New-York tribune., 1903-01-04
Gbe Neno'llork Grihne1@
ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT-
SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 1913.

An anonymous publisher, writing in Ihe
Iondon Outlook" discusses at large one OF lhe
most salient phenomena in his sphere, the al l
hook which of late has become extraordihiifh'
no,uIor He finds one explanation OF that pop
uIarity living on the surface, where others nave
noted if before him. in the development Oh pho
tographje processes. After the engraving oh
wood or steel came the photograyure, ana now
the color plate is getting itself produced Win
considerable success. Much has alreaoy peen
done The student can now find well iiias-
trated volume on almost any of the old painters
he wishes to investigate In some cases he may
have TO accept q French or a German text, but
he NAV find it in English again and again. LII
due time the art books in our own language
promise to be rs numerous as those III any
other. 1t is all very cheering, but the situation
will not be altogether satisfactory until two
reforms have been accomplished. In the HIST
Mace the art book must be made cheaper, with
out any dirninution of its quality. There is no
reason why this could not be managed. Photo-
cranbic processes do not need to remain eXpen-
siye in an age as inventive as this one
Furthermore while the reader wants as many
pIates as possible, he would gladly spare feW
of them for the sake of a reduction in price
Then something should be done to make the
fine art book less cumbrous than it often is-
Let the huge volume be cut in two.
In the current number of "The Pail Mall
Magazine" there is an article on the fiction OF
1902 by Mr. H B. Marriott Watson, himself a
writer of fiction. He comes to the conclusion
that the year has been somewhat barren and
unavailng "The year 1902 he says, has
marked time and no more" The Judgment is
fair enough. 1t is quite true that no new mover
has appeared with the mark of immortality
upon it. But there is no reason why this should
make any one unhappy. In the first place, 1t Is
well to remember that a year is very SNORT
period of time. We may receive in l9OS What
we have missed in 1902. In the mean time, Is
Mr. Watson himself confesses, 1.-The astonishing
feature is the excellence of the average book.
1t is not merely astonishing, it is solid COM
fort After all, if we are temporarily without
a great work of genius it is enormously con-
soling to have such books as those recently
published by John Oliver Hobbes," A. E. w.
Mason Joseph Conrad, Owen Wster, III. q.
Wells and several others. 1t is more than con-
soling it is positively exhilarating. The trouble
with the average" novelist used to be that he
wrote nothing but trash Surely much has been
gained when he gives us really good and some
times DT1lllant III mol NoIA iIel us
not undervalue the first rate average novel, now
that we have got it 1t may not be a thing to
treasure as we treasure ''Esmond' or "Pick-
wick" "Pere Goriot' or lies Trois Mousque-
taires," 1.-The Scarlet Letter." or the works of
Bret Harte But it is thing to enjoy in the
present and it is not at all unlikely that some
of this average work, though it may not
endure forever will be enjoyed for good many
years to come
Apropos Of this question Of the durability OF
recent fiction, or, for that matter, of any form
of literature, the Editor of Punch has casually
thrown little useful light upon the subject in
his reply to a question as to what two new