The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-08
THE FIRST EDITION.


your volume Tho Swallows" tho first edition
being entirely out of print.
VIII you be SO kind us to stop in and sec us
That We may make arrangements with you
about II! Accept, etc,
MAssoL Bios Publishers.
"Whcn received that letter / thts,rbt
/ should die of joy and astonishmcnt. even
more of establishment than of joy," said
the celebrated dramatist, Henry Didicr,
the other day, us he showed us the letter:
then noticing our interest he gave us the
whole history of the affair rs follows:
The first edition of 1.-The Swallows" my
first book, and II volume of verses. ont of
print, and !. scarcely twenty years old.
Knew no ono in Paris; no editorial had
been written about it; nothing had ap-
pearcd concerning it except some paid no
tlces on the fourth page Of the Journals,
and how long had this unhopcd forand i'm
probable event been in coming to pass2
just one month";
This was success thcn-trllc success.
SO had talent. l was bcginnflr to be
appreciated by those contemporaries whom
had slnndercd up to this time, accusing
them of disikng all poetry and consider
ing them uncultivntcd in their tastes.
would not stop writing at all now;
after this volume there should be n second
l had even been working on it i'm my
dreams! Then would come the theatcr.
that powerful springbDnrd which all mt
once sends one into full rcnown and glory.
up among the stars! And n novel; W-hy
should not also write Il novel; | was al
ready dreaming over profound psvcholopi-
cal studies, over accurate and thrilling de-
scriptions. My brain was at work and nv
head humming with all the ambitious fol-
lies OF ones twentieth year Again md
again read the blessed letter as trampcd
back and forth in my room, radiant and
gesticulating wildly.
well, what is the matter, nv boy?n
The door stood slightly ajar, and my
grandfathcr's face appeared in the open
ing; it was kindly face, calm, rosy and
clean shaver. with n Strong nose and eyes
shining behind their glasses, and was
framed i'll n well combed and carefully
curlcd wig.
What is the matter with me. grand.
father? Wait, read thisr'
When he had glanced through the let
ter he said: well, what about it? l think
your verses are very pretty!'
but think, grandfather! 1t is mn nm
expected success! Verses are no longer
rcadn'
"Yours are read. That ought to be
enough for you"'
II should think sou
"Then you are happy"
eyes, am happy"
THAT is all that is necessary.n
lie opened his snutfboX and slowly took
pinch, looking at me all the time with n
smile in his eyes.
a quarter of an hour after WIS with
Massol Bros.
All the literary world knows this cele
DRAFTED publishing house and has seen its
busy employees, librarians and clerks in
the vast hall lighted from above and lined
with row upon row Of carefully classified
volumes in white, yellow and blue bind
ings. Wooden galleries run along the wall
dividing it into two floors, and books and
papers are continually pulled up or let
down by small pulleys. 1t is kind of in
tellectual factory OF which printed thought
is the never failing product.
With bound l climbed to the first floor.
to the office of the elder Massol, whose
special business IL is to receive authors
] found the Office closed, and the sound
of voices came from it; the patron was oc-
cupcd. sat down on bench awaiting
my turn, and as waited called to mind
my feelings the first time had come here.
With what n beating heart climbed the
staircase, my manuscript under my arm,
And when | entered MaSSol's Office how
trcmblcd all over! lie received me POLITELY
but coldly, and he had reason to after ali
l, an unknown youth of twenty years, had
brought him what? Verses! Il commodity
seldom sold by publisher A romance
still sclls-but verses
However, he had consented to publish
them, on condition of course that paid
the entire expense, and since then ! had
experienced all the emotions awakened by
first book The proofs had come. still
quite damp from the press and full of mis-
takes that drove me to despair. and of
which there seemed to be no end: there
were innumerable grammatical Questions
and doubts about punctuation; continually
renewed contests with the printer. whom
l privately considered an inlbecile. and
who repaid me in the same coin; had the
table of contents to make and the title Pm
compose in such n way as to attract the
purchasers eye, and the color of the bind
ing to choose; then it was ready for press"
three little words that sound so small.
but which are everything in reality, since
they send forth the authors thought to
the public, as Mt the theatcr the three
strokes of the boil before the curtain rises
announce the piece to the audience; finally,
the new and elegant volumes appeared in
the booksellers windows and OH the boule-
ward.
After few moments Massols office
opened and X, the academcian, came out,
accompanied as far as the door by the
bowling publisher This man was n good
client, and they paid him II great deal of
attention. Should / ever reach that dis
tinction!
Massol, looking very Kind and almost
paternal, mo;ioned me to enter. He begged
me To be seated and said, rs he pompously
sat down in his leather armchair:
on received our letter."
Yes, u. MaSsoi."