Mr. Meredith's "One of our Conquerors " is hardly a new book by this time. It is naturally one of the great literary events of the year, and it will be the end of the year before we have found out all its surpassing merits, its wit, and characterisation hidden under that curious club-like style which Mr. Meredith wields like a rapier. Intolerable in another writer, it seems the only possible expression for one of our greatest living novelists. We could never think of his writing in other. any The critics have already had their say. Let us hope he may be saved from disciples who even now are conspiring.

The appearance of Herodotus under the auspices of Sir John Lubbock recalls what many have forgotton, the amusing lists in the Pall Mall Gazette of the Best hundred books, chosen by eminent writers. Herodotus was a very safe one to commence with, as he appeared in nearly all of them. I wonder if the working men, for whom the selection was made, will read each best book as it comes out. Sir John's list was the first and the best in a way. Other authors forgot the object in view, and simply wrote down the books they preferred, with little thought, I fear, of the working man. The Pall Mall Extra is before me, and among books I find recommended for these "factors" in the British Constitution are the Poems of Hafiz and Sadi-admirable poets let me add, but hardly suitable for the British or even the Persian working man, if there is such a thing.

"Eric Brighteyes" will, I think, rank with "Cleopatra" and "She" as among Mr. Haggard's finest works. Perhaps it will not be so popular among boys, who naturally prefer "Mr. Quatermain' and his adventures in Africa. But more critical or older readers will appreciate not only the splendid romance of "Eric," but the really beautiful writing in some of its passages, and which I do not think can be entirely attributed to Icelandic originals (parallel passages of course excepted). Of course the Author has been plagiarizing as usual; though I am the first to denounce him, I shall not be the last. It is the title this time. There are two other Erics I can remember, "Eric; or the Golden Thread" and "Eric; or Little by Little"; flat plagiarism on the title page! In the next century we shall have "Little Eric Brighteyes; or the Golden Thread."

Mr. Oscar Wilde's "Intentions " (Osgood and McIlvaine) is not only one of the most amusing and delightful volumes that have come out recently, but is a valuable contribution to English criticism, The general "intention which Mr. Wilde is anxious to enunciate is that criticism is a creative art, and not a destructive art. Mr. Wilde will, no doubt, learn with regret that he has converted his readers. The estimate of Browning is far the most tempered and critical that has appeared since the poet's death.

Certain very young men on the press are naturally annoyed to find that Mr. Saintsbury knew all about Flaubert, and the realists and the naturalists long before they were born, so they have not found his Essays on the French novelists exhilarating. Even the "adorable" Verlaine is not so new as they would have us think.

Although the French Academy has not yet recognised the poet of the Decadence, a benefit has been given for him at the Vaudeville in Paris. It was an interesting and very miscellaneous performance, attended by an interesting and miscellaneous audience. There is a very marvellous portrait of Verlaine by Eugene Carrière in the Champs de Mars this year. It should be brought to England and exhibited (adults only admitted).

At the Academy M. Loti certainly had greater claim than Henri de Bornier, who is to be condoled with, however. His play of Mahomet was prohibited by the Government not long ago, and his election to the Academy might have compensated him for his disappointment. The French Republic is very delicate about the susceptibilities of Mahomedans and Atheists. M. François Coppée's Le Pater met with a like fate because it showed Christianity in too favourable a light. Thermidor is the last of the offending plays. Many, I hear, are anxious for the suppression of the Ammergau Passion Play, as it is calculated to wound the Jewish community in Europe.

Of recent verse, "Lapsus Calami," by J. K. S., has already gained a deserved reputation for its author, who comes from a Cambridge college already distinguished for its minor poets-minor only from the quantity, not the quality of their work.

"Pearl," an English poem of the Fourteenth Century, edited by Israel Gollancz, is a beautiful

poem, which was worth resuscitating, and not merely a philological conundrum. The name of Mr. Gollancz is a passport for scholarship. "Pearl" is embellished with a delightful frontispiece by Mr. Holman Hunt.

Women of the Day" contains a portrait of Dr. Momerie by Barraud, and a short biographical sketch.

Mr. James Baker's "John Westacott" and also his "By the Western Sea" have both just appeared in a cheap popular edition, and are again receiving exceptional notice from the Press. The author has just returned from a tour in Austria, where he has been completing his studies for the "Great Forgotten Englishman," upon whose life he lately published some articles in the Leisure Hour.

