (#372) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
the photograph, if made by the plaintiff, was<br />
made by him for F. E. Bacon for a good and<br />
valuable consideration, and that the copyright<br />
was not expressly reserved to the plaintiff by<br />
agreement in writing signed at or before the time<br />
when the photograph was made.<br />
Mr. Pickford, Q.C. and Mr. G. B. Wilkinson<br />
appeared for the plaintiff; Mr. McCall, Q.C. and<br />
Mr. Bradbury for the defendants.<br />
The action was tried at the Liverpool Assizes<br />
on March 27 last, when judgment was reserved.<br />
Mr. Justice Collins, in giving judgment to-day,<br />
said that upon the evidence he was satisfied that<br />
the photograph was taken for Mr. Bacon and<br />
upon his behalf, and that there was abundant<br />
consideration moving from him to the plaintiff.<br />
Mr. Bacon was a most distinguished athlete.<br />
Each copy of the jmotograph was worth i*. 6d.,<br />
and although Mr. Bacon made no payment there<br />
was abundant consideration given by him. The<br />
1st section of 25 & 26 Vict. c. 68, said that if the<br />
photograph was "made or executed for or on<br />
behalf or any other person for a good or a<br />
valuable consideration, lhe person so . . .<br />
making or executing the tame shall not retain the<br />
copyright thereof, unless it be expressly reserved<br />
to him in writing signed ... by the persons<br />
for or on whose behalf the same shall have been<br />
so made or executed; . . . but the copyright<br />
shall belong to the person for or on whose<br />
behalf the same shall have been so made or<br />
executed." Mr. Bacon had said that there<br />
was no agreement by which he reserved the<br />
copyright to the plaintiff. There must, therefore,<br />
.be judgment for the defendants.<br />
Judgment for defendants.<br />
—The Times, April 13.<br />
IV.—Copyright Legislation in America.<br />
Now that so much interest is taken in the sub-<br />
ject of Copyright in the United States of America,<br />
it is important that British authors should be<br />
made acquainted with any fresh or proposed<br />
legislation by which their rights in that country<br />
may be affected.<br />
On the 3rd March, 1897, sect. 4963 of the<br />
Revised Statutes of the United States was<br />
amended.<br />
The section now stands in th-3 following form,<br />
the amendment appearing from the words in<br />
italics:<br />
"Every person who shall insert or impress snch notice, or<br />
words of the same purport, in or upon any book, map, chart,<br />
dramatic or musical composition, print, cat, engraving, or<br />
photograph, or other article, whether such article be subject<br />
to copyright or otheruise, for which he has not obtained a<br />
copyright, or thall knowingly issue or sell any article bear-<br />
ing a notice of United States copyright which has not been<br />
copyrighted in this country, or shall import any book, photo-<br />
graph, chromo, or lithograph, or other article bearing such<br />
notice of copyright or worls of the same purport, which is<br />
not copyrighted in this country, shall be liable to a penalty<br />
of 100 do'lars, recoverable one-half for the person who shall<br />
sue for such penalty and one-half to the use of the United<br />
States; and the importation into the United States of any<br />
book, chromo, lithograph, or photograph, or other article<br />
bea~ing such notice of copyright, when there is no existing<br />
copyright thereon in the United States, is prohibited; and<br />
the circuit courts of the United States sitting in equity are<br />
hereby authorised to enjoin the issuing, publishing, or<br />
selling of any article marked or imported in violation of<br />
the United States copyright laws, at the suit of any person<br />
complaining of such violation: Provided, that this Act<br />
ahall not apply to any importation of or sale of such<br />
goods or articles brought into the United States prior to the<br />
passage hereof."<br />
The notice mentioned in the section is to this<br />
effect: "Entered according to Act of Congress,<br />
in the year , by A. B., in the office of the<br />
Librarian of Congress at Washington."<br />
It will be seen at a glance that the amended<br />
section is much more stringent than the section<br />
as it. origina'ly stood, and introduces new prohi-<br />
bitions of a far reaching character.<br />
At the present time there is also a Bill before the<br />
Hou -e of Representatives to revise the copyright<br />
law; it was introduced by Mr. Treloar, and has<br />
been referred to the Committee on Patents, and<br />
ordered to be printed.<br />
It is proposed to deal with and point out the<br />
most important amendments and alterations in<br />
the law suggested by the Bill.<br />
The first eight sections deal with the appoint-<br />
ment of a commissioner of copyrights, together<br />
with assistants and clerks, for the purpose of<br />
performing, under the supervision of the Joint<br />
Committee on the Library, all those duties<br />
which are now imposed upon the Librarian of<br />
Congress.<br />
This would appear to be a very desirable<br />
alteration, as under the existing system, owing,<br />
no doubt, to the onerous duties of the Librarian<br />
of Congress, complaints have been made that the<br />
business of registering and advising copyrights<br />
has been conducted in a loose way.<br />
The term of duration of copyright is to be<br />
extended from twenty-tight to fifty years from<br />
the time of registering the title thereof. This<br />
is clearly a step in the right direction. It will<br />
be remembered that in the Bill prepared by the<br />
Society of Authors, and introduced in the House<br />
of Lords by Lord Moukswell in 1890, the pro-<br />
posed term was for the life of the author and<br />
thirty years after his deith.<br />
The author's right of printing, reprinting, pub-<br />
lishing, completing, copying, exhibiting, using,<br />
leasing, vending, abridging, adapting, dramatising,<br />
translating, and publicly exhibiting his work has<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 313 (#373) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
313<br />
been made more comprehensive and clear than<br />
it is under the existing statutes.<br />
The 12th and 13th sections of the Bill deal with<br />
the manner in which copyright is to be obtained,<br />
but with regard to a dramatic composition or<br />
play the sections are not at all clear, and need<br />
amendment.<br />
Sect. 12 states " that no person shall be entitled<br />
to copyright unless he shall, not later than the<br />
day of first publication thereof, deliver at the<br />
office of commissioner of copyright, or deposit in<br />
the mail within the United States . . . two<br />
complete copies of the dramatic composition<br />
. . . Provided, that in the case of a dramatic<br />
composition or play, the two copies deposited as<br />
above may be typewritten."<br />
Sect. 13 states, " that in the case of a . . .<br />
dramatic composition, the two copies of the<br />
same required to be delivered or deposited shall<br />
be printed from type set within the United<br />
States."<br />
It is, therefore, doubtful whether the two copies<br />
of the dramatic composition are to be type-<br />
written or printed from type set within the<br />
United States, a most important difference<br />
to authors, and one which should be attended<br />
to before the Bill is passed into law. The ifith<br />
section subjects any person who sells or offers<br />
for sale a pirated literary composition to the<br />
same penalties as though he had pirated and<br />
printed it.<br />
Another proposed alteration of the law is to<br />
compel an applicant for copyright to make an<br />
affidavit stating in what capacity, whether as<br />
author, owner, executor, or how otherwise he<br />
claims the right.<br />
This alteration is aimed at those unprincipled<br />
persons who, having got the control of an author's<br />
manuscript, can under the existing law obtain<br />
copyright of it in their own name.<br />
Other parts of the Bill deal with penalties and<br />
damages for infringement, the obtaining of<br />
interim injunctions, and legal procedure.<br />
The Bill seems to be just and proper, and one<br />
which every person who has the welfare of the<br />
author and the protection of his rights at heart<br />
ought to strive to pass into law.<br />
Whether it become law or no, it shows that the<br />
American authors are not losing sight of their<br />
interests, and what are their interests are now<br />
those of the English author.<br />
V.—An Example from Aberdeen.<br />
"Thoughts for Book Lovers." By Harry S.<br />
Lumsden. This little book is worthy of remark<br />
for two reasons. First, because it is a second<br />
edition of a very interesting and valuable com-<br />
pilation. It consists of extracts from the writings<br />
of over two hundred authors, living and dead,<br />
on various subjects connected with literature and<br />
books. Especially, there is a treasury of advice<br />
on the subject of novel reading. It is pleasant<br />
to find novelists themselves dissuading the world<br />
from reading novels—one among them even<br />
declaring that he never read a novel at all, which<br />
is, indeed, a piteous case. The book is, however,<br />
remarkable for another reason: the author keeps<br />
all the remaining copies in his own hands; he is<br />
his own publisher. Now, why should not this<br />
method be more generally adopted? With a<br />
certain class of book—one, that is, that will com-<br />
mand a certain—but not a very great—circula-<br />
tion, the author may make his own arrangements<br />
for production: he is not liable for charges for<br />
expenses not incurred: he controls the advertise-<br />
ments: he can easily send out the books himself:<br />
he can have them bound as he wants them. See<br />
what he saves by such a method. A publisher<br />
would probably send in a bill something like the<br />
following:<br />
Cost of production:—<br />
£ s. d. £ s. d.<br />
In reality, say 50 o o<br />
In the account 70 o o<br />
Advertising:—<br />
In reality 5 o o<br />
In the account, swelled<br />
by charging for his<br />
own magazines 25 o o<br />
By sales, say 600 at 2.1. 6<7. 75 o o<br />
In account (ret down<br />
as 13 as 12) 69 4 o<br />
Less 5 per een\ for<br />
bad debts 390<br />
Less incidental ex-<br />
penses, postage,<br />
&c 2 10 o<br />
Less 15 per cent,<br />
publisher's com-<br />
mission 10 7 6<br />
So that the account in full would appear as<br />
follows:<br />
£ s. d.<br />
Cost of production 70 o o<br />
Advertising 25 o o<br />
Bad debts, 5 percent. ... 3 9 o<br />
Incidental expenses 2 10 o<br />
Publisher's commission... 10 7 6<br />
in 6 6<br />
By sale 600 copies at<br />
2s. 6rf.,at 13 as 12 69 4 o<br />
Loss on book 42 2 6<br />
in 6 6<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 314 (#374) ############################################<br />
<br />
3»4<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Suppose ho keeps the book in his own hauds.<br />
How does the account stand then?<br />
£ s. d.<br />
Cost of production 50 o o<br />
Circulars for distribution 200<br />
Advertising, say 10 o o<br />
Postage at 4f/ 10 o o<br />
Profit on book 3 o o<br />
75 o o<br />
Sale of 600 copies at 2s. 6d 75 o o<br />
In common gratitude to Mr. Lumsden for<br />
showing the way, I am pleased to assist him by<br />
pointing out that his pretty little book can be<br />
obtained of him direct, by addressing H. A.<br />
Lumsden. 18, Bon Accord-crescent, Aberdeen.<br />
VI.—An Author's Protest.<br />
Some weeks since I observed among notices of<br />
forthcoming books the announcement of a work<br />
to be published by Mr. George Redway, on<br />
"'Travel and Big Game,' by Percy Selous and<br />
H. A. Bryden." I wrote at once to the paper<br />
in which I saw the notice to say that I knew<br />
nothing of Mr. Percy Selous or of any such work.<br />
I see that this book has been sent round to the<br />
Press for review, but that its present publisher<br />
appears to be Mr. G. Bellairs. The work is<br />
now described as "'Travel and Big Game,'<br />
by Percy Se!ous, with two chapters by H. A.<br />
Bryden."<br />
In fairness to myself I ought to explain that<br />
the two chapters for which I am thus held respon-<br />
sible were written for a news syndicate, with no<br />
idea of subsequent publication in book form. I<br />
have never been consulted in the matter of the<br />
book in question; I am not acquainted with<br />
Mr. Percy Selous (his namesake, Mr. F. C.<br />
Selous, of South African fame, I know very<br />
well); and I have objected, as far as I was able,<br />
to the inclusion of the two articles in the present<br />
volume.<br />
I understand that Mr. George Eedway acquired<br />
from the news syndicate I have mentioned the<br />
copyright in these two articles. He (or Mr.<br />
Bellairs, who now appears as publisher) is j>ro-<br />
bably legally within his rights in throwing my<br />
articles — notwithstanding my protests — into<br />
Mr. Percy Selous's book. But it is surely<br />
scarcely fair to an author (by virtue of thus<br />
securing a couple of stray articles) to include<br />
his name, against his will, with an author<br />
of whom he knows nothing, in a work of this<br />
kind.<br />
My experience is probably a rare one, but it<br />
seems to me that here is another instance of the<br />
necessity, now more than ever incumbent upon<br />
authors, of looking more cloiely after their copy-<br />
rights. H. A. Bryden.<br />
Constitutional Club, Northumberland-<br />
avenue, April 26, 1897.<br />
THE SOCIETY AS PUBLISHERS.<br />
ENORMOUS as has been the benefit con-<br />
ferred upon literature and afforded to the<br />
knights of the pen by the Society of<br />
Authors — benefits which I think no one can<br />
dispute—I am yet some distance from believing<br />
that the organisation of the Society is perfect, or<br />
from thinking that an association which in its<br />
mere childhood and youth has accomplished for<br />
literature so much—so very much—cannot in its<br />
growing vigorous manhood accomplish still a little<br />
more. Probably the hardest tug in an author's<br />
life—I mean of the average author's life, for<br />
transcendent genius may assert itself from its<br />
very youth—is the turning of the corner of the<br />
hill which leads from absolute obscurity, an<br />
unknown name, to popularity, pay, and a world-<br />
wide fame; a passage which I have heard described<br />
as—but the simile is not my own—like passing<br />
into heaven out of hell.<br />
The paying for the publication of the first<br />
book is a blunder upon which many generations<br />
of unprincipled publishers must from time<br />
immemorial have thriven and grown fat—it is a<br />
pit into which the tyro with some money in his<br />
pocket and literary ambition in his heart, the<br />
infant offspring of his imagination in manuscript<br />
before him, hungry publishers around him, and<br />
an unsympathetic world hard to wrin without, will<br />
not unnaturally fall. But to the flowery land and<br />
pleasant pastures of fame and popularity—the<br />
very haven to which he paid his money to be<br />
wafted on wings of gold—he is no nearer than he<br />
was before.<br />
'Ihen how is the citizenship of this pleasant<br />
country to be won?<br />
In the February number of The Author the<br />
aspirant is put up to a wrinkle or two, the dreamer<br />
is told how he may get his chance; ha must get<br />
his work economically printed and bound on—<br />
six months credit—easy terms; he must then<br />
print a circular describing his work, and offer<br />
copies on liberal terms to booksellers on sale or<br />
return; he must advertise a little, feeling his way<br />
as he goes; he must issue to the trade from his<br />
own house—if he can find no better place This<br />
is all in theory and in principle excellent advice;<br />
it is right as far as it goes; how far it would be<br />
practicable or successful, or the reverse, I will not<br />
venture to say.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 315 (#375) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTItOk.<br />
3i5<br />
We are informed by those who know that out<br />
of every hundred manuscripts submitted to pub-<br />
lishers, no more than about three or five are<br />
acceptable or accepted; then what becomes of the<br />
ninety and five per cent, of intolerable literary<br />
matter thrust—inflicted I would say—upon the<br />
attention of publishers, this long-suffering race?<br />
Book publishing is said to be a good business;<br />
and had it not need, to pay for the consideration<br />
of 95 per cent, of unprofitable work?<br />
Much of it is, and must be—as every editor<br />
knows—hopeless; but surely all this 95 per cent,<br />
of unsuitable product of brain power cannot be<br />
irreclaimable waste: there must still be a certain<br />
proportion of good grain in the heaps of rejected<br />
rubbish and chaff. Besides, as we all know,<br />
much really excellent literary work is " declined<br />
with thanks " for no other reason than because it<br />
is unbacked by the magic talisman of some well<br />
known name.<br />
From the correspondence which appears in the<br />
pages of The Author, there seems to be a con-<br />
sensus of opinion that an additional department<br />
of the society is needed—that the Society of<br />
Authors, in short, should become publishers<br />
themselves; and I cannot help being strongly of<br />
opinion that the establishment of such a new de-<br />
parture would be the best day's work the Com-<br />
