A DELUGE OF BOOKS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 477, 4 June 1890, Page 4

A DELUGE OF BOOKS.

Nearly Five Thousand New Ones Published in 1889.

It is hardly credible to those who have watched the deluge of volumes which have poured this year from the English press, says the “ Spectator,” that many fewer have actually been published than were published last'year—the total being 4,694 new books in 1889, against 4,960 in 1888; while there have been only 1,373 new editions in 1889, against 1631 in 1888. The only classes of new books which have increased in number are “juvenile book? and tales,” ancl “.novola, tales and other fiction,” “ year booksand serials in volumes, ” and technical books on medicine and surgery. Even school-books have fallen off in number. The theologians and sermon writers, too, were lees prolific in 1889 than they were in 1888, and but for the growing rage for novels, for grown-up people and children alike, the falling off in the production of volumes would be very considerable. Whether as the number of volumes falls off the quality improves is nob a question for the statistican. We fear nob. If we could bub have a year of genuine fasting from new literature, we might look more hope fully to the future. But a literary Lent is not easily attainable.