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Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), 15th October 1890, Edition 1 of 1, Page 1357, Sm, I accept Archdeacon Farrar's disclai...

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      Letter Mr , . Says Harry :— Quilter, In ...

      proportion of failures to successes is more than ten to one—moreI believethan 50 to 1 so far — _ _ - , , - — — -

      as any considerable profit to the publisher is concerned . Now , is it not abundantly evident that ifout of every 40 books published at the publisher's

      r isk , - , 20 are failures ^ in the A sense — that they j _ do not sellout more than half their first edition , and ten ^ are k ^^ ^ mt - _ - medium _ ~_ - - ~ - successes — - — — in — that - _ r they ~ ^ g run , , _ we - - ~__ - will , - _

      gay , into a second edition , which is not exhausted —that from the ten that are left the publisher must —— — make , not only his 10 per j _ — cent ., but a sufficient — -

      additional sum to pay for a large proportion of his failures ? After stating that he has no faith in the

      Society of Authors , Mr . Quilter proceeds : — As far as the controversy has gone < 7 T at present X .

      there seems to be nothing proved ; but that , because they paid all that they agreed to pay ( which they did apparently because they had made

      more than they expected to make ) , they should have paid more—paid , indeed , some sum which _ stands in what Mr . Besant w if not the author 7

      , , considers to be a fair proportion to the publishers ' profits—such reasoning is perfectly childish . Literary matters can be conducted on no other

      fashion than that which pertains to all other commercial transactions . If a man sells a book he must sell it as he would sell a horse or a house

      —that is , in accordance with the terms of his bargain , and not go whining about the world for a literary society to help him to reclaim some

      portion of the interest , which he has parted with with his eyes open for a consideration which he deemed sufficient . We are too much govetned

      nowadays , and far too much in all literary and artistic matters . We swaddle up our writers and our _ painters _ as if they ^ were less , not more , than ^

      men , and we are growing so stupid that we cannot read a poetry book without a society to interpret for — — us , y __ or . _ sell _ a novel without our society steps ^ in

      and fixes the price . Go to 1 as Mr . Besant would say days ; things and * The were world not went managed very thus well in then the . ' old A

      reat , deal bettermethinksthan it is likelto g go now until we , think a little , less of the profits y of authorship and a little more of its responsibility

      and dignity .

      Oct. Ij, 1890 The Publishers' Circular I...

      Oct . ij , 1890 The Publishers' Circular I 357

      Sir,—Far Be It From Me To Enter The List...

      Sir , —Far be it from me to enter the lists agains o t such formidable defenders of truth and

      justice as Canon Farrar and Mr . Besant ; but , in fairness to the craft to which I have the honour to ¦ ^¦ v belong m ^ m ~ ~^ h * mm ^^ - r ¦ - ~ ¦ - m 1 , H — I ~ should — ¦ " ^ like to be permitted — " ~~ — to — ^^ ask ^~ ~

      them one question . Suppose I had given to either of these gentjemen . £ 5 , 000 for the entire copyright of a work , and that I had lost ( such

      things do happen ) £ 2 , 500 by the bargain , is their sense of equity of such a practical nature as to 4 indu made My ce dea so either r much .. sir , 1 of b cannot them book bear to come whils to think t to me that have and I made have say , y my you

      such a heavy __ loss ^ ; pray take , back ^ one-half of what you have paid me' 1 On the other hand , if 1 had by some lucky and unusual concatenation

      of circumstances made a profit of x 10 , 000 by my to barga advocate mt in , the demand equity which s that these notwithstanding gentlemen seem V my

      bargain —m- ~— ~~ ^^ m *^ , - ^ r —— 1 should — - - - - ' go jf * on sharing , — my profits with him . If they would only be good enough to recognise the truth of the homely old saying that

      * What is sauce for the goose is sauce for $ he business gander , ' I on should these lines be well . If content the old , to stand carry -hy on A

      j br bargain - ¦ ' ' s a bargain' is to be abandoned ¦ — in

      Sir,—Far Be It From Me To Enter The List...

      fav mus mus o t t ur hot not of something be be one one--sided sided called because because equity then then , that it it equity is is nn no

      longer equity . I have heard , , that Mr . Besant is of op fl inion that - ... ___ publishers ^ — ^—^^ —»^— " ^ . T — ' « p * never mW * m ^ ^ m ¦ * W ^ m * ^ m m make ^^ mm ¦ . ^ m ^ b ^ k ^^ ^ losses M ^ m ~ r ^ W ^ T ^^^ * mW . W m I ^^

      wish I have I could been a conscientiousl publisher for y confirm forty years that , opinion and my . experience is dead against it . Had it been

      otherwise , I might perhaps by now have been a rich horses man , living and - - faring in a fine sumptuousl ¦— house —— ¦* - , -- — with w ¦ - carria day ges just v *> an as d