mittee of Management ever did.<br />
The magic word "connection" is the great<br />
secret of modern trade, and the trader who opened<br />
his shop and started his business with a connec-<br />
tion or clientele of 1300 customers might, if he<br />
at all understood his work, consider its success<br />
assured; and this, with its 1300 members,<br />
would be very much the position that the Society<br />
of Authors, starting as publishers for themselves,<br />
would be in. I cannot approach, even distantly,<br />
the working of such a department here.but obviously<br />
many works which the ordinary publisher would<br />
reject might be considered on their merits, reported<br />
on by competent readers, advised upon, and<br />
issued, if need be, upon economical lines. Here,<br />
then, would the literary aspirant, without fear of<br />
unfair dealing, get his chance, while the same<br />
chance by many an older bird would be not less<br />
eagerly embraced; it would be a chance, I think,<br />
which would be appreciated by all, and the<br />
venture would not improbably surpass the most<br />
sanguine anticipations of its originators. Of<br />
course such an office would have its own peculiar<br />
system of business, of advertising (which might<br />
be done at trifling cost to each individual<br />
author) of circularising the trade, &c., upon<br />
which I cannot here pretend to enlarge. Like as<br />
the Society itself has grown in usefulness and<br />
importance from a .modest beginning, so, as is<br />
uow the case with some of our most eminent<br />
VOL VII.<br />
publishing houses, the fact of a work being issued<br />
under its auspices would in itself be a recom-<br />
mendation in the eyes of booksellers and the<br />
public, and would be quite sufficient guarantee of<br />
its worth. Thomas W. D. Lisle.<br />
NEW YORK LETTER.<br />
New York, April 15.<br />
EERDLNAND BRUNETIERE and Mme.<br />
Blanc sat at breakfast together one morn-<br />
ing recently, and talked about the French<br />
critic's well-known opinions on literature as far as<br />
they bore on the situation in this country. I<br />
asked him why criticism had not made a better<br />
start among us, and he ventured as one explana-<br />
tion this: "Germany and France are the only<br />
two countries where the important books alone<br />
are reviewed, and where those are criticised<br />
adequately. An Italian was recently making the<br />
same complaint about criticism in his country<br />
which you make about it here, that books of all<br />
sorts, no matter how unimportant, have to be<br />
noticed, so there is no distinction, and no excel-<br />
lence." There was a little talk about the influ-<br />
ence of the business office and the large amount<br />
of publishers' advertisements, but both critics<br />
were unable to see clearly the workings of those<br />
influences, although Mme. Blanc, at least, had<br />
thought about the matter considerably. M.<br />
Brunetiere gradually became more expansive upon<br />
the general subject of literature in a democracy<br />
like ours. "I believe that the effect of democracy<br />
on literature is going to be very good. Mind<br />
you, it is not good yet. I only say it will<br />
be some time. Just now your literature is<br />
very crude—it descends too much to the level<br />
of an unrefined body of readers; but when<br />
your public is educated, the literature will<br />
be the better for being democratic, for it<br />
will escape the side-tracks, the dilettanteism, the<br />
mere rhetorical ornament, that usually encumber<br />
it where it is the product and the expression of a<br />
class. Literature should take subjects of import-<br />
ance to the whole nation; it should express broad<br />
social conditions, and so touch everybody. If I<br />
talk to you about the matters which are of inte-<br />
rest to all classes, and you use better words, make<br />
stronger sentences, and give more searching views<br />
on this common topic, you have already made<br />
literature." Mme. Blanc supplemented this by<br />
pointing out that we now care too much for the<br />
various fads of literature, and spoke especially of<br />
the absurd vogue which J. K. Huysmans is now<br />
having here. She commented also on the too<br />
K K<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 316 (#376) ############################################<br />
<br />
316<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
great leniency of our critics—a stricture which is<br />
certainly deserved.<br />
We are safe, in M. Brunetiere's case, from<br />
another book as full of mistakes as M. Bourget's,<br />
not only because M. Brunetiere sees more clearly<br />
the difficulty of understanding a civilisation in a<br />
few weeks, but also because his interests are in<br />
the really important elements, to which he makes<br />
all details subordinate. In contrast with such a<br />
point of view may be mentioned a book (a good<br />
deal talked about just now) published by the<br />
Scribners—"America and the Americans "—which<br />
pretends to be written by a Frenchman, and reads<br />
as if it were written by a pseudo-cosmopolitan<br />
American. It is full of the kind of observations<br />
which, as Dr. Johnson said of Boswell's ques-<br />
tions, makes a sensible man want to hang<br />
himself. The writer finds a man in some Western<br />
place who goes to an afternoon function in evening<br />
dress; he observes that Americans in their deal-<br />
ings with foreigners do not know how to change<br />
their tone to meet the differences of social station;<br />
he is amused that a woman in Chicago who talked<br />
of Plato did not know anything about the works<br />
now being produced in Chicago, and thinks it<br />
must be pose. In short, the book reminds one of<br />
the observations which some Americans bring<br />
back from a three months' trip in Europe, com-<br />
plaining about the bathing facilities in France,<br />
the inadequacy of Continental breakfasts, the<br />
indigestibility of tables d'hote, fleas, heating<br />
facilities in Italy, the ugliness of the Crystal<br />
Palace, or the absurd manifestations of patriotism<br />
in the Place de la Concorde. Such an irrelevant<br />
series of observations as are found in this book is<br />
more irritating than the mistakes of M. Bourget,<br />
because he at least founded interesting conclu-<br />
sions on his inaccurate premises; but opposed to<br />
them both may be put such a serious study of<br />
American women as Mme. Blanc has given to<br />
her countrymen, teaching them to know that the<br />
travelling class is not the class of American<br />
women which best deserves understanding. But,<br />
after all, far and away the best study of American<br />
affairs which has been made in our generation is the<br />
"American Commonwealth." Other books are<br />
needed to cover much that Mr. Bryce does not<br />
touch, but there could scarcely be a better draw-<br />
ing of the outlines.<br />
Various English papers speak with a sort of<br />
amazement of Mr. Charles Dudley Warner's en-<br />
deavour to put the world's literature into thirty<br />
volumes. The motives which led to the publica-<br />
tion of such a venture show at once the omni-<br />
presence of the business spirit here, and the<br />
desire for culture of many classes of the people,<br />
mixed with conditions which make it impossible<br />
for them to get it. The book is written for the<br />
American business or professional man, who<br />
seldom has time to read anything thoroughly,<br />
but intends when the opportunity offers to read<br />
everything that is really worth while. Letters<br />
have been sent by the publishers to a large<br />
number of sujh men in all the principal cities,<br />
laying out the advantages of the book and in-<br />
closing postal cards on which sample sheets may<br />
be ordered. The man who mails the return<br />
postal card does not get his sample sheets, but<br />
he gets a book agent, who has in advance<br />
learned all he could about the sender of<br />
the postal card, studied his particular case, and<br />
prepared himself to turn at once to that part of<br />
the encyclopaedic work which will be likely to meet<br />
the individual prejudices of his customer. For<br />
instance, a Scotchman in New York is told that<br />
the article on Blackmore was written by one of<br />
our best known literary men, and that the picture<br />
which appears in the work is the only photograph<br />
ever taken of the novelist. The general perspec-<br />
tive of the book is arranged with a very distinct<br />
idea of its market. More space is given to English<br />
writers than to those in other languages, most of<br />
all to Americans, and among them most to those<br />
who are now alive. Baudelaire, for instance, is<br />
given perhaps 1500 words of extract, where Henry<br />
James will have about 20,000. The business skill<br />
of the promoters of an adventure like this does<br />
not end with the study of any one class; they<br />
aim at the scholars as well as the hasty man of<br />
affairs, so the volumes are well sprinkled with<br />
signed articles by experts, by means of which they<br />
prove to the literary man also that the work is<br />
one which he "cannot afford to be without." It<br />
is an admirable illustration of "business" in<br />
literature.<br />
The librarian of the Carnegie Library of Phila-<br />
delphia has set an excellent example in excluding<br />
a lot of books, not on the ground that they were<br />
immoral (the usual reason), but that they were<br />
intellectually worthless. The less intelligent atti-<br />
tude towards literature is well shown by the hard<br />
fight with Mr. Dingley to yield no more in his<br />
duty on books than he is absolutely compelled to<br />
by the protests of everybody in any way interested<br />
in education.<br />
The librarians of this State have been giving<br />
their opinions on the literature of the year.<br />
Keturns from 300 of them have been received,<br />
giving the fifty books published in 1896 which<br />
they deem most valuable to a village library.<br />
"Sentimental Tommy" headed the list with 162,<br />
and the remainder of the first ten are: 2 (Ward),<br />
"Sir George Tressady "; 3 (Parker), " Seats of<br />
the Mighty "; 4 (Morse), " Life and Letters of<br />
Oliver Wendell Holmes"; 5 (Smith), "Tom<br />
Grrogan "; 6 (Skinner), " Myths and Legends of<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 317 (#377) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
317<br />
Our Own Land"; 7 (Barrie), "Margaret<br />
Ogilvy"; 8 (Kipling), "Seven Seas"; 9<br />
(Krehbiel), "How to Listen to Music"; 10<br />
(Wiggin), "Marm Lisa." Barrie and Maclaren<br />
are the only authors with two books each on the<br />
list. The latest manifestation of the taste for the<br />
Scotch here is a young woman who reads their<br />
books in drawing-rooms to fashionable audiences,<br />
and stops to cry at the pathetic places.<br />
The Harpers will publish about the 26th of this<br />
month a volume by an author who ought to be<br />
much better known in England than she is. There<br />
seems to be a large element of accident in the<br />
formation of foreign reputations by our various<br />
writers of fiction—Miss Wilkins, for instance,<br />
being well known in England, while Miss Jewett<br />
is not, and several writers of stories dealing with<br />
the middle West being known to 100 English-<br />
men while no one knows anything about Octave<br />
Thanet, which is the name taken by Miss Alice<br />
French, an Arkansas woman, some of whose stories<br />
have a height of dramatic art which makes them<br />
stand just below those of Bret Harte, and above<br />
any other of those tales of that part of the<br />
country with which they could be compared. They<br />
are not primarily studies; they are not realistic in<br />
the sense of being full of detailed analysis; but<br />
they are true to life in a broad way, taking<br />
from the existence of the middle West its<br />
most dramatic possibilities, and being less docu-<br />
ments than artistic productions, full of charm-<br />
ing skill, proceeding with apparent simplicity,<br />
but always ending successfully in a climax which<br />
leaves the reader usually happy. "Pleasant" is the<br />
word one finds first for them. Delicate humour,<br />
a raciness in the dialogue which is always re-<br />
strained, touches of pathos in moderation, no<br />
heavy gloom, and the spirit of adventure in<br />
greater or less degree, result in a whole that one<br />
may praise with fulness. The dialect, which is<br />
used infrequently enough to be a subordinate<br />
element, is the amusing and easily comprehended<br />
slang of the plain man in these States in which<br />
her stories are laid. The forthcoming volume,<br />
which is called " The Missionary Sheriff," is made<br />
up of half a dozen of her latest tales, showing<br />
her in her full charm. There are few, very few,<br />
present writers who might not be better neglected<br />
by those students of our literature who wish to<br />
see what are the most interesting literary possibi-<br />
lities in American life.<br />
Norman Hapoood.<br />
NOTES FROM ELSEWHERE.<br />
HEBE is a series of undesigned coincidences,<br />
or whatever you like to call it, which I<br />
think worth noting. A man has recently<br />
been arrested in Paris for a very cruel murder,<br />
and has confessed his guilt. There can be no<br />
doubt what the result of the trial will be, or what<br />
end is reserved for him. It appears, now, that<br />
twenty-six or twenty-seven years ago this man's<br />
father kept an inn in the north of France, near<br />
the frontier of Flanders. It was a low inn,<br />
frequented by rough people. One day a novel<br />
kind of contest was proposed by one of the<br />
customers. It was to see who amongst the<br />
drinkers could curse and blaspheme the worst.<br />
The idea was acclaimed as excellent, and the same<br />
evening, the landlord offering no objection, the<br />
contest was held in the tap-room. A day or two<br />
later—I have the exact names and particulars,<br />
but they are immaterial—one of the party of<br />
blasphemers was struck with paralysis, and from<br />
that day to the day of his death several years<br />
later could not articulate a word, could utter<br />
nothing but a sound like the grunting of an<br />
animal.<br />
The innkeeper committed suicide ten years ago,<br />
after seeing the following catastrophes in his<br />
family. His eldest son took to drink and hanged<br />
himself; his daughter went to the bad and died<br />
on the streets; a second son was found drowned<br />
in a stream at the back of the inn; whilst two<br />
other sons, to escape from the sinister influences<br />
of their home, ran away, and were not heard of<br />
afterwards. We have just seen what became of<br />
the last or youngest son; he has qualified for the<br />
guillotine.<br />
A similar instance of punishment on earth for<br />
ill-doing was enacted, so to speak, before my eyes.<br />
Some years ago, as I was rambling about in South<br />
Brittany, in the neighbourhood of Nantes, I came<br />
across the ideal country spot—river, spreading<br />
walnut-trees, wooded slopes, thatched cottages,<br />
and so on—that I had been looking for all my<br />
life. I took rooms at the inn there—a most<br />
picturesque hostelry by the side of a weir. It was<br />
beautiful.<br />
This inn was kept by two sisters, Breton<br />
peasants, the wives of two sailors on the French<br />
Transatlantic line. Quaint bodies they looked in<br />
their white Breton caps, their strangely cut<br />
bodices, and their clogs. They were the most<br />
sublimely ignorant people I have ever met. I<br />
envied them the Nirvana of their minds. They<br />
could neither read nor write, they did not know<br />
that France was under a Republic, and they had<br />
never heard of Monsieur Carnot. They had some<br />
pretty children, and were kind to their children,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 318 (#378) ############################################<br />
<br />
3i8<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
though in the main they were very avaricious. I<br />
remember that I was kept on very short commons,<br />
and had to fill up with walnuts and white wine.<br />
Their old father lived with them, and was at their<br />
charge. They ill-treated him cruelly. "They<br />
grudge me every mouthful I eat," said he to me,<br />
and told me to notice how "my eldest" watched<br />
every spoonful of meatless broth that he ladled<br />
into his palsied jaws. One day he clutched me<br />
by the arm as I was passing through the yard—<br />
for he was usually expected " de se tenir" (to keep<br />
himself) in a kind of lumber-shed—and said he<br />
was very cold in his inside, and that it would<br />
be an act of real goodness on my part to treat<br />
him to a cup of hot coffee. I took him into the<br />
house, and, as he had advised, ordered the coffee<br />
for myself. "Otherwise," said he, "there'll only<br />
be one lump of sugar." The poor old fellow<br />
enjoyed his coffee immensely. It was a real<br />
privation to him to go without it, but his<br />
daughters did not allow him any such luxuries,<br />
and on the nights when the coffee was decocted,<br />
he used to retire to the backyard to be far from<br />
the delicious and tantalising odours of the<br />
brewage, and the aggravation of hearing his<br />
daughter Pauline keep smacking her lips and<br />
saying, ' I'm going to have a cup as soon as it's<br />
finished.'"<br />
He was half starved and miserably clad, and<br />
