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    Nov. i, i8S8 The Publishers' Girciilar *...

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    THE LO1STDON XITBRA&Y SOCIETY. BANKRUPTC...

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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.

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    Nov. I, I8s8 The Publishers' Girciilar *...

    Nov . i , i 8 S 8 The Publishers' Girciilar * 349 ^ ' . ; ' . . I _

    The Lo1stdon Xitbra&Y Society. Bankruptc...

    THE LO 1 STDON XITBRA & Y SOCIETY . BANKRUPTCY OF JOHK PLAYSTER STEEDS—An

    Extraordinary Story . The public » —— - — " ^^ examination ^"" ™ ™ —¦— ^^ —^^^»^ w ^ ^ v ^^» " ^^ ^^^^^ of ^^ ^^^ this ^^^ B ^^» ^ B ^*^ bankrupt ^^^ ^^^^ ^^*^* ^ A ^* ™» ^^^ ^^^ ^^ was * w ^^^^ F" *^

    resumed before Mr . Registrar Linklater at the London Bankruptcy Court on the 30 th inst . Mr . Howell appeared i _ v - for »<¦ the Official <^^ fc ^ »¦ ¦» Receiver ¦*<*¦ .

    — - - - - — — . ^— ^ | n ^ r —^ <^ v 'w w a ^_ i ^ « f a « p ^^ ^^ r ^ gy ^ ' *^ Y ^^ ^^ ^ » ^ h ^^ b Mr . Sidney Woolf appeared to examine the bankrupt on behalf of creditors .

    The bankrupt presented his own petition on ¦ publisher June 21 last carrying -v , describing ¦ on » ¦ ¦¦ ¦ business himself * l » K « T as as ' of the 376 " London Strand ¦ » ,

    Literary — — - — — , Society — ' ^ — , " ^^ J ' and ^^^— adjudication — ' mm- ^ m ^^ ^^ «^ IN < ^ f ^ i ^ followed fc ^^ ^ HMV - ^™» ^»* on . * ¦ — - the 25 th of the v - same vnaB ^^ - month M ¦»¦¦ - ^ rf- M V 4 bA 0 . Accounts h Va ^^ bA were W » fc ™ ^^ —— — —^ * ^ ^>^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ** ^¦^^^

    d presented ebts ¦ at , ' about in which ¦•» £ 1500 the ' bankrupt and assets estimated at * about Iris

    ^ " ^ — —~^~ ^ ~ * " ^ ^^ ^^ ™ ¦ " * »^ , v ^^ ^^ ^^ ^* wt ^ h n i ^ ^ W ^^^^ ^^ ^^>^ ^ . rV ^^ ^ i"ir ^^^ ^^ ^ w ^ w tne the £ 200 nrs fi , ' no t t meeting meeting particulars - oi of or credit creditors items ors . hplrJ held being on on given June June . 25 2 At fi .

    no resolution was passed , and the , estate was left , in the hands of the Official Receiver to be wound

    up . he ne U appearea arjDeared pon the case for lor being the tne creditors creditors called on , , and and Mr . Woolf dpsir desired ^ d said to to

    examine the bankrupt . The bankrupt , was then t called raveller and in examined the employment . He said of he Messrs was formerl Boord y & a

    . Sons , distillers , whom he left in 1879 . He then took failing an office he commenced and started ' business a wine agencyv as the which *

    Lon-, He He don Literary naa had then then Societ £ ^ 1 100 00 y' capital nani in 1880 tal . which whinh at 376 he Iia Stran had ha ^ .

