https://historysoa.com/files/original/5/482/1903-04-01-The-Author-13-7.pdf 2d8e447432afc838de4219ff0b8b25ea PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Author Subject The topic of the resource The Author Description An account of the resource A digitised run of the Society of Authors' monthly periodical, The Author, 1890–1914, made available together for the first time. Currently users can browse issues and <a href="https://historysoa.com/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=51&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Index&collection=&type=&tags=&exhibit=&date_search_term=&submit_search=Search+For+Items&sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CTitle">indices</a> (not available for all volumes). Full text search for all issues, and other additional search functionality, will be added in 2022. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890–1914 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context The-Author-Issues Publication Date The date of an event (in YYYY, YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD format) 1903-04-01 Volume 13 Issue 7 Pages Page range in volume 161–192 Ngram Date Version of the date in YYYYMMDD format for use by the Ngram plugin 19030401 Ngram Text Version of the text with no HTML formatting for use by the Ngram plugin Che Buthor. (The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.) FOUNDED BY SIR WALTER BESANT. VoL: XTIT == No. 7. APRIL Ist, 1903. [PRICE SIXPENCE. THE TELEPHONE. The Telephone connection has now been estab- lished, and the Society’s number is— 3874 VICTORIA. +» + NOTICES. ——- : the opinions expressed in papers that are signed or initialled the authors alone are responsible. None of the papers or para- graphs must be taken as expressing the opinion of the Committee unless such is especially stated to be the case. Tue Editor begs to inform members of the Authors’ Society and other readers of The Author that the cases which are from time to time quoted in The Author are cases that have come before the notice or to the knowledge of the Secretary of the Society, and that those members of the Society who desire to have the names of the publishers concerned can obtain them on application. 1 List of Members. Tue List of Members of the Society of Authors can now be obtained at the offices of the Society, at the price of 6d. net. It will be sold to the members of the Society only. a The Pension Fund of the Society. THE investments of the Pension Fund at present standing in the names of the Trustees are as follows. This is a statement of the actual stock; the Vou, XIII. money value can be easily worked out at the current price of the market :— Be viele rts: £1000 0 0 Ber POON 500 0 0 Victorian Government 3 + Consoli- dated Inscribed Stock ............... WAAR ie ieee Eocgisse 1,993 9 2 291 19 11 201° 9 3 Total SPECIAL APPEAL. Tur Appeal sent out by the Chairman of the Society at the request of the Pension Fund Com- mittee has been very successful. The total amount of subscriptions and donations up to Dec. 1st is:—Subscriptions, £46 8s. 6d.; donations, £116 14s. 6d. Further additions to either list are set out below. Subscriptions. Dec. 1, Finnemore, Mrs. . 50. 5 0 Dec. 3, Caulfield, Miss Sophia 010 0 Dec. 5, Hecht, Mrs. . : 010 6 » Hamilton, Mrs. G. W. 1 020 », Brinton, Selwyn 0 5 0 Dec. 9, Dill, Miss Bessie . ; ~ 0 50 Dec. 18, Sutherland, Her Grace the Duchess of 3 s » 272 6 Dec. 19, Toplis, Miss Grace . 0 5 0 Dec. 22, Anonymous ; 010 0 Dec. 29, Seton-Karr, H. W. 0 5 0 ‘ Pike Clement, E. 0 5 0 1908. Jan. 1, Pickthall, Marmaduke 010 6 » Deane, Rey. A.C. . 010 0 Jan, 4, Anonymous O 50 » Heath, Miss Ida 0 5 0 » Russell, G. H. ; 1 12.0 Jan. 16, White, Mrs. Caroline 0 5 0 », Bedford, Miss Jessie 0 5 0 Jan. 19, Shiers-Mason, Mrs. 0 5. 0 Jan. 20, Cobbett, Miss Alice ; 7 0b 0 Jan. 30, Minniken, Miss Bertha M.M. 1 0 0 Jan. 31, Whishaw, Fred = 0.10.0 162 Feb. 3, Reynolds, Mrs. Fred Oo 0 Feb. 11, Lincoln, C. ; 0 5 0 Feb. 16, Hardy, J. Herbert . 0 5 0 » Haggard, Major Arthur . 0 5 0 Feb. 23, Finnemore, John 0 5 0 Mar. 2, Moor, Mrs. 8t. C. . 1 0 0 Mar. 5, Dutton, Mrs. Carrie 015 6 Donations. Dec. 1, Sanderson, Sir J. Burdon 5 0 0 » Smith, G. C. Moore 1 0 0 Dec. 2, Trevor-Battye, Aubyn 1 1:0 » Marks, Mrs. . : 010 0O Dec. 9, Moore, Henry Charles 05 0 Dec. 11, Lutzow, Count 20 0 », “Leicester Romayne” 0 5 0 ;, Hellier, H. George. 1 10 Dec. 12, Croft, Miss Lily 6 5 0 » Panting, J. Harwood 010 0 » “attersall, Miss Louisa . 0 5 0 Dec. 19, Egbert, Henry 0 5 0 Dec. 23, Muirhead, James F. 010 0 Dec. 28, A. 5: . : : : Lo 0 , Bateman, Stringer . : - 010 0 Dec. 31, Cholmondeley, Miss Mary 10 0 0 1903. Jan. 8, Wheelright, Miss E. 0 10 », Middlemass, MissJean . 0 10 Jan. 6, Avebury, Hon. The Lord . : » Gribble, Francis. : Jan. 13, Boddington, Miss Helen . Jan. 17, White, Mrs. Wollaston » Miller, Miss E. T. . Jan. 19, Kemp; Miss Geraldine Jan. 20, Sheldon, Mrs. French Jan. 29, Roe, Mrs. Harcourt Feb. 9, Sherwood, Mrs. : é Feb. 16, Hocking, The Rey. Silas Feb. 18, Boulding, J. W. ;, Ord, Hubert H. Feb. 20, Price, Miss Eleanor » Carlile, Rev. J. C.. Feb. 24, Dixon, Mrs. Feb. 26, Speakman, Mrs... Mar. 5, Parker, Mrs. Nella Mar. 16, Hallward, N. L. The Right EPoeecocoeoorecoocoooroce Ho Ocoeceooeoseoqooooaconoo oom Mar. 20, Henry, Miss Alice 0-5 Mar. 23, Ward, Mrs. Humphry _10 20 The following members have also made subscrip- tions or donations :— Meredith, George, President of the Society. Thompson, Sir Henry, Bart., F.R.C.S. Rashdall, The Rey. H. Guthrie, Anstey. Robertson, C. B. Dowsett, C. F. THE AUTHOR. There are in addition other subscribers who do not desire that either their names or the amount they are subscribing should be printed. SPECIAL CONDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Mr. Hamilton Drummond, who is a member of our Society, has offered a subscription of £10 for five years, if nine other members of the Society will promise the same contribution. We sincerely hope that sufficient members of the Society will be found to come forward and meet Mr. Drummond’s generous offer, and that before the time expires we may be able to print in the columns of Ze Author the full list of ten subscribers of the required amount. Subscriptions. Hawkins, A. Hope £10 0 0 Barrie, J. M. . ; 5 : - 10 0 6 Drummond, Hamilton ; . - 10 0 86 Wynne, Charles Whitworth : - 10 0 8 Gilbert, W. 8S. . ‘ : : . 10 0 6 Sturgis, Julian . j : : - 10 0 6 Sea Sir Walter Besant Memorial Fund. THE amount standing to the credit of this account in the Bank is......... £330 3 6 There are a few promised subscriptions still outstanding. The total of these is, roughly, about £4. The subscriptions received from July 1st to the date of issue are given below :— Patterson, A. . : : : coe Salwey, Reginald E. : Gidley, Miss E. C. Nixon, Prof. J. E. Dill, Miss Bessie Moore, Henry Charles Kemp, Miss Geraldine Clarke, Miss B. a taal AaonaIntoor oOo o OS Oo Om GS oo SO See FROM THE COMMITTEE. — MEETING of the Managing Committee of the Society was held on Monday, March 2nd, when twenty members and associates were elected, making the total number of elections for 1903 up to sixty-two. Mr. A. Hope Hawkins has been elected a member of the Pension Fund Committee, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Sir Michael Foster. Mr. Hawkins is the nominee of the Committee. ; Mr. nominee of the Society at the General Meeting. We are sorry to state that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, while expressing his sympathy with the work of the Society, has been forced, owing to pressure of business, to retire from the Committee Morley Roberts was re-elected as the of Management. The Committee accepted his resignation with regret. Three cases came before the consideration. On the first case the Committee had already taken counsel’s opinion, but after perusal of it, regretted that they were unable to take the matter further on behalf of the member concerned. In one of the other two cases it was decided to commence action, as it was understood that the publisher had refused to produce vouchers of his accounts. The Committee have always held that the right to have accounts properly vouched is one of the foremost principles for which the Society contends. The second, a case of alleged infringement, the Committee for THE AUTHOR. 163 Sandlands, The Rev. J.P. Brigstock Thrapston. 36, Waterloo Bridge Road, 8. E. 52, Lower Sloane Street, S.W. The Grotto, Hanworth Road, Hampton-on- Thames. Vicarage, Stephenson, Cecil Stone, Miss J. M. Tayler, J. Lionel a The Annual Dinner, THE Annual Dinner of the Society has been fixed for April 30th. It will be held at the Hotel Cecil at 7 for 7.30. Mr. D. W. Freshfield will take the Chair. The Committee have decided that on this and future occasions the Chairman of the Managing Committee for the current year shall be Chairman of the Dinner. The following members have consented to act as Stewards :— Committee were unable to take further. ee March Elections. Blew, The Rev. John Brereton, Capt. Frederick Ss i Chellineton, Rupert ” Dougall, Miss Lily . Dutton, Mrs. Carrie (“ Tattler ”’) Edge, Miss Kathleen M. Hole, W. G. Kinder, Mrs. Harold (‘‘ Frances Aylward ”) King, W. J. Harding Knocker, Mrs. Mathieson, W. L. Pells, S. F. Peters, William Theodore Rainsford, W. H. . ; meeves, Mra. (“C. J. Hargreaves ”’) cL. &. ; ‘ Rowsell, Miss Mary O. Scatter Rectory, Lin- coln. 3, Queen’s Road, South- port. Melbourne, Derby- shire. Springhall, Sawbridge- worth. Waverley Court, Cam- berley, Surrey. The Castle House, Shrewsbury. Taunton, Coulsdon, Caterham, Surrey. Wallescote Hall, Stour- bridge. Millslade, — Brendon, Lynton, N. Devon. Clifton Lodge, Wardie, Edinburgh. 185, Church Road, Hove, 55, Cité des Fleurs, Paris. Patton, Bedfordshire. 20, Brook Lane, Orms- kirk, Lanes. 67, Buxton Road, Thornton Heath. Abbot, The Rev. Edwin A, D.D. Aflalo, F. G. Allingham, F.R.C.S. Archer, William. Arnold, Sir Edwin, K.C.I.E., C.8.1. Avebury, The Right Hon, The — luord, P.C., etc. Bateman, Robert. Beddard, F. E., F.RB.S. Bell, Mackenzie. Benson, A. CO. Benson, E. F. Bergne, Sir Henry, K.C.M.G., C.B. Bonney, The Rev. T. G., F.R.S. Browning, Oscar. Bryden, H. A. Bullen, F. T. Campbell, Lady Colin. Capes, Bernard. Carey, Miss R. N. Chambers, 8. Haddon. Cholmondeley, Miss Mary. Church, Prof. A. H., F.R.S. Clodd, Edward. Collier, The Hon. John. Cookson, Col. Fife. Courtney, W. L. William, Croker, Mrs. Davidson, John. Dobson, Austin. Doudney, Miss Sarah. Dougall, Miss Lily. Douglas, Sir George, Bart. Dowden, Prof. Edward. Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan. Foster, Sir Michael, K.C.B. Garnett, Richard, C.B. Gissing, George. Gollancz, Israel. Grand, Madame Sarah. Graves, Alfred P. Gribble, Francis. Haggard, H. Rider. Harraden, Miss Beatrice. Hart, Major-General Sir Reginald, V.C., &c. Hocking, The Rey. Silas K. Hornung, E. W. Humphreys, Mrs. C* Rita), Hunt, Miss Violet. Hyne, C. J. Cutcliffe. Jacobs, W. W. Jex-Blake, Dr. Sophia. Keary, ©. F. Keltie, J. Scott, LL.D. Kennard, Mrs. Edward. Lang, Andrew. 162 THE AUTHOR. Feb. 8, Reynolds, Mrs. Fred 0 5 0 There are in addition other subscribers who do Feb. 11, Lincoln, C. . : 0 5 O- not desire that either their names or the amount Feb. 16, Hardy, J. Herbert. 0 5 O they are subscribing should be printed. » Haggard, Major Arthur . 0 5 O Feb. 23, Finnemore, John . 0 5 O SPECIAL CONDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Mar. 2, Moor, Mrs. St. C. . 1:9 9 Mr. Hamilton Drummond i aS : 5 : : , who is a member Mar. 5, Dutton, Mrs. Carrie 015 6 a See offered a subscription of £10 a : ve years, if nine other members of the Soci Donations. will promise the same contribution. ies Dec. 1, Sanderson, Sir J. Burdon 5 0 0 We sincerely hope that sufficient members of Smith, G. C. Moore 1 0 0. the Society will be found to come forward and Dec. 2, Trevor-Battye, Aubyn 1 1 0 meet Mr. Drummond’s generous offer, and that » Marks, Mrs. . : 0 10 0 before the time expires we may be able to print in Dec. 9, Moore, Henry Charles 0 5 0. the columns of The Author the full list of ten Dec. 11, Lutzow, Count 2 0 0 subscribers of the required amount. », “Leicester Romayne ” 0 5 O » Hellier, H. Gores 1 1.0 Subscriptions. Dec. 12, Croft, Miss Lily 0 5 O #awkins, A. 5, Panting, J. Harwood 010-0 pasie 7 ee : ‘ ‘ a ; » Tattersall, Miss Louisa . 0 5 0 Drummond, Mactan : ; 35 a Dec. 19, Egbert, Henry 0 5 0 Wynne, Charles Whitworth . . 10 0 0 Dec. 23, Muirhead, James F. 010 0 Gilbert, W. S. : : 10 6 @ Dee 28,4.5 . .. . . 1 1 0 Sturgis, Julian . 3 3 : - 10 0 6 » Bateman, Stringer . ; . 010 0 Dec. 31, Cholmondeley, Miss Mary 10 0 0 a 1903. : : Jan. 3, Wheelright, Miss E. 010 6 Sir Walter Besant Memorial Fund. » Middlemass, Miss Jean . -,0 10 0 THE amount standing to the credit Jan. 6, Avebury, The Right Hon. of this account in the Bank is......... £330 3 6 The Lord . bb 0 : a : » Gribble, Francis. : 610 06 There are a few promised subscriptions still Jan. 13, Boddington, Miss Helen . 010 6 Outstanding. The total of these is, roughly, Jan. 17, White, Mrs. Wollaston 1 1 © about £4. The subscriptions received from July 1st , Miller, Miss E. T. . 0 5 0 to the date of issue are given below :— Jan. 19, Kemp; Miss Geraldine 010 6 ; Jan. 20, Sheldon, Mrs. French 0 5 0 fclvey, opined o “ u . Jan. 29, Roe, Mrs. Harcourt 010 0 Gidley, Mick C0 pie 8 Feb. 9, Sherwood, Mrs. : 040 6 Nison Prof 7. 076 Feb. 16, Hocking, The Rev. Silas 110 “pat ‘Migs Beasts ’ Ob a Feb. 18, Boulding, J. W. 010 6 Moore, Henry Charles 0 8 a » Ord, Hubert H. 010 9 Kemp, Miss Geraldine 010 6 Feb. 20, Price, Miss Eleanor 010 0 (Qlarke, Miss B O05 8 » Carlile, Rev. J. O.. 010 0 : : Feb. 24, Dixon, Mrs. D0 0 ee Feb. 26, Speakman, Mrs... 010 0 Mar. 5, Parker, Mrs. Nella 010 0 FROM THE COMMITTEE. Mar. 16, Hallward, N. Ll. . 1 20 aes Mar. 20, Henry, Miss Alice . : ee) ; ; Mar. 23, Ward, Mrs. Humphry . -10 0 6 MEETING of the Managing Committee of The following members have also made subscrip- tions or donations :— Meredith, George, President of the Society. Thompson, Sir Henry, Bart., F.R.C.S. Rashdall, The Rey. H. Guthrie, Anstey. Robertson, C. B. Dowsett, C. F. the Society was held on Monday, March 2nd, when twenty members and associates were elected, making the total number of elections for 1903 up to sixty-two. Mr. A. Hope Hawkins has been elected a member of the Pension Fund Committee, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Sir Michael Foster. Mr. Hawkins is the nominee of the Committee. Ete Swat o ety yi ehh. THE AUTHOR. Mr. Morley Roberts was re-elected as the nominee of the Society at the General Meeting. We are sorry to state that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, while expressing his sympathy with the work of the Society, has been forced, owing to pressure of business, to retire from the Committee of Management. The Committee accepted his resignation with regret. Three cases came before the Committee for consideration. On the first case the Committee had already taken counsel’s opinion, but after perusal of it, regretted that they were unable to take the matter further on behalf of the member concerned. In one of the other two cases it was decided to commence action, as it was understood that the publisher had refused to produce vouchers of his accounts. The Committee have always held that the right to have accounts properly vouched is one of the foremost principles for which the Society contends. The second, a case of alleged infringement, the Committee were unable to take further. ——_1—~<— + March Elections. Blew, The Rev. John Scatter Rectory, Lin- coln. Brereton, Capt. Frederick 3, Queen’s Road, South- S. port. **Chellington, Rupert ” Dougall, Miss Lily . Melbourne, Derby- shire. Dutton, Mrs. Carrie Springhall, Sawbridge- (“ Tattler ’’) worth. Edge, Miss Kathieen M. Waverley Court, Cam- berley, Surrey. Hole, W.G. . : . The Castle House, Shrewsbury. Kinder, Mrs. Harold Taunton, Coulsdon, (‘‘ Frances Aylward”) King, W. J. Harding Caterham, Surrey. Wallescote Hall, Stour- bridge. Millslade, | Brendon, Lynton, N. Devon. Clifton Lodge, Wardie, Knocker, Mrs. Mathieson, W. L. Edinburgh. Fells, S.F. . : -. 185, Church Road, Hove. Peters, William Theodore 55, Cité des Fleurs, Paris. Rainsford, W. H. . . Patton, Bedfordshire. Reeves, Mrs. (“C. J. 20, Brook Lane, Orms- Hargreaves ”’) kirk, Lancs. 0. L. RB. Rowsell, Miss Mary C.. 67, Buxton Road, Thornton Heath. Sandlands, The Rev. J. P. Brigstock Stephenson, Cecil Stone, Miss J. M. . Tayler, J. Lionel 163 Vicarage, Thrapston. 36, Waterloo Bridge Road, S.E. 52, Lower Sloane Street, S.W. The Grotto, Hanworth Road, Hampton-on- Thames. — The Annual Dinner. THe Annual Dinner of the Society has been fixed for April 30th. Cecil at 7 for 7.30. the Chair. It will be held at the Hotel Mr. D. W. Freshfield will take The Committee have decided that on this and future occasions the Chairman of the Managing Committee for the current year shall be Chairman of the Dinner. The following members have consented to act as Stewards :— Abbot, The Rey. Edwin A., D.D. Aflalo, F. G. Allingham, F.R.C.S. Archer, William. Arnold, Sir Edwin, K.C.I.E., 0.8.1. Avebury, The Hon. ‘The P.C., etc. Bateman, Robert. Beddard, F. E., F.R.S. Bell, Mackenzie. Benson, A. C. Benson, E. F. Bergne, Sir Henry, K.C.M.G., C.B. Bonney, The Rev. T. G., F.R.S. Browning, Oscar. Bryden, H. A. Bullen, F. T. Campbell, Lady Colin. Capes, Bernard. Carey, Miss R. N. Chambers, S. Haddon. Cholmondeley, Miss Mary. Church, Prof. A. H., F.R.S. Clodd, Edward. Collier, The Hon. John. Cookson, Col. Fife. Courtney, W. L. William, tight Lord, Croker, Mrs. Davidson, John. Dobson, Austin. Doudney, Miss Sarah. Dougall, Miss Lily. Douglas, Sir George, Bart. Dowden, Prof. Edward. Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan. Foster, Sir Michael, K.C.B. Garnett, Richard, C.B. Gissing, George. Gollancz, Israel. Grand, Madame Sarah. Graves, Alfred P. Gribble, Francis. Haggard, H. Rider. Harraden, Miss Beatrice. Hart, Major-General Sir Reginald, V.C., &e. Hocking, The Rev. Silas K. Hornung, E. W. Humphreys, Mrs. (* Rita’) Hunt, Miss Violet. Hyne, C. J. Cutcliffe. Jacobs, W. W. Jex-Blake, Dr. Sophia. Keary, C. F. Keltie, J. Scott, LL.D. Kennard, Mrs. Edward. Lang, Andrew. 164 Lankester, Prof. E. Ray. Lecky, The Right Hon. W. E.H., P.C. Leighton, Mrs. Connor. Lely, J. M. Lennox, Lady William. Lockyer, Sir Norman, K.C.B., F.RB.S. “‘Maarten Maartens.” Marsh, Richard. Mason, A. E. W. Maxwell, The Right Hon. Sir Herbert, Bart. Middlemas, Miss Jean. Morrison, Arthur. Norman, Henry, M.P. Parker, Sir Gilbert, M.P. Parker, Louis N. Pemberton, Max. Pinero, A. W. Plunkett, The Right Hon. Count, F.R.S. Pollock, Sir Frederick, Bart, LL.D. Praed, Mrs. Campbell. THE AUTHOR. Pryce, Richard. Reich, Prof. Emil. Roberts, Morley. Russell, Sir W. H., LL.D. Senior, William. Shaw, G. Bernard. Sidewick, Alfred. Spencer, Herbert. Spielmann, M. H. Sprigge, S. Squire. Stanford, Sir Charles Villiers, Mus. Doc. Steel, Mrs. Street, G. 8. Thompson, Sir Henry, Bart., F.R.C.S. Tweedie, Mrs. Alec. Upward, Allen. Wain, Louis. Ward, Mrs. Humphry. Watts-Dunton, T. Wells, H. G. White, Percy. Whiteing, Richard. Wilkins, W. H. Zangwill, Israel. —_——————_+——_+__—_—_ LITERARY, DRAMATIC, AND MUSICAL PROPERTY. ee “Fiction for the Million.” J COLUMN article under the above heading A appeared in the Daily Chronicle on the 26th February last, in which certain state- ments were put forward, apparently with authority, by its author, for he described himself as reader or “taster” for one of the most successful fiction publishing firms in the world. The true inwardness of the article was revealed by its sub-title, “ How to Make an Income by Novel Writing,” and this income would appear to be anything but exiguous. Indeed, a positive declaration is made that by the production of serials there are “ many writers . who without much effort” earn from £2,000 to £3,500 a year regularly. ‘1 speak at first hand, and from personal knowledge,” adds the writer. In examining this astounding statement the question arises, What is meant here by serials ? The article referred to supplies the answer; they are such stories as are written by authors “ who have in many cases had no story at all or very few stories reproduced in volume form.” As a matter fact, every one knows exactly what these serials are ; they are described, and not inaccurately, as “rotters.” It is equally well known that there is a market for these serials—in the popular penny weeklies, in the halfpenny dailies, in the halfpenny evening papers, etc. According to the writer in the Daily Chronicle, this market is so large and so abundant in opportunity of money-making, that there are many who draw from it regular annual incomes of from £2,000 to £3,500. Now, it is no difficult matter to get at the prices paid in this market A very top price is £2 2s. per thousand words, and there have been cases when £3 35. has been paid, but between the top price, commanded by not more than six writers at the most, and the bottom price, at which a large proportion of serial work is turned out, there is a great gulf. This bottom price ranges from 2s. 6d. to 5s. per thousand words. The editor of a morning halfpenny daily told the present writer that he considered half a guinea a thousand a fair price for a serial, but that a guinea might be paid for “exceptionally strong work”; he scouted the notion that any serial could be worth more than a guinea a thousand,/ But suppose, for the sake of argument, a pound a thousand be taken as an average rate for serials, how many thousand words must the earners of from £2,000 to £3,500 a year turn out annually ? It is a simple sum in arithmetic. For £2,000 the serial writer must produce two million words ; for £3,500 three and a-half million words !!! Suppose the serial writer is able to work 300 days in the year—and this is a tremendous supposition—how many words per diem must he turn out to produce 2,000,000 words a year ? Answer—6,666 words. To produce 3,500,000 words ? Answer—11,000 words and over. Even the serial-writer who gets £2 2s, per thousand (and it may be repeated that at most there are not more than six of him or, rather, of her) must write a million words, or thereabouts, annually to earn £2,000 