the americanization of edward bok-第16章

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　and　a　certain　quality　of　initiative；　the　influences　which　played　upon　him　must　also　be　taken　into　account。

Take；　for　example；　the　peculiarly　fortuitous　circumstances　under　which　he　entered　the　Scribner　publishing　house。　As　stenographer　to　the　two　members　of　the　firm；　Bok　was　immediately　brought　into　touch　with　the　leading　authors　of　the　day；　their　works　as　they　were　discussed　in　the　correspondence　dictated　to　him；　and　the　authors'　terms　upon　which　books　were　published。　In　fact；　he　was　given　as　close　an　insight　as　it　was　possible　for　a　young　man　to　get　into　the　inner　workings　of　one　of　the　large　publishing　houses　in　the　United　States；　with　a　list　peculiarly　noted　for　the　distinction　of　its　authors　and　the　broad　scope　of　its　books。

The　Scribners　had　the　foremost　theological　list　of　all　the　publishing　houses；　its　educational　list　was　exceptionally　strong；　its　musical　list　excelled；　its　fiction　represented　the　leading　writers　of　the　day；　its　general　list　was　particularly　noteworthy；　and　its　foreign　department；　importing　the　leading　books　brought　out　in　Great　Britain　and　Europe；　was　an　outstanding　feature　of　the　business。　The　correspondence　dictated　to　Bok　covered；　naturally；　all　these　fields；　and　a　more　remarkable　opportunity　for　self…education　was　never　offered　a　stenographer。

Mr。　Burlingame　was　known　in　the　publishing　world　for　his　singularly　keen　literary　appreciation；　and　was　accepted　as　one　of　the　best　judges　of　good　fiction。　Bok　entered　the　Scribner　employ　as　Mr。　Burlingame　was　selecting　the　best　short　stories　published　within　a　decade　for　a　set　of　books　to　be　called　〃Short　Stories　by　American　Authors。〃　The　correspondence　for　this　series　was　dictated　to　Bok；　and　he　decided　to　read　after　Mr。　Burlingame　and　thus　get　an　idea　of　the　best　fiction　of　the　day。　So　whenever　his　chief　wrote　to　an　author　asking　for　permission　to　include　his　story　in　the　proposed　series；　Bok　immediately　hunted　up　the　story　and　read　it。

Later；　when　the　house　decided　to　start　Scribner's　Magazine；　and　Mr。　Burlingame　was　selected　to　be　its　editor；　all　the　preliminary　correspondence　was　dictated　to　Bok　through　his　employers；　and　he　received　a　firsthand　education　in　the　setting　up　of　the　machinery　necessary　for　the　publication　of　a　magazine。　All　this　he　eagerly　absorbed。

He　was　again　fortunate　in　that　his　desk　was　placed　in　the　advertising　department　of　the　house；　and　here　he　found；　as　manager；　an　old…time　Brooklyn　boy　friend　with　whom　he　had　gone　to　school：　Frank　N。　Doubleday；　to…day　the　senior　partner　of　Doubleday；　Page　and　Company。　Bok　had　been　attracted　to　advertising　through　his　theatre　programme　and　Brooklyn　Magazine　experience；　and　here　was　presented　a　chance　to　learn　the　art　at　first　hand　and　according　to　the　best　traditions。　So；　whenever　his　stenographic　work　permitted；　he　assisted　Mr。　Doubleday　in　preparing　and　placing　the　advertisements　of　the　books　of　the　house。

Mr。　Doubleday　was　just　reviving　the　publication　of　a　house…organ　called　The　Book　Buyer；　and；　given　a　chance　to　help　in　this；　Bok　felt　he　was　getting　back　into　the　periodical　field；　especially　since；　under　Mr。　Doubleday's　guidance；　the　little　monthly　soon　developed　into　a　literary　magazine　of　very　respectable　size　and　generally　bookish　contents。

The　house　also　issued　another　periodical；　The　Presbyterian　Review；　a　quarterly　under　the　editorship　of　a　board　of　professors　connected　with　the　Princeton　and　Union　Theological　Seminaries。　This　ponderous…looking　magazine　was　not　composed　of　what　one　might　call　〃light　reading；〃　and　as　the　price　of　a　single　copy　was　eighty　cents；　and　the　advertisements　it　could　reasonably　expect　were　necessarily　limited　in　number；　the　periodical　was　rather　difficult　to　move。　Thus　the　whole　situation　at　the　Scribners'　was　adapted　to　give　Edward　an　all…round　training　in　the　publishing　business。　It　was　an　exceptional　opportunity。

