The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-12-20
MR.. BOK'S LITERARY GOSSIP
Lew Wallace's New Novel OF Turkish
Life-FigureS onProfits of "Ben-Hur."
Frank r. Stockton Will Seek Recognition as
Novelist Through New WOrk-Donnel-
lys Coming BOok-A Youthful Writer.

epecial Correspondence Of the Sunday Journal
NEW YORK. Dec. 1S-Gen. Lew Wallace
is devoting part of each day at his In.
diana home on his new novel. which the
early part of the year will probably see on
the market. The novel deals entirely with
Turkish life. and has it's scenes for the
most part laid IN Constantinopie. General
Wallace has now had this novel under his
pen for moro than than a year.
and the careful work he Is bestow-
ing upon il will be seen in the story
when it Is published. No modern
author has perhaps so severe n critic az
has Lew Wallace in himself. He Is as un-
sparing OF his own work as il he were
dealing with the manuscript of another.
Then, when chapter suits him, il Is passed
over to Mrs. Wallace. who is as good u
critic as is her husband. And between the
two there is but little left for the publish
ers to do. except to accept and publish the
work. OF course it Is not TO be- expected
that General w aliace's new novel will have
the success which 'Ben-Hurr has reached.
Such a story is written but once by q man
during n lifetime
Speaking of Ben Hur."I am perfectly
safe in saying. i think. that no author
during the past ten years has made more
money ont of the sales of single book
than has Lew Wallace received Is his share
from the famous Oriental tale. Only last
week L saw some figures which showed
authoritatively that more than 10000
copies of the popular edition of the book
had been sold mp to date. The author.
happen TO know, receives q royalty OF Is
per cent, and as the book sells for Sl.5O,
each copy sold means to him 22A2 cents. 10
IN an2U N fir Q1t
Wallace has made considerably over
100000 from this single book. This. too,
is entirely apart from the two new holiday
editions Just issued. And yet few books
promised so poorly at the start. The book
was first published nlDe years ago. and
failed TO attract even a moderate degree of
attention. The first six months royalty
statement was hardly gratifying TO the
author. A year passed by. and the sale OF
the book was generally considered by the
publishers to have reached it's limit am
violating no confidence when ] say that the
first years sale sale of "Ben-Hurp did nou
reach 5000 copies. Then something sud-
denly directed attention 10 the book.
Some say that President Garfeld's indorse-
ment of the book gave IL a new lease or
lie. while others claim it took the public
year TO find out the real worth of the story.
BE that as IL may, the book began 20 sell.
first In moderate quantities. then orders
came for hundreds. and soon the publishers
scarcely took the plates of the book Oh tho
presses. Ever since that time. for seven
years, the book has kept selling steadily.
and there is every indication that with
the two new editions in the market. the
book will reach q round half million by the
close OF the year.
FRANK sToCKToN's NEW NOVEL.
With some of our authors the influence
of the literary critic does not appear very
awe-inspiring. And Frank X. Stockton Is
one of the former. When this clever writer
bod ha II a4a
Nulln the critics rose up en- masse and told
Mr.. Stockton, in one breath. that his forte
Law in short stories. ana he had better leave
long fiction alone. But Mr.. Stockton only
smiled, defied his critics, and. in a short
while, there came another long story from
the author of The Lady or the TigerV
Criticism once more came, but IN a more
modified tone. and now Mr. Stockton tells
me that be IS ut work on another
story of the present day. in which the
author has aimed to put the characters. IN
cidents and plot on strictly realistio
basis. This does not mean, however that
the characters will be anything but Stock
tonlan: they will be as eccentric and humor-
Gus as only StOckton's characters can be.
But imagine that with this novel Mr..
Stockton will seek recognition as novel;
list, pure and simple. and from What a friend
told me of the story a few days ago no
stands a very good chance of confl4sin the
critics. Mr.. Stockton still prefers TO live in
his Jersey home. away from the social de-
mands of Gotham. but he expects to pass
part of the winter In New York neverthe-
less.
IGNATIUs DoNNELLY's COMING BOOK.
1 was talking with Ignatius Donnelly on
the cars a few days ago, and he seems de-
termined to keep at his pleasant task of de-
moiishIng Shakspeare's reputation. asked
him about his new book, and he said: Id
will be published some time during tho
winter or early spring. / have called 10
The Cipher in the Plays and on the Tomb
stone lt Will be a book Of about two
hundred or three hundred pag es. In the
Great Cryptogram' l did not claim that
j had worked out the complete rule
for the cipher in the Shakespeare
plays My contention was that
had discovered about one-half the
rule, but that the results were enough TO
satisfy any reasonable person that there
was a cipher in the plays, that the story
given was approximately correct. The
| book, however was denied a fair hearing,
| by the concerted attacks of the daily press.
| and many persons were so preJudiced,
thereby, that they even refused TO examine
| into the question. These influences are,
| however. in their nature temporary. aud
my correspondence shows that scholarly
| men. in all parts of the world. are now
quietly studying my book and are reach
| ing the conclusion that there Is really
place the truth of this belief beyond con-
| troversy. sho W long sentences, worked ont
| of a single column of the folio. bv a simple
and uniform rule, and that the same pro-
| cess. applied to adjoining columns. pro-
duces n arratIves, which are continued p0r-
tons of the same wonderful story. L also
shall show in il that the Inscription on the
| gravestone OF Shakespeare. IN the church at
| Stratford-on-A Avon contains. IN Bacon's bi-
| literal cipher the statement that Francis
Bacon wrote the Shakespeare plays. i trust
the time for concerted and say age attacks
| upon my books has passed by. and that the
intelligent public will give the claims OF
my new work n fair and impartial hearing.
| If they do not. they simply delay for time
| the recognition of the truth. liz will be ac-
cepted by mankind when they are ia their
graves"
| TEN-1EAR-oLD AUTHORIZES.
] happened to see unique. and. IN some
respects. a remarkable piece of literary
work few days ago. 1t was in the form
of q prettily- bound booklet. aud cherished
for its title skye: the History Of a Dog"
The title page gave the name of the author
as Esther White Harrison. In no respects
did either the composition or the make up
| betray the hand of an amateur. Yet,
| this little volume is the first BRAIN
child OF girl of ten, conceived.
| punctuated, written. divided and chap
tered with no word OF suggestion. cor
reetion or amendment by her elders. The
| t,reface rnOdestly states the DuruoSa of fh9