Published Monthly, (UNIFORM IN SIZE WITH THE WAVERLEY NOVELs), THE LIBRARY OF ROMANCE, EDITED BY LEITCH RITCHIE, Author of the "Romance of French History," "Heath's Picturesque THE experiments that have been made, and are still going on in cheap literature, have not hitherto been extended to the department of ORIGINAL ROMANCE. Yet the various Novelists' have all met with sufficient success, although embracing only reprints or translations of standard works, the originals of which might be supposed to have been already in the hands of the public; and the Standard Novels' have proved a most popular and widely-circulated book, although they consist merely of new editions. It is the design of the projectors of the present undertaking, to apply the same principle to ORIGINAL ROMANCES, and to inquire experimentally, whether the sale of a work written by the most eminent living authors of Europe and America, will not be sufficiently extended to cover the additional expense of copyright, which, in the books alluded to above, cost nothing. In theory, at least, they know that they are correct. Novels and Romances are a most important article in the trade of literature. Thousands of libraries throughout the country circulate them from hand to hand without ceasing; and, in addition to their forming a large part of the business of almost every bookseller, there are vast commercial establishments that deal in nothing else. an article' like this-for which the demand is all but unlimited-a speculation which proposes at once to lower the price, and increase the value, cannot be unpopular. By 'increasing the value,' however, we of course do not mean that the great writers of the day will, at our bidding, produce better Romances than heretofore; but simply that our work, being under the sole management and control of literary men, will, as we hope, be in some degree free from the inequalities which occasionally prove so ruinous to the aggregate speculations of a bookseller. · In One great good will be effected by the form of the LIBRARY OF ROMANCE. It will neutralize to a certain extent the mischievous prejudice which prevails in the trade, against works in less than three volumes; and this it will do while increasing rather than diminishing the profits of the Circulating Libraries. Each volume, which will be complete in itself, will nearly equal in 2 quantity two volumes of a common novel; but, instead of about a Guinea, the price will be ONLY SIX SHILLINGS. Hence the lender will have five of our volumes at something less than the cost of three of those on the old system; while the borrower will have twice more reading for his money. The advantages of this new system will not be confined to wellknown authors; for, in addition to other points of interest and variety, the plan provides for the occasional insertion of the works of writers hitherto unknown. WORKS OF LEITCH RITCHIE. TALES AND CONFESSIONS. Post 8vo. Price 10s. 6d. bds. LONDON NIGHTS ENTERTAINMENTS, a new and illustrated edition of the above, with additional Tales. Price 10s. 6d. elegantly bound. LONDON NIGHTS' ENTERTAINMENTS, a New vol. (Preparing.) ROMANCE OF FRENCH HISTORY. Three volumes. Post 8vo, 11. 11s. 6d. ROMANCE OF FRENCH HISTORY. Demy Edition. 21s. ROMANCE OF FRENCH HISTORY. La France Ro 66 mantique," the French Translation, announced by M. Gosselin, will be imported as soon as published. THE GAME OF LIFE, a Novel. Two vols. Post 8vo. 17. THE GAME OF LIFE, a New edition (Preparing), altered and completed, in one cheap volume. HEATH'S PICTURESQUE ANNUAL, each volume illustrated by twenty-six superb engravings, from Drawings by Stanfield. HEATH'S PICTURESQUE ANNUAL, large paper edi tion. 27. 10s. CONTENTS: Vol. I. Travelling Sketches in the North of Italy, the Tyrol, Vol. II. Travelling Sketches on the Rhine, and in Belgium and Vol. III. (Preparing), Travelling Sketches on the Sea-Coasts TURNER'S ANNUAL TOUR, illustrated by twenty-one engravings, from Drawings by J. M. W. Turner. 21. 2s. Vol. I. Wanderings by the Loire. Vol. II. (Preparing) Wanderings by the Seine. |