The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-05-20
FLOOD OF BOOKS.

"Of the making of books there is no
end" was uttered before the day of the
printing press. If Solomon could bear
witness in the twentieth century he
would agree that neither the half nor
even a much smaller fraction of the
coming deluge Of publications had
been contemplated in his lament.
Public. attention has again been di-
rected to the multiplicity Of books by
the annual convention of the American
Booksellers association, held in New
York last week, One of the papers
read was on the subject, ver-produc-
ton, and showed that the increase in
the number Of books in the past two
decades has been out of all proportion
to the increase in population.
In 1890 when this country had a
population Of 60, 900, 900 the output was
4,559; in 1900 the figures were, popu-
lation rs, 900, 900 and books $3.50; in
1910 a population of 5000, 600 and 49,
470 books. That year seemed to be
a sort of crest for in 1911 the number
of books had fallen to 11,123 and in
1912 the figures were 10,903. For the
twenty years ending in 1910 the popu-
lation had increased a little over so
per cent and the output Of books had
practically trebled.
Another speaker told Of the frequent
cases Of overstocking and suggested
that an agreement be demanded from
a publisher that unsold books were to
be returned at the end OF a year. a re-
bate of 80 per cent of the first cost
being allowed. Such an agreement
would no doubt much reduce the
loading process and would have the
effect on the publisher of making him
go a bit slow on foisting unnecessary
publications on the public.
A great impetus to the writing of
fiction was given by the historical
novels, which sold so well that an
army of authors and alleged authors
pressed forward with their offerings,
many Of which were half baked and
entirely valueless, as giving a real in
sight into the life Of the day they at
tempted to depict.
Novels with other settings also took
advantage Of the boom in that class of
fiction. Some publishers took chances
on finding a sale and got out the books
at their own expense, while others,
more cautious, required a portion Of
the expense to be borne by the author.
So by one scheme or another the food
of new books grew and grew until the
.high-water mark was reached in 1910.
No doubt there is wheat among the
chaff but SO overwhelmed that it is all
but lost. The great majority Of the
works Of fiction have a very brief life,
the circulation Of some being confined
chiefly to copies for free distribution.
Even the "best sellers are nearly for
gotten in a years time and the number
(which would be worth preserving from
leach years crop could be counted on
the fingers of one hand.
A surfeited reading clientage is evil
IDENTIFY making itself felt, though there
is generous room yet for a wedding out
process. Fully half of the seasons out
turn of fiction could be eliminated
without damage to the literature of
the nation.
All over the nation, including the
Fargo public library, librarians report
that more and more demand Is grow
ing for books Of information. 1t is to
be hoped that the public mind can be
more completely weaned from the
light fiction to these better works.