New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-01-01
BRITISH LITERARY TOPICS.

THE NOVEL PUBLISHING INTEkESTE-GEOkGE
ELotS NEw BOCK-CHKslMAs BooKS.
IFROm THt RBGVLAk COkkhsPoNpsKI G. 1hh lI0"tFf
LONDON. Dec. II. - The first part Of
George Eao''s "Mdduumch" was published ID Iu'
gland aud America about the same time Here II cones
ont ia pc. green paper coycre. swau limo oi IN
pages well piuted. ana sold al s. 70 It's Fabrication -
numbers tof which will ho eight % al attempt "n
the part Of M,ssrs Backwood to break W the tradition
which ordaius that al Lugltl novel sbal ape" 1u
shree volumes the price of s. 60 The result q mat
system has been that generally speaking nohoNy huys
auoycl OIL IT. first issue hut every body gets 1t out 81
crculatuc lary The libraries are, therefore nc Iut"
hshes sole customers, and the influence Of such an ar
raugcmcnt has VToVoL beneficial nche 60 publisher nor
the public and to tie author stiA less Nj InseN Tie
head Of a prosperous uovorpuhhsAug mouse '"iu "e
The other day. II letter TO The It"os
That while tho nominal pIice Of SIC Crdi
nary novel If s. TIE selling price 70 the
circulating libraries from So rs TO s. to No doubt IL
often less The sale never he large. even at that
Price except the case Of few authorsi OF where
novel by new hand makes an unexpected Bit. ia Tue
latter case tho writer TOO often profits nothing 10y the
Increased demand and the libraries certainly DO not
profit since they forced to Purchase al extra mum
Der Of copies supply The same number Of euoso1bes
The publisher does profit hat even With Inn ItIs roou
dealiibo winning prize N Lottery
II is, however, by means true that all novel pun
hshers arc IA the habit OF running any great TsR III the
hope OF a great prize occasionally. lthoSe who have
reputation sell TO the hhrdies considerable mum
Der Of copies OF matter what rubbish To the MIRA
ries again the readatlcnoss of book Is often second
AIRY consideration and for two reasons Few OF them
undertake 20 supply new hooks with pTompdtude.
You are asked 70 send for AZ least twice as
many books you want aud II the newest
~ out. OF IL great demand, you may he pat of
for days with old with the tess sought for works
The second curious ore, and y Is that great
numbers q books are taken by subscribers who do
not want them o. read and who open them, but
who think It proper ming that arecenty-puhhshed
book should be lying about the drawing room table
The librarians perfectly Of their customers
views hence their readiness TO buy from the publishers
such quantities Of unreliable trash IL must he added
that the publisher has sin another means OF securing
himself against loss. An author who is unknown Tor
TOO wei kuovuJ finds himself not unfrequently called
upon o. nay down certain sun IN advance for the
privilege Of having his book appear with the name Of
firm tie tte-page. With one house $500 Is
common SUN. Yet Nj TiusCy us i'll the letter
referred mat The system, with all lis ad
yauagcs is unsatisfactory TO the publisher. lie would
prefer TO eInaucipa'e himself from the circulating
libraries and issue ms novel in such shape and at such
a price that the Iulhc would buy. He points to tie
enormous sales OF such books IN America, and view Of
profits opens before him, the place of which supped
by ms double gains @ a small edition.
Houses Ike Mcssrs BlaCkwood with which novels are
not the only business have still more reason
Tor attempting change. Bnt If cheapues IS an element
tI cess VIII wv phhiV' pItttII lso"' %
march is made with slight regard to it. AZ there viii
be ogt parts shall have paid $40 for it when ali
ont the ordinary price Of novel is s. co. which
rohody does pay. don't bow the public ale to gain.
But bookseller AFTER all knows something Of human
nature HC-l arm not referring to Messrs BlackwoOd-
Bible in parts, AT 10 cents each. The pOus pur
chaser of Ia, fiIst part looks on 1t "a miracle Of
rheapuess, aud buys with mixture Of religions aud
economical feNOT, and readily agrees 10 take the
whole BY the time he has paid for hund'
red parts he begins 10 find out that $50 or SO
pretty price ms book. Messrs Blackwood
probably right i'll calculating that the public Will
much more readily buy Middemarch in eight parts a
81 than in three four Volumes at once for So
But stn is not very great advance toward cheap
literature The merit Of the experiment lies III its nov
city. and | welcome any novelty ii IA country where
eycrv novelty looked with suspicion. When Mr.
Dickens began 10 publish Pickwck, or whateyerlt was
~ chilling parts, everybody predicted failure The
word r. convinced ly tuis time that it was oierable
Mt Dickens once described 10 me with charac
tensile lulnor the dinculty be had In pcrsuadnR his
publishers 10 ADOPT bs views he continued the system,
A1S ,a- convinced that under 10 other could he have
made his books 80 profitable. But il wont answer for
everybody.
As for "M;ddemarcl."I bear that George Eliot re-
taihs tie copy Lht, and that instead OF receiving per
rcntaqc from Backwood, she pays percentage
10 them by way Of commission aud Keeps the rest for
her,ef This was Dckenss plan during the greater part
~ s career George Eliot is said TO have received on
former the largest agreed in advance
90 Doc paid by publisher for novel. she was given
EUG, Tor Romola' which came out IN The Cor1'hW
Moqq.iac then ana now owned by Mcssrs. Smith Il
Elder They relied good deal upon its increasing the
,al, uf one magazine. which about 10000 when
.'Rorol3 bcgau it, course. But when the tale was
CONNECTED the circulation GOOuO, and Messrs Smith
4 Ii,r hive not been inclined repeat the expert
mcut truth tnat Romola' with at it, wonder
fuI merits was never popular story III England. Miss
Eliot. or MIS- Evans. Mrs. Lewes, or whatever we
ought To- cali Lcr distinctly lost ground by that perform
Aucc ground which she bids fair 10 recover, and more
than recover. y "Mjddemach." -
One Of the few really attractive Christmas books Is
sbrdc1I,ut of P.ssayant's well known Raphael Of
l.rbiuo and his Father, Giovanni SautI." macmillan
COZ Passavants work originally published IN 1889.
~ two volumes. in German. third volume appeared
IN 1853 edition ont in I8CO, and trans
lated into French and published in Paris edited 10y the
well known Paul LacrOix, Of the busiest Of French
booguakers, and Of the most eminent OF living
photographers. The present volume Is popuarized
summary containing quite as much most students
will TO learn about Raphael including the fun de
scriptoDs Of oil his known paintings, the whole filing
imperial pages. Twenty permanent photographs
by woOdbwys process given OF the finest engraving
OF Raphaes masterpieces IN his different styles good
deal Of this sort work has appeared which is anything
but satisfactory, but these illustrations faithful
productions reduced scale Of the engravings and
themselves exceedingly well finished There many to
whom the eugTayings are not easily accessible, 10
whom this volume offers the opportunity OF studying
Raphael and getting in compcndious way an adequate
notion Of OF his great characteristics The usDss
ton OF Passavant's text IL at times little stiff and
idOmatic but the whole seems accurate and reada
ole As specimen Of bookmaking the volume IL
delight 10 the eye. Type, paper, and printing are all
exquisite the work OF the Chswick press ought 20 be-
aud almost always for among amateurs is perhaps