https://historysoa.com/files/original/5/328/1899-05-01-The-Author-9-12.pdf 8d1f46c1b7585fd3b85f4c69ec32c1b8 PDF Text Text �������������������� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Author Subject The topic of the resource <em>The Author</em> Description An account of the resource A digitised run of the Society of Authors' monthly periodical, <em>The Author</em>, 1890<span>–</span>1914, made available together for the first time.<br /><br />Currently users can browse issues and <a href="https://historysoa.com/items/browse?search=&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=51&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Index&amp;collection=&amp;type=&amp;tags=&amp;exhibit=&amp;date_search_term=&amp;submit_search=Search+For+Items&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CTitle">indices</a> (not available for all volumes). Full text search for all issues, and other additional search functionality, will be added in 2022. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890–1914 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context The-Author-Issues Publication Date The date of an event (in YYYY, YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD format) 1899-05-01 Volume 9 Issue 12 Pages Page range in volume 269–288 Ngram Date Version of the date in YYYYMMDD format for use by the Ngram plugin 18990501 Ngram Text Version of the text with no HTML formatting for use by the Ngram plugin XT be Hutbot\ (The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.) CONDUCTED BY WALTER BESANT. Vol. IX.—No. 12.] MAT 1, 1899. [Price Sixpence. For the Opinions expressed in papers that are signed or initialled the Authors alone are responsible. None of the papers or para- graphs must be taken as expressing the collective opinions of the Committee unless they are officially signed by G. Herbert Thring, Sec. THE Secretary of the Society begs to give notice that all remittances are acknowledged by return of post, and requests that all members not receiving an answer to important communications within two days will write to him without delay. AU remittances should be crossed Union Bank of London, Chancery-lane, or be sent by registered letter only. il Communications and letters are invited by the Editor on all subjects connected with literature, but on no other sub- jects whatever. Articles which cannot be accepted are returned if stamps for the purpose accompany the MSS. GENERAL MEMORANDA. FOB some years it has been the practice to insert, in every number of The Author, certain " General Con- siderations," Warnings, Notices, &c, for the guidance of HtB reader. It has been objected as regards these warnings that the tricks or frauds against which they are directed cannot all be guarded against, for obvious reasons. It is, however, well that they should be borne in mind, and if any publisher refuses a clause of precaution he simply reveals his true character, and should be left to carry on his business in his own way. Let us, however, draw up a few of the rules to be observed in an agreement. There are three methods of dealing with literary property:— I. That of selling it outright. This is in some respects the most satisfactory, if a proper price can be obtained. But the transaction should be managed by a competent agent. II. A profit-sharing agreement. In this case the following rule ■ should be attended to: (1.) Not to sign any agreement in which the cost of pro- duction forms a part. (2.) Not to give the publisher the power of putting the profits into his own pocket by charging for advertisements ▼OL. IX. in his own organs: or by charging exchange advertise- ments. (3.) Not to allow a special charge for " office expenses," unless the same allowance is made to the author. (4.) Not to give up American, Colonial, or Continental rights. (5.) Not to give up serial or translation rights. (6.) Not to bind yourself for future work to any publisher. As well bind yourself for the future to any one solicitor or doctor! (7.) To stamp the agreement. III. The royalty system. In this system, which has opened the door to a most amazing amount of overreaching and trading on the author's ignorance, it is above all things necessary to know what the proposed royalty means to both sides. It is now possible for an author to ascertain approximately and very nearly the truth. From time to time the very important figures connected with royalties are published in The Author. Readers can also work out the figures themselves from the "Cost of Production." Let no one, not even the youngest writer, sign a royalty agreement without finding out what it gives the publisher as well as himself. It has been objected that these precautions presuppose a great success for the book, and that very few books indeed attain to this great success. That is quite true: but there is always this uncertainty of literary property that, although the works of a great many authors carry with them no risk at all, and although of a great many it is known within a few copies what will be their minimum circulation, it is not known what will be their maximum. Therefore every author, for every book, should arrange on the chance of a success which will not, probably, come at all; bnt which may come. The four points which the Society has always demanded from the outset are:— (1.) That both sides shall know what an agreement means. (2.) The inspection of those account books which belong to the author. We are advised that this is a right, in the nature of a common law right, which cannot be denied or withheld. (3.) That there shall be no seoret profits. (4.) That nothing shall be charged which has not been actually paid—for instance, that there shall be no charge for advertisements in the publisher's own organs and none for exchanged advertisements, and that all discounts shall be duly entered. If these points are carefully looked after, the author may rest pretty well assured that he is in right hands. At the same time he will do well to send his agreement to the secretary before he signs it. F F 2  ## p. 270 (#282) ############################################ 270 THE AUTHOR. HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY. I. Ii^ VERY member has a right to ask for and to receive JjJ advice upon his agreements, his choice of a pub- lisher, or any dispute arising in the conduct of his business or the administration of his property. If, in the opinion of the Committee and the Solicitors of the Society, the advice sought is such as can be given best by a solicitor, the member has a right to an opinion from the Society's solicitors. If the oase is such that Counsel's opinion is desirable, the Committee will obtain for him Counsel's opinion. All this without any cost to the member. 2. Remember that questions connected with copyright and publisher's agreements do not generally fall within the experience of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple to use the Society first—our solicitors are continually engaged upon such questions for us. 3. Send to the office copies of past agreements and past accounts with the loan of the books represented. This is in order to ascertain what has been the nature of your agree- ments, and the results to author and publisher respectively so far. The Secretary will always be glad to have any agreements, new or old, for inspection and note. The infor- mation thus obtained may prove invaluable. 4. If the examination of your previous business trans- actions by the Secretary proves unfavourable, you should take advice as to a change of publishers. 5. Before signing any agreement whatever, send the pro- posed document to the Sooiety for examination. 6. The Society is acquainted with the methods, and—in the oase of fraudulent houses—the tricks of every publish- ing firm in the country. 7. Remember always that in belonging to the Society you are fighting the battles of other writers, even if you are reaping no benefit to yourself, and that you are advancing the best interests of literature in promoting the indepen- dence of the writer. 8. Send to the Editor of The Author notes of everything important to literature that you may hear or meet with. 9. The Committee have now arranged for the reception of members' agreements and their preservation in a fireproof safe. The agreements will, of course, be regarded as con- fidential documents to be read only by the Secretary, who will keep the key of the safe. The Sooiety now offers:—(1) To read and advise upon agreements and publishers. (2) To stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments due according to agreements. NOTICES. THE Editor of The Author begs to remind members of the Society that, although the paper is sent to them free of charge, the oost of producing it would be a very heavy charge on the resources of the Society if a great many members did not forward to the Secretary the modest 6s. 6d. subscription for the year. Communications for The Author should reach the Editor not later than the 21st of each month. All persons engaged in literary work of any kind, whether members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate to the Editor any points connected with then- work which it would be advisable in the general interest to publish. Members and others who wish their MSS. read are requested not to send them to the Office without previously communicating with the Secretary. The utmost practicable despatch is aimed at, and MSS. are read in the order in which they are received. It must also be distinctly under- stood that the Society does not, under any oircumstanoea, undertake the publication of MSS. The present location of the Authors' Club is at 3, White- hall-court, Charing Cross. Address the Secretary for information, rules of admission, &c. Will members take the trouble to ascertain whether they have paid their subscriptions for the year? If they will do this, and remit the amount, if still unpaid, or a banker's order, it will greatly assist the Secretary, and save him the trouble of sending out a reminder Members are most earnestly entreated to attend to the following warning. It is a most foolish and may be a most disastrous thing to enter into an agreement binding for a term of years. Let them ask themselves if they would give a solicitor the collection of their rents for five years to come, whatever his conduct, whether he was honest or dishonest? Of course they would not. Why then hesitate for a moment when they are asked to sign themselves into literary bondage for three or five years? "Those who possess the 'Cost of Production' are requested to note that the cost of binding has advanced 15 per cent." This clause was inserted three or four years ago. Estimates have, however, recently been obtained which show that the figures in the book may be relied on as nearly correct: as near as is possible. Some remarks have been made upon the amount charged in the " Cost of Production" for advertising. Of oourse, we have not included any sums which may be charged for inserting advertisements in the publisher's own magazines, or in other magazines by exchange. As agreements too often go, there is nothing to prevent the publisher from sweeping the whole profits of a book into his own pocket, by inserting any number of advertisements in his own magazines, and by exchanging with others. Some there are who call this a form of fraud; it is not known what those who practise this method of swelling their own profits call it. LITERARY PROPERTY. I. The Copyright Bill. ON Monday, April 24, Lord Monkswell moved the second reading of the Bill in the House of Lords. He related the action of the Society of Authors in preparing the Bill which he had himself introduced into the House of Lords. The death of Lord Herschell was a great loss to copyright reform, because he had brought in a large consolidating measure of literary and. artistic copyright. The Bill was referred, together with his own, to a Select Committee of Lords. The Committee held a great many meetings, but had not completed the evidence. Meanwhile, another Bill had been prepared by Lord Thring dealing with literary copyright. This Bill which he now proposed to read a second time fixed this term of copyright to the life of the author and  ## p. 271 (#283) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. 