New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-28
BOOKS AND BUYERS.
WITH NOTES on THE ISSUE OF LARGbs
PAPER EDITIONS AND HOW THEY
ARE SOLD.
London, August II.

London August III. ,
The doctrine and discipline of largc-paper edi-
tions are once more topics Of discussion owing -
an announcement of a new departure by the emf.
pent prbshers of London and New-lork, Messrs.
Macmillan & Co. They give notice to all
whom il may concern that hereafter no
Iaroe.paner edition will consist Of less than
ono comics, and that each edition will consist OF
~ many more as there may be subscriptions In ex-
coss of that number. ThercupOn, issue Joined,
and on both points.
b.cin by assuming that MessH. Macmillan ap.
proach this subject in a purely business spirit;
and of course in perfect good faith. To them o.
publishers, copies Oh large paper have no other
significance than copies on ordinary paper money
is 10 he made if possible, out of both, ana there's
an end If they thought they could make more
money by printing 10000 copies on large paper,
| presume they would print and publish ana SELL
if they could 1900 copies III moro money was
10 he made by printing only ten they wouid cheer'
fullv limit themselves to ten. Th"y concern 'hcm'
solves neither with questions or ethlcs nor Win
ouostions Of art The business of publisher ID
to nublish. and TO get a. large return a, he can
for his skill and energy and capital
There is, nevertheless, a limited public whicn
fakes another point OF view, ana though INC
numler OF people who take II is limited they
are not without influence on the pookouyihs
world They begin by putting inc purely rhis-
tine view on one side They regard pook az
nr;mariIv thing with soul, or, in Miltons
phras, as having some Of TIE precious Hic-pl'o'
If IT'S author II il is good book 1t Is sood IN
any form or dress BIT then if it is good
hook, il is worthy of the best aud most appro-
nriote form and dress: worthy OF being well
nrinted on good paper with good black printers
ink. legibly and. if possible, elegantly. When
This has been accomplished there are still some
readers who will value it more than others
Every GOOD reader has his favoritcs, ana IL 10
cares for books as books, he Will naturally Ike
10 have his favortes in some eNcep'loh'i 10TH or
condition, as a kind Of testimony 10 'i'eir eAcei'
lence. lie pays them that homage
There grew up, therefore. a custom-n On
old custom-of printing a few copies on Veilufh' or
on a particular kind Of paper, or on large Paper'
These were for the buyers who ~ spcciai 'a'ue
on that particular book The number was, uh.A
lately. very small for several reasons In INC
first plac,. rarity is always AN element OF In
trnsic value. II is one reason WHY pc'ufo
from the hand Of master is precious. There Is
only one or there are. at most. very lew' an
original and few replicas and the original Is
alwavs worth more than the replica Even with
a book. single copy on, for example, vehiuih' Is
no unbeard Of thing The love Of rarity may No
a capricn. but it lies deep in human nature fer-
hans no man ever became a collector, whether vi
books or anything else, without having IL Highly
developed Then. if we must descend 10 the co'''.
mcrcia standpoint rarity is also an eiehcht OIL
commercial value. II there are but Ten coprS
of a book and a hundred buyers who covet them'
tre connection between the hundred buyers ior
the ten copies will inevitably cause them to sell
for a higher price than if there were one copy
aricce and everybody could have his copy 40
what NAV be called normal price without do
priving anybody else Of it.
To anybody who understands the book market
il will be tolerably obvious that rarity Is not
word which can apply 10 book OF which there
are $50 copies on large paper. Few lndeed arc
the modern works for which in this form OF So
called luxury there are go genuine buyers liners
are sometimes enough speculative buyers to eN-
haust such an edition. They buy not to hold
but to realize These buyers are, some Of them,
booksellers II is with them as with the pun
Usher purely commercial transaction. 1hey
"snb,cribc" in advance for a certain number or
comics They have. have not, "a the case may
be. an agreement with the publisher whereby
the publisher takes part Of the risk agreeing 10
receive back a certain number of the DOCKS, OF
TO give an extra discount 10 make the bookseller
whole if tue thing does not go of or IN many
other ways taking more or less open part IN
the gamble The public of course is not con-
sidercd in these enterprises. Who are the public
that they should be thought worthy OF considera-
ton?
Tine agreement thus made between publisher
and hook seller the subscribed copies may ne trans
fcrred 70 the boskshop or remain on the shei'eS
Of tho publisher. even in sheets UNBOUND. In
either case, an artificial scarcity is created few
far 10
about procuring others; the book becomes
scarce: the very man who recommends 1t TO
his confding customer as scarce having all the
while "a dozen or twenty copies or more In MS
back shop, or in his control. The appetite OF
tho bookbuyer being thus whetted an artificial
demand is created or, sometimes not created Al
artificial and often purely imaginary price u
quoted paragraphs appear IN the papers 'hc
new book may even figure in an auction sale' ana
he run up TO a fancy figure. IL by such arts the
edition can he worked of, we'll and good. Inc
publisher and bookseller divide their rather DOUBT
full profits in the agreed proportion
Their interest in the matter being at an end,
they no longer sustain the market they at hrst
"riggcd," and the price falls The unreal COM
petition is at an end The speculative amateur
who wishes to unload can only do so al a sacrince,
and he deserves no sympathy. If the rigging
of the market fails. Us it often does, the resui'
is the same. The surplus stock which puoiisne'
and bookseller are tired Of holding is thrown on
the market. Walk through Piccadilly and otner
booksclling thoroughfares to-day The bookShop
windows are crammed with large-paper copies Oh
invaluable but unvalued works by Ruskln anu
Lang, and Dobson and Gosse, and score ot
other writer's living and dead. You may nave
some of them almost az your own price any oi
Them think, at less than the publication price
In Ncw-lork dare say. some of these same VOL
umes still figure on booksellers catalogues ana
counters at the inflated and imaginary rates oncc
complaccnty demanded in London, and OCCASION
ally not only demanded but paid by tho more