The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-08
THE LITERARY OUTLOOK.
NEW SYSTEM OF PUBLISHING
BOOKS.

Quantity-A Small Edition OF
What May Prove to BE Great
NOvel-COmparisons in Book
Notable work-News About Au-
thors-.'what's What" Gives Adj
vice to Editors.
New York, Dec. 6-The unit system
of publication has not yet invaded
America, but it is so sane a method
of regulating prices by quantity, that
doubtless we shall have it before long.
The system has only been recently in
troduced in London, though it has been
in use by a Liepsig publisher for some
thirty odd years. 1t consists merely
in fixing the price of books according
to the number of pages The pages are
supposedly of the uniform 12rno size,
and twenty-five make a unit in the
case of the London publisher, who has
just taken the matter up The price per
unit is one-half pence Zone cent?. For
a paper cover one pence is added: for
cloth binding five pence; and for leath-
er ten pence. A book of $50 pages
bOuilQ III GULL, lliClSlOI6s Will COSL ~
cents. Thus far che London publisher
has brought out books of a kind on
which there is no royalty to be paid,
but they have been books which are
worth having or keeping. II would be a
good thing If this system could be in
troduced here simply because there is
a gerat need of some method for pub
fishing books which would be simpler
than the present. There is a most de-
plorable lack of harmony both as to
size and price of books. A sort of un-
written law insists that a copyrighted
novel, exceeding $4,000 words in length,
shall be made up in book form at a
retail price of $1.50. AS the system of
net selling has not been extended to
books Of fiction, this price of $3.50 is
Itself nction. NO one nowadays ex-
poets to pay more than s1.0O or $11O
for novel which is listed at $3.50.
was told on reliable authority the
other day that one of the prominent
New York publishers had bound up but
five copies of a novel, which since has
been selected as one of the best Amer
lean novels by a leading English critic
The circumstances came about in this
manner: The novel was accepted dur
ing the absence of the senior member
of the firm, and on his return this gen
tleman expressed great displeasure.
The author insisted upon holding the
publishers to the contract. and in spite
or the fact that the publishers stated
to him that they would not announce
the book or advertise it in any way
whatever, he was foolish enough to al
low them to set up the copy and bind
nVe DOCKS In accordance with the let
ter of the contract. Since that time the
author has been wise enough to secure
the rights of the book and another
publisher is going to bring it out next
spring. The book stands good chance
OF being one of the successes of the
season. and 1t seems very strange that
the matter should have had such 2 his
tory as it has. The author has been
taken up by his present publishers. and
is now receiving from them a regular
stipend. Under this arrangement he f.
engaged on smother novel which he win
have finished early in the spring. With
the praise of the London Academy for
this young writer ringing in our ears,
1t Is reasonable to infer that his for
mer publishers will regret not having
given him better treatment The bind
ing up of five copies of book in order
to carry out all that the publishing
contract legally demands is one of the
most unheard of proceedings-particu-
larIy difficult to understand in the light
of the authors cordial reception nv the
leading critics of England into the
ranks OF the best authors of the year.
Enough books have been published
this fall to make interesting COMPARE
sons. The most noted authors-Kip-
ling, Hope, Weyman, lack, etc.-were
first in the field, fact which on the
whole is an advantage to the lesser lit
erary lights who were fortunate
enough to be delayed until the season
was under way. But the most note
worthy feature of the present output Is
the falling OF in sales of the famous
authors. Kipling's Kim easily ranks
as the best book of the year in fiction.
yet. as one said of it recently, "Kipling
has written a book in Kim that will
make more fame for him than money.
However, as Kipling received $25, 0UO
for the several rights of Kim, he may
be regarded as ahead of the game. OF
the twelve best books of fiction Sc
lected by a London committee. only
two or three have exceeded a sale of
$4,000 copies. But for the blessed prop
and stay of serial rights" says one
author, IT should be in the poor house,
and doubtless this is the situation with
many other of the notables. Some OF
these have had a falling off of 80 per
cent. in book sales.
The publication of "The Life and
Letters of John Richard Green" re-
Gently revealed to many the reason
why the History of the English, Feo-
ple' by this distinguish author did
not treat more of the part English lit
erature played in national affairs after
1860. In one Of his letters. Mr.. Green
explains that when he reached the year
1860 he was suddenly impressed with
the fact that sometime and somewhere
his book must come to an end. His
publishers insiseted that 800 pages
should be the limit. 1t was necessary
then to let some of his matter go, and
the author deliberately chose litera-
ture as the part which he should
throw overheard. At some length he
explains his reluctance in coming to
this decision-he was anxious to do
justice to the famous writer's of his
time, for one thing, but the true his
torical spirit as he understood it, urg-
ed him to sacrifice his personal pref
erences. Literature, he explained,
ceased to stand in the fore front OF ma
tonal characteristics after 1860. Sci
ence and industry played the greater
part and therefore he was obliged to
let them take precedence in his work.
Green's letters we're edited by MI.
Leslie Stephens, who has shown HE
superior fitness for editorial tasks, by
his work on the National Biography
Shakespeare, etc. He has shown, or
rather the letter themselves have
shown, that Green was something