Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-02-01

| Exclusive OF the cost OF authorship coIH-
lpuauou and Illustrative designs.
In making the foregoing statement Of the
cost OF publishing q certain number o.
school text books equal in kind and quality
| N those adopted as q standard OF com
tD.risou and calculation. have eudeavOred
H. make conservative ana reasonable est
mates. In doing this il IS proper 70 under
stand that the manufacture OF sch0O. BOOKS
| is a separate and distinct branch Of the
publishing business. and involves many
special processes and details, tie exac.
cosr u which Il is difficult 10 obtain alc
calculate.
! N is comparatively easy % estimate
the ordinary mechanical cost Oh
making school book. including
lsucl items - press work, mat rials
aud binding. But these are rea l. not tn
most important or expensive factors IN cor
| rectly estimating the Total cost OF puOusu-
.us any given number OF school BOOKS. II
| is the preparatory work before single
CODY OF i school book can be printed that
requires the largest outlay OF time ana
money as well as the most skill anu eX-
Darience. When the manuscript OF q
| school book. proposed for publication mas
| been duly prepared and arranged. the mat
| ter must be set up IN type anu the type
| u-EA III tue ADlL L4Dl4 VI a 'As4VBa BPatA
must be especially cast for that purpose,
is il must represent the diacritical MARKS
and technical signs or characters required
III teaching And school books as nOw
made are embeliisked with cOplOu5 Illus
tratiOus. and Histories and Biographies
must contain full and accurate maps.
| These must all be drawn Oy competent AZ
lists or expert cartOgraphers. and after
certain processes must be engraved by
other skilled artists. All this work re-
Quires peculiar talent and skill aud con-
sututes q large part OF the expense OF
making school books The composition
aud preparatory work for printing school
book requires the most careful and
painstaking proof reading, anu o 1,i.
whole pages must be recast THIS
editorial supervision and proof reading IS
no small item OF expense. After the text
of "a school book is set up is pages OF com
posed and corrected type are tcen electro
typed These electrotype plates must be
In duplicate called pattern plates anG
running plates and FIVE or more distinct
plates called color plates" are required
for printing maps. These plates must con-
tiuually be kept in good condition ana De
frcoUc1t,r r-re:,-cd, i being considered de-
siraDle 20 renew the plates OF any school
book after printing 10000 copies
After the WORK Oi preparing pld-e9 yI luc
| tex. maps. and Illustrations Of q school
book. IT is then ready 70 be printed The
printing Of a school book, especially those
containing Illustrations and maps requires
| skilled labor and particular care. Maps
must be run through the press as many
times Us there are c0l0rs 20 be printed IA
the map. When the printed sheets come
! from the press they pass through several
! different stages or processes, each one re
IQuiri,g separate manipulation by the
lends of skilled labor. Indeed II IS labor,
| professional. skilled. and artistic, and not
! The materials Or mechanical processes,
/ which constitutes the largest part Of The
cost Of publishing school books.
IT, view Of these facts. which I have
found 10 my experience and from my IN
| vestigati0n Of tie subject during the past
year 10 be- true. have endeavored 10 make
safe and reasonable estimates OF what II
would probably cost the State 70 manufac-
ture "a given number Of text books for the
supply Of the schools Of this state. In
doing this have examined into me results
Of the experiment Of California in making
aud publishing school books. ana have
! found. by reference 10 official reports. that
the State printer Of that State made eS-
Inmates for publishing school books as fol