The opening of Preface
Departing somewhat from the customary order of the preface for the annual Book Review Digest, we shall omit the usual explanations. We believe that four annual recitals have been enough to familiarize our patrons with the scope and purpose of this work as an organ of book valuation. Instead, we should like to say a word to the publisher, the author and the librarian—all three of whom look upon book criticism from different angles of interest.
The publisher, above all else, wants to sell his book; the author desires to be understood and appreciated; the librarian aims to provide the best food for the appetite of the reading public. If the publisher cannot find in reviews material that will aid him in putting his book on the market; if the author is misunderstood and misjudged; and if the librarian sees ground for complaint in the over favorable tone of reviews and in the lack of comparative estimates, the trouble may usually be traced to the book itself or to the reviewer.