New-York tribune., 1901-10-26
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.
---pRENT TALK OF THINGS PRESENT
AND TO COME.

rr-RRENI IAA<h VI 4hANGS PRESENT
AND TO COME.
-. creator OF that delectable rascal Rsraes
ssfa 10 be one OF the euetest men in London
.-syv circles. one might expect TO see in Mr.
,,-,urg almost any sort Of personality rather
=, the anable mild hammered and almost
,,-kly looking gentleman that he is. He is only
.s,-,z-six years old. and he looks several years
niger He got his education at an English
.sool, and al eighteen went TO Australia for
=, wears. where he obtained the materials for
:. popular stories ot bush life. He is a crick-
- OF no mean ability. a fact OF some interest
! me friends OF Rafles whose early expert
,.,ss as a cricket player they viii remember.
:, Hornung's wife is sister OF Conan Doyle
be novelist
n, the way in which some highly successful
tiers are inclined 10 regard their work, one
-bo has had TO DO with them has told some
,-us,ng examples. One author. known for the
obstruction Of intricate and battling plots. pro-
.ased strongly at the wording OF an advertise
,srt that suggested the readers inability 10
-sss 81 the denouerent before the very last
,bsp,er was reached. That might do in the
Use of an unknown writer" he objected but
Wv readers Go not need 10 be told that they can
"a, ur-ayel my plots Till they reach the end"
so he Objectionable sentence was changed. An
otbsr writer on & technical subject had fairly
suoysssful sale for moderate edition OF his
book and then bought Up the last remaining
thirty or forty copies in the publishers hands
representative OF the firm negotiating for
another book from him he remarked that the
new book would be sure TO succeed for you
tuow, not a single copy OF my last book can be
hought now"-though he knew, and knew the
otber man knew. how this state OF things had
besn brought about. OF another man applied
N for a book on another technical subject the
sane observer said: 1T really staggers one 20
be told calmly and deliberately by an author
You know I the greatest living authority
on this subject the only man that really knows
al about il, and anything I might write on IL
would be 50 eagerly read as certainly 10 make
the book a success" Fortunately. they are not
ali so. and some Of the most distinguished are
among the most modest.
OF the three hundred copies OF their ane lin
,,sd edition Of Senancour's Letters 70 a Friend
by obermann," the publishers. Houghton. Mif-
fin & Co.. say that nearly two hundred and
fifty have already been sold.
virginian OF the last half Of the seventeenth
and first half OF the eighteenth centuries. left
volume Of memoirs which are said to form one
Of the raciest contributions 20 American letters
before Franklin He was educated in Europe.
possessed the largest library in Virginia was
active in politics and social life. and something
Of poet and his writings ought 70 throw light
on the social life OF America OF his period.
Doubleday Page Co have made q handsome
reprint Of them-they have long been out OF
print and. indeed. were never written with g
view 70 publication. as their frankness is said
70 indicate-which VIII be published next month.
edited by John Spencer Bassett.
Il is hoped that the difficulty caused 20 the
publishing firms that import editions OF English
books for this market by the new ruling OF the
Custom House as 70 the assessment OF duty on
such editions viii soon be removed and the con-
citions restored 20 what they have been for
many years under several successive tariff laws.
The embarrassment arising at present is indicat-
ed by the fact that one Of the chief importing
houses states that several Of its autumn pub
hcations have been delayed by the fact that the
editions which came from England have been
taken 10 the bonded warehouse 70 await a
settlement CT the question az issue. IL being i'm
possible to bring them out and put them On the
market under present conditions. The trouble
Is due 10 the fact that the customs authorities
propose to collect duty on the Wholesale mar
ket price OF books in England. 10 be estimated
al one-haf the listed retail price II is pointed
out that this is not a proper basis. because the
listed retail price in England is a purely hc-
uuous quantity, and is not market price"
Publishers further assert that they cannot do
BUSINESS on the basis Of a Wholesale price
which would put them on the same footing as
retailers, buying az the wholesale price 10 sell
al The retail price. and that there would be no
profit TO them in such business. II would be
Necessary either to advance their price here. or
else stop this kind % trade altogether. Most
imported books could not be marketed at such
an advance IN price. 50 that the result would
Dc Practically the same in either case. 1t is
serted that many Of the books that under the
oa management could be imported and sold
mere az a profit could not proitably be manu-
iae'nreo here, because il would not pay 70 pre-
pare such books for the American market alone.
Iaough they can be made TO pay for the whole
English speaking market OF England. the
Onted States Canada and Australia.
handsome reprint of Lanes translation ot
Tie Arabian Nights is being published by the
MACMILLAN Company. II is in six volumes. with
hundred Illustrations by Stanley Wood, which
previously appeared in a limited edition OF the
Wy real attempt on the part Of English artists
portray the life and customs Of the mys-
aas East. as unfolded 20 US in The Arabian