New-York tribune., 1900-05-19
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.
CURRENT TALK OF THINGS PRESENT
AND TO COME.


iel Frohman for the construction of play
founded on the story by well known dramatist.
We now approaching the time of year
when the publishers apparently the least
active From the first of June till the early au-
tumn few books of Importance Will appear.
During the month of May many novels are Is
sued with the expectation of catching the trade
of those readers who carry volumes of fiction
to the country. Occasionally one of these vol
umes has a great popular success; a notable
example offered last year was Winston Church
ills Richard Carvel." But as a rule, the
autumn is considered the best time of year for
the launching of book that gives promise of
finding wide acceptance.
Marion Harland has collaborated with her
son, Albert Payson Terhune, on a novel of life
In the oil regions of Pennsylvania Dodd Mead
& Co will bring it out in few weeks. Mr.
Terhune is young newspaper man of this city,
who has a book of travels to his credit as we'll
fiction.
While on a short journey not long ago we'll
known publisher carried a parcel containing
half a dozen manuscripts of books. No trace
of it has since been found. OF some of the
manuscripts copies had been made; their
authors lamenting. Just what compensa-
ton the publisher will make to the owners of
the property has not been revealed The episode
raises a question with regard to the re-
sponsibility of publishers for manuscripts in
trusted to their The moral for the au-
thors is. of course, that they should keep
reader for publishing house lost manuscript
novel that had been gratuitousy submitted.
The writer declared that he had no copy. The
house paid him $500, considerably more than
many an author receives for a published work
Of fiction.
John Lane has nearly ready for publication
a study of the history of American rule in the
Philippines by Mr.. Brinsley Sheridan an Eng
lish barrister. Mr.. Sheridan paid a visit to
Manila at the time when the change In govern
ment was taking place there. He became so
Interested in the political situation that he
mained in the Philippines for several months.
His book embodies his observations, which are
frankly critical of American Intervention.
Mr.. Booth Harrington appears to be modest
author. His publishers say that they have diff
Guilty in persuadng him to supply the public de-
mand for information about himself. In fact
as Mr. Harrington doubtless realizes there is
not much to tell He is one of those young col
lege men who have lately been showing COM
mendable literary ambition. He is compara-
uVely recent graduate of Princeton University,
where he had for associates Mr.. Jesse Lynch
Williams and Mr.. James Barnes At college Mr.
Harrington. like Mr.. Richard Harding Davis
wrote great deal Of verse. He says very little
about that now, however. He has since written
considerable fiction, which he published under
a psudonym not at present revealed. His first
work to attract the attention of a prominent
publisher was Monsieur Beaucaire' This tale
Of adventure SO pleased Mr.. S. S. Mcclure that
Mr.. Harrington at once presented for editorial
inspection several chapters of the unfinished
manuscript of "A Gentleman from Indiana"
These chapters convinced Mr.. Mcclure that he
had discovered man likely to be popular so
Mr.. Harrington urged to finish his story of
Indiana life. and to bring it out before Mon
sieur Beaucaire" appeared. Mr.. Harrington has
not yet reached the age of thirty He lives in
Indianapolis where he enjoys the esteem Of
General Lew Wallace and James Whitcomb
Riley. both of whom have written enthusiast
tically of his stories
After a long silence Lucas Malet. the daugh-
ter of Charles Kingsley, known to her friends
as Mrs st. Leger Harrison, is to publish through
Lcngmans Green & Co. a new novel, called
THE Gateless Barrier" 1t is not generally
known. by the way, that this lady was in
sense the discoverer of the literary abilities of
a friend of Mr. Bensons mother and when the
his story Of London society he submitted them
to Mrs. Harrison. with the request that she tell
him whether the narrative was worth COM
pleting. She urged him to continue, with the
result that the readers of "Dodo" know.
Beginning with the June number THE Popu-
lar Science Monthly published for many years
nv he Ami will haor tba
Clure, Phillips & Co, and will be edited by Pro-
sity Two interesting features of the June num-
Der will be The Future of the Negro in the
United States" by Professor N S. Shaler and
THE Biographical Sketch Of an Infant" by
Charles Darwin.
Henry Holt G. Co. have In press an edition
of Sudermann's Frau Sorge" edited by Profess
sor Gustav Gruener of Yale with a letter in
fac simie from the author.
One of those writer's whose popularity depends
less their skill in rhetorical expression than
on their ability to tell rafting adventure story
and who have gathered their material from the
hard experience of life rather than from books
submitted a new novel to a publisher a short
time ago. The publishers reader was greatly
pleased with one of the characters, and wrote
to the author that the delightful old Scotch pro-
fessor must have been drawn from Ruskn The
author read the letter with establishment. and
rushed off to the literary friend who has been
his guide among the pitfalls of his literary
career. He waited in excitement till his friend
had read the letter. Then he exclaimed, Now
who the devil is Ruskn?'
Mr.. Seumas McManus, after passing the win
ter in this country, has returned to his home in
the North of Ireland. HI is thinking of writing