The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-08-09
What IS Looked for bur-
Ing the Coming Fall.
PUBLISHERS ARE READY.
BAD LUCK or CAPT. LEIGHTON.

".
NEW YORK. Aug. o.--[spccial. Tho
bast summer has been the deadest known
for many years In tho book trade, albeit
dullness has been q prominent feature OF
that business for three or four years.
Publishers now report revival In sight,
however, and 1t Is believed that the boom
IN books will arrive as soon as the expect
ed improvement In most other lines. Ono
publisher with whom talked this morn
ing assured me that the boom Is already
plainly visible for, " he said, I'VE have
Just received returns from travelling man
who has been touring a part of the west,
and hc has made bigger sales In the month
of July than his aggregate sales for the
past threo years. ~
Colonial Literature.
There il big demand, according to this
publisher, for what may be termed colonial
iiteraturc-books on Cuba, Porto Rico,
the Philippines and Hawaii--and the pub
fishers arv getting ready TO supply that de-
niand
With regard to books on Cuba and the
war In that island there ought to be no
difficulty whatever In securing material,
since tho number OF practiced writer's who
have reason to believe themselves perfectly
qualified to write thereon 10 very large.
Thme must DO rising OF 200 OF these writ
erx. There were at least go or 10 CORE
epondents Mt Santiago and ON the dispatch
boats which hovcred of the coast while
tho siege was in progress. Thirty-four OF
these young mcn--most of them were less
than 4O-1went TO Cuba on the south bound
trip OF the Olivctte four went on the Sc
s 0uranca, two ON the Aransas and three ON
other transports
Besidcs there were Dearly score on the
dispatch boats, of which there were about
. dozen, four being employed by the New
York Journal and Sun, three by the New
York World and Herald, one by the Chi
caro- Record and two or three by the Asso-
ciafcd Press. In addition to the writer's,
there were several artists and photograph
ers. so that the number of observers, each
Of whom ought to be capable of turning
ont volume about our military and naval
operations there. Is probably over rather
than under the larger Of my estimates
Moreover, there must have been at least
$50 American writer's In Havana and 9th
er parts Of Cuba before the war began,
and every one Of them could write some
eort az q Cuban book. This Is also con-
servativc estimate most likely, since one
New York paper alono had the names OF
more than so different individuals on Its
pay rolls as Cuban correspondents during
Che year 1897.
Publishsrs Hunting For Writers.
Yet, strangely enough, 1t is the publish
II ers who arc looking for writer's and not
tho writer's who arc looking for publishers.
& This condition is hardly likely to continue
Z long. however, and may be considered as
temporary abnormallty, duo chiefly per-
mans To the fact that the writer's have not
set fully graspcd the situation. IL should
be stated In tho nature of warning. 50 to
spcak. that tie publishers will soon bt
fully supplied with Cuban copy. They
havc all hcon hustling abont for 1t during
the ;;nst few weeks, being well aware that
the early bool. will catch most OF the sales
and tho tarsy writer will surely have bis
manuscript for his rains One Of the big
Qeet houses has already announced a His
tory az tho War OF ispS,' by Richard Hard
tnr Davis; another has book on Cuba II
general by Marion Wilcox and almost al
the others are nearly as far along Will
Cuban books or are completing negotia
tions. In the meantime tho antebcllun
Cubnn volumes by Stephen Bonsal, Grove
Flint and others continue to sell well.
Tho very best chance for the writer VIII
wishes TO get between. covcrsby virtue o
the present popular interest In tho wa
and Its results Is offered by Porto Rico
So Far as have hcen nblc TO learn, n
publisher has yet turned his attention 3
that island. and there are no books wit
Il for q subject on sale, though the ds
nnnd for such works has already begun
A. wr1tar who had never been to Port
Rico and yet was asked to write an artlcl
thereon this week failed utterly to fin
anything In the bookstores from whic
tho desired information could be draw
end 80 went to tho big libraries. Ther
the quest was nearly ms futile, the volum
OF latest imprint being dated 1884, not
decidedly desirable work from which .
compile an article OF current interest.
Hawaii also offers a pretty good subjoc
for one who would write book, thoug
not by any mems to equal Porto Rice
since there are several good volumes o
Hawaii already in print. Only one boo
has been published In English on the Phi
ippipos recently. IL is having good salt
and at least one more volume could prof.
ably be got out with profit by writer a
ready well Informed, but the islands a
too remote to make Il probable that tr
taken for the purpose Of writing boo
would pay expenses.
80 csss sf Bryan Leighton.
Captain Sir Bryan Leighton, Bart, W
one Of the English officers who saw I
fighting at Santiago, not officially.
he made application so 70 do too late, b
IN . private capacity. He Is man OF NJ