Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-08-16
SOME LITERARY SUCCESSES.
Where are the Old Eayorftes NOyyl

From the New York Critic
bewildering array OF figures has lately been
gong the rounds Of the press, in the shape Of
estimates Of the probable circulation Of Mr..
Blaine's book and Of the authors supposititious
prohts-hgures which have attained such pro-
portions under the manipulation OF the "arith-
metic men" 0fthe press, that they approach the
sarcastic estimate of humorous journal, that
the book would have O sale of five million cop
les and that Mr.. Blaine's profits would be about
twenty-five million dollars The work how
ever, VIII have large sale, for almost any sub
scriptiOn-book is reasonably certain of a wide
circulation. The book-agent is irresistible.
Some of the statistics of his conquering career
are simply amazing The late Albert +. Rich
ardson. for Instance, was one of the most popu-
lar OF American authors. IL the sale of books is
the criterion of popularity. for two of his works
Field, Dungeon and Escape" and Beyond the
Mississippi, had circulation of 255 GOO copies.
Matthew Hale Smiths Sunshine and Shadow
sold to the extent OF 100000 copies j. 7. Head
leys history OF the Civil Wsr found IS coo
purchasers. Fifty-five thousand copies were
sold of KNOTS United, ~ a detective book; and
like figures might be given by the column. And
yet, of the long list of subscription books very
few are OF any permanent value. and fewer
still belong at all to literature in the real sig
nihcance OF the word. They are written and
published ''for revenue only" But they attain o
regular trade. The most popular American
novelist In the commercial sense is. perhaps.
the Rev. +. T. Roe, and the first editions OF his
later novels have consisted of 25 600 copies-a
most respectable number, but almost insgnifi-
cant when compared with the figures of the sub
scrption-books. And with what contempt
would publisher in that department look upon
the 1850 copies which constituted the first
edition of Mr.. Crawford's latest novel!
The fact is, and it is perhaps a rather con-
fP fnR hn INN, toAo
mas no necessary connection with its permanent
value. Thus one of the most popular writer's of
our green and salad days was Mistress FANNY
Fern. Her Fern Leaves had sale of nearly
l00, GOO copies. her :" Ruth Hail. of 5000, and
her Shady Side" of 46 600 Few books of their
day equalled them in popularity. But where,
oh where are they to-day? Out of print and
out OF remembrance. every one of them An
other famous literary woman of a generation
ago was Fanny Forester-in those DAYS our lit
erature was prolific in Fanny Ferns and Fanny
FOresters and Minnie yrtles,-whose collected
writings in twO-vO!ume edition, bearing the
title of "AiderbroOk." had sale of 33 600 comics;
and the biography Of the amiable writer found
l5OC0 purchasers. Still another widely-knOwn
writerWas Miss Cummins whose "Lamplighter"
had circulation of nearly or quite 100. 000 Our
fathers regarded DOesticks" as funny-and SO
he was, more or less-and bought 770OO copies
OF his books; and, to Offset the account, prob
ably, they purchased S., 900 copies of that ex-
hilarating work. Benton's Thirty Years View"
and 145, GOO Of Kane's Arctic Explorations To
come down to later times, American readers
have recovered from the Muhlback craze, Just as
people recover from the measles; but while the
attack was at the height of it's virulence, It was
very acute indeed. The writer lost track of the
Muhlback series at the sixteenth volume but I'D
to that point it had enjoyed sale of $40 600 vol
umes. and the aggregate circulation must have
been something astounding
Figures to the purpose might be multiplied
almost indefinitely. but perhaps enough have
been given to pOi2t the moral The gods of the
hills are not the gods of the valleys. The lit
erature of one generation suffers hardly at the
hands OF the next. And the stamp of popular
approval is by no means the stamp of merit