A YEAR OF BOOKS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2693, 12 February 1916, Page 14

A YEAR OF BOOKS

9 WAR AND THE PREVALENCE OF THE NOVEL. We live amid the crash of the greatest war of history, but English literaturo continues, as Scott and Coleridge and other high masters continued it when Europe Was- quaking under Napoleon. We Hare evidenco of this ill full book figures for the year 1915, which the "Publishers' Circular" gives us in its issue of yesterday. Most bookmen had expected that the output of new hooks and new editions would bo down by a third, but the situation is much better than that. Of new books there have been 8499, of new editions 2160—in all 10,665, as compared with 11,537 in 1914, a fall only of 872 volumes. Tho decrease has been spread over most classes of literature, but it has been largest in fiction—namelj', 419 volumes. Science is down 142 volumes, technology 167; while, by contrast, and thanks largely to war "books, history has'increased bv 30 l J volumes and geography by 118. Probably the quality of the new books has not, taking them all Tound, been so high as in peaco times, but that was to be expected. The current of Euglish literature during the past teu years may be followed with interest iu tho appended little table

New New Year. boolis. editions. Tota\. 190G 6085 1618 8,603 1907 7701 2213 9,914 3908 7512 230!) 0,621 1909 S'1'16 2279 10,725 1910 8-1GS . 2330 10,801 1911 8530 2381 10,911 1912 9197 2870 12,607 3913 9541 2838 12,379 1911 8SG3 2074 11,537 1915 8199 21G6 10,065