to it, coupled with the fixed selling price and the long credit, is attributed the success of the trade in Germany. Again, there is that industrious little country, Norway, which has been termed "A Bookseller's Paradise." But it must be remembered that in that country wealth is more evenly distributed than it is here. There are no paupers, and public schools are plentiful. The English, French, and German languages are taught in most schools, and the Norwegian bookseller is usually a well-educated man and a product of one of the public schools. The following facts are from a summary of an able address given by Mr. W.H. Arnold before the American Booksellers' Association, and are well worthy of the study of the publishers and the booksellers in this country:-- Bookselling in Norway is so organized as to eliminate almost all the risks to which English booksellers are exposed, to secure satisfactory results for the publishers, and to provide a fair reward for the author. Three trade organizations are in existence--The Publishers' Association, the National Association of Booksellers, and the Provincial Association of Booksellers, the qualification for membership in both the first and the last named being membership of the National Association. All booksellers must be members of the National Association. The Provincial Association includes all booksellers except those in Christiania. There is a National Board of Directors, composed of members of each association. An applicant wishing to become a bookseller addresses the National Board. A young man of eighteen may become a bookseller when he is thirty; he has twelve years' training--four years as apprentice, eight years as assistant. Besides a knowledge of books, he must give security, and if he can prove he has sufficient funds in hand, the National Directors will give their permission for his beginning business on his own account; but the Directors have it in their power to decide whether a new bookshop is wanted in the district mentioned. A town of 8,000 people would afford scope for two bookshops. Molde, familiar to English tourists, with a population of 2,200 has one thriving bookseller; Aalesund, with a population of 14,000, has three bookshops, and none of these booksellers need fear the incursion of other rivals. The subscription to the National Association is 10 krone--about 12_s._--per annum; and for the Association's weekly journal, 6_s._ per annum is charged. An annual list of publications is issued, and once in ten years a reference catalogue is issued, costing about 20_s._ All miscellaneous publications are issued in paper covers, and can be obtained in cloth, but the paper is the more popular format. The book buyer who decides that the paper volume is worth preserving, if so minded gets it bound in cloth or half leather, cloth costing 1_s._ 6_d._ and leather 2_s._ 6_d._ Retail prices are always net--there are no price cutters in Norway.