Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/218

 THE MODERN LIBRARY OF THE WORLD'S BEST BOOKS Hand Bound in Limp Binding, Stained Tops, Gold Decorations, only 95c. per copy Postage 5c. per copy extra SIX years ago, the Modern Library of the World's Best Books made its appearance with twelve titles. It was immediately recognized, to quote the New York Times, " as filling a need that is not quite covered by any other publication in the field just now." The Dial hastened to say " The moderns put their best foot forward in the Modern Library. There is scarcely a title that fails to awaken interest and the scries is doubly welcome at this time." A week or so after the publication of the first titles, The Independent wrote: "The Modern Library is another step in the very right direction of putting good books into inex- pensive form," and the clever Editor of the Chicago Daily News, in a long review, concluded : " The Modern Library astonishes the cynical with the ex- cellence of its choice of titles. You could stand before a stack of these books, shut your eyes and pick out the right one every time." Despite this enthusiasm, in publishing circles it was considered impossible to con- tinue the sale of these attractive Hand Bound Limp books, printed in large clear type on good paper, at any price under the usual and prevailing price charged for the more cheaply made current fiction, which is now about Two Dollars a volume. But the large number of intelligent book buyers, a much larger group than rally supposed has not only made possible the continuation of this fine series at the low price of Ninety-five Cents a volume, but has enabled us pro- gressively to make it a better and more comprehensive collection. There are now over a hundred titles in the scries and a new one is added each month except during the three Summer months. And in mechanical excel- too, the books have been constantly improved.