before I left he implored me to send him an old<br />
coat against the winter. I did not do so, if I<br />
remember; I wanted one badly myself. But this<br />
en passant. He used to cough continuously. "It<br />
may well be his end that's approaching," Pauline<br />
used to say hopefully whenever I remarked on<br />
this. He was wanted, he was expected, to die,<br />
and though neither of his daughters would have<br />
given him a push into the weir to precipitate<br />
matters, I do not think that either would have<br />
hurried her clogs if he had fallen in. It was a<br />
nouvelle by Maupassant which was in action<br />
before my eyes, and I spoke to Maupassant about<br />
it years later.<br />
I felt very sorry for the poor old man, and I<br />
used to regret that there should be two women<br />
with hearts so unkind, and to wonder whether no<br />
retribution would ever befall them. One day,<br />
two or three years later, I read in a Paris paper<br />
that two sisters, who kept an inn at V , near<br />
Nantes—the same women and the same place—<br />
had been murdered in their beds by a tramp, who<br />
had been attracted by the report of their avarice.<br />
As nothing was said of the old father, I presume<br />
that their wishes with regard to him had been<br />
fulfilled.<br />
I have been thinking that a novelist making<br />
use of these two stories, which are true in every<br />
particular, would get himself rapped over the<br />
fingers for making an ill-use of coincidence by<br />
ces Messieurs de la critique.<br />
I am glad to see that M. Berenger, the Senator<br />
—Pere la Pudeur, as they call him in Paris—is<br />
making a stand in the Senate against the licence<br />
and immorality of the French Press and much<br />
of modern French literature, which of late has<br />
really passed all limits. I owe Senator Berenger a<br />
very bad night, for I got run in and spent a night<br />
in the lock-up of the rue des Prouvaires, during<br />
the riots which followed on F affaire Nuger, but I<br />
owe him no grudge. He is protesting—a very<br />
ungrateful task—against the indifference of the<br />
Government, whose attitude towards the Press<br />
seems to be " Leave us alone, and we will leave<br />
you alone." Berenger is by no means the nin-<br />
compoop which certain English journalists have<br />
represented him to be; he is the author of " la loi<br />
Berenger," that humane enactment which preceded<br />
our First Offenders Act in England. When a<br />
French theatrical manager can engage a couple,<br />
who have no other recommendation than being<br />
flagrant offenders against the Seventh Command-<br />
ment, to appear on his stage, and thousands of<br />
pounds are taken at his booking office in conse-<br />
quence, it really seems time that someone, anxious<br />
about the dignity of his country and its capital,<br />
should protest as Berenger has done.<br />
Mrs. Emily Crawford made a very true remark<br />
in Truth the other day, when she said that Paris<br />
is the place for hard work and the home of hard<br />
workers. Ay, of the hardest workers in the<br />
world. As Daudet once said to me, " All the vital<br />
forces of Paris are below the surface. You only<br />
see the idlers, the drones. You must not judge<br />
of the Parisians by these, any more than you<br />
should wonder what makes a big ocean liner go,<br />
after looking only at those who dawdle on the<br />
promenade deck."<br />
Loti has, I see, made good use of his recent<br />
stay on the south-east coast of France; and to<br />
anyone interested in the curious Basque people,<br />
their strange customs and manners and ways of<br />
living, I can heartily recommend his last novel.<br />
He was for some months in command of a gun-<br />
boat, which lay off St. Jean de Luz, on the<br />
frontier of the French Basque country, and was<br />
constantly on shore. I used frequently to meet him<br />
rambling about in the district, and on one occa-<br />
sion when I had landed in a Basque village,<br />
where not a soul spoke French, he was good<br />
enough to interpret for me. In return for his<br />
kindness, I feigned to ignore his identity, for<br />
there is nobody less a persona grata to Vignaud<br />
the naval officer than Loti the Academician.<br />
BOBEBT H. ShEBAED.<br />
•>•<<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 319 (#379) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
319<br />
NOTES AND NEWS.<br />
THE reprinting of the paper called " Secret<br />
Profits" is the beginning of several<br />
reprints of valuable and important papers<br />
which have appeared in the back numbers of The<br />
Author. It is not enough to procure counsel's<br />
opinion on such an important matter as Secret<br />
Profits: it is not enough to publish it in this<br />
paper: the opinion is read and forgotten: by<br />
those who have joined the Society since the<br />
appearance of the paper it has never been seen.<br />
The paper has, therefore, been republished, and<br />
readers are invited to peruse it in order to ascer-<br />
tain what is the opinion of lawyers on practices<br />
which we have never ceased to denounce as dis-<br />
honourable, and not to be defended by any argu-<br />
ments whatever. ni_<br />
Half a dozen correspondents have sent me an<br />
advertisement from the Daily News. The adver-<br />
tiser wants to find a writer who will compile for<br />
him "from the reading-room of the British<br />
Museum" a history of California. The history is<br />
to consist of 400,000 words, and the honorarium<br />
offered is £\o, which, being interpreted, means a<br />
penny for every 165 words. It is useless to wax<br />
wrathful over this. First of all, the advertiser is<br />
clearly a very ignorant person; the right place to<br />
find materials for the history of California is not<br />
the British Museum, but the Archives and Record<br />
Office of the State of California. Then, as to the<br />
length; surely, no one who knows anything at all<br />
about the history of California would lay down a<br />
hard and fast rule about the length to which such<br />
a history would run. As for the offer of .£10, it<br />
was clearly put down as a large and handsome<br />
amount likely to tempt the most prosperous of<br />
litterateurs. In a word, the man knew nothing<br />
about literary work or about literary pay. Either<br />
he thought that a book of 400,000 words could be<br />
written in two days, or he thought that literary<br />
men are poor scrubs and hacks, who take whatever<br />
is offered them. I think that the advertiser<br />
probably wants the history for an advertising<br />
medium. Soap, pills, hair restorers, mustard,<br />
might be well advertised between the leaves of<br />
such a history. im<br />
I cannot believe that this person reads The<br />
Author. Otherwise he might have pleaded that<br />
he only followed the example of the venerable and<br />
pious Society for the Promotion of Christian<br />
Knowledge. I exposed four years ago the prices<br />
paid by this Christian Corporation to the unfor-<br />
tunate persons who wrote for them. My figures<br />
were not denied. Among them was the case<br />
where for a historical book—not a History of<br />
California—the enormous sum of .£12 was paid.<br />
The author said that if the book was a success he<br />
was to have more. The book sold 7000 copies, and<br />
no more was given. This noble generosity com-<br />
pared favourably with that of the advertiser.<br />
A correspondent calls attention to the practice<br />
of speaking of an article: a paper: a contribu-<br />
tion: a story: a novel: as consisting of so many<br />
thousand words: he says it is a mechanical way of<br />
treating literature. Why should it be so? For-<br />
merly a contributor to a magazine was told that<br />
he was to receive so much a page: he was not<br />
informed, however, of the length of the page,<br />
which may have been 500 words and may have<br />
been a thousand. At least we get something that<br />
we can understand. As for its being mechanical,<br />
literature has its commercial side which it is folly<br />
or affectation to ignore. Indeed, the man who<br />
affects most to despise it, is the keenest at<br />
getting all he can. Fortunately, this view is now<br />
recognised by all but a few who consent,<br />
in the interest of some publishers, to call attention<br />
to the commercial side as sordid and unworthy.<br />
Now, I have known a great many literary men<br />
and women. I have known some who affect con-<br />
tempt for the pecuniary value of their works;<br />
these are men—none women, who do not practise<br />
these little tricks. I have never known, however,<br />
any single literary man or woman who was not<br />
anxious to get out of his work all he could—not<br />
one, from th<* highest to the lowest, including<br />
especially the despiser of filthy lucre. This being<br />
so, surely anything which simplifies and helps<br />
the business side should be welcomed, and such a<br />
method is that of counting the words.<br />
As for any difficulty in counting, there should be<br />
none. The rule is very simple: to write always<br />
on paper of the same size. You thus know with-<br />
out counting how many words go to a page, and<br />
how many are wanted for the purpose for which<br />
you are writing. Indeed, one must know the<br />
number of words, otherwise it would be impos-<br />
sible to fulfil an engagement. For instance, in<br />
the old days—fifteen years ago—I used to write<br />
"middles" for the Saturday Review. How could<br />
I tell how many pages my article was to contain<br />
if I did not know the average number of words in<br />
one of those " middles?" Again, I was recently<br />
writing a novel for the Illustrated London News.<br />
It was necessary, above all things, to know how<br />
much space the editor allotted to the novel every<br />
Walter Bksant.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 320 (#380) ############################################<br />
<br />
3 20<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
A WHOLLY IMAGINAKY DIALOGUE.<br />
Scene.—Private office of A., B., and Co.,<br />
publishers.<br />
Dramatis personm.—Messrs. A. and B. and one<br />
X., an author.<br />
Mb. A. (to his partner).—Ah! this is Mr. X.,<br />
with whom we have had some correspondence re-<br />
specting a book he wishes us to produce<br />
Author (sometchat testily).—No; I did not<br />
say produce—T said publish. Pubtish—that's<br />
what I want you to do.<br />
Mr. B.—Quite so. Publish—exactly so. But<br />
surely, my dear sir, you are aware that a book<br />
must be produced before it can be published.<br />
Now, we<br />
Author.—Yes, I do know it; that is why I<br />
wished to see you. I am going to produce this<br />
book myself. I only want you to put it in<br />
the hands of the trade—in short, to act as my<br />
agents<br />
Both Partners (together).—Agents! (Mutual<br />
glances of outraged dignity.)<br />
Author (mildly).—Yes; why not?<br />
Mr. A. (solemnly).—Surely, sir, you are aware<br />
that a firm of our standing does not act as agents.<br />
We are publishers, sir. We are principals in all<br />
our transactions.<br />
Author.—Oh, indeed! May I ask why?<br />
Mr. A.—Why? (Looks across in an appalled<br />
manner at his partner.)<br />
Author.—Certainly I ask why. If I produce<br />
this book at my own expense, and you merely sell<br />
it—nay, not even sell it, but only warehouse it—<br />
well, really, I don't see why you aspire to be more<br />
than agents.<br />
Mr. B. (diplomatically).—Eeally, my good sir,<br />
you altogether mistake the situation. When we<br />
publish your book, we lend you our Name. You<br />
have forgotten that. You have forgotten that<br />
our name sells your book. You have forgotten<br />
our experience, our influence over the channels of<br />
publicity. Our<br />
Author (rather warmly).— Your name! I had<br />
no idea you were an authority on "Popular<br />
Amusements in the Eocene Age." Now I am—<br />
at least, I am considered so, which comes to the<br />
same thing. However, let us get to business.<br />
Shall I make my proposal, or shall I not?<br />
Mr. A. (with a gasp).—Oh. Pray proceed.<br />
Author.—A short time ago I published a<br />
book, "Some Eccentric Adventures with a<br />
Dinosaur." You may possibly have heard of it.<br />
No? Well, that doesn't matter. It sold well;<br />
but it cost a most surprising amount to produce.<br />
Since then I have become a member of a society<br />
(telegraphic signs of intelligence between the<br />
partners), and I have read certain little books<br />
(more telegraphing), and, do you know, I have<br />
come to the conclusion that an author should<br />
attend to the old maxim, "If you want a thing<br />
well done—do it yourself." I don't allege motives.<br />
Not at all. My commercial friends tell me con-<br />
stantly "business is business," and business in<br />
these days means "get all you can and never<br />
mind the other fellow." Now, I have decided to<br />
have no more " publishers "; I am only going to<br />
have " agents" Excuse me, I am coming to<br />
my offer now. I have here an agreement made<br />
with Presser, Platen, and Co. It has been examined<br />
and approved in a certain quarter, and I can there-<br />
fore trust to it—not to them. In business I am<br />
informed one trusts to documents, not to reputa-<br />
tions overmuch. In two months' time I shall<br />
have in my hands 500 copies ready for the reader.<br />
Now, my question is, on what terms will you<br />
"publish " these—that is, offer them to the trade<br />
through your house?<br />
Mr. A. (violently).—Not at<br />
Mr. B. (interrupting suavely).—One moment,<br />
A. You see, my dear sir, this is a kind<br />
of thing we do not as a rule undertake; still, of<br />
course, there is in the present case very little risk<br />
to u 8 in what<br />
Author.—No risk whatever, to you.<br />
Mr. B.—Very well; let us say no risk at all,<br />
although—hum—you see you do not understand<br />
the publishing business as we do.<br />
Author (sotto voce).—There is some truth in<br />
that; we seem to understand very different things<br />
by that term.<br />
Mr. B. (continuing).—Now, let us examine the<br />
position. You wish us to lend you our name, and<br />
to introduce your work to a no doubt—hum-<br />
eager public. But, on the other hand, we must<br />
have security for our labours. Of course you will<br />
transfer the copyright to us.<br />
Author (looking for his hat).—Ah! I am<br />
afraid we are playing at cross purposes. I will<br />
not take up your time any further.<br />
Mr. B.—But, my dear sir, that is such a very<br />
elementary precaution—surely you can have no<br />
objection<br />
Author (resuming his seat).—I can see we<br />
shan't agree, but I will just argue this matter out<br />
with you, as a matter of interest. I will tell you<br />
a tale. A friend of mine is a great ironfounder.<br />
Amongst other things be makes flat-irons by the<br />
ton. Now, flat-irons are not used in tons; they<br />
are bought, one at a time, by old women, or, for<br />
the matter of that, young women. My friend is<br />
a busy man. He doesn't trouble to organise a<br />
system of canvassing amongst the actual users, or<br />
even amongst the local ironmongers; he just goes<br />
to a wholesale firm of warehousemen, and says:<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 321 (#381) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOk.<br />
"Here's ten tons of flat-irons, my name on them<br />
—how much for the lot?" ".£50." "Can't take it.<br />
Sell them on commission at so much a ton—15 per<br />
cent, for you for your trouble in acting as go-<br />
between." "Done." Now, in disposing of ten<br />
tons of flat-irons to the retailers there is, I am<br />
told, considerable scope for business experience<br />
and influence, and even reputation. But the<br />
middleman does not try to charge my friend the<br />
ironfounder for each of these items as if they were<br />
something exceptional and rare. All that is<br />
understood. These high-sounding phrases are<br />
just another name for " wits." And if a ware-<br />
houseman or a publisher, or any other middle-<br />
man, exercises his wits in selling your manu.<br />
factures, he does it to gain a living, and is to be<br />
rewarded by a 5, 10, or 15 per cent., according to<br />
the case. Now, I offer you the chance of earning<br />
a clear 10 per cent, without risk, and you coolly<br />
ask me to transfer my copyright to you. I should<br />
like to hear my ironfounder friend's remarks if<br />
the warehouseman proposed to take over his flat-<br />
iron trade mark, and keep it for himself on<br />
account of services rendered.<br />
Mr. A (turning topartner).—Well, B., if you<br />
have time to waste listening to this gentleman's<br />
idle tales about ironfounders, and middlemen,<br />
and warehousemen, I haven't. Good morning.<br />
(Goes out.)<br />
Mb. B.—Ah, Mr. X., you must excuse my<br />
partner A.; he belongs to the old school. I am<br />
aware that changes are taking place—in fact, the<br />
trade is not what it was formerly. Things are<br />
cut very close nowadays.<br />
Author.—They will be cut closer. The time<br />
is not very far distant when your profits will be<br />
cut down to those of all other trades—a bare<br />
margin. Now, shall we talk over my proposal<br />
calmly?<br />
Mr. B.—I am afraid it is of no use. A. would<br />
never consent to such an innovation—no copy-<br />
right and a bare 10 per cent. But—(struck with<br />
a bright idea)—your difficulties have only just<br />
begun. What experience have you of adver-<br />
tising f<br />
Author.—In most trades advertising is an<br />
