https://historysoa.com/files/original/5/499/1904-11-01-The-Author-15-2.pdf 0932d0a1386b5a31184bc819926686f7 PDF Text Text ������������������������������������ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Author Subject The topic of the resource <em>The Author</em> Description An account of the resource A digitised run of the Society of Authors' monthly periodical, <em>The Author</em>, 1890<span>–</span>1914, made available together for the first time.<br /><br />Currently users can browse issues and <a href="https://historysoa.com/items/browse?search=&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=51&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Index&amp;collection=&amp;type=&amp;tags=&amp;exhibit=&amp;date_search_term=&amp;submit_search=Search+For+Items&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CTitle">indices</a> (not available for all volumes). Full text search for all issues, and other additional search functionality, will be added in 2022. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890–1914 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context The-Author-Issues Publication Date The date of an event (in YYYY, YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD format) 1904-11-01 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages Page range in volume 29–60 Ngram Date Version of the date in YYYYMMDD format for use by the Ngram plugin 19041101 Ngram Text Version of the text with no HTML formatting for use by the Ngram plugin The Hutbor. (The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.) “FOUNDED BY SIR WALTER BESANT. Vou. XV.—No. 2. TELEPHONE NUMBER : 374 VICTORIA. TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS : AUTORIDAD, LONDON. —_____—_e—<>—_e_—_—_—_ NOTICES. ——+—~— 4 OR 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 he the case. Tus 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. — List of Members. Tux List of Members of the Society of Authors published October, 1902, at the price of 6d., and the elections from October, 1902, to July, 1903, as a supplemental list, at the price of 2d., can now be obtained at the offices of the Society. They will be sold to members or associates of the Society only. — ++. The Pension Fund of the Society. Tue Trustees of the Pension Fund met at the Society’s Offices on the 19th of February, and having gone carefully into the accounts of the fund, decided to purchase £250 London and North Western 3% Debenture Stock. Accordingly, the investments of the Pension Fund at present Vou, XV. NovEMBER I1sT, 1904. [Prick SIXPENCE. See ese er standing in the names of the Trustees are as follows. This is a statement of the actual stock ; the money value can be easily worked out at the current price of the market :— Oonsols 2h %. 2... cceccscecccnsereseeren es £1000 0 0 Tecal Hoans -.. 6... ssf 500 0 0 Victorian Government 8 % Consoli- dated Inscribed Stock ............... 291 19 12 War bon 220 2). et. . 201 3 8 London and North Western 3 % Deben- bare SOCK ie. 250 0 0 Pobal . Gak ce: 62,248 9 2 Subscriptions from April, 1904. £ 8. a. April18, Dixon, W. Scarth . ‘ 1 0 5 8 April18, Bashford, Harry H. E 27010. 6 April19, Bosanquet, Eustace I’. . - O10 6 April23, Friswell, Miss Laura Hain . 0 5 O May 6, Shepherd,G. H. . : - 0 5 0 June 24, Rumbold, Sir Horace, Bart., Ge.B. . : : tod 0 July 27, Barnett, P. A. : ‘ . 0 10 0 Donations from April, 1904. May 16, Wynne, C. Whitworth .. . 5 0 0 June 23, Kirmse, R. . 5 : <0 720 0 June 23, Kirmse, Mrs. R. : ; 5 0 July 21, The Blackmore Memorial Committee . : -20 0 6 Aug. 5, Walker, William 8. : - 2.0 6 Oct. 6, Hare, F.W.E., M.D. - 11 1 0 Oct. 6, Hardy, Harold - 0.10 0 Oct. 20, Cameron, Mrs. Lovett 010 0 ++ FROM THE COMMITTEE. ee HE first meeting of the Committee after the vacation was held at the Society’s offices on October 8rd. The business of the meeting, as usual, com- menced with the election of members. The Com- mittee are pleased to state that during the vacation Se 30 THE AUTHOR. : over fifty election forms were sent to the office, making the number of elections during the first ten months of the year over 190. The list is printed below. If the same rate of election con- tinues to the end of the year, 1904 will stand out far above the average of the last six or seven years. The Committce welcome this increase as a sign of the growing interest that members of the pro- fession of letters take in the Society, and the real benefit they derive from its work. : Further discussion arose respecting our agent in the United States, and the Chairman reported that Mr. James Bryce was making enquiries on the Society’s behalf in New York. The London County Council have officially ex- pressed their readiness to accept the Society’s offer to provide a replica of the Besant Memorial which was unveiled in the crypt of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The subscriptions that have been promised and are to hand make tbe total within a few pounds of amount required. Should any members of the Society desire to make further contributions, cheques may be forwarded to the Secretary. Mr. Frampton, the sculptor, has been instructed to cast the replica. Due notice will be given in The Author as soon as the final arrangements have been made. The County Council have proposed, with the approval of those specially interested, to place the bronze on one of the granite pedestals on the Embankment near Waterloo Bridge. A question with regard to the contracts between sundry members of the Society and a Canadian firm of publishers, which has been mentioned under the Committee Notes from time to time, was again considered by the Committee, and the Secretary has been instructed to take further action on behalf of the members involved. Another matter under discussion was the position of Roumania in the matter of International Copy- right. From information which had been received by the Secretary from the Bureau at Berne, it appeared that the present copyright law of Rou- mania would enable that country to enter into a treaty with His Majesty’s Government, and the Secretary was instructed, therefore, to lay this in- formation before the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in the hope that a satisfactory copyright treaty might be negotiated. Several members of the Society have, from time to time, placed before the Secretary questions arising on the payment of Income Tax on literary profits. The subject is full of interest to all aathors, and in view of its importance, a statement will be drawn up and laid before counsel in order that some clear understanding may be arrived at. An application from Mr. Howard Collins that the Society should affix its imprimatur on his forth- coming work, “ Author’s and Printer’s Handbook,” was considered. The Committee, while fully appreciating the merits of Mr. Collins’ work, and the disinterestedness of his labours in producing it, decided that a departure from the practice of declining to give the imprimatur of the Society to works issued by its members was likely to lead to difficulties in the future, and therefore inexpedient. One or two other matters were dealt with by the Committee. —— + Cases. Durine the past month eight cases have been laid before the secretary—four for the return of MSS., three for payment of money, and one for accounts. In three cases the MSS. have been returned, and in the remaining one the Editor has promised to look up the matter and forward the MS. when found. ‘Two of the claims for money have been settled; the third case, taken in hand a few days ago, is still in course of negotiation. The accounts have been duly rendered. The secretary regrets to state that, of those cases before him during the long vacation, there are a considerable number still open, but six of the total—seven in all—refer to American publishers and editors. Publishers, who live out- side Great Britain, are not always so ready to attend to the requests of the secretary as they would be if they lived within the British Isles, and even when ready, letter and answer take some time to cross the water. Sometimes, however, publishers in the United States take advantage of the fact that they live some distance from the author, and not only disregard the demands of the Society but their contracts also. It is hoped that, as soon as the Society has another agent in the United States, it will be possible to obtain prompt satisfaction. The seventh case refers to a demand for money, but is a little complicated as it is difficult to ascer- tain the exact amount until fuller accounts have been rendered. Negotiations are still proceeding, and during the month of November it is hoped that the whole matter will be cleared up. —— + — October Elections. . Broad Park Avenue, Ilfracombe. Balfour, The Right Hon. 10, Downing Street, A. J., M.P- S.W Allen, James . . Ballin, Ada 8. . . 18, Somerset Street, ' Portman Square, W., and 4, Agar Street, Strand. Barrington, Michael hie Bell, Mrs. Hugh Bennett, Miss Etta Buchanan Berrington, the Rev. B. 8. Best, Dr. George Payne . Booth, Mrs. Annie M. Bradley, A. C. Briggs, Lady . Buckland, C. E., C.1.E. Cameron, Mrs. Lovett Carter, Joseph Cook, &. 71. Coward, T. A. de Zuylen de Nyevelt Baronne §. Emanuel, Walter Evans, John William Fletcher, A. Woodroofe “A Foreign Resident ” Fox, J. A. Frankau, Mrs. (“ Frank Danby ” Gouldsbury, Charles E. Hardy, Harold Hare, F. W. E., M.D. Hellyer, Miss M. Maud Herbert, the Hon. Auberon Holt, W. G. Humberstone, Lloyd Kennedy, Bart Koch, Mrs. Mary Maclaverty, Mrs. A. (‘N. Atling ’’) Macquoid, Capt. C., D.S.0. (XX. Deccan Horse) Thomas THE AUTHOR. 31 95, Sloane Street, S.W. Park Mount, Albert Road, Southport. Marnixstraat, Amster- dam. 26, Strawberry Hiil Road, Twickenham. 1, Kingstown Square, Gloucester. 9, Edwardes Square, Kensington, W. 5, Charles Street, St. James’ Square, 8. W. 61, Cornwall Gardens, S. Kensington, S.W. Millbrook House, Shepperton. 260, North End Road, Fulham, 8.W. 1, Gordon Place, W.C. Brentwood, Bowdon, Cheshire. 69, Parkstraad, The Hague, Nether- lands. 89, Ladbroke Grove, W. 75, Craven Park, N.W. St. Anne’s Passage, Manchester. 38, Conduit Street, W. 48, Melrose Avenue, Willesden Green, N.W. 11, Clarges Street, W. Authors’ Club, 3, Whitehall Court, S.W. 1, Dr. Johnson’s Build- ings, Temple, E.C. New Holme, South Hill, Bromley, Kent. Old House, Ringwood. Coton, Tamworth. Toynbee Hall,28,Com- mercial Street, E. Ryemead, Rickmans- worth, 21, Castlenau, Barnes, S.W. Llangattock Manor, Monmouth. c/o Messrs. Thomas Cook & Son, Lon- dow and Bombay, Mason, Frank H.,R.B.A., Lindisfarne, Trinity Road, Scarboro’. Moore, William ; . 84, Fairview Road, S. Tottenham. 29, Beechcroft Road, Oxford. Market Buildings, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, 68, Lower Essex Street, Birmingham. 9, Old Square, Lin- coln’s Inn, W.C. Onions, Charles Talbut Parker, Thomas Plumbe, 8. W. Pocock, Archibald Henry Reinhardt, Charles . 18, Embankment Gardens, Chelsea, S.W. Ricci, Luigi Park House, Ealing, Middlesex. Sandwith, Mrs. Harold Johannesburg, South Alfrica, Speer, Capt. A. E. . Sandown Lodge, Esher, Surrey. Speight, E. E., F.R.G.S. Tomlinson, Miss Ella (* Brown Linnet’’) ter, Sussex. Tracy, Louis . : . c/o Messrs. Sprigg, Pedrick & Co., Ltd., 110, St. Martin’s Lane, W.C. Horsted Keynes, Sus- SeX. 3, Clifton Villas, St. John’s Wood, N.W. 22, Carson Road, West Dulwich, 8.E. Three Members do not desire either their names or addresses to be printed. Shaldon, Teignmouth. Fishbourne, Chiches- Trevor, John . Vredenburg, Hdric . Watson, Aaron <> —__ BOOKS PUBLISHED BY MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY. —_-——+— (In the following list we do not propose to give more than the titles, prices, publishers, etc., of the books enumerated, with, in special cases, such particulars as may serve to explain the scope and purpose of the work. Members are requested to forward information which will enable the Editor to supply such particulars.) BIOGRAPHY. THE STORY OF AN IRISHMAN. By JusTIN McCARTHY. 9 x 6,411 pp. Chatto and Windus, 12s. CoLerRIDGE. By DR, RICHARD GARNETT, Gh xX. 4 lll pp. Ball. 1s. Lerrers or WILLIAM STUBBS, Bishop of Oxford, 1825— 1901, Edited by the Rev, W. H. Hurron, 9 xX 53, 428 pp. Constable, 17s. 6d, n. i ii 4 4 i 32 By WILFRID WARD. 9} X 6, 14s, n. AUBREY DE VERE. 428 pp. Longmans. BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG. LITTLE PETERKIN AND His BroTHER. By EH. M. GREEN. ik xX 6,157 pp. S8.P.C. K. Is. 6d. ENDERLEY PARK. By F. BAYFORD-HARRISON. 160 pp. S. P.C. K. 1s. 6d. THE NEw WoRrLD Farry Book. 8 x 6, 354 pp. Dent. 4s. 6d. n. THE BROowN Farry Book. Edited by ANDREW LANG. 74 X 5,350 pp. Longman’s. 6s. Mystery Isuanp. A Tale of the Pacific. : By FRED. WnisHaw. 8} X 54, 316 pp. Shaw. 35s. 6d. For TRIUMPH ORTRUTH. By SYDNEY C. GRIER. 8} X 58, 7k Xx 5, By H, A, KENNEDY. 310 pp. Shaw. 3s, 6d. THE PHANTOM Spy. By Fox Russenn. 7} X 54, 288 pp. Nelson. 2s. 6d. By ERNEST THOMPSON SETON, 6s. 1. Two LITTLE SAVAGES. 8} x 53,552 pp. Grant Richards. “THE DRAMA.” WHICH Is THE LUNATIC (a farce in oneact). By HENRY Francts. Published by Zhe Pioneer, Allahabad Price one rupee. EDUCATIONAL. ITALIAN GRAMMAR FOR ENGLISH STUDENTS. By LUIGI Riccr. 74 xX 5, 129 pp. Walter Scott Publishing Co. 2s. 6d. n. New ScHooL ARITHMETIC. Part Il. By C. PENDLEBURY, 7h x 5, pp. 207—468.. Bell. 2s. 6d. ‘ EXAMPLES IN ARITHMETIC. By C. PENDLEBURY, assisted by F, E. Ropinson. 74 X 5, 223 pp. Bell. 2s. FICTION. Tue EDGE OF CIRCUMSTANCE (a story of the sea). By EDWARD NoBLE. William Blackwood & Sons. A VoICE FROM THE VOID. By HELEN BODDINGTON. 73 x 54,306 pp. Hurst and Blackett. 6s, TRAFFICS AND DISCOVERIES. By RUDYARD KIPLING. 8 x 54, 393 pp. Macmillan. 6s. THEOPHANO. By FREDERIC HARRISON. 343 pp. Chapman and Hall. 10s. 6d. n. THe Farm oF THE DaGcG@ER. By EDEN PHILLPOTTS. 74 x 5, 812 pp. Newnes. 3s. 6d. THp ABBESS OF VLAYE. By STANLEY J. 7% x 53, 391 pp. Longmans. 6s. SEA PurITANS. By F. T. BULLEN. Hodder and Stoughton. 6s. Masor Weir. By K. L. MONTGOMERY. Unwin. 6s. Mary Lovisa QUAYNE (or a BELATED LOVE AFFAIR). By EmILy PEARSON FINNEMORE. 73 X 5, 252 pp. 8. P.C. K. 2s. 6d. SCENES OF JEWISH LIFE. By Mrs. ALFRED SIDGWICK. 73% X BZ, 302 pp. Arnold, 6s. THE GAME OF LOVE. By GERTRUDEWARDEN. 73 X 5, 7% X 5, 299 pp. a 68; WEYMAN, 7k X 5, 365 pp. 7% X 5, 398 pp. 320 pp. Digby Long. 6s. THE SILENT WomMAN. By “RITA.” Hurst and Blackett. 6s. SomE LOVES AND A Lirr. By Mrs. CAMPBELL PRAED, 72 x 54,309 pp. White. 6s. THE PROGRESS OF RACHEL. By ADELINE SERGEANT. 7% xX 5,229 pp. Methuen. 6s. THE BRIDGE OF LiFrs (a novel without a purpose). By DoroTHEA GERARD. 7} X 5},309-pp. Methuen. 6s. Captain AMYAS (being the career of D'Arcy Amyas, R.N. R., late Master of the R. M. 8. Princess). By Doty WYLLARDE. 7? X 54,264pp. Heinemann, 6s, THE AUTHOR. THE CHRONICLES OF Don: Q, By K. and HESKETH PRICHARD. 7} X 5,307 pp. Chapman and Hall. 6s. Tue Kin@’s CoMING. By FLORENCR WYNNE. 7% X 5, 489 pp. Skeffington. 6s, THE Foop OF THE GoDS AND How IT CAME TO EARTH. By H. G. WeLis. 7% X 54, 317 pp. Macmillan. 6s. Kate oF KATE Hau. By ELLEN THORNEYCROFT Fowuer and A.L. FeLKIN. 7% x 5. Hutchinson. 6s. THE BRETHREN. By H. RIDER HAGGARD. 7% x 5, 342 pp. Cassell. 6s. In DEWISLAND. By S. BARING GOULD. Methune. 6s. THE DIVINE FirE, By MAY SINCLAIR. Constable. 6s. THE Lovers OF MIss ANNE, 8 x 5}, 408 pp. Clarke. 6s. MERELY Mary ANN. By I. ZANGWILL (New Edition). _ 74 x 43,160 pp. Heinemann. 1s. n. A BRIDE FROM THE BusH. By E. 8$ x 59,122 pp. Newnes. 6s. HEARTS IN EXILE. By JOHN OXENHAM. 73 300 pp. Hodder and Stoughton. 6s. CAPRICIOUS CAROLINE. By MARIA ALBANESI. 7} X 5, 327 pp. Methuen. 6s. THE MERRY-GO-ROUND. By WILLIAM MAUGHAM. 73 X 54. Heinemann. 6s. For HEART 0’ GOLD. By CONSTANCE SMEDLEY. 73 X 5. 303 pp. Harpers. 6s. THE BETRAYAL. By E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM. 73 X 5, 316 pp. Ward, Lock. 6s. At THE Moorines. By Rosa 7% x 5,451 pp. Macmillan. 6s. SOONER OR LATER, By VioLEr Hunt. 7} X 5}, £35 pp. Chapman and Hall. 6s. 7% x 5, 306 pp. 72 x 5, 667 pp. By 8. R. CROCKETT. W. HORNUNG. x 5, SOMERSET NoUCHETTE CAREY. A Great PATIENCE. By L. G. Moperny. 8. W. Partridge. 2s. Tur DREAM OF Peace. By FRANCIS GRIBBLE. 73} X 5, 305 pp. Chapman and Hall. 6s. THe MarriaGe Yoke, By ARABELLA KENEALY. 72 x 54,348 pp. Hurst and Blackett. 6s. Smatinou. By J. H. Yoxaut, M.P. 7} x 5, 307 pp. Hutchinson. 6s. HELMSLEY’s PRINCESS. By J.B. ForD. 7 X 4%, 133 pp. Simpkin Marshall. 1s. n. THE HEART OF PENELOPE. By Mrs, BELLoc LOWNDES. 72 x 5. 336 pp. Heinemann. 6s. THE CELESTIAL Sur@eon. By F. F. MONTRESOR. 72 xX 5}, 375 pp. Arnold, 6s. THE RED DERELICT. By BERTRAM MITFORD. 7] X 54, 303 pp. Methuen. 6s. JoHN Riegpon. By C, P. PLANT, Sonnenschien. 6s. Sir RocEr’s Herr. By F, FraNKForT Moore. 7} X 5, 352 pp. Hodder and Stoughton. 6s. 74 xX 5, 372 pp. HISTORY. A History OF SCOTLAND, FROM THE ROMAN. OCCUPA- TIoN. By ANDREW LANG. Vol. III, (1625—1689). 9 x 53,424 pp. Blackwood. 15s. n. LAW. Tae LAw or Torts, By Sir F. Pouuock, Bart., LL.D. Seventh edition. 8% x 53,679 pp. Stevens and Sons. 25s, LITERARY, THE Port’s DIARY, Edited by Lamia, 8} X 54, 255 pp. Macmillan. 7s. 6d. By JoHN ‘OLIVER LETTERS FROM A SILENT STUDY. 3s 6d. n. Hoppes. 72 X %#, 235 pp. Appleton.  AN IMPRESSIONIST IN ENGLAND. THER AUTHOR. 33 LETTERS ON LIFE. By CLAupIUS CLEAR (Dr. Robertson Nicoll). 8% x 53,95 pp. Hodder and Stoughton. 6d. A Nore Book oF FRENCH LITERATURE. By P. C. YorKE. Vol. IL., Vineteenth Century. 8 x 54, 490 pp. Blackie. 4s. 6d. n. NATURAL HISTORY. CREATURES OF THE SEA (being the life stories of some sea birds, beists, and fishes) By F. T. BULLEN, F. R.G.S. 82 x 52,430 pp. R.T.S. 7s. 6d. PAMPHLETS. ‘REFLECTIONS SUGGESTED BY THE NEW THEORY OF MATTER (being the Presidential Address before the British Association for the Advancement of Science). Cambridge, August 17th, 1904. By THE RicHT Hon. A, J. BALFouR, M.P. Longman’s. ls. n. POETRY. THE TESTAMENT OF A PRIME MINISTER. By JOHN Davipson. 72 X 53,103 pp. 3s. 6d. n. Lost MASTERPIECES AND OTHER VERSES. By St. JOHN HANKIN. 7 x 43,73 pp. Constable. 3s 6d. n. BEAUTIFUL Days. By ADELAIDE L. J. GOSSET. Third edition. Partridge & Co. 1s. QUAINT CHARMS, KNOTS AND VERSES. thousand. Walker. Is.n. BRIGHT EVENING THOUGHTS FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. By ADELAIDE L. J. GossET. 32 pp. 382 illustrations. George Allen. 2s. n. “HEAVEN'S WaAY.”—QUAINT CorDs, CoILs, AND LOVE- Twists. By ADELAIDE L. J. GosseT. Elkin Mathews ls. n. A Harvest oF CHAFF. By OWEN SEAMAN. 147 pp. Constable. 3s. 6d. n. 32 pp. 44 pp. Fifth i x 44, POLITICAL. Russia: WHAT SHE WAS AND WHAT SHE Is. By JAAKOFF PRELOOKER. 7 X 5,148 pp. Simpkin, Mar- shall. 2s. 6d. SCIENCE. Srupies IN Astronomy. By J. ELLaRD_ GORE, F.R. ALS. 73° 5, 336 pp. Chatto and Windus. 6s. SCIENTIFIC. Sick Nursinc at Home. By L. G. Moperty, Scientific Press. 1s. ELecTROCHEMISTRY. By Proressor R. A. LEHFELDT, Voll. 268 pp. Longmans. 5s, THEOLOGY. SEVEN Year’s Harp. By RicHArD FREE. 8}. x 54 268 pp. Heinemann, 5s. n. TOPOGRAPHY. Living Lonpon. ‘Edited by Gro. R. Sims. Part I. ‘114 x 84, 32 pp. Cassell. 7d. n. TRAVEL. By F. H. Rose. 72 x 54, 305 pp. Dent. 4s. 6d. n. SUNSHINE AND SENTIMENT IN PorRTUGAL. By GILBERT Warson. 