New-York tribune., 1886-05-23
4 PUBLISHERS REMINISCENCES.
CHAT ABOUT WELL-KNOwN AUTHORS.

The well-known publishing firm of G. w. Carrie
ton n Co. was dissolved quietly on May ;, ana tue
senior partner has since announced that he mas re-
tired from business permanently. For over twenty
five years Mr. Carleton has been one OF the most
consnicuous figures in the New-YOrk publishing
trade He scored successes from the start, and his
enterprise and business tact have made not only MS
owl fortune hut the fortunes OF many oil MS iteI
ary clients He never had much to do with Eng
sh reprints or with that Boston circle when iouhu
a congenia publisher in James L. Fields. Through
cut il has been his to encourage local ana MIS-
cellancous writer's humoriss, novelists, odd scrlD
blers of all SORTS and newspaper men. and for ten
or fifteen years he caught the boo sh sensations CT
the DAWN New York, at least-and pushed them
cftcn TO extraordinary financial success ne naru-
worked publisher felt the strain at last ana ten
years ago began to take annual tours to all quarters
of the Globe His little book of sketches, Our
Artist III Cuba. Peru. Spain and Algiers. pubiisheu
in 1877, is partial I'd of these journeys. II,
too. made remarkable hit bring ng tie author'
who had offered 1t rather in an amatcurlsh spirit
clear profit of $1,000. Mr.. Carleton's health kept
fo,liur gradually. however and this winter he took
ADVANTAGE of the easy opportunity offered lor sell
inc ont. and spending year or two abroad. q. W.
Dillingham;. the junior partner. will hcnceiorth
conduct the business singly. at No. 33 West
Twenty -third-st.
Mr.. Carleton was found by TRIBUNE reporter
at his old Office and kindly consented TO run briefly
over Lii, career rs a publisher. began business
in ISJ7" he said, "opcning book-shop IN Broad
way near Dliane-st.. in partnership with EdWarI l.
Rudd The firm did not last long. however. Nj.
Rndd died in 1861. and since then nave Deeh
practically alone in my successes ana iallurcs' INC
first book we got ont was William Allen Buffers
famous satire Nothing to Wear had illustrator
If myself butke some doctors fearing 10 take lhy
own medclne | afterw ard got Augustus llopPln to
make the sketches for it. Its controvered author
shin gave it an enormous sale Public interest
WAS so aroused that | offered Mortimer VI Thomp-
son-thcn on THE TRIBUNE-a dollar line for
hnrlesoue on Buffers poem. In a day or two he
broucht me 500 verses entitled Nothing to Say
and this little parody had almost as large cir
cllaton its original
al can recall now half dozen or more of the
young journalists and literary men who made my
Office sort of rendezyou IN those days-lenry
Clamp. ir Ned wilkins George Arnold. fltz-
James O'Bren Charles G. Hapin Miles OEeillyL
Charles +. Briggs Diary Franco Il. H. Stoddard
and L. g. Aldrich Tom Aldrich was clerk of
mine for quite while and one of the early books
published was his ltttle Persian poem. he course
OF True Love Never Did Run smooth 1t was
while was looking over some PERSIAN ana Ara2lc ,,c
inscriptions to cmbellsh its pages. that found the
ouaint symbol which YOu see OH all my puDIlca-
tons 1t is not copied from tea-chc't or iirc. .
cracker box. as has sometimes been ggested put
is an Arabic word for books
Al next bronght out several TRANSACTIONS from
the French. The success OF MIcheiets J. AihouI
prared 30 great was the demand ior IL nat
made an arrangement with Dr John W. lalmer-
then Oh TIIE TDBCNE thnk-by whlcn lie was 10
get ~ 900 for tIansaing the 100 pages III seventy
Two hours. but To forfeit $40 for every houi
delay over three days. Df: Palmer tied wet
towel over his head. drank strong coffee. ana
walked the floor, while he dictated to his VIE;
lie cot through in time, but said he never wanted
twenty thonsand copies OF :thc book sold in
two weeks The most remarkable venture ever
made in this line was the translation of Victor
Uuro's Les Miserablcs. in five volumes III sol or
$50 The first volume Famine sold slowly.
