The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-01-10

works of the Polish writer, Henrik Sienkie-
wicz, are in great favor. GA Summer in
Already is often called for. and ''The Damna-
ton of Theron Ware has had a good many
readers. Mrs. Matthews and Mrs. Burnett and
g. A. Henty are the writer's of juvenile fiction
most liked by the young people. No decided
preference is here shown among the authors
Bulwer, Dickens, Scott and Thackeray. This
library is very largely used for works on the
applied arts.
William DoXey, who is man thoroughly in
formed on the subject of books, both old and
new, and who is in as close touch with the lit
erary taste OF the City as exhibited in its de-
mand for estheueally bound volumes of ''the
best that has been thought and said in the
world as any one could well get 10 be- says
that San Francisco, both in its discrimination
of what is most excellent in fiction and It's de-
sire for accurate, thorough and up-to-date in
formation in science, history, philosophy and
all the principal branches of human knowl-
edge, is the peer of any city of equal size. 1t
equals many of the big centers OF civilization
which have had great deal longer time
in which 10 develop culture and scholarship.
There is a good deal of original research going
ON here, and the investigators are keen
to possess every publication, new and
old, which will throw any additional
light upon the subject of their studious
inquiry. 1t is surprising to learn that Mr..
DoXey ships books far east as New York,
and occasionally TO London, England. Speak
ing of the dem and for books he says that there
is considerable call now for reprints of the old
favorite authors. These books ere now gotten
up with so much more artistic print and bind
ing than the old that their attractiveness is so
much enhanced they find new readers as wen
as reresders among those who had enjoyed
them long ago. He also finds quite demand
fOr nj nd 1v
he has q reprint of the Golden Legend just
as William Caxton got it up, 1.-THE Boccaccio"
in the origins al, the quaint WORK of Junipero
Sierra and some rare and beautiful editions of
Shakespeare.
a. NJ. Robertson, the extensive book-dealer,
who also is in good position to judge of the
literary demands OF the State and City, says
the sale of good books here exceeds that of any
other State in the Union in proper ton to the
population, and this, too, notwiths landing the
fact that so large part of the community is
made up of Chinese and Japanese, who do not
use our literature. Speaking of the proper
ton of fiction sold, he says that light lltera-
ture, as usually estimated, is 20 per cent of
the whole. But such estimates never take
into account the vast sale of Bibles. The Scrip
lures outsell all other books, and next to that,
as might be expected, is William Shakespeare.
In this connection brief report or what
books head the list in popularity in some of
the other large cities may be interes ting for
comparison. In New York they are reading
first, king Noanet."; second, "Kate Carne-
gie"; third, Sentimental Tommy" and "Ta-
quisara" and ''Quo Vadis' take high place
in the estimation of the metropolis. Among
the favorite authors OF books for youthful
readers Miss Alcott is so far in the lead she
might be said to distance her competitors. At
a recent meeting of a ladies' literary society
there, the question was discussed as to which
was the best Of the three writer's, Barrie, Nc
Laren or Crockett; the palm was awarded to
Barrie.
Literary Boston is reading most of all s'King
Noanett" and "The Country of Pointed FRS"
with an apparent tie for first honors. Second
place goes TO Mrs. Humphrey Wards "sir
George Tressady," and another tie for third
place between sentimental Tommy" and
"Taquisara' is shown by the record. Taking
this report from the very hub of culture as
standard we can see that in many points the
literary taste of San Francisco is quite up to
perfection, but inasmuch as no very promi-
nent attention has been given here to 'The
Country of Pointed FRS" we will perhaps be
compelled to confess to a wild and woolly
Western def cheney in some points which pre-
vented the discovery of the merits of this
book. Bostons preference for "King Noanett"
is to some extent explained when we consider
That the author, frederick }. Sumson, ID a
Boston lawyer, and every city is proud of and
interested in its own productions.
In Chicago they are reading in the order
named, kate Carnegie" "a Child Worldn
by ]. W. Riley, and king Noanett," with
Sentimental Tommy" among those much
read.
In London, England, they are reading first,
Rodney Stone" by Conan Doyle; second,
"Sir George Tressady," and third, Rudyard
Kipling's poems. "The Seven Seas, which have
been so widely advertised by the high praises
and sweeping seondemnations from various
critics. The success OF ''Rodney Stone" is
somewhat surprising in that it is story with
out heroine.