American watchman and Delaware advertiser., 1826-10-06
Volume v.
BOOKS IN ENGLAND.

Booksellers in Grea, Britain have not escaped
the storm, hich has spread over the commercial
world IL fell indeed with peculiar severity on
them. This calamity has excited some inquiry.
The Monthly Magazine has coase forward with an
Essay into the causes /; from which we ena-
bled to CLEAN some interesting facts which d. az
little credit to the Laws, as they have done mischief
10 the Literature, OF Great Britain.
The Magazine traces the evil 10 the burthens
arising from duties and to those arising from the
provisions Of the Copyright Act. We shall be
amused TO how little these burhens are known
TO our booksellers and consequently how far they
have the advantage Their brethren in Britain.
lst The duties comp aimed oil tall either upon
the paper, or upon the advertisements Of The books.
The duty on the paper is not only heavy in amount,
but in the manner IN which It Is collected 1t s
paid in the mill before the paper leaves it, On
common printing paper i Is 50 per ID or from
SIS. 3d. 10 IS cd. per ream. Mr.. Rees In his
evidence before the House OF Commons cslc ula!es
to be at least from 90 % per cent ad vatnrem.
Aud it is not paid, as he duty is on importe. goods
in bond, which left till the tins arrives Tor con.
yerting them into cash bu, is sometimes levied a
year two before the paper is issued to the cons
sumner. Then, when it goes out, the slatoner re-
iniburses the manufacturer for the money he has
invested OH the paper, with interest; SO the book
seller repays The stationer; and at last the book
may remain on the publishers shelves for snme
years, before the accumulated cost Is returned 10
him
The duty also upon advertisements Is q serious
cause Of complaint. Mr.. Rees states The cost OF
advertising book to huctuate from 3 TO 10Th ot
the whole expense attending the puhitcaion-
Their house (that OF Longman & Cos paid for ad-
vertlsements in spapsrs alone, IN twelve month";,
the sum of 46Set Is Sd, of which about l5O0t or
rather one third went into the pockets oil the gov
ernmeut Tor duty on the sdvertisem ents
But the expenses of the Copyright Act are not
TO be sghted One OF It's odious provsions Is TO
compel every bookseller TO furnish eleren copies OF
every work to certain public Libraries; among
these, are the Libraries at Cambridge and Oxford,
and al Dublin. Many Of the books which issue
from the press, are absolutely unfit to grace such
Libraries; and OF course It frequently happens,
that after the Librarians have culled such books as
are fit for the Library. and The Syndcst have Sc
lected such as they wish to place on their own
shelves. the others are lett piled III boxes and
baskets to rot These eleven copies are most
serious TAX the publication OF costly and splendid
editions. Thus the eleven copies OF Lodges Por-
traits of Iustrious Persons cost 650I- the Regents
Classics cost l5OOt. So heavily do they operate.
that in some cases they amount to an absolute pro.
hbillon. Thus, the booksellers confess that they
had declined the publication OF History OF the
Colnaee-and work Of Baron Humboldt's
South American Plants.
Another source o. annoyance TO the Bookseller,
is the open page which is practsedb ny the numer-
Gus periodicals on the larger works They skim
the cream Of the articles and combining them in
one No. present very acceptable dish to the Lite
rary Epicures who are thus diverted from buying
up The entire works IL is said, that some OF these
thieves 1--WE the polite term OF the NJ Maga-
ziae) sell their heits To the extent upwards OF lo,-
900 copies weekly" The Magaz'ne takes 30 no.
tce Of the cheap editions OF the whole work. "hch
are pirated. printed and circulated in the Kingdom
II 6m4li VERT fetjpplp the cheaper
editions which are printed IN other countries aud
suppant The sale Of The British copies 10 the foreign
markets. Thus, it states that the cost OF books 10
France is one half less than in England. lhs
expense of paper and printing 10 France is about
what is in this country and the chargs OF aasrf-
tisng there is mere tiihe."
In the United States, we enjoy happy exemps
,on from the burthens OF the trade IN Great Bril-
tain Thanks TO our laws, there are no duties cn
paper--none ON advertising none on newspapers,
We have no Staioner's Hall, where We have 10 de-
poste te eleven consecraied copies tor the dement,
Of the learned Libraries which ought rather TO
cherish than Cypress the cause OF Literature. -
Every man may repubish any book, not covered by
e copyright, If free, gratis for nothing, always
o excepting the prices Of printing, binding, &c. II
copyright is to be taken out, then the only requt-
si.on which our Act OF Congress makes is
that "1he author or proprietor OF any such map
chart book or books, shall within SIX monhts after
!, the publishing thereof denver, or cause 10 oe aeis
e cred 10 the Secretary oi State copy Oh ne same
y TO be preserved in his offce."
i With these mmunities from the burthens OF En-
plish re gulainns is not astonishing ha' American
bookseling should advance considerable periec'
IS ton-and that our editions should yearly sup
plant those'of such English books as are in demand
:, Il is thus that liberty and literature contfiou's
IS Richmond Compiler.
IS Tha ca,ehra,ed Mrs. Opie, tie novelist, who ha:
i ....x,har Of ih. SnCirlY oil Eriends was