271 thirty years after death: the present law being a term of the author's life and seven years after, or forty-two years, whichever should be longer. The new Bill provided for the dramatisation, translation, or abridgment of novels: it gave authors of magazine articles copyright after two years from the publication of the articles. It gave copyright in lectures; it gave newspapers copyright in news for twelve hours after publica- tion. There were other points which would be considered in the discussion of the Bill. It was read a second time and referred to a Select Committee. iir II. Walter Savage Landor on Copyright. A correspondent of the Standard has unearthed a petition presented to Parliament by Walter Savage Landor, and published in the Examiner of April 7, 1839. It is as follows:— That your petitioner would represent to your Honourable House his strong persuasion that no property is bo entirely, and purely, and religiously a man's own as what comes to him immediately from God, without intervention or partici- pation. It is the eternal gift of an Eternal Being; and to interfere in any way with its benefits and blessings appears to your petitioner unbecoming and unjust. Your petitioner therefore humbly submits to your Honourable House that no Legislature has a right to confine its advantages to a thousand or ten thousand years, or to give them away to any person or pereons whatsoever, to the detriment of an author's heirs, after any number of ages. And your petitioner offers the less reluctantly these observations to your Honourable House, since he himself proposes no advantages to his descendants from any of his literary works, all of whioh he has consigned and left in perpetuity to the discretion of a learned friend. III.—Author's Corrections. As, after many wrestles, T have successfully bound the "correction" fiend, perhaps the method evolved may be useful to your readers. 1. Alter the agreement, liefore signing, to "author's alterations "; corrections may include printers' errors. 2. Require a free allowance of alterations per sheet, not an allowance of shillings but of so many words. I generally ask for about one in 300. Be reasonable, and guarantee that you will never overrun a page, and promise to break lines as bttle as possible. You can always save a page whole, and seldom break more than two lines, if careful in arranging. I am referring to detailed scientific works in saying this; imaginative writers may find more difficulty. 3. Correct and alter in pencil freely on one copy of proof. Then count words and prune if needful when inking in on the other copy for the printer. If you expect trouble use red ink for all your own alterations, and indorse each sheet with number of your alterations on it. 4. And now, perhaps, you have exceeded your allowance at the end of the work. And if you have but a few words more against you than agreed on, you will find probably .£5 for correc- tions put down. Look out the worst page of all; and see if deducting your alterations there will bring you within the agreed limit; if not, take the next worst for alterations also, and so on, until deducting certain pages squares the agreed allowance. Then offer to pay for the entire re-setting of those pages. It is a magnificent offer; you pay for fifty times the work involved, and yet it binds the fiend so that he cannot do entirely as he chooses. If in course of correcting you want much alteration in a page—more than a line or two— dash out the whole page and mark it " Re-set this page and charge to author." Then it is impossible to charge you for more than a few shillings for setting up one page. This method answers both with publishers and in direct contracts with printers. There is another thing to be said. Accustom yourself to write clean, without needing to alter MS., and then you are less liable to need altera- tions in proof. I seldom alter more than one word in 200 in MS. To do this, begin by a rule of never trying to write in bad con- ditions of temperament or surrounding. If distracted, cold, weary, or dull, you will never write a clean page, and the correction fiend will triumph. Often Bitten. I am much obliged by the Editor's note to my query on author's corrections. I have kept the first proofs, as advised by him. My difficulty is this: Printers often put small letters where capitals are distinctly indicated in the MS. They run on where a fresh paragraph is obvious. Per contra, they leave spaces sometimes when the directions are to save room. Sometimes the proof alters the meaning and effect of a para- graph. This may necessitate an interlineation, and dislocate a whole page, which, as the Editor says, takes time, and causes much additional expense. But must an author be charged with all this, for at the rates given it mounts up enor- mously? If an author interlineates owing to omissions, or erases an unsatisfactory line (as it seems to him) on appearing in print, I under- stand he must pay for the luxury, but should he pay for misplaced or misdivided words, &c.? A New Member. IV.—No Author's Corrections. You have often pointed out how the charge made for author's corrections can be kept down  ## p. 272 (#284) ############################################ 272 THE AUTHOR. by having the MS. type-written. A novel of mine, "The Passing of Prince Rozan," had to be "set" and printed in America. To get proofs over here, revise and return them, would have caused such a serious delay that I decided to do without proofs. My MS. was type-written. I revised it with the greatest care. I further in- serted a clause in my agreement that the author would not require proofs, and that the publishers (Messrs. Putnam's Sons) would use their best endeavours to see that all printer's errors were corrected. I am quite satisfied with the result, and have been saved much trouble and expense. It is significant that the publishers made objec- tion to the clause in the agreement, suggesting that they might have to charge for corrections made by their reader; but the claim was inserted and agreed to. John Bickerdyke. V.—Infringement of Copyright. On March 29 last, before Mr. Justice Wills and a common jury, in the Queen's Bench Division, was heard the case of Miln v. Ballin. Mrs. Miln is an American author and journalist who has travelled a great deal, and has written books of travel and papers and essays on various subjects in magazines and papers. Among other contributions was a series of papers on children of various countries which she contributed to a journal called Madame, reserving the copyright. The defendant owned a paper called Baby, and had reproduced in its columns paragraphs—some thirty in all—verbatim from the plaintiffs essays in Madame. The witnesses for the plaintiff besides herself were Mr. T. P. O'Connor, Mr. John Murray, and Mr. F. W. Slater of Harper and Brothers. The case was practically without defence, except the plea that very little harm was done, if any, to the prospects of the plaintiff's book. Mr. Justice Wills, however, thought that a very considerable wrong had been done to the plaiutiff. The jury assessed the damages at .£250. As to the case itself, their could be no doubt of the result. The amount of damages granted to the plaintiff must be taken to represent more a penalty for wrong-doing than an attempt to estimate the damage done to the forthcoming book. People who reproduce literary property without the author's permission must learn that they cannot be allowed to help themselves. No one will ever be able to learn how far the property has been injured, but property must be respected. Therefore the result of the action is quite satisfactory. VI.—Harrison v. Bloxam. (In the Westminster County Court of Middlesex, March 1, 1899.) Messrs. Haynes and Claremont of 4, Blooms- bury-square, appeared for the plaintiffs. Defen- dant was represented by counsel, Mr. C. B. Marriott (instructed by Messrs. Field, Roscoe, and Co., 36, Lincoln's-inn Fields), acting on behalf of the Society of Authors. Mr. Marriott stated that his client wasagraduate of London University and a Research Chemist carrying out experiments at the Davy-Faraday Laboratory of the Royal Institution. Mr. Bloxam was a candidate for the D.Sc. degree of the University of London, and was required to present a printed thesis showing the results of his experimental work. Mr. Bloxam obtained from Messrs. Harrison an estimate for printing 100 copies demy 8vo. 32 pp. in paper wrapper, amounting to £j 2s. Mr. Bloxam's manu- script printed out to forty-eight pages, and for this work an account was sent in by Messrs. Harrison amounting to .£15 4*. 6d. Mr. Bloxam considered the charge made to be excessive in view of the original estimate, and entered into correspondence with Messrs. Harrison. Mr. Bloxam was perfectly willing to pay a reasonable sum, and by letter suggested a meeting for settle- ment of the amount due. Messrs. Harrison replied by issuing a County Court summons. Mr. Bloxam then paid into court £10 10s. and share of costs as being sufficient to discharge the debt. The plaintiff (Mr. Harrison) was called, and denied that the sum charged was excessive. The charge was madf? for a pamphlet of 56 pp., although defendant recognised only 48 pp. of printed matter. Plaintiff stated that blank pages and titles were charged as printed matter, but he had not warned defendant of this practice. Plaintiff also admitted that extra cost was entailed by sending out proofs in slip form, and that defendant was not consulted on this ques- tion, and was left in ignorance of any extra cost thus involved. Counsel objected on behalf of defendant that no details of extra charges had been submitted by the plaintiff, and that defendant had been allowed to incur extra charges without being warned. Counsel quoted an estimate by Messrs. Richard Clay and Sons to print for ii0 14*. 100 copies of the pamphlet, for which plaintiff claimed .£15 4*. 6d. Defendant produced manuscript and proofs, and, on examination by plaintiff and the judge, the MSS. and proofs were admitted to be legible and reasonably free from erasure or altera- tion.  ## p. 273 (#285) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. 273 The judge was of opinion that the charge made by the plaintiff was too great in proportion to the estimate given, and, in addition, that if extra costs were involved in printing and revision, the defendant should have been warned of such extra costs. Judgment was given for the plaintiff for .£13. VII.—Yeatman v. The Saturday Review. The case of Yeatman v. Harris and Others came before the Court of Appeal on April 12 and 13, on the application of the plaintiff for judg- ment or new trial on appeal from the verdict and judgment of Feb. 15 last, at a trial before the Lord Chief Justice and a special jury in the Queen's Bench Division. In this case the plaintiff, Mr. John Pym Yeatman, barrister and author, claimed to recover from Mr. Harris, as the former editor of the Saturday Review, and from Mr. F. W. Sabin, as the publisher, and from Messrs. Spottiswoode, as the printers of the journal, damages for alleged libels published in 1874, 1896, 1897, and 1898. The first alleged libel was in the criticism of a book written by the plaintiff, called " A History of the Common Law of Great Britain and Gaul," one of the statements being: "Mr. Yeatman would most likely, under any cir- cumstances, have written nonsense, if he wrote anything at all. His book is wild and worthless." The next libel arose on the publication of a book in 1896—"The Gentle Shakespeare: a Vindica- tion "—which the Saturday Review described as "a rival in absurdity to the cryptogram of Mr. Ignatius Donelly," as "miserable twaddle," and "an insult to literature." The third libel (which Mr. Yeatman said was the most serious, and injured him in his profession of a barrister) appeared on May 8, 1897, stating: "The Bar had its annual general meeting on Tuesday, and we notice without much surprise that those gather- ings at Lincoln's-inn are becoming more and more a kind of debating society for the cranks of the profession." The jury found that none of the articles were libellous or exceeded the limit of fair criticism, and judgment was entered accordingly; hence the present appeal. In giving judgment, Lord Justice Smith (Lords Justices Collins and Romer concurring) said there was no ground for granting the application, and the appeal would be dismissed with costs. VIII.