National Republican., 1883-05-23
FASHIONS IN BOOKS.
How Tastes Chsngo-The Particular Sorts
or Books Most Sought After.


There are more curious things about books
han their interiors. Pcrpaps the most Curl
,us is the manner in which they are sold,
md the number, of the more popular ones,
hat are caught up, road with avidity, and
ihen cast aside with feeling Of safety on the
part of tho reader that we'll nigh approaches
Indigestion. A reporter for the Mail and
Express talked with one Of the best known
among "book iobbers" in this city few days
ago, and inquired about the condition Of cur
rent literature. The gentleman replied |
by saying that current literature was
Synonymous with novels to the trade,
and that novels sold as the whim Of
the public directed. "The author who
rides on tho topmost wave of popularity and
apparent success one season may find himself
stranded the noxt year and all but forgot
ten"
"who are, at present, the most popular
American novelistsW
Henry James and w. d. Howells They
are phenomenally popular. Their books sell
by the thousands OF the two, l think James
is q trifle the more popular. His " Portrait
of lady," which made his reputation and
his fortune atthe same time sells very rapidly
to young men who wear dog collars and atten-
uated boots, and to young ladies with SINH
lar proclivitios. His last book, the Siege OF
London" judged by the number sold, is de-
cided failure and would be an absolute one
were it not that his former reputation serves
to buoy it up. Howels's Modern Instance"
is at present very salable; in fact, it is very
difficult to keep IL in stock, for the demand
Tor 1t is continuous. His Wedding Journey"
is also popular, and is bought by some queer
freak because of its title and the reputation
of its author by newly married people. 1t is
very curious, the manner in which these two
men keep pace with one another. When one
happens to be on the wane, 1t seems tho other
stimulates him TO efforts new, and between
them they manage to keep up respectable re-
putation. Besides, they are both very for
tunate in being the best advertised men in
literature, aud very considerable profit is the
result"
"Who are the lesser stars?',
"There are so many lesser ones that IL
seems as If the armament of the book trade
would scarce hold them. Mrs. Burnetts
books sells very well, as do those of Christian
Reid Miss Fisher, the author of "Hearts of
SteeP and several other quite readable and,
what is much more to the purpose, very sal
able books. Marion Harland's and Mrs.
Southworths books are bought mostly by
circulating libraries, and are spread among
the reading public in that way. Yes, circu-
lating libraries are very important customers
to the trade, but not nearly as much so in this
country as in England. There sometimes en-
tire editions are bought up by Nudes library,
and novels that are never bought by the ordi-
nary customer are household words over the
entire island"
"Who are the most popular in the country,
the English or the American novelistsW
"The English writer's by great Odds Be-
you'd them all in point of number of books
sold stands William Black. His novels sell
by the hundreds of thousands, and are about
the best investmenta a jobber can mako. His
last book, 'Shandon Bells has not sold as
we'll as his former ones, but it is nevertheless
very popular. His readers are many young
ladies Of romantic aspirations, and he is very
generally appreciated by them. Thomas
Hardy and Mrs. Alexander are both writers
Of salable books, and many are the editions
they have given to the world. Robert Bucha-
mans now famous novel, God and the Man,
was rather startler to the trade. AS a rule
his books do not sell, but this one was re-
markable exception, for it runs like wildfre,
and it has already gone through very many
editions. Its cheap fifteen and twenty cent
editions sell very quickly, and it Is difficult
to keep pace with the demand. Apropos of
numerous editions of books, do not think,
publishers that are disposed to flood the market
with new work at first. They usually print
a thousand copies, and then, If they SELL add.
o second thousand, call IL the second edition,
and so on dd intnitum. Men who print, as
well as those who sell, are compelled to be
careful"
How about Zoa?
He is as popular as ever he was, and his
books are read by all classes of persons aud
by both sexes. OF all his books, Mana is
perhaps the most popular one. The interest
in her story seems never to abate, and the
girl, with the odor of the seminary still
clpging about frocks, reads it with the same
unhealthy results as the class Of women
whose depravity Zola so vividly portrays.
Among the dead novelists Dickens stands
foremost The number of his books that are
sold are ever on the increase, and although
edition after edition has been taken from the
press in this country and in England,
Pickwick' and Curiosity Shop are still
read by all classes with mingled laughter
and tears. The copyrights for the earlier of
his novels have expired, but believe that
income from the sale of his later works.
N xt to Dickens, yet ranking almost along
side of him, is Thackeray. His Penden-
MIS- 'Newcombes' and 'Esmond are bought
as eagerly as ever, and there is u decided dis
position to buy editions dc lure of the satirist
in preference to cheaper ones. OF all the
works of women writer's those of George
Eliot sell the best. Romola' is just at pre-
sent the most popular, but Daniel Deronda,'
despite all predictions TO the contrary, holds
its own as one of tho most popular books of
the century. Charles Kingsley still lives to
his readers and 'Hypatia' remains his great
work in the estimation of our customers. 1t
Is regarded so kindly that it has become
text book to be used in young ladies' sem
inaries, where, with William Blacks Princes
of Thule it is esteemed to be of so much inn
portance to educate that the undergraduate
reads it religiously before going out into the