By-the-bye, why doesn't such a thing exist?--a weekly
paper treating of things and people literary in a facetious
spirit. It would be caviare to the general, but might be
supported, I should think. The editor would probably be
assassinated, though.'
'For anyone in my position,' said Reardon, 'how is it possible to
abandon the three volumes? It is a question of payment. An author
of moderate repute may live on a yearly three-volume novel--I
mean the man who is obliged to sell his book out and out, and who
gets from one to two hundred pounds for it. But he would have to
produce four one-volume novels to obtain the same income; and I
doubt whether he could get so many published within the twelve
months. And here comes in the benefit of the libraries; from the
commercial point of view the libraries are indispensable. Do you
suppose the public would support the present number of novelists
if each book had to be purchased? A sudden change to that system
would throw three-fourths of the novelists out of work.'
'But there's no reason why the libraries shouldn't circulate
novels in one volume.
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