9 x 6,295 pp. Arnold, 12s. 6d. n. LITERARY, DRAMATIC, AND MUSICAL NOTES. — € HE Poet’s Diary, edited by Lamia,” is the title of a new prose work, written by the Poet Laureate, and published by Messrs. Macmillan & Co. The same firm has issued a new and chearer edition of Lord Avebury’s work on “ The Scenery of England.” The edition contains all the original illustrations. The English Text Society has issued Part 1 of the “ English Fifteenth Century Translation of Etienne de Besancon’s Collection of Tales for Sermons,” by Mrs. M. M. Banks. Part 2 of the same work will appear shortly. Laura Hain Friswell is at present engaged upon her reminiscences, which will contain anecdotes of Dickens, Swinburne, Louis Blanc, Cruikshank, Tennyson, Toole, Irving, and many others. The work will be a girl’s impression of literary people and literary and journalistic society in the last century. The same authoress wrote a serial which ran through the Daily Chronicle at the beginning of last month, under the title of “ His Uncle’s Wife.” Mr. John Davidson’s, “The Testament of a Prime Minister,’ published on October 5th, is the fourth of a series of poems in which Mr. Davidson “ states fact in terms of poetry.” Edith ©. Kenyon’s tale for young people, en- titled, “A Girl‘in a Thousand,” has just been published, with beautiful illustrations by Messrs. S. W. Partridge & Co. It is an up-to-date version of the Cinderella story. Mr. Kipling’s new volume of stories, “ Traffics and Discoveries,” published by Messrs. Macmillan & Co., derives inspiration from many sources. “The Captive” reflects the view of an American inventor, unwillingly drawn into the fighting line, on the British methods of conducting the Boer War. “A Sahib’s War” presents the point of view of a Sikh soldier on the same operations ; while a third story, with a South African setting, shows Tommy Atkin’s attitude towards the accusa- tion of “barbarous methods.” Standing out from all the rest of the volume in great contrast both in matter of subject and in treatment is a story of dream children, entitled “ They.” In addition to Mr. Kipling’s volume, Messrs. Macmillan announce the publication of the follow- ing six-shilling novels: “ Whosoever shall Offend,” by E. Marion Crawford ; “The Food of the Gods, and How it came to Earth,” by H. G. Wells; and “Atoms of Empire,” by ©. J. Cutcliffe Hyne. The same publishers are also issuing a new series of English Men of Letters. Among the volumes SS ay 34 contained in the series may be mentioned “Thomas Moore,” by Stephen Gwynn ; “ Andrew Marvell,” by Augustine Birrell; “ Edward FitzGerald,” by A. C. Benson; and “Sir Thomas Browne,” by Edmund Gosse. : Messrs. Seeley & Co. will issue shortly a new work for young children, entitled “ The Crusaders,” by Professor Church. “The Church Universal, Brief Histories of her Continuous Life,” is the title of a new series, in eight volumes, edited by the Rev. W. H. Hutton, which Messrs. Rivingtons are publishing ; and to which, besides the editor, the Rev. Leighton Pullan, Mr. D. J. Medley, Mr. Herbert Bruce, and the Rev. J. P. Whitney contribute. Mrs. Alec Tweedie, whose book, “ Behind the Footlights,” lately ran into a second edition, has another volume in the press. This time she has returned to her old love of travel. The book, which will appear in the autumn in England and America, is entitled, “ Sunny Sicily, its Rustics and its Ruins.” Hutchinson is the English publisher. Mr. Lewis Melville is publishing this month through Messrs. A. & C. Black a volume on “The Thackeray Country.” The book deals with those localities which are of primary interest to those who are acquainted with the life and writing of the novelist. It treats of Thackeray’s London homes, and the salient features and associations of -their neighbourhood, as well as of Thackeray in Paris and in America. Special attention is given to those places that are made the back ground of well-known scenes in the novels. “By Nile and Euphrates: a Record of Dis- covery and Adventure,” post octavo, price 8s. 6d., has been published by Messrs. T. & T. Clark, of Edinburgh. The author is Mr. Valentine Geere, who served on the American Excavations at Nippur, and: assisted Prof. Petrie and Dr. Gren- fell and Dr. Hunt in their work in Egypt. His volume gives an account of his experiences at the mounds and in his journeys in out-of-the-way places. It is amply illustrated by original photo- graphs and plans. John Oliver Hobbes (Mrs. Craigie) will shortly publish, through Mr. T. Werner Laurie, “The Artist’s Life, and other Essays.” In the volume, which is illustrated, are included her lectures before the Dante Society, the Ruskin Society, and the Philosophical Institution of Edinburgh. A new work by Mrs. Fred Reynolds, entitled “The Book of Angelus Drayton,” is published this month by Mr. John Long. The scene is laid in Yorkshire. We have received the fifth edition of Mr. E. A. Reynolds-Ball’s “‘ Mediterranean Winter Resorts,” published by Messrs. Hazell, Watson and Viney, at 8s. 6d. each, in two parts, or combined volume THE AUTHOR. on Indian paper, 6s. It is a complete and practical guide to all the health and pleasure resorts on the shores of the Mediterranean, as, indeed, its title suggests. It contains other interesting matter, and special articles on the principal invalid stations by resident English physicians. The calendars for 1905 are already being issued. Two neat memorandum forms arranged by “Autolycus” have been received at the Society’s office. The price is 1s. net each, and copies can be obtained either from Miss Rossi, of 202, Adelaide Road, Hampstead, N.W., or Mr. G. J. Glaisher, bookseller, 58, High Street, Notting Hill Gate, W. A peculiar feature of the calendar lies in the fact that at the beginning of every week ~ there is a quotation from some well known author. We have received Messrs. George Newnes, Ltd., trade circular for the current month. There are several interesting notes concerning books by members of the Society, which will shortly be before the public. . Mr. W. W. Jacobs’s story, ‘ Dialstone Lane,” which has been running through The Strand, is about to be produced in crown octavo at the price of 6s. The illustrations are by Mr. Will Owen. Mr. Jacobs’s method of dealing with the characteristics of coastwise sailormen is well known to all readers of The Strand Magazine. A fresh book from his pen will be welcome. Mr. Eden Phillpotts, who has for many years written such strong fiction with the west country as background, will publish through the same firm a book entitled “The Farm of the Dagger,” crown octavo, 3s. 6d. The story deals with the adven- tures of an American prisoner in England during the War of Independence (18121815), and is full of incident. Astory from Miss Marie Corelli will be published as a companion to The Strand Magazine Christmas Number. Ii will be issued separately from The Strand, at the price of 1s., and will be illustrated by Mr. H. R. Millar. Mr. R. S. Warren Bell is publishing a work through the same firm, entitled “Jim Mortimer, Surgeon.” The story deals with the Hooligan- infested district of Blackfriars. : E. Nesbit’s pleasant fairy tale, “The Phoenix and the Carpet,” will also appear as a Christmas book. The authoress’s delightful fancy is further exemplified in this new effort of her pen. Messrs. Macmillan & Co. are issuing new and revised editions of Mr. Vincent T. Murche’s manuals of object lessons in elementary science. In these new issues several improvements have been ‘made with a view to rendering them even more useful to teachers. : A selection has been made by Canon Beeching  THE AUTHOR. from the sermons of the late Master of the Temple. ‘They will be issued in a volume by Messrs. Macmillan, under the title of ‘The Gospel and ‘Human Life.” Broadly speaking, the editor has omitted from his selection of twenty-four sermons all those dealing especially with the dogmas of the Church. The proof of the suitability of religion to human needs as they are revealed by experience of life is the aspect which is most prominently set forth in this posthumous work, with the result, Canon Beeching hopes, that it will be regarded as thoroughly characteristic of the individual preacher. The November number of Zhe Lady's Realm will contain the opening chapters of a new story entitled “ Starve Crow Farm,” by Stanley Weyman. The scene is laid in the North Country in the year 1819, when the working classes, impoverished by the long struggle against Napoleon, were seething with discontent and latent rebellion. « With a View to Matrimony” is the title of a book of short stories by Mr. James Blyth, author of “Juicy Joe” and ‘“ Celibate Sarah,” which Mr. Grant Richards published towards the end of October. Readers will have the opportunity of renewing their acquaintance with several of the places and people figuring in those two novels. The humorous side of village life predominates. Mr. Grant Richards has also published a new edition of “A Book of Verses for Children,” com- piled by Mr. E. V. Lucas. A military novel entitled “ The Queen’s Scarlet,” was published last month by Messrs. S. C. Brown, Langham & Co., of New Bond Street. The book is from the pen of Mr. Horace Wyndham, and deals in an intimate manner with life in the ranks, at home and abroad, in barracks and camp, in peace and war. The action commences at an Army crammer’s, in South Kensington, and concludes in South Africa. Mr. Wyndham is the author of two other books on military matters, ‘The Queen’s Service,” and “Soldiers of the Queen.” Messrs. Cassell & Co. have just brought out a book by the author of “The Rejuvenation of Miss Semaphore.” The title, ‘‘ Aliens of the West,” was suggested by a line in one of Sliabh Cuillin’s poems, “Ourselves Alone.” The volume deals with certain sides of Irish life, which are practically new in fiction, and which will have interest, not only for the Irish, but for the general reader. It differs widely from the usual Irish novel, both in theme and in treatment. Mr. Norman Alliston wishes to give notice that towards the middle of this month he will issue a small “Edition d’héte” of his new work, “The Rationale of Art.” Owing to what he considers the exorbitance and apathy of publishers in dealing with commissioned business, Mr. Alliston is publishing the book for 35 himself at Kamesburgh, Beckenham, and managing all arrangements—down to shopping the single copies. Mr. Alliston will ask “A crown for his thoughts ”—five shillings net, post free. In the 14th Edition of Chitty on Contracts, by Mr. J. M. Lely (Sweet & Maxwell, 30s.), the editor has, “with reluctance made an exception to the rule that judgments of the House of Lords should be merely recorded and not criticised,” and sub- mitted six reasons why that judgment though right upon authority is wrong in its construction of the 18th Section of the Copyright Act. Attention is called in the preface to various points “ which seem to require remedial legislation,” such as the too little known rules of law, that money at a bank not drawn upon for six years becomes the property of the banker, that the executors of a lessee may be personally liable on his covenants for repair, that if A. undisputedly owes B. £100, and B. agrees to take £90 in full satisfaction, B. can, nevertheless, sue A. for the remaining £10, that the barely intelligible 18th Section of the Copyright Act requires recasting, and that a master is under no obligation in England or Scotland (as he is in Ireland), to give a servant a character, however long and faithful the service may have been. In the Quiver of the current month commences the opening chapters of Mr. John Bloundelle-Burton’s new romance, “ The Sword of Gideon.” The story, which centres round that portion of the War of Succession in Spain which took place in Flanders, will be the serial for the year. In the same month a new romance of Mr. Bloundelle-Burton’s, entitled “The Land of Bond- age,” will be published by F. V. White & Co., Ltd. The scene is laid principally in Virginia, and deals with the kidnapping of redemptioners, and the tragedies that, in many cases, resulted therefrom. Most of the descriptions are taken from MS. papers and letters written by the planters and colonists of the actual period, that of George IL., which were handed to Mr. Bloundelle-Burton by the last survivor of an old Virginian family. “The Temple of Art: A Plea for the Higher Realisation of the Artistic Vocation,” is published by Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co., at the price of 3s. 6d. The author—Mr. Ermest Newlandsmith— takes the view that at the present time the greater number of so-ealled works of art are only exhibitions of technical display, failing to infect those who come under their influence with any true or definite emotion. A revised and enlarged edition of “ Printing,” by Chas. T. Jacobi, published by Messrs. George Bell and Sons in their Technological Series, is now in the press and will be ready in November. This is a recognised text-book for the student and useful SS al See ST a ‘86 for all interested in the art of printing. This third edition will possess some new features. Early last month Miss Theodora Wilson Wilson published a novel, entitled ‘Father, M.P.,” with Messrs. Thos. Nelson & Sons. he same author has also made arrangements with Messrs. Harper Bros. for the production of a work next year. The title is “ Langbarrow Hall,” and the novel deals with the North Country, in a district of sand and peat, moss and scaur. Messrs. Blackie and Sons have just issued Vol. 2 of Mr. Philip C. Yorke’s work, “A Note Book of French Literature.” This volume, which deals with authors of the nineteenth century, is worked out on the same plan as that adopted by the author in Vol. 1, and consists of biography, bibliography, critical note, and illustrative extract to each author. The work is preceded by an introductory chapter. Mr. Pinero’s new play was produced on the stage of Sir Charles Wyndham’s Theatre, on the night of October 12th. The title, which gives the key to the piece, is “A Wife without a Smile—a Comedy in Disguise.” It is full of cynical humour, and the characters were excellently played throughout. A new play by Mr. Bernard Shaw, “John Bull’s Other Island,” written for the Irish Literary Society, will be produced in England at the Court Theatre for six matinées, on the Ist, 3rd, 4th, 8th, 10th, 11th of November. The date of the Irish performance has not, as yet, been fixed. There will be some further performances of Mr. Shaw’s well known play, “Candida,” in December. Another play by the same author, “ How He Lied to Her Husband,” has been pro- duced under the management of Mr. Arnold Daly, with considerable success, in New York. It has been described as a travesty of Candida ; but this isa mistake. It deals with the adventures of a young poet and a fashionable lady who catch the Candida craze, and try to imagine themselves Candida and Eugene in real life, with ridiculous consequences. Mr. Shaw’s play, “ Cesar and Cleopatra,” which was to have been produced at the Berlin Deutscher Theater last spring, will be produced there next year. ————1->o—__—_ PARIS NOTES. Oe 6“ OUVENIRS des vertes Saisons,” by André Theuriet, is a charming sketch of the child- hood, early manhood, and career of this author. He tells us of his early writings and of his first publication in the Revwe des Deua- Slondes. He speaks, too, of his contemporaries, THE AUTHOR. Daudet, Flaubert, the de Goncourts, &c. ; and there is a touching account of the poet André Lemoyne, and of the way in which he wrote his verses. “Te Double Jardin,” by Maurice Meeterlinck, proves that the author is by no means a pessimist. “Nous sommes,” he writes, “au moment ou nais- sent autour de nous mille raisons nouvelles de prendre confiance dans les destinées de notre espéce.” “Le Sillon,” by Resclauze de Bermon, is a story of self-sacrifice. It is both romantic and pathetic, and altogether a novel well worth reading. In “Les Sirénes,” by Jean Reibrach, the chief interest is also the self-sacrifice of the man who, at an advanced age, has fallen in love with the orphan daughter of a fellow officer. She is engaged to him, but before the marriage takes place he dis- covers that he has a rival in the girl’s affections, and not only does he stand aside himself but he facilitates things for the lovers. There are some exquisite passages in the book, and the picture of — provincial life is well drawn. The characters, too, ~ all live and stand out in excellent contrast. “Félicien, souvenir d’un étudiant de 48,” by Charles-Louis Chassin, is an excellent book for giving a picture of the times about which the ~ author writes. ‘There is the proclamation of the Republic, the eventful 13th of June, the manifesta- tion of the students against the closing of Michelet’s — lectures, and an account of the author’s life when in the Mazas Prison. Jules Vallés and Leconte de Lisle are to be found in this story figuring ~ under other names. “Madame de Ferneuse,” by Daniel Lesueur, is the sequel to the ‘“ Marquis de Valcor.” The — interest of the story is well sustained, the characters ~ all live, and the book itself is written admirably. “ Légendes de mort et d’amour,” by M. Gaston- Routier, is a volume of legends and impressions written after a voyage in Spain. The author has written a number of historical and geographical works, and is considered an authority on subjects connected with the early history and literature of Spain. Among other new books are: ‘Le Fils de la Mer,” by Nelly Hager; “La Macédoine et: les puissances,” by M. Gaston-Routier ; “ Le peuple chinois,” by Fernand Farjenel ; “ La Bosnie popu- laire,” by Albert Bordeaux ; ‘‘ Les Giuvres des autres,” by Madame Jeanne France. There is an attempt now being made by French authors to protect their works in Canada. It appears that plays, short stories, and novels are — constantly reproduced in the papers or published in book form without the consent of the writers. The Society of Canadian-French journalists has taken the matter up, and in reply to a question addressed to the Government there, the Honourable  THE AUTHOR. 1M. Scott has replied that he believes the Canadian o'Government adheres to the Convention of Berne. ‘Should this be so French writers have it in their wvown hands to protect their works. One of the ‘most important publishing houses of Canada, Messrs. Beauchemin, is always loyal in dealing ‘-with French anthors ; and M. Heurion, the manager ‘of the ThéAtre des Nouveautés, of Montreal, has been over to Paris and made arrangements about slplaying the “ Retour de Jérusalem”’ and “ La plus i-faible,” but various newspapers and publishing ‘houses are at the present time using works by iesome of the best known French authors with no ssregard whatever to the question of literary property. The matter is now being taken up seriously in France. ‘| Inthe Mercure de France there is an excellent - szarticle on “ Les Racines de l’Idéalisme,” by Remy » ade Gourmont, and a curious study by M. Bélugou, | jgentitled “Le Pouvoir de Imagination chez les / Enfants.” There is also an interesting criticism of ' odthe “ Peintres de la terre belge” by M. Marius-Ary ‘a. Leblond. | In La Revue of October 15th there is an article “yby M. Charles Pagot, “Comment reformer l’enseigne- wment classique,” and another one by M. Georges *Pellissier on “ La Littérature a thése.” The writer simaintains that in the roman a these the personages : @do not live: they are so many puppets whose ‘strings are pulled by the author. When they ‘jspeak we recognise the author’s voice prompting “oitheir role, and all their acting is in support of the ‘theory he wishes to prove. | In a recent article in the Nouvelle Revue M. +o Morel asks what is to be done with all the books ‘which have to be deposited at the Bibliotheque Nationale. He believes that with the present system the catalogue itself cannot be completed until the year 1930, and that it will consist of 136 volumes. In the Quinzaine M. Giraud writes on Chateau- briand and his critics. In the Revue des Deur-Mondes M. Fouillée discusses the moral and social consequences of “{ Darwinism. In the same review Madame Arvede @ Barine gives details with regard to the romance ' Lof “La Grande Mademoiselle,” and M. Edouard 9) Rod writes on Ada Negri’s new book. ty In the Revue de Paris there is an interesting °9¢ account of Count Valentin Esterhazy, and M. Paul “oe Stapfer writes of his acquaintance with Victor 4) Hugo when the poet was at Guernsey. ef At the Comédie Francaise “Les Affaires sont les Affaires” has been put on again. The Odéon is now giving the new play by M. Brieux, “ La Déserteuse.” _ Parle Fer et par le Feu,” the piece now running at the Théatre Sarah Bernhardt, is taken from the 37 celebrated novel by Sienkiewicz. Madame Bern- hardt read the book when on tour in America, and suggested to her son, M. Maurice Bernhardt, the idea of adapting it for the stage. For the last two years he has been at work on it, and in September it. was read to the artistes. While Madame Bern- hardt is away on her tour the new play is being given at her theatre. M. Antoine is still faithful to his bill of short plays, and is at present giving four instead of three: ‘ Petite Femme,” “La Main de Singe,” “Discipline,” and “ Asile de Nuit.” At the Vaudeville “‘ Les Trois Anabaptistes”’ is to be followed by M. Henry Bataille’s new play, “Madame Colibri.” Atys HALLARD. ——_———__+—~<>_ + —_____- SPAIN AND BOOK PRODUCTION. — ++ HE following correspondence has been re- ceived by the Secretary at the Society’s Office :— The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs presents his compliments to the Secretary to the Society of Authors, and is directed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to transmit to him to be laid before the Society the accompanying paper respecting the exemption from duty of books imported from certain countries into Spain :— SPANISH EMBASSY, July 12th, 1904. My Lorp,—I have the honour to inform your Excellency that the Government of the King, my august Sovereign, animated by the desire to strengthen the bonds of union between Spain and other nations her friends or allies, bonds which are certainly stronger in proportion as the communica- tion of ideas between the different countries is rendered more easy, presented to the Cortes a Bill amending the regulations respecting the present Customs tariff as regards the importation of books, and that this Bill, having been passed by the Chambers and sanctioned by His Majesty, has been promulgated as a law of the kingdom, dated March 4th last. Great Britain being, in view of the fact that her tariffs grant the exemption from duty, included in the terms of Article 2 of this law, Iam instructed by my Government to communicate it to His Majesty’s Government, in order that advantage may be taken of it by any British subjects who may desire to introduce books into Spain, and who shall have complied with the other conditions mentioned in the law. I transmit herewith to your Excellency a copy of  ‘36 for all interested in the art of printing. This third edition will possess some new features. Early last month Miss Theodora Wilson Wilson published a novel, entitled “Father, M.P.,”’ with Messrs. Thos. Nelson & Sons. he same author has also made arrangements with Messrs. Harper Bros. for the production of a work next year. The title is « Langbarrow Hall, and the novel deals with the North Country, in a district of sand and peat, moss and scaur. Messrs. Blackie and Sons have just issued Vol. 2 of Mr. Philip ©. Yorke’s work, “A Note Book of French Literature.” This volume, which deals with authors of the nineteenth century, is worked out on the same plan as that adopted by the author in Vol. 1, and consists of biography, bibliography, critical note, and illustrative extract to each author. The work is preceded by an introductory chapter. Mr. Pinero’s new play was produced on the stage of Sir Charles Wyndham’s Theatre, on the night of October 12th. The title, which gives the key to the piece, is “A Wife without a Smile—a Comedy in Disguise.” It is full of cynical humour, and the characters were excellently