New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-05-02
Earper's Magazine.

| Ih1fty years OF energetic toll. Yes; thirty
long years the Harpers had spent in establish
ing the largest publishing house in the world
and it all went at one blow The industry,
energy and tact of nearly whole life, spent in
| the accomplishment of an ideal, was swallowed
up IN less than twenty four hours by fire. They
have but one thing left-the name of their Ma
| gazine; and that, fortunately afor the public,
the fire could not destroy We have the May
number before us, from J. G. Morgan's, Ex-
change Place, and it is if possible better than
the preceding ones Harper's Magazine is one
| Of the few published in The country which we
look for with real interest. How it is the others
fall SO far behind it, We know not. They have
the same means at their command, but some
how or other they do not appear to use them
In the first place, Harper's Magazine is a plea
SAINT thing to look at; the paper is 50 white, like
the inside of an almond; the type SO clear, and
the illustrations so abundant, spirited and we'll
engraved. Then the matter is SO varied and well
selected. History, adventure, romance, essay,
| narrative, bon mot and caricature, and plenty
of it. Many of the articles are stolen from
English periodicals, it is true, but what does
that matter They are of the best; and we
want the best we can get, no matter where they
come from. Here we have Thackeray's s. New
comes," which cost, alone, twenty five cents in
England, and are worth the money, but which
only occupy one tenth part of Harper's Maya
zine We said that good many Of the articles
in this Magazine are stolen but at the same
time it must be remembered, the Harpers pay
more for the original matter in their Magazine,
twice over. than any other in the United States,
even those which are filled with original contri-
buttons r ..=z =.
The secret of the excellence of Harpers Maya
zine we take it is in their unbounded liberality
IN every department; they will have the best,
regardless of expense. And one reason of it's
success is the personal popularity of the pub
fishers. They IRE always urbane, courteous,
and agreeable to every one who visits them.
The most unpleasant task they perform in q
gentleman like manner, SO that it is positively
more pleasant to have s.no" from the Harpers
than Eyes from most other publishers.
The head of the firm, James Harper, is quite
a wag, and let the most discontented author
come in contact with him and he will go away
laughing We were amazingly amused at the
way in which he refused to publish a book of
fered to him by an author in our presence one
day. a
No doubt very good,' said the Mayor, emo
doubt very talented; but it's not the thing we
want. The people won't buy them and, of
eourseone must suit their goods to the market If
a tailor, for example, were to come to me and
say MIR, Harper, have large quantity of
very fine scarlet cloth, allow me to make you q
pair of pantaloons' I've no doubt they would
look very pretty, and all that sort of thing, not
the least in the world but don't want them, /
prefer black don't We see." There was some
thing so inexpressibly ridiculous in the idea of
the grave looking Mayor, with his grave man
ner, attired in pair of scarlet pantaloons, that
we could not help joining in the laugh, parti-
cularly as the Mayor looked round in a solemn
surprised way, as if quite unconscious that he
had said anything funny at ALL