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I9s The Publishers' Circular MWhi,i886
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188 Fleet Street, March 1, 1886.
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HILE the English people have been W occu...
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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Transcript
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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.
I9s The Publishers' Circular Mwhi,I886
I 9 s The Publishers' Circular MWhi , i 886
188 Fleet Street, March 1, 1886.
188 Fleet Street , March 1 , 1886 .
Hile The English People Have Been W Occu...
HILE the English people have been W occupying their thoughts by
considera-4 L V *—^ *^^ w tions of the best books , some American ' literarians' have been voting upon the worst .,
They have been trying to determine which five authors of the present century have
exerted the worst influence upon morals . As might be expected under such circumstances ,
the worst influence has been attributed to works which show very stark deformities ; for
in this particular self-elected judges rarely perceive the more insidious encroachments of
generally popular writers , who have the will , but not nerve , to speak their evil
openly-Thus we find that the order of cataloguing in this singular black list places Ouida first .
Zola second , and Ingersoll third ; while Mrs . South wold and Lord Byron (!) may be said to
be bracketed . Inquiries such as these , however , whether
relating to the good or the bad , can aim only at the gratification of idle curiosity . What
seems to be wanted in the world , the reading world especially , is more individuality of
thought and less dependence upon the advice of those who under special conditions have
formed special modes of thought . Commenting upon Mr . Ruskia ' s remark that 'books
ought to be read as we take medicine—by advice , ' an American contemporary says that
' " Fors Clavigera" might make some reader bless the day that Ruskin was born , and the
very next man who read it might go out and hang himself . ' Any bookseller's assistant of a
few years' standing could , from trade experience , give a list of books which might rival
that of a savant . Besides this he could tell where the books could be had and what their
cost would probably be . What we say upon this point introduces
the subject of the tangible aid which has lately been offered to the public through the
enterprise of various firms , who have determined to * help the willing to help themselves '
in the matter of reading . As yet no one can speak with certainty as to the result of the
new effort ; . but the English-speaking race have good reason to be profoundly grateful
for the prosperity of kindred labours which formerly flourished under the direction of
Charles Knight , the brothers Chambers , and John Cassell .
Messrs . Cassell & Co . have led the way in the new advance by the publication of
CASSEiiL ' s National Library . The books of the series by this time are familiar all over
the country , and very great praise has justly been bestowed upon their extremely tasteful
form and legible printing . Connected with
their new venture , the publishers have issued a singularly interesting sheet of press and
personal opinions regarding the books . Press comments are pretty familiar , but we have
rarely seen so powerful an array of distinguished names as that which is appended
to the document issued by Messrs . Cassell , to show the measure-of appreciation and
support which has been granted to their undertaking by the leading men of the time .
Statesmen , bishops , heads of colleges , professors , inspectors of schools , and principals of
training colleges , all come forward to testify in a united manner their recognition of the noble
work that is being done . The nafne of the editor—Professor Henry Morley—would in
itself be a powerful guarantee of the quality of the books . Selecting Professor Max Miiller
and Professor Tyndall as fit representatives of the supporters of the new departure , we find
that the former says : 'I hope your boldness will Classics be rewarded ' will have , and as that wide your a " circulation Threepenny as
our ' * Threepenny Newspaper . " I am particularly glad to see that you do not mean
to confine yourself to the so-called Hundred Best Books . Many of the best books are
to be found among those that have but a small circle of friends . ' Professor Tyndall ' s
opinion is as follows : * Your little book is a marvel of cheapness . I sincerely trust that ,
from a business point of view , it may prove successful . For , assuredly , you are doing
your countrymen and countrywomen a beneficent service , by bringing the gems of English
literature in this handy form within reach of the poorest among them . '
It may be well to mention that among the forthcoming volumes the following will be
found : — ' The Wisdom of the Ancients , 'by Lord Bacon ; < Natural History of Selborne '
, by Gilbert White ; « The Lady of the Lake , ' by Sir Walter Scott ; ' Travels in the Interior of
Africa , ' by Mungo Park ; ' The History of Egypt , ' by Herodotus ; ' A Voyage Round the
World , ' by Lord Anson ; ' Selected Yoyages / from Richard Hakluyt ' s Collection ; 'The
Christian Year , by John Keble ; 'Selected Philosophical Writings / by LordBolingbroke ;
'Table-Talk , ' by Martin Luther ; < Thoughts on the Present Discontents , ' by Edmund
Burke ; ' The History of Europe during the Middle Ages / by Henry Hallam , & c .
The field of usefulness in this work is a very wide one , and we have no reason to fear
that the influence of competitive labour will prove unfortunate . Nay , we rather hold the
opinion that rivalry in the good work will stimulate both producers and purchasers . Only
the other day the issue of Rouixedge ' s Worxd
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Citation
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Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), March 1, 1886, page 198, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_01031886/page/4/
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