The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-07-19
HOW BOOKS ARE MADE /;
VISIT TO TIRE PUBLISHING HOUSE OF
D. APPLETON & CO.
V Correspondence of the Era.

Literary Correspondence of the Era.
DEAR READER, are you an author? Did
you ever congratulate yourself that you had
made book? This did, not long ago, when,
IN the midst of my gratulations, l happened
into the establishment of D. Appleton Il Co.,
and looked around, in amazement, upon the
three hundred people, as busy as bees ia their
several departments of printing, binding, press
ing, and polishing, what authors had produced
had of course been aware that a book must
be printed and bound, and / knew it must take
several people to do it; but had never imsg-
ined the number of nice and skillful processes
to which it was subject nor the time and labor
required before it could be completed.
1t became my duty to wait while in what
seemed to me, at first glance, lumber-room !;
but on gazing around to see if could not leart
| something, even in a lumber-room, l espieds
peeping through these stacks of brown papers
beautifully printed sheets, and, upon observing
closely, could read each one labelled according
to its contents. "Thirty Years in the United
States Senate" upon bundles piled to the very
roof What a popular man must Col. Benton
be, if the great demand has created this supply.
"Leaves from Family Journal" This read
long ago, and do not wonder that here are
thousands of copies more, soon to 60 forth, for
it is book which would be read with certain
interest, and scarcely less certain profit, by all
"heads of families" which is the more marvel
lOus, as its author is a Frenchman. "The
Brief Remarks" must have very extensive
influence, if we may judge from the links here,
| tn form md inaitv in
creasing as it is gratiGed, pick through the
senseless coats of several gigantic heaps, and
find Biographies, Histories, and Poems, in
endless variety.
In this same room, observe men weighing
monstrous bags of trimmings. These are cut
from the edges of the books, and gathered up,
that nothing be lost. Soon they return, trans
formed into reams of "gilt" and "letter press"
to be again printed, and clipped, and bound.
Now, am so much interested that / beg to
see the sequel of such an establishment. 1t is
well known, we presume, to all readers of books,
that by no publishing house in the United
States are books turned ont, of such perfect
finish, in all that concerns the binders art, as
by the Appletons. Next to the Harpers, we
believe it is also the largest establishment in
our country, and is conducted by FIVE brothers,
of whose enterprise the world does not need to
be informed, but of whose origin and history
wish knew more, that might relate it for the
benefit of youth.
1t may be interesting to young authors, and
especially to young authoresses-if there are
any among my readers who are aspiring to the
honor and good fortune of calling these gentle
men "my publishers ITO know something of
the ordeal to be passed through before this
event can fairly take place. You have studied
and thought long and patiently, and you have
corrected your MSS. You have pondered it
till it seems that any stroke of your pen is a
thread spun from the finest network of your
brain. You are sure it is good book, and
have little fear about its being appreciated by
the world, but you fear greatly whether it will
be appreciated properly by those who are to
decide whether it is ever made public. 1t
takes you days, and perhaps weeks, to summon
sufficient courage to appear before the judges,
on whom, it seems to you, all the hopes of life
depend. But it must be done; and with the
precious burden you finally cross the thresh-
old, and introduce yourself, with the name of
your embryo book trembling on your lips To
transact business has never been among the
accomplishments thought necessary for wo-
man, and it is with unspeakable fear and trem-
bling that you enter into the details of bar
gain.
Into whose hands you fall to be adjudged
you know not, but after the appointed time,
with sinking heart and fatering step, you call
and learn your doom. If he who stands before
you held in his hand the shears which snap the
thread of life, it would not seem a more mo-
mentous occasion, and you would not watch
his lips with intenser agony. Accepted" or
"Rejected these are the words, and either
will produce nearly the same instantaneous eff
feet. But from the shock produced by the first
you will soon recover and it is certain, not only
to Yourself but to all the world that there is some
merit in your book if accepted here. Now, a
bargain seems of little consequence to you. 1t
is not money, but good reputation, that you
dwell upon with intense delight.
As yet, you have made the acquaintance of
but one of the firm; but, in your vanity and
ignorance, you perhaps imagine your fame has
spread through the house, at least so, the next
time you call, you address yourself to the first
person you meet, and have the modification
of learning that you have not ever been heard
of; and now that your manuscript has gone to
the printer, the member of the fraternity who
accepted it is as ignorant of its progress as il
he had never seen it. You must be introduced
to another, who directs concerning the type
and size, and everything connected with the
execution; and SO thoroughly is everything
done by dicision Of labor, that you may get
burned out, and reproduced, and yet address
Yourself to third or fourth partner in the es-
Establishment, and he will not know your face or
name. But if you walk in the first morning
, after you are ready for distribution, not only
every principal, but every official, will bestow
upon you look of recognition; you have
passed through all the gradations, and are act
ually an author, Here you are, on the shelf,
with as respectable an external as any of your
cotemporaries.
Now we will look into the bindery, and see
how it is brought about. The type-setting is
done at another place but in this large, airy,
| pleasant room, into which we first walk, are
ten presses which are tended by girls, who look
as neat as dairy-maids, and as bonny. Here
you see the pages which you traced by the slow
process of penmanship, multiplied by the hun
dred and thousand an hour. From here they
are taken in guires by the Sheet-man, who
carries them aloft to the Folders. Here, too,
are girls, and with amazing dexterity, and by
means of a paper cutter they give the large
sheets book form. They are paid SO many
cents hundred, and make good wages, if con.
stantly employed. But, notwithstanding au-
thors do so increase and multiply, there is some
times dearth of material for making books.
When folded, Gatherer takes them, and pla-
ces together sufficient number to make a per-
, feet book. Round and round she goes, gather
ing Leaues, some of which are roses, and some,
we fear, are nightshade! But those we look at
do not belong to the latter class; for we read,
Chemistry of Common 1htngs," . The Heir
Of Radcliffe"
, From the Gatherer they are taken by the
FRESHMAN, who reduces them to a compact
state, for the Collater, who examines the "sgns
and wonders" for such they always seemed to
me, at the bottom of the pages, to see that each
} is in its proper place.
Now the Se,cin0 Machine cuts the hacks Tn