Litchfield enquirer., 1849-03-01
Rewards Of Literary Men.

Ahe WOrlQ mas hearQ mucn OF the ca
lamities and mistortunes of authors. In
deed, the history of the literary men Of
the old world during the seventeenth and
eighteeth centuries, is made up Of details
of their pecuniary struggles and reverses,
and consequent want and suffering. One
would think, if olden chronicles are to
be relied on, that half Of the poets and
philosophers of the era alluded to, lived
and died in miserable garrets, half cloth
ed and half fed. Stories of this stamp
form the chief capital of DR.. johnson. in
his biographies of the sons of sons in the
British Isle. The sad histories of Saw
age, Goldsmith, Cowiey, Cowper, Keats,
Kirk White, and host of like spirits,
have been dilated upon with mournful
zest by scores Of essayists and editors.
But it would seem that a new era has
dawned upon the republic of letters. In
stead of pining, alone and unnoticed, in
some obscure upper loft the iterati of
both hemispheres, at the present day, are
lounging in fashionable drawing-rooms,
Toasted by the rich, fattered by the
beautiful, and over-praised by reviewers
many Of themselves being surfeited by
a superabundance of this worlds 'gilded
dross' Look at Carlysle, Wordsworth,
Dickens, Eugene Sue, Montgomery, Du-
mas, Macauley, &C., in Europe, and
Prescott, Willis. Irving. Sparks, Benja-
nain, Everett, and others, in America
all reclining in the lap of wealth and lux
ury. Just now, Macauley's History of
England" is all the rage on both sides of
the Atlantic. The London Atheneum
states. that the publishers of this work
have stipulated to pay the author three
thousand dollars per annum for ten years
The largest sums heretofore known to
have been paid are: 1000 guineas to
Washington Irving for his "Lifc of Co.
lumbus," in four volumes, octavo-2ooO
guineas to Moore for his Life of By
ron," in two volumes quarto-and H4,-
500 for ten years to the present Bishop
of Oxford and his brother for the "Life
of Wherefore" in Eve volumes octave.
Mr.. Roberts is said to have received
5000 guineas from his "Life of Hannah
Moore" in FIVE volumes, octave. Mr..
Twiss 1000 guineas from his "Llfe Of
Lord Eldon, and Mr.. Stanley something
like 1900 guineas, from his Life of DR..
Arnold" but these were receipts upon
the sale, not specific sums given by the
way of speculation like the payments ia
Moore, Irwin, Nilberforce and Macaulay
The largest SUM ever realized by any one
work whilst it continued to be called q
new publication, was $4,000, the pro,
ceeds of Sir Walter SCOTS "Life of Ma.
polcon, the work of ~ months and
published in nine volumes octave, in
1927.
"The Row." was literally besieged
with demands for the "Lifs of Napole
on" as Stationers' Hall used to be or
Almanac Day" when the exclusive
privilege of printing almanacs belonged
to the stationer's Company. Of large
sums realized by the sale of new works
in very short period, several of the nov
els of Sir Walter Scott and the monthly
issues of Mr.. Dickens might be iustan
ced as probably. both in numbers anG
profit, exceeding anything in literatur.
since Sacheveral's Trial." or Dryden.
"Hind and Panther, the two most re-
markable instances of successful publ
cation recorded in the early history o
book selling in this country. 1.-THE Life
of Columbus" has not yet. we believe
paid its expenses; the Life Of Byron
was loss till it's appearance in one thicl
volume with double columns: and thu
Life Of Wiberforcc," it is well known
was q heavy failure. Mr.. Macaulay'l
annuity is, therefore. q lottery with Oh.
Nessrs. LOngman The best and mos
remunerNtivs books in English Eeeraturs
hsvo been bought BY booksellers at tht
tIOwess prices.