New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-01
THE BOOKSHOP.
Andre5o Lang on It's Present
Situation.
From The London Daily Mail.

FROM Inc LONDON Daily Mall.
The announcement of a company formed to
provide the public with books in agreeable
rooms, and, l think with art furnishings"
thrown in, has more or less excited the OF
booksellers.
They find themselves accused of preventing
the public from getting books when by any
cident the public wants them. The booksellers
are told that they know little or nothing about
books that they ignore tie tastes of their Gus
toners, that, rather than take the trouble Of
procuring book they Will boldly argue against
its existence, that they keep nothing but photo
graphs, notepaper and the works of the popu-
lar fustian school Of noyelists. Every sentence.
almost, must end some day but the foregoing
long sentence does not exhaust the indictment
against the booksellers.
A famous statesman was conscious of his in
ability to frame an indictment against whole
people" Yet the task is easy. and Is accom-
plished every day by persons who are not states
men. l myself cannot frame indictment
competent: you find them and cleave 10
them; and there are booksellers incompetent,
even as there are incompetent tObacconists, in
Guiding those who supply several clubs with In
tolerable cigarettes
Do not let US clamOr for the heads of all
booksellers and all tobacconists because or the
scarlet sins of an indefinite proportion Of both
trades. We cannot fairly expect every book
seller to have every book which we may lesire
on his shelves 1t is enough if he has sufficient
sense and energy to get the new book 1or us
within three days; there are old books which
you may hunt Vainly for years.
The bookseller whom I cannot pardon is he
who says that the book which demand is 'out
of print" when I know that it is not; or who
denies its very existence, as if it We're the De
Tribus Impostoribus 1t really is not the bust
ness Of a bookseller to contradict his customer
when his customer speaks Of what he knows
To do so is to resemble a correspondent, whose
letter has been forwarded to me from The Daily
Mail" who signs himself "Silax." He may mean
Slick, "a flint" ScylaX, "a puppy" This
learned person blames me for the employment
of g metaphor about horse ''peCking," which
is sheer nonsense" 1t may be. but I wrote
nothing about a horse pecking. 1 said that the
new company which proposes actually to sell
books "can put the water before the horse, and
spread the net in the sight of the bird. But the
horse is not thirsty, and the bird is very wide
awake. He pecks at the circulating libraries
and when he cannot get what he wants he takes
something else" Like many critics, Mr. Sax
critcises what he has not read or has read
wrong. However, Mr.. Silax says that I am
right in saying that the public do not want
books"
This general indifference is the cause of the
Incompetence of incompetent booksellers. Find
Ing that their customers do not care for books
they become careless themselves They Stock
a few fustian novels and cheap Magazines, and
know nothing about literature. 1t really does
not tier much, except to the rare customers
who happen to care for books which are not bad
novels. or magazines full of photographs. Such
customers, if they live in Yorkshire or St Pan
cras treaIms said to be bookless deserts). can
send their demands TO competent booksellers in
London, or in Manchester. oxford. Cambridge,
Edln burgh, Glasgow. Birmingham Newcastle
ana other seats of learning I think of large
trading Scottish town where ii is hard indeed
| to find a good book i'm the one bookshop
Yet the bookseller IS a man of sense taste and
learning. 1t would spell ruin for him to stock
good modern books, because there is no demand
BOOKS are not wanted The mass Of tae popu-
lation cannot afford TO buy. and the rich do not
care TO buy; the circulating library is good
enough for them; or, if they buy. it is in Edin-
ouTSh' town rich In good booksellers shops.
The collection Of books. the formation of libra
rles, Waned and dwinded about 1914 This was
the evidence Of publishers and other exper+s
taken before a parliamentary committee about
1850 in almost any country house you may
see, by looking at the bookshelves when book
buying ceased. Thereafter a few yellow backed
novels, some volumes Of travel. and magazines
represent the tastes and expenditure of later
generations
The first cause of non-b buying was a very
great book buyer, Sir Walter Scott. "Waverev''
came out in the fatal year 1914 and the novel
began TO Gust every other kind of literature
Circulating Libraries devastated the land
and debauched the book buyer. The next evil
influence was another great book buyer Archi-
Series
Instead Of reading authoritative books. people
! bought brief Series" volumes containing rapid
glances at great and difficult subjects. The
third cause was the steam engine, and the age
/ Of hustle and hurry, when. thanks to time saw
I ing agencies. nobody has any time The fourth
cause the abolition Of the paper tax ana
( the food Of cheap magazines and newspapers.
Thanks TO all these causes we the least
bookish of generations Even intelligent peo-
pie, who think themselves interested in grave
or curious topics often so little interested
that they seldom know the names of new books
which contain just what they tell you that they
want to know. When they learn the names of
the books. they ask for them at the circulating
Libraries and do not get them, and forget about
their existence
The bare idea of buying q book not a novel,
seems almost criminal TO most OF the we'll to do
classes. This is not encoura ging TO booksellers
and they lapse into Indifferent and tndolent
/ ignorance who can be surprised? II critics do
not read the books which they review, that also
Is no matter for wonder
The general condition reacts on authors It
Goes not pay them 10 be learned and thorough
If they take the trouble somebody else tales
the results. and abridges them into a volume OF
cheap series. We have motors and many
other detestable things, but 1t seems highly
probable that shall cease to produce litera
turs which few have ti-..e to read.