The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-07-24

strange characters, ana vast amount OF talent,
impos,ure, genius, folly, piety, humbug, and ras-
cality. All sorts OF laborers native and imported,
live or starve by this trade. You have authors and
publishers, poetasters and pagiarists, saints and
scribblers, printers and pedlers, blackguards and
gentlemen, all hanging on to the skirts Of the cur
rent literature of the day. Some starve, others
steal. Some go to church, others go to the devil.
Some live palaces, others rot IN lanes and alleys.
Some, while they live, are held up as models Of
honesty and virtue-and, when they die, over their
sainted remains costly monuments are erected,
which transmit to all future generations the skill Of
some illustrious stonecuter; others are kicked and
cued in fes journey, from oyster cellar to oyster
cellar, and at last add another handful of dust to
the Potters Field.
But 1t is not our purpose to enter into any de-
scrptIon of the personnel of the book trade of the
United States. That belongsto hired biographers,
the Methodist and other churches, and the records
of the police 1t is of the morale of the trade that
we would now speak. We design to examine,
briefly, the mode asd manner in which the busl-
ness of publishing books is conducted; the inilu-
ences thus exerted upon the public mind and the
public morals the effect produced upon the
tional literature and the duty which devolves upon
the daily journalism of the country, in connec-
ton with this department Of human civilization
and human progress.
There are at present, in the city of New York,
several publishing houses which have grown into
some importance within the last few years, and
hey afierd very excellent means of illustrating
this interesting subject. We have, among others,
the publishing house of the Harpers-the "Brothers
Harper" These worthy men, excellent citl-
zens, and upright in all their business dealings.
They are, we believe, eminent props and pillars of
the Methodist Episcopal caurch-one of the most
pious and influential ecclesiastical organizations
with which this favored land is blessed. Yet we
do not tank that the system adopted by these
mentorious patrons Of modern literature has been
the one best calculated, so far as they have been
concerned, either TO make American writers cor
pulent and comfortable, or American morals sound
and sweet. It's quite notorious that this publish
ing house has inundated this country with cheap re-
prints the trashy novels and demsrazing works of
fiction, which have been published In Europe within
the last t.en twenty years, for the special bene-
fit Of sentimental mlllners, worn GU, roues board.
ing school mist es, chambermalds, and the circu-
lating Libraries Of the fashionable watering places
We have thus seen this pious house sending forth,
with amazing fecundty year after year, an i'm
mense brood of RIGHTEOUSNESS, folly, vice and cor.
rupon; and yet with the exception of this journal
this wicked, depraved, incorigibly reprobaie
journal, the Nty York HeraLd-not a single pres,
Of the United States, so far we know, has ever
at any time, during the disseminating Of this cor
ruptng literature amongst us, veniursd to utter
a word of reproof or condemnation Of the conduct
Of this religious publishing house. 1t has been
chiefly out Of the large profits accruing from the
republication Of the liceniious novels Of Bulwer,
Sue. and others of that school, that the fortunes of
the llarpers have been bull, up II would 1
be very curious thing If we could ascertain by |
or some other equally successful |
mode Of philosophical investigation, the particular
novels OF Buwer to which the cause of Methodsm
and msrals in the United States have been most
signaly indebted, through the instrumentalty of
The benevolent brothers and pious printers Of Cliff
street.
Other houses engaged in the same business Of
publishing books IN this city. have also exhibited
peculisrities or peccsdilloes. Thus,
have had number Of school books aud editions Of /
the csssics, pamed off upon the public as the /
original productions Of some world-renswned I
" professor in the backwoods Of the beautiful /
West, and SAID TO have been procured, like the |
last baboon at Barnum's, Eat an ensrmous ex- 1
pense." while, IN fact, the works are merely re-
print Of some old European books, and stuffed fall 4
Of typographical blunders at that Thus the
American public-s public which is prominently i
by a disposition to acquire know
ledge and raironisc all literary efforts and literary
enterprises-has been grossly imposed upon; and
az the same time, deserving men. fully capable
Of performing such literary labor with credit and
success, have been deprived Of the means of en-
ploying their talents in that direction. 30, too,
with works Of science in all it's departments. In
stead of employing American authors these pub
listers have issued their "cheap and nasty" edi-
lions Of foreign works, selecting them with
the Judgment Of the counting-room, rather than
hat Of the closet In the lighter departments
of literature, the same policy has been pursued
the mean, paty, avarcious policy of the mere
'hopman or pedler The chespness Of the mt
luscript has been the cardinal recommendation
# the original works Issued by our publishers. Ia
ome cases that we could name, books of real me-
it, that have sold well, and realised a hsndsom.
um to the publisher, have not brought the poor
'u,hor single sous. Again, the "rcaders" en-
Iloycd by these publishing houses are such &C.
muses. One Of these wiscacres advised a pub
Usher in this city to have nothing to do with
book which has run through many editions in a
year, and Is one Of the most popular works in the
English language.
Then, how everything that is issued by these
publishers is pulled by the periodical press II Is
puff, puff, puii-ncthing bu, puff Every book is
excellent, grand, splendid-ought to be in every
library. In vain do you look tor honest, int iii.
gent, Just, discriminating criticism Of the current
literature OF the day in the newspapers or journals.
This must not be allowed to contiane We mean
to take up the current literature Of IN, diy. and
dissect IT, We shall subject it, and publishers and
authors. and the whole book-trade, to the s,lut,ry
test OF an impartial judgment. Ourtrea,ment will be
adapted TO each case. Mid and benev VIOLENT, like
salts and senna, when that course may be proper;
terrible and searching as Brandreth's pills, whsa
your oidInery remedies are out Of the question -
Let us see who and what fret to take in hand