played throughout. A new play by Mr. Bernard Shaw, “John Bull’s Other Island,” written for the Irish Literary Society, will be produced in England at the Court Theatre for six matinées, on the Ist, 3rd, 4th, 8th, 10th, 11th of November. The date of the Irish performance has not, as yet, been fixed. There will be some further performances of Mr. Shaw’s well known play, “Candida,” in December. Another play by the same author, “ How He Lied to Her Husband,” has been_pro- duced under the management of Mr. Arnold Daly, with considerable success, in New York. It has been described asa travesty of Candida ; but this isa mistake. It deals with the adventures of a young poet and a fashionable lady who catch the Candida craze, and try to imagine themselves Candida and Eugene in real life, with ridiculous consequences. Mr. Shaw’s play, “ Caesar and Cleopatra,” which was to have been produced at the Berlin Deutscher Theater last spring, will be produced there next year. —__——_—_—_+—>—_o—_____—_ PARIS NOTES. —1-~— ‘ OUVENIRS des vertes Saisons,” by André Theuriet, is a charming sketch of the child- hood, early manhood, and career of this author. He tells us of his early writings and of his first publication in the Revwe des Deuz- He speaks, too, of his contemporaries, Mondes. THE AUTHOR. Daudet, Flaubert, the de Goncourts, &c. ; and there is a touching account of the poet André Lemoyne, and of the way in which he wrote his verses. “Te Double Jardin,” by Maurice Meeterlinck, proves that the author is by no means a pessimist. “Nous sommes,” he writes, “au moment ou nais- sent autour de nous mille raisons nouvelles de prendre confiance dans les destinées de notre espéce.” “Le Sillon,” by Resclauze de Bermon, is a story of self-sacrifice. It is both romantic and pathetic, and altogether a novel well worth reading. In “Les Sirénes,” by Jean Reibrach, the chief interest is also the self-sacrifice of the man who, at an advanced age, has fallen in love with the orphan daughter of a fellow officer. She is engaged to him, but before the marriage takes place he dis- covers that he has a rival in the girl’s affections, and not only does he stand aside himself but he facilitates things for the lovers. There are some exquisite passages in the book, and the picture of provincial life is well drawn. The characters, too, all live and stand out in excellent contrast. “Félicien, souvenir d’un étudiant de 48,” by Charles-Louis Chassin, is an excellent book for giving a picture of the times about which the author writes. There is the proclamation of the Republic, the eventful 13th of June, the manifesta- tion of the students against the closing of Michelet’s lectures, and an account of the author's life when in the Mazas Prison. Jules Vallés and Leconte de Lisle are to be found in this story figuring under other names. “Madame de Ferneuse,” by Daniel Lesueur, is the sequel to the ‘“ Marquis de Valcor.” The interest of the story is well sustained, the characters all live, and the book itself is written admirably. “Légendes de mort et d’amour,” by M. Gaston- Routier, is a volume of legends and impressions written after a voyage in Spain. The author has written a number of historical and geographical works, and is considered an authority on subjects connected with the early history and literature of ain. ies other new books are: “Le Fils de la Mer,” by Nelly Hager; “La Macédoine et les puissances,” by M. Gaston-Routier ; “ Le peuple chinois,” by Fernand Farjenel ; “ La Bosnie popu- laire,” by Albert Bordeaux; ‘‘ Les Giuvres des autres,” by Madame Jeanne France. There is an attempt now being made by French authors to protect their works in Canada. It appears that plays, short stories, and novels are constantly reproduced in the papers or published in book form without the consent of the writers. The Society of Canadian-French journalists has taken the matter up, and in reply to a question addressed to the Government there, the Honourable THE AUTHOR. 37 M. Scott has replied that he believes the Canadian Government adheres to the Convention of Berne. Should this be so French writers have it in their own hands to protect their works. One of the most important publishing houses of Canada, Messrs. Beauchemin, is always loyal in dealing with French authors ; and M. Heurion, the manager of the Thédtre des Nouveautés, of Montreal, has been over to Paris and made arrangements about playing the “ Retour de Jérusalem”’ and “ La plus faible,” but various newspapers and publishing houses are at the present time using works by some of the best known French authors with no regard whatever to the question of literary property. The matter is now being taken up seriously in France. In the J/ercure de France there is an excellent article on “ Les Racines de l’Idéalisme,” by Remy _ de Gourmont, and a curious study by M. Bélugou, ' entitled “Le Pouvoir de l’Imagination chez les ' Enfants.” There is also an interesting criticism of the “ Peintres de la terre belge” by M. Marius-Ary 1, Leblond. | strings are pulled by the author. In La Revue of October 15th there is an article by M. Charles Pagot, “Comment reformer l’enseigne- | ment classique,” and another one by M. Georges Pellissier on “ La Littératurea these.” The writer maintains that in the roman d these the personages do not live: they are so many puppets whose When they speak we recognise the author’s voice prompting their réle, and all their acting is in support of the theory he wishes to prove. In a recent article in the Nowvelle Revue M. Morel asks what is to be done with all the books which have to be deposited at the Bibliotheque Nationale. He believes that with the present system the catalogue itself cannot be completed until the year 1930, and that it will consist of 136 volumes. In the Quinzaine M. Giraud writes on Chateau- briand and his critics. In the Revwe des Dewr-Mondes M. Fouillée discusses the moral and social consequences of Darwinism. In the same review Madame Arvede Barine gives details with regard to the romance of “La Grande Mademoiselle,” and M. Edouard Rod writes on Ada Negri’s new book. In the Revue de Paris there is an interesting account of Count Valentin Esterhazy, and M. Paul Stapfer writes of his acquaintance with Victor Hugo when the poet was at Guernsey. At the Comédie Francaise “Les Affaires sont les Affaires” has been put on again. The Odéon is now giving the new play by M. Brieux, “ La Déserteuse.” “ Par le Fer et par le Feu,” the piece now running at the Thédtre Sarah Bernhardt, is taken from the celebrated novel by Sienkiewicz. Madame Bern- hardt read the book when on tour in America, and suggested to her son, M. Maurice Bernhardt, the idea of adapting it for the stage. For the last two years he has been at work on it, and in September it was read to the artistes. While Madame Bern- hardt is away on her tour the new play is being given at her theatre. | M. Antoine is still faithful to his bill of short plays, and is at present giving four instead of three: “Petite Femme,” “La Main de Singe,” “Discipline,” and “ Asile de Nuit.” : _ At the Vaudeville “Les Trois Anabaptistes” is to be followed by M. Henry Bataille’s new play, ‘“‘ Madame Colibri.” Auys HALLARD. et SPAIN AND BOOK PRODUCTION. ——+—~—+ HE following correspondence has been re- ceived by the Secretary at the Society’s Office :— : The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign A ffairs presents his compliments to the Secretary to the Society of Authors, and is directed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to transmit to him to be laid before the Society the accompanying paper respecting the exemption from duty of books imported from certain countries into Spain :— SPANISH EMBASSY, July 12th, 1904. My Lorp,—I have the honour to inform your Excellency that the Government of the King, my august Sovereign, animated by the desire to strengthen the bonds of union between Spain and other nations her friends or allies, bonds which are certainly stronger in proportion as the communica- tion of ideas between the different countries is rendered more easy, presented to the Cortes a Bill amending the regulations respecting the present Customs tariff as regards the importation of books, and that this Bill, having been passed by the Chambers and sanctioned by His Majesty, has been promulgated as a law of the kingdom, dated March 4th last. Great Britain being, in view of the fact that her tariffs grant the exemption from duty, included in the terms of Article 2 of thislaw, Iam instructed by my Government to communicate it to His Majesty’s Government, in order that advantage may be taken of it by any British subjects who may desire to introduce books into Spain, and who shall have complied with the other conditions mentioned in the law. I transmit herewith to your Excellency a copy of  38 the law and a copy of the Royal Order respecting the effects and the forms of its application. T have, &c., (Signed) Manpas. Don Alfonso XIII., by the grace of God, &e., &c. ‘Article 1.—Are exempted from custom duties, from the date of the promulgation of this law, all classes of books imported into Spain provided that they fulfil the following requirements — (1) That they are written in the language of the country whence they come directly or with a direct invoice, and that they are published and printed in the same country ; an - (2) That they are the original works of a citizen of the said country, who has acquired the right of literary property in them. : ‘Article 2.—The exemption referred to in the preceding article shall only apply to nations which have treaties in regard to literary property, and which grant the same exemption to books printed in Spain, as a measure of reciprocity. Article 8.—The Ministry of Finance shall give the necessary orders for the execution of this law. Therefore we give order, &c., &c, Given at the Palace, March 14th, 1904. (Signed) THE Kine. (Signed) Tum MINISTER OF FINANCE, GuILLERMO J. DE OSMA. MINISTRY OF FINANCE. RoyaL ORDER. Srr,—For the due application of the law of the 14th March last, published in the Madrid Gazette of the 15th idem, providing for the exemption from customs duties of books imported from abroad and printed in the language of the country of origin, the King, in view of the information supplied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by your office, has been pleased to order— (1) That the following’ countries, which have treaties with Spain respecting intellectual property, and whose respective tariffs also grant exemption from duties to Spanish books, are henceforth to be considered as included under Article 2 of the above-mentioned law as regards the exemption referred to: Germany, England, Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, Siberia, Luxemburg, Monaco, Tunis, Columbia, Guatemala, Ecuador, Mexico, Norway, Paraguay, Argentine Republic, and Salvador ; (2) That until further notice the same treatment ghall be extended to Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, in virtue of their having, in the Treaty of Paris, acknowledged the right of intellectual property, and of the fact that Spanish scientific and literary works imported into these countries now enjoy exemption from duties ; (3) That the fulfilment of the requirement of THE AUTHOR. Article 1 of the same law, for the application of the exemption, to the effect that the works must be the original production of a citizen of the country of origin, who must also have acquired the right of literary property in them, must be proved by docu- ments issued by the office which has charge of the registration of intellectual property in the respective countries, certified by the Spanish Consul ; (4) The exemption which applies to books does not extend to their bindings, which in consequence must continue to pay the duties of their class, as determined by Note 49 of the present tariff ; and (5) That consignments of books brought before the Customs without the above-mentioned proof, or which do not comply with the other requirements of Article 1 of the law, or proceed from any other territory than those mentioned, shall pay the duties laid down in the same tariff. (Signed) Osa, Director-General of Customs. Maprip, June 15th, 1904. ————__+—>—_ COPYRIGHT IN GERMANY. —— HE evolution of copyright property in Germany follows in many points the evolu- tion of copyright property in other countries. Shortly after the invention of printing, privileges were conferred on printers to protect them against piracy ; this fact showed that it was the movement of the trade that first secured any defence for literary property. But the German evolution differs to this extent from the evolution of other countries, in that, for a long period, the author’s rights were not looked upon as existing, but only the rights of reproduction when transferred to the printer or publisher. To such an extent has this been carried that even at the present time a law has been passed dealing with publishers’ rights in addition to the copyright law. A German author, writing on this subject, states as follows :— “ As, shortly after the invention of printing, or at any rate in the earliest times, the privileges conferred for pro- tection against piracy were only granted to the publishers, and to them even were often granted for all works in common which appeared in their establishments ; so under these circumstances the question : In what relation the publisher stood to the author, if he received the sanction of the latter to the reproduction of the work concerned or — not, never came to the fore at all; the idea that the right of protection for his productions originates in the personof 70 the author, that this might first have been made over by — the author to another in order to be operative, does not yet : appear in the light of day.’’ Gradually, recognised by statute, and at the end of the o9@ however, the publisher’s rights (it ought to have been the author’s rights) began to be - aN THE AUTHOR. 39 eighteenth century—the period which is full of copyright legislation in all countries—legislation was carried on in the German Confederacy. The most important statute, however, was not passed till well into the nineteenth century. This was, without doubt, the Prussian law of 1837. It formed the basis of most of the subsequent legis- lation. Under it copyright protection was granted for life and thirty vears, and the exclusive right of representation for life and ten years. The fact that a large number of small States, although they might collectively agree to certain broad principles, each legislated for its own benefit, necessarily stood in the way of uniformity. In consequence, the desire for codification became urgent. The German Booksellers’—really Pub- lishers——Guild (Borsen-Verein) was the principal mover in the matter. A committee was appointed, and a comprehensive code partly based on the Prussian law was drawn up. After consideration this was laid before the Diet on May 19th, 1864: but with the dissolution of the German Con- federacy and the creation of the North-German Federacy and the German-Empire, the subject entered on a new stage. Article 4 of the Con- stitution of the North-German Federacy (1867) at once made the protection of intellectual property a matter of Confederate Legislation, and a law was passed in May, 1870, which came into force in 1871. Although this law was to a certain extent satis- factory, in the course of time deficiencies became apparent, and attempts were made, among those interested, to obtain a series of essential alterations. The Imperial offices of justice yielding to ex- ternal pressure, made preparations for the draft of a new law. Introductory consultations with experts—publishers, authors, and musicians—were instituted, and the result was put forward for public discussion in 1899. ‘Ihe draft, as finally settled, was approved by the Imperial Government. In January, 1901, the law was referred to a com- mission of twenty-one members, was passed on May 2nd, 1901, and came into active force on January ist, 1902. One of the great alterations from the former law of 1870 was that the new law was drafted as far as possible to facilitate inter- national legal intercourse. So far the outline of domestic copyright alone has been dealt with. It is necessary to look back some years and notice the evolution of inter- national relations. No doubt the fact that the law of 1901 was drafted along lines which might facili- tate international arrangements was due to the wider protection that was given to authors under the Berne Convention, and to the wider views universally adopted of author's property. The Berne Convention, as all English authors know, was an arrangement between the various countries who were signatories to protect the property of their authors, dramatists, artists, &c. It became binding on those countries that adhered to it in 1886. The idea of an international agreement arose when experts saw the difficulties that were bound to follow in any endeavour to carry out the many divergent treaties existing between the nations. To get simplicity therefore out of the chaos it was essential that these arrangements, often very similar in their clauses and details, should be codified into one Convention. Those willing to adopt this course met together and finally came to the agreement cited above. Germany was among those who signed. She also signed the subsequent Act of Paris in 1896, an amplification of the former Convention. With the United States Germany has a special treaty. The mere proclamation of the President was found to be insufficient, according to the German law, to make the half-hearted reciprocity allowed by the States binding. The treaty gives copyright between the two countries on exactly the same basis as the copyright existing between Great Britain and the United States. The essential difference in its working arises from the fact that the two languages are not the same ; this has been found to be an enormous handicap to German authors. A discussion of this difference does not come into this paper. It has been mentioned in previous numbers of Zhe Author. Finally, Germany entered into a treaty with Austria-Hungary, and the exchange of ratifications took place in Berlin in May, 1901. Now, there- fore, domestic and international copyright legisla- tion in the empire of Germany is as widely ex- tended as in any other country. Before we consider the German law at present in force, it will be interesting to look into the philosophical and ethical view adopted by the Teuton mind. The German philosopher has turned on the moral rights of authors as he has on many other different subjects, his inquisitorial methods. It is true that the first copyright legislation in England was brought about by the publishers with a view to protecting the economic use of their property; in taking this action they recognised that it was the awthor’s property in the first instance ; but this point of view did not hold in Germany, or rather in the German States. The legislature in Prussia did not deem that there was any property in the author, merely because he had been the originator and evolver of the book, but there was property in the economic use ot what the author had originated and evolved, and, in consequence, a resultant monopoly for the author. Therefore, in the first instance the law aimed  40. THE AUTHOR. only at the protection of the economic use of intel- lectual activity, but when the rights of the author became more fully recognised and established in other countries, Germany and her philosophers had to shift their position somewhat in order to come into line, though even at this day two laws have been passed, one dealing with authors’ rights (copyright as understood in other countries) and one with publishers’ contracts (the original basis of copyright property as understood by the German philosopher). : Tt is understood now that an author’s copyright embraces considerably more than the mere right of reproduction of copies. Though this is the definition of copyright given under the English Statute of 1842, yet case law shows the ethical and moral right of an author embraces much more. It embraces the personal interest. The author may desire to keep his mental work from becoming public. He has, therefore, beyond the exclusive right of publishing, the right of withholding from publication or the right of publication to a limited number of individuals or for a limited number of years, or in a fixed form ; but according to the German philosopher this right of withholding from publication is not a proprietary right. The proprietary right is the right of obtaining money out of the reproduction of copies. But although this was the original view of copy- right the present legislature looks at the matter from a different standpoint, for either the concep- tion of proprietary rights has been extended in order to comprise within it author’s rights, or personal rights have been recognised together with proprietary rights as being contained within the author’s rights, or, finally, both have been placed on an entirely new basis, that of moral personal rights. When this important point had been decided, there arose the question of the rights after the death of the author. Authors’ rights, so far as they were personal rights, were considered to perish with the death of the author, and to be inheritable only on account of their proprietary nature, as they always con- tained within them the germ of their economic use. This deduction followed that the exclusive right to make alterations in the work belonged to the heirs as formerly to the author, and that the author’s rights in unpublished works could not become the object of compulsory execution without the consent of the heirs. In order to explain the limitation of the copy- right, Z.e., the lapsing of the proprietary rights after a certain time, the old argument of the claims of the public was brought forward—that an intellectual work may be the possession of the nation—indeed, of the whole world. ‘The most probable argument, however, for the limitation of copyright—which limi- tationis gradually lessening under recent legislation, __ig that in olden times, when the economic value of the production of a man’s brains for many reasons, but chiefly for the reason that printing had not been?invented, was unremunerative, the public deemed it had secured a right which perhaps might be comparable to a right of way. When the economic value suddenly became of importance, the public tried to argue that this right of way in reality existed, and so strong was this inherited feeling that it was many years before authors could obtain any recognition of their property. This, however, they finalty secured for a limited period. In most countries this period grew with the development of the economic value. So much for the German view of the author’s rights—that is the moral rights inherent in the author as against the proprietary rights resulting from the economic use of his property. But as from the German stand- point the two rights have always been separated, so they are still separated, and two laws have been passed, the one dealing with the Copyright Law, the other with the Law of Publishers’ Contracts. Law oF CopyRicHT. The Law of Copyright was passed in June, 1901, and came into force in January, 1902. It is divided into five parts :—1. Those who obtain protection. 