New-York tribune., 1899-02-16

.svc three books at time anu "a" -
S-asr as often as he likes n e.'e e 80,
orr. nls order 10 one book. Smiths pooks'a'i
hi'S .tat,on receives and fills the or
dc~ or the books are sent ou' -
s,n, Nudes. in London 1.
no magnitude Of these lending operations Is
Ivy - 7, single week three hundred
''''Ds Volumes are distributed among SUD
q, the United Kingdom. The NUMBER
s.''sv wee IN constant circulation by NUDES
q - 3 three million FIVE hundred thousand
... 80, round IN London the delivery vans
~ - ,o,ior. and the parcel and book post
az - ,a-c.iv hv The country business OF these
P,.,,, lib-aries There are over one hun
.houearA subscribers for the two great
'',..-,os alone and .he purchases OF new DOCKS
.,,dpcted on n large scale. As many as
- ,housand copies OF a single new book or
.,,,onal interest are frequently taken by
80, 2 ihrarv. When the demand for a cur
- ,.orl, relaxes. portion Of the surplus stock
- lid IN the second hand department, ana
-, the hook is no longer called for the re-
.a.,dor is either disposed OF in the same way
- ,s divided among secondhand dealers. AT
cr,tbs rookstans in the railway stations there
- ssco-d-hand departments. where this stock
,s sold al reduced prices.
v-bon MI Nude. the London bookseller. IN
..oauced this lending system, in 1s42. books
-. more extensive than they are now ana
..o,e were ordinarily issued in three volumes
u nrovided an agency for enabling subscribers
-, i.e~orv tastes 10 read new books at low
o., ard disclained any idea Of permanently
!..-,,o the booksellers trade. As for the
hliebinc interest he assumed that he Woud
..o,act 8, against loss by taking up a good por-
,,,, NJ the edition and would indirectly benefit
d. nv developing taste forEeading and by en-
.orraqinc the formation Of book clubs. He
..ia ro- have forecast either the marvellous
o-o-rtb ~ the lending system or the inevitaoie
.neorerirc of books and the development or
,s-io6fcal literature. The subscription library
,,r,duced by him and subsequently adop'eu
~ 1fr w Il. smith in connection with the booK-
calls for the sale Of periodicals. has done much
- nonular!ze literature in Great Britain ana II
,se also wrought fundamental changes IN the
,,blshinc and booksellers trades
n tbe course OF fifty years Nudes Library,
,,nver-es into limited company, with stan ol
ssversi hundreds of clerks. purchased over eight
-;ni,r books for lending and Smith hookstaHs
have rrobablv required stock equally as large.
q,sas. accurnulations Of the lending Libraries
have overstocked the secondhand business. and
have baon worked of gradually az low prices
The lending libraries and the bookstaHs between
them have driven one-half Of the regular retail
booksellers out Of business. and in their place
-. .-,,r.g nm the second hand dealers. II is
,n,s~e,,ir ~ watch the gradual decline Of prices
sbov.n in the catalogues Of these secondhand
booksellers Every year shilling or two Is
r~o,le9 or the price Of ten-shillng story
which was once popular. and the old-style three
volume novel which once brought 81 shlhngs
and & rence. drops finally to half q crown. The
I.-asr- libra~ios bv constantly clearing their
shelves are giving the secondhand trade en-
rlovnent and cheapenins books for which there
,s M rlblc demand. They also keep as much as
roesible Of this secondhand business for them
selves
The subscription libraries have proflted by the
cheanerinc OF the production of books Novels
are their main stock in trade. and the ten
shilling book answers their purpose admirably.
Their subscriptions have not been reduced and
novels cost a third much as formerly. The
cheapening Of books has largely increased the
profits Of the circulating Libraries. AS for the
publishers. IL is an open question whether they
would not be better off without these systematic
arrangements for the lending Of books. Their
own surplus stocks are steadily undersold by the
secondhand trade al Smith s. Mudles ana sNla"
dealers as soon as their wares have ceased 10
have current value. The orders from the lend
ing libraries may be large, but ultimately there
IS depreciated stock in the market. which pre-
vents the heavy sales requisite for rendering
cheap book with high royalties remunerative TO
the publisher Moreover the lending libraries
and especially the railway bookstaL MONOPOLY
hold publishers as well as authors at ther
mercy. BY not allowing a new novel to be sold
at the railway stations the Smiths can inter
fere seriously with its circulation and Involve
the publisher in loss. They are occasionally
charged with doing this. but they are not guilty
Of unfair dealing The retail bookseller is the
natural ally Of the publisher. and his occupation
has ceased 10 be profitable when there is a book
stall in every railway station and when book
lending has been highly systematized and Is the
forcing-h house Of the secondhand trade
/ y. T.