New-York tribune., 1901-05-04
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.
CURRENT TALK OF THINGS PRESENT
AND TO COME.


AND TO COME
The Century Company announces that the
first edition of Miss Runkle's historical novel,
THE Helmet of Navarro" viii be one hundred
thousand copies. This they calculate to be from
forty thousand to fifty thousand larger than
the next largest first edition of any novel ever
published
The agreement of the Publishers Association
to publish all books except fiction at net prices
went into effect last Wednesday and most of
the publishers have informed their retail Gus
toners of the change. \ reduction in the pub
lished price of books is made at the same time
The discount to dealers is much restricted and
the latter are expected to sell only at the full
prices of the books. The only exceptions will
be made in the case of public libraries which
Will get 10 per cent discounts AS a further
protection to the retailer. the publishers have
agreed to add to the regular price of books
dered of them by mail the cost of postage. The
ordinary rate of discount to retail dealers will
probably be - per cent and this 1t Is pointed
out. gives little enough profit in a business car
ried in items of usually about 81 30 each.
Said we'll known bookseller the other day:
People expect a great deal more of retail
bookseller than of any other kind of tradesman
the book business than in most other retail
trades. and people expect a great deal of pro-
fessional advice and information to be given
them for nothing. For instance. people often
come to me to make up lists of books for spe-
cial purposes, and give them the benefit of my
thirty years experience in making them and
advising as to purchases. Then, oftentimes
these people expect to take these lists and go
to other dealers who handle books they
would junk or pork or potatoes. and who would
be utterly unable to give them the information
1 have provided, and expect to buy the books
at cut rates; or they would expect me to sell
them to them at prices in competition with
such dealers. Because of the high grade of in
teIligence demanded. and because of the almost
uniformly small items in which business is
DONE the profit made possible by the publish
ers' discount is none too great
Admirers of Maurice Hewlett's work will be
glad to learn that the Macmillan Company is
preparing to publish a uniform collected edition
of all his books, They have acquired of G. P. Put
nam's Sons the rights in the English edition OF
"Earthwork out of Tuscany which this firm
has hitherto handled in this country. and also
their illustrated American edition. and Mr..
Hewlett is making few changes and additions
in 1T before ii appears in the form. The
Macmillans have also acquired from John Lane
his rights in Pan and the Young Shepherd"
which is destined to join the company of Mr..
Hewletts other books in the uniform edition.
"A personal. picturesque and dramatic story
of the life of the camp and actual experiences
in battle" is the description of James Barness
book The Great War Trek" included in their
May announcements by d. Appleton & Co. Mr..
Barnes went to South Africa correspondent
for several American papers. Shortly after
his arrival he appointed correspondent of
The Cape Times" the government organ in the
colony, and afterward he became chief cor
respondent of The London Daily Mail" Mr..
Barnes met many of the men whose names
have become familiar to the newspaper readers,
and his narrative is said TO throw many interest
Ing sidelights the war.
John Oxenham dedicates TO Captain Dreyfus |
his forthcoming novel "Our Lady of Deliver |
ance" to be published by Henry Holt & Co |
Mr. Oxenham's plot has nothing to do with |
Dreyfus's experiences but these suggested TO |
him the idea of a man secretly and unjustly /
prosecuted, who is helped by the devotion OF a |
courageous woman
The Fabian Series will comprise volumes writ |
ten hy members Of the noted London coterie /
known a. the Fabian Society. devoted to study Of /