but worked It's way into public favor by the time
The rest were ready to come out lhen spent
$40 900 in advertising, and rush followed; iinn-
drrds of thousands OF copies were sold. know OF
one retail dealer taking 25OOo at one time. |
stuck however. on Ballac. ttter losing good
deal OF money on five volumes, gave up the trans
@Abput this time ] published some poems for
F. &. Stednan ard Il. II. Stoddard Robert Is.
Roosovet's sporting books and The Flying Dutch
man by Jonn G. SAKE. Beng soneihihg OF a
contributor 10 the comic papers. met CuarI's /.
Browne lAremus Ward soon after ne came 10
New-lork from 1he q rload FG'"deatT we
projected Il comic book together, and a. Ward MS
Book was the result. More than 10000 copies
were sold in six no. tbs. Artemus W ard became
famou, az once and his Moral Lecture was set
on foot one day in the height OF his popularity
4 a
| and Isuenard-st enjoying IA cigar. when tce-
gram from Mcclure the manager Of the San rran-
| ci, co Opera House, was handed t. him. W hat
| will y0u take for ten nights ~ California was The
III. ssagc. Without a moments re1ectlon or even
changing his po'tnIe' ne wrolg our ,ne ai'swer
II ttn.dolar lOkc-was printed III the san ran
cisco papers and won the hnm0rlst place at once
i'm the hearts of tie CalfornianS. Browne got a
GOOD deal more thal brandy and water out Ol The
ecturinc tour. He came INTO my ONCE one day,
fresh from san Francisco, ana puled out ol ms
pocket an Old woolicn stocking iul OF twenty
dollar gold pieces, which he wanted To deposit
with me for safe keeping. | published more DOCKS
for Ward after that aithou4h oiten had nara
work to arrange. sit ana boI Gown MS tale.cI
cnnv Just before he died, he wrote me Il letter
saving. 'lou and will get ont comic booh next
cnn,,c book ever published. There is the letter,
bn' the book unfortunately was never even begun.
among the other humor SIS puhllsAed Tor were
Orpheus {. Kerr, john Phoenix john laul Bret
llartc ANA Josh Billings Josh Bl!llngs Farm
err Aminax wa one of my greatest successes.
The iirst edition. Of 1000 cories, IN lN63, ran
slowly, but before the end OF the yrar loo,V~1o ~
/ copies had been sOld More than Joo,OOo OF the
Alniinax have been sold since 1853.
In ! 500 moved iny shOp from the 1t. Nicholas
Hotel to Madison square. leased the old Worth
Hot se-now tue seat Of the New-iorh Club
and altered the first liooI, after SORT OF Pompean
fashion into an Office, while the upper ioOrs we're
sill used for hotel purposes. 1t sad AT the time
that lad IN despair, established home for indl-
gent authors. 1t while still III business half
as "A pnblIshcr. half rs 4 nOtel-keepcT, that took
| Mt Dillingham;, my head clerk. INTO partnership.
! After thar made but one more chang to the
/ Offices we now occupy, No. 33 West TWentythlrd-
ST. Ny health kept me away pretty constantly.
and we undertook more great sensations We
published great many profitable works however
| including those of Mrs Mary j. Holmes. Miss Au-
rusta j. Evans. Mrs NJ. V: Ierhune Marion Iiar-
| iand John Esten Cooke Mrs. Sara Parton II annie
! Fern and Captain Mayne Reid. bad been max,
inr preparations gradually for Withdrawing. and
last wear nv doctor told me couldn't AFFORD to risk
! il any longer | feel rather dismal at times over
tbe nTosnerf of vi wing up for good business which
! I have found so delightful rs well as prohtab!e
Men of letters are charming people to mingle with
as rule and hate to thihk OF cutting ooSc iU',I
sneud the summer there probably Next winter
| Shall be in Cairo and can't say Just now when
] shall land again in New-iorL"