The record-union., 1899-07-09
Literature and
Literary Workers.

Portland Oregonian: "David Ha-
rum. the story that everybody is read
ing or has recently read, was, strange
" enough, the only work Of its author.
Edward Noyes Westacott, who died
months before the publication Of the
pook Which has made his name known
10 the world, passed the active and en-
ergetic years of his life in commercial
nnes. His enforced retirement from
business on account Of failing health
Sne died of consumption at the age or
Oh caused him to take up his pen as
pastime, and David Harum" was the
result The work was the product OF
SLOW months Of endeavor-the weapon
Wlth which he fought the thought OF
death in the face Of his rapidly ad-
Vanclng melody. A few pages daily
measured the full limit of his strength.
Inc work was not drudgery. but was
keenly enjoyed. Even the labor OF
copying it upon typewriter he per-
formed with his own hands, with
nicety and exactness that gave no hint
or pain or stress. He was not FORUM
ate at first in securing a publisher, six
dl1ferent houses having declined to
take his manuscript, but it was at
length accepted, and the closing days
or its author were made happy in an
t1cipation of it's appearance, which,
however, he failed to see. knowledge
of the circumstances under which the
book was written and published can
scarcely fail to add to the interest with
which it is being sought and read.
Miss Emma Rayner, who made
great success of her first novel, Free
to Serve" is about to publish sue
cessor to it which has even more charm
and originality. "In Castle and Col
ony' begins in Sweden and introduces
one to the picturesque old customs,
many of which still survive in that
conservative land She makes one ad-
mire it's quaintness, but carries one
away to America before her book is
very far advanced. The privileges of
the Swedish colonists in Virginia form
the background for a very exquisite
romance, and the courage and endur-
ance of these brave pioneers are vivid
and human. Any light which can be
thrown upon the experiences of the
early colonists is valuable, and Miss
Rayner makes it Illuminating. The
pooh LIDS WdIIIlIu anu COlOT.
London Athenaeum: William Wright
OF Paris, about equally we'll known to
book collectors and to sporting men of
the two countries, has determined to
sell his collection of autograph letters,
his library and his engraved and other
portraits. In many respects this is the
choicest collection. of it's kind which has
come into the market within recent
years, and it will occupy Messrs
Sotheby seven days in ALL beginning
on June 18th. Mr.. Wright has appar-
emily never experienced the luxury of
self-denial in the matter of books, for,
as he himself says, price never fright
ened me- if any particular book was
wanted. A glance through his cata-
logue will largely bear out this frank
admission, for it contains many vol
umes for which the average collector
would commit any number of sins. The
three attractions among the books are
the extra illustrated lives of Dickens
Kean and Garrick. Few books of re-
cent years have been more frequently
grangerized than Forsters Life of
Dickens" but no example of this spe-
cieS of book-making can be compared
with Mr.. Wright's. The three octave
volumes are inlaid and extended to
twelve volumes folio, and comprise 119
autograph letters Of Dickens himself,
and nearly 400 others of contemporar-
les. There are 454 portraits of literary
and other celebrities, 200 views of
places connected with Dickens or his
works, playbills, and a thousand and
one other DickenSiana
The copy of Hawkins Life of Kean"
IS extended from two octave to eight
folio volumes by the insertion Of about
$50 letters, 225 autograph letters, 200
rare playbills, caricatures and so
forth. Barry Cornwalls Life of
kean" is also extensively extra-illus-
trated. Davies Life of David Gar
rick" is similarly extra illustrated, and
contains 360 rare portraits, $50 auto
graph letters. playbills, pamphlets and
a great variety of other matter. The
collections and extra illustrated books
relating to the old pleasure gardens of
London, theaters and eminent actors
and actresses are too long to be spe-
cially mentioned, but all appear to have
been done with thoroughness. The
works illustrated by George Cruik-
form series that has rarely been
equalled. The Dickens lots are over
$50 in number, and include besides
Forster's Life already mentioned, the
original autograph MS. of 1.-THE Battle
of Life" one of the three MSS. of Dick
ems now in private hands There are
about eighty lots of works illustrated
by T. Rowlandson, and nearly that
number of Thackery entries, includ-
ing 1.-THE Second Funeral of Ma
poleon," 1S41.
But if Mr.. Wright was successful as
book collector, it is difficult to find
an epithet which would fully describe
him as collector of autographs.
These alone will occupy three days in
selling, and extend from lot 1,O64 to lot
1925. The series of Garrick letters,
sixtyfour in all, and nearly every one
of Importance, is probably the finest
since that extraordinary series of
forty-eight unpublished letters of his
came under the hammer at Puttick' s
on December II, 1S49, nearly fifty
years ago. Mr.. Wright's series is to be
offered at one lot at the reserve price
of f4O0-a little over f6 per letter
and if that sum be not reached they
will then be offered separately. 1t
would now be quite impossible to form
another series of such great interest,
and one cannot help expressing the
hope that these letters may be secured
en- bloc for the club which bears Gar
rick's name.
The majority Of the other letters are