Telegram-herald., 1890-04-12

nition q a. international e9pyrlgas
lz~ sin ssineIats he prod %
literstuse- Probably fs~ Rsn "ao ever
lived -sre prevented from ~fatng a
book D tie fscs sh4t s0zae eoof else Lao
.rittsa another ca TIE otheE hsna.
many mans literary talent hAs been
revealed - him BY sbe sork 81 esosFs
1t must bs borne n Eina that tie
system Of Supplying hooks % ceAs 4a1sgs
Is guiEs ! l1sFeRt Ia America ana In
EBglsnd over there. sbs edition of tie
book - largely regulated b TIE nun
Der OF copies 20 De tsksn oy A0ale's
library, the gress circulating medium
for British resders IA Englsnt. tAe
people depend largely spo" tns
librsiries which send bo0ks all through
the United Kingdom. This anaouoted-
~ prevents the English from becoming
book buying nation. IL isnt gen
orally known that this Is the reason
~hy books are printed there In three
sna four volumes that -oald appear In
this country in . single yOlame- This
is 10 permit the different members OF
family 10 read the book al the same
time, so that it may os more quickly
returned 70 the library.
lit is often specifically urged against
fuller recognition Of the righis OF
authors that England is . country OF
dear books. This 10 certainly the case;
but it is Hot due - the copyright laws.
bat 10 the reading habits Of the people
England. as matter OF fact has pro-
I - - - Ia
other country in the world. The library
system will probably never have any
such hold in . large country like our
own as IL has in = compact country
like Great Britain.
The relations OF the business OF the
book publisher IN the United States TO
the library system would be very difti-
cult 70 determine. AS far as the Century
Company Is concerned. We have little
data on the subject; but think 1t will
be found that American publishers re-
gard the library system as great ally.
and not as a foe to their prosperity.
The chief foe to the publication OF
books which will be bought. praised
and kept by the people, state OF az
fairs much TO be desired-ls the lack OF
stability in the book trade due TO tho
want Of an international copyright law.
There are many towns IN the country
in which. twenty years ago there was
local bookseller whose store
WAS the center OF literary culture
for the town, and who was,
In fact, next to the minister
and school teacher. the most civili,ing
genius in the community He was the
guide, philosopher and friend of the
settlement. Go into the same town
now and you will probably hnd that
the energies OF the bookseller have been
largely absorbed in the sale OF wall pa
per and knick-nacks, while the commun-
ity has found it's purveyor of literature
in halt-educated, ignoran. newsboy.
who keeps all the cheap pirated editions
OF foreign books and sells them mostly
by their titles-a sort OF trainboy lit
erature in fact. Certainly this system
is a great foe to the purchase of books"
Mr.. Charles Scribner, of the Arm OF
Charles Scribner's Sons, talked quite
enthusiastically OF the value Of free
libraries as an adjunct to the publishing
trade. He said:
such institutions, from the very
fact that they multiply the mum ber of
readers, tend TO increase the mum ber OF
book buyers. They add materially to
the number Of those who wish TO own
books which they have become ac-
ouainted with in the Libraries. 1t fol-
lows that every new library that is
started is altogether good thing /
/ think that those books that have the
/ largest circulation outside the libraries
also have the largest circulation in the
/ Libraries Take Little Lord Fauutle-
! roy for instance; it has always had a
/ very extensive circulation in the IL
braries, yet the outside demand from
BUYERS continues undiminished, having
doubtless been greatly stimulated by
the libraries.
There is no book Of our time more
widely read than Uncle Toms Cabin ,
You can find it in every household,
almost; yet the libraries continue TO
supply il to their readers generously.
! Perhaps" added Mr.. Scribner, in
/ the case Of new book. like Gen. Grants
Memoirs if the libraries took large
little at the outset: but every library
doesn't take large number. 1t is quite
different in England. where the big
libraries are nearly all kept up by sub
scription. People 60 TO Nudes and
order their novels and other books, re-
turning them when read. After six
months the second hand books are
thrown back on the market and fnd
their way to the secondhand book
stores. In our own country it Is quite
different The free library doesn't {
want 20 go into the book business. A
small number OF the new books is
taken, and the effect is TO help the
sales among the treds.
"ClerCvmen, physicians and the pro-
fessors in the leading seminaries are
among the best bOokbuyers; yet al
most every book they purchase can be
found in the librarles. With the ex-
ceptiOn. probably. OF a certain class OF
novels. I do not believe any branch
of literature suffers from library clrcu-
lation. "a far as the publishers are
concerned. We have always regarded
the libraries as an aid 20 our business. V
G II. SASDisoN.