Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-07-02

was great, but there arc some able ones
| with US. Mr. Meredith and Mr.. Hardy
| are not gone. and the latter. it is said
| is to return to novel writing Might
| not a patron of the free library lcgiti-
;ely desire to read that new novel
within 2 month of its publication? Mr..
Henry James might become Il Iit;lo
less complex or Mr.. kipIing produce
| the novel for which his admirers wait.
| Or tn" author If 'Silas Lapham" might
| equal it. What Of the librarian who
rigidly kept such a book under lock and
key for "a tWclvcmonth?
Among other things which tended to
make life pleasant for the crew of IL.
NJ. S. Mantlepiece when she was I'M
der the command of that humane
Sailor-Captain Reecc, X. ~, it will be
remembered that
NV volumes came across the sea
From Mister Nudes libraree.
1t was. perhaps. not the only vessel
So favored. Indeed Mr.. James Milne
in the current number of the Book
Monthly. declares that the name of
Nude. like the tap of the British drum.
Certainly the rame rings I'm the ears of
the reader Of English novels and of the
person who dispenses good many of
these nnvels-the American librarian.
How many librarians i'll this country
read every month that catalogue of
''rcmainders," till some OF the titles
become as old friends, and how many
American libraries are circulating to-
day hundreds of books plastercd on the
front cover with the familiar yellow
la bel that only the most violent efforts
will remove. Nudes subscription Ii
brary was. so to speak. 4 gray-hcaded
institution when the Rooklovers' and
the Tabard Inn were not dreamed Of
and during its sixty-four years it has
had Mr.. Milne writes, an influence on
literature and on the reading habit
that is little realized.
Every year Nude adds from 100000
to 500 600 volumes to his stock. These
represent about 1000 different titles. or
one-half the annual English output.
The other half are echoolbooks, pamrh-
lets. and so on-thc classes which
cannot be termed literature in even the
wide sense Of the word. He takes
| ninety I'I ttiIt. VI lif' ~ bNt''''t
travel. biography, belles-icttres and
general history: eighty per cent. of the
now writings on sport: seventy per
cent. of the works on theology. popu-
lar science art, music, and the drama.
Moreover he buys One-haf of the
juvenile literature issued in year. and
beyond all that takes the important
books Of the twelve leading languages
Of Europe To make a test of the pro-
portions OF various classes Of books
that his patrons used. he once took the
reading record of a thousand volumes
of general literature and Of as many
volumes of fiction for Il space
Of six months. Allowing for the
fact that novels are read more quickly,
the percentage of them issued proved to
be about seventy-fivc. And the per-
ccntagc of general literature he finds t.
he mounting.
The novel readers may be divided into
two classes. the intellectual and the
emotional, or the readers of Mrs.
Humphry Ward and the readers of
Miss Marie Corelli. But Nude is per-
fcctly impartial and buys 5000 copies Of
a new novel by either, directly on its
publication When Mr.. Hall Caine
gets out a book Nude orders about
1000 comics And these are the lead
crs. But-and here is a surprise
when "Silas Mariner" appeared he took
1000 copies, and $500 of Disraclis
"Endymion." In 1853 on the publica-
ton of the third and fourth volumes OF
Macaulay's History of England" he
bought 2500 sets. Four years later 1000
copies of "Idylles of the King" and the
same number Of Queen Victories jour
nal of her life in the Highlands. in
'fS. In 1890 he needed 5000 copies of
Stanlcy'S Darkest Africa" Of Earl
Robcrts's "Forty-onc Years in India"
he purchased 250e copies. and 1000 sets
Of Mr.. Morlcy's thrce-volumc Life OF
Gladstone When Mr.. Nude began
his business, a handcart Sufficed to dc
liver the books his London subscribers
wanted Now nearly two thousand
parcels. each containing from three to
fifty volumes, go forth every day in
New oxford street. lie has subScrib-
| ers in every country in the world eX-
cep. Greenland. Tibet. and a few other
| outlentliSh places. He is. AS the Brit
ish battle-line, far-flung: his label fol-
lows the flag.