alarming item, running into large figures. By<br />
comparison, the advertising of a book is a paltry<br />
matter. In most trades there are advertising<br />
specialists—men who make a study of the diffe-<br />
rent journals, and advise their clients. Unless<br />
publishers mend their ways, there will be adver-<br />
tising specialists for book producers, and then the<br />
publishers' occupation will be very nearly gone,<br />
for most of their so-called experience is summed<br />
up in that one mysterious, though trivial, item of<br />
expenditure.<br />
Mr. B.—Ah! I see you are prejudiced against<br />
us. Well, well, we shall manage to scrape along<br />
for awhile yet, I daresay. But you haven't told<br />
me how you are going to advertise.<br />
Author.—Don't be afraid. I have eyes.<br />
Where the vultures gather, there also are the<br />
carcases.<br />
Mr. B. (smiling).—Hum. I am afraid that's<br />
a little impertinent. Publishers should not be<br />
likened to birds of prey.<br />
Author.—My dear Mr. B., I have no prejudice<br />
against publishers—personally they are often the<br />
most delightful of men. It's their unholy ways<br />
I object to—ways that, like all other abuses,<br />
have grown up little by little, until those nearest<br />
to them think they are natural and wholesome<br />
growths. But the newcomers can see, and some<br />
of them intend to lance those growths, for they<br />
are unsightly and slightly—infectious.<br />
No body of men in these days can long main-<br />
tain a false position or hope to benefit by a<br />
system that the age sees through and despises.<br />
For my part, I sympathise with such men as<br />
individuals—they are to be pitied; but, all the<br />
same, I cry " Haro " upon them, and will continue<br />
to do so until they have formed into line with<br />
modern work-a-day ideas.<br />
Exeunt. N. C.<br />
A FRENCH VIEW.<br />
THE Figaro, speaking of the everlasting<br />
question of author and critic, propounded<br />
certain questions, to which it furnishes<br />
these replies:<br />
"I.—Le critique a-t-il le droit tFecrire des<br />
v6ritis, ou ce qu'ilcroit tel, sur les homines et sur les<br />
osuvres, mime quand ces viritis sont tris dures, de<br />
fond et de forme?<br />
"R.—A cela, l'eleve repond qu'on reconnait ce<br />
droit au critique dans la theorie, mais qu'on le<br />
lui refuse generalement dans la pratique.<br />
Un ecrivain, un artiste, un ceuvrier en general,<br />
ne redoute qu'une chose, le silence. Comme il<br />
soumet ses ouvrages au jugement de la foule et<br />
de ceux qui sont a tort ou a raison charges de la<br />
representer et de l'informer, il semble vouloir<br />
affirmer par lu qu'il accepte d'avance les eloges,<br />
mais aussi qu'il se soumettra aux critiques, meme<br />
aux blames.<br />
"C'est en vain que certains critiques de ce<br />
temps, et M. Emile Zola tout le premier, avaient<br />
conquis pour le critique le droit de parler ferme<br />
et fort. M. Zola, dans Mes Haines, Une Cam-<br />
pagne, Nos Auteurs dramatiques, avait donne<br />
l'exemple le plus beau et le plus franc; il avait<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 322 (#382) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
monte l'analyse à un diapason dont cornent<br />
encore certaines oreilles. D'un beau coup d'épaule,<br />
il avait défoncé certaines barrières et ouvert cer-<br />
taines voies. Tous les critiques, même ceux qui<br />
l'attaquent, doivent lui en être nettement recon-<br />
naissants, mais il ne peut s'étonner de voir em-<br />
ployer, même par ceux qui l'attaquent, les rudes<br />
outils dont il leur enseigna le maniement.<br />
'* Mais c'est là le moindre danger à craindre.<br />
La bêche et la pioche sont peu à peu redevenues<br />
d'un usage beaucoup moins général que le gou-<br />
pillon. L'indifférence du public, les progrès de<br />
la camaraderie entre œuvriers et critiques, la<br />
critique convoitée de plus en plus comme un<br />
moyeu de se faire des relations ou des profits, ont<br />
ramené un ton d'universelle douceur.<br />
"De telle sorte que lorsque paraît un article<br />
bien libre et bien franc, ne ménageant point un<br />
livre, ou une partition, ou une toile, ou un homme,<br />
le lendemain tout le monde se le signale en ces<br />
termes: 'Avez-vous lu Véreintement d'un tel?'<br />
et l'on ajoute en se chuchotant: 'Savez-vous ce<br />
qu'il y a là-dessous?'<br />
"II.—Le critique sert-il à quelque chose?<br />
"R.—L'élève répond que c'est une question<br />
que les critiques se posent euxmêmes parfois,<br />
avec plus d'anxiété que les œuvriers. Ils se<br />
demandent cela surtout quand ils voient avec<br />
quelle difficulté une belle idée triomphe, ou seule-<br />
ment une idée juste, avec quelles peines un vrai<br />
artiste s'impose, et en revanche combien il est<br />
malaisé d'empêcher la foule d'acclamer des<br />
sottises.<br />
"Toutefois, considérer ce seul point de vue<br />
serait éluder la question; et il faut, puisqu'elle<br />
est posée, mettre tous les points sur tous les ».<br />
"Le critique peut donc être: inutile, dangereux,<br />
—ou même utile. Il est évident qu'il est dangereux<br />
lorsqu'il profite de sa situation pour encenser<br />
exclusivement les gens puissants et pour fustiger<br />
ceux qui sont encore faibles ou inconnus. Il est<br />
non moins évident qu'il est inutile lorsqu'il se<br />
borne à enregistrer les résultats acquis, et à ne<br />
parler qu'après la foule pour dire la même chose<br />
qu'elle.<br />
"Il est encore certain que jamais une critique<br />
mal fondée n'a empêché une belle œuvre d'être<br />
belle, et n'a jamais pu bien longtemps prolonger<br />
l'illusion de beauté qu'elle peut parfois prêter à<br />
une platitude. En outre, le critique qui n'est<br />
que critique, j'entends celui qui n'est pas capable<br />
de faire autre chose (il suffit d'ailleurs qu'il ait<br />
l'aptitude et l'intention de faire cette autre chose,<br />
si le permet sa destinée), ce critique-là serait un<br />
monstrueux parasite, un bernard-Fermite de la<br />
littérature, un logeur en garni à perpétuité, un<br />
gardien du sérail, qui surveille les femmes des<br />
autres, mais ne saurait que faire d'une femme<br />
à lui.<br />
"Toutefois ce monstre n'existe presque pas,<br />
n'a presque jamais existé. Cherchez bien et vous<br />
verrez toujours qu'il a accompli à côté ou qu'il<br />
aurait pu accomplir une autre tâche, mais que son<br />
goût, ou le dévouement à une idée, ou les circon-<br />
stances de la vie, l'ont plus visiblement spécialisé<br />
dans celle-là.<br />
"En revanche, presque tout grand effort litté-<br />
raire ou artistique a trouvé à un moment donné<br />
un ou plusieurs critiques qui pour sa réussite<br />
étaient non seulement utiles, mais encore néces-<br />
saires.<br />
"III.— Quels rapports devraient exister entre<br />
les œuvriers et les critiques?<br />
"R.—Aucun.<br />
"Aucun, et d'aucune sorte. Us ne devraient<br />
pas se connaître. Ils ne devraient jamais être<br />
présentés l'un à l'autre. Ils devraient fuir toute<br />
présentation avec épouvante.<br />
"Ce sont deux métiers séparés, que chacun<br />
devrait exercer dans son coin, sans savoir ce<br />
qu'en pensera l'autre.<br />
"Lorsqu'un homme a fait une œuvre et l'a<br />
soumise au public, et qu'un autre a porté sur<br />
cette œuvre un jugement motivé, ils doivent se<br />
tourner le dos, s'ignorer, et recommencer le<br />
lendemain.<br />
"Lorsqu'au contraire celui qui a publié une<br />
œuvre se fâche contre le critique qui le blâme, il<br />
l'outrage; lorsqu'il le remercie, il l'insulte."<br />
THE NOVELS OF J. H. PEARCE.<br />
IN a recent one of those letters which go<br />
entirely counter to mv principles, and which<br />
I never fail to read, Mr. È. H. Sherard,<br />
writing from St. Ives, remarks that our literature<br />
is sadly deficient in pictures of English provincial<br />
life, and cites the case of Cornwall in particular.<br />
Now, I venture wholly to disagree both with his<br />
general remark and its special application. With<br />
Mr. Hardy in Wessex, Mr. Walter Raymond in<br />
Somerset, Mr. Baring-Gould in Devon, and " Q."<br />
in Cornwall (to take only the West of England,<br />
and only a few of its writers) all at work with<br />
exemplary industry, I fail to see what more Mr.<br />
Sherard can want. But since apparently he is<br />
not content, I gladly embrace the opportunity of<br />
drawing his attention to the Cornish novels of<br />
Mr. J. H. Pearce; for I cannot think that if he<br />
were acquainted with these, his complaint would<br />
have been made.<br />
Mr. Pearce is, I take it, a young man—a<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 323 (#383) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
323<br />
beginner one might almost say, for I know of<br />
only one book of his dated earlier than 1891,<br />
and he has this good point also to favour<br />
the idea: that his book of 1893 shows a vast<br />
improvement in technique on his earlier works.<br />
Why, then, has he written nothing since 1894;<br />
or is it possible that some later work of his has<br />
eluded my vigilance? Next, it may naturally be<br />
asked, what is it that at once arrests attention<br />
in his work. I should reply, its unmistakable<br />
originality. Nobody, I should suppose, could read<br />
half-a-dozen pages of one of his books without<br />
feeling—like him or like him not—that here is<br />
a man writing of what he knows, from observation,<br />
and out of the fullness of his heart. One might<br />
label him the Barrie of Cornwall, but I prefer to<br />
speak of him as the Cornish Hardy. These labels,<br />
convenient in an age which demands condensa-<br />
tion, are, however, somewhat apt to mislead. Let<br />
me say at once, therefore, that Mr. Pearce is as<br />
yet a Hardy only of the period of the " Pair of<br />
Blue Eyes." Nay, more, the term must be under-<br />
stood to be applied to him only in the restricted<br />
sense of implying an intimate and authentic<br />
knowledge of a peasantry, and a convincing power<br />
of representing its members. In the whole of Mr.<br />
Pearce's three novels which are known to me<br />
there is only one character (the curate in "Jaco<br />
Treloar") who belongs to any but the peasant,<br />
fishing, or mining class. Thus his subject is<br />
not country-life generally—with its squires and<br />
farmers and their wotnenkind, whatever these<br />
may be worth — but the country "people"<br />
simply and exclusively. And yet, in spite of<br />
this vast abstinence—for from the point of view<br />
of modern life and culture that is what it amounts<br />
to—his books fix and hold one from the beginning.<br />
The first of these books which I have been able<br />
to procure, dated 1891 (though I see there is an<br />
earlier work, "Bernice," mentioned in the title-<br />
page), is "Esther Pentreath, the Miller's<br />
Daughter." Let me say at once that this is one<br />
of the saddest books I have ever read—as sad as<br />
the " Malavoglia" of that great writer Giovanni<br />
Verga, so sympathetically praised by Mr. Howells<br />
in his preface to the English translation. And,<br />
indeed, with Verga's peasant-stories Mr. Pearce's<br />
work has much in common. In "Esther<br />
Pentreath" we feel that much of the sadness is<br />
due to the deliberate paganism of the book.<br />
(At this point I imagine a reader to exclaim,<br />
"But I don't like your pagan heartrending<br />
books!" Peace, good reader, and pass on.<br />
Tour point of view is a perfectly intelligible one,<br />
but I reply that these remarks art! not intended<br />
for you, but for others (of whom there are some<br />
in the present day) who have learnt to read, as I<br />
may put it, with detachment; to love, or at least to<br />
give a patient hearing to good literature, even at<br />
the expense of their own private and personal<br />
predilections. It is possible that I am no more<br />
of a pagan or a pessimist than you, but I do say<br />
that the pagan and pessimistic novels of Mr.<br />
Pearee are well worth reading.)<br />
Besides the above, I am ready enough to allow<br />
the existence of imperfections in the book—of some<br />
lack of picturesqueness, of distinction of style, in<br />
particular. Aichel's madness, too—brute madness<br />
as it is—is scarcely a sufficiently strong or inte-<br />
resting motive to form the basis of a tragedy;<br />
and, again, the author, in his curious care for<br />
style, has entirely mistaken the nature of the<br />
rhythm proper to prose, and has given us whole<br />
screeds of anapaestic or dactylic sing-song. But<br />
I am not claiming that the book is a master-<br />
piece; I merely hold that it is a strikingly original<br />
and promising piece of early work. The next and<br />
slighter story of "Inconsequent Lives" (surely<br />
an unhappy title), I like less. It is a tale of<br />
fisher-life, and, though it contains some admir-<br />
ably true and lifelike scenes, the author's laud-<br />
able desire to get rid of the conventions of the<br />
story-teller has carried him too far, though in a<br />
right direction. Observe that, to a student of<br />
literature, even his errors—his prose-metres and<br />
his hatred of convention—are interesting and<br />
instructive.<br />
Mr. Pearce's masterpiece, so far (but he<br />
has it in him to beat this, or I am strangely<br />
mistaken), is "Jaco Treloar." Now, even<br />
"Jaco Treloar" is not a well-constructed tale.<br />
But a tile full of beautiful writing it it, with<br />
poetic qualities of fancy and contemplative<br />
passion which entitle it to a very exalted rank.<br />
In particular, the love-making of the rustic lovers<br />
on a night in spring is among the truest and<br />
most beautiful things I know. Possibly I might<br />
be thought to reinforce what I have said by<br />
adding (which is true) that I have myself lived<br />
much with "rustics" and fisher-people, and<br />
known and loved and admired their characters<br />
perhaps more than most educated men have had<br />
opportunity to do. But I feel that such an<br />
observation would be beside the mark, for the<br />
question is almost entirely a literary one. I may<br />
quite well have lived with a person all my life,<br />
and yet not know whether a portrait of that<br />
person is a mere vulgar likeness or a fine work of<br />
art. Besides the above books Mr. Pearce has<br />
written two little volumes of apologues in the<br />
Hans Andersen style, which show plenty of<br />
quaint fancy. But it is to his novels that I pin<br />
my faith in his future achievements.<br />
And now, in an age reputed to be one of log-<br />
rolling, as a safeguard to the reader let me state<br />
exactly the extent of my knowledge of Mr. Pearce.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 324 (#384) ############################################<br />
<br />
324<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
After reading " Jaco Treloar," in the impulsive way<br />
which is pardonable perhaps half a dozen times<br />
in a life, I wrote to the author expressing my<br />
enthusiastic admiration of his work. In due<br />
•course I received back a brief, civil, chilling<br />
acknowledgment. Evidently Mr. Pearce was not<br />
the man to fall into the arms of the first admirer;<br />
and, frankly, one thinks more of him for this.<br />
Afterwards I tried, through another and much<br />
better known Cornish novelist, to ascertain some<br />
facts about a writer who has so fascinated my fancy.<br />
I completely failed; I could learn nothing, and a<br />
mystery, so far as his personality is concerned,<br />
Mr. Pearce remains to me to this day. Thus,<br />
though my motive in writing about his books<br />
may possibly be mistaken, it is assuredly a pure<br />
one. George Douglas.<br />
<br />
NEW POETRY.<br />
TWO or three new volumes of verse lie on the<br />
table. It has always been the custom in<br />
this paper—which is not a Review,nor does<br />
it give its readers criticism on new books—to<br />
allow new poets ihe opportunity of showing their<br />
quality. In other words, they are invited to speak<br />
—once—in these pages. From " Jennifred," by<br />
Septimus G. Green, we extract the following<br />
sonnet:—<br />
Lady, since first within jour garden fair<br />
For yon long Bince these silver lilies grew,<br />
Methinks by right should still belong to you<br />
Whate'er of lesson meet to lighten care<br />
My muse, by happy chance directed there,<br />
From ont their chaliced chambers erstwhile drew,<br />
Who but as little bees are wont to do,<br />
Seeks still from every flower some nectar rare;<br />
That so with honeyed memories' golden store<br />
My flowerless age betimes being furnished.<br />
May from the bounteous past be hourly led<br />
As with celestial manna more and more;<br />
Such memories, Lady, in your heart's rich hive<br />
Keep long with their Bweet food sweet thoughts alive.<br />
The "Huia's Homeland" comes from New<br />
Zealand. Here is a bi'. peculiarly Maori:—<br />
Acres on acres of low, billy, poor land<br />
Is the Manuka's peculiar domain:<br />
Acres on acres like heath on the moorland,<br />
White with its blossom, like snow on the plaiD.<br />
Acres on acres to battle a path through,<br />
Growing o'erhead like the tall pampas-grass,<br />
Wirily branched with prickly foliage;<br />
Woe worth the day when the stranger shall pass!<br />
Acres on acres, and acres on acres.<br />
Fire hath swept clean through the length of the land:<br />
But the Manuka will ne'er be demolished<br />
Until old Neptune comes over the strand.<br />
Acres on acres like heeth o' the moorland,<br />
White with its blossom, like snow on the plain<br />
