The Florence tribune., 1897-09-18
BICYCLES AND BOOKS.
Effect of tho Wheel on the Demand
 for Literature.
New York Booksellers Say Their Business IIas Been Seriously Affected by the Bicycle Epi-
 demlc.

Among the many trades that com nlain of the havoc that has been wrought among them by the craze for bicycling is that of the bookseller, who says that, at present at least, peo- pie would rather wheel than read. The Publishers Weekly treats of the matter editogally in rather despairing vein, though 1t sees some light far :iIicad. and meanwhile advises theweep- ing bookseller to add bicycles to his stock. It SAYS:
 Do Bicycles hurt boolSs?' was the momentous question recently put by ihe New York Times to number of Booksellers ia New York city, and the ae.pist of opinion seemed to be in the affirmative. Not only the book trade, 3ut ali other trades that have been in- terYiewed on the subject claim to suffer from the bicycling epidemic. Though much of this wailing is, perhaps, ex- sgeerated, it is not altogether based on imagination. It does not, for instance, seem unreasonable to assume, when confronted with the report that nearly
 2.ec0.e GOO are invested in the manufae- sare of bicycles in and near New York city alone. and that nearly 200, GOO per sons in the same locality are already addicted to wheeling, that the wheel does affect retail trades in general, and noticegbly the book trade, which depenas upon sedentary rather than peranbGlatory habits.
 However. there seems to be some hope left. One Of the booksellers in terviewed, himself an enthusiastic wheelman, is of the opinion that the present effect of bicycling on the book tfade must be only temporary. His theory is that the increase of wheeling means at the same time an increase of vigor and good health among the peo- pie. Once the first and present phase of wheeling is over, this renewed vigor will exhibit itself in q practical manner, IS the people once more return to their libraries and books in better health and better prepared to enjoy them. Like all fads, bicycling will reach climax and then the reaction will set in. How nearly that climax hes been reached it would be rash to gay; but the indica- tions are that it is not yet in sight. The manufacturers of bicycles have not yet touched bottom, so far as prices are concerned, and until they do, there will still be millions 10 ps.ss through the craze which for the time being is de- moralizing the equilibrium of trade.
 ''He note in this connection the pro meal rf a hs,otrealInr Ina -, a y,~,,f, +,. ,la add bicycles and their eoneonlitants to is stock. Dry goods stores, the depart ment stores generally, says our friend, besides 8 number of miscellaneous stores-among the latter gre mentioned even several drug EtoPcs in New York city-already do thriving business in. bicycles. If the bookseller iH for the moment denied the privilege of furnish ing his fellows with lamps to their feet why. he claims. should he not keep lamps for their wheels and so bind them to the habit of buying ct a. book store? Tie Prophet Nahum, thou sands of years age. la1nented that the city is full of fhe noise of the wheels And the world still movesl Why, then, should booksellers nope and be unhap- py? Let them take Iaunce's advice, and help to 'set the world on wheels At this fin de eiecle everything doesi' Caps and bells will be called in by the inexorabie 6ecrees of fsAhion, but of the making of many books there will be no end-zor of the selling of them, either. Literary Digest.