The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-14
DIN THE LITERARY WORLD.

| is a race of vigorous critics; men OF
| courage, audacity, wit. satire and knowl-
| edge, who would not give pallid apprecia-
| tions of books, but would scourge thu
writer's to a sense of responsibility by
| criticisms that would smash, blister. ex
coriate and draw blood"
In maintaining the negative, Mr.. Nc.
| Clure, i'll refuting the charge that of
fers made TO magazine writer's tended
| to bride them into writing carelessly
said:
Did | bride Stevenson? No. I said:
When you write Il novel III nav YOU 81
much for it. He said: 4 am writing
two. The one first finished you shall
nave. l did not get it until years later,
after he was dead AS for the cheapness
of magazines and the influence of tine
syndicate which publishes great books
in penny newspapers. / may say that the
books that have made many of the distiI
guished men of the day famous were
syndicated by me; and books which
make men famous are usually their best
books The taste of the reading public
of today is better than it ever was. Mr..
HoWells says so, and Mr.. Brander Mat
thews thinks so. The people who buy
ment is sound and their standard is
growing higher each year. Soon | think
they will spend 50 year instead of 81
on literature"
Are people who buy books the best
critics" That Is hard question. There
is reason to believe that thousands buy
certain books because others do-that In
reading the sheep-habit of following the
hell-WetherS influences more largely
than anything else. What other reason
could explain the popularity of certain
superficial and short-lived books. The
modern authors know the value of Il
good press agent almost as we'll as a mod
ern Snowman.
Mr. Ripley Hitchcock, who was first tc
discover the merits of David Harum,
writing in the New York independent
OF the most popular books of the year
points out that most of them are of Am
erlean authorship. This he thinks is due
largely to the stimulus given to letters
by the international copyright law. Of the
past Year Mr.. Hitchcock says
In the year 1899 not single foreign
work of fiction has been published which
has had in vulgar parlance a sensational
success, while at the same time the yea1
has been the most sensational in its sue
cessful fiction that the history of Ameri
can publishing has known. The public
demand for David Harum, A Story OF
American Life" by the lamented Ed
ward Noyes Westcott, has caused the
printing of 800, 600 copies up to the third
week of November. Of Richard Car
vel by Winston Churchill. it is announc.
ed that over 100000 copies have been
printed. When Knighthood Was in Flow.
er, by Edwin Caskode1, has long since
passed the 100000 mark, and Janice
Meredith by Paul Leicester Ford. pub
lished only Il few weeks since, has had
sale thus far of over 10000. The ex-
act figures in each case will be in excess
Of those given here by the time this ar
ticle is printed, but they serve to illus
trate the general results. Tabulated, they
make most impressive showing:
DAVID Harllln. ......... 100000
Richard Carvel -. .... .245, coo
When KnighthOOd was in Flow
er :. -. $3.50. IT,, 600
Janice Meredith 80. .125.0OO
Mr.. Dooley in Peace and in War
Probably over 100, 900