CONTENTS (continued 2)

CHAPTER V

Some Personal Associations

I have entitled this chapter "Some Personal Associations," and will first speak of a great and happy event which was only ended after forty-three years of married life.

It was in 1868 that I became engaged and in 1870 married, a marriage for which no man ever had more cause to be thankful than myself, owing to the true happiness of my married life, the sympathy, kind thought and consideration of my late wife. In fact, everything which goes to make this life worth living was mine, or I may say ours.

Like everything earthly, alas! it came to an end; but while memory lasts it will never be forgotten. Recalling all this, while thankful for a very happy past, I face what is left to me of the future with a thankful heart. I am also thankful for my dear children, who have all taken up their positions in life and are battling with its duties. They are to me an inexpressible comfort and a blessing, and I can only hope they will pass through and enjoy their lives as much as I have done mine.

I should like to refer here to one other great event in my life, that of becoming a Managing Director of Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd., in 1894. My great aim in life had always been to climb the ladder of prosperity as far as I possibly could.

While speaking of Simpkin, Marshall & Co., I may mention a few traditional facts regarding the origin and development of that important firm in its connexion with the bookselling trade. Its originator and founder was Mr. Benjamin Crosby, whose descendants are now represented by the firm of Messrs. Crosby, Lockwood & Co., and whose predecessors were in past years partners of Simpkin, Marshall & Co. Mr. Benjamin Crosby came from Yorkshire to London and was apprenticed to a bookseller, James Nunn, in Great Queen Street; he afterwards worked for George Robinson, who was then considered the "King of Booksellers"; finally, he took over the business of Mr. Stalker in Stationers' Hall Court, whose premises were then situated upon the same ground as the buildings now occupied by Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. After an attack of paralysis in 1814, Mr. Benjamin Crosby parted with his business to W. Simpkin and R. Marshall. I have always understood that Simpkin was a hatter in Bridge Street, Blackfriars, and, having capital, he associated himself with Marshall, who was an assistant of Benjamin Crosby.

They, however, took over only the London trade portion of the business, the country portion going to Baldwin, Cradock & Joy. This firm failed in 1837, and the country portion of the old firm came into the hands of Simpkin, Marshall & Co.

In 1829 Simpkin retired from the business, and the financial management of the firm was taken over by Mr. John Miles, senior, under whose supervision very satisfactory results were obtained. Mr. Miles was also associated with the publishing business of Joseph Johnson of St. Paul's Churchyard, who issued the works of the poet Cowper, the critical writings of Priestley, and other important works. Being thus connected with bookselling, Mr. Miles placed his two elder sons in important positions in the trade. The one, named after his father, entered the firm of Simpkin, Marshall & Co., and Mr. Joseph Johnson Miles, evidently named after his publisher friend, entered the firm of Hamilton, Adams & Co. Later on, two other sons of Mr. John Miles, senior, entered the firm of Simpkin, Marshall & Co., and still later several grandsons became partners in the two separate firms before mentioned.

The same traditions of business were continued and carried on for nearly eighty years. It is rather remarkable that, in the period which followed, an amalgamation should take place in 1889 between these two firms and Messrs. W. Kent & Co., and that, after so many years of competition, they should be brought together into one trading company.

In the busy whirl of Stationers' Hall Court, though there was little opportunity for humour, something occasionally happened that permeated the whole house with amusement, such as when a mistake had been made and one of the partners tried to find out who had made it. However, not being able to discover the offender, he came at last to the most humorous man in the house and tried to fasten it upon him but failed. "Well," he said, with energy, "I must hang somebody." After a pause, the answer came: "Hang me, sir; I want a rise." With a smile the principal left the room and nothing more was heard of the mistake.

Many such incidents have occurred, but they have been lost by the hurrying on of time. This subject, however, has been dealt with in an article entitled "Bookselling and some of its Humours," in my volume on "The Fascination of Books," published in 1912.

Among my later duties at Stationers' Hall Court was that of superintending the purchase, or, as it is termed, the subscription of new books. Every new book issued from the various publishers was first submitted to Simpkin, Marshall & Co., and the number they bought often governed the numbers purchased by the various members of the trade. These varied according to the author's reputation and the sales of their previous issues, and in many cases from a small number to many hundreds were usually ordered. I remember on one occasion a 6s. book by a popular novelist was submitted to us and an order given for 12,000 copies. October is undoubtedly the most important publishing month of the year, and upon many days during that period, between 150 to 200 different books have frequently been offered for subscription.

In 1917 I retired from the position of a Managing Director, but still remain one of the Directors of the Company. It is to me a very great pleasure to be still associated with a house to which I owe so much and occasionally to see the many valued friends with whom I have been associated for over fifty years. Although I have nominally ceased to be a bookseller yet I have several connexions which I hope will keep me in touch with the trade as long as I live. Besides being a Director of Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd., I have been for many years Chairman of Messrs. Henry Williams & Co. (Old Bailey), Ltd., also a Director of Messrs. C.W. Faulkner & Co., Ltd., and other companies, so I am still anything but an idle man.

Although this chapter may appear somewhat egotistical, during my life in London I have been connected with many trade and other associations which have been more or less of a personal as well as of an interesting character, and I mention these facts to show that I have not been indifferent to or wanting in sympathy with the various undertakings in which I am concerned.

My first experience was in joining the Committee of the Early Closing Association, then in quite an elementary condition. Like many other Associations which have had small beginnings, it has worked its way through storm and sunshine and has done, and is still doing, much useful work. At the present moment, it is one of the great helpful influences in bettering the condition of the worker. At one of our meetings, held, I think, at St. James's Hall, I had the honour of being on the platform with Anthony Trollope, the great novelist, and John McGregor of Rob Roy fame, who each made delightfully interesting speeches which helped greatly to popularize the Association. I always felt an interest in young men's associations, and joined one while living near Highbury. It was at this time that what was then called Mock Parliaments were usually one of the items in the season's programme.

At one of these gatherings with which I was associated, I little thought what a prominent position its leading speakers would hold in the future. The debate on this occasion was a vote of want of confidence in Lord Beaconsfield's Foreign policy, as just then there was much opposition and discontent respecting his actions. This vote of censure was moved by Lawson Walton, who was destined to become Attorney-General; the present Sir Robert Perks seconded the resolution. The Chairman or Speaker for the occasion was Sir Clarence Smith, recently one of the Sheriffs of the City of London. Needless to say, the motion was carried unanimously. It is pleasant to look back upon the day of small things and to see the development of lives that are useful both in their surroundings and to the state.

Another interesting Association was that of the University Extension, of the Finsbury Park branch of which I was Chairman for several years. During the autumn of one of our sessions, it was suggested that we should ask Chevalier Marconi, who was just then beginning to be known as an inventor of some new method of telegraphy, to give us a demonstration of his wireless process. He agreed to do so, but little did we think what would be the result of this system and what wonderful influence his discovery would have upon the civilised world.

As Chairman, it was my pleasurable duty to receive Chevalier Marconi, and I was greatly surprised to find so young and apparently inexperienced a person. A few minutes' conversation, however, soon showed that he had a firm foundation for the subject which he was developing. We had arranged to get communication between Highgate and New Southgate, where we were holding the demonstration. Unfortunately, the poles for dispatching the messages to be sent from Highgate did not arrive in time, so we had to content ourselves with having the messages sent from a field close by. Everything worked to our entire satisfaction, and various messages were received stamped in accordance with the Morse system. Whenever there is any further development of the Marconi system I look back upon this meeting with considerable interest and satisfaction. Since then, I have met Chevalier Marconi on various occasions, and he has always struck me as a man of a great personal character and solid determination. One thing which I remember to have heard him say was that "My father was an Italian and my mother an Irishwoman, but I call myself an Englishman"; and I am sure he is one of whom we are all proud.

My association with politics began with my early years at home, when I watched my father, carrying the Union Jack, marching at the head of the voters in our village to the polling booth. Although father was not in any way a public man, he knew what progress meant and was always on that side. I do not remember any political influence being exercised upon me in my young days, and appeared naturally to drift into the ranks of Liberalism, a drifting which I have never regretted. Being an active student of parliamentary events, shortly after coming to London, I obtained admission to the Strangers' Gallery at the House of Commons, and soon felt a keen interest in politics and often afterwards visited the House. I have many times walked to Islington from the Houses of Parliament at two o'clock in the morning after having listened to some interesting debate. I have heard Gladstone, Disraeli, and most of the party leaders in both Houses. I was in the Gallery of the House of Commons when W.E. Forster was carrying through the Elementary Education Act and the Vote by Ballot Bill. These were opposed, for the Conservative Party, by the then Sir Stafford Northcote, and, although my mind was quite made up as to their desirability, when hearing the eloquence and arguments from the other side, without a strong opinion one might have been easily carried over to the Opposition.

