The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-11-02
STILL LIKE FICTION
PEOPLE MORE FOND or READING
STORIES THAN EVER BEFORE.
Increase OF Reading In the West and
South-Changes In the Publishing Trade.
New York the Great Literary Center =
the Country.
Especial Correspondence

New York the Great Literary Center =
the Country.
Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, Oct. 29.-Probably no per-
son has greater familiarity with the bust
ness Of bookmaking or with the traditions
relating to the successful books and au-
thors of America for the past 90 years than
Mr.. Joseph Harper, who has recently Civ
en- up many of the business cares which he
carried for nearly 80 years in the house
which bears his name Mr. Harper, chat
ting the other day with some Of his friends,
was asked whether he had noticed any
change in the disposition Of the American
people toward literature, whether the
fondness for fiction was passing away and
taste for more serious literature taking
its place. He replied: ''No; people are to-
day as fond of reading a story as they
seem TO have been in all times. Far back
in the Bible times it was the story that
charmed those historic people, and SO it
has continued to be, think, from that
day TO this. Love stories have always de-
lighted the world, because the story OF
love is always new one, always beauti-
full one. Then, too, tales of adventure, of
historical romance and of exciting travel
have never failed to appeal to any people,
and do not see why they are not as pop
ular, as warmly accepted today, as ever In
fact, should say that the story has even
now a greater hold or at least a wider one
than has ever been the case"
Mr.. Harper, however spoke Of some
very interesting and suggestive changes
that have taken place in the United States
with respect to the making of books and
~ g. =. T. =, L.
days ne said New England, parts of New
/ York state and Pennsylvania furnished
/ the great market for books. Beyond the
/ Alleghanies comparatively few books were
I sold, and in some parts of the south no
market at all existed for them. All this
. is now changed. Today the west, and the
| far west, is the great market for popular
books, especially for tales. One of the
Chicago publishers not infrequently sends
orders for a popular story to the New York
house which publishes it for as many as
5000 copies at a time and often grumbles
because he cannot get more upon one or
der. Forty years ago 5000 would have
been looked upon as a phenomenal sale for
the entire west of any single book. The
west is now the greatest purchaser in pro-
portion to its population of books, although
perhaps it may not be the greatest reader.
In New England and New York and other
eastern states the springing up of the viii
| lage library has decreased the sale of
books in those sections, and then it is
also true that a certain newly arrived
foreign clement which is not yet fond Of
reading has greatly increased the popula-
tion in many of the New England towns
and those OF the Atlantic seaboard.
Judging, too, by the character Of the
books sold so largely in the west and many
parts of the south, Mr. Harper thinks that
the literary tastes of the people there show
quite as high culture on the average as is
to be found anywhere in this country.
The changes in the book publishing
trade in the past so years have been re-
markable. Up to 1850 Boston was beyond
all question the chief publishing center of
the United States. 1t is true that at that
time authors began to show tendency
either to 60 to New York or to enter into
business relations with New York houses
Yet it seemed as though that development
of the Boston school which had so great
an influence upon American literature
chief among the members of which were
Lowell, Longfellow, Prescott, Motley,
Emerson, Whittier and Holmes, may have
been in part due to the fact that in Bos-
ton were the influential publishing houses
of the country.
The New York publishing houses of
those days were quite likely TO market
their books through the publishers of other
cities. For instance Mr.. Harper says that
his own house did not sell largely direct
" to the south, but that purchases Of the
Harper books for that market were made
through one of the great Philadelphia
publishing houses, and that possibly 40
years ago Philadelphia was proportionate-
ly TO its population greater publishing
center than it is today.
But it is in the south that the most
marked changes have taken place In
New Orleans for many years before the
war there were four great publishing
houses which had almost exclusive con-
troll of the vast market in that vicinity.
Savannah had two that had high repute
all over the country. Charleston had two
and Richmond one.
In those days the book publishers of the
south were really at the head of the de /
lightful society of those southern cities 4
and had outside of the field of politics ,
commanding social influence. When dis d
tinguished men visited those southern {
cities, it was expected that they would be .
entertained by the heads of the book pub :
fishing houses just as 40 years or more ago
distinguished men who visited Boston
were entertained by James L. Fields, by
Mr.. Tincknor and by other Boston pub r
fishers. Dickens and Thackeray and some
of the distinguished English statesmen
who visited this country were the guests
of these publishers. About the time of the
war the tendency of New York to become
literary center and the beginning OF its
vast increase in the publishing business
were noticed. In later years Chicago be-
came the center of n great literary activ-
ity. greater than the east even now real
lies fully, and also a center OF enormous
publication interests The book publish
ing houses in the smaller cities seem no
longer TO flourish as they used 10 do, nor
is there that distinction for those engaged
in that business which used 10 rank
publisher with those engaged in profess
sional pursuits. l.. J. EDWARDS.
Lightning Makes n Ball Of Iron.
4 remarkable discovery was recently
made while workmen were tearing down