The Sun.
London, England, 1826-12-26 00:00:00

GERMAN AND FRENCH BOOK TRADE.

The Michaelmas Book Fair at Leipsic, this year, has
furnished a greater number of books than any preceding
one. The sum total of the works that have actually been
published by German houses is 2,125; the number of the
houses publishing, 338. In the mass ere 222 new
edi-
tions,
including the 23d edition of Bogatsky's Golden
Treasury, and the 86th edition of 1% dmeen's German
Children's Friend. There are in the catalogue V 39 works
in foreign languages, of which 160 are Latin, and .37
Greek ; also 156 translations from foreign language.,
among which are 54 from the French, and 63 from the
English. Tam are no fewer than six editions (one in
English) of the complete works of Sir W. Scott. Ac-
cording to the subjects, we find amongst 2,12.5 books, 337
theological, 21 philosophical, 167 historical, 116 political
and nautical, 160 pedagogical, 60 grammatical, 208 tech.
Meal, 88 on natural history and philosophy, 159 medical,
14 geographical, 11 epic, 58 lyric, 38 dramatic, and 27
musical, 186 romances and novels, 87 ancient classics. 69
maps. The remainder are miscellaneous.

The Bibliographic de la France gives a view of the new
hooks published in France as it appeared to be in the first
six mouths of the years 1814 to 1826; i. e. since the re-
storation. If we compare these with the number of books
announced as completed in the Leipsic Catalogue of the
same years, we find the following result :
Years. France. Germany, Eset. Mielsaeirnas.
1814
1815
1816

1017

1,843 .. . .... 1,1,17

1818
2,431
1819
1820
1821
1822
1823
1924 '1,436
182 b
1626

2,194
g,64R
2,640
8,012
2,729
2,558
2,870
3,196 „. 1,640
2,648

33,774,

92,204,

18,099
32404

50,30,9
Thus it appears that far more books are published in
Germany than in France, especial when' we recollect
that the books announced as not really, which, wit4,,rew
exceptions, have really issued fromthe press, without
being again announced, fill 785 pages in the twenty-Er
catalogues for the years under consideration, and we may
reckon 10 works per page; and tbat,.amongst the hooks in
foreign modern languages, not reckoned here, many are pub-
lished by German Prinevir; We also see that the produc-
tion of books has augmented
more rapidly in France than
in Gerinany, the French having increased from 979 to
y
4,379, and the German from 2,529 in 1814 '0 4,704 in
1928. The largest number in Germany for one cite was
that of year, vie. 4,836 works, and the smallest that
of the largest catalogue that of Easter, 1825, and
te i
that of Michaelmas, 1815. If to the 50,309
st:ll.st
books announced as ready, we add 7,350 stated to be not
mtly, . and the works in foreign languages publialied in
Germany, we shall have about 50,000 works printed in
Germany since 1814 (inclusive.) A person reading on
an average one work every day (whether of one voluMe,
or, like the most amazingly cheap pocket editions, damns
100 vols.) would require 170 years to complete his task.
The number of writers may be at least half that of the
works, i. e. 30,000; as 13 years is not haif a generation
(reckoned at 30 years), there must exist at least 40,000
other writers ;;for if to 13 years ire reckon 30,000,- We
must add 40,000 for the other 17 years. The present ge-
neration has therefore 70,000 authors, who (whether we
reckon backwards or fc,rwarde) have written, are writing,
or will write, in the apace of 30 years.—Literary Gaulle.