New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-25
NOTES ON BOOKS.
AND on SOME CURRENT METHODS or IL
N"" ,,erp ,iIvG AND SELLING THEM

49,. 49,. s,,j heForc now that authorship Is u |
,a,,.., md never did the saying seem ''u'I 'i""
.sh.n adv Brasscv bccainc writer OF ce'epllt' |
liar totacc IN the Sunbeam was pethapS ~, |
,ot sneerssfnl hook Of It's season II IS iou'"Vu ~
H. s,,tt AZ nnb,het VOYAGE on the sanic yacht N
H. ssvE sN,hSt wnh mo exttaotlhatt tito, IN
H. ttAaps mo rtanlts Aua tho bdtthg imt'es
4 VI, 4grHe Wiih 3d2 Illustrations bt X. !.
Iuttle.t tMtk thatt anl elrht hihps ftavh
seh sVrlstei N T. Nelit Nhtthet rim tb SAM w
~, NRVga W8l l8A NAA( ~ tNt NWN tNttithFS
age e,eYey eVRWsN w. paea NV AWtttNh MUIR
l,sss,a 4, leafsHN aNi 4. T. tNN.Nh N'N nv NeM
ii uqi Amlieans ha(e tffIs'NN N'eN1N' WV"
AlRegean NNNrNfe aNN y latNW sNN 'Nt''Nf'N.
,eations are uoi less mielesipg chan ihe le>l ~
which iheY axe SUPPRESSED 90 We snNsNiaN' Nlss's
l,ougmans have fallen ia with the fashion OF W''e'
a nfeand published 31d comics OF tbs bQok 0h la'he
manor. Illustrations printed on India paper an'
mounted at three guineas AM u halt wheh |" lus'
three tunes the price OF the volume ~ ltS cohl'"""
condition
One other merit may be conceded to Lazy
Brasscy's book il has no photographers ana II "'
that reason if for other to he prtierroa - wv
big Romeo and Juliet" illustrated by MT FRANK
Dcksco. whose drawings are To he seen thr""e" INC
medium of one of the many Photographic processes
now applied to the reproduction and vulgarizati"h
of art work. Mr. Frank Dicksce is an artist whom
IN his best estate nobody would accuse OF TOO great
severity of STYLE The Academy Exhibition OF TINS
wear showed us his notion of Shakespeare hero ana
heroine; who on his canvas do not perhaps oeiohs
10 n world much higher than the stage on wh'ch
they are now 10 be seen in the flesh of Miss Mary
Anderson and Mr. TcrrIss Messrs Cassell arc Kllo
enough TO warn the British public that Oh 'hS
work which they modestly describe ~ the Fine Art
Gift Book of the Season. limited number Only nave
been produced They omit to explain wha'
IL, Gra thp word limited mas 10 lIcU
avn minis Rut they reserve the right to advance
the price whenever they M They are not tho hist
10 practise this stratag the effect OF when Is /"
create or appear to create. an arthciA demand 'o'
the book and to put upon IL for time iactltlonS
value: which the unwary buyer will presently hhu
disappear
In an American paper before me, MeSsIs Mac
milan advertise large-papcr copies OF MI liaiher-
tons Landscape" with proofs OF the engravmgs, nj
double the price OF the ordinary copies The NUMBER
Of these large papers appears 10 be apsoiu'eS "i-
limited. This advertisement at any rate gives ho
hint of any limit and the author of it plainly pre-
snmes on the ignorance OF the public III such matters
Yet il might be supposed that anybody who cared
for a larce-noper copy of a book would know that
its commercial value depended largely on the re-
striction Of tho issue The artistic value OF an Illus
tratcd book like this is also dependent largely Oh
the restriction of the issue These special ANA 'x
nensive comics are supposed ~ be printed more
luxuriously; the impressions of the plates are pre-
sumed to be the carlicst. and, like the printed
sheets to be taken of with greater care; the merit
