The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-23
POPULAR READING OF THE DAY
Recent Literature That Scranton
People Most Crave. The New
Among Books, and How They Are

BY Courtesy of Jonas Longs Sons.
Examine the shelves Of the up-to-date
book store of today, and you will find
much that is worth reading. Go back
to the debut of DR.. S. Weir Mitchells
famous Hugh Wynne" and come
gradually down to the newest erase,
THE Grey House on the Quarries, :"
and you will find much that is interest
Ing. High class reading is the boon Of
Scrantonians-no more aptly illustrated
than by the crowds who constantly
surround the book counters. Go into
the big department store on a rainy
day, when shoppers who are gathered
there cannot get out-that is, if they
are taken unawares and you will find
large percentage of them scanning
the literature of the day. And how
tastes differ. The greatest selling
book of the year in this particular store
has been Henry Sienkiewicz's famous
QUO Vadis," over a thousand copies
having been disposed of. But the sale
of Quo Vadis" has been nearly ap-
preached by that delightful bit of re-
ligious fiction, Sheldons In His
Steps" which for a book so simple in
treatise and character has had a phe-
nomenal sale. Barrie's Little Minis
ter" too, has been setting the pace for
other authors of light reading but the
sale of this Scotch prose has been
severely affected by the failure of the
publishing house who issued the work.
AT present, it is impossible to buy the
book
No book of it's class can approach
James Lane Aliens Choir Invisible" in
point of verdure and fine English, and
no book published at it's price has COM
manded so great a sale. Out of one of
the simplest of romances is woven a
love tale that is the embodiment of
smoothness and clear detail. Kate
Douglass Virgins new Penelope s
Progress" has proved to be trade
winner, as has also that delightful pas
toral story of Maria Louise Poole's,
THE Red Bridge Neighborhood." The
latter in particular is a book that
should grace every library. Among the
other books which find much favor
among Scrantonians are Richard Hard
ing Davis two stories, Soldiers of For
tune" and THE Kings Jackar: An
thony Hopes Prisoner of Zenda" and
Rupert of Hentzau." In the case of
both of these writer's, however, their
HTSt treatlSeS seem TO be the best and
most sought after. Students fond of
dialect will find in Paul Dunbar's
Folks From Dixie" the idealzatlon of
their warmest hopes, while others who
prefer something more choice and
heavy should not fail to scan Mrs.
Humphrey Wards "Helbeck of Bannis
dale" and Emile Zola's latest effort,
Paris
OF the standard books for which
there is always demand, new editions
recently published are worthy of men
tion. The most prominent of these is a
popular priced collection in handy
pocket volume size of the works of f.
p. Roe and Amelia E. Barr, and also
a standard sized edition of the same
at popular price. The famous elsie
Dinsmore" books for girls and the
"Henty" books for boys have also out
lived their copyrights and find places
on the shelves at popular prices. In
deed the time may well be said to have
| come when the cost Of books cannot be
made an excuse for being without
reading.