He　worked　early　and　late。　An　increase　in　his　salary　soon　told　him　that　he　was　satisfying　his　employers；　and　then；　when　the　new　Scribner's　Magazine　appeared；　and　a　little　later　Mr。　Doubleday　was　delegated　to　take　charge　of　the　business　end　of　it；　Bok　himself　was　placed　in　charge　of　the　advertising　department；　with　the　publishing　details　of　the　two　periodicals　on　his　hands。

He　suddenly　found　himself　directing　a　stenographer　instead　of　being　a　stenographer　himself。　Evidently　his　apprentice　days　were　over。　He　had；　in　addition；　the　charge　of　sending　all　the　editorial　copies　of　the　new　books　to　the　press　for　review；　and　of　keeping　a　record　of　those　reviews。　This　naturally　brought　to　his　desk　the　authors　of　the　house　who　wished　to　see　how　the　press　received　their　works。

The　study　of　the　writers　who　were　interested　in　following　the　press　notices　of　their　books；　and　those　who　were　indifferent　to　them　became　a　fascinating　game　to　young　Bok。　He　soon　discovered　that　the　greater　the　author　the　less　he　seemed　to　care　about　his　books　once　they　were　published。　Bok　noticed　this；　particularly；　in　the　case　of　Robert　Louis　Stevenson；　whose　work　had　attracted　him；　but；　although　he　used　the　most　subtle　means　to　inveigle　the　author　into　the　office　to　read　the　press　notices；　he　never　succeeded。　Stevenson　never　seemed　to　have　the　slightest　interest　in　what　the　press　said　of　his　books。

One　day　Mr。　Burlingame　asked　Bok　to　take　some　proofs　to　Stevenson　at　his　home；　thinking　it　might　be　a　propitious　moment　to　interest　the　author　in　the　popular　acclaim　that　followed　the　publication　of　Doctor　Jekyll　and　Mr。　Hyde；　Bok　put　a　bunch　of　press　notices　in　his　pocket。　He　found　the　author　in　bed；　smoking　his　inevitable　cigarette。

As　the　proofs　were　to　be　brought　back；　Bok　waited；　and　thus　had　an　opportunity　for　nearly　two　hours　to　see　the　author　at　work。　No　man　ever　went　over　his　proofs　more　carefully　than　did　Stevenson；　his　corrections　were　numerous；　and　sometimes　for　ten　minutes　at　a　time　he　would　sit　smoking　and　thinking　over　a　single　sentence；　which；　when　he　had　satisfactorily　shaped　it　in　his　mind；　he　would　recast　on　the　proof。

Stevenson　was　not　a　prepossessing　figure　at　these　times。　With　his　sallow　skin　and　his　black　dishevelled　hair；　with　finger…nails　which　had　been　allowed　to　grow　very　long；　with　fingers　discolored　by　tobaccoin　short；　with　a　general　untidiness　that　was　all　his　own；　Stevenson；　so　Bok　felt；　was　an　author　whom　it　was　better　to　read　than　to　see。　And　yet　his　kindliness　and　gentleness　more　than　offset　the　unattractiveness　of　his　physical　appearance。

After　one　or　two　visits　from　Bok；　having　grown　accustomed　to　him；　Stevenson　would　discuss　some　sentence　in　an　article；　or　read　some　amended　paragraph　out　loud　and　ask　whether　Bok　thought　it　sounded　better。　To　pass　upon　Stevenson　as　a　stylist　was；　of　course；　hardly　within　Bok's　mental　reach；　so　he　kept　discreetly　silent　when　Stevenson　asked　his　opinion。

In　fact；　Bok　reasoned　it　out　that　the　novelist　did　not　really　expect　an　answer　or　an　opinion；　but　was　at　such　times　thinking　aloud。　The　mental　process；　however；　was　immensely　interesting；　particularly　when　Stevenson　would　ask　Bok　to　hand　him　a　book　on　words　lying　on　an　adjacent　table。　〃So　hard　to　find　just　the　right　word；〃　Stevenson　would　say；　and　Bok　got　his　first　realization　of　the　truth　of　the　maxim：　〃Easy　writing；　hard　reading；　hard　writing；　easy　reading。〃

On　this　particular　occasion　when　Stevenson　finished；　Bok　pulled　out　his　clippings；　told　the　author　how　his　book　was　being　received；　and　was　selling；　what　the　house　was　doing　to　advertise　it；　explained　the　forthcoming　play　by　Richard　Mansfield；　and　then　offered　the　press　notices。

