The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-13
LITERARY NOTES.

Ian Maclaren says that Harold Frederic
is the American writer who is most widely
read in England.
Il take my work too seriously writes
Hall Game, land l am too much immersed
in it and in love with it either to be carried
away by the Warmest eulogy or disturbed
by the sweetest cenSure.' =
The New York Book Buyer saws that the
average sale of each of the late Professor
Drummonds nine books was 121 900 copies.
The Greatest Thing in the World" of
course, headed the list and its quota was
$4,000 copies
Victorien Sardou was to have been a doc
tor, and his means were so restricted that
he gave lessons in Greek and Latin at 20
cents ticket Sardou was also a book
sellers hack, and made tranSlations. 1t
Is stated that for one job over which he
laDOred for three weeks he was paid 80
francS-that is, less than $3.50.
Mrs S. H. r. Goodale and her daughter.
Miss Dora Read Goodale have met recent
ly with very serious losses in the destruc-
ton of literary work and material by the
burning of their home at Amherst, Mass.
The pecuniary loss, including books. pic
lures and all personal belongings as we'll as
household effects. was also disastrous.
William Aorriss Kelmscott Press as is
we'll known, is to issue no more books after
those now in hand are finished. 1t is stated
that, excluding the Kelmscott 'Chaucer,
forty-sfX volumes in all were printed on
Vellum While the press was under the man
agement or the late poet. The full set of
forty-six is valued at $1,000. They are said
to be owned chiefly in this country.
A fight over the literary standing of Stew
enson is going on in London George Moore
took occasion to deny that Stevenson s
works have any artistic merit. Mr.. CUTLER
Couch promptly replied in the Speaker, ana
Mr.. Moore has returned to the charge in an
article in the Chronicle in which he likens
SteVensons writing to the playing of a
band Mr.. Quiller-Couch-or as he is bet
ter known, q. it is said on good author
ity, is to finish Robert Louis Stevenson s
st. Ives. a task of this kind few men
would undertake, either for love money.
The fragment is not often improved by a
restoration.
Mr.. Anthony Hopes debut as a lecturer,
his subject being 2omance' was a most
successful one. Trying to show what We're
the distinctions between the novel and the
romance" he declared it was not easy to
draw the line. The author of THE Pris-
oner of Zenda' is an admirer of Dumas,
and, talking about this incompatible ro-
nance maker, Mr.. Anthony Hope said TAX
ing for his topic THE Three Musketeers:''
Here IS romance. Why? Because, in spite
OF Of all ~ its u, comPleXity they found running
that one strong, simple passion or emotion
which ruled the lives of the leading char
acters, and, above ALL that of the great
musketeers was romance of the JOY of ac-
ton. Those men did not so much care as to
what they. were at, but they must be at
something"
Mrs. Mary Hartwell Catherwood comes to
Chicago every now and then for a day or
two, says a letter in the Book News, but
her visits are generally too hurried to be
entirely satisfactory to her friends Her
home is in Hoopestown, H., a place which
was founded, named and settled by mem
bers of her family. Mrs. Catherwood is an
interchangeable worker, and her success is
largely due to that fact. She spares herself
no labor, either in preparatory research or
in the actual writing. She makes pilgrim
ages to remote regions in search of ma
ter1al, and some of her most valuable hints
and discoveries have been supplied her far
from the hauntS of books. The territory
around MaclIinaw, at the head of the lakes.
she has thoroughly explored, and in the
old settlers she has found a mine of pic
turesque character and romantic tradition
Mrs. Catherwood lives with the people when
she goes on such expedition. She gains
their confidence and sympathy by making
herself one of them, and they know how to
reward her. She is engaged now upon a
number of books for the fall and winter.
and her interest in them promises well for
their success.