Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-31
Authors Remuneration
Interesting Items About Men Who
Have Written Books.
By Frank II. Stauffcr.

o,
public. Copies of a book were made by
scribes, men who were specially trained
in the art, and who derived their main
tenance from It.
1t does not appear that any portion of
their gains were divided with the authors
of the book. The latter found his remun-
Grafton partly in aEme, but chiefly in his
appointment to some lucrative Cffice in
church or state.
Chauoer at various times held Offices
in the customs. Spenser received from
Queen Elizabeth a grant Of Kilcolman
Castle when he was secretary to Lord
Grey in Ireland. Congreve was appoint
ed secretary to the Island of Jamaica at
salary of 1000 year. James 1. grant
ed to John Stowe, historian, letters
pateut under the great seal permitting
him 'to ask, gather and take the aims of
all our loving subjects" These letters
were real by ne clergy from the pulpit
in each parish which ne visited. He was
an avowed and properly licensed mendi-
can't.
Next came in vogue the dedication sys-
ten, which naturally accom- panied that
of patronage. In the time of Queen
Elizabeth the practice had come il to
fashion OF dedicating a work, not to
patron one, but q number. Spencer, in
spite OF his pretended horror of fawning,
prefxed seventeen dedicatory sonnets to
his "Fairie Queen" Fuller introduced
twelve special dedicatory title pages in
his "Church History" besides fifty in
scriptions to as many different benefac-
tors. Joshua Sylvester carried the dedi-
cation to a still more ludicrous extent.
His works were dedicated to eighty Eve
4 i,7S. - L i
the usual dedication fee from each, his
profits must have been considerable. The
terms of adulation became most extrava-
CANT just after the Restoration. Then
the common price of dedication varied
from $40 to e40. After the Restoration
the price fell to sums varying from five
to ten guineas, rising to twenty guineas
during tho reign of George 1.
In the latter part of the seventeenth
century the method of publication by
subscription was introduced. Before
that the booksellers were mere dealers in
books; but they came at once to the
front as publishers, because the subscrib-
ers secured in advance to ysome extent
represented the public, however limited
and adventitiOus. Authorship then be-
came possible as liberal profession, and
publishing became possible as an organ
lied trade. Though for time the sub
scription plan was simply more extend
ed kind of patronage, it was the trans-
ition stage from the system of patronage
to the system of free and upfettered pub
location.
Archibald Constable YVES the first to set
the fashion of enlightened liberty toward
authors, fashion which rival publishers
were forced to follow. He issued books,
expecting them TO find their public. He
stimulated the public taste for pure and
sound literature. His Judgment was ex-
oellent and his literary insight remark
able; he was thereby enabled to guage by
anticipation with striking accuracy the
acoeptability and success of the works
which he published, and paid authors &C
oordingly. AS it may interest some of
our readers to know what compensation
noted authors received for their works. we
subioin number of instances, without
any reference TO the order of time, and
ending with the latest that have come
under ouv observation.
According to Pope's estimate, Dryden
netted 1920 from his Virgil. Gray
realized $4,000 from his play of "The
Beggars' Opera" and of "Polly," which
was a sequel to it. The name of the
manager who shared the profits with Gay
was Rich, which led to the motto: ''The
Beggars' Opera made Gay rich and Rich
gay"
Scott received e1, 900 for the copyright
of "Marmion." Constable made ad-
vances. of money to Scott, amounting in
one instance to $4,000 at a time, for
works still in embryo, the very titles of
which had not been determined even by
10 uo laI - 4 A.
ever-increasing demand for higher terms
and the fear that rival publishers would
decoy Scott away from him by more
tempting offers. In the end it led to
Constable's ruin as a publisher.
Prior received 100000 for his book of
poems, after which the Earl of Oxford
made him present of like sum
Samuel Clark received $500 for translat-
ing Newton's "Optics" into Latin. Rich
ard Savage received over $500 for one
of his plays. Thomson, author of "The
Seasons" received but three guineas for
his poem on "Winter:" the -Four Seas.
ons" brought him about five hundred
guineas.
Pope realized nearly $4,000 for his
translation of the "Iliad" and about ga,
600 for his translation of the "Odysey.'
BE rAasived fram LIntot, the Publisher
$4,000 for his translation of "Homer," a
sum which enabled him TO set up his villa
at Twickenham. That success allowed
him to triumph over the slavery of pa
tronage IN a memorable couplet:
Thanks TO Homer, since lived and thrive
Indebted to no prince or peer alive"
1t was vain boast, however, for when
he was offered 81, 900 to suppress his at
tack on the Duchess of Marlborough, in
the character of Atosa, he took the
money, yet allowed the libel to be print
ed.
Fielding first sold the copyright of
''Tom Jones" for e25, but broke the con-
tract and subsequently sold it to Millar
for $500. Afterward Millsr paid 1000
for Amelia" Jonson received $500 for
his "Lives of the Poets," the sum he
named, his publishers graciously gave
him $500 additional, to which they added
another e100 after the work was publish
ed. They could afford to do so, as they
cleared $4,000 by the book.
Milton received $40 for "Paraded
Lost" The only property John Tillot-
son left his widow was his manuscript
sermons. Fortunately, however, owing
to the treat popularity of their auther, a
publisher paid her 2, 500 guineas for them.
Mark Akenside, received at the age of 2S
9120 for his Pleasures of Imagination. :"
Ia the later years of his life GGldsmith's
yearly income from his various publica-
tions was e1,50O. James Mcpherson re-
allied 81. 200 from his translation of
"Ossian." The first book of poems is
sued by Robert Burns brought him a
profit of over $500.