New-York tribune., 1919-08-23

If it is true that small but adequate
editions of Mrs. Southworth are regu-
larry printed and that you may scour
bookshop after bookshop in New York
IN vain for copy Of Walter Pater or
Samuel Butler, the reflection on Amcr-
can literary taste is discouraging and
plain. But with all due admission of
it's imperfection, there is nevertheless
something impressive in the imaginary
picture of million readers palpitating
in unison over the latest novel Of Har-
Did Bell Wrights. These six million
copies Of Harold Bell Wright's that are
broad to-day. these three million of Mr..
hambers's and another two or three
,,llon of Anna Katherine Green's
ombined may not make literary
andmark the size of a pinhead, but
hey are at least powerful TO indicate
What are the needs and desires OF the
average" American reader.
To the piling up Of these huge
circulations goes the work Of the
auxiliary publisher. who buys the
plates Of novel when its first popu-
with publisher and author issues
cheaper editions. A. L. Burt CO.,
Watts & Co. and Grossett & Dunlap are
: the principal firms who frequently
put book into a larger circulation
than the original publisher is able to
give it. Mr.. Harry Burt, of A L. Burt
d Co., has enerously given out some
interesting details of this phase OF the
puolShlng business, with its corre-
spending reflections on general public
taste in books.
This cheaper edition is much more
severe test of the really popular quail
At 7b cents (the price used to De so
cents before the war; q book which
has the elements Of popular appeal
takes on surprising new lease of life.
or, lacking that, fails completely. It
rather disproves the intellectual's
feverish cry that if you make good"
read!ng cheap enough, the general
reading public will take it, The sales
list Of the A. L. Burt company shows
that the huge, diffused vet somewhat
homogeneous public buys what it likes
with dizzying lavishness, but it will
not read what it doesn't want at any
price.
1t wants Harold Bell Wright-in
quantities that make ones eyes pop
Where does the demand come from
1t comes from everywhere Appar-
emily none is so poor that he cannot
spare 70 cents Tor copy Of Wright
-. "diitS IMAM UeTS-a quarter OF
million copies Of "The Fighting
Chance" in cheaper edition alone, be,
sides the enormous full-price sale. L
wants quarter of million at least Of
Rex Beach's Spoilers" "The Barrier
and Iron Trail."> A hundred thousane
copies of Booth Tarkington's Con
quest of Canaan" were sold in cheaper
edition alone. 1t took Zane Gray, Ru.
pert Hughes, George Barr McCntcheon
=. Phillips Oppenheim, Mary Roberts
Rinehart, Anna Katherine Green il
enormous quantities. These publisher.
Of cheaper impresses watch the orig
inal sales of a book carefully before
making bid for the plates. 1--WE dc
not need to read book to find out il
it is worth republishing The sale.
record tells the story"
For the most part, all this is fctio,
of about uniform weight, which divide
into staple classifcations. Western ad
|: venture stories, society novels tina
threaten but never quite make dis
, closures, love stories of unimpeachabl
mora ;ity, character" stories are gilt
edged investments. There is an ele
, ment Of speculation in this, as il