Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-01
LITERARY CEMETERY
FORGOTTEN HEROES BURIED ON
BOOK STORE SHELVES.
E. j. Edwards Unearths Some Dust Gov
cred Volumes That Were Once Ex-
tremely Popular-E. p. Roe Is Almost
Forgotten.


tremely Popular-E. p. Roe Is Almost
Forgotten.
Especial Correspondence.l
NEW YORK, Nov. IA. I'm one of the
greater secondhand book stor.s in New
York city, an establishment which has on
its shelves sometimes as many as 25,00C
books, one department is partitioned off for
what may be called the forgotten heroes OF
literature. Here can be found in we'll worn
covers some of the novels over which fic-
tlon lovers of generation ago and more
fingered with as much enthusiasm and de,
light as are bestowed upon any novels OF
the present day.
The writer, looking at this literary GENE.
terry, as it might be called, was reminded
of some authors of whom, when their
books appeared, the promise of great
achievements seemed to be justified. In
one corner two or three volumes bearing
the title Among the Pines" were seen
The books had evidently been read and
reread, and the proprietor said that occa.
sionally customer would call for this
once famous book. When it appeared in
the days of the civil war it caused a genu.
inc literary sensation. Under the nom de
plume of Edmund kirke Mr. Gilmore had
written something which in even those ex
citing days was talked about almost as
much as battles.
Today Mr.. Gilmore is q hardworking
editor associated with monthly maga.
zine. Like so many Others who have made
literary hits with their first works, he did
not maintain the reputation which that
book obtained in his subsequent Works
Mr.. Gilmore tried real estate, the banking
business and has at last settled down
into very competent but of course to the
public obscure editor.
On another shelf two copies of novel
entitled miss Ravenel's Conversion" were
offered for SALE OF this book so great a
critic as w. d. Howells had said words OF
high praise, and it's author, Major De For
est, it was believed, had in him the capacity
to produce work of fiction which would
gain as great popularity as anything any
American author has written. Major De
Forest and his book, however, are now for
gotten. He is-or was a short time ago
getting such enjoyment out of travel as is
possible, believing that the time has passed
when an American writer can maintain
himself with works of fiction.
On another shelf were quite number of
novels, all by the same author, A. S. Roe.
That name to the present generation sug-
gests no more than any name selected at
haphazard out of a city directory might
mean. Yet just before the civil war Mr.
Roe was one of the most popular of Ameri-
can authors. He wrote eight or ten novels,
not very profound, highly moral and proper
in their tendency and always containing a
delightful love story. His books sold al
most as well as did those of the late Rev
E. P. Roe, who was no relative of the ear
lier writer of that name. Evidences wer,
seen that Z. p. Roe, some of whose books
a dozen years ago sold more than 100000
copies, is almost forgotten. On the shelves
of this book store were many Of his works,
and the demand for them now is very slight
Two or three somewhat tattered books,
each bearing the name Fashion and Fam
ine," were seen in this collection of forgot
ten authors, and every now and then some
one goes to that store asking for this work.
1t was written by Mrs. Ann S. Stephens,
who was quite as well known in her day as
Mrs. Cruger or Miss Wilkins is today.
'Fashion and Famine" was an event in the
publishing world when it came out, and
some Of those who are elderly matrons now
speak with delight of their recollections OF
their feeling when they read that book.
On one shelf were n number of the sec.
ondhand books which had remarkable
popularity just before the war period
They were the Rollo and Franconia stories
of Jacob Abbott. He was by long odds the
most popular writer for the young, and
men who are now beginning to turn gray
many of whom have achieved prominence
and won successes, remember with what
delight they read these Rollo stories as
they came quite rapidly from the press
Mr.. Abbott and his brother, John S. c.
Abbott, whose "Life of Napoleon" was a
popular book, were among the few men
who were able to make comfortable in
come and to gain something of fortune by
literary work a generation ago.
In one of the congress districts in New
York state a gentleman named Beadle was
a candidate for the nomination of his party
for congress this fall. This Mr.. Beadle
lived in Cooperstown, and is man of con.
siderable wealth. He made his fortune in
the publication of a cheap weekly issue of
a novel, and while Beadle, the politician
may be known to very few of those who
take an interest in public affairs, Beadle'>
dime novels are known by name at least to
almost every person who reads. 1t was
the fashion to speak slightingly of these
novels, and yet Mark Twain has said that
some of them were stories worthy of a
masters pen.
Mr.. Beadle's name suggests that of a
writer who perhaps earned more with the
pen of adventuresome fiction than any
other writer, English or American Mr.
Beadle used to publish good many of the
stories of the late e. q. G. Judson, whose
earnings at times were as much as SAC, 900 a
year. few of Judson's stories are now
to be found in the secondhand book stores,
all Of them written over the nom de plume
of Ned Buntline. He is almost forgot
ten now. He was a remarkable genius,
who if he had been willing to submit to
discipline, and had recognized some of the
necessary rules of artistic workmanship,
might possibly have taken rank among
American authors almost equal to that
which Alexandra Dumas gained as writ
er, of the highest and best sort of sensa-
tional stories. AS it was, Judson's stories
had almost as wide a popularity as Du-
mas, although they never gained for him
the respect of the critics, as Dumas sue
ceeded in securing. +. j. EDWARDS.
sleep ON Left Side.
Many persons are unable to sleep on their