2. The limitations of the privileges secured by those who obtain protection. 3. The time limitation of those privileges. 4. How and to what extent those privileges can be infringed. 5. Final decrees : points not included in the other divisions. Those who obtain protection include the authors of writings, lectures, speeches, musical works, and the whole list of producers and their assigns ex- haustively defined. In the second division follow the definitions of the author’s privileges—that is, the rights an author has with regard to his own property, such as translation rights, dramatic rights, musical rights, &e. ; and in the same divi- sion is set forth those classes of property which, generally included in this law, are for special reasons of public policy not subject to protection, for instance, the reprinting of laws, &e., &e. OF these exceptions there appears to be a long list. ‘hen follows, in the third division, the duration of the protection accorded, practically the life of the author and thirty years. clauses under this heading which deal with joint works, works published after death, and other matters connected with the duration of the term. The fourth division deals with the infringement of the rights, which have already been fully defined under the second division; the methods of the There are various.  THE AUTHOR. 4} proceedings to be taken by those mentioned ‘in the first division whose rights are infringed in order to protect their property ; and what actions amount to infringement, together with the penal- ties accruing. All these matters are dealt with in considerable detail, in fact the law seems to be crowded up with detail, and somewhat diificult of interpretation in consequence. The final division deals with registration and other matters connected with the property not included under any of the previous headings. Law RESPECTING PUBLISHERS’ CONTRACTS. Finally comes the law that deals with publishers’ rights, or, as we term them in England, rights existing under a licence to publish. This law is a most curious example of meticulous legislation. It deals with the form of contract between author and publisher, a matter generally left to be settled by the parties themselves; it may be a careful exposition of the case law embodied in_ the form of a statute. It is most interesting reading, as it practically sets out in detail what, in the absence of special arrangement, the German legis- . lature would consider a reasonable contract, and unfortunately, as so often happens, the party with the money has obtained the advantage over the party with the intellect. This was likely to be the case in a country where the publishing and bookselling combination has been so strong as almost to strangle the free development of literary talent. It is impossible to go through the Act section by section, though in some subsequent issue it may be published in full. It will suffice at the present to deal generally with the tendency of the law, and in particular with individual sections. It would appear (section 1) that where an author transfers his rights, without limitation, to the pub- lisher, publication is an inherent part of the con- tract. This point is settled by law. In England there has been no statutory enactment or case law on the subject. It would be interesting to see what line would be taken if the English Courts were asked to decide the question where the pub- lisker who had purchased the copyright refused to produce. Owing to the unreasonable delay of one or two publishers the Society has on occasions threatened to take action, but has never been actually forced into doing so owing, under pressure, to she final production of the books. The author (section 2) is forbidden during the continuation of the contract to reproduce in Germany, but still holds a great many of his original rights, such as translation, dramatic rights, elaboration of musical work, and, curiously enough, to reproduce in a collective edition if twenty years have elapsed since the first year in which the work was pub- lished. The publisher (section 5) is restrained in his right of publication of the work in various editions during the term of copyright, and is only entitled to produce one edition of one thousand copies. If, however, he has the right of producing other editions, then they are supposed to be pro- duced under the same agreement that holds good for the first edition. Section 10 is an example of the minute legislation dealing with the subject, as the author is bound to deliver the copy fit for publication. He is bound (section 11), if the work is not already written, to write it within a certain time ; he is allowed (section 12) to make ordinary corrections, but if his corrections exceed the ordi- nary usage he is bound to defray the expense. The publisher is bound to publish as soon as possible ‘(section 18) after he has received the completed work, and is bound to produce the number of copies that he is entitled to. The publisher (sec- tion 20) is bound to provide proofs tor correction. (Section 21.) He is allowed to fix the price of the work, and may lower the price as long as the just interests of the author are not injured. If there is no arrangement as to terms (section 22) it is tacitly implied that the publisher pays a fair remuneration. (Section 23.) The remuneration must be made on the delivery of the work. When it depends upon the sale (section 24) the publisher must render annual accounts, and his books are to be open to investigation if necessary. (Section 27.) The publisher is bound to restore the MS. to the author. Under section 28 the publisher’s rights are trans- ferable. This is contrary to the case law on the same subject in England. If the publisher's agreement (section 29) is confined to a definite number of editions or copies, the contract ceases when the edition or copies areexhausted. It iscurious that such a point as this should have demanded legislation. ‘The publisher may repudiate the con- tract (section 30) under certain conditions, owing to delay on the author’s part, and the same arrangement for the repudiation of a contract or for a claim for damages is applicable in favour of the author. Then follows (sections 36, 37, 38) reference to the bankruptcy of publishers and the rights of the author, and the right of cancellation under certain circumstances, Section 45 gives the author a right, if his work has not been published within a year from the delivery to the Editor, to cancel the contract, but his right to remuneration remains intact. This is a most useful regulation, as the delay of editors of some English reviews has become proverbial. The law is complete in 50 sections, and as already stated is a most entertaining example of minute legis!ation on points most of which could easily, and without difficulty, be settled by private  42, contract, and the rest by judicial interpretation of doubtful contracts. Most of the sections are com- mon-sense interpretations of possible contracting difficulties ; some are more in favour of the publisher than the author, but on the whole the author has not much to grumble at, and is always able to contract out, should he so desire, It remains to be seen whether this attention to minutiz in the law may not render disputes more difficult of settlement. It will be interesting to follow its working during the years which will elapse before another statute on the same subject is passed. Whether the two laws are all that could be desired is doubtful; the Germans, however, must be congratulated on taking the subject of copy- right in hand and dealing with it exhaustively, The authors of Great Britain have not been so fortunate in the matter of legislation. GH, 1. —————_+— A PUBLISHER’S PRACTICE. ——— STATEMENT. TATEMENT of a publisher’s practice in making up accounts to authors for works of which the profits are divided between author and publisher. A. The publisher bears the entire cost and risk of printing and publication. Except only in the event of the cost of correc- tions in proofs exceeding 25 per cent. of the cost of composition, when such excess is borne by the author. The entire proceeds of sales are in the first instance devoted to the repayment of the cost of production ; if after meeting this liability they yield a surplus, all such surplus is treated as profit and is divided between author and publisher in the proportion agreed upon. In cases where the cost is never covered by the yield, the publisher bears the loss. B. The cost is reckoned at the invoiced cost— which is almost invariably 5 per cent. more than net cost. It includes only direct expenditure—no charge is made for office expenses, rent, bad debts, insurance, travellers’ expenses, or for the work of any employé of the publisher. C. The proceeds of sales are accounted for as nearly as possible at the actual sums received by the publisher from the bookseller, after making all trade discounts and allowances—this is to say copies are reckoned at two thirds of the published price (thirteen copies as twelve if the published price be 10s. 6d. or less, or twenty-five as twenty- four if more than 10s. 62.) less 10 per cent. THE AUTHOR. The yield from books published at a net price is reckoned in the same way as the above, except that instead of two-thirds of the published price, five-sixths is reckoned. The yield for educational books proper is also reckoned in the same way (on the net or non-net basis respectively, as may be the case), except that only 74 per cent. is deducted instead of 10 per cent. The above terms do not apply to special sales (ie. special quotations made for large numbers in special cases), or to ‘remainder,’ Colonial or American sales, or to sales of plates or rights, These are not averaged, but are all made a particular note of and accounted for at exactly what each yields, D. Twelve free copies are presented to the author, and he may purchase further copies at two-thirds of the published price, or five-sixths in the case of net books. BE. Accounts are made up to Midsummer, and vouchers for all payments and receipts can be seen on request. F. The copyright of the work remains the - property of the author, but the rights of publica- tion are vested in the publisher so long as he faithfully acts up to this understanding. CoMMENT. The agreement or method of making up accounts that we have printed was submitted by one of the London publishing houses to an author, and puts forward proposals for publishing on the basis of profit-sharing. The agreement, as is usual, deals with the subject from the publisher’s view. This article will put forward the author’s standpoint. In clause A., it will be noted that the publisher bears the entire cost of printing and publication, and the entire proceeds of the sales are in the first instance devoted to the repayment of the cost of production. To the uninitiated, the word “entire” would lead one to suppose that the exact price of printing and publication was charged neither more nor less, and the exact proceeds of the sales credited neither more nor less. In clause B., however, it is shown that the “entire” cost does not agree with this definition, “the invoiced cost, which is almost invariably 5 per cent. more than the net cost,” is charged. This is certainly an open state- ment on the part of the publisher, but by no means, satisfactory. It is almost invariably—so the publisher states—5 per cent. more than the net cost, but there is nothing in this method of render- ing accounts to prevent it being 10 per cent. more than the net cost, or even a higher figure still. It is not for a moment hinted that such a charge would be made if the author was dealing with one of the first class publishing houses, but still it is necessary to draw the author's attention to a point  THE AUTHOR. which is indeterminate, and therefore faulty. If exactly 5 per cent. more is to be charged then this should be stated, but the figure should not be left indefinite. Finality is essential not only to enable the author to calculate his liabilities but in order that he should not subsequently have a cause for dissatis- faction, but whether the percentage is 74 5, or 3, it is certainly an advantage to have the plain state- ment that some percentage is taken. But is there any justice in making this charge ? Surely not. It is always as well that the exact cost of production should be settled before the agreement is entered into—that is, the exact price per sheet for composi- tion, print, and paper, and per 100 copies for binding. Then the author has definite figures and can reckon, if he has studied arithmetic at school, his probable return. The publisher must be con- gratulated on the fact that no charge is made for office expenses, etc. This is a great advance. Generally a fixed percentage on the cost of produc- tion is calculated, and so far only that it is fixed is satisfactory, but the real question is whether any charge at all should be made. This item is covered by the publisher’s share of the profit, other- wise the author ought to have a similar allowance. We next come to clause C. Here again it is evident that the word “entire” in clause A. will not bear the construction that it suggests, as the books are to be charged in the account at a certain fixed rate. Now all who know anything of the book trade know very well that there is no fixed trade price. Many books are sold at one figure, and many at another, and some across the pub- lisher’s counter at the full price. It is sometimes more convenient for both author and publisher to charge a fixed price, then the author should see that the price is a fair average and not the lowest price charged to the trade. It is unfair to take as the average the price after deducting “all trade discounts and allowances,” and the words “as nearly as possible at the actual sums received, etc.,” are misleading. But the end of the clause puts the matter in its proper light, and gives a definite though unsatisfactory state- ment as to the calculation that will appear in the accounts. The results of this calculation will be instructive to those who want to see their possible returns, and are as follows :— Price of Discount Book at 12s. 6d. 1. For a book costing more than 10s. 6d., and published subject to the usual discounts, author receives— oe 7? |. . : -3*%55~%19 7 i957 2'° of the published price. If the published price is 12s. 6d.=150d., ‘576 x 150=86'4. A little more than 7s. 24d. 43 Price of Discount Book at 6s. 2. For a book costing less than 10s. 6d., and published subject to the usual discounts, the author receives— = 2 ey of the published pri 3% 13% i065 published price. If the published price is 6s. =72d., ‘554 x 72=39°88. A little more than 8s. 33d. Price of Nett Book at 12s. 6d. 8. For the “nett” book costing more than 10s. 6d., author receives— 524, 9 18 6 20710 254 If the published price is 12s. 6d.=150d., ‘72 x 150 =108 = 9s. ‘72 of the published price. Price of Nett Book at 6s. 4, For the “nett” book costing less than 10s. 6d., author receives— oo ‘692 of the published price G18 10 ls S i If the published price is 6s.=72d., 692 x 72 =49°824. A little more than 4s. 12d. Price of Educational Books. The educational book may be “ non-nett” or “nett,” and cost either more or less than 10s. 6d. Four cases are consequently possible, in all of which 7°5 per cent. is deducted instead of 10 per cent. For the four cases the author receives the following proportions of the published price :— (a) “ Non-nett ” over 10s. 6d. : 2 24 92.5 3 * 25" 100 (0) “ Non-nett”’ under 10s. 6d. : 2 17 825 3 x 13 x = — ‘569, (c) “ Nett” over 10s. 6d. : 52h 92°5 6 25. 100. (d) “Nett” under 10s. 6d. : 5.12 9:25 a 19 100 aa 711, (a) If the price be 12s. 6d.= 150d., -592°x 150 =88'8. A little more than 7s. 43d. = 002; ‘74,  44 THE (b) If the price be 6s.= 72d., -569 x 72 =40°968. Very nearly 3s. 5d. (c) If the price be 12s. 6d. = 1504d., -74x150=111. Exactly 9s. 3d. (d) If the price be 6s.= 72d., ‘711 x72=51'192, A little more than 4s. 3d. It seems interesting to note how rapidly quantities are diminished when multiplied by fractions whose denominators but slightly exceed their numerators. Thus the thirteenth copy, which gives the author only twelve-thirteenths of his two-thirds, and the 10 per cent. discount, which gives him only nine- tenths of that, reduces his two-thirds to but little more than half. 2 260 , 36 : : 916 1.195 2” which author receives = :.= 3 390° 65 390. 2 390° That is to say, that against each £100, the author does not receive £61 13s. 4d., but £55 7s. 8d. With these figures before him the author can reckon out his gross takings on what he may think a fair sale. Clause D is the usual clause. need be raised. Annual accounts (clause E) are not satisfactory. It is always better to have semi-annual accounts, and the amount due on the accounts should be paid within a month of their rendering ; but the readiness of the Publisher to produce vouchers is to be highly commended. Clause F, again, is much too indefinite. If the rights of publi- cation are to be vested in the publisher, they should be limited to a certain form and a certain price. As the agreement is at present worded the publisher would have serial rights as well as book rights, and might produce in any form and in any country he thought fit. There should be an arrange- ment by which, when the sale of the book has ended, the agreement should be cancelled and the right of republication should revert to the author. We do not desire to draw attention to the other omissions, which are many, as the document does not purport to’ be a formal agreement, although there is no doubt that the acceptance by an author of this form would constitute a legal and binding contract. As it is printed it is not sufficiently definite and therefore unsatisfactory. If it is To it no objection meant to be a definite agreement then it is bad in substance, on account of the errors of com- mission explained and the errors of ommission left unexplained. If it is not meant to be a definite agreement then the publisher should state that a proper contract would be submitted. G. H. T. AUTHOR. MAGAZINE CONTENTS. oe (LireraRy, DRAMATIC, AND MUSICAL.) OCTOBER, 1904. BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE, An Ambassador of the Republic of Letters. Gregory Smith. Crities and Criticism. THE BOOKMAN. The Bronté Fascination. By Angus M. Mackay. THE CONTEMPORARY REVIEW. By E. Wake Cook, By W. E. Keeton. THE CORNHILL MAGAZINE. Historical Mysteries :—The Case of Captain Green. By Andrew Lang. THe EDINBURGH REVIEW. Some Recent French and English Plays. The Intellectual Condition of Roman Catholics in Germany. Prosper Merimee. By 8. Progress or Decadence in Art. Tshaikovski as a Ballet Composer. THE FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW. Three Sketches by Stijn Streuvels, By Alexander de Teixeira Mattos. The Origins of the Alphabet. French Life and The French Stage. donald. Graszia Deledda and ‘‘ Cenere.” By Andrew Lang. By John F. Mae- By May Bateman. Tar INDEPENDENT REVIEW. First Aid to the Critic. By C. F. Keary. Modern Languages in Public Schools. By G. Winthorp Young. “ The Dynasts.”’ By John Pollock. LoNGMAN’S MAGAZINE. The Wren-Bush. By Maud EK. Sargent. MACMILLAN’S MAGAZINE. By W. Beach Thomas, THE MONTH, The Oldest Life of St. Gregory. Thurston. Subjective Idealism. By the Rev. Thomas Rigby. The Song of Birds. By the Rev. Herbert THE NATIONAL REVIEW. Scottish Letters. By ‘‘ Glasgow.”' An Old Almanac. By the Hon. Maud Lyttleton. THE PALL MALL MAGAZINE. A Royal Painter and His Friends. By Georg Brochner. About Our Fiction. John Oliver Hobbes, H. G. Wells, Andrew Lang, Edmund Gosse,W. L. Courtney, and Walter Frewen Lord. THE QUARTERLY REVIEW. The “ Advocatus Diaboli’’ on the Divina Commedia. The Influence of Cant on Modern Thought. By the Master of Baliol. Thomas Treherne and the Religious Poets of the 17th Century. By Professor W. Lewis Jones. TEMPLE BAR. The Progress of English Criticism. By Walter Lewin. There are no articles dealing with Literary, Dramatic, or a subjects in Chambers’s Journal or the World's Tork, THE AUTHOR. 