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Feb. I5> Ib «» *3 , The Publishers* Circ...
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twA twn xr n 1 i CW edition -~«- i j rev...
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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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'The Booksellers' Union/ History There R...
_ , ing at that time spread so widely as at present . Then publishers and booksellers combined , 811 d duce for a in time his worked collecting well -book together the trade ; no ticket one being which recognised had been as issued a bookseller to him on who the could distinct not
p ement that he would not undersell . In spite , however , of these regulations , underselling , flourished somehow , and it is perhaps not too much to say that many leading booksellers of advocates for the foundation of their
the present day ( now strong protection ) owe success to f fV f *) . Ol pir I free I / C'C- ' trade v * vvw / v proclivities I -w —¦ — — their in days ^ gone ^^ vi by . It was the doubtless of - owing the ^—» to their cry of — - — Fre — - - —— e Tra — * ~ " ~ d ** - e * **¦
that the Times took up cause gorously , as cause ___ public against monopoly , and the publichaving *» once _ _ _ tasted the sweets of this miscalled __ free __ trade _ would no __ . „ , lon _ _ - ^ v _ be r
baulked _ __ 1 ( 1 , 1 \ 2 I of - * * " * IL its ^** V assumed , . »•— ^^ rights . The result was , that the question of the ri , g _ ht and justice __ __ g ger of * - a Booksellers n . ^ iwpJhrs' Union Union , tto o protect protect their tneir own own interests interests , , was was suomitieo submitted . to to tne the arbitration arDixration of oi a a very verv
hicrh members ^ L ^ nra tribunal and fl . Ti ri , the the of , decision decision which Lord of or tnese these Camp eminent eminent bell , men men Dean was was Milman decidedly decidedlv , and in in iavour favour Mr . Grote of or free free were trade trade princi in in books books pal .
on ever the price ground , he pleased that a , bookseller and that he , having should once not purchased be coerced a by book the , seller was quite . The free consequence to sell at what was - , , ¦ ¦ m Union was f broken up in 1852 and from that time to - this - - ~ the - , fiht - ~— has _— _ _ been __ ^_ ^_ an -- ^^ open one .
w y g m \ J % ¦ / ' f V » ^ sv *^ v ^ r ^«» ^^ ^—— ~^ m , — ^ — g ^__ — — — ^ v . - - ^ . ^ ^^ _ ^^ r m ° *^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^ Now the . question i , which i « i naturall i 11 y suggests j itself * j i /» i to one first r » _ j _ , is ii this : ' t If , at a time i when t underselling I I I 1 I 1 TZ 1 | 3 V ^ A _ , JL A J . 4 _ ab was v » ^* rr >^ — in ^ _»^ ^ its » " ^ " infancy — — — — — — — _» y , the — public [~ — , - backed —— - ^ ^ —— b " •¦ y aj the — — — hi —— g ^^^ hest - ^ ¦— — legal — ^ w ^ ¦¦ ^ ¦ _ - — -- — and ~^ _>_» ^ — i literary ^——¦ »• ¦ **¦ _ — »*^ r __ t authorit »^ w ^ i ^ m « r ^^ ^ _ r- _ _ . _ r y w , a
was enabled to break up what it chose to regard as a monopoly , what possible chance can there be to stem the »/ tide ¦ fc ¦»»¦ when v every bookbuyer - *¦ i ¦ »¦¦»» —w — - in the ¦¦ kingdom has become tf Mt habituated kk ! to
