Telegram-herald., 1890-05-30
FORTUNES N HUM0R.
yazny Writers whose Books Have
Ezcs Thsu E-c1
sE.rk Fw.sLss Ilssssr ysla Tsris~sls Cod
n1-s-ns. Bzs sy<'s FuG1y S~11S h-s
Besa Tunes IDts . os2~-@-
--otAss Gslas@ SSAsf~

feN f1nay laen have mG1e fortunes by
making peoule l.ugb Within lie past
fex year, America bgmoE has leoc2e
: genial partner iu Croesus & %.
AZ present tbe hgAsess ~riting is
NoEth many uules lts ~elg1t ID god.
writes Aaron Niley IN ne Rev York
Journal 4 fess jests Ell FAT purse. A
pm falls L &c tbe pngls u coin Al
auecdote could almost Do quoted on
Change. Humorists can aroro - -z-ga.
Speaking from a pusely financial point
Of yicW, THIS Is The golden age II Amer
lean kuuo.is-s TIE popular ones Mo
have drqnmed 40 any res aiar trade get
more money for thoir wares than any
other literary woFkmen get Tor theirs
Mark Twain is a monument of Lnsn-
ei4l success em3ng the humorists OF the
world and of time. In business soiitity
10 hursrist since aud including Ans
t0phanes IS a marker 70 him He is %
an average humorist What q pyramid Ia
- . mummy count recently Ia41o
showed that 200. coo copies Of his books
had been sold. As nearly every one Ot
these books Is read By Al entire family,
and then lent 10 some other family,
which also kindly lends it. and as many
copies are obtained ~ the public IL
braries, his work has probably been
read by more than 10, 200, 900 people.
Mr.. Twain IS 50 rich that 10 has
brought the dignity OF the counting
room into literature. Il IS estimated
that he has made about million dol
lars with his pen. He made so, 900 ON
"Huckleberry Finn" and "Huckleberry
Finn" was not one Of his more fortunate
books, for IL sold only 60,0oO copies.
One hundred and eighty thousand copies
OF 'Innocents Abroad" were sold before
the bindings began 20 tear-that IS, tho
first year. Ono hundred thousand peo-
pie bought "Roughing It" Life on
the Mississippi" must have been
BONANZA, for 20, 600 copies were worked
of, and IL the book was as profitable 20
the writer as was "Huckleberry Finn"
IL netted him $4,000.
The Connecticut Yankee at King
ArthurAs Court could not coin moro
money If no were an alchemist there.
II is going oil like hot cakes at tho ratio
of 20, 900 copies month. II it has any
Of the sterling qualities Of "Huckleber-
nv Finn in Ii, il must be bringing the
successful humorist monthly income
OF $50, coo.
The extent Of Mark Twain's popu-
laritY may be judged by the fact that the
"Gilded Age" sold 10000 copies-and
that book was a melancholy failure.
Certainly the humorists are in clover
when they live in a country which con-
sumed 100000 worth of "Huckleberry
Finn"
Bill Nye is a child OF nature. He,
however. makes a sufficient concession
70 this hard and material civilization to
earn 81. 900 week. Hc gets 5000 week
from newspaper syndicate for lis week
ly humorous letter. He earns S2O, 900 a
year by lecturing. His books are sold
everywhere, and tho royalty he receives
on them would afford welcome income
to many small prince in Europe.
Mr.. Nye's income is not less than $780,
600 year, and as he becomes moro
popular every year it is only question
of time when his income Will equal that
of RothSchild. His earnings are larger
than those of any other humorist who
has held alOof from the publishing busi-
ness. Mark Twain has combined light
publishing with light writing, and saved
money by exploiting himself
Artemus Ward was, unfortunately.
born before the day OF newspaper syndi-
Gates He made little from his books
and hardly more than living wages from
his lectures He diod poor.
Eli Perkins has worked aslender vein
of humor with com mendable persever-
ance, leaving the lecture platform occa-
sionally TO speak on the tariff About
10 quarter Of a million dollars has been
paid by the American people to hear
him lecture.
Josh Billings made about half mill
ION dollars by his humorous and origi-
nal essays, and by delivering comic lect-
ures.
| Donald G. Mitchell, Oliver Wendell
Holmes, Charles Dudley Warner and
( Frank Stockton have been moderately
successful as humorists, though they
have never earned the large pecuniary
rewards and the wido popularity Of their
moro successful comrades.
Eugene Field is one Of tho few popu-
( lar hunOrists who are not million
aires He printed his poems for pri-
vste circulation only. and refused al
the persuasive offers of Major Pond to
lecture.