—Musical Copyright. (Chancery Division—Before Mr. Justice Stirling.) BOOSEY V. WHIGHT. This case raised a novel and interesting point under the Musical Copyright Act. Mr. Butcher, Q.C., and Mr. Scrutton apppeared for the plain- tiffs, and Mr. Cutler, Q.C., Mr. Moulton, Q.C., Mr. Terrell, Q.C., and Mr. Eustace Smith repre- sented the defendants. The plaintiffs are well-known music publishers, and they ask for an injunction to restrain the defendants from infringing their copyright in three songs, "My Lady's Bower," "The Better Land," and " The Holy City." The defendants are the sellers of a musical instrument called the "jEolian," which is played by means of wind admitted to pipes or reeds through perforations in sheets of paper. The plaintiffs' case was that these perforated sheets were, in fact, records of the musical compositions in question, by means of which the music could be reproduced with a certain amount of human intelligence, and that they constituted an infringement of their copy- right in such compositions. The case turned to a considerable extent upon the construction of the Copyright Act, 1842. That Act gives pro- tection to copyright in books, and by its interpre- tation clause defines a book as meaning and including {inter alia) "a sheet of music"; and the question was whether the perforated rolls of paper used by the defendants in their instruments were "sheets of music" within the Act. The defendants had obtained the evidence of various musicians and others to prove that the perforated rolls could not be read as music, and conveyed to the minds of the witnesses no impression of music. The judge, having heard the arguments at length some weeks ago, reserved his judgment, which he now delivered. Having dealt with the facts of the case, and the evidence adduced at the trial, he said the question turned upon the con- struction to be put upon the Copyright Act, 1842, and the point was whether these perforated sheets of paper were "sheets of music" within the meaning of that Act. Although he was not prepared to say that the perforation alone amounted to an infringement, he came to the conclusion that inasmuch as the words intimat- ing the time, and the sign denoting the key, appeared on the paper as on plaintiffs' music, the sheets, taken as a whole, amounted to an infringe- ment. He would, therefore, grant an injunction restraining the defendants from continuing to publish these sheets in their present form, viz., with any words or signs which appeared on the plaintiffs' music. With regard to the perfora-  ## p. 274 (#286) ############################################ 274 THE AUTHOR. tion alone he did not say whether that was an infringement. Judgment accordingly. IX.—Agreements, with Comments. In all cases in which publishers' agreements are printed and commented on in The Author a copy of the paper will henceforth be sent to the firm concerned, accompanied by a letter drawing their attention to the comments and offering them the opportunity of making any reply in The Author in case they should desire to do so. Agreement. Agreement made this day of between of (hereinafter called the "Author ") of the one part, and Messrs. of (hereinafter called the " Publishers ") of the other part, as follows: 1. The author agrees to transfer to the publishers all his copyrights and his other rights in a novel written by him and at present entitled , and the publishers agree to pub- lish the said novel in one volume form, and to use their best endeavours to make the same successful. 2. All expenses of production, advertising, and setting the ■aid novel shall be undertaken by the publishers, who shall be entitled to sell 500 copies of the said novel for their own benefit and without accounting therefor. Subject thereto the publishers agree to pay to the author one-half of all profits which they may derive from the publication and sale of the said book after deducting all expenses incurred in producing, publishing, selling, and advertising the same. It is agreed that as part of the expenses as aforesaid the pub- lishers shall be at liberty to include 5 per cent on the income from sales in lieu of specific charges for carriages, bookings, insurance, postages, travelling expenses, and establishment expenses for which no other charge is to be made. 3. The publishers shall have discretion as to the number and destination of presentation copies for the Press or other- wise, with a view of helping sales, but they shall on publi- cation of the book deliver to the author six presentation copies. 4. The publishers shall make up accounts to Dec. 31 and June 30 in each year, and settle the same with the author within three months after tboee dates. 5. The author undertakes to keep the publishers indem- nified against all actions or claims which may be brought or made against or upon them by reason of the said novel con- taining any libellous or slanderous matter. 6. The author agrees to give the publishers the first offer of the next long novel to be written by him, and which shall exceed 60,000 words in length, on the same terms as are contained in this agreement, with the exception that the publishers shall not in the case of such new book be entitled to 500 or any free copies (except presentation copies for the author and review and for influencing sales). The said offer shall be made by the author submitting the MS. of the said novel to the publishers, and allowing them one month after such submission within which to accept or decline the same. The first clause in this agreement is entirely to the disadvantage of the author. No author should under any circumstances transfer the copyright in a book to a publisher. In the case of technical books, scientific books, scholastic books, such transfer is quite disastrous. The agreement above quoted, however, is for the pub- lication of a work of fiction. If the author is ill-advised enough to transfer the copyright he should protect himself against the publication of the book in an altered form, against the sup- pression of his book, and against the suppression of his name. These are all-important points. In the first clause the publishers agree to publish the said novel, but do not undertake to do so by any specified time, and as they hold the copyright they are practically masters of the situation. It may be argued that if a publisher holds the copy- right of a book he would be a fool if he did not publish it, but cases have occurred where a pub- lisher holding the copyright has delayed publi- cation for various reasons for a couple of years. During this time the author naturally is unwilling to bring out another book to interfere with the copyright that the publisher holds. Clause 1, therefore, is an exceedingly bad clause from the author's point of view. (1.) As he transfers his copyright. (2.) As the publisher is not bound to produce the book by a certain date; and (3.) he is not bound to produce more than 500 copies, and therefore it is possible that the author might obtain no profit at all (see next clause). Clause 2 is an exceedingly bad clause from an author's point of view, whether the book is a first book or otherwise. It is sometimes the case that in a royalty agreement the publisher with- holds the payment of royalty till after the sale of 500 copies and then gives a proportionately high royalty to the author. It is sometimes worth the author's while to accept an agreement of this kind rather than not have his book published at all. The publisher, however, in the present agreement has a profit-sharing arrange- ment with the result that not only does he get 500 copies free to himself, but he gets half the cost of production of this 500 copies also paid for by the author. So much for the 500 to the publisher. It is only necessary to repeat what has so often and so urgently been put forward in The Author: that a half-profit arrangement under any circumstances is a bad one for the author, as inclined to lead to disputes and dissatisfaction from the complicated statements of accounts and from the small division of profits (if any) that generally accrues. The latter part of the same clause is against the author, as if the publisher is entitled to charge a percentage to cover his expenses the author ought to be entitled to make the same charge. Finally, with regard to clause 2, the author has no chance of checking beforehand the probable cost of production and no control whatever over the amount to be spent on adver-  ## p. 275 (#287) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. 275 tising or where these advertisements are to appear. This simple reliance of the author on the arrangement has been mentioned over and over again and must still be insisted upon. Clause 3 is also bad as far as the permission given to the publisher is concerned. The number of free copies should be limited. The account clause is a reasonable one, and so is clause 5, but the 6th clause is again a disas- trous clause for the author. To bind oneself to a publisher for another book is at all times a very dangerous matter. If the publisher treats an author fairly in the first instance he -would know that the author would return to him with his second book, but when a publisher obtains the signature of an author to an agreement, such as the one printed above, he may be sure that if in the meantime the author seeks advice he will not return to him with a second book unless he binds the author in the manner shown in clause 6. That the author should be bound on the same terms as for the first book with the exception of the 500 copies makes the matter worse. It may be pointed out generally that there is nothing said about American rights, Colonial rights, translation rights, serial rights, and all other rights, with the exception that the publisher holds these. If, therefore, he sells these rights he will share the profits with the author. A great many of these rights are sold merely by writing a letter. In other words, they are rights outside the publi- cation of the book in England, and as such are generally treated by agents, who charge 10 per cent. on the amounts received. Here, however, the publisher obtains 50 per cent.; a very unwise arrangement from the author's point of view. This is an additional argument against selling the copyright. It is no wonder that publishers cry out against agents who desire to take 10 per cent., when the publisher for doing the same work secures 50 per cent. The financial result of this agreement was as follows: The cost of production on the debit side was £120 2s. gd. for an edition of 1500 copies. In this is included the ordinary items of com- posing, machining, printing, corrections, and binding. In addition we find the following in- cluded: £ s. d. Brass binding blocks 2 12 6 Printing 500 show cards 1 7 6 Printing 5000 leaflets 0 9 4 Mounting and composing 8 stereos ... 0 8 0 Making up and printing from red forme 012 6 Design for cover 2 2 0 The sales of the book on the credit side as follows: £ < 1 at 3*. icxf o 9 at 6s. net 2 1 65/60 at 4*. f less 12$ per cent. 182/168 at 4s. 2d. I discount 52/48 at 4*. fleas 10 per cent 93/86 at. 4*. 