    derived from the lease of , Westfield House , Hampstead ta Heathwhich formerlbelonged 4 LJb

    to — him ^ W ^ ^^ . ^^ He ™ ™ owed ^^ ^^ ^ i ^ «* v ^ f ^^ then , v » w ** m about ^ k ^^^^ 4 «^^ # £ - 20 & JbA ^^ . Jk AW y No ^ one ^_/ ^ ^^^ was M ^ ^^/ ^ , ^ interested in the * Society' but himself . An

    advertisement and the * blue book' ( produced ) was were to issue publish d by him the . works The of obj the ect members of the * Societ and y to '

    books advise before them as the to public the expediency . There were of p no lacing less their than

    ments ments six systems ot of all all members members of publishing . . By Bv the thfi to meet advertisements arlvftrt . the isftTn require p'Tits he h & -

    and issued invited — —— - - he — — ^ -f ¦— set ^ r subscribers ^ tr ^ -- ^ out ¥ ** r ** -r - » rf- - ~ ^ the WW ^ . r Fw' adva to - < ^» the »* ntage - ¦ Jk ^ aT Society T ^—l X ^ ^ " ^ of ¦ * ^^ ** the J , and «^ V . A X systems * - > fc ^ 2 ^ B , 000 ' N *\ 7 \ J

    persons responded to his irivitation . The subrrom fr sc om ription that that fee source source was was was one guinea Over Over * . £ 2 , 2 so . 000 000 that a a vpn his . r . . income That That . year

    , was of course during the latter part of his trading . emp Di He g had b loy y & and no Long interest after . Long he in left the was and business formerly started carried a business clerk in on his b on y bis — ¦ own " ¦ account % l /> 1 ¦ he sometimes _/ 4 IS referred 4 \ J budding IkX * -A :

    " ¦ " - • M-m . «^ vIr v » * *^ » J * X ^ ••^ - ^ . JLAV M . M .-KAV . - " < J A . ^ > - V >* * A . ^^ > ^< t ^** X > t M C £ L authors to him for advice . With reference to the losses systems to , one the of authors them , was they to to secure receive all profits the whole and

    profits That was of the the usual sales after system deducting . He also commission published . to under -- - •• v ^ . ^ - 'JL « a . «< system UJ UUl / JUJ . to UV secure UVjVJ Ut V ^ all CA / XX ptofits L / lVUUi ] and C 1 / JLJV 4 . XiCUUiS rights

    authors . The ditferent systems would be sixth soen system by referrin he published g to his several circulars book . s Under amongst his

    1 tliem ttna nd Sketches being of Celibate ' Darius Worthies the Median , ' Jack Identified , Hardy , , ' '

    •« 'others otners . . These lhese books books were were rfiviawprL reviewed , and and he h *> llevien printed and a portion circulated of reviews them from He quite the Saturday admitted

    that tlve tive best best he did word word not s a for fof publish his his purpose rm all -mosp the . . review He Hft knew knftw , but p a icked Miss Miss

    her Death Pocklington . He published , and had a published book for her several called works 4 Until for

    it His were led , ' printed but ger did he could . not It mig Bay not . ht how say ^ e many how 500 , many 1 were , 000 , cop or prated 2 ies . 000 ^ of ;

    tlxe t * lit it binders showed * " He that could 500 cop not ies were tnafc received more from than , . say

    t »

    r T ^ rere printed i . ' unless he . saw the invoices J . The ¦ arrangement ~^^^ m ^^~ ^^» ^^ r ^ ^^ m * m V ^ H ^*^ " ^^ i ^ m ^^^ ^^ r ^™^»^ ^^ with * ^^^ *^ ^ wh Miss ^^ w ^ . ^^^ v ^^ »^^^ Pocklington ^ r ^ m - ^ w ^^ ^^^^^^^^»^^—¦—o * hh '"' ^^^ ^™ was ^ » ^ " ^ ¦¦ - - - ™ r that ¦ he ^ " ^

    was to print and publish 2 , 000 copies of the work for £ 00 . That £ 60 was paid , and after the book had been put upon the market

    quarterly accounts were rendered 1 to her . The book had not been published so soon as was first arranged because he thought it better to ,

    bring it out with the Christmas books . It was a \ fact that he wrote to Miss Pocklington telling her that the book was moving well , and having sent

    out 600 copies he thought he was justified in telling her so . The books were sent out on sale or return . Up to March 1887 he had received

