The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-22

VI AiierlceaH humor in JuxtapOSiti0n
with such a publication as the Stand
ard, but when one sees Puck and Judge
around the barber shops, and can pick
up both almost any where. he finds a
daily paper to while the time away. he
is almost inclined to doubt the rews
dealers statement. But tbs cold fact.
nevertheless. and he conclusion is
reached that deDraved taste is under
going cultivation in decent homes.
A novelette, called Something to
Read which. with more truth might
be named Nothing to Read" sells bet
ter than Scribner or Harper. Another
publication called the Metropolitan has.
the one above mentioned. because of its
literary poverty. Public Opinion. sold
for a nickel, and really worth 81. laws
on the counter neglected, and is the
best example of the poor mans dime
going for trash when knowledge may be
obtained for half the price. The Review
Of Reviews has only fair. demand.
No one can help observing The rows
of novels in paper covers which litter
every news stand and book store. over
which projects the legend: ''25 cen,
books for 10 cents Among this number
are come CT the best works by our best
authors. If you ask him. the dealer
viii tell you that 70 per cent of the sales
depend upon the tile. rather than the
author. A detective story is first choice
and any kind of love story sells better
than the standard works at the same
price. So far as newspapers are con-
cerned. the buyers manifest the desire
for bargains in those Sunday papers
which contain the largest number of
pages for the price-another evidence
of intellectual weakness.
AT the first-class book stores in our
city, the answer to a. question of what
is read now. always will be-fction.
Fiction aaosorbs attention almost exciu-
sively. Works of fiction are produced
row like magazines. In most instances
interest ceases in the book and rs
author after the lapse of two or three
months. Then it becomes old fiction.
and Is relocated to the counter for bar
gains. A glance at the volumes which
come under the head of new fiction"
sets one to wondering how long such
fiction may live. Some of it will live
forever; some Will be forgotten in
-'ear. but most of it will be thrown
aside as one throws aside his yester-
DAYS newspaper.
The two books which find most favor
now are THE Soldiers of Fortune by
Richard Harding Davis, and The Choir
Invisible by James Lane Allen. The
books that sold best last year we're
Tom Grogan," by S. Phelps;
Checkers" by Henry NJ. Blossom. and
"a Kentucky Cardinal by James Lane
Allen. Out of this number of last
years favorites only THE Kentucky
Cardinal is in demand. and this be-
cause its author is the author of "Tae
Choir Invisible" now so popular. This
STRENGTHENS the assertion that books
which hold interest for a year are in
deed rare.
1t is strange what an interest people
still take in Uncle Toms Cabin" It
sells better in Salt Lake than any book
published. Ben Hur' is still read. and
for years to come Ramona and The
Little Minister will be favorites
Marie Correlli's works are attracting
attention.. but this writer makes the
mistake of producing too fast, and the
general reader is unable to keep up
with her. Judge Goodwin's works have
very fair sale here and. Mark Twain
Will always find readers in this part of
the west. By far the largest cali for
histories comes from the ladies. chiefly
those belonging to our literary clubs.
thus leaving the impression strong upon
Us that the literary reputation of our
city is in the keeping of its intellectual
women.
In the method which our book dealers
have of correspondence with others in
the same business elsewhere. it is as
certained that the mania for fiction is
not confined to Salt Lake. 1t is cpl
denical throughout the country. There
fore the thought is consoling that from
literary standpoint we are no better
and no worse than other people.