2d. I trade discount 44/41 at 4*. fless 5 per cent. 52/48 at 4* 2d. \ trade discount d. 10 o 41 24 15 4 17 5 10 86 1 6 And the second account was as follows: JE s. d. 4 at 6s 1 4 0 104 at 48. 2d. Hess 10 per cent.) 20 5 2 13/12 at 4*. ( discount ) * 52/48 at 4*. 2d. less 12% per cent. disct. 815 0 78/72 at 4*. 2d. (less 5 per cent.) l 1Q 39/36 at 4*. ( discount ) 0 6 137 5 .6 The total represents a sale of 788 copies realis- ing the above figures—the sum of .£137 5*. 6d. The average price, therefore, is, as nearly as possible, 3*. 6d., so that the estimate given in these columns of 3*. 6d. as an average price is proved to be correct as regards this book. The 500 copies taken by the publisher must also be added. In the end, the publisher takes nearly £100, and the author ,£5 2s. gd. The result of this arrangement is, therefore, a most unsatisfactory one for the author, and in addition the author has bound himself for the next book to the same publisher. THE SIXPENNY BOOK. 7 11 10 VOL. IX. "T KNOW a man in my business," a book- I seller wrote the other day," who gets through 1000 copies of sixpenny novels every week. Nobody buys any other book. It seems as if the rest of the books are useless. He makes id. on each, or £4 3*. 46?. a week out of these novels. And his rent is .£i0 a week. How long will he last?" If we look at the bookstall of the nearest railway station we shall find it covered and loaded with the sixpenny novel. There is an increasing disposition, to limit the purchase of a book to the single 6d. The greater number of these books are either non-copyright books or books belonging to the o g  ## p. 276 (#288) ############################################ 276 THE AUTHOR. publisher; those, namely, on which he has no royalty to pay. If there is any royalty it is generally about Id. on each copy, or £2 10s. for every 1000 copies. The book costs, say, about 2\d. to produce. Therefore on a sale of 30,000 copies we have approximately:— (1.) The author receives .£75. . (2.) The bookseller receives .£125. (3.) The publisher receives .£112. But a sale of 30,000 copies is high. As far as the author is concerned, if his new book was brought out at 6*., on even a 15 per cent. royalty, he would make more by a sale of 1700 copies. The questions which arise on this subject are many:— (1.) Would a successful writer do better or worse by coming out at 6d.? The class of persons who can read with pleasure the work of an educated writer is comparatively small, though it is growing and increasing rapidly. Outside this number no one buys a book of this kind, however cheap. Now, this class manages to read, either by borrowing, or lending, or buying, most of the popular works of the day in every branch. If this class can read a book by borrowing, it will do so rather than buy it. And this whether it is priced at 6d. or 6*. It is undoubted that many popular books sell in great quantities at 6d. But it is very doubtful whether this advantage is not a real loss compared with a book published at a higher price. If, for instance, Mr. Hall Caine's "Christian," which reached 180,000 copies, had been sold at sixpence, it may be calculated approximately that the author would have been a loser supposing his royalty on the sixpenny book to have been one penny, unless four million copies at least had been sold. Or, if we take a calculation of 10,000 sold, and a royalty of only 20 per cent., or on the six- penny book, the author would be a loser unless 240,000 copies were sold. (2.) What effect will this cheapening of fictioD produce in other ways? It will make people unwilling to pay for a novel more than 6d. It will lead them to believe that the normal price for all books must be 6d. It will necessitate the production of high-priced books for the libraries, and for the limited class who will continue to give a high price. It will make the present stock of six-shilling books practically unsaleable. It will probably complete the ruin of the country bookseller. It will with equal probability injure the whole trade of publishing very severely. It will lower the character and dignity of litera- ture, because what can be obtained for a few pence—badly printed; on cheap paper; read and then thrown away—will be valued at the mental equivalent for a few pence. This is proved by the history of the pirated book in America. An opportune article in Literature, for April 15, called'attention to the serious danger which is threatening everybody concerned with the produc- tion and the circulation of literature. The figures given by the writer do not altogether agree with those given here, but they serve to show the magnitude of the danger. Can anything be done? The public will buy for 6d. rather than 6s.—that is certain. It is also certain that the present price of 6*. or 4*. 6d. is too high. Publishers can do what they please with their own property—though they will not allow the same privilege to booksellers; and if they go on producing sixpenny books—their own property— all that authors can do is to protest, and to hope that the dangers which now seem so threatening; will either prove illusory, or may end in disaster quickly, so that we may learn whether the new method is wisdom or madness. A writer in the Daily News of April 8 gives, on the other hand, a different estimate of the sixpenny book. Literature at this price, he says, opens up an entirely new field of readers; people who would never think of buying a six-shilling book. At the same time, the circulation of the sixpenny edition is calculated, he thinks, to stimulate the demand for the more expensive one; and as sixpenny editions are, at least in some cases, not reprinted, people who have heard the book talked of and seen it read by the sixpenny public, are obliged then to buy the six-shilling edition if they only apply after the sixpenny one is for ever exhausted. But while on the whole the sixpenny novel pays, there is one deserving individual who is hit very hard by it— the small bookseller. "The town bookseller is quite content." Is he? But see above. "He can order his thousands and make them pay. But there are hundreds of suburban booksellers in London whose struggle for existence grows keener every day." One of these spoke of a book for which, at its first appearance at 6s., there was "a wonderful demand :— We sold at least one copy every day—one day we sold seven. Then, about Christmas, the publishers announced a sixpenny edition. The sixpenny edition is only just out, but during the last ten weeks we have only sold two copies of the book. That is how the sixpenny copyright novel affects us. It is no use our trying to sell them. What with disoount, the drapers, and the sixpenny novels, the small booksellers are on the road to ruin.  ## p. 277 (#289) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. 277 In reply to the opinion of the Daily News one asks if cheap books do open up new fields of readers, or if they only offer the chance of buying cheaply what would otherwise have been borrowed of a library? One may also entertain the gravest doubts as to the stimulating effect of the sixpenny book. The general experience is that if anything is offered at sixpence people will never afterwards give six shillings for it. And the preceding remarks answer the opinion as to the contented town bookseller. SECRET COMMISSIONS AND SECRET PROFITS. AT the monthly dinner of the London Chamber of Commerce Lord Russell of Killowen spoke on secret commissions and his promised Bill. He said:—" There was no reason in the world why men should not stipulate for any manner of compensation or commission they might choose, provided always that it was open and above board. Therefore let no one for a moment think that the provisions of his Bill were of so drastic a kind that they could possibly act with undue severity or harsh- ness upon any outspoken honest man. . . . His own interest in this question dated far back in his professional years, and he had known many sad instances of the evils resulting from the prevailing system—evils not stopping short at the receipt of commissions, but branching out into an actual course of crime. . . . But the thing that was so disgusting in this country was to find men belonging to the learned professions taking these secret commissions. Was it not intolerable to be told that medical practitioners—he was not attacking these profes- sional men as a whole, for these cases were the exceptions—would write a prescription and had a secret arrangement that the druggist should give him 25 per cent. on the amount of the drugs? Was it not disgusting to be teld, as a fact, that if a doctor recommended a particular undertaker he got a slice of the undertaker's business? Anyone who had taken the trouble to look into the matter would know that these were facts. They were exceptions—he hoped rare exceptions; but where this moral corruption existed it blunted the sense of honour and of honesty. Not only w.as it morally detrimental to those who took part in it, demoralising to individuals and, in part, to the community, but unjust and unfair to men who maintained a high standard of probity and of honour." How would these remarks applr to secret profits made by one party to an agreenrofit or the other? Let us imagine that Lord Russell was speaking of secret profits. "There was no reason in the world why men should not stipulate for any manner of discount or commission they might choose, provided always that it was open and above board. It would be for the other side to accept or to refuse. . . . His own interest in this question dated far back in his professional years, and he had known many sad instances of the evils resulting from the prevailing system—evils not stopping short at the secret receipt of discount, but branching out into charging for advertisements which cost nothing, and alleged expenses not incurred. . . . The thing that was so disgusting was to find men received into clubs as honourable gentlemen taking these secret profits and making their charges. . . . When this moral corruption existed it blunted the sense of honour and of honesty. Not only was it morally detrimental to those who took part in it, demoralising to the individuals concerned, and demoralising to the cause of literature, but it was unjust and unfair to those who maintained a high standard of probity and of honour." The question has been already asked whether Lord Russell's Bill will include all kinds of secret profits, and, therefore, the practice now openly advocated by the committee of the Pub- lishers' Association. If, as it is hoped, it proves to include this practice, it will stamp the prac- tice with legal penalties and greatly discourage the persons who practise, or continue to advocate, the taking of secret profits, or the charge of moneys not spent. For this reason the Society should regard Lord Russell's Bill with consider- able interest. THE STORY-TELLING REVIEWER. AT the annual meeting of our Society I called attention to the somewhat common practice of giving in a review an outline of the plot, or, in the slang of the day, of "giving away" the story. That this was done without the least desire to injure the author's or publisher's inte- rests in the book I had no doubt whatever; and I also had no doubt that the practice did in many instances materially injure the sales of a book. I pointed out that editors were literary men themselves, that they had a fellow feeling for authors generally, and that some at least of them, if a representation on the subject were made by the Committee, would be certain to meet the wishes of authors. I also pointed out that, if we offered a book for review, we could not com- plain" if it was condemned and severely handled;  ## p. 278 (#290) ############################################ 278 THE AUTHOR. but we might, I thought, justly complain if the leading features of the plot, and particularly its termination, were described, and the interest of possible readers materially lessened. It was quite evident that these few remarks met with general