Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-06-07
THR AUTHOR AND PRINTRk.
Dne Mans Copy ON scraps 81 Paper,
All Sizes and Shapes

Some excellent authors cannot "cut"
or "fll" to meet the usual Typographical
needs. l remember one good brother
who said that he couldn't, and that ]
shouldn't but cautiously did; and the
fun of 1t was that he was unable to find
the places where, to make harmonious
work, word or two had been cut oul
Or added. He was entirely happy; SC
was /. 1t should be explained as one
canon Of good book making, that par.
agraph must not end on the first line
Of a page. Where this happens, the
printer asks the author either to cut
the line, or to add some words to 1t
Also, a chapter may not end with but
two or three lines at the top Of page;
It must be cut down to not quite fill the
last page, or padded" to fill at least
one-fourth of the short page. II the
printer reluctantly cuts or adds. he is
religiously careful not to alter the sense
In the least.
One author, man of deep learning
and wide general cultivation as well, is
IN ideal editor He can add or cut tc
perfection and he knows just where
to do 1t so as to cause the least typo
graphic Inconvenience or expense. AT
ter he has done this work, too. the re-
suit Is clean. terse English, the admir-
alton of his readers. But this dear
mans copy" 1t is a collection OF
scraps of all sizes on all sorts of paper
One would think manuscript paper was
scarce; yet have sent reams and reams
Of suitable stationery to him. No one
knows what becomes of It, for the
stream of scraps continues. have had
copy" from that man on the back of
tailor's bill-unreceipted-a one
chapter of a recent book included odds
and ends of 'aper the other side oil
which showed that they came from ten
Of the United States and two cOuntre;
Of Europe, Among the scraps was
friends wedding announcement; but
the wedding date was passed, at least
as | was gravely informed upon a gen.
lie remonstrance to the author. His as
sistant tells me that the only safety for
the wedding certificate of our friend Is
that 1t is framed. and therefore incon-
venient to write upon.
But much may be forgiven to such an
author, who is continual joy to the
printer What matter the backs OF
envelopes or the scraps Of foreign let
ters when the copy" they are covered
with Is perfect in diction, absolutely
egible, and ready for the composition
without revision? And then the little
private notes which come dropping In
with the copy and proofs from this busy
man-they bubble with fun; ard one
wonders how he has had time to &C.
luire so much delightfully."- expressive
slang, or to devise the wonderful pho
netic spelling which adorns only these
private communications.
Sometimes the copy is bad-the
poor printer calls it ''biind." Good hand
writing is greatly to be preferred. how
ever scrappy the paper, to poor type
writing. One author used a rae pink
b8 typewriter. and did his numerous in
terlineations with a still paler lead pen
ell After the book was out respect
fully suggested the use of an axe on
the typewriter. I am afraid the author
did not appreciate the facetiousness OF
my remark, for he wrote me that il
was Indecent" | have wondered since
IL he may not have thought that my
sanguinary suggestion was meant for
the operator and moi for the machine.
The only other difficulty that | ever
had with an authcr came about through
a revision-whch was a task that lay
beyond my work as printer-of a
book in SERIES The editor requested
me, during his absence in Europe. to
condense or cut down the work. The
growing indignation of the author
whose redundancy | was printing was
most amusingly manifested in the way
he addressed gurc siive communca-
tions At first 'Unlr Mr., Mcfarland"
I was soon "Mr. Mcfarland" then INC
Farland," and then plain Sir" and
the last postal card simply started in
with an impressive dash! We have
made it all up since. over second
edition.. Horace Mcfarland in the
Worlds Work
Eat ~ tho y ed I jUht