The sun., 1896-09-20
A BIG BOOK IN HOT HASTE.
ITS AUTHOR WAS I'm a PLIGHT FoR
THREE WEEKS.


Fases CsntaisinG inS.oo0 werAs, an,
Easraeins % Chapters, In Tveatr.oa,
Dsys-The strusGis snd she Ts,unps
am tho author OF . book, which shai, no
here bo adyortiacd II was publiehed not Q,
very losg ago. Had II been seen By the lat,
Thomas Carlyle he would possibly have snarled
At IL as y big book" for IL was one of SOC
o,tavo pages Not the least interesting thinr
about the book is that It was written under
tremendous pressure In the short spaco OF
twenty-one daysi
am familiar with sundry stories about the
rapid writing Of books. 1 have heard . eroa,
many more Of them than can believe. You
need not speak OF the case OF the literary
scorcher, the elder Dumas, for evidence was
produced In lawsuit that whom he undertook,
the task OF composing novel he mado liberal
use OF the brains and the Quills Of his staff OF
assistants. I have heard Of the rapidity with
which Thackeray sometimes turned OF tip
top manuscript, but guess his head was
crammed with thought when he began TO mako
copy. A living New Yorker once got out
good-siSed book, which, from start to finish,
took Just four days Of his time. but his work
was mainly compilation, in which he had sey-
eral able bodied helpers. Iknow some exceed
tnRly ntmble writers who aro able to think
as nimbly as they write. but I havo had the
Opportunity OF learning the full measure OF
thelr daily stint, year in aud year out, and
that stint, or quantum, is mot 90 deep as o
we'll. nor % wide as a church door; though 'tis
enough" Not one OF them can average over
given number Of words per day for q twelve
month running. As TO fluent thinkers,
whose thoughts arc taken down by q stenog.
rapher, doubt whether they are more fecuud
than plenty Of energetic penmen. As to
Emile Zola, I have been told that when he 10
on the rush IL takes four or Ave French type
setters to keep up with him; bst then, per-
haps, tho fingers Of these French typos arc
not az long or as sharp as were those OF the
late "Bill" Pace, who could set up 1000 ems
An hour. solid minion.
But lot these things pass.
i was asked, not so very long aro. to write
q book Of 500 large pages of typo In twenty-
one days! Tho subject to be treated in IL was
full OF difficulty, requiring thought and re-
search, great care and continuous narrative.
II happened in this way:
Ono day about noon. when tho weather was
hot and when was ENJOYING the bliss of stu.
pidity. and thinking of nothing, like many
another man." vas stirred up by q violent
ringing Of the door bell. As soon as had
turned tho handle OF the door 1.-Two" man. a
stranger to me, fnc-looking fellow, spranR
seemed TO bo 7hort of breath from running,
his face was flushed: his eyes wero strained:
he wore fierce moustache; he was manifest
ly In high state Of excitement He refused
70 sit down. As soon as he could speak SO as
70 be understood, he said ho had come by ex-
press from Philadephia TO New York TO get
me 10 write q book. what aboutp" Ho
told me. ami liked It, He was the agent of
= largo Philadelphia publishing firm, who had
warned him against bringing back report Of
failure. who had picked mo out ~ tho man for |
The book. and who had told him 10 assure me |
that thore was fortune in it. The thing |
must be done. and that right away.
How big b5ok?"
Tho firm want q dollar book. 500 pages,
bound In full Russia. about thirty chapters,
Win Illustrations, and portrait Of tho au-
thor. We must ask you to give us tho whole |
'f tho copy In three weeks. or at tho rate of |
Ten chapters q week."
The Philadelphia firm had given this aRent
title for the book. liked the title. It was
descriptive. piquant, and novel.
told the man that book of that size and |
that kind upon the subject he had spoken of
'ould not DO written In twenty-one days. The
thing could not be done, not by me.
he stared, as he stood before me. The
muscles OF his face twitehed. Ho fingered his
nat. He was overcome with nervousness. He
Almost broke down when he heas I'd my answer,
He appealed to me. Notwithstanding Inv
orotestation he continued TO urge me to under
laSe the work. so that ho could mako o quick
report The nrm had told him that 7 knev
Ill about the subject of tho book. and could
'VTite 1t in the specified timo Everything de-
pended upon favorable answer.
was firm, and he saw that was. "Go bark
70 Philadelphia with my answer"
he handed me printed pago of the size of
mat OF the desired book. In a few seconds I
had run up the words in the page. Tnere were
about @50 OF them. This meant that there
must be In tho 500 pages Of the book as mnny
~ 10000 words, all to be thought out and
written out In twenty.one days. or at the rate
of nearly 5000 words for each day OF the three
weeks. You must tell the Philadeluhia firm
that the thing cannet he done"
Now. there may be stawart authors who can
pom 2,ono words Of thinking every day, but no
writer known TO me can think and write thrice
lhnt number daily for weeks running.
lilo wanted to argue tho case. There conld
oe no argument over IL. Would not tryr
The publishing Arm which hc represented was
IA u auandhry, an emergency. A member OF
u had learnsd that two rival publishers were
hurrying up the printing of books dealing
with the subject that was TO be dealt with In
'he book desired from me; and Il was OF tho
Utmost Importance TINT this Emporium book
'hould b" marketed before either of the other..
rhcso others would be ready for sale IN about
month. and therefore II was necessary that
III tho manuscript for the desired volume
'hould bo delivered within three weeks. A
OF OF printers wore waiting for the first batch
II COPY, and they would work night and day.
n relays. until tho last word was In typs
The presses could be started at n minutr's
iotice. Tho binders were all ready 10 take
lold OF the Job. I'm two days after We get
no last OF the manuscript" he said. "the book
VII b" everywhere offered to buyers, bound in
uil Russia"
l Rot Interested In tho speech of the wild
nan. who stood there with anxious face.
II have told You twice that the thing can't
,e DONE"
He continued like Bowory barker"
1T is to DO a subscription book, and when I
old our agents that we would get It out thew
ave orders for 60,0O0 comics. We will bav.
100 agents on tho road with IL, working all
ver the country. Tho head Of the firm told
no that he believed the sales would run mn
o ESQ. 600 within half yeAr Tho boob a. |