New-York tribune., 1906-05-26
"EVERYMAN,S LIBRARY"
Il Ne5o Series of Popular Reprints
of Unusual Merit.

Some years ago, when Mr.. J. NJ. Dent entered
the field Of publishing in London. he attracted
attention by the peculiarly refined taste which
he brought to the development Of his ventures.
He started with the idea of reprinting the stand
ard authors in form not only convenient but
dainty, and. what was also greatly to the point,
he started with the idea that the cheaper he
made his books the better they would sell. He
reaped his reward. The Temple Classics" made
a record. selling in phenomenal numbers. Since
then Mr., Dent has launched ons enterprise after
another, always aiming at excellence OF editing
and manufacture. and in most cases keeping his
prices down. His latest scheme is series of
cheap popular reprints published under the gen
eraI title of "Everyman's Library" and from
the first fifty volumes in this SERIES which z. P.
Dutton & Co. who publish 1t this side
of the water have just sent to us. we are in
cined to think that good sense and good taste
are once more to prove profitable.
The form adopted is small but not too small.
The type which varies in size in different sec
tions in the series is always comfortable, and
the presswork is good. An excellent paper of
reasonable weight is used the books
light in hand. They neatly bound In semi
flexible cloth covers, stamped in gold the
back with an admirable decorative design. The
bindings vary in color according to the nature
Of the book Thus history is dressed in rich
color Theology and philosophy appear in a blue
that is almost black poetry is in sylvan green;
essays and bellies lettres IN brown: juvenilia
is in light blue; science Is in sober gray; Clas
steal literature is in delicate shade Of green
and biography is in still another shade of gray.
The title pages throughout charmingly de-
vised in black and white. some of the volumes
are Illustrated, and they all have pretty end
papers. So much for the library in its externals
For one so inexpensive the publishers have made
it remarkably serviceable and attractive. In its
purely literary aspect their undertaking is even
more impressive. Looking the fifty vol
umes before us we find five devoted to Jane
Austen; one to Balzac ('The Wild Ass's Skin)
two To Carlyle's French Revolution three 10
| Macauay's History of England; one to George
Borrow's wild Wales; two to BosweTs Life
Of Dr. Johnson; one to Whites "SeIborne";
one to Andersens Fairy Tales; two to Ma
| Iory's "Morte D'Arthur'; five, in the depart
| ment of essays. 10 Lamb, Emerson, Coleridge
| Bacon and FrOude; to Tennyson's earlier
! poems. and so on Moreover volume after vol
ume is provided with an Introduction from some
! accomplished pen Thus the BaZao volume IS
! looked after by Professor Saintsbury the re-
| print of ''The Cloister and the Hearth has
brief essay taken from Mr. Swinburne's Mis-
| cellanes' and other books are introduced by
! Mr. BirrelI Mr.. Belloc, Mr. Syrnons or Mr.
| Ernest Rhys who is the general editor Of the
series There is nothing in this mass of editorial
matter on which specific comment is necessary,
but we may say that glancing over it a whole
we have found 1t opposite and adequate. Alto
| gether this is a series rejecting the highest
credit on modern methods OF publishing.