Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-11

served up in the
periodical form. How to infuse new
life into the book trade VIII pc LuIlg
discussed, and the man who VIII brlhe
them a guaranteed-to-w ork-o money
refunded scheme for doing SO will be
hailed as the benefactor Of the DOCK
seller. A conference was held not long
ago between the publishers ana the
booksellers with reference to these
questions, but the results have peeh
withheld from the public.
No one has ever yet succeeded IN
estimating with even approximate ac-
curacy the number of books mace III
the course of a year. 1t is said that
the worlds additions to literature ag-
gregate 60, 900 books and pamphlets a
wear. Counting 1000 copies of each, II
would mean sixty million books and
PAMPHLETS, but even this may be less
than one-third of the actual output.
There is another way in when some
idea. of the output of books in the
United States may be arrived at. The
census estimates that the wholesale
value of the books produced in the
United states in the course of a year
Is s3s, 900 900. Assuming the average
Wholesale cost to be in the neighbor-
hood of 30 cents, the result would be
close to 100, 900, 900 books. But since this
includes pamphlets and the cheap
books, the average price is probably
far below 80 cents.
From the invention of the printing
press up to the beginning of the six
teenth century not more than SOooO
books were printed, yet recently many
single books have enjoyed sales ex-
ceeding the half million mark in one
wear. Up to 1904 there had appeared
in the world 12.500,000 separate works.
this including translations and new
editions. In the general output OF
books Germany leads all the rest OF
the world, followed by France, Italy,
England, the United States and the
Netherlands in the order named. In
creative writing England leads the
world. while Germany leads in books
for children and works on theology: ,
The ink used in book and periodical
printing costs more than s2,ooo,QOo a
printers ink in the United States
amounts to 100000 in value. 1t is
said that the American people use r.
900. 900 gallons of writing Ink every
twelve months, or more than $4,000 gal
Ions a day.
The most remarkable thing about the
book trade of the present day is the
gain that popular science has been en-,
loving as compared with fiction and
other light reading. The number Of
new books of such a nature nearly
doubled in a single year, comparing
1907 with 1908, and the record is almost
as remarkable in the comparison of
1908 with 1909. In the libraries Of gen.
eral circulation 1t is the popular science
works that are being most used. 1t is
said that this is largely due to the
effect of the library on public taste.
People are coming to feel that truth is
indeed stranger than fiction, and are
making it their favorite reading. An
other circumstance conducive to this
change is the new class of scientific
writer's which has come into existence
in late years. Instead Of discussing
their subjects in that cold, embarrassing
and unattractive way that character
ized the writer's on scientific subjects a
generation ago, they have grasped the
human interest phase of scientific mat
ters and are able to present it in a
wav that is palatable to the mind of
the reader, be he one who reads for
recreation or for information. But par
ticularly is young America changing
changing from the yellow-back novel
and cheap detective story to science.
Publishers pay good authors some
rather large-sized fortunes for their
hooks. but it is said that the largest
single check ever drawn by pub
Usher in settlement of an account OF
an author was drawn by Charles u.
Webster, payable to Mrs, U. >. Grant,
on account of the royalties received
from the sale of the memoirs of her
DISTINGUISHED husband. Having lost
practically everything he had in some
unfortunate financial alliances, Gen
eraI Grant found himself almost IN
diving condition with nothing to leave
to his family. With the strong urglngs