THE READING PUBLIC

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18596, 5 January 1935, Page 15

THE READING PUBLIC

gOOKS THEY WANT

PUBLISHER'S VIEWS

A visitor to New Zealand during the next three weeks is Mr, Jonathan Cape, the Well-known London publisher, who is on'o* world tour lasting some su to seven months. He arrived in Wellington- from Australia, whither he returns before proceeding to the East and;;;T#en.. to the United, States of America,. He remarked to a~ Post representative -when" discussing the kind of reading now'indulged in by people in general, that there was an undoubted tendency for a demand for the better class of book.- Books on personal experiences, whether inner or derived from traveL reflecting thoughts and- feelings of per-sons-nil every walk of life, and books on/so cial questions in general, were being: reiki in increasing quantity. ilcfipn of good quality was also in demand. Life had so many angles that it could be reflected in the novel by th« slplled writer, and the good novelwas on 'this account worth reading. Age-old problems could be treated in so many ways that a novel,. if, it was really related to life, would always be a form of literature-commanding: a wide reading public. "But if si book fails to open a window and let m some fresh air and light, is it wanted! queried" Mr. Cape. "Per'sonally, I find time too valuable to -waste in reading inferior books," Mr. Cape went on to say. ' 1 wan*, to be persuaded that there is anadequate reason why I should read it before I embark on a new book, for apart from new books there is so much that; has been written in the past that one should read." . When the high price of books was mentioned as tending to make people borrow from libraries rather than buy books for themselves*, Mr. Cape said that he realised that books in New Zealand must necessarilv be rather expensive, with the cost" of transport and the adverse exchange rate"* ,"BuV' he said, "we, as publishers, do riot look altogether with disfavor on libraries. They very materially help to create a 'reading public, and it often happens that the library is instrumental in cheating a demand for a book through recommendations on the part of readers." While admitting that far too much inferior,writing was published in these days, Mr. Cape remarked that he did not think that an imposition upon publishers of a quota, as had heen suggested,; would solve the problem. If this was done, books which might in the future be regarded as real literature might' fail to see the light of day.