The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-07-09
BAECROFT'S HISTORIES.
They Did Not Gro on TO Subscribers Like
Hot Cakes.

Ihey Did Not Gro on TO Subscribers Like
Hot Cakes.
n. j. Stone filed an answer and cross
complaint yesterday in the damage suit OF
ii. III. Bancroft. the historian, growing out
of the defendants alleged breach of an
agreement 20 devote all his time to the sale
of the plaintiffs historical works. Every
allegation of the complaint is denied and a
claim for $4,000 damages is made in the
complaint, in which it is charged that
Stone was prevented by acts of Bancroft in
doing what was expected of him and what
he intended to do in augmenting the sales
of the historians works.
Mr. Stone. IL appears. was superintendent
OF the publishing department, at a salary oil
$500 month, when he entered into the
agreement IN question on August 20 1870
to become the general manager and agent OF
BancrOftS works for an interest OF one
tenth in the business and a monthly salary
OF $3.50 Tor 10 years, beng moved TO accept
the position alter various representations,
not the least among which was the one that
the series of historical books of the Pacihc
Slope should be chronicle of facts I'M
tinged by the personal feelings, passions,
prejudlceS or peculiar religious ideas oil the
writer.
incidentally Mr.. Stone also shows how
much the prOht was on these books, namely:
On the histories IN cloth sold for $40, the
profit was SS7 70; in leather costing STA 90.
gain Of Sl07 %; in half calf Russia or
morocco Sold for S3l2, profit OF Sl5O. ana
Tor the full profit Of Sl95 on the price oil
$3.50. Complaint Is made that Mr., Ban
croft did not live up TO his agreement, but
left the preparation of the book 10 others,
some of whom did better and ADLER work
than said plaintiff was capable OF and
great many others did infinitely worse work
than the plaintiff would have or could have
done" the effect of which was that the
record OF historical events and were BAN
cr0ft's works in name only.
This. says Mr.. Stone was only one OF the
various reasons which made the books I'M
desirable and unstable. Then as regards
the volumes California Pastoral lie had
invoked the aid and support OF the Proies-
taut and Catholic clergy and the divlueS oil
the Hebrew tath, but when al these re-
l!gions were DETAINED aud scuIrllonsiy re-
ferred to in taeir connections with the
progress and civilization of the States and
Territories Of the slope all that financial
and social support was withdrawn.
Then also Mr.. Stone says he was handl-
capped by the publication of thu work
originally called Chronicle Of Kings" In
| which biographies were published of not
| 8bles for prices ranging from $4,000 to
| $1,000, and graded, as the defendant con-
/ fesseS, according 10 the wealth of the person
who desired to purchase fame by pubilca-
| lion of his acts and deeds in these chrOni-
! cleS. But the book did not take as well as
| expected and the wealthy were threatened
that unless they subscribed they would be
written up in an unfayorable light.
Moreover, the defendant had sent out
agents to gather material for these hiOgrs-
| piles and the subscribers expected TO see
| these data published and were disagreeably
| disappointed when they were not. In view
| of these various acts of the historian, Stone
| says he lost subscriptions to 5000 sets of the
| historical works and failed TO make sales of
| 10000 additional sets, and much litigation
ensued. costing about 5000 of which his
| share is $4,000. and uader the circum-
J stances he demands judgment for $4,000