1826. } iy bea 
THE BOOK-TRADE. 
Tue storm which, in the course of the late winter, visited the com- 
mercial world generally, fell with particular severity upon the book-trade, 
Into the causes which produced this unenviable distinction it is our pur- 
pose now to inquire. If we succeed in tracing them correctly, it will 
be comparatively easy to suggest preventives against a recurrence of 
the evil. 
‘Next to the bankers, the booksellers and other branches of the trade 
in books, suffered more, during the late difficulties, than any other de- 
scription of persons. For the peculiar distress of the bankers it is beside 
our purpose here to search for causes; but the difference between them 
and traders in commodities lies so much upon the surface as scarcely to 
need explanation. Booksellers, however, seem primarily to be in no way 
distinguished from the dealers in any other manufactured article—with 
reference to purposes of trade. What, then, gave them their late pain- 
ful pre-eminence in difficulty? Partly, we believe, this arose from 
speculations foreign to the business of bookseller and publisher, several 
of the chief houses which failed, or became embarrassed, having been 
involved in large speculations in hops, land, houses, &c. Partly, also, 
from the excess to which the system of credit had been carried among 
them ; and partly to the peculiar burthens which press upon them as a 
body. ‘To these last, indeed, the extravagant degree of credit may itself 
be referred. 
The public in general are, we believe, but little aware of the existence, 
certainly not of the extent, of the burthens to which we have alluded, 
They know, indeed, that books are dearer in this country than in any 
other; but they lay this to the greediness of the authors and booksellers, 
and overlook the causes which swell the selling price of books, from 
which neither author nor bookseller derive any profit whatever ; nay, for 
which, from peculiarities which we shall presently point out, the book- 
seller cannot to the full indemnify himself in the shape of increased 
price. This leads us immediately to our subject—the burthens on the 
book-trade. These, as it appears to us, arise from two distinct sources, 
and we shall consider each branch separately :— 
I. The burthens arising from duties. 
Il. The burthens arising from the provisions of the Copyright Act. 
I. Duties are levied by the Government on paper and on adyertise- 
ments. The duty on paper is not only heavy in amount, but, from the 
manner in which»it is Jevied, it presses with peculiar hardship upon the 
great wholesale houses, which are compelled to keep an immense stock on 
hand. This duty is paid before the paper leayes the mill where it is 
manufactured. On common printing paper it is 3d. per pound, or from 
5s. 3d. to 5s. 6d. per ream. ‘This, as Mr. Rees (of the house of Long- 
man and Co.) calculates* is equal to from 20 to 25 per cent. ad valorem, 
Unlike imported goods, which may be left in bond till the time arrives 
when they may be converted into cash, this duty is levied probably a 
year or two before the commodity is issued to the consumer. The 
manufacturer pays the duty—the stationer buys the paper from him, 
paying, of course, an increase in proportion ; so again the bookseller ; 
* Evidence before the Select Committee of the House of Commons on the 
Copyright Acts—1818. 
M.M. New Series.—Vou. II. No,7. D 
