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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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London Booksellers' Society Inaugural Di...
acquainted with each other . ( Applause . ) In ^^^^^^—asking ^ _ _ ~~ . - ~ ^^^_ them — —— — - — — to — — drink — the — — — health — - ~ - — — — — - of — their
them chairman __ _ to —_ , drink Mr . the Stott health , he of one was who asking was
a very good fellow all round , a man of kindly ¦ heart and experience a , and one who oug uht to
lead the Society up to a very prosperous condition ( applause ) . The Society was one that
deserved well of all booksellers everywhere , I for althougO h they V did not wish to asp Aire to
anything that was not right and honest , yet they did want to protect themselvesand after
I all protection was •*• the first law of man , ( hear , hear ) . Without further wasting their time
he would ask them to drink to the Society ' s prosperitytrusting that their membership
X would 1 . number «/ , its # " thousands < - > before the present year t / " 4 was past (\ app I JL lause )/ .
Strike the Lyre' having been tunefully rendered by the glee party
The Chairman rose to , respond to Mr . Beeching ' s toastand in doing so met with a
, very warm reception . He said : We are met here to-night to inaugurate the London
Book-I sellers' Society , and I think we may congratulate ourselves on the fact that we already
number 143 members . That is not much , yet it includes almost every bookseller in London
I —from 'Appy Hampstead to pleasant Kosherville . ( Applause . ) When we started we
were provided with a list of about 400 booksellers covering the London radiusbut when
I that ~ bIb — list W B a was examined «_» al . H we found . _ ^ , there - __ were I many of them who were only newsvendors and
stationers , pure and simple . This list is a strong proof of the necessit- y of the Society —
and I hop x e we may be the means , / of restoring , / , these newsagents and stationers back to their
former position as booksellers ( applause ) . We have a few—I may say a very few—publishers
on our list . At first the council were inclined to take umbrage at the indifference of the
publishers , but most of us have arrived at the conclusion that . the publishers are
right in not coming forward in a body to join us . ¦ We are , however — — , -m g ^^^ b » lad — ~ — — to ^ " ^¦"" welcome w w "bbb » bb » ^ b > - ^^ b ^ bbbbbbb ¦¦ , ^^ those w ^ m bbb - ^^ ¦ - ^ b-
who one hundrpd have come ^ of . our ( Hear members — , hear ¦ ^ " — r ^ m" . are * w ~ * ) r ¦ » * bbp ~ U booksellers » - *^ -m pwar ^ ** b ^ ^ *™» r *^ ^ bb * d " ^ b ^^™ s ^^ bb ^ o r ^^ r f , ^ m
and therefore the society may be regarded purely as a booksellers' societ bbb y bh and tb the
members ^ b ^ m now feel that they — — *" r ^^~ ^ must ^ ^^ ~^ " * - m , work ^^^ r ^™ m —w pbp out ^ bp ^ - ^ ™ ¦ - ^^ their own salvation by themselves .
Personally , I am glad we have not more publishers among us than we have ( laughter ) . 1 say ¦
that in « ^ » the best spirit , and - mean m ¦ « -w w— r ^ % that ¦¦ ^ " ^ ^^ # we want «¦* ** —w to show we are a force within V bbbi bbb ourselves b bbbj i . — ¦ — ^^ ¦ ¦ w ^» b ^ bi ^ i bpbi »*^ ^^^» ; j ^ b * b'bb V ^ bjb" ' ^¦ B' b »
Now mined , as to a d firs raw t a step uniform in our scale procedure of prices we deter to the
public , so that the unseemly spectacle of ¦ vary ¦ M ing M prices will no longer i be visible . That BBBBq iBBL BiV * B 1 " "B * bP
scale one has alth been M W h generall some - - - - - y of -w- - - recognised - ^ pi ^_ us vaB V ¦ B ¦ ^^ B ^ B ^ WV V I ^ B > *^^ > think B . 0 B . BB ^ > p is « Bk ^^ BBB ^ b BB ^ « B B . . a BkB * ri it flB « B g 1 ht is Bk ^ ¦ , oug - ' — ... — . „ ¦ - ^ - may ^ m ^ ^ ^ ^ . * r ^ riT
wrong some that . Then the , starting I believe of - — , the it was Societ f thoug Bl y was ht BJW b to y
at provide least a a moderate way for — — — going discount .,----, V ^^^ - * back , , , ^— __ _ to but T ^ , W ^ i ^ ^ p full ^ ¦ such ^ m B . b ^| BT BV ' ^ ft price / W a -B ^^ V W B move V ¦ BBBB * , W or ^ MT « ff - ; . ^^ ^ ^^^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^^
had ment become was too impossible deeply , rooted the discount and we system had 4 Bbh 1 to
accept ¦ the inevitable , and ~ ~^ base ' ^ ^^ , " ^ ^ " ^ ^ B ^ ' all VB . W BJ -BBW our - BHB ^ ^ » cal B | BB > ^ | - culations on a twenty-five ¦ per Bl B ^ P ^ cent BbV bF discount f BB | fl >^ .
