, 1879-01-05
THE STRUGGLES AND PROFITS OF Au.
THOHSHIP -,

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Some very Interesting and indeed aston
ishing facts relating to the profession: of IT,
thorship as a money-making pursuit "a
found in the testimony recently gwen b1
Ar. HERBERT SPENCER before the English
Copyright Commission, in which he r.
counts with considerable detail his own
experience in authorship on its financial side.
The testimony is significant as coming from
one who, though not popular writer, has
yet produced an immense amount Of solid
matter, and in his own line has stood for
many years at the head of living authors.
His first work, "social Statics," published
in 1850, and two volumes Of essays tha:
appeared few years later, though gaining
only limited number of readers, yet S.
cured for him general recognition among
scholars and thinkers throughout the world
About 1860 he entered upon one Of The
grandest and most laborious tasks ever
attempted by any philosophic writer,-ths
elaboration Of complete synthetic system
Of philosophy. J.:
It Was work which, under favorable CT
cumstances, might be expected to occupy
quarter Of century. MIR. SPENCER is =
man of limited means, and an invalid: jet
so successfully has he prosecuted his work
that three large volumes -'' FIRST Princi-
pies, " Principles Of Biology" and "Prin-
ciples Of Psychology" "-have already been
given to the public:in complete form and q
part of the fourth volume, &c ssPrinciples OF
Sociology" has been published, and the r.
mainder is well advanced toward completion.
It is difficult to form an idea Of the enormous
labor involved in this work. The first an
nouncemcnt of the plan was received with
incredulity by the philosophers of Europe;
and in its successful completion it will con-
stitute an enduring monument of the results
Of human thought and labor. The progress
Of the work wes marked by constant struggle
and self-sacrifce. :
Immersed in an obscure part of London,
Mr.. SPENCER was compelled to isolate him.
self from society, and to practice d system
of rigid economy of strength and means.
How were his efforts rewarded by the public
for whom he 1abored? Those ardent souls
who feel themselves impelled to a career q
authorship, and fancy that literary path
is always strewn with roses, will find health
full instruction, and be better able to count
first the cost, in reading the record Of his
experince.
AIr. SPENCER states that in addition to his
1abors Of authorship, he has been obliged TO
be his own publishers until very recent :
years, it was not possible for him to find
publisher who would tqke the financial
responsibility Of issuing his works. Tho
entire expense Of printing and publishing
thus fell upon him. His first book IVES <
issued in 1850; the edition was $50 copies
and these it took fourteen years to sell ID
five years he had another work ready, fol
which he tried in vain to get q pun
Usher, and then issued it himself; thefe
were 750 copies, Of which he ga'to.
away about one hundred, ard was ablo ~ ~
sell the remainder in twelve and han
years. In 1857 he published q volume q
Essays: OF which, warned by the past, he y :
sued only 500 copies; these were sold IN ten
and half years. When ready to begin tne
publication Of his "System of Philosophy:
in 1sG0, after considering number Of plans
he finally decided upon the one Of issuing
the work to subscribers in quarterly parts. :
After several years he found that be W.
losing SO steadily that he was in danger @
being ruined, and issued to subscribers +
notice Of cessation. Some additional meaaS,
however, coming into his possession a9oa'
this time, he was enabled to persere1e u
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