      , — ^_ —r — * y every ^ r » —— w -m ^ m * ¦*** - ¦ r , a ^ v ^/ mr ^ -r said Mr . Besant by him ' s * to dishonest do . It has sweating often publishers been said ' that are not more than one book » out of five covers v v the BfeB ¦

      the expense too of solid its — — - ~ truth — production ^ r ~— ~^^ of — ™ *^» ^ this a ^ ™^ " . ^ mw ^ m I say mm mr am ^^ ing r ^ w afraid mm ~^^ ™ that - ^ mr ^^^ «^ that compels ^^^ ^ m ^ m ^^ p it ^^ ^ is ^ ^^ mr me , j perhaps m ~ ¦ — — — *— for — — my ¦*¦ — — w ~ soul m ~ - * - * - **^ - —¦ '—•¦ s " good vk ^^ ^* - ^*» , « to - - — - live mm . m ^ w wm + * in + * . at- ^ a m ** r 4 far t . ^ rfVb

      Besant more humble 's glowi sty ng le picture than . that represented by Mr . I am , Siryours obediently

      , E . Marston , ,

      St , Dunstans House .

      ^ : = " — > —¦* In A Second Letter Mr. B...

      ^ : = " — > —¦* In a second letter Mr . Besant writes that

      he has raised a tempest by advancing two simple propositions : — ( I ) j That an agreement must be kept bb ¦ % . If fm an

      author nothing « ^ sells more his to work be said — for . a sum - ^—^~ — - ~ mr of - ^ -- ^ p * money ^^ ^^^^ - w ^ r , there ^^ ^^^ V is ^ " - ^ ( 2 ) That when anyone calls upon the world to

      acknowledge the equitable character of a transaction , he must show both sides of the case . He concludes :

      perty In is every concerned other , the transaction clauses of the in which agreement pro- , deedconveyancepartnershipor ¦ joint mm venture ¦

      are - - c , are — fully studi — , -y e ^ d b y both — " — — — — w ~ r , m parties - »* - ^ * m ^ ^— — before ^ r » ^ a ^ m mm * * w « the m ^ b ^ mr , V sell doc , -m umen a — nd t for is signed what — — . consideration — They —¦ - ° — - ™ -m understand ^ mmw -m ^ tm ^— ' — " ^^ ^ m *^ mw they mm wm m ^ - *^ W what W sell *** ^^ r A ^ b they it Jb m ^ —

      what they keep and what they get . Not to b understand usin - ess T- transac these tion things _ be _ would considered mww , in an m d y adness other .

      Authors — — — _ alone are — — ^ - — . _^ expected — , _^ ^^ ^ to ^^ ^ m r **^ ^ sign m- ^^^ » . * ^ m * ~ K agreements ^ m * . ^^ ^ ^^^ tg ^^ TWt ^ ^ - n T 1 ^^ , the meaning of which they do not understand and cannot learn . For the first h timethey are

      — — ~~ — lear — ning v throug - h the — a ct ¦ ^ — ion ^— r m * of - ^ r ~^ ^ m ^ our ^^ mm — ,, — , y ^ Soci ^ " ^^^^ ^^^ W e * t mm' fl y ^^ , mean what ; the what agre they ements surre subm nder itte and what to the they m keep really ;

      what , if the venture is a success , they will get

      and what their agents will get .

      Sm, I Accept Archdeacon Farrar's Disclai...

      Sm , I accept Archdeacon Farrar ' s disclaimer of reference to us in the remarks he addresse d to

      and the Church t that Congress circumstances in relation should to publishers ever have , arisen regre to make me think otherwise .

      appeal Ho ; states but t , however , I submit , that , he ho has has onl answered y done my in part .

      I challenged him to state before the whole world the accusations lie has made behind our backs . This he does not do . He shelters

      himself under the statement that he has never said us any -- — -- . _ thin Precisel . — —m g of us g so w . But ch he I - — has hold - ^ m , _ - ~ . - _ . q no letters q - t -m- m p lainl ^—¦ of # - v ^ y his said mm m ad V to - y ^^ ^^ — — — ^^— ^^ —^ ^^^* ^^^

      dressed to mo individually which , I think , arc never utterly unjustified ht to have by beeu the written facts of -. the case , and oug K . J

      Will Archdeacon Farrar permit me to make these letters public ? I amSiryour obedient servant

      , , Thomas Dixon Galpj , n . New Club , Brighton , Oot . 11 . ' ••< * ¦ ' 'W

  • Citation
    • Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), Oct. 15, 1890, page 1357, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_15101890/page/19/