The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-23
HOW nTR|LBY'' QUEENEDIT
The DEMAND FOR DU MAURIER'S
BOOK WAS REVIVED BY
THE DRAMA.
WHEN WORK OF FICTION Is
CALLED For BY READERS.
WHAT Is READ Now.

"There are three times when the works
of an author are in demand" said Libra
rian Jellison of the Mechanics Insti-
tute Library yesterday while conversing
on the popularity of books. First, when
the book issues from the press, then when
the book is dramatized and then when the
author dies.
1.-TWO of these stages have been reached
in the case of Du Mauriers 'Trilby
When this work first appeared as serial
in 'Harper's Magazine it was in demand;
when it came out in book form there was
an unusual call for it--everybody wanted
'Trilby.' For months it never was in the
library an hour, although we have fifty
copies, including the serial in the maya
zines. Then there was falling off in the
demand. which revived when the play was
put on at the Baldwin, but this demand is
not anything like that when the book first
appe AIRED.
This book has created a greater Juror
than any other that has been published
for years. Someti mes it takes a long time
for readers to make up their minds that
they want to read q certain book. The
run now is on Beside the Bonnie Brier-
Bush by Watson. Well, that book is
year old. So with The Manxman'-that
is over year old and, next to the Bonnie
Brier Bush, it is most in demand. Next
to that comes Hon. Peter Sterling These
are the most attract i've in the line of fic-
ton. Outside of fiction there is an I'M
usual demand for Foundations of Belief
by Balfour; Social Evolution by Kidd;
and Degeneration by Nordau."
At the Mercantile Library Librarian
~ NIL
demand when it was first brought out.
Sometimes we had as many as fifty or
sixty names on the list and it was often
two months before an applicant could
have copy of the book, though we had
fifteen copies. About two months before
the play was produced there was remark
able falling off. Then when Trilby' was
put on the stage there was revival OF the
demand for the book.
at was a marked demand, but not to be
compared with that when we received the
work. The run was very remarkable
one"
mo, cannot say that during the time
'Trilby was on the stage in this City there
was any unusual demand for the book in
this library" said Librarian Clark of the
Free Public Library. Possibly those of
our patrons who saw the play were salts
fed and did not care to read the book, but
when the book was placed on the cata-
logue there was an extraordinary demand
for it. We had seventeen copies, and were
forced to register names of applicants.
1.-THE author who has come to the front
of late is Watson, Scotchman, whose pseu-
donym is McLaren. There is a great de-
mand here for his Bonnie Brier Bush
1t is a little singular that the books other
than sTrilby' that have been most in de-
mand should have been written by three
Scotch authors, Watson, Crockett and Bar
rie-he who wrote The Little Minister. !"
At the French Library it was stated that
the book is not on the shelves, for the rea-
son that it has not been translated.
"When the book was creating such fu-
rore some time ago. said the librarian,
1--WE sent for copies of it in the French
language, for we have only French books
and were informed that 'Trilby' had not
calls for it"