New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-16
THE MKRCAYTILE LTBRARF.
POPULAR TASTE IN FICTION AND OTHER LrrERA-
TURF.

POPULAR TASTE IN FICTION AND OTHER LTrERA-
TURE.
In reply to some inquiries of a TRIBUNE re-
porter recently the librarian of the Mercantile Library
said:
"oftle noyests Thackeray Dickens Bulwer and Scott
.be first appears to he most popular with our readers,
Vanity Fair being his most popular work. BLEAK
House and odd Curiosity shop are most called for
among Dckens's works the Last Days OF POmpeiP
among Buwers and KeniIworth' among SCOTS
novels Hawthorne. Irving and Cooper are about equal
an demand The Scarlet Letter being the favOrle work
OF Hawthorne, and The Spy that OF Cooper. Think
that there is an increased demand for Hawthorne. SO
also is there for the works Of Anthony TrOOpe just nOw
the most popular being Phneas Finn Mrs Burnetts
'Tbat lass o. Lowrirs' was very popular, but her
nopuarity is considerably on the wane. Henry James
and W. d. Howels quite in demand. The Americans
and Their Wedding Journey being the favorte
works respectively. Miss Braddon. Mary Cecil
Hay Mrs Ohphant Mrs Alexander, and Mary j. Holmes
have always "a large circulation whene-er they issue
new book These lastnamed authors however, are read
by girls and women than by men The latter seem
10 urefer historical fiction. We observe mat the works
Of Mrs southw0rth Mr7. Henry Wood and Mrs. Ann 5.
stephens are not read as much as formerly. We also
,lnk that Charles Reade and Willie Collins have lost
cor siderable standing So too, Ouda is losing ground.
While Mrs Stowe il not what we consider n popular
authoress her Uncle Toms Cabin is remarkably
popular and always In circulation Two2 the recent
of fiction most called Tor are MI lSdatS
Claudius' OF French authors Dumas, Daudet Halevy
aud aboau are the greatest iavOrites and in the order
named The reading OF lola is discouraged but he is pop
ar The works OF these authors are always in circulation
There is large demand German literature, and 1t APP
paars TO be increasing. We notice growing demand for
works relating the fine arts-painting, drawing sketch
ing etc We especially observe an increasing number of
calls for books ON the sciences generally. Our circulation
Of fiction is between 30 and 90 per cent Of the whole
which il much smaller percentage than that of
years age"
With reference to the library interests III general the
librarian added The matter Of new building Is now
II the hands OF the Clinton Hall Trustees the Mercan
tile Library Directors having control this project
The branch library, Fifth-aver near Thirty
pnth-.t bids fair TO be "a success. II has been
open two months and half, and we have taken
I'm there over 200 members. Two hundred
and tfty members who formerly used the main library
now use this branch. that including the Clinton Hall
stockholders $40 persons make use OF the branch Five
thousand books kept there aud the two deliveries Of
npoWn orders made from the main library daily.
House delivery entails small extra Charge cents for
each delivery. The rcadngrOo at the branch Is partc-
uary well supplied with papers aud MAGAZINES and we
hone that subscribers viii take advantage OIL IT, Inc
room l. kept open till 10 p. III