approval among the fifty or sixty authors present, and the matter ended by an understanding that the question would be dis- cussed by our Committee, which would very possibly communicate with the principal editors on the subject. I am not aware that this has been done, and I have been asked by the Com- mittee to deal with the subject in The Author This I gladly do; at the same time, wishing that the matter had been placed in the hands of a novelist of greater standing than myself, and preferably one who had more reason to complain of reviewers than I who have been almost invari- ably treated with the greatest kindness and consideration. Now and again one gets a spite- ful review, for there are among reviewers and critics men lacking the high principles so requi- site in their branch of literary work, just as there are, I regret to admit, authors and publishers who lack those high principles which are so eminently desirable in all that pertains to our craft. I have sometimes thought that reviews of the kind I am more particula rly referring to—perhaps they should more properly be termed "notices" —are often written by men in all kindness to the author. "Here is a book," I can imagine the critic saying, "which is neither very good nor very bad. It is evidently the work of an inex- perienced hand. I will not help to ruin a young author's prospects by too severely condemning him. I will simply give the readers of the paper in which my review appears a good idea of the contents of the book, and they can read it or leave it unread, as they think proper." Then he writes something in this fashion: "From Messrs. Short and Rigby we have received Mr. John Jones's new novel of Welsh life. Many persons will doubtless read it with interest. The first chapter opens with. . . ." Then he mentions all the characters, describes as briefly as he can what part they take in the story, and very likely ends by saying " Vice is defeated, Virtue is triumphant, the hero and heroine are united, and everyone is as happy as marriage bells." For books which depend upon plot and inci- dent for their interest, such a " review" is almost fatal. In the case of those novels, the literary merit of which lies in wit, epigram, and analysis of character, many novel readers would be deterred from ordering the book if, from some notice they have read in the paper, it seemed to lack plot. Some modern works of considerable merit contain hardly any plot at all, and m«rely to give a brief outline of their contents creates a very false impression concerning them. To take the opposite case of books of consider- able length, crammed full of incident, and written round a most elaborate plot: here the reviewer who tries to tell the story in brief, necessarily fails, owing to limitations of space, and does the author an injustice. So much for one side of the picture. On the other hand, there are numbers of reviewers who, very likely from being authors themselves, are as fully alive to the effect of telling the whole story as is any novelist. It is quite a common thing to find a review terminating with some such words as these: "To tell more of the story would be unfair to the author." There are some novelists, it is said, who like to have their story told in the revi ,w. I have a difliculty in believing that they really approve of the entire plot being disclosed, from page 1 to the end. Possibly they mean a description of the story just a little short of this. However, we have in The Author a means of communication which will enable such points to be cleared up. In conclusion, may I express a hope that the few lines I have written on the subject may not be misunderstood? I am quite prepared to have it stated that I have made an attempt to teach reviewers their business. Though it has fallen to my lot to write many reviews, I should be extremely sorry to have this said. I have no complaint to make of reviews, but of the notice which consists of a description of the plot, and is, in very truth, not a review at all. I believe newspaper readers, as well as authors, object to have books noticed in this manner. I once heard a lady say: "I was going to get Mr. 's book from the library, but I read the whole of the story in the Daily Post, and after that I didn't care to read the book." This may be the case with many novel readers. When asking people how they like a book, I often get the reply, "Oh! I really haven't read it, but I get a very good idea of it from the review in the Morning Blazer." John Bickerdyke. PARIS NOTES. THE acquittal of Mme. Chabrie-, whose private information had been utilised without her sanction in a series of Press articles by M. Gaston Mery {Libre Parole), and of M. Urbain Gohier, whose recent publication, "L'Armee contre la Nation," had awakened the censorship of the authorities, shows that the French nation at large is awar* «f the primary importance of a  ## p. 279 (#291) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. free Press. The trial of M. G-ohier aroused great interest, since its issue embraced the solution of an important point closely affecting the prosperity of the country—viz., the liberty of the individual French writer to criticise the tactics of his military chiefs. After numerous quotations from the approved works of writers as diverse as MM. de Cassagnac, Drumont, Rochefort, Jules Lemaitre, Francois Coppee, and Georges Courte- line, who were each in turn proved to have pro- pagated seditious doctrine on this head, Me. Clemenceau, counsel for the accused, boldly declared M. Gohier's criticisms to be salutary to the true interests of the French Army. He maintained that his client attacked no one without furnishing proof of their malversation; if his tone in so doing appeared occasionally violent, it must be attributed to the fact that the work in question was compiled from journalistic articles—for the journalist resembled the pilot, in order to be heard he was forced to have recourse to a speaking trumpet. Me. Clemenceau con- cluded his defence by expressing a fervent hope that other writers would follow the example of his client, this "troubler of apothesises "—since France would thus be preserved from inscribing a second time in her annals dates as shameful as those of Sedan, Metz, Paris. The burst of enthu- siastic bravos and loud outcries of 'Vive Gohier '." which greeted the verdict of acquittal preceded by this eloquent peroration gave palpable proof that jury and populace were in accord in resenting this side attack on the liberty of the individual thinker. The election of M. Marcel Prevost to the pre- sidency of the Socie'te' des Gens de Lettres was flatteringly unanimous, comprising a majority of twenty votes against three, of which latter two were blanks. At the previous meeting, in which M. Henry Houssaye had resigned the same dignity owing to his term of office having expired, a rather stormy scene took place. After having announced that the meeting was convoked to replace the eight members whose term of office had expired and also to fill the place left vacant by the death of the late regretted Albert Bataille —in all, nine members—M. Brau de Saint-Pol- Lias continued, " Or rather ten members, since our rules permit us to erase the name of any person who has failed to attend six consecutive meetings. Now, there is a member who has failed in attending more than six meetings. . . ." Although no name was mentioned, everyone was aware at whom these remarks were aimed. M. Armand Charpentier cried loudly " Vive Zola!" while the majority of members present pro- tested against any question of party politics being introduced. On taking possession of the fauteuil vacated by M. Houssaye, M. Provost adroitly stated his opinion on the subject in sketching out the attitude he desired the Society to adopt. "Even before being a kind of literary club," said he, "we are a commercial society, a mutual-aid society. Our political opinions should be mute here, though free. If liberty of thought were ever proscribed it would belong to us, men of letters, to offer it an asylum in our midst. This tolerance is our honour. When one of our comrades has worked, has written books by which our Society has profited, no matter in what measure, in providing pensions for its superannuated and assistance for its indigent members; when this comrade has taken his seat at our table, has aided us with his energy and effort; if the day comes when he finds himself exposed to the vicissitudes of public opinion—we owe it to him, we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to true literature and French tradition, not to excite the crowd against him, not to throw stones against him with the hands he has clasped." This generous speech excited warm applause. The nomination of office-bearers for the present year then took place, M. Henry Houssaye being elected honorary president and MM. Lafargue and de Larmandie vice-presidents. Three new members were likewise admitted to the Society, of whom two were women; and it is more than rumoured that a project was on foot to demand the admis- sion of feminine members to the committee of the Society. The ladies, however, not wishing that two irritating topics should be broached on the same day, magnanimously agreed to defer all allusion to the subject until the following meeting. Its first introduction will, doubt- less, be hotly combated and criticised, but the eventual triumph of the fair sex is a foregone conclusion. The death of Mme. Clesinger, daughter of George Sand, has again brought the latter's name prominently before the public in the daily papers. Later evidence has satisfactorily vindicated the grave charge brought against Mme. Sand by her contemporaries of having forced her daughter to accept her own discarded lover, Clesinger, as a husband. Mme. Clesinger was the author of one or two novels of inferior merit, and in no wise inherited her mother's literary talent. Their appearance was as dissimilar as their characters were antagonistic. Solange Cle'singer-Sand had a masculine type of countenance, an arched nose, and a frank, almost audacious expression; her figure was admirably proportioned, and she was not lacking in wit. Several years after her sepa- ration from her husband she inhabited a small suite of rooms in the Rue Taitbout, and among the intimate friends who frequented her society  ## p. 280 (#292) ############################################ 280 THE AUTHOR. may be mentioned Gambetta, Ferry, Laferriere, Edouard Herve, Weiss, Taine, Henry Fouquier, Floquet, and Bethmont. She died at her castle of Montgivray, and was buried beside her mother. M. Maurice Eollinat is now engaged in revising the proofs of the new volume of poems he intends publishing shortly. M. Rollinat is a fervent student and admirer of the works of George Sand and Edgar Poe. He is, likewise, a most infatuated angler, and not even the red ribbon which the Government bestowed on him in 1895 has sufficed to wean him from pursuing his favourite pastime. To Mme. Sarah Bernhardt belongs the honour of having discovered this ichthyophagistic rhymester. The Soci^te des Gens de Lettres has confided to M. Falguiere the execution of the statue of Balzac, to be exhibited at the next Salon. The bust of M. Henri Houssaye, the work of Mlle. Aim-lie Colombie, will be exhibited on the same occasion; the latter is reported to be an excellent reproduction of the features of the great his- torian. It is further proposed to celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of Racine by the inauguration of two busts, viz:, that of Pascal at St. Etienne du Mont and that of Racine on the ruins of Port Royal. The project of erecting a reduced replica of Guy de Maupassant's monu- ment at Paris (pare Monceau) in the square of his native town of Rouen has met with universal sympathy, the artists engaged on the work re- fusing all remuneration beyond the actual cost of labour and material employed. The unveiling of the new monument will take