Los Angeles herald., 1893-01-02
ABOUT BOOKS AND BOOK MAKERS
A Short Review Of a Years
Literary Work.
Pacific Coast Writers, Their Books
and Magazine Articles.
Some Southern California 5uccesses-A
Tribute to Francis Parkman's Ore
gon Trail-Successful Books
Published Last Year.
[BY L. BEHYMER.l

In many ways, DuJ IN noJhlng NOR
fortunate than in the constantly re
newed freshness of his delight in tn
objects of his affection. Time does no
dull the edge of his appetite Tor. no
does oftrepeated indulgence lessen hi
Joy in, the reading and possession o
new books. He may survive many
publication seasons, but the autumn
announcements still thrill him as the
ballad OF Chevy Chase thrilled Sil
Philip Sidney. He may have spent Ions
life in collecting and arranging his treas
ures, but, like the great book lover who
is compelled to surrender for the mo
ment the joys of his library for the vex
ations of the English premiership, old
age finds finds him still unsatisfed
and pursuing. II the list grows little
longer each year the circle of book lovers
grows little larger, and the annual
harvests are not more eagerly waited
for than is the autumnal fruitage of lit
erary activity. AS we look backward
over the years work we notice but few
milestones of the literary pathway
marked with titles of California litera-
ture and the familiar names of California
authors. There are several reasons for
this which we might mention. In the
first place we are making histery-not
writing it. The general public are not
very we'll acquainted with our country
and the scenes and descriptions rendered
them by US are not appreciated. We
cannot even boast of distinctive
national literature, although we are
taking rapid strides in that direction.
The public prefer the outline of the
White mountaiDs--the odor of the
New England hills and the perfume
of Louisiana and Georgia's Arcadian
literature to the half tanned literature of
the new west. Then, again, as soon as
q good western author eprings up and
commences to be known little outside
of his local admirers, an eastern firm
makes him or her proposition which
makes it necessary for the author to
leave our beautiful country and 60
nearer to the great marts OF trade, so as
to be ready at all times to communicate
quickly with the publisher or employer.
And again, we have been booming"
and living too fast the authors have
not had time to faithfully depict our
life here, or describe the wonderful
physical changes that have followed one
after another across the camera of their
observation only to be placed in their
storehouee of memory in chaotic state.
And now gradually in the last few
months demand for western and south
western literature has been springing
up and in the near future we may ex-
pect some literary masterpieces from
local writers, to which our mountains
and hills, plains and valleys have be-
come close companions and bosom
friends, that will sweep forth like a
brilliant meteor and dazzle the reading
public with their brightness. And why
not? We have the air and climate and
all comforts to make a brain healthy
and active. We have the beautiful
flowers in varied hues and odor5. the
ocean sparkling in the sun and throwing
its spray upon sands as romantic as any
other cline. The great snowy mountains
in winter tipped with a fringe OF fir
trees. or in summer showing their grand,
massive but rugged faces-as inspiring
as any of the cold granite hills of the
east or the often written about noun
tains of Switzerland or Spain. In pas
toral scenes we have the broad mesa
rolling far as the eye can see, dotted
with herds of horses or cattle, an occa-
sional ranch house in the distance, sur
rounded with their own vines and fig
trees. 80 often mentioned in con-
pection with far off Arabian life in
the literature of the east. And
when we speak OF history, romantic
history or prosaic history, we
bow our heads in reverence, for we have
the material at hard to furnish the his
tory the data, the subjects, the character,
for az many books as could be read by.a
reader in a life time. The old missions,
with their crumbling walls, their worm
eaten doors, their tinkling bells, softly
Ginning the evening Angelus or ringing
ont clearly the morning vespers, hold in
every chime and every tinkle the in
spiration of some romance OF the past
full of history and pleasant description
nj a life as simple and as beautiful as
anv ever written OF far-famed Arcadia.
with such material all we need is the
talent TO weave it into romance, poetry
and history.
We are on the threshold of new era
in literature. Already the dawn has
crept westward and we see It's oright'
stron beams, in golden pioneer way,
stealing into our lives through the
medium of such books ae Manuelito,
An Average Woman. by Balestier; The
Golden Bottle. by Ignatius Donnelly;
A Spoil of Office and A Little Norsk, by
Hamlin Garland; A Son of Esau, by
Minnie Gilmore, and others. And when
IL finally creeps farther west and the
rave shine down upon us over the Sler-
ras and warns mp our hearts, which it
will reach through appreciative brains,
wa will see a distinctive Cali
fornia literature, full of the
sweet odors of myriads of flowers,
fouched with their delicate coloring,
shining with the reflection OF the rays
of a bright sun, under clear, blue, cloud
less skies touched here and there with
the musical cadence of the Pacific waves
tapping upon its endless sands; whiie
in the background rise the strong, tirm
hills of facts and history. o'ertopped
with the massive granite heads OF our
mighty mountains. And so we shall
enjoy the crumbs that are dropping
from the tables of our literary writer's
on the coast in anticipation of the feast
which Will surely follow. In the past
we enjoyed Bret Harte's Luck OF
Roaring Camp and Tales OF the Argo,,
nauts; but it was rougher class OF
literature and not 30 refined as that
which we expect. Joaquin Miller,s
Shadows OF Shasta will reach any read
er's heart and show him the ingratitude
of nation, still it is historical and moi
typical of California today. A little
nearer and we have The Musgrov'
4 L ~1~~.N .rOa