The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1886-05-22
WAMAMAKERS


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-nomat-
ter; made to show; something
big and bright to take in your
hand. Such books are a hind
rance. 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 atschool comesh home over
night.
An American newsstand is a
shocking sight to one accus-
toned to English news-stands.
Ours are spread with barbarous
pictures and sensational head
lines. Theirs are spread with
orderly publications fit for a
civilized people. A library Of
book-pedlers' books would com
pare with one Of bookstore
books in about the same way.
lnthe main it would be a library
of ignorance vulgarly bound.
The book-pedler's methods
are not acceptable when they
are understood. They answer
his purpose only when not I'M
derstood. His whole efficiency
lies in being shrewd, in passing
his stuff off for literature, in
flattery, making people believe
there's nothing between them
and wisdom but books, and
that his is one Of the books.
The book-pedler' spublisher's
methodsare unacceptable. He
creates the pedler as we'll as his
books; he sets him up in bust
ness becomes responsible for
him. When he strikes a good
book, which happens now and
then,upgoes the price to double
or thereabout; and the pedler's
methods are none the less often
sive when he has an indispensa-
bic book that civilized people
have got to buy of him because
the publisher keeps it out of
the bookstores.
Almost the whole subscrip-
ton business is based on books
that serve no useful purpose in
the world at prices too high for
good ones. 1t seems almost as
great a public misfortune to
have important books kept out
of their rightful scope by the
double constraint of high price
and offensive handling as to
have the nOn-readinp class mis-
led in its first experience OF
book-buying.
There is legitimate use for a
subscription method in publish
ing. Great undertakings, in
volving cost too great and pro
fit too little for individual pub
fishers, must be helped along
by those who want them &C
complished. There is a CYCLIC
pedia in preparation in Ger
many on which four hundred
eminent scholars have been
writing for many years already
with many more years before
them. The Encyclopedia Bri-
tannica is being rewritten al
the rate of two volumes a year
a work of twelve or fifteen
years. The chronological Die
tionary of the English Ian.
guages of twenty to thirty vol.
umes likewise. Such works
must be helped along. But
the subscription method they
call for is directly opposed to
that of the book-pedler. What
we are saying doesn't apply to
them.
The price of General Grants
Memoirs is unreasonably high
because of the method of pub
LEGATION. Nobody grudges the
family's share. It's the way the
book is sold that makes it cost
SO much. We have put the
price as low as we can, waving
a part of the intended agents
profit.
We have a rare opportunity
to say a word in behalf of what
appears to us good policy in
publishing as well as in other
business. Isn't it better to pub
fish a popular book at popu-
lar price? Say nothing of what
| &c fo;- +o +ba ,,,I,1; T,. :.