New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-11

Mr. Speaker has been dscoursing, as the fashion
is. on books. and on the comparative diffusion
and MULTIPLICATION Of them now and two or three
centuries ago ITc quoted the doubtful remark OF
Dr. Johnson that between 1928 and 1860 Only
about a thousand copies Of Shakespeare were
printed What is true is that from l62% TO 1859
inclusive but four complete editions were pup
ished and the greater part OF one was ~
fire With JOhnsOn's statement MI reel conHas''
what a great London publisher had toid hliH
namely. that il woulG be quite safe TO say there
had been hundred editions of Tcnnysons Poems
Nothing is quite safe 10 Fay on such SUBJECT
But if he meant editions Of the separate loeths' ne
might have computed them by the thousand ra'her
than the single hundred II he meant complete
editions H. is difficult TO say what Is complete
In one sense, there Is none yet. NO author i cur
plete till he dies In the sense of including all
that had been published down TO the date OF 'he
edition. it Is still difficult to the word com
plete There are carly Poems which 1ennysoh
chose never to icpublish, and it may we'll be that
no complete edition will now be given TO the
world But Of the enormous number o. EDITIONS
and of copies printed of editions nominaly com
plefc there can he no question whatever.
I will take a single fact. Messrs. Macmillan
issued in 1884 a single volume entitled The
Works of Alfred Tennyson, Poet Laureate. II
was ne complete as il could be made al that time
IL has since been reprinted. with alterations ana
continual additions, no less than seventeen times
These publishers, TO whom photographed accuracy
seems thing Of more consequence IMAM IL uoes
TO some other publishers, print upon the DIVERSE
of the title of the current issue dated llst OF
previous issues: q succinct and useful history oi
the life of the book; thus:
Printed by r. a. r. Clark, January. 1884 Ke-
printed with slight corrections. April, 1854
Reprinted February and October. 1885; May
1886; with slight alterations, December, 1885,
REPRINTED So May and November, 1soS; WIN
MANY additions February, 1889. Reprinted April
and December, 1889: June and November, lsoo'
July and December 1891 : May 1892.
Each edition was large one, and each success
sre edition. believe, larger than the previous
one. What makes this the more remarkable Is
the fact that Tennyson's former publishers hau
nrinted and sold oil at low prices numerous edi-
tons II was Supposed the market had been, 1of
the time gutted vet, in spite OF this, seventeen
large single volume editions were absorbed by the
public in eight years: and Of editors in several
volumes there was also considerable nuMOer
Truly between the popularity OF Shakespeare IN
the first seventy years after his death, and the
nonularty of Tennyson during the last years OF
his life the contrast is striking enough. when
all allowance has been made for the greater
cbeapncss of printing. and for the great increase
in the number of readers rs well as Of popnia'loh'
there still remains something to be explained one
would rather like 10 know how the figures VIII
stand two hundred and sevcnty-two years hence
G.. w. S.