For the fair Bunlighted land of the Maori<br />
Is the Manuka's peculiar domain.<br />
"Hugo of Avendon" is a drama in four acts,<br />
by E. L. M. It is in blank verse. Here is a<br />
lovers' scene:—<br />
Stella. What lovers' world is this you lead me through?<br />
What golden fingers tipped with fairy spells<br />
Have touched my lips and trembled on my eyes'?<br />
All things were seen, but never seen as now.<br />
I dreamed such dreams; but as I bold thy hand,<br />
Earth's beauty and the joy of lovingnets<br />
Seem all so clear to me.<br />
Hugo. Dream on, dear love, there is a lovers' world<br />
That you and I upon some silver stream<br />
Might float to-vard, and pluck the golden flowers<br />
From sunlit waters, while above our heads<br />
The bent trees trembling in the breath of eve<br />
Ware farewells to their shadows in the brook.<br />
Then farewell shadows. Yon and I alone<br />
Would clasp our hands, and only think of love.<br />
Stella. How strange it seems! and yet you never seemed<br />
To me a stranger. All I found in you<br />
Was mine by right of some acquaintanceship,<br />
Not quite forgotten, and not quite recalled.<br />
Oh, Hugo, Hngo, long before our Btars<br />
Had joined our hearts, they must have whispered low<br />
Some thought of each to each. How Bweet it sounds 1<br />
Before you even knew me jou were mine.<br />
Hugo. Ay, love, it must have been, when voices dim<br />
Swept through the night to breathe the word alone,<br />
They brought some thought of thee; perchance they<br />
touched<br />
Thy lips when sleeping, (re they came to me,<br />
And mingled with their message tender dreams<br />
For thy fulfilment, and for thine alone.<br />
Lastly, there is the "Water Bailey," a Tale of<br />
the Coquet. The Nymph of Coquet says :—<br />
Water sprites, that anglers hear<br />
When the dusk of night is near,<br />
Under Coquet's falls that lie,<br />
Calling, ever calling,<br />
Wailing sounds of misery<br />
To the waters falling,<br />
Sing your saddest conga of pain,<br />
For all my salmon now are slain.<br />
Little elves that lightly sing<br />
To the waters murmuring,<br />
Where the minnows leap and swim<br />
Gaily, ever gnily,<br />
Sing no more } our merry hymn<br />
Nightly nor daily.<br />
Join with me in sounds of woe<br />
For all my s-ons are stricken low.<br />
BOOK TITLES: A PROPOSAL.<br />
IN "Notes and News" on page 248 of The<br />
Author, the Editor suggests "that our<br />
members should themselves consider and<br />
suggest how" best to deal with the question of<br />
titles lor new books, so that when an author has<br />
once decided upou a title he may not subsequently<br />
find that it has bt en previously adopted, and hence<br />
be compelled to change it; a very expensive pro-<br />
ceeding if the book be printed with the title as a<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 325 (#385) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
325<br />
headline upon each page. In the past few years<br />
this question has been so frequently brought before<br />
the readers of The Author, that I write to suggest<br />
the advisability of the Society taking up the whole<br />
matter on a properly systematic basis, and one<br />
which would seem to me to be the only possible<br />
way of thoroughly combating, and treading under<br />
foot, one of the most serious drawbacks to the<br />
profession of, more especially, novel writers.<br />
The first thing to do is to get a list, as far as<br />
possible complete, of all the titles now used. As<br />
of more immediate use to the members of the<br />
Society let it be first limited to those books which<br />
have been published in Great Britain, Ireland,<br />
and America, to practically all books in the<br />
English language. Now what have we as a<br />
foundation for such a list? To name only a<br />
few :—" The English Catalogue of Books," 4 vols.,<br />
1835-90; 5 vols., 1890-95. The Publisher's<br />
Circular, 1838-97 ; the Bookseller, 1858-97; the<br />
Bibliographer, 1881-97; the Athenseum, 1832-97;<br />
the "Annual American Catalogue," "Shirley's<br />
Catalogue" (for Irish books); all secondhand<br />
book catalogues (for privately and provincially<br />
printed books).<br />
To make these books of service for the object<br />
in view, each title wants separating, and then the<br />
whole to be massed together in alphabetical order,<br />
with such cross references as may be necessary,<br />
e.g., sub-titles, and so forth. To do this would<br />
require two copies of each catalogue being bought<br />
—periodicals like the Athenseum might have the<br />
titles which were not in these copied by hand<br />
—and one volume being taken and cut up so<br />
that all the titles on the face of the pages were<br />
separated, but complete in themselves. The other<br />
volume should then be taken, but cut up so that<br />
all the titles on the back of the pages were<br />
similarly treated. The next process would be to<br />
paste each of these little cuttings on a separate<br />
small thin card, such as is now so much used in<br />
America for all indexes which are frequently<br />
being altered by additions and deductions. Then,<br />
after arranging the cards upon which the slips<br />
are pasted in alphabetical order, to put them<br />
away iu their respective drawers for future refer-<br />
ence.<br />
To prevent the cards being lost, or dis-<br />
arranged, a hole is punched at the foot of each,<br />
and through this a stiff wire, which is screwed,<br />
or for greater security locked, into the end of each<br />
drawer, is passed. The advantage of the cards<br />
over pasting the slips in a book is that all<br />
additions, no matter how many, are put in exactly<br />
their proper place, which is quite impossible where<br />
such limited areas as pages are used.<br />
The next point to consider is the matter of<br />
cost. After purchasing the volumes for cutting<br />
up, and the cards and cabinet for keeping the<br />
completed work in, the only expenses are the<br />
wages of the female clerks employed in the work;<br />
and, as this is extremely elementary, young girls<br />
direct from school are sufficient, at about js. a<br />
week, and two or three of these, in a year or two,<br />
would soon get together a very considerable part<br />
of the title catalogue. They should commence<br />
preferably with the titles of the books last pub-<br />
lished, as these would probably be more likely to<br />
be copied from there being a certain fashion in<br />
the naming of books.<br />
If this matter be taken up by the Society—and<br />
I certainly think it is a work so invaluable that<br />
it ought to be taken up by them—I would suggest<br />
that all the published catalogues be purchased<br />
first, and kept in the Society's rooms, so that,<br />
though the work were not itself complete, search<br />
could be made through those, not cut up, for any<br />
title which a member might inquire about. There<br />
should, in fact, be instituted a " Title Verification<br />
Department," at the service of any member wish-<br />
ing to know, for instance, if there were any such<br />
title used as " Martin Twist" or " Oliver Chuzzle-<br />
wit." P. Howard Collins.<br />
LITERATURE IN THE PERIODICALS.<br />
Thi Prospects of Literature. Temple Bar for April.<br />
The Decline op Classical Verse-Writinq. J. B.<br />
Bury. Saturday Review for April 10.<br />
A German Poet of Revolt. Laurie Magnus. Fort-<br />
nightly Review for April.<br />
Artists and Authors. X. Y. Z.'s letter in the Daily<br />
Chronicle for April 17.<br />
The Output of Authors. Pearson's Magazine for<br />
April.<br />
A Visit to the Novelist op the Creoles. W. K. N.<br />
Woman at Home for April.<br />
Unwritten Books. Macmillan's Magazine for April.<br />
The Stort op Scott's Ruin. Leslie Stephen. Cornhill<br />
for April.<br />
The Need of Copyright Reform. W. Morris Colles.<br />
North American Review.<br />
Notable Review.<br />
W. B. Yeats's "The Secret Rose," reviewed by George<br />
Moore in Daily Chronicle for April 24.<br />
Literature has been hit hard by primary educa-<br />
tion, will it stand the shock of secondary educa-<br />
tion ¥ The writer who puts this question believes<br />
that literature to-day runs great risk of being<br />
drowned in a rising flood of newspapers, maga-<br />
zines, and ephemeral novels. People read too<br />
much: injuring their originality by learning<br />
almost entirely by the eye, and little by the ear.<br />
Newspapers—that is to say, the country Press, for<br />
the London Press is too formidable to be criticised<br />
—are pure enough, the greater part of their space<br />
being absorbed in accounts of teas in dissenting<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 326 (#386) ############################################<br />
<br />
326<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
chapels. But, as a whole, the writer countenances<br />
the view which hits off our newspaper-reading<br />
thus: "A clever German writer, describing an<br />
English Sunday, says that as you pass in the<br />
quiet street in the evening, in house after house<br />
you se i the family seated round a table in silence,<br />
while the father in the light of the lamp reads<br />
aloud. No picture so charming. What is he<br />
reading—the Bible? Oh, no; the details of the<br />
last murder!" Magazines, again, which have<br />
increased enormously in the last thirty years or<br />
so, have the effect of giving many people a smat-<br />
tering of subjects about which they had better<br />
know nothing. But it is the general tone of the<br />
novels of our day that the writer deplores most of<br />
all. There is no motive with the heroes in these<br />
works nowadays except a selfish one. Soul is<br />
lacking.<br />
In the " Master of liallantrac," in "David Balfour." or<br />
in " Catriona," yon just hear the distant stir of the Jacobite<br />
risings, but the only Bide yon seem to see is the seamy one.<br />
And in such excellent books as "Treasure Island," " King<br />
Solomon's Mines," and the " Wreckers," what man can do<br />
the heroes dare for love, gain, emulation, or sheer longing<br />
for enterprise, bnt as for a cause in the old sense, Dugald<br />
Dalgetty himself was an unselfish knight compared with our<br />
modern types. I read Buch writers as Stevenson with admi-<br />
ration, bnt with a feeliDg of something wanting. Good<br />
English, fine writing, splendid form, bnt oh! for some<br />
soul!<br />
It is with a certain school of French writers that<br />
the fundamental responsibility for the remark-<br />
able moral degradation in English novels is<br />
placed—the school in whose world no woman ever<br />
loves her husband, and every wife is the possession<br />
of at least two men. The writer's point of view on<br />
this matter may be seen from the following<br />
passage:<br />
The action of men and women is often caused or influenced<br />
by certain passions, and I see no reason for not mentioning<br />
them where necessary, or for sacrificing probability to save<br />
a blush to the cheek of the young person. Bnt where<br />
Bensual sins are committed in cold blood, and more it would<br />
seem as if from mere curiosity, or from a feeling of unrest,<br />
than from lust, I feel revolted in a way I never do at a tale<br />
of real passion. ... I prefer the coarseness of Smollett<br />
and of Fielding to that. Further, in some of the tales the<br />
immorality seems brought in from the tendency of a weak<br />
generation to dwell on passions they hardly feel, just as the<br />
schoolboy delights to talk of the dirt he cannot yet meddle<br />
with.<br />
The Bible was not originally written in English,<br />
but, says this writer in concluding, about the only<br />
bright spot in our literary prospect, menaced as we<br />
are by an invasion of half-educated barbarians, is<br />
that the Englishman is seldom aware of that fact,<br />
and so each generation possesses a standard for our<br />
language of inestimable value.<br />
Professor Bury puts the claim of classical<br />
verse-writing in an urgent form. Classical<br />
scholarship i3 getting too scientific: threatens to<br />
become a branch of mathematics. The decline<br />
of classical verse-writing is due also to the fact<br />
that the ideal of workmanship has not been<br />
uniformly high. "Take up any book of trans-<br />
lations, and you find that in most of the versions<br />
the writers are content with a few felicitous turn-<br />
ings, and that the rest is inferior, commonplace<br />
work." Either there is deliberate neglect, or the<br />
word is clung to and the spirit forsaken. There<br />
is room, says Professor Bury, for a new school of<br />
classical verse-translation, aiming at a more con-<br />
sistently high standard ; and it may be maintained<br />
that by submitting himself to a training in this<br />
craft the scholar will best win his way to the<br />
aesthetic apprehension of the poets whom he is<br />
interpreting to the world.<br />
"X. Y. Z." complains that artists who illustrate<br />
novels are very careless in the matter of making<br />
the details of their pictures agree with the letter-<br />
press. He arrays many gross errors of this kind<br />
in a new edition of "Tom Brown's Schooldays."<br />
The boys' ties, for example, are those of to-day<br />
and not of the early thirties; a soda-water<br />
syphon appears in one picture, and in another one<br />
of the boys who are teasing " Stumps" is shoot-<br />
ing with a catapult, while in point of fact neither<br />
syphon nor catapult were in use sixty years<br />
ago. Again, in a picture illustrating Tom's<br />
breakfast at the end of his first ride to Bugby<br />
nearly every detail given in the text is ignored.<br />
This sort of thing, remarks "X. T. Z.," is not<br />
only a discredit to the artist, but militates<br />
against the reputation of both author and pub-<br />
lisher.<br />
The lover of statistics, if his hobby does not stop<br />
short at the literary profession, will doubtless<br />
welcome the "interesting confessions of popular<br />
writers " in regard to their rate of output, which<br />
are given in Pearson s. It appears that Mr. W. L.<br />
Alden and Mr. Frankfort Moore each write 4000<br />
words a day; "John Strange Winter" and Mr.<br />
Robert Barr from 3000 to 4000; Dr. Conan<br />
Doyle from 1500 to 2000; Mr. Max Pemberton and<br />
Mr W. LeQueux 1500; Sir Walter Besant 1000;<br />
"John Oliver Hobbes" 150. Mr. Hall Caine is<br />
content with 6000 words in three or four days; Mr.<br />
Crockett writes any number between 800 and<br />
5000; and Mr. H. G. Wells wrote two of his<br />
books at the rate of 7000 words a day, but has<br />
since given up the practice. Mr. Rider Haggard<br />
finds it impossible to give an average, and Mr.<br />
Cutcliffe Hine also remarks that his output varies<br />
prodigiously. As will be readily imagined, the<br />
bent of these "confessions," one and all, is that,<br />
although a fairly accurate average may be<br />
struck, it is wholly irrelevant to consider writ-<br />
ing as a matter of a regulation number of words<br />
per day.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 327 (#387) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
327<br />
In going over the story of Scott's ruin, Mr.<br />
Leslie Stephen, who will write on tin; s-ubjeet in<br />
the "Dictionary of National Biography," has<br />
been led to think that in his recent biography of<br />
Lockhart Mr. Lang has been a little too lenient<br />
in regard to Lockhavt's explanation of the causes<br />
of Scott's financial difficulties. After the publish-<br />
ing part of the Ballanty lies' business had been<br />
concluded, the printing only remained. Scott<br />
made an arrangement in 1822 that he would be<br />
personally responsible for the bills due at that<br />
time by the firm, which meant ,£30,000. How did<br />
this debt of Scott's originate? Lockhart said it<br />
was the result of the original debt incurred by the<br />
publishing concern, and had been taken over by<br />
the printing concern and allowed to accumu-<br />
late under Ballantyne's ineffectual management.<br />
Ballantyne's trustees, on the other hand, said that<br />
that had been completely extinguished, and that<br />
the accumulation of the debt of £30,000 was due to<br />
Scott's expenditure upon Abbotsford. Mr. Leslie<br />
Stephen thinks it is almost clearly probable that<br />
Scott, in want of money for purchases of land,<br />
might raise it upon the credit of the printing office<br />
—a concern which for six years was practically in<br />
his own hands.<br />
Again, it is hard to imagine how the debt<br />
could have been incurred without Scott's know-<br />
ledge of it, because he had accepted responsi-<br />
bility for it, and he was a keen business man who<br />
would not in such matters accept responsibility<br />
unduly. Mr. Stephen thinks that the explanation<br />
rests upon Scott's belief in the financial stability<br />
of Constable. The latter was constantly pressing<br />
for more work from Scott's pen, and Scott<br />
would naturally think that the publisher was<br />
rapidly making a fortune, at the same time as<br />
Scott was apparently making his own. He re-<br />
garded the Ballantyne unpaid liabilities, therefore,<br />
as mere reminiscences of botheration, which<br />
would wind up all right in time; and, heedless<br />
of them, he went on perfecting his establishment<br />
at Abbotsford, and keeping up a social and benevo-<br />
lent style of living. Then the crash to Constable<br />
came, and Scott v as undeceived. But his subse-<br />
quent brilliant achievement of honour, observes<br />
