the haunted bookshop(闹鬼的书店)-第7章
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honestly don't know a good book when they see it。 It is a matter of sheer
heedlessness in the selection of what they intend to publish。 A big drug
factory or a manufacturer of a well…known jam spends vast sums of money
on chemically assaying and analyzing the ingredients that are to go into
his medicines or in gathering and selecting the fruit that is to be stewed
into jam。 And yet they tell me that the most important department of a
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publishing business； which is the gathering and sampling of manuscripts；
is the least considered and the least remunerated。 I knew a reader for one
publishing house： he was a babe recently out of college who didn't know
a book from a frat pin。 If a jam factory employs a trained chemist； why
isn't it worth a publisher's while to employ an expert book analyzer？
There are some of them。 Look at the fellow who runs the Pacific
Monthly's book business for example！ He knows a thing or two。
CHAPMANI think perhaps you exaggerate the value of those trained
experts。 They are likely to be fourflushers。 We had one once at our
factory； and as far as I could make out he never thought we were doing
good business except when we were losing money。
MIFFLINAs far as I have been able to observe； making money is the
easiest thing in the world。 All you have to do is to turn out an honest
product； something that the public needs。 Then you have to let them
know that you have it； and teach them that they need it。 They will batter
down your front door in their eagerness to get it。 But if you begin to hand
them gold bricks； if you begin to sell them books built like an apartment
house； all marble front and all brick behind； you're cutting your own throat；
or rather cutting your own pocket； which is the same thing。
MEREDITHI think Mifflin's right。 You know the kind of place our
shop is： a regular Fifth Avenue store； all plate glass front and marble
columns glowing in the indirect lighting like a birchwood at full moon。
We sell hundreds of dollars' worth of bunkum every day because people
ask for it； but I tell you we do it with reluctance。 It's rather the custom in
our shop to scoff at the book…buying public and call them boobs； but they
really want good books the poor souls don't know how to get them。
Still； Jerry has a certain grain of truth to his credit。 I get ten times more
satisfaction in selling a copy of Newton's The Amenities of Book…
Collecting than I do in selling a copy ofwell； Tarzan； but it's poor
business to impose your own private tastes on your customers。 All you can
do is to hint them along tactfully； when you get a chance； toward the stuff
that counts。
QUINCYYou remind me of something that happened in our book
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department the other day。 A flapper came in and said she had forgotten
the name of the book she wanted； but it was something about a young man
who had been brought up by the monks。 I was stumped。 I tried her with
The Cloister and the Hearth and Monastery Bells and Legends of the
Monastic Orders and so on； but her face was blank。 Then one of the
salesgirls overheard us talking； and she guessed it right off the bat。 Of
course it was Tarzan。
MIFFLINYOU poor simp； there was your chance to introduce her to
Mowgli and the bandar…log。
QUINCYTrueI didn't think of it。
MIFFLINI'd like to get you fellows' ideas about advertising。 There
was a young chap in here the other day from an advertising agency； trying
to get me to put some copy in the papers。 Have you found that it pays？
FRUEHLINGIt always payssomebody。 The only question is； does
it pay the man who pays for the ad？
MEREDITHWhat do you mean？
FRUEHLINGDid you ever consider the problem of what I call
tangential advertising？ By that I mean advertising that benefits your
rival rather than yourself？ Take an example。 On Sixth Avenue there is
a lovely delicatessen shop； but rather expensive。 Every conceivable kind
of sweetmeat and relish is displayed in the brightly lit window。 When
you look at that window it simply makes your mouth water。 You decide
to have something to eat。 But do you get it there？ Not much！ You go a
little farther down the street and get it at the Automat or the Crystal Lunch。
The delicatessen fellow pays the overhead expense of that beautiful food
exhibit； and the other man gets the benefit of it。 It's the same way in my
business。 I'm in a factory district； where people can't afford to have any
