The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-04-19

make you present Of this copy, though
1 value it highly, for / paid good price
for it,"
You will then put the book in your
pocket, and a minute or two later the pro-
prietor will say, Il shall consider my
self eternally your debtor If you Will
make me a present of -" naming
certain sum. If you think the price too
high you may bargain with him, but you
must take care not to make the slightest
allusion to the copy of the Koran in your
pocket for in disposing Of 1T the pro-
prietor has clearly broken the law, and
it would not be good policy for you to
remind him of that fact.
A most persistent rumor is quietly cir
s9IoI!o Su!qsIqud YLoA M7N u! SuneIno
to the effect that the house of Appleton
is to be merged into the Harper estab-
lishment. Granting that such a consolt-
daion actually occurs, the cry that there
will soon be "a publishing trust would
have some weight if it were not for the
fact that almost every week sees the
birth of some new concern.
AS a matter OF fact, ten rumors fly
and one lights There is always great
deal of transformation about the doinga
for the truth. 1t was recently reported
that several American publishers were
planning to establish huge plants in
London with which they might capture
English book markets, but the American
publishers are still here.
More than 100000 copies of a little
book called "Wee MacGrcegor" have been
sold in England within the past few
months, q success so remarkable that,
though the story is told in a broad Scotch
dialect which almost requires. transla-
ton, firm of American publishers are
to bring the book out in this country. A
few days ago a copy of the book was
handed to a New York publisher of Scotch
parentage. He kept it q day or so and
then returned it to his friend with the
words
This seems to be a good little story
but l can't translate it fast enough to
really enjoy it,"
The joke of it is that the publisher is
question is not only an enthusiastic
Scotchman, but he is also most ardent
defender of the Wailyard school and de-
lights in the worst-or best that Ian
McClaren and ]. NJ. Barrie have done in
dialect.
Miss Louise Forssland, author of "The
Story of Sarah" and "The Ship of
Dreams has been obliged to go to New
Mexico for her health She will remain
at least a year. In the interval of her
absence from Long Island, however, Miss
Forssland hopes to complete series
of short stories of Vonstradam, the Dutch
town of her story Sarah" A Long
Island village is the real Vonstradam and
most of the stories are to be true, with
the characters easily recognizable ny
those who know the Dutch settlements
of that section of New York State.
One of the most attractive plays of the
past season was "Everyman," and its re-
cent publication in book form by a new
firm of publishers recalls it's ancient his
tory. Everyman was published in book
form first as long ago as 1929 by John
Skat of London. The great English crit
ic Hazlitt. regarded the play as one of
the very best of the pre- Elizabethan lit
erary productions, and his son included
it in his edition of sold Plays According
to Hazlitt" The play was written some
time during the reign of Edward ~, 8Fhat
play should live so long is remarkable.
The republication of it in its present
form is most worthy.
Simeon Ford who is one of New York's
most famous after dinner speakers and
whose Few Remarks" are to be pub