The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-11-22
LONpoN IIrERARY GOSSIP.

Mr. Charles Reade's violent and abusive letter
has surprised nobody here who knows ANYTHING
of the tactics OF that clever and not unite so
eccentric-as-he-would-d desire to be considered
gentleman. We have had some startling speci.
mems OF his epistolary powers IN the shane of
letters to the Saturday Reoieto and other iour-
mails, Perhaps some OF your readers NAV re.
member that remarkable epistle beoinnnp
'fdu1ddy ReoteU, you have brains of your
own, and good ones If you like 10 use them
Only very simple folks here set all this down to
mental alteration. Ingenious and well.con.
structed plots-for his plots are inpenious and
well constructed, or clever writing for his writ
ing Is clever In spite of all faults-do not issue
from diseased brains Mr.. Reade as he hints
knows at least perfectly well what he iS about
when driving bargain in Paternoster Row. No
wild, excited genius then-nO eye in a fine
frenzy rolling-but steady businesslke
regard TO very hard cash" as many can testify,
The fact is, that crack.brained epistles make a
noise, and noise, as every one knows who has
been at fair, draws people into the SHOW
When man of undoubted intellectual powers
commits himself to an outrage upon good taste
and feeling, IL is, OF course, nine days wonder
ana nine days In these times, when every day
brings forth new novel, are no inconsidera BILE
portion OF time for novelist to I'LL the public
mouth in. The thing has, 1t is true, begun to
flag here. Nine days wonders, especially when
they are exactly the same wonders lose their
effect at last. Hence, perhaps, Mr.. Reade's trans
atlantic appearance in this lin9. 1t is an exper-
ment on the American public. The Round Table
is made the corpus U1te for the occasion. That is
all.
Nv. Reade's boast of the high prices he gets
for his novels, which he prides himself particu-
larly upon selling in the dark and without the
purchaser seeing page of his manuscript, re-
minds me of remark which once heard the
late Mr.. Thackeray make in speaking to con-
tributor to the COTphllN Magazine. at is very
well for you young authors" he said, ito take
your two guineas page and claim copyright in
reprint; many long year worked for Frazer
at fS sheet of lG pages-double columns, you
audi Nrrl,A ia -
rapid has been the rise in the price OF literary
labor. As to Mr.. Reade's novels | happen TO
know that he got for Hard Cash" $4,000 from
the very respectable house of Sampson Low &
here, did not think fit to repeat the offer
for his next novel. In the last century
authors used to talk of being 'ground down"
by the publishers, and in novels and on the
stage this view still holds its ground; but
in truth the modern tendency is the
other way. In what other trade is the buyer
compelled as Mr.. Reade tells us he is, to buy
his goods without so much as having an oppor-
tunity OF judging of their quality? Of course
this disadvantage is also disadvantageous to the
author. If man is compelled 10 buy what is
proverbially called "a pig in poke, the chance
OF the pig turning out lean one must neces
sarily influence his bidding. In Mr.. Reade';
case, however, the boast has very little meaning
His stories have almost always made their ap.
pearance in a serial before their copyright is
disposed OF. 1t is quite true that authors o
established reputation do disdain to submit theiI
works to publishers, most of whom are, never
theless, pretty shrewd judges OF the public
taste. This may have something to do with the
curious fact that story which has already had
thousands Of readers in serial will gene
rally obtain, if successful, higher price than
the most successful one published for the frs
time in volumes. In the first case the publisher
knows what he buys; in the second he runs
risk for which he must, of course, be compen
sated. Is it not time that our authors, who
after all do sell and haggle and bargain in their
own fashion, gave up these absurd notion:
about loss of dignity in submitting theii
writings 'to traderW
Mr.. w. NJ Rossetti has in the press an elabo
rate criticism upon Swinburnes poems and
ballads, in which he defends the poet warmly
against his censors. Swinburne's own pampn
let is just out which reminds me that the poet
has Just completed an elaborate study upon the
poet and painter Blake, which suppose will b(
published one day.