In the Book Market In HOSE in England whose interest is in things literary are discussing Galsworthy's new book, a continuation of the Forsyte saga. fact from the title "The End of a Forsyte" it is just possible that it is the conclusion of the saga. The new work will appear first serially and later in book form, after which it will be offered to America. Galsworthy's play "Escape" is already in rehearsal here and will open in New York in October. This is the play which had such success in London last year. Scribner will publish it in book form. They have also just issued six additional volumes in the Grove Edition of Galsworthy's books. & On October 7th Bobbs-Merrill will pub lish Robert Nathan's new book, "The Woodcutter's House." "Autumn," "The "Autumn," "The Puppet Master," "Jonah" and "Fiddler in Barly," all had a very certain charm and amusing wisdom and the new book is not without them. Metabel, the village girl of "Fiddler in Barly" and Musket, the dog, are again important figures in this tale. For the first time Mr. Nathan appears under the Bobbs-Merrill banner. Henry Holt will publish "And So to Bed," J. B. Fagan's Pepysian comedy, simultaneously with the play's production in New York. Fagan has just cabled that this will be about October 24th. We hope Holt will use the same jacket the English edition of the book had. It looked as tho it might have been done by John Austen in collaboration with Vera Willoughby, with Albert Rutherston contributing a bit of his cross-hatching. The play is placed in the three days immediately following the close of the diary and shows Pepys not as the grave and sober Secretary of State, but as an amorous rogue on an afternoon that is all comedy. Another Holt publication that will be produced this winter is Romain Rolland's "The Game of Love and Death," which was issued in translation last year. This is one of the panels of the series of plays dealing with the French Revolution which Rolland has been writing for the People's Theater. The play will be produced as the Theater Guild's second production of the season, their first offering being the dramatization of DuBose Heyward's novel "Porgy," Doran. The novels and plays of Ferenc Molnar are hereafter to be published here by the publishing house of Macy-Masius. The first of this writer's works to appear under the firm's new colophon of the Cupid and Dolphin will be "The Paul Street Boys," a novel about a group of lads at play in the streets of Budapest. The translation. from the Hungarian is being made by Louis Rittenberg, who translated Balint's "Alpha" for the same publishers. G On October 14th Dutton will publish a book by Prince William of Sweden. It will be titled "Roaring Bones." The University of Chicago Press has published within the past few years several books that have been so popular and have had such a wide distribution that it is now possible to issue them in excellent binding at $1.00 each. These include "The New Testament," Edgar J. Goodspeed's translation, together with the new American translation of the Old Testament, "The Story of the New Testament," "The Formation of the New Testament," Dr. Gilkey's "Jesus and Our Generation," and "The Student's Gospels." At this same time Dr. James Moffatt, translator of the New Testament and the Bible into modern English arrives in this country from Glasgow. He is to be a professor at Union Theological Seminary. ♣ ♣ ♣ About December first William Helburn will publish a book about the grand old homes of Louisiana, titled "Old Plantation Houses in Louisiana." The book contains 44 full-page drawings by William Spratling, as well as 35 smaller ones. The text has been written by Natalie Scott. Mr. Spratling will be remembered for his architectural writings and his book of drawings published last year, "Sherwood Anderson, and Other Famous Creoles." new illustrated edition of Sabatini's "Captain Blood" will be issued next week by Houghton, Mifflin. It is the latest addition to the Riverside Bookshelf. A THE SPublishers' Weekly The American BOOK TRADE JOURNAL Founded by F. Leypoldt EDITORS R. R. BowKER F. G. MELCHER 62 W. 45th St., New York City Subscription, Zones 1-5 $5: Zones 6-8 $5.50; Foreign $6 15 cents a copy October 1, 1927 HOLD every man a debtor to his profession, from the which, as men of course a seek to receive countenance and profit, so ought they of duty to endeavor themselves, by way of amends, to be a help and ornament thereunto. -BACON. Reforming Postal Rates HE movement for reconsideration of the rates on books in line TH with the original ideas of postal legislation in this country, making possible a more economical distribution of printed volumes, is going steadily forward. At the National Congress of Parent-Teacher Associations on September 22nd at Atlantic City, a strong resolution supporting the Copeland Bill was passed. On the same day the American Law Book Publishers were meeting, and in their discussion it was pointed out that 50,000 tons of law books were being shipped annually, and shipped by express because of rate inducements. This convention contended that postal rates were discriminating against books in favor of printed matter in the form of magazines and newspapers. The Employing Book Binders on September 17th passed a similar resolution asking Congress to give consideration to the measure. All groups that are working for postal revision are asking for a businesslike analysis of postal expenses so that the country may be aware of just what items are on a paying basis and what are carried at a loss because of justifiable legislative intent. The magazine people feel that when such bookkeeping is adopted it will be shown that magazines are bringing in a profit instead of being carried at a loss, TH HE work of the National Association of Book Publishers has been still further strengthened by recent additions to its membership, indicating that the publishers in other fields than that of general trade and educational books are seeing the value