Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 07.pdf/470





reate. When one of the newcomers makes a fair success, immediately his waste-basket is eagerly ran Literary Advertising. — If this is not the golden sacked, by the publisher or himself, for all the trash age of modern light literature — and clearly it is not he has ever perpetrated, and then that is spawned on — it is at least the golden age of literary advertising. the market. As one who has read four hundred nov What matters it that the literary giants of the cen-^ els in the last twelve years, the writer hereof may tury have passed away, leaving no competent success reasonably believe that his statement should cause ors, if the press can inflate the latter to dimensions for some surprise when he confesses that, standing by the eign to their nature and capacities? Take for a counter of a public library, and listening to the titles prominent example "Trilby" — in its best aspect a of books demanded by high-school misses, raw boys, feeble imitation of Thackeray (even to the name of and sentimental old maids, wan widows, and worn «« Little Billee "), and for the rest a clever sketch of wives, he does not recognize one title in four. If the Bohemian artist-life, with a perfectly absurd and in novelist can gain the stage as a helper, even in the credible plot; by what right has it found a larger sale form of a burlesque, his fortune is indeed secured, as than any other novel of the last quarter of a century? witness " Mr. Barnes of New York" and " Trilby.-' Why should it distance the exquisite " Lorna Doone " The magazine interview, especially when illustrated, and the heart-breaking " Tess"? By no right, but is worth (and costs) much money to the aspirant. simply by dint of printers1 ink. So of Mrs. Hum An American lecture tour, or even a tour without phrey Ward's unspeakably dreary tales. So of Rob lectures, is valuable even more as an advertisement ert Louis Stevenson's adventurous romances. The than for its immediate product. An authoress's di taint of the puffer is over them all. The public are vorce lias been utilized as an advertisement of her told when the novelist sets at work; what he eats, works. The anonymous dodge is also highly es drinks, wears, and where and how much he sleeps; teemed, as witness " The Bread Winners'' and the an interview is furnished to enable him to puff him current life of Joan of Arc. When a prize to the self. We are told where he has gone to get " local right guesser is added, this is very fetching. So is color." The kettle is kept stirring, until the cover a well-advertised prize contest for best authorship — is taken off finally. Then we are told how much he it carries the rejected as well as the accepted. Even receives (generally about four times the value of the the death of the author adds to his " boom," and his thing), and how many copies Mudie or the Mercan first edition brings a fanciful price. Think of a copy tile takes in, and how you can't get a copy of the first of Foe's worthless " Tamerlane" selling for $1875! edition for love or money, and how many thousands This instrumentality of puffery is used even in the a week it is selling, and so on. Correspondents law-book market. The patient legal camel is kept spring up in the newspapers to discuss or conjecture. well informed of the monstrous paper burden pre (On some of the letters probably no postage is paid.) paring for his aching back. Almost every law-book The Critic, for example, has had a distinct depart publisher runs his own law periodical, to advertise ment of " Trilbyana" for months, and has even is and puff his own books, and damn (at least with sued a small book as a tender to the famous novel. faint praise) those of his rivals. This is sometimes So one can hardly take up a newspaper or magazine done very politely — reminding one of the extreme without learning of the birth of a new and successful and deadly courtesy of the hero of the clever story, author, or the rehabilitation of an old and unfortunate " The White Company." (We get nothing for this one. They come thicker than summer clouds or au puff.) " Blow your own horn " is a shrewd maxim, tumn leaves or Canada flies. The number of new and so, for example, the enterprising West Company poetical stars discovered would keep an astronomical blows its own " Horn-Books." It is bad enough observatory busy, but they mostly turn out rockets — that books should be published. We sometimes sigh one cannot be found bright enough even for a lau for an inquisitorial bonfire of them. But it would be 433 CURRENT TOPICS.