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'The Cahn-Leighton
Official Theatrical Guide
(successor to the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide)
CONTAINING
Authentic Information Regarding all
Cities, Towns and Villages wherein
Theatrical Organizations may find a
Theatre, Opera House or Hall to exhibit
In as well as the Information pertain-
ing to these places of Amusement, the
Railroards, Express Companies, News-
Papers, Billposters, Transfer Companies
Hotel, &c., throughout the
United States and
Canada.'
'SOME FACTS AS TO THEATRICAL GUIDES WHICH MAY INTEREST YOU
'Julius Cahn began the publication of his Official Theatrical Guide in 1894. To the gathering and publishing of Theatrical statistics, an undertaking always abounding in difficulties and discouragements, Mr. Cahn has devoted the best years of his life.
'The firm of Cahn & Leighton has been organized less than one year, and this is the first combined effort to give the theatrical public a guide with many radical changes and new ideas. The producing manager, booking representative, travelling agent and manager, are at all times in need of a good reliable guide as near correct as possible and full of good, live information from cover to cover. This is what we wish to make the new Guide, and we are always willing to entertain any good suggestions. The object of this guide is to assist the producer and theatre manager to reach each other in a practicle [sic] business-like manner with the least trouble. Every opportunity has been given the Theatre manager to place his theatre before those who send him attractions, as well as to furnish truthful statements regarding his theatre and city. Careful consideration has been given to reports received, and but one object held in view – full justice to every one. Some of the statements have been so radically false that we have been compelled in justice to ourselves in curtailing their statements. Any theatre manager whose theatre or city have been under-rated may rely upon having justice done him in future editions if he will furnish us with the sufficient evidence of the truth of his statements. This especially applies to the printing and size of stage given in a number of reports.
'Among the new features in the guide will be found several tables of freight rates, party fares and the mileage to next point from each point in the guide. The following edition we hope to be able to furnish our subscribers with a guide that will outdo any previous attempt and we hope to be able to place at the opening of each state a map of the same with an index of all points in the state that boasts of a place of amusement.
'There are no doubt many mistakes in the guide and we will be thankful to anyone who will call our attention to them as they are discovered that we may correct them in future editions.
'We aim at strict impartiality in this work and desire always to avoid injustice to Theatre managers, in our efforts to procure accurate and trustworthy information for the users of the Guide, therefore we have been compelled to eliminate any number of theatres, some of them really important, because of a rule we have placed into effect that we cannot publish the old information of a previous issue unless it has been corrected up-to-date.
'Many times we are asked the question, "Why don't you revise the Guide every year?" the answer is, "We do." We will try to make this book perfect, not because we hope to attain perfection, but because we know by striving for perfection we shall grow better all the while. The Theatre Manager with the too convenient pigeon-hole is the greatest obstacle in our way. By the system we follow, no theatre Manager can justly say that we have neglected to publish the details regarding his theatre and city correctly. We send as high as three requests to delinquent Managers for this information. It costs a Theatre Manager small effort and no money to have his theatre's correct description and other information set before the discriminating producers and Booking agents who use the Guilde.
'The Local Manager may consider and know that he has a fine plant, still there are big producers in New York who could not tell you where he is located or ever heard of him, and this publication is the means of advising him of their existence. We trust that for the next issue we may have the full information of every town in the country that has a theatre. This edition has more than ever before, but there are a number that we have had to mention only as existing, the corrected details not have been forthcoming.
'We want to thank those loyal subscribers who have sent in their subscriptions this season and have been disappointed in the late issue of the guide, and we wish to assure them that we appreciate this proof of faith in the new publication and in explanation we will say that the work of compiling was commenced several months late and the fact that we have constructed an entirely new guide with a uniform method in placing the information before you in place of the old jumbled data, which had not been revised uniformly in past years, has caused repeated delays, but we have clung to the belief that you will forgive us and be places when you see what we have endeavored to give you.
'We bespeak from our friends an appreciation of the merits of the book and a frank and friendly criticism of what they consider its faults.
Very truly yours, CAHN & LEIGHTON.'
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