In 1888 I greatly enjoyed a visit to the House, on the occasion when Mr. Ritchie, as he then was, brought in the Bill to create the London County Council. Mr. Gladstone sat on the Opposition Bench with Sir James Stansfeld, the Member for Halifax and the President of the Local Government Board in the previous Liberal Administration. As Mr. Ritchie unfolded his scheme, both Mr. Gladstone and Sir James Stansfeld were busy taking notes. When the main details of the Bill had been explained, they both ceased, being apparently satisfied with the scope of the Bill. As soon as Mr. Ritchie sat down, Mr. Gladstone rose. In a short and eloquent speech, he complimented the hon. gentleman on his proposed Bill and said that although he might suggest some amendments in Committee, they, as a party, quite approved of the principles of the Bill. Owing to Mr. Gladstone's statement, what was expected to be a hot party debate ended in a satisfactory agreement. Even after such interesting proceedings as these, I have always felt that the anticipation of a debate in Parliament is greater than the pleasure realized.

This Bill was eventually passed, and among the candidates for membership of the new London County Council was Lord Rosebery, who stood for the City of London. I had the pleasure of hearing him address several meetings, and, although from a public point of view he was a comparatively young man, he spoke with great thought and feeling, always carrying his audience with him. He was of course returned, and was elected the first Chairman of this important Council.

Notwithstanding that nearly all my life I have been more or less associated with politics, and for over forty years have been upon the register of voters, I have never voted on the winning side except on the occasion when Mr. A.J. Balfour stood for the City of London. I still hope I may do so before I die.

It was in the year 1885, after the passing of the Redistribution Bill, that I became more closely associated with politics. By this Redistribution Act, Middlesex (for many years it had been represented by two members) was divided into seven constituencies. I joined the Liberal Association in Hornsey, one of the new divisions, and the one in which I then lived, and from that time onwards took an active part in their proceedings. On the eve of the first elections in these divisions, we had a big send-off meeting of the Middlesex candidates at the Holloway Hall, at which the great Liberal veteran Mr. Samuel Morley presided. Many leading politicians were present, including Sir Charles Dilke, Mr. W.S. Caine, Mr. Alfred Milner (now Viscount Milner), who stood for the Harrow Division, Mr. S.D. Waddy, and others. Great enthusiasm prevailed, but the success at the polling booth was not as great as we anticipated, and the Hornsey Division returned a Conservative, which it continued to do until a fresh division of Middlesex took place under the Act of 1918. Mr. Carvel Williams, the champion for Disestablishment of the Church, was our president; he was a most able and eloquent speaker, full of work and energy and equal to any emergency, but although we had occasionally such speakers as Mr. Asquith, Mr. Lloyd George, and other leading politicians of that day, success at the poll was never obtained.

I was for many years chairman of the Council, and that brought me in touch with many men of light and leading. I was, however, compelled to give it up, as so many other duties had a more special call upon my time. In 1904 I was induced to join the non-political party which was standing for the London County Council Division of Stoke Newington, and was returned.

And here let me state that I have a great objection to party feeling in local affairs. It is quite bad enough when carried to extremes in parliamentary contests, but local affairs should be dealt with entirely from the local point of view of what is best and from none other. Having made many new friends and being elected to the Library Committee, I found myself in my element amongst books. Before the Free Library was started at Stoke Newington, with my good friend Mr. A.W. Mackenzie, I originated a private Free Library in the Finsbury Park District, and although this library was not very large it was very serviceable. It was carried on by voluntary aid and contributions, and, in accordance with the Act passed in 1892, afterwards taken over by the Council of Stoke Newington.

When this Free Library was opened, thanks to the Carnegie Trust, I had the honour of seeing my name engraved with others on a stone tablet as a record of those who were associated with the founding of it. My relations with Stoke Newington were always of the most pleasant character, as there were many book lovers on the Committee, among them being Mr. Wynne Baxter and Mr. Charles Welsh, the noted City Librarian.

It was during my membership of the Stoke Newington Council that I received tickets of invitation to the inauguration of the L.C.C. Passenger Steamboat Service on the Thames, which had been constructed at an outlay of nearly £300,000. Our present King, with some of the young Princes, headed the fleet of steamers which went from Temple Pier to Greenwich and back. Altogether it was a most pleasant trip, but events followed which brought this venture to an end, a decision from many points of view much to be regretted. It occurs to me, however, that if more attention were given to the banks of the Thames by building an Embankment on the south side similar to that on the north side, there is no reason why it should not eventually become in every way as attractive as the rivers which flow through so many of the Continental cities.

About this time I became a member of the New Vagabond Club, and enjoyed for many years the various dinners given to some of the leading men of the time. These were usually held at the Hotel Cecil, and I have known over 500 ladies and gentlemen to be present on some of the important occasions. The Club was very cosmopolitan: Bishops, Members of Parliament, the theatrical profession, authors—in fact, anyone who was then in the public eye was certain to receive an invitation to some of the dinners. When this club became incorporated with the old Playgoers' Club, many, like myself, felt that these Sunday festivities did not quite fall in with their ordinary way of spending the day of rest, and I was compelled to retire from it.

Another association of which I am particularly proud to be one of the vice-presidents, is the Booksellers' Provident Institution, and the Booksellers' Provident Retreat; the former I joined in 1869, and for over fifty years have been an active member on its committees. This great institution was inaugurated on February 15, 1837, at Stationers' Hall, and during the greater part of its existence it has had for its president some one representing either the house of Longman or Murray. It is an institution of which every member is proud, and should be more appreciated in the trade than it is, for it has done, and is still doing, work of great value to its necessitous members.

The opening ceremony of the Booksellers' Retreat took place in 1846. The great novelist Lord Lytton presided, and a sum of £800 was collected. At this Retreat there are seven pleasantly situated houses occupied either by members or their widows, and the occupants of these houses, owing to the funds at the disposal of the Committee, have their lives not only extended but made thoroughly happy and comfortable.

In 1872 there was a great effort made by many of the London Booksellers' Assistants to found an institution which would be always open to its members for educational and social purposes. The proposal met with support, and much discussion upon details took place; but the only decision arrived at was that it should be called the Booksellers' Literary Institution. After many meetings and discussions it was given up and the committee dissolved. It was a noble object, and I sincerely hope that in the future some such organization will come into existence, for it is badly wanted both for the assistants and the trade generally.

In 1898 I had the honour of being elected a member of the Worshipful Company of Stationers, which is so associated, especially in the past, with literature and books. I am sure every one who takes the opportunity of going through the Hall will feel proud of this almost sacred building. It has a history connected with the makers and distributors of literature which is an honour not only to the trade but to the nation; I sincerely hope that the policy now being advocated by the City Livery Club, of which I am also a member, that of more closely associating the various Livery Companies with the trade or craft by which they are designated, will be successful. If this can be done, it will be better for the various City Guilds, as well as the particular trades after which the Guilds are named.

In 1897 the Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VII, inaugurated the Hospital Fund which still bears his name, to commemorate the sixtieth year of Queen Victoria's reign. One of the means adopted to assist in raising funds was the issue of a series of stamps which varied in price. This series met with great success, and the public issue of the stamps was entrusted to Simpkin, Marshall & Co. After it had run its course and added considerably to the Hospital funds, it was decided by the authorities that the issue should be discontinued, and that the plates from which the stamps had been printed should be destroyed. A special day was fixed for this purpose, and our present King and Queen, then the Prince and Princess of Wales, kindly consented to undertake this task. The destruction of the plates took place at the Bank of England in a small room, and another Director of our Company and myself were selected to see the operation completed. It was a most interesting occasion, and, being in so small and informal a place, the talk between the half-dozen or so witnesses and the Royal destroyers was very pleasant. With a strong file which was handed to her, the Princess of Wales, in a most business-like way, rubbed the face of the metal plates of the stamps and thereby made it impossible for any more to be printed. Though it all happened in a very short space of time, it was a delightful as well as an historic gathering.

While speaking of Royalty, I am reminded of an occasion when Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, opened the Free Library at Lambeth under the Chairmanship of Mr. Tate, who contributed largely to the Library funds. The Prince made an excellent speech, short and to the point, although his articulation was not very clear. This, I suppose, arose through the many languages which it was necessary for him to master, and it struck me at the time that his accent was more like that of a foreigner who had learned English than an Englishman's.

On the issuing of the eleventh edition of the "Encyclopædia Britannica," I was asked by the editor to write two articles on Bookselling and Publishing, with biographical notices of British and American publishers' houses. I did this with much pleasure, and afterwards received an invitation to a dinner at the Hotel Cecil to celebrate the Encyclopædia's completion and publication. Among some 600 guests who were present, there were representatives of great distinction from every department of learning, such as the Speaker of the House of Commons, Mr. Balfour, Sir W. Harcourt, Lord Brassey, Lord Bryce and Viscount Wolseley. These names are sufficiently representative of the guests, although it would be difficult to give a complete list of them. Altogether, it was a wonderful gathering, and my association with it was most gratifying to me.