a year. These “cold” calculations are enough in themselves to show that the writer in the Daily Chronicle, though he affirms he speaks “‘at first hand and from personal knowledge,” is talking very wildly, to put the matter pleasantly. But there is another element or factor to be taken into account. It is possible to imagine that a serial-writer might for some time, some longer or shorter time, turn out 6,000 or even 11,000 words per diem; no doubt cases have occurred, so to speak, where something of the kind has been done. But it is a great mistake to suppose that facility and rapidity of production means always or even often a proportionately greater earning capacity. It may be the very contrary. Here is an in- stance, The editor of a paper “running ” serials offered £600 a year to a serial writer for writing all. the serials he wanted during the year. THE AUTHOR. On inquiry, the serial writer found that to earn his £600 a year (an annual income a long way removed from £2,000, to say nothing of £3,500) he would have to produce 5,000 words (two separate serials in instalments of 2,500 words each) each day for six days a week, and this without any provision for sickness or holidays. Worked out, the rate per thousand came to 8s. When the serial writer protested this princely remuneration was insufficient, he was assured that the work was “as easy as pie,” and if he didn’t care to undertake it another would. And this appears to be the case, for a serial writer has been found to go in for the job. The experiment will be watched with interest. The end can hardly be other than that when, through overstrain, the serial writer in question begins to flag, ‘.e., when he shows signs of being worked out, he will be promptly and remorselessly “ chucked.” With such facts as these before us, it is impossible to escape the conclusion that the writer in the Daily Chronicle is guilty of gross exaggeration. What he might have said he does not say, and this is that there are some serial writers who employ “ vhosts,” and by their aid add materially to their incomes. But even with the assistance of these gentry, it is still quite absurd to maintain there are many who earn from £2,000 to £3,500, without much effort, a year. A SeRIAL WRITER. —1—— + II. ? Tue “literary taster” who has lately stated in an article in the Daily Chronicle that writers of serial fiction for the million can easily earn incomes of two thousand a year and upwards seems to have exaggerated a little, in the first shock of discovering that in these degenerate days of the novel there 1s actually a good and dependable living to be made out of the writing of serials for popular penny weekly journals. It is perfectly true that large incomes are occa- sionally made by serial writing; incomes large enough in some cases to make the two or three hundred pounds a year which is often all that can be earned by the ordinary novelist who sees his or her name on title-pages appear a mere pittance. And it is equally true that with the mass of the reading public great literary names are growing to have less and less value, the demand being more and more for good and strong work by whomsoever written. ‘There are many proprietors and editors of weekly journals for the people who simply would not accept and publish, much less pay for, the work of the men and women who are the brightest stars in the literary firmament of to-day. They have 165 learned by experience that the circulation of their journals is largely affected by—if not wholly dependent upon—serial stories, and they are wil ling to pay good prices only to those who have proved themselves to be masters of the difficult art of composing serial fiction that shall stir and grip the public for whom it is provided. 2 The whole matter, therefore, resolves itself into this simple fact—that more money is to be made by the writing of serials than by the writing of ordinary novels by those who excel in this very distinct branch of literary craftsmanship. The writer in the Daily Chronicle goes too far when he lays it down that two thousand a year, or thereabout, can be “easily” earned in this way. A large income can be no more easily gained in this branch of literary activity than in any other. Only the best workers win the rewards ; and these best workers are tried by the most difficult of all standards—the standard of results. The rich in- flow of money does not come to those who put together a story, sell it, and then trouble them- selves no more about its fortunes. The successful serial-writer must increase, or at least conspicuously maintain, the circulations of the journals in which his stories appear. He or she has a challenge cup to win; and when the serial-writer has won this challenge cup he cannot rest on his laurels, but must hold what he has won against all comers, or else his success and his income will fail and fall together, rapidly and irrevocably. By this it will be seen that the person who embarks upon the business of writing serial novels in order to gain a large income must have, besides a natural gift for writing, the gifts of almost tireless industry and energy, a quick and practically bottomless invention, dramatic force, and robust health to stand the strain of regular, unflagging hard work. Any man or woman who enters this particular literary arena lacking these initial advantages will soon find that for one serial-writer who earns an income anywhere approximating to two thousand a year, there are hundreds who can only hope to win the barest subsistence. The few—the very few—who succeed brilliantly from a financial point of view are trained specialists, who usually work regularly for one journal and who practically hold the market, and will hold it until others shall displace them by proving themselves their betters. Maris C. LEIGHTon. —_+——+—_ III. Tue article dealing with this subject which recently appeared in the Daily Chronicle under the heading of “Fiction for the Million,” gives an 166 initiated reader the impression that some one must have been “getting at” the gentleman who de- scribes himself as a “literary taster.” Can he be serious in asserting that there are many writers of popular serials earning from £2,000 to £3,500 a year without much effort ? Surely he has been misled by the statements of those writers who wish to convince him, in his capacity of “adviser to one of the most successful publish- ing firms in the world,” of the esteem in which their work is held by other successful publishing firms! For instance, there are writers not above calcu- lating their incomes on a current month of exceptional good fortune. Say that A., whose usual rate is 15s. per thousand words, is lucky enough to obtain a commission for a serial of 60,000 words at £1 5s. 0d., and that he can turn out 18,000 words a week. Thereupon he lightly informs B., who may be “literary taster” to the successful publishing firm he wishes to impress, that he is earning “at the rate of £1,100 or £1,200 a year,” whereas the fact is, that he is frequently without work at any price, and that necessary rest, illness, etc., is bound to interrupt his output during many weeks of the year. Hence the genesis of these calculations. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that a good income may be made by writers of facility who can be dramatic and sentimental to order, and have the knack, often unconscious, of interesting the bulk of the population; and undoubtedly there are several writers, comparatively unknown to the public, who are earning far more by serial work for the newspapers and popular weeklies than many novelists of note by their books. And their employment is secure, for the statement in the Daily Chronicle that “most publishers now have every line or at least a considerable part of the story in hand before they buy it,” and that “the syndicate reserves to itself the right of refusing any work submitted,” does not tally with the experience of the present writer. When a serial writer’s position is established, he need not put pen to paper without an agreement as binding upon the publisher or syndicate as upon himself. In other words, this class of fiction is a very good thing for those at the top; but that any serial writer is in receipt of a regular £2,000 a year is problematical, and £3,500 is a quite incredible figure, even if those authors are included whose serials subsequently attain a fair measure of success in book form, and who are occasionally able to sell their American, colonial, and foreign rights. As for the dramatic rights of these stories, they need not be counted seriously, the majority being available for nothing better than crude THE AUTHOR. melodrama in which the “pump” is of greater value than the plot. The figures in the Daily Chronicle are absurd for various reasons. Firstly, £2 2s. per thou- sand words is the usual top price of most newspapers. Occasionally £2 12s. 6d. is paid, and even £3 3s., but these prices cannot be used as a basis for calculation. Secondly, only a few writers can always command £2 2s. Od. Thirdly, how long would those writers maintain their supremacy if they turned out work at the rate of anything like a million to a million and a-half words a year ? And the same argument may dispose of the “ghost” theory, because the “ghost’s” stuff must be of inferior quality as he is unable to obtain remunerative employment for himself in a market where names have little value. Fourthly, it is only a limited number of rich newspapers which will pay £2 2s. per thousand to any- body. The provincial syndicates have to be reckoned with, certainly; but as an agreement with a syndicate usually contains a clause to the effect that the author is to publish no other work, during the period of the contract, through any other syndicate, the provincial market is more restricted than the London one. This being the case, where could “many writers” place their collective millions of words— this enormous mass of “copy ”—at top prices which is to provide these numerous incomes of from £2,000 to £3,500 a year? No, the British Press, though big, is not big enough for them. They dwindle, on the most cursory investigation, to the half-dozen elect, and Jane, the housemaid, need not be tempted to devote her pen-and-ink to “ literature.” When we take the second and third-rate writers, whose remuneration varies between £1 1s. Od. and 10s. per thousand, the statement becomes still more reckless. The half-dozen writers of the first rank are always in demand, and can usually take their choice of work offered, but the second- and third-rate writer is numerous and competition is severe, and where, in the name of common sense, could many of them place, say, from three and a half to seven million words a year, as they would have to do to earn an annual €3,500! The mere figures make one’s head swim. It is far more probable that £1,800 a year represents the limit touched by the few most successful writers of newspaper fiction. ANoTHER SERIAL WRITER. THE AUTHOR. On Titles. THE question of the property in Titles is a very vexed question. Many authors come to the Secretary for advice on this subject, and sometimes are hurt because the Society cannot recommend them to take action. It has been thought well, therefore, to repeat in substance, with certain additions, an article that appeared in The Author in 1898. There is no copyright in a title. This is a sound foundation to start upon; but this state- ment cannot be taken as absolutely true, for in the case of Dick v. Yates, which went to the Court of Appeal, where the title ‘Splendid Misery” was under discussion, the Master of the Rolls spoke as follows :— “Now I do not say that there could not be copyright in a title, as for instance in a whole page of title or something of that kind requiring inven- _ tion. However, it is not necessary to decide that. But, assuming that there can be copyright in a title, what does copyright mean? It means the right to multiply copies of an original work. If you complain that a part of your work has been pirated you must show that that part is original, and if it is not original you have no copyright. How can the title ‘Splendid Misery’ be said to be original when the very same words for the very same purpose were used nearly eighty years ago ?” This case was fought out mainly on the basis, «Ts a title copyright?” and the question of trade mark law on which the right of property in a title rests, though dealt with, was dealt with as a secondary point. The reason for this course in this particular case is clear on the facts as reported. Those who desire the reason are referred to the report. _ Again, (1) speaking generally, it cannot be said there is copyright in a title. (2) If there is copyright, then the title must claim distinct originality. That, however, there is property in a title is quite clear, and the law bearing on the right of such property comes under, and is in some way analogous to, trade mark law, but titles cannot be registered like trade marks. The real question to consider is whether the infringement amounts to a common law fraud on the public. This is distinctly pointed out in the case—the *Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford v. Wilmore-Andrews Publishing Com- pany—which was tried in the United States courts. It is a case of great importance, and brings into prominence the solid principle on * The Author, August, 1900. 167 which this question rests. There the Chancellor of the University of Oxford obtained an injunction against the defendant for publishing a Bible termed the Oxford Bible, which was not the “Oxford Bible’ as known on the market and published by the Clarendon Press. The plaintiffs could not possibly have any copyright either in the Bible or title, and this is the point it is desired to make especially clear, but the defendant had no right to sell a book as the product of the plaintiffs, which product was a well-known market com- modity. In order to obtain this property, two points therefore are clear : (1) That the product must be actually selling on the market, and must have established a position on the market by continuous sale. (2) That products with similar names must be similar products. This latter statement would appear self-evident if confusion had not frequently arisen in cases placed before the Secretary. For instance, a book of poems could not be confused with a philosophical treatise, nor a work of fiction with a book of sermons, even though the names were the same. There are also one or two minor points which are very difficult of decision, and are too intricate to be dealt with in a short article. The case in the American court above referred to makes it clear that if the book is out of copy- right, it does not follow there is no trade mark in the title. But with whom the right of commencing an action would lie might need some ingenuity to determine. A further point arises for consideration. When a book has been produced and is out of print, and the author is deliberating, or states that he is deliberating, about the production of a second edition, how far would the author have the right of stopping the production of a similar book under a similar title ? Though each case must be decided on its separate facts and its separate peculiarities, the broad general rule would hold that as it was impossible to buy the first book in the open market, it was impossible that any of the public could be deceived, and therefore the production of book No. 2 could not possibly be a fraud. This is an important point, as cases have been known to occur where authors have practically abandoned their book, their title, and their rights, but have tried to revive all three on seeing another book produced with a similar name. It might be useful to quote again a case that was quoted in a former article, as it illustrates one or two of the most important points with regard to property in a title. Messrs. Hogg in 1863 registered an intended 168 new magazine to be called Belgravia. In 1866, such magazine not having appeared, Mr. Maxwell, in ignorance of what Messrs. Hogg had done, projected a magazine with the same name, and incurred considerable expense in preparing it and extensively advertising it in August and September as about to appear in October. Messrs. Hogg, knowing of this, made hasty preparations for bringing out their own magazine before that of Mr. Maxwell could appear, and in the meantime accepted an order from Mr. Maxwell for advertising his (Mr. Maxwell’s) magazine on the covers of their own publications ; and the first day on which they informed Mr. Maxwell that they objected to his publishing a magazine under that name was Sept. 25, on which day the first number of Messrs. Hoge’s magazine appeared. Mr. Maxwell’s maga- zine appeared in October. Under these circum- stances, on a bill filed by Mr. Maxwell, it was held that Mr. Maxwell’s advertisements and expenditure did not give him any exclusive right to the use of the name Belgravia, and that he could not restrain Messrs. Hogg from publishing a magazine under the same name (the first number appeared before Mr. Maxwell had published his) ; and on a bill filed by Messrs. Hogg, that the registration by them of the title of an intended publication could not confer upon them a copyright in that name, and that in the circumstances of the case they had not acquired any right to restrain Mr, Maxwell from using the name as being Mr. Hogg’s trade mark. This case was, contrary to Dick v. Yates, decided almost entirely on the aspect of the trade mark. Certainly papers register titles, and produce periodically dummy copies in the hope of obtaining some kind of property. Any one who has studied the question would at once know that this labour is wasted, and that this kind of property can only be claimed when a title has become associated with a certain commodity by a continued public circulation. How can a paper of which one copy only is published even every day claim to be such a public commodity ? The contention is absurd. From the most practical point of view, therefore, it is best for the author not to name the title of his book until his book is produced, if he considers that there is any particular power in the words he is using. Those who through personal experience have come across the question of title for the first time consider the matter as a difficulty but recently discovered, which needs immediate amendment : they may, however, rest assured that the question of legislating more fully on the point has been deeply and thoroughly discussed and considered THE AUTHOR. by all those who have attempted to legislate on copyright or who are interested in the affairs of authorship. It is not a simple or one-sided question. It is exceedingly complicated, and has many sides. At present no remedy has been devised suffi- ciently satisfactory to embody in any of the Copyright Bills, and the solution of each case is based upon the common law. On the whole, it may be considered that this is the most satisfactory way of leaving the question. It gives more scope and adaptability, and prevents the stiffening that is often produced when a matter is statute-bound. G; ae. —1—~—+—_. The “Encyclopedia Britannica” in Canada. A. & ©. Buack e¢ al. v. Tur ImprrtaL Boox CoMPANY AND JAMES Haurs. Tus action, begun in September, 1901, was tried before Street, J., at the Toronto Non-J ury Sittings on September 23rd, 1902, and argued on January 3rd, 1908. The judgment delivered on January 26, in the present year, contains many notabilia dicta worthy the attention of authors, especially of those who have vested interests in ‘‘ Canada. The material facts were, shortly, as follows :—A Canadian firm called “ Hales and Sparrow” had been importing into Canada a cheap American | te reprint of the ninth edition of the “ Encyclopedia ae Britannica,” its properly-authorised Canadian pub- lishers being the Clark Company of Toronto. : Just outside the statutory term—a year—within i which actions for infringements must be brought, Hales and Sparrow formed themselves into a com- pany, calling itself ‘‘ The Imperial Book Company, — . Limited.” The company had strange notions of q “See ‘imperial ” obligations, for it continued to import the reprint. Hence the present action. The chief arguments set up for the defence were well-worn ones; and the lucid and masterly judgment of Street, J., reviewing once again much of our familiar case law, makes the action and its result an object-lesson for the misguided, if enterprising, Colonial publisher, who hopes by a splendid variety of defences to evade his simple obligations as a citizen. It was first of all objected by the defendants that a certificate of registration at Stationers’ Hall did not, in the absence of other proof, estab lish proprietorship of copyright ; and that there- fore it was necessary for the plaintiffs, in addition to the certificate produced, to prove in fact that they were the proprietors. Street, J., held that in the absence of any evidence to the contrary on Sn, “< uo THE AUTHOR. 