Pirates in the Book Trade
Contention is generated in the book publishing trade because established firms have paper allocated to them by quota while the host of new concerns which have arisen during the war are enabled to use as much as they can get of any " printers' paper" not needed fot handbills or advertisements. Mr. Stanley Unwin in The Times has presented a powerful case for the established publisher. Through lack of paper he is frequently unable to reprint accepted classics or to do justice to new works in great demand or to accept the works of new authors whom he would like to include in his list. Some of the last achieve publicity through the new publishers, some of whom no doubt are publishing quite creditable books, inclUding technical, educational and juvenile books, while others. are issuing trumpery matter for whose appearance there is no justification. The policy pursued towards publishers is exactly the opposite of that adopted in the concentration of industry. The way out, of course, is for the Government to release more paper— the amount allotted at present is a relatively small fraction of the total compared with the importance of books. Reports from librarians, booksellers and club secretaries show that every- where the public is clamorous for more and better books.
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