CHAPTER VI

The Bookselling Trade and Underselling

The published price of a book being publicly advertised, there is probably no other trade which gives the same opportunity of attracting the public by underselling as that of Bookselling, and evils of a greater or less degree in this direction have been practised since the days of Caxton. In the early days of the nineteenth century serious attention was directed to underselling, and an association formed entitled "The Associated Booksellers." This was formed in 1812, but the notorious Lackington carried underselling, and what he termed "remainders," to such an extreme that the very existence of the Bookselling trade was seriously threatened. This Association, however, lacked sufficient strength to take the necessary steps to stop the underselling mania, and it was not until 1850 that another Booksellers' Association was formed which nobly fought a most difficult and trying battle. The Association failed, owing to the decision in 1852 by Lord Campbell, Mr. Grote, and Dean Milman that the question of a bookseller having "paid the purchase money shall not resell it under a certain price, derogated from the rights of ownership which, as purchaser, he had acquired." This decision had the effect of dissolving the Association.

Some years after attention was again directed to the evil of underselling, which it has taken nearly a century to bring to an end, for it is hoped that by the adoption of publishing on the net book system and the Publishers' and Booksellers' Associations, discounts to the public will be entirely abolished. On looking through the volume for 1864 of that consistently intelligent trade journal, "The Bookseller," I find the editor saying that "The opening of the new season appears to be a very appropriate time for a few remarks upon the ruinous system of underselling, which seems to be the rule rather than the exception, not only in London, but in most provincial cities. How far it will proceed and what may be the extent of the damage it may do, none can predict. We, however, believe underselling to be wholly unnecessary and that it may be checked, if not altogether stopped, if publishers and booksellers will come to an understanding on the subject." The article goes on to point out how by publishers, if necessary, reducing their selling prices, they might do away with the discount allowed to the public, or, in other words, encourage the adoption of a net system. It is pleasant to see a letter on this point issued the same year, and signed by A. Macmillan. When about to publish their celebrated Globe edition of Shakespeare's works at 3s. 6d., after speaking of the number of pages, the quality of the paper, the printing and the binding, Mr. Macmillan goes on to say, "Why should the trade throw away their profits on a book that needs no further cheapening to put it within the reach of all. I have neither the will nor the power to dictate to the trade what they shall sell the books for after they buy them from us, but I would be glad and grateful if they would try the experiment on this new book whether the underselling which has crept in of late years, does good really to anybody." It is most gratifying that the present head of that firm should have done so much to bring to an end the unjust system of discounts. It was stated that nearly 80,000 copies of the Globe Shakespeare were sold within six months of its publication.

In 1867, after many years of unrest, matters were again brought under discussion through Mr. Thomas Bosworth, of Regent Street, giving excessive discounts. I have before me a leaflet issued by this bookseller entitled "Rattening in the Book Trade." In this leaflet he complains of Messrs. Hamilton, Adams & Co. having closed his account, owing to his continuing to sell to the public books at trade prices and sometimes less than that. This did not continue very long, as I find that in 1869 he had to make a composition with his creditors. In 1890 the parent of the Associated Booksellers of Great Britain and Ireland was formed, under the title of "The London Booksellers' Society," and I am proud to record that I was one of the early members of its Council. The main object of the Society was to restrict discounts to 25 per cent., and it issued a price list from 6d. to £2 2s. showing these discounts. Had it not been for the introduction of the net system, this Booksellers' Association would in all probability have followed the footsteps of its predecessors.

A correspondent in "The Bookseller" for 1877 gives a very despondent account of the bookseller and the way the bookselling trade was carried on. This despondency was caused mainly by the iniquitous system of discounts which were then being given to the public and the unfair methods of business, owing to the want of harmony and business regulations. The correspondent says that "A bookseller of to-day is very often a man who might just as well be a cheese-monger or a pork-butcher for anything he knows or cares about books; and as for him being capable of guiding or advising his customers, they have sometimes no little trouble in making him understand a requirement that lies just outside the current of popular demands. The cause of this degeneracy is not far to seek: it is the undignified and unneighbourly scramble for custom, in which each man's object is to give away a larger discount in the shilling than anyone else. Unless booksellers can be found who will have the courage to stand out of this scramble and be content to serve such customers who are willing to pay a fair price for their books, it is to be feared that the race of booksellers will become extinct." Fortunately, by the introduction of the net system, this downward tendency has been stopped, and the bookselling trade is gradually taking the place it deserves in the world of letters.

The Publishers' Association was established in 1896. Mainly through the influence and the exertions of Sir Frederick Macmillan, the net book scheme was officially recognized by the Publishers' Association. It has grown ever since that time and has undoubtedly been the salvation of the Bookselling trade in this country, and it is hoped that it will lead to further and better conditions for every one connected with the trade.

This question of underselling is so closely associated with the general condition of the Bookselling trade that I have decided to reprint in this chapter the following article which appeared in the "Publishers' Circular" and was written by me in 1915. Though a development in some of the particulars has been obtained, there is still much to be done. As the article was reprinted and distributed by the Associated Booksellers, and I also receive so many congratulatory letters respecting it, I feel that it may probably be of service when some of the details of the trade are again under discussion. I have omitted from the article such portions of it as time has shown to be unnecessary. What I have here reprinted I hope may be found of interest.

SOME NOTES ON BOOK-SELLING

In using the term "bookselling," it is intended in this article to include all those businesses, exclusive of authorship, which are interested in the making, distribution, and selling of books, and while offering a few suggestions to these trade organizations, there will be no attempt to dogmatize on any particular sphere of it. As their working conditions are so continually changing, these must therefore fall in with modern requirements or give place to others which can accommodate themselves to the altered conditions.

Since the origin of printing there have been differences and grievances, many of them imaginary, in connexion with the trade of bookselling. Some of these complaints are characterized as a decay of the author, the book, or the bookseller; sometimes it is the over-production of books or their cheapness, due to underselling or to outside firms being allowed to trade in them, but all these complaints either die a natural death or turn out to have little foundation, and the trade goes on in much the same way as it has done for centuries past. There is occasionally a reason for some of these criticisms, and although there have been variations in both the production and the distribution of books, yet many of the salient features remain the same as those existing in the early days of bookselling.

Before suggesting a solution of some of the difficulties which we find current in the bookselling trade to-day, let us inquire into that of book production.

Foremost among the real or imaginary difficulties is the question of over-production. This is, from many points of view, an important question with distributors of books, both wholesale and retail.

Take the following interesting particulars, which appear somewhat out of harmony with our unsatisfactory means of distribution, but when we compare these figures with those of other countries, they seem insignificant: In the year 1913, 9,541, and in 1914, 8,863 new books were published in England. In 1913, 10,607, and in 1914, 10,175 new books were published in America. In the year 1912, 34,801 new books were published in Germany, and in 1913 no fewer than 35,078 were issued from their various presses. Nearly four times as many books were thus yearly produced in Germany as in England—but it must be admitted that many of these are of a local or ephemeral character—and over three times as many as in America. A comparison between the number of authors and their proportion to the population is no less surprising. In 1910, there were 9,000 writers of books in America; there were 8,000 in Great Britain; while in Germany there are over 31,000 of such littérateurs. Of course, the war has greatly changed these figures.

It is computed that the total number of printed books in the world is no less than 11,638,810, and that about 8,714,000 of these have been published subsequently to the year 1800. From 1500 to 1535 the number of books produced annually averaged only 1,250. It was not until 1700 that the annual average passed 10,000, and it was not until 1887 that it reached 100,000. From 1900 to 1908, however, the world's annual output averaged 174,375. Some interesting statistics relating to the production of printed books are given in the "Bulletin de l'Institut International de Bibliographie."

The complaint of over-production is almost as old as the art of printing itself, for, according to Charles Knight's "The Old Printer," it is stated that some Roman printers of the Latin Classics in 1471 petitioned the Pope to interfere on their behalf. In their petitions they stated that "they were the first who introduced this Art, with vast labour and cost, into His Holiness's territory, and encouraged by our example, other printers have done the same. If you peruse the Catalogue of the books printed by us, you will admire how and where we could produce a sufficient quantity of paper or even rags for such a number of volumes. The total of these books amount to 12,475, a prodigious heap, and intolerable by reason of those unsold. We are unable to bear the expense of housekeeping for want of buyers, of which there cannot be a more flagrant proof than that our house is full of quire books, but void of every necessary of life."

