New-York tribune., 1900-11-10
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
rr-RRENT TALK OF THINGS PRESENT
AND TO COME

The publishing interests like all others. are
,sst Tuesday. Although most of the leading
rcuses have published many Of their years
books and the immediate effect will be seen
Arst by the retail dealer in selling the stock of
hooks he already has ordered, the publishers
cannot fail 70 feel the effect of the continued
and expanding prosperity that will follow Nc
KinIey's reelection. Bryan's election would
have meant that everybody would have hest
tated. the booksellers among them. in sending
In their future orders, and that would have
meant paralysis and uncertainty in all branches
of the book trade.
Speaking of the good holiday trade in books
that seems to be assured by the Republican VIC
tory In the National election OF the largest
retail booksellers in town said that in times of
depression he thought the Christmas trade in
books not much injured many other
distinctively holiday lines such silverware or
teyelry While people in bad times could not
spend the great sums often necessary to make
A handsome showing in such things. they felt
they could always give fitting and dignifed
gift in the shape of a book. from dollar up
10 any sum they chose to spend
Both the "old South" and the new furnish
the scene and color for Miss Mary Tracy Earle's
new volume of stories publishing by
Houghton Miffiin & Co. They have appeared
separately in The Century" THE Outlook"
The Atlantic Monthly and elsewhere. Miss
Earle speaks of the South with knowledge, by
virtue of long residence there.
At the moment when the illustrated edition of
David Harum' is published by D. Appleton
& Co the original drawings which Mr.. B. West
CInedinst prepared for reproduction in the book
are put on exhibition by Frederick Keppel. The
opportunity thus given the public of coming into
closer contact as it were. with the sources of
fits Measure IN an Illustrated book has frequently
heen offered before and always highly appre
riated; bur never. perhaps. has it been forth
coming quite so promptly. There are eight full
page illustrations. and large number OF
smaller text drawings: there is also a fulIpase
portrait CT Mr.. westcott. Forbes Heermans,
who wrote the introduction to the first edition.
two years ago, contributes another. concerned
largely with the facts Of Mr.. Westcotts lie
and the circumstances under which he wrote
the book Concerning matter that has been
considerably discussed, he writes thus
Many people hitherto unknown. have un-
bIushingly set forth their claims to be the orig
Inals" OF one another character OF the pook
and while these foolish attempts to acquire
little unearned Importance more absurd than
serious, yet ii may not be out of place here 10
state that all such claims are absolutely WITH
out foundation. The characters are all drawn
from life. II is true, Ia the sense that they are
lifelike. but not from individuals; Each one Is
entirely the creation of the authors imagina-
tion and this fact he asserted with much ear
nestness over and over again. I should not
dare put real people, just as see then INTO my my
spoil it.
Professor Barrett wendelPs Literary History
Of America" which he has long been at work
On Will be published by Charles Scribner's Sons
next week. Nearly six hundred pages in COM
pass 1t is of the most elaborate critical dis
tussions yet attempted Of the origins OF Amert
can literature and the forces that moulded 1t.
Their intimate connection not only with Ameri-
Fan history but with English history and lit
erature is one Of Professor Wendelfs theses.
He says in his introduction:
An important phase Of our study must be that
which attempts to trace and to understand the
changes in the native character of the Ameri-
cans and of the English, which so long resulted
in dsunion of national sentiment We
scrutinize them. however, only as they appear
In literary history and mostly in that Of Amer
lea . The greater part of study must.
concern the century just at an end. For all
that. the earlier centuries were not sterile;
rather, indeed. the amount Of native American
writing which each produced is surprising
What is more the American writings of the
eighteenth century differed from those Of the
seventeenth quite as distinctly did the Amer
!can history the American character.
As to the nineteenth century Professor Wen
dell finds himself compelled to conf1ne his study
to the work OF authors no longer lving-a list
that proves quite enough for his main purpose
The publishers Of THE Century Magazine" in
tend to make the December number notable for
It's color printing. The chief display in this d.
rection will be made in the decorative illustra-
tions by F. v. Du Mond. to Milton's "Ode the
Nativity" which. with the verses. will cover
sixteen pages OF the magazine These will be
printed in six colors. and the publishers are con-
hdent that they WILL surpass anything they have
ever before attempted Another decorative feat
ure will be the illuminated cover, designed by
Albert Herter. In this number will be begun a
serial by Augustine BirreIl called Down the
Rhine" which gives that witty critic wide
scope for remarks extending far beyond narra-
tive and description: and likewise gives Andre
Castaigne an opportunity for series of elabo-
rate drawings.
The Christmas number Of "Scribner's Maga-
zine" will show three different kinds Of color
printing. The cover is design by Maxfeld
Parrish; the frontispiece reproduction in color
OF a painting OF mother and child by Jessie
Wilcox Smith, and In the body of the maga-
zine Is an article, which lovers Of art will look
for eagerly by John La Fargo Puvis de Cha
vannes containing six full page reproductions
In color of some of that masters most noted dec
orative paintings. There will also be eight short
Illustrated stories by Frank r. Stockton. Henry
Dyke Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Ernest Seton
Thompson. Octave Thanet and others. Frank
Fowler the artist will discuss Portrait Paint
ing and the State" and w. c. Brownell will con-
tribute a criticism of George Eiiot's fiction.
specuiating as 70 the cause Of its recent neglect
The hero Of Mrs. Schuyler Crowninshield's
novel OF modern society, The Archbishop and
the Lady which Mcclure. Phillips Co are