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    August 15,1889 The Publishers' Circular ...

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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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    "V An Edition And Its Life:

    ~ " ' '> . \ —————————History , like theology , appears to have been somewhat of a drug in the marketfor

    the ' petitioners ' give no return in connection , with the Tforks of Hume g , Mrs . Macaulay , or

    Robertson . Rollins ' Ancient History ' was offered to the public in a variety of forms and

    prices ; but the cheapest was the 18 mo . in twelve - - volumes for twent - y-two shillings —¦—¦— —— and

    this _ — was in the — — — — market — — _ — . _— ^ for _ _ _ , a quarter *^ - —— f ^ , of a century ; an edition in ten octavo volumes for

    another fifty shillings in duodecinio was _ _ twenty i for thirty -four shillings years , and was

    twenty ¦ -ei ght mam ' _ years in a \ t the _ ^ H market ^ a . — RoLlin p ^ p ^ p"p ^ p >~ ^ -- * ph A ptt ' s ' Belles Lettres' also enjoyed a great

    popushillings larity , the ) f , duodecimo selling O in J- --- , four , in four years «/ volumes ; . » althoug ( twelve CP h the

    same author's 'Arts and Sciences , ' in four volumes octavo (\ twenty ¦ «/ -two - — shillings — ^ ) , , met

    the years / — quiet . Biograp — -but — § — stead hy y like — demand — — history ^^—^^ — of thirty was -one not

    remarkabl _ y popular ^ ^^ ^^ ^ j , with the general -- ^ k # , reader in the first three quarters of the last century ,

    but the most widely-read work in this section was Plutarch's * Lives . ' Two editions in

    octavo and the , one other in ^ ei ght mm in volumes six p ^ k volumes for - _ forty for shillings ^ pk n ^ p » thirty ^ . ^ ,

    sixteen shillings years , were —_ _ respectivel _ on _ _ _ sale _ _ for y ; whilst thirty the years _ __ 18 _ and mo .

    — —_ . ... j ^ - —^ j . . ( _ — - in nine volumes for sixteen shillings was twenty -four years % v selling % mJ . Another book Iof

    quite Disp ^ - ^— r — h ~^ p- layed — — —*~ a -r different ^ p ^ p * - ^ - - ^ r- , - ^ g ' also - ^ p ~ ^ pr ^^ v v - ^ ~^ p- character had ¦ h - ^^ ^ pr = » " ~ a - ^ ^ popularity H I ™ ™ - " to ~ *^» " — ¦ Plutarch ~^ P ^^ F ^^^ ¦ ^ PPp' ^ P" for ¦ ¦ ~^ " - ^^ PPP 1 , which PT ^ ' Nature «^ v - ^^ - ^^¦ ^ we w ^ - ^^^^

    in the present age can scarcely account . The two editions of seven -. _ volumes . - — — each — ? in octavo

    and duodecimo satisfied the demands , for twenty-six and , eight years respectivelythe

    former size selling at two guineas and , the latter at £ 1 . 4 s .

    The demand for Temple's works was not at all brisk ; the two vols . foHo , at £ 1 . 14 s .,

    were octavo twenty were thirteen -three years years , and going — the off . four Shaftes vols - .

    bury 4 A 's " ' Characteristics ~ db * ^ K _ ^ «^ ' , showed « A ^ 3 ^^ a similar A ^ . K tendency for a quiet sale ; ithe three vols .

    for octavo thirty ( eighteen years shillings and the _ ) __ being same in , number — the market — of

    volumes ^ in ^ 18 mo , . ( six shillings ) , twenty-ffive years .

    Poetry—and our forefathers were nothing if not diligent readers of poems and

    translations Addison — ' shows s * Miscellanies a much better ' in state three of volumes things ,

    duodecimo ( nine shillings , ) , going off in six years ; whilst an edition of his * Works , in

    four years volumes , but the large quarto octavo ( ( £ ^ 2 1 . ) , 8 sold a . ) occup in eig ied ht

    thirty-three years in selling . Baskerville ' s beautiful edition , however , in royal quarto , at

    three three guineas ernineas . , sold sold in in tnirteen thirteen years vears , . Drvden JJryden ' 8 a ' Works , ' in four volumes octavo ( £ 1 . 4 s . ) , supplied the market for fourteen years .

    crown Gay ' s 8 Fables vo . editions ' went of off one very volume rapidly selling , the two in

    three years each — that with illustrations wi being thout priced embellishments at three shillings being , a and shilling that

    c sold heap most er . rap * Hudibras idly in , its ' like expensive many other form books ; the ,

    out octav , in o edition ftio-ht veara , at . fourteen the dnodfecimo shillings . , at sellin three g

    shillings and sixpence , in ten years , whereas j ^ — i '' ¦ ' '' ¦ . 1 .. ¦

    years the 18 in mo . going , atjthree off . shillings Milton ' s , was * Paradise twenty Lost -four '

    was apparently not nearly so saleable a book as one would naturally thinkor else the

    impression of each edition was very , extensive , as is highly probable . The various editions

    had 'lives * varying from six to fortyithree years W K ¦¦ ^ pIpT ^ A pV ^ . pT ^ p - ^ p ^^ WK , at Vp ^ pV ^ T prices | V ^ ^ pK p ^ p ^ p * ^ pV ^^ H rang ^ _ Wp ^^ MK - _ ing ^ p » p 1 V *^ HK ^ ph ^ from p ^ ^ p ^ ^ p ^ ^ pB p ^ pV . ^ p » ¦ between « ff ^ T ¦ ^ T V p ^ p & ^ Mp ^ BT ^ ppb ^^ p ^^ IB _ two W V V pM ^ p ^ ^ ^ p ^

    shillings ^ and twent ^ y-five . shillings ^ ^ . Newton ^ s editionat £ 2 . 10 s . was in the market for

    point twelve out , years that , and for it , editing may be ' Paradis interesting e Lost to

