The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-02-13
aur T,MEs-nJCHMOND VA WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 10 1895
purchase of books, high school and pri-

| VI HiSu SthSct o"~ -
| mary
| AS the American Book Company can
prove that 1t has never sold more tnaH
$4,000 worth OF school books In any one
| year in the State of Virginia. We would
| inquire Of the Pilot who sells the s2io'W
| needed to make up its $4,000 worth.
Contrary to this false assumption, the
| evidence IN our possession shows that the
| entire sum annually expended for school
| books In Virginia cannot be more than
$4,000 At any rate, II is absolutely a
| fact, as We are prepared TO prove by our
account books. that in the year 1893 the
| entire amount of the American Book
| Company's sales OF school books In Viz
| ginia, including all supplies for private
as well as public schools. amounted TO
! only 5000 and IN 1884. 10 only $1,000.
| Even al the fair estimate of 10000 as a
| total of school books sold In Virginia an
| nually, firms outside of the American
| Book Company must sell yearly from $40
| 600 to 5000. And yet We are charged
with monopolizing all the trade and ex-
tort.ng hundreds of thousands or dollars
| from the people.
| WAS THE ADOPTION IN VIRGINIA \
FREE AND FAIR ONE?
The published statements Of the GOV
| erncr and Attorney-Ge leral ans"e. TINS
question with sucn full detail anu CIR
| cumstances as TO leave no doubt that IL
| was completely free and fair. The routine
| of all previous adOpticns was iolloNeu.
| As to the limitations and lHslnualIohs
l
| ourselves. we do most emphatically ana
| unequ.vocaly deny that there is any
ground for this outrageous attack upon
| our business integrity. The courts OF JUS
| tiCe must determine whether TIE chdIae
| ter and reputation of public ofhclals anu
| Of business houses lie at the mercy Oh
! rivals in business who are able 10 nlte
! the columns OF a newspaper
! But these bald allegations or the Ido1
| are OF a piece with what they say sun
| day, January ~ 1898, that our circul3-,
| News from Oregon stating thit III
! books had just been adopted Tor ih@t
| defy any denial, that the sup, News from
| Oregon" was every line, word AMI pu1c-
| tuatlon marx, true. and that when is
| quoted from the OregOnan was the nrst
| sentence OF one OK It's editorials when the
| adoption was announced.
ARE THE BOOKS PUBLISHED BY
THE AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY
| INFERIOR IN MERIT TO THOSE OF
| OTHER PUBLISHERS.
The Norfolk Pilot, referring to our
| books. says they are
| Obsolete in methods and matter.
| Biographies are obsolete
| HISTORIES that ialslfy.
| Scientific books not mp 10 date ETC.,
| etc.
| in the United States, with our publica-
! tons most widely IN use, THIS charge IS
| only another way OF saying mat we ana
! the users OF our DOOKS are all tOoIs; tnaI
| none OF rs know good books from poor
| ones. " men II is considered that our
| con pany - made up Of men skilled ana
| experienced IN publishing school BOOKS,
| and with sufficient means TO procure the
| best authorship and the best books, ana
| that our books are used with approval
| throughout thousands Of the most en-
| lightened commun. ties-that they can be
poor books IS improbable to the point OF
| absurdity.
When the Pilot attacks the merits OF
! the list Of books adopted Tor virginia IL
| assails Virginia authors. than whom none
| stand higher an the whole country: we
! have the privilege OF publishing the Read
| ers of Or. McGuney, who was SO long
| and honorably identified with the Cniyer-
| sty of Nirgin.a-the most popular and
| widely used Of any school readers IN tn!s
| country to-day. We nave also otered tqr
| the use OF schools in Virginia books bear
Ing the honorable names OF Appleton
| Harvey, White and Webster. Other books
issued by another publisher on the Var,
| & MIA list, which LIST Is also a general
object of attack, are by the honored Nr-
| ginians Maury (Geograph.esD. Holmes
| History, Nenable (ArithmeticS), and
| G.ldersleeve Latin. But what are names,
| and what IRE merits OF BOOKS 10 "a
| gyrating <efOrmer who has gone INTO the
school-book business on his own account
| with 4 silent partner?
As to whether our books are thoroughly
| supervised kept revised and up 10 date,
|
| best authors are enlisted by US, ana their
works produced and published. We have
| no objection TO taking the public into our
confidence.
We pay in cash. as copyrights, to our
| large body OF authors, $4,000 yearly. 30
| you think we would pay this for poor
| books? We maintain an editorial depart
| ment Of the most competent talent thit
| the whole country affords, consisting OF
| three chefs, three first-class assistants,
| and eight miner assistants. at an expense
| Of $1,000 year. whose entire occupation
| and business IL Is to keep all books on our
| list thoroughly revised and up to date,
| and to seek out and procure competent
! authors for the preparation OF new books
| and to supervise the publication of such
y new books.
| We have in this department complete
| working library Of many thousand vol
| umes including one OF the largest ana
| best collections of American and foreign
| reference books and school TEXTBOOKS III
| this country, to winch additions are peIAS
! constantly made.
| Does an equipment like this which is
| not even approached by any competitor,
! look as though IT were possible lor MS TO
| be vending old. obsolete. not-up-to-date
and worthless publications?
| NEW BOOKS VERSUS OLD BOOKS,
! AND OLD VERSUS NEW.
Otaer publishers are striving 20 create
| the impression tnat We are publishing
and selling old books which are poor be
| cause they are Old, while our competitors
nave new books which are better on dc-
| count OF their ncwness. Bat neWness Is
| always experiment. and experiment nine-
| teen times out Of twenty IS fdilure-no-
where more so than in publishing school
| books.
We beg IT to be remembered that the
| great and standard books Of the world
are not new ones, but those that have
| stood the test OF time and use. This Is
no less true Of the standard school books
| They are the result OF growth, and cannot
| be created IN a day
We have on our list many such taVorite
books tine survival OF the itteSt,' that
cannot be equalled IN merit and suitability
for schools. The essential facts or knoWi-
! edge remain the same, with the very lit
| tie which each year adds. The literature
| 10 be read and studied, the structure OF
the language the fdCtS OF history ana
| geography, the principles OF mathematics
| and the sciences, do not change ana are
| not new. The development OF the pnys.cdl
sciences has been the most rapid growth
and this with some changes in methods
Of teaching, constitute the chlet progress
| which the wise have recognized, and this
is fully embodied In all our books. All
other ncWness Is fashion. wnlm ana
crank ness-the passing wonder OF an hoGr
or day.
aud new in school books, IL IS 10 hold on
| TO the standards which time and use have
thoroughly approved, and 10 carefully
reach on for the new In such subjects
| and I'm the direction Of such methods as
! enlightened progress demands; and such
course the American Book Company IS
| pursuing.
~ CONCLUSION.
! We submit. IN view OF the foregoing,
| that we are reputable men doing "A repu-
table business furnishing the people mer1-
| tor.ous books a far prices. And We sub
| nit further that the viliications Of the
! Norfolk Pilot, copied or quoted. on ac-