Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-14
P PASSING OF
THE BOOK SHOP
fSt. Paul Pioneer- Press

ESt. Paul Press.]
1 There Is an interesting Situation in the
book trade at present. caused chiefly
/ by that phase of the business which
has been frequently commented on
within the past few years the cutting
of prices on books of nearly all grades.
So far as the public is concerned the
superficial benefit is sufficient to in
|duce a mild qualification at the state OF
things. To the publisher 1t probably
makes little difference in the long run
But to the booksellers, meaning the
man who keeps book store and not
the jobber or the department store
dealer, it makes all the difference in the
world. 1t Is the bookseller who is pro-
Testing against what he considers the
4 decentralization Of the book trade. The
situation is simply this: The publish
/ ers sell their books at wholesale rate,
which is lowered according to the
quantity purchased. The following
prices, for example, We're quoted re-
|cently on popular line of books: 1000
lvolumes, IL cents each; 500 Volumes %
cents each; $50 volumes, 20 cents EACH
100 volumes, "a cents each. This. 1t Will
be seen, allows the department store
lldealer who makes a run on popular
book to sell it if he chose at less than
i the price which the regular dealer must
pay for it. The Publishers Association
4 of Great Britain has undertaken to deal
with the matter In a summary fashion.
i 1t has issued circular to the trade
Announcing that after a certain date Its
i members will sell no books to any
i member unless he will agree to make
no discount on the published list prices.
This does not apply, the circular
states, "to bona fide remainders and
4 dead stock" 1t does apply, however, to
i the discount to libraries, schools and
institutions, the retail dealer being for
& hidden to favor even them. In the list
of publishers signing this circular we
find the names of all the best known
English houses many of whom main
tain houses In this country as we'll
An instance in which the same tactics
( have been employed in another line of
business Is that of a we'll known manu-
facturer of sporting goods. The sale of
these articles had reached point very
{ similar to that now prevailing in the
book trade. Retail dealers were selling
them, in some cases. at less than the
wholesale prices charged by the manu-
Ifacturer. The first move made by this
company was to refuse to sell depart
ment stores at less than retail prices.
Ion this the department stores proceed
ed to deal with the jobbers. The COM
pany then cut eff the jobbers. through
whom large percentage of their BUSH
: ness had been done, after first making
every effort, without success, to in
duce the jobbers to maintain prices.
Finally the company announced two
definite prices for Its goods-one Q
wholesale price, below which no goods
should be sold to any dealer. the other
a retail price. below which no dealer
: should be allowed to sell goods at re-
4 tail. Dealers who agreed to sell at this
retail price could buy at the wholesale
price, otherwise they must pay the ful
e retail price. The scheme succeeded at
y ter fight of six months and the result
e is uniform price everywhere for the
e goods made by this firm.
The essential difference between the
: handling of books and the handling Of
J, sporting goods is not SO marked, from
$ the commercial point of view, as Nigh
be supposed. Both are in a sense lux
4 Iuries. Both are sure to furnish, witt
: every season, some few articles fo
: which there is a special demand and OF
: which a run" can be made. So tina
e there is no reason why the move mad,
y by the sporting goods company should
! not be made with equal success by tn
: publishers From the economic poin
n of view the move is a false one, o
course. If 1t is possible for any retail
dealer to make money on books by sell
~ 10. ~ No list v,,.ff, \,
fought, for the benefit of the consumer
to be able to do so. That is the simple
economic, ethical consideration whicl
confronts us at this stage of the stu
alton. The popular books of the day
= as well as the cheap edition of tn
Il standard work. ought to be With
+" reach of the average purchaser at tn
d lowest price at which the publisher an
the retail dealer can make each hi
n honest profit. The bookseller. as W
t. have known him from our youth w
y may be ground to powder in the pro
y, Tess, but it is the penalty he pays fo
e. electing to live at time when tn
lie wheels of progress are engaged in per
1t forming this particular grind.
But is the book store, then, as w
a, have known 1t, to pass from among tn
A. haunts of men? Must we, at some nc
ie distant day. do our literary brousin
Ell in an atmosphere heavy with the odor
S. of calico. soap and shoe leather an
e. spiintered by the cry of the cash BIO
c. and the note of the bargain hunter
he Must we look for our shelf of volume
o. fresh from the press at the end of
e vista hung with suspenders and go
&c stockings, brstling with umbrellas an
canes and populous with an elbowin
procession of humanity? Is there to |
for the book lover and his traditions r
more still and shadowy retreat, whel
the light is SO tempered that it falls c
the new page at precisely the rigl
angle. and where the very air is lade
with the aroma of wit and wisdom
AT this time. indeed. sentiment is il
clined to step in and throw economic
to the wind. After publisher. deal
and average consumer" have ha
their innings, the genuine book lover
still to be reckoned with. Will he allo
himself to be driven to the fierce gla
of the market place, there to hagg
and chatter for his dearly beloved con
modify? Or is he rich enough and nj
merous enough to create for himself