The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-08-08


lion cr THE rs.Ds--OvSXrHaow OF THE rnrLA.
DELvHis ThsDE SALES.
There are the most encouraging Indications OF
speedy revival of the bookselIing and Publishing
business 1t IL certain, also, that this new impulse
will place the Interests Of literature i'll this country
upon TAR sounder, more advanced and liberal basis
than IL generally ant cipated. Quite a freshet Of
new books. which have been held back for some time
past, will shortly be forthcoming. These are almost
uniformly Of a much better class and higher aim
than the mass of Issues put forth among hereto
fore Several heavy and valuable series of volumes
have been prepared during the recent comparative
suspension of business, and number of splendid
illustrated editions, SURPRISING any previous enter
prises of this kind, will be published this fall. The
catalogue of the next general trade sale in New
York is made up, and the contributions, compared
with those OF previous sales Indicate that very de-
cided activity is anticipated. The invoices average
fully thirty three per cent larger than those of the
sale last fail i'll this city. Such houses AZ the Lip
plncotts Of Philadelphia, have this year $50 lines
lots, where last year they had but 24o; Little
& Brown, of Boston. now send 26O lines, who
last year had 40; the Arpietons had last
year 250 lines, and this year offer SIS lines or
more than double. In poirt of freshness and value
the books at the New York sale this year present
proportonate advance compared with the preceding
sale.
ABRoGATI0N OF THE PHI ApkIpHIA TRADE SALES
ACCOMPLISHED.
But the important feature of the approaching trade
sale, and OF the present condition of the publishing
interest is the movement for general consolidation
at least commercial GENERALIZATION of the trade in
New York Hitherto the sessions Of these sales have
been duplicated one catalogue being made up for
New York and the other for Philadelphia. This
arrangement has been continued in Difference to the
morbid desire of the Philadelphaus to maintain the
semhance OF metropolitan centre of trade in their
city. It's. consequence has been very damaging to
the trade al large, and with the two or three late
disastrous sales there has forced the leading pub.
lishcrs in spite of various ntrgues and log rollings
70 refuse any further invoices or councnance of any
sort, to the sham trade sale Mt Philadelphia. The
Philadelphia houses have themselves 80 increased
their New York invoices aud reduced the amounts
offered at their own sale, that the matter Is clearly
question Of pecrniary expediency. In view
IL is but natural that tie Boston and New York Sec
tions of the trade sbould bolt the matter altogether
on the simple ground of the disastrous pecuniary
results of the Philadelphia sales. In view of the
risk and sacrifice anticipated the publishers have
practsed the dodge OF sending to the late sales in
that city only their stale and unsaleab!e stock This
has become too apparent to the buyers, and they
have either avoided the SALE refused TO buy picked
out the limited supply of "decoy lots on the cata-
logues, and slaughtered them. Large remainders
have accordingly been left the auctloneers hands
reserved" and unsod. A nucleus Of this sort for
one more sale, remains to be disposed OF this fall
and the Philadelphia houses have tried to urge their
correspondents 10 send on contributions. But the
Boston houscs-Li,tle & Brown and others-with the
Appctons and the Chief members of the Publishers
Association Of this city, as also the Harpers and
all ut,elf AZ hos
ever they might diner On other questions, they
would no longer permit those differences 10 inter.
fere with unanimous dscountenance OF these
mischevous duplicate sales. Only the Philadel.
phians in their chagrn are opposed to the PROPOSE
ton of having the reman0ers and invoices now ia
their city transferred TO the sale here, where an
audience can be had. la the absence
houses there of course be no "trade sale again
In Philadelphia. Foreseeing this last year. the
trade sale house of that city proposed dissolution
Of partnership, and sent on to this city those
hers of the firm who had charge of these sales To
continue their business here. They are personally
very popular with the trade and only for the pani:
doubtless their project would have been pat 10 exc.
cntion They have now to confront the transfer OF
their business here in advance of their coming.
The book publishers trade sales in Philadelphia
will hereafter belong to history like the days Of the
Continental Congress.
PHILADELPHIA PuBLisHExS, AUTHORS AND IN
1RiGCEs.
The PhiladclphaDs manifest most ungmcious
temper ut this condition of things and seek in too
many unworthy instances TO make personal quarrel
out Of an inevitable and natural developcment of
the laws of trade. They should remember that If
the Boston houses now foremost in ovcrtbrowing
the Philadelphia sales, they (of BOSTON, only repay
what the Phladelphians themselves moved and car
red years since in the of Boston. IL j. only
by Jealous and busy ntrigues that the Phia ieIpans
have long held their ground, and it is understood
they will seek tn revive again the late discords
which they instigatcd and nurscd to the same end
Ezt,- ehn. NAt- AAt1 I,se
present occasion they have been counted out.
The book trade in Philadelphia has long since
been dis'anced. Publishing enterprise there
achieved the highest position Il has ever occupied,
solely upon the old exploded platform of the pratt.
cal Ieprinters. All the standing 1t has now il an
unquestionablc precedence IN the propagation Of
"wooden books the stall, storeoypes, remainder
editions, and tic peculiar classics which are bar.
tered in the Southwest for shingles aud peltros.
The we'll known sarcasm Of Sidney Smith. Who
ever reads an American book" belongs TO the pany
days Of the book trade and American literature in
Philadelphia. Viewing only the basis which that
city claims to call q convention 80 publishers there
the saying has as mnch point to-day when the
nowned reviewer belabored the United States tenn-
sylyania) Bank repudiatcrs. Truly. who ever reads
a philade'phia LOokY Who ever hears cf Phila
delphia author The great debt of American hiem-
tdre IT, Philadelphia publishers Is IN the mltter OF
that forty thousand dollar fund levied on he brick
yards Of the trade and used ~ hire Philosopher
Carey and others in writing down the international
copyright movement and engineering the l1bbies OF
Congress for it's defeat.
EVILS AND AETsEs on THE TRluT sttE sNsrrN.
The present method OF trade sales first
started in Philadelphia, AID among the other
Vaccinations which some uf the publishers of the
other cities resent. are the evils which they
assume tins system h,s ontailed upon them.
The whole thing has grown obnoxolis, aud The
sies are denounced as humhugs and Luis3nces ted
ing only 10 unsettle and disorganizc business and
create had feeling. II there were apparent rene
dy. the conclusion would be not only against the
duplicate humbug NJ Philadelphia, bat against The
,niiIc system IN any shape. the nhrorsi0n OF She
duplicate sessions will iist be tired, which 10 IL
thought will remove the great obstacle to the utility
OF the system. The time required in attending tire
trade sale sessions will thus b, shortened one hi.
To booksellers from the country attending these
sales both sprirg and fill tie duplicate session at
philadelphia has operated a a tax, in time lost.
hoicl bills. Yelling expenses, &c. amounting OF an
average TO ffty dollars for each sale, or ;lv0 year