The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-02
THE LITERARY OUTLOOK.
or A BOOK TODAY COMPAR-
ED TO ITS LIFE TWENTY
YEARS AGO.

.ive Set of Books Ever Pub
,,.bed-A New Prince of Literary
u.cks-spring BOOks-Andrew Car
o;e as an Author.
,,.u York, Feb. 2S.-The life of a
+o-dav. as compared with the life
hook twenty years ago, is just
half. The statement is made by a
n rroUn London publisher who has
making extended Investigations,
there seems to be no reason for
,anbting his conclusions. There is
..sa,tlv logical reason for this, and
F,r the confirmed pessimist will con-
"a that the books of to-day are
.1,, half as good as those of two de-
,,des ago. There were fewer novels
tDagaod If would be more exact to say
I .are we're few novels-in those days.
nyos+ any bound volume would be
lAnnI,lar for a year; sometimes it took
p.frar than that to make the fact OF
n y. having been published known, and
~ w. is what the term publishing
.sonld indicate. To-day conditions
SUI so changed that the issue of a
Saol NAV be made practically stimuli
,sneous in all parts of the country.
Tysn before the works are ready for
he market the enterprising publicity
eynerts connected with the various
Onbishing houses have Informed the
Ppsading public that their wares are
sorthcoming, and the statesmen win
80 filled the shelves of the bookshelf
as with their volumes before the stip-
Sloted date of publication. The pub
Tsbing of books nowadays has reach
81 the stage of an exact science. By
q visit to the pressroom of modern
magazine one can foresee the manner
IN which bound volumes of novels will
ha given to the public in the course of
. few wears. Two score of electrically
onerated presses turn out forty thous-
and complete magazines in a day.
Folding and binding machines prepare
The various forms for their proper
Mace in the volume, and scores of
men and women assist in the oper-
alton. Yards of floor space are piled
biqh with the completed product, and
every day huge trucks carry away
heavy loads of mail sacks to the post
Office for distribution. So exactly is
everything timed that on the morning
cot for publication every subscriber
has his copy, or it may be purchased
nm any newsstand in the country, no
matter how remote. Even in London
and many of the larger towns of Eng
land the identical copy may be had
on the appointed day, such is the sys-
tematic arrangement of production
and distribution. 1t is no wonder,
then. that the novels of to-day are
fortunate if they have a run of popu-
aritv extending over three months,
and the London publisher who made
the comparisons gave them six months
Of life. as compared with a year for
the novels of twenty years ago. Truly
we are living in an age of electro
magnetic swiftness.
And yet, in spite of all this, there is
a growing number of genuine book
lovers: there is an increasing reVer-
ence for the art of printing, when its
product is bound between handsome
covers and put together with care.
The friendship of books and the love
for books is on the increase,
no doubt. 1t is the desire and
ambition of the majority of men
to possess at least a few books which
may be read and reread. The best
writer's of all time have felt the COM
pnionship which books alone give. 1t
was said of Southey, who spent all his
life among books, that during the last
few days before his death he wandered
about his library, lifting out this and
that favorite and putting each one back
with the greatest care. Il can keep
my appreciation of them while / live"
he said, land love them until 1 die"
controversy has lately arisen
among English authors and publishers
as to whether books are better printed
IN England or America. Almost with
out exception the authors claim that
the publishers of their own country
are far behind their American rivals
IN the production of tasteful and at
tactve books, and, naturally enough,
the publishers deny any such condition.
It is true that American publishers
get their books in a more attractive
FORM, but the largest amount of books
turned out from our binderies will not
last longer than their popularity with
Inc readers. If one desires to keep
book for years in his library it is
generally necessary to have 1t re-
bound
As proof, however, that we are
not always engaged in making poor
BOOKS, the record breaking instance of
e&pensiveness in books now being pre-
pared in this country may be cited.
New York publisher of limited edi-
uons is at work on a set of Dickens,
winch, when completed, will contain
ISO volumes. The price for each vol
ume will be $1,000, so that each COM
ple'e set will cost $4,000. Only fifteen
sets are to be printed from the plates
used which, of course, are specially
prepared for this work, seven sets to
80 10 England and eight to remain in
tnis country. The illustrations are
gghurely new, and are done by Harry
1uI,nlss' {. D. Gibson, Christy and sew
eIdl other we'll known artists. Unlike
oIe ordinary custom, the illustrations
az are 10 be bound separately, and will
VI themselves fill seven or eight vol
unles' The first six volumes of the
S1e are now being printed. The COM
years.
u me title of Prince of Literary
ta"cHs which Andrew Lang is said
~ " glory in seems likely to pass to an
boa an Englishman, who, heretofore,
@' peen known more for his ability
a. az play tennis and expound rules of
tleI and training than for his capacity
Mn "IIte many books. Mr.. Eustace H.
n1a aes Is the gentleman's name. He
b"Aes the modest claim that last year
oro "Iote twenty books. Most of these
NJ Sald to be on training or eating.
Ne iast one of the lot, however. is of
to inherent character, and tells how
N, prepare essays, lectures, etc. When
de- Mlles has nothing else to do he
MT es on articles for the newspaper
go s At the present time there are
ana Se. ~. or these running in England
ner.- me United States. OF course, this
nso spaper work is afterwards made
ssch u Tor volumes of books, but as
n N look 0ook is supposed to contain 40, O00
tba. O'o ivy words at least, it may be seen