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customers into buying the kind of book _I_ think they ought to buy。 When
I see the helpless pathos of most of them； who drift into a bookstore
without the slightest idea of what they want or what is worth reading； I
would disdain to take advantage of their frailty。 They are absolutely at the
mercy of the salesman。 They will buy whatever he tells them to。 Now
the honourable man； the high…minded man （by which I mean myself） is
too proud to ram some shimmering stuff at them just because he thinks
they ought to read it。 Let the boobs blunder around and grab what they
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can。 Let natural selection operate。 I think it is fascinating to watch them；
to see their helpless groping； and to study the weird ways in which they
make their choice。 Usually they will buy a book either because they think
the jacket is attractive； or because it costs a dollar and a quarter instead of
a dollar and a half； or because they say they saw a review of it。 The
〃review〃 usually turns out to be an ad。 I don't think one book…buyer in a
thousand knows the difference。
MIFFLINYour doctrine is pitiless； base； and false！ What would
you think of a physician who saw men suffering from a curable disease
and did nothing to alleviate their sufferings？
GLADFISTTheir sufferings （as you call them） are nothing to what
mine would be if I stocked up with a lot of books that no one but
highbrows would buy。 What would you think of a base public that would
go past my shop day after day and let the high…minded occupant die of
starvation？
MIFFLINYour ailment； Jerry； is that you conceive yourself as merely
a tradesman。 What I'm telling you is that the bookseller is a public
servant。 He ought to be pensioned by the state。 The honour of his
profession should compel him to do all he can to spread the distribution of
good stuff。
QUINCYI think you forget how much we who deal chiefly in new
books are at the mercy of the publishers。 We have to stock the new stuff；
a large proportion of which is always punk。 Why it is punk； goodness
knows； because most of the bum books don't sell。
MIFFLINAh； that is a mystery indeed！ But I can give you a fair
reason。 First； because there isn't enough good stuff to go round。
Second； because of the ignorance of the publishers； many of whom
honestly don't know a good book when they see it。 It is a matter of sheer
heedlessness in the selection of what they intend to publish。 A big drug
factory or a manufacturer of a well…known jam spends vast sums of money
on chemically assaying and analyzing the ingredients that are to go into
his medicines or in gathering and selecting the fruit that is to be stewed
into jam。 And yet they tell me that the most important department of a
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publishing business； which is the gathering and sampling of manuscripts；
is the least considered and the least remunerated。 I knew a reader for one
publishing house： he was a babe recently out of college who didn't know
a book from a frat pin。 If a jam factory employs a trained chemist； why
isn't it worth a publisher's while to employ an expert book analyzer？
There are some of them。 Look at the fellow who runs the Pacific
Monthly's book business for example！ He knows a thing or two。
CHAPMANI think perhaps you exaggerate the value of those trained
experts。 They are likely to be fourflushers。 We had one once at our
factory； and as far as I could make out he never thought we were doing
good business except when we were losing money。
MIFFLINAs far as I have been able to observe； making money is the
easiest thing in the world。 All you have to do is to turn out an honest
product； something that the public needs。 Then you have to let them
know that you have it； and teach them that they need it。 They will batter
down your front door in their eagerness to get it。 But if you begin to hand
them gold bricks； if you begin to sell them books built like an apartment
house； all marble front and all brick behind； you're cutting your own throat；
or rather cutting your own pocket； which is the same thing。
MEREDITHI think Mifflin's right。 You know the kind of place our
shop is： a regular Fifth Avenue store； all plate glass front and marble
columns glowing in the indirect lighting like a birchwood at full moon。
We sell hundreds of dollars' worth of bunkum every day because people
ask for it； but I tell you we do it with reluctance。 It's rather the custom in
our shop to scoff at the book…buying public and call them boobs； but they
really want good books the poor souls don't know how to get them。
Still； Jerry has a certain grain of truth to his credit。 I get ten times more
satisfaction in selling a copy of Newton's The Amenities of Book…
Collecting than I do in selling a copy ofwell； Tarzan； but it's poor
business to impose your own private tastes on your customers。 All you can
do is to hint them along tactfully； when you get a chance； toward the stuff
that counts。
QUINCYYou remind me of something that happened in our book
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department the other day。 A flapper came in and said she had forgotten
the name of the book she wanted； but it was something about a young man
who had been brought up by the monks。 I was stumped。 I tried her with
The Cloister and the Hearth and Monastery Bells and Legends of the
Monastic Orders and so on； but her face was blank。 Then one of the
salesgirls overheard us talking； and she guessed it right off the bat。 Of
course it was Tarzan。
MIFFLINYOU poor simp； there was your chance to introduce her to
Mowgli and the bandar…log。
QUINCYTrueI didn't think of it。
MIFFLINI'd like to get you fellows' ideas about a