169 either side, except the copy of the certificate, its production was jal] that was necessary to make out a prima facie Proprietorship of copyright in an encyclopedia under Sections 18 and 19 of the Act, or under Section 11 to make out a prima facie proprietorship of the copyright in a book. On this first point, therefore, the defence failed, The title to the copyright being therefore estab- lished, it was next contended that the effect of the agreement entered into between Messrs. A. & C. Black and their co-plaintiffs, the Clark Company, was to transfer the copyright to that company ; that Messrs. Black could not maintain this action because they had assigned the copyright to the Clark Company ; and that the Clark Company could not maintain it because they had not regis- tered the assignment at Stationers’ Hall. This was an extremely plausible contention, but Street, J., found on the facts no difficulty in dis- posing of it. As this part of his judgment will have great interest for all authors, we make no apology for quoting it in full :— “T have examined the agreement in question, and Iam of opinion that it is not to be treated as an assignment but merely as a licence. In this agreement Messrs. A. and C. Black are called the publishers, and the Clark Company are called the Company. By the agreement the publishers agree that until 31st December, 1912, the Company shall have the exclusive right to print and sell the ninth edition of the ‘Encyclopedia Britannica,’ and for the purpose of enabling them to print it the publishers agree to deliver to the Company the existing plates used in its publication, and not to publish or announce the publication of a tenth edition of the work until after the 31st December, 1912. The Company, on its part, agrees not to alter the text of the work, and that the style of paper, printing, and binding shall remain unaltered. That they will pay £40,000 to the publishers for the rights acquired under the agree- ment. That they will not sell any copy of the work under £15, either in Great Britain or America; and that they will as soon as possible after the 31st December, 1912, deliver to the publishers any unsold copies of the work and all the plates used in printing it then in their possession. The Company further agrees that they will not knowingly issue any advertisement of and concerning the work of a nature likely to do injury to the publishers either in their business or as the owners of the copyright of the work. Authority is also given to the Company to institute, in the names of the publishers, any proceedings they may deem proper in respect of any breach of copyright of the work. . . . They have expressly reserved the copyright to themselves, and this reservation is entirely consistent, it appears to me, with the full enjoyment by the Company of the rights given them. The agreement therefore must, in my opinion, be construed as a licence merely, and not as an assignment,” It is interesting to note that, after citing almost all the case law on the subject in support of his view, the learned Colonial judge was not above referring the litigants to our most recent treatise on the subject, “ MacGillivray on Copyright,” pp. 80,81 and 82. We congratulate Mr. MacGillivray on the unusual honour. He is the first of our writers on modern copyright to, give particular attention to the distinction between a licence and an assignment. The distinction for the practical purposes of authorship is only in the air as yet, but we believe things are shaping that way, and the day is not very distant when we shall be able to say definitely of every publishing agreement either that it is an assignment of copyright or only a licence to use. a The next point in the defence was that the plaintiffs did not correctly notify the Customs of their ownership of copyright as required by the Customs Act, 39 & 40 Vict., cap. 36. The learned judge had no doubt that if this Act was ever in force in Canada the defence would have been good, because the date given by the plaintiffs as to when their copyright expired was wrongly entered as 1924 instead of 1917. The question, therefore, remained: Was the Customs Consolidation Act ever in force in Canada? The Commissioners who prepared the “Table of Imperial Statutes appear- ing to be in force in Canada, ex proprio vigore, at the end of 1901,” included Section 152 of the Act, which lays down that proper notice must be given. But Section 151 especially excepts from the opera- tion of the Act “any British possessions which shall by local Act or ordinance have provided . . . for the regulation of the Customs of any such possession, or made in like manner express pro- vision in lieu or variation of any of the clauses of the said Act for the purposes of such possession.” Now Canada was brought clearly within this exception by the Statute of the Province 10 and 11 Vict., cap. 31, by which entire provision was made for the regulation of the Customs of the Province by the provincial Legislature. The defence, therefore, failed on this issue. As the learned judge said :— “T can find no reason in the context or subject-matter of Section 152 of the Customs Consolidation Act requiring me to say that it ought to be held to be in force in Canada notwithstanding Section 151, under the circumstances above set forth: and I am therefore obliged to conclude that it never was in force here, because Canada had, with the assent of Her Majesty, assumed entire control of its own Customs before the Customs Consolidation Act of 1876 was passed,”’ The defence at this point appeared to have been prepared with considerable ingenuity and fore- sight, for the next argument set up looked as if it had anticipated this ruling : it looked as if the defendants had said : “Oh, very well, if you hold that Section 152 of the Customs Consolidation Act is not in force in Canada, but that Canada has regulated her own Customs by Provincial Statute, —then you must also hold that the English Copy- right Act of 1842, is not im force there, since Canada has also copyright legislation of her own ; 170 ' and therefore the qHaintiffs are not entitled to recover under thp Ack of 1842 which they plead.” But the learned\judke was unable to entertain that view. Caner in his opinion, had no copy- right legislation which over-rode the Imperial Act of 1842. Besides, the point had already been determined adversely to the defendants’ objection in Routledge v. Low, Smiles v. Belford, and Morang y. Publishers’ Syndicate. Many hard things have been said from time to time in Canada, and in laces not so far away, about “ the Act of 1842” 3 and the activity of Canada in legislating for itselfin copyright matters has been the subject of eulogy. But until the new Copyright Bill comes into force, at least, both Canadians and Englishmen. will do well to remember one important fact about “Macaulay’s Act” before they ignore it: It is still in force in Canada! The next and last question with which the judg- ment dealt was whether there had been, in bringing this action, delay amounting to acquiescence or “laches.” Notwithstanding the protest of Mr. H. E. Hooper, the Managing Director of the Clark Company, that he did not know that the illegal reprint was being sold in Canada until just before the action was brought, the learned judge held that there had been some delay. But the degree of delay which might bar an action for an inter- locutory injunction would by no means necessarily be an answer to an action of this kind, and there was not sufficient delay here to prove acquiescence or “laches” on the part of the plaintiffs. The learned judge then summed up as follows :— “ ] think the plaintiffs have established their right to an injunction perpetually restraining the defendants, The Imperial Book Co., Limited, their servants and agents, from importing into Canada any copies of the ‘ Encyclo- pedia Britannica, ninth edition, or of any part thereof printed in any country outside the British dominions, which infringe the copyright of the plaintiffs, Adam and Charles Black ; and I order that the said defendants, the Imperial Book Co., Limited, do deliver up for cancellation all and any copies so printed in their possession. The plaintiffs are also entitled to an account of the profits realised by the defendants, the Imperial Book Co., Limited, from the sale of any such copies within one year before the commencement of this action.” As to Hales, who, it will be remembered, was a co-defendant with the Imperial Book Co.: he hed undoubtedly made large profits out of the sale of the unlawfully imported copies of the ‘ Ehcyclopaedia, but by pleading the statute, as we have seen, he escaped accounting for them. The action, therefore,.failed as against him. But he had to pay his own costs. CHARLES WEEKES. ‘ —_ + 6 THE AUTHOR. ; 1908. —— r THE ANNUAL “aa oe OF PPVHE Annual General Meeting of the Society was held in the Large Hall of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society, at 20, Hanover Square, on March 5th. Mr. Douglas Freshfield took the Chair at 4 p.m., and, in opening the proceedings, paid a tribute to the great services rendered by his predecessor, Mr. A. Hope Hawkins, to the Society as Chairman of its Committee of Management during the past three years. Mr. Freshfield went on to suggest that the report of the Committee, which had already been in the hands of the Society’s members, might, as usual, be taken as read, and proceeded to make a ~ few explanatory remarks and comments upon its details. He dwelt upon the good work always being done by the Society in strengthening the desired friendly relations between authors and publishers by removing causes of difference between them, and criticised the conduct of those authors who entered the Society for the purpose of getting some difference adjusted between them and their publishers, leaving it after having obtained the desired benefit, to rejoin it only when once more in need of its assistance. He put forward as a principle to be adopted by the Committee that, in dealing with the affairs of members of this class, litigation should only be entered upon where a question was involved, the settling of which was likely to be useful to the Society at large. Mr. Freshfield also expressed regret at the slow progress that is being made with copyright legislation. With reference to the memorial to Sir Walter Besant, he informed the Society that the work of Mr. Frampton, R.A., with which considerable progress has been made, is, in the opinion of those who have seen it, likely to prove eminently satis- factory. The other topics which he touched upon included the work done for the Society by its legal advisers and the Secretary, the Pension Fund, the changes in the Committee and Council, and the dinner, fixed for the 30th of April, the tickets for which, the Society was informed, are to be 10s., while the dinner is to be followed by the usual conversazione. The report was adopted without further discussion, and the re-election of Mr. Morley Roberts to the committee for the manage- ment of the Pension Fund concluded the agenda of which notice had been given. Mr. Bernard Shaw then rose, and in a vigorous speech expressed his regret that neither the com- mittee nor any individual member should have question for its provided the meeting with any : and upon which discussion of interest to authors, authors might be glad to ventilate their possibly — {! divergent opmions: In the absence of any such subject, Mr. Shaw made reference to a matter with regard to which the feeling of those present was too unanimously with him for it to form the subject of controversy. Calling attention to the fact that the Society of Authors is at times the subject of adverse criticism and uninformed or wilfully mis- taken obloquy in the Press, he asked whether no means existed for the punishment of the literary black-legs who might be responsible for defamatory statements such as those to which he referred, and he suggested that the best method for dealing with them might form a fit subject for the Society’s consideration upon such an occasion as its general meeting. Mr, Warwick Bond, Mr. Eyre Hussey, and other speakers continued the discussion, and addressed those present briefly upon the same subject, the Chairman suggesting, in conclusion, that the diffi- culty of detecting the offender might be responsible for the impossibility of disposing of him or of his statements otherwise than by contradiction and refutation. As no member had any other matter to bring forward, a vote of thanks to the Chairman was then proposed by Mr. E. A. Armstrong, who con- gratulated the Society on having obtained so able a successor as Mr. Douglas Freshfield to take the place of Mr. A. Hope Hawkins. The motion was seconded by Lieut.-Col. Manifold Craig, and unanimously carried. The attendance at the meeting was decidedly smaller than usual, and considerably less than it used to be before the Society had won the secure position which it now occupies. This may in part have been due to the inclement weather, and to the fact that there was no controversial topic among the agenda. It is, however, to be regretted that members of the Society should not be present in greater numbers upon the annual occasion which gives them the opportunity to raise questions of interest to themselves and authors in general, and to express their approval of the labours of their Committee and Secretary. Among those present were—Mr. E. A. Armstrong, Miss E. A. Barnett, Miss Clementina Black, Mr. R. Warwick Bond, Miss E. E. Charlton, Lieut.-Col. R. Manifold Craig, Mr. Arthur Dillon, Mr. Basil Field, Mr. Douglas Freshfield, Miss Beatrice Harraden, Miss Helena Heath, Miss BE. M. Hine, Mr. Eyre Hussey, Mr. H. T. Inman, Mr. Benjamin Kidd, Miss Arabella Kenealy, Mr. J. M. Lely, Mrs. Nella Parker, Miss Olive K. Parr, Dr. A. Rattray, Mr. Edward Rose, Mr. Bernard Shaw, Mr. F, Vicars, etc., etc. ee Gee cme eee THE AUTHOR. fi } 171 THE AUTHORS’ ASSOCIATION. 1) N the list of societies given in the Literary Year Book for the current year we find one, founded apparently early in 1902, under the name of the Authors’ Association. We have had brought before us two circulars, one setting out the “Rules and Constitution of the Association” and the other its objects :— ‘Any person who has, or is desirous of adopting a literary life either as a profession or a recreation is qualfied for membership. The subscription for the first year is one guinea, for following years half a guinea,” The control of the society is vested in a Council, to consist of not less than six or more than twelve members, including the Secretary and Officers, This Council, it is provided, “shall manage the business of the Association, consider what steps are necessary to forward the objects for which the Association is established, and take such measures to carry them out as they may deem advisable, including the disposal of the funds of the Associa. tion.” The Secretary has charge of all correspondence and accounts, and the Treasurer pays all debts of the Association at his direction. It is further enacted that “no general or Council meeting shall without special announcement be considered a public meeting, or be attended by reporters for the Press except by invitation of the General Secretary by order of the Council ; nor shall any report of or comments upon the proceed- ings of any meeting be supplied to any newspaper or periodical, or be printed and published in any form, except by order of the Council conveyed by the General Secretary.” The General Secretary is Mr. Galloway Kyle, F.R.S.L., who resides at Darlington. The Asso- ciation, however, has a temporary office at 62, Paternoster Row. In the circulars before us the Countess of Aber- deen is stated to be the President of the society. We have called Mr. Kyle’s attention to the fact that her ladyship withdrew from the office in November last, and that, notwithstanding her resignation, her name is retained as President in the Literary Year Book for 1903, and also in circulars issued by the Association up to the.end of January. In reply Mr Kyle, while disputing the right, of the Authors’ Society to call for any explanation, states in general terms that at the time of her withdrawal her ladyship was informed that in the Literary Year Book and certain circulars already prepared her ladyship’s name would appear, and further that ‘any advertisement or announcement made or arranged after a certain date does not contain her ladyship’s name.” Mr. Kyle has @ecfined to give any more direct answer to the exp¥cit question whether he had Lady Aberdeen’s authority to continue the use of her name after her withdrawal. The following names are printed under the heading Council in the prospectus :— General Secretary and Editor, Mr. Galloway Kyle, F.R.S.L. ; Treasurer, Mr. J. Wilson ; Art Editor, Mr. T. Eyre Macklin, R.B.A.: Music Editor, Mr. T. Hutchinson, Mus. Doc. ; Solicitors, Messrs. Warburton & Robertson. The minimum number of six can, therefore, only be made up by including the Countess of Aberdeen, who has resigned, or counting the firm of solicitors as two councillors. The prospectus of the Association is a strangely inconsistent and self-contradictory document. For instance, it states emphatically in one paragraph that, “the Association is not a literary agency,” but on turning to page 2 we read :— “LITERARY AGENCY, “ A commission, varying with the position, experience of the author, and the character, length, and value of the work, will be charged on the price obtained for all MSS. published through the offices of the Association. Special arrangements may be made for the supply of topical articles, short stories, &c., by experienced members.” Inconsistency and obscurity of statement are not, however, confined to a single point. The circular alleges that the Association “is neither a trading nor a philanthropic institution.” Yet it is pro- posed not only to do the business of a literary agent, on’very vague terms, but also “to undertake typewriting and duplication of MSS. at the usual rates,” and to criticise MSS. for members on terms stated, or for non-members at double those terms. Every member, we must mention, has the right to have one MS. of 5,000 words criticised each year free of charge. Though in no way philan- thropic— “Tt is an attempt to offer reliable responsible authorita- tive advice and criticism to beginners in literature and journalism, to afford the inexperienced the assistance of experience ; to organise tentative efforts and direct mis- directed and wasted energy; to protect and develop professional interest and to be of general use to literary workers, especially to the isolated, the uninfluential, and the amateur, and to introduce some order, coherence, co- operation and uniformity in the chaotic and feebly indivi- dualistic state of the earlier stages of the literary profession.” Once more the circular states that among the Association’s objects are “to assist and advise the beginner in literature.” ‘To give legal advice on questions within the scope 6f the Association, and to afford members the protection and advantage of a powerful and responsible organisation in touch with the higher as well as with the lower branches of the profession of letters.”’ THE AUTHOR. And yet we read, “the scope of the Association is entirely outside that of the Authors’ Society, of which it can only be a feeder and not a rival.” We need hardly assure our readers—but we are glad to assure Mr. Kyle—that we should welcome most cordially any Association likely to be of sub- stantial assistance to authors, even though its field of action might in some directions overlap our own. Before, however, we can extend to him the hand of fellowship, he must produce some further proof than is contained in the circular before us that the Association which he represents is the “responsible and powerful organisation” he claims it to be. He must prove that it has an acting President and a working Council whose names will convey to the public an adequate assurance of its indepen- dence and capacity to administer the funds and dispose of the interests, literary and financial, that may be entrusted to it for the benefit of its clients. —_o——_e__- BOOK AND PLAY TALK. 1 IR GEORGE DOUGLAS will publish this month, through Messrs. Hodder and Stough- ton, “The Man of Letters,” a novel embodying a study of the literary temperament. We have already had from this author’s active pen an admirable “History of the Border Counties,” “Poems of a Country Gentleman,” “The Fireside Tragedy,” etc., etc. He is, besides, a steady con- tributor to The Bookman and Scotsman. Mr. John Murray is just bringing out the first series of lectures given in the Physiologicab Laboratory of the London University at South Kensington. It is intended that the series shall comprise two volumes a.year. The volume now in the press is by Dr. A. Waller, F.R.S. This is the first sign of life that the University of London is giving as a seat of learning. These lectures are especially to belong to what may be termed “ the growing surface of our knowledge,” on work that has been or is actually being carried out by the University lectures. The numerous readers of Mr. Richard Bagot’s “Donna Diana,” and “The Just and the Unjust,” will be interested to know that the author is making arrangements for their dramatisation. Mr. Bagot is at present in Italy, and is engaged on a new novel. ‘This is to appear as a serial during the coming summer, and is to be published in volume form afterwards. A letter of Mr. Bagot’s recently appeared in the Atheneum under the heading of “ Fiction and ih Fact.” In it he'pfotested, and very rightly, against the growing practice of labelling characters in fiction with the names of individuals. Mr. Bagot sent to the Editor of the Atheneum cuttings from articles published in the Mew York Times, in which names of well-known members of Roman Society—personal friends of the author—were mentioned as being the originals of certain of his characters in ‘‘ Donna Diana.” As this matter touches authors very nearly we quote a portion of the protesting letter :— “That well-known individuals should be mentioned by name as the originals of an author’s characters appears to me an abuse of the privileges of the Press. In the present instance, the statements made are absolutely false and likely to cause pain, not only tothe individuals alluded to, but also to many others, while the novelist can scarcely be pleased at being regarded as a photographic machine. .. . The characters in ‘Donna Diana’ are types—no living members of Roman Society are the originals from whom these types have been selected.” We are to have two annuals from Louis Wain this year. One is to be a “Summer Book,” for children only ; there is to be also the “ Winter Annual,” which appeals to grown-ups as well. Mr. Wain has no intention whatever of throwing up his cats for a literary career. He is bound hard and fast to the cat, for he is convinced this despised little animal is going to do great things in the cause of humanity. Mr. Wain tells us that when he started on his career as an artist by drawing for the illustrated papers at dog, cat, and agricultural shows, he soon found that the primary cause of success was to please other people and not