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KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS 



[December, 1906. 



TO OUR READERS. 



The "Knowledge" Book 

 Club. 



Wk would Ix-g to call the attention of all regular 

 readers of this join-nai to our new scheme of instituting 

 a library of scientific works for the use of subscribers. 

 This should, we believe, supply a long-felt want. Those 

 interested in scientific pursuits are frequently handi- 

 capped by not beingf able to g-et hold of the particular 

 book that they want, either because they have a diffi- 

 culty in finding out what is the most suitable work 

 for their purpose without seeing it, but more 

 e-specially because, when found, that work often 

 proves to be one of considerable expense, and hardly 

 worth buying if only required to look up some 

 special detail. Moreover, w-hen working up a 

 scientific subject, it is usually not only desirable to read 

 some one w-ork, but many different authorities should 

 be consulted in order to get at what has been done in 

 that subject. It would, as a rule, be quite out of the 

 question to buy all these books; to merely dip into 

 them when found in some public library is unsatisfac- 

 tory; and technical books are seldom to be got in an 

 ordinary lending library. But when a good catalogue 

 can be consulted, a list of the required books made out 

 and sent to the office, and the actual books forwarded at 

 once to the home of the reader, to be retained any 

 reasonable time, and then exchanged for others as often 

 as desired, then one gets what may be called the acme 

 of literary comfort. Even though one may have the use 

 of other libraries it is just as well to belong to this (at so 

 little extra cost), as, if the desired book is not pro- 

 curable at one library, it may be in the other. In form- 

 ing this library it is our intention to supply any book, 

 regardless of price or date. This may be a difficulty, 

 especially at the start, many works l>eing scarce and 

 not easy to procure at short notice, but we have already 

 been purchasing a number of the older and standard 

 works, and hope before long to have a verv complete 

 collection. 



We feel sure that the majority of our readers will 

 appreciate this institution, but they can, of course, 

 hardly expect that the profit to be got out of a small 

 sixpenny paper can be sufficient to start and 

 maintain a good library, especially considering the un- 

 certainty of the number of subscribers. We there- 

 fore propose to charge an entrance fee of ten shillings 

 to cover the expenses of registration and of arranging 

 the library and compiling the catalogue (which will be 

 supplied free to subscribers). Extra volumes can be 

 liad at a reduced rate. Be\ond this there will bo 

 no charge above the ordinary subscription rate. 

 This, it must be recognised, is but a moderate charge, 



seeing that the total subscription to be paid, including 

 the entrance fee and supply of the journal, is far less 

 than what is charged at ordinary lending libraries, and 

 but a fraction of the subscription which includes the 

 delivery of a daily paper. We do not expect to clear 

 any profit by this means, but hope to considerably in- 

 crease our circulation, and so reap profits in other 

 directions. Subscriljcrs will, therefore, get the greatest 

 l^enefits from this arrangement, and provided that a 

 good proportion of our present readers join, and that 

 we get a reasonable support from outside, we can 

 guarantee that the book club will prove of great as- 

 sistance to them. 



Rut it will readily be comprehended that to make 

 this book club a real success, not only from our point 

 of view, but from that of the reader, a large number of 

 subscribers is necessary. To make this clearer, let 

 us suppose that each subscription enables us to get one 

 book. Then, if one hundred readers joined, we should 

 be able to provide a hundred books. This would give 

 liut a \ery limited choice. If a thousand joined we 

 could have every scientific work published during the 

 last few years. But if fi\e thousand sent their sub- 

 scription we could supply, on the average, five copies 

 lit each of such works, or, since many of the older books 

 would not be much sought after, perhaps one hundred 

 copies of a few popular ones. Then all subscribers 

 would be sure of getting a copy of the desired book at 

 once. So we sincerely hope that all who see the bene- 

 fits to be derived from this establishment will give it 

 tlieir support. Even those who have no immediate 

 need for the use of the library may at any time find that 

 they wish to use it, and as it involves no payment be- 

 yond the entrance fee, no extra expense need be in- 

 curred by joining now instead of later on. 



Resulting from the notice published in last month's 

 " Knowledge," several applicants, who obtain their 

 journal through a bookseller, have written to know if 

 it would be possible to join the book club. Seeing that, 

 for the support of the library, we are relying almost 

 entirely on the very small profit derived when copies 

 are bought direct and not through the trade, this would 

 be impossible without extra charge. We will, how- 

 ever, gladly oblige anyone who likes to add to his sub- 

 scription the difference between the wholesale and the 

 retail price. 



As regards the sale of Ix)oks, it is not the intention to 

 found a book-shop and attempt to rival old-established 

 businesses. At the same time, arnmgements will be 

 made so that a reader wishing to retain as his own any 

 book he may have obtained from the library, can do so 

 on payment of the ordinary value of the book. 



Each month a catalogue of additions to the library 

 w ill be published in " Know-ledge," and this will add 

 greatly to the usefulness of the club as compared to 

 other libraries. 



