Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-09

i general WEAKNESS of the books that
merely reflect the excitement ana
'lamorS on the surface Of modern iifc
IN" true man wants peace and quiet
in his home ana in his books He
wants his mind and his soul to have a
change. and SO we have the era Of n
revival of the old ana thoughtful
books ushcr"d in a few years ago BY
reprints Of Jane Austen and now i'm
full feather with the dear old .irls
ana boys who help us to think rightly
and feel rightly. Literature. in n
word, is coming back TO us.
If one reads simply as q mental ex
ercise or for information. one book is
as good as another; but if one reads
Tor personal enlargement or enrich
ment. every hour has it's own book.
There are days for Sir Thomas; Brown
and days for Lamb-although am
often of opinion that all days are for
Lamb; there are days for Shake
speare ana days for Wordsworth. DAYS
of Scott and days for Thackeray The
great days when one is buoylnt.
fertile. virile. belong TO the great
writers.-Hamiiton Wright Mabie
Harper x Bros. have attempted an
experiment with the first book they
publish in March, John VITAL" by
William Farquhar Payson Il story OF
Raleiehs Inflated colony at Roanoke.
They have made a net price on il
lower than the usual price for such a
book ana have sent Il circular to the
dealers requesting them to maintain
this as the retail price of the book.
and thus give the earliest test to the
plan adopted by the Publishers AS
sociatior To prevent price cutting
Fiction is specifically exempted from
the operation Of that plan. which does
not 90 into effect until May l. as vas
stated last week in this column. But
the publishers say in their circular:
We see no reason why so wise ana
just measure shall not be carried
+ out at once"
! The new plan seems to have mo-
/ with general approval. not only from
| retail dealers. but from many of the
great department stores. Indeed it
/ Is &n open secret that many of the
+ latter would De glad to stop making
reduced prices on books ana think
that they could sell quite as many al
| regular prices if they were assured
| that these would b. maintained by all
! their competitors. Some of them have
| declared that the advertising value of
cut prices on books is gone, ana that
| therefore a uniform level. such as
would De maintained by the publish
els agreement as to all books To- which
il applies, would be an advantage, {"
| all concerned.
The popular works Of fiction today are
| based OH the lines Of no Have ana to
| Hold" or David Harum. hut the sue
cessors TO these popular novels. as might
| be expected. fan below THEN literary
standard and in some instances are infer
! ior to the now despisCd dime novels. The
| fact is that the original dim" novels were
| many of them at least. the work of men
| of undoIbted literary ability. ana they
would compare faVorablv with thu major
| ity of the works of fiction issued today.
Oar dime novel is now an attractvciy
| bound book of several hundred pages.
printed from bold type on fine Iaper with
most liberal margins. and costs from 81.
| to sl.5G. To write "A David Harum boon it
| is only necessary to have a character "no
says 'B Gosh or "rdrnJtiOu' OCCASION
Tally, work in a few old stories ana Jokes
that the new papers have worn thread
! bare, and throw in a certain amount Of
floye-makng. y TO Have ana to Hold
tboek calls for a succession OF hluod-Curd-
| ling scenes and incidents. with the oc-
ieasonal appearance OF Paul Jones, Bene-
celebrities. Even our much admired Sarah
lOrne Jewett, the gentle chrunicler of New
| England life whose pastoral and sea
coast scenes are depicted 50 faithfully
and so charmingly, at the behest of her
| publishers has been lead into stormy seas
| and wilder scenes Miss JCWettS story
| is yet young, and much may he expected
| of it; bat the general mass of current fc-
| ton must speedily gravitate to the sec
ond-hand bookstore. and-obivion.-Bel-
| fast Republican Journal.
1 Under the title of The Dead Archer"
| Mr.. Meredith Nicholson unsteady Ia
ments the passing of Maurice Thompson:
His woodman's craft at last has failed,
| At last the archer's eyes betray;-
| His own song lures him down the path
His own song lights the darkenins way .
Spirits that guard the woodland paths,
| And lie i'll wait beside the streams,
| Lead him where he shall find anew
| Green meadows, and his morning
| dreams,