45 WARNINGS TO THE PRODUCERS OF BOOKS. ee 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 sometimes 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. II. 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 ! IlI. The Royalty System. This is perhaps, with certain limitations, the best form of agreement. 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 the truth. From time to time very important figures connected with royalties are published in Zhe Author. IY. 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 :— (1.) That both sides shall know what an agreement means. (2.) The inspection of those account books which belong to the author. We are advised that this is a right, in the nature of a common law right, which cannot be denied or withheld. (3.) Always avoid a transfer of copyright. ee WARNINGS TO DRAMATIC AUTHORS. — 9 — 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, 3. There are three forms of dramatic contract for plays in three or more acts :— (a.) Sale outright of the performing right. This 1s unsatisfactory. An author who enters into such a contract should stipulate in the contract for production of the piece by a certain date and for proper publication of his name on the play-bills, (b.) 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 inadvance of percentages. A fixed date on or before which the play should be performed. (¢e.) Sale of performing right or of a licence to perform on the basis of royalties (i.c., 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 (3.) 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 United States 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 information are referred to the Secretary of the Society. —____—_—_-—<>—_o___<_ WARNINGS TO MUSICAL COMPOSERS. 1 ITTLE can be added to the warnings given for the assistance of producers of books and dramatic authors. It must, however, be pointed out that, as a rule, the musical publisher demands from the musical composer a transfer of fuller rights and less liberal finan- cial terms than those obtained for literary and dramatic property. ‘The musical composer has very often the two rights to deal, with—performing right and copyright. He  46 should be especially careful therefore when entering into an agreement, and should take into part.cular consideration the warnings stated above. eo = HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY. SO 1 VERY member has a right to ask for and to receive 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. | The Secretary of the Society is a solicitor, put if there is any special reason the Secretary will refer the case to the Solicitors of the Society. Further, the Committee, if they deem it desirable, will obtain counsel’s opinion. All this without any cost to the member. 2. Remember that questions connected with copyright and publishers’ agreements do not fall within the experi- ence 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 your calling in promoting the independence of the writer, the dramatist, the composer. 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) To enforce payments due according to agreements. Fuller particulars of the Society’s work can be obtained in the Prospectus. 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 with publishers submitted to them by literary agents, and are recommended to submit them for interpretation 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 endeayour 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. 10. The subscription to the Society is £1 1s. pe annum, or £10 10s for life membership. : THE AUTHOR. TO MUSICAL COMPOSERS. 1 HE Society undertakes to stamp copies of music on behalf of its members for the fee of 6d. per 100 or part of 100. The members’ stamps are kept in the Society’s safe. The musical publishers communicate direct with the Secretary, and the voucher is then forwarded to the members, who are thus saved much unnecessary trouble. ——_———_1 > +>—__—_ THE READING BRANCH. - EMBERS will greatly assist the Society in this branch of its work by informing young writers of its existence. Their 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 scientific works. The Readers are writers of competence and experience. The fee is one guinea. —_____+ >_> NOTICES. So HE Editor of Zhe 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. Communications for “The Author” should be addressed to the Offices of the Society, 39, Old Queen Street, Storey’s Gate, 8.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. Communications and letters are invited by the Editor on all subjects connected with literature, but on no other subjects whatever. Every 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 Bank of London, Chancery Lane, or be sent by registered letter only. —_—_—_—___o << o_____ LEGAL AND GENERAL LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY. ———— ENSIONS to commence at any selected age, either with or without Life Assurance, can be obtained from this society. a Full particulars can be obtained from the City Branch Manager, Legal and General Life Assurance Society, 158, Leadenhall Street, London, H.C.  THE AUTHOR. 47 AUTHORITIES. —-—— + E should like once again to call the atten- tion of musical composers and song writers to the fact that the Society undertakes to stamp, in accordance with the custom in the music trade, the copies of the works of its members. For this the Society charges the ordinary fee of sixpence per one hundred or part of one hundred. Every member for whom the Society undertakes this duty is thus saved a great deal of trouble and worry, He sends a notice to the publisher, who, when there is any music to be stamped, notifies the secretary direct. On receipt of the notice the music is stamped at once and the voucher forwarded. Members’ stamps are kept in the safe, and cannot be handled by anyone except the secretary or his duly appointed agent. At the end of each half year an account giving full details of the amount due is forwarded to the member, which is easily checked from the vouchers he has received, As this work is undertaken for the benefit of members and without any profit to the Society, it is hoped that it will be patronised by all those connected with the musical profession. Members of the Society will callto mind certain articles printed in 7’he Author dealing with the question of the sale of American magazines and newspapers in Canada, and the amount of postage charged by the authorities. These articles appear to have been widely read, and gave rise to certain questions in the House of Commons. There was a note on the subject in the October number. The answers to the questions put in the House of Commons were, unfortunately, unsatisfactory, but the committee endeavoured to pursue the matter further, and instructed the Secretary to write to the Postmaster-General, in the hope that it would be possible to raise the question at the next meeting of the Postal Union, and to the Canadian Authors’ Society, with a view to obtaining their support. The reply of the Postmaster-General is printed below. The Secretary of the Society has not as yet heard from the Canadian Society of Authors, GENERAL Post OFFICE, LONDON. Srz,—In reply to your letter of the 12th instant, Iam directed by the Postmaster-General to inform you that the next Postal Union Congress is to be held at Rome in April, 1905, With regard to your inquiry whether it would be possible to consider at that congress the question of the postage charged on printed matter sent from the United Kingdom to Canada, I am to observe that it is already open to the Postmaster-General to arrange special terms with the Canadian Post Office should he desire to do so, But, as stated in the House of Commons in reply toa question put a short time ago, a reduction of the present rate would necessarily have to be of a general character, and the Postmaster-General, in view of the serious loss of revenue which would be involved, is not prepared to recommend it, I an, Sir, Your obedient servant, (Signed) E. Crass, For the Secretary. G, HERBERT THRING, Esq. WE see from the United States Publishers’ Weekly that at the annual meeting of the German Publishers’ Association at Leipzig a very strong group of delegates was in favour of renewing the memorial previously presented to the Reichstag for the repeal of the present Copyright Convention with the United States, and that the Authors’ Association of Germany was quoted as being also in favour of renewing this application. The Publishers’ Weekly proceeds to state: “ It need hardly be pointed out that such a step on the part of Germany would not only constitute a decided misfortune to the cause of copyright throughout the world, but would also constitute a very serious additional difficulty in the way of securing favourable attention from Congress in the fall for the pending amendment.” It is the old story that it is easy to point to “the mote ” in your brother’s eye, but it is difficult to realise “the beam” that is in your own eye. No doubt such a step on the part of the Fatherland would be retrogression so far as International Copyright is concerned. Do the authorities in the United States, however, fully realise the fact that if Germany did withdraw from the Treaty they would still be far ahead of the United States in their position with regard to the ideal International Copyright, and that the sooner the United States grasp the fact the better will it be for the fulfilment of that ideal ? Much better than lament overa possible German retrogression, let the United States of America show some signs of progression. In the April number of 7'he Author the subject of agents was dealt with at some length, and the difficulties that might arise between author and agent were fully set forth. It is necessary from time to time to write articles dealing with points of vital interest to members, in order that they should be fully cognisant of the dangers which they may encounter. : Although there is no need within so short a time to repeat the full tale of difficulties, yet owing to the fact that the notice of the Society has been called again to one or two cases where agents have acted outside their legitimate agency work, it is  48 essential once more for the protection of members to place before them the following points :— First, the case of those authors who have proposals submitted to them from publishers or editors, through agents. Here it often happens that the agents are really acting for the publishers or the editors rather than for the author. If the editor or the publisher is anxious > obtain the author he should pay the agent for the work done, and it should be fully understood that the agent is acting for the publisher. The line of demarca- tion, however, may be difficult to ascertain when an offer is submitted to an author who is already on the agent’s books. In the case of those authors who are not on the agent’s books the matter seems to be quite clear. ‘As a matter of fact some agents rint on their paper the names of magazines and ublishers with whom they are in connection, thus openly proclaiming themselves not to be the agents of the author. The author should then approach with diffidence, and not blindly give that confidence which ought to exist between the author and his agent. The second point is the danger of dealing -with those agents who sometimes act as principals. This is no uncommon danger, and not infrequently arises from the importunity of the author who is desirous of obtaining the wherewithal to buy his daily bread. For this, he has no hesitation in selling his birth- right—or his copyright. If the act is done openly very little can be said except to advise the author that such a transaction must necessarily be unsatis- factory. The sale itself may be bond fide from the agent’s point of view, yet, as has been frequently pointed out in Zhe Author, is dangerous in the extreme. The same transaction, however, is tinged with fraud when the agent acts as principal without disclosing the fact. When such a case is discovered it should be ruthlessly exposed. Tur following cutting from the Daily Chronicle will, no doubt, prove interesting to many of the readers of The Author now that the address of the ao offices lies within the precincts of Storey’s ate :— « The announcement of the closing for repairs of the road- way by Storey’s Gate must have set a few people wondering who Storey was that a gate should be named after him. Edward Storey was employed by Charles II. to carry out those improvements in St, James's Park which converted the neglected pleasaunce of Tudor times into something like the park as we know it. It was owing to his having a house on this site that the name arose. In the Daily Courant of September 5th, 1705, is the following advertise- ment :—‘ Dropt in St. James’s Park, September the 3rd, 1705, betwixt Mr. Story’s and the Duke of Buckingham’s House, a Gold Minuit Pendulum Watch, &c. ; if offered to be Sold or pawn’d, you are desired to stop the same and: THE AUTHOR. give notice to Mr. Padington at his house in Princes Court near Mr. Story’s.? From that we may see how ‘ Mr. Story’s’ nad become, as it were, a postal address ; and so: it came to pass that a mere contractor shared the eponymous honour given to an Emperor, a Prince, or a Queen.” Ir is with much regret that we lave to chronicle: the death of Lady Besant, which occurred in Devonshire on Friday, October 7th. Lady Besant had been a member of the Society since its foundation, and was always in warm sym- athy with her husband’s work. It is the irony of fate that she did not live to see the permanent memorial to her husband, which the County Council have consented to set up on the Embank- ment, as a gift from members of the Society and others. 0 HINTS ON DIALOGUE. ——_-——+—_ HESE hints are intended solely for beginners, and can only bore or madden the practised writer. I hope he will accept this warning. Many beginners say to me, “ I cannot find a good plot.” They never say, “ I cannot write good dialogue.” Yet sometimes they cannot write good dialogue. Of the two dialogue is the more important. You must first of all get a person, before you tell us what he does. If you cannot make him seem to be a real person, it will not matter in the least what he does. If he is absolutely unreal, it will not matter though he hypnotises a dead ostrich in a cavern full of hidden treasure thousands of feet beneath the bed of the Atlantic. That is to say, it will not matter except to the uneducated novelette people whom you should not wish to attract. From the point of view of the story writer words speak louder than deeds. If every word that your invented person speaks is convincing evidence that he is real and living, he may do almost anything. The reader may find his action incomprehensible, and yet be convinced. In real life a man’s actions are often incomprehensible. The indirect method is always better than the direct method in story telling. If you wish your reader to gather a certain fact which we will call “ B,” it is better to tell him another fact which we will call “A,” and let him deduce “‘B” from it. Tf, for instance, you wish to describe a perfectly charming woman, you may describe the general adoration which she receives rather than analyse. in what her charm consists. So, too, it is better that your reader shall deduce the exact kind of person you have invented from what he says than  THE AUTHOR. that yon should give a long and cumbrous descrip- tion of him. It is apt to make very tiresome reading, and in any case carries less conviction with it. Let me suppose, for instance, that I wrote as follows : ‘‘ He was weak rather than bad-natured. He tried to cover an inextinguishable brag with slabs of humility. He was without tact or taste, and had the kind of mind that remembers and enjoys out of date phrases. He had no sense of humour.” That may possibly give you some idea of the man; but now turn to “ Sandra. Belloni,” and read these words which Mr. Meredith puts into the mouth of Mr. Pole, addressing a “ courtly poor man” :— “ Giving a semi-circular sweep of his arm : ‘ Here you see my little estate, sir,’ he said. ‘ You’ve seen plenty bigger in Germany, and England too. We can’t get more than this handful in our tight little island. Unless born to it, of course. Well! We must be grateful that all our nobility don’t go to the dogs. We must preserve our great names. I speak against my own interest.’ ” All that I have said in my flat description can be gathered from that piece of dialogue, and it can be gathered in a much more interesting and much more convincing manner. Your aim is to make your reader know things, but not to let him know how he knowsthem. You can do this with dialogue. Granted, therefore, that in the making of real persons the words that you give them to speak are of the first importance, we now come to the difficulty of getting these words right. Real life must be studied exactly : it must not be copied exactly. You must transmute : you must not report. Your aim is not to put down real life on paper : your aim is to produce the effect of real life by what you put down on paper. And it is exactly in its relation to real life that dialogue becomes so difficult./Spoken dialogue and written dialogue are judged quite differently. Spoken conversations are judged rapidly through the ear alone, with the critical faculty more or less in abeyance, without the inclination or, as a rule, the opportunity for further examination. Written conversations are judged through the eye that may dwell, if it will, on the written words, with the critical faculty wide awake, and with every oppor- tunity of exercising it. If you read a good play, where the dialogue is made to be spoken, you will find it very different from the kind of dialogue you get in a good novel where it is made to be read. Take, for instance, the following passage from the second Act of ‘‘ The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith ” :— “ Lucas: Why, what has brought about this change in you? “ Agnes: What ? 49 * Lucas : What ? “ Agnes: I know. Lucas: You know ? : pie 2 Exactly how you regard me. Lucas: I don’t understand you.” _And probably the reader does not understand either, but Mr. Pinero has made no mistake. He was writing words that were to be spoken, and it was all perfectly intelligible and seemed even inevitable when spoken by Mr. Robertson and Mrs. Campbell at the Garrick Theatre. oe The writer of stories must, therefore, allow for the difference in the conditions. Here are a few instances of allowances that must be made : (1) Cold print has more strength than the spoken word. What seems merely flippant or a little slangy when one hears it spoken, will seem posi- tively vulgar when it is read in print. If an exact shorthand report of all that he had said during the day could be given to a man of average refinement and sensibility, he would go away and commit suicide. The exaggerations that we all commonly use with no idea that they are exaggerations stand up and shout their futility when they are written. (2) The wit and humour of real life are generally wretched, and are welcomed or forgiven because they have no pretensions. Print has an ineradic- able pretension, and the kind of dialogue which seems amusing enough in real life must be made more amusing before it will produce the same effect upon a printed page. But this improvement must not be overdone, as it frequently has been even by capable writers. At the twentieth successive. epigram your reader will be extremely likely to pull up and say to himself: “This is all very funny, but nobody ever did or could talk like this.” And the moment a reader says that about your story, your story is lost. (3) Spoken conversation generally contains many unfinished and broken sentences. In print these must be far fewer, or an unpleasant jerky effect will be produced which would have been absent from the conversation if spoken. (4) In spoken conversation there is much more than the mere words. ‘There are expression of face, tone of voice, and sometimes gesture, all of which have a modifying effect on those words. You must allow for this in one way or another ; you can record the expression, tone, or gesture (this becomes tiresome if it is done too frequently), or you can alter the words to the effect. But as a rule the beginner is not likely to copy real life too exactly. He is more likely to get too far away from it and to copy what he has seen in books. Originality is very much a matter of practice, and at first the young writer tends to use the observation of others rather than his own. If he has been influenced by the old-fashioned  50 ‘storical fiction, he will be likely to. make his fats talk “essays. His -hero will express noble and generous sentiments for two pages and a half without a break, and yet be permitted to survive by his audience. ‘These things are too improbable. Or the author may make characters his own mouthpiece ; that is to say, he may make them speak to propagate his own opinions. This is all wrong, and is particularly common In the novel with a purpose. ‘he words that your characters speak must primarily illuminate these characters to make it clearer to the reader exactly what kind of people they are. But there may be another purpose as well. It may be necessary for a character to tell a story and give the reader information. In this case there must be a double melody. He may