, 1873-12-06
How and BY Whom the Work
Is Done.
Editors, Associate Editors, Revisers,
and Contributors. :
The Various Processes Of the
Work.
Tho Thoroughncss with Which It Is Done
...1mportant Cllanges Made.
Progress of Revision Thus Far.
corrtspondtnes ef The Chicago Tribune.

Correspondence a The Chicago Tribune.
NEW yong, Sus. q, 1879.
Tho making Of flrst-clnsa Cyclopedia IL
gigantic undertaking for eing1o publishing
houso to tnke up iu addition to its general bust
noss and carry through to completion; and ths
work on which tho establishment Of the Apple
touB Of tllia city. is engaged, is ono Of tllt
greatest of It's kind. Noninaily It is revision
OF tho old Cyclopodia, but yii.na!ly 1t il the
preparation Of Il far moro comEl.to. carefully.
wrought, and expensive book than tho original
This revision is no aloycnly rotrcnchment oi
passages hero aud there, aud tho filling Of tllf
Bpacs go gained with now matter; but q
thorough oyorhau1lng Of evory rago Many
titles which tho maturcr judgment Of tlo edl.
tors has doomed supoliluous in work OF tue
kind have beon altogether suppressed; other
articles have boen brought wlt!,iu small.
ar compass; and many new oncs
havo boon introduced. A large portion of the
old articles which arc retained in substance are
entirely rewritten and every QUO ia carefully re-
yiscd. Whatever Of Inter or more accurate In
formation eau DO had Ia obtained at whatoyer
cost, md no pains aro spared to make the work
apcrfect record Of all Ruc1 general information
ls the student and the worker in tho various
:allinga III Life may ut any timo stand in need Of.
THE WORKSHOP.
Tho principal part Of the work of preparing
:he Cyclopcdla IL carried on In tho fourth story
of tho publishing house OF tho Applotons, on
Broadway. Entering tho trout door, you pass
through lanes piled high with books Gu either
'aana, among which q small colony OF CLERKS and
customers obstruct your progress, until you
teach tho rear Of tho etoro, on Mer-
ser street, 200 feet from the ou-
:ranco. 1Mtrusting yourself to tho oioya-
tor there, you nro carried to tho fourth Btosy,
whero you again trRvoree tho entire length Of
tho building to tho front, passing among cords
II paper md stationery. Tnoro you end tho
Workshop Of tho modern Cyclopcd;sts. It is
divided OF by low partitions from the rest of
Tho aoor. ind is fully lighted by tho largo VIM
lows OH the Broadway front, It ia room about
nty feet squire, In which some twenty-five or
thirty mon are constantly occupied. Through tho
middle runs a long desk, with placos for wrltors
along both Bideg. and an elevation In tho mid
lie. filed with pi3oon-holcB stuffed full OF docu-
nents and materials. All about tho room aro
olAer desks ut every ayailallo point, aud day
Rfter day may bo found there tho ploaling work
men ut the horculean labor which which hall
been going Oh nearly for two years before tho
arst volume 1nado its publlc appearance. Ono
side Of tho room is entirely takou up by o
series of book-nhelves, filled with all tho refer
snce-books, In various languages, which could
90 got together, bzsilas reports. volumes OF
statistics hisorios oficial alnlanacs, otc., etc
Every desk, too, il bnrdenod with documents
obtasnod for special lines Of work, and with
mnnugcript-lnatorials secured by cotlatan; corrc-
spondenco With living authorities. Tho ea,ly
worlters generally put In al Importance hore about
o'clock in the morning, and the othors drol, III in
tho COURSE OK tho noxt hour; aul. through tho
middle OF the day, every desk is occupied aud
every pen is busy. Tho workers seldom speak
to each otter, except to consult in I'LL uuder-tono
rs to sonlo doubtful poiut. Every ulun l,at lo-
tore him aud about him books and documents
covering his desk aud running over upon the
.hen some ono glidos up to tito colossal boos-
:aso to consult somo authority or to
aunt down missing fact. Three Or four
augo atases. .perchcd upon sort OF easel for con-
veniet reference, recoivo constant visits md.
antll 1ato in the afternoon. tho busy work goes
on. Manuscript springs into oxistoncc. passca
through tho oflea! OF revision, and goes furth to
tho printer. who is located over the river in the
part Of Brooklyn fan!i!iarly known US Williams
burgh: and back come proufs in piles, to bo put
through thorough correction.
