THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



W 



THE- TALK- OFTHE -OFFICE 



' To business that wt iu< 

 And go to 't with delight 



; rise betime 



— Antony and Cleopa 



The Story of a Manuscript 



Once in a while there comes into the manu- 

 script readers' department of a publishing 

 house a book from a new writer which makes 

 friends from the moment the package is 

 opened. In our experience it is seldom that, 

 when such a thing happens, there is any lack 

 of success in the book's final career. The 

 question arises: Why should this particular 

 manuscript make friends when so many 

 become mere acquaintances or less? 



There are several answers, all rather in- 

 definite and unsatisfactory, but the chief is: 

 Because the book immediately attracts some 

 one's interest. The interest appeal may come 

 from its plot, its style, or its subject, or all 

 three. So far as we can recall, never from its 

 letter of introduction, or because the author 

 is a friend of so and so, who writes to ask that 

 it shall have special consideration, etc. 



One book which came unheralded and made 

 friends at once was "Freckles," by Mrs. Gene 

 Stratton-Porter, about eight years ago, and 

 another manuscript arrived last fall from a 

 lady entirely unknown to us — Mrs. Dell H. 

 Munger — with a striking title, "The Wind 

 Before the Dawn." We should like to stop 

 here and write a page about the value of a 

 good title, but we desist. 



The first reader into whose hands the manu- 

 script fell was enthusiastic, and she passed it 

 along with the remark that "Here's a book to 

 be reckoned with and an author to look out 

 for." And so it passed from hand to hand, 

 each person speaking well of it and making 

 slight suggestions for minor improvements. 

 Fortunately, the author agreed with our sug- 

 gestions, and the book gained the real sym- 

 pathy and cooperation which is the ideal con- 

 dition between author and publisher. 



The book finally came to the sales depart- 

 ment, the most critical of all that have to 

 do with a new book. Critical no doubt 

 because it has to stand the cynical obser- 

 vations of booksellers who have been led to 

 buy books which the public eventually decline. 

 But even here the remarkable record con- 

 tinued, and the sales department insisted upon 

 it that a good illustrator be employed to make 

 the pictures. So Mr. Fogarty, who knew 



something of this Western country, was given 

 the manuscript, and he made a further new 

 record by becoming so interested in the book 

 that he wished to make more illustrations 

 than he was paid for. 



"The Wind Before the Dawn" was sched- 

 uled to appear on August 20, 1912, and 5,000 

 were printed, which is large for a first book 

 by a new author. But meantime the story 

 of the book had been told to the dealers by the 

 travelers, and there were not enough books to 

 fill the orders when publication day came, and 

 up to September 25th (the present writing) 

 five editions have been put to press. 



Yet still more- records were broken by this 

 fortunate book. The reviewers can always 

 be counted on for one thing; namely, to dis- 

 agree. There is no such thing as final una- 

 nimity of opinion. But though a much larger 

 number of editor's copies was sent out than 

 usual, a miracle has happened : no unfavorable 

 criticism has yet been received, and the book- 

 sellers have told us of no dissatisfied customer, 

 and some stores have sold as many as five 

 hundred at retail to individual buyers. 



Perhaps the crowning and final record- 

 breaking fact about "The Wind Before the 

 Dawn" was a letter from the author, who 

 wrote that we were spending too much money 

 in pushing the book, and to go slow. About 

 the character and subject of the book itself 

 we have said nothing— but that is another 

 story and we tell it in the advertising pages. 



DELFT LEATHER SERIES 



Not that the leather is Delft; it is the pro- 

 tecting cover which looks like a Dutch tile, 

 which keeps the leather binding in good shape 

 until it is in the reader's hands, that suggests 

 the word Delft. These books are bound in 

 suede leather in delicate and charming colors. 

 Look at them at your bookseller's if he has 

 them, or order them from your bookseller, or 

 failing that, let us send them to you, on ap- 

 proval if you like. In England just now there 

 is a rage for books bound in beautiful suede 

 and "lambskin," so-called, though no lamb 

 was ever sacrificed to cover these books, but 

 as the leather is soft and pliable the name is 

 appropriate. The trouble with selling them 



in this country is that the average buyer does 

 not have opportunity to see them, as the 

 dealers are not yet convinced that such stock 

 is saleable: that's the reason we urge you to 

 let us send on approval. Here is the list and 

 you will note that the prices are hardly more 

 than is asked for a good cloth binding. 



THE PRICES IN SUEDE LEATHER 



Bob, Son of Battle. By Alfred Ollivant . $1.25 

 Freckles, By Gene Stratton-Porter . . . 1.60 

 A Gnu. of the Limberlost. By Gene Stratton- 

 Porter 1 . 60 



The Harvester. By Gene Stratton-Porter . 1.75 



The Spanish Jade. By Maurice Hewlett . 1 . 25 



Emmy Lou. By George Madden Martin . . 1 . 25 



Monsieur Beaucaire. By Booth Tarkington 1 . 25 



The Richer Life. By Walter A. Dyer .Net, 1.50 

 Adventures in Contentment, By David 



Grayson Net, 1.50 



Adventures tn Friendship. By David 



Grayson Net, 1.50 



They. By Rudyard Kipling 1 . 60 



The Brushwood Boy. By Rudyard Kipling 1 . 60 



IN LAMBSKIN BINDING 



Little Masterpieces of Poetry. 6 vols. 



Per volume 80 



Edited by Henry van Dyke 

 I. Ballads Old and IV. Odes, Sonnets, and 



New Epigrams 



II. Idylls and Stories V. Descriptive and Re- 

 in Verse flective Verse 

 III. Lyrics VI. Elegies and Hymns 



Cap and Bell Series. 6 vols. Per vol. . .80 

 In Jesting Vein The Comedy Mask 



With Cap and Bells Just in Fun 

 With the Wits In Good Humor 



The Best of The Best of Poe . . 80 



Thackeray . S.80 

 The Best of Haw- The Best of Lamb . 80 



thorne . .80 



The Best of The Best of Irving 80 



Lincoln . . .80 



subscribe! subscribe!! 



At this time of year magazine publishers 

 are screaming aloud to customers to sub- 

 scribe early to "avoid the rush." ' Like 

 the rest we should be glad if our readers will 

 do this and in the color insert printed in this 

 issue you will find inducements to add to your 

 list of magazines, but if the time is not pro- 

 pitious send us the subscription at your con- 

 venience — you are the persons to be pleased. 



