The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-01-18

pc.iencc a real treat, HE him to the
dearest book stalls and take I.isconnel
b. barter.
LITERARY GOSSIP.
Mary Abbott, the accomplished reviewer
OF the Chicago Times-Herald, has fears
for literature because of the growing ten
dency even among the best OF writers. TO-
%ard war; POT -, boiling, Men" she says.
their brains fast enough; page after page
of syndicate matter wells forth, and some
OF II, 1t is needless TO remark. is pretty
bad. But IT goes as the expression is
and the money comes, and in the first
flash of fame many splendid writer is
going on toboggan runners to his early
doom. Rich. fat and played out the whole
society of authors of the present day will
be soon. Barrie whose first writings were
inimitably excellent. fizzled out with pot
boilers. and the end-early and Students
miserable silence; u silence that Is prob.
ably golden. but not in the scriptural
sense. Ian Maclaren Is following down
the path, overprOducing. hurrying, scram-
bling to rake up idioms and histories of
those poor old hidden prumtochty folk,
who should be dealt with as daintily Nv
glass manikins. Even they are smirk and
agog now, II Is said, eager 10 reel off their
very, peculiarities for gain. Crockett is
either from hints OF threatening prostr;,-
tion or plethora, or some sense of mod
esty. IL staying his pen little, and writ
Ing better for the pauses. There was q
time when he emptied himself all over
sunday papers, and was hideously cyni.
cal, from desperation or confusion. Zang.
will, the cleverest OF all the London lot, Is
suffering from the common itch; he writes
and writes and In one column now there
may be two ideas. For a master Of style
ana real thinker. such fate is peculiar
ly sad, and irritating to large band Of
admirers-now mourners as well His hy-
narbOlpS hear "A
rious comments on current matters are
trivial In themselves, often, and stupidity
put So much for the influence of prema-
ture prosperity in the nineteenth century
nineties.'
Fad-following in typography, just now
so eXuberant. calls from the Chicago
Journal u timely rebuke Says 1t: Be
his own works and was content that the
world should read what he wrote In good
round Roman type, the world read what
he wrote. But from the day he conceived
the Idea that what he wrote must be pre-
sented in srotesque, black-letter type. on
specially prepared paper, with lamp-black
ink, the world has ceased to be interested
in what he wrote From being a writer Of
books Mr.. Morris became a printer OF
bric-a-brac. II the effect of Mr.. Morris
idiosyncrasy, to hide his literary light un-
der and archaic style, printed in eye-kill-
ing tpye had been confined to his own
works and the kelmscott press the world
might have summed them and saved its
sight for more attractive and readable
books. But printers and publishers are an
initiative tribe and prone to run after new
things. So the KelmscOtt press has been
Initiated all over the world and type
founders have outdone thems elves to pre-
pare variations of old English black let.
ters, with disastrous effect upon the clear,
plain Typography of the decade. De Winnie,
one Of the best printers in America, has
fallen a victim to the fad for printing
books with bizarre typographical effects.
This was all right SO long as he confined
his experiments to books primarily In
tended for the cabinets Of collectors Of the
rare, the odd, and the antique. But his
O widely-read magazine as the Century Is
nothing short of q crime against the eye
sight of America and England. The love
Of old books because of the wise or beau-
alton for old books because of their clear,
round, readable print and their strong
enduring paper, the buying OF old books
as curiosities-these are natural and ra-
tionai tastes Of intelligent persons. But
what justification can be urged for bark
ing back to the black-letter period for
type in which to print popular modern
periodicals. passes the comprehension OF
any one not in cahoots with Oculists and
opticians"
Nlessrs. Way & Williams. the Chicago
publishers, announce as ready for publica.
ton Hand and Soul by Dante Gabriel
Rossetti. reprinted from The Germ by
William Morris at the Kelmscott Press
in golden type. 16mo, bound in vellum
$325 net. The edition consists Of $50 paper
Ofthe former twenty-five were printed for
Mr.. Morris, Ave for the English libraries.
1870 for England, and 800 for America, OF
the twenty-one copies on vellum, all OF
which have been sold, four copies were
printed for Mr.. Morris, eleven were sold
In England. and six have been sold In
America. The paper copies printed for
subscriptions will be entered in the order
OF their receipt, and the price of those
copies remaining unsold Feb. l will be
advanced.
AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS:
Pope. when translating Homer. consld-
cred from fifty to 100 lines to be G ,f;a far
required over three years.
Balzac considered that he was wasting
time II he devoted more than six months
quently finished a novel in less than three.
De Quincy commonly wrote one of his
essays in a week. He never hurried him
self, and wrote slowly TO .a avoid ;si,n what TO
Shelley spent between one and two years
on Queen Nab" He wrote very slowly,
and was particular in the choice of words,
his manuscript showing frequent eras-
ures and substitutions.
The manuscript of Gray's "Elegy' re-
mained in the authors hands seven years,
receiving touches here and there, and
would not have been printed then had not
q copy loaned to friend been printed.
Pierre Lott Is writing novel. "RamOnd-
sho the sSene Of which bs is laid in the
smugglers, which reminds one OF Prosper
Merimee's Carmen
The present interest in the Transvaal
has called attention again to the admira-
BILE account of life among the Bocrs. and
Of Johannesburg, which Is furnished In
Frank Vincents Actual Africa, published
by the Appletons. "A portrait of President
Kruger Is among the illustrations.
Stephen Cranes stirring novel of war,
1.-The Red Badge of Courage" is meeting
with great success in England. The Janu-
ary number of the New Review contains
a critical appreciation of the young
Americans work by George Wyndhan.
The same magazine will later publish u
new story by Mr.. Crane. who Is now the
4, AZ. In L