place next month; it will stand in the middle of a small green sward, opposite Chapu's medallion of Flaubert, the friend and master of Guy de Maupassant. At the recent International Press Congress at Rome Italy was, of course, so far first in the field as regards the number of her representatives as to be quite out of the running. Among foreign countries France carried off the palm numerically, being represented by no less than eighty-seven delegates, in addition to twenty-five wives and daughters of delegates. Germany stood second on the list, having sent forty-six representatives, Austria third, Hungary fourth, Belgium fifth, and England sixth, while the United States shared the seventh place with Sweden and Portugal, each of the three last-named countries being represented by ten delegates. The "English mania" that is so frequently deplored by the French writers of the present day is steadily invading the Parisian stage. Shakespeare has evidently come to btay, despite M. Fouquier's assertions to the contrary, and his "Beaucoup de bruit pour rien " now adorns the programme of the Opera Comique; the Ambigu- Comique gives us " Les Chevaliers du Brouillard," a play adapted from one of Ainsworth's novels and in the salle of the Societes savantes we find "Betsey," an English play in three acts by Mr. Burnand. Apropos of theatrical literature, M. Bergerat's new play, "Plus que Reine," is sharing the fate of its literary predecessors, "Le Lys Rouge," " Le Coupable," &c, viz., it bores the public. After having heralded its advent with a fanfaronade of extravagant panegyric, the critics are now harking back on their first judgment, and discovering that the play lacks cohesion, historical accuracy, and dramatic verve. They are likewise shocked at seeing Mme. Jane Hading represent the Creole Josephine in a blonde wig, and scandalised at finding Napoleon's costume inoorrect in sundry details. This failure only bears out our previous assertion regarding the fallacy of believing that a dramatic and a literary talent were concomitant attributes. Translations of modern English literature are largely patronised here. In addition to devoting several columns to appreciating the works and style of Rudyard Kipling—" prince de la ballade et roi du conte "—the Annales lately endeavoured to give a specimen of the latter by publishing a translation of his " White Seal." Although more justly rendered than we had imagined possible, it was nevertheless a very flat narrative in compari- son with the brilliant originality of the English version; yet, even under these favourable circum- stances, we were unable to detect the analogy the French critics have discovered to exist between the style of Pierre Loti and that of Rudyard Kipling. The death of Mme. Michelet, nie Athemas Mialaret, widow of the great historian, has occasioned the publication of some of the letters which passed between them before the idea of matrimony was entertained by either. The whole story reads like a romance. Early left an orphan and forced by the improvidence of her parents to earn her livelihood, Mlle. Mialaret accepted the post of governess in a private family at Vienna. The indifferent kindness meted out to her by her employers failed to satisfy her moral and intellectual requirements. She fell into a state of profound melancholy. At this juncture in her career she chanced to read one of Michelet's works entitled "Le Pretre." It touched her so profoundly that she wrote to the author, confiding to him her mental and moral distress. He replied by an admirable letter to which she gratefully responded; and when a few months later her failing health forced her to return to the milder climate of Paris, the acquaintance commenced on paper speedily ripened into a warmer sentiment than-  ## p. 281 (#293) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. 281 platonic friendship and esteem. The affection was mutual, though the great historian was in his fifty-second and theyoung governess in her twenty- third year at the date of their union. Neverthe- less the marriage proved an extremely happy one; and during the twenty-five years that elapsed between her husband's and her own death Mme. Michelet lived devoted to his memory. For years she refused to have any renovations made in the suite of rooms they had occupied together; finally, she consented to permit certain necessary repairs, though still refusing to quit the premises. She caught cold through sleeping in the midst of the damp plaster, and died eight days later from a violent attack of pleurisy. She had reached the ripe age of seventy-two years, and was a graceful and sympathetic writer. The recently published memoirs of Alfred de Musset by his old housekeeper, Mme. Adele Colin- Martellet, contain much interesting matter. Among other anecdotes she narrates that the poet had a little dog, named Marzo, to whom he was greatly attached. When his master died Marzo believed him only absent, and every evening patiently awaited him at the accustomed hour. For seven years Marzo nightly waited thus, at the end of which time the poor little fellow died with his eyes fixed on the door by which he still fondly hoped to see his master enter. Mme. Martellet's husband carried off the small corpse intending to inter it in one of the adjacent plots of waste land. At the corner of the rue Boileau he came across a companv of workmen engaged in making a new road and there deposited Marzo's remains, covering them with several shovelfuls of earth. By curious coincidence this new street is to-day known as the rue de Musset. During the past month French literature has registered the following deaths in addition to those above cited, viz., that of M. Erckmann, who, in collaboration with M. Chatrian, wrote the famous series of tales, respectively entitled "Waterloo," "1'Ami Fritz," "l'lllustre Docteur Mathews," "Madame Therese," "Blocus," "Souvenirs d'un homme du peuple." &c., and whose character sketches were so just and fine that the phrase—" C'est un personnage d'Erck- mann-Chatrian "—has passed into current usage; of M. Paul Bonnetain, Government commissioner, author of several original and interesting novels, respectively entitled "Passagere," "le Tour du monde d'un troupier," "Au Tonkin," "le Journal d'un marsouin," &c.; of M. Paul Mahalin, who gained notoriety as a master of the "roman- feuilleton " genre; of M. Vaucheret, who, under the pseudonym of Jean Bruno, has for almost fifty years been a prolific contributor to the fiction column of numerous periodicals; and of M. Berthold Zeller, Professor of History at the Sor- bonne, and author of numerous important his- torical works which have each successively had the honour of being "couronne par l'Academie fran9aise." Darracotte Dene. NOTES AND NEWS. THE annual dinner of the Royal Literary Fund was duly held, and the usual hat went round in the familiar manner. The chairman, according to the only report that I have read, seems to have refrained very wisely from advocating the necessity of increasing the income of the society on account of increasing demands. On the other hand, he did not represent—the statement would certainly have chilled the gene- rosity of the charitable—the fact that the Council cannot spend on deserving cases one half of their present income. Nor can I believe that all the donations which were announced—to the amount of .£ii50—would have been contributed had the donors realised or understood this broad fact, which is, that the Royal Literary Fund has at last got quite enough money for its present wants. If its resources should prove insufficient, there is no doubt that more money would be forthcoming. As is pointed out in another column, there is reason to fear that there may be an increase in the demands should the sixpenny book kill the profession of literature; but there is still time to provide against that catastrophe. Meantime, the subject may rest until next February, when I hope that the point may be seriously and officially advanced. This year it was asked too late. It will take the form of a plain question: Why does the Council ask for more money when the present income is more than double the amount of the calls made upon it? nic> A writer in Literature says that although I maintain that the capital sum invested by the Royal Literary Fund is sufficient to meet all demands likely to be made upon it—a contention which is proved by the report—I also ask that the Civil Pension Grant shall be confined to persons distinguished in literature, science, and art, " which seems to indicate," I read," that he is not always, equally sure of the prosperity of men of letters." I fail to perceive this indica- tion. Besides, if my critic would only read further he would, I think, discover that I ask for a substitution in place of the words "or other persons worthy of Her Majesty's bounty," the words "or widows or daughters of persons so  ## p. 282 (#294) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. distinguished." This I propose in order that the practice now common in the administration of this grant should be recognised by a resolution of Parliament, and that the widows of persons dis- tinguished in literature, science, or art, should be legally entitled to receive these pensions, but not the widows of Colonial Governors or other deserving and distinguished persons. But the Grant and the Fund have nothing to do with each other. The former gives pensions: the latter gives temporary relief. Without any reference to the former, it is proved that the latter could only find last year twenty-two distressed men or women of letters. Only twenty-two out of the thousands who live by the pen! This fact is to my mind a very signal proof— one not to be disputed—of the general welfare of the Folk of Letters. It is now a numerous Folk: they are legion: and out of so many there are only twenty-two deserving cases: not one turned away from want of funds; and .£2000 invested out of income. In face of all the facts I can no longer admit that the profession is precarious, any more than any other profession. Of course, there is risk of ill-success in every profession, but less risk, given the natural aptitude, which is of course necessary, than in any other. Why is this contention, which has been advanced on several occasions, called " optimist"? Why is it always received with a strange unwillingness and a still stranger dislike? The only reason that I can discover is that it upsets a rooted tradition, and to tear up old traditions makes people uncomfor- table. Authors, we have always been taught, are a beggarly company. Grub Street even parades its rags. Well: but where is Grub Street r Show those rags. Produce those beggars. Are they in the clubs? There are literary men by the hundred in the Athenaeum, the Savile, the Authors', the Savage, the Garrick, and other clubs. They sit down with the other men, and, appar- ently, they can pay for their dinners: they present an outward show of broadcloth: they even wear gloves: they preserve an appearance of solvency: one might take them for City men. They seldom become bankrupt; I remember only one or two cases of the bankruptcy of a literary man. At this moment, while I know writers who would like to make more by their pen, I doubt if I know one who has had occasion to go to the Royal Literary Fund. There may be, and very likely are, people who would like above all things to be men or women of letters. One can hardly call persons followers of literature who have attempted and proved incompetent. A man is not a poet who has produced a volume of feeble rhyme. Again, there is an excellent reason why Literature is a much less precarious profession than Medicine or either branch of the Law; namely, that it has so many branches. And, as I said before, they overlap each other. If one may, without offence, produce examples, I need go no farther than the accomplished editor of Literature himself, who is historian, poet, essayist, critic, and editor: I