There are the “pleasant surprizes” of publishing--books
undertaken with the expectation of about paying expenses that
have soared away to the hundred-thousand mark. Others are
“undertaken because they are known to be works of great merit,
and while the publisher may not have much hope of a satisfactory
result, there is a chance that the merit of the book may in
time make an impression on the public.” Then there are those
undertaken because “they strike a new note in literature, which
may receive the appreciation of the public.” “David Harum” is
called “the greatest surprize.” Seven or eight publishers had
declined the book, and only two persons in the house accepting
it had much hope that it would pay expenses. For six months
after publication a few thousand copies were disposed of; its
ultimate sale was nearly a million.--_Appleton’s Magazine._
(3132)
=Surrender, Total=--See RESERVATION.
=Survey, The Larger=--See POINT OF VIEW.