THE BOOK MARKET

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 49, 27 February 1934, Page 10

THE BOOK MARKET

WHAT COUNTRIES WANT

PUBLISHERS' REPRESENTATIVE

A WORLD TOUR

On a trip round the -world in search of information regarding the types of book most favoured in different countries, Mr. J. Lane, a representative of Tlio Bodley Head, the well-known firm of publishers, arrived in Wellington today by tho Marama. Mr. Lane is a nephew of the founder of the. firm, and is a brother of the present chairman. Ho has already been about fifteen months on his tour, and after his visit to New Zealand, which will cover a period of about five weeks, ho will go to America. "I could hardly leave New Zealand out," he said to a "Post" reporter this! morning, "for New Zealand reads more per head of population than any other country in the world." Australia a;id New Zealand were credited with .being the world's best readers, but he had this to say for the Dominion: the bookshops here had a much better reputation than those in the Commonwealth. His tour had produced somo most interesting facts, he continued. The Australian market, for example, had proved to ba totallydiffcrent from what he had expected. The information which he gathered would go materially to assisting his firm to ascertain where they had been wrong in the past in transmitting'certain types of books to the various countries. "Everything we publish at tho moment is for world-wide reading," he said, "but if.l see anything -worth publishing for, say, tho New Zealand market alone, we shall certainly do it.". "Does that mean that you are looking for books and stories "by New Zealand authors?" ho was asked. Ho*shook his head and smiled. "That would be too much," he replied. "No publisher will ever turn down a manuscript, but at the same time I expect to be busy in other directions." When he was informed by "The Post" representative that many people in New Zealand had literary ambitions ho again emphasised the point that lie would be too engaged to receive manuscripts. THE PEOPLE'S REQUIREMENTS. ; "1 want to see what typo of books are going best here," he said, "and what is the attitude of the people themselves to literature, so that we can do business better when I get back home." ' _~ . On his visit to Japan he had found, after spending one day there, the type of book that was wanted in the countfy. . "We, sell more of some books there," he added, "than in the whole of Australasia. • The Japanese will tak,e away your reputation if you are not very careful. As it is, they.publash twice as many books in .Japanese as we do in English, and they are now devouring English 'literature. One weekend I took a trip into a mountain district. A party of half a dozen commercial students overtook me, and in the custom of the Japanese they told me what they were. I naturally had to reply "and tell them who 1 was, and when they learnt I was from a publishing firm they spoke of classical English in a way I could never hope to attain." . • Ho did not think, however, that the fact that Japanese publishers were publishing in English would seriously affect England for somo considerable' time. He added that h$ did not think that there was any possibility of a military invasion by the Japanese; they were too sensible for that. . FICTION ON THE WANE. From his tour, said Mr. Lane, he had gained much definite material upon which to work, and be was now in ;the possession of information which showed what was needed in each individual country. It was his opinion that general literature was increasing in popularity in preference to fiction. Each country on the Continent had its own particular type of literature, he said, and ho was unable to generalise upon Europe as a \\;holc as far as writing "was concerned.' Some very good fiction was to be found in Italy, notably' by writers such as Luigi Pirandello. He' did not think that contemporary German : literature would live: so much of it was morbid in tone. Among English writers who were still selling well were John Galsworthy and fThomas Hardy. He personally preferred Hardy. , "There has been a definite change in material in England," he continued. "People are reading more for literature than for the story. Oficourse you must have a story, but the public are wanting good literature to accompany it." ' . . " , THE NEW NOVEL. The most important typo of plot in modorn novels dealt with the effect of environment upon character; with the ."vim to unite both character and action the whole time, n\> matter how sordid tho story might be. In the recentlypublished book by John C. Powys, "A Glastonbury Romance," . there were forty-seven major characters, yet if at the end of the story arcadcr heard even the Christian name of one of thrive characters mentioned ho would sco the whole history of the character before him. That wr.a tho type of novel that was wanted today and what was being read by the public. -Mr. Lano intends to discuss with booksellers what type of book is favoured in this country, and also,, if possible, to see.some of tho New Zealand scenery. He has not been to the Dominion before, and is very keen to look the country over. He has made up his mind to do it, too, for up to the present he has been obliged to devote almost the whole of his time to his researches.. When in Cairo, he said, although he had remained there for a fortnight, he had not even been able to sec the pyramids, and until he reached Australia he had not stayed more than ten days in any one place. Ho is interested in skiing. "Personally," ho remarked, "I think skiing is the only holiday worth taking." In the Swiss Alps ho has spent a number of holidays engaged in the sport.