Have You Tried This? Practical Business Hints From Other Bookshops One dollar paid for each contribution found suitable for this page. They should be briefly stated and practical. A Selling To Newlyweds BOOKSELLER in a small industrial city finds the social pages of the local newspapers very helpful. He follows up the marriage announcements and finds out whether the newly-weds are to keep house. If so, they receive a call or a personal letter, or both, urging them to maintain high standards of culture in their home, and reminding them of the value of good books. If necessary he explains why individual books, carefully selected, are better than the "complete works" sold by subscription. It is surprising how many young couples would like to start a library, and have a vague comprehension of its importance, and yet don't know what to buy. For these the bookseller offers to make a selection according to what they can afford, ranging up or down from Dr. Eliot's "five-foot shelf." They have the privilege of rejecting any volume and substituting another. He uses his best judgment in giving an assortment of fiction, poetry, travel, history, etc., mingling the old classics with recent publications. As most of the young people are not college graduates, and many never finished high school, he avoids anything too "highbrow," but chooses books which will appeal to their good taste and stimulate them to buy more. With each purchase he gives a supply of neat book-plate stickers, on each of which is lettered the name and address of the couple. He does not gum these into the books, but allows the purchasers to do it and thereby increase their feeling of possession and their interest in the library. He carries bookcases as a sideline, both sectional and standard varieties, and frequently combines these with his sale of books. Usually he can furnish something to harmonize with other furniture, and thus satisfy even the least intellectual. Whether they buy his embryo libraries or not, all these couples are put on his mailing-list for announcements of new books, magazine clubs, etc. So, slowly but none the less surely, he is developing a market for good books in a town which heretofore has shown little interest in anything 'but trashy fiction. On a Church Calendar REV. Edward Burns Martin of Kenosha, who has been a leader in the promotion of books in his parish, has printed on the latest bulletin of the Park Avenue selected titles headed with the following: Methodist-Episcopal Church a page of FOURTEEN GOOD REASONS FOR STAYING AT HOME EVENINGS We wish all of our people would cultivate anew the pleasures and privileges of home. The radio and music-making instruments have their place, and happy conversation may justly claim its own good time; but we want place also for these fourteen friends of ours. If the family circle is too crowded or the expense of their entertainment too high, admit some of them at least! Bruce Rogers has a quiet sense of humor as well as a nice taste for typographical style, as is shown by the many little jokes hidden away for Mr. Pennell in this title-page lay-out FRESH indication of the great recent extension of the market for biography is seen in the totals of the first printing of the Col. House "Diaries," 25,000 sets. The tremendous interest in the Page "Letters" and the Lord Grey "Memoirs" has given the booktrade clear indication of. what will happen when Col. House's first two volumes appear on March 5th. The syndication rights have been secured after sharp competition by the New York Herald-Tribune, and release will begin just before book publication and extend for some weeks after. The editorial preparation has been in the hands of Professor Charles Seymour of Yale who has been doing special historical work in the period of the World War for the past ten years. Col. House turned over unreservedly all his intimate diaries and letters for the purpose of the work. The diaries were usually dictated to a stenographer at the end of a day and are fresh and vivid impressions. GEORGE HILL DILLON, under graduate in the University of Chicago, it has been announced is the winner of the John Billings Fiske Poetry Prize for 1925 with his group of poems entitled "White Spring," published in the University Record. Mr. Dillon also with some of the same group of poems and others published in the magazine Poetry won a hundreddollar prize for the most promising work submitted during the year by a young Chicago poet. In addition, in the recent undergraduate contest conducted by the Poetry Society of America Mr. Dillon received first honorable mention in connection with the award of the Witter Bynner prize. Mr. Bynner himself won the $150 prize of the Poetry Society which the New York Times remarked would just nicely cover the prize he gives. Mr. Bynner's prize poem, "A Dance for Rain" is included in his new volume of poetry, "Caravan," which was published by Knopf last fall. A Valuable Booktrade Reference have gone by, and no one can now hope Book BOOKSELLERS, collectors and public libraries can find very practical use for the "Register of Bibliographies of the English Language and Literature," just published by Yale University