Surely there could be found a sufficient number of members of the bookselling trade to discuss some of the above or other subjects to the advantage of the trade generally? When one reflects that the yearly output of English books is considerably less than that of America, which is about one-third that of Germany, and that one-fifth of the inhabited world is dominated by the English language, it is surely time for all the members of the bookselling trade to wake up. It is not my intention to go into the details of cost prices, but all are agreed that to make an effectual organization for the book trade, the question of profits and terms must come in, both for the publisher as well as for the wholesale and retail bookseller. There is, however, a question which has often been much discussed as to whether trade terms should be based on a flat price, or the system of odd copy and discounts be continued. There is much to be said for both systems, but the method of a sliding scale is invariably used both here and in other countries. In America and Germany, as well as in this country, sometimes the odd copy is given, and even in those countries which charge flat rates there is always an advantage in prices which correspond with numbers. This is only a reasonable concession to those who will speculate, or have built up a business in which a considerable amount of capital is locked up. There are few businesses where speculation is more precarious or where the articles of commerce so quickly deteriorate in value as that of the bookseller, and it is hoped that publishers will soon recognize that bookselling as a trade wants more help and more consideration than it receives at present. Otherwise, the small man will be pushed out, and the trade become centralized in a few big establishments, who will be able to dictate terms for distributing the books published, and a trade union of distributors may be formed which will prove a harder taskmaster than the most tyrannical trade union that has ever dictated terms to its employers. Every one, however, in the trade sincerely hopes that when the publisher and bookseller are brought more in contact with each other through their associations, these important points will be mutually considered from a practical point of view. It is often wise to see how the business of bookselling is carried on in other countries, so a glance at some of their methods should be interesting. In Germany, before the war, nearly all booksellers had an agent in Leipzig. This agent receives his client's order every day, and after dispatching them to different publishers, he collects the parcels and sends them off by post or rail. A "collector," as we know him in London, is not known there. Most firms give credit, and customers go into Leipzig once every year to the "Booksellers' House," when they pay their agent and the publishers.