El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-24
A Bohemian Romance
How Eusebius Smith Came to a
Decision as to a Publisher
of His Novel.


The publishing firm of Lansing &
Lane was exceedingly anxious to OBJ
tain a book manuscript from the pOpu-
lar young author, Eusebius Smith.
Young Smith had gone up like a rock
ing broadcast in the armament, with
no apparent exhaustion of pyrotech-
MICS nor intention OF returning darkly
to earth, after the manner of the
proverbial stick. He had sprung into
Immediate and gratifying populari-
ty" according to the reviewers, upon
the publication of his first volume,
THE Wings of Salt and was, there
fore. n typical modern man of letters,
worshiped by all femininity with a
Kind of Hobsonian hysteria and sur
reptitiouSly envied by every man jack
of his own sex and particularly of his
own profession.
To 4 new volume of Euse-
bius Smith, Lansing e Lane perceived,
would be II GROWING achievement of
the year for any American publisher.
1t you'd be the talk of the book world,
heralded and advertised far and near.
The sales would Immediately advance
by overlapping thousands toward the
phenomenal, and all the literary and
trade journals would be describing the
clangor, by day and by night, of multi
piled lightning presses upon the tons
Of white paper flowing into Eusebius
Smiths new book. That Mr.. Smith
already had a book manuscript on the
eve of completion all the literary COS
sips averred. The interesting question
was, What publisher would get it?
Presumably the Chapwells, said ev-
erybody. The Chapwells had publish
ed Mr.. Smiths two former volumes
and pushed them, or at least Steered
them, to sales. But popular
men of letters are freaky. You can't
depend on them. especially If they are
young Variety is the spice of life,
wen in the matter of publishers, and,
though an author has beer well served,
he is never quite sur hat he may not
be served better by another agent. So,
while the ChapwellS were rubbing
their hands with mingled expectation
and nervousness, h other publishers
We're guardedly putting their best foot
forward, in the customary approaches
to the literary lion of the day.
Mr.. Eusebius Smith complacently al
lowed himself to be wined and dined,
went to ride with the ladies of rich
publishers families, tried the shooting
on various choice preserves, and, in
fact, accepted all the delicate cOurte-
sizes extended him in a as affa-
bly, unconscious as that which marked
the DrOffer of them.
But in the meanwhile he was debat-
ing. The MeSSrS. Chapwells had treat
ed him fairly enough in the matter of
royalties on his first two volumes and
had made him a handsome cash offer
for the third-but there We're others.
Richards had made him Il better cash
offer by $500 Orchards! BAH Ian
sing Lane produced much better look
ing books than the Chapwells, real
works of art, externally, whereas the
ChapwellS' books were mere blocks of
paper and pasteboard-clay paper ut
But Lansing Il Lane We're chary
Of advertising and Indifferent about
Il book. Furthermore, they
had fallen out of touch with the book
having refused to allow the
latter the customary underSelling priv
Lansing * Lane provided choice, |
cooks for the select few-bookS |
Of literary flavor, without literary sub
the cream puffs of literature.
Their books We're VIGOROUSLY unsal-
able and were commonly printed |
the type in editions of go, half
Of which found their way to parlor
and the luxurious dens of liter
airy men of leisure and the other half
to the omnivorOus junk bag. No; it
be suicidal to give the new man
to Lansing * ane Even his
popularity, modestly reflected Mr..
Smith, would scarcely float a book aft
er having their imprint.
Still there was an u~ndeniable faSci-
in looking over the new issues
of this firm, each Il a unique model |
Of dainty book designing. 1t was gen
orally admitted that no house could
compete with Lansing & Lane in re
spect to artistic ~bookmaking.
Eusebius Smith had to droD in at