New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-08-10
NETWORK, AUGUST 10, 1902.

In volume Of short stories by the late Sir
Walter Besant, which has recently been pub
ushed, there is one entitled The Sky Rocket"
which treats of the kind of novel which makes
an enormous popular success, despite the alb
sence Of obvious merit in it. The phenomenon
is certainly puzzling, and much more than a
short story might be written about it. In fact.
a student might take it as a theme for whole
volume and make many suggestive guesses as
to its secret One thing seems toleraby certain;
that however defective one of these literary
rockets may be- however open to the seVerest
criticism at a dozen points, there is always
something in the book the appeal of which is
as legitimate as it is successful That is to
say a novelist with very mediocre mind may
nevertheless possess the narrative gift that gilt
which is by itself one of the most potent in the
world. Again he may, while telling the story
with the greatest difficulty, clumSily, indeed,
as it is possible for a human being to do any
thing be genuinely inventive. 1t has been
stated by an experienced publisher that not all
the advertising that thousands of dollars could
buy will serve to run up the circulation OF
book which is totally without some grain or
intrinsic vitality. This is not to say that the
trashy novelist is justified of his SINS Ii is only
TO enforce the point that his success, while mys-
some slight extent nationally explained.
4 publication that is growing more and more
in favor among the makers of books is the
work on some artistic subject which is brought
out in luxurious form at very high price and
In limited edition. One of the latest of these
is book of which only three hundred and fifty
copies are to be printed, at cost to the pur
chaser of something over $50 copy The edi
ton has already been disposed OF TO subscribers,
though the cook win not be ready for delivery
until November. Obviously far as the gen
eral public is concerned, this book might just as
well have never been projected. 1t will pass
directly from the hands of the publishers to
those Of a group of people so small as to seem
almost ludicrous when considers that the
purpose for which book is generally written
is the diffusion Of ideas. However. our COM
plant is not much against the coStness of
this edition, or the smallness of it. as it is
against the failure of the publishers, in many
instances, to bring out larger editions of a work
Of the sort ut smaller price Sometimes this
may seem to work hardship to the purchaser of
the book in lis original form. Yet if two dol
lar edition of a five dollar book can follow the
latter, as ii often does why should not a book
published at $3.50 be brought out after a while
at. say half or Il third of the first price? Ger
tainly, the aggrieycd purchaser in this case has
less TO complain of than the sufferer in the
other. There is comparatively little difference
between the two editions of the ordinary book,
whereas the purchaser of the costlier edition Of
an art book receives great deal in the way of
extra plates. and on, with which the man
with the modest purse could easily dispense
and the market value of his property remains
undisturbed.