The morning call., 1894-03-18
WRITING BOOKS.
Washington as a Literary
Center.
IN THE NATIONAL LIBRARY,
How Mark Twain Wrote His g limo
cents Abroad "-IngaIIs and
His Novel.


into the National Library last week and
asked Mr.. Spofford. the librarian. to
tell me something as to the CONDITION
of the great American brain. He in
formed me that it was boiling as it has
never boiled before. We are turning ont
books by the hundreds and newspaper and
magazine articles by the thousands every
year. and the copyrights asked for co.,
tinually increase. Said Mr.. Spofford
There are more than twice as many copy
rights asked for every year now as there
were ten years ago. and the United States
has never been more intellectually alive
than it is to-day. In 1892 there were more
than $4,000 copyrights issued. and the pub
locations of 1893 exceeded those If 1892
Nearly everything of Importance is copy
righ.ed now, and we have copyrig hted lee
lures and newspaper articles as well as
books. The number of magazines is in
ereaslng, and there are now more than
1000 literary reviews, magazines and
periodicals in the United States. The
increase in other classes of literature has
been almost as great, and there are now
more than 600 scientific period Gals and a
large number Of professional magazines.
We are making many new books. and the
National Library increases in size every
day.
Speaking of new books, Mr.. Spofford,
are there many great works produced by
! new writers to-day"
There are few great books produced in
any age" replied Mr.. SpOfford. Great
geniuses are born, not made, and the gen.
/ Grafton is happy which sees more than one
or two of them. ] think this is an age of
| compilation rather than of creation. The
/ great American prose or poetic genius is
vet u be born. We have had some crea-
| tive writer's Of the past, but the greatest
/ of them are now dead. L0ngfellow, En-
! ersOn and James Russell Lowell have
! passed away, and the only one VINO can
really be called great among those left is
| Oliver Wendell Fl Ines"
"How about Washington as literary
! center? Is there much literary work
done here?"
':les, there is a great DEAL" was the
| reply. This is one of the intellectual
centers of the United States, and there are
number of au h0rs who live here.
! Thomas Nelson Page has lately urchased
a residence on Massachusetts avenue.
| Frances Hodgson Burnett lives littl-
! farther down the way, and this is the
home of Henry Adams, the his or an :;
/ Colonel John Hay. Mr. Nicolay and
/ score of other well-knOwn literary work
| eTS. We have a great number of scientific
scholars living here. and some of the best
! travel works are written In Wash gton.
| The National Museum has connected with
| II many able writer's of travel. Numbers
of the Congressman and Senators Go
literary work, and the library of Congress
! Is used greatly by all classes of scholars
and students. On Saturday we do not
have enough seats for the readers, and the
library is always full of specialists who
are working up some subject"
Speaking of Washington as a literary
center. ii Is not generally known that Il
was here thai Mark Twain wrote his
'InnocentS Abroad" He was a. the time
| In the employ OF Senator Stewart of
Nevada, aud was doing clerical work
for him. He had made a trip to Europe
and the Holy Land as correspondent OF
the Alta California, getting for IL $1,000 in
gold. and he pounded the stuff out here in
an old room heated by a sheet-ron stove.
After he got back ne got an idea that the
letters would sell if they were put into
book shape. and be showed Senator Stew
art his notes, and Stewart gave him a Job
at the Capitol which paid him Sc day.
After several weeks of hard work he COM
pleted his book and then went TO pub
! Usher. One of his friends here at WASH
ilcton was Albert ID. Richardson, who
had hren connected with several SUBJ
scription- books, and who had written
some very good things. Richardson in
troduced him to his publisher. and Mark
! Twain finally made deal with them by
which he was 10 have per cent of the
retail price of all the books sold. Not long
ago l had some thoughts of publishing a
book myself and Icailed upon Mr.. Clemens
at his home IN Hartford and asked his adj
vice. During this call he referred to 'In-
nocents Abroad" and said that it had
Melted him only few thousand dollars,
! but that it had made the fortune of tie
| publishers. Said he: II was surprised
when l was told that good sum for the
work would be 5 per cent of the retail
price of the books sold. l laughed at it,
but Richardson, who introduced me, told
ms that he was glad when he got par
cent, aud | accepted their offer. Includ-
ing the editions there were something like
100000 copies disposed of. and the publish
ing cnmrany made in the neighoorhOod of
| 900 out of it.
l asked him what he thought of books of
travel as ST Hers.
He looked at me with twinkle of the
eye and said: There is only one kind of
book that Will Sc by subscription better
than book OF travel, and that is II DiOuS
book" He then referred TO his own pub
fishing ventures in few words. and told
me that the best possible methnd OF ar
ranging for the publication of a good sub
scripiiOn book as to accept nothing until
The plates were paid fl and then to take
low percentage on the first 5000. increasing
1t on each 5000 until IL got as high As or
10 per cent. which would be big remun-
Grafton and would make a fortune if the
book had large sale.
Blaine wrote a great part of his hook
here. He began il when he was livipg just
above the old Sickles house, on LAFAYETTE
square. and he wrote great part of it in
his mansion on Dupont circle. The second
volume WAS written here and at Bar Har-
Dor. and he completed i: here in Senator
WINDOWS big brick. just below where
Bourke Cochran now lives, and facing
Scot circle. He was very rapid writer,
and be considered 1900 words good MORN
ing's work. His book brought in, under
stand. something like $500, 200, and it has
paid the best of any book of its class ever
pnbliShed. Sam Cox wrote his political
"Reminiscences" here, and before he died
he told me he was to receive S12,500 on
each edition sold. Mrs. Cox still lives at
Washington in the house which her hus-
band completed just about the time thathe
wrote his Diversions of a Diplomat" The
work on this was done at Washington, and
be turned out the manuscript composing it
at the rate of several thousand words per
day.
Il was here that Tom Benton wrote his
Thirty Years in the United States
Senate" and have visited the old brown
house on p street, where he nut the mat
ter in to shape and in which he died. He
I