Mr. Stephen in conclusion, makes investigation<br />
of these matters at this distance of time almost<br />
indecent.<br />
In the very brief article on the novelist of the<br />
Creoles, Mr. George Cable is described as a land-<br />
owner, a devout Christian, and from the first an<br />
earnest philanthropist, deeply interested in the<br />
welfare of his kind. Amongst his recent under-<br />
takings has been the encouragement of homeculture<br />
clubs. He is not immensely popular with the<br />
Creoles, and it is hinted that from their point of<br />
view he speaks too plainly of their faults. There<br />
is every hope that he will visit England in the<br />
autumn, and give readings from his works, as<br />
he has done for long in the States.<br />
CORRESPONDENCE.<br />
I.—Subjunctive Mood: Its Present Day Use.<br />
1.<br />
YOU will, I am sure, be pleased to print the<br />
following "notes," which have been sent<br />
me by a distinguished University corre-<br />
spondent, who desires to remain anonymous.—<br />
Yours, &c,<br />
F. Howard Collins.<br />
Notes.<br />
The student must not forget that the English<br />
language has, for the last eight centuries, been<br />
gradually dropping inflections; that it preserves<br />
those only that are indispensable; and that the<br />
genius of the English people is an avoidance of<br />
all self-conscious rules of grammar. It is for<br />
this latter reason that the use of the subjunctive<br />
mood has been dying out.<br />
Another consideration: The student must dis-<br />
tinguish between the past and the present use of<br />
the subjunctive, and also between the construing<br />
(or parsing) of it in Shakspeare, Milton, Jane<br />
Austen, &c, and the necessity of employing it at<br />
the present day. Jane Austen uses it with till,<br />
when, except, &c. I remember an odd instance.<br />
Mr. Collins, the proteg6 of Lady Elizabeth de<br />
Bourgh, is ready to " perform" weddings, funerals,<br />
&c, " whenever it were required." Wordsworth<br />
'is almost as much given to its use: "Creative<br />
art, whether the instrument of words she use or<br />
pencil." "And, if she trust the stars above, they<br />
can be treacherous too." And Tennyson also:<br />
"Till Ellen Adair cotne back to me," "Till<br />
over thy dark dioulder glow thy silver sister<br />
world."<br />
In all of the above cases, the indicative might<br />
be used, and no loss of meaning or of force result.<br />
But in such instances as:<br />
"If it tcere done, when 'tis done, it were well it<br />
were done quickly," "If I were you I should<br />
refuse," or "If these things were true, society<br />
could not hold together," only the subjunctive<br />
can be used.<br />
Again, Tennyson has "See that there be no<br />
traitors in your camp." Scott has " Look thou<br />
tell me true."<br />
From these and other examples I should<br />
deduce the rule: When the verb expresses a<br />
supposition that is the opposite of fact, the past<br />
subjunctive must be used. If it expresses a<br />
supposition that may or may not be the fact, then<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 328 (#388) ############################################<br />
<br />
328<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
the present subjunctive had better be used,<br />
though the indicative is not wrong. "If he is in<br />
the garden, I will fetch him " is just as good as<br />
"If he be." "If thou spare to fling Exealibur, I<br />
will arise and slay thee "—so says Tennyson with<br />
his fine literary feeling for mood; but no one<br />
would now find fault with him if he had said, " If<br />
thou spar'st."<br />
ii.<br />
A collation of the various letters oil the sub-<br />
junctive in The Author for April I shows at once<br />
the rarity of the occasions where it is necessary,<br />
and the difficulty of laying down a positive rule<br />
for its use.<br />
Mr. Howard Swan's first sentence is an<br />
instance that the subjunctive is—if not abso-<br />
lutely necessary—at least highly appropriate in a<br />
case which involves neither contingency nor<br />
futurity.<br />
Is it not, to a very great degree, a matter of—so<br />
to speak—literary demeanour? When one is<br />
hurried, or colloquial, one says : " If I am rightly<br />
informed" (Spectator), "If men are neither the<br />
one nor the other" (Coleridge), where an ellipse<br />
may be understood of "If (it be the case that),<br />
&c." But in poetry and in bigh full-dress<br />
work iu general, we ought to say—and as a<br />
rule do say — " Were it true" or "Should it<br />
prove so."<br />
The abuse of the subjunctive—which is a<br />
different affair—by lady novelists and others is<br />
seen in the clause quoted in my letter: "He<br />
stipulated that I pay him interest."<br />
In paragraph 6 of that letter a phrase is<br />
printed as used by Mark Twain, which should<br />
come in that which follows: "nothing shall<br />
swerve me " is the expression intended.<br />
______ H. G. Keene.<br />
II.—Episcopal Style.<br />
It is announced in the Gazette that the Arch-<br />
bishop of Canterbury is instructed to prepare a<br />
Form of Prayer to be used in churches on the<br />
occasion of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee; let us<br />
hope that the Form to which we shall be expected<br />
to say "Amen" will not sin so grievously against<br />
the laws of grammar, rhythm, and good sense-<br />
as is usually the case with episcopal com-<br />
positions.<br />
For some months past we in the Diocese of<br />
Winchester have suffered from the following<br />
collect interpolated in every service:—" In the<br />
present time of anxiety (i), O most merciful Lord,<br />
from Whom all good counsels and all just works<br />
do proceed (2), we pray Thee to provide (3)<br />
justice and mercy for the suffering people who<br />
are called by Thy Name (4), and to guide in<br />
wisdom the councils of the nations (5)."<br />
Notes.—1. Why not at all times? 2. An<br />
excerpt from the evening collect for peace.<br />
3. "To provide " makes one think of something<br />
to eat. 4. What people are called by the Name<br />
of God? Presumably the Armenians are meant;<br />
but they are called Christians, and the prayer<br />
is not addressed to Christ, since it concludes<br />
"Through" His Name. 5. Which nations?<br />
Swedes and Portuguese? All nations?<br />
The ancient collects, which are models of<br />
dignified diction, begin usually with an appeal<br />
to that particular attribute of the Almighty which<br />
we specially desire to invoke, or with a brief<br />
specification of our present need; then we ask<br />
for some definite gift, and then we name the<br />
result which we hope will ensue. Nineteenth<br />
century bishops can hardly expect to equal the<br />
old examples, but they might call in the assist-<br />
ance of literary experts, and so avoid putting<br />
forth the jejune and inaccura'e compositions<br />
which make the very name of a Form of Prayer<br />
less likely to excite devotion than derision.<br />
F. Baypord Harrison.<br />
III.—Corruptions of the Language.<br />
May I be allowed a word of protest against the<br />
vulgarism '■ Did you have,'' which is becoming<br />
more and more familar to our suffering ears<br />
every day ?" To have " is an auxiliary verb, and<br />
surely does not require any assistance from "To<br />
do," yet most modern speakers and many modern<br />
writers seem to be unaware of this grammatical<br />
fact. This unhappy combination of two irrecon-<br />
cilable verbs is lugged through many tenses; and<br />
it reaches its worst phase in " You had it, didn't<br />
you," which needs only being transformed into<br />
"Didn't you had it," to reveal its hair-raising<br />
qualities. It The Author could brand this<br />
"Kitchen-English " as it deserves, all true lovers<br />
of our sonorous tongue would be thankful.<br />
April 13. Vera Campbell.<br />
IV.—Stories Wanted.<br />
In reference to an article in the April number<br />
of The Author bearing the above title, I should<br />
be very much obliged if "M." could say where<br />
the " most handy" little typewriting machine at<br />
Ml 3*. can be obtained, and whether it can be<br />
worked by an amateur. D. V.<br />
April 20. ___<br />
V.—The Casual Contributor.<br />
Your editorial note in the March number of The<br />
Author, to the effect that editors are increasingly<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 329 (#389) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
329<br />
in the habit of doing without the casual contri-<br />
butor, is suggestive. My theory still is that<br />
literary men of reputation, who now have an<br />
assured market, had to qualify originally as casual<br />
contributors. Some of them now, trading on<br />
their signatures, occasionally foist indifferent work<br />
upon the public. It is the competition of the<br />
person without a signature mainly, who admit-<br />
tedly has sometimes the capacity for writing,<br />
which prevents them from doing worse and more.<br />
Eliminate him, and you have a number of<br />
literary "rings," where real merit, dead merit,<br />
and no merit at all, would practice together.<br />
Why, 'tis a conspiracy of the body's members<br />
against the belly! Balbtjs.<br />
VI.—The House Where Byhon was Born.<br />
Since I last wrote on this subject in the columns<br />
of The Author, some unlooked-for developments<br />
have taken place. Notably, it has been stated<br />
that No. 24, Holies-street was not, after all, the<br />
birthplace of Byron, the distinction being claimed<br />
for No. 6, which is immediately opposite. If this<br />
assertion can be substantiated, it must be of<br />
great value, as that would be the original house,<br />
whereas No. 24 has been twice razed within the<br />
past fifty years. It is a pity the actual spot<br />
cannot be indicated beyond dispute. As an alter-<br />
native, and with a view to some more artistic<br />
record than any mural tablet can afford, it has<br />
been suggested that a statue should be erected in<br />
the adjacent Cavendish-square. Admirers of the<br />
illustrious poet would surely welcome such a step.<br />
The chief difficulty to be encountered is that a<br />
statue already exists in the metropolis. But it is<br />
by no means well placed in its greenery behind<br />
Apsley House.<br />
I venture to propose that these figures—Lord<br />
Byron's faithful hound is also depicted—might<br />
he removed to the more appropriate locality<br />
indicated. Cecil Clarke.<br />
Authors' Club, S.W.<br />
April 15.<br />
VII.—A Biography op Joseph Strutt.<br />
Will you allow me to state through your<br />
columns that I am engaged upon a "Life of<br />
Joseph Strutt" (1749-1820), author of "Sports<br />
and Pastimes " and other well-known antiquarian<br />
works, and to ask whether any of your readers<br />
possess, or know of the existence of, any of<br />
Strutt's letters, or any documents connected<br />
with him, and, if so, whether they would<br />
allow me to borrow same for purposes of my<br />
work?<br />
Any letters or documents sent here would be<br />
very acceptable, and would be returned as soon<br />
as they have been copied.<br />
Pryors, Broomfield, Miller Christy.<br />
Near Chelmsford.<br />
VIII.—The Length of the Short Story.<br />
1.<br />
There seems to be a growing tendency, not<br />
only in the " popular journals " mentioned by the<br />
author of " Stories Wanted," but in the monthly<br />
magazines, to limit the length of the short story<br />
to 4000, or at most, 5000 words. I would suggest<br />
that this tendency, should it become a system—no<br />
admittance for more than 5000 words—would<br />
seriously injure the art of short story writing,<br />
both by preventing many good short stories from<br />
being written, and by encouraging superficial and<br />
machine-made fiction. I heartily agree with the<br />
author of "Stories Wanted" that "it is the<br />
hardest thing possible to write a genuine short<br />
story in less than 5000 words," though I differ<br />
from him in doubting if the beginner will do well<br />
to begin at "the hardest thing possible." Con-<br />
sider the immense difficulty of compressing into<br />
such narrow limits a story the interest of which<br />
depends principally on character drawing, or a<br />
short story of incident, the characters of which<br />
would be something more than mere names.<br />
Rudyard Kipling has done both; but where<br />
the short story is concerned, what is there<br />
that he cannot do P Nevertheless, with the ex-<br />
ception of "Beyond the Pale," few of the<br />
short stories in which his genius has reached<br />
its high-water mark fall within the 5000 words<br />
limit.<br />
I reckon that "The Man who would be<br />
King" runs to at least 13,000 words, "The<br />
Drums of the Fore and Aft" to 12,000,<br />
"Without Benefit of Clergy" to 8000, "The<br />
Courting of Dinah Shadd" to 7500. Two of<br />
the best short stories of Richard Harding Davis<br />
— "Gallegher" and "Her First Appearance"<br />
—run to about 9000 and 11,000 words respec-<br />
tively. All these are strictly short stories, not<br />
condensed novels.<br />
Concentration is a great art, but it may be too<br />
dearly bought. Arbitrary compression would be<br />
even more injurious to the English short story<br />
than the arbitrary extension, consequent on the<br />
three-volume system, was to the English novel.<br />
Sidney Pickering.<br />
11.<br />
I quite agree with the writer of the above<br />
letter that to draw a hard and fast rule as<br />
to the length of a short story would be<br />
fatal. All that is wanted as to length in the<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 330 (#390) ############################################<br />
<br />
33°<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
short story is that tho writer shall not " sprawl."<br />
He must be clear in motif and in language; his<br />
dialogue must be kept down; he must be dra-<br />
matic ; but, as to tying the writer down to length,<br />
I think we must protest, if necessary, and con-<br />
tinue to protest. It used to be objected against<br />
the three-volume novel by the smart young gentle-<br />
man who kuew nothing about it, and wanted an<br />
illustration, however well known, that the length<br />
was Procrustean. The length of the three-volume<br />
novel! Why, it varied from 80,000 words to<br />
300,000 words. Just so the short story. I do<br />
not know where the short story becomes a long<br />
story; certainly there are, as our correspondent<br />
rightly says, short stories of 10,000 or 11,000<br />
words which are still short stories. W. B.<br />
IX.—Wanted, a Strike.<br />
Judging from the Editor's note to my letter of<br />
January anent payment by publishers of maga-<br />
zines, &c, I fear I must have ill-expressed myself.<br />
My contention is, that if everyone determined to<br />
write for ready money only, magazine articles<br />
would be paid for when accepted. The stores<br />
and many tradesmen demand payment on<br />
delivery for their goods; why should not writers<br />
do the same? Naturally all must join the strike;<br />
but if editors are boycotted by the heads of the<br />
profession, they must soon give way, and we<br />
should not have to give three, four, or five years'<br />
credit. Payment upon acceptance should be the<br />
rule; but, of course, a fixed pay day per month<br />
might be conceded, for obviously wo could not<br />
expect cheques to bo sent the moment the MS. is<br />
passed. As at present, even pav days vary—end<br />
of month, beginning of following month, quarter,<br />
and so on. How in the world is one to know<br />
until one has written for the particular magazine?<br />
X.—An American Publisher's Account.<br />
The following account has bei n sent to an<br />
English author from an American publishing<br />
firm. The author was to receive a fixed percent-<br />
age on every copy sold, and nothing was stated in<br />
the agreement that copies sold below cost price<br />
(whatever this may mean in the American pub-<br />
lisher's mind) should have no loyalty paid on<br />
them. It is impossible for the author to cheek<br />
this account without expending a considerable<br />
sum of money, and this would not be worth<br />
while. The total liumln?)- of books sold below<br />
cost price and given away appears 10 be 228, in<br />
addition to 313 given to editors. This makes a<br />
total of 541 on which no royalty has been<br />
paid. This seems to be an extraordinarily large<br />
number.<br />
(" ")<br />
Cloth edition, price 1 dollar. Published March 20,<br />
1895.<br />
Received from binder, 984 copies.<br />
Stock, Dec. 31, 1896 307<br />
Sent to editors 160<br />
Sold below cost (no royalty) 12<br />
Sales bearing royalty 505<br />
dols. cents.<br />
505 copies at 10 cents... 50 50<br />
Paper edition, published price 50 cents. Published<br />
fall of 1895; royalty 5 per cent.<br />
Received from binder, 1504 copies.<br />
Stock, Dec. 31, 1896 362<br />
Sent to editors 153<br />
Sold below cost and given away ... 216<br />
Sales bearing royalty 773<br />
dols. cents.<br />
773 copies at 2A cents... 19 33<br />
50 50<br />
Accrued royalty 69 83<br />
XI.—A Begister op Titles.<br />
Another example of the trouble caused by<br />
having no Register of Titles. Some verses by me,<br />
eutitled " Love's Awakening," were published in<br />
the July number of the Pall Mall Magazine.<br />
In Home Chat of the current week a lady has<br />
also used this title for a poem.<br />
Now, by special arrangement with the editor of<br />
the Pall Mall Magazine, I have the right to use<br />
