The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-06

Correspondence The st. Paul Globe
NEW YORK, Feb. 3-Much has been
said during the past year-more than
in any other recent year-of the multi
pication of books. A veritable flood
has been announced to be upon us. and
even a deluge. Newspapers have
sounded their alarms, preachers have
bewaiied the threatened danger. lee
turers have pointed morals and adorn-
ed tales with sweeping statements
about this swelling literary tide. But
now that we have actual statistics to
talk about, instead Of glowing general
statements we learn that the books
published last year in the United States
Were actually fewer in number than
those OF 1896. That is to say, the year
Of the last presidential campaign saw
more books published than the first
year of NcKinley's administration. The
actual figures for 1887 are 1923 new
books, whereas in the year 1896 the
new books numbered 5,703.
To what are we to ascribe the
change? Surely not altogether to bust
ness conditions, for these have not been
worse, but somewhat better. Surely
not to a falling off in the demand for
reading, since we may be sure that the
reading public in this country is a
constantly expanding quantity. There
has been one very certain cause. Pub
fishers Fave been making better books
books better in themselves and man
ufaCtGred in better form. More books
in substantial and attractive cloth
bindings have appeared. and fewer
books III cheap paper covers. Indeed,
the Dapar-cOvered novel is becoming
q BEAUTIFULLY less and less frequent
infection Readers feel that a book
worth reading at all is entitled to a
good cover. and with what fine eX-
2mples of artistic cloth bindings have
the publishers met this demand! The
= designing of cloth covers long since had
, become a we'll established branch of
: art. Schools have taught the art; prizes
have been awarded for excellence in
1t; many and many person has earn
( ed a livelihood in pursuit OF it. Hence
- we have had books every season which
! prob9bly sold on their bindings alone.
I know nothing more beautiful in Their
! time than were some Of the covers
which came East from Chicago three
and four years ago. Nothing in book
matters is more easily to be demon
strated than the very marked influence
which those Chicago products had on
the conservative publishers in the East.
The revolution may have been started
already but those Chicago books ex-
erted a strong influence in leading the
Way to better things
The book most talked about is still
"Quo Eadis." Wherever one goes, COM
ment is certain to turn upon this ro-
nance Of Nero's Hateful tmes-one of
the most picturesque and appalling in
the annals CT Rome. More than 900
copies had been sold in this country
1, l., i
sale since then has been very large.
Questions are pouring in upon the au-
thCritie5 in such matters as to the
value of the work as a picture of the
times, and excellent authorities have
given favorable replies. Meanwhile, d
new demand has arisen for histories Of
Rome in that period-for Tacitus, Meri-
vale and GibbOn. Other questions re-
late to the meaning of the title
CWhither GOest Thou0 and to the
pronunciation of it (Quo Vaadis). Even
the pronunciation of its authors name
IS inquired after. Quo Vadis' is not
exactly a new book. It has been out
in its English translation about a
year and q half. Last winter in select
circles it began to be talked about, and
silently made its way to a large con-
stituency, unknown to the newspapers
But it was not until the late Christmas
81 asOn that it rose into the full tide
or It's success. MOI 10 nave read II now
is rot to have read what every one has
read. And yet England confronts us
with the interesting fact that the book
has had no exceptional success over
there-cr'y a beggarly 1000 copies sold
Nor is England reading Mark
Twain's book to the extent one might
SUPPOSE This author has always been
understood by the English. Even
Scotchmen have been known to COM
rrehpnd his Jokes But with the Eng
lish his humor has never lost it's sway.
A laugh resounded from one end of
the island to the other when they
found him saying in Following the
Equator" The English are mention
ed in the Bible, where it is said Blessed
are the meek, for they shall inherit the
earth.' and I fancy they could ap-
preciate as we'll his recent telegram to
this country in reply to an anxious
inquiry: Reports of my death gross
" exaggerated" But. whatever the
measure of success for the work in