"PROGRESS AND POVERTY."

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 356, 13 May 1884, Page 5

"PROGRESS AND POVERTY."

-O ■—.-■ It was between August, 1877 ? and March, 1879, that " Progress and Poverty" wa& written. That " epoch-making -book," as,4t has been styled by a poptftar'^New York, divine, did not get into type without some difficulty. When the manuscript was finished •Mr Georg3 .took; it- to the. publishing firm. ' of fesis Appletipijf and 0o.;, 2£ew /s(ork andf "'lerf it with t&e~omest parttrer, wno^-rnformte*-him that it would be submitted to, a competent reader, and then decision would be communicated to him in the course sf a few weeks. Within a month the author received . a note .f ro'nf Mr Apftleton requesting him ■to;! oall'dfc the 1 office, ' Wlien he presented 1 -him'- 'i self the oil gentleman informed Mr George I that the firm's reader had pionounced an exceedingly favorable opinion of his w.ork,; adding that he had taken it home with , him three nights running for the purpose" of i look- 0 ing it over to see whether the verdict was \ justified. " Never before, has the.gentleman to whom we entrusted ' Progress and Poverty,' and in whom we have entire confidence, expressed so. eulogistic an; opinion of any. book,". aaid Mr Appletoa, " and I regret that I have been to much engaged during my leisure hours to find time to peruse it." Going qri to explain that, notwithstanding the strong' recommendation they had received from their reader, and after remarking that he must consider the matter from a business 1 point of view, and that the books on economical questionjwere rarely very popular, . Mr Appleton said : "This is a big book. It would take a good deal to produce . it. But • in consequence of our reader's highly favourable verdict we should be prepared to invest half of the cost of production if you, 'Mr ' George, would invest the other half : and we would then devide the profits." The pro- : posal was a sore blow to Mr George, for at the time it was made ha tad not enough ; money to keep himself aud family for another : six weeks. While he was gazing intently on , his boot, and striving to conceal his disapt nointment as best he could, Mr Appleton 1 was seeking to soothe his feelings with the ' ordinary complimentary remarks that are made under similar circumstances by gentle- " man of pood breeding. Mr George's mind, ' however," was otherwise occupied, and he ! suddenly interrupted the old gentleman withthe query " What would you do if you got ' the book in stereotype plates 1 " Without a ' moment's hesitation, Mr Appicton replied ■ "We would publish it immediately." "Then s good morning," said Mr George, and took 1 his departure, the publisher naturally supposing that he had seen the List of him. Back, however, Mr George went to San "Francisco, ', ami, having obtained ■ s-islauce iron, one or. : two of his i'rionds,he cleared out three of die rooms in his house, aud furuishtd them with: L coniposiug-desks. Engaging a few printers, and resuming his apron, he gave out the copy : ana. assisted in. setting it up with his own • hands.- -Within tea months the •jrork wascom- " pletedand th,epl ites c'.^.u. Characteristically, ■"■ i v of th, sc ■, o eeiiings was sen.t \o

self again in the roon, and informed him that the sterotype plates of " Progress and Poverty" were at the door on two lorries. "Gfod bless me !" exclaimed MrAppleton, rising from his seat and going towards the window, from whence he had ocular demonstration of the truth of the statenent he had heard. "We don't take things of that sort in at our Broadway entrance. They must be taken round to the workirg establishment in a back street." By ringing a bell and bringing in a clerk, a messenger was sent to guide the carter to the gtore for stereotype plates, and the loads were safely deposited. No time was lost in issuing the work, which originally appeared • in an eight shilling edition. From the begin-ing-it was an unprecedented sudefess. During the four to five years that have/elapsed since its original publication, upwards of twenty American editions at a high pjfee have been disposed of, and three or four English editions at 10s 6d and 7s 6d> have been circulated. Both in America and in England cheap editions have been produced, which have sold by the million ; and several American, newspapers have republished by instalments the entire text of " Progress and Poverty." It has been translated into German, Spanish, and other European ■ languages, although, strange to say, no ■ French translation had appeal a year ago, and so far as we are siwai'e") none has yet been published in that language.