The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-21
FAMOUS SERIALS.
Uncle Toms Cabin Considered the Greatest the World Has Produced Other Noted "Coptinueds."

B It t said that the Old Lady of Shoe Lane. as the now defunct Stan dafd was inicknamed, was the first English newspaper to print serial story, although today the papers which do not are to be counted on the fingers of one hand, writes Tit Bits. The distinction of being the first weekly to do so belongs to the Sunday Times. The story was "Old St. Paul." by Harrison Ainsworth, and the author of that stirring story got a thousand pounds for the serial rights.
 A well known editor. now dead, tells good story of when TroIlope came to him to arrange for. the ap- pearance serially of Doctor Thorn The editor offered the author two thousand pounds, but the latter want ed three. To this the editor object ed and the novelist offered to toss for the other thousand. The editbr ob- jected, and the matter was settled amicably. ''But felt unsettled, P goes on the editor. "I felt mean. T had refused challenge, To relieve my mind I said: Now that is set
 
 we can have quiet room. to our selves and I will toss you for that thousand with pleasure. But Trol- lope wouldn't"
 On June 5, 1851, commenced in the National Era" of Washington, the worlds greatest serial. It has been translated into twenty-five lan- guages, and in volume form achieved the largest circulation of any book in the world except the Bible. It's author was Harriet Elizabeth Beech CT Stowe, and the serial was Uncle Toms Cabin.' It was written as it ran. and the authoress intended to bring it to an end in twelve install ments. ' It ran to forty-three. For the serial rights Mrs. Stowe got 0 pounds, and thought she had done well. On the book she made 4,00o pounds in six months on a 10 per cent. royalty.
 The first title in "All the Year Round" in the very first mum Der, dated April 30. 1859. is "A Tale of Two Cities" and the opening words are, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" It ran for half a year, and was one of the most suc- cessful serials ever written.
 \In the spring of 1866 a little man uscEipt arrived at the offices of the Religious Tract society from Q con- tributor, who signed himself Hesba Stretton. It was a story entitled "Jessica's First Prayer" and was ac- cepted by the editor of the Sunday | at Home'' for his Pages for the Young" He little dreamed what a | sensation that story would make. II ran to four instalments and the pub- | lie interest in it went up by leaps ! and bounds during those four weeks for the magazine was then a week. | ly.
 When published in volume form the story reached a prodigious sale , and in the fifty years since it appear. | cd as little serial its sale has run | to millions. It has been translated into scores of tongues, some of them of the most ottlandish kind. Ever the Eskimo can read about Jessica ir
 his snow-built igloo in the Arctic | regions, and in his own tongue, too and so can the Zulu in his kraal. Ye, there is not a word in it which 2 child of five could not understand, an6 the plot is as simple as daisy. Per. | haps these things, and the story.
 natural pathos. account for the world | wide vogue.