tell the story, but he must tell it in character, and he must be showing what he himself is throughout and concurrently. This point is very often missed, and the narration is given in terms which the narrator would not have used, It is worth while to turn back to “ Sandra Belloni,” to the sixth chapter, where Emilia recounts her history. That is perfect ; there is at no point any possibility of forgetting that it is Emilia speaking. She happens to be telling her own story, but it is perhaps her manner of telling it which throws most light upon her. Look, too, at Laura Tinsley’s description of the Brookfield tragedy, towards the end of the book. She is speaking of others, but she is also illuminating Laura Tinsley for the reader. Speak your dialogue aloud as you write it. You will find that a fair, rough test, whether you are slipping out of the conversational into the literary style, and whether the words are in keeping with the character who speaks them. Also it will often suggest what alteration, if any, you must make in transferring the words from speech into writing. Very frequently, of course, no alteration is required. Never attempt to remember all these hints while you are writing your dialogue, There must _be absolute concentration for the creative effort. Use them afterwards, when you are correcting and improving what you have written, and never correct until twenty-four hours after writing. After that interval it will be easier to place yourself in the position of your reader. Naturally, as time goes on, you may employ these hints at the time of writing, but you will employ them unconsciously. For instance, you will not con- sciously remember that it is a good test to speak your dialogue aloud as you write it, but you will find yourself speaking it. BaRry PAIN, ———_+ THE AUTHOR. “THE EDITOR REGRETS——” se T’ isn’t a mere euphemism, either. He really I does regret—though the literary aspirant, murmuring bitterly over his cherished and rejected article, “I don’t believe he ever looked at: it,” will not readily credit such an assertion. He thinks, poor author, being for the moment a pessimist of the deepest dye, that the editor has forgotten his own apprenticeship and has grown hard and unsympathetic in his prosperity. Nota bit of it. On the contrary, he often wonders, as curly sheets of paper twine themselves round his fingers and absolutely refuse to be coaxed into flatness, how he, who had a weakness for rolling his manuscripts, ever came to the front at all. He would dearly like to give the unconscious offender a hint, but Well, the fact is, he did do it once, in the early and enthusiastic days of his first editorial work, and the avalanche of corres- pondence that, as a result, he brought down on his devoted head, cured him altogether of the desire to make excursions outside his own domain. It hasn’t the ghost of a chance—that frivolously curly creation—for when its first page is released all the others rush in over the distracted reader like breakers on the seashore, and a great deal of work having to be compressed into a very short space of time, he puts it back carefully into its neat little cardboard mausoleum, and “regrets ””— its demise. The soiled manuscript, too, thumbed, marked, dog’s-eared, bearing obvious signs of having passed through many hands—all, presumably, unapprecia- tive—may just as well stay at home. The editor is human, and doesn’t want the leavings of his confréres, and so, if the writer is convinced—and he usually is—that by withholding his contribution he would be depriving the said editor of the chance of a lifetime let him, at least, revise and re-write it. It will seldom lose anything by the process. It should be superfluous—but, unfortunately, is not—to say that every MS., every time it is returned, should be re-examined before being sent out again, clean and smart, on its new venture. The pages should be numbered and have the title on each of them, and the wrapper, stamped and addressed, should be large enough to contain the packet without making fresh folds in the latter, and sufficiently strong for the contents. It is labour in vain to inflict a long letter on the editor, but a slip stating the title and number of words is distinctly useful to a busy man or woman. A brief—it must be very brief—resumé of the subject-matter is also, in the case of lengthy MSS., advisable, Granted, then, that the “copy,” properly  THE AUTHOR. equipped, lies ready for despatch, the next question that arises is, “ Where is it likely to meet with acceptance ?” It is simply inviting disaster to post it off, hap- hazard, to the first magazine or newspaper that suggests itself. Politics and religion play a lerge part in the Press—even in that portion of it devoted to fiction—and the length of an article is a powerful factor in its fate. A great deal of information, supplied by editors themselves, is con- tained in the “ Literary Year-book”’; and the Press Directories, to be seen at any public library, supple- ment it most usefully by classifying the whole output of the Press as “fiction,” ‘* science,” “humorous,” and the like, and it is therefore significant of a very careless writer to forward his efforts to manifestly unsuitable journals. Literary persons not infrequently deserve their unenviable reputation for lack of method, but I once saw an extremely workmanlike register kept by an author. A large book of the exercise type was ruled off into spaces, headed respectively, “Date despatched and postage required. Title of MS. and number of words. Offices where sent. Accepted. Declined. Remarks.” The remarks— the others speak for themselves—contained such memoranda as the following :— “Exceptionally courteous refusal —written. (The Treasury, The Gentleman’s Magazine, The Girls Realm.)” “ Offices of the magazine changed.” “Printed form of refusal—unsigned and un- dated. (Very usual.)” “Very prompt in reading all contributions. (Quiver, Pearson’s, Sketch, and most of the weekly illustrateds.)” “¢ Commended—too long—invited to send some- thing shorter.” “Has two forms of refusal—one of which intimates that the editor would like to see more of the author’s work. (Windsor.)” “Encloses a form of subscription, with the statement, ‘Articles, short stories, and sketches can only be accepted from subscribers.’ (Judy.)” “Various reasons for refusal tabulated with much elaboration, and the specific one, or ones, indicated by a cross. (Pearson’s.)” “Cheque on acceptance. (Most of the weeklies.)” “Payment after publication. (Many of the monthlies.)”’ “Retains manuscripts from a week to ten days. (Quiver, Idler, Treasury, Longman’s, Windsor.)” “Specially encouraging to new writers. (All Messrs. Harmsworth’s publications.)” The value of such a record is evident, and shows, at least, a desire to neglect no trifle that may con- tribute to success—a desire most editors are quick to recognise and appreciate, It is seldom, indeed, 51 that a scrupulously clean manuscript is not returned 80, and if a faint odour of excellent tobacco some- times creeps out from its pages, it is, after all, pretty plain proof that the hard-hearted autocrat to whom it was consigned has—looked at it ! ‘All contributions must be in type-script,” is the legend appearing now-a-days in most editorial notices, but I feel sure some of those who issue it would infinitely rather consider neat handwriting than the work executed by illiterate clerks in cheap offices. I have seen such work—ill-spelt, uneven, a curiosity in punctuation—sent out without a qualm. Being “typed” it conforms with the regulations, but—is it very surprising ?—it invari- ably returns to its owner. Don’t, then, dear reader—if, in conclusion, I may strike a personal note—waste your own time and editors’ unless you can attend to these trifles. Don’t write to know whether the article has been received—it is like pulling up a plant to see whether it is growing. Do not, above all things, send your uninvited article to the editor’s private address—an Englishman’s house is his castle. Besides, if he can’t see it from your point of view when he has any number of worse ones around him, he certainly won’t when it invites comparison with the latest achievement of his favourite author,. between which and him it has presumed to thrust. itself, ANNIE Q. CARTER. ——o——__o-__—_ A LITERARY CRISIS. —_—+ N the career literary of novelists may some- times be observed a notable and regrettable feature—I do not presume to consider this in a spirit of cold criticism, but with that instinct of the physician which makes for a remedy. An author having written a number of books of gradually increasing merit (although perhaps of varying interest) produces one which is pre- eminently an advance upon all previous work, either in artistic excellence or in human interestp— it may be in both, The book is straightway a success. It is praised by the critics, it is praised and discussed by the reading public. New editions are called for. America reads it. The Colonies read it. Tauchnitz. seeks permission to include it in his list. It sells in numbers. ‘The writer awakes to find laurels on his pillow. Then comes the surprising sequel. The reading public and the critics have looked forward with keenness to the now noted writer’s next book. All the faults the reviewers had been able to find in  52 the last were mainly venial faults, faults which needed but for their correction that timely prick of criticism which the critics with their accustomed geniality had supplied. They saw no lack of promise. Their part being done, they prophesied great things of the writer. : What then is their astonishment and the dis- appointment of readers to find in their protege s succeeding book a distinct and undeniable falling off! The promise of its predecessor 1s stultified. The reviewer's prophecies have come to nought. Readers (and publishers) are disappointed. The book is, it may be, the poorest thing the author has produced. At all events it is markedly inferior to the book which brought him into notice. This thing has happened so frequently as almost to establish a rule. One may not cite names, of course, albeit a number, and these including some of our foremost writers, present themselves. The fact being indisputable, it is interesting and it may be helpful, to seek the reason. Is it due to exhaustion following upon supreme effort? Is it due to some noxious miasma exhaling in the tropic heats of success? Is it the pernicious influence of teas, of dinners and of other smiling functions whereto Mrs. Leo-Hunter bids the last-discovered Beast in order that he may roar for the eritertain- iment of her guests ? Or is it merely that Messrs. Mammon (the author’s publishers) having tasted the savour of successful editions, unduly spur him to repeat his efforts, and spoil his work by haste ? Personally, 1 doubt that the explanation lies in any of these factors. For the phenomenon is found in those who refuse to have their pace of produc- tion set by Messrs. Mammon, in those who are proof against social miasmata, in those who con- sign Mrs. Leo-Hunter actually to the fire-grate, or mentally (provided they are privileged by sex) to flames less temperate. I cannot help thinking that the explanation is more profound. I venture to offer the following suggestions toward it: That the productive methods of the novelist differ materially from those of any other form of brain work. While the historian, philosopher, or journalist evolves ideas, constructs theories, or narrates facts, the novelist creates persons, entities with individualities, wills, emo- tions, destinies, over which, when once created, he in many cases has little more control, perhaps even less, than a parent has over the development and destinies of his sons and daughters. That while the journalist, for example, remembers what he sees and describes it in language which presents it more or less clearly before his readers, the creative writer does not write from memory at all. His is the faculty to absorb and assimilate scenes and THE AUTHOR: circumstances and emotions and to compound them into a new substance, a substance which spon- taneously evolves itself into drama and story, as clouds may be seen to evolve themselves perpetually into new shape. That while the story itself is worked out by sub-conscious faculties of mind (the subliminal consciousness as it has been styled) the more purely intellectual faculties are employed mainly in re- cording these sub-conscious and spontaneous operations. The true creative power, the inspira- tion which gives life, lies in the sub-consciousness, and is only hampered and hindered when the active, intelligence interferes and attempts to control the persons and developments of the drama. If I may cite my own case (and doubtless the psychological processes of the humblest are some- what as those of the highest) I am able frequently to perceive this dual action of my brain, the more actively intellectual portion standing apart (like a spectator with a note-book) watching the spon- taneous developments of another portion and rapidly clothing these in language which my pen sets down. I am able even to see in this sub- conscious stratum of my brain tiny moving figures which seem intensely alive and seldom pause for word or action, but play out their play like actors who know their parts perfectly. When I take up my pen in the morning I experience the utmost interest to know what they are going todo. For if I know, it is because they have subtly informed me, not because I have consciously decided for them. When, from fatigue (from having roared the previous evening, it may be, for Mrs. Leo- Hunter) my actors on some mornings are inert, experience has taught me not to jerk them into action, or they will merely play their parts like puppets moved by wires. I wait till they begin to move again spontaneously. The methods of all writers are not of course similar. With some the persons and course of a story are consciously and carefully fabricated and elaborated by the active intellectual faculties, in order to illustrate some theory or problem or to adorn some ingenious plot. But in these cases, in order to vitalise such a plot and to give life and reality to the persons of the story, the writer must first cast his notions into his sub-consciousness, to be there clothed with flesh and made to live aud breathe. Otherwise they will be no more than automata, pegs whereon the plot or problem hangs. Now I venture to offer as an explanation of the oftentimes injurious influence of success the sug- gestion that the self-consciousness to which it may give rise, hampers the normal working methods. The author is over-anxious to be worthy of the praise accorded him, to surpass himself. His  THE AUTHOR. 53 natural methods of production are disturbed. The delicate balance between active consciousness and brooding consciousness (so to term it) is lost. In his striving to do well, he is afraid to trust enough to his less determined mental faculties. He plots and re-plots, constructs and re-constructs. Like a boy or a girl who has planted a seed in the ground, he interferes with its natural processes of erowth by perpetually examining and over-hauling it, in order to be sure that it is sprouting. The book is the child ef his intellect, instead of being the child of his nature. Everyone is disap- pointed. He himself, having devoted so many pains and so much attention to it, perhaps regards it as his best work. Those more qualified to judge find it artificial, unconvincing, full of notions it may be, and of “situations,” but lacking the life and health and harmonious perfection of a spontaneous natural growth. ARABELLA KENEALY. —_—__—_—_—_—_+—>__+____—_—_- LITERATURE AND LAW IN THE UNITED STATES. So [FIRST ARTICLE. | E, here in England, complain of our copy- right lav—and American authors complain of theirs ! Turn to the preface of any standard English work on copyright, and you will find the bitter complaint reiterated in every edition. Turn to the introduction of Mr. Arthur S. Hamlin’s admirable compilation of ‘‘ American Cases and Decisions ”’* (just published by Messrs. Putnam’s Sons), to read of— “| |. The unnecessary complexity of the provisions of the existing statute, the difficulty, and, in some cases, the impracticability, of fulfilling the obligations imposed by it.” It has quite a home-like familiar sound! It might have been written in England of English Copyright law. But the curious—shall I say, the amusing ?— part of Mr, Hamlin’s complaint is not here. We are all complaining animals. For us, the amusing part of Mr. Hamlin’s introduction will be his _* Copyright Cases: A Summary of Leading American Decisions on the Law of Copyright and on Literary Property, from 1891 to 1903; together with the Text of the United States Copyright Statute, and a Selection of Recent Copyright Decisions of the Courts of Great Britain and Canada, Compiled by Arthur S. Hamlin. Published for the American Publishers’ Copyright League by G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1904. $2. splendid eulogy of the copyright laws of other countries—in which he doubtless includes our own —and his finding in their perfeetions his strongest argument for damning the imperfections of his own. That is the unkindest cut of all! We break out periodically into ravines against our law. Listen to Mr. Hamlin on it :— “All the existing copyright statutes of the world, excepting that of the United States, have been the work of commissions of experts. The members of these com- missions have had authority to summon witnesses, and to take testimony, and, after having devoted sufticient time to. the mastery of the details of a subject which is of necessity complex, and which certainly calls for expert training, and for expert experience, they have presented their conclusions in the form of a report containing the specifications of the legislation recommended .. .. ” and so forth, Having read which, one turns in amazement to. the English law, involuntarily exclaiming: And tas is what we get! After all that noble work by those expert and experienced persons described by Mr. Hamlin—we take his account of it just as it stands—/his is the net result :— “ Numerous and ill-drafted Acts,” says Mr. Scrutton. ‘* Nothing has been done to ameliorate the lamentable condition in which the Commissioners found the law,” says Mr. MacGillivray. These are the opinions of our distinguished experts. If we turn to the “opinions” of those who are not experts—well, | that way madness lies! “The bull in the net” is the only suitable metaphor. So, Mr. Hamlin is, to say the least, a little puzzling. And, reading this excellent and most useful compilation of his, as I have read it, from cover to cover, I have tried, during the last few days, to puzzle it all out. All laws are imperfect in this imperfect yet progressive world. I cannot for the life of me see that this work—a record and condensation of United States cases from 1891 to 1903—takes up in its drag-net any considerable body of cases pointing directly at the “ complexities,” “ difficulties,” ‘ impracticabilities,” of which Mr. Hamlin complains. With the heartiest will in the world to confound American copyright law, I find myself unable to be any more kind to Mr. Hamlin than at least he is to us. I will not actually go so far as to praise his law. Nil aamirari should be our motto when we are con- fronted by the comfortable optimist who points out to us the excellent time authors are now having compared with the old days of “ patronage.” We will not forget so quickly as all that ‘the shambles where they died.” But I must ask him why, at least, he did not nail down some specific cases in this book in which these “complexities” were  52 the last were mainly venial faults, faults which needed but for their correction that timely prick of criticism which the critics with their accustomed geniality had supplied. They saw no lack of promise. Their part being done, they prophesied great things of the writer. ; What then is their astonishment and the dis- appointment of readers to find in their proteges succeeding book a distinct and undeniable falling off! ‘The promise of its predecessor 1s stultified. The reviewer’s prophecies have come to nought. Readers (and publishers) are disappointed. The book is, it may be, the poorest thing the author has produced. At all events it is markedly inferior to the book which brought him into notice. This thing has happened so frequently as almost to establish arule. One may not cite names, of course, albeit a number, and these including some of our foremost writers, present themselves. The fact being indisputable, it is interesting and it may be helpful, to seek the reason. Is it due to exhaustion following upon supreme effort? Is it due to some noxious miasma exhaling in the tropic heats of suecess ? Is it the pernicious influence of teas, of dinners and of other smiling functions whereto Mrs. Leo-Hunter bids the last-discovered Beast in order that he may roar for the eritertain- inent of her guests ? Or is it merely that Messrs. Mammon (the author’s publishers) having tasted the savour of successful editions, unduly spur him to repeat his efforts, and spoil his work by haste ? Personally, I doubt that the explanation lies in any of these factors. For the phenomenon is found in those who refuse to have their pace of produc- tion set by Messrs. Mammon, in those who are proof against social miasmata, in those who con- sign Mrs. Leo-Hunter actually to the fire-grate, or mentally (provided they are privileged by sex) to flames less temperate. I cannot help thinking that the explanation is more profound. I