The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-10-23
American Literary Intelligence.

STATES AND BRITISH PRovIScEs-2 vols.-Stringer &
Townsend. FRANK FoREsrER's FIsH FlsHIya
OF THE UNITED STATES BaIrIsH PnovIsoEs-l vol.
-StriDger Townsend.
These two books have attracted attention than
any others Of the kind that have appeared this
country The publishers lucky in getting hold Of
MIR. Herbert and he was lucky in finding tina.
gave him all he asked both sides Of Atlantic for
his books. As specimens Of book making, they are
crsditabe to all parties Is the
volume on Fish and Fishing well done. 1t is pleasant
resding-it will be quoted authority by sporsmen
until il gives place to something better and it is one
Of the handsomest books of the kind have seem
The fsh are admirably executed-some Of them the
best wood cuts ever done in America or England. The
Field Sports Is large and more elaborate work Both
Of them have at taken their places in the libraries
sportsmen, and who likes fishing field sports
very well be without them especially it, like most
Of acquaintance in that line, he prdes himself 10
paradDg his technical knowledge Of the mysteries Of
the art.
Frank Forester is Of course nom de chase The au-
thor's name is Henry William Herbert, a son of the
late Dean Of Manchester oplished and learned
man. who furnished his with classical educate On
and the of foreign travel Mr. Herbert has spent
many years in America and become familiar with the
science and art Of sporting practised by men of
taste and leisure. These works are by among
hs nrst enorts lie long since tled ana run his career
a novelist but his dozen romances, (more less)
left the field Of romance and the world generally,
pretty much he found them They extern
siyely pulled, but collapse followed. Few
read them and they who did for the most part
mended others to let them alone. But it Is only
other illustration, of which the world has afforded so
many. of authors laundering pertnaciously through
the contents ofink factories and paper mills belabor-
ing their brains for what heaven took the
- -.
some subject they they really qualified to write
about There be little doubt tina. Mr. Herbert has
last discovered his forte, and he will probably stick
to it, We had much rather listen to his opinions on
antelope hunting, upland shooting or trout fishing,
than to his judgment Of the genius of Cromwell"
the character ofs Roman Traitor" Along the shores
of the great lakes the western prairie by the
tain trout stream, he Is at homehe understands his
subject-he gives instruction, and he writes with
the gay and picqant air of good natured sportsman
One word of compliment and suggestion to Stringer
Townsend the publishers of these works This house
has confined itself almost entirely to cheap books and
although some Of them have made their appearance on
decent paper and lsgbe type for the most part what is
called cheap literature is well named-it is cheap, in
every sense of the terra. We glad to them
bringing out works in better style. For few years
past, American and foreign literature has had to walk
abroad in shabby clothing good books have had
10 auopt the Iasnivui Sdsto Is CndHBius
find that what cheap book in money is lost In
eyesght; and although books will get back to the
old prices they bore before the cheap intro
duced the style OF binding the quality OF type printing
and paper will steadily prsve. Illustrations will
explain and conarm this opinion. Even the machinery
OF the Harpers feeble to crowd paying .di
ton Of their lu rated Shakespeare in fine Prnt-and
most Of those taken by the trade still lying their
steyes; while the Boston edition Of the book
from the house OF Samson * Co.. is selling apidly
and another Boston edition In volumes, emf
penty successful Both were expensive but both were
N Il
have cleared the Of their Complete Novels of
the page bluis the eye ana no human being read
IL without pain aad pc snent injury. Putnam has
undertaken the reprint of some popular authors In fine
style beginning with Irving. His slono would sell
edition. but with the additional charm of besuu
ful typography the sale must be very large Cooper
plete in sty would probably prove fail
ure for He Disguised the American
by his attempts to s,hs the liberty OF the press and
he thought to have attempted In some of his novels to
bring the manners aud tastes of the country into rd
cule. Besides, Mr. Putnam has not been able we
detand 10 get hold Of the copyrights OF the Leather
Stocking Tales which are unquestionably his best
works They are held by stringer Townsend, and
probably worth more than all his other works. Mr. Put
nam bIngin other authors la The Irwin, style
of whose success we cEersh maay doubts Miss Sedg
shs is admired and read hide out OF the imuediate
circle Of her acquaintance, except by people OF
quiet dome tastes. There is excitenent
thuiasm, In any OF her works shelsttempted success
In the Edgeworth school-but missed the charm and
failed in the ygor Of her original With Hiss Breners
works Mr. Putnam may succeed. She Ia charming,
spirited writer, and thu cheap editions of her domestic
novels have gone to almost every Preside In the naton
but which Is be read bat once, hardly sell
for the prce OF history or book of travels although
it Is said that the elegant dollar edition of Eyre"
has remunerated the Boston house. after the hsrpcrs
had sold probably copies OF the book at IS
cents; but Miss bremen has written book like
Jane kyre Publishers In this country general
rule poor judges Of the selling qualities of book,
and for going further, not one OF them In ten
ever reads a manuscript before It's publication, the
book afterwards The principal publishers keep men in
their pay whom all Mss referred and whose aa-
vice They follow The Harpers instance pay large
the editors in Wal street this
sort work with the UNDERSTANDING OF course that his
journal shall nun the works of the house without stint
They had at time, too, OF the editors Of tho
Comsr,oi .1dcofser, whose lack Of Judgment and lite
elaborate pulls which ded that newspaper and the
Co.mbaH Magasine, edited, also, by the same hand
This system Of black mail in literature prevails all
but universally among We have criticism Livery
book Is pulled damned outright There Is no half
way work that Edgar Poe is dead-for his power
anay s and cearness Of judgment In literary mat
ters we're matchless long he kept sober. But he
would get drunk, like many other literary men.
We have two or three cases In point, to show how
poorly our publishers and their paid critics
qualified 20 decide ON literary matters The copyright
OF the last revised complete edition OF Weoster great
dctiorary was offered in New York and Boston, the
trade Of the great houses would the price
Of it, showed the money invested 80 900 in stsreotype
plates the sales of the fret has paid the costs
incurred in the purchase and In the plates; aud the
next ve and twenty years. Here the nsrpers missed
the agure: They had already purchased the abridged
but S. COO for it, had made $1,000 per month on
the work for several years. The price was 50 The
new complete unabridge copy brought out by Mer
RAM Sprng for SO which has az once rendered
the incomplete edition Of the Cliff street house abso
lutely worthless. We have been informed that the
Harpers refused stephens first book Of Travels"
cept on condition that he shoudered half the expense
of seretypug it, or at least gave them security for
it, and they say that they have paid stephens upwards
$4,000 copyrights And yet the same house incur
heavy expense In bringing out yolumnous history
OF the United states, by Hillrcth, which will pro-
badly be on the shelves Of two thousand book
sellers, and never sell enough to pay the expense
sf 4 ha MIA Mr. K Or such D
the editor Of sicky hebdouinal OF this city, which
drags out feeble existence with the help OF the prin
cira publishers years the reader critic
and puifer.s general Of the house Of Wiley Putnam
At his advice IL Is unjerstood they undertook Ion
series Of books called Library Of Choice Reading y
Mr. taste In literary matters would be called good
suppose but his judgment about books IL somewhas
dubious fancy. foe hardly believe that seris'
Of works ever paid The unbound sheets OF unsoli
editions are labelled, and packed away on the top