New-York tribune., 1901-01-12
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.
CURRENT TALK OF THINGS PRESENT
AND To COME.

! CURRENT TALK OF THINGS PRESENT
AND To COME.
| The long announced publication of an English
| translation of dAnnunzo's La Gioconda -
! which had been almost given up apparently IN
the absence of of it from the other slde-
is now said by Mr.. r. H. Russell to be close
at hand.
The spring announcements of the Macmillan
! Company contain a remarkably large number
| of books including about 100 entries seVerai
| of which being the names of SERIES lnclude d
| number of volumes. The company last year pun
| ushed no fewer than 537 books. Their pamphlet
| for the season now at hand is nearly ready ana
| makes substantial little volume.
The value and convenience of books in
| series" arranged on a generally similar plan
| and scope, will again be tested by d. Appleton
| & Co, with sequence of volumes on Inc
| Great Peoples" in preparation THESE VIII
| form not much set of political or mlltary
| or even social histories collection OF read
| able studies on the tendencies and pOtencies OF
| the chief nations of the world. They are in
| tended to give a view of the processes by which
| the leading peoples of the world have become
great and earned their title to greatness, and to
| describe the share each has contributed TO the
| common stock of civilization. DIR. York Powell
of Oxford University, is the editor, and the var-
| Gus volumes have been written by experts The
| first volume will be by Dr. Martin A. S. Hume,
! and will treat of THE Spanish People. Their
| Growth and Development" Writing as mod
ern historical specialist-he is the editor of the
| Calendar of Spanish State Papers" and other
| historical works-Dr Hume has attempted to
| describe the development of the whole people,
and to trace the vicissitudes of peculiarly COM
| pick race to their primitive causes
w. D. McCracken's book THE Rise of the
| Swiss Republic has proved valuable beyond
| what might have been expected. Primarily in
! tended for the general reader. it has been used
| as a textbook in historical courses at Harvard
| University. For this reason there will be no sur
| prise that a new edition has been found neces-
sary and will be issued with additions. by
Messrs Henry Holt & Co. In the near future.
| "One of the most perplexing tasks that pub
| Usher finds himself confronted with is that of
| producing just the right number OF copies of
| new book at its first appearance" said a pub
| Usher the other day. "A large number can be
| produced at cheaper rates than small, ana
| the cost per. volume thereby reduced. with a
| corresponding increase of the profit. But if
| larger number be manufactured than is de-
| manded the profit the whole edition is often
| destroyed. l fancy that there is not a house
|
public demand for which was overestmated,
| and enterprises which might have paid few
hundred dollars profit made thereby profitess.
II is true that this loss is diminished by the fact
that whole edition is not manufactured at
| once. For instance. If it is decided TO publish
| five thousand perhaps only twelve hundred or
may be bound up at first and the rest kept IN
sheets On the other hand If too small an edi-
ton is printed at first, 1t is proportionately more
| expensive 10 order second edition made and
there is reduction in the profit caused thereby.
| Then too II the edition is exhausted in a busy
time say. just before the holidays. there will
always he a delay in getting more copies in. and
in the mean time many sales are lost. The art
| OF Judging precisely how large edition is
| likely 10 be demanded OF book is most
important one. and don't know anybody who
! has mastered IT"
There will be more than forty new songs In
the third edition OF cabin and Plantation
! Songs" sung by the students OF Hampton In
stitute. c. p Putnams Sons are the point
| OF bringing II out.
winston Churchilrs new book will be called
The Crisis" and will be issued shortly by the
| Macmillan Company. Richard Carvel." II
seems. written the first OF series OF
novels, which. while unrelated in "dramatis
| persOna" and in sense linked together to
story plot. have certain historical sequence
of subject In The Crisis Mr. Churchill takes
up the story OF Richard Carvels great-grea
granddaughter, by name Virginia Carvel. living
| In st. Louis. The hero is young New-Eng
| lander. who has emigrated to that city make
| his living a lawyer. The play of the story is
said TO be between the two antagonstic North
/ ern and Southern elements in the border States
| OF Missouri and Illinois before the war II
shows Grant poor farmer in St. Louis. Sher-
| man running a small streetcar line and Lincoln
| a struggling lawyer in Springfield. Ill., and later
| gives the contrast Of their positions four years
| afterward
| The edition of T. E. Browns letters which
| E. P. Dutton & Co have in press will contain
| an index TO appease the just complaints called
forth by the lack of one in the first edition.
| In connection with this the same firm makes
| the interesting announcement that some time
during the year It will publish a volume of T. E.
| Browns prose work. which is quite unknown TO
never been printed; some has appeared in the
sponsible editor OF the proposed collection is
actively interested in IL.
| The February number OF The Century" will
| contain "a group OF four fullpage engravings re-
productions OF winter scenes In New-York from
| pastel drawings by Everett Shinn. An exhibi-
ton OF this artists water colors will be given
| soon at Boussod Valadon & Co.'S. They are
the product OF the last year which he spent In
Paris. II his wife who Illustrated Miss