New-York tribune., 1899-10-07
THREE YEARS.

VIEWS third year Appearing to-day as
thirty-two page literary newspaper. with
q circulation exceeding 100000 copies,
and with ample evidence Of appreciation
on the part of the publishers. 1t seems
not altogether improper, as matter oi
self-respcct-not to say Of pride-to print
a few words in its columns of retrospect,
and perhaps OF self-laudation.
When THE SATURDAY REVIEW was first
issued as an eight-page supplement to
THE NEW YoRK TIMES. II was an innova-
ton among newspaper enterprises. NO
paper had undertaken anything like it;
nor had one believed there existed
place for such a publication, either as
periodical which readers in any large
number would value. or as one which
publishers would employ as a medium of
communication with the literary public.
But not many months had passed before
it was seen that newspaper methods
could be successfully applied to books
and art and a newspaper produced filling
a place which no other publication had
filled. The publishers. reluctant at first
to desert the main columns of THE NEW
YORK TIMES. at last drifted more and
more into the columns Of THE SATURDAY
REVIEW. until to-day virtually every
thing that they wish to make public on
Saturdays appears there
TIE NEW YORK TIMES, before this sup
plement was started. had long been emf
nent as newspaper devoted to reviews
of books and art, and it is fact seldom
understood by its readers. that the
amount of matter printed in the eight
page supplement did not exceed the
amount which, for several years, had
regularly appeared each week in the COL
umns Of THE NEW YORK TIMES. The diff
ference lay in the fact that this matter
was now collected in one place on one
day. instead of being distributed over sew
en- days and printed with the other matter
that went to fill THE NEW YORK TIMES.
Even in this eight-page form THE SAT-
URDAY REVIEW made its way; 1t became
a profitable enterprise. 1t acquired a
subscription list as a weekly paper dis
tributed all over the United States, and
It brought to the Saturday edition Of THE
NEW YORK TIMES the largest circulation
which THE NEW YORK TIMES had for any
of the seven days in the week.
Such evidence Of a permanent place for
THE SATURDAY REVIEW finally induced
the management Of THE New YORK
TIMES to increase the regular size Of THE
SATURDAY REVIEW from eight to sixteen
pages. which resulted in still greater ad-
vances in every kind Of appreciation. un-
til this year it was found necessary to
arrange for four special numbers of thir-
ty-two pages each-that is. Of four times
the size of THE SATURDAY REVIEW when
started three years ago. AS cOnse-
quence TIE SATURDAY REVIEW has ac
Quired for these special Issues circula-
tion exceeding 100000 copies. with an
nouncemcnts from the publishers filling,
as is done to-day, more than four times
as much space as such announcements
ever filed in any one day in the history
of THE New YORK TIMES before THE
SATURDAY REVIEW was started. These
are business matters and THE SATURDAY
REVIEW is a literary newspaper. having
for its highest purposes the promotion Of
knowledge of good books and sound art;
but this is a world in which we find a
business side to all enterprises. secular,
philanthropic and even religious, and so
our indulgent readers will, we believe,
not begrudge statement Of business
matters on this auspicious day
The future lies before us. 1t holds no
step backward for THE SATURDAY RE-
VIEW. One Improvement might be made
In the quality Of the white paper used,
although any dealer In junk would re-