Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-05-20


to be read. They are made
to sell to people who have
learned to read and very
little beyond that. Big,
thick books; big letters far
apart; thick paper; pictures;
plenty of gilt on the cover; the
subject-no matter; the author
no matter; made to show;
something big and bright to
take in your hand. Such books
are a hindrance. The book
pedler's a hindrance. He
takes the poor mans money
and gives him what makes
him ashamed when the school
master comes, or the minister
calls, or his boy or girl away
at school comes home over
night.
An American newsstand is
a shocking sight to one accus-
toned to English news-stands.
Ours are spread with barbar-
Gus pictures and sensational
headlines. Theirs are spread
with orderly publications fit
for a civilized people. A
library of book-pedlers' books
would compare with one of
bookstore-books in about the
same way. In the main it
would be a library of ignor-
ance vulgarly bound.
The book-pedler's methods
are not acceptable when they
are understood. They answer
his purpose only when not
understood. His whole eff
cheney lies in icing shrewd in
passing his stuff off for litera-
ture, in aattery, making people
believe there's nothing be-
tween them and wisdom but
books, and that his is one of
the books.
The book-pedler's pub
lisher's methods are not &C
ceptable. He creates the
pedler as we'll as his books /;
! he sets him up in business /;
becomes responsible for him.
When he strikes a good book,
which happens now and then,
, up goes the price to double or
thereabout; and the pedler's
, methods are none the less of
fensive when he has an indis-
pensable book that civilized
!. people have got to buy of him
4 because the publisher keeps
!. it ont of the bookstores.
: Almost the whole subscrip-
a ton business is based on
i books that serve no useful
" purpose in the world at prices
g too high for good ones. 1t
1t seems almost as great a public
& misfortune to have important
d books kept out of their right
g full scope by the double con
:: straint of high price and often
Z sive handling as to have the
r. non-reading class misled in its
.. first experience of book-buy-
q ing.
81 There is legitimate use for
1e a subscription method in pub
~ ~ fishing. Great undertakings,
no involving cost too great and
ty profit too little for individual
he publishers, must be helped
m along by those who want them
!. al accomplished. There is a cy.
IN clopadia in preparation in
En- en- Germany on which four-hun
', dred eminent scholars have
Il been writing for many year:
n already with many more year:
Is before them. The Encyclo
on padia Britannica is being re
oa written at the rate of two vol
az umes ayear; a work of twelve
TO or fifteen years. The Etymo
ID logical Dictionary of the Eng
he fish Language of twenty tc
No thirty volumes likewise. Sucl
d. works must be helped along
ng But the subscription methot
re re they call for is directly opposed
ID, to that of the book-pedler
What we are saying doesn'
sw apply to them.
le, The price Of Genera
CHI Grants Memoirs is unreason
is ably high because Of the
to method of publication. No
he he body grudges the family
on share. It's the way the bool
M M is sold that makes it cost S,
'or much. We have put the pric,
- as low as we can, waving ;
part of the intended agents
=, profit.
' : We have a rare opportunit,
!, i to say a word in behalf of wha
u appears to us good policy ii
i; ~ publishing as well as in othe
% business. Isn't it better t,
publish a popular book at ;
popular price? Say nothing O
to what is fair to the public-Isn'
CHI it wise in money-wisdom O