The record-union., 1894-02-03
WONDERFUL LITERARY ACTIVITY.
The Year 1893 Saw the Birth of Many
Thousands of Publications.

The Year 1893 Saw the Birth of Many
Thousands of Publications.
The copyright records in the Congress
sional Library show that this has been
the most prolific year in the history of
the country in the production OF copy
rightable matter, says the Washington
Star. Each year shows slight increase
In the number Of books and other publi-
cations over the year before. This wear
the increase since the lSt of January has
been over 1900. Each year there are
issued by Librarian Spotford between
$4,000 and 60,000 copyrights. This de-
partment Of the Government service is
one OF the most Interesting Of those IN
Washington, as indicating the trend of
public thought and in the addition of
from $4,000 to $4,000 publications OF vari-
Gus classes to the literature. art and mu-
sic OF this country, there is disclosed
record OF marvellous amount of work.
The records of copyrights are most inter-
estiDg III indicating the developing OF lit
erature and the change of tastes and
mode Of thought from year to year. The
average American when he thinks he has
discovered a new idea hastens at once to
secure the exclusive right to it, and hum
dreds OF applications are received con-
Stantly which have to be rejected on ac-
count OF their being ridiculous or lacking
in originally. Copyright applications are
received for copyrights on methods of do
ing things, forms of advertising, on
stamps, Impressions and pastors, and
thousand and one little trihes. The
practice Of copyrighting newspaper arti-
cles has become almost universal, and
few newspapers in the country have their
daily editions copyrighted throughout.
Since the camera craze has been having
run there is an immense amount of copy
rights secured on photographs, and the
increase of copyrighted musical compost
uons is very large.
In literature fiction far surpasses all
other work in the number of copyrights
and the number of short stories produced
is constantly on the increase. The tend
ency of the short stories produced is
largely toward psychology and charac-
ter study, mere adventure appearing less
prominently i'll the productions. During
the past year or two there has been a
marked increase in the number of histor-
lcaI and scientific publications. The
pathOS or really tear-Starting part of the
copyright records relates TO poetry. There
are more books of poems in the library
than the most careful and diligent stu
dent Of American literature can imagine,
and the sad thing about it is that by all
ODDS the greatest number of these books
are pc blished by the authors themselves.
In every other class of literature the
copyrighted publications are mostly by
large publishing houses and the writer's
appear to have more or less the support
OF the reading public. Thousands of
volumes of Poems, published by the au-
thor" stand upon the shelves. and it is a
revelation how many men and women,
who would not attempt to write in prose,
think that their wild tancies in a regular
rhyme and stilted meter are worth pre-
serving III print for posterity. In this
class is found the very poorest example
OF literary effort.