The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1892-09-28
On the Choice of Books

IF people were as careless about what
they eat as about what they read, dys-
pepsia would be much more eommOnthan
il Is now Il Is good deal a matter Of
luck what falls into their hands 70 read
The facilities for distribution Of literature
are very imperfect They have improved
with the introduction 0f railways AMI
railway bOOk-stands, bat the choice OF
the reading thus offered Is not left 10 the
intelligent public, but Is much governed
BY purely commercial reasons, and little
by any sound literary taste. The
majority Of the people are not in the
habit OF tregueuting bookstores. as they
DO dry-gOods and provision stores, 70 see
what Is new, suited to their tastes, and
wholesome. A large portion Of the
country districts have no means fkn0w-
ing about booksOr Of buying them except
from the travelling eanvssers, whose prime
motive Is not 20 raise the intelligence
ofthe country by What they distribute.
A book-shop n the small cities As well
as the large, and IN villages, used 70 be an
Intellectual centre where readers met, not
only 70 keep the run Of the thought Of
the world but TO exchange ideas about IT,
Few are 50 now. B0ok-shops generally
throughout the country have changed
their character. The booksellers say it
does not pay to keep = stock Of staniari
literature, nor to put on their counters
the pick Of the best books that are pub
Eshed every week Their book stalls
have become shops Of notions Of sta
tiouery, Of artists materials, Of various
bric-s- brac, Of games. Of newspapers and
periodicals., of the cheap and fimsy ten
Porary product Of a commercial directed
press, with only an occasional real book
that has attained exceptional n0toriety.
A new article Of diet comes into general
use usually through persistent and ex-
tensiye advertising. Books are advertised
Hber8lIy-for b0Oks-lni more than they
were formerly, because there are more
newspapers, but the advertising j. not as
elective as Il IS in the else Of things 20
wear and 10 eat A good book rarely
reaches its due audience. It IS put forth
by a good house, and has 4 distribution,
which can be pretty accurately predicted,
IN certain limited channels In the case
Of any g00i book there IS no doubt !.
would have ten readsrs where Il now has
one, ffit we're brought 10 the attention Of
those who would Ike it. The proof Of
this IS the fact that the sale o. a novel in
book form il not injured. bus often IS
aided, by It's frst appearance a. a serial
II some periodical or newspaper There
are many publics. The serial vii have
a certain audience the book viii find
another partly becauss the serial pu5.i-
cation h5s advertised it,; It might then
20 into a newspaper, OF into many news
papers. auf search OUT other autieCcss.
and the chance Is that a worthy bO1z
might run for 4 long time in various
channels, and in several forms and styles
cheap and dear, without Ioosing It's
strength Of fcirculati0n. MIny a volume
Of nigh character has a success within a
limited circle, and Is praised by theoIitics
and then drops out Of notice when not a
tenth ofihe people have ever hearI Of &;
who v0lld be As Ekely to buy It as the
fsw who di1 reai {. when il Vas first
launched There Il some hoH a defect
in distribution a good book ought u
have a long LIFE. Ift is liked this year,
there Is no reason why it should not De
liked ten years later, for meantime the
reading public has changed shAt which
pleased the man at thirty viii pie5ss tie
nan who was ouly twenty when the book I
vas published. Il IS difficult 70 say
whether this imperfect distribution and
this haste and waste N the treatment CT
the brain product are due to the msthod
Of publication, or 70 the rage ofthe pu5ic
for something new Il IS tTIe that the
literary t3sts changes IN a generation or
Two, bat We believe that it is The ez1.r-
iencs OF pullihers that q real 11Js, which
was popular a generation ag0, W.il have,
if properly revived, pa large an auiience
with the new public as it hai wiIa the
old. Books in this respect are ike
pictures, there i always j p11.ic for the
best, when the public has an opportunity
Of seeing them We believe that the
publication Of good literature, adhered 10
pushed, and ADVERTISED, would Dc nl-e
profitable than the constant experiments
With ephemeral trash but il = useless TO
moraIizs about this IN an age when there
l. such q pressure for publication Of new
things, and there are such vast manu-
factories which feel IL a necessity % keep
their hoppers full Of the grain Of the nes
crop Il may be said, however. that If
there vas anywhere ! controlling desire
to distribute good literature, rather THAI
a Manufacturers notion Of turning out any .
sort Of product Of paper, type, and ink
the public would be the gamer And
perhaps the publishers would ind their
account IL a better educated puJEc taste
The analogy does not hold al along the
line, but usually the houses OF merchan-
disc are more prosperous and permanent
that deal in the staples Of life than those
that merely experiment with ephemsral 7
novelties. The problem is how 10 bring
bOoks Of value, or even books having an
element Of popularity, % the notice Of
the majority Of possible buyers. Ia any
other trade the profit Is in pushing good
article 10 the limit Of its cirrgl4ri0n,
rather than il being content with the
local and small circulation Of half dozen
inferior rlicles,-Hup,rs MfgEias
Capt. W \ Abbot, Who has long been
with Messrs- PercivaI and H4tton, Real
Estate and Insurance Brokers, Des
Moines, Iosa, and Is one Of the best
known and most respected business men
in that city, says. can testify 70 the
good qualities Of ChamLerlain's Cough