The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-01-22
PUBLISHERS AND AUTHORS.

. An interesting article lately appeared in Fraser's
Magazine, on literary affairs Of which the following,
to publishers and OF the nil desperandun. TO authors
Is quite qnoable for its anecdotes.
some Of our most approved standard works went
begging from publisher TO publisher, and were only
accepted by sort of accident al last. Prdeauxs
Connection beineen the Old and the Neio Testament
was, for instance, handed from hand 10 hand be-
tween five or six booksellers, for two years BY
publisher the author was gravely told that the
subject was dry it should be enlvened with iitNs
humor Al last Echard recommended IL to Tonson
Robinson Crusoe il is well known ran through the
whole tradei finally, bookseller, more knowing than
his brethren, published it, and realized thousand
pounds from ii. Ifistra,p .Shdndy was offered by
Serne TO bookseller for fifty pounds, and was re-
lectedi Dodsley eventually published il. The pub
lie, TOO were oentimes as stupid as the publishers
For instance, the RoSciad was perfectly unsuccess-
full at tirst only ten copies were sold in five days;
at length Garick finding his own praises in II, pat
ronized It, and then Churchill reaped harvest from
its sale Gray's Ode on Efon College, according to
Warton excited very little attention. What may
surprise some people IL, that Blairs Sermons were
refused by Strahan the publisher. Tourn to anoth-
or class Of works. Burns's Justice was sold by Its
author for small gum, for he was weary as he de-
clared, of imporluning booksellers to buy It II now
realises annual income. Buchans Domestic Med
icines was purchased Tor five pounds.
In light literature the author was also sacrificed
or cupidity of the publisher. Miss Burneys EreR-
ma, all the world can remember sold for five pounds;
The Uundsrer, by Savage, produced only ten
The picdr Of UakefeM was purchased, 1t Il true,
for the sum of sixty guineas but it gained not that
success until the Traveller had made its authors
name famous, The narrow escape which Fielding
had Of selling his Tom Jones for an 'old song must
not be omitted. He had disposed Of the copyright
of that work for twenty-five pounds, when In great
distress. Thompson, however, happened 10 see the
manuscript, advised his friend 10 gel rid of his bar
gain promising TO introduce the novelist TO Andrew
NJ liar, the eminent publisher. Accordingly Millnr
and Fielding met at tavern, Mr.. Fielding said
the publisher, 4 always determine on affairs of this
sort at once He paused-thc heart of the author
sank Mr.. Millar resumed: Il cannot offer more
than two hundred pounds for your work'-'200
pounds cried the delighted Fielding; and rushing
from his chair he shook the publisher by the hand
then turning TO the bell, summoned the waiter, and
ordered two more bottles Of wine. Alas poor Fel-
ding there was NO saving that istared, il-condi-
toned but most interesting man. from ruin. The in
dependence Of Fielding Of short duration;
eventually he borrowed upon his works FIVE hundred
pounds from Milar, sum which rhat generous
man cancelled in his will. One sckcns over these
details, which bring to the mind the heartache Of
many true genius, the disappointment, the degra-
dalton, the despair We dare not dilate on modern
days, one trait Of which will perhaps suffice. TIE
pleasures of Hope were refused by every publisher
of London and Edinburgh, and We're only published
a, last condition that the author should be con-
tent with the of ten pounds only, and that not
until 4 second edition had appeared LIT. Worid