The Cecil Whig., 1886-01-02
AUTHORS PEOPLE LIKE.
interesting Facts From Various Circuli:-
ing and Other Libraries.

'''S anu '''4tt f1if. 'Ri+'@s
What books and authors are read
the most p WIS the question asked at
the Mercantile Library, the Mutual,
the Philadelphia, the Mechanics, VIII
son and the Friends, all of Philadel-
| phia, on Saturday last, and rom the
replies have been gathered some Gu
rious and interesting facts.
After boys and girls grow out of the
Mother Goose and fairy tale period,
they begin to read such books as Rob
lnson Crusoe, Arabian Nights, Scot
tiSh Chiefs, Swiss Family Robinson
and the like. Then when they have
attained the age of fourteen or fifteen
they acquire relish for Cooper's and
Scott S romanCes. At a later epoch in
their literary education they grow tired
OF these and their fancy demands some
thing more idealistic and so they read
| Bulwer LyttOn. Then their taste for
him gradually wears off and they be-
gin to crave reading of a more prac-
teal and every day type, and then they
take to devouring Dickens and Thack-
cray. These consummate masters are
also appreciated by the mature reader.
and together with George Eliot and
Hawthorne they in time constitute the
chief standby of all ol novel-readers.
| Eighty pei cent. of the circulation of
the largest libraries consists Of fiction,
the remaining twenty per cent. bein 6
pretty equally divided between maga-
zines, essays, histories, biographies
travels and miscellaneous works. The
character Of great deal of modern
fiction as compared with that of fifty
years ago differs widely in many re-
spects. In those days if a person
wanted TO air his ideas on any par
ticular subject he would put them into
the form of an essay or treatise. Now
he is apt to throw them into the shape
Of a novel. Consequently a great
many modern novels are didactic,
written to inculcate some truth or ad-
| ,-r,C,+a CANA raF--o, 90 Il ,,,I,;I, t1,o IL
ment Of fiction is prominent in them,
yet the purpose for which they were
written stands out very clearly. Chas
| kin9sley's books are all written with a
distinct purpose, and so were many of
Dickens and a multitude OF others.
| OF English novehstS, Dickens heads
the list in the matter of popularity.
People love him and his books with
an affection that is steadily on the in
crease. Bulwer Lytton comes next
and Scott next, while Thackeray and
George Eliot follow close behind. The
| demand for the productions of these
authors is very steady. Every year
produces new crop of readers who
have not read them and of course
want to. Among this class SCOTS
novels are beginning TO be considered
somewhat old fashioned, although the
Wavcrly series is still in no danger OF
getting left by Young America, for the
copies in the Libraries frequently have
to be replaced on account of the wear
and tear arising from their constant
use by young and rapid fingers. At
the Philadelphia Library, which num-
bers among It's patrons many of our
best population, these authors are read
even more than any of the living En-
gHsh and American novelists. Only
about two per cent. of the reading
public ever touch Richardson, Field
ing, Smollct or the other primitive
fathers of the novel. OF living En-
gIIsh writer's of fiction "The Duchess
Mrs. Argless), Miss Alexander and
William Black are the most popular
Among dead American noYelists Haw
thorne and Cooper hold the first rank
Cooper is not read as much as for
merly. They are both read for what
they are worth and their popularity
does not tluCtuatc much. At Wilson'S
library the most popular living Ameri-
can novelSts are Marion Crawford
Edgar Fawcett, Marion Harland, F.
P. Roe, Mrs. Southworth, Mrs. Mary
| !. Holmes and W. u. Howells. Pre-
vious to the publication of ''Silas Lap.
ham" the popularity Of Howells had
been on the decline, but he has recov-
cred it through this novel. The work:
Of "Charles Egbert Craddock" (Mis;
AIurlree) are also obtaining great
popularity, and Helen Hunt Jackson's
Ramona" made a phenomenal hit.