his own art instincts. If he drew an animal as others imagined it he at once made a hit ; but did he follow his own fancy he “got it hot on the spot.” Every development he has since made in his art or hobbies has been the direct outcome of contact with men who are past-masters in their own particular work. He has looked through their spectacles, as it were, and he has endeavoured to grasp the essentials of all the arts. He says further :— “In a small way I have started by building up my annual... . That we shall race forward and arrive at a more masterful cult in all the arts and sciences directly the flood of fortune touches the starved-out literati, quickens the active instincts of the artists, and calls to life the finer sense of feeling of the musician, I believe to be a truism; but the organisation to bring it about will be built up of the united judgment of many master- minds,” Mr. Felix Moscheles, whose very interesting “Fragments of an Autobiography” we all know, has no long book in hand at present, but he is busy in other directions. He is a regular contributor to Concord, the monthly organ of the Inter- national Arbitration and Peace Association, of | THE AUTHOR. | 173 i which he is chairman. The sbjects treated are naturally in close connection wh the aims of the society, and the articles are mainly intended to popularise and strengthen the Hague Conventions, and the International Tribunal established in that city. Mr. Moscheles has also lately written on Esperanto, the International language invented by Dr. Zamen- hof, of Warsaw. An Esperanto Club has been formed, and Mr. Moscheles is its president. Dr. Andrew Balfour, who went out last December to the Gordon College at Khartoum, as director of the Research Laboratories, presented to the Govern- ment by Mr. H. S. Wellcome, of Messrs. Burroughs, Wellcome & Co., Limited, fears he will have no time for fiction in this new position, as there is any amount of hard work to be done, and that in a climate which can scarcely be called stimulating. Perhaps it is not generally known that Dr. Balfour wrote, with Dr. C. J. Lewis, of Edinburgh, a large text-book entitled “Public Health and Preventive Medicine.” He took to scribbling, by way of relaxation, shortly after graduating at Edin- burgh, in’94. His first story, ‘‘ Gentleman Jerry,” was accepted by Chambers’ Journal, much to his surprise and delight. He then wrote “ By Stroke of Sword,” which was published by Messrs. Methuen, and quickly ran into a fourth edition. The same firm issued his “lo Arms” and “ Vengeance is Mine.” “To Arms” is now in its second edition. Like many another, Dr. Balfour served his year as a civil surgeon in South Africa: the result has been the output of two books—‘ Cashiered,” a volume of short stories (Nisbet), and “ The Golden Kingdom” (Hutchinson). Dr. Balfour belongs to the same clan as that which claims R. L. Balfour Stevenson, viz., “ the auld hoose o’ Pilrig,” and he is very proud of the fact. The Rey. Silas K. Hocking is finishing his new novel, “A Bonnie Saxon,” and will publish it at an early date through Messrs. F. Warne & Co. He is also engaged on a new serial story for the Sunday Companion, the title of which will be “The Tempter’s Power.” Miss Constance Hill is now at work upon a book dealing with an eighteenth century subject. Mr. John Lane will publish it. A second edition of “Jane Austin: Her Homes and Her Friends,” is in preparation. Our readers will remember that this really admirable and, we venture to think, definitive book about the famous authoress was illustrated by Miss Hllen S. Hill, and that it was published last Christmas year by Mr. John Lane. Miss Constance Hill began to write in 1888, when she edited and added matter to a series of books for children written to a large extent by her 174° i mother before her marriage. These volumes were called “ The Parents’ Cabinet of Amusement and Instruction.” This series ran through many editions, and elicited letters of warm appreciation from Maria Edgeworth. In 1894 Miss Hill edited, with large additions, her father’s life. It was entitled, “Frederic Hill: an Autobiography of Fifty Years in Times of Reform” (Bentley). Then, in 1899, Mr. Heinemann published her “ Story of the Princess des Ursins in Spain.” This has just been translated into German and published by Carl Winter. (Heidelberg University Press.) A third edition of Rita’s new novel, “Souls a (Hutchinson & Co.), is already in preparation. The first edition was sold out in a week, and the second is practically disposed of. A new book on astronomy by Mr. J. EH. Gore, F.R.A.S., entitled “The Stellar Heavens: An Introduction to the Study of the Stars and Nebule,” is in the press, and will shortly be published by Messrs. Chatto and Windus. Mr. Wilkinson Sherren, whose ‘“ Wessex of Romance” was published by Messrs. Chapman and Hall last year, is revising for press a volume of tales, chiefly rustic in character. A picturesque cover vignette has been drawn by Mr. William Pye, whose Dorset pictures and etchings are becoming increasingly popular. The title of this volume will be “A Rustic Dreamer.” This month Mr. H. J. Drane will publish a tragedy called “ Messalina,” by Mr. F. T. Winbolt, author of “Frithof the Bold,” ete. The drama deals with the schemes of the Empress, and con- cludes with her overthrow and assassination. The last scene depicts Claudius at a banquet listening to the pleadings of Domitia, the mother of Messa- lina, for the life of her daughter, whom he has ordered to be slain. Moved by the words of Domitia, Claudius pardons Messalina, but as he does so, the news arrives that his orders have been carried out, and that the Empress is dead. The Sunday School Union has just brought out a fine edition of Miss Wood’s Picture Map of Palestine, which gives all the physical features of the country, and is most useful for teaching pur- poses. It is six feet long, and the names are very clearly printed. The map is on an entirely new principle, and is very graphic. A little volume, “Recollections of a Royal Parish,” by Mrs. Patricia Lindsay, recently pub- lished by Mr. John Murray, gives an interesting account of the parish of Crathie, in which are situated Balmoral and Abergeldie Castles. The book contains several hitherto unpublished letters from Queen Victoria to the writer’s father and herself. These throw some interesting sidelights upon the character of the late Queen, and on life THE AUTHOR. in the Highlands. The oa illustrated by some excellent views and portraits. Mr. E. H. Lacon Watson, author of “ Chris- topher Deane,” ‘ Benedictine,” and several other volumes, has recently published a new novel through Mr. Edward Arnold. Its name is ‘The Templars,” but intending readers are warned that the story has no concern with life at the Bar or with the Knights Templars of the Middle Ages. The title, in fact, is taken from the name of the family whose fortunes are chronicled in the book. It is quite modern. Miss C. Gascoigne Hartley’s “Early British Heroes,” stories founded upon Geoffrey of Mon- mouth’s Chronicles, has been favourably noticed by reviewers. Messrs. Dent and Co. are the pub- lishers. The book is illustrated by Mr. Patten Wilson. A notable book just out is “ The Rubaiyat of Umar Khaiyam,” done into English from the French of J. B. Nicholas, by Frederick Baron Corvo, together with a reprint of the French text. There is an interesting introduction by Nathan Haskell Dole (John Lane). It seems that the translation was undertaken at the solicitation of Mr. Henry Harland and Mr. Kenneth Grahame. We give a triplet of the far-famed quatrains in this new and striking form :— ‘“ When I am drinking Wine, its Foes appear on every Hand to induce me to abstain, alleging Wine to be the Enemy of Religion. For this exquisite Reason, now, I dub myself Faith’s Champion, and with God’s Aid I will drink Wine ; knowing that to drink the Blood of His Enemy is a meritorious Deed.” (93) “When low lieth mine Head at the Feet of Death, when Haides shall have plucked me like a Fowl, make nothing save a Flagon from my Dust; for the odour of the Wine therein, perchance, for an instant, will revive me.” (290) “OQ limpid Wine, Wine of richest Tincture! Fool that I be, I will in such excess to drink thee, that whoever shall perceive me from afar, may mistake me for thee, and say, © Master Wine, pray tell me whence thou comest.” (439) The Russian Choir at present singing in “ Resur- rection” at His Majesty’s Theatre has received several invitations to sing in other places. An extensive programme is being prepared of the most characteristic Russian Church chants, operatic choruses, and arias, folk-lore and wedding songs, etc., embracing those of Great Russia, Little Russia, White Russia, Lethuania, Poland, and the s0- called Gipsy Cycle. The choir will wear costumes characteristic of the historical epoch and locality represented. The undertaking will be under the direction of M. Jaakoff-Prelooker, who will accom- pany the performances with brief explanatory remarks in English. The most important songs will be printed in full English translations. A second edition of Mr. Arthur Lovell’s “ Con- centration ” (post free, 2s. 3d.), is now ready, It THE AUTHOR. is enlarged by the addition of a new entitled, “ Matter and Force.” Mr. Bernard Cape’s new novel, “A Castle in Spain” (Smith-Elder), has gone into a second edition, At the annual general meeting of the Royal Literary Fund Mr. W. E. H. Lecky was elected president for the ensuing year. Among those present were Mr. Edmund Gosse, Mr. Julian Sturgis, Mr. Owen Seaman, Mr. M. H. Spiel- mann, and Sir Theodore Martin. Mr. Julian Sturgis presented the reports of the Fund. He announced that their income last year amounted to £2,986, while the sum expended in grants was £2,870. The total invested sum was £56,410, which produced an income of £1,741. They were in want of strong cases, said Mr. Sturgis, and would be glad to hear of any bond fide literary people who were in trouble, or of anybody who was engaged in literary research. An_ original light comedy in three acts by Mr. Henry Arthur Jones entitled, “ Whitewashing Julia,” was produced at the Garrick Theatre on Monday evening, March 2nd. Mr. Arthur Bourchier was successful in the part of Mr. William Stillingfleet, and Miss Violet Vanbrugh made the most of Julia. Miss Ethelwyn Arthur chapter Jones made a decided hit as the Bishop’s out- spoken niece, Trixie Blenkinsop. Mr. Sam Sothern and Mr. Kenneth Douglas were exceedingly good as the Hon. Edwin and the Hon. Bevis Pinkney respectively, “The Two Mr. Wetherbys,” a “middle-class comedy ” by St. John Hankin, was successfully pro- duced at the Imperial Theatre on March’ 15th before members of the Stage Society. A public performance was given at the same theatre on the following afternoon. Mr. Hankin may be remembered as the author of the series of “ Dramatic Sequels,” which, after appearing in the pages of Mr. Punch, were republished in book form by Messrs. Bradbury & Agnew about a year ago. ————__+—~@—. PARIS NOTES. —_+-—>—+—__ HE book of the month here : 4 “L’Inde,” by Pierre Loti. It has been advertised in many of the papers as “L’Inde, sans les Anglais,” and this title gives an admirable idea of the book. We have had many volumes on India, and magazine articles without number, but in most of these the British element is in the foreground, and in a country like India, from a poetic and artistic 1s, undoubtedly, 175 point of view, the British element is so prosaic that it completely spoils the picture. In that wonderful book on Burma, “The Soul of a People,” the author shows us clearly how prosaic and un poeti- cal we are. Pierre Loti goes still farther, he leaves us out altogether, and his book, from an artistic point of view, gains immensely by the omission. Prince Henri @Orléans, in his last book, “ L’Ame du Voyageur,” speaks of the éfat d’ame of the explorer. He Says: “Le voyageur ne recueille pas uniquement le bénéfice d’un travail conscient ; il éprouve des sensations connues de lui seul, sensations profondes, nettes, qui lui laisseront & jamais une impression aussi vive qu’au premier Jour. Sentant qu’il est prés d’elle et qu'il est a elle, la nature le prend pour confident et lui ouvre tout grands ses mystéres. I] n’a pas lieu de s’enorgueillir, il nest guére plus savant que d’autres ; mais il a vu de pres, sans voiles; il est Partiste qui se repait pleinement, sainement de la beauté, Dans ces moments de révélation le voyageur qui crayonne sur son carnet ne se sent pas écrire; sa main semble courir toute seule, poussée par une force inconnue, et l’état de son ame se refléte en ces pages comme en un miroir.” This is surely the way in which Pierre Loti was inspired to write the poem in prose which he has entitled “L’Inde.” The volume is divided into five parts : “ En Route vers Inde,” “A Ceylon ;” “Chez le Maharajah du Travancore 57 = Danes VInde des Grandes Palmes 3° ° Dang inde Affamée ;” and ‘“ Vers Bénarés.” “ L’Oblat,” the new book by M. J. K. Huysmans, is extremely interesting, treating as it does one of the burning questions of the day in France, that of the Associations Law and the recent expulsion of many of the religious congregations. The oblatis a kind of lay brother who is admitted as a boarder into a monastery, and as M. Huysmans tried this experiment himself, and remained in his monastery until the exodus of the monks and their departure for the land of exile, the author of this book speaks feelingly when, as Durtal, he gives us his opinion on recent events. There are some very fine pages in “ L’Oblat,” and, as a French critic says, “ It is a continuation of M. Huysmans’ ‘ Encyclopzedia of Catholicism, ’” Durtal is living in a monastery in the neigh- bourhood of Dijon as an oblat, when the Pope’s letter with regard to the Associations Law causes a stir in the French Catholic world. The monks believe that the Government will not dare to touch the religious orders, but Durtal has not this faith, and, in the passages where he attacks the Govern. ment, treating Loubet “as a veritable Pilate,” we recognise not only the lay brother, but Huysmans, an author of the realistic school. 176 He describes the indignation of the worthy monks who object to ask the authorization of the Government, and who object, still more strongly, to give an inventory of all they possess. Through all the tribulations of the monks, the lay brother, Durtal, appears to see clearly the causes which have brought about this state of things. “Les fideles,” he says, “ont aidé A faire du catholicisme ce quelque chose d’émascule, d’hybride, de mol, cette espéce de courtage de priéres et de mercu- riale @oraisons, cette sorte de Sainte-Tombola ou Yon brocante des graces en insérant des papiers et des sous dans des troncs, scellés sous des statues de saints !” Finally, Durtal is convinced that if God allows His Church to be persecuted it is in order that certain reforms shall be made, and that the Church shall be more in accordance with the requirements of the times. Among other ideas Durtal proposes that artists shall help to restore the monastic idea. He dreams of a huge settlement composed of houses and studios, where men of various professions shall live, each house offering hospitality to a monk, but all living together and having a common oratory. In conclusion, Durtal says: ‘“ L’Eglise pourrait faire plus mal que prier Dieu de lui envoyer des artistes. leurs ceuvres opéreraient plus de con- versions et lui améneraient plus de partisans que les vaines rengaines que ses prétres, juchés dans des coquetiers, versent sur la téte resignée des fideles.”” On closing the book one is struck with the idea that the society of M. Huysmans must have been a great addition to the monks in the monastery where he resided for some time. “Au milieu des massacres” is the title of the book just published by Madame Maurice Carlier, the heroic woman who was recently decorated by the French Government with the Order of the Legion of Honour. Her husband was the French Consul who distinguished himself by his courage during the events of Sivas, in 1895. The “Correspondance de Chateaubriand avec La Marquise de V.—”’ has just been published as “Un Dernier Amour de René.” The story of this correspondence is quite a romance. The Marquise de V. was a great admirer of Chateaubriand’s works, and for years had “worshipped” in silence. When she was about forty-eight she ventured to write to the celebrated author, because she had seen from the newspaper that he was ill. Chateaubriand replied in the most cordial terms, and the Marquise then wrote a longer letter, in which she expressed her admiration for his works, and owned that he had for many years been her “ étoile.” The correspondence continued during the next THE AUTHOR. two years, and it is very evident from the letters of the Marquise that her admiration developed into love, and that she suffered tortures between her longing to see the man whom she idolised and her dread lest their meeting should prove to be the end of their romance. Chateaubriand persisted in believing that she was quite young, and she had not the courage to undeceive him. Before the end of the first year of this exchange of letters, Chateaubriand writes: “J’aime celle qui ne m’est plus inconnue que de visage.” A few months later he calls on the Marquise, and then after a few more letters the correspondence ceases. As the preface to the book explains ‘ Chateau- briand avait toujours vite fait de cesser d’aimer et nombreuses sont les femmes qui en ont souffert.” The Marquise de V. was probably one of these women. The letters are well worth reading, and one understands from those of Chateaubriand some- thing of the fascination he exercised. The death of M. Gaston Paris is a great loss to the French literary world. He was a member of the Academy, a great savant and a philologist of the first order. He lectured at the College of France on the French language and literature of the Middle Ages. Among his numerous works the following are perhaps the best known :—“ Histoire poetique de Charlemagne,” “Les plus anciens monuments de la langue francaise,” “ Les Contes orientaux de la littérature francaise du Moyen-Age.” The French Academy has lost its Doyen, M. Ernest Legouvé. He became a member of the Academy in 1855, and has, during his long career, seen all his thirty-nine colleagues replaced by new members. Hewas born in 1807. His best known works are: “Adrienne Lecouvreur,” and the “ Bataille de Dames,” et “Contes de la Reine de Navarre,” in collaboration with Scribe. The late M. Zola’s books have been sold, and among them a Latin manuscript, a breviary of the fifteenth century, executed by the Abbé de Moissac. The miniatures and illuminations were very beautiful. Tt seems that the breviary had a history. Zola picked it up ata sale, and it appears that it inspired him for his book “ Le Réve.” The exact description of this manuscript is to be found in the book. An exquisite little volame has just been pub- lished entitled, “‘Pensées d’une Solitaire.” The authoress of these “ Pensées,” Madame Ackermann, died in 1890. She had published an edition in 1883, but it was very soon out of print, and this reprint is preceded by a chapter entitled “ Madame Louise Ackermann intime,” written by Mlle. Louise Read. In this chapter many hitherto unpublished fragments of poetry and prose are given, and also THE AUTHOR. 177 a brief sketch of the life of the authoress whose works won the admiration of such men as Tolstoy, Sully Prudhomme, Coppée and Barbey @’ Aurevilly, The latter, who was often horrified at Madame Ackermann’s tone of revolt in certain of her writings, spoke of her as “ tout 4 la fois un monstre et un prodige: un prodige pur le talent et un monstre par la pens¢e.” Whereupon Mme. Ackermann sent her critic a volume of her poems dedicated to him by “ Un monstre reconnaissant.”’ Mile. Read sums up admirably the great merit of both the Pensées and the poems. “Ceux qui avaient déja souffert aussi,’ she says: “savent combien son influence était fortifiante et reposante et quel courage ils puisaient prés d’elle, non qu’elle s’efforcat de leur donner de vagues consgolations, mais sondant avec eux les abimes de la souffrance méme, la généralisant, l’ennoblissant. La est sa supréme puissance.” The new review published here (The Weekly Critical) has made rapid strides, both as regards quality and popularity. The French are quick to recognise literary merit, and the Editor, M. Arthur Bles, has already been nominated Offcier a’ Académie. The tenth number of the review contains some excellent articles, among others, “An English View of Nathaniel Hawthorne,” by John F, Runciman; “The Decay of Craftmanship in England,” by Arthur Symons ; “ Joseph Conrad,” by Ernest Newman; and a criticism of the Schumann Lieder, by Hugues Imbert. Some of the first writers in France are contributing to this review, and weekly articles are also to appear by Arthur Symons, John F. Runciman, and Ernest Newman. The International Theatre, too, seems likely to be a success. This magazine is published on the 20th of each month, and the March num- ber is most interesting. The theatrical news of the world is summed up in sixty pages, and as every article is given in two languages, French and English, it seems as though the whole world should be able to read it. Dramatic authors will no doubt enjoy following their plays to the various countries and seeing the photos of their interpreters of all nationalities. Besides the “ news,” there are some excellent articles in this number on subjects connected with the theatre. Mr. Louis N. Parker writes on “ Authors and their Adapters.” He says that in the course of his work he has been struck by the “callous indifference of authors towards their own plays. The majority of them do not seem to care by whom their plays are translated or interpreted, and they display a reckless ignorance of theatrical matters outside their own immediate surroundings which is perfectly amazing. ... Subsequently they are pained and surprised if, owing to the grotesque incompetence of the transla- tion, or the laughable inappropriateness of the performance, their play is a fiasco.” Perhaps the International Theatre will change all this. It will be more easy from henceforth for dramatic authors to know what is going on outside their own country. Another of the articles in this number is “ The American Syndicate since its Foundation,” by Norman Hapgood. The author explains very clearly the origin of the “ Theatrical Trust.” In Paris, the city par excellence for all things connected with dramatic art, the new venture has been welcomed cordially, and, as the name of Simpkin and Marshall appears on the cover of this month’s issue, it is evident that London, too, has discovered it. At the theatres there is great activity. ‘ Werther,” by M. Decourcelles, still holds the bill alternatively with “La Dame aux Camélias” at the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre. ‘Le Beau, Jeune Homme,” by M. Capus, at the Renaissance, has not had the success of “ La Chate- laine,” At the Odeon “ Le Message” and “ Les Appe- lears ” have been put on in the place of “ Résur- rection.” M. Antoine has had great success with “ Le Colonel Chabert,” a piece cleverly adapted by M. Louis Forest from a novel by Balzac. The new play, which is now being rehearsed by Madame Réjane, is awaited with great interest. It is in five acts and entitled “La Meilleure Part,” by Pierre de Coulevain, written in collaboration with Pierre Decourcelles. Pierre de Coulevain’s last novel, “Eve Victo- rieuse,” had great success in Paris, and, as in the play an American woman is one of the prominent characters, great curiosity is felt, not only with regard to the play itself, but also as to the inter- pretation by a French artiste of an American girl who becomes the wife of a French aristocrat. Madame Réjane has an extremely difficult ré/e, that of one of the most complex of complex women. She will no doubt rise to the occasion, and it is more than probable that ‘‘ La Meilleure Part” will be her greatest triumph. Atys HaLtaRp ——_$_-—~<—_ —______ THE DISTRIBUTION OF BOOKS. es Some American Conditions. HE Authors’ Society might do worse than issue a Special Commission to inquire into and report upon the present state of the business of book-making and (so far as “ authors” are concerned) of periodical-making in the United States of America, Foreign markets are of ever- 176 He describes the indignation of the worthy monks who object to ask the authorization of the Government, and who object, still more strongly, to give an inventory of all they possess. Through all the tribulations of the monks, the lay brother, Durtal, appears to see clearly the causes which have brought about this state of things. “ Les fidéles,” he says, “ ont aidé & faire du catholicisme ce quelque chose d’émascule, d’hybride, de mol, cette espéce de courtage de pricres et de mercu- riale d’oraisons, cette sorte de Sainte-Tombola ou Yon brocante des graces en insérant des papiers et des sous dans des troncs, scellés sous des statues de saints ! ” Finally, Durtal is convinced that if God allows His Church to be persecuted it is in order that certain reforms shall be made, and that the Church shall be more in accordance with the requirements of the times. Among other ideas Durtal proposes that artists shall help to restore the monastic idea. He dreams of a huge settlement composed of houses and studios, where men of various professions shall live, each house offering hospitality to a monk, but all living together and having a common oratory. In conclusion, Durtal says: ‘‘ L’Eglise pourrait faire plus mal que prier Dieu de lui envoyer des artistes. Leurs ceuvres opéreraient plus de con- versions et lui améneraient plus de partisans que les vaines rengaines que ses prétres, juchés dans des coquetiers, versent sur la téte résignée des fideles.”’ On closing the book one is struck with the idea that the society of M. Huysmans must have been a great addition to the monks in the monastery where he resided for some time. “Au milieu des massacres” is the title of the book just published by Madame Maurice Carlier, the heroic woman who was recently decorated by the French Government with the Order of the Legion of Honour. Her husband was the French Consul who distinguished himself by his courage during the events of Sivas, in 1895. The “Correspondance de Chateaubriand avec La Marquise de V.—” has just been published as “Un Dernier Amour de René.” The story of this correspondence is quite a romance. The Marquise de V. was a great admirer of Chateaubriand’s works, and for years had “worshipped” in silence. When she was about forty-eight she ventured to write to the celebrated author, because she had seen from the newspaper that he was ill. Chateaubriand replied in the most cordial terms, and the Marquise then wrote a longer letter, in which she expressed her admiration for his works, and owned that he had for many years been her “ étoile.” The correspondence continued during the next THE AUTHOR. two years, and it is very evident from the letters of the Marquise that her admiration developed into love, and that she suffered tortures between her longing to see the man whom she idolised and her dread lest their meeting should prove to be the end of their romance. Chateaubriand persisted in believing that she was quite young, and she had not the courage to undeceive him. Before the end of the first year of this exchange of letters, Chateaubriand writes: “J’aime celle qui ne m’est plus inconnue que de visage.” A few months later he calls on the Marquise, and then after a few more letters the correspondence ceases. As the preface to the book explains “ Chateau- briand avait toujours vite fait de cesser d’aimer et nombreuses sont les femmes qui en ont souffert.” The Marquise de V. was probably one of these women. The letters are well worth reading, and one understands from those of Chateaubriand some- thing of the fascination he exercised. The death of M. Gaston Paris is a great loss to the French literary world. He was a member of the Academy, a great savant and a philologist of the first order. He lectured at the College of France on the French language and literature of the Middle Ages. Among his numerous works the following are perhaps the best known :—“ Histoire poetique de Charlemagne,” “ Les plus anciens monuments de la langue francaise,” “ Les Contes orientaux de la littérature francaise du Moyen-Age.” The French Academy has lost its Doyen, M. Ernest Legouvé. He became a member of the Academy in 1855, and has, during his long career, seen all his thirty-nine colleagues replaced by new members. He was born in 1807. His best known works are: “Adrienne Lecouvreur,” and the “Bataille de Dames,” et “Contes de la Reine de Navarre,” in collaboration with Scribe. The late M. Zola’s books have been sold, and among them a Latin manuscript, a breviary of the fifteenth century, executed by the Abbé de Moissac. The miniatures and illuminations were very beautiful. Tt seems that the breviary had a history. Zola picked it up ata sale, and it appears that it inspired him for his book “ Le Réve.” The exact description of this manuscript is to be found in the book. An exquisite little volume has just been pub- lished entitled, ‘“ Pensées d’une Solitaire.” The authoress of these “ Pensées,” Madame Ackermann, died in 1890. She had published an edition in 1883, but it was very soon out of print, and this reprint is preceded by a chapter entitled “ Madame Louise Ackermann intime,” written by Mlle. Louise Read. In this chapter many hitherto unpublished fragments of poetry and prose are given, and also & BER THE AUTHOR. a brief sketch of the life of the authoress whose works won the admiration of such men as Tolstoy, Sully Prudhomme, Coppée and Barbey d’ Aurevilly. The latter, who was often horrified at Madame Ackermann’s tone of revolt in certain of her writings, spoke of her as “ tout a la fois un monstre et un prodige: un prodige pur le talent et un monstre par la pensée.” Whereupon Mme. Ackermann sent her critic a volume of her poems dedicated to him by “Un monstre reconnaissant.”’ Mlle. Read sums up admirably the great merit of both the Pensées and the poems. “ Ceux qui avaient déja souffert aussi,” she says: “savent combien son influence était fortifiante et reposante et quel courage ils puisaient prés d’elle, non qu'elle s’ettorgat de leur donner de vagues consolations, mais sondant avec eux les abimes de la souffrance méme, la généralisant, l’ennoblissant. La est sa supréme puissance.” The new review published here (The Weekly Critical) has made rapid strides, both as regards quality and popularity. The French are quick to recognise literary merit, and the Editor, M. Arthur Bles, has already been nominated Officier i’ Académie. The tenth number of the review contains some excellent articles, among others, “An English View of Nathaniel Hawthorne,” by John F. Runciman; “The Decay of Craftmanship in England,” by Arthur Symons ; « Joseph Conrad,” by Ernest Newman; and a criticism of the Schumann Lieder, by Hugues Imbert. Some of the first writers in France are contributing to this review, and weekly articles are also to appear by Arthur Symons, John F. Runciman, and Ernest Newman. The International Theatre, too, seems likely to be a success. This magazine is published on the 20th of each month, and the March num- ber is most interesting. The theatrical news of the world is summed up in sixty pages, and as every article is given in two languages, French and English, it seems as though the whole world should be able to read it. Dramatic authors will no doubt enjoy following their plays to the various countries and seeing the photos of their interpreters of all nationalities. Besides the “news,” there are some excellent articles in this number on subjects connected with the theatre. Mr. Louis N. Parker writes on “ Authors and their Adapters.” He says that in the course of his work he has been struck by the “callous indifference of authors towards their own plays. The majority of them do not seem to care by whom their plays are translated or interpreted, and they display a reckless ignorance of theatrical matters outside their own immediate surroundings which is perfectly amazing. ... Subsequently they are pained and surprised if, 177 owing to the grotesque incompetence of the transla- tion, or the laughable inappropriateness of the performance, their play is a fiasco.” Perhaps the International Theatre will change all this. It will be more easy from henceforth for dramatic authors to know what is going on outside their own country. Another of the articles in this number is “ The American Syndicate since its Foundation,” by Norman Hapgood. The author explains very clearly the origin of the “ Theatrical Trust.” In Paris, the city par excellence for all things connected with dramatic art, the new venture has been welcomed cordially, and, as the name of Simpkin and Marshall appears on the cover of this month’s issue, it is evident that London, too, has discovered it. At the theatres there is great activity. “ Werther,” by M. Decourcelles, still holds the bill alternatively with “La Dame aux Camélias” at the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre. “Le Beau, Jeune Homme,” by M. Capus, at the Renaissance, has not had the success of “ La Chate- laine.” At the Odeon “ Le Message” and “Les Appe- lears”” have been put on in the place of “ Résur- rection.” M. Antoine has had great success with “ Le Colonel Chabert,” a piece cleverly adapted by M. Louis Forest from a novel by Balzac. The new play, which is now being rehearsed by Madame Réjane, is awaited with great interest. It is in five acts and entitled “La Meilleure Part,” by Pierre de Coulevain, written in collaboration with Pierre Decourcelles. Pierre de Coulevain’s last novel, “Eve Victo- rieuse,” had great success in Paris, and, as in the play an American woman is one of the prominent characters, great curiosity is felt, not only with regard to the play itself, but also as to the inter- pretation by a French artiste of an American girl who becomes the wife of a French aristocrat. Madame Réjane has an extremely difficult ré/e, that of one of the most complex of complex women. She will no doubt rise to the occasion, and it is more than probable that ‘‘ La Meilleure Part” will be her greatest triumph. Atys HaALuarp $+ —____ THE DISTRIBUTION OF BOOKS. —_— Some American Conditions. HE Authors’ Society might do worse than issue a Special Commission to inquire into and report upon the present state of the business of book-making and (so far as “ authors” are concerned) of periodical-making in the United Foreign markets are of ever- States of America. 178 increasing importance to the competent British writer, and the American is by far the most valuable of them all. We stand to gain, too, not only by the greater frequency of these over-sea transactions and the “invasion” of this country by American firms, but also by the example of vigour and intelligence which they often afford to the more conservative British publishers, editors, and retailers. Unfortunately, the only trustworthy information at present available is necessarily coloured by personal experience, and those who know most are least inclined to indulge in rash generalisation. I am very glad to respond to the editor’s request for some personal impressions ; but I am not at all inclined to help to encourage the young writer in the notion that there is, out there in the sunset, a new El Dorado yearning to acknowledge and reward his budding genius. In this, as in other departments of industry, the Republic is beginning to expect to balance exports against imports. It is now capable of supplying all the trash it can consume (which, indeed, is saying a good deal) ; the only conquests that remain are for special talent, or something still rarer, backed by skilled advice and vigilant organisation. Let me take the periodical Press first. I am much struck by the courtesy and still more by the open-mindedness of the American editor, as com- pared with his English fellow. He is infinitely more receptive, and, on the financial side, generally more venturesome. There is no air of pontifical inspiration or Thibetan impenetrability about the American editorial office. Thanks to our world- wide traffic we still have a greater range of oppor- tunity in politics and the more weighty public subjects ; in the kaleidoscopic representation of social life we are sadly behindhand. In publica- tions devoted to bookish affairs America leads the whole world, with the Critic, the Bookman, Current Literature, the Reader, the Lamp, the New York Times’ Saturday Review, the Dial (Chicago), and the Literary World (Boston), the last two serving to remind us of the advantage of having more than one centre of literary production. When we recall that, in addition, it is no infrequent thing to find four or six pages of book reviews in a single issue of any of the twenty leading news- papers, it becomes evident that the American publisher has to cater for an appetite which, already Jarger than ours, is still growing, and growing under fairly good guidance. Criticism has not the air of preciosity to which we are accustomed, and perhaps it sometimes fails of the expertness on remote subjects which gives certain British journals their sole value. Ina word, letters are the posses- sion not of a small cult but of a great democracy ; a people marked by the limitations, but also the glorious vigour and sympathies of youth. THE AUTHOR. It may be positively said that the American editor has finished with average British fiction, short or long. The reasons are obvious ; but it is only after having received many hard knocks in the last few years that some accepted English writers have bowed to the inevitable. Brother Jonathan is rapidly learning to discriminate. He is also a very positive person, and, general polite- ness notwithstanding, very impatient of incompe- tence. The editor is a man of ideas, not an amiable Mr. Mantalini. Great names, great deeds, new ideas, unfailingly appeal to him. He simply doesn’t want of us what his own public school children can do, as he would say, ‘‘in their sleep.” I am inclined to think that he runs to greater extremes of price in both directions, though it is difficult to know how our own lower scales can be outdone ; but the high prices are nearly all re- served as prizes for a few men and women of special gifts and achievements. For the rest, the national tastes and distastes—for instance, the absorbing interest in material accomplishment, and the prevalent puritanism—must be carefully re- garded. For very few authors can the United States be looked upon as more than a supplemen- tary field; and then it can only be effectively attacked through a trustworthy agent. That, indeed, may be said of all ‘ foreign rights.” Conditions of book publication still differ con- siderably on the opposite sides of the Atlantic, though no doubt they tend to become more homo- geneous with the growth of literary intercourse. The work of the Authors’ Society has still to be done over there. Only a few men have been tempted into the new and difficult sphere of literary agency (one of the chief English syndicates has lately withdrawn its American representative), and they exist in the main by and for foreign business. Cost of production has never, so far as I know, come under public discussion ; and it is even more difficult there than here to get books satisfactorily produced on commission. Even the beginnings of a corporate feeling among craftsmen of the pen are hardly yet discernible. In a nation with the heritage of the Old World behind and immeasurable material tasks before, it is not sur- prising that native literature has hitherto been a mere by-product. Now that a thousand more or less intelligent young men and women have been tempted to try their hands upon the romance topographical or historical, we may expect some esprit de corps to appear. But the terrible indi- vidualism of the American character is an obstacle ; the existence of three or four great national centres is another ; while the greatest of all will be found in the peculiar character of American publishing enterprise in its present stage. If it be possible, the man of art is more completely than THE AUTHOR. 179 we are in the hands of the man of business ; though he may more often console himself with the reflection that his publisher really is a man of business, and not merely a dilettante or a potterer, Agreements oftener take an arbitrary form ; and, even with the best firms, accustomed to the more rigid British methods, it is often necessary, for the sake of a greater advantage, to pass minor provisions which are now hardly ever met with at home. Extraordinary arrangements with authors are also—if the bull may be permitted—more frequent, these being generally the outcome of, or closely connected with, the American advertising system, and the quest of the “boomster.” The English publisher rarely gives a substantial advance on royalties unless previous sale records justify it. The American of good standing can apparently draw to a much larger extent upon the support of the retail trade, and so is enabled to mortgage the royalties on a larger first edition if he scents a “big seller.” Thus, a quite uew author may be offered a very large sum in advance of what turns out to be—until sales have reached twenty or thirty thousand—a very small royalty, the inducement being not only the large advance payment, but the prospect of an expenditure on advertisements so heavy that it would be, as the publisher probably justly contends, impossible under the normal British system. It will be better for everyone, I think, when this “boomster ” business is played out ; and one notes with satis- faction that some of the best of the newer houses are following the best of the old ones, by abandon- ing the plan of an exceedingly reduced list of meretricious works, designed solely for sensational advertisement. One wonders how some English houses meet their newspaper bills; and it is not surprising to learn that the American publisher, whose expenditure in this direction has sometimes reached fabulous proportions, is beginning to learn that it is a mistake. He may spend much less and yet set us a needed example of effective display. The Author has been saying some very severe things of late about the British bookseller ; and, without endorsing all of them, I quite agree that our retailers have much to learn, and that upon the improvement of their position the improvement of the outlook for authors and publishers largely depends. If Transatlantic examples are to be quoted, however, it must be subject to some under- standing of the differences of the two cases. In England, apart from a few central shops in the large cities, bookselling is a sadly impoverished business, subsisting largely upon the respectability that attaches to the skirts of culture in an ancient society. The fall of incomes of the landowners and the poverty of the country clergy—classes which would sacrifice books before other luxuries —the extension of the Mudie and Smith libraries, the increasing habit of buying in London, and the growth of the discount system have played havoc with bookshops in the provinces. In America the circumstances are widely different. The book- man is respected no more, probably less, than the engineer ; indeed, no one calling is much more respectable than another. But solid profit is the measure of success in all callings ; and the book- seller expects to get, and does get, solid profits. Trade discounts run to at least 40 per cent. off “subject” books, and 25 per cent. on net books, but the net system now practically covers all but novels. New York is very far from absorbing all the wealth and enterprise and interest of the land ; in every town the readers are much more dependent than we are upon the local stores, Partly because of the comparative newness of the trade, and partly from the American faculty for concentration, these are fewer and larger than in this country. McClure’s, for instance, is almost the only con- siderable bookshop in Chicago, and it is, I believe, the largest in the world, dealing with every kind of book from the “Caxton” and the “First Folio Shakespeare ” to the latest ten-cent reprint. | th does an immense intermediary trade; and alto- gether—to say nothing of the publishing depart- ment—no such organisation exists in this country. Burrows’s, of Cleveland, is another big concern holding the strings of the retail trade of a wide and wealthy region. The recent sale by the pub- lishing house of Henry T. Coates & Co., in Phila- delphia, of their retail department marks the progress of specialisation in this business. Such a firm as Elder and Shepard’s, in San Francisco, includes extremes of trade which are divided here by all that lies between, say, Hatchard and Stoneham ; and their little periodical, Zmpressions, shows with how much skill they appeal to what is best in their vigorous and prosperous community. In Boston, where the trade is older and competition is keener, where the community is more critical and better supplied with libraries, and offers less oppor- tunity for the merely mechanical adjustment of supply to demand, than in the West, there is a greater approximation to English conditions. But everywhere in the New World—and this is the supreme fact—there is a more numerous, more instructed, and more highly-vitalised public to appeal to ; and a wider diffusion of wealth makes effective the universal regard for knowledge as the only title to honour and authority. Ask any intelligent American what is the matter with poor old England, groaning amid her feudal remains, and he will tell you that Culture, also, if we are to get the most out of it, must be based upon Democracy. G. H. Perris. GENERAL MEMORANDA. Sg ERE are a few standing rules to be observed in an agreement. There are four methods of dealing with literary property :— I. Selling it Outright. This is in some respects the most satisfactory, if a proper price can be obtained. But the transaction should be managed by a competent agent, or with the advice of the Secretary of the Society. Il. A Profit-Sharing Agreement (a bad form of agreement). In this case the following rules should be attended to : (1.) Not to sign any agreement in which the cost of pro- duction forms a part without the strictest investigation. (2.) Not to give the publisher the power of putting the profits into his own pocket by charging for advertisements in his own organs, or by charging exchange advertise- ments. Therefore keep control of the advertisements. (3.) Not to allow a special charge for “office expenses,” unless the same allowance is made to the author. (4.) Not to give up American, Colonial, or Continental 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 ! III. The Royalty System. 