Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-03-02
American Magazines Cutting
Out the English Market
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Special Correspondence.
4 ONDON. Feb. 20.--Literary people
will all be glad to hear that
Douglas Sladen has at last been
persuaded TO write his memoirs.
There are few literary lions who have
had larger circle of famous friends
that Mr.. Sladen, who for about 80 years
has been one Of the leading figures IN
literary London, HIS Thursday evening
parties in his kensinston fiat We're cele-
brated for theil. celebrities. and It was
Mr.. Sladen who WAS mainly instrp.
mental In promoting a succession
brilliant Bohemian clubs, the Argo-
nauts the Vagabonds' and the Au-
thors'. where his powers as "a reconteur
made him an always popular member,
OF the Old Nagabouds' club. OF which
Jerome n. Jerome ONCE reBretfully sa
that there "was only one perambulu
tor between all the members" Barrie
and kipling were members and its din
ners were fTequsnted regularly by Co.
nan Doyle, Jerome, Zangwill Anthony
Hope, Stanley Weyman, II. g. Wells,
Hall Caine, Rider Haggard. and many
others whose names are now writ IN
the scroll of fame.
Sladen's American "reminiscences are
was In the United States for three
years and numbered among his friends
such men and women as the poet
Whittier, the atheist 1ngersoll, Col.
John Hay. DR.. Oliver Wendell Holmes,
Frank K. stockton. L. B, Aldrich. w. d,
Howells, Mark Twain, Bill Nye, Ed
mund Clarence Stedman. Louise Chan
dler Moulton, Col. 7. W. HiGsin-
son and many others. He saw some
thing of three presidents. Cleveland,
Harrison and Roosevelt With refer
ence TO Oliver Wendell Holmes, l once
heard Mr.. Siaden tell AN interesting
anecdote. He was calling ON the doc
tor, and his host introduced him to his
secretary. When she had left the
room, Holmes said to Mr.. Sladen, THAT
will one day be a famous woman! She
can really write" The secretary was
Miss Mary z. Wilkins.
AS most people know. Douglas Sladea
was the original founder Of who's
Who?" about the compiling of which he
has many stories. One very famous
authoress, who affects TO despise her
gigantic popularity, paid not the slight
est attention to his polite request that
she would fill I'm the details on the form
which was duly sent her Mr.. Sladen
had no choice but 10 fill In the details
himself, which he did as best he could.
but by MachIavellian stroke of policy.
inserted the lady's age as 40. The
proofs we're duly sent to her, and the
result was an indignant letter of pro-
test. together with reams of Geographic
al mattcr-more. in fact than was
needed. MIR. sladen was subsequently,
1 gather forgiven.
Within week or two the annual in,
vasion of London by American publish
ers will be at it's height. Each wish
ing TO be first on the ground 10 pick
up the best bargains In English au.
thors, the invasion seems to begin
little earlier each year, Rn; the daY
has gone by for much profit IN such
pIlgrlm0ges. IN the last few years, the
successful English author has become
fully alive 20 the value of the Ameri-
can market, and no longer leaves his
American rights in his English publish
er's hands TO be held untll some Amer
lean publisher Genes along to buy them.
As matter OF sad fact, good many
Of the more important English novels
are sold In America even before theV
are whitehall least, so far as boz
rights are concerned, The general re-
port is, however that the American
magazine editor has acquired habiC
OF insisting upon seeing what II is that
he IL going to buy before he agrees TO
pay for II, Another interesting Sign Of
the times Is that whereas English au-
thors can get better prices than ever
from American magazines providing
their stories are good. the prices IN the
English magazines, for serials an least
are decreasing steadily, and the prices
for short stories are also surprisingly
small, except in the case OF a few ia
vorte authors The principal reason