New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-27
SUPPLEMENT.
PAGES 9 TO IL.
NOTES FROM LONDON.
ELLIS SALE-PERSoNAL'

fFho' i''N IoNpoN December TO-
Lord Tennyson's new volume is received Sv 'i'o
napers with n chorus of praises, some NJ them per
hans, slightly conventional. AS the Poet LauIea'o
does not re d. at rate does not Vaiuo '9o no
said in letter to Mr. Romeike). the CRITICISM Va
the press, tho worth OF 1t to HIM Is lhu'tec'' ~
helms or hiuders the sale of his printed book, and
that again is matter which may concern MS pun
fishers. Mcssrs Macmillan more closely than II does
him. They pay, according TO common report
lump sum yearly to Lord 1ennyson forthe privilege
of uniting their names on the titepagc OF his vari
GUS volumes. When new poem comes ont, bo'he
new arrangement comes into force with reference
10 that poem. However that may be. the poet sun
has great paying public. His is case 1a'cS'
in winch tie circulating library docs nor intervene
between him and his readers II is difficult 10 con-
ceiye that any one who cares 10 read lenhyhon
shonld he content to Iead him III thumoeu anu
greasy volume from Nudes. Mr.. RusklTs aoNfoo
Garnet be quoted too often: book that Is WIZ"
reading is worth buying" 1t is truer o. po'.-.
than Of other literature. poem once lead ID no'
read. ,n.,,
s,ot;otios NJ the cironlation of Tennysons POEMS
womb he most Interesting If attainable, but Ihey
are NOT attainabe. None Of his many PUBLISHERS
has cared 10 open the pages of his ledgef 10 'ho
NIB ic But have been told that no volume since
"Maudr has sold as that did. Perhaps III WIS
then that Tennyson grew contem ptuOnS Oh conteli-
Moray criticism for Maud had the not WHOLLY
unusual fortune to he damned by the crltcs Nuo
renewed raptnrous,y by the public. Some o1 inc
great ouarterhes dated from the appearance OF tha
poem tho decadence of Teunyson's genius. 1t ap-
noared inst thirty years ago, and since then TINS
failing genius has given To toe public the "ldyIs
of the KIngD the "Bal ads" and other pieces
which have not been thought quite deVolu
of poeticai merit. Most of those IN the present
volume arc supposed 10 be the work ofreccnt years
Wcrk may not seem the appropriate word Tor poet
zeal insprstlon, but anybody who supposes that
Teunyson's verso is flung off in happy moments
without toll supposes what is very far, lndeedifom
beng true, To the fashionng of each lahononS
il G goes many long gaze on his green SUSSEX
fading into blue" or more often. perhaps, the
studious contemplation of the smOke-wreaths from
his pipe Tennyson is seventy-six. but he has not
ceased 10 write and No one Will wish him 10 cease
providing he does not write dramas.
hsa s3ecimen of bo0kmaking this new volume OF
Tounyson is not creditable TO the publishers. III
has been scamped in the building. The hist poem
follows the table OF contents without single Dlatk
mage; bemish duo to sheer parslmony. since 1t
can hardly be ignorance. No better cause can De
assigned for the crude ending OF the volume WueIe
the Typography is also at fault. No blank page Is
allowed there, either. but false leaf OF cheaper
paper is pasted in. The book is printed srom good
tyre On paper composed largely of cotton and
mach too thick aud stIh There was time when
Nessrs Macmillan wcro supposed TO be am
bitious of reputation for the mcchanicai
excellence of their publications a thing to which
they new seem indifferent, In this case they have
saved the extra cost of another sheet or half sheet
Of pal per, and have made mean book.
Lord TennysOn himself it may be presumed, IS
responsible for tic announcement on the ttlc-paGc
that "Tircsias and other Poems" are By Alfred
Lord Tepryson, ID. G. L. T. L. Why not put +. H. 81
to winch be is equally entitled as he probably is to
other not less ornamental initials' Frlppery OF
this sort can add nothing to Tennyson's dlgpIy.
The sale of Mr. Elis's stock of books produced
nearly $4,000 His successors in the business
bought good many, and they Will 60 back to the
old shelves in New Bond-st.. where they had long
epcsed, or n large part of them had Mr.. Ellis
VISA a bookseller who knew a good deal about
books. aud also about business. ] remember hIm
when he occupied little dinGy shop in king-Si"
Covent Garden, with collection of books which
included some good things, all at prices calculated
10 he remunerative to the seller When Mr.. Boone
died Mr.. Fills migrated to his store, and | think
took over many of his possessions. He appealed
to limited range Of buyers. HIS special
ties were carly printed English books, manuscripts
books of Hours, and hooks relating TO America
with sprnkling of classics aud ether matters lie
had among Others the late Mr.. HUH for customer,
aud he added to the business of selling books that
of publishing them Rossettis poems bear the i'm
print of Ellis q White. The story of his Lnving
tho vellum copy of the Mazarn Bible at the Per
kins sale for the late Earl Of Ashburnham l have
told before. 1t was perhaps one of the rare eases
when customer had the best Of Transaction
with Mr.. Ellis.
MANY of the books lately sold by auction brought
large prices some of them much more than they
could have been bought for any time these
last few years; more than the price
named in tho sale catalogues which it was Mir.
EliSs habit to issne If you had looked through
his stock during recent years, you would have
thought that il contained great proportion of
books IN doubtful condition. The First Folio
Shakespeare. which sold for about 81 600, was cat
alogued for auction with the remark: AS slight
defects occur in the paper in all copies it is sold
notsubject To return" If there had been nothing
the matter with tie book beyond that such pro-
viso would have been needed. Some curious stories
about the sale in circulation. and some of the
high prices mentioned above arc,it Is said, subject
10 n discount. There are people who will tell You
that many items were bought by the agents of pub
lie institutions, and that many Of the books thus
quired are among those which have fetchedfar more
by auction than Mr.. Ells's catalogue price. This
seems TO imply certain Iecklessaess Oh the part OF
the public institutions who bought Them or of their
agents But tho business Of buying and selling
secondhand books abOunds in mysteries, as have
said on other occasions.
The comments Of many Of the English papers on
tie death Of Mr. Vanderbilt are conceived in the
most Pharisaic spirit "Nct as this publican. o
Lord " is the burden Of them, and the sermon Is
labored with that dull pcrtinacty of which per
haps only all Engshinan III a mood of seir-satis-
fed righteousness is capable. They know little of
Mr.. Vanderbilt. save that he was tho richest man
in America, aud had the objectionable presumption
TO be richer than anybody in England And so