The morning call., 1893-08-20
BOOK PUBLISHING IN BOSTON.

BOSTON, Aug. IL, 1898.
Editor of "The CGt,' san Francisco, Cat
Our attention has been called TO an editorial
article in your journal of july 21 iii regard 10
the failure of Messrs Ticknor & Co. of this
city. We can quite understand how writing at
your distance and without intimate knowledge
of the book publishing business in Boston for
the last fifteen or twenty years, you should
write such an article, but IL fortunately does
not quite represent the situation with regard
10 the book publishing business in Boston.
There are two or three houses here which 90
quite a large business. aside from our own.
and do something TO detain the literary center
from moving too far from Boston. We take
pleasure In mailing you a copy of our cata.
logue. also copy OF a book about our hrm,
and if you will take the trouble 10 look over
The latter you will 1nd that our house is the
direct and complete successor OF the former
houses of Teknor & Fields, Fields, Osgood &
Co. ana j. r. Osgood s. Co.; and we may say
without any feeling whatever, since we have
none but the kiIdliest feeling, that the house OF
1leknor & Co., which has just failed. had no
relation whatever except in name To the house
which you speak of so kindly. the house which
held a very high position in the publishng
world in Boston forty years ago. Yours very
truly, HOUGHrON, MIFFLIN & Co.
THE CALL is pleased to learn from the
catalogue which accompanied Messrs.
Houghton, Mifflin & Co.'s letter that they
are the publishers of some of the most
valuable and popular works of cOntempOr-
ary American lite rature, and that so far as
they are concerned they are leaving moth
ing undone to hold up Bosion's reputation
as a literary center. That the old hub
should be upheld is the wish Of all good
people on this coast as on the other the
readers of THE CALL will be pleased to
learn that men of judgment and taste are
engaged in the work.
What THE CALL observed in comment
ing on the Ticknor failure was that the
tendency Of literary industry was toward
concentration at a single center. In all
active countries business gradually drifts
to one focus, and letters are no exception
to the rule. We find it so in Europe.
There are cities in France which in times
past have been centers of considerable
literary activity. They continue to be
seats of manufacturing industry and for
eign and domestic commerce; but they
have ceased 10 dispute with Paris the palm
of literary supremacy. AT the beginning
of this century Edin burgh was much better
entitled to be considered the center Of
British thought than London. 1t with
drew its pretensions long ago, though it
still rests claims to note in letters on the
maintenance OF the house of BlaekwoOd.
But few British writers, even Scotchmen,
now seek publisher outside of London.
Even CARLYLE lived at Chelsea. Reasoning
by analogy, it seemed to THE CALL that
American literature was likely 10 eStab-
lish an exclusive home al New York. and
tn the liDeal successors of the old Cam
bridge set would probably elect a domicile
somewhere around Central Park. That
tendency seemed to be foreshadowed by
the disappearance of the name of Ticknor
from the list OF American publishers.
We are pleased to find that there is
spirit enough left in Boston to dispute
New YOrk's monopoly. The life of New
England is sui generis, aud deserves con-
slant illustration in literature. To the
New England spirit this country owes
nearly all that is best in its tone; it was
in New England that the American idea
was born. The Western mind, which is
taking shape in Illinois and Ohio, and will
presently develop in California, is a cre-
alton of New England thought adapted 10
new conditions. 1t is fitting that the
cradle should prove that its influence
has not been exhausted.
Nor is 1t a small gain to the ambitious
aid i'll ll-rewarde0 class who are striving to
do the thinking for the community that
they should have two markets for their
wares instead of one. In every emporium
dealers are governed by one set of princi-
pies and one fashion of taste; goods
which do not commend themselves TO one
buyer have little chance of acceptance by
another. So long as Boston maintains
position as buyer and distributor of
literary wares the writer need not despair
when he gets the cold shoulder in New
York. From his standpoint. the mainte-
nance of the prosperity of house like
Houghton, Mifflin e. Co. is matter Of per-
sonal interest.
Ii one may judge by the experiences of
Miss Alice Eastwood of the Academy of
Sciences the uarils of mountaineering ara