but the best books。 （Meredith will bear me out in saying that only the
wealthy can afford the poor ones。） They read the book ads in the papers
and magazines； the ads of Meredith's shop and others； and then they come
to me to buy them。 I believe in advertising； but I believe in letting
someone else pay for it。
MIFFLINI guess perhaps I can afford to go on riding on Meredith's
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ads。 I hadn't thought of that。 But I think I shall put a little notice in one
of the papers some day； just a little card saying
PARNASSUS AT HOME GOOD BOOKS BOUGHT AND
SOLD THIS SHOP IS HAUNTED
It will be fun to see what come…back I get。
QUINCYThe book section of a department store doesn't get much
chance to enjoy that tangential advertising； as Fruehling calls it。 Why；
when our interior decorating shark puts a few volumes of a pirated Kipling
bound in crushed oilcloth or a copy of 〃Knock…kneed Stories；〃 into the
window to show off a Louis XVIII boudoir suite； display space is charged
up against my department！ Last summer he asked me for 〃something by
that Ring fellow； I forget the name；〃 to put a punchy finish on a layout of
porch furniture。 I thought perhaps he meant Wagner's Nibelungen operas；
and began to dig them out。 Then I found he meant Ring Lardner。
GLADFISTThere you are。 I keep telling you bookselling is an
impossible job for a man who loves literature。 When did a bookseller
ever make any real contribution to the world's happiness？
MIFFLINDr。 Johnson's father was a bookseller。
GLADFISTYes； and couldn't afford to pay for Sam's education。
FRUEHLINGThere's another kind of tangential advertising that
interests me。 Take； for instance； a Coles Phillips painting for some brand
of silk stockings。 Of course the high lights of the picture are cunningly
focussed on the stockings of the eminently beautiful lady； but there is
always something else in the picturean automobile or a country house or
a Morris chair or a parasolwhich makes it just as effective an ad for those
goods as it is for the stockings。 Every now and then Phillips sticks a book
into his paintings； and I expect the Fifth Avenue book trade benefits by it。
A book that fits the mind as well as a silk stocking does the ankle will be
sure to sell。
MIFFLINYou are all crass materialists。 I tell you； books are the
depositories of the human spirit； which is the only thing in this world that
endures。 What was it Shakespeare said
Not marble nor the gilded monuments Of princes shall outlive this
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powerful rhyme
By the bones of the Hohenzollerns； he was right！ And wait a minute！
There's something in Carlyle's Cromwell that comes back to me。
He ran excitedly out of the room； and the members of the Corn Cob
fraternity grinned at each other。 Gladfist cleaned his pipe and poured out
some more cider。 〃He's off on his hobby；〃 he chuckled。 〃I love baiting
him。〃
〃Speaking of Carlyle's Cromwell；〃 said Fruehling； 〃that's a book I
don't often hear asked for。 But a fellow came in the other day hunting for
a copy； and to my chagrin I didn't have one。 I rather pride myself on
keeping that sort of thing in stock。 So I called up Brentano's to see if I
could pick one up； and they told me they had just sold the only copy they
had。 Somebody must have been boosting Thomas！ Maybe he's quoted
in Tarzan； or somebody has bought up the film rights。〃
Mifflin came in； looking rather annoyed。
〃Here's an odd thing；〃 he said。 〃I know damn well that copy of
Cromwell was on the shelf because I saw it there last night。 It's not there
now。〃
〃That's nothing；〃 said Quincy。 〃You know how people come into a
second…hand store； see a book they take a fancy to but don't feel like
buying just then； and tuck it away out of sight or on some other shelf
where they think no one else will spot it； but they'll be able to find it when
they can afford it。 Probably someone's done that with your Cromwell。〃
〃Maybe； but I doubt it；〃 said Mifflin。 〃Mrs。 Mifflin says she didn't
sell it this evening。 I woke her up to ask her。 She was dozing over her
knitting at the desk。 I guess she's tired after her trip。〃
〃I'm sorry to miss the Carlyle quotation；〃 said Benson。 〃What was the
gist？〃
〃I think I've got it jotted down in a notebook；〃 said Roger； hunting
along a shelf。 〃Yes； here it is。〃 He read aloud：
〃The works of a man； bury them under what guano…mountains and
obscene owl…droppings you will； do not perish； cannot perish。 What of
Heroism； what of Eternal Light was in a Man and his Life； is with very