might point out Mr. W. E. Henley, poet, biographer, editor, and dramatist: Mr. J. M. Barrie, essayist, novelist, and dramatist: Dr. Conan Doyle, novelist, poet, and dramatist: the late William Biack, jour- nalist and novelist: Mr. Andrew Lang, scholar, poet, novelist, historian, journalist, and critic: Mr. Justin McCarthy, novelist and historian. It may be objected that I am taking extreme cases. They are certainly cases of successful writers. But these cases illustrate my position, viz., that if a man proves himself able to write (if he is an attractive writer) a scholar and an authority, there is certainly no other profession in which he would be so safe. The chief danger is that common to every profession, that a man's health may break down; there is also the danger that, for some reason or other, he may lose his charm. Anthony Trollope lost his charm at the end, or seemed to do so; but he kept it till much past sixty. This also is a danger in every other profession. Literature, I repeat, is no longer a precarious profession—if the candidate possesses the natural aptitude. Cannot the same thing be said of every other profession? Does a lawyer succeed who is no lawyer? Let me turn over two or three leaves, at random, of that useful annual with the wonderful name of "Who's Who." Here are a few examples: (1) Novelist, humourist, journalist: (2) story-teller, journalist, caricaturist: (3) preacher, theologian, scholar: (4) novelist, historian, poet: (5) pro- fessor, editor, critic: (6) preacher and poet: (7) journalist, editor, critic, dramatist: (8) journalist, biographer, historian: (9) novelist only: (10) archaeologist and historian: (11) bio- grapher, historian, traveller: (12) artist, author, and journalist. These names have been found in half a dozen consecutive pages of the book. I think they prove my point, that the many-sided character of the literary profession goes far to remove its former reputation for uncertainty. Of great prizes I do not speak. Nor do I speak of the incompetent and their sufferings. A far greater number of incompetent persons attempt literature than any other pro- fession because it seems to want no apprenticeship  ## p. 283 (#295) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. 283 and it appears to be so easy. We cannot allow that those persons belong to the literary life any more than we call those students who cannot pass their examinations lawyers or physicians. Now, the examination which every literary man must pass, and every successful literary man must pass in honours, is twofold: he must be examined by the critic, and he must be examined by the public. _ A contributor to the New York Writer (Ruth Hall), endeavouring to show that new writers find it very difficult to get into American maga- zines, gives a few statistics :— 1. Harper's Magazine for February contains twenty-three articles. Of these, one short story, one essay, and three poems are by unknown writers. 2. The Century for February contains twenty- seven contributions, of which seven are by unknown writers. These figures, however, seem to prove exactly the reverse of her proposition. When we consider that a magazine is not run with the object of advancing writers but of advancing the pro- prietor: that the editor's first duty is to find out what will instruct and attract: tbat popular authors are certain to attract: and that untried and unkno wn authors can only attract by reason of the very rare condition of having something to tell which is new and curious: and that popular authors can almost always be had if the editor will pay them—we can understand how difficult it must be for a new writer to get a hearing. We can also understand how the English maga- zine of the older kind seems sinking into a kind of atrophy because the editor and proprietor will not understand the simple rule of supply and demand. To sit down in a chair and wait for things is the editing of the past. To arrange beforehand with an eye to what will please and attract readers, yet with a door open to the new comer, is the editing of the present and the future. The new comer, when he finds that in Harper's Magazine there are five out of twenty-three papers, and in the Century seven out of twenty- seven, contributed by unknown writers, may take courage. There is still the open door. Walter Besant. CORRESPONDENCE. I.—Against Difficulties. THE March number of your paper has just come into my hands, and I am greatly interested in the letter of Mr. Julian Croskey, a gentleman whose career I have followed carefully during the last two years. The advice he gives to the parents of young men who are determined to devote their lives to literature is, I think, excellent; but how many parents will listen to his counsel? Very few, if any. I myself am determined to adopt the literary profession, but I have not the neces- sary means; rich relatives are scarce, and parents unwilling. Meanwhile, I am miserable. But what can I do? Nothing! I have had sufficient success to warrant me believing that in two years from now I could, by constant work and hard writing, earn a "comfortable income." But I am chained to office work, and my evenings are as miserable as my mornings and afternoons, for what literary work can a man do who comes home tired-out, despondent, and swearing softly to himself? o-o Waiting. II. Charity for Brain-Workers. I thought the days when people of title honoured themselves by taking authors and artists under their patronage had passed, but I seem to be mistaken. In a recent number of the Academy particulars were given of a home of rest in the Riviera for tired brain-workers. A lady of title is apparently the originator of the scheme. Men are to pay their own expenses to and from the place, they are to pay a minimum of a pound a week for board and lodging, and in return they are evidently to get what any person with a pound a week to spare can command in decent habitations in the South of France, while they are to be governed by a set of rules which ought never to be tolerated on the free side of a gaol or a workhouse. A man who can afford to pay a sovereign a week can afford to keep clear of a retreat of this description. A Member. III.—The Extravagant Dinner. Dissatisfaction among the members of the Authors' Society, tnough perhaps occasionally inevitable, is surely a thing to be avoided so far as possible. I believe considerable dissatisfaction does exist among many members at the high price charged for the annual dinner ticket. If we were a society of Stock Exchange men, or pub- lishers, or racehorse owners, or company pro- moters, a guinea would perhaps be fitting and proper; but we are poor authors, few of us with  ## p. 284 (#296) ############################################ 284 THE AUTHOR. even the incomes of a bishop, many of us women and stragglers for life. Our Committee, I take it, are among the successful. Cannot they show their sympathy for the poorer members of the Society by following the example of almost every other club and society in England, and fixing the dinner ticket at a more moderate sum? The guinea, I know, includes wine, but this is most unfair to those, particularly women, who drink little or none. In ninety-nine public dinners out of a hundred the guests pay for the wine they consume. Why should not we do likewise? If two-thirds of the price of the ticket were paid to the funds of The Author, or some other such admirable object, our grievance would be lessened; but I believe most members of the Society will agree with me that to force those who wish to meet their fellow members at the annual dinner into an act of wasteful extravagance, is bad policy on the part of our executive. When a dinner was given in honour of yourself, at the Holborn Restaurant, the price of the ticket was only 5$., and the arrangement worked well enough. The attendance was enormous, and there was really nothing to complain of. Annual dinners have a remarkable effect in keeping clubs and societies of all kinds together, but ours loses much of this effect owing to the price of the ticket, which actually equals a year's subscription to the Society. I hope other members will express their opinions on this subject in the pages of The Author. Diane. IV.—Typewriting Offices. May I ask for the insertion of these few words in answer to two letters which appeared in your issues of February and March, condemning in a wholesale fashion the typewriting offices? It appears to me both your correspondents are not fully acquainted with the real facts connected with the typing industry, or the former would not suggest that the payment of gd. a thousand was an adequate sum to offer a woman, even a home worker. The typist who does Mr. Goodrich Freer's work at gd. a 1000 makes, if she is a fairly quick worker, and works, say, eight hours a day, 26s. a week. That is to say, she can copy 6000 words in a day, taking at the lowest computation two hours a day for the examining of the copy with the MSS. Now, take the case of the girl who has been trained in shorthand and typing in a first-class office; she is then able to take a situation, either in a typewriting office or in a mercantile office, where she can secure regular work, and scores over the home worker in the following way: First, as to hours, she works nine hours a week less, bemuse office hours in the typewriting offices are 10 to 6, and she has Saturday afternoon off; secondly, she has no worry in securing work, as she is paid whether it is slack or not; thirdly, she can make in a good office, without languages, 30s. to 35*. a week; fourth, she has not to find machine, ink, or stationery. In a mercantile office she can make up to £2, but their hours, as a rule, are rather longer—9.30 to 6. In the typewriting office she certainly does some of the work when she is suffi- 2iently proficient to be trusted with it, but how else will she learn her business? I cannot see any justice in calling the typewriting office people " clever exploiters of other people's labour," as it must be remembered that the pupils are given an opportunity which can be given in no other way to learn their profession properly, and so become capable of earning a fair wage, which I do not consider Mr. Goodrich Freer's 265. a week to be. Madeleine Greenwood. V.—Payment on Acceptance. I notice in The Author for April a letter from Mr. Herbert D. Williams saying that Great Thoughts invariably pays for articles on acceptance. I regret to say that this is not my experience. An article of mine was accepted at the end of 1893, and appeared in February, 1894. I accordingly asked for payment, which was refused, because I had not stipulated for it when I sent the article. I was offered instead a bound volume of Great Thoughts.' This was a " hair of the dog" with a vengeance. I refused even this. It was only the second article of mine that had been accepted, and I felt the injustice most keenly. H. Stanley Tayler. OBITUARY. SIR MONIER MONIER - WILLIAMS, K.C.I.E., Boden Professor of Sanscrit in the University of Oxford since i860, whose Sanscrit-English dictionary (which occupied him for twenty years) and other works are well known to every Sanscrit student, died at Cannes on April 10, in his eightieth year. Mr. Edmund Sheridan Purcell, the biographer of Cardinal Manning, died on April 12, aged 76. He has left in manuscript, almost completed (says the Academy), a biography of Ambrose de Lisle, the prototype of Eustace de Lyle in "Coningsby."  ## p. 285 (#297) ############################################ THE AUTHOR. 