The record-union., 1899-09-03
Literature and
Literary Workers,

Miss Mary e. Scranton of New
Haven is erecting a public library
building in Madison, Conn, as a mem
orial to her father, Erastus G. Scran-
ton, for many years a banker IN New
Haven. and at one time President OF
the New York and New Haven Rall-
road.
Some idea of the proportions which
the Dreyfus literature has reached may
be formed from the fact that a single
Paris publisher, P. V. Stock, has on his
list eighty-eight publications on the
"Affaire." or bearing some relation to
it. Some of these publications are
pamphlets. but most of them are vol
umes listed at from one to twelve francs
each.
A record of Zola's exile in London of
eleven months is to be written shortly
by Ernest Vizetelly, who translated
Zoia's Paris" Zola, who it seems
lived in complete obscurity in a hotel
Just off Fleet street, intended to write
a book on England. 1t is also reported
that he has in hand a novel on the
"Affaire Dreyfus."
The publication. of the new book en-
titled Joe Choate's Jest Book" has, 1t
is not surprising to learn, been sup
pressed by the London publisher at the
request of the American ambassador.
The wonder is that a publisher could
be found, and an English one at that,
who would perpetrate such an undig-
nifted piece of vulgarity as the title.
The English are soon going to outdo
the Century Dictionary in bulk and
presumably in quality. The London
Outlook" says that it will be a mere
trife when compared with the Oxford
English Dictionary announced by Henry
Froude under authority Of the delegates
of the Oxford University Press. Says
. 1.-THE Outlook: '@When complete this
monster enterprise will consist of H.,
GOO to $4,000 pages against the other
1000, and as regards words and illus
trative quotations almost the same pro-
portions will be maintained. Some idea
of the labor involved in so vast an un-
dertaking may be gathered from the
fact that even before the printing of
the Oxford Dictionary began, its pro-
jectors were in possession of about
three and a half millions of quotations,
selected by some / 300 readers from the
works of more than 5000 authors of all
periods. The Oxford Dictionary will be
issued in monthly parts
A French estimate of Rudyard Kip
ling is made by the "Gaulois," in which
a translation of Kipling and Balestier's
novel, "The Naulakha," is about to ap-
pear. "a marvellous adventure" the
"GaulOis" says, told with the careless
gayety of an American, the incompar-
able poetic and imaginative power of
a Burne-Jones, and the amusing daring
and invention of a Jules Verne" Mr.
Kipling. according to the ''Gaulois, :"
has done that uncommon thing in lit
erature thinking out. realizing and
making popular a new style of treat
ing new subjects. Another of his ac-
chieyements reminds one of the East
ern King who became acquainted with
the language of birds and beasts. BE
fore Kipling," says the "Gaulois' writ
er, Others had made animals speall
brought them on the stage, shown them
taking part in adventures of every sort
But all these were content to attribute
to them human sentiments. None OF
them ever penetrated their mentality, Or
SO identified himself with each Of them
as to partake of their instincts, feel
their anger, endure their sufferings,
their fear or their hunger. Kipling has
done this"
Hamlet" is selling with wonderful
success in Paris just at present, one
edition having reached its thirty-second
thousand; it costs about a cent and is
poked into the face of the passers- by
by the street venders. Bernhardts
play has. of course, revived this love
for the melancholy Dane. AS an illus
tration of how the Partisan taste is
turning to the English, it is said that
a similar edition of Quentin Durward"
is enjoying an almost equal period Of
popularity.
''The Life of Sarah Bernhardt." writ
ten by NJ. Jules Huret of the Figaro"
and translated by G. A. Raper is one
Of the most entertaining books of the
season. The book is full of details of
the tours in all parts of the world and
OF amusing incidents, especially those
which tell how Nine. Bernhard re-
quites her injuries. The defense of her
performance of Hamlet" plays no
small part in the book
X
That Byron did not write what has
passed for seventy-seven years as his
own tragedy of Werner" is the start
ling assertion made by the Hon Fred
erick Leveson Cover in the Mine
teenth Century" What he undertakes
TO show by circumstantial evidence
is that it was written by my grand
mother, the Duchess of Devonshire. =