The Washington herald., 1909-05-10
THE BOOKSELLERS MEET
By FREDERIC J. HASKN.
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

TIE American Association OF BookseIl-
ers meets IN New York tomorrow in an T
uuaI convention There are many matters /
pertaining to the book trade 20 which +
the members viii give their careful con- !
sideration-. One OF these IS the depart 4
uent store question Since the depart /
ment stores went into the hook business /
they have made serious inroads into the (
trade Of the booksellers. and although I
many OF the stores are coming around 10
an understanding with the booksellers, (
there is stin much 10 be desired by the
latter They are very anxious 70 reach
some understanding with the publishers
whereby they VIII be protected from the
withering competition OF the department
stores.
Another thing which viii come up for
consideration will be the booming Of the
book business. The magazine. bought al
the corner newsstand OF subscribed FOR
directly. IS materially curtailing the book
business. thousands who used 10 be good
book buyers now content:ng themselves
with literature served up in the period
cal form. How 10 infUse new life into
the book trade viii be fully discussed
and The man who viii bring them
guaranteed to-work or-money- refunded
scheme for doing so viii be hailed as the
benefactor OF the bookseller A confer
ence was he'd not long ago between the
publishers and the booksellers with refer
sHce TO these questions. but The results
have been Withheld from the public.
No one has ever YET succeeded IN esr-
mating with even approximate accuracy
the number Of books made in the course
o. year Il IS said that the worlds
additions 70 literature aggregate eo.noo
books and pamphlets a year. Counting
1000 copies Of each. II would mean 60
toc1o3 books and pamphlets. but even this
msy be less than one-third o. the actual
output There IS another way in which
some idea OF the output Of books IN the
United states may be arrived Ct The
census estimates that the wholesale value
o. the books produced IN the United
States IN the course OF q year Is $500. 90
Assuming the average wholesale cost 70
be in the neighborhood o. 50 cents, the
result would he close 20 I}Q.NAo0o books
But since this includes pamphlets and
the cheap books. The average price is
PROBABLY far below % cents.
From the invention OF the printing
press Up 10 the beginning Of the sixteenth
printed. yet recently many single books
have enjoyed sales exceeding The half
million mark n one year ID 20 1904
there had appeared n the world 12T0Aele
separate works. this Including transit
tons and new editions. In tEe general
output Of books Germany leads al 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 chill
Gren and work on theology.
The ink used in book and periodical
printing costs more than S20oo.0oo a year.
Perhaps the total output OF printers ink
in the United States amounts to S5,ooo,0oG
In value.
The most remarkable thing about the
book trade Of the present day IS the gain
that popular science has been enjoying
as compared with fiction and other light
reading. The number OF new books Of
such nature nearly doubled r. q single
year. comparing 1877 with 1905. and the
record Is almost as remarkable in the
comparison OF 1875 with 800 IN the r.
braries OF general circulation Il IS the
popular science works that are being
most used II is said that this Is largely
due 20 the effect Of the library on public
taste. People are coming 70 feel that
truth IS indeed stranger than fiction and
are making Il their favOrite reading
Another circumstance conducive 10 this
change Is the new class OF scientific
writer's which have come into existence
in late years Instead OF discussing their
subjects n that cold. Uninteresting. and
UnaIractive way that characterized the
writer's on scientific subjects q generation
ago they have erasped the human IN
terest phase Of scientific matters. and are
able 70 present Il IN q way that IS palat-
able 20 the mind OF the reader, be he
one who reads for recreation or for in
formation. But particularly IS young
America Cha1Ei1g-ChanEing from the
yellOT-hack novel and cheap detective
EJOry 10 science
Publishers pay good authors some rath-
e. iarge-sized fortunes for their books.
but II IS said that the largest single
check ever drawn by a publisher IN set
Iene1t OF an account OF an author. was
drawn by Charles c. Webster. PAYABLE
70 Mrs L s Grant. on account OF the
royalties received from the sale of the
memoirs OF her distinguished husband
Having lost practically everything he had
n some unfortunate financial alliances,
Gen Grant found himself almost IN 4
dying condition, with nothing 10 leave 10
his family. With the strong urgings OF
necessity upon him. Re had 20 work amid
great bodily suffering AZ times 70 com
pIete the work he had undertaken But
ne was as game n literary endeavor. as
he had been brave and determined upon
the battlefield. and succeeded n LAYING
the foundation for the comfortable fort
Une that his family now enjoys In the
one check given 10 Mrs. Grant the
amount called for was 800 ~
Every wide user OF books IS impressed
with the fact that England IS far ahead
Of the United States in the art OF max
Ing books To begin with, the average
English book weighs but little more than
one-haf as much as the American book
Of the same size This IS due 10 the SUP
eriority Of the paper entering into them.
In America the paper IS mainly Of the
glazed variety, more than half its weight
being made up OF Clays and other glazing
materials IN the second place, the Eng
Ish bindings are better than American
bindings OF the same class. Il is also
asserted that the ink used, IS Of = higher
grade Il has never been estimated wha-
proportion OF the printed books or to-
dav viii be readable = r17ndred wears
from now. but IN the case Of handwriting
Ink experts declare that Il Is doubtful
II more than one-hftieth Of Der cent
II the Ink used in writing TO-DAY win
be visible at-the end OF a hundred wears
There are fashions and fads in the book
trade as well as IN every other branch
Of Industry. The newest idea IS the Who's
Who publication. There are rovv q 5oze,