I Here we must stop r — — - — ~ , and - - — — w -v _ - the Society BP ^ Br ^ l ^ B | ^ , V ^ B > BB | BIBB p FIT ^ BBF led ~| ^ B ^ W ges B > f
it Now 3 existence , the question J , to stop arises here as . to whether ( Hear , m , hear there «/ jvj WX . ) is after such
a living profit giving a discount gentlemen to the public here ? Well looking , the appearance well fed of you and
the picture , of health , , dissipates any insinuation that it will be necessary to hoist text l
a printed on your many bosoms with the motto / ' We are starving ( laughter ) . Of
, cj ' \ o / ^ - ^^ course , the ill booksellers i ii are inclined "i * i to abuse the publishers ; but they are very good fellowe
after all . Many of them are most liberal in a their little terms speculation ; if we wil and l onl buy y encourage decent numbers them bT by
they are ready to meet us , ^/ and enable ^^ » - » - us » " ^ Xb ^ A to 'vA earn — — a modest living f—j . But - some — — publishers |— - — -- ~ v -- i-iiva & va u
are not liberal , and I fear these must go to the wall ( laughter ) . It is a word of
warning . We cannot risk taking their books on the small margin they allow us , and the
consequence is that their books are not visible on bat our s their helves day . has I am gone sorry ( laug for hter those and publishers applause ) . ,
I should like now to say that , while congratulating ourselves on the hearty way — in
CJ which the rj trade has joined us , we have j - — also had the support BJ BJ of the Co ¦ -operative ^ ^ ^ — ¦ ^ ^^— ^ T
Stores . I believe we have one or two of their representatives Lere to-night . I mention
this to show the good-will towards us . The treasurer ^ BF ^^ ^^ " * ^ " ^ " — ^^ ~ - * ^ - ^ " i" and —* ~— ' — ^ ^— secretary ~ — ~* - ~— ^—^~ ~^* ~~ - - ^ ^ ^^^ IB ^ have ^^ ^^ ^ B- ^ BT ™ ^ Bp ^ assured BB—B » B - ^ B' - ^ - ^ ' ™ ^ B ^ V ^ B > ^ me Bk BI BBr ^ BB" that ^ B » ^^^^ ibi- ^ p- ^ p ~ b >
the Stores are willing to go the whole length with us and accept our scale of prices .
Booksellers in days past J . have always said that the Stores were making all the profit , and
the customer was in the habit of talking about how cheaply he could buy at the Stores .
Now they could tell the customer that he could not get a book cheaper at
the deny ^^ B ) , ^^ ¦*»•** W Stores the "V B » B » ^ B- * charge - * T B » BBB ; ^ BJFB in f . " ^ ^^ ( \ ^ app " fact * W *^ W ~ ^ lause ^ - ^ , ^ ' ^** they » " > B * ^^ ) / . _ could I Sk ^ had *¦» ^* m ^*^ hoped — BBB absolutel W B « - ^ that y
been our (^ V- * ^ -r * Jfc friend b here » * . * b ^ ¦¦ - ^^ , to ^» Mr ^ - " -ni iK .-h . . mfeK g Fred ht . &«/• , but i ^ . ^ . ^ - * t Macmillan ** unfortunately ^ . Jtk » Jfcm . x ^ - ^ . - */ (^ 'A , would Jhe have is in
America . He is the bravest man among the ¦ publishers & B « rBBT « V * JbW and ' ¦(¦»* I « T him & B 4 A all credit and
^ praise ^^ ^^ B . when . m ^^ " ^^ , « he ^^* came B » ¦ M . gave V' ^ forward ^* V ^ B ** B * b *^ > with W V B ^ ^^ his «^ ^^ ^ ' ^ panacea ~ of 2 doff the shilling as CAfKJ a discount to
so ro \ be S JL 4 md that that allowed \ JU . V ^ AJL all all VAAX ^ to books KJ books AAAJLIAAJLC booksellers ^ might mierht « jW proper |^ b be be y \~ T W ~ T V the / * . sold sold * - * publisher - »*¦• *^ '"' at at iuu full ,
price . It was a noble effort in » ri for ght obvious direction reasons \ , but \ ( an a Voice utterl \\ : y 'No aiv mistaken / no 7 ) which •¦ one
i I \ jx need . wuvnyuo credit not point xjvha for out t . i . being a in . t I am the . jj . sure only , j we » man * v all y gave who essa noaaiTOrl ed a o remed romoi ^ iT thoug 4-Vi r \ n rrVt h it lh was t xrna a mistaken rfilflt / JiKeil
one . y But Mr . Macmillan y , has made another effort I think ice , , viz that d . , l is the owing step publishing the in bookseller the of rig books ht a direction discount at net . .
There X IiH . HJ . 1 Y are UIlcll / some ICJ a O > Ol books » OJJ 1 * 1 a UlkKJ bookseller XAg . A" v * . cannot influence iimuwuuu sell , and the tjie no customer uumunmr persuasion to iu or buy v blandishment uy them uuvin .. 1 books reter can
such ordered to technical as we In onl or y these speciall purchase y scientific when the they discount & re ,
uixituou . . jlii Liiunu < cases . ; u . ooo «** -- . Messrs . Macmillan allows is high enougn . But JDUL on Oil the lll » other ULI 1 OI hand XIUIIU X I protest Jjivr i / fo « against " < £ , wiw any
publisher attempting to do the same thing has cheap started books . series sori There is of ui one books publisher at *^ U- vrnu '
nas scarcea a a «» uuwo « - , . net ; I need not mention who ^^ ^^ Z ^ —
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1176 The Publishers' Circular Oct . i , 18 90
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Citation
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Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), Oct. 1, 1890, page 1176, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_01101890/page/18/
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