Press. It is a volume of 500 pages, and has been prepared by Clark Sutherland Northup of Cornell with contributions from Joseph Quincy Adams and Andrew Keogh. The publication of this book has been made possible by a grant from the Heckscher Foundation for the Advancement of Research, and the edition is limited to 750 copies. It is published at the very modest price of $5. Any worker in the field of English literature, with this volume in hand, can easily discover what bibliographical work has been done in which he is interested and whether the bibliography that has been made has been an individual one or part of some collected work. The volume is brought down to October, 1924, and so gives infor mation about current authors as well as those of the past centuries. One turns, for instance, to see what there is about John Drinkwater, and finds that the information about his works is available in Danielson's "Bibliographies of Modern Authors"; or to Sherwood Anderson and is referred to the Publishers' Weekly of January 27th, 1923; or to Alexander Pope, with a reference to "A to cover thoroly more than a few authors or a limited period of our literary history. The future bibliography of English phil ology as a whole must be the work of many specialists." Hungarian Books-A Useful A GUIDE that should be useful to booksellers, librarians and bibliographers interested in Continental literature has just been issued by the Lantos Co., Ltd., Muzeum-Körut 3, Budapest (London agents, Simpkin). This is entitled "A List of All Hungarian Books in Trade," arranged by Blanche Pikler and Dr. Robert Braun, and is a nicely produced octavo volume of 250 pages. In its scope it corresponds to Whitaker's "Reference Catalogue," including as it does all the books currently in print. The arrangement of the book, however, is a systematically classified one by subjects, according to Dewey's scheme, with an alphabetical index. All the headings and arranging matter are in English. Fairly full particulars are supplied for each book, and the prices are given in the form of "ground numbers," which can be multiplied by various figures to convert them to the equivalent in the currencies of other countries. Printing Show in Washington Bibliography of Pope" by R. H. Griffith, WHEN the collection of Fifty Books to University of Texas Press, 1922; William Sharp, "Bibliographical Notes" in the uniform edition of his works, Heinemann, 1910. These examples give some idea of the completeness with which the field is covered and the time-saving character of such a reference book for the bookseller as well as the scholar. In another way it should be of great value in indicating to those who are doing research the subjects that have been covered and the things that need to be done. The editor points out that there is, as yet, no complete bibliography of Bacon, Dryden, Milton, Addison, Goldsmith, Keats and Carlyle, certainly worth-while tasks for the future. "For," says the editor, "the days of Watt, Lowndes and Allibone of the American Institute of Graphic Arts reached Washington in its travels, it was the occasion for a large gathering at the General Printing Office, with Chief Government Printer Carter as host. Harry L. Gage, member of the Institute, was a representative from the institute directors at the occasion. The books attracted a great deal of favorable interest, and the whole occasion was one that indicated how general is the interest in the progress of typography in this country. The meeting was also a great encouragement to those of the Institute who have believed in these exhibits, as it showed how admirably they can serve, by their appearance in city after city, in bringing together a book-interested group. む Some New Year Changes PERCY ERCY A. LORING will represent Thomas Seltzer, Inc., this year, F. J. Sloane having been withdrawn. Arthur G. Weatherbee will also represent this firm. Samuel L. Dorsey is now on the traveling staff of Houghton Mifflin Co. Charles B. Nourse, after a venture in retail bookselling, returns to represent Barse & Hopkins again. He will cover the Middle West territory. John A. Burnett, Jr. has joined the staff of Fleming H. Revell Co. to represent them in the South and Middle West. Clement F. Benoit has established a sample room and headquarters at 101 Post St., San Francisco and will represent both Dodd, Mead & Co. and the Platt & Munk Co. in the territory west of Denver. A. G. Rinehart takes charge of advertising for George H. Doran Co. in the place of Mrs. D. D. Bromley. D. L. Chambers, vice-president of the Bobbs-Merrill Co., takes over the work of literary adviser of the firm, H. H. Howland who has become editor of the Century Magazine. Clara Janouch becomes the advertising manager of the Womans Press in place of Miss Baird, resigned. H. M. CALDWELL will represent Wm. Collins Sons & Co., American Branch, on the coast and W. P. Glenney, who has resigned from The Dodge Publishing Co., in the Middle West and smaller towns in the East. WILLIAM E. O'KANE has joined the sales force of the John C. Winston Company. Mr. O'Kane has lately been with the Dodge Publishing Company and was formerly buyer of the Western Methodist Book