Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-27

all probability, bring a price OF $S
or 81 in a bookstore.
The war was largely responsible
for the entrance of the American
banks into the book publishing bust
ness. The war increased the habit
of reading among the American peo-
pie. The fact that there was so
much Of Importance to read, if n
was to keep up with a rapidly
changing world, had much to do
with this so far as the people left at
home were concerned. AS for the
soldiers, the activities Of such bodies
as the American Library Association,
the Y. M. C. A. and other societies
which did welfare work, increased
their reading. Hundreds of thou
sands of young men who previously
had not had time or inclination for
reading, found themselves frequently
immured in cantonments, rest camps
or billets where time hung heavy.
The welfare societies placed books
at their disposal and many turned
to reading who had read much
| before. Some even learned to read
in these camps. When these men re-
turned, a liberal proportion OF them
retained the reading habit with the
result that the American people are
readers nov as never before.
This gave the banks an oppor-
tunity to present their story when
ever they had a story to present
! which would be relpful to customers
or prospective customers. They cap
italized the increased habit of read
ing to get people to read about bust
ness affairs. The benefit to the
banks from such a policy is indirect,
but the banks have felt that the ef-
fort and expense is worth making.
Certainly the entrance Of the banks
into the book publishing business
has added substantially to the Ii
braries of the country n to the in
formation of the citizens.
The educational factor in this pub
LEGATION business is not inconsider-
able. For instance, a group Of Amer
lean banks published a book giving
accurate digests of the German and
Austrian peace treaties as soon as
those historic documents were made
! available. Thousands of citizens
probably never would have come in
to possession of full reviews of the
treaty provisions had this book not
been published. Similarly, a group
of banks published a book embody-
ing the more important statis-
tics of the Fourteenth Census of the
United States some months before
the Government issued the statistics
in book form. Such enterprises were
expensive and brought no direct re-
turn to the publishing banks.
Seeking Good Will
What the banks expect to get
from their enterprise is the intangi'
BILE thing called in business "goot
will" Business experience has laugh
that this good will Is worth NOR
than a splendid bank building.
Several of the larger banks hav,
established whole series of book
which gradually will be built int
substantial libraries. Such fnstitu
lions issue all their books In uni
form buildings and cover designs
The series Of the Bankers Trus
Company series is a $50 page boo
entitled French Public Finance i
the Great War and Today. Til
work traces the early beginnings c
organized French public finance. ]
has an interesting chapter on the f
nances of Napoleon's wars. Tracin
the French debt and financial opel
ations through the European war,
gives an analysis Of the existing sit
uation. A similar work Is entttle
English Public from 70
Revolution of 1888. The story
the Bank of England. as we'll 9
many other important chapters j
British national finance, is told ]
this volume.
Among other Bankers Trust boob
are Our Public Debt, which trace
the American finances from Alel
ander Hamilton's time down to date
the Dominion Of Canada, which full
describes the resources Of that pal
of the world, and Americas Me-
chant Marine, a history of the d.
velopment of American merchaI
power on the seas.
Apparently the great banks do nj
stop at expense. Many OF the
books, even when intended for fire
distribution, are published in a fash
ion as de luxe as that employed b
the most fastidious commercial pull
fishers.
Indeed, objections recently hay
been recorded by commercial pull
fishing houses against what they r.
gard as the unfair competition I
the banks. They assert that Il
banks to publish at their W e.
pense fine books which r give
away hurts the legitimate bushes
. OF publishers who must make the