IK * now M lr \ y f , W Uv •** */^^ i »» _ . ^ ___ . ^^ - v—*^» , » , _ - ^ — . —_< w . — , w ^ r - ^ > - _ - ^ j —— . _» v *^ ^^ - — ^ fT > ^—^ •_•»* - _ - v ^^ ^^ - ^ _ , _ . a > ^ _ r _ L _« v < W pt _ r _> ** V ,, ^ 1 ^^^ ^^—i ^ ^^ receive twopence or threepence discount in the shilling as a matter of course ? ' ___ ¦ Without « ^^ yj ^ ^^ ^ j ^ ^^ ^ in ^ 4 b the ^^ ^ h ^ K ^ fcr ^ least ^ ^^^ - _»^ ¦ _ ^^ desiring ^ ' — ' " ^^ - — — ' V ^ K to ^ discourage " ^^ ' ^^ ^^ ~^ — ~ ^^ ~^ " ^ HH ^^ the ^^ ^—~~ ^ " ^ many ^ " ^ " ^ " _ ^^^ ¦ » energetic ' ^^ —_ ^^ - ^^ ^^ ^^^ 9 ^^ ^ ^^ and H _ ^^ ^^ ^— ^ ^ intell ^ —• ^^ ^» ^ ' ^ wv ^» ^ i ^ 9 gent *^ m ^^^ ^^^ " ^^ booksellers ^^^ ^^^ ^ ^^ " ^^ ** i ^ ^^ —* _ ^^^ ^^ T ^ r
who seem now to be so laudably desirous of protecting their own interests , we feel bound to regard the method their which project seems as herculean to find most if not fa Uto vour pian amongst , and we them must vi frankl z . coercion y say that of publishers we cannot regard as the
one most likely to bring about satisfactory results . , , , Thirty years ago there were more than 1 , 200 booksellers in London alone . Now that
number must have very largely increased . How , then , one would like to ask , would a combination of one thousand 'good men and true / gathered from all parts of the United
Kingdom ( as suggested by the Bookseller and its correspondents ) , be likely to bring any material weight to bear upon any sinning publisher ? This one thousand channels being
sternly closed to him , would he not find ten thousand others wide open ? Apart from this view of the matter , one cannot help thinking that this lofty way of ignoring publishers may bsome be regarded h fc - ^^ m as ¦ ff a perfectlneedless ! and Jh useless affront .
- - y w —— It - ** ' » — is — - ^^ » easier w ^^ _* —^ *_ ww to ^^ find ^ ^ " * ^ ^^— ¦ _ fault ^ h'v ^^ ^^ ^ w ^ ^^ ith ^^ ^^ y F a project " * ^** _ *» ^^ ^_^ ^_» ^ — V than ^» ^^ ^ ^^»* % to ^ ^ b ^ ^ _ ^^ suggest f ^^ ^^^ V ^_^ _ ^_ ^^ ^ Jlt one o ^ r _ ; and indeed what project is there mere possible possible whicli which nas has not not at at one one time time or or another another , in in the the midst midst oi of innumerable innumerable conflicting conflicting
interests , been * weighed and found wanting 1 , If ¦ one suggests the & abolition !¦*¦/ of V a ^ V published ty ( LrJU JlKJAVb price as a f n VtVWVV acea advantageous WAA VUI & alike WJkJL to
— — — - -w * _ - ^ - —^^ w—^ - ^ *_• - ' . _» _ '_» . ' *_ ' W « - *¦*_ '' -. V * V ** _ . _ V « - ^ pXX . VV _*»«_> «> V pa ^ W » «^ VV _ , T V V ^*> J JL-. VS V ^ - ^ keen Keep publisher the tne book book and bookseller in in stock stock to to — show show to the his his publisher customer customer , because and and to to it a a . is bookseller bookseller supposed beca beca to uu compel se se he he can can a bookseller fax fix his his own own to
price woiuci would and it it anect affect insure the the a operations onerations fair profit oi of — wholesale wholesal to this will e dealers d ^ , arise alera . at whose whosfi once system svstem a thousand oi of hook book objectors --keenino keeping . - _ 3 would would ut chiefl be be y
revolutionised . , in all If ? it cases They is ii suggested alike perhap , then that the what largest one do fixed the book discount wholesal distributors e of dealers 20 or in 25 say the p ? ? r What cent , shall would tell ! be Messrs allowed . Smith that to the 40 & trade Son
cent say — . , is _ barel . _ . y , y enoug . ilc-po s h to JLtfcXgt induce / OL UUU them 1 _ Ul to » tUUUtUl keep books » III on Lilt ? their country UUUXAtl stalls J ' , , __ althoug __ us ll » now IIUW h they I / I 1 ell make / ^ tV per p no _ X allowance If - ^ to v ^ j- the wiv public ^ J % A KJXX \ J whatever VY J . J . O / V \ J V V / X .
