The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-11-16
THE RAILROAD NOVEL.
Sensational Stories of Robbers No
Loagsr Called Fos-tAs stock In
Trade.
(New York Evening Post. }

Not long ago, the words railroad nov
ell" had the same significance as the
yellow back of decade previous. 1t
meant ensation-generaliy of the detsc-
tive order. Long series OF these railroad
novels used to be Issued. They treated,
in a highly -colored fashion, of detectives.
train robbsrs. and Indians; and some Of
them had a large sale through many
years. They were GLASS by themselves;
seldom did they circulate outside of the
trains, and often they were sold and
traded again and again. They had most
alluring coiors, of course; some pretend
ed to less innocence tnan they possessed,
and such the train-boys sold In whispers
at an advanced price.
All that has been changed within the
last few years. 1t is even hard to buy an
old-fashioned railroad novel; aboard a
train. They survive. of course, but only
in a few time-worn tales of train rob-
bers, of which 1.-The Life of Jesse
James" and "The James Boys are the
most enduring and the most popular.
The novel is still to be found in the West
and in Canada; but from the best regu-
lated trains. suoh as those on the
through lines to Chicago, 1t is almost as
easy to buy prayer-book as story of
train robbers. The demand has ceased
People no longer ask for the sensational
stories with shamefaced looks. They are
not interested any longer. The latest
popular romance Is the look called for,
and, as matter OF course, 1t has sup
planted the detective story In the esteem
OF the train boy
What wa sell most nowadays" said
one of the managers of the virtual mo-
nopoly through which the train boys are
supplied, ARE good stories by good au-
thors-Anthony Hope, Mrs Humphrey
Ward, and all those psople. Whatever
they write, you know, Is bound to sell,
so when we hear OF new book by a
popular author, we just put in our ord
ers, sure of a good sale. When it comes
to handling new author, we take the
publishers recommendation They know
as much about the train trade as we do,
pretty near. If a book takes Wen, we
push it; ii 1t doesn't, we drop 1t. We
watch tine newspapers, or course. and
when we see them taking up book we
are quick TO put IL ON sale. We sell any
thing we hnd a sale for-if it's respect
able, of course, you know. And we find
q bstter sale for good books than cheap
ones |"
Religious books are carried py the train
boys. The statesmen try always to be pre-
pared for any demand; and they find,
they say, that a good part OF the travelling
public sis religious . Hence you can
buy Bible, or "Midnighb In New York"
as 1t may chance to suit your mood. You
can buy, also, the novels that are, for the
day, having tine largest sale.
"Ihe way this old railroad novel used
to be written s. ID man In the trade,
today, sis rather interesting / had a
friend-he is well up In years now-who
made a good thing out of 1t. He used
to write the same stories over and over
again, varying them little. the names OF
the characters, and the treatment 1t
seemed TO be easy enough for him-ex-
cept the mechanical part, which was the
reverse When hs got typewriting
machine 1t was not nearly SO hard. He
could write a novel week, then. lie
would get haZy notion for a plot, and
let 1t develop as he worked Ten thous-
and words he called a hard days work.
When he finished his novel he was paid
$50 for it by Chicago publishing house,
and that was the end of 1t so far as be
was concerned. He WAS paid no royal
tles. +"
MANY of these writers-ths writer's of
the old-fashioned dete3tiye stories for sale
on the trains and elsewhare-Work In an
easier way now. They dictate TO q
st9nographer for a few hours a day and
when they have made a reputation with
tbs class of the 'reading public" 70
which they appeal, they have an easy
time Of 1t.