The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-01-16
nm THE LIT A W0RlD-

is 4 race Of vigorous critics; men of
courage, a~udacity, Wit. satire and knowl-
edge. who would not give pallid apprecia-
tons of books, but would scourge the
writers to Il sense Of responsibility by
criticisms that would smash, blister, ex-
coriate and draw blood"
In maintaining the negative, Mr.. Nc
Clure, in r~efuting The charge that Of
fers made to magazine writer's tended
to bride them into writing carclessly.
said:
Did bribe Stevenson? No. | said:
When YOU write a novel III pay you 50
much for it. He said: L am writing
two. The one first finished YOU shall
have / did not GET it until years later,
after he was dead. AS for the cheapness
Of magazines and the influence of the
syndicate which publishes great books
III penn newspapers, | may say that the
books that nave made many of the diStin
guished men Of the Gay 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. Ar.
1Iowells says 50, and Mr.. Brander Mat
thcWs thinks 50. The people who buy
books are the best critics. Their iudg-
ment is sound and their standard is
growing higher each year. Soon | think
they will spend 81 Il year instead OF 81
Oh litcrature."
Are people who buy books the best
critics:' That is Il hard question. There
IS reason to believe that thousands bu7
certain books because others do-that IN
reading the sheep-habit Of following the
jeIl-Wetllcrs 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
crn Snowman.
Mr.. Ripley Hitchcock. who was first to
discover the merits of David Harlm,
writing in the New York independent
of the most popular books of the year
points out that most Of them are Of Ann
trlcan 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 4 single foreign
work OF fiction has been published which
has had i'll vulgar parlance Il sensational
success, while at the same time the year
has been the most sensational in its sue
ccSSlul Ictl0n that the history Of Ameri-
can publishing has known. The public
demand for David Harum, \ Story Of
American Life by the lamented Ed
ward Noycs Westcott, has caused the
printing Of $4,000 copies up to the third
week of November. OF Richard Car
vel by Winston Churchill. it is announc
co that over 200,0OO copies have been
printed. When Kuighthcod Was in Flow.
CT, by Edwin CaskoIon. has long since
passed the 100,00O mark, and Janice
Meredith by Paul Leicester Ford. pub
llshod emily Il few weeks since, has had
a sale thus far Of over 10000. The ex-
act figures III each case will be IL excess
Of those given here by TIE time this ar
ticic is printed. but they serve to illus
trate the general results. Tabulated, they
make Il most impressive show.ng:
Richard Carycl -. 4 .NG
When kniGhthool was in Flow
- - -. lDD.VJl
Janice Meredith -. .......121,OO
Mr.. Dooley In Peace and in War
Probably over 100, 000