From this it would appear that the question of over-production has an early origin and is continually being repeated, but I dare venture the remark that there is not now or never has been any over-production in books that are worth putting on the market, and if publishers would refuse the bribes offered by those anxious to see their names in print, and only issue such books as in their mature judgment they consider worth putting before a community of intelligent readers, there would be less outcry of over-production. This question is very far-reaching, and especially affects the sellers of books. Frequently the publishers issue books, the cost being paid by an ambitious author; but for this the public would probably never hear of him; the book is shown to the trade, no reference whatever is made to its origin, and booksellers are often led to buy and stock a book by their trust in the publisher, and find out to their cost that there is no demand whatever for the book, and it remains upon their shelves. It is a fair contention that the bookseller should be warned against such books, in which the publishers have taken no risks, neither should the booksellers be persuaded into so doing. Undoubtedly, if the trade is to prosper, there must be more discrimination in selecting stock. There are now so many influences at work to advertise a book: not only are there the ordinary media, but an author will go round to the booksellers, talking about his book, telling them it will sell in thousands, and that there has never been such a book written before. Instances have been known where the author has gone to a number of booksellers and ordered copies of his book, never calling or paying for them. The bookseller, by these means, has to put into his stock books which he is unable to sell. There should for safety be a method of allowing returns to be made of such books before the publishers make up their accounts; there would then be an inducement for a bookseller to display a book upon his counter or in his window, with a possibility of sales being made through the publicity given to the book.

Many books are published for which no reasonable market exists, but as long as education continues to influence the mind there will be found persons who think their ideas are inspired, and they must give them expression in the printed book. There is to-day a larger reading public than ever, and the all-important point is how to get hold of them. On this point much has been written and said. It is of no use discussing the old methods, so much extolled, of how the bookseller formerly lived over his shop and existed with, if not by, his books, and what men of encyclopædic knowledge these ancients were. These times are gone, and the men are gone with them. We must, therefore, deal with events as they are to-day. Every one engaged in the business of bookselling would no doubt confess that he is out, inter alia, to try and make money and earn a living, and this is one of the points I wish to discuss. First, the men who constitute the bookselling trade are probably as intelligent and as up to date in knowledge as they were in the past. It has been said that the second-hand bookseller is the only man with a knowledge of books, but this is not so. Unfortunately, the exigence of our social life often prevents him from giving as much attention to his trade as formerly. This has been intensified by the margin of profit not being commensurate with the labour; therefore in many cases other kindred businesses have been added to that of bookselling.

Undoubtedly the greatest benefaction which has ever fallen to the book trade was the introduction in January, 1900, of the net system. By this system a reasonable profit was guaranteed, and members of the book trade were brought together and the trade organized and extended in a manner which would have been impossible without some such rallying point as that offered by the net system. This has now obtained such a hold, both upon the trade and the public, that it must remain one of the axioms of the bookselling trade.

A similar system was started in America in 1901, and for many years considerably helped the publishers in that country in organizing the trade, and protecting that of the bookseller in his attempt to remedy some of the evils caused by undersellers and unfair competition. Unfortunately, an adverse decision in the American Supreme Court in what is known as the "Macy case," caused the members of the Association to wind up their organization. This was done at the end of 1914.

In these days of increased business pressure and competition, it appears especially unfortunate that so large and important an organization affecting the publishing trade in America should so suddenly come to an end. It is, however, hoped that the publishers will be able before long to reconsider the situation and establish in some form or other a new representative organization to take charge of and to promote the general interests of the American publishing and bookselling trades, for, undoubtedly, without some such central control, the trade of bookselling cannot thrive in the same manner as it otherwise would do.

A very important point is the relation of the publishers one to the other. If there were more trade-regulations to bring into harmony many of its unwritten laws, some of the difficulties which now often arise would never occur. At present the Publishers' Association mostly consider questions outside their own business workings, and nothing in the shape of terms or personal arrangements is touched upon or discussed; therefore unnecessary competition and varying terms exist to a considerable extent. How much unpleasant feeling might be avoided if some broad but definite rules were laid down for the guidance of publishers towards each other, and also to the wholesale and retail bookselling trades. This question will be further discussed later on. A very important question is, however, now awaiting solution—that of sending out books on sale or return. Continental booksellers adopted this method of bringing books before the public many years ago, with a great amount of success and satisfaction, but of course this is a very debatable question.

It appears somewhat difficult for publishers to realize how much could often be done by a bookseller in pushing the sale of a book if he were guaranteed against loss: especially is this applicable to a book by a new author. How much better it would be for author, publisher, and bookseller, if in certain cases books, such as before mentioned, could be shown in windows of retail booksellers, and that the publisher should take them back or exchange them within, say, six months from publication, if still unsold. By these means books by unknown authors would get an advertisement such as could be obtained in no other way, and it would certainly help the bookseller with a show of books which at present he is unable to obtain.

It is somewhat strange that so little difficulty regarding cost or selling price has yet arisen with the issue of the modern cheap editions of books. These cheap issues are published at net prices, they yield a fair profit to those through whose hands they pass, and the public are quite satisfied. Recent history of popular literature shows that success is obtained, not by high prices, but by big sales. What is wanted is the realization of what Matthew Arnold once wrote, "that he hoped for the day when food and books shall both alike be felt as needs."

In connexion with the trade of publishing, the question is, how best to help the bookseller to obtain his supply of books, as the miscellaneous character of the books published, and the increasing number of publishers, and the cost of "travelling" books in the country, make it imperative that some distributing medium should be engaged in this work. In most countries such an agency exists, but methods vary in each country; it is represented here by the wholesale agent, who supplies from his own stock or collects from the publishers everything a country bookseller may have ordered. By some publishers this agency has a poor recognition, but without such distributing houses it would be quite impossible for the ordinary retail bookseller to obtain his supplies, as the public when ordering books scarcely ever give the publisher's name, and frequently give half a mutilated title, which only those in daily intercourse with all published books could recognize, so that this part of a general system of distribution should not only be fully recognized by the publisher, but in calculating discounts and expenses this distributing method should be considered. One is inclined to ask if there is anything wrong with the trade; if so, is it with the retail bookseller, for after all it is this agency which comes in direct contact with the public. Until the introduction of the net system before mentioned, there was a war of discounts existing which would have eventually meant ruin, and it is only a reasonable conclusion that what every bookseller recognizes as a good to the trade should be further extended. Is not the time ripe for more organization, without oppression, to be adopted by the trade? We have now the organizations of both the publisher and bookseller, to which all the leading members of each of these branches of the trade belong. Why cannot, as before suggested, some rules of a broad but inclusive character be laid down and agreed upon by members of both associations, so that the differences and difficulties which so frequently arise may be easily adjusted? By these means a dignity and influence as of old would be restored to the booksellers, petty grievances would be easily removed, and the question of a living discount would be more easily discussed, and the book world (which formerly had only two interests, that of author and publisher, but now has the bookseller as a separate factor) would be placed on a firmer foundation and in the position which, by its literary association, it deserves.

In recommending closer co-operation between the Publishers' and Booksellers' Associations in the internal arrangements of the bookselling trade, my object is to advocate centralization, but with a liberty which should not be abused. How often a publisher wishes to bring before the various distributing agencies of the trade some work in which he has invested intelligence and money, and which is not a machine-made book! If such co-operation can be freed from jealousies, what better medium could be found for disseminating information than a central association formed of the above-named organizations? At first there would be much give and take, but if there could be a sub-committee of each association formed which would meet and discuss questions to be submitted to the respective central councils, matters would soon run smoothly, and if the respective presidents or secretaries could be so in touch with each other that preliminary difficulties could be made plain, there is little doubt that results satisfactory to the trade would follow. That important results would follow is practically certain. Take, for instance, the present arrangements for the Annual Meetings of the Publishers' and of the Associated Booksellers. The only attraction of the former is the chairman's address, which, although often eloquent, seldom leads to either a discussion or suggestions, with a result that everything is cut and dried in the most orthodox and dry-as-dust fashion.

Almost the only difference in the Booksellers' Annual Meeting is that it brings members together from all parts of the country and helps to promote social intercourse. Festive gatherings and outings are a greater attraction than the business agenda, and the business man must often have forced upon him the fact that time which is frequently taken up in dinners and receptions could be better spent in discussing business questions. It can scarcely be denied that the two trade associations are capable of far greater usefulness than they at present achieve.

In looking through a recent number of the "Publishers' Weekly," I was much struck by the practical way in which the annual meetings of the book trade of America were conducted. From the report of their proceedings I find that some twelve different subjects associated with the bookselling trade were discussed, among them being the following: Undue Competition of Jobbers; Postage Extra; Self-addressed Circulars issued by Publishers in their interest rather than the Dealers; Discounts to Lending Libraries; Uniform Discounts according to quantity purchased for every dealer alike; Failure to include Juvenile books in the net class.

Surely there could be found a sufficient number of members of the bookselling trade to discuss some of the above or other subjects to the advantage of the trade generally?

