New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-17

,or-eyen Mr. Labouchere. who need not
doe' <.rious.y--follow such line as this with
'a His language was excusable only II
my nd hardly then. But to fling about these
u.. ..u,.nts with recklessness and then to make
sort TO sustain them may injure even him.
" ,anted him In the witness box. says the
W., which announces his retreat. but that is
'n Measure deferred. 1t is. at any rate a
'...ure TO hear that man Of Mr.. Selous's repu-
p has forced Mr.. Labouchere to apologize.
,s. first result OF the e-volume-novel con-
...,ersy may be seen In the appearance of Mr..
ON Gaines new story. "The Manxman." in a
',..,s volume 1t was originally intended. one
...,s to be issued in three volumes. The length
Iuis too great for one. It's publisher. Mr.. Will
,.r Heinemann, In order to compass 1t between
angle pair of covers. has found 1t necessary to
ant the book in type which. though well cpt,
no small for easy reading. similar result
=, occur in other cases The tendency has long
,vn TO small print. though generally for cheap
..ssues Mrs. Humphry Wards 'Marcea" has
-. been published in Ole volume. and Is. so
a, As type goes. less readable than Mr.. Hall
r.,ne's "Manxman." 1t would scarcely be fair
"a Mr. Game TO pursue the comparison into other
a.al,s I am concerned al the moment with me-
ehsnical questions only.
You have had ample experience Of the same
.vI in America-too ample. The Ten Cent L.
varies and other cheap abomination have too
,one tempted the public to save their pockets at
,he expense Of their eyes. There can be no worse
economy The publishers there and here seem TO
No in conspiracy with the oculists and opti-
rans To make it worse. great numbers Of these
hooks In microscopical type are intended for
railway reading: which is quite trying enough to
the best eyes where the best and largest print is
u.ed. In truth. 1 suppose the publishers do not
feel bound to take thought for the eyes. of those
who buy their books. They are forever telling
M that the publishing OF books is a purely COM
mercial and financial business But the authors
might To them. at least. eyesight is a precious
thing. They might be briefer; then the type
could be larger. II they will not. they have no
business TO embark upon this new one-volume
crusade.
Mr. Besant has been expressing an opinion on
the matter He. too thinks that the three vol
umes will go out, though not all at once. but
gradually. He is himself a three-volume man,
but he does not regret the change. 1t will have
little effect. he thinks. on authors Of estab-
lshed position. Them the public Will buy and
read In any shape. But the, struggling writers
who supplied three-volume novels to order in the
jo!nt interest of publishers and OF circulating IL
braries-they are going TO have hard time.
Mr. Besant is himself an offender in the mat
ter OF length. Why will not these coplous gentle
men take pattern by Mr.. Stevenson who is never
long, has ever published a book in excess Of
. convenient and readable one-volume limit. The
short-story writer-he. or she, is more often Amer
lean than English-has been hailed as a relief
from the prolixlty Of writer's TO whom quantity
has so long been an objec; OF ambition, or who
have too readily conformed 10 the demand-an
artificial demand-for matter enough to pad out
into three volumes. 1t ma: well be that the In.
fuences toward brevity Will prove beneficial TO
the reader in more ways than one. A newspaper
which is printed in type Of fair size can. l will
add. afford TO urge that books should be not less
suited to the comfort Of the reader than the
Journal which is literally for the day only.
w