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    THE DEMOR^iilSATION OF THE AMERICAN BOOK...

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

    ^^"^"-W^*B Pernicious — — ¦ Literature I...

    H publishers ; but the 'Cdtaimissibner stated that H he could not think BBBBi of sending back books for

    H B ^ B ^ B ^ B ^ BB circulation _ M * bI in A London BBt which BBi Bh ^ he BBk would IBB BB not H admit into Melbourneand that he was deterb ^ b ^ b ^ b ^ BI itt - Bk « ' ah , - A * M

    H mined * to order their destruction as a moral HI lesson for those who contemplated the intro-H duction of impure literature into the colony .

    Hi The Melbourne Daily TeUgraph has the follow-H H ject ing trenchan : — t editorial comments on the

    sub-HI ' Mr . Patterson deserves the thanks of all HI fathers and mothers—of all , indeed , who

    H honour literature as well as of all who care for H the commonwealth—on account of his prompt H action in arresting — and destroying a

    consign-H ^^ m ment of vile French o translations . We have no H symbols that can express , and no arithmetic

    H which can measure , the power of ideas ; and ^ bWbWbWbWbibi H ^ when * k m A the ideas _ are ^ h vile , corrupting ^ a — — 1 ^ — ^ k , 07 obscene ^ Bt ,

    H making literature ^ their channel ^^ , but planting ^ H the pestilence of vice in the imagination and H lives of thousands , who shall reckon up the

    H extent of the mischief that is wrought ? M . de H Bavay ' s typhoid-germs have sent a thrill of H alarm through the community ; but better a

    H poisoned water-supply than an infected litera-H ture ! H * The books Mr . Patterson condemned to

    H the flames have been condemned by the Eng-H lish law courts , and their publisher

    im-H prisoned ; and what is too vile for the mother-BKB H _ B _ B _ B _ B land oug — ~ ^ pfl ¦ ^ H ¦ ht ^^ to - ~~ — ' be - — ^ too - ^^ ~^^ ~*^ vile W ^ PV ^^ B ^ P ¦ ^ for ^ H ^^» us ~^^^ V ^ F ^^ . ^ — It ¦ ¦ ¦ ^^ ¦ ^ is ^ I simp ~~ »¦¦ - ^^ ^ —» ¦ ^— ly ^^

    H nonsense to talk about a " censorship , " with H its invidious and difficult functions . No one

    H pretends to set up a censorship . Books are H allowed free circulation until by their rank H obscenity they insult public morality . It is

    difficult , perhaps , to define "indecency , " and H to draw with nice accuracy the exact line

    H where it ceases to be tolerable . In the same H H way and , a board it is of difficult experts to mi define ht quarrej '' literature . over the , "

    g H question of whether a particular book was , or H was not , entitled to that great name . But let

    H the experts wrangle over their definitions ; H the public is only concerned with broad

    prac H tical to to tell tell issues us iih whether whether ! We don a given crivftn 't want book Vinolr a literary is i « obscene ohHfifinfi expert ; :

    H any man of plain sense , with conscience H h enoug k h to k be sensitive b to vileness rfb is f a com Vi

    -^^^^^^^ — ^ ™ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ r ^^ ^ b ^ v >^ ^^^ ^^ ^ r *^ ^* ^^ ^ V ^«^ 4 ^ ^>^ ^ ^^ B ^ ^^^ ^^^ ^ b ^ P ^ v w ^ m , v ^^ r > ^^ y ^^^ ^^ r ^ b ^^ b >^ b > H 1 petent judge on this matter ; and the only H law which needs to be enforced is the oldand

    wholesome , and most necessary English , law against the wholesale corruption of public

    H H i morals ^ ood . literature It is quite has true occasional that much patches otherwise of indecencyBut the is incidental

    H it is not loved . and written indecency for its own sake , as ; H m the Zola-esque filth which Mr . Patterson

    H I lias but whole j even ust , heal burned its thy coarseness , . thoug Eng h lish in is literature spots parted it b is y is a , coarse on moral the ;

    hemisphere from books whose inspiration and H whose — atmosphere are deliberately vicious . H The -w battl w ** rn ^ % f e against Wtb iMAAWV indecent 44 VtVWVAAV literature VM has AJt

    ^^ H 0 % / a ^^ J AA b VA M < « - V l-WP *^ I to be waged at many points , and with sleep-Jess vigilance . '

    H We are glad to find that both the Govern-HI ment of Victoria and one of the most

    influen' tial Australian journals are thus prepared to

    ^^"^"-W^*B Pernicious — — ¦ Literature I...

    take with ourselves a determined stand on a " vital question — - — — — affecting - — - ¦ public morality and

    the limits ^ of literary license c ^ » * V

    i

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    ¦ -B r . . ¦ .. ' ' . , ¦' .. ¦ ' : I ' . ' . ; " - . ! ' ¦ - ' ' ' ! ' ^ " ™ A

    oct 1 , 1889 The ' , Publishers' Circular iI 5 T

    The Demor^Iilsation Of The American Book...

    THE DEMOR ^ iilSATION OF THE AMERICAN BOOK TRADE .