When one reflects that the yearly output of English books is considerably less than that of America, which is about one-third that of Germany, and that one-fifth of the inhabited world is dominated by the English language, it is surely time for all the members of the bookselling trade to wake up.

It is not my intention to go into the details of cost prices, but all are agreed that to make an effectual organization for the book trade, the question of profits and terms must come in, both for the publisher as well as for the wholesale and retail bookseller. There is, however, a question which has often been much discussed as to whether trade terms should be based on a flat price, or the system of odd copy and discounts be continued. There is much to be said for both systems, but the method of a sliding scale is invariably used both here and in other countries. In America and Germany, as well as in this country, sometimes the odd copy is given, and even in those countries which charge flat rates there is always an advantage in prices which correspond with numbers. This is only a reasonable concession to those who will speculate, or have built up a business in which a considerable amount of capital is locked up. There are few businesses where speculation is more precarious or where the articles of commerce so quickly deteriorate in value as that of the bookseller, and it is hoped that publishers will soon recognize that bookselling as a trade wants more help and more consideration than it receives at present. Otherwise, the small man will be pushed out, and the trade become centralized in a few big establishments, who will be able to dictate terms for distributing the books published, and a trade union of distributors may be formed which will prove a harder taskmaster than the most tyrannical trade union that has ever dictated terms to its employers. Every one, however, in the trade sincerely hopes that when the publisher and bookseller are brought more in contact with each other through their associations, these important points will be mutually considered from a practical point of view.

It is often wise to see how the business of bookselling is carried on in other countries, so a glance at some of their methods should be interesting.

In Germany, before the war, nearly all booksellers had an agent in Leipzig. This agent receives his client's order every day, and after dispatching them to different publishers, he collects the parcels and sends them off by post or rail. A "collector," as we know him in London, is not known there.

Most firms give credit, and customers go into Leipzig once every year to the "Booksellers' House," when they pay their agent and the publishers.

Firms in Berlin have a special way of dispatching their books, etc., to other firms in the country. It is a kind of private post service between the Booksellers' League in Berlin and booksellers and wholesale agents in other towns. Each member of this League pays a certain amount yearly, and has his goods sent on by the private post service. This is not a very quick method, although it is cheap.

The following Consular Report upon this subject will be found interesting:—

Even in this changing age the organization of the German book trade remains in principle what it has long been. The two main principles which make the trade as flourishing as it is, are the fixed selling price and the right of the retailer to return unsold books. The first, combined with very long credits, is the solid basis of the existence of the small retail houses, and has favoured the establishment of retailers everywhere. There is in Germany one bookseller for every 5,000 inhabitants, and the consequence of retail shops being found everywhere is that the German publisher spends very little in advertising, for he sends out all his novelties on sale according to a system established with the retail trade, or special wishes of the retailers, which he learns by means of his inexpensive circulars. In no other trade is there so close an understanding cultivated as between the German bookseller and his educated customers. The retailer circulates all his new books amongst likely buyers, and they become better known than through advertisements. The retailer pays for all the books bought during the year at the Easter Fair of the following year. The discounts vary according to the class of book, from 25 per cent. on the selling price of scientific books to 40 and even 50 per cent. on juvenile literature, besides which eleven copies are sent for ten, or thirteen for a dozen. The enormous number of scientific books published in Germany, including pamphlets, can only be explained by the existence of the intelligent retailers all over the country. The legal organization of the trade is the Verein in Leipzig, consisting of 2,685 members, which lays down regulations for the members of the trade amongst themselves, and for them in their dealings with the public. Thus the maintenance of the selling price (5 per cent. being allowed for cash, periodicals excepted) is rigidly insisted on, and if the rule is broken, it is adjudged by the Verein that publishers shall not supply the offender, or that they shall give him no credit or discount. Connected with this institution is a sort of publishers' and booksellers' clearing house in Leipzig, by which the ordering by retailers and the keeping of accounts between them and the publishers are facilitated and simplified, and the processes of ordering, packing, dispatching, and paying are greatly cheapened. It appears designed to prevent a great variety of petty expenditure, and to it, coupled with the fixed selling price and the long credit, is attributed the success of the trade in Germany.

Again, there is that industrious little country, Norway, which has been termed "A Bookseller's Paradise." But it must be remembered that in that country wealth is more evenly distributed than it is here. There are no paupers, and public schools are plentiful. The English, French, and German languages are taught in most schools, and the Norwegian bookseller is usually a well-educated man and a product of one of the public schools.

The following facts are from a summary of an able address given by Mr. W.H. Arnold before the American Booksellers' Association, and are well worthy of the study of the publishers and the booksellers in this country:—

Bookselling in Norway is so organized as to eliminate almost all the risks to which English booksellers are exposed, to secure satisfactory results for the publishers, and to provide a fair reward for the author. Three trade organizations are in existence—The Publishers' Association, the National Association of Booksellers, and the Provincial Association of Booksellers, the qualification for membership in both the first and the last named being membership of the National Association. All booksellers must be members of the National Association. The Provincial Association includes all booksellers except those in Christiania. There is a National Board of Directors, composed of members of each association.

An applicant wishing to become a bookseller addresses the National Board. A young man of eighteen may become a bookseller when he is thirty; he has twelve years' training—four years as apprentice, eight years as assistant. Besides a knowledge of books, he must give security, and if he can prove he has sufficient funds in hand, the National Directors will give their permission for his beginning business on his own account; but the Directors have it in their power to decide whether a new bookshop is wanted in the district mentioned.

A town of 8,000 people would afford scope for two bookshops. Molde, familiar to English tourists, with a population of 2,200 has one thriving bookseller; Aalesund, with a population of 14,000, has three bookshops, and none of these booksellers need fear the incursion of other rivals.

The subscription to the National Association is 10 krone—about 12s.—per annum; and for the Association's weekly journal, 6s. per annum is charged. An annual list of publications is issued, and once in ten years a reference catalogue is issued, costing about 20s. All miscellaneous publications are issued in paper covers, and can be obtained in cloth, but the paper is the more popular format. The book buyer who decides that the paper volume is worth preserving, if so minded gets it bound in cloth or half leather, cloth costing 1s. 6d. and leather 2s. 6d. Retail prices are always net—there are no price cutters in Norway.

Publishers do not require to call on the trade: a descriptive circular is all that is necessary. The bookseller, after reading this, settles how many copies to buy outright, and additional copies can be had, subject to return. Prices of fiction range from 2s. 6d. to 4s. No reduction in the price of a book is allowed until five years after publication.

Payment for bought books is usually made half yearly, in January and July, and "on sale" volumes are accounted for in January, the volumes sold being paid for in March. The usual trade discount is 25 per cent., and when ten copies are bought an extra copy is included. School-books are always bought outright.

The Provincial Association has a central depot in Christiania, the stock of which company is owned by the Association members. The central depot "collects," packs, and dispatches to its members in the provinces, charging a scheduled rate for this service. Subscription books are all sold through the book stores, the only books disposed of outside recognized channels being religious publications handled by pedlars.

Of course, there can be objections raised to many points in this organization, but what I wish to point out is, that if an association can be of great value to the trade in a small community such as Norway, which experience shows it to be, surely by organizing and blending the different associations in our trade here, similar results may follow. Anyway, it can be safely relied upon that something definite and more workable should take the place of our present half-hearted and semi-distinct organizations which are supposed to supervise the workings of the book trade in this country.

There are other questions one might consider. That of the cheap reprint is often a debatable one, some maintaining that it interferes with the sales of the more expensive editions; others that it often creates interest in a particular book, and, through its issue, inquiries are made for the author's previous books. From some points of view both these arguments have in them an element of truth, but it all depends upon the character of the book.

As a rule the life of works of fiction is very short, except in special cases. The life of works of an author of, say, two or three books, would probably be about three to six months, so for books in this class a limit of twelve months should be allowed before a cheap edition is issued, and according to the popularity of the author, these times should vary up to two or three years before cheap editions of books by authors of long standing are issued, and also the better edition should be cleared from the bookseller's shelves before the cheaper edition is published. From a bookseller's point of view, there is no language too strong in condemnation of the system now much in vogue, that a 2s. edition of a 6s. novel may be issued, and both editions kept in circulation at the same time. Editions selling at various prices are often sold by the author to different publishers, and each price is supposed to appeal to a different public. Can a bookseller be expected to keep a stock of all these editions? If so, his stock of cheap reprints would demand a special warehouse.

The most reasonable course to pursue in all cheap issues is first to see if there is a public to which a cheap edition would appeal, settle a moderate price at which it should be published, allowing a fair profit to the trade, and after a sufficient time has been given for the original edition to have a good run, there may be issued the cheap edition, which, while appealing to a fresh public, will be remunerative to the author and publisher, and, let us hope, a help to civilization and the betterment of mankind.

