WHAT PEOPLE READ

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 23, 26 January 1918, Page 6

WHAT PEOPLE READ

"What do the peo.ple read?" "Mostly fiction" 16 the answer given by the City Library returns. Of 89,830 books issued to adults from the Central Library 80,231 were fiction. The children also preferred "stories," but not in quite the same proportion. Their fiction' books accounted for 6921 issues out of a total of 9089. Next in popularity with the adults were works of travel and history, of which 3097 were issued. Then came : General (bound magazines, encyclopaedias, etc.), 2340; literature (English, foreign, and classical-poetry and drama, and works on literature), 1232; biography, 719; sociology (including folk-lore, legends, etc.), 506; useful arts, 472; natural science, 399 ; philosophy, 299, fine .arts, 271; theology, 236, and philology, 28. The children favoured the general section (magazines, etc.), next to fiction (70S issues), and next came the legehds and folk-lore of the sociological section (514), then travel and history, 257; useful arts, 216; biography, 159; natural science, 144; literature, 74; and fine arts, 49. There were 41 issues of theological works to children, five of philosophy and four of philology. At Newtown the issues-were in much the same order, "fiction, 47,270; general, 4651; travel and history, 1537; sociology, 881; natural science, 393 ; biography, 370; liberature, 324 ; useful arts, 157; theology, 117; philosophy, 110; fine arts, 82; philology, 2.

An interesting fact disclosed in a report froni the Chief Librarian (Mr. Herbert Baillie) is that more books in proportion arc issued to subscribers to the Newtown, Library than to those who subscribe to the Central Institution. Central has just about double the- number of subscribers to Newtown, but it does not iseue nearly double- the number of books. The average number of books issued to a subscriber in a year at Central is 53, and at Newtown 59, but it has been higher than that. Perhaps it is that Newto'wn people riding to business in the trams re'qnire more- reading matter, perhaps .the city people, in the midst of shops', buy more books. Whatever the reason the fact remains that Newtown subscribers, in proportion to their numbers, make greater use of their privileges.

Messrs. Harcourfc and Co. sold yesterday at their rooms a. eix-roomod house 11 nd section, with a frontage to the Main I-lutt-road. Mr. Joseph Smith was the purchaser, and the price paid was £155. A section in. the Palfrey Estate was also sold to Mr. Smith for £49. A warehouse in Harris-street, ill the estate of the lato Mr. Bendix Hallenstcin. was next offered. The bidding started at £1000, and the property was finally bought by Mr. Howard Reid, of Mc«n'i. Reid and Reid, tho present occupiers. The price was £1625.