New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-01
THE FRENCH BOOK CRISIS.
II Great Failing off in the Distri-
button of Literature.


year 1900 the value of new books sold in France
was only 100000 francs, or 100000 as
against L. 100000 francs or $3,OO0.O00, in 1899.
There was n slight increase-some 100000
for the year 1901, but the crisis continues, and
great depression prevails among editors and
publishers. The Revue des Revue" has taken
I'D the matter In earnest, and questioned the
leading booksellers. who are unanimous in their
lamentations. Not only sales falling rapidly
in France but the sales of books sent abroad
are diminishing in similar proportion. M Doin.
president of the Booksellers Club, attributes the
evil to the overproduction of mediocre works.
which have taken the edge off the public APP
petite NJ Fasqueue says that altogether too
many books are published. and the amount or
trash although less than formerly. Is still ex-
cessive. NJ Flammaron says that not only are
there too many books the market, but there
are also far too many publishing houses There
are now two hundred of them in Paris. and
each firm receives on an average twenty new
works day.
1t is a wholesome sign that the sale Of tho
yellow trash" appealing to morbid sensloiity.
has almost cease, that the books most In de-
rnand are anecdotal memoirs. historical souve-
Mrs with personal episodes, and biographies
Really good fiction always finds READY SAFE
but of the meretricious tales of so-called "a
risian life" not more than a score of copies now
find purchasers Whatever is written by Ana
toIe France, Paul Bourget, Marcel Provost. the
Marguerite brothers, Paul Hervieu. Rene Ba-
Yin. Henri Bordeaux and Pierre de Couevin Is
eagerly read Balzac is coming again into faSh-
ion, and this autumn fresh demand has set in
for THE Three Musketeers" and the other works
of Alexandra Dumas
M Juven bIames his fellow publishers for is
suing books the system known as that OF
"a compile d'auteur," or on the authors account
and at the authors risk He explains that SUCH
a practice is only appropriate in cases OF costly
scientific works. Unfortunately, a number OK
wealthy mundane authors, both men and Woul-
en-, have turned UP. who want to see themselves
in print These society writers bring their
manuscripts to the publishers, accompanied by
such lucrative terms to tempt them to issue
books that injure the trade, and frequently XII
works in which the publishers themselves have
invested largely. Several publishers complain
that the literary criticism of the daily news
papers is, with few notable exceptions. no
longer I'D to the mark NJ Juven points out
that the majority of daily papers no longer
attempt to give descriptive notices Of new
books but merely print the dry, bare lists,
with no indication beyond that OF the title and
of the name of the author; whereas even
little one-act play at a second rate theatre Is
more than adequately described in article
of a hundred lines. NJ. Blonel. manager of the
publishing house of Plon, finds fault with the
lack of discrimination and judgment of the pub
fishers before consenting to take q work in
hand. Good novels, such as Paul Bourgeois
"Etape" easily reach a sale of six thousand,
but for one successful novel there are at least
five hundred flimsy productions. Of not even
eyanescent worth, that clog the market and ia
tigue the public.
Another feature of the French market of liter
allure is that nowadays there never seems to be
any one great book of the season, such as in
former times would be discussed eagerly and
passionately 1t is seldom, indeed. that any new
book ever attans a sale of sixty thousand. For
editions Of 10000 must so back to the
days Of Zolas L'AssOmmoir' or Mana" The
out Of door activity of the present generation
of Parsians, that began with the bicycle and is
now devoted to the automobile, to golf, is
another cause of the stagnant book trade. Peo-
pie who, if not exactly in a hurry, are never
theless so accustomed to seek what they want
by the quickest and most direct road, find no
time to sit down quietly and cut the leaves of
books that take day two to be read The
generation finds almost all the literature it
requires in the daily papers and reviews AS
fashionable woman remarked the other day:
why how find time to read novels? All
that L do is to rapidly glance the re-
views Of new books written by some accepted
Lapauze, Robert de Flers, and in this way 1