of this cooperative work. Last winter the McGraw Hill Company started the movement for additions from the big technical book field, and they have been followed by D. Van Nostrand Company, John Wiley & Sons, and the Ronald Press. The Hammond Atlas people have also joined, which, with Rand, McNally & Company, brings together the two largest atlas and map producing companies. Prentice-Hall, Inc., business books, are already members, F. E. Compton & Company and The Book House for Children in the field of subscription books, and W. B. Saunders & Company and Williams & Wilkins in the field of medical books, this group of course being supplemented by the big medical departments of Oxford, Lippincott, Appleton and Macmillan. TH Amalgamation HE amalgamation of the Doubleday and Doran business has been the chief source of conversation in the booktrade in the past week and has brought up for discussion many earlier business moves in the trade dating back to to the big amalgamation of thirty-odd years ago when so many schoolbook houses came into the American Book Company. Since that time there has been no consolidation that compares in size and importance with this new development. Since the turn of the century there have been many changes in publishing imprints in this country, and those that will be most readily remembered by dealers in books are as follows: Doubleday, Page & Co. acquired McClure, Phillips & Co. L. C. Page & Co. took over Dana Estes & Co. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. united the lists of D. Lothrop & Co. and Lee & Shepard. Fox, Duffield & Co. (later Duffield & Co.) bought most of the list of H. S. Stone & Co. John C. Winston & Co. took over Henry T. Coates & Co. David McKay took over many of the American rights of George Routledge & Sons. Geo. H. Doran & Co. bought A. C. Armstrong & Co. Thos. Nelson & Sons buy E. & J. B. Young. Doubleday, Page & Co. took publications of The Baker & Taylor Co. Funk & Wagnalls acquired rights of the American branch of Cassell & Co. Dodd, Mead & Co. took over American business of John Lane, Ltd. The Macmillan Co. took list of Sturgis & Walton. Macmillan & Co. took Outing Pub. Co., the books of Stewart Edw. White going to Doubleday. Dood, Mead & Co. took over Moffatt, Yard & Co. list. Macrae-Smith Co. formed to take publishing business of Geo. W. Jacobs & Co. Little, Brown & Co. took over trade sales of Atlantic Monthly Press. D. Appleton & Co. acquired publishing department of Stewart & Kidd. A. & C. Boni took over Lieber & Lewis. A. & C. Boni acquired Thomas Seltzer, Inc. Viking Press took over B. W. Huebsch. European Showing of American Books THE American Library in Paris has just added the 100th name to its list of American publishers coöperating in its Permanent Exhibition of Current American Books at 10 rue de l'Elysée. At the beginning of this year the list numbered 56, and it was the hope of the Library to be able to present a list of 100 at the beginning of 1928. At the time it seemed a great deal to hope for, but new names have been added with such remarkable rapidity that the desired goal has been reached long before it was expected. Since the beginning of June alone fourteen new names have been added:-Allyn & Bacon; The American Book Company; The Clark Boardman Company, Ltd.; The Cosmopolitan Book Corporation; The Dial Press; The Grafton Press; The Norman W. Henley Publishing Company; A. C. McClurg & Company; Macy-Masius; The Morehouse Publishing Company; Noble & Noble; The Purdy Press; The A. W. Shaw Company; and The Torch Press. All of the publishers have been generous in sending their latest publications to the Library for the Exhibition. One publisher has contributed within a year 95 volumes and another has contributed 91 volumes, all of them very valuable books. The cooperation which the Library has been receiving from American publishers has been no small factor in the remarkable progress made by the Library during the past year and a half and, needless to say, it is very deeply appreciated by everyone interested in its development and by visitors from all over Europe. The Exhibition has become a great favorite with habitués of the Library, many of whom come regularly to look thru the new books, and visitors who come to the Library for the first time are always particularly impressed at finding there so fine a collection of current American publications. A Ten Million Dollar Publishing TH Corporation HE program of expansion to a vast business of publishing and distributing which the Macmillan Company has been carrying forward and which is visualized by last week's announcement of the 400 per cent stock dividend, converting surplus into capital, is part of a program that the firm long had clearly in mind, according to the president, George P. Brett. The stock increase is from $2,695,000 to $9,895,000. The Class A stock which has the voting power is owned by 50 individuals, six resident in England and the others here. Class B stock can be owned by employees and its dividends follow the rise or fall of the Class A stock. This stock must be sold back to the firm if its owner leaves the business. The company has believed that the publishing business was best organized when its activities covered many varying types of product, thus spreading the use of its facilities, and that machinery for distributing this product would not be completely effective until there was a branch system that covered the leading centers of this country so that any person desiring one of the Macmillan books could find it easily available. No publishing business has shown a more steady and systematic development than this company, which started its present program when it incorporated thirty-one years. ago. Its principles of financial expansion have been, according to Mr. Brett, along the lines advocated by a great railroad president, that for every dollar paid in dividends there should be one dollar put back into the business for growth. This principle has enabled