THE EDITORS.
Chief among the workers. in tLia literary hire
9 tue Venerable George Ripley. we'll know. for
hls vast and critical Information on al manner
- AAolGttos A1A uhh 44st3l hlN lNeEll GuAUIE.
ue is graduate OF Harvard College, was the
prime mover in tho famous cooperative estcr-
prize known al the Brook Farm Colony, w.lieh
drew In 30 many Of tho cloca intol!ects
Of the Inst gono.at4on in Massachusetts. and has
crowned hIa later years with Wide aud varied
experience BY extensive travel. constant Et1,tly,
aud association with the active mon Ut tho living
world. flo il still, as ho has boon for many
years, the literary editor Of tho Tribune. aud
displays in that position not only tho erudtion
nd gracc TINT come from lurge culture but MI
ettsisy mud enterprise that would do credit to
Ae youngest journalists. It is raro that any Of
'he llterary work OF tho Tribune il done by any
,ther hand, though lie il obliged TO tlovoio auito
're-hst llis working timo 10 the Cycloncdia. III
9erson, Mr.. Ripley is stont, and carries tho
weight OF ttsnr three -ecore-ycars-a -a1d-ten with
trm aud elhssicStop. His hair andclosey- trimmed
9s neard are almost white. but bis facs ~ forid
no aud Slr. cha:les A. Dana wero tho editors Of
the old edits'n Of tho Oyclopodia, aud arc no
Lind.
o. Alr. Dana :. best known aa tho editor Of tho
sun nemspaCt'c, but no one who ltnows him aB
tint a!ous knows tho man at oil. He, top was
carried away ty tho 1nillonnial droum Of Iyook
Farm, but slllHequenty Eayo hia life to Journal
ism. or late hc l,aa been known III, a bold mud
not overacrubnloua assailaat OF anybody aad
ANYTHING that las rouEcd liH indignation; blt
In private lfe, he is tho most polished Of scuol-
ara and the most genial md interesting OF COM
pAniona. lie Ia maslor OF tho German, Fianeh.
Italian, aud other European lauguaecs; and his
culture and information aro vast aud varied.
Mr. Ripley and Mr.. Dana work toga.her as
editots-in-caief In the most perfect harmony.
The former las his whole soul in tho work. It
occupies luis waking and his slooplng hours.
Every moment that eau be snatchod fruu, other
engagements is given tn it. I1o looks after +!
every detail Of tho work, from tho time tile |
Old volumes are taken up until the new onos ase
issued. lie IL continually Watching ea. nuy inv
should pass beyond tic reach OF remedy. Ills |
n-book la in constant use Tor new
entrics or consultation Ut old oneB md io ca,-
not rcst until oyery point of tho wolh In prog
roas 1s familiar to his mind. When 1t IL collsitl-
arol that tho advance guard Of writer's Is all tho
time ut leaHt thrco volumes ahead Of tho last ro-
yisor. 1t will ho scon tlnt sllis is no light task
Mr.. Danaa method OF working is different. lie
rarely spends more than oil hour in tho office at
onc tune. but during that honr be glancos oycra
of naatter upou which ho IL 10 bo con-
ul.od, with Amazing rapidity and accuracy Of
Judgment lie looks ovor special artIclcs aud
nakes sngsestione. for improvement. runs
Trough piles Ut ordinary copy to SEQ how tho
;ene,al work Ia boing dona, caats LIs eye oyor