New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-27
gbe Neno'lork Gribmoae
ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT.
SUNDAY. NOVEMBER 81, 1904.

The artistic taste with which the holiday
numbers of the American magazines are put
together commands by itself warm tribute
They make n brave show on the bookstails. Inc
covers of The Century" "Scribner's" "Leslies"
and the rest appear in all the glory or plctur-
esque designs and rich color. inside in each
case the text has, of course, much that is
entertaining to say for ITSELF but the salient
factor in the festal splendor of these Christmas
magazines is the color printing, which every
where steadily improves. In "HarperS' there
are some illustrations by Howard Plye to Mark
Twain's Saint Joan of Are" two of which, the
street and prison scenes, are mastery In design
and brilliant in color. The frontispiece in
"Scribners" is a charmngly tinted reproduction
of Il fine composition by Maxfield Parrish, and
the same magazine contains color work by
Beatrice Stevens and Sarah S. Stlwell which
is equally artistic. Mr.. Parrish figures again
among the cOlOred pages of The Century;
there are good pieces here by Anna Whelan
Belts, w. l.. Jacobs and other illustrators, and
reproductions of paintings by Winslow Homer
and the late George InneSs are thrown in for
good measure. The general impression left by
all this work is that our color processes are
being more and more skilfully exploited and
that the magazines are being made more and
more attractive thereby.
Mr.. HOweIls, writing in "Harpers" about in
ternatOnal copyright, quotes friend as say
ing, in substance, that in the old piratical era
he could buy good English books here at a rea
sOnable price, whereas now they are expensive.
He adds that "No solid English book Gf there
is any is reprinted here" Mr.. Howells takes
Up the plant, saying that the international
copyright act has depricved us of ''the best Eng
lish literature which had cheap because
we stole it." and that cur law oblging English
authors TO have their books set up and printed
here Excludes ali English books which do not
promise an exceptional popularity, that is TO
saw most Of the good English books" We
must protest against these sweeping general
cations. Speaking with pretty close knowledge
of what is published in the course of a year
here and abroad, we may say without fear of
contradiction that most if not all of the best
English books are promptly issued either direct
from American presses or in editions imported
in bulk; that their cost is not by any means in
variaby in excess of the English cost, and that
these books, in many cases find plenty of pur-
chasers MIR. HOwelIs's friend declares that
publishers don't look at n serious book" All
we can say is that the publishers send Us, first
and last, scores of serious books, and that SO
far as we can judge without making a house to
house canvas of the United States they are
being bought and read in this country never
before in our history. We may add that glanc-
ing at our shelves we discover the third volume
of Andrew Lang's History of Scotland"
printed in Edinburgh, and published here by
Dodd Mead & Co. 1t sells at So 80. The Black
woods issue it at Is shillngs.
That queer episode in the life of Rossett the
burial Of his manuscript poems In his Wifes
coffin and their eXhumatiOn for publication
seven years later. has cropped up again Mr..
Hall Caine has adapted it to his own purposes
in The Prodigal Son." some Of the critics have
fallen foul of him for doing SO, and in long