    Newton received from the booksellers > copies to the amount of £ 630 and of 'Paradise

    Regained 1732 eclition , ' £ 105 one . hundred Bentley , received uineasand __ for his his _ g _

    edition does not appear ^ to have ^ j been , exhausted j — when the booksellers drew up their petitions

    forty-three years after its appearance . Pope ' s poetryfrom the tendency of the timesshows

    a much , better M ^ . result than - — Milton pVH ^ p ^ ^ * A . ' s . , Two p ^ p ^ ppph editions of nine volumes each sold in seven

    years other , in one crown in medium octavo octavo at £ 1 . at 7 s £ . 2 « . The 14 s . cheapest , and the

    edition of the Homeric translation , in seven volumes duodecimo ( one guinea ) also sold in

    , times seven the years price , and in = the thirteen medium years octavo . S at penser three ' s

    works ' Faeri , e like Queene Milton , ' in ' s , two were vols not . in quart great o ( demand £ 1 . 7 s . ) , ;

    being octavo ei edition ghteen , two years vols selling ., ten , . shillings whereas , was the sixteen . ^ His ' . Works / in six vols . duodecimo

    and ( eighteen the sam shillings e number ) , being of twenty vols . -six in 18 years mo . ,

    ( twelve shillings ) , twenty-four years in the market . Swift ' s ' Works' were also in

    conbulk siderable ^> ^ pph and ppa . ^ pH expense deman mm d ; they indeed mx 4 ml compare ^ m , considering most d * m ^ m favour their — mm mt

    ably with any other , author of the first half of the last century . The edition in

    twentythree octavo volumes ( £ ' 6 . 18 s . ) was only , » ix years sellingand * that in twenty-four volumes

    also octavo ( , £ 3 . 12 s . ) , was just twelve months , longer in going off ; but the 18 ino ., in

    twentyone volumes ( two guineas ) , lingered on for fifteen years . Thomson ' s ' Seasons , ' in

    duodecimo many years , and in at selling three ; but shillings Waller , was ' s ' Works only as '

    in quarto Some , interesting at six times the facts price relating , was eig to ht years Shak , . -

    article speare ' . s Works Shakspeare may was fitting not ly at conclude all 'in this the

    and fashion therefore ' during we the need age of , nojL reason . be and in formal the least ity ,

    edition surprised ^ b » t ^ hBTPpT * p * h ^ 0 m ^ v ^ p"p » p 1 Hp > occup ^ p ^ ^ p ^ at *^ ¦ * mm m-r the ^ ied B - ^ m- ¦¦ pb leng in p ^ p . p ^ mm * selling r ^ p th - - ~^ - ^ y ¦ — " ¦— periods - J * ^ . Pope ¦ — ' which ^ ''" s — , ~ m ' in — " " each r six ^ ^^ '

    Theob quarto ald volumes ' sin seven ( £ 6 . 6 volumes s . ) , was forty octavo -eig ( £ ht 1 . years 15 s . ) , ,

    oc was was tav fnrt o rt of . yv-- the on one e same years vearH edition ; ! but but the the ( £ 1 . eight eierht 8 s . ) was volumes volumes only f s , j ix ^ , f r \ years w ^^ y mi mm Mt ri . f . v Hanmer p ^ ppp » ppp ^ p * p ^»^ p . " . * pp » "p" flh ^ pk ^ p ^ ip ^ mam 's v * r , * m six w * r pipp « ™ p- ^ vo » - ^ p ^ lumes ' ----- _ ^ octavo _^ ^«^ _^ _^ , ^ v - _ -

    same ( £ 1 . 10 edition s . ) , was , 18 twen mo ., ty in -eig nine ht years volumes ; but , was the

    in onl nnk y octavo tTirpil twelve vft ( £ years vfia 2 . 8 . n . ) Warh War , was burton urton twenty ' ss . , eight eierht -eight volumes volumes years in the market and the -pp ^ - editions of Capell ¦

    of mWk , . ib mm * Johnson ^ mW m \ pfe ~ l - tm Mm mm m ^ H' m p ™ p- * ^ mr and ^ mr ; mm , - ¦»*¦» — of " " ^ * p * " ^ Johnson —^ - — ^ pp- ^^ — — - — ~— and — — Steevens - - — — ¦ - » v— - ^ r rmw , ppp too recent , lpublished to permit the

    'peliitioners w WVXt ere 3 V \ J \ J XDV drawing / Cai / l y V Jf up KTAM . statistics OM . M . 'UUL U \ S JJ relative \ J * l M . kHM . V UXJIC to

    their lives in the market . <

    August 15,1889 The Publishers' Circular ...

    August 15 , 1889 The Publishers' Circular .. 939 j j

• Citation
  • Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), Aug. 15, 1889, page 939, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_15081889/page/13/