St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-17

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS"
anthony CO,nstOch SURPRISES 4 Ne'c aud
Costty american Edition.

anthony COnnstOcE SURPRISES 4 Ne,c aud
Costty american Edition.
New York Special to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
A number of big literary guns in various
parts OF the country will learn this morning
that Anthony Comstock has forbidden a we'll
known bookseller of New York to furnish
them with a work for which they recently
subscribed. There was, at a comparatively
recent date, published in London a COM
plete translation of the famous Arabic work
known as the 1.-THE Thousand and One
Nights" or, perhaps more popularity known
as "The Arabian Nights" An American
edition of 500 copies was printed, the price
being fixed at one guinea. The translation
was by Mr.. John Payne, and was as nearly
literal as the capabilities of the English Ian
guage would permit. 1t was at once recog-
nized by critics to be a more fairly represent
alive and characteristic version of this re-
markable Eastern work Of fiction than either
the original translations made by Montony
Galland in 1904, the scholarly edition pre-
pared by Edward William Lane in 1891,
or any of the other TRANSACTIONS that have
been made in the past. Before the fourth
volume left the press the demand for the
book had raised its price 10 a high figure, and
complete sets of the edition brought in Lon
don
As HIGH AS THIIrY-rHREE POUNDS.
and have sold in this city for more than 5000
a set. In view of this demand for the work,
the well-known publisher, George Barry of
Walnut street, Philadelphia, decided to print
a limited edition, to be a fac-simile of the
English work, except that the American
printed book should contain a number of
etehings drawn aud engraved by Mr.. Ad.
Lalance. The price of the work., which like
its prototype, is printed upon fine opeldoorn
(Hollaud) paper, and is bound in parchment
with gilt top, was fixed at s. a volume, there
being nine volumes in a set. Il. Worthing-
ton of Broadway and Ninth street undertook
the exclusive agency OF this artistic book,
and opened a limited subscription list for
sale, finding but little difficulty in obtaining
the required number of subscribers among
the lovers of good libraries in this city. The
first volume was issued about Jan. Land
the second volume has just made its appear
ance and been forwarded to the subscribers.
On Wednesday afternoon Anthony Comstock
walked into Mr.. Wor%thington's establish
ment, and, brandishing a copy of volume
No. 2, told Mr.. Worthington that he would
continue the sale of
'THIs OBSCENE BOOK"
at his peril. Mr.. Worthington was taken
completely by surprise. He recalled a SINH
lar experience with Comstock several years
ago, when that individual succeeded in de-
priving him of the sale in this city Of Boo
cacio's "Decameron,'' which he had pur-
chased a number Of volumes Of, without a
suspicion that this classic book came within
the scope Of Comstock's peculiar license Of
suppression. He was amazed, and did not
fail to show his amaZement. Opening the
volume, ComstOck pointed out a number of
marked paragraphs (he had. no fault to find
with the etchings), and then said in effect,
that he was advised BY the district attorney
that the sale of the book was criminal, and
that If Mr.. Worthington did not at once
withdraw it from sale he would be arrested.
AS Mr. W orthington is simply an agent and
Is BY no means DESTROYS of breaking any Of
the laws, he promptly notified the Philadel-
phia house that he could receive no further
installments Of the work, and packed away
such few copies of the book as he happened
to have on hand. ComstOck has therefore
scored a triumph so far as the American
edition is concerned in this city, and
has given a boost to the value Of such copies
of the English edition as are here, that the
publishers who hold them will no doubt fully
appreciate. 1t is said that there is hardly a
irst-class publishing house in New York that
has not handled several sets Of the English
or Villon society edition.