The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-03
STANLEY ON SOUTH AFRICA
AND PEARY ON THE ARCTIC

AND PEARY ON THE ARCTIC
why Little Interest Is Taken In
SANKEY'S - Books Now Selling
Eest-PauI L. Ford's Success-
His work as Editor OF Jefferson
Fathers OF the Repubilc--Ln-
cal History Again Popuiar-Ali
the shakespeare Foiios in One
Auction Sale-..Pnrndise Lost ,
Worth $5oO-Piranesi's EtchinGs
of Rome-Moses Colt Tyler, An
thony Hope and COnrad's '.Nisger
of the Narcissus.''
Correspondence The ST. Paul Globe.
NEW YORK, April IAN author
may have a good name in contemporary
literature, or in contemporary affairs,
and yet he may write d book in which
slight interest will be shown. This
statement seems a paradox when we
recall what Nansen's fame did for his
"Farthest North" or Stanley's fame for
his Through Darkest Africa" Behind
both these books. however. lay a great
achievement. Each author had already
created for himself constituency. It
mattered not what the book might be
as literature. They were certain Of
ready sale where another Paradise
Lost" or another Chi de Harrold's Pill
grinlage" would have made slow prog
ress With the reading public.
We see how completely these au-
thors achievements controlled the
popularity of Nansen's book and d
Stanis VS. in the indiffere nee with which
the public have just received a new
;rl,a 10
calls the volume Through South AZ
RIGA" The land in which he won his
fame is again Stanley's theme and
StapleY's fame has in no wise been
dimmed. And yet this book awakens
no interest whatever in America. Three
weeks ago whel its publication was
announced leading Ama, lean publishers
declared that they knew nothing. of
any such be elk SANKEY'S own pub
fishers had not heard OF it. And now
that The book is to be bought in this
country, it is offered. not as an Ameri
can enterprise, but as small edition
imported from London.
Why this indifference? The secret
lies in the fact that Stanley records no
great achievement of his own. This
book comprises merely a seriSs of news
paper letters, written from a region
fast passing into the list of well order
ed I'D prosperous states. After all,
nothing so interests mankind as the
daring and potent deeds of individual
men. Stanley chronicles no such deed
in t'.;s book. He merely records his
imprs ssions Of a country through which
any traveller MAY safely make his way
And hence his book is cast aside by
the public as of far less interest than
James Bryca's weighty and important
work on the same subject. Bryce is "a
man of statesmanlike vision, of mental
81. ~ Of q 10 n
grasp. His book bears to South Africa
the relation that his American Com
monwcalth' bears to the United States.
Stan!6 Us book. on the contrary, is
merely a travellers book.
With far greater interest does the
public await the publication of Peary's
book on those arctic regions through
which this American has Travelled. Here
will be told a story Of real adventure
in an unknown land, by the man who
was chief in the expedition. Peary's
title is .'Nortnward" His volume will
be beautifully brought out, with illus
trations made from hundreds Of photo
graphs and printed on heavy paper
suitable for the best effects in half tone
work. Publication Of the book was eX-
pected this month, but as London will
bring cut an edition simultaneously
with the American edltlOn, ana as a
delay has occurred over there, the date
of issue here has been postponed until
May 10.
Reports from some thirty book cen
tiers still show slight changes in the
list of most popular books I sent you
a month ago. "Quo Vadis' continues
its tiresome lead. Hugh Wynne'
stands second in many other places,
but Stanley Weyman's Shrewsbury
often crowds it down to third place.
Then follow most frequently THE
Choir Invisible;" then THE Story of an
Untold Love-" and as the sixth book
comes Simon Dale" Thus we see
that two rather recent books-"S hrews-
bury and ''Simon Dale"-have been
making inroads against the older favor
ties.
Perhaps next month we shall hear
that QUO Vadis" has been dethroned
from its proud and long enduring emf
nence. But it would be rash to make
predictions. There is a growing pro-