New-York tribune., 1883-03-11
NOTES ON BOOKS.
MR. HERBERT SPENCER - Mr.. BRODRlCk-
- pnOVcFIJING AND BIBLIOGRAPHI.

BOOKSEILlNG AMI
fHO' " LONDON, February Ia.
NJ rIerbert Snencer has at last made up his minu
TO notice the attack upon him delivered Dy Inc
Edinburgh RerieU in Its current number; which mas
now been current for month. lhat respoo'"Vio
but rather muity periodical Thought ht u MANI
Mr.. Henry Georges Progress and fOVery anu
Mr. Herbert Spencer's Social States the oasis "
an article on the Naturalization of the Land. i"o
OuartrIv Rerietc published at the same date paper
on the same subject much more brilliant anu y.
itself so destructive of Mr.. Georges theories 'i"0
the effort of its rival has received but niue ho'Io'
Mr. Herbert Spencers readers (amohg "no' '"N
writer IN The Edinburgh rannot be recRoheul "o,o
good deal surprised to find him bracketea VIII M
Henry George; a really scientIhc th'nkcr WIN
plausible pretender. But the lucuora''on' W
found within the Lluo and buff covers are now
adays of but secondary interest, and MT spence,
might well enough have left them TO sinK uhaiueo
into oblivion. ~ A.,
The truth is. however that the book on whlch 'no
reviewer bases his structures upon Mr. heroerV
Sn.ncer wa, published two-and- thirty years ago
that Il has been withdrawn from circuialion til"V
of Il have been nterdcted ana 'ha' 'ho
oucstion the reviewer discusses has Oeeh uea' wiz"
nv Mr. Spencer IN subsequent workS vi ai' '"
facts the reviewer is ignorant ana ho Is 81 i",
ignorant OF the book he does pretend 10 nave iea"
as not to know that the doctrine ol at'acKne pr
vat, property. which he imputes to Mr.. spencer -
.ss,il.d in the same book by Mr.. Spencer himself
If he had read" says Mr. Spencer. "even the
ctapter next to the one he quotes. he would nave
seen that so far from giving countenance 10 co"i
nunstlc doctrines, have devoted iour sections VI
that chapter to the refutaton oil them ana NC
,dJs. Had he dipped into the latter part oI the
recently
lshsd Study OF Sociology aud Political insutu-
tions, he would not have recklessly coupled mo
with Mr.. George as uphol1ing the doctrneSo OF COM
rpn,sm fatal alike to the welfare Of society AMI TO
Tn. moral character of ivan : for he would nave
discovered the fact familiar to many. though un-
known TO him) that much curron. legislation Is re-
garded by me as commnnlstc, aud is for inns reason
condemned as socially injurious and indlVidnai'y
degrading"
Asto Mr.. Henry George and his strangely over
rated book. Mr. Herbert Spencers opinion ~ eA-
pressed in a sentence. lie refers to Progress III"
povertvo rs "a work which closed after few
minutes on finding how visionary were Its ideas
Those who care for a lucid and compact statement
touching the Reform of the English Laud System
will find il in a Lecture delivered By the Hon.
George c. Brodrick Warden Of Merton College, TO
tne Oxford Jnnlor Reform Club. The lecture has
been reprinted in a small pamphlet OF some twenty
fonr PAGES. which can be read in half an hour. IL
would he hard TO say where within similar COM
mas, so good a view can be had of one OF the most
complicated and difficult among the burning ques-
tions of the dav Mr. Brodrick, need hardly add'
is an authority OF the first order, his large Vouho
OIL the English Land System being the most com
prehensive and informing of the many tfeatises on
the subject full OF learning, scientific IN method
and handling difficulties with wise and sober lib
eralIsm. There is something singular IN the TACT
that man like Mr. BIodrick, whose knowicdge OF
poltical problems is deep, and his treatment oi
them both practical and philosophical, should oe
addressing club OF OxfoId stuuents instead of
Parliament But the conditions ni pubic iIie IN
England ale becoming Gaily more diticult Tor men
who eau lock at politics apart from personal inter
.sts Mr.. Brodrick is a Liberal. but not think, II
man who has ever been very ameuable to the dicta-
ton of party authorities nor ever the least pliable
:, rrinciule Whatever the reason may be- no has
definitely reIinoushcd all political ambition. nc
c,pted the headship OF college. and devoted nun
s,If IN university work. What he has still to say
on afiairs he says In way that may not eaten Tie
,o,nlar ear but is sure OF its due influence III the
long
am afraid It must DO said that scandal pays.
force. 900 copies have been sold the entire edi-
tion il exhausted. and the success of this yolume
has given fresh start the sale of tho two preced
ing ones. The publishing prco OF the volume was
fifteen sh'ings. or about 81.
Ro,lk -buyers have noticed OF late a marked in
crease in the publishing price already eKorbitant
of English books. Alison's Autobiography, for oS-
ample. was issued by MoUr'. Blackwood in two
octave volumes large type at thirty six shllings,
or 50 which is perhaps four times the cost OF manu-
factnre all expenses included An explanation Is
pnbllsbed this wcok by n bookseller. PuoIisheIs,
saws he, have automatically augmented the nom
lna price of books in order he able to allow the
e,tra dlscour Is now claimed by the underselling
retail houses Jno of tho trade periodicals has
latel, considered this subject OF undersclng, and
ml,lisbed numerous letters and articles about it.
The Latest contribution toward "a soIutOn Of the
problem is n Iroposal for ades. union OF book
.ellers limiting the number to a thousand for the
,yhole kingdom, and refusing to buy books OF any
pubsher who should supply u non-trades- unionlst.
These are days when any prupo'teIous notion is
snre of hearing and Of advcatos. but lt IL tocraby
safe to say that this will not be adoptcd
IL has long been the custom in London to all)w
di,count TO some classes Of regular customers, tho
discount varying fIom to 20 per cent OIL the pub
li.biuv mice OF the book sold. The publishers dis
couat TO the lrado varies also, but may he taken to
range from % 20 80 per cent. with thirteen copies
M twelye,-in other words the publishers are paid
for every twelve copies and supply thirteen. This
leaves u petty narrow margin Tor proht II the
bookseller in turn allows his customer - per cent.
In tho case of the conventional three-youne novel
published at Il guinea and a half, the rebate
amounts often to 30 per cent. and even mUre but
they aro sold to the circulating Libraries ana not
n rule to other booksellers, and may hc left out of
account The old-fashoned bookseller is the one
who COMPLAINS OF the new-fanged methods allcg
ing that they are driving the pest men out of the
business and thEt decent LIVING cannot be earned
on the present system To mahe matters worse,
drapers we should say. dry goods houses. have
taken TO selling books in order to attract customers
for their other waIcs Ihoy buy books in large