Concern of Cincinnati, Ohio. will represent the John C. Winston Company in the larger cities of the Middle West and in Canada. Periodical Notes WITH THE ARRIVAL OF 1926, Theatre Arts Monthly will celebrate its tenth year. With the growth of the theater in America the magazine has kept pace until it now stands as one of the foremost periodicals of the theater in this country. The Stratford Monthly is to appear under a new format. The first issue of this new format will appear in January, 1926, under the name of The Stratford. Personal Notes THE PROGRAM of the recent Princeton show at the Metropolitan Opera House devoted a full page to a portrait of and friendly reference to B. F. Bunn, well known to the booktrade as head of the Princeton store and well known to all Princeton men for this and many other reasons. Mr. Bunn has been the power behind the throne in the Triangle Club. He is the treasurer and the informal financial advisor of many Princeton activities. Obituary Notes FRANK A. MUNSEY FRANK A. MUNSEY publisher of the New York Sun and Evening Telegram and of several magazines died Tuesday, December 22, as a result of several operations which he underwent during the previous few days. Mr. Munsey was born în Mercer, Maine, on August 21, 1854. In 1882 he started the Golden Argosy, a juvenile weekly, and in 1889, Munsey's Weekly, later known as Munsey's Magazine. In 1901 Mr. Munsey entered the newspaper field with the purchase of the New York Daily News and the Washington Times. In later years he He bought The Sun and The Evening Sun, the New York Herald, the Evening Telegram, the Paris edition of the Herald, the Globe and Commercial Advertiser and the Evening Mail. All of these papers were merged and consolidated with The Sun and the Telegram, the two papers owned by Mr. Munsey at the time of his death. He sold the Herald to the New York Tribune. Mr. Munsey was the author of a number of adventure stories, "Afloat in a Great City," "The Boy Broker," "Derringforth," "A Tragedy of Errors," etc. Harper's Magazine announces a printing of 120,000 copies for the February issue, which is double the circulation given in Ayer's Directory of last year. This rapid increase has been the result of a four months' campaign based on the new format and new program. Change in Price THE PLATT & MUNK CO., INC. "Junior Bank Book," by Elizabeth Hebert Childs, after January 1st will be published boxed at $1. FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY Hoeber, "The Barbizon Painters," price changed to $5.00. Forty Years of Service ON DECEMBER 9TH, John Wiley & Sons tendered to their secretary and production manager, S. E. Norris, a dinner to celebrate forty years with the company. Many representatives of the manufacturing and paper interests were present including W. F. Etherington, Charles Braunworth, Jr., A. P. Gilson and others. Communication The Centenary Tolstoy Great Baddow, Chelmsford, England, 14-12-25. Editor, Publishers' Weekly: It should, I think, be made clear that the ninety volume edition of Tolstoy's works, that the Russian State Publishing Co. hopes to have ready in some three years' time, will be in the Russian language, and will be extended to that enor'mous length by the inclusion of much matter that Tolstoy himself considered not worth publishing. To translate such an dition into English would take many years, and then it would be a very bold publisher who would touch it. These facts ought to be known, or a misunderstanding of the matter may damage the prospects of the complete 36volume Centenary edition in the English language of all that Tolstoy wrote for publication and that is of interest outside Russia. Concerning that edition, my hope is that a definite announcement may be possible in the coming year. Yours truly, AYLMER MAUDE. Personal Note WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE is coming to New York in January to be guest of honor at the Annual Luncheon of the National Association of Book Publishers on the 19th. L. MENOMINEE, MICH.-Margaret Harmon, of the Harmony Gift Shop, 109 Stephenson Ave., has added a small selection of books. NEW YORK CITY.-A. J. Smith has taken over the bookshop formerly conducted under the name of Hoyt Case and as The Phoenix Book Shop will continue to specialize in first editions of modern authors. He will continue at the same ad dress, 21 East 61st St. NEW YORK CITY.-Irving Rappaport, 895 West End Ave. (home address), is starting a chain of rental libraries in cigar January 1st one will open in the Hess Bldg., another in building at 440 Fourth Ave. stores. NEW YORK CITY.-Hoyt Case, dealer in fine books, has moved to 666 Madison Avenue. NEW YORK CITY.-On January 1 the Willey Book Co. moved into larger quarters at 45 East 17th St., Everett Bldg. The former location was 20 East 15th St. PHILADELPHIA, PA.-Owing to a fire at 126 South 16th St., Campion & Co. have been compelled to move and are now located at 1821 Walnut St. TARRYTOWN, N. Y.-Ruth Dunning, whose bookshop at 4 Depot Square was opened on November 20th, has named it "The Square Shop." WEST CHESTER, PA.-Miss R. M. Critz of the Come Again Shop at 34 South High St. has added a juvenile book department. |