the firm to do all its own financing from the days when it did a business of perhaps a quarter of a million dollars a year to today, when its busy branches and central headquarters are sending out several times that amount per month. The guiding genius who has visioned this program and has seen it go forward step by step is as vigorously active in the busi ness as ever and as intimately in contact with every phase of it, with a continuing good health after nearly seven decades. Mr. Brett can closely watch these details because of a personal knowledge of every phase of them, having, as he is glad to declare, done the dusting, packing, receiving, billing, selling on the road and in college centers and having a practical publishing experience from book bin to president's office. The Macmillan program of physical expansion now nearing completion in its principal units includes a specially constructed building on Twelfth Street, now busy in every corner, a building in Chicago almost as large, fully owned and built especially for the business, and similar equipment in Dallas and Atlanta, plans for a new building on ground just purchased in Boston on the corner of Newbury and Fairfield Streets, while in San Francisco the floor occupied is on lease, after which it is likely that a building of special construction will be planned. Besides this thoro development of large units with complete stocks of every Macmillan book, there are sales representatives with residences in other cities who work with desk space only and draw for stock on the nearest depository. The headquarters on Fifth Avenue, designed by Carrere & Hastings, has been so planned that four additional stories can be added as the business grows. One of the principles of the company has been to make no investments except those actually needed for the conduct of the business. Mr. Brett has believed that for their purposes the printing should be entirely separate and that they were in a better position to plan for their widely varied list by buying printing where it best suited the undertaking, leaving with the printer the responsibility for the finance of the plant and for keeping the plant economically busy at all times. The firm is thoroly departmentized; each department plans for its own production along the lines thoroly laid out by the central control, so that every book goes out to the printer with full and careful instructions as to its form and quality. Beside the general trade department, there is the educational department for grade schools, the college department, medical department, religious department, and juvenile department. The story of this business traces back to a bookshop on Aldersgate, London, when Alexander and Daniel Macmillan opened business in the '50's. The American branch was opened in 1869 by George Edward Brett (his son was a year old when he came to America) at a time when private residences on Bleecker Street were being turned into business establishments, and two parlor rooms were the place of its beginning. The business, after one move into slightly larger quarters on Bleecker, came north to Astor Place, where it picked up a good deal of retail demand for its books because of its being underneath the famous old Mercantile Library. When that building was reconstructed, the firm went down to Bond Street in a location where Baker & Taylor, as again today, was directly opposite and the Publishers' Weekly office. nearby. When the business had expanded a little, the next move was to Fourth Avenue and Twelfth Street, and of this move Mr. Brett has vivid memories of the turmoil, as the second floor, because of too lax official inspection, collapsed with the weight of the books and deposited on the stock below a thick layer of rubbish and dust. To carry on business in such confusion was almost impossible, but a place was cleared the first day on top of a keg, the day book was opened up, and the few books most in demand were gathered around in a circle so that orders could be quickly filled. The overwork in connection with this was probably one of the contributory causes of the death of George Edward Brett, which occurred in 1891, after 22 years guiding of the business. It was after this that the English house decided to make a separate business of the American activities, and to put George Platt Brett in charge. His success seems to justify a phrase from John Morley's "Recollections," "Aptly has it been said that the great publisher is a sort of Minister of Letters and is not to be without the qualities of a statesman." Simon & Schuster and Zsolnay LINCOLN SCHUSTER has returned from a European trip on which he visited the foreign authors whose books are published by Simon and Schuster. In Vienna Mr. Schuster visited Arthur Schnitzler and Franz Werfel. Simon and Schuster have also closed a working alliance with the distinguished publishing house, Paul Zsolnay Verlag, in Vienna, Berlin and Leipzig, whereby the two firms will exchange mutual options. The first foreign authors to be published in America under this arrangement are Heinrich Mann, brother of Thomas Mann, and Felix Salten. The first Heinrich Mann book will probably be "Mother Marie" and of Felix Salten "Bambi." Besides these and Schnitzler and Werfel, other European authors whose works are published by Simon and Schuster include Franz Blei, Father Ronold Knox, Major Haldane McFall and Anthony Berkely. "The Story of Philosophy" is being translated into eight languages, including strangely enough the Scandinavian, and the cross word puzzle frenzy remains in England and on the continent. Booksellers' League Committees THE working committees for the new year of the New York Booksellers' League have been appointed by the new president, Albert R. Crone, as follows: Entertainment Committee: John Macrae, Jr. Arthur Brentano Frederic Melcher C. C. Shoemaker Finance: Geo. C. Whitworth Ralph Wilson Publicity: Theodore E. Schulte Fred D. Lacy Employment: John A. Holden Wm. S. McKeachie |