New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-06
ILLUSTRATED BOOKS.
ANOTHER EDITION OF THE GRAMMoNT
MEMOIRS

MEMOIRS.
axzMoIRs OF COUNT GRAMMoNT. Syy o. An'nSn,
Gebbie d Co., 1888.
In n recent review of the handsome edition OF
Grammont's Memoirs" published by the D. ID
Iippinoott Company we referred to an inferior
edition also claiming tbs illustrations OF Deior'
This has now reached us. and we cannon congraVu'
late Messra Gcbbie & Co. upon their boidnese IN
challenging a direct comparison. II will not be
ddfacult for bibliophiles to make choice between
che two volumes as specimens Of bookmal1ng
The taxi Of this book, as of the other, is that
sren.noed in the familiar Bonn Library edition,
With SCOTS introduction, and in the present IN
stance Mrs Jameson has been also laid under
contribution. Special emphasis is placed upon
the illustrations, but we regret to observe
that Messrs Gebbie g. Co. have failed TO
call attention to the value of these illustrations
as an argument for international copyright The
force Of this argument will be appreciated by many
Of our publishers A few years since MIR. Bouton
imported q fine edition Of Sterne's Sentimental
Tourney with Leloirs charming Illustrations
but the book was hardly upon the market before
it was met by hah-price edition with cheap
reproductions of Lelor's designs, inferior, OF
course and yet similar enough to be accepted by
many buyers Thus the sale of the better edition
was practically ended, and this is but one OF
many similar instances. The edition OF the Me-
moirss published by the ]. b. Lppincott Company
was illustrated by Delorts etchings, and although
we have no positive information, the presumption
is that the plates were purchased in Paris IN an
omen and honorable manner. The edition which
comes to us from Messrs. Gebbie a. Co. presents
wretched reproductions of these plates. We need
not dwell upon the feebleness Of these reproduc-
TONS for our readers can easily make the COM
parison for themselves, and trust the object
lesson NAV prove useful In addition to the
"modern illustrations by Delort' presented in
the Gebbie edition. we informed that the pub
Gshers give in all about forty authentic portraits
ON steel or wood" This has imposing sound
but for the sake of information we venture to
ask the publishers to point out single authentic
portrait which has been reproduced for them on
steel or wood from the original In the same in
PRODUCTION find it stated that " The celebrated
Windsor Beauties have had photographed
expressly for this work" If this sentence has
any precise meaning it means that Messrs. Gebble
Il Co. have photographed Ley's paintings, that
the photographs have been transferred to copper
plates, and retouched by artists, and that the
plates have been printed carefully as etching
plates
But again, for the sake of information
I'VE must ask to be shown single portrait Of q
from the original and printing from hand-worlled
copper plate. In fact presently find the i'm
pIcation of the introduction contradicted in
subtitle, which confesses that the Windsor
Beauty" series is copied from Mrs Jameson's
I" Beauties of the Court Of Charles H." Thus by
degrees we approach the truth which is that the
series consists of cheap process reproductions
Of steel engravings after Lelys portraits. The
engravings which were copied" it is hardly
necessary TO say were prints not proofs, published
in unlimited quantities. Yet the publishers take
much credit to themselves because they have en-
graved' the Windsor series for the Memoirs"
1T is not worth while to dwell upon their of
the term photogravure," which is too often APP
piled TO photo-engravings, photo-etchings and
other processes, but those who care to make com
PARSONS may be referred to examples of copper
plate, handkerchief photogravure work published
by Messrs. Boussod Valadon & Co.. although we
should add that excellent results have been reached
by a few American companies. So far as the
illustrations in this volume concerned there is
no occasion discuss any question of quality
fistic fitness but another question is very forcibly
presented
The extent of unlicensed reproduction of
foreign engravings by various cheap methods Of
process" work has been shown by Professor
Ward, in his pamphlet upon International Copy
right in Works of Art" AS illustrations of this
wholesale piracy he cites one catalogue which
offers nearly 1,4OO reproductions and Others
offering 500 These reproductions are offered at
from one to five per cent of the cost of the orig
inal engravings which they resemble, of course !
in their general appearance The result has been
large sale of these "pirated' reproduct' Jns, to
the serious injury of publishers who have pur- |
chased the originals in good faith, and in many
ale 70 fba defri If Arna
and engravers. 1t is believed that the Interna- |
tional Copyright bill now before Congress would |
protect the foreign publisher, although he would |
not be permitted apparently, to send prints to an
American dealer for sale. But the Chace bill |
provides penalty for every fraudulent copy of
copyrighted engraving