al, were also published.
Bookselling in the United States was of a somewhat later growth,
although printing was introduced into Boston as early as 1676,
Philadelphia in 1685, and New York in 1693. Franklin had served to make
the trade illustrious, yet few persons were engaged in it at the
commencement of the 19th century. Books chiefly for scholars and
libraries were imported from Europe; but after the second war
printing-presses multiplied rapidly, and with the spread of newspapers
and education there also arose a demand for books, and publishers set to
work to secure the advantages offered by the wide field of English
literature, the whole of which they had the liberty of reaping free of
all cost beyond that of production. The works of Scott, Byron, Moore,
Southey, Wordsworth, and indeed of every author of note, were reprinted
without the smallest payment to author or proprietor. Half the names of
the authors in the so-called "American" catalogue of books printed
between 1820 and 1852 are British. By this means the works of the best
authors were brought to the doors of all classes in the cheapest
variety of forms. In consequence of the Civil War, the high price of
labour, and the restrictive duties laid on in order to protect native
industry, coupled with the frequent intercourse with England, a great
change took place, and American publishers and booksellers, while there
was still no international copyright, made liberal offers for early
sheets of new publications. Boston, New York and Philadelphia still
retained their old supremacy as bookselling centres. Meanwhile, the
distinct publishing business also grew, till gradually the conditions of
business became assimilated to those of Europe.

In the course of the 16th and 17th centuries the Low Countries for a
time became the chief centre of the bookselling world, and many of the
finest folios and quartos in our libraries bear the names of Jansen,
Blauw or Plantin, with the imprint of Amsterdam, Utrecht, Leiden or
Antwerp, while the Elzevirs besides other works produced their charming
little pocket classics. The southern towns of Douai and St Omer at the
same time furnished polemical works in English.

Under PUBLISHING are noticed various further developments of this
subject. Much interesting information on the history of the book trade
will be found in Charles Knight's _Biography of William Caxton_, and
in the same author's _Shadows of the Old Booksellers_ (1