Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-10-28
WHAT THEY READ.
The Literary Tastes of Los
Angeles People.
WORKS THAT ARE IN DEMAND.
What Authors Are Most Read at
the Library-They Request
Few New Books.

Last Sa turday about one-seventieth Of
the population of Los Angeles found
its way up to the third story of the City
Hall, where the library is located.
When an institution Of this character re-
ceives such liberal patronage on q busy
day like Saturday, it would appear to be
q good indication as to the literary taste
of the community. 1t happens that the
Librarian and her corps of assistants
have been accommodating data which will
serve to gauge the quality as well
ass the quantity Of the literary
desires Of the people of Los Angeles.
Whenever book or magazine is drawn
out its name is entered upon list, and
thus it ID possible to ascertain just what
authors and what works are most used.
This practice has not been continued
a. yet any considerable length of time,
10 that it is quite possible if it should be
kept up to the end Of the year that the
list would finally show different order
of precedence. The groundwork of a
fair estimate has already been. reached,
however, and it may be interesting to
the public to know what this is.
The writer who stands first on the list
is the Rev. E. P. Roe. This may be
something of q surprise to those who do
not admire the style of work that this
gentleman was accustomed to turn out
during his lifetime Of interchangeable liter
ary labor. 1t ID fact which few people
may know that similar lists prepared in
ether libraries in the country generally
show the same name at the top. It was
upon this that the statement made by
Andrew Lang in his Letters to Dead
Authors" was based, that Ameri-
can literary taste had given to
e. P. Roe q place ct the head
OF American writer's of fiction. II
will be remembered that this statement
brought down upon Mr.. Lang q good
many severe structures from American
critics.
The next author on the list is also o
writer Of fiction but not an American.
1t is Dumas, whose brilliant romances
about the most exciting periods of French
history appeal to the love of adventure
which lies in the hearts even of those
who lead the most commonplace lives
Next comes Mr.. Bellamy with his one
book, Looking Backward" of which the
library is supplied with more copies thar
that of any other one work. 1t is con
staptly in demand, and as q single
volume it out-ranks all others on the list
It has also had the effect of increasing
such as the writings of Henry George
>uI tAA ~ka "A
political economy.
The army stories of Captain Charle
King are enjoying considerable degree
of popularity, and his name ranks mex
on the Librarians list. The quain
romances and beautiful lyrics of Thoma
Bailey Aldrich are much read, and ate
these come the novels of Charles Egber
Craddock with their development c
Southern characteristics and. dialects
The new novel Cleopatra. by II. Ride
Haggard, has caused the demand for hi
stories to spring up afresh, and he is fol
lowed on the list by Mrs. Mary g
Holmes, much admired of echool girls.
1t is sometimes said that the works Q
Sir Walter Scott are no longe
read, yet his name appears next
bsfore either Thackeray or Dick
ems. The popularity of Little Lore
Fauntleroy" continues undimmed, an,
the other works of Miss Burnet
find great many readers. Directl,
alongside of her name, with q simila
number of calls for his works, is that G
Robert Louis Stephenson. Two mel
stand together next on the list in TIA
quantity of demand for their works, bu
90 dissimilar otherwise as could we'll b
imagined, Mark Twain and Count Toll
stoi. "The Innocents Abroad" of tn,
former finds still many readers, although
by far the greatest demand is for eth
Prince and Pauper," the only effort Of it
author at that style Of literature
"Uncle Toms Cabin" brings Mrs
Stoves name to the mex
place in the list, and it is followed b,
Balzac, the greatest of French writers O
fiction, and one of the most profounc
analysts who ever portrayed the human
character. The sea stories of William
Clark Russell are very much in demand
as are also the tales of Bret Harte ant
the pseudo scientific productions of julie
Verne. These names are the next il
order: Ramona" of Mrs. Heller
Hunt Jackson, is still much used b,
Californians. The names of Mrs. A. D
7. Whitney, who has written number Q
wholesome stories for young people, an,
Lew Wallace, the author of the famou
"Ben Hur," of which more copies hav
been printed than of "Uncle Tom
CABIN" also are in the list of those VIII
are favorites with Los Angeles readers
Almost at the end of the list stand
Ouida, most of whose remarkable vision
of impossible humanity have been rulet
out by the Board of Directors.
The writer's of juvenile works are listet
by themselves, and Horatio Alger ID tn,
first. Next comes Louisa M. Alcott, ans
Oliver Optic, the old-time favorite, i
found nearly at the end.
The Librarian has also kept recort
OF the demands of the demands of read
era in another form: that is by classify
ing the books which have been draw
out. Fiction, as might be supposed, out
ranks all the others added together tive
to one. Works on geography and trave
rank next, and almost equal to these
comes history. The books classified az
literature" by which are meant poetry
essays and miscellaneous collected works
follow, and these are succeeded by biogra.
ply. Works on philosophical subjects come
In next, and after these theology, science
sociology, the fine arts and the usefu
arts in regular order. OF books in for
eign languages the German has the lead
and the demand for Spanish is very
trifling. Perhaps one reason for thii
latter fact 10 that the library has very