The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-03
BOOKSTORE CHAT.
Recent Fictlon-Notes and News from
the Publishers.

1t Is perhaps to human advantage that
very rarely does the novel Of these times
keep its reader up till the small hours
to finish 1t, hungrily approaching the
last chapter, yer clinging to the pages
that mark tho ending reluctant tn have
them slip by to the back cover. Ii is not
certsin that the average book reader 10
altogether grateful to the modern book
for this factor of consideration of his
health and sleeping hours. There Is
surely q delight about the dissipation OF
Icing kept out of bed by reason OF
book thst has capacity for the tempting
and as is the case with any other diss'pa-
tiop that may by any possibility be ex-
cused tie headache next morning and the
broken day are not altogether without
compenssting balm in memory OF the
pleasure OF the night that Is gone. And
when years Of discretion come to save the
reader from such possible temptation by
even the most fascinating of books, it is
believed to be fact of common experience
that such an one will sometimes pick up
the book of younger days just for the
pleasure OF renewing the thrill 1t gave
him then and mayhap may sit well into
the night with it to enjoy again the dis
sipation IL once did plunge him into.
Perhaps the book is no great shakes but
because IL appealed TO him then 1t has the
power OF doing il again.
But by the time ho has reached the prime
OF life tho average man Is usually safe
from temptation even IL the kind OF books
are now written that could in earlier
years compel him to hang 70 them to the
hnish regardless Of the passing of the
evening hour into the all-night time. III
anything can tempt him tn the once
delightful dissipation, ii Is romance and
goodne knows romance is rare enough
| in modern books. Few authors have the
temerity to declsre their fiction "ro-
nance" The name seems to have fallen
into the same disrepute that "mslo-
drama" has for the stage. And yet both
names have fine, IL old-fashioned, sig
pificance calculated to stir the pulses and
we are likely to approach them with rare
| zest. Mr. +. w. Hornung Is writer OF
roma nces-he puts the name squarely on
the title page. lie has written several
BOOKS which We have not read, OF
| Australian life to Judge from their titles
| and "The Rogue's March" which We have
read-and are glad Of 1t and would like
to read an unlimited number Of the same
sort. The author OF "The Rogue's
| March, has the elements OF romance well
| in hand. There is the hero, the heroine,
| the gentlemanly villain, villains OF the
rude and rough kind, family complica-
tions, scenic effect, love story, plot
| that cannot be discovered until the end
| though absolutely intelligibie once It Ia
made known,a happy ending of fcourse--the
romance without the happy ending was
TIE insidious precursor of realism (Wil-
| liam Blacks "Madcap Violet" STANDS ac-
cussd land incident-incident-i incident
without missing page, certainly not q
| chapter.
The definition OF a good book will
never be agreed upon. Who cares! The
leaders of books know which the gooo
| ones are even il the critics and the
| authors disagree. When you open book
| and become Interested in the opening
lines, read further and wax curious, read
| faster and yet hang OH the longer to every
| line, and get into stew of emotion
| twixt eagerness to discover the ending
| and concern TO lcse no phase or factor n
the telling of the story, turning the pages
with a mingled feeling of disappoint-
rrent at the putting Of Of the climax
and OF tingIing qualification that the
end is yet far removed, sympathiz-
| ing with the characters, alternately
hoping for and dreading what the next
| chapter will bring forth--and at fnis
l,yilg the book down thoroughly satis-
| tied and gratihed with all things in il and
with the memories of the tale remain
irg to haunt you for some good days to
| C jme--ii that kind OF book isn't a
| "eood book" we don't know whnt is,
| And "The Rogue's March, Ia that kind
just that kind. We can call to mind no
| bette. example OF the kind lmbIed with
romance, written with splendid spirit,
presenting vital and sharply contrasted
| characters of an sttractive kind, glow
| ingly pict uresque in scenic effects, stiis-
| ing ia situation, strong and Immensely
| varied in incident, vigorous in action.
human ana real throughout as sound ro-
nance must be even il realism isn't al
ways, "Tbe Roguo's March" is g capital
| story that man in his best romance
| readipg days or a man in mis- more eau
tious years may be justified In sitting up
| all night to finish.
Published by Charles Scribner's Sons,
~ mo. For sale by Preston q Rounds.
| Price $50.
In the exquisite edition Of the works
| Of Alphonse Daudet from the Macmillan
Company. now comes "Ssppho." The
novel is necessary to the com plete Dsudet
set, in sense II is a representative selec-
| tion but in neither its theme, nor its
workmanship need 1t command a reading
| by the student OF the "French Dickens"
| 10 divorce the art of the writer from bis
| subject for consideration of the form er
I.Il