The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-10-09
CHICAGO.

Correspondence of the New York Evening Pos,
Among the improvements here going ON. Won
will regard none with more interest and pleasure
than the multiplying and enlarging of the book
stores. The old ones grow straight; they are
eked out with additions they become taller
broader, and more beautiful, until now Chicago
is to have as splendid and capccious book stores
as are to be found in the world. Chief among
those now building is that of which A. B. Cooke
Co. are to become the occupants.
Built OF white cut marble, twenty.eight feet
IN width, one hundred and sixty feet long, five
stories high, with every convenience which ex-
perlence can suggest, this building will cost
thirty thousand dollars, and has been leased by
the Messrs. Cook for ten years, at eight thou
sand dollars per annum.
Less than five years since, this firm located
here. For the past six months, their sales have
averaged $4,000 per month, or $40, 600 for the
half year. The horizon of their trade compre-
hends Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana.
Kansas, and Michigan, as well as Illinois.
That your readers may see how it is that sales
amounting to nearly 100000 per annum are
made up, II may be noted that their law-book
sales reach to between forty and fifty thousand
dollars a year.
OF Bgelows Life Of Fremont they have sold
between four and FIVE thousand, and of the three
different editions Of Fremont's Life they have
sold in all seven thousand copies. OF Lonefe!-
lows Hiawatha they have sold more than three
thousand copies, 1t being one-tenth of all the
publishers announce as having been Sold They
have disposed of about three thousand copies
of Macaulay's England, and of Ferns-save the
mark little and big-"Ruth Halls" and the
whole family, fifteen thousand volumes.
And then the extent of the shool. book trade
is almost incredible. The other day, somebody
han cd 10 of al 49, Il q
Barnes 4 Co., for their school publications.
which numbered 81, 500, almost sixty thousand
volumesl Who will not infer that the school
master is not abroad at the West-that the peo-
pies colleges do not sprinkle prairie and vale,
thckly as stars the winter heaveu-that the
time Is not at hand when We shall rear our own
teachers, do our own thinking, make our own
books?
And this is not the only establishment of the
kind here, in point magnitude. The fall orders
of Messrs. S. C. Griggs & Co. contain, among
others, the following items Of school books
their own publications, $4,000 volumes; ID.
Appleton Co.'s publications, nearly 10000;
other houses, 60,000-total volumes, 3i7 900.
The above orders were forwarded some time
since: but they were deemed insufficient, and
yesterday we're shown an additional order for
$4,000 volumes of the publications of this house.
This makes grand total of 425,OOO ordered
by Messrs. Griggs & Co., to meet the demands
of the fall trade
What commentary, this upon the social and
moral condition of the great Northwest Does
it not show that the intellectual progress Of
our people fully equals the advancement of the
West in material wealth and political power?
1t is a pleasant thought that, widely as our
homes are strewn, we thus read the same books,
and are bound with the strong bands of com
mon literature. OCcmENT.