The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-02-08

Anthony Trollope averaged 10000
words q week zen IN his time.
Uncle Tom Went Begging.
Many good American books which
afterward beeame great successes
went Begging for publishers before
they we're printed. Uncle Toms
Cabin book which has been read
more than any other in the world
save the Ditie: Was frst printed In
1851 by the Natfonai Era, a Washing.
ton magazine. Mrs. Stowe did not
COPYRIGHT the story. and never re.
cefyee any pay for II. She had to give
tito the editor in order to get 1t pub.
1ished. While it was running as {
serial q Boston publisher offered to
bring 1t out in book form. but thought
1T was too long. Mrs. Stowe refused
70 cft II. and finally ne publisher de
cided to use 1t as 1t was. In three
days 10000 copies were sold, and be.
fore a year the sales had amounted to
100000 copies. For months and.
months eight presses were kept run.
ming day and night to keep up with
the orders.
TheyBes. Sellers.
The most successful juvenile book
ever written In this c, nntry is Five
Little Peppers and How They Crew.
by Margaret Sydney. Nearly a mil.
lion copies Of the sn,ious editions
have been disposed of, and although
1t is IS years old, this remarkable
book is still selling. st the rate Of 4o,.
900 copies a year. Mark Twain's
books have had the largest sale, and
their popularity has held up longer
than the books of any other author
whose works have been held as such
high prices.
Milton received only $50 for his
copyright to paradise Lost" Haw-
thorne. who called himself "the OBJ.
scurest man Of letters in America"
received only SO apiece for his Twice
Told Tales" Janice Meredith" was
a long time getting into print, but
when it finally came out proved the
most successful novel OF the year.
David Harum" was turned down many
times, yet in one year its sales amount
ed TO $4,000 copies It Is interesting
to note that 40 years before the Ru.
baiyat Of Omar Kharyyam become pop
ular in America It was a drug on the
English market. One shopkeeper had
200 copies on hand which he offered
for a penny each. but the sale vas
slow even at that cheap price. One
Of these penny books is now valued at
$500.
Valuable Collections.
Making a collection OF American
books Is a commendabie patriotic fad
among booklovers in this county, and
tine finest library of Americana Is a
private ore in Providence, R. l., which
was collected by John Carter Brown.
If it should be anct'oned OF 1t would
probably brins a couple of million dol
lars. Another one which is equally
as fine, though not as American, is
that of Robert Hoe, of New York. The
most costly :.ook ,.ree sold ct a,c.
tica in America was the first edUtiou
of ghe Let:er Of coEumhus." publish.
ed III Rome in iaos. There are r1.iy
five copies Of this little valume, anil
the one in question brought $1,000.
1t has only four leaves in the book.
with 81 lines to tie page.
Very Rare Volumes.
Another very rare book In Ame,i-
ca, or anywhere else, is Hariot's "vir-
ginia." This work is SO rare that II
can only be found In private lfbrar-'
les, m a copy OF it has not been Of
fered for sale for a hundred years.
The last one to be sold In America
brought $4,000. The old BAY Psalm
Book is a very rare first edition, and
It worth about $4,000. Cornelius VAN
derbilt bought n OF the two that
have been sold in this country. A
title book called "Cushman's Ser
mons" sold in Boston a few years ago
for $1,000. 1t was a shabby, uninter-
esttng little volume. whose only val
ne lay in the fact that It was the first
book of New England sermons ever
printed.
a eod-siven Remedy.
Rare old books and limited edi.
tons de luxe command fabulous pric.
es from collectors who have plenty
of money to spend, but the genuine
bibliophtIe is the poor man who loves
rare editions and haunts the second
hand book stores in search Of lost
treasures. 1 know one man who has
a wonderful collection OF books on
birds. The other day he walked into
"a book store and found a copy OF
Some Geological Studies on the 10
cent counter which was worth s3s.
A daty nv fu,o ,ra,,{n,, a. {kta ~ rat