my verses for a song, if I desire to do so. Should<br />
this lady publish her verses as a song, my agree-<br />
ment is prejudiced, and I have no redress—a<br />
new title for musical purposes being excessively<br />
hard to find.<br />
It is possible that someone may have used this<br />
title previously to myself. In that case I can only<br />
say that the grtater the number of inadvertent<br />
users of a title, the greater the nuisance, and the<br />
stronger the argument in favour of registration.<br />
Arthur Pilkington Shaw.<br />
17, Sussex-gardens, Hyde Park, W.,<br />
March 31, 1897.<br />
XII.—A Self-Examination Paper for<br />
Candid Critics.<br />
1. Have you ever read " Robinson Crusoe" all<br />
through! Upon what degree of acquaintance do<br />
you base your frequent and affectionate remarks<br />
about it?<br />
2. Quote any other passage from Burns but<br />
"Wad ye tak' a thocht an' men" and "Could<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 331 (#391) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
331<br />
some power the giftie gie us." Explain the phrase<br />
that puzzled Mr. Micawber. Can you honestly<br />
say you have any admiration at all for "Tarn<br />
o' Shanter "?<br />
3. Do you ever take up the "Vicar of Wake-<br />
field" for your own amusement? If not, why<br />
not? State on oath if you have ever secretly<br />
considered it an over-rated volume.<br />
4. («) Mention by name three characters in<br />
any one of Miss Austen's novels.<br />
(b) Have you any right to draw comparisons<br />
between the modern female novelist and Miss<br />
Austen?<br />
[Note.—Either (a) or (6) must be taken. If<br />
unable to answer the first, the candidate is<br />
required to attempt the second.]<br />
5. If requested to give a personal introduction<br />
to Mataulay's New Zealander, in which essay<br />
would you look for him? And how would you<br />
expect to find him occupied?<br />
6. Detect and explain the allusions in a Daily<br />
News article.<br />
[Half marks obtained on question 6 should be<br />
considered a pass in honours.] M. C. V.<br />
XIII.—Stories not Wanted.<br />
The article by "M." in your last number must<br />
prove invaluable to literary tyros 011 account of its<br />
invaluable hints and suggestions.<br />
However, I must join issues with " M." as to<br />
the pecuniary remuneration of accented stories,<br />
and the chances of any solid income accruing<br />
from them. He coolly mentions ".£400 a year,<br />
twenty tales, only four months' work to the<br />
slowest." Is this to be taken as a jest or au<br />
serieux?<br />
I maintain that, with the exception of well-<br />
known writer.', who can command their own<br />
prices, not even a practised story-writer can hope<br />
to realise half, nay even a quarter, of this income;<br />
and I challenge the readers of The Author for<br />
proofs to contradict my assertion.<br />
The literary market is absolutely glutted<br />
with short stories in MSS.; there are literary<br />
agents who are readv to supply editors with<br />
them at so much a lot; and thousands of<br />
stories whicli are offered are returned without<br />
being read.<br />
In my experience the prices for short stories<br />
average from ias. to 20*. a thousand words.<br />
Magazines pay much higher rates, but un-<br />
known writers have to wait one or two years<br />
before an accepted story is published and paid<br />
for.<br />
The fact of an author having had several stori- s<br />
accepted in any periodical is no guarantee for the<br />
continuance of his work. Let me give a personal<br />
instauce of this. I had three stories accepted by<br />
the editor of a well-known paper; my fourth one,<br />
over which I took the same pains and trouble,<br />
was returned with these words: "The editor of<br />
the regrets his inability to use 's<br />
interesting story, , and herewith returns<br />
the same." Au editor of a weekly informed me<br />
lately that the stories he uses are contributed by<br />
well-known writers, to whom he pays 10s. a thou-<br />
sacd words, and that all other MSS. are returned<br />
without being read.<br />
If the editor of The Author will pardon me for<br />
being personal, I must add that, although I have<br />
had scores of stories publ:shed in some of our best<br />
periodicals, I am not more advanced than the<br />
merest tyro longing to see himself in print, as<br />
regards being able to secure a small regular income<br />
out of my work. I am sure I am most singular or<br />
unlucky in this respect. Unless we are particu-<br />
larly fortunate, or a heaven-born genius, the pur-<br />
suit of literature for a living to me seems an<br />
illusion. . i; Lunette.<br />
XIV. — Who Should be Publishers'<br />
Headers?<br />
Considerable dissatisfaction exists in the minds<br />
of many persons that authors should be nearly<br />
always chosen as publishers' readers. It may be<br />
suggested that authors are often cold and<br />
prejudiced in their opinion of the works<br />
of others, and, moreover, it is clear that<br />
rivals can never be looked upon as invari-<br />
ably unbiassed judges. They may also favour<br />
their personal friends, or reject the works of those<br />
whom they dislike, or whose art, taste, and views<br />
are opposed to their own ethics ar.d literary<br />
standar J.<br />
But again, on the other hand, is not a reader's<br />
office strictly a commercial one, in which neither<br />
sentiment nor prejudice have a voice? He has<br />
to decide if certain MSS. have any commercial<br />
value. Ouce suspected of private malice or per-<br />
sonal jealousy he would be instantly dismissed.<br />
Being hard business men, publishers wish to turn<br />
their books lo the best account. In all financial<br />
matters publishers cannot afford to depend on<br />
the jealousies or the caprices of authors whom<br />
they invite to rea 1 for them, and who are their<br />
trusted literary advisers; they simply seek to<br />
make money—it is their sole aim.<br />
Then, again, how are publishers to find com-<br />
petent readers who ure not themselves literary<br />
people? Among one's own circle of friends, do<br />
we know any who, not being gensde lettres, would<br />
be qualified to decide on t he stories most likely to<br />
hit the popular taste? Even academically-trained<br />
persons devoted to literature, high-class critics<br />
and professors, might be too erudite, scholarly,<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 332 (#392) ############################################<br />
<br />
332<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
and philosophical to be quite in touch with the<br />
best and most attractive points of current light<br />
fiction. Annabel Gr.vy.<br />
BOOK TALK.<br />
MESSES. BLISS, SANDS, and CO. will<br />
produce during May a novel entitled<br />
"Mallerton," by A. B. Louis.<br />
Two volumes of " Johnsonian Miscellanies " by<br />
Dr. G. Birkbeck Hill, will be published shortly<br />
by the Clarendon Press. They will be uniform<br />
with the Boswell issued by the same editor and<br />
publishers.<br />
Mr. Lang is engaged upon a work on " Modern<br />
Mythology," which will be a reply to the ideas<br />
advanced by Professor Max Miiller.<br />
Mr. Meredith has made arrangements for the<br />
publication of a selection of his poems. The<br />
volume will be issued shortly by Messrs. Con-<br />
stable.<br />
Mr. W. E. Norris's novel "Marietta's Mar-<br />
riage," will be published by Mr. Heinemann in<br />
midsummer.<br />
Mr. Clement Shorter is writing a popular<br />
review of the books of the present reign, to be<br />
called " Sixty Tears of Victorian Literature." Mr.<br />
James Bowden is the publisher, and the price has<br />
been named at 2.?. The book will be out before the<br />
great celebrations next month.<br />
Mr. P. G. Stephens is writing a memoir of Mr.<br />
Coventry Patmore.<br />
Mr. Francis Thompson's volume of "New<br />
Poems," shortly to appear, is dedicated to the<br />
memory of the late Mr. Coventry Patmore, in the<br />
following lines :—<br />
Lo, my book thinks to look Time's leaguer down<br />
Under the banner of your spread renown -,<br />
Or, if these levies of impnissant rhyme<br />
Fall to the overthrow of assaulting Time,<br />
Yet this one page shall fend oblivious shame,<br />
Armed with your crested and prevailing name.<br />
The catalogue of the New Gallery this year<br />
will contain a poem by Mr. Rudyard Kipiing,<br />
written to Mr. Phil Burne-Jones's "picture "The<br />
Vampire."<br />
The Queen has been pleased to allow the<br />
publication of a memorial of the Royal mausoleums<br />
at Frogmore, and permission has l>een granted<br />
to Mr. J. S. Murray Fisher to complete and<br />
publish the work. The title will be "The Monu-<br />
ments and Statuary in St. George's Chapel,<br />
Windsor, the Royal Mausoleums, Frogmore, the<br />
Albert Chapel, Windsor, and the Battenberg<br />
Memorial Chapel, Whippingham." There will<br />
be between seventy and eighty full-page re-<br />
productions in photogravure, and a number<br />
of other full-page illustrations in colours. The<br />
work will be issued by the Albion Publishing<br />
Company in a limited edition dc Ituce, in two<br />
volumes.<br />
Mr. George W. Bird has written a work of a<br />
comprehensive character on Burma—its history,<br />
administration, geography, climate, and other<br />
heads, entitled '• Wanderings in Burma." The<br />
book will be brought out by Messrs. Simpkin,<br />
Marshall, and Co. The author is connected with<br />
the Education Department of Burma.<br />
A Dew edition of Mr. Austin Dobson's "A<br />
Handbook to English Literature," but revised<br />
and extended to the present time by Professor<br />
W. Hall Griffin, will be published shortly by<br />
Messrs. Crosby Lockwood and Son.<br />
"Pot-pourri from a Surrey Garden" is the<br />
title of a volume by Mrs. 0. W. Earle, which<br />
Messrs. Smith, Elder, and Co. are about to<br />
publish. It consists mainly of notes on garden-<br />
ing, but refers also to household management<br />
and education. Lady Constance Lytton has con-<br />
tributed an appendix.<br />
Miss Edith H. Fowler has written a story<br />
entitled "The Professor's Children," which<br />
Messrs. Longmans will publish.<br />
The first number is announced for May of a<br />
new magazine devoted to Genealogy and kindred<br />
subjects, to be published by Mr. E. Stock,<br />
entitled " The Genealogical Magaz ne: a Journal<br />
of Family History, Heraldry, and Pedigrees."<br />
Among the articles in the inaugural issue is "A<br />
New Pedigree of Shakespeare," carried farther<br />
back than any hitherto published.<br />
The Bronti? Mus um at Haworth was re-opened<br />
on the 10th ult. by Mr. Clement K. Shorter, who,<br />
in the course of his address, expressed a wish<br />
that some one, preferably a Yorkshire man, would<br />
write a really artistic biography of the Brontes.<br />
The membership of the Bronte Society is now<br />
260.<br />
Sir William Martin Conway's book, "The First<br />
Crossing of Spitsbergen," ("s," not "z," is the<br />
correct spelling, says the author) will be published<br />
early this month by Messrs. Dent. Dr. Gregory,<br />
Mr. Trevor-Battye, and Mr. Garwood, who accom-<br />
panied Sir Martin Conway on the Spitsbergen<br />
Expedition, will all contribute to the record of<br />
its results. Mr. H. E. Conway, a cousin of the<br />
author, and the artist (f the party, will supply<br />
the illustrations, eight of whicU wi 1 be coloured<br />
plates.<br />
<br />
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## p. 333 (#393) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
333<br />
Mr. Miller Christy, Pryors, Bromfield, near<br />
Chelmsford, is writing a biography of Joseph<br />
Strutt, author of "Sports and Pastimes," and<br />
other antiquarian works. He asks any who may<br />
possess letters or documents relating to Strutt to<br />
be good enough to lend them to him in order<br />
that he may take copies for the purpose of his<br />
work.<br />
A series of popular volumes on historic towns<br />
of the medieval period has been projected by<br />
Messrs. Dent. The first to appear will be<br />
"Perugia," by Miss Symonds (daughter of the<br />
late John Addington Symonds), and Miss Duff<br />
Gordon. Mrs. Oliphant will contribute the<br />
volume on "Siena," and has gone thither to get<br />
material for the work. Each book in the series<br />
will contain illustrations by an artist living in the<br />
locality treated of.<br />
Mr. R. H. Sherard has just finished a new<br />
novel called " Uncle Christopher's Treasure," on<br />
which he has been working for some time past,<br />
and is now engaged upon a story dealing with<br />
literary life in Loudon and Paris, to which the<br />
provisional title of " Lord Zennor's Experiment"<br />
has been given.<br />
A new romance by John Bloundelle-Burton<br />
will shortly be commenced in the columns of the<br />
People. The scene is laid in the Palatinate<br />
during its second devastation—under Turenne—<br />
the principal portion of the action taking place in<br />
the heart of the Vosges. Mr. Bloundelle-Burton's<br />
other serial romance," Across the Salt Seas," now<br />
running in the Navy and Army Illustrated, will<br />
not be concluded until lati in the year, when it<br />
will be published simultaneously by Methuen and<br />
Co., of London, and Stone and Co., of Chicago,<br />
in volume form.<br />
"Shildrickthe Drummer; or, Loyal and True,"<br />
by Julia Agnes Fraser, is now being issued by<br />
Mr. Macqueen, in three volumes. The book is a<br />
romance of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and has<br />
received some very favourable reviews.<br />
Mr. A. Stauff, of Berlin, is translating Mr.<br />
R. H. Sherard's novel " Jacob Niemand" into<br />
German, and Mr. Hughes Rebell, of Paris, the<br />
writer of the appreciative notice of the author in<br />
La Revue de Paris is translating it into French.<br />
The rights of serialisation of this story were<br />
bought some time after its publication in book<br />
form by the Northern Newspaper Syndicate.<br />
Mrs. Alec Tweedie's new book, "Through<br />
Finland in Carts," will be published by A. and<br />
C. Black early in May. It is on much the same<br />
lines as a "Winter Jaunt to Norway" by the<br />
same writer, but in this case describes a land<br />
quite unfamiliar to the British tourist, where<br />
adventure is still possible and railway trains are a.<br />
novelty. The illustrations represent scenesas far<br />
east as Russia, and as far north as the borders of<br />
Lapland, some of which are from the author's<br />
own brush.<br />
Miss Clementina Black proposes to give a<br />
course of six lectures at the National Portrait<br />
Gallery by permission of the directors. The<br />
lectures will be given on Thursdays, to begin on<br />
May 6. Tickets for the course, price 30*., may be<br />
obtained of Miss Black, 19, South End, Croydon.<br />
Antiquaries will be interested to hear of a book<br />
on the "Dolmens in Ireland,'' which Messrs.<br />
Chapman and Hall are about to publish. The<br />
writer is Mr. Copeland Borlase, a son of the<br />
Cornwall antiquary, and the book will be large<br />
and illustrated.<br />
Sir George DougLis is writing a volume on<br />
"The Blackwood Group " for Messrs. Oliphant's<br />
"Famous Scots" series.<br />
Mrs. Bishop has almost completed an account<br />
of her recent journeyings in the Far East. The<br />
volume, to be published by Mr. Murray, will be<br />
entitled " Korea and Her Neighbours."<br />
A novel, entitled "Jabez Nutyard -Workman<br />
and Dreamer," by Mrs. Edmonds, will be pub-<br />
lished during the season by Messrs. Jarrold and<br />
Sons.<br />
Miss Elizabeth Hodges has contributed a paper<br />
for the May number of T/ie Ludyate on " Castle<br />
Coch and its Vineyards." By permission of the<br />
Marquis of Bute, Miss Hodges has been enabled<br />
to see the whole process of making the wine. The<br />
paper will be illustrate d by drawings and photo-<br />
graphs made for Miss Hodges.<br />
The Gentleman s Magazine for May will also<br />
contain an article on St. Mary Redcliife, Bristol,<br />
bringing out several points not generally known<br />
in connection with Chatterton.<br />
A third edition of Brigadier-General Hart's<br />
"Sanitation and Health" (Clowes) has just<br />
appeared. A second edition of his " Reflections<br />
on the Art of War" will be produced in about<br />
two months.<br />
Messrs. Macmillan are adding Mr. James<br />
Baker's "The Gleaming Dawn" to their Colonial<br />
Library.<br />
A new work by Mr. Frank R. Stockton,<br />
entitled "A Storyteller's Pack," will be published<br />
immediately by Messrs. Cassell and Co.<br />
Professor Hugh Bell of St. David's College,<br />
Lampeter, will write a volume on "The Age of<br />
Tennyson " for Messrs. Bell's series of handbook*<br />
to English literature.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 334 (#394) ############################################<br />
<br />
334<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Mr. E. W. Hornung's new work, " My Lord<br />
Duke," will be published soon by Messrs. Cassell.<br />
Mr. Cedric Chivers has been explaining to an<br />
Academy writer the raison d'etre of his literary<br />
sample-room at io, Bloomsbury-street, London.<br />
It was started in the interests of public libraries<br />
as a central source of information for librarians.<br />
The publishers, however, who were readily induced<br />
to hire shelf-room to exhibit their newest books,<br />
insisted on the public being made free of the<br />
exhibition, and Mr. Chivers is now entirely in<br />
