The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-12-23

ness il is 60 know what the reading public
wants, mistake. 1t would probably be
found, If very complete investigation
could be made, that the book which is the
greatest favprite with all classes Is not
"Copperfeld,'' but The Count Of Monte
Cristo."
A visit to some Of the dealers In second
hand books in New York resulted in get
ting from them the opinion that, next to
the Bible and Webster's spelling book.
there has been printed in English transla,
ticn and sold more copies of Monte Cristo-
than of any other book delivered from Eng
ish or American presses. The number Of
cheap editions of Monte Cristo'' is quite
large, and some OF them have sold more
than $4,000 copies One publisher esti-
mates that there have been sold in the
United States, since Monte Cristo" was
first published in English. more than 9, coo. :
600 copies. OF course nearly all of these
were cheap. paper covered books, yet Dick
ems, Thackeray, Cooper and Charles Reade
have also been published in paper cover snd
offered at the same price as Monte Crsto."
but with nothing like the sale that superb
romance met with.
1t is interesting to know that notwith-
standing the attempts of Mr.. Howells and
Others TO create new and realistic school
the American reading public still prefers
Dumas, Dickens and Reade. So greatly has
Dumas popularity grown that Boston
publisher is now preparing to issue a COM
plete set of his romances, including eight
that have never before been translated into
English, and it was a professor of Column
hln npl lara IN Safd ta, E..k he. ,f tL
proposed publication, What will Howells
say when he learns that so years after Du-
mas death an American publisher brings
out his entire works because the American
public wants them;"
Dumas Three Guardsmen" has a pop
ularity almost as great as that which
Monte Cristo" has gained. Not so many
copies have been sold, although it is pyeb-
able that with the exception of Uncle
Toms Cabin" there is no romance written
BY an English or American writer which
has had sale comparable with that of
'The Three Guardsmen."
This popularity Is not confined 10 the
class that is not distinctively literary. Two
years ago an extraordinary edition Of some
Of Dumas rouances was published in New
York. The number of copies was limited
to 1000. The books were illustrated by
the ablest French artists aud the edition
sold for $50 a set, the whole edition bring
ing Sl50,ooo 1t sold readily, though OF
course entirely by subscription. None but
persons of wealth and scholarly habit could
afford to buy it, so that it may be said Of
Dumas that more copies Of cheap edition
of one of his works aud more expensive
copies of another edition OF several of his
works were sold than has been the expert
ence of any other writer OF fiction 1t
shows that there are no classes with whom
that great French writer is popular, but
that his works are beloved of all
There are no extraordinary popular Amer
lean writers Of fiction now. IL we may be-
lieve the publishers. Mrs. Stowe has laid
aside the pen forever. Mrs. Burnett's in
spiration of late seems 10 have left her, aud
her latest story, 'The One / Knew Best Of
All, has had but a moderate success Gen
eral Lew Wallace's Prince OF India mad
f large advance sale, but that was due TO
the phenomenal success of Ben Hur" 1t
now seems unlikely that the Prince of In
tia" will match Ben Huri in popularity.
Mark Twain's later stories have not main
-ained for him the popularity that be gained
with his first books, and one of them was n
Hat failure in this country, although COM
some popularity in Great Britain.
Miss wilkins is read with pleasure by q
great many persons. although her popular !
ty is not general. and there are many who +
wonder why her tales should have caused
Iuch q stir
Notwithstanding Mr.. Howells' fulsome !
praise Of Mr.. Fuller's novel. THE Clin |
)weilers, it has had no genuine success, |
md while Mr.. Howelis commands the high /
st price paid by the managers Of the peri !
ideals to any American writer, vet bis [
'o0ks do not command a very large sale, !
nd there are many who think that pro- :
essed admiration for his WORKS il largely /
ne to the fact that Mr. Howells has ex-
uisite command Of English when be IL
areful. and that be Is the fashion
The most popular Of recent American
Ia, strangely enough, an old
tory recently issued in a . cent edition,
The Scarlet Letter" Of Nathaniel Haw-
horne, The sale has been very large.
Robert Louis Stevenson says TIA. the
.merican who will tell good old fash
med story In the good old way. thinking
- Of art and more Of the tale. will find
lat the American reading public will wei
3me hin. 4 J. ED1AIDa.