Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-05-26
REJECTEDvBOOKS.
interesting Instances of the FalIibi|i,
Of Critics.
Many Books at First Refused Have Made
Notable Successes.

Il
dozen OF the leading book publishers of
I'M country; hut ID. Appleton Il 60. saw
c :, o. genius in II, says an eN-
Invalid novelist, though he did not live
= see the welcome sight of a printed
pound copy Of his work. Is such an eXpc-
renee common? many will ask Are
books of superior value often overlooked
Ply The readers of manuscripts? While
our great publishing houses doubtless
nave Keen eyes for what is likely to be
successful, and the examiners or read
ers are experts, yet many Of the most
valuable readable works have been re-
Jectcd 1t the outset.
,Goldsmiths Vicar of Wakefield.
dorsement, lay neglected i'll the publish
cr's desk for fully two years. Isaac
ID lsracli, in his "Calamities Of Authors.
tells of 4 national work which could find
no pItr1nagc-Dc Lalme's English Con
sttution.' when my enlarged English
edition. said the author was ready for
the press, had acquainted ministers that
was preparing 10 boil my teakettle with
it, for want OF being able to afford the
expense OF printing it, they would not
have considered that | WAS lighting my
fire with .myrrh and cassia ana precious
ointment Hume says Of the Irst part
of his history, In twelvcmonth not
more than forty-tive copies We're sold"
Miss Muhlbach's novels in our day were
Usher and rejected, but d. Appleton <
co. published them The Wide, Wide
Worll' was declined again and again,
ana the publisher who accepted il did 50
AGAINST his better Judgment ana becaus,.
his AGED mother was Very much nlc1scd
with The story. Robert Carter was one of
Warmers story. although he read if nj
the request of her father. .'Rutledge'
ana stepping Hcavenward'' were both
put timidiy upon the market. Julian
archibald Malmaison" was refused by
nearly all the foremost publishers of
New York ana Boston. net ii was one Of
his best selling books. McMaster's Ills
tory of the Peonle of the United Stltes''
was rejected nv Inc nubIishpr's readers
ana ~ 4 distinguishcd Ittcratctr. But
Daniel Applcton himself read the manu-
script and published the book with ex-
cclltnt results.
~ ,,a.,,. .l,.,.,...l -r,,,.,....,,. j. ,.,,,,,
Hrf' observed lhackefdN 70 D1uS-
It'll. nv NJ : me worst bonk / ever "rOtr'
INK, itPItu JTrfniu' SIId II Is Hts
WITH nNGh dhEpeIE eyer Wrote. Ahd
Hr' n nae tIAy : =. Y lfSllli'ins mas tahrh
III Die aLl'hE tle reC"Hliiz,d ildS.y!-
pi'.tS III the EhSIlSn Iah-t!?.. i nj
n ~ tIdt cii!llIGht Cilti -, my !lou, n
nor zee sly OF IiotheT: mat critic hodd-
- Who S,ild 81 Byron carrier pr4uuc-
t!'nN. iiouSh T""Ts" thiuon, l'ufu
Byron. " minor, may be Z gentleman an
nait'I, OF d StdiTSiii'h' uhirSS ne IN
r'"NGS ""lue!iuliN ne can never De i
PG,:. ,,.
Ms MI nlLi 10, nirn'i"hS tWn lndiEid1is
WI" were ClltlClStHA Il certain worn. ono
81 them declared that 1t ought to BE-
burned by lne nanSman ana the uth"r
lNll a. sho'hd " printed III letters \,
Snid. MY sentiments, she IddS. accord
WI H'l'hT ! N3uIt nLIE Ititd H. 70 .lte
l,iS r' GI I""k Rim 5le FEnihhdher. -Nl.n-
''N lI"lIopt pl'd a P'tull'r tNp'lilli' ~
H,fS itN'' dltfNnl,.'q p'iuic OK SI"rt'
%"lth Sh"NS thal crItltlSm !. h"t 'lWlE
'i'lt ,'llH Judl'iil. NtarlE twenty years
,t-f 4" rnmmen'td RI career III 4 huN-
"h1l' II" MroiC Mlehpul rI2GihS any
% tlur. story Tor Black"ood : MiGdzlne,
h4 followed II up with another. both ne-
ih-. m ne supposed, "i tair merit But
NE ,2tf OF thtn h'td amy ftiil success
and, when he offered 4 third, the saga
g.g7 fuDlIi5IAcr acluaIiy H'clllLru i 1,to-
growing III tame ana fortune IN MS own
lme; yet he found, says HargieAEeS.
"ihat the product 81 the same pTdlh was
n"Werlcss 70 create as ne had hoped. a
second identity for himself. lie ulScuN-
cred that il would he necessary to run
through al the routine Of service before
le could win his spurs IN THIS collateral
character; whereas. if M had laid these
Experimental products before the puDNc
II hi own acknqWitqSed e'hpos lti ',i
with the usual three times three, ANA
perhaps one over.
Another curious critical dictum was
that Of Winckelmdnn, the great art critic
found at Herculaneum. Beyond doubt.
said WinCkelmann. lit Is the nntSt thlHS
in the whole world" This from the great
est art critic of the day was great praise
But the painting, alas. was not antique
but the production of his friend, MenSa!
WcitZ. the Bavarian artist, forwarded a
painting by RubcnS to Paris, with MS
oWn name subscribed. It was declared
duub and refused a place in the Cpllec-
tom If even the intelligent critic some
times "EudS" in his Judgment, what can
he expected from criticastcrs, of whom
there are so many?
I'VE have about million critics IN
Great Britain" says Lander mot soul
of whom eutertaiHs the least doubt OF
his own infalibiity."
w. Clark Russell 5 w cck Of VIZ Da ,.h.
venor' was read by younS i3ug' e W.
declared 1t j catalogue OF SNIP l"tn UNI III
turc,' ana II was rejected IS, tiilS NJ w
une. accepted by sampson IioM = iii
panY. who PAD I1c TOT H. VIII ~ i 1uu ~,
tional Elo had reached 4 c!LCuldl io-i' b. ~
to 1871. Of 5i9J0 copies. ~ ~ ~
rCSolute author M! Hiccl ~ ea,t, II
rebuff. DtclIncd with tllanhS' Aoiii i. ~,
publisher, may prompt lliil ~ IL ,S.jJ
the same work, as NcSlcoll Wy ~,
| lIurum. 70 publisher after puDhsIiti' I'LL III
Ill hc finds q door open or 1dtC 80.
our magazine uses about 4 Hui !!u e.. :
| ticleS 4 year, said a pubnShor. ~ ia;
| have about four thousanu scHt III a
manuscript was rejected by nan ! du ~, 4
firms; yes, but il was ilnaliy aGCcPtc"I . an'
| Wcstcott died content -. ItiuG. 20 70
| CARDS king solomon -ilieH ,',ri,-ln,s
| fused by three Puph9iIiu MIA ~ Ii1b
| Sartpr icsdr{1;S ~ i,,,t E!r1zrr took it.