The San Francisco call., 1897-10-03

America.
The French Academy has awarded Nine
Blanc, who recently visited America in COM
pany with NJ. Brunetiere, a prize of 1900
francs for her interesting book on American
women.
Notwithstanding there are innumerable edi-
lions of Dickens on the American market the
copyrights of his works published by Chap
man & Hall, London, do not expire till the
year 1912.
Oil OIL OIL We are to have. in a separate
and distinct book, "Gems From the Writings
OF Marie Corelli" Let us make q display of
Cape May diamonds, and Strass, mounted in
pinchbeck.
Some one trying to find Macaulay's grave at
Westminster Abbey found the task impossible
A. las. it was discovered in the center OF pile
oi wooden desks The ''Poets' Corner" was a
dumping ground.
A reporter for one of the London papers has
been interviewing the sellers OF photographs
in that city as to what picture sells best He
finos that there is little demand for the pic
lures of literary people. Sometimes a photo
graph of Hall Caine is passed off as a picture
of Shakespeare, but he does not sell we'll in
his own name. Here is something for Major
Pond to attend TO.
Anthony Hope. who is soon to arrive in this
country on lecturing tour, is regarded by
many as the best after-dinner speaker in Lon
don. Harold Frederic, in q recent letter to
the New York Times, said that for elegance
and purity OF diction there is no speaker there
to compare with him. The sale OF Mr. Hopes
books still continues as large as ever, and no
doubt will be increased greatly by els pres
ence here.
Just fancy a calamity Qiterary) of this kind
Mr.. Zangwin, probably with his head full of
Zionism and his pocket bulging out with
manuscript, loses great wad of copy-SOOO
or 5000 words-of his romance dream of the
Ghetto." The first chapter of this romance
appeared in Cosmopolis some months ago.
The probability is that Mc. Zangwill will
write over the lost chapter, and as likely as
not improve on it. We disdain any idea that
this is a reclame.
DR.. Thomas Dunn English, whose book of
"Fairy Stories and Wonder Tales" is to be pub
lished this autumn, is living in New Jersey
vigorous aud active still, though at a very ad-
vanced age. DR.. Eng ,ish was for many years
a resident of Washington, where he was
striking character in political and social life
The tradition in the capital is that when he
was in his prime he once administered a
sound thrashing to Edgar Allan Poe for sup
poseu Insult 10 q lazy.
The Luzerner Tagblatt, after informing its
readers that Mark Twain is staying with his
family In oae of the pensions at Weggis, on
the Lake OF the Four Cantons, gives the fol-
lowing description of him: "In his external
appear ance he certainly reveals an artistic
nature. But he lives in comparative retire.
ment, and he goes about the roads so quietly
and looks so earnes t and serious that no passer
could suspect him of what he 1s-the most
famous humorist of the age
Nothing can be more significant than the
isolation of NJ Zola," writes Joseph Reinach
in the London Athenaum. "All his cd dis
ciples have deserted him to enter on other
paths and he is visibly outliving his reputa-
ton 1 should say much, too, of NJ. Paul
Bourget whose influence has never been SO
large as that of NJ. Zola, although it has been
perhaps still less healthy. At the time of his
great vogue two-thirds of the new novels were
devoted TO dramas of adulterous wordlings,
chiefly acted in small suites of rooms 1t
would be 100 much to say that adultery has
ceased TO take chief place in the French
novel, but its place is growing less year by
| year. People are decidedly tired OF this sort
| of story"