New-York tribune., 1900-11-11
Gbe Nem'Uork grlbnne.
ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT-.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER IL, 1900.

A classification of the books of the season
Just opened, made according to subjects, yields
some interesting figures. From a table pub
Ished in "The Author" we learn that while
fiction, of course bulks biggest on the horizon,
does not cast other work rs much into the
Elade as might have been expected. There are
164 novels recorded. but of historical and bio
graphical works there are no fewer than Ia,
which is certainly an encouraging number Add
to these books, too, the thirty-eight works Of
scholarship announced, the twenty eight books
Of essays, the seventy-three scientific publica-
tonS the thirty-one books of travel the twen-
ty-fOur books Of philosophy, law and political
economy and the twenty nine volumes Of poetry
and plays, and the proportion OF fiction TO
serious literature is seen to be, after ALL not so
very extraordinary. Naturally, the relative
popularity OF each class must be considered.
We have no Illusions to the number Of
readers who will be content with half dozen
novels and read every one of the twenty eight
productions of pure scholarship. But the list
throws a pleasant light the condition of the
world of letters. The novelist fills our ears
with his clamor. everybody seems to he reading
him. hut should not imagine that he is the
only author really active in his day and genera
ton His astounding vogue fails to dampcn the
ardor of graver men; there may be more
noveliSts than there ever were before but
are there fewer writer's In other fields?
There is nothing popular as popularity
Tell an author that by publishing his new book
at five cents he may attain to a circulation OF
goodness knows how many thousand copies.
and the odds are that be Will sign a contract on
that basis on the spot He thinks it spells
Fame. Does 1t also spell Proitr Not much
observes Sir Walter Besant who knows about
these things. He has learned that the cost OF
an edition of $4,000 copies OF n sixpenny
book amounts to about t34O not includ-
ing advertising. The publisher, he says In
orler to clear his bare costs. must get rid of
27,2OO copies. If he is to pay the author
royalty Of threc-quartcrs Of a penny on each
copy he must get rid OF more than 80 Of0 copies
before he can begin to count profits II by good
luck he sells the entire edition he makes the
sum Of fl2S, out OF which advertising OH 20
expenses and so on must como. The author
Receiving the maximum royalty. cannot expect
to make more than tlI6 on the 10000 copies
on a 20 per cent royalty for the same book at
the nominal price OF six shinEs lac would have
100 for every Thousand copies The sixpenny
book, in short, according to Sir Walter is 4
madness" 1t does no good to either author
or publisher. and it is even asserted that by
this cheapening Of literature the people are
sadly affected; they cease to prize what they
can get for nothing" and the author of the six
shilling book Is neglected altogether he is in
imminent danger of extinction" Sir Walter
Resant concludes that the rational method of
procedure would be 10 reserve for the sixnannv
editions only those books which have stood the
test Of time and have become popular works
1t would be still more rational. he thinks if
the lowest price of the popular book were to
be one shilling