285 BOOK TALE. EROM copyright novels at 6d., the step has soon been taken to copyright novels at id. Messrs. Pearson are about to issue a series at this price, consisting of works by Ouida, John Oliver Hobbes, Mr. Robert Buchanan, Mr. Grant Allen, Rita, Mrs. Hungerford, Mr. Louis Becke, Mr. Fergus Hume, Mr. Clark Russell, Mrs. Hodgson Burnett, and other writers. The same firm have projected also another series of penny books, such as "How to be Happy though Married," "Helen's Babies," "Trooper Peter Halket," &c. With regard to the forthcoming biography of Mrs. Lynn Linton, Mr. G. S. Layard asks owners of letters, portraits, or other material connected with the subject. to be kind enough to forward them to him at Lorraine Cottage, Malvern, promising that these will be taken care of and returned as soon as he has done with them. Mr. Rudyard Kipling, having sufficiently recovered from his illness to be able to work, is revising a privately-printed volume of letters, and making sundry additions to them in view of their publication. This work will be called "From Sea to Sea," and among its contents will be found Mr. Kipling's "Letters of Marque" and "City of Dreadful Night," both of which were published here some years ago and imme- diately withdrawn on account of difficulties con- cerning the copyright. Mr. Stephen Crane is at work on a new novel. Before this appears, however, the public will get a new volume of verse from Mr. Crane, entitled "War is Kind." The late Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson left virtually completed a series of biographies of leaders of medicine, and these are now about to be published by Messrs. Hutchinson in two volumes, called " Disciples of .^sculapius." Mr. Lewis Melville has completed his "Life of Thackeray," and the work, which has occupied him ten years, will be ready in a few days. It consists of two volumes, and will be the first complete biography of Thackeray. Meanwhile, the splendid Biographical edition of Thackeray has just been completed by the publication of the thirteenth volume. This edition, of course, is unique by reason of the biographical introduc- tions contributed by the novelist's daughter, Mrs. Ritchie. "Curiosities of Light and Sight," by Mr. Shelford Bidwell, F.R.S., will be published in a few days by Messrs. Swan Sonnenschein and Co. It is illustrated with diagrams, and treats of structural defects of the eye, optical illusions, and various recently-observed phenomena of vision. Mrs. Gertrude Atherton is engaged on a new novel. Earlier forthcoming novels include- "England's Peril," by Mr. William Le Queux; "The Stepmother," by Mrs. Alexander; "Twice Dead," by Miss Adeline Sergeant; "A Name to Conjure With," by John Strange Winter. One of the most important publications during April was Dr. Douglas Hyde's " Literary History of Ireland." The present literary movement in that country has also given birth to a small volume of articles, by Mr. W. B. Yeats, Mr. John Eglinton, " A. E.," and Mr. William Larminie, entitled " The Literary Ideal in Ireland," which the same publisher will shortly have ready. These articles appeared originally in a Dublin paper. In his new story, "The Violet Flame," Mr. Fred. T. Jane is combining "with a thrilling love story the development of some uncanny scientific discoveries, the result of which is the destruction of the world by a catastrophe of un- paralleled horror." The story is to appear in the English Mechanic. The American Authors' Guild has changed its name to the Society of American Authors. The following are the recently elected officers and managers of the society :—President, Rastus S. Ransom; vice-presidents, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, General Lew Wallace, Dr. Thomas Dunn English, Hubert Howe Bancroft, Mrs. Ellen Hardin Wal- worth, and Miss Grace Denio Litchfield; treasurer and counsel, Morris Patterson Ferris; secretary, John Beverly Robinson. "Rita's" new novel will be produced early this month. It is entitled "An Old Rogue's Tragedy." "Pictures of Travel," Mr. Mackenzie Bell's recent volume of poems, has been favourably received by the critics. It has also been well received by the public. Including the copyright edition in" the United States, 2000 copies have been printed. "Calumnies" is the title of the new novel by Mrs. E. M. Davy (author of " A Prince of Como," "A Daughter of Earth," &c.), which Messrs. Arthur Pearson will publish the first week in May. A series of China stories by the author of "The Shen's Pigtail " will appear in the English Illustrated Magazine under the title of "Chips of China." "English Roses " is the title of the latest book of poems from F. Harald Williams, B.A. It is  ## p. 286 (#298) ############################################ 286 THE AUTHOR. published at 6*. by Messrs. Simpkiu, Marshall, and Co. It is a volume containing some 600 pages. The book is divided into six sections, as follows: 1, English Roses; 2, Blood and Iron; 3, Laughing Philosophy; 4, Euphrasy and Rue; 5, Brake and Brier; and 6, Palms and Passion Flowers. "Songs of Hope and Love," by F. \V. Pitt, has just been published by Messrs. S. W. Part- ridge and Co. (price 2s. 6rf.). These poems have been well reviewed by various papers, and should have a ready sale. The title of Mrs. Richmond's new book pub- lished by Messrs. Longmans should have been described in last month's "Book Talk," as "Through Boyhood to Manhood; a Plea for Ideals." Price 2s. 6d. "The Story of "William Penn," by Frances E. Cooke, has just been published by Messrs. Headley Bros. Price is. 6d. Messrs. W. Clowes and Sons have now ready "The Officer's Field Note and Sketch Book and Reconnaissance Aide-Memoire," by Lieut.-Col. E. Gunter. 6*. 6d. net. "Marianna and other Stories," the title of a new book which Mr. Burleigh will immediately publish for " Georgette Agnew." An original poem in the style of the "Lady of the Lake," by the author of the "Rani of Jhansi" and other Eastern works, will shortly be published by Mr. Burleigh. The tale is a thrilling one, illustrating the state of unrest in Western India during the downfall of the rule of the Moguls at Delhi, and giving graphic descrip- tions of female infanticide, sati (widow-burning), and other native manners and customs. In his " Fragments of an Autobiography," Mr. Felix Moscheles records his early impressions, and introduces episodes of the artist's life in Paris. He sketches many celebrities in the musical, artistic, and political world he has frequented, and devotes special chapters to his trips to America, the Paris Commune, his godfather Felix Mendelssohn, and to Mazzini, Rossini, and Browning. Messrs. George Newnes (Limited) have nearly ready for publication a new standard work entitled "The International Geography." Seventy authors have collaborated in its production, including the leading geographers and travellers of Europe and America; the work has been planned and edited by Dr. H. R. Mill, who also wrote the chapter on the United Kingdom. Among the authors are Dr. Fridtjof Nansen (Arctic Regions), Mr. F. C. Selous (Rhodesia), Sir Clements Markham, F.R.S. (Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru), Professor A. Kirchoff (German Empire), Professor W. M. Davis (United States), Professors de Lapparent and Ravenau (France), Sir John Murray. F.R.S. (Antarctic Regions), Count Pfeil (German Colonies), Mr. James Bryce, M.P. (the Boer Republics), Sir H. H. Johnston, the late Sir Lambert Playfair, Sir F. J. Goldsmid, Sir Martin Conway, Sir George S. Robertson, Sir William MacGregor, Sir Charles Wilson, F.R.S., the Hon. D. W. Carnegie, Mrs. Bishop. Dr. A. M. W. Downing, F.R.S., Dr. J. Scott Keltie, and Mr. G. G. Chisholm, the editor of the "Times Gazetteer." The book is illustrated by nearly 500 maps and diagrams, which have been specially prepared. It is designed to present in the compact limits of a single volume an authori- tative conspectus of the science of geography and the conditions of the countries of the world at the close of the nineteenth century. The Ameri- can publishers are Messrs. D. Appleton and Co., New York. THE BOOKS OF THE MONTH. [March 23 to April 22—263 Books.] Adams, Francis. Essayb in Modernity. 5/- net. AHalo, F. G. (ed.). The Cost of Sport. 6/- Aitken, J. The Ahiding Law. 2/6. Alaine, B. A Subtle Enchantress. 2/- Alexander, Rupert Maureen Moore. 67- Lanc. Murray. Oliphant. Stockwell. Burleigh. Allbutt, T. C. (ed.). A System of Medicine. Vol . 6. 25/- net. Macmillan. Anonymous. Robespierre. 1,-net. Effingham Pub. Co. Anonymous. Well beloved of the Father. 3/6. Scott. Anonymous (J. B.). Borne from the Inside. 1 - Clarke. Anonymous, The Story of London. 1/6. K Arnold- Anonymous Autoblography of a Child. 6/- Blackwood. Anonymous iauthor of "Owen Dale's Ordeal "). The Sport of Fate. 1/6. Stevens. B. (H. T.). Some Leading Scriptural Truths. 1/6. Skeffington. Bailey, J. C. Studies in some Famous Letters. 6/- Burleigh. Balck, Captain (tr. by L. R. M. Maxwell). Modern European Tactics. Vol. 1. 7/6 net. Sands. Barnett, Edith A. Snnningham and the Curate. 6/- Chapman. Barr, W. M. Boilers and Furnaces considered in their relations to Steam Boilers. 18/- Lippincott Bearne, C. Lives and Times of Early Valois Queens. 10/6. ITnwin. Beaven, E. W. Tales of the Divining Bod. 5/- Stockwell . Beeby, C. E. Defence of " Creed and Life." 1/- net. Simpkin. Beerbohm, Max, More. 4/6 net. Lane. Bell, John. In the Shadow of the Bush. 3/6. Berry. T. W. Model Answers in School Management. 2/- Simpkin. Bickerdyke, John. The Passing of Prince Bozan. 6/- Burleigh- Binyon, L. (illus. by W. Strang). Western Flanders. 42/- net. Unicorn Press. Black, W. G. Ocean Rainfall: General and Special Oceans, lt1'64-T.*'- 81. 2/6 net. Livingstone. Bloundelle-Burton. J. Fortune's My Foe. 6/- Pearson. Boevey, S. M. C. Dene Forest Sketches. Second Series. 6/- Burloigh. Bodkin, M. McD. The Rebels. 6/- Ward and L Bot6ford, G. W. HUtory of Greece for High Schools and Colleges. 6/6 net. Macmillan Bottomley, G. Poems at White-Nights. 2/6 net. Unicorn Pres.<*. Bourgogne, Sergeant, Memoirs of. (1812-13) 6/- Heinemann. Bowles F. G. In the Wake of the Sun. 2/6 net. Unicorn Prees. Brought on. Rhoda. The Game and the Candle. 6/- Macmillan. Brown, Campbell-Rae. Resurrection of His Grace. 2/6. Greening. Brown, Mary W. The Development of Thrift. 3/6 net. Macmillan. Bucban, John. Grey Weather. 6/- Lane. Burnle, R. W. The Catholic Brief against Sir William Harcourt and others. 2/6. Gay and B. Oaffyn, Mrs. M. (" Iota"). Anne Mauleverer. 6/- M<'thuen.  ## p. 287 (#299) ############################################ THE AUTHOIt. 287 Carter, T. T. Spirit of Watchfulness, &o. 5/- Longman. Catas, E. M. H. On Christmas Day. 3/6. Putnam. Chandler, P. W. The Land Tax. 3/6 net. Beeves and Tamer. Chapman, E. J. The Snake Witch, and other Poems. Paul. Charleton, R. H. Useful Information for Gold Mining Investor l/- E. Wilson. Clifton, W. Notes on Colour. »/- Bichards. Colby, C. W. Selections from the Sources of English History. 6/- Longman. Cole, W. H. Light Railways at Home and Abroad. 16/- Griffin. Coll, B. A Strange Executor. 6/- Pearson. Crockett, S. R. The Black Douglas. 6/- Smith and E. Cust, Lady E. Records of the Oust Family of Pinchbeck, Stamford, and Belton in Lincolnshire, from 1479 to 1700. 30/- Mitchell .fc H. Danbeny, G. A. Strength and Decay of Nations. 1/- Simpkiu. Daudet, L. (tr. by C. DeKay). Alphonse Daudet. 5/- Low. Davidson, J. M. Annals of Toil. 6/- Reeves. Davy, E M. Calumnies. 6/- Pearson. Day, Lewis F. William Morris and his Art. 2/6 Vl-tue. Denison, T. S. My Invisible Partner. 6/- Gay. D'Espe'rance, E. Northern Lights and other Psychic Stories. 36 net. Bedway. Deverell, F. H. My Tour in Palestine and Syria. 5/- Eyre and S. Deville, E. Photographic Surveying. 10/6. Low. Devine, Arthur. The Sacraments explained according to the Teaching and Doctrine of the Catholic Church. 6/- net. Wash bourne. Dewar, G. A. B. South Country Trout Streams. 5/- Lawrence and B. Dickens, Mary A. On the Edge of the Precipice. 6/- Hutchinson. Dickson, J. Emeralds chased in Gold. 6/- Oliphant. Dobson, Austin. A Paladin of Philanthropy, and other Papers. 6/- Chatto. Doyle, A. Conan. A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus. 6/- Blchards. Drummond, W. H. Phil-o-Bum's Canoe and Madeleine Vercheres. Putnam. "Dryasdust.'* Tales of the Wonder Club. 3/6. Harrison. Dublin Express. 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