Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-09-18
CheaD Books VS., Bad Books.

Ten months ago n contributor TO the At
lantic Month u took occasion to assail the
" libraries " of cheap reprints. which re-
produce standard or popular English
works of fiction in pamphlet or newspaper
form, at ten or fifteen cents each. The
purveyors of these wares were denomina-
ted literary tramps.' and the heaviest
counts in the writer's Indictment has rela-
ton TO tho injury inflicted upon authors,
publishers and literature in general by this
species of literary piracy. We took excep-
lion to the views expressed in the article
ut the time, for the reason that the dis
tinction between "piratlng II book to re-
produce it for seventy five cents or a dol
lar, and pirating it to reproduce it ut ten
or fifteen cents is not a difference so much
of morality as of margins for profit. If
any moral distinction exists, it is pretty
clear that he is the greatest sinner who
makes the most out of his sin. In the At
lantic for September the discussion is re-
viyed by another writer, who takes q po-
sition almost identical with our own.
What he says is particularly interesting
because of the evidence he produces TO
subslantiate ore of the claims which we
made, viz that these cheap reprints do
not really compete with bound books and
=" library editions, but that they help to
crowd out bad and trashy books which
find Il market principally because they are
cheap. The atlantic writer quotes a
newsdealer us saying: 1.-THE oldest thing
about the whole business is the number OF
calls have for the best novels, in this
shape, from men whom | used to think of
rs wanting only the worst class of publ
cations had on my counters
The principles involved in the statement
go much deeper than any question of the
relative morality of cheap and of costly
reprints. 1t is question of replacing
trash or worse than trash by good litera.
ture by the simple expedient Of publishing
the latter rs cheaply as the former, and
leaving the two to II competition which is
sure to result in 1.-The survival of the fit
lest" This process is already well along
Any one who remembers the multitude of
: dime novels " of tlashy and sensational
interest which made up II large part of the
stock of newsdealers ten or fifteen years
ago will be surprised to observe how
scarce, mparatlvely, that sort Of literary
pabulum is becoming. The term dime
novel ceases to have distinctive and
reproachful significance when for ten cents
one Can buy good novel by Dickens or
Scott, by Trollupe Or Black, by Mrs. Oil
plant or Victor Hugo.
There is one SORT of literature, however,
more presidential by far than the old
- dime novel;" which has been but little
affected rs yet by the cheap reprints. We
refer 10 the illustrated papers, designed
particularly for boys, and road quite large
ly by the young of both sexes. the pictures
and stories in which do not quite fall under
the law for the suppression of obscene
literature, but which, nevertheless, pander
to the lowest tastes and are wildly sensa-
tional even when not actually immoral.
rhe authors OF these stories devote their
lurid rhe oric to making vice heroic and
painting the deeds of pirates and highway
men and the ruff ms OF the sums in VIVID
and fattering colors. Bret Harte, in his
- Hoodlum b md" has effectively traves-
tied this order Of stories, and several adj
monitury articles in recent magazines in
dictate that the evil is beginning to attract
attention. But the case calls for something
more than travesty or admonilion. Doubt
less il is II good thing TO let parents and
teachers and those who have the charge of
children understand just what the dangers
are which threaten TO degrade the moral as
we'll as the Intellectual tastes of the Young
But the only way in which the evil will
ever be effecIu lily met will be by applying
to it the process which has operated to
supplant sensational and trashy novels by
good ones. These injurious illustrated pa
pers for the young could be beaten out of
he field in time. il oher illustrated papers
were to be published-iust us cheap. Just
as attractive in their pictures, but filled
with good reading instead of bad. There
are always plenty of good books, and sew
eral good magazines and papers for the
young, but they are not cheap enough to
BIZ effective in meeting the evil which we
nave pointed out. The immense sales of
the cheap reprints have made their publ
cation renumeralive, even though The mar
gin is so small. In the same way it might
prove to be II good stroke of business, as it
would certrinly be wise philanthropy, to
do more than has yet been undertaken
TO provide healthful, attractive and cheap
reading for the Young. Boston journal.