Stevenson　took　the　bundle　and　held　it　in　his　hand。

〃That's　very　nice　to　tell　me　all　you　have；〃　he　said；　〃and　I　have　been　greatly　interested。　But　you　have　really　told　me　all　about　it；　haven't　you；　so　why　should　I　read　these　notices？　Hadn't　I　better　get　busy　on　another　paper　for　Mr。　Burlingame　for　the　next　magazine；　else　he'll　be　after　me？　You　know　how　impatient　these　editors　are。〃　And　he　handed　back　the　notices。

Bok　saw　it　was　of　no　use：　Stevenson　was　interested　in　his　work；　but；　beyond　a　certain　point；　not　in　the　world's　reception　of　it。　Bok's　estimate　of　the　author　rose　immeasurably。　His　attitude　was　in　such　sharp　contrast　to　that　of　others　who　came　almost　daily　into　the　office　to　see　what　the　papers　said；　often　causing　discomfiture　to　the　young　advertising　director　by　insisting　upon　taking　the　notices　with　them。　But　Bok　always　countered　this　desire　by　reminding　the　author　that；　of　course；　in　that　case　he　could　not　quote　from　these　desirable　notices　in　his　advertisements　of　the　book。　And；　invariably；　the　notices　were　left　behind！

It　now　fell　to　the　lot　of　the　young　advertiser　to　arouse　the　interest　of　the　public　in　what　were　to　be　some　of　the　most　widely　read　and　best…known　books　of　the　day：　Robert　Louis　Stevenson's　Dr。　Jekyll　and　Mr。　Hyde；　Frances　Hodgson　Burnett's　Little　Lord　Fauntleroy；　Andrew　Carnegie's　Triumphant　Democracy；　Frank　R。　Stockton's　The　Lady；　or　the　Tiger？　and　his　Rudder　Grange；　and　a　succession　of　other　books。

The　advertising　of　these　books　keenly　sharpened　the　publicity　sense　of　the　developing　advertising　director。　One　book　could　best　be　advertised　by　the　conventional　means　of　the　display　advertisement；　another；　like　Triumphant　Democracy；　was　best　served　by　sending　out　to　the　newspapers　a　〃broadside〃　of　pungent　extracts；　public　curiosity　in　a　novel　like　The　Lady；　or　the　Tiger？　was；　of　course；　whetted　by　the　publication　of　literary　notes　as　to　the　real　denouement　the　author　had　in　mind　in　writing　the　story。　Whenever　Mr。　Stockton　came　into　the　office　Bok　pumped　him　dry　as　to　his　experiences　with　the　story；　such　as　when；　at　a　dinner　party；　his　hostess　served　an　ice…cream　lady　and　a　tiger　to　the　author；　and　the　whole　company　watched　which　he　chose。

〃And　which　did　you　choose？〃　asked　the　advertising　director。

〃Et　tu；　Brute？〃　Stockton　smilingly　replied。　〃Well；　I'll　tell　you。　I　asked　the　butler　to　bring　me　another　spoon；　and　then；　with　a　spoon　in　each　hand；　I　attacked　both　the　lady　and　the　tiger　at　the　same　time。〃

Once；　when　Stockton　was　going　to　Boston　by　the　night　boat；　every　room　was　taken。　The　ticket　agent　recognized　the　author；　and　promised　to　get　him　a　desirable　room　if　the　author　would　tell　which　he　had　had　in　mind；　the　lady　or　the　tiger。

〃Produce　the　room；〃　answered　Stockton。

The　man　did。　Stockton　paid　for　it；　and　then　said：　〃To　tell　you　the　truth；　my　friend；　I　don't　know。〃

And　that　was　the　truth；　as　Mr。　Stockton　confessed　to　his　friends。　The　idea　of　the　story　had　fascinated　him；　when　he　began　it　he　purposed　to　give　it　a　definite　ending。　But　when　he　reached　the　end　he　didn't　know　himself　which　to　produce　out　of　the　open　door；　the　lady　or　the　tiger；　〃and　so；〃　he　used　to　explain；　〃I　made　up　my　mind　to　leave　it　hanging　in　the　air。〃

To　the　present　generation　of　readers；　all　this　reference　to　Stockton's　story　may　sound　strange；　but　for　months　it　was　the　most　talked…of　story　of　the　time；　and　sold　into　large　numbers。

One　day　while　Mr。　Stockton　was　in　Bok's　office；　A。　B。　Frost；　the　illustrator；　came　in。　Frost　had　become　a　full…fledged　farmer　with　one　hundred　and　twenty　acres　of　Jersey　land；　and　Stockton　had　a　large　farm　in　the　South　which　was　a　financial　burden　to　him。

〃Well；　Stockton；〃　said　Frost；　〃I　have　found　a　way　at　last　to　make　a　farm　stop　eating　up　money。