    £ 7 . 10 s . from Messrs . Smith & Sons for the sale of the book , but shortly after that they returned the copies they hadfinding no demand for them . He

    had not given , Miss Pccklington . credit for the £ 7 . 10 * . received because he had not settled up

    with her . With regard to his not printing so many as 2 , 000 copies of the book , he contended that he was not legally bound to print more than

    were required by the trade . The demand rested entirely with the trade , and if they did not require more than 50 copies he was not bound to

    publish more . If , however , there was a demand for them he would , of pourse , have had to print the whole 2 , 000 . He should not , of course , keep

    the type up of any book unless it sold well , owing to the great expense of doing so , but it might be stereotyped . He could not recollect whether this

    particular book of ' Until Death' was ' stereo'd . ' He had , he admitted , written to Miss Pocklington sayings that if the book sold it would reali se a good

    profit "" f Tmt as a fact it was a shilling book selling to — - —¦ the — - ^— trade q ^ db ^ »^ ¦ ^^^ ^ k ^ ^ at ^* r % f ^ 8 . J % d s ^ r . w a ^*^ f copy ^^ ^^ ™ ^ m , w and — — if ' ¦ the ~^— whole - " " ^ - ^^ ^—~ ^ 2 ^" , j 000 ^^ ^^ " ^^

    copies had been sold it would only have realised £ 60 . 185 # . h and -a inasmuch ¦¦ ¦¦ as Miss ¦ Pocklington had

    paid ^^^ r - *^ ~— — * a » £ \^ 60 * j , ,- for mr — — ^^ ^*~ the § ^^^ i ^ # ^^ 4 publishing * 4 ^^ ^^ " — — —— — & — ' c ^^ , and ^^ — -- — ^^ ' £ v ^ 6 — — for - - - ^ the — — — - — binding ™» " ¦ «»^» I ^ m 4 k ^ fc Vl ^ h , there ^^ ^ fc *^ ^^^ rf ^ ^^ would ^ ^ ^ ¦ ^^ V ¦ ¦¦ * * T i ^ have ^^ " ^ ^ - — been ~ ¦ —¦ ^ —~ ¦ ^ no — ' " ^» profit v ^ w ^^ - ^ coming —^ - — ' — " — - — - —¦ h ^ h

    to her after deducting commission . He also published a book for Mrs * Boe called the * Secret ,

    sums sums Chamber of nf , ' £ - £ 20 for 2 O and s \ which . r \ c \ £ J ? 5 fi . he He He received could could from noV not-however Jaowever her two

    find reference in his stock book to the book , and any he could not ive the name of the printers ,

    who the book printed was it printed . He g would , and was , however held by , swear Fisher that , a

    bookbinder . He knew that the sheets were sent to Fisher direct from the printersand no record

    books Hnnlr of it would were w * vr *> never r be \( ± \ rt > kept r sent sftnt at to to his the the office omce office . , The , but but sheets were were of

    always sent direct to the binder ? ! . , He could the not invoices tell who as V «/ B printed it J * . was *» V ^ the not ¦ % ¦ always book ¦ by the searching practice ¦—

    ceived noi of * ' A _ A ^/ veA printers A . Jt , M , W \ S the hh AV / VJI p ! , ^ £ £ to 9 20 wT , 0 render W from fmm m w M . *» TVI Mrs i accounts ^ * rs ^ . — - — — Iioe Hoe - - —— . r»— early earlv He — — bad in in — - tne the re — — -

    for transaction a further with £ 5 her for ,- additional and afterwards he . wrote She expenses

    afterwards demanded the a-epayment of the £ 5 . the In reply book to was that gettiDg demand on he and wrote that telling a cheque her would how

    be sent by the same post , for the £ & . By the Court—The cheque was not tor inclosed

    beand cause Miisft could the the secre ser not attend ttary arv had had to been been the matter away away for . his ms holiday noiiaay . The Registrar—Whose handwriting is the |

    letter in ? I Ihe The Bankrupt Registrar— — Well Mine , . are you not the secretary

    of tlie Society 1 The Bankrupt—Tes , your Honour . reason The for Reg not istrar sending —Then the you cheque must give than us tha a better t * tloip ]

    secretary had been aw ay for his holiday and coukj ^ not attend ^} to — it ; . — . : __—— . ~ ' ^ fifei ^

    fi ^» A *» *

• Citation
  • Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), Nov. 1, 1888, page 1349, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_01111888/page/11/