The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-03 00:00:00

CRITICISM AND PIRACY.

The following tolerably smart rap over the
knuckles has been recently addressed to the editor
of the Round Table by the authoress of Aluvra
Floyd:—
Sir,-1 have been favoured with a copy of your
journal for July 14, 1866. In it I perceive that you
review, as written by me, a novel entitled " What
is this Mystery ?" published in New York by AlessrS.
Hilton and Co. Allow ine to say, in reply to your
most illiberal criticism, that I never wrote a novel
with the title given, and that I have never had any
correspondence with its publishers,who, nevertheless,
announce their book as printed from my " advance
sheets," and who also characterise the work 9,5
" Miss Braddon's latest and best." It may
hope it is not—in accordance with American notions
of literary fair dealing to make these positively false
statements. Messrs. Hilton and Co. may derive
profit from them ; but the true interests of litera-
ture and its commerce cannot be served by such
audacious mendacity.
I trust the day will never come when English
publishers shall fall into imitation of the course pur-
sued by Messrs. Hilton and Co. in the publication
of " What is this Mystery ? a Novel by Miss 3.1;
E. Braddon." Doubtless it would be a 6, smart'
speculation to appropriate any anonymous trash,
label it with the name of an American writer of re-
pute, then announce it as printed from his or her
" advance sheets," and puff it into circulation as
the " latest and best" of that writer's productions,
when the verbiage, so issued is neither the 4, latest':
nor the " best," but is absolutely the very reverse of
what it pretends to be. But should such trading
ever arise in England, then, perhaps, American
statesmen will see the urgent necessity for an inter;
national copyright, to protect the characters o'
American writers from the outrageous dishonest,'
into v hich unrestrained literary piracy can degene-
rate. For the present, the reputation of every
English writer is at the mercy of any American
publisher ; and while this unhappy state of things
continues unreciprocated, 1 suppose it will last, how'
ever much its continuance may demoralise the cola'
coerce of literature, and however much it may en'
courage downright knavery.
Let me add that literary criticism, as a corrective:
influence, is not advanced by personalities; and that
it is insulting to an author and unfair in itself to
assume, as you do when reviewing " What is this
Mystery ?" that " her (the author's) creations Were
the result of the meditations and inspirations a 5
milliner's shop." This remark is simply impertinent;
and it is only as true as may be the assertion the
the review in which it appears is the result of the
meditations and inspirations of a tailor's shop'
though why good and wholesome " meditations and
inspirations" should be foreign to milliners' and
tailors' shops I am at a loss to discover. More'
over, offensive criticism will rather deter than en'
courage literary aspirants—always a very sensitive
race—for whose advent you insert, in the same
number of The Round Table, an elaborate demand'
1 have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient
servant, M. E. BRADDON,
Author of " Lady Audley's Secret," So.
London, July 30.