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 he Author. Readers can also work out the figures themselves from the * Cost of Production.” IV. A Commission Agreement. The main points are :— (1.) Be careful to obtain a fair cost of production. (2.) Keep control of the advertisements. (3.) Keep control of the sale price of the book. General. All other forms of agreement are combinations of the four above mentioned. Such combinations are generally disastrous to the author. Never sign any agreement without competent advice from the Secretary of the Society. Stamp all agreements with the Inland Revenue stamp. Avoid agreements by letter if possible. The main points which the Society has always demanded from the outset are :— C1.) That both sides shall know what an agreement means. (2.) The inspection of those account books which belong 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. —_—_—_—_—___o__ WARNINGS TO DRAMATIC AUTHORS. — + EVER sign an agreement without submitting it to the Secretary of the Society of Authors or some com- petent legal authority. 2. It is well to be extremely careful in negotiating for the production of a play with anyone except an established manager, THE AUTHOR. 3. There are three forms of dramatic contract for PLAYS IN THREE OR MORE ACTS :— (a.) SALE OUTRIGHT OF THE PERFORMING RIGHT. This is unsatisfactory, An author who enters into such a contract should stipulate in the con- tract for production of the piece by a certain date and for proper publication of his name on the play-bills, (0.) SALE OF PERFORMING RIGHT OR OF A LICENCE TO PERFORM ON THE BASIS OF PERCENTAGES on gross receipts. Percentages vary between 5 and 15 per cent. An author should obtain a percentage on the sliding scale of gross receipts in preference to the American system. Should obtain a sum in advance of percentages. A fixed date on or before which the play should be performed. (c.) SALE OF PERFORMING RIGHT OR OF A LICENCE TO PERFORM ON THE BASIS OF ROYALTIES (i.¢., fixed nightly fees). This method should be always avoided except in cases where the fees are likely to be small or difficult to collect. The other safeguards set out under heading (@.) apply also in this case. 4, PLAYS IN ONE ACT are often sold outright, but it is better to obtain a small nightly fee if possible, and a sum paid in advance of such fees in any event. It is extremely important that the amateur rights of one-act plays should be reserved. 5, Authors should remember that performing rights can be limited, and are usually limited, by town, country, and time. This is most important. 6. Authors should not assign performing rights, but should grant a licence to perform. The legal distinction is of great importance. 7, Authors should remember that performing rights in a play are distinct from literary copyright. A manager holding the performing right or licence to perform cannot print the book of the words. 8. Never forget that AMERICAN RIGHTS may be exceed- ingly valuable. ‘'hey should never be included in English agreements without the author obtaining a substantial consideration. 9. Agreements for collaboration should be carefully drawn and executed before collaboration is commenced. 10. An author should remember that production of a play is highly speculative : that he runs a very great risk of delay and a breakdown in the fulfilment of his contract. He should therefore guard himself all the more carefully in the beginning. 11. An author must remember that the dramatic market is exceedingly limited, and that for a novice the first object is to obtain adequate publication. As these warnings must necessarily be incomplete, on account of the wide range of the subject of dramatic con- tracts, THOSE AUTHORS DESIROUS OF FURTHER INFORMA- TION ARE REFERRED TO THE SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETY —————— HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY. i, VERY member has a right toask for and to receive K 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 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 case 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. I THE AUTHOR. 2. Remember that questions connected with copyright and publishers’ agreements do not generally fall within the experience of ordinary solicitors. ‘Therefore, do not scruple to use the Society. 3. Send to the Office copies of past agreements and past accounts, with a copy of the book represented. The Secretary will always be glad to have any agreements, new or old, for inspection and note. ‘The information thus obtained may prove invaluable. 4, BEFORE SIGNING ANY AGREEMENT WHATEVER, send the document to the Society for examination, 5. Remember always that in belonging to the Society you are fighting the battles of other writers, even if you are reaping no benefit to yourself, and that you are advancing the best interests of literature in promoting the independence of the writer. 6, The Committee have now arranged for the reception of members’ agreements and their preservation in a fire- proof safe. The agreements will, of course, be regarded as confidential documents to be read only by the Secretary, who will keep the key of the safe. ‘The Society now offers: —(1) To read and advise upon agreements and to give advice concerning publishers. (2) To stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) I'o enforce payments due according to agreements. 7. No contract should be entered into with a literary agent without the advice of the Secretary of the Society. Members are strongly advised not to accept without careful consideration the contracts submitted to them by literary agents, and are recommended to submit them for inter- pretation and explanation to the Secretary of the Society. 8. Many agents neglect to stamp agreements. This must be done within fourteen days of first execution. The Secretary will undertake it on behalf of members, 9. Some agents endeavour to prevent authors from referring matters to the Secretary of the Society; so do some publishers. Members can make their own deductions and act accordingly. ———_—__—_§_o-——____ THE READING BRANCH. —1+~ + EMBERS will greatly assist the Society in this branch of its work by informing young writers of its existence. heir MSS. can be read and treated as a composition is treated by a coach, ‘The term MSS. includes NoT ONLY WORKS OF FICTION, BUT POETRY AND DRAMATIC WORKS, and when it is possible, under special arrangement, technical and scientitic works. The Readers are writers of competence and experience. The fee is one guinea, ———_ +> —____ = NOTICES. ee HE Editor of The Author begs to remind members of the Society that, although the paper is sent to them free of charge, the cost of producing it would be a very heavy charge on the resources of the Society if a great many members did not forward to the Secretary the modest 5s. 6d. subscription for the year. 181 Communications for Lhe Author should be addressed to the Offices of the Society, 39, Old Queen Street, Storey’s Gate, S.W., and should reach the Editor NOT LATER THAN THE 21st OF EACH MONTH. All persons engaged in literary work of any kind whether members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate to the Editor any points connected with their work which it would be advisable in the general interest to publish, TT Oo COMMUNICATIONS AND LETTERS ARE INVITED RY THE EDITOR on all subjects connected with literature, but on no other subjects whatever, very effort will be made to return articles which cannot be accepted. —+~< + THE SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETY begs to give notice that all remittances are acknowledged by return of post, and he requests members who do not receive an answer to important communications within two days to write to him without delay. All remittances should be crossed Union Bunk of London, Chancery Lane, or be sent by registered letter only. AUTHORITIES. ——+-~ + V E have read with much pleasure the Report of the Canadian Authors’ Society for 1902. The Society has done good work on copyright, and is evidently still anxious to keep the right view of the Imperial Copyright question before the Canadian authorities. he officers of the society for 1902 are as follows :— Hon. President: Prof. Goldwin Smith, D.C.L. President: Hon. G. W. Ross, U.L.D. Vice-Presidents: Dr. Bryce (Winnipeg), Dr. Drummond (Montreal), Dr. Frechette, C.M.G. (Montreal), Hon. J. W. Longley (Halifax), D. C. Scott, F.R.C.S. (Ottawa). Secretary: Prot. Pelham Edgar, Ph.D. Treasurer: John A. Cooper, B.A., LL.D. Executive: Messrs. James Bain, jun., Castell Hopkins, O. A. Howland, Bernard McEvoy, Mac- donald Oxley, J. 8. Willison, B. E. Walker, and Professors Davidson, Lefroy and Mayor. The society numbers over 100 members, and although there are still, as in the case of every society of this kind, some well-known authors out- standing, the list shows that the society is well supported. The main objects of the society are the same as our own. From such a satisfactory beginning great things may be expected when the literature of Canada is us large as its territory. One of His Majesty’s Consuls residing in a distant part of the Continent has forwarded a 182 letter to the office complaining of the extraordinary advertisement by postcard of a book published by the firm of Messrs. R. A. Everett & Co. The question has been dealt with by letters in The Times at the beginning of last month. We have only taken notice of it because the Secretary received the correspondence from a man— personally unknown to him and not a member of the Society ; one, however, who appeared to be well aware of the interest the Society takes in matters relating to books and book advertise- ments. The Consul also reports that other members of the consular service have received similar post- cards. This tends to show the terrible extent to which this peculiar form of advertising has been carried by the author’s unknown friend, or enemy. We read with pleasure in the letter that appeared in The Times signed by the publishers, that both the author and the publishers deny any responsibility for this method of advertisement. Tt still remains a mystery, therefore, who the enemy may be who has done this serious injury to the author. Has a careful study of the postcards been made } As many members of the Society require advice on the more difficult subjects connected with copy- right and the management of their property, articles have from time to time been printed in The Author declaring the law and advising on these special points. In pursuance of these principles, Agreements from certain houses have also been exhaustively criticised. It has been necessary occasionally to republish these articles, because former numbers of The Author have either been sold out or distributed, and members still require assistance. This is rendered more easily by a printed article than a lengthy letter. Among the many points of law there is one which is frequently a cause of disagreement in the Publishing and Literary world, namely, the law with reference to titles of books. In the September, 1900, issue of The Author an article was printed dealing with this subject. As in other cases so in the present, that number of The Author is entirely out of print. It has been thought advisable to republish the article. M. Jules Lermina, perpetual Secretary of the “Association Littéraire et Artistique Inter- national,” writes to inform us that the address of the Association has been transferred to “22, THE AUTHOR. Rue Chaiteaudun, Paris (9e).” Correspondence should be addressed to the Secretary at “85, Boulevard de Portroyal, Paris.” The twenty-fifth Congress of the Association will take place on the 3rd of October next, at Weimar, under the patronage of the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar. The report of the Naples Congress of 1902 is in the press, and will be shortly distributed. ——_+—_>_+-__ AMERICAN NOTES. t+ HE year 1902, was as I anticipated in my last notes, a record one for its output of books. It was also remarkable in another way. The statistics of the best selling novels show that, in this department at least, there is a growing taste for home products. Domestic fiction claims twenty-three out of the twenty-eight most-read novels of 1902, as compared with nineteen out of twenty-nine in the preceding year, “ The History of Sir Richard Calmady,” “The Hound of the Baskervilles” and “The Right of Way” (which last some are inclined to claim as itself half-American), were the only serious foreign com- petitors of the champion “Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch,” “The Mississippi Bubble,” “ The Virginian,” “Dorothy Vernon,’ Mr. Connor's “The Man from Glengarry,” and the long-lived “Crisis.” Mr. Whiteing has announced his opinion that American fiction is being increasingly influenced by French novels ; but for my part I should say that there were some indications that native genius would in time find itself strong enough to stand alone. There is certainly nothing French about “ Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch,” which is now, I believe, being much read in England. It is prob- ably the most successful work that the Century Company have yet issued. Yet the publishers are quite refreshingly reticent about its sale, declaring that the book is “ too delicate in its motive to be handled in that way ”’—that is, as a “big seller.” At the end of January, however, they did not object to an announcement that the sales had con- siderably exceeded two hundred thousand—it was first issued so long ago as October, 1901—and were still “going*merrily on.” I note that it follows Mr. Norris’s posthumous story in the last lists, still holding second place. Surely it is rather new for a publishing company to have a sentiment against “ working” the public in the interest of one of their works. A cynic might suggest ulterior motives; but far be it from the present writer to make any such base insinuation, Meanwhile, I have to congratulate Miss Hegan THE AUTHOR. upon having, like “ Mr. Dooley,” joined the ranks of those prepared to give hostages to fortune. She is now the wife of Mr. Cale Young Price, the Kentucky poet. Her new book, “Lovey Mary,” is, I gather, in the nature of a sequel to “ Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch.” I infer from the title of a recent announcement of the Boston Mutual Book Company—“ Mrs. McPiggs of the Very Old Scratch” — that the last-named has attained the distinction of being parodied. Undoubtedly, the most remarkable book that has appeared since my last notes were written is the literary legacy of Mr. Frank Norris. “The Pit” was the second part of the wheat trilogy, planned by the American Zola. “The Octopus ” had dealt with the growers of the grain ; “The Pit” is a study of the speculators in it. The scene is Chicago, where the novelist lived as a boy. It is probably an improvement even upon “The Octopus,” and is generally thought to contain the author’s best female character. It is sad to reflect that “The Wolf,” which was to have concluded the trilogy, will never exist but in name. A book which has been exciting much curiosity in the literary world on this side, is “The Journal of Arthur Stirling ; or, The Valley of the Shadow,” published by Appleton. Obituary notices of the supposed diarist, who was said to have com- mitted suicide after the rejection of his blank verse drama by eight publishers, appeared in prominent papers ; but the work is now supposed to have been a concoction, and has been attributed to Mr. Upton St. Clair. If this be true, it is to be hoped that the veritable author will enjoy the exceedingly outspoken utterances which some of its critics have allowed themselves. One re- viewer, whose name appears at the foot of his article, roundly declares the “ Journal ” to be “ the most vulgar and impudent humbug that has been perpetrated for years,” adding to his censure the contemptuous remark :—‘‘ But it won’t work.’ From what I have seen of it, I should judge that his strictures were not without justification. The new story by the author of “J. Devlin Boss” is a romance of the Civil War, and the titular hero, “ The Captain,” is General Ulysses S. Grant. That industrious romancer, Dr. Cyrus Townsend Brady, has also written a new novel, “Woven with the Ship,” treating of the same period, which seems to yield inexhaustible material. Raymond L. Bridgman’s “ Loyal Traitors” con- tains dramatic scenes from the late struggle in the Philippines, and is written in a vein of strong sympathy for the Filipinos. Its admirers would fain have it classed with “ Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Another notable novel which has appeared 183 recently is Hamlin Garland’s « Captain of the Grey Horse Troop,” which tells how a friend of the redmen not only succeeded in protecting them in the reservation where he lived as agent but also won over to his views the lady of his love who had shared her father’s hostility to the Indians. I do not think I mentioned in my last notes Ralph Corner’s story of school life ‘in Canada, which should be read by all those who enjoy boys’ books as well as those who are attracted by “ best sellers.” “The Henchman,” by Mark Lee Luther, is a cleverly written story of political life in New York state—distinctly a good specimen of the genre to which it belongs. I have an impression that amidst the crowd of books from which I had to make selections for comment in my Christmas notes I passed over a work which is so much out of the common as “The Letters of a Self-made Merchant to his Son.” As, however, Mr. Lorimer’s book is probably by this time as well known in England as America, it seems hardly necessary for me to repair the omission now. The flood of fiction is scarcely yet at the full, and I must pass on to a few weightier, if not so widely circulated, books. Despite the great mass of publications that have already come forth—a bibliography issued by authority last year specifies about 450 separate works—writers are still busy with the Trust problem. The latest contributions of importance to the discussion are Mr. George L. Bolen’s “ Plain Facts as to Trusts and the Tariff,’ and a volume somewhat quaintly termed “The Trust: Its Book,” edited by James H. Bridge. The latter is written by a syndicate in defence of the Trust, the several departments of the subject being treated of by specialists. Mr. Bolen, on the other hand, takes up the position of a judge rather than that of an advocate, suggests remedies and recommends tariff reform. Another subject of great concern to Americans is discussed by Professor Fernow, who, in his “ Kconomics of Forestry,” pleads for a scientific treatment of the question. A good popular work about trees, which has been lately written by Miss Julia Ellen Rogers, ‘“ Among Green Trees,” may, perhaps, be mentioned in this connection, since it is not only descriptive, but both scientific and practical. Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Co. propose to celebrate the centenary of Emerson’s birth, which occurs next May, by the issue of an edition of his works, which is to include some hitherto unpub- lished manuscripts. Of what these will consist we have as yet been told nothing, but it is announced 184 that the Riverside Press will issue a limited edition, subscribers to which will be presented with original sheets (not fac-similes) of Emerson’s own hand- writing. This “Autograph Centenary Edition z will be a real treasure to the admirers of the philosopher poet. Dr. Van Tyne’s edition of Daniel Webster's Letters will also include unpublished matter of some interest. The editor, it may be noted, has recently published an interesting little monograph upon the “ Loyalists of the American Revolution.” With the appearance of its fourth volume, Dr McCrady’s “ History of South Carolina in the Revolution” has reached its conclusion. It is a monument of research, but many people will think that the subject has been treated at somewhat disproportionate length, and that General Greene has been rather unnecessarily disparaged. Some extracts, and a fac-simile of entries, from Washington’s private Account Book for 1790-1, which was rescued from a fire some fifteen years ago, have been printed in “ The Bookman,” while the Crific of the same month may be said to have gone one better historically with an illustrated “Columbus Codex.” Mr. Herbert Putnam, who is responsible for the latter article, traces the history of the manuscript, and adduces reasons in support of its authenticity. It purports to be one of the three parchment copies which Columbus had prepared at the time of his disgrace, in 1500, of the various grants that had been made to him by the sovereigns of Castile and Aragon, of the Bull accorded him by Pope Alexander VI., and of various other documents. The Codex, which has lately been acquired hy Congress, was bought by the late Edward Everett at Florence in 1818, mentioned in print in 1824 in connection with the printing of another of the transcripts in the pre- ceding year, and again in Justin Winsor’s “ Lite of Columbus ” some seventy years later, but not actually seen by anyone but its possessor until 1898, when Dr. William Everett lighted upon it by chance. It was submitted by the latter to experts in England, and by great good fortune was rescued intact from a fire which broke out in Dr. Everett’s house two years ago. The seller is said to have let this precious document go to the National Library at a practically nominal price. Who wrote “Mary had a Little Lamb”? It appeared that Miss Anne Hollingsworth Wharton had triumphantly demonstrated that the honour belonged to Sara Josepha Hale ; when, lo and behold! there comes a friend of the latter who declares of her own knowledge that the said Mrs. Sara Josepha did not pen the first three—the immortal—stanzas! This is a conclusion too affecting for words. There is now at last to be a first-rate American THE AUTHOR. art magazine. The aim of the American Connois- seur, which will be edited by Mr. Charles de Kay (director of the National Sculpture Society, art editor of the New York Times, and much else) is stated to be “ to reflect the various manifestations of art in America with due reference to the work of foreign countries, and to contribute to the tastes of American connoisseurs ”—a commend- able programme. I return for a moment to literature in order to make mention of a work which deserves com- mendation as being rather apart from the beaten track struck out by the national genius. This is Richard Thayer Holbrook’s “ Dante, and the Animal Kingdom.” Dr. Holbrook’s work will appeal not only to the Dante student, but also to the man of science, and even the general reader may find it not without interest to him. In “ Twenty-six Historic Ships” Mr. Frederic Stanhope Hill, formerly of the United States Navy, may also claim to have overstepped con- ventional limits, even if he has not created a new subdivision of belles lettres, which is neither exactly history, science, or biography. In the last-named department I have little at present to chronicle—in fact, Gaillard Hunt’s “Life of James Madison” is the only book that occurs to me. But I must add to historical publi- cations a volume in Appleton’s “Story of the West” series, A. ©. Lant’s “The Story of the Trapper,” and the opening volume of the “ Corre- spondences of the Colonial Governors of Rhode Island between 1723 and 1775,” edited by Gertrude Selwyn Kimball. My obituary list contains only two names, those of Mrs. Catherwood and Mrs. Frémont. Mary Hartwell Catherwood was the pioneer of the present deluge of historical romance. Under the inspira- tion of Parkman she first wrote stories of the early days of the Middle West, but in “The Lady of the Fort St. John” transferred the scene further north. Her best and most successful work was “ Lazarre,” the story of Hleazar Williams, one of the numerous faux Dauphins, or supposed sons of Louis XVI. But she also excelled in the short story and in tales for children. Jessie Benton Frémont, besides helping General Frémont by her masterly inactivity at a critical moment to conquer California, wrote several successful volumes of reminiscences, and is said to have completed at her death biographical studies of her father and husband. —_ > ——_—_ THE AUTHOR. A CAPE LETTER. ++ VALUABLE contribution to South African literature has been supplied by Mr. Gardner F. Williams, M.A., General Manager of De Beers Consolidated Mines, Limited, in ‘“ The Diamond’ Mines of South Africa—Some Account of their Rise and Development,” published by Macmillan in New York and London. The scope of this bulky volume is much wider than might be expected from its title, and the style in which it is written is flowery and most readable. After opening with a chapter on “The Ancient Adamas,” which recounts the adventurous careers of many famous gems, the author passes to an historical account of the various treasure-seeking expeditions which have exploited South Africa, introducing the subject with some mention of the Pheenicians and of the first navigators of the “Cape of Storms.” This leads up to the history of the Diamond Mines, which is followed by a detailed description of the industry in all its branches and aspects, together with a chapter on “The Formation of the Diamond.” One of several appendices is devoted to the Defence of Kimberley, in which the De Beers Company took so pro- minent a part. There are seven maps, 29 full-page plates (a few of them coloured), and 420 other illustrations ; these covering a large variety of subjects. “The Art of Life—An Essay,” by Rev. F. C. Kolbe, D.D. (Cape Town, J. C. Juta & Co.; Dublin, The Catholic Truth Society of Ireland), is described in a prospectus as “an analysis and development of the principle that life is an art, and is therefore subject to all the rules of art.” In his first chapter, Dr. Kolbe analyses the various fine arts, as thus: “A sculptor (1) by the power of his hand, (2) working under the guidance of his mental grasp of bodily form, does (3) with hammer and chisel (4) shape (5) a block of marble (6) into a permanent type of beauty ;” and in the same manner he describes life as “The art wherein man (1) by the power of grace (2) working through the Moral Sense illuminated by Faith, does (3) with the instrumentality chiefly ot Prayer (4) transform (5) the nature of the Soul (6) into the Divine beauty of Justice.” Another little volume published for a Cape author by a British firm is “The Children’s Shakespeare (J/erchant of Venice, Midsummer Nights Dream, and As You Like It),’ by Miss Ada Baynes Stidolph, with a preface by the Very Rev. C. W. Barnett-Clark, M.A., Dean of Cape Town (London, Allman & Son, Limited). The stories chosen are takingly told in short prose chapters, and the book is graced with several 185 excellent photogravure plates, including a repro- duction of Faed’s beautiful conception of ‘ Shake- speare in his study.” The volume is dedicated by permission to the little daughter of the Governor of this Colony. A remarkably interesting and entertaining story is contained in the Rev. Wm. Dower’s unpretentious book entitled ‘Early Annals of Kokstad and Griqualand Kast” (printed at Port Elizabeth, C. C.). The author describes himself as the only one left “of those who took part in the founding of the town (Kokstad) thirty years ago,” and as having occupied the position of a sort of “ Pontifex maximus’ in the little native State. He traces the development of the Griqua tribe, and the rise of its “civilisation ’—due partly to an admixture of half-caste slave blood—and describes its migra- tions, the cruel wrongs it suffered from both Boer and Briton, and its unflinching loyalty to the British flag. The account of the methods of government is most diverting. There were a Aaptyn (captain or chief, who was elected), Privy Council, Volksraad, Magistrates, etc. Dutch was the official language. ‘‘ Decisions of the Volksraad were sent up to the Privy Council, and were often discussed in a free and easy style on the stoep of the chief’s house,” with the accompaniment of coffee and tobacco. The delegates were always the guests of the Government, and the length of the session depended on the food supply: “No beef no business, was the unwritten but standing rule of this assembly!” The country was annexed to Cape Colony in 1874. A number of good illustra- tive plates supplement the narrative. Messrs. J. C. Juta & Co. continue to repair the ravages of the fire mentioned in a previous letter, a number of second editions of South African legal works have appeared within the last few months. Among publications of less importance are “St. Andrew’s College Register,” and the “Report of the Good Hope Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War (South African War, 1899—1902),” both illustrated, and the usual batch of Christmas Numbers; the most notable of these being that of the Cape Times entitled “ Through the Transvaal with Pen and Camera.” The Central News Agency has in projection a large paper publication entitled, “ With Chamberlain in South Africa,” which will be contributed to by many correspondents of English papers, as well as local Pressmen. It is being compiled by Mr. G. H. Kingswell, editor of Zhe Owl, and will be fully illustrated. After an existence of little more than half a year, Zhe Examiner, an ambitious review published fortnightly at Beaufort West, has disappeared. It is doubtful whether anything like it has ever before been attempted here, and the 186 venture was the more daring in that the paper was domiciled in a sleepy little country town. Among its contributors were many eminent English writers, and its decease is much to be deplored. All local magazines, save those devoted to very temporary matters, have an uphill struggle against the teeming produce of the Mother Country. Of new monthlies just out or shortly to appear, Zhe Camera and the South African Freemason are sufliciently introduced by their names, but the same can scarcely be said of the Plagiarist, a sporting journal, which has surely hit upon an original title, even if the paper’s main purpose is not therein indicated. Zhe Tribune is a new weekly, describing itself as a labour paper. Two or three new dailies are also announced. The South African Jewish Chronicle now makes a weekly instead of a fortnightly appearance. Mr. Jas. Strang, poet, novelist, and journalist, who has come to this country for health, has been appointed editor to the Cradock Observer. General De Wets’ “‘ Three Year’s War” has had a phenomenal sale in South Africa, and there has been a large demand for ex-President. Kruger’s ‘“‘Memoirs,”’ General Viljoen’s ‘ Reminiscences,” and Sir A. Conan Doyle’s “Great Boer War” ; all of these appearing in our book shops, both in English and in Dutch. A South African society of artists was a few months ago formed in Cape Town, having for its object the fostering of the study and practice of art in this part of the world. At the imaugural meeting, Mr. J. S. Morland was elected president, Mr. G. Crosland Robinson, treasurer, and Miss Glossop, secretary ; the lady last named has since been succeeded by Mr. E. C. Mace. In conjunction with the South African Drawing Club, the society held its first exhibition of pictures in December, the results being most satisfactory and encouraging. Yet another dispute has occurred between our rival theatrical managers, Mr. Geo. Edwardes, through his representatives, Messrs. B. & F. Wheeler, applying to the Supreme Court for an interdict to prevent Messrs. Mouillot and De Jong from producing the comic opera, “ La Poupée,” in Cape Town. The evidence not being conclusive on either side, the Court refused the interdict, but ordered that respondents should keep an account of receipts, and that costs should be included in an action for damages. The dispute centres round the question as to whether a certain South African right sold by Edwardes was temporary or per- petual. Apropos of this squabble, one of our weeklies, Zhe Owl, published a cartoon reproducing a well-known poster which shows an elderly gentieman acting as a barrier between “La Poupée” and a young admirer, but substituting Messrs. De Jong and Frank Wheeler respectively, THE AUTHOR. for the two male figures. The case of Sass vy. Wheeler, concerning the right to play “ Magda” in South Africa, which was noticed in The Author a few months ago, is still awaiting settlement, but it has not again been brought into court. In the subsequent cases of Hdwardes v. De Jong, in which “A Gaiety Girl” was the cause of quarrel, negotiations resulted in costs being paid by plaintiff. A certain Dutch attorney, having successfully sued the Cape Argus, Cape T'imes, and Scotsman, in connection with asseverations regarding the loyalty of his conduct at the time of the siege of Kimberley, not long ago proceeded to take action against Dr. E. Oliver Ashe, of Kimberley, for defamation of character contained in that gentleman’s book, “Besieged by the Boers” (London, 1900). In this instance the plaintiff assessed his damages at £1,000, refused an offer of £100, and was awarded £5 with costs to date of tender only. Defendant’s counsel remarked that the libelled one seemed to have created a lucrative business by such restitution of his character, and was evidently making the most of it ; but the present transaction has proved unprofitable! Sipney YoRKE Forp. Cape Town, January 31st, 1903. a a “THE LITERARY YEAR BOOK.” —— 1 HE editor of a book has no doubt a large power to influence the opinions of his readers. If competition is the life and soul of business, so no doubt criticism is the life and soul of literature. We owe thanks, therefore, to the former editor of the ‘‘ Literary Year Book”’ for dealing in this, the seventh issue, kindly and sympathetically with the aims and objects of the Authors’ Society. Though he may not have grasped its highest ideals he yet realises that its work is useful and beneficial, and flatters its Committee by praising the more recent lines of the Society’s developments. In last month’s Author there was a review of the book as a whole. It is our duty to look to those parts which bear on the legal and business aspect of the literary life. We have not had time to compare the articles on Agreements and Copyright with those in last year’s issue, but feel—perhaps a more kindly mood is with us—that the only objection to be raised at the present is one inherent in the subject, namely, that it is impossible to deal adequately with these two difficult questions in the allotted space. A small volume would not exhaust the former, nor a large volume do justice to the latter, As in last THE AUTHOR. year’s annual so in the present issue, the most difficult part is allotted to Mr. Weekes, and courageously he grapples with his subject. On page 72, dealing with the Royalty Agree- ment, he states, ‘‘a date before which the book should be issued is sometimes insisted on by the author,’ and passes the matter by as one of little consequence, although in his comments on ‘“ The Author Commissioned,” he insists that “time is naturally of great importance to the publisher ina contract of this kind.” In truth, time is of no less importance to the author in a Royalty Agreement. The author may have other books coming out, and the dates of publication must not clash. He may have secured a contract for the United States market, and time is therefore essential. A certain well-known publisher, whose publica- tions at one time were more notorious than illustrious, must have failed to secure during the past year the future writings of many meritorious authors, owing to neglect in the past of this very point, and the consequent inconvenience to those whose works he was handling. If time had been made the essence of the con- tract the publisher would have been forced into salutary business habits or would have had to bear the penalty. There are no doubt publishers not a few who would feel it a point of honour not to inconvenience an author by unwarrantable delay, but there are others whose unwritten word is like an eggshell ripe for the breaking. The date of publication then is most important, and the fact should have been emphasised. On page 73, again, the right of making abridg- ments should not be left with a publisher. The author may contract under certain circumstances not to abridge, but should not leave the control in the publisher’s hands. On page 78 Mr. Weekes deals with the profit- sharing agreement, but in a manner hardly satis- factory. As this method is most dangerous, the author ought to have been given a fuller explana- tion of the snares and pitfalls that surround it. The mention of its great dangers recalls an epi- gram that appeared in a recent number of this magazine :— PUBLISHER: The agreement’s signed; the profits we divide— A half to each; applaud a just decision. AUTHOR: Peace and good-will to all this Christmas tide. Clearly ’twixt you and me there’s no division ! Under the same heading in the cost of pro- duction is included, “ catalogueing, warehousing, prospectuses, and general office expenses.” These are items not of the cost of production, but of the cost of publication. To cover these items the 187 publisher is receiving half profits. Otherwise the publisher is obtaining 50 per cent. of the profits as a reward for sitting still ; or—looking at the matter from another point of view—if the publisher has a right to these charges in settling the account, then the author must also bring into account many items altogether omitted connected with his work and labour. There is no doubt that for an author to be able to obtain sufficient protection, this agreement and its practical issues should have been dealt with at greater length with fuller detail. Lastly, why only in the agreement entitled, “ The Publisher Commissioned,” should the author insist upon “ the right to examine vouchers” ? Thisisa Common Law right, and it is best not only in this but in all contracts to let it remain so. Ifa clause is inserted, instead of helping the author, it may curtail his powers. There are clauses, drafted by publishers in their agreements, not unknown at the Society’s office, which, while they appear to the uninitiated to give all that is desired, bind the author to certain definite forms of proof, and restrain him from free action. On the whole, therefore, it is best to rely on the Common Law, which is not unfrequently a synonym for common sense. The faults culled from this article on agreements are faults of commission rather than omission. It has been our aim to fix on one or two salient points and insist on their importance. On the whole, we bestow unstinted praise on the care and diligence shown by the writer. The same comment may well be applied to the article on copyright. Here again the fault, if any, lies in the method. A limit in space must produce many omissions, and the author who relies on an epitomised state- ment of one of the most intricate of laws may find himself surrounded by snares wholly unsuspected. But still there are some phrases and deduc- tions concerning which, perhaps, the writer of the article may be able to offer some more lucid explanation. “There is no copyright at Common Law after the expiration of the statutory period.” Here is a merry confusion of terms: Copyright is a creature of statute. That which is a creature of statute is not of the Common Law, and where in all the statutes or elsewhere is it stated that the right at Common Law to restrain the publication or multiplication of unpublished works does not continue beyond the expiration of the statutory period ? Such a doctrine is surely wholly untenable, otherwise the privacy of the individual would cease to be possible seven years after his death. In the paragraph about “ Books,’ Mr. Weekes states: “The word copyright means the sole and 188 exclusive liberty of printing or otherwise multiply- ing copies of a book.” This undoubtedly is part of the meaning of the word “copyright,” but case and statute law has defined it to cover a wider and more comprehensive range. It is impossible, therefore, to argue “ contrari- wise,” that an assignment of the sole and exclusive liberty of printing a book without limitation is practically an assignment of copyright. It is no such thing, it is still only “a licence.” To take one point of difference, a licence is a personal contract, even though it be for the whole term of copyright. A sale of copyright is not. It is a conveyance of a piece of property. Again, a licensee could not make alterations in an MS., but an assignee of the copyright could alter within non-libellous limits ; and the opinion of an author as to what is libellous may differ considerably from that of a judge and jury. If we turn to the paragraph on “ Magazines and Periodicals,” we find the explanation of section 18 is not very clear, but, recognising the difficulty, forbear from further comment. The paragraph that follows on the drama is unsatisfactory. The author, in his effort to be terse, has sacrificed his lucidity, and the same fault is evident when he talks of paintings, drawings and photographs ; but the artistic copyright affords some excuse for incoherence. It is more complicated than section 18 of the Act of 1842. Let us pass by the rest with a feeling of relief that our task has been to criticise and not to compile. Mr. Weekes has made a conscientious effort, and the result, if not perfect, shows study, knowledge, and judgment. The lists compiled for this book, like all lists in every annual, are not without faults. Some, which might easily have been avoided, were pointed out in last month’s review. The editor’s note before the Tables of Royalties is hardly con- vincing. If the deficiency of the English coinage forbids giving the exact Royalties, for example, on a sixpenny book at the rate of 24 per cent., 5 per cent., 74 per cent. and 10 per cent., it surely would have been better to have settled the matter in decimals or omitted to state the result. To give figures which are absolutely wrong and inaccurate is an impossible solution of the difficulty. The sole value of these tables must depend on their accuracy. And the majority of authors have some knowledge of the decimal system. We hasten to pay a final compliment to the editor and compilers, and to thank them for the care and pains bestowed on the production. G, i. a. THE AUTHOR. “OF THE FASCINATION OF THE LIFE OF LETTERS.” 