San Francisco Call, Volume 87, Number 133, 12 April 1901 — GOSSIP FROM LONDON'S WORLD OF LETTERS [ARTICLE]

GOSSIP FROM LONDON'S WORLD OF LETTERS

A few years ago the sales of Lenten devotional literature were very extensive and formed an item to be reckoned with at this time of the year, but during the present season the demand has been quite insignificant. Several memoirs of the late Queen Victoria, which publishers fondly anticipated would bring good returns, are having rather a limited sale, but that cannot be said for the Harmsworth publication, In parts, which is written by the Duke of Argyll and which is selling by tho thousands. -.

Miss Julia M. Crottie's recently published story, 'The Lost Land, an Irish Tale," seems one of. those which are taking well with readers. The story of the publication, as told by Justin McCarthy, Is one of the most remarkable stories of perseverance under most depressing : and discouraging circumstances ever heard. . .-,.¦ Mr. McCarthy says this novel has a curious history of its own. "When it was written It was shown to a lady friend of Miss Crottie. who took it away with her. read it, and without consent of the authoress sent it for Inspection to a London publisher. The manuscript was lost and no trace of it could be discovered, so Miss Crottie went to work again and rewrote the whole book. * The new manuscript was then sent to tno editor of aS London magazine. The second manuscript was also lost and has never been recovered. Miss Crottie on this second failure felt for a time something very like despair. She bore up. however, went to work again and wrote out the book a third time, her perseverance now being rewarded by success and the appreciation of more than the average number of readers of a story. Curious, too, how another successful novel of the present season came very near to never seeing the light of the world. That is Mrs. A. F. Slade's first novel, "A Wayside Weed." As a matter of fact the novel was written as far back as seven years ago, but she thought It would be hopeless to attempt to find a publisher for such a purely domestic story in these, days of feverish llteraTh'en a friend came to the rescue of Mrs. Slade's story, but she was not so unfortunate as Miss Crottie, for tho friend took it to Messrs. Hutchinson. who, not to lose It, immediately accepted It for publication. ._ Of course, when a new writer make* anything of a success everybody wants to know something about him or her. Belnjf asked for something- Interesting concernIng herself, Mrs. Slade replied to the bookman: "I'm simply a busy mother of a family, -an ordinary all round sort of person, as genuinely Interested in serving up a good dinner as in . trying a. bit of new music, singing a new son? or reading any one of the new books which ap-» peal to my old fashioned taste. I am painfully shy, and my dread of a s.tranger is something you never expect any one outside a prison to understand." Who is Charles Marriott, the author of that other successful new novel, "The Column," which Is | being widely read now? Well, it turns out that he holds the position of dispenser and photographer to an asylum near Liverpool. He was born at Bristol in .1869, but his earliest recollections are of Moor End, where his father, who was a brewer, removed from Bristol when he was about two years old.

Frederick Macmillan, while congratulating the Publishers' Association the other day on the success of its scheme for the net purchase of books, showed an Interesting memento of the abortive attempt made about half a century ago to put a similar agreement in force. .

The memento Is a book of autograph letters, all condemning the plan for keepIng up prices. The letters were In reply to a circular sent out by a well known Strand editor of his time asking certain eminent authors if he considered the intention to sell at a low rate of profit a good and sufficient reason why the publisher should refuse to sell books which the retailer was ready to purchase and keep in stock at his own risk.

Dickens' reply was brief and emphatic: "No; certainly not." Carlyle wrote: "My answer Is — tor my own interests and those of the world as far as I can see them, decidedly no; it is not a sufficient reason."

Darwin's opinion was: "I beg strongly to express my opinion that both for the advantage of the authors and publishers booksellers, like other dealers, ought to settle each for himself the retail price." Charles KIngsley, in the course of a letter of great length, wrote: "No intention of the bookseller to sell at a low price ought to be any reason why the publisher should not supply him, but rather the very best reason why he should soon do so."

Such men at Leigh Hunt, John Stuart Mill and Herbert Spencer were all of tho same opinion.

Booksellers In all parts of the country now report "that there has been no difficulty in obtaining the net prices of books and that satisfactory results of the net book system have already made themselves evident In the balance sheets of most retail booksellers.

The Russian colony about which there was a rumor some time ago for printing Count Tolstoi's work in England has now taken shape. It has been established at Tucktoh House, near Bournemouth. Vladimir Tchertkoft is the founder of tho little colony, which at present numbers about twelve persons, consisting of Doukhobors of the Caucasus, large numbers of whom three yours ago had to undergo something very like persecution.

Tchertkoff is one of the three signer* of the appeal to the Czar in August, 1896. and was given the choice of banishment to a Baltic town or complete exile from Russia. Ha chose the latter.

A country residence and soma adjoining cottages constitute the printing and publishing departments of Tolstoi books and pamphlets, which are being: printed both In Russian and English.

Crimsonbeak— I think a crab la about the most stubborn thing I know of. Yeast — How so? "Why, you can go and row about th» river for hours and never get a. bite, but If you happen to get on© easy specimen In tho boat you've got to be an acrobat to keep from getting a bite every minute."—Yonkera Statesman.

Choice candles, Townsend's, Palace Hotel.*

C&l. glace fruit 50c per lb at Townsend's.*

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