A GREAT PUBLISHING FIRM

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1437, 11 May 1912, Page 9

A GREAT PUBLISHING FIRM

A nofablo contribution to tho history of modern book publishing has been published in the shape of a history ot "The House- of Harper: A Century ot Publishing in Frauklin Square." Messrs. Harper and Brothers are known to everybody as one of tho great publishing firms of tho world. Tnc author of tho hook referred to is a grandson of one of the founders of the house. It was in March, 1817, that the firm of Harper was founded. The first book which bore (he imprint of the brothers was "Seneca's Morals," hut they soon turned their attention to other works, and we read that: "When the Waverley Novels made their appearance the Harpers w«ro amongst the earliest to bring, them out in tlio United States. A messenger would board tho incoming packet before she was made fast to the wharf, to secure, as soon as possible, tho early sheets. Every composition was then put on tho work, and every press stood ready for tho printing. In this way Tevenl of the Peak' was published in the incredibly short space of twenty-one hours. . That surely was a record for nearly a hundred years ago, and wo question if today, with all the modern improvements that have taken place, it could be far surpassed. Later we find tho firm bringing out ono of G. P. K. James's stories, and in tho early forties they issued Bui-, wer's , novels at twenty-five cents each, so that the origin of cheap editions is not quite so recent as many suppose. In 1841 they published "Martin Chuzzlewit in seventeen numbers, and tho sales wero chiefly mado through newsboys, then a new institution. This was the beginning of a long connexion with Dickens. In 1850 "Harper's Magazine" was started, and before very long it could boast a circulation of 130,000 copies per month. Serial novels by such writers as Lever, Bulwer, Dickens, and Thackeray appeared in its.pages. The prices paid to some of 'these .writers are-interesting. Dickens received for "Great. Expectations ; Thackeray .£4BO for the "Virginians"; and Trollope £700 for "Sir Harry Hotspur." George Eliot was paid as high as .£I7OO for one novel. Wilkie Collins got .£750 each for "The Woman in White," "Man and Wife," and "The .Moonstone," and for Charles ■ Reade's "A Woman-Hater JHOOO was paid. Thackeray first visited the United States in November, J852, to delivor six lectures on "The Englisji Humorists," and it is stated that he returned, to England "with a comfortable pot of gold holding twelve thousand dollars' : "Thero was no disappointment with his lectures (said a writer in 'Harper's'). Those who know his books found tho author in the lecturer. Those who'did not know his books wero charmed in the lecturer by what is charming in tho author —the unaffected humanity, the tenderness, the sweetness, tho gcuial play of fancy, and the sad touch of truth with the glancing stroke of satire which lightning-like illumines while it withers'."

Tho first number of "Harper's Weekly" was issued in January, 1857, and it,, too, was a success from the start, steadily climbing up to one hundred and twenty thousand circulation. A goodly portion of Mr: Harper's narrative is taken uj? with accounts of the magazines of the firm, and of those men;wlio under the principals, ducted them. Soon after the "Weekly" was launched "A Good Fight," by Charles Reade, was bejrun in it, and Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities" was running in it at the'same timoi Reade thought he was not fairly treated, and we find him writing to Messrs. Harper's London agent in this characteristic .fashion,:; ; l " "Up to'tha present moment I have had every mea v ns to be satisfied with Mess; , .?; Harper. 35'ut ,this time I don't feel quite satisfied. -~':A. Good Fight' is a masterpiece. 'A'vTalo of Two Cities' is not a masterpiece'.' Yet Messrs. Harper gave, five .thotisand' -dollars {.£1000) foriiv and' to of that sum. Now, this might be just in England; but hardly just in America, where you know very well I rank at least, throe times higher than.l do in this country. There i?, however, a very simple way of smoothing my feathers if j-ou think worth while." It is satisfactory to learn that the ruffled feathers weTe soon smoothed to the satisfaction of Readp'and the Messrs. Harper. A ffrcat many of the principal works by English and American authors during, the .latter half of the, last, century—novels by George Elidly -Blackmore, -Thomas Hardy,! William Black, and a host of others— [ wero published by .the/Harpers;.aii,d many lof the details supplied /«;m be read with 'keen interest. The relations of the publishers with these authors wero on, the whole of the most pleasant . character. Concerning Black there arc many anecdotes, of which this is one: "At a dinner given to Black which I attended, .John Brougham, the veteran actor, presided, and made a delightful address of welcome, and then proposed the health of 'our guest who comes to us with a world-wide reputation, the author of-"Lornn Doone"!' Brougham immediately realised that he had made a mistake, and he turned to Joe, Hatton, who sat on his other side, for the name of one of Black's novels, but Hatton was. so rattled that ho could not for a moment recall a single book, and finally gave poor Brougham the title of one of Black's most inconspicuous novels. Black took it all in good nature, and eulogised Blackmore in his speech." When Blackmore was told of the incident later he also regarded it as a joke, and would not believe it possible that it ever nctually occurred. Mr. Harper first met Thomas Hardy at tho Athenaeum Club in June, 1653,' and the novelist suggestel that they should take a stroll together: "We turned out of Albemarlo Street and wandered along Piccadilly to Hyde Park, where wo sat down on a bench, and Hardy took a roll of paper from his pocket and began to read off a list uf titles, from which ho wished to select one for his forthcoming novel, and honoured mo by requesting my practical advice in regard to the most suitable and striking oue. They all impressed me as admirable, but finally they were resolved down to what we agreed was tho best. I tiink it was 'The Keturn of the Native.'" Mr. Hardy then told Jlr. Harper that his first conception of "Tess" was "derived from a glimpse he had of a comely country lass sitting in the tail-end of a cart which ■ rumbled past him as he was strolling along tho road. Her pretty face was so sad and appealing as it slowly disappeared from viow that it haunted him many a day, and he evolved from this transient vision the story which has become an English classic." Later Mr. Hardy offered the Harpers for their magazine a new story he had in hand. They said they would bo delighted to accent it, but must first bo assured that it would bo in every respect suitable for a family magazine.

"Hardy replied that it would lie a tale that could not offend the most fastidious maiden. . So wo began 'Judo the Obscure.' It had not progressed far in Hardy's hands before he informed us rhat lie was distressed to say the dovolopment of the story was carrying him into unexpected fields, and he was afraid to predict its future trend. With tho keenest sense of tho awkwardness of the situation, he promptly and magnanimously proposed that we should cither cancel our agreement,with him and discontinue the story, or make any changes in the forial form which wo might deem desirable." In view of the protest of the Harpers, Hardy, "without any expression of irritotiou, re-wrote ono of the chapters, and." pays Mr. Harper, "we made some modifications as the story ran through tho magazine; but it was not discontinued, as, in the opinion of the most conservative judges wo consulted, it was not considered unavailable for magazine use." On a question which has often arisen, Mr. Harper makes this statement:—"American publishers were not the only socalled 'pirates' flying the black flag in Uio absence of international copyright. English houses repeatedly published books by American writers without even a 'by your leave.' In somo casa they changed titles nnd oven altered and obliterated tin text of books with entire lack of courtesy to tho American'author." Ono might roply that two blacks do not make a .white, and although there mny havo been in the past offenders among publishers on this side their booty was probably of much less importance and value than the English books with which liberties Tvere taken in America,