Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-07-27
Books and Authors.

! Concerning literature in England a
contributor to The Fortnightly Review
says; I'VE are not Yet "a great reading
nation. except Oh novels. We produc,
/ has an appetite for. There are certainly
three times as many English reading
people as there are German reading pco
| pie in the world: yet Germany publishe
annually many more books on cdl,ca ton
art and science. law. theology medicin.
and travel than Great Britain produces.
and France is 4 long way ahead of Eng
land in the number OF her new books on
historical subjects. On the other hand,
England is long way ahead of an,
! OF new novels, although as regards the
total annual production of books of al
KINDS. Great Rritain ranks only, third
among the nations. being exceeded by
Italy, as well as by France and Germany
nor, indeed. uocs the entire book pro
duetion OF the whole English speaking
the British dependencies. equal more
! than about two-thrds that OF Germany"
! Mr.. Howels has said many Il serious
and condemnatory word about romantic
fiction and its writers. Therefore, Win
Ston ChurChhill. himself an adept at III,
writing of romantic fiction. thus retaliates
, in The Crisis upon the author Of ''rh,
Rise of SilaS l.apham and other photo
graphic halt-tones of modern life; some
noveiists | know of. who are in reality
celebrated surgeons in disguise. woulu
have shown good part of Mr.. Eiphalct
Hopner's mental insides in as many
words as | have taken To chronicle his
attend II clinic. and the horrible skill
with which they WELD the scapel holds
us sptllbound. For God has made all or
I us, rogue ana saint, burglar ana burSo-
master marvelously alike. We read "a
patent medicine circular and shudder with
seven diseases. We peruse one OF Mr..
So-and-Sns Intellectual toncs and art
! SURE We are complicated scandals, fear