    In another column of this journal will be found a review of Mr . Caspar ' s able and comprehensive work of reference on the American

    author Book , , News in a long , and and Stationery interesting Trade preface . , The

    discusses several points which touch more or less closelthe interests of publishers ~~ ~~ and

    booksellers ^^^ p ^^^ . ^^^ p h ^^ t ^^^ F ^^^ y ^ r in ^^^ ^^^^^^^ Eng ^^^^ ^^^ ^^* ^^^ land ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ and ^^ ^^ ^^ ™ her ^ r ~~ ' colonies — - ^ ^—^ ^ ^ ™ ^^ - ^ — , as well — as in the United States . He says a good many

    things that are wise , and a few that in our judgment are otherwise ; but the value of the book as a whole is incontestableand by its

    , preparation—at great labour and cost— Mr . Caspar has merited the thanks of all who are

    engaged in the trade . There can be no two inions on the justice of the following

    reop marks ; and we are glad to find an American publisher laying his hand so fearlessly on on ©

    of the chief scandals of the day : — ' Another source of demoralisation of the

    American book trade , and at the same time a national disgraceis the absence of an

    international copyright , law . The more fair-minded members fefc mfc bm of the » - book --w - -trade --- as - ~ well - - as the - ^^^^^^^ ^^ r *^ ^^ ^ . ^ ^^ *^ ^^^^ ^^ ^— ^ ^ ' ^ ^^ ^^ —— — , — j —— — — — —

    American authors , all agree that this condition should be remedied at < once . The question

    can only be as to the manner in which it should be regulatedand an answer thereto

    embodying protection , as far as possible to , all interests involved , will , no doubt , be

    found at a not far distant day . This country is the richest on the face of the globe , and

    the American peop le * can afford to pay for thing they choose ¦ »!»¦ - to buyand ¦ they should

    any % also »^>^ A W « p < ~ be ~ — » i * MK willing ^ P" ^ ^ »¦ - W - ^ ¦ ^ to ^ - . »¦ —— pay ' — for the , — — productions " ^ f of foreign authors . The right of an author to

    his own brain-work is to-day recognised by all afford in civilised the to present nations abolish state , and the of the barbarous home United literature State custom s , can well of ,

    stealing the literary property of European writers b ^ The Bbh iratical b cheap b reprints of

    European ^ ^ ^^ H , ^^^ ^^ p . ^ pf ^ . ^ books , . b ^ ^^^ p m , ^^ ^^ ^^ especiall w v ^^ ^^^ v « ™ ^ p * - ^ y - ^— - ^— ^ Eng ^ — ~ — ' lish — m ' " — , ™— — — which ~ — flood flr » r » ri the +. Vip > m mark arket fit . are are not not only onlv detrimental detrimental to to i

    the are Bi also development a HjH curse to , of the American to American ¦ a literature ¦ book p ¦ ¦ trade , but .

    B ^ jBJ ^ B ^^^ p r ^ L-J ^ U ^ Bk W ^^ M ^^^^ r ^^^^ F w ^^ B ^ ^ B ^ B ^^ B ^^^^ F B ^ F ^ , ^ ^^ ^^ m ^^^^^ F ^^^ " *^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^™ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ " ^^^ ^ ^^ ^ ^ - ^ ^ ' ^^ ^ With a few exceptions the publication of ^ American L . A lAft ^ BlP ¦ * * - ^ b * - — ' ^ Mr fiction ** ¦¦ ¦<» . ^ i ^ ¦ * - ~ - ' * ' - **^ , or ~— copyri — b— b g g j hted — — books ,

    ten owing B ^/ ¦ ^^ J ^ ^ or ^_^ ^ twent B ^ # to ^^^ « the A V y W cent ^ i ^ competition ^^ Ht BIP- reprints ^ m ~* r g ~ r - ^ ___ _ ™_ - of with __ Eng - J these ' J lish -- — novels cheap - ,

    < Novels fec , becomes fc which generall a very i y hazardous are published enterprise for the .

    ^^^ ^ ^ _ J «/ » ^^ ^ f ^^ T V- y ^ J ^ Ab ^^ BJ BK / " * " % ^^ *»^ " ^^ ^^ ^^^ — —~ w ™ - ^^ - ^ M - ^* - - ^ — ^ ^ — — volume volume English editions editions market , in the the the demand demand favourite for tor which wnicn two or conies conies throb

    chiefl limited y fro editions m # circulating ¦¦ , at a hi libraries h price , are frequentl issued in y

    from These These AAAAA * " */^»* ^^ - * twenty verv ^^ VAA . B same same r - *•• one -. »* v » novels novels w shillings — .- — - " -M g are are — — - J ^ reprinted reprinted — to two , — — pounds —j ^ in in thin thm — ^ . very

    country in paper-covered ten or twenty cent

    ^^ n «> rv < - > k k '^^ ' * was editions ~ . J 3 l . i . Z brough v /« . Disraeli I \ 1 t out ' ' b s y ' the Endymion Uv -IBF l Eng iTni Bl « inn liBk sh " publisher for f y- v *» instance i noi-on r > at r & , ^""^ _ - * .

    31 s . 6 d ., amountm r in united ^ States ^ " ^^ * money ,

• Citation
  • Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), Oct. 1, 1889, page 1151, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_01101889/page/19/