sale of which their employers are enriched.  The great and popular works of the day are, of course, reviewed with some care, and with deference to public opinion.  Without this, the journals would not sell; and it is convenient to be able to quote such articles as instances of impartiality.  Under shelter of this, a host of ephemeral productions are written into a transitory popularity; and by the aid of this process, the shelves of the booksellers, as well as the pockets of the public, are disencumbered.  To such an extent are these means employed, that some of the periodical publications of the day ought to be regarded merely as advertising machines.  That the reader may be in some measure on his guard against such modes of influencing his judgement, he should examine whether the work reviewed is published by the bookseller who is the proprietor of the review; a fact which can sometimes be ascertained from the title of the book as given at the head of the article.  But this is by no means a certain criterion, because partnerships in various publications exist between houses in the book trade, which are not generally known to the public; so that, in fact, until reviews are established in which booksellers have no interest, they can never be safely trusted.

401.  In order to put down the combination of booksellers, no plan appears so likely to succeed as a counter-association of authors.  If any considerable portion of the literary world were to unite and form such an association; and if its affairs were directed by an active committee, much might be accomplished.  The objects of such an union should be, to employ some person well skilled in the printing, and in the bookselling trade; and to establish him in some central situation as their agent.  Each member of the association to be at liberty to place any, or all of his works in the hands of this agent for sale; to allow any advertisements, or list of books published by members of the association, to be stitched up at the end of each of his own productions; the expense of preparing them being defrayed by the proprietors of the books advertised.

The duties of the agent would be to retail to the public, for ready money, copies of books published by members of the association.  To sell to the trade, at prices agreed upon, any copies they may require.  To cause to be inserted in the journals, or at the end of works published by members, any advertisements which the committee or authors may direct.  To prepare a general catalogue of the works of members.  To be the agent for any member of the association respecting the printing of any work.

Such a union would naturally present other advantages; and as each author would retain the liberty of putting any price he might think fit on his productions, the public would have the advantage of reduction in price produced by competition between authors on the same subject, as well as of that arising from a cheaper mode of publishing the volumes sold to them.