The Quarterly Review has been cratostratizing again. Sir John Maundeville is now the victim of its match-box. With the aid of Colonel Yule and Mr. Warner it has reduced his claims to existence, to dust and ashes. One of the great trio of credible travellers has been banished into the shades of myth. We do not know how soon Herodotus and Marco Polo may follow his flight before the impartial light of modern history held aloft by Mr. Froude and Professor Freeman, and the trusty guidance of modern travel, supplied at first-class prices by Mr. Stanley. Fortunately for Marco Polo, we believe he has a friend at court. As for the Quarterly and Mr. Warner, we can only wish them the success which has crowned the efforts of their Ephesian antitype. Perhaps even they may be contented with a reputation no longer nor more brilliant than the fame of the whilom father of English prose.

Dr. Momerie's lecture on the " Corruption of the Church," was given at Prince's Hall on the evening of May 25th. It was the most interesting theological event of the year. The Hall was well filled in anticipation of the lecturer's skill in dealing with questions which have to do with advanced thought, already proved by the brilliant sermons delivered by him at the Foundling upon "Church and Creed" and "Inspiration." The lecture of the 25th was introductory, but it will be followed, should the public show interest in the subject, by others to illustrate the mischievous effects of Ecclesiasticism upon Art, Science, Literature, and Social Institutions. Dr. Momerie is ready in the future to give these lectures free to working men if they wish to hear him.

Apropos to the above, it may interest some of our readers to hear that the June number of Messrs. Eglington & Co.'s popular "Men and

E

ON SOME CASES.

VERY case, on being sent in to the Society and read, is either dealt with at once by the Secretary, or, in case of any doubtful point arising out of the facts, the case is sent to the Society's solicitors for advice. The expense

of obtaining such advice is, of course, the greatest charge upon the Society's income, but no part of it is expended to greater advantage or with better results. At a late meeting of the Committee, the following resumé of recent work was laid before the Committee-it must be observed that the Committee are not usually informed of the names concerned-never, if the author desires secrecy. In that case the Chairman and Secretary only know, or perhaps the Secretary alone.

I.

1. A.B., a young author, commissioned another, C.D., to revise his work, find a publisher, and see it through the press in consideration of certain payments. A.B. refused to carry out the contract. C.D. submitted the case to the Society. It was decided that the contract had not been fairly carried out, and that A.B. should not be called upon to

pay.

2. A.B. agreed with C.D. (editor of a magazine) to write certain papers on certain terms. The proprietor, though pledged by his editor, refused to pay more than about two-thirds the price agreed. Result: Full payment.

3. A.B. was to receive a certain payment by a certain date. She lived at a considerable distance from London, and had to conduct her business entirely by correspondence. She parted with her MS. on condition of receiving a certain sum at a certain date. When the time came she could get neither money nor any reply to her letters. She referred the case to the Society.

Result: Payment in full.

4. A.B. sent MS. to an editor who accepted it, and promised payment on publication. He left it with him for a year, when the editor returned it, stating that the magazine was coming to an end. Had he any right to compensation? Reply: None whatever. He should have taken his MS. out of the hands of the editor long before.

5. A.B. (author) v. C.D. (publisher). The book had been published for some time, but no accounts could be obtained. A writ was issued. The books were audited, and the accounts cleared up.

6. A.B. (author) v. C.D. (publisher).

Author was induced to pay in advance for the production of his book a sum of money represented as half the actual cost. It was in reality about £15 more than the whole sum actually expended. The Secretary demanded the return of the £15 and all the copies. This was refused. A writ was issued.

Result: Return of £15 and all the copies.

7. A.B. v. C.D. (editor).

A disputed claim. A.B. demanded £40. C.D. denied the indebtedness.

Result: C.D. paid £20 in settlement.

8. A publisher, on receiving a MS. sent it to be printed, and issued it without even consulting the author or submitting any agreement with him.

Result: An agreement very much better for the author than would have been made but for the fact that the author was able to procure an injunction and bring an action.

A certain worthy publisher wrote as follows: "To print and produce 2,000 copies of your work will cost £140. If we add £20 for advertising, that makes £160. Give me £55 towards this initial expenditure and I will give you 12 per cent. on the nominal price, 5s., for all copies sold." There was another clause about a decreased (!) royalty for copies over and above the 2,000, but let us be content with this.

The author accepted the proposal. Needless to say that he did not work out the little sum in multiplication and addition which this proposal presented. Let us do so.

The trade price of a 5s, book is about 28, 10d,

So that the author by this beautiful arrangement stands to win, under the most favourable circumstances, the enormous sum of £7 10s. 8d., while the publisher stands to win £115 16s. 8d.

Now would the author have signed the agreement had he been able to do this little sum?