Much the same argument applies to the speculative religious work. There would not, of course, be so many different editions, but if the book in its special issue is of a distinctly argumentative character, and appeals to a thoughtful and intelligent public, a cheap edition is desirable, not only because it will sell, but because it will make people think, and truth is generally brought to the surface and put into operation by a public who thinks.

I am, therefore, convinced that when due time and consideration have been given to a book, a cheap edition is often not only advisable, but necessary.

Another question is, "Should a book be remaindered, and if so, under what conditions?" This is a very important one, and I am convinced that no definite rule can be laid down which would be applicable to all classes of remainders. There are books remaindered which will sell quickly when brought to the notice of a particular class of readers, and others which are only fit for the hawker's barrow or to be pulped as waste. I have known many books which have been remaindered and have thus had attention drawn to them; occasionally they have been quickly bought up, and often resold at their full published price. To instance only one, the first edition of Fitzgerald's "Omar Khayyám" was sold from a fourpenny box, and copies of this edition afterwards fetched £25. By this means a reputation was established and a position for this book secured. I maintain that discretion should be shown in this as well as in other departments of our trade. There are books which are only fit to become fuel for the fire, while others, either through over-printing or want of pushful advertising, have reached a very limited public, and through the book being reduced in price it has reached an eager public delighted to get a book of such value at a price suited to their limited means. Although bookselling is a business, and a most interesting one, yet it does not exist only for those who carry it on. If there were no bookseller's shops some means would have to be found for disseminating that which goes to making the intelligence of a nation. "Show me the literature of a nation, and I will tell you the character of the people," said a great man, and I am quite convinced that if limits were placed upon the distribution of our books for the benefit of author or bookseller, the Government or the people would soon find some means by which their intellectual wants were supplied.

My firm conviction is that no book should be destroyed which appeals to the intellect or which goes to the formation of character. When the time comes in the life of a book that it has exhausted the sphere for which it was intended, let it be offered as a remainder, and I am sure that it will percolate through the various strata of society until it finds its level of usefulness. This may be in the library of the collector or in the more useful sphere of the homes of the working classes, but a book of any literary value should never be destroyed.

In summarizing the various suggestions made in this paper, I would suggest that the most serious consideration be afforded to the following important propositions, so that more unity and stability may be given to the position of the author, publisher, and the various factors in book-distributing and bookselling.

Firstly, in regard to the author, my contention would be that the first book by an author, however good from a publisher's point of view it may be, should be either sent on sale or made returnable, say within six months. If the book has any literary merit it will be found out by that time, and the copies sent but will be sold. If not, they should be returned, so that the book distributor does not have to share a loss for which the publisher alone is responsible. The author should discourage as much as possible the auction-like action of the literary agent who tries to sell manuscripts to the highest bidder, thus lowering the tone of the relationship between the author and the publisher. And I say with all seriousness that should an author have satisfactory arrangements with a publisher he should stick to him, as I am sure it is best for both parties that a publisher should be able to put all the works of an author in his lists, and not only those issued by himself. By this arrangement a publisher will continue to interest himself in all the books by an author, and by advertising them will materially assist in continuous sales.

Secondly, the publisher should discriminate between books in which he is financially interested, and those which he is publishing to please the ambition of a person who wishes to see his or her name in print. He should also fix his terms and stand by them to both the wholesale and retail trader. These are now fairly carried out by some of the older-established publishers, but in some of their cheaper issues they appear to be unable to discriminate between what is a wholesale order and a wholesale trader.

Thirdly, the question of competition and underselling is still of the utmost importance, and I fear will never be settled until there is united action by a joint committee consisting of representatives of both the Publishers' and Booksellers' Associations, and all books are published at a fixed net price. The great objection to this arrangement is mainly the issue of juvenile and school-books. A margin frequently is demanded, so that a considerable discount can be given to the schoolmasters and mistresses or the governing bodies of our various educational authorities. It is, however, a fair question to ask, "Why should part of the legitimate profit of the bookseller be taken by the school representatives?" It is to be hoped that by association and unity these unsatisfactory anomalies will be swept away. One of the first subjects these joint associations would have to consider would be the minimum amount of profit which should be given to the retail bookseller. This should be, at least, 25 per cent. off the net selling price, and a further discount to bona fide wholesale and export booksellers. If all books were made net, and some such discounts as those mentioned were given, much of the present discontent would be removed, and, with a living profit assured, there would be a great inducement for many of the smaller men in the country to interest themselves in the trade, and thus bring about a renewal of an industry which should be beneficial both to the industrious bookseller as well as the intellectual community.

CHAPTER VII

Term and Sale Catalogues

In the early seventies, while living at Holloway, it was my good fortune to meet Mr. Edward Arber, who also dwelt in that district. At that time he was making the transcript of the Registers at Stationers' Hall, and also publishing many reprints from Old English literature. It is to the many interesting conversations which I had with him while walking to Stationers' Hall Court, as we both at that time did, that I became more interested in some of the ways of the booksellers of previous generations, and in the introduction and use of the Booksellers' Catalogues. From the origin of printing in England in 1472 until 1526, it is quite a question whether any books which can be considered English literature were produced and printed in this country. The books sold here were mostly foreign productions, and, as numbers of them had an ultra-Romish tendency, it was a sure passport to a cruel death to possess a copy of many of the books of the period. Even these were produced in small octavo size, so that they could be carried in the owner's pocket without discovery.

The earliest register of books published was that by the Company of Stationers of London which began in 1554. This record was carried on until 1640, and it is from these catalogues, of which my friend Mr. Arber devoted the best part of twenty years in producing a transcript, in five folio volumes, that any bibliographer can now trace the authors and date of publication of much of the literature of that period. Following on from the before-mentioned period, there were various classified catalogues issued by different publishers, but in 1662-3 there was published a catalogue of books registered at Stationers' Hall from the 25th of December 1662 to the 25th of December 1663. This was the first attempt at the yearly issue of a complete list of books published, and, it is supposed, was brought to an end by the Plague and the Great Fire of London, which we know from "Pepys's Diary" and other records caused the destruction of an immense number of books to the value of some £200,000.

The next important series of Catalogues were "The Term Catalogues of Books printed in England." These were begun in November 1668 and ended in June 1709. Their title was evidently taken from a legal point of view, as they were divided into periods of Michaelmas Term, Hilary Term, Easter Term and the Trinity Term. The catalogues were very carefully reproduced in three volumes by Mr. Arber, and often gives me much material for speculative thought and reflection. In an introductory preface to these Term Catalogues, Mr. Arber writes: "There is something perfectly God-like in a wide survey for a given period of the entire literature of a great nation. It is like Moses viewing from Mount Pisgah the whole of the land of promise, and will help us to a better understanding of and a greater delight in the ages of the Restoration of William and Mary and of Queen Anne." These catalogues were intended to be an annual list of the books entered at Stationers' Hall, and no London stationer could lawfully publish a book until he had been made free of this Company.

In looking through the volumes of catalogues above referred to, I have been greatly interested in the titles of some of these old books. What food for thought must there have been in some of the following: "Sober Singularity, or an Antidote against Infection by the example of a Multitude"; "The Arts of Grandeur and Submission, a discourse concerning the behaviour of great men towards their inferiors"; "A Mirror or a Looking-glass for Saints and Sinners"; "The Ladies Blush"; "The Citizen turn'd Gentleman"; "Two Bulls roaring out Excommunication" (the first by Pope Paul III against Henry VIII; the other by Pope Pius V against Queen Elizabeth); "The Worth of a Penny; with the causes of the scarcity and the misery of the want thereof, in these hard and mercyless times"; "A Mirror that Flattereth not"; "A new Map of the Seat of the War in Germany so designed that you may presently know whether name of any place be in the map or not, and to see by inspection the distance of it from any other place without measuring by compasses"; "A Catholic Pill to purge Popery"; "England's Glory, or the great improvement of trade in general by a Royal Bank or Office of Credit to be erected in London, that they may give out bills of credit to a vast extent that all Europe will accept of rather than money." By the title it is evident that the finances of this country were as important to the world then as they are to-day.

This list could be increased to fill a volume of these quaint and interesting titles. It also contained a list of the publications of many books, which are popular to-day by great authors such as John Bunyan, R. Baxter, Milton, Shakespeare, and others. One could not help noticing the names of some publishers which are well known in the book trade to-day, such as A. & J. Churchill, Collins, J. Moxon, Richard Bentley, although of course they are not the successors to those of the Term Catalogue period. The Catalogue also states that in 1702 the "Daily Courant" was started, being the first daily newspaper to be published in London. I find also in these volumes what I think is the first notice of the odd copy being given. The advertisement runs as follows: "Proposals are now published for printing all the practical works of the late Rev. Mr. Robert Baxter in four volumes and in folio, many of which he wrote at the desire of Archbishop Ussher. To contain one thousand sheets of a large and very good paper, the price to subscribers four pounds, ten shillings in quires, the seventh book gratis, which reduces it to £3 12s. 2d. The proposals at large may be had of the Undertakers, Thomas Parkinson and others." Ever since this period, the giving of the odd copy has been frequently discussed, but it appears quite possible that by the introduction of the net system it has received a very serious stoppage which may lead to its final abolition.