OF an impression depending as much on the PROCESS
of urntinr as on the state of the plate All these
considerations are inconsistent with tho notion OF n
large edition Yet Mcssrs. Macmillan, for all that
appears from their own announcement. hold them
selves at liberty 20 print and sell rs many large
paper copies rs they can find purchasers FOR
This book. Il may h, added. is advertised rs uni
form with Mr. lamerton's The Graphlc Arts
The latter had peculiar fate. II was 80 ski'l lY
advertised in advance o. publication that the whole
edition. consisting believe of 1000 copies, was
sold 10 the trade that U.s. - The retail dealer before
II was ont. Thcrcupon the publishers. naturally
eporrh Withdrew thcir advertisements; the public
totgot MI about TIVE book aud u great proportion o'
,hr whole numb rcnlins 20 this day in the hands
NJ the bnnkscll Whether Mcssrs Macmillan are
m actual publishers IN England of Nj Ham~i'on'
prcsrn, voik AS not know not cam find any nn-
,,Ytnrr,rtnt oi 70 here Perhaps thoy 0rc iot ihr
t,,r.srs h, ,tis btuk as iN considered as mp0itDis
a., ,hr rfrr thcy sat urHn Y s 'nt " H'vnn" ~
,,la, is nskch Ntu. Am norirai io"ron it'aN
p,te o. Ntp rninp,2 Nt qs7 tie stlliur ri'rr Ntrt
tbe eNVott, auHni ! so ipe9 'h1N e9N. ''e'r'H ~
s3tWnifN AHN w Att tWt a'r tsr"a' ~ ~ far y
a. ihe tnsiioh p,lta fHV aii tr'ti NtpN' aNl ''M-
m,ospu, asa Nlii siii hNh y fhf'iu 'N N"Nr'' 'h"
bupL lp, tpasaii th1H tp .'t ihe o"" AeN''"lfA 'a
the hgaieg "a AfN iWh'
A yery strong casa OF oyeg.prniing at p1piS Is
supplied by an emnent French Wihilohef, NJ ia
lnas,ene M0rgaud, Ol Paris lie puhllohod last year
and sill adyertisrs IN ms catalogue series 81 ec-
ing, by Ialauze from Eugene lanls illustrations OF
The works OF Alfred do Mussot, NJ. Morgaud' let 1t
be said at once frankly announces the particulars
of this performance which Is, nevertheless, OF the
most extraordinary character The drawing oi VI.
Iami are 80 in number. There are besides IRON
tispieces a portrait aud 53 vignettes. All these
have been etched by NJ. Lalauze. Tho plates in
their first state eur ortes pues, are made to yield
100 proofs on japanese paper at $40 each; 100 on
India paper at SOD; 100 IN vellun paper at $50.
Next we have artists proofs with remarks, 100 on
Japanese paper at 800; 100 on India paper al
$40; 100 vellum paper at $50. After which
you may take your choice among proofs before
letter 100 on Japanese paper at $50; 100 on India
paper at SEQ; 200 on volnm paper at $50. berc
are already 900 proofs in different states before
letter; each set numbered.
Alfred dc Musset is at this moment the fashion III
France; is probably more read and quoted than even
before and is likely enough 10 be read aud quoted
for some time 10 come But is II easy to suppose
that among his admirers of whom perhaps the ma
iority arc wOmcn there are more than 900 ready
10 nav from SCOT IS 20 apiece for set OF Lalauzes
eclllngs oi lahls drawings 10 J" lh'olPlo'' IN wv
French say. thi, poet's works Ii We may suppose
there are the reward of the Publisher 0r his enter
prise will he a splendid one. little sum IN addition
shows that tho total OF hese proofs comes 10 about
fsOuOO,
Hut thls Is only beginning The moois helor'
letter alo succeeded by proofs with lho letter IN
lmilod IN 'numhnr, NJ $50 Japanese papeI ~,
OH India ~ yellum paper Nol IL this all II Nnu
aIo not satisfied with any at the states az palor'