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Show EXTRA ILLUSTRATING. How Rich Men Make Costly Picture Books. WHERE THE ENGRAVINGS COME FROM. Biographies the Most Suitable, "Story of Nell Gwynue." Extra illustrating is so commonly al- luded to by its votaries as a mania, that other people may accept the term. The word seems not misapplied when one sees he astounding things which the extra Illustrators are led to do. But It Is a mama that gives so much delight in Its manifestations, und is so agreeable in its results that those who are whole may well envy the atilicted. Extra illustrating or extending books, as it is called, consists in adding plates to a book to which they do not belong, but which refer in some way to the contents. "The book best adapted for extra Illustrating," Illus-trating," said Mr. William E. Benjamin, a gentleman familiar with tbo habit of extra illustrating, "is ono that refers to persons and places, if not on every page, at brief intervals. A book that contains forty pages of philosophical reflections and then mentions Shakespeare, Byron and a whole galaxy of noted names, would not suit tne illustrators aesigu. no would, if he could, insert a plate between every leaf of his book, but the plate must illustrate something in the text on the opposite page. "For this reason books of biography aro the most suitable. It doesn't matter who tho man is if ho only has a large acquaintance acquaint-ance among notable people. As it happens, hap-pens, some of the best biographies ore the best adapted for the purpose. Among these aro Bos well's "Lifo of Johuson,1 Mrs. Bray's 'Life of Stothard,' 'Life of i Bacon,' Cunningham's 'Story of Nell Gwynne.' No book compares with this. The story is romantically interesting, the period, if dissolute, iB brilliant, and the porsons mentioned make a gallery into which enters ovory person worth knowing of at that time." "How does the estra illustrator proceed'" pro-ceed'" "Ho chooses his book, and thon begins tho search for his plates. The distinguished distin-guished personages mentioned he can readily find portraits of, and as many as ho wants. Sometimes ho wants one of each kind; then he can produce the man at overy period of his life. These plates cost him probably from twenty-five cents to $1. For example, if it is Bacon ho is illustrating he finds him easy and cheap, j But suppose he wants a portrait of Van-1 Van-1 brugh? He may then have to pay several ! dollars, and if it is Olivnr Cromwell's j porter and I believe, although his name is unknown, there is a portrait of tho porter he may hove to pay $u or more. It is the obscure men that are high and difficult to get, and it is those that allure I tho extra illustrator. His book has all ' tho distinguished men in all their pre- sentments, but here is an obscure name, t This is the man he wants, bo ho waits ; and hunts, sends here and there his or-1 or-1 ders and if he has tho money will pay any j price to secure the face of thiB humble individual utterly unknown to fame. It i is for this reason privately illustrated books are so seldom finished. There is always one illustration for which the earth must be searched, and before it is i-,.vwl Aa flv-tyn il lllBtrnt.nl' dipq." j "But isn't it difficult to find plates of uniform size adapted to the book?" j "It is the book that must adapt Itself to the most valuable of tho plates. For ! example, a gontlemau not long ago I wanted to illustrate Cunningham's "Nell 1 Gwynne," which is an unpretending little octavo volume. At great expense lie se-I se-I cured a large rare engraving of Nell 1 Gwynne lying on a lounge attended by I loves. The engraving couldn't be pared : down, accordingly every leaf of the book i : was built up. There is a practice known j as inlaying, which consists in giving a picturo or a pago of text a margin of any I bIzo desired. Tliis is done so perfectly I that it can scarcely be detected. In this ' cusp the result was that "Nell Gwvune," "Tfnagntnceut" roiio. Tms' is ir common practice among extra illustrators. Of course, tho work is done by experts." "Wherodo the engravings come from?" I "Everywhere. In the earlier days the I extra illustrator haunted the second hand , dealers' ware, tore tho plates out from j magazines, books, found them - in tho i most unsuspected places. Of course, tho I dolight that accompanied such a find is '' among tho things of which words fail, , etc. Nowadays the matter Is simplified, j A man chooses the book he wants to Hlus-i Hlus-i trate, and makes it known. Immediately wo will say 150 plates aro selected for 1 him. Thero may be a number, we will say, of Talleyrand. Theso are sent him and he malics hia choice. He may prefer i . a number of portraits of Talleyrand, pro- j vided they are taken at different periods j i or by different men. Now, out of that ' j 1C0 selected thero may bo perhaps thirty : that can't be duplicated in years. Tho ; I next man will have to try for them some : other way. I "Then men's tastes change. They bo-1 bo-1 come educated and difficult to satisfy; ! they throw out, in time, their common ' plates and get better, and these, again, for artist proofs or on India paper. In this way engravings keep up a circulation, going and returning. Of course a largo I number como from tho other side, and dealers look out for them and collect them for some possible need. Now hero, for example, ia a largo, imposing portrait of Owen McSwiney. Did you ever hear of bimT I never did; but some day his name will be found in Bome obscure line. Thon his portrait will bo wanted." "Are scenes never required inr extra illustrating?" "Rarely. Thoy aro usually works of imagination, and the extra Illustrator wants something that is real. There are exceptions, of course. Suppose a man wants to illustrate the lifo of Napoleon. In that case tho representations of his battles which are so associated with his career, as they adorn the palace at Versailles Ver-sailles and as they have been engraved, would bo used. Engravings of houses or Btreets are frequently used. Old London Is a favorite subject, and the representations representa-tions of Whitehall or Gad's Hill, for example, ex-ample, in a life of Dickens would be wanted. But autograph letters are fro quently used in extra illustrating. In the life of Frauklin or of Washington, autograph letters, which usually cost more than engravings, would bo considered consid-ered essential, nud as engravings they are generally kept in Htock for this pur-poso." pur-poso." "It seems extra illustrators ought to bo profitablo customorsV" "No, not to the provider of plates. Tho old and rare book love is a much more sought after person. Now York Evening Sun. |