Another case. The publisher says: "I will give you a 10 per cent. royalty unless I sell the book for less than half price, and then I will give you 5 per cent."

How does this work out? The book was of a kind sometimes sold for just over half price, and often sold for just under half price. The difference to the publisher might mean a few pence on each volume. To the author it made a difference of 18. In other words, by lowering the price a few pence so as to bring it under the half price, the publisher actually gained money. This the author did not know or he would not have signed the agreement.

III.

FROM THE LAW REPORTS.

On April 24th, in the Queen's Bench Division, before Mr. Justice Smith and Mr. Justice Grantham, judgment was delivered in the case of Maul and another v. Grænings. Mr. Justice Smith said it was a test action to ascertain the true construction of section 6 of the International Copyright Act of 1886. The county court judge of Brighton found for the defendant, and the question to be decided was whether a foreign composer of a piece of music, protected according to the law of the composer's country, but not protected in the United Kingdom, could claim the protection afforded to foreign composers

by the International Copyright Act as against a bandmaster who had purchased the piece and performed it in public with his band prior to December 1887, when the Act came into force. He came to the conclusion that although neither the publisher of the piece in the country nor the defendant had any rights" under the section they had "interests," and, therefore, the learned county court judge was right in entering judgment for the defendant. The appeal must be dismissed with costs.-Mr. Justice Grantham concurred.Appeal dismissed.

66

My point was, that where advertisements appear is of great importance to authors. I had and have no animus in the matter. I am informed by the publishers that the amount charged to the book for advertising in the paper supposed to be referred to was 5s. 3d., therefore I admit that my remarks, so far as that journal is concerned, are pointless, and I hereby withdraw them. PACHYDERM.

I

CORRESPONDENCE.

I.

N the March number of the Author, women writers are accused by "No Pay, No Pen" of cheapening the literary market. I wish to point out that it is often difficult to know what is the market price of one's wares. I write a good deal of verse. From one magazine I receive 5s. a poem, from another firm 10s., from another magazine 15s., from yet another £1 18. I believe these all to be regular prices, which those particular editors and publishers would not alter to any contributor. But after receiving such different rates of pay, when a new employer asks me for my charge, is it not a little difficult to fix this? And perhaps from fear of losing the employment, one may fix the price too low rather than too high. I wish more uniform rates were paid.

I like much the idea, in the April number, of the register for translators, verifiers, &c. But could not fellow authors help each other sometimes without paying for services? I should be glad (living in the country) of someone to look up points in the British Museum occasionally. In return I could do translations. Indeed, I would be quite willing (within due bounds) to help a fellow author without return of pay or help. And I think such services would promote a fraternal feeling in our Society. Why, in the proposed register, should not an asterisk be placed against certain names, which should signify, Willing to help a fellow member gratuitously?

II.

ROSSIGNOL.

In the Author of March I made some remarks re Advertising. I wish to state that I had no intention of making any charge against the firm alluded to, and if what I said contained anything that might be supposed to do that, I hereby express my regret,

BOOKS FOR SALE.

Oxberry's Flowers of Literature, 4 vols. Reflections upon the Politeness of Manners, &c. (1710).

New Year's Gift. Alice Watts, 1829. Illustrated by Cruikshank, &c.

Acting Charades. Brothers Mayhew. Illustrated by Haine and Cruikshank.

The Dangers of the Deep. Published by Orlando Hodgson.

Australian Tales and Sketches.

Beaumont and Fletcher. First complete edition. Address-H. G. W.

IT

MACHINE-CUT BOOKS.

on

T is greatly to be wished that the practice, now very little observed, but slightly on the increase, of issuing machine-cut books will before long become general. We have inquired carefully into this matter. The cost of machine cutting is infinitesimally small. Where we have been able to get the cost estimated, a shilling for every hundred copies is the highest amount we have heard named. The average time expended by amateurs cutting by hand we believe to be 20 minutes per octavo volume of 1000 pages. If any of our readers (always excepting Mr. W. H. Smith's very expert boys) can accomplish the task of cutting more quickly, we shall be glad to hear from them. Moreover, very few amateurs can cut with proper neatness, and efficient paper-cutters are often (as on a railway journey) not to be had by the reader. But stay! Perhaps the present foolish system is kept up for the benefit of those who do not like to have their books cut quickly for them by other people, but rather cut by themselves only with extreme slowness in order to lengthen out the process of reading. If we have any such amongst our readers, we should like to hear from them. To reviewers the machine cutting would be an unmixed boon, for a reviewer never, or at least hardly eyer, reviews a book which he has not first