venture to offer the following suggestions toward it: That the productive methods of the novelist differ materially from those of any other form of brain work. While the historian, philosopher, or journalist evolves ideas, constructs theories, or narrates facts, the novelist creates persons, entities with individualities, wills, emo- tions, destinies, over which, when once created, he in many cases has little more control, perhaps even less, than a parent has over the development and destinies of his sons and daughters. That while the journalist, for example, remembers what he sees and describes it in language which presents it more or less clearly before his readers, the creative writer does not write from memory at all. His is the faculty to absorb and assimilate scenes and THE AUTHOR: circumstances and emotions and to compound them into a new substance, a substance which spon- taneously evolves itself into drama and story, as clouds may be seen to evolve themselves perpetually into new shape. That while the story itself is worked out by sub-conscious faculties of mind (the subliminal consciousness as it has been styled) the more purely intellectual faculties are employed mainly in re- cording these sub-conscious and spontaneous operations. The true creative power, the inspira- tion which gives life, lies in the sub-consciousness, and is only hampered and hindered when the active, intelligence interferes and attempts to control the persons and developments of the drama. If I may cite my own case (and doubtless the psychological processes of the humblest are some- what as those of the highest) 1 am able frequently to perceive this dual action of my brain, the more actively intellectual portion standing apart (like a spectator with a note-book) watching the spon- taneous developments of another portion and rapidly clothing these in language which my pen sets down. I am able even to see in this sub- conscious stratum of my brain tiny moving figures which seem intensely alive and seldom pause for word or action, but play out their play like actors who know their parts perfectly. When I take up my pen in the morning I experience the utmost interest to know what they are going todo. For if I know, it is because they have subtly informed me, not because I have consciously decided for them. When, from fatigue (from having roared the previous evening, it may be, for Mrs. Leo- Hunter) my actors on some mornings are inert, experience has taught me not to jerk them into action, or they will merely play their parts like puppets moved by wires. I wait till they begin to move again spontaneously. The methods of all writers are not of course similar. With some the persons and course of a story are consciously and carefully fabricated and elaborated by the active intellectual faculties, in order to illustrate some theory or problem or to adorn some ingenious plot. But in these cases, in order to vitalise such a plot and to give life and reality to the persons of the story, the writer must first cast his notions into his sub-consciousness, to be there clothed with flesh and made to live and breathe. Otherwise they will be no more than automata, pegs whereon the plot or problem hangs. Now I venture to offer as an explanation of the oftentimes injurious influence of success the sug- gestion that the self-consciousness to which it may give rise, hampers the normal working methods. The author is over-anxious to be worthy of the praise accorded him, to surpass himself. His  THE AUTHOR. natural methods of production are disturbed. The delicate balance between active consciousness and brooding consciousness (so to term it) is lost. In his striving to do well, he is afraid to trust enough to his less determined mental faculties. He plots and re-plots, constructs and re-constructs. Like a boy or a girl who has planted a seed in the ground, he interferes with its natural processes of growth by perpetually examining and over-hauling it, in order to be sure that it is sprouting. The book is the child ef his intellect, instead of being the child of his nature. Everyone is disap- pointed. He himself, having devoted so many pains and so much attention to it, perhaps regards it as his best work. Those more qualified to judge find it artificial, unconvincing, full of notions it may be, and of “situations,” but lacking the life and health and harmonious perfection of a spontaneous natural growth. ARABELLA KENEALY. ——____+—}_+-____—_—_- LITERATURE AND LAW IN THE UNITED STATES. [FIRST ARTICLE. ] E, here in England, complain of our copy- right law—and American authors complain of theirs ! Turn to the preface of any standard English work on copyright, and you will find the bitter complaint reiterated in every edition. Turn to the introduction of Mr. Arthur 8. Hamlin’s admirable compilation of ‘ American Cases and Decisions ”’* (just published by Messrs. Putnam’s Sons), to read of— “|, The unnecessary complexity of the provisions of the existing statute, the difficulty, and, in some cases, the impracticability, of fulfilling the obligations imposed Dy i.” It has quite a home-like familiar sound! It might have been written in England of English Copyright law. But the curious—shall I say, the amusing ?— part of Mr. Hamlin’s complaint is not here. We are all complaining animals. For us, the amusing part of Mr. Hamlin’s introduction will be his _* Copyright Cases: A Summary of Leading American Decisions on the Law of Copyright and on Literary Property, from 1891 to 1903; together with the Text of the United States Copyright Statute, and a Selection of Recent Copyright Decisions of the Courts of Great Britain and Canada. Compiled by Arthur 8. Hamlin. Published for the American Publishers’ Copyright League by G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1904, $2. 58 splendid eulogy of the copyright laws of other countries—in which he doubtless includes our own —and his finding in their perfections his strongest argument for damning the imperfections of his own. That is the unkindest cut of all! -We break out periodically into ravings against our law. Listen to Mr. Hamlin on it :-— “All the existing copyright. statutes of the world, excepting that of the United States, have been the work of commissions of experts. The members of these com- missions have had authority to summon witnesses, and to take testimony, and, after having devoted sufficient time to the mastery of the details of a subject which is of necessity complex, and which certainly calls for expert training, and for expert experience, they have presented their conclusions in the form of a report containing the specifications of the legislation recommended .... ” and so forth. Having read which, one turns in amazement to the English law, involuntarily exclaiming: And this is what we get! After all that noble work by those expert and experienced persons described by Mr. Hamlin—we take his account of it just as it stands—/his is the net result :— “ Numerous and ill-drafted Acts,” says Mr. Serutton. “ Nothing has been done to ameliorate the lamentable condition in which the Commissioners found the law,” says Mr. MacGillivray. These are the opinions of our distinguished experts. If we turn to the “opinions” of those who are not experts—well, that way madness lies! ‘The bull in the net” is the only suitable metaphor. So, Mr. Hamlin is, to say the least, a little puzzling. And, reading this excellent and most useful compilation of his, as I have read it, from cover to cover, I have tried, during the last few days, to puzzle it all out. All laws are imperfect in this imperfect yet progressive world. I cannot for the life of me see that this work—a record and condensation of United States cases from 1891 to 1903—takes up in its drag-net any considerable body of cases pointing directly at the “ complexities,” “ difficulties,” ‘‘ impracticabilities,” of which Mr. Hamlin complains. With the heartiest will in the world to confound American copyright law, I find myself unable to be any more kind to Mr. Hamlin than at least he is to us. I will not actually go so far as to praise his law. Wal admirari should be our motto when we are con- fronted by the comfortable optimist who points out to us the excellent time authors are now having compared with the old days of “ patronage.” We will not forget so quickly as all that “the shambles where they died.” But I must ask him why, at least, he did not nail down some specific cases in this book in which these “complexities” were  54 particularly marked. His rare, and admirable foot- notes are given in the mildest and most scholarly spirit of humility, after his learned United States Courts Judges have done their worst on the evidence. So I seek in vain for some justification of his extreme if indirect praise of “all existing statutes of the world,” and his brisk condemnation of his’ own. I could easily find him, amongst English copyright decisions, a few hard cases to better anything in his bag. So much for single instances. On the general question: Has he not over there the most remarkable system ever devised for “keeping the money in the family” and bleeding strangers ? He may retort (though, of course, he won't): ‘ Yes, it’s all very well for printers and publishers!” Well then, has he not over there something that pretends to bring literary and artistic property into one protecting fold ; some- thing that at least pretends to a codification ? Again one’s thoughts revert to the English law, and one involuntarily asks—in perfect serious- ness: Is it, after all, only that this great nation of the West, so young, so eager for reform, is im- patient of the restraint to which we old fogeys have long grown accustomed, that in reality the “complexities” at which he hints are as nothing compared with our own? We have an Act for books, Acts for drama and music, many Acts for engravings, paintings, drawings and photographs ; an Act for sculpture ; International Acts ; the Conventions ; the Colonial Acts! We are im- patient of them, of course ; and we sigh for a better time and for the passage of Lord Thring’s Bill. But we jog along somehow, realising, perhaps, the small part after all that books and art make even now in our national affairs, and the wonderful way things have of adjusting themselves to our needs. Certainly our Acts, such as they are, have grown—slowly indeed—with our own growth, yielding to extreme pressure only, but allowing us, so long as we have no need to invoke them, a wonderfully free hand outside of them. “ Outside of them”! Just there, I think, is to be fixed Mr. Hamlin’s grievance. He cannot get outside of his Statute law. A citizen of the United States cannot, like us, acquire copyright by merely publishing a book. If he attempt it, down comes the guillotine—his head is off, his work is public property. In other words he must register before publication. We, with our strangely free and elastic methods, need not register. Every Englishman (and every friendly alien) from the moment he publishes his book, enjoys the blessing of statu- tory copyright in that book without fulfilling any other condition whatever. He has merely to pub- lish. It is true he must register if his book become the subject of copyright litigation. But how often THE AUTHOR. does that happen? Say we publish over here 5,000 books a year: do fifteen annually become the subject of copyright litigation? So, if we avoid litigation we have « tolerably lazy time ; and the one objection to the Authors’ Society is that it fosters our laziness, An author has only to send his guinea a year to the Society to be entirely relieved of the necessity of complaining about “ complexities,” “intricacies,” and so forth. And thus the Authors’ Society (curious malevolence of things !) prevents our getting better laws. Now, of the half dozen important differences between our law and United States law the chief, for practical purposes, is this one of registration. In the United States not only does an author fail to get protection unless he register, but, even after he has registered, unless he has done so in the correct manner : (1.) Deposit of title and copies. (2.) In due time. (3.) Made in the United States. (4.) Bearing, when published, the proper notice, —he may at any moment have some claimant starting up to contest his right to his property on the mere technical form of his registration. For example, the renowned Augustin Daly (who appears to have been a somewhat lively litigant) deposited a title of a play as “ Under the Gaslight : A Romantic Panorama of the Streets and Homes of New York.” He published it under the title (evi- dently a second thought): “Under the Gaslight: A Totally Original Picturesque Drama of Life and Love inthese Times.” It may be said that the man who could be guilty of a title like that deserved any fate ; andshortly there started up one, Webster, who calmly appropriated the important scene in the play and dragged Daly through three trials, from the Circuit Court to the Supreme Court, before he was beaten. In like manner Howard Patterson deposited a title, “The Captain of the Rajah,” with a couple of lines of sub-title. This sub-title he cut down on publication. The book was promptly infringed on that ground. Injunction for him at first trial, certainly ; but he had to go to Court to protect his work. Mrs. Osgood was not so fortunate. She wrote an excellent hook on the application of glaze and colours to china, but unfortunately forgot that her two copies must be deposited not later than the date of publication, and that the notice (otherwise correct) must bear her name. Her suit was dis- missed on these grounds, and the defendant profited. Carr painted a picture and deposited the title and a photograph, but forgot the “description.” It took two trials to prove to him that Mr. Bennett, the millionaire proprietor of the New York Herald, could reprint his work without asking leave. ‘Three trials was the result of the famous American’sport- ing magazine, Outing, reprinting, without leave, ct ORES DIRE CST ARIE a  THE AUTHOR. ' the picture of the yacht Vigilant, which one Bolles had registered as “ Copyright by Bollesof Brooklyn.” “ Bolles of Brooklyn” was regarded as not pro- viding adequate means of identifying the photo- grapher, though he won in the end. Heertel took an action for penalties against Raphael Tuck & Sons for printing a false notice of copyright on fancy cards. Judge Lacombe held that it was not a false notice, because it was no notice at all—the date was omitted. Heertel lost. Raphael Tuck & Sons again came off best as against McLaughlin. They printed books with a false copyright notice— but in Germany. They only sold them in the United States, and they sold them prior to the passage of the Act prohibiting-such sale. Though the name Raphael Tuck appears rather frequently in cases of false notice, it must be remembered that our free English law gives copyright in books without any registration at all, and so any respectable firm may easily fall into the practice of putting the word “copyright” on everything it turns out. Cases could be multiplied indefinitely. It is curious the shifts to which people will go to evade the law in this respect, or to redress, after the guillotine has dropped, some fatal initial blunder. Mrs. Snow published a photograph without registering it. Thereafter, seeing her blunder, she had etched into the negative a cane in the hand of one of the figures. This negative she then “ copy- righted.’ Held that she had merely made an attempt to reclaim what she had already abandoned to the public, and that in any case her action was wrong. She claimed copyright in a “ photo.” But the only thing that could be the subject of it was not a “photo” but an etching—namely, the cane! Of course she lost. After this gallery of failures it is interesting to find the great Edison winning a case. He claimed copyright in a celluloid sheet of 4,500 kinetoscope photographs of the launching of the yacht Jeteor (infringed by one Lubin). It took two trials to decide that, for the purposes of registration, the 4,500 pictures constituted but one subject. Now, if we are inclined to condemn the Ameri- can law on the evidence of complexities afforded by the above cases, we have not only to remember that the law itself is of somewhat recent date, but also that for large commercial purposes American arts and letters were born but yesterday. Yet no species of property takes so long to establish its rights, to become truly adjusted to the life of those great communities in which alone it can flourish, or requires greater precision and intelligence for its proper management. And of the cases quoted, several resulted from just this lack of precision, which only such exemplary cases can ultimately cure. I have written elsewhere in this number of 55 the advantages of our method of letting books fight their own battles and take their chances in the struggle for existence. Let me say here that I am not acquainted with one detail in the system of registration at the Library of Congress. I do not know whether the librarian would decline to accept for registration one of two books bearing the same title. Yet I can see that such a system would also have its advantages in excluding late comers from the field, in putting a premium on, at least, originality combined with a quick despatch in literary affairs, and in providing a permanent record of titles. This is the A B C of American copyright law— proper registration. It does not seem to be unduly complex, nor to require any hard thinking, any- thing more than absolute accuracy (in other words, good advice by your man of business) for its successful working. ‘There is much to be said for it. It is, in any case, the gateway to American copyright ; and, good or bad, it strikes the mere outsider as a straight and simple way in, leaving little to chance. We have scarcely anything over here that exactly resembles it—the “ reservation ” notice on music, perhaps, and the necessity of registering paintings, drawings, and photographs before an alleged infringement ; but these do not provide us with much litigation. Next month I hope to go deeper into American law, illustrating, as far as possible, from Mr. Hamlin’s book, its working in more difficult cases as compared with our own. CHARLES WEEKES. —_————_1—_>_+—____—_- AFTER WORK.* — T is the prerogative of all men, after arriving at a certain age, to have reminiscences, and the privilege of some to record them. ‘To the latter category belongs Mr. Edward Marston, one of the oldest members of the publishing trade. His long connection with the trade has brought him into intimate touch with a number of interest- ing people for whom he published. In a_book entitled “ After Work: Fragments from the Work- shop of an old Publisher,” he has modestly sunk his own identity and given to the public some entertaining particulars of those with whom he has come into personal contact :—such as Bulwer Lytton, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Wilkie Collins, ee ee eee * ‘After Work: Fragments from the Workshop of an Old Publisher.’ William Heinemann. 