The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-02-28
Total out,ut of Books in 1891.


The books recorded by us IN our weekly
Record of 1891 amounted 10 1860, which is
only about a hundred more than IN the pre-
yioils wear. and but a few less than IN loe6,
the largest wear on record. 1t Is interesting
TO compare these figures win some carrie
statistics Of the book trace. Inc lecoIus vi
American publications for the twelve years
ending in 1871 show an aggregate Oh LILO
different works. OF these 623 were original,
and 492 were reported as reprinted from
foreign books. The list Of reprinh Delng ID
complete, IL was at the time assumed lhdI il
correct data could be gathered II won ia SNOW
the reprints TO be equal In number 10 lhe
Orginals-that is, an average OF ~ OF edch
per year. In the year 1893 there were pun
lIshed IN the United states ld3 new works Oh
which Dts were reprints Of English works, -
were translatiOns OF foreign authors and ~
Ga large prepOuderance) were original Amer-
can WOrks-thus showing an increase oil
about 500 per cent. in less than twenty wears.
As the average Increase OF the population oil
the United States IN the same time-great a.
10 Was-scarcely reached 50 per cent, II ap-
pears that literature and the book trade all
Vanced ten times AZ fast as The population.
I'm 1880 the population was reported 10 be
80 ljj, 1S3, the average density of settle
ment being - to the square mile. The output
of books IN that year was estimated at tilhe
over two thousand. In 1890 the population
was o2622, 200, the average issue OF books III
the intervening ten years having been about
four thousand volumes per year. This lnclu-
ded. of course, the abnormal output of re-
prints, six rival editions Of the same book
being often counted as six separate books.
According 10 the records of the Publishers
Weekly for the ten years from 1881 10 1870,
inclusive, the total number Of books pub
hshed in 1881 was 1891; in 1857, 3,4i2; In
1883. 34Sl; i'm 1884, 4,0oS; in 1850. 4,O3O IN
1886, 4.776; In 1881, 4,43l; IN 1855, 4,6Jl; IN
1889. 4.Ol4: in $780, 1909. These hgures then
would show that while the Increase III the
population during the last decade vas twenty
per cent. the increase In the production OF
books was one hundred per cent. But we are
not prepared TO assert this as fact. There
are hundreds of books published every year
that elude our vigilance, and OF which II is
practically impossible TO obtain Information.
A few OF these may be important, bat the
greater number, we are confident, are OF only
minor or ephemeral interest. But our general
impression is that The production Of new
books of a solid character has not kept pace
with the increase IN population, nor - IL as
large as might have been expected IN view Of
the progress in education.
Tlis is not SO much due to the fact that the
reading habit has declined as il is 20 its d-
version into other directions, such, for in
stance, as the productions Of the newspaper
and periodical press. Then, too, the extern
tension OF reading and educational circles,
such as the Chautauquan, Epwouh and
others, while il has had tendency TO increase
the study Of a few standard books, has for that
reason not been a means Of encouraging the
purchase Of many new books While this
may not thus far have been of direct profit to
the publishers, it certainly gives great
promise for the future-aud while figures and
facts do not seem to show that book plOduc-
ton has kept pace with the grea1 expectations
of nifty ears ago, II cannot with harness be
held that IL has, in proportion, fallen so very
far short as has generally been supposed and
claimed Following we give under special
classifcations the books Of the year, with
thn.e of lSgn for cOmnallSOn: