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Coincidental Commentaries SIR:—To the roll-call of prophets of the present war can be added the ncimes of two Americans, Woodrow Wilson and Brooks Adams. In 1920 Wilson must be thought to have foreseen the recent conquest of when he warned us: "If we keep out of this agreement, if we re­ fuse to join in underwriting the peace of civilization, then a fresh attempt will be made to crush the small new nations of Europe." As he must also be thought to have foreseen our cur­ rent colossal armament outlay in the same year when he declared: "Iso­ lated we may some day be indeed; and not because we wish to be. When that day comes we shall have to arm to the teeth to preserve our existence." Adams' prophecies occur in his "America's Economic Supremacy" which was published in 1900. Applic­ able almost equally to the first World War and to its renewal, they predict an assault upon Britain by a Conti­ nental Coalition formed for that pur­ pose, and show the inevitability of our becoming involved as an ally of Britain. Many of Adams' images fit "He edits the Gory Gazette." the current pattern closely enough to have been written only yesterday, not forty years ago. It should be added knows as many words as the author you noticed it made a dent on the that at the close of the last War he of "The Tempest," himself—even if he memory of Miss Foyle? predicted its renewal "within at fur­ has to fabricate them out of his own CHRISTOPHER MORLEY. thest a single generation." head. Or, perhaps, Mr. Morley, like the Of especial interest is his prevision late Jay House, believes "when I use "How Poetry Is Publisted" a word that makes it correct." of our relation to an embattled Eng­ Sm:—Apropos of your excellent arti­ land. "The support of the United What confuses me are the words cle, "How Poetry is Published" ISBL, States," he wrote, "may thus be said "nembutal" and "metagrobolize." Here­ Mar. 15], I do wish to say through to be essential to Britain who, with­ tofore when I have found strange, your paper a word in praise of Louis out it, if attacked by a Continental mysterious words that have been Untermeyer's anthology, "The New Coalition would be forced to capit­ penned by Mr. Morley I have merely Modem American and British Poetry." ulate. . . . Great Britain may not shaken my head and, too lazy to go to The selections from the various poets inaptly be described as a fortified the dictionary, remarked to myself together with the concise biographic outpost of the Anglo-Saxon race over­ "that young man won't go far if he sketches are most representative and looking the Eastern Continent and doesn't stop that kind of talk." revealing. The notes which take the resting on America. . . . But if the But "nembutal" and "metagrobo­ form of further enjoyment of Poetry, support of the United States is es­ lize" fascinated me. How, I thought, are most helpful and suggestive and I sential to England, England is essen­ I could knock 'em cold (or put them feel are sure to do real missionary tial to the United States in the face to sleep) at the club by nonchalantly work in the appreciation of poetry, of foes who fear and hate us and who handing them a dose of nembutal. discriminating between the good and but for her would already have their Would that not metagrobolize them! the poor product and, above all, in fleets upon our shores. Whether they SO I went to Webster and the words driving us to poetry as a panacea in like it or not, therefore, economic ex­ were not there. time of stress, in sorrow, anxiety, and igencies seem likely to constrain Eng­ Will you not tell Mr. Morley that I other ills to which moral man is sub­ lishmen and Americans to combine for have a book containing his Haverford ject. their own safety and possibly hesi­ writings and if he doesn't stop pulling I have been using Mr. Untermeyer's tancy as to this policy may be as dan­ this funny business I shall take steps book for several months with an adult gerous as indecision in war." to expose him? class in the study of poetry. In prepar­ For accurate blue-printing of the WM. A. MACAN. ing the lessons for my class each week tides of history, this would seem to Bala-Cynwyd, Pa. I feel an increasing admiration and take high rank. gratitude for the book. For a long G. R. GARRETT. time I have had a deep desire to ex­ . press these feelings to Mr. Untermeyer NOTE TO MR. MACAN:—You will find for this most satisfactory and inspir­ C. Morley and W\ Shakespeare "metagrobolize" in the complete Web­ ing anthology. My right to speak in ster (in the foot of the page section judgment on such a book is backed by SIR:—Of course Webster's una­ reserved for unusual words). It will more than fifty years of adult class bridged dictionary may be at fault or give you an excuse to read some of work in the study of poetry. It gives perhaps Christopher Morley in ob­ Rabelais, who invented it. me great pleasure to recommend this serving Shakespeare's birthday wished In re "nembutal," visit your nearest book for use of adult classes. us to understand that when the ques­ drugstore. JENNIE ELLIS KEYSOR. tion of vocabulary was considered he Good old Bala-Cynwyd: I suppose Kirkwood, Mo.

MAY 17, 1941 11

PRODUCED 2005 BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED Second of A Series G. P. Putnam's Sons

Ire Publishing for Business

EDITH M. STERN

HEN you step out of the a partner in the publishing house of elevator on the second and Long in 1833; staged the W floor in a building on 45th first Book and Author dinner in 1837; Street, just west of Fifth Avenue, and and next year, with the firm's name enter the conventionally furnished re­ changed to Wiley and Putnam, went ception room of G. P. Putnam's Sons, to , where he established the one of the first things that catches first American publishing branch in / your eye is a framed certificate of England. In 1847, while in London, membership in the Merchants' Asso­ he gave a stranded American printer, ciation. There are no attempts to cre­ , some temporary cleri­ Major ate atmosphere with sentimental evo­ cal work to relieve his financial dis­ headed the publishing house founded cations of more than a century of pub­ tress; this resulted in the acquisition by his father for fifty-eight years. lishing; the latest Putnam titles of a first-rate publishing property, for aren't strewn about the anteroom nor Taylor's book of travels, issued next a few months, and ultimately topped first editions of James Fenimore Coo­ year, sold more than 100,000 copies a million. Miss Warner's later novel, per and exhibited during forty years, and new Taylor "Queechy," was almost as successful. in glass cases. And as you proceed volumes met with continued popu­ Six years before his father died, in through a maze of corridors and close- larity. 1866, George Haven Putnam, Major in packed, paper-laden offices, to the tune When George Putnam returned to the Civil War, entered the business of clacking typewriters, the impres­ America in 1848, Wiley and Putnam and headed it for fifty-eight years. sion of a business firm stripped for were dissolved, and the firm name be­ With the advent of other Putnam sons action is reinforced. came George P. Putnam. His next the firm again changed its name, this Melville Minton and Earle H. Balch, editorial coup was represented by the time permanently to G. P. Putnam's who merged their firm of Minton, works of Washington Irving. The writ­ Sons. Like his father, the Major lived Balch and Company with Putnam's er's works had been three years out twenty-five hours a day. He wrote in 1930, are chronologically, at least, of print, because his Philadelphia pub­ books on the copyright law; he made among the "younger publishers" who lishers didn't consider them of "per­ sixty-five trans-Atlantic crossings; he mushroomed pyrotechnically during the manent value." Irving, desperate, was was active in civic affairs. It was he 1920's; psychologically, they were not. ready to turn to some other means of who urged young President Minton had been selling for making a living, when Putnam offered to run for the New York State As­ Charles Scribner's Sons ever since he him a proposition which, for the time, sembly. For a while Roosevelt WEIS a had left school in Red Bank, New Jer­ was a miracle of generosity. At about special partner in the firm: he offered sey. Vice-president Balch, via the Uni­ the same time, Hawthorne's "Mosses many ebullient suggestions, few of versity of Minnesota and Harv£U-d, had from an Old Manse" and Lowell's them practical, but at least he did con­ had his previous publishing experience "Fable for Critics" came out under tribute "The Naval War of 1812" and right in the editorial department of the Putnam imprint to the greater several other books to the list. Under the house of which he is now editor- glory of the list and of American let­ the Major's regime Frank Crownin- in-chief. Except for taking up the de­ ters. A short-lived monthly, which shield and Burges Johnson were both fense of "The United States vs. Mar­ went under in the panic of 1857, num­ Putnam employees; the first modem- ried Love" in 1931, which made pos­ bered Longfellow, Emerson, and Bry­ type detective story, by Anna Kath­ sible the circulation of Mfirie Stopes's ant among its contributors. arine Green, was published in 1878; steady seller in this country, the new But publishers don't survive by lit­ and balance sheets in the early 190O's owners of the old house no more set erature alone, and in the mid-nine­ were sweetened in more ways than out to slay Mrs. Grundy than their teenth century the "Gone With the one by the novels of Myrtle Reed and bearded forerunners. Wind" of its day was on the Putnam of Florence Barclay, whose "The Ro­ The two partners, who complement list. In 1850 a weighty manuscript was sary"—personally guaranteed by Mrs. each other in both personality and submitted by one Susan Warner, who Putnam—sold over a million. abilities, smoothly carry on a heritage used the pen name of Elizabeth Weth- , a grandson that is a mixture of sound business erell. Putnam's manuscript readers ad­ of the founder (one of five grandsons and editorial discrimination. George vised against publication, but his to serve at various times with the Palmer Putnam, their spiritual ances­ mother read and liked the novel. "My firm) began an association with Put­ tor and founder of the firm, began his son," she urged, "if you never pub­ nam in 1918 that was responsible for energetic career in 1829 as employee lish another book, publish this! Provi­ many of the books of adventure and in a small New York bookstore, at dence will provide!" The book WEIS exploration that appeared on the list, the munificent salary of twenty-five "The Wide Wide World" and Provi­ among them Lindbergh's "We," the dollars a year and maintenance. Sub­ dence did provide. After weeks of mea­ series of "boys' books by boys," and sequently he sold for a Boston pub­ ger sales, the first enthusiastic re­ the works of William Beebe, Martin lisher; compiled an Index to Univer­ view was from a Providence, R. L, Johnson, and Rockwell Kent. sal History and a monthly register newspaper; the first large order from When Major Putnam died in 1930, of new publications while he was still a Sunday School in the same town. the family invited Minton and Balch in his teens; invested $150 to become After that, sales leaped to 40,000 in to take over. They brought with them

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