agreement with them on this point. Books are<br />
not sold at the Bureau, but people may come !o<br />
look at them in perfect freedom, and without<br />
incurring the smallest obligation. The bureau is<br />
no essential part of Mr. Chivers's business, and it<br />
would hurt him in no way to give it up to-morrow.<br />
He takes special interest in the theory, however,<br />
and wants No. io, Bloomsbury-street to become<br />
more and more a house of call for the book-<br />
lover.<br />
Mr. W. G. Tarbet, a young Scotch writer, has<br />
written a story of the Covenanting period, called<br />
"Ill-gotten Gold," which Messrs. Cassell are<br />
about to issue.<br />
Mrs. Deland bas finished a group of five short<br />
stories, which will be published under the title<br />
"The Wisdom of Fools."<br />
Mr. Julien Corbett has nearly finished his Life<br />
of Drake, upon which he has been engaged for the<br />
last six years. He bas unearthed many new docu-<br />
ments in English, Italian, and Spanish, includii.g<br />
an important and hitherto unnoticed account of<br />
the Armada, compiled by a Florentine writer<br />
(Ubaldino), from information supplied by Drake<br />
himself.<br />
The fourth and last volume of the Life of<br />
Pusey will be published in the autumn.<br />
Mrs. Edith E. Cuthell, who a few years back,<br />
under the pseudonym of " An Idle Exile," pub-<br />
lished "In Tent and Bungalow" and "By a<br />
Himalayan Lake," has another volume of Indian<br />
and soldiering stories ready, to be called "In<br />
Camp and Cantonment," and to be published<br />
shortly by Messrs. Hurst and Blackett.<br />
The " Gleaming Dawn," by Mr. James Baker,<br />
has gone into a second edition. It is, as manv<br />
readers have learned, an historical novel,<br />
especially commended for accuracy in its history;<br />
a merit not always found in novels of that kind.<br />
A BELGIAN LITERARY COMPETITION.<br />
THE Belgian Minister asks us to publish the<br />
following notice:<br />
"By Royal decree of Dec. 14, 1874, his<br />
Majesty the King of the Belgians instituted a prize<br />
of 25,ooof. for the encouragement of intellectual<br />
studies. The prize of this international competi-<br />
tion for the year 1901 will be awarded to the<br />
writer submitting the best essay upon the military<br />
history of the Belgians from the Koman invasion<br />
to our own days. The author must briefly<br />
describe the wars of which Belgium was the<br />
theatre, and indicate the influence of these wars<br />
on the destinies of the country. He must relate<br />
the military exploits accomplished out of the<br />
country by Belgian troops on foreign service, and<br />
describe the methods of recruitiug, the organisa-<br />
tion, the rights and duties of the communal<br />
militia, as well as the state of the armament and<br />
fortifications at various periods. The work must<br />
then be completed by a study on the development<br />
of the army and the defensive system of Belgium<br />
since 1830.<br />
"Both manuscripts and printed books may be<br />
sent in. A new edition of a printed book can<br />
only take part in the competition if it contains<br />
alterations and considerable additions made<br />
during the period of the competition, viz., in one<br />
of the years 1897, 1898, 1899, or 1900. The<br />
works may be written in any of the following<br />
languages: French, English, German, Italian, or<br />
Spanish.<br />
"Foreigners who wish to take part in this com-<br />
petition should send their works, printed or in<br />
manuscript, before Jan. 1, 1901, to the Minister<br />
of the Interior and Public Instruction at Brussels.<br />
The manuscript obtaining the prize will be pub-<br />
lished in the course of the year following the one<br />
in which the prize is awarded. The essays will<br />
be judged by a jury appointed by the Kiug of the<br />
Belgians, and composed of seven members, three<br />
Belgians and four of other nationalities."—The<br />
Times, April 7.<br />
OBITUARY.<br />
PROFESSOR THOMAS DICKSON died<br />
suddenly at Athens on March 27th, after<br />
a forty years' residence there. During<br />
that time he held the English chair in the Uni-<br />
versity for a long period, besides being the<br />
instructor in English of the whole of the Royal<br />
Family in succession, by whom he was loved as<br />
much as he was respected. An urbane man of<br />
exceeding gentleness and calmness, a Liberal and<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 335 (#395) ############################################<br />
<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
335<br />
a Philhellene, he was always a great favourite with<br />
the Greeks. For the last few years he had been<br />
Vice-Consul in addition to his other work. His<br />
donations to literature are comprised in a most<br />
useful handbook of Modern Greek, the first that<br />
appeared in this country. He translated several<br />
works into Greek, the chief of which was the<br />
popular volume of "Roughing it in Crete" by<br />
Hilary Skinner, the correspondent of the Daily<br />
News who accompanied a Greek vessel running<br />
the blockade during the Cretan rising of 1866.<br />
This book can still be read with advantage by all<br />
who wish to realize what Cretan insurrections<br />
have been in the past, and how identical they all<br />
are. Mr. Dickson, who was of Scotch parentage,<br />
was born in Corfu, and graduated in America. He<br />
was seventy years old at the time of his decease.<br />
Mr. G. W. Godfrey, who died in London on the<br />
10th ult., began to writ*1 for the stage nearly a<br />
quarter of a century ago, and gained a place among<br />
playwrights for the power of mordant satire upon<br />
society which his work contained. "Queen Mab"<br />
(in which Mr. and Mrs. Kendal appeared at the<br />
Haymarket), "Vanity Fair," "The Parvenu,"<br />
"My Milliner's Bill," and (adapted from the<br />
French) " Queen's Shilling " were among the plays<br />
written by Mr. Godfrey, who, until three years ago,<br />
was a clerk in the Admiralty.<br />
Kev. Dr. Sparrow Simpson, librarian of St.<br />
Paul's, died on March 28. He was an enthusiastic<br />
antiquary, and wrote "Gleanings from Old St.<br />
Paul's," and a number of other works on the history<br />
of St. Paul's and St. Vedast's.<br />
Herr Johannes Brahms, the illustrious com-<br />
poser, died at Vienna on the 3rd ult. At home, the<br />
musical interest lost Dr. George Mursell Garrett,<br />
organist at Cambridge University, and composer of<br />
the oratorio "The Shunamite," who died on the<br />
9th ult., aged 63; and Mr. Henry Erskine Allon, a<br />
young musician who had composed over thirty<br />
pieces, including six cantatas, chief among which<br />
were "Annie of Lochroyan" and "The Oak of<br />
Geismar."<br />
Mrs. Julia Davies, probably the last survivor of<br />
the intimate friends of Charles Lamb, died at Clif-<br />
ton last month at the great age of 94. Her<br />
father was Joseph Hume, of Montpellier House,<br />
Notting Hill, where Limb, Godwin, and Hazlitt<br />
were constant guests.<br />
THE BOOKS OF THE MONTH.<br />
[March 24 to April 23—218 Books.]<br />
Abbott, E.t and Campbell, L. The L:fe and LettcrB of B-rijimin<br />
Jowett. 32/- Murray.<br />
Akeiman. P. B., and Hurst, N. Trlscomte Stone. 6/- BIibs.<br />
Alden, W. L. His Daughter. 2 - Beeman.<br />
Alexander, Rupert. Ballyronan. 6/- Digby.<br />
Allbu't, T. C. (editor). A System of Medirino-II. 25/-net. Macmillan.<br />
Anderacn-Muishead, A. E. M. The History of the Universities<br />
Mission to Central Africa. 1S59-189G. U.M.C.A.<br />
Anonymous. The House of Dreams. 8/6. Bowden.<br />
Anonymom. The Love of an Obsolete Wjman. 2 'i. Con fit able.<br />
Asblmrner, W. A Concite Treatise on Mortgages, Pledges, an^<br />
Liens. 25/- Clowes<br />
Baden-Powell B. S. S. The M&t.lnld Campaign 1896. 15/-<br />
Methuen.<br />
Bah am F. P. S Marks Indeb''die^ lo S Matthew. 3/6. Unwin.<br />
Bailey, L. H. The Voicing Book. Macmillan.<br />
Bannow, W. The Colony of Victoria. 2,6. Simpkin.<br />
BatBon, Mrs. S. The Earth Children. x> Hutchinson.<br />
Bax, E. Belfort. Outspoken Essays on Social Subjects. 2 6. Beeves,<br />
Beerbohm, Max. The Happy Hypocrite. 1;- net. Lane.<br />
Bell, G. C. Religious Teiching in Secondary School*. 3 fi. Macmillan.<br />
Benedictines of Stinbrook. Gregorian Music. 7/- net.<br />
Art and Book Compiny.<br />
Benson, E. W. Cyprian: HiB Life, His Times, His Work. 21 - net.<br />
Macmillan.<br />
Blckerdyke, J. Daughters of Thespts. 6/- 8impkin.<br />
Binyon. L. John Crome and John Sill Cotman. 3,6 n?t. Sieley.<br />
Black, John. Nanaen and the Frozen North. 1/- Routledge.<br />
Bodkin. M. Mc D. White Magic. 6/- Chapman.<br />
Borne, Kaehler, and Davis. Cavalry Studiea from Two (treat wan.<br />
W. H. Allen.<br />
Booth, Charles. Life and Labour of the People in London—IX. 7 <>.<br />
Macmillan.<br />
Bouldlng, J. W. Fibles and Fancies. 3/6. Jarrold.<br />
Bourne, J. P. Contingent Reversions. 3- Liverpool; Lee and<br />
Nightingale.<br />
Braddon, M. E. Under Love's Rule 6/- Simpkin.<br />
Brete, J. de la. Fate's Fetters <tr. by F. Hoper- Dixon). 6/- Digby.<br />
Bryce, A H. The Poems of Horace. 3/6. Bell.<br />
Burgess, J. Archieological Survey of Western India. Tbaeker.<br />
Burgin, O. B. "Old Man's" Marriage 6/- Richards.<br />
Cahan, A. YekL 2 6 net. Heinemann.<br />
Cafllard, E. M. On the Use of Science to Christians. 1 fi. Nisbet.<br />
Carr. Mrs. Comyns. Cottage Folk, fi/- Heinemann.<br />
Christian. Susan. A Pot of Honey. 3/6 Unwin.<br />
Clarke. M. StorieB of Australia in the Early Days. 3/6. Hutchinson.<br />
Clifford, H. In Court and K am pong. 7/6 net. Richards.<br />
Colmore, G. Love for a Key. 2/6 net. Heinemann.<br />
Compton, A. J. Malays, Game Fowls, and Bantam* in Australia.<br />
2 6. Simpkin.<br />
Cool, W. The Dutch In the East ftr. by E. J. Taylor). Kegan Pau\<br />
Couch, A. T. Q. (editor) English Sonnets. 2/- Chapman.<br />
CowleSjJ. L. A General Freight and Passenger Post. 3/6. Putnam.<br />
Crole, D. Tea: A Text-Book of Tea-Planting and Manufacture.<br />
Crosby Lockwood.<br />
Curtis, E. His Double Self. 3/6. Jarrold.<br />
Custance. Olive, Opals. 3/6 net. Lane.<br />
Daly, E. D. The Struggle between the State and the Drunkard, ttd.<br />
Dublin: Eason.<br />
Dames, E. L. Behind the Stars. 1/6 Unwin,<br />
Darby, W. E. International Tribunals. The Peace Society.<br />
Darlcy, George. Nepenthe. (Reprint of exhausted poem.) 2/6 net.<br />
Mathews.<br />
Davenport, C. B. Experimental Morphology—I Of- Macmillan.<br />
Davey, R. The Sultan and His Subjects. 24/- Chapman.<br />
Davey, R. Wethcrleigh. 3/6. Roxburghe.<br />
Davis, Helen. Angus Murray. 6/- Sonnenschetn.<br />
Dawe. Carlton. Captain Cattle, 6 - Smith. Elder.<br />
Day, Mrs. N. The Dream or Pilate's Wife. 3/6. Roxburghe.<br />
Dean. It., and others. The Dahlia. 1/- Macmillan.<br />
Dictionary of National Biography—L. RuBsen-Scobell- Smith,<br />
Elder.<br />
Dougall, L. A Dozen Wat s of Love. 6/- Black.<br />
Douglas, C. The Ethics of John Stuart Mill. 6/ net. Blackwood.<br />
Douglas, H. The Silver Cross. 3/6. Bell.<br />
Eggleston. E. The Beginners of a Nation. 7'6. Longman".<br />
Eldridge, R. T. The h>styns i-f Cather Castle. 6/- Digby.<br />
Evans, T. J , and Pulien, W. W. F. A Treatise on Practical, Pianer<br />
and Solid Geometry :> - Chapmin.<br />
Everitt. N. Ferrets. ;J C, Black.<br />
Facsimiles from Early Printed Books in the British Museum.<br />
The Museum.<br />
Farmer. J. E. Essays on French History. 5/- Putnam.<br />
Fennell. C ,an<10'Callaf(han. J. P. A Prince of Tyrone. Blackwood.<br />
Ferres A. His CouMn the Wallaby. :?'(.;. Simpkin.<br />
Fitzpatriek, J. P. The Outspan 3/6. Heinemann.<br />
Flowerdi'n, H. In an Ancient Mirror. 2,6. Unwin.<br />
Forbes, A. H. Ij Science Guilty. 2 6. Marshall.<br />
Freeman, E. A. Sketch b of Travel in Nurmindy and Maine 8 (J..<br />
Macmillan.<br />
Friswell, J. H. The Burden of Life. 3/6. Unwin.<br />
FulchiT, F. A. Birds of Our Islands. 3,0. Melrose.<br />
Gamble, George. A Farrago of Fo'lv. 3/6. Vnwin.<br />
Garran, R. 11. The Coming Commonwealth [Australia}. 7 6.<br />
Simpkin.<br />
<br />
<br />
## p. 336 (#396) ############################################<br />
<br />
336<br />
THE AUTHOR.<br />
Gasquet, F. A. The Old EnglUh Bible, and Other Essajs. 12 - net.<br />
Nimnio.<br />
Geikie. Sir A. The Ancient Yolcanooi of Great Biitiin. 1(0/-net.<br />
Macmilhn.<br />
George, A. J. Select Puem> of Robert Burns. 3 6. Isbister.<br />
Gerard, Dorothea. Angela's Lorer. 1,- Constable.<br />
Gissin?. George. The Whirlpool. Lawrence.<br />
Glyn, Hon. C. A Dr<ma in Dregs. 6 - Siinpkin.<br />
Goltz, Baron. The Conduct of War (tr. by J. T. Dickman).<br />
W. H. Allen.<br />
Goulaeff, E. E. (tr.) Mj Lire in Christ: Extracts from the Diary of<br />
lliytoh Sergieff. CasselL<br />
Gould, N. Horse or Blacksmith'.' 2 fi. RoutWdge.<br />
Graham, J. A. On th 1 ThreshoU of Three CIjaed Lands. 1 fi. Clark.<br />
Grimshaw, B. E. Broken Away 3 6. Lane.<br />
Gunn, D. The Story of Lafau IV?. 1 fi. Siinpkin.<br />
Gunter, A. C. Don Rabuc »' f K-? West. 2 fi. RoutlciUe.<br />
Gunter, E. Outlines c: Mil.ti.ry Liw and Customs of War. 7(1.<br />
Clowes.<br />
Haebler, K. The Early P.iu-eri of Spain and Portugal [Biblio-<br />
graphical Society Monograph.] lfi - Chiswiek PreBH.<br />
Hale*vy, L. Abbe" Constantin (tr. by T. Bated at). 3 6 net. Macqueen.<br />
Hammond, Mrs. J. H. A Woman's Part in a Revolution. 2/6.<br />
Longmans.<br />
Hart, Mrs. Ernest. Picturesque Burma 21 - net. Dent.<br />
Hasluck, Paul N. Wood Finishing. ];- Casselt.<br />
Hatton. Joseph. The Dagger and the Cross. 6- Hutchinson.<br />
Hazlilt, W. C. The Confessions of a Collector. Ward and Downey.<br />
Herman, Henry. Lady Turpin. 3,6. Ward, Lock.<br />
Hiatt, C. Chester: Cathedral and See. 1.6. Bell.<br />
Higgin. L. Cousin Jem. 6 - Hurst<br />
Hird, D. Is Immortality a Physical Fact? 1/- C. Wilson.<br />
Hocking, Joseph. The Birthright. 3 <;. Bowden.<br />
Hocking, Silas K. The Blindness of Madge Tyndall. 2 6 Warne.<br />
Hogarth, D. G. Philip and Alexander of Macedon. 14 - Murray.<br />
ilolt-Butterllll, H. First Principles of Mechanical and Engineering<br />
Drawing. 7/6. Chapman.<br />
Hort, F. J. A. The Christian Ecclesia. 6 - Macmillan.<br />
Housman, Laurence. Gods and their Makers. 3.6. Lano.<br />
Howells, W. D. Tho Landlord ut Lion's Head, fi - Edinburgh:<br />
Douglas.<br />
Hurdis, the late J. L. Bough Notes and Memoranda relating to the<br />
Natural History of the Bermudas. 10/6 net. Porter,<br />
Jay, P. Tho Water Bailey. 1 - Newcastle: Mawson, Swan,<br />
Jefferson, S. An Ode for Victoria Day. 1- Blackie.<br />
Jelf, E. A. Where to Find Your Law. Cox.<br />
Jephson, Lady. A Canadian Scrap Book. Marshall,Russell.<br />
Jcrrold, W. (ed). Bon-Mots of the Eighteenth Century. 2/6 net.<br />
Dent.<br />
••John Halifax, Gentleman " (the author oD. The Half-Castc. 2 -<br />
Chambers.<br />
Johnson, T. The Swedish System of Physical Education: Its<br />
Medical and General Aspects. 3 6 net. Bristol: Wright.<br />
Jones, C. A Course of Elementary Experiments for Students of<br />
Practical Inorganic Chemistry. 2/6. Low.<br />
Kcnyon, Edith O. The Squire of LonBdalo. 3,6. Warne.<br />
Kent, C. F. A History of the Hebrew People. 6 - Smith, Elder.<br />
Kernahan. Coulson. "Captain Shannon. 8/6. Ward. Lock.<br />
Kersley, G. H. Nature Worship, and Other Poems. Bickers.<br />
Kirby, Jas. Old Times in the Bush of Australia. 3,6. Simpkin.<br />
Lathrop, B. Hawthorne. Memories of Hawthorne. 7/6. Kegan Paul.<br />
Lee, A. L. Lord Stratford de lledcliffe. 1,6. Nisbet.<br />
Levett-Yeats, S. A Galahad of the Creeks, and Other Stoiies. 6/-,<br />
Longmans.<br />
Lewis, T. C. A Protest against the Modern Development of Un-<br />
musical Tone. Chiswiek Press.<br />
Ltddon, H. P. Explanatory Analysis of St. Paul's First Epistle to<br />
Timothy. 7 0. Longmans.<br />
Lilly, W. S. Essays and Speeches. 12 - Chapman.<br />
Lyno, Charles E. Life ol Sir Henry Parkes. 16/- Unwin.<br />
M'-Chesney, L. S. A Memory of Santa Barbara, fi,'- Methuen.<br />
Macdonald. W. A. Food and Population. 1- Ideal Publishing Union.<br />
Mackail, J. W. The Sayings of tho Lord Jesus Christ. 2/6.<br />
Longmans.<br />
Mackenzie, F. Sprays of Northern Pine. 3, 6. Oliphant.<br />
Mackinnon, J. Braefort Sketches. Gardner.<br />
Macy, Jesse. The English Constitution. 8 6. Macmillan.<br />
Maeterlinck, M. The Treasure of the Humble (tr. by A. Sutro).<br />
G. Allen.<br />
Mahan. A. H. The Life of Nelson the Embodiment of the Sea Power<br />
of Great Britain. -'(6 - net. Low.<br />
Mann, A. M. The Truth from Johannesburg. 1- Hutchinson.<br />
Marryat, Florence. In the Name ot Liberty. G.- Digby.<br />
Mara ton. R. B. War, Famine, and our Food Supply. 2/- Low.<br />
Masefleld, R. H. Wild Bird Protection and Nesting Boxes. 5 -<br />
Lecds: Taylor.<br />
H. M. and M. A. R. T. Handbook to Christian and Ecclesiastical<br />
Rome—I. 7,6.* Black.<br />
Master of the Cleveland. Hints for the Hunting Field. Simpkin.<br />
Matthews, C. P., and Shearer, J. Problems and Questions in Physics.<br />
776. Macmillan.<br />
Maude, F. N. Military Letters and Essays. W. H. Allen.<br />
Maude. F. N. Cavalry versus Infantry. W. H. Allen.<br />
Miller. J. B. (ed.). The Story of a Busy Life (Mrs. G. A. Paull).<br />
3/6. Hodder and Stoughton.<br />
Mitchell, J. 0. Burns and H:s Times as Gathered from His Poema.<br />
Glasgow: Maclehose.<br />
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Six Months in a Syrian Monastery.<br />
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of Professor Robertson Smith for translation at the time of his<br />
death.' —PubtUheri Cirevlar.<br />
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