The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-07-13
1m Glh@ [L6G{&@pa0ny Wy0p0d]o

Gorky was an excluded student. His
service at our station only lasted few
months. One fine day he presented him
self at my office, and, asking for his
wages. said he would no longer con-
tinue with us.
Il paid him and offered him a third
class ticket to whatever station he de-
sired, but he refused the ticket saying
he would walk. Pulling his hat over
his head and strapping his baggage OF
his back. he started forth after bidding
all the employees and workmen an anna
BILE goodbye. The latter FASTENED
from every side to say farewell to the
man who had entertained and instructed
them for many months.
"A little while ago Maxine Gorky's
books fell into my hands, and some
thing familiar about them struck me
Then l read portrait he had drawn of
himself and l recognized my old com
rade."
The fame of Gorky is growing rap
idly-he has already passed out of the
fad stage.
*s*
Stanley Waterloo is at work editing
the MSS. of a convict who recently died
in Western prison. At least that is
the announcement of the firm who pro-
pose to bring the work out in bool
form. 1t is also said that the auto
biography of this criminal will surpass
anything which Hornung has done-not
that Mr.. Hornung is a criminal, bu
his Raff1e's stories have stood for the
best in fiction of criminal life. Doubt
7 less, too, these publishers claim for the
new work a superior quality to any
thing done by such realistic writer's as
Walter A. Wycoff and Josiah Flynt.
The reading public has been hoaxed SO
often with supposed confessions" So
called authentic '1ove letters etc, that
very likely the autobiography of this par
ticular criminal will be suspected to be
the work of Mr.. Waterloo himself. 1t is
the theory of some novelsts that a Gull
tivated imagination is all that is required
for successful writing, and IL the sus-
picion that Mr.. Waterloo is the real au-
thor of the autobiography" it must be
assumed that he drew on his imagina-
ton rather than on actual experiences
of life.
*&*
1t has always been a puzzle to many
readers of the publishers announcements
to understand how editions are figured.
That there is any set number of volumes
printed for an edition is no longer sus-
pected by even the most credulous. Ger
tainly the problem must be battling tc
one who reads Now Ready. Third Edi-
ton; Fourth Edition in Press" At just
what point did the publisher decide tc
stop the third edition? A first edition
may be one hundred copies, or it may be
10000. In the case of a popular novel
brought out last year the first edition
was 900 copies. One of the best
selling books of the present season has
had thus far but one edition and some
20, 900 copies of that are still stored
in the publishers shipping room. The
same firm-and the condition is charac-
istic-had a best selling book last season
which went into eight editions. but the
total number of copies sold was less than
the first edition of their best book this
year. possible explanation of the
matter is that the publishers make the
first edition of a book equal to the num-
Der which they think they can sell.
This estimate is often based on the ad-
vance orders, more often on the fame
of the author and the record of his
previous sales, and sometimes on the
basis of speculation. This latter plan
seems to have obtained in the case of
many of the new writer's who have
been doomed to popularity and big sales
by the patent medicine and soap methods
of advertising. When a book goes into
it's fourth and fifth editions it may be
guessed that it is selling better than the
publishers believed it would. There are,
however, some publishers to whom the
number of editions would appeal to so
strongly that they would divide an ordi-
nary edition into several printings. 1t
seems to the public that a book which
has. gone through a number of editions
must be in great demand.
So
Robert Edeson, the actor, once re-
marked that there was the basis of a
good American play in almost every
issue of daily paper He might have
said with equal truth that the basis OF
several stories could be found in the
same manner. Now and then there APP
pears items in the daily press which
are so applicable to the fiction form
that it seems pity more good authors
do not get their ideas for stories in this
way. A few days ago there was print
eu copy OI letter from Mr.. Andrew
Carnegie to some one in Maine who hat
sent him a photograph of the ship in
which he came to this country over
fifty years ago. Mr. Carnegie recalled
sailor on board who was a great ia
vorite, Bergman by name, and wrote
that if he could find this sailor he
should like to be of service.
"Supposing," says New York news
paper, "that Bergman is living; wha
plot there is here for a latter da!
Dumas, The poor little Scotch DO!
with whom the good natured seaman
played upon the deck of the Wiscasse
has become one of the richest men il
the world-a veritable Count of Mont,
Cristo At his will, if he chose, a thou
sand Wiscassets would spread thei
| sails. and he, if he could only find Der
ryman, would like to be "of service"
SIS
Stewart Edward White, author o
"The Westerners" and THE Blaze
Trail" is at work on another move
which will be published next spring
His third book is already completes
and will be out this fall. Every sum
mer Mr. White goes up north in Michi
gan or the Hudson Bay country for hi