The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-28

Grandma Tales and Others" is the title
of a small volume of child verses soon to
be published. the author of which is Adelia
Pope-Branham, of Greenfield, Ind.
Miss Alice Brown, the author Of 'Tiver-
ton Tales" and other clever. New England
stories, has been engaged for some years
upon the stan of the Youths Companion.
She was in her earlier years a teacher.
A newly-found letter of Robert Louis
Stevenson says: 81 had always been bound
to write a novel and had begun as many
as twenty before Treasure Island saw the
ished."
worth quoting: IT nave looked at Lewis
Morris's ODE" he wrote in the Jubilee
Year, land looked away from ii in wonder
why people wrote odes. AS Huck Finn
would say If / had a yaller dog that took
to writing odes 1 would shoot him."
The great puzzle of Miss Harraden's 'The
Fowler" says a reviewer, lies not in the
physical unattractiveness Of Mr.. Bevan, or
in his unexplained and inexplicable fasci-
nation for women, nor in the subsection Of
the clever and accomplished Nora Penhurst,
but In a remarkable feat performed by
Nurse Isabel, who, according TO the author.
alone and unassisted, dressed herself in
her afternoon uniform. an artistic flowing
tw~enty-four buttons" 1t Is this problem
that seems to occupy the minds of the
books gentle readers far more than all the
others II contains.
A New York correspondent says: ITO the
public that reads novels and that admires
the work Of the late Harold Frederic, it
will be interesting to know that 1t was from
Father Terry, whom he knew intimately
and with whom he lived for a while, that
Frederic drew the principal character in
his most powerful novel, The Damnation
of Theron Ware although, of course, the
thing that Occurred e in Father Terry's life II
Father Terry also served a double purpose,
he being also the character from whom
Mr.. Frederic drew the Catholic priest who
had an important part In that story"
A fact which Is getting pretty well re-
cognized among publishers, says a London
paper, Is that viva voce advertisement is
the best kind OF advertisement for a book.
In America, in particular, viva voce recon-
mendation is an ~all-powerful factor in de-
termining the calculations Of books. In the
case of that clever story David Harum.'
for instance the paid advertisements were
stopped early, and for two months the book
made no progress. And then the CONVEX
sational recommendation had Its effect
Within the succeeding four weeks no fewer
than 10000 copies were sold. and at this hour
the novel Is the most popular book in the
United States David Harum" Is, by the
way. In course of dramatizatton for early
production at one Of the New York theaters.
In the course of an illustrated article In
the Young Woman. entitled ''The Life Story
of Marie corelAS say the London Mail
we are told once again that when Miss
Corelli's first book. The Romance Of Two
Worlds" was offered 70 Mr.. Bentley. Mr.
Hall Game, who was then Mr.. Bentley's
literary adviser. recommended the rejection
of the story, and condemned the book with
II eculiar bitterness" Miss C0relli has
more than once authorized the repetition OF
that Mr.. Hall Caine. so Tar from advising
Mr.. Bentley TO reject the book. actually
recommended him 10 publish It. What Mr..
This book Is rubbish. But II L. the kind
OF rubbish which the public will like. and 1
recommend it's acceptance"
'sThe novelist Charles Reade." writes
Justin Mccarthy. An his "reminiscences. was
q man q genius u ~ own Wy. Q nan