1 [eee about their craft must always have a peculiar interest for bookmen, and to light upon one of which the charm is not marred by any awakening of an entagonistic critical spirit is a pleasure worth recording. Guide books to Parnassus, author’s wade-mecums—what is the plural of vade-mecum?—and most compilations of hints and suggestions have an irritating effect upon such of us as may be said to have secured a foothold upon the ladder that leads to success in literature ; but books of the Highways and Bye- ways class, written by men who know the country, may generally be relied upon to provide gentle entertainment and food for quiet thought. ~ Two such books have lately been published, “ Literature and Life,” by W. D. Howells (Harper and Brothers), and “‘ The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft,” by George Gissing (Archibald Constable & Co.). The pleasure afforded by these two books is of an identical kind, although emanating from two very different minds. Howells is cheerily optimistic, Gissing tenderly compassionate, although, relatively to himself, optimistic too; the former accepts things as they are with a good-humoured toler- auce ; he is of the world, and has found it a genial place upon the whole; the latter looks back upon his life “with man’s infinitely pathetic power of resignation, sees the thing on its better side, for- gets all the worst of it, makes out a case for the resolute optimist ” ; he has been in the world, but, partly from temperament, partly from force of circumstance, has never been of it. The optimism of the one is congenital, of the other acquired, and its expression in the one case is transparently ingenuous, whereas in the other it savours of special pleading. It follows that the advice given incidentally to their fellow-craftsmen by these two writers is conveyed in widely differing manners, while on essential truths they approximate to identity of opinion. Both books are full of what someone has well described as seed thoughts, and the arm-chair philosopher may water and tend them with advantage to himself. There are authors who write because they can, and others who write because they must, impelled thereto by the irresistible force of genius. It is only with the latter that posterity will have to deal ; but the former are a mighty host, and it is with pity for them that Gissing overflows. “ Innumerable,”’ he says, ‘ are the men and women now writing for bread, who have not the least chance of finding in such work a permanent livelihood. They took to writing because they knew not what else to do, or because the literary calling tempted them by its independence and its THE AUTHOR. dazzling prizes. They will hang on to the squalid pro- fession, their earnings eked out by begging and borrowing, until it is too late for them to do anything else—and then ? With a lifetime of dread experience behind me, I say that he who encourages any young man or woman to look for his living to literature commits no less than a crime.’ The fact, of course, is that while the world wags young men and women will continue to look there without encouragement, and the old speculation arises in the mind as to wherein the fascination of the life of letters exists. ‘The love of books: the desire of a quiet life: the imaginary freedom from the ordinary cares ; the joy of composition: the desire to achieve the love and respect of the world: their own respect and love for great authors —these,” wrote Sir Walter Besant, ‘‘ are the chief among the many determining forces which may make a young man or a young woman ardently desire to embrace the profession of letters.” That is the summary given by one whom experience had taught, and if not wholly convincing, it will serve ; and having embraced it, what did he foresee? A little further on in the same book he wrote : “ The Literary Life may be, I am firmly convinced, in spite of many dangers and drawbacks, by far the happiest life that the Lord has permitted mortal man to enjoy. ... But I admit that without a reasonable measure of success it must be a dis- appointed and a miserable life. 'That reasonable measure of success is an essential.” It may not come, and there’s the rub. Henry Ryecroft, or George Gissing—even if we preserve the fiction, it matters not which—gets nearer to the truth. “It has occurred to me,” he says, “that one might define Art as: an expres- sion, satisfying and abiding, of the zest of life.” And in a thoughtful passage he justifies his defini- tion. There, probably, is the answer to the question. * All men are poets if they might but tell” what stirs within them ; the fascination of the life of letters is that thereby, albeit with prayer and fasting, the dumb are taught to speak and the inarticulate‘learn to give expression to something of the passion with which their souls are trembling. Even if the artist, from a modesty too rare or from whatsoever cause, forebears to communicate to others the ideas to which he has given expression, he will, nevertheless, have experienced for himself something of the fascination of that life; the charm of literature for the literary man lies in the fact that it is an art as distinct from a profession, and brings its own reward apart altogether from fees. Here crops up that everlasting rock—the ques- tion of financial remuneration for literary work, and Howells deals with it in no uncertain fashion. Every man ought to work for his living without exception, and when he has once avouched his 189 willingness to work, society should provide him with work and warrant him’a living. “I do not think,” he says, “any man ought to live by an art. A man’s art should be his privilege, when he has proven his fitness to exercise it, and has otherwise earned his daily bread ; and its results should be free to all.” ... “The work which cannot be truly priced in money, cannot be truly paid in money.” There is no affectation of superiority in his attitude, no blinking of facts as they are ; he is perfectly aware that the artist is, and must be, only too glad if there is a market for his wares, without which he must perish or turn to something more saleable. ‘All the same, the sin and the shame remain, and the averted eye sees them still, with its inward vision. Many will make believe otherwise, but I would rather not make believe otherwise ; and in trying to write of Literature as Business, J am tempted to begin by saying that Business is the opprobrium of Literature.” Especially is this true of literature, which “ is at once the most intimate and the most articulate of the arts.” The whole article in Mr. Howells’ book is worthy of serious consideration, but enough has been quoted to support the contention that quite apart from pecuniary reward, the charm of the literary life lies in the fact that literature is an art as distinct from a profession, and that art is an expression, satisfying and abiding, of the zest of life.’ It is that satisfaction for which men strive. If the gods endow you with temporal prosperity so much the better for you, but if that “reasonable measure of success” be not vouchsafed, it may be human, but it is not logical to complain. Henry Ryecroft, or George Gissing—again, it matters not which——anticipates the objection : * And why should any man who writes, even if he write things immortal, nurse anger at the world’s neglect? Who asked him to publish? Who promised him a hearing? Who has broken faith with him? If my shoemaker turn me out an excellent pair of boots, and I, in some mood of cantankerous unreason, throw them back upon his hands, the man has just cause of complaint. But your poem, your novel—who bargained with you for it? If it is honest journeywork, yet lacks purchasers, at most you may call yourself a hapless tradesman, If it comes from on high, with that decency do you fret and fume because it is not paid for in heavy cash? For the work of man’s mind there is but one test, and one alone—the judgment of generations yet unborn, If you have written a great book, the world to come will know of it. But you don’t care for post- humous glory. You want to enjoy fame in a comfortable armchair. Ah, that is quite another thing. Have the courage of your desire, Admit yourself a merchant, and protest to gods and men that the merchandise you offer is of better quality than much which sells for a high price. You may be right, and indeed it is hard upon you that Fashion does not turn to your stall.” Reiteration of a truth subtracts nothing from its essence ; rather does each fresh presentation 190 add something to its force. ditto to Henry Ryecroft : “Art is not produced for artists, or even for connoisseurs; it is produced for the general, whocan never view it otherwise than morally, personally, partially,from their associations and preconceptions. Whether the effect with the general is what the artist works for or not, he does not succeed with- out it. Their brute liking or misliking is the final test ; it is universal suffrage that elects, after all. Only,’in some cases of this sort the polls do not close at four o’clock on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November, but remain open for ever, and the voting goes on. Still, even the first day’s canvass is important, or at least significant.” Even if in the event the artist be not elected, he will, if Gissing’s definition be sound, have found satisfaction in expression. And in his search after success, what guide shall he follow, at whom shall he aim his winged words? With Mr. Howells’ reply this article may fitly conclude: “There is only one whom he can safely try to please, and that is himself. If he does this he will very probably please other people ; but if he does not please himself, he may be sure that he will not please them ; the book which he has not enjoyed writing no one will enjoy reading.” Mr. Howells says V. HE. M. MORE REFLECTIONS FOR A REJECTED MS.—AND OTHERS. a T’S no use crying over spilt ink. I Too many books spoil the market. A roving MS. gathers no dross. Spare the style and spoil the paper. Put a minor poet on Pegasus—he’ll write like the devil ! Fine ‘“ puffs” do not make fine books. Take care of the agreements;—the publishers will take care of themselves. It’s an ill critique which blows no author any good. Ce n’est que le premier ‘“‘ par” qui cotite (?). (For the Magazine Editor.) Bread I win,—Tales you lose. (For Sir Conan.) A botched plot,—never Doyle’s ! ARTHUR LAYARD. THE AUTHOR. MR. J. H. SHORTHOUSE. E record with regret the death of Mr. Joseph Henry Shorthouse, which took place on the night of Wednesday, March 4th. Mr. Shorthouse was born in 1834, and was consequently nearly fifty years of age when “ John Inglesant,” upon which work his literary reputation deservedly rests, was published. Mr. Shorthouse’s early sur- roundings were of a commercial nature. He had not a public school or university education, and among the circumstances which combined to make him a student, an impediment in his speech, rendering social intercourse irksome, is said to have played a part. On the other hand, his birth and education in a Quaker family had some effect in guiding his studies in the direction of questions his mastery of which drew universal attention to his first book. The story of the publication of “John Inglesant”’ in 1881 is one of considerable interest. The result of long labour, it was for some years denied acceptance. Published privately in 1880 in an edition of 100 copies, it came into the hands of Mrs. Humphry Ward, then living at Oxford, whose appreciation secured its production by Messrs. Macmillan ; after which its success was largely accelerated by the interest evinced in it by Mr. Gladstone.. Mr. Shorthouse’s other writings include ,“« The Little Schoolmaster Mark” (1883), “ Sir Percival” (1886), ‘Countess Eve” (1888), “The Teacher of the Violin, and other Tales”’(1888), and various literary essays, among which were articles on Wordsworth and on George Herbert. His residence was at Lansdowne, Edgbaston, Birmingham. Oe THE VERY REY. DEAN FARRAR, F.R.S. E have to chronicle with regret the death of Dean Farrar. He had been a member of the Society since its foundation in 1884, and had always shown himself in sympathy wilh its aims and objects. His literary activity was incessant, and to an extent overshadowed his great and powerful claims to recognition as a Churchman and a public man. His “ Life of Christ ” has had, and no doubt will continue to have, an enormous sale, although some have found fault because its passages are too florid. Apart from his theological writings, he will doubtless be remembered as the author of “ Eric, or Little by Little,” and other books of a similar type. These books have also had a large sale, but THE AUTHOR. it is certain that they did not appeal to the class of boy for whom they were written. Possibly the public school boy has changed, but we hardly think this contention is probable. The fault of the book, as far as it is a representation of school life, lies with the author rather than the subject. Dean Farrar’s influence has been one of great power and endurance, and will no doubé last for many years in the English church. + —_____ CORRESPONDENCE. Se “WHETHER OR NO.” Str,—The question does not seem to me to be quite fairly put. Grammar has nothing to do with logic, but depends upon usage and idiom. If a phrase has been widely used, it is “correct” for practical purposes. But if a writer chooses to say “whether or not” because he thinks that others do so, I, for one, shall not object ; and if his case is strong enough, it will prevail. When we come to the true test, that of usage, it can be shown that “ whether or no” has, at any rate, a long record, and it must be familiar to all who have read any other English than that of the present day. Here are a few examples, got together in a few minutes :— “ Whether thou be’st he or no.”— emp. v. 1, 111. “Whether one Nym . . . had the chain or no.” Merry Wives, iv. 5, 33. “‘ Whether the three worthies shall come in or no.” L. L. L., y. 2, 486. dwell with him or no.” Merch. Ven. ii. 2, 48. “Whether Antonio have had any loss at sea or no.” fd. iii. 1, 45. “Whether those peals of praise be his or no.” Id, iii, 2, 146. “Whether one Lancelot .. . At least five more examples occur in Shakespeare alone. “ Whethyr will ye come or nay ?” The Life of Ipomydon, ed, Weber, 1. 1844. “ Now whether have I a siker hand or noon?” Chaucer, C.T., D. 2069. ‘Is hit alyfed . . . the na?” (i.e. “Is it lawful :.. or no ?”)—Matt, xxii. 17, Anglo-Saxon version [ A.V. “or not.’] An idiom which has been in use for a thousand years requires no apology. Watrer W. SKEAT. 191 I. Str,—Does your correspondent, “ King’s Eng- lish,” whose letter appeared in The Author for March (p. 160), mean seriously to contend that it is not correct to say or write “whether or no,” or that “ whether or not” is to be preferred? I am not enough of a scholar to discuss the origin of the phrase, but am inclined to suggest that the ‘or no” in modern English, and for that matter in fairly old English, is superfluous, and that “or no” may be all that remains of a phrase “whether, ay or no,” etc. There is tolerably old and good authority for “whether,” without any alternative expressed after it. Let us, however, consider the authorities for “‘whether or no,” and leave anyone who suggests that it is worse English than “ whether or not” to produce his authorities for the latter. I can tell him of one which is cited in the Century Dictionary :— “This obscure thorn-eater of malice and detraction, as well as of quodlibets and sophisms, knowes not whether it were illegall or not.”— Milton, “Apology.” But the same work also quotes :— ‘Whether they had their charges borne by the Church or no, it need not be recorded.” —-Milton, * Touching Hire- lings.” “King’s English” refers to the Authorised Version; I will submit another passage :— “Ts it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no ?”— Luke xx, 22. Will it be suggested that the word “no” is bad English here because “not” would be equally intelligible ? To return, however, to the authorities for the use of “whether or no.” Here are a few from Dr. Johnson’s Dictionary, or rather from Latham’s Todd’s Johnson (1870), and from the Century Dictionary. “ King’s English” can verify them if he likes :-— “ As they, so we have likewise a publick form, how to serve God both morning and evening, whether sermons may be had or no,” —Hooker’s “Ecclesiastical Polity.” “Resolve whether you will or no.” — Shakespear e Richard IIT,, Act iv. se. 2. “This assistance is only offered to men, and not forced upon them whether they will or no.”—Archbishop Tennison. “To that frere wyll I go And bring him to you, Whether he wyl or no,” —“ Robin Hood,” Child's Ballads, v. 421. “Whether one Nym... had the chain or no.” — Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor, Act iv. se. 5. In conclusion, if Shakespeare and Milton are : ; : : pie. not of sufficient weight to satisfy “ King’s English, 192 let me remind him of the opening lines of the English classic which tells how the long dead, but none the less immortal batrachian voluptuary— “ Would a wooing go, Whether his mother would let him or no.” I am, etc., ARcHIE ARMSTRONG. THE DISTRIBUTION OF BOOKS. S1r,—Though I have read many articles in The Author on the trade of bookselling, I do not recollect having seen any allusion to the economic principle which seems specially applicable to the subject. The principle was laid down many years ago by Babbage in his interesting book, “ The Economy of Manufactures,” and is essentially as follows :— Whenever competition is effective there is generally but little profit to be obtained from retailing articles of such a nature that the pur- chaser can easily verify for himself that the article is indeed that which the salesman professes it to be. The sale of ordinary books comes under these conditions. Any intending purchaser can tell at a glance whether the volumes which the salesman calls, let us say, the “ Encyclopedia Britannica ” do really form that work. As, therefore, the reputation of the salesman is immaterial, the pur- chaser may quite safely buy the work from any cheap dealer in a back street, and therefore will not willingly pay a higher price to the honoured owner of an expensive shop. On the other hand, how difficult it is to ascertain whether a horse does possess the qualities which he who would sell it declares it to possess. The prudent buyer of a horse must generally shun the dealer of unknown character. He gives his custom to dealers of high repute only, and has, very properly, to pay a high price for doing so. No doubt the bookseller who deals in rare editions or choice bindings may still find ample rate of profit on his turnover, for then Babbage’s principle does not apply. Thus the ordinary bookseller’s difficulty seems to be the consequence of an economic law, and if this be so it is irremediable by net prices or any similar device. Yours truly, A Constant READER. —— THE AUTHOR. II. Sir,—Seeing that this question is stated in The Author of March to be ‘the most important of all accessory literary problems,” perhaps you will allow me to return to my suggestion in the January number. That the sale of books of all kinds would be universally increased if the public had real facilities for inspection, is obvious. The writer of the article in your March number says, correctly, “ There is probably not a book in the world which some one would not purchase on the spot if it were placed before him.” This may be equally true of most commodities, but the book trade differs from all others, in giving the public practically no chance of ascertaining what it is they are asked to buy. ‘To obviate this, books must be treated like other goods, and offered to the public for inspec- tion. A shop might be opened where books could be inspected for a fee (in case a purchase was not made). Books would also be sent by post, and brought to customers’ houses in carts. The tariff might be 5 per cent. on the value of the books inspected, unless 10 per cent. of their value was bought. What a difference it would make if books were brought to the door! There is a very large public to be exploited, people who, though well able to afford it, scarcely ever buy a book, being kept out of the market by the difficulty of ascertaining what books are for sale, what the contents of these books are, and how they are to be obtained. Make these things easy instead of difficult, and it is quite certain that the sale of books would be greatly increased. Make book-buying easy and satis- factory, and the public will eagerly pay. Why not imitate the butcher and the baker, who bring their wares to the door ? Yours, etc., Norwoop Youne. WANTED A REFERENCE. Srr,—Could any reader of Zhe Author be 80 kind as to inform me through its columns the source of the following quotation ?— Qui cessat esse melior, cessat esse bonus. I have searched every quotation book and list of mottoes in vain. I have seen somewhere, but forget where, that it was Oliver Cromwell’s motto. Yours obediently, J. M. Lary. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Author, Vol. 13 Issue 07 (April 1903) Subject The topic of the resource The Author, Vol. 13 Issue 07 (April 1903) Type The nature or genre of the resource Publication Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1903-04-01-The-Author-13-7 publications The Author