to schools a graduated , to clergymen scale is , libraries suggested , tfce —so . & much c . —then to wholesalers no end of , loopholes so much are to retailers admitted , so throug much h which the object of WJL the Uniowould be easilfrustrated JL LAO \) itXt
In short ^ very » ~ - * the j vuj difficulties ^ vu UJJL U are KJIVVXJIh endless n WUU 1 U and VJKj C / UiOXA whilst y ^ y X we should ICU . . be well leased to see some direction scheme ., ~ propounded r ~ ~ X , '« - * * ' - * - ^ v * that \ J 1 LOiV , j taken U » I \ CXI Ail in CliXX all Xl its »» ; beari KJCthX XlliS ngs B , j could ** j ^ J \ J A Ul be kJKj regarded ICgaX UCU as «* O p a t * sure OH AC ? step OVKJjJ in XIX the VXX \ J
conviction of that protecting a combination the interests of retail booksellers of retail booksellers opening its , campai we feel gn bound by a sort to of repeat threat our to the If 11 \ J publishers Till \~\ I 1 Gl f" ^ fil * CI S \ r % 1- » onl J- ^ - » -V I •¦¦— end rf- * -art Jj in ¦» -.- ^ failure A ? ^ ¦ . 1 - _ n Whilst » A / f _^ l ^ . X . - ^ ^~™ - > -. hardl I » ^» u J I w believe In . ^^ . I . >^ . w ^ -v that X 1 « - X ¦ in . -vk these A . L- ^ ^^ a-a —^ times X * « .-kA . yv f-a ^ k
least succeed combination disturb , we would the of can publishers good certainl y feeling y and deprecate which booksellers . ought . any step to to exist e we likel ffect between can y the to create desired publishers y or object widen and a would booksellers breach be , or likel in y The the to a
atter ° i ^ may i ey rest nave assured their own that competitors publishers all do round not in them these competitive The arguments times broug repose ht to UW on bear beds . of
T If i * J — v * AV > XJL KJWIM . VUllip ^ UbUi . a C * XX X . <_» LXXXCl LlXlOiXl . . XUC ****¦ & U . XX ** 3 XX ^ O UlUUgUU ILT ^ C * . * upon M . ^» VJI . A justify J . ° ^ r ^ the — napbell v , claim v ^ uu and for jL L > r the protection jjx-otocbion other arbitrators now now . . Their xneir thirty decision decision years & was was go are not noi precisel law law ; ; y it the coujlu could same only oiiiy as be u those « regarded rega which , ru « n
protection nr ^ . ^ U ^ aor strong ^ ative ly persisted opinion ; it in . mig But ht perhaps public op then inion have was been also against resisted the or disregarded trade , and , they and P * n ; and havine once succumbed , th ^ now « r of retracing their atena seems almost aa
lopeieas as would be a cry for a return of the Corn Laws .
Feb. I5> Ib «» *3 , The Publishers* Circ...
Feb . I 5 > Ib «» * 3 , The Publishers * Circular * .-3 o M •* _ . . .. _ ___ ——
Twa Twn Xr N 1 I Cw Edition -~«- I J Rev...
twA twn xr n i edition - ~« - i j revise A-vivAOdA d ( yithe >* w vjic eleventh ytaiiuu ) i , , v of * i Mr xsxx . . Aug ^\ u ^ ii u » stus i > u » J . j O \ . . Hare jjl « . h o '» a fascinating xi * av ; xixaw . i . x * g work nvift . , in **»
^^> ha » J ' ust been published by Messrs . SmithElder & Co . ' , , P " —»—«—»— . —_—— - — - j ' ¦*— " * *^ "' " " ' ' " nti ¦ —^^ fli
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Citation
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Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), Feb. 15, 1883, page 139, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_15021883/page/3/
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