The earliest book auction sale recorded took place at Warwick Court, Warwick Lane, in 1676, and in the following ten years only seventy-three auction sales of books are recorded as having been held. These auctions usually began at nine in the morning, and biddings might advance at a penny per time. The sales, however, differed from the sales of a later period. Formerly at the sales I attended the lots of books fell to the highest bidder, but although an auctioneer was usually present, he could only sell by a scale according to numbers, which was arranged by the publisher for whom the auctioneer acted. These delightful old catalogues are a continual source of inspiration to all booksellers, even if it is only the author or title of a book in which he is interested.

It is, however, the sale catalogues of the eighteenth and the greater part of the nineteenth century which interest me most. It was a period which may be called the Golden Age of bookselling. The sale catalogues of this later time unfortunately came to an end in 1890, with that of Richard Bentley & Son, whose business was afterwards taken over by Messrs. Macmillan & Co. At the end of this catalogue, dated October 21, 1890, there was reprinted from "The Bookseller" an article on "Trade Sale Dinners," to which I contributed some of the information, and I am indebted to the courteous head of Messrs. Whitaker & Co. for allowing me to reproduce it in this chapter. It is as follows:

"The very ancient institution, peculiar to booksellers, of dining together on the occasion of a trade sale, is almost extinct and is, we very much regret to think, likely to become entirely so in the near future.

"The fashion of dining together on the occasion of a sale is a very old one. An interesting collection of sale catalogues in the possession of Mr. William Reader contains specimens dating back to 1704. They consist of the catalogues sent in the ordinary course of business to Osborne and his successor, the first of the Longmans. It is evident from these catalogues that sale dinners were a well-established custom of the trade as long ago as the beginning of the eighteenth century; and, as it must have required considerable time for the practice to have developed into a custom, their first beginnings may possibly have been as far back as 'the spacious times of great Elizabeth,' when bookselling first took shape as a regular trade.

"The first catalogue in Mr. Reader's collection is that of the stock of Mrs. Elizabeth Harris, deceased, which is to be sold at 'The Bear, in Avey Mary Lane,' on the 11th December, 1704, 'beginning at 9 in the morning, when the whole company shall be entertained with a breakfast, and at noon with a good dinner and a glass of wine, and then proceed with the sale in order to finish that evening.' The sale of the stock of the late John Nicholson took place in 1718 at the Queen's Head Tavern in Paternoster Row, and the catalogue bears marginal notes in Osborne's handwriting, the names of Curil and Tonson appearing amongst the buyers. Nicholson's interest in certain share books was also disposed of, including Robert Clavel's shares, which he had formerly acquired. (Robert Clavel was a bookseller who flourished during the latter half of the previous century. He carried on business at the Peacock, in St. Paul's Churchyard, and in 1673 issued the well-known 'Catalogue of all the Books Printed in England since the Dreadful Fire of London in 1666 to the end of Michaelmas Term, 1672.') Nicholson's stock and shares appeared to have realized altogether £2,533, a very respectable sum for those days.

"It is remarkable that these sale catalogues were printed in almost exactly the same form as those of our own day. Nearly all are in folio, with broad margins for annotations, and they are addressed to 'A select number of Booksellers of London and Westminster,' in the identical terms still current. Only those who were invited by having a catalogue sent them were expected to attend the sale, and the invitations were restricted to booksellers of established position. 'No stallmen admitted' is the significant notice printed at the head of one of the catalogues.

"It was not always a dinner that was given; sometimes it was a supper at which the buyers were entertained, as at the sale of Edward Valentine's stock in 1725, on the margin of which catalogue we first meet with the name of Longman among the buyers. In any case, however, whether the stock sold was that of an individual bookseller or a miscellaneous assortment from several contributors, it was the invariable custom to entertain those who came with a substantial repast 'and a glass of good wine.' At Thomas Osborne's sale in 1743, the catalogue even recites the delicacies which were provided, 'consisting of turkies and chines, hams and chickens, apple-pies, etc., and a glass of very good wine.'

"Thirteen years later, in 1756, the sale took place of part of the stock of the late Thomas Longman, Osborne's successor and founder of the great Paternoster Row house. The copyrights and shares of Jacob and Richard Tonson were sold in August, 1767, and we notice the names of Dilly, Rivington, and Newbery amongst the buyers. Many of the copyrights were offered in twentieths, for the convenience of bidders. At that time, and long afterward, the risk and expense of publishing a book were jointly borne by a group of booksellers, who met periodically to agree upon the number to be printed, and to audit accounts, and these shares constantly appear in the sale catalogues of the period.

"The trade sales were always held at some selected tavern or coffee-house; until 1754, they took place at the Queen's Head Tavern in Paternoster Row, and up to that time it is a rare exception to find them held elsewhere. But in 1755 they were removed to the Queen's Arms in St. Paul's Churchyard, in consequence, as a note on a catalogue of that date states, of the Queen's Head Tavern being converted to another use. For many years subsequently the Queen's Arms continued in favour, and sales were held there as late as 1813; but from about 1790 the London Coffee House on Ludgate Hill seems to have had the preference. The Horn Tavern, Doctors' Commons, was sometimes selected, and less frequently the Globe Tavern, in Fleet Street, where as long ago as 1768, a sale was held. The Chapter Coffee House in Paternoster Row was sometimes used, but not often, although the share-meetings continued to take place there until a very recent date. The London Coffee House gradually obtained a monopoly of the trade sales, until they were finally transferred to the Albion Tavern in Aldersgate Street.

"During a period of nearly a hundred and ninety years the sales appear to have been almost exclusively held at five houses, which, as time went on, succeeded each other in favour. The transfer to the Albion was gradual, but in 1831 the greater number were already held there, and in recent years seldom took place elsewhere, though occasionally one was held as far west as the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street.

"Within the present generation, the houses having annual sale dinners numbered about fourteen—Bentley, Bickers, Bohn, Chatto & Windus, Longmans, Macmillan, Murray, Quaritch, Routledge, Seeley and Burnside, Tegg, Ward and Lock, Warne, and Whittaker; and of these only two now survive. Messrs. Longmans' last sale dinner took place on November 5, 1872, and Mr. Murray's last dinner on November 4, 1887.

"It is curious that the form of trade sale catalogues should have remained so long unchanged. The old-fashioned yellow-wove post folios of Murray are well remembered. Those of Bentley are somewhat different. Their catalogues were printed in red and black for some years, but since 1885 in blue and brown; and, with a single exception, in 1880, their dinners always took place at the Albion."

It was in connexion with the firm with which I have been for so many years associated, that I happened, quite accidentally, some thirty years ago, to come across a parcel of catalogues which were placed with a heap of papers to be sent to the paper mills for destruction. My interest in them was such that as they were considered only waste paper, I took the bundle home, and they have since been to me an endless source of pleasure and instruction. Some of these catalogues are dated 1797, but from the early part of the nineteenth century, judging from the catalogues, books and booksellers had a very prosperous period. At this time, the following publishers and booksellers had a large number of titles in their catalogues, and in many instances they were very important publications. Among them are Sir Richard Phillips (Lord Mayor of London), Darton & Harvey (10 Crosby Square), Joseph Johnson, J. Walker, F. & C. Rivington, Murray & Highley (the predecessors of the celebrated house of John Murray), Longman, Hurst Rees & Orme (who at this period had a very miscellaneous catalogue of books, including plays), Wilson & Spence of York, Henry Mozley of Gainsborough, Cadell & Davies, J. Stockdale of Piccadilly, Scotcherd & Letterman, W. Miller, C. Law, Constable, Vernor & Hood, G. & J. Robinson, and R. Baldwin. Most of these catalogues contain books which had been issued by a combination of bookseller publishers; the shares in the publication of a particular book were divided up by those interested in the book; and the profits were divided between those who contributed to its publication.

A catalogue, dated April 1805, of Joseph Maurnan, agent to the University of Cambridge, besides enumerating Bibles of various sizes, from folio to twelves and twenty-fours, and Common Prayers of a like character (these were sold 5 for 4, 9 for 7, 12 for 10, and other numbers with a similar reduction), also contained such books as "Lambe on Constitutional Diseases"; Ruddiman's "Rudiments," new edition; Ruffhead's "Statutes," 18 vols., £38; New Geographical Game upon cards in a box, 7s. 6d.; also a collection of Plays and Farces.

