The Washington herald., 1907-03-15
KNOW THEIR LITTLE BOOK "
Washington Folk Quick to Grasp an
Exceptional Opportunity.
Enterprise of Cosmopolitan Maga-
zine Makes Possible the Possess
sion of Great Reference Work.

To know ones book means a lot Of
things which may be summarized into
being well posted on what is going on as
far as it affects ones self or the welfare
OF those in whom one may be interested.
Just now Washington people seem to
know their book" 10 the letter. for they
are quickly taking advantage of a wholly
unusual literary and educational oppor-
tunity made possible through the enter
prise Of the Cosmopolitan Magazine.
The magazine. which has been a leader
for many years. lately decided 10 make "a
determined stride forward and place
itself. by a single national effort, still
further in advance of most other period
icals
It's ambition was high, for it set 10
itself the task of quickly adding 59,00e
high-class subscribers TO its list. prefer
/ ably from the larger cities.
This was by no means easy. and Cosno-
/ politan found that to accomplish its pur-
pose it must offer people something su-
/ premely good. something which may have
been heretofore beyond their reach be
cause of high price, but so figured down
as TO make that price within the reach of
all
Cosmopolitan, therefore. did not waste
time on minor propositions, which any
other periodical could manage. but went
10 the top and got what it went after by
securing the exclusive control Of all the
/ 1907 editions OF the great Century Diction-
ary and Cyclopedia and Atlas.
! This superb work had always been held
at a high subscription figure averaging
( $50 a set for the ten volumes, and some
/ thing like 100000 sets have been sold coun-
/ try-wide at this price. which indeed was
/ necessary because Of the initial cost of
( producing the work.
/ But Cosmopolitan said: Wen have the
I Century Company prepare the largest
/ edition ever. and that will greatly re
| duce the cost OF individual sets; then
weIl cut out absolutely those big COM
missions which have always been paid
/ to the book agents who went around
/ selling the work; then Wen forego all
profit TO Cosmopolitan, merely conteuting
ourselves with added subscriptiOns-which
means much; and so. with other econo-
mics, Wen cut the price in half wei
/ do better; we'll make it about One-third;
I instead OF SO. well make 81. let US say,
( $50. for the latest best, and only edition
I of the Century, and we'll include a two
/ year subscription TO Cosmopolitan Mag
aZine- There's u bargain any one who
/ knows mis- book can sect at a glance.
And that's just what Cosmopolitan did
l II involved a lot of money much more
I than most people would belleve-but the
magazine got the price down to bed
/ rock, and the first public announcement
/ brought thousands of requests for the
sets, making big hole in the big edi-
/ ton
/ But these requests were widely scat
| tered, from Maine TO California, and the
magazine decided to distribute the re-
/ maiRdeT Of the edition principally in the
/ larger cities, making each city. as far as
possible, a Cosmopolitan" city-a cen
/ ter of influence for the periodical
! OF course. Washington was n the list
and a prOportiOnate number of sets
/ only few hundred-were duly marked
/ off, and the distribution was intrUsted To
/ the Woodward & Iothrop Book Depart
ment il being reasonably believed that the
/ Cosmopolitan and the Century Dictionary
| and CyclOpedia and Atlas would thereby
/ quickly find a place in the best homes
And alert Washington people know
/ their book for they have already claim
ed many of the limited number of sets
available, and it would be d good idea
/ for conservative citizens to hurry up a
/ bit if they want to take advantage OF
the exceptional opportunity just now
/ presented.