NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 265, 1 August 1908, Page 12

NOTES.

"I romember when I was at Down we, wore talking'of what it is that soils a book," says Samuel Butler in the Notes published in tlio " New Quarterly." "Mr. Darwiil said ho did not bolievo it was reviows or advertisements, but simply 'being talked about' that sold a book. I believe he is quite right here, but surely a good flaming reviow helps •to got a buok talked about. I havo often inquired at my publishers after a . reviow, and I never found one that made any' percoptiblo increaso or decrease of sale, and the same with advortisemonts. I think, howover, that the reviow of 1 Erewhon' in the 'Spectator' did sell a few copios of 'Erewhon,'. but then it was such a very strong one, and the anonymousness of tho book stimulated curiosity. A perception of the value of a review, whether friendly or hostile, is as old as St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians."

"The prophets appear to have been quite wrong in their views as to reprints," says the "Academy." "On the face of it it is gratifying that they should have been wrong. For obviously the thing that wo need—that is to say. when we begin to consider English letters—is reprints. Five years ago it was commonly supposed that the oheap classic bad come for a day, and we wore told that the book-buying public would speedily grow sick of it. Yet at the presont moment wo are publishing reprints with tho most palpablo assiduity, and the public do not appear to be in the least tired. And whereas in the beginning of tho movement tho publication of two or threo volumes ,at a time was considered highly enterprising, wo now feel ourselves competent to descend upon tho niarkot not with spies, so to speak, but with wholo battalions. Mr. Dont has just sent us a list of 349 volumes of 'Everyman's Library' published by his firm, and lie announces coolly that ' twenty-five now volumes are just added.' It is plain that if there were no demand for ' Everyman's Library' Mr. Dent would.scarcoly go on making his additions. But he goes on making them." There, has been no book from Mr. Zangwill for some time, and lie told tho "Jewish Chroniclo" the other day that ho had written "scarcoly anything tlio_ last few-years." His chief occupation lias lain in revising the German editions of his works. Ho hopes, howover, this summer to ho able to finish a play lie has begun 011 a tliemo his emigration work lias shown him to bo urgent. It will deal with tho Jewish problem in America, as well as : tho emigration problom. Mr. Znngwill has had a book on the stocks for many years, called " Italian Fantasies." It is not a novol; and his publisher, from what he has seen of it, thinks it will outlivo all his novels. Mr. Znngwill. is now compelled to live in the country on account of his health.