New-York tribune., 1880-03-07
BOOK-MAKING IN ENGLAND.
rrNnFNcIES Up AND DOWN.

TENDENCIES UP AND DOWN.
r,,y rprervr AVERAGE OF EXCELLENCE TOO Low
-, yFw EDITION OF " IN MEMoR1AM" AFTER A
FRENCH MoDEI--HOw PUBLISHING METHODS
DIETER IN FRANCE AND ENGLAND-MR' hun
LEY's wKLL-wRITTEN SCIENCE IN LUXURIOUS
FoRM-A GREvOUs STYLE OF BOOK ADVERIis-
ItG.
fro,, rur prcrr Ar CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNE
IovpOX. Feb. 14.-Messrs. Kcgan Panl " TO-
made not long since, an experiment toward the IS
size of books with some claim to prettness OF WORK
man,hip. They printed an edition Oh I'D Menlo'
riam IN form which we were given TO uhueI-
stand was an imitation of the well-KhoWh Le'hclio
classics which for some years past have been appear
ING in Paris NJ. Lemcrre is man OF quite eNcep-
tional taste and knowledge of book-naking. Ills
I,,,l,s,, comrades in business might do worse than
,ole him for copv But the first question one feels
like asking is. Why take n foreigner for copy
Iit,tion is confession Of nferiority. Bat, IN iac'
tbe Furlshman of the present day Is so lamentaoy
inferior 10 the Frenchman of the present DAY III
tho art of book-makng that his FIRST cl-
fort toward improvement might well enough
he made IN the footsteps of his trench picueccas's'
Possibly Messrs. kegan Paul ~ Co. ana 'lc'
printers suppose they have done this; but II ihey
have dome it, they have done il at such an nterVaI
that there is no very striking resemblance between
tbe imitation and the thing Initiated Many
of Iemcrrc's publications. are really admirapie
specimens Of Typography. The " In MemoIiam j.
not admirable. 1t is printed on lnod'Ia''P go''
PAPER from type which seems none 100 new ana
with ink which produces q very heavy imprrsSon'
Il is nevertheless prctiicr book than most
ruplsl books. and is sent ont TO The world in vel
INN cover with edges urcat. Putting L"meIie
aside. and comparing McsSrs. Kcgan Paul 4 Co. with
mes. of their English brethren. the result Is credit
All. 10 Them \ selection Of ShclicJ's Poems from
the same house is not so well done
The business of making books is, however III
such q state in England. tAat anybody who cares 10
see if improved is bound 10 welcome any evidence
of good intentions. IL - not TO be expected 'h'i
first attcrnpt Should bc a complete success. le' IL
may be said TO Mcs,rs. Kccnn Paul 4 Co. that
tEcre are still printers IN England capable Of pro-
dncng not merely good Int artistic work. fub-
h.hcfs make only too few demands on their 70llI'
The question of price comes in w" are told
should rather call It n question oi pio"''
b,vc never vet been aole 10 make out
why the English publisher should expect 10 gam
twice rs much from q gwen outlay OF capital
rs the French publisher and perhaps three tunes as
much a. the German or Italian publisher VI.
Icmcrrc's volumes intended for general circulation
are in the form of a small octave, c'miactN bni
most clearly printed ou Dutch paper Of fine qlaiiy.
avcroolrc perhaps 100 pages, adorned with p"T-
frat vigueties, head afd tall piece, aHd ihii al
letters: these ornaments adding nu'1 &" the cJSl
of the book They are. withou, exception, examples
of excellent and faithful work IN every process
which goes TO tie making Of q book. They are pub
ishcd M o francs a volume. An English book oil
similar szr but with muca less matter, and Ini'ilor
to the French in every particular c3sis at least t."
sh,llings or nearly - per cent moro. The LeE'frc
collection comprises Rabrlais. Moutai-ue Pascal
La Bnyere La F0ntnue. Mo.icr' and other if'nch
classics # the first rank; and many IN re- are III
nronar,tou The series nas been progress for years.
Il is not an experiments II Is au assured success
and tre literary merit of the editions is equal TO
their typographical excellence. In other words
there is publlc ia Franc, for whom % pays 10 pub
lish such booss Is It 10 be- said that thcre Is no
such pnblc IN Eugiandi Cs is II to ba said
that tho English publishers have not found
il outY In France NJ Lcmerre ia one
Of several men who make a speciality Of rcpnbiSh-
ing the classical writers Of the country, with
liberal expenditure upon editorial woll and upon
mechanical work. In England there is not one such
publi,lcr 50 far ~ relates 10 the production oi
elegant books. VI. Lemerrcs rivals in his own c"nn-
try m many cases bring them ont avowcdiY Tor
public Of amateurs; in editions Of not over 900
comes all sd and often of lcs, than 200 That
a al-DI D. d
nublishcr- believe that in England there is not even
y ruhiic Of 200 am.tcuys who would pay for good
printing!
An edition of Burns's Poems, edited 10y Alexander
Smith. and published by Mrs-rs. Macmillan a Co.
i, similar in siz, "a thick 1Gnol and in general ap-
pcaroure to the Shclcyoi Mossrs. Kcgau Paul n Co.. ;
and vas believe first ~ tie field. 1his printed
on an imitation OF Ditch paper, and the two
volumes will commend themselves tO many lovers
of Burns by their comp1ctucs, and "a certain style
in their appearance. They viii please, moreover,
those persons who protest against creating an art
cial scarcity by limiting the number Of copies
printed OF the issue OF thus edition. on thi, papri
there are no less than 800 copic. Even tlIs seems
moderate by the side of tha large paper edition OF
! Arnolds Selected Poems OF Word-worth numbering
| 750 copies Il is perhaps p1I'ation OF TINS cN-
| travagancc that honest confession oi IT - made
on the title. The buyer viii know I'D advance that
| his book can never become rare. II hc does not
! value mere rarity bur Is content 10 share with a
! multitude of his fellow-mcn the enjoyment OF large
margins and rough edges. hc need no, complain of
! the publishers.
The passion Tor large paper copies appears TO have
! invaded the scientific mind which has heretofore,
for the most part been supposed 20 be content with
facts i'm the plalncst possible dress far the
necessity Of representing beautiful natural objects
! mqlt make a book on science beautiful. But here
! is Professor Iuxcy's The Cray fish" mgsqucroding
| i'm largo paper. The domains oi science are fairly
| invaded by the tibhomaniac; nor does the intruder
The publisher, suppOse-secm IN the least ashamed
| of his nexpectcd appearance on the scene. On the
/ verso of the ny-titc you NAV read: 80 his large
naper edition. consisting of two hundred and fifty
! copies all of which arc numbered. WAS printed on
| November 20. 1879 Tins copy is No 90, Brad
bury. Agncw ~ Co."-these last-namod gentle
men being the printers of the booh, which again
Mcssrs Kegan Paul q Co. publish. This il
not the place, surely, to say anything Of Professor
Hnxlcy's work. It is the printers and such people