New-York tribune., 1903-05-31
Gbe Netn;Uotk Griba1oass T.
ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT-
SUNDAY, MAY 81, 1903.

it is because contemporary poetry Is not writ
ten We get yerSe-a word Tor when we
should be perpetua1ly grateful to the genus Oh
our language-in overwhelming abundance, and
it is often very good-as verse. But it, as the
famous line has it, ''The poetry of earth is
never dead" its authorized hierophants are now
either dead mute. a suggestive note on the
barrenness of the poetic field at the present
moment is offered in the announcement that the
Newdigate Prize for English verse has not been
awarded at Oxford this year, the lapse occur
ring for the first time in over fifty years. The
subject set was Charles L at Oxford This
strikes the Editor of THE Academy and Liter
ature' as being the most hopeful set for many
years, and seeking for an explanation OF It's
failure to spur the university poets to activity,
he remarks that perhaps it suggested too much
romance ''and possibly the judges were afraid
of JacObte enthusiasm" Perhaps. Possibly.
But it seems to us more likely that there were
no poets to come to the front. OF course, one
contemplates an idea of the sort with certain
ruefulness. But it seems to US much wiser to
accept the situation than to do many
writer's and readers seem to think it necessary
to do to sneer at publishers and at those who
will not read the poetry" put before them.
Mr. Thomas Hardy wrote to ''The Athenaum7
the other day to dispose Of some inquiries he
had received concerning his ''new story" re-
Gently published in London weekly. $50 far
from being new" he says, '.t is a reSuscitated
old story which appeared in a country journal
nearly twenty years ago" And he protests that
he is in no way responsible for its publication
as if it were new. Mr.. Hardys comment the
episode takes the form of a reminder to mex
pPrienced writers of fiction that ''in dSpoSing
of serial rights in their production they should
take care to limit the time during which such |
rights may be exercised" The penalty incurred |
by n failure to exercise this seems to be !
paid pretty often in England Mr.. Hardy's |
complaint has a familiar ring. Perhaps the
same sort of thing happens in America from
time to time, but from observation we |
should say that it was far less often known in |
this country than abroad. Indeed, have
frequently been struck by the readiness of our
authors and publishers to give in new book |
the fullest Information to the previous publ |
cation of anything appearing between its
covers.
Literature knows no distinction of persons
but those who take it from the hands of its
makers and put it into book form have been
steadily learning TO distinguish purses. 1t looks
rs if in the course of time the first second and
third classes of European railway systems
would be clearly marked in the world of books.
OF course, the publication of work simulta-
neously in an edition de luxe and an ordinary
edition is an old story, and So by this time, is
the reprnting of certain classics in cheap pocket
volumes. But the lines of classification are
going deeper. While the cumbrous edition de
luxe of dead nOvest's works, for example,
has lost something of its vogue, the more
rational but still expensive special edition is
growing in favor and there has been startling
increase in the number of boOkS-Often quite
Unimportant publications - OF which large
paper copies offered. An even more nota-
ble phenomenon is that for which London
publisher has just made himself responsible
He proposes to reprint in Illustrated Pocket
Library" not simply the text Of familiar classics
but the illustrations made for them, which are
mostly inaccessible except at great cost. Works
like those of Pierce Egan, like "The Vicar of
Wakefield" with Rowlandson's colored plates ,
and like The COmpleat Angler" in John Ma
iors edition of 1924, in the list. Ultimately,
suppose a reader will be able to obtain any !
thing he wants at small price. 1t is difficult
to repreSS smile, however, on observing that
OF some, at least, of the books in this mex |
pcnsivc series there to be editions on jap | 6
anese paper. limited to one hundred copies at a | ,
guinea per vOlumeI ,