Another catalogue, dated June 1805, shows that at this period women held a position amongst the booksellers. This catalogue was issued by Elizabeth Mathews, 18 Strand, and the terms of the sale were four months' credit for £10; four and eight months' for £20; four, eight, and twelve months' for £50; four, eight, twelve, and sixteen for £100: money was evidently not of the same value then as now. Some of the most important books in this catalogue were "Annual Register," 33 vols.; Buffon's "Natural History," 15 vols.; Sheraton's "Cabinet Maker's Drawing Book," 18s.; "Encyclopædia Britannica," 20 vols. Another of the same period also contained many important works such as "Johnson's Dictionary," in 4 vols., Mavor's "Voyages and Travels," 25 vols., Radcliffe's "Mysteries of Udolpho," 4 vols.; "Pinder's Works," 5 vols.; Pope's "Homer," 5 vols. "Shakespeare's Works," in 21 vols., and with four different editions in 10 vols. and two in 9 vols., are all in this catalogue. From this period onward the same characteristics appear in catalogues, but by degrees, when publishers only sold the books they published, the constitution of the catalogue and the sales greatly changed and the business done was more ordinary and commonplace. I have spent many most enjoyable occasions when attending these sales, and also met there many distinguished people connected both with the trade and also with the making of literature.

As a few samples of the characteristics and the business done at some of the sale dinners when the custom was drawing to a close, I may mention that at Murray's sale, in 1885, the completing volume of the "Speaker's Commentary" was among the works offered, and some 2,500 copies were sold within the first ten minutes; of that great traveller Du Chaillu's "Land of the Midnight Sun," in 2 vols., about 1,800 copies were sold. The educational works of Dr. Smith were then in great demand, and there were disposed of at this sale some 7,500 copies of his "English Course," and of the Latin 16,000, while of "Little Arthur's History of England," 12,500 copies were sold.

At another sale, when Bishop Wilberforce's Life was the leading book offered, the principal sales were as follows: 1,000 Mudie's Library, 900 Simpkin, Marshall & Co., 450 Hamilton & Co., 250 Smith & Son, 100 W. Kent, and 100 Hatchard's, whilst 22,500 of Smith's Latin Course were quickly purchased.

Times and the methods of education have greatly changed, but there are two things respecting these sales which strike me very forcibly. These are the comparatively small sales to-day of the above-mentioned educational works, also whether the publisher has been wise to stop these trade sales. They undoubtedly not only brought publishers and booksellers together, but offered an inducement to the booksellers which does not exist to the same extent to-day to make up stock orders and interest themselves in books.

Personally, as I have suggested in other chapters, I should be delighted to see some organized association brought into existence of which all those interested in the making and selling of books could become members, so that representatives of the different departments of the trade might meet together and talk over or discuss questions connected with it. This I am sure would lead to a greater and more satisfactory prosperity in all departments of the publishers' and booksellers' trade than has ever yet been attained.

CHAPTER VIII

Limited Editions and the Pleasures of Collecting

It would be quite impossible within the limits of a short chapter to deal with such a great subject as the above title represents. The subject, however, is fascinating not only to the book collector but to those in the trade, both new and second-hand, through whose hands the books pass.

Until the introduction of printing, what may be termed books or literature were all limited editions, as in olden times it was only by the industry of the scribes that other copies could be produced. Privately printed originally meant printed in a university or private residence and not in the offices of an ordinary printer. Now, however, privately printed and limited editions have each much the same meaning, as they are both practically limited in the numbers printed.

I must confess that I have a profound sympathy with all collectors of this particular class of book-producing, for it is with great pride that one takes down from the shelves a volume of this class of literature and reads how many copies of it were printed, and any history that may be connected with it. This attraction is from my point of view as far apart as the poles from that of collecting works produced before the origin of printing or even those in the centuries afterwards, where frequently the mistakes in printing make the value of the book. Such, for instance, as that of the Bible where the word "not" is left out in one of the commandments, or where a chance misprint or mistake is noted in some of Shakespeare's or other Elizabethan plays. A long list could easily be made of the small things that render some of these ancient volumes valuable.

To-day, these limited editions are produced in the most careful, complete, and perfect manner possible. From a real book-lover's point of view, the beauty of the type, the excellency of the paper and the artistic merit of its binding, coupled with the literary value of the book itself, make a volume which one is proud to possess and have upon one's shelves. For some years past there has been a considerable demand for the limited issue of well-illustrated books numbered and signed by such artists as Rackham, Dulac, and others; these are widely sought after and collected; so also are those works issued by private presses of which the past fifty years has seen some splendid developments. Take, for instance, the Ashenden Press, with its beautiful edition of Dante; the Kelmscott Press, under the guidance of William Morris, which issued many of his own books (the wood-blocks of his works are now in the keeping of the British Museum, with whom they were deposited on the understanding that no one is to be at liberty to print from them for a hundred years); the Vale Press, which limited its editions to 200 copies; the Cardoc Press; the Eragny Press; the Essex House Press; the Dove Press, which finished its course in 1917 by the type being "cast" into the Thames and "distributed" at the bottom of the river; and Mr. Daniel's Press at Oxford. Although these various presses appeal to the collector, first editions and rare books have a greater number of collectors, whose lives are frequently passed in hunting after and trying to discover and secure lost old volumes.

This pleasurable following to-day has not the advantages that existed in the middle of the past century, as not only are there now more seekers after these treasures of the past, but America has so many collectors of old books that the demand is greater and the prices higher. These drawbacks will greatly interfere with both the business and the enjoyment of future collectors. The chances, too, of the old-book collector are not nearly so great as formerly, for the changes which have taken place, particularly in London, have certainly swept away many of their favourite haunts. It is to many a very great pleasure to look back in memory upon old Holywell Street, with its scores of book-hunters turning over the boxes and seeking for treasures. Mr. W.E. Gladstone and many dignitaries of the Church could often be seen there. Fleet Street, the Strand, Holborn, and many of the by-streets between Oxford Street and Trafalgar Square, were great thoroughfares for the book-hunter; and although the barrows of Farringdon Street are still in existence, either the bookstall man now knows his business better than his predecessor or the gems are sold before he places these precious books on his barrow. Many times I have turned over the stock of old books on these Farringdon Street barrows, but have never yet been able to find anything of value, although others have been more fortunate. We have now no such opportunities as those of Charles Lamb; and I cannot say if we would avail ourselves of them even if we had. Lamb writes (March 25, 1829):—

"I have just come from town where I have been to get my bit of quarterly pension. I have brought home from stalls in Barbican the old 'Pilgrims Progress' with the prints Vanity Fair, etc., now scarce, four shillings, cheap. And also one of whom I have oft heard and had dreams, but never saw it in the flesh—that is in sheep-skin—'The whole Theological works of Thomas Aquinas.' My arms ached with lugging it a mile to the stage, but the burden was a pleasure."

All lovers of books must at some time feel the fascination of the second-hand bookseller's shop, and especially when it has a "Tuppenny Box" attached to it. At such shops, you may examine every book in the place, read a little, look at the pictures and the binding, have a gossip with the intelligent bookseller, and never be asked to spend a penny. The keeper of such books usually knows his business and the origin and history of much of his stock, and is able to tell some good bookish stories in keeping with his profession. A true lover of books thinks little of their monetary value but treasures a volume because of its contents, or perhaps for some association or memory connected with the author.

One cannot get away from the feeling, when surrounded by old books, that there is probably some unsuspected treasure hidden among the volumes handled with so much pleasure. What a thrill would pass through you if you discovered one of Shakespeare's original plays or some other of the many precious dramas of the Elizabethan age. Or a first edition of Scott, Lamb, Burns, Blake, or even one of Dr. Watts' Divine Songs containing "Let dogs delight to bark and bite," a copy of which was sold for £155. It is said that the bibliomaniac fever generally begins at the bookstall. Of all kinds of human weakness, the craze for buying and collecting old books is the most excusable. In the early phases of this complaint, the book-lover is content to purchase only books which he reads; next, he buys books which he means to read, and, as his stores accumulate, hopes to read; by and by he takes home books in beautiful bindings, or artistic illustrations, or of an early date, and sometimes printed in a language which he cannot read. Once a lover, always a lover, is a true saying, particularly when applied to a lover of books. As old age draws near, the lover of books finds a solace and joy in the companionship of his silent friends, which not only increases as the years pass on but undoubtedly helps to maintain his interest in life. He may retire from active business at any time, and still in his retirement be as happy and contented as at any period of his more strenuous days.

In my own case many of these ideals have been realized. Numberless volumes have been written on the pleasures of book-hunting and its results. Some glory in their collection of books upon certain subjects, such as Angling and all other kinds of sport; some have libraries on Philosophy, History, Biography, Architecture, and other branches of intellectual study; others collect fiction and first editions of celebrated authors, many of which have only a fleeting value. In whatever way we regard book-collecting, there can be no doubt that if carried through from an intellectual point of view, there are few things in life which are so rich in quiet satisfaction or which give such gratifying results to both mind and body.