The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-07

fronted with the clear assertion that
| the general run Of book paper now In
| use is poor as compared with that
| which was used twenty years ago. they
admit that the proposition 10 incontro-
vertible. 1t Is the melancholy fact that
whole libraries Of the books that are
| turned out now will not last, with Or
| dinary usage, for twenty years.
isn't 1t better that the most OF them
| should not last?" Is the answer that
| has beeen made to the charge more
than once. Possibly, but that would be
| Just as good reason for not printing
them at all, and that Is a question
| between the author and the people. II
1t were not made seriously, as It prob
| ably is not, 1t would not be an honest
answer for the paper-maker and the
| publisher to make. Say, II you WILL
that the public demands cheap books
and insists on having them, and will
not buy good ones; that the publisher
Is helpless in the hands of the public.
and the paper maker in the hands of
the publisher. That position has some
show of dignity to 1t. And that. in
deed. is the one that is really taken by
| the most of those who consider the
question seriously. And in justice 1t
should be said that nobody Is more
| sorry for the unfortunate state of
| things than some of those who are en-
gagged in publishing and In the paper
making business.
PUBLISHERS AND PUBLISHERS.
| There are publishers who are merely
shop-keepers and care only for what
! will pay best for the moment, but there
are also publishers who would gladly
| put out fine and artistic and durable
books IL the public would meet them
halfway and buy the books in prefer
ence to the cheap and worthless ones.
And some fine books are sold--let that
| be remembered-bOOks that would do
credit to any book making period.
| And they bring good prices. But the
buyers who insist on having such
books are few, and they never could
support whole trade. A firm whose
| name will suggest itself to every book
lover has recently tried the experiment
OF issuing fine books. printed in an ar
tistic manner on fine paper, designed
and executed so as to be an ornament
to any library that might be fortunate
| enough to possess them. but it was not
a success. Some beautiful books were
printed. and they will be treasured by
those who have them after hundreds of
later books have fallen into dust, but
as a business venture II was failure
and could not be carried on.
The paper-maker would be glad to
| make better grades of paper If the pub
fishers would take them. and the pub
fishers would be glad to print their
books on better paper II the public
would take them. The leading pub
fishers complain that they have to COM
pete with the novels that are sold by
the drygoods stores for a few cents,
| and that they cannot do SO unless they
"a in hn L. ts,tv NJ
their books down to the lowest figure
possible. Now. these novels, books on
which there Is no copyright or only a
foreign copyright. which can conse-
qucntly be made for the bare expense
OF manufacture, are printed on paper
that costs only two cents or perhaps
two and half cents pound They
are sold. moreover, by men who are
| engaged In other business and use them
only to attract people into their shops
In the hope that they will buy some
| thing else. How are the legitimate
| publishers to compete with this trade,
getting out good and well-made books
and paying royalties to authors for
them? Is 1t any wonder II they are
tempted. from a business point Of view,
even forced. to use paper that costs
at the lowest say four cents pound,
and at the highest, except for those
which are to rank as editions de luxe,
seven or eight cents pound?
PLEA OF PAPER MAKERS.
That is the publishers side of the
case, and the paper makers side in the
light OF this, Is still simpler; the pub
lishers Will have cheap paper for their
customers. and what can they do but
supply it? II am afraid" said a rep
resentative Of one of the leading
American publishing houses. after he
had said good deal about the paper
business. that l have not told you
anything that will do you any good,
but II you could awaken a little pub
lie sentiment for good books it would
be great thing. They will have the
| poor books. and they will go and buy
| them at the drygoods stores for fifteen
cents instead of going to bookstore
ana getting well made books for-well,
tney would have to pay dollar for
them. of course. 1t has been growing
worse and worse for the last twenty
| flve years. and I don't see any pros
pect OF its getting any better"
Yet II any one will buy good paper.
there is just as good paper to be had
| now as there ever was in the history Of
the world. This has been hinted he
fore. but Il should be clearly UNDER
stood. The trouble with the wood pulp
paper. say the reputable makers Of il. is
not that it is made of wood pulp, but
that 1t is badly made. Just as good
paper can be made of pulp, they insist
| If 1t is made intelligenty and carefully
and honestly. as can be made Of any
thing else. And everybody admits that
whether wood pulp or rags or grass be
the material selected, good paper can
be made and is made. and can be had
by those who insist on having it-only
so dcplorably few insist on having II.
The Grolier Club was founded for the
purpose Of fostering art in the making
of books. and the club consistently and
nobly goes in for paper at so or 70 cents
pound. but the charge has been whis-
pered against some of the members of
that aesthetic body that they care more
for enriching their own libraries than
for promoting the knowledge and love
of fine and beautiful books among the
people at large. In short II is a hard
! thing to inspire a great mass of peo-
pie with deep earnestness In the pur-
suit Of great ideal. The mass of the
people will generally have what II
makes up its mind to have. and If it
ever makes up its mind to have good
paper for its books, it will undoubted-
ly have 1t.