Evening star., 1932-09-06
III COMERCIO, Lima.-According
. to a photographic dispatch, the
government of the Spanish re-
II public Is thinking of sending q

commission to the Festival of
the Castillian Book" to be celebrated
in BuenoS Aires next October, as a
part of the functions in connection with
DAY of the Race" Besides the repre-
sentatives appointed by the government,
many editors and publishers will either
attend themselves or send their depu-
ties. Don Julian Martinez ReuS, presi-
dent Of the Syndicate Of Book Ex-
porters, will come from Spain for the
purpose, if possible, of making this ex-
hibition of Spanish books permanent
institution to promote the distributor
of such literature in America. BOOK
sales, according to the authors, have
greatly decreased in recent years. This
condition exists, not only In Spain, but
In all the countries of Latin America
and the problem of the writer's and
publishers Is to- revive the interest Of
readers; for, without readers, there can
be no profit to those who write, or TO
those who print.
It is indisputable that the reading
habit is one which in late years has
fallen into almost complete desuetude.
For one thing, people haven't had time
to read: they have been too occupied
with touring, social affairs and sports.
except, perhaps, the patriarchs of the
families, and these have been flndlng
scant financial margins beyond eX-
penditures for actual necessities. Books,
for most people, nowadays are truly
l,lXuries. and especially SO because books
worth the reading are generally very
high priced. This elevation Is due IN
large part to the cost of advertising.
for no matter how meritorious a work;
it will not be bought by any one until
its praise has been long sounded to the
skies with every sort OF adulation.
That a book has to be advertised Is
a new and rather superstitious concept:
In the old days every new book, gooo
or bad, was seized still damp from the
press, and read with avidity, and there
is no valid reason why such days may
not return, for, after all, the world
provides no other pleasure or satisfac-
ton quite comparable to the happiness
afforded by a book, when it Is book
we understand and appreciate. =.
But for the present, it must be ad-
mitted, the demand for books Is low,
at any price, and that is why this ex-
hibition of books has been arranged.
Spanish publishers intend to take
every advantage of this stimulus to
literature. They are really In a privll-
eyed position for getting out books
cheaply, and have an enormous clientele
Of readers, at least potential ones, not
only in the Peninsula. but throughout
all of South America. But the books
that cross the ocean are subject to
much higher postal rates than periodl-
Gals, and this adds materially to the
cost. Until these rates are lowered,
they will continue to present formi-
dable obstacle to the acquisition OF
books, particularly in times like the
present
1t Is false logic which attempts to
gain a larger revenue from taxing
| higher the channels of communication,
! however direct and important such re-
turns may specifically appear. Yet II,
in, the eternal cycle OF change, books
become again, as they once were, the
sole remaining solace, we might say
the only remaining extravaganza Of the
| literate population, then, beyond doubt,
| the exhibition Of books printed In
| Spanish, with all the charm and treas
| ure of their pages, and the beauty and
| artistry of cover and illustrations may
eventually remedy Q situation which
has been redundant In loss to the racial
SesSS