The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-27
LITERARY NOTES.

"Quo Vadis' is nearing it's fiftieth thou
sand in the sixth month of its publication.
1t is a very long novel, but the tide seems
to be setting in favor of books of size
Like many another author, Mr.. Black
more does not like his most famous book
best. He has never been willing to admit
that Lorna Doone'' is the best of his Sto-
ries, in spite, of all the evidence that that
is the one which has secured his fame.
Lord Nelson's original manuscript me-
moir of his life, up to and including the
year 1899, written by him for Clarke 81 Nc
Arthurs Life of Nelson" will soon be
sold at auction in London. 1t is said to
differ materially in some points from the
printed version, and the bidding may be
lively.
E. E. Rose, the author of "An Enemy of
the King" with which play Mr.. Sothern
was so successful last winter, threatens to
blossom out as a novelist During the
past winter he wrote three plays to order,
and now is engaged on romance which is
promised for the early fall. NoVelStS very
often try to become dramatists, but the re-
verse seldom occurs, as a good drama real
ICES for it's author at least five times as
much as good novel.
When the recent disastrous fire occurred
in Paris at the charity bazaar according to
Romano, a New York paper cabed to lola
Offering him $4,000 to write report of it.
lola refused. His principal reason seems
to have been that he was rather afraid to
undertake it. One of the best known au-
thors in the United States was offered a
large sum to report the political eonven-
lions of 1885, but he declined because he
was afraid he would not make creditable
report, as it was something that he had
never tried
Mr.. Fraser Rae claims for GibboE the in
vention of the card catalogue, hitherto sup
posed to be to the credit of American Ii
brarans. The contents of his choice libra
ry at Laussane (''the foundation of my
works and the best comfort of my lifeD
were re e!a2r 10, on the backs OF PLAYING
authors of Gibbons books are not only set
forth in full, but in sizes, number of vol
umeS and place of publication are also re-
corded on the cards which he used for the
purpose" The Gibbon catalogue is now in
The British Museum
The "scriptorium" in which DR.. Murray
keeps the material for the English Diction-
airy is said by a correspondent of the Chi
cago Record to be a shed of galvanized
iron, lined with shelves which are grooming
with slips of paper on which are written
words and millions of illustrative QUOTA
tons, all roughly arranged for the master
hand by voluntary subeditors. The .:scrip-
torium'' is lighted cat night and heated
by gas, so that the risk from fire is re-
duced to q minimum, and the last thing at
night DIR. Murray or one OF his FAMILY VS.
it's the building, which is situated III the
photographers back garden, to see that 1t
is all right. The contents are not insured
for the very gOOd reason Indt Lney Coulu
not be replaced. a7}p
The book reviewer Of the London Mail
says of the flood of jubilee literatlrssl For
some weeks past our situation in'regard to
the torrent of jubilee books. pamphlets
summaries and tracts has been equivalent
to that of man who struggles in deep
water More and more difficult every day
has been the problem of how to deal with
this phenomenon in limited space, and at
the same time with justice to those those who
of money. to the labor of producing these
records and tributes, monumental or tri-
vial to a national climacteric unparalleled
in the history of this country. One really
great and worthy biography of the Queen
will, of course, be the one written by Mr.
Holmes the librarian of Windsor Castle
The book is not yet published, but prom
Use of it's merit is given by the fact that
it has been for very long time in course
of preparation and that it's careful au-
thor has had the incalculable advantage OF
her Majesty's personal supervision and ad-
vice.