The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-10-12

news and
Views Of
the Book
WorId.
CBY HERBERT BREwsTER.)


(BY HERBERT BREwsTER)
T INTELLIGENCE comes to me at the |
moment of writing this letter of
a new magazine, the first number
OF which is to appear on the LIST of
January. 1t is 10 be a quarterly
Journal of Comparative Literature and
is TO be devoted TO the interests OF |
that most modern of literary studies
in America and Europe. II viii be
based primarily upon the departments
of comparative literature at Columbia
and Harvard. Prof G. E woodbury.
and DIR. j. Z. Sprinsarn, Of the former
institution. and Prof. ]. B. Fletcher OF
the latter collaborating in its edito-
rial mas.-ement. A very impressive
array of foreign professors have prom
Used their active support. The list OF
universities represented by them IN
cludes those of Zurich. Berlin, Paris.
Innsbruck. Padua. Copenhagen. Turin,
Florence, Edinboro, Naples and Heidel-
berg. Truly a cosmopolitan gathering.
justifying the claims on the part or
the editors that il is 1.-The most cos
mopOlitan journal ever planned.
Among ttsir foreign coilaborators IN
the enterprise appears the name or }.
J. Jusserand, the new French ambas-
sador at Washington, who comes from
Copenhagen TO replace Monsieur Cam
bon. Jusserand is the leading French
authority on English literature His
best known work in this country is one
now used in all colleges, on the Eng
lish novel.
There seems to be some doubt as TO
what the term comparative htera-
ture" means, and 1t has come in for
its share of newspaper ridicule, on the
supposition that It meant comparison
of individual authors. as, for example
Winston Churchill and Mary Johnston,
for the purpose of determining their
relative literary merits. Comparative
literature, however, as 1t is to be dealt
with in the Journanl. deals with races
rather than with individuals. taking
the broadcast possible view of literature
as a comparison Of peoples. and seek
ing TO find in all the literatures OF
Europe the varied but essentially com
mon voice of single race and a single
civilization. The value of such a civ
ilization is to broaden our sense OF
literary brotherhood so that an Eng
lishman or an American may feel
pride and a sense of personal posses
sion, not only in Shakespeare. but in
Cervantes, Ariosto and Moliere.
But this is not the only magazine
item of interest. Another concerns It
self with a certain short-lived publ
cation called the Brandur Magazine.
weekly, devoted 10 stories and short
articles. The name OF its proprietor,
Orlando ]. Smith, the president of the
American Press association, created
confidence of the success of the ven-
ture among newspaper and magazine
people generally, while the promise OF
3 cents a word for all contributions.
rate which was advertised as being
the largest paid by any magazine in
the world. must have created a kindly
feeling in Grub street. In spite, how
ever, of all good omens. the Brandur
Magazine did not survive its third
number and now makes one more OF
that company OF multitudinous maya
zines, some clever and some mediocre,
that have come and gone In the last
few years
l1C AA4NAAAC III -AcANA-+
| life leading TO such an oYer-popula-
ton OF the magazine world is hard to
determine. The promoters of these
ephemeral publications seem to be
actuated about equally by motives of
money making and virtuous zeal for
| literary reforms. Each magazine
promises in a vague way 10 be more
| literary, and to print better articles
than its predecessors. This note of lit
erary superiority is especially strong
| In the announcement of the new ma
gazine entitled the Reader, ed
| tied by Mr.. Copeland, former
| ly of Copeland & Day, publish
ers, and Mr.. Kenealy, formerly
connected with the house of John Lane
/ in this city. The Reader announces
authoritativeIy that il is the literary
magazine for which America has so
long waited. The Atlantic Monthly
will please take notice. and if there
/ is any place more remote from the lit
erary center of this country than that
city which used formerly 10 be called
the Athens of America and the Hub
| of the Universe. it had best retire to
1 it in time.
But these are pretty schemes and
rumors with which I have been deal
/ ing. There is on the horizon a heavy
cloud and a distant rumbling is borne
is on my ears. The word trust" hated
shibboleth of modern commereialism,
| has more than once been mentioned
in connection with books. but not till
now has it entered into the realm of
magazinedom. Now, however, heal
! Of the preliminary Morganesque opera
o.
publisher OF books, OF monthly mag
azine and weekly illustrated news
( paper. who, il is said. contemplates
making a combination OF all magazines
not already connected with publishing
houses and running them from single
central management
Here is a hard luck story from the
publishers of THE Two Vanrevels."
which throws little light on the diff
/ ficulties of getting out, big edition.
Some of the difficulties Of bOokmak
ing. Of which the reading public never
| hear. are exemplified in the case or
Booth Tarkington's new novel, THE
Two VanreVeis." the advance demand
/ for which has almost swamped the
publishers. In the first place. the cover
of the book requires cream leaf. With
the making OF the first $4,000 the cream
leaf market began to run short. Agents
were sent out TO collect 1t. By the
time 5000 copies were completed there
was no high-grade cream leaf in
America. Germany was appealed 70 by
cable. but there is a shortage Of cream
leaf there also, and several thousand
copies OF the book had TO be sent out
stamped with white leaf Then there
was Efficiaitv aholt the gliding Expert
! gilders are bs coming rare. High-class
gilt is scarce The publishers put out
the books 10 one glider after another
until there a Re now five gliding shops
/ busy with '4'he Two Vanrevels.' and
/ f,,.n hindarfat n az work on n and