New-York tribune., 1876-06-03
THE BOOK PUBLISHERS.


nFNr oF THE BooKs-wHEEEiN TIE AMERICAN
EXHIBIT sURPAssES THAT OF OTHER COUNTRIES.
lFHOM AS OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or THE TRiBUNII
PHILADELPHIA, Jane 2.-The Exhibition is
80 that practically 1t is seen only as an Orderly
CONFUSION OF details The sensible visitor, whether for
day or a month, will therefore first convince hnss Dy
viewing all the nations of the earth from Georges H on
making tour Tognd the world IN 80 minutes, tbat thefe
are limitations the human UNDERSTANDINGS IL not 10 hu-
man achievement. and thon settle down 70 maniu ac-
Acknowledgements OF the same In word, ne must Speeia1e
MS shIseoing And il he enough 10 that the
Exhibition IS m'antto &c schoolhouse, not cur'os'
Aopbat the world has como se:her in ths Congress
not Of words but Of facts for his education rather tha
for his should recognize also that one can
learn little except when no has already basis for
nowled e. ana cOnnc himself for the most part TO what
ne can utollgontly and therefore usciuHy.
The visitor who is Interested in books viii End cot
leoye exhibits from the American. French 'rulan and
Netherland publishers two or three cases from Gieat
Britain and Individual EXHIBITS IN connection with cin-
cationa displays from bJOk-maAcrs from u 0thor
countries.
Tie American book exhibit illustrates very well the
part of United States in the goIerai display There
was uttor apathy year ago amoag tie publishers
andafter the American Book Trade Association az HS
Niagara Convention, appointed committee Of Paladel-
phlans with Mr. j. 3. Lippncott at it hoad, to promote
q book presentation, it was long wh.e before that
committee through o subcommittee, got 20 work. Tue
hfst question OF the American trade was How WIN IL
nay as an adYerscmonll Z" and the chief motive with TOO
many was simply thst rival houses were going n In
curious contrast with this was the doson OF the foreign
trades which erected tasteful structures merged the ad-
yeltising eonsnt entirely by ciassiiynE The books 70
gardess Of publishers ani agor making what the Ger
nans call proof exhibitions" 1T home sent tnoir OK
hiblts thiee thousand miles with well-niormed people
10 point out their features visitors Th no prospect o
airect remuneration. Tho fact Is many American pub
iishors dad know whnt international Exhibition
meant tAoy looked upou II as big advertising scheme
and the pub shers understand the sorncc Of adyor
tsing ~ well most people, we're not sure that ~ IN
advertisement it would pay. Moreover, tAHy dii MOB
know how exhibit The American books arc all loe~cl
up in glass cases. with in general charge 10 Of-r
key material intellectual. the visitor; t is tor the
most part an exhibition Of book-backs. The foreign
books are mostly placed before the visitor conveniently
for his examination, Mr ToTyucm IN tne French, MT
Mcntzel in German Mr. GIinkGan In the Datch pa-
yons wclinfomod membors OF their respective trades,
are glad % give information.
American publishers viii soon, however, begin TO see
the real vaue the Exhibition. II Is possible set
% make thorJugns ing comparisons for the French dis
play Ike a the French department, has been delayed
and there yet empty cases or empty spaces III
The American structure. The German aad the Dutch
yayilions were pretty wen in order on opening day
But those interested in American books Will find
much to learn and little to be proud Of The
careful correctness OF German boO&s. tho ex1l-
site titleptges and noat combinations OF type IN
the FrencA-such points these are worth studying
On the other hand Ia the production OF educational
works. American publishers may fairly challenge the
world and it il worth pointing oat also that the Amsr
can production Of miscellaneous books, viii be found
by compaIlson most especially In The English, IS on
the average very low in price The new Engs1 BOOK l.
published at twice % thrice the price OF a CORE
spending copyright book in America, because tho In
gsh publishers cater small upper class, while the
lal,o Cl
il mon wide middle class who must count their quar-
ters The cheapncss of English books j. confined 70 one
or two kinds. the old popular fayortcs ana standard
works. and the sort represented by sundychooi books
The structure of tie American Book Trade Association,
near the southeastern corner Of tle Main Bullng,
twostory iron pavilion painted tlsteily In gAt coiors'
III feetby 6lI2. Nuotydx exhibitors are entered OF
whom about a dozen are diiatory. Alongside
Of This structure the neat ocI&sOnal one OF j. b. Lip
plnGott & Co., who IN axe noteworthy display Up
stairs are bakers dozen OF the larger publishers d.
Appleton Co display IN glass case the hT' book pub
ished by that house, miniature volume called Crumbs
from the Masters Table" and near it Is thcr
latest the American Cycopeda. one Of the finest pieces
of binding IN the exhibition is copy Of picturesque
America in brown crushed lCyant, the lettering ald or
namentation nlaid in red and Oue leather, without
the aid Of goldsmith awecT. or engraver" one Of TIER
cases Is fled with $50 schoo-b0oks, uniform In haI-
yellnn The Riverside Press tTIurl Houghton, New
Yorl shows two notable bindings Of white veun. gor
,o,sy yilluminatod-alarge paper Webs'ermasqueradng
In device combining portrait, the American arms ana
other items and copy 0f The Butterflies Of America"
having brilliant design Of butterflies among hower'
This Press prints both the Webster and Worcester quar-
tos for their pnblshos. and shows them SIDE by side
There Is "a delightful copy of Bacon. on lnd'a
Sn,se VINO exhibit also view Of the Press and speci
mems of its excellent photographic worf; James W.
Osgood Go. show weiia9ed case oi select Pnoiic,-
tons but do their fine American list injustice by dvong
two aud "a half shelves Out OF eigit 10 the Briiiai
pncts, series Their hriOiypes make attractive dis
,i.V A. = Barnes Co. exhibit taeir NaOuIl series
OF school bo ks; lyisonf Blakohal i"ytOf " 20, ui
Their space chiefly with disPa!s OF what can De done
In which the Declaration Oi independence viii DC shown
i'm much finer than the musty Old document IN III
dependence Hall In the department OF another ednta-
tonal publisher you may lull down from nigehiOusy
cuu.ryel spring rollers maps or " All the wOfli unlIlt
limited states of America" The mOS curiOus display Is
that OF MeriiamS OF o1rpElelu, the puD'hcr- oI
cne book" bat lnciuiBg all terature. Noah Web
ser whose peaked bust crowns the whDe, would nave
heen pleased with this unent 10 the schOOma-ter
~ tbt Renublc" though If he mad any taste, no would
have been horrihcd by tue rod whlte ana blne circus
posters in which his virtues are SCI ioh 10 fueneh ur
man and English visitors, aud the truly awful
uaipling in which the yOunful Ameilcan' IN Dflght
red brooches, twirs his fingers from ms nose
from the vantage ground oil very green Sonl-appie
tree at an avengng spirit in glarng yellow who re-
spends TO the call OF distant woman In violent
blue am not sure about the distribution OF these
co,ors but the entire rainbow there and great deal
OF it, At some pains. found it was excused as from
websters Spelling Book" but the foreign visitor, fresh
from Memorial Hail. may mistake ii for another example
OF American art progress ana Americans have already
sins enough al their door, Tue thing should DC taken
down or explained speak 0i IL as one OF 700 many
itors careful to avoid Scribner, Armstrong Co.
make interesting exhibit placing above their cases
Guyot at Wanna for his admirable Biographies, and