“Again, the well-known firm of F. A. Brockhaus holds out a prospectus of a corrected critical edition of the German poets of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, which we have every reason to believe will merit success.  A similar enterprise is announced, just now, by the Bibliographical Institution of Hildburghausen, under the title, ‘Bibliothek der deutschen Nationalliteratur,’ edited by Heinr.  Kurz, in weekly parts of 10 sheets, at the price of 12 cts. each.  Even an illustrated edition of the Classics will be presented to the public, in consequence of the expiration of the copyright.  The Grotesche Buchhandlung, of Berlin, is issuing the ’Hausbibliothek deutscher Classiker,’ with wood-cut illustrations by such eminent artists as Richter, Thumann, and others; and the first part, just published, containing Louise, by Voss, with truly artistic illustrations, has met with general approbation.  But, above all, the popular edition of the poets, issued by G. Hempel, of Berlin, under the general title of ‘National Bibliothek saemmtlicher deutscher Classiker,’ 8vo. in parts, 6 cts. each, seems destined to surpass all others in popularity, though not in merit. Of the first part (already published), containing Buerger’s Poems, 300,000 copies have been sold, and 150,000 subscribers’ names have been registered for the complete series.  This immense sale, unequalled in the annals of the German book-trade, will certainly induce many other publishers to embark in similar enterprises.”—­Truebner’s Literary Record, Oct. 1867.

Judging from this, there will, five years hence, be a million of families in possession of the works of Schiller, Buerger, Goethe, Herder and others, that thus far have been compelled to dispense with their perusal.  Sad to think, however, they will be of those cheap editions now so much despised by American advocates of monopoly privileges!  How much better for the German people would it not have been had their Parliament recognized the perpetuity of literary rights, and thus enabled the “great and wealthy house” of Cotta and Co. to carry into full effect the idea that their own editions should alone be published, thereby adding other millions to the very many of which they already are the owners!

At this moment a letter from Mr. Bayard Taylor advises us that German circulating libraries impede the sale of books; that the circulation of even highly popular works is limited within 20,000; and that, as a necessary consequence, German authors are not paid so well as of right they should be.[1] This, however, is precisely the state of things that, as we are now assured, should be brought about in this country, prices being raised, and readers being driven to the circulating library by reason of the deficiency of the means required for forming the private one.  It is the one that would be brought about should our authors, unhappily for themselves, succeed in obtaining what is now demanded.