New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-09-07
rnx BOOK TRADE.sALR.

importance to the maAters' and publishers, and
sellers of books-of not o little also to the
buyers, as these sales must have an influence
on the Trade price of books all over
the country. Nearly all the large publish
ing houses contribute to the sale, and We
suppose most of the jobbers and retail
dealers doing considerable business anywhere
in America have their representatives this morn
ing at Mr.. Coolcy's spacious rooms on Broad
way. The catalogue which lies before us is an
octave volume of390 pages, distributed between
about one hundred contributors. The Apple
tons Of this city, whose invoice opens the sale
have 30 pages to themselves, Tcknor & Fields
16, j. b. Lippincott g. Co. Is, Hurd g.
HoughtOn IL, and so on. We cannot
readily compute the number of volumes offered,
but it is easy to see that the proceeds Of the
sale will be reckOned by hundreds Of thousands
Of dollars. If any of our readers who do not
belong to "tbe trade" should chance to look
in during the eight days through which the
sale will continue, they will find very intelli-
gent audience listening intently to Mr.. Leavitt's
eloquence and buying great quantities of books
on purely business principles--nOt literary.
We shall presume they all arc interested in the
improvement of the wares in which they deal
as we know many of them are from higher
motives than merely commercial-and we have
few hints to offer them, not on the writing
but On the making Of books.
As we are going to be little critical, let u
begin by admitting that the last ten years, and
especially the last FIVE, have witnessed great
improvement in book making arts in this coun-
try. All that we have to say is meant to en-
courage and stimulate that improvement. By
slow degrees the book publishers discovered
that it might be made profitable to
print handsome books, as well as cheap books,
and aided by the jealous efforts of a few emf
nent printers, they have considerably raised tho
average of excellence in American books, con-
Sidered as mechanical productions. But We
think that the true way to still further improve
ment is to create demand for it, When the
public taste is educated up to an English
standard we may expect publishers to give US
as well.printed books as the Engsh-and not
till then. And the very first complaint va
have to make against our friends in the Trade
Sale Rooms--all of whom, we trust, will read
this in the friendly spirit in which it is written
is. that some of them have fallen into the
habit of asserting that they already equal their
English models. The truth Is that the
4 ia of hnlln1
best English, while between the drerags
issues of the leading American and English
houses, there is simply no comparison to be
made. To one who is in the habit Of buying
English books, this statement will seem COM
monplace. and will need no yerifcation. To
one who is not a connoisseur, We have this SIM
Pile test to propose Let him place ono
of the best specimens of American
typography-Say the Cambridge DE Tocque-
yille-by the side of any good English book. Or
the English page, the blackness and luster OF
the ink, the perfection of the presswork. the
clear face Of the type, the exact Register" the
well-seasoned paper and that indescrlbabls
general appearance of completeness resulting
from thoroughly skilled work and good mate
rials. will be sure to make itself felt on any at
tentive obServ alton. Yet We find several Amer
lean publishers Wanting their productions as
equal to the English, and one goes so far as
to say that the English book-makers have
hardly equaled these American products in
their most ambitious and expensive issues
We are sorry to add that the latter eX.
travagant fiction seems to be quoted from
newspaper notice; which proves that some OF
the newspaper critics need instruction as well
as the book publishers.
1t used to be said that the American market
would not pay the prices which must be de-
manded for first-rate work. but as prices have
increased lately 100 per cent. and do not seem
to fall with the general decline in labor and
material, we think that excuse for poor books
can hardly be alleged at present. more valid
apology would be the lack of competent work.
men. 1t is undoubtedly difficult to procure IN
America men who would be taken on at
frst-class London printing hclSe, but wages
are higher here than there, and inc
printers could be tempted to come, ana wouiu
speedily educate Others. As TO material va
are aware that great deal Of paper is imported
and great deal of type-not so much INK We
believe. Indeed, we have heard that one OF
the best-perhaps the best practical printer IN
the United States, declared he had no hopeot
being able to rival the English in the depth
of their ink-color, because there was some
.hil. Il, tho nt,nnsnhere Of this continent which