A century of science in America : $b with special reference to the American Journal of Science, 1818-1918
History
A century of science in America : $b with special reference to the American Journal of Science, 1818-1918
American journal of science; Science -- United States -- History
At the conclusion of vol. =10=, in February, 1826, the work was again
left upon the hands of its Editor; all its receipts had been absorbed
by the expenses, and it became necessary now to pay a heavy sum to the
retiring publisher, as an equivalent for his copies of previous
volumes, as it was deemed necessary either to control the work
entirely or to abandon it. The Editor was not willing to think of the
latter, especially as he was encouraged by public approbation, and was
cheered onward in his labors by eminent men both at home and abroad,
and he saw distinctly that the Journal was rendering service not only
to science and the arts, but to the reputation of his country. He
reflected, moreover, that in almost every valuable enterprise
perseverance in effort is necessary to success. He being now sole
proprietor, a new arrangement was made for a single year, the
publishers being at liberty, at the end of that time, to retire, and
the Editor to resume the Journal should he prefer that course.
The latter alternative he adopted, taking upon himself the entire
concern, including both the business and the editorial duties, and of
course, all the correspondence and accounts. From that time the work
has proceeded without interruption, two volumes per annum having been
published for the last twenty years; and its pecuniary claims ceased
to be onerous, although its means have never been large....
Later in the same preface he adds (p. xiv):
It may be interesting to our readers to know something of the
patronage of the Journal. It has never reached one thousand paying
subscribers, and has rarely exceeded seven or eight hundred—for many
years it fluctuated between six and seven hundred.
It has been far from paying a reasonable editorial compensation; often
it has paid nothing, and at present it does little more than pay its
bills. The number of engravings and the extra labor in printer’s
composition, cause it to be an expensive work, while its patronage is
limited.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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