Morning journal and courier., 1881-05-20
NEW YORK.
The Revised New Testament


 NEW YORK, May 19-The first delivery of the revised edition of the New Testament will be delivered at 12 midnight to night by the American agents of the English publish CTS. Four hundred thousand copies have been stored here for weeks with the agents, but in accordance with the plan of the pub fishers they are not to be given to the public until May 20, the day fixed for it's simulta- neous appearance on both sides of the Allan tic The book is issued from the university press of Oxford, England, and a Blocker street house is the sole agent in this city Since the arrival of the invoice it has been watched with jealous care and no hand has been allowed to touch the books, no curious eye to read the pages. The reason for this extraordinary care is that there being no in- ternational copyright law, the only way in which the English publishers can reap the first harvest is to be first in the field. Al ready score of American publishers have announced editions and many schemes have been tried to surreptitiously obtain a copy of the work It is expected that an enterpris- ing printer will put competitors to work to- night setting up type for fresh editions. Tn re will be no copies sold at retail at the agents but arrangements have been made with the retailers, who will receive quanti- ties during the night. It will unquestionably have a greater immediate sale than any book ever issued and almost every bookseller has already imm ense orders for it. The Oxford editions are in four different kinds of type and in twentytwo styles of binding The prices range from fifteen cents to sixteen dollars. A few copies have for some time been in the hands of the American revision committee, but have been as carefully guard ed as those in the agents hands. The com mittee room in the Bible House was locked The reporter had to knock for admittance The secretary said he was not at liberty even to show a copy of the book until tomorrow One of the committee entered to get only 8 copy and 1t was taken from it's place with much care and the gentleman departed with it. D. c. w. Gilman, secretary of the Bible society, said the society has taken steps to print an edition of the revised Testament. It is problematic as to how it will be received by evangical Christians and whether the new version will be adopted by the churches as substitute for the old. In fact compara- lively little is known about it. It is believed that the changes will not be found as radical as some suppose.
 The new revised edition of the New Testa- ment will not be delivered until four o'clock | tomorrow (Friday) morning. There is g great demand for the new work. One house takes forty thousand copies. Outside New York the heaviest orders come from Chicago. Copies will be on sale in the principal book and news stores of the city at o'clock Copies will range in price from 15 cents to $16. Long before midnight express wagons, etc., began arriving at the building wherein the New Testaments are stored, and soon the streets in and about the building were crowded with vehicles. Two hundred and fifty thousand copies will be is- sued by 9 o'clock. Two hundred thousand are on the way from London, but even this large number will not fill the orders on hand.