The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-11-12
From the Philadelphia Weekly Pres.
LITERARY PROSPECTS.

The general depression in trade has greatly
anected what may be called the manufacture of
DOCKS There has been a general decline in
'ne DOCK trade ever since the summer Of 1856,
about which period commenced that poli,icai
excitement throughout the whole conntrv. which
was scarcely ended by the desiderated election
OF Mr. Buchanan 70 the Presidency. All throuph
tne summer, all through the autumn. all through
the winter OF 1856, publishers NAV be said IN
nave rested on their oars, doing very little and
actually undetermined what to do. This vaa
the case IN every city where publishers do con.
grega'e. 1t was 80, no less, in Philadelphia.
In the early part Of 1857, prospects seemed to
DrlShten, every one seemed to think that better
Gays were a. hand, but comparatively few cared
to break the ice. The Appletons in New York.
IL icknor Fields IN Boston, and Lippincott in
Philadelphia, chiefly showed ACTIVITY
The spring season came and passed. without
much having been done by publishers. Then
came pause-a waiting, it was said until tho
tall, which came--a faH, indeed bnt not Of the
expected kind. AT present, little is doing. The
Appletons are preparing their new Cvclorn]ia.
me hrst volnme of which will he published in
January; Redheld has nearly ready. hu. nozt
pones, a Observation-Disclosures edition of F1gar
A. P0e's Poems; Stringer & Townsend have
issued that magnificent work of Herhar,,s ON
The Horse in America, 1.-THE agency for which
lor pennsylvania, has been transferred 70 ] r
L'ppncott, OF this CITY y the Hampers have
issued Barth's African Explorations. and prom.
Use LlVlgstone's; here and there. in other cit;es
We fnd faint symptoms of vitality. Here with
the exceptionof Elders Life of DR.. Kane. which
Chlids ~ Peterson will speedily issue. and of
which, from the high ability Of the author and
the deep interest Of the subject, much ia ax.
pec,ed, We do not hear Of any forthcoming nov.
city. /. b. Peterson announces that he throws
n million OF copies of various books into retail
sale at half price, 1.-THE next thing will he IN
give them away,) and A. Rannev. New YorL,
publisher, advertises 500, 600 books on the off
principle, which has n 60 popular land
prohEable?) here and elsewhere. For the last
two months, we are we'll assured, the sale of
books by the gilt stores has been greater than
the whole retail sales Of all the publishers in
this city.
Whatever the cause the same inactiv;tv in
the publishing trade has prevailed in England
since the close Of the Russian war. For some
time, scarcely any books, except those relating
to that warfare, bad any sale in England. just
when reaction was anticipated, and the Au
thors began to prepare for fresh work, the In
dian revolt came on and turned public atten
ton into another and particular channel. At
present, with the exception of reprints of non
uiar works of fiction, for the various libraries"
which are supplying the public with good lite.
nature, cheaply) there is scarcely any demand.
Ia London, Tor any books, except those which
relate to India. Mr.. Stocqueler formerly edi.
tor OF newspaper at Calcutta who has been
dia, now finds himself man of the times. and
has sold, By tens Of thousands, a hastily.writte,
book, giving information about the people and
the seat Of war. Mrs. Colin Mackenzie, a well.
meaning woman, who thought she had n mis-
sion to convert the Hildoos, and, three wears
ago, published two volumes, called Life on
the Mission, the Camp. and The Zenana." which
had no very great sale, has reissu d it as ask
Years in Delhi" AID the mere name sells it Off
in 'honsands--so absorbing is the one prevail
ing subject.
In the absence Of book writing, it might be
expected that American authors would, more
largely than heretofore, throw themselves into
the Magazines. But with the exception of
Harpers, which is attractive by illustrated srti.
cles, and the KHickerbocker, which exhibits so
largely the general character of l.. G. Clark, its
edi,or, the Magazines have rather declined. OF
late, PHtndmS, compelled to yield to the pres
sure OF the times, has been devoured by Enler-
sons Magazine, which, like Pharaoh's lean kline
swallowing up the fatted, has destroyed it, with
out lettering itself. The Philadelphia Maga-
zines cannot be said to have improved, and, in
deed are generally accepted as media for Ia.
dies fashions, rather than for any distinctive
literary character.
About this time, according to the public an
nouncement, we have been led to expect the
first number Of the magazine upon which
Phillips, Sampson, d Co., of Boston, have en-
gagged not only American but also English
authors Of repu'e. With such a strong array
of paid contributors az it announced, this mag
azlne ought to take the lead among American
perc ideals. We should have been better pleased.
had it wholly relied upon the large amount of
available and undoubted talent which this
couutry now possesses. Bat, provided it do
lot build up party-wall Of Abolition. for the
express purpose of running its head against,
we see no reason to anticipate that, properly
and impartialy conducted, this Boston maya
zine can or will be a failure. We await the
first number with considerable expectancy.
Two good things, this dulness in the book
trade is likely to effect. Authors, instead Of
writing, as horses are made to run, against
time, will have more time for research, and
thought, and concentration. Writing too fast
has been one of the literary evils of late years,
caused by great demand for popular books
For, though we have more newspapers than
any ether country in the world, it also happens
that we read more books. Two or three years
ago, there was competition among publishers
as to which, within the season, should produce
the greatest number of books, by popular au-
thors. That competition is ended, and authors
have leisure, which it is TO be hoped they will
improve, 10 think little more than that they
were able to dc.
The Columbia IS. C Times thus records one
of the melancholy results of sending young
men North to be educated. 1t is sad case,
truly:
q" highly-respectable and wealthy planter
in an adjoining district sent one of his sons,
an intelligent youth, to Northern school, to