10s. net.  56 R. D. Blackmore, Sir Henry Morton Stauley, William Black, and many others. But, beyond these notes, there are matters which are of interest to members of the Society. Mr. Marston explains how The Publishers’ Circular—that useful trade organ—was originally started, and gives many details concerning the business side of literature. He quotes, at length, the agreement entered into between his firm and Bulwer Lytton for the publication of that fascinating romance, “A Strange Story,” for which the firm paid £1,500 for a licence to publish for two years. It would be a good thing if nowadays more authors made similar contracts, assigning merely a licence to publish for a limited period. ‘The amount received by Lord Lytton was, without doubt, large, if the position of authors and publishers at that time 1s taken into consideration, but the payment was justified by the result. Later in the book, Mr. Marston, with a little bitterness, proclaims the price that Mr. Wilkie Collins received for “No Name.” He points out that that gentleman had a perfect knowledge of his own value, and that he stood in no need of a literary agent to make a ‘bargain for him. The price paid by Messrs. Sampson Low was £3,000. Apparently, from Mr. Marston’s statement, the book resulted in no loss, though he asserts that the risk, from his point of view, was great, and forced upon his firm by a very vigorous competition. Many of the letters quoted by Mr. Marston from his authors, standing outside busi- ness, draw out their special characteristics. Mr. Blackmore writes about his vines and fruit trees. Sir H. M. Stanley writes about his trials and perils. It would be unfair to the book to make any large quotations, but the letters should not be missed by any who care for a knowledge of the personalities of their favourite authors. There are, besides, one or two points with which the reviewer is forced to deal, as they touch the work and reputation of the Society of Authors. The last chapter of the book Mr. Marston entitles “Dealings with Authors.” He makes the astound- ing pronouncement that Sir Walter Besant and others in the early days of the Society stated that publishers could not make any losses. This kind of rash generality, when Besant was alive, was con- stantly put forward and as strenuously denied. Perhaps Mr. Marston will refer to the exact page in 7'he Author or the publications of the Society where this statement occurs. Again, he says that the Society began its operations by making sweeping and ungenerous attacks upon all publishers, assuming that all alike were robbers, and proving by balance sheets drawn from its Imagination that publishers could not, by any possibility, make a loss. In the proverbial phrase, Mr. Marston has ‘drawn upon his imagination ’ THE AUTHOR. for his facts,” and it is a pity that an otherwise admirable book should, to a certain extent, have been spoilt by the misstatements and biassed, un- generous comments contained in the last chapter. With this exception the book is one which should appeal to all those who, in their fondness for literature, care to make themselves better “acquaint ” with the individualities of the writers. o—~- IS POETRY READ AS IT USED TO BE? he R. W. D. HOWELLS, in Harper's Magazine, VI has lately made a futile endeavour to ascertain by the votes of its readers the present popularity of poetry in the United States. The subject awaking no interest or curiosity there, has for the present fizzled out. Perhaps the times were not ripe for the computation of poetical readers in such+an enormous area of land, or the clash and clang of more practical serious interests may have silenced the inquiry. However, the subject having a definite sugges- tiveness to literature and a relative value to thought, is worth attention. Of course, the curious and interesting question can never be brought under the range of statistics. Whether or not the readers of poetry in the United Kingdom are more numerous to-day than formerly is'a problem which cannot be easily solved, but one can endeavour to glance at the probabilities one way or the other. ‘To pierce the heart of the subject is an impossibility: but in wandering around its skirts a few gleams of the truth may be visible. The first query that naturally arises is: Who are the readers of poetry ? They consist, I should imagine, of two classes. One suggestive word comprises the first: Youth ! whose password is hope, whose look-out on life is fresh and wonderful ; whose lot, as yet, has not been soured and chilled by relentless circumstance and experience. Those who predominate in this class, by reason of their emotions, susceptibilities and sensitiveness, are young women; the band of light-hearted, dream-haunted, romance-loving girls, who find in poetry a response to their ,vague questionings and an interpretation of their mysterious imaginings. The second class comprises all those who make a hobby and study of poetry, and whose lives are imbued with what must always be the highest and truest expression of literature. Neither age,  ‘ 2 £ = THE AUTHOR. 57 fashion, nor change can ever stale or wither the vivid joys of this eager pursuit. In Palgrave’s apt words :-— : «The magic of this art can confer on early years, Experience; on maturity, Calm ; on age, Youthfulness.” A small portion of this class, the scouts of the army, is that numerous throng who, over-burdened with poetic lore and fancy, must record it all in their own fashion and words: and thus there is always an immense legion of pseudo-poets, versi- fiers, minor minstrels who indite and publish their volumes of musical verse., Sometimes these appeal to unheeding ears ; often imperfection and weak- ness spell failure, and very occasionally the appre- ciation of a thoughtful reviewer may encourage the new versifier to further and worthier efforts. Having now set forth the classes who read ‘poetry, the following queries assert themselves :— Has the interest in poetry waned? Have poetical votaries diminished ? Have readers fallen off ? In answering these questions in a decisive, strong affirmative, I. shall endeavour to deduce reasons for my own opinion. The enormous production and circulation of novels in late years have lessened and almost destroyed the love of poetry amongst the very class to which it appeals the most. ‘The grades of fiction, from the garish covered penny horror to a novel like “he Cardinal’s Snutf Box,” or “The Column,” in their number and diversity, are somewhat appalling to consider; but in every novel which is literature as well as fiction, there are elements and constituents of poetry to minister and satisfy the subtle, romantic instincts of the young. In them are found the pictured scene ; the sweetness of exquisite words ; the vivid portrai- ture; the play of thought; the illumination of life’s truths or pathos—all the glints and glows of unfettered verse woven into a story of humanity ! Thus, the enthralling influence of novels which - paint and depict ideals in life and human nature has weakened the hold of poetry upon the imagi- nation of youth. ‘The novel has supplanted the poem, and perhaps for a while, till the output of fiction brings the weariness of satiety, the youthful readers of poetry will continue to dwindle. There is also another potent reason. The health- ful love of open air pursuits and pleasures in. our day has spoilt the zest for indoor, poetic musings. The gladdening impulses and ardours of youth find anatural vent in the freedom of country games, exercises and sports. ‘The spiritual glow of rhythmic verse is exchanged for the living glow of physical well-being. The meditative maiden is no longer sad or happy in unison with delicate phrasings of thought, or with the brilliant surprise of trope or metaphor ; instead, her poetry exists amidst the “pomp of woodland and resounding shore,” with perhaps an interlude for an innocent flirtation. And thus, her already exuberant life is intensified by vigorous open air enjoyment. But the reasons which are creating a distaste of poetry amongst youthful readers have no signi- ficance.amongst the students and lovers of poetry of all ages. The causes of their callousness are deeper and stronger. ‘The burdens and the influences of the times and the period have affected their allegiance to the divine art. The efforts which are giving living wonders for the usefulness and weal of the nations and mankind are weaning them from their delight in the glamours of modulated thought. The spell of contrivance ; the marvel of being able to annihilate time and space ; the magic of discovery to baffle disease ; the power of being able to rule the fairy realms of science ; every thing that makes for progress and tends to enlightenment ; the animating ardour that inspires the leaders of men to combat error and inculcate truths for the nation’s weal: all these things drive the man “ Housed in a dream at a distance from his kind,” to a field of broader issues and more strenuous purposes. And it is because no “ bard sublime ” has arisen to translate and enshrine these undertakings and discoveries, and no creative voice is heard to inter- pret the struggle or herald the victory, that poetry is becoming decadent to its most earnest votary. It may be said in extenuation of this, that the verses of Rudyard Kipling respond to the nation’s poetic cravings. It is affirmed with laudatory emphasis that the spell of this wonderful era has been truly invoked in poetry by this successful author. And to a certain extent he has interpreted many of the age’s aspirations, perplexities, doubts, struggles ; but, to my mind, there is scope still for the larger vision, wider outlook, and deeper insight in some great poet of the future. In the meantime, whether due to the causes briefly touched upon, or to others which I cannot fathom, readers of poetry are gradually falling off ; the creative art itself is languishing, and no. one wonders. When the hope of a true poetic revival will resolve itself into a certainty, and another masterpiece like ‘Childe Harold” or the “ Idylls of the King” staitle a waiting world, then, per- haps, the vivifying influence of the art will again illuminate a land so opulent in its poetic treasures bequeathed by the past. Tstporr G. ASCHER. oO =  58 THE GRAND GUIGNOL. oa A Quire Imaginary CONVERSATION. WHY do people talk of the extraordinary A . brilliancy of the French and German theatres of the present day ? B. Because the French and German theatres of the present day are extraordinarily brilliant. A. That sounds a very unlikely reason. B. The truth is always wildly improbable. ‘A. L seem to have heard a good deal about the Italian theatre of late. Can you account for that in the same way? B. The Italian Renaissance has, at all events, drawn the most famous of living poets to the theatre. A. Oh—I take it that the Norwegian theatre is resting on its past ? B. Possibly ; but that past is very recent and very glorious. A. Does anybody talk of the extraordinary brilliancy of the British theatre of the present day ? B. Certainly. Mr. William Archer. A. How very interesting. Can you account for that ? B. I can try. A. Would you mind making the effort ? B. Mr. Archer has been watching the British theatre very closely for the last twenty years, and has seen, during that time, a good deal of very remarkable work. A, And he thinks that our drama is at last waking from the sleep of centuries ? B. “Centuries” is a big word; and “ waking” much too small a one. A. The drama has waked from its sleep ? B. I am sure of it. A. But don’t you think that there is any danger of its dropping off again ? B. Ah A. I think I follow you. Do youagree with the - method proposed for keeping it awake ? B. You mean the building of a fine roomy theatre, for it to take exercise in ? A. Yes; they say there is nothing like compul- sory exercise for the sleeping sickness. Have you faith in a grand National British Theatre ? B. I have more faith in the National Irish Theatre. A. Why ? B. Because it isn’t grand. “Things comes by degrees,” as the little Dublin boy said to Dickens. _A. I suppose there would be difficulties about a big new theatre. Money, to begin with. England seems to be too poor to support art as the conti- nental nations support it. THE AUTHOR. B. Money is the least of difficulties, always. The right man with the right scheme could pretty certainly get together the few thousands needed —assuming that the man exists and the scheme is possible. A. You assume too much. But assuming a good deal more—assuming that a successful start were made—don’t you think that there would still be difficulties in the way ? B. I do. A. Then you are hopeless ? B. I may be, but I didn’t say so. A. Do you think a more modest undertaking would do any good ? B. It might do much more good, if it is all we are ready for at present. Among other things, it might pave the way for the larger scheme. A. Personally, I don’t believe in these’ self- conscious efforts to improve the arts, little or big. I agree with Tony Lumpkin and Mr, Sydney Grundy, “If P’'m to have any good let it come of itself, and don’t keep ding-dinging it into my ears.” B. The Gospel of Silence. but history is against it. A. Has anybody ever regenerated the drama intentionally ? B. Certainly. A. Euripides, I suppose—or Victor Hugo. Can you give me any more modern example ? B. The most modern. The brilliant French comedy of Augier and Dumas had had its day, and everyone was talking of the decadence to come, when Antoine spoke—and in half a generation a school far more brilliant had arisen. A. Do you put Rostand, and Donnay, and the rest of them, all down to Antoine ? B. One man by himself could have done nothing, of course ; but Antoine had the Third Republic at his back, like all that is greatest in modern France, Still, he showed the way—and on a small scale. Forgive the mixture of the metaphor. A. All really great metaphors are mixed. Then what you want, I take it, is an experimental theatre ? B. You have put it in two words. A, Antoine has outgrown the experimental stage. Is there anything in Paris now which more nearly meets our want ? B. There is the Grand Guignol. A. And what is a Grand Guignol ? _ B. It is almost exactly the thing we need. A. Thank you; but I had rather you explained. B. The Grand Guignol was a shabby little lecture-hall up a backyard not far from the Moulin Rouge ; but with its success it has been recon- structed, and it is now quite a pleasant little— theatre-hall. It sounds tempting,  4 i THE AUTHOR. 59 A. What do they act there ? B. Five one-act plays every evening. A. Good gracious ! B. Four would be enough in England. A. I think so. B. The expenses are microscopic. Actors of very little experience can carry through a one-act play—clever authors of no stage-experience can write one; and in this work young authors and young actors may learn their business, as they have little chance of learning it under the long-run Jong-play system. A. And there is a public for them ? B. There is undoubtedly a public for them. The Grand Guignol is such a success that it has imitators all over the place—the Capucines, the Mathurins, half-a-dozen others. A. I suppose the prices are low ? B. Not very. The stalls are about half the price of those at the fashionable theatres ; but the second seats are, I think, not cheaper than the pit. And there are no third seats. A. People can drop in at any time, of course. B. Then there is something to suit all tastes. Realism, sensation, comedy, poetry A. And—h’m. Sensational realism, eh ? Do they go a little far that way ? B. It is quite true that they have owed part of their success to their powers of shocking even a Parisian audience; but this is by no means the beginning and end of their story. A: I should think that such a little theatre could easily be carried on as an adjunct to a big one—His Majesty’s or the St. James’s. The little company could consist largely of the understudies and minor actors of the large one, with occasionally a first-rate man glad to fill up an interval “on easy terms.” Such a company would quite well bear the burden of a one-act play—it’s not like sustaining heavy parts throughout an evening of three hours. And many aclever writer of dialogue could give us such a piece, and at the same time be learning how to write a longer one B. Rem acu tetigisti. You have touched the spot. Epwarp Ross. —_—_—__+—_>_+—_____- CORRESPONDENCE. —_+—~<—+ — “ Wuat’s in A NAME?” Srr,—I do not wish to answer the letter of Mr. Charles Richard Panter in The Author of last October at too great length or too seriously, but I am a little puzzled to know why he should treat the opinions which I put forward in a tone at once so aggrieved and so aggressive. He says “In the second paragraph of his first letter, Mr. Armstrong asserts the right to the name of a book is not copyright. Why should it not be.” The answer might be given to this conundrum, “ Because it is not,” or “ Because it is a right of another description,” but perhaps Mr. Panter had better consult some work on copyright, or read the case of Dick y. Yates,in which the Court of Appeal laid down the law on the subject in 1881. I can assure Mr. Panter that I had nothing to do with it. I was not a member of the Court of Appeal of that day, nor do I expect to take part in the deliberations of that tribunal at any future period of my modest career. I only “asserted”? what I believed to be the law, because I entertained a not ill-founded opinion upon the subject, which Mr. Panter may show to be wrong if he can do so. Mr. Panter’s allusions to “cribbing” a title, and his not very courteous suggestion that my “ book did not sell” because of my not being “ allowed to adopt the title of another author’s work,” show that he does not fully grasp the nature of the difficulty from which authors suffer. They do not desire, nor do they complain, of not being permitted inten- tionally to take other men’s titles, but they do find it tiresome to fix upon a title and then to be informed, with threats of legal proceedings, that it has already been used for a work of which they never before heard. In my own case, as I explained, a lady desired to prevent me from using for a novel a name which she had once given to a short story, and which she intended thereafter to use as the title of a volume of short stories, and I gave way, although part of my book was already in page. | will give the title, as it affords a good instance of want of originality on the author’s part and its result. I had chosen the simple and inoffensive, but not very dis- tinguished or striking participle “ Drifting.” I don’t know whether the lady referred to ever pro- duced her book under the name which [ resigned to her, but I know that a clever and successful book came out some years afterwards under the same title, and if she attempted to stop its circula- tion Iam not aware that she succeeded. I hope, however, that whether they agree with me or not, I made my meaning clearer to other readers of The Author than to Mr. Panter. Yours, &c., : E. A. ARMSTRONG. ———+ Trrues AND Mr. C. R. PANTER. Srr,— Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge ?” . : Mr. Panter asks: “Pray, what is that right  60 [of an author to the title of his book] if not copyright ?”” I reply : Common law right. “ (opyright,” says he, “ is the one right known to authors as capable of protecting their works. I reply : Not at all. : «« What would be thought,” he proceeds energetic- ally to ask, “of the man who declared he had a right to his own person as Mr. Penman Dryasdust, but no right whatever to his Christian and sur- name?” The reply is: Most people would think him an idiot. But let us examine Mr. Panter’s analogy, and see whither it will lead us. Here are the four feet, so to speak, on which his analogy stands :— According to Mr. Panter— 1. Mr. Dryasdust ...... Has a right to his own person which thecom- mon law will recog- nise. True. 12. A Book. (... ies Has a right against infringers which the common law will recognise. alse. ; 8. Mr. Dryasdust ...... Has a right to his own name asname. alse. (He has no more right to it than anyone who has had the misfortune to be born with it. The law will protect only the property and rights for which the name stands.) AoA Withee 5 Has no right atcommon law (or Mr. Panter evidently thinks so). L false. That is Mr. Panter’s analogy. One true state- ment to three false. I am tempted. to enquire whether he understands the nature and uses of analogical reasoning. Of law and copyright law he appears to have no knowledge. For, taking the analogy the other way, let us begin with statement No. 2, and say: “A book has a right against infringers which the copyright law will recognise.” This is true, but here the analogy, of a book to Mr. Dryasdust, suddenly undergoes complete extinction, since the copyright law has nothing in the world to do with Mr. Dryasdust’s defence of his person or name. But I should be filling up your November issue if I went any deeper into the energetic Mr. Panter’s fallacies. i shall drop them, and try to clear up this confusion of words about the rights in titles of books. Copyright, Mr. Panter should learn, is not a THE AUTHOR. natural right like a man’s right to his own person, his tables, chairs, and “ house utensils.’” Tt is a temporary monopoly, created by statute, analo- gous to the right in a patent or trade mark. So, therefore, it is conditioned by the Statute. Its duration is only for the statutory period —forty-two years (or life and seven years). It gives pro+ tection to a species of property which otherwise would have none—books. Now of the books published each year which are so protected, about seven-eighths are valueless. They sink into oblivion before forty-two days have expired. Nevertheless, if the wisdom of the framers of the Act (including the great Macaulay) was not brilliantly shown in thus giving a protective monopoly for so long a time to rubbish, it was shown in this : it gave no monopoly in titles. If a book have a value (possibly the framers argued) the chances are about ten to one that it will shortly become a valuable article of commerce. In this state it can protect its own title quite adequately at common law. But if.on the other hand it have no value, the chances are about ten to one that it will shortly sink into oblivion. Now, in this state was it to be allowed to exclude other books of more value from the market by monopolising the exclusive right to its title? Does Mr. Panter see the point ? Let me enlarge for a moment on the ambiguous word “ value,” so that I may make myself quite clear to him. The “ value” referred to is not literary, nor artistic, nor scientific, nor theological value. it issimply—commercial. Why? Because we all agree as to money value ; and we all differ as to literary, artistic, and similar values. In process of law, indeed, you may hear counsel and even the Bench discuss literary and artistic values; but legislators (though they may state in their preamble that the Act is for “ the greater encouragement of” learning) cannot take direct cognisance of these things. Nor can legislators take cognisance of unhappy exceptions to general averages, like the case of “Lorna Doone,” “ Omar Khayydm,” etc. A bill framed to cover all possible exceptions, and to satisfy everybody’s nice opinions as to literary and artistic values, would never get to the Lords. So far our law is doubtless imperfect. But let Mr. Panter be consoled ; its neglect to protect titles is not one of its shortcomings. One wonders if such an idealist as Mr. Panter can come down from the heights of his burning. eloquence at all. He seems to think that plagiarism is an indictable offence. We are a very advanced nation, doubtless, but we have not yet advanced quite so far as that. I wish we had. CHARLES WEEKES. 36, Southampton Street, Strand, W.C. 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. 15 Issue 02 (November 1904) Subject The topic of the resource <em>The Author</em>, Vol. 15 Issue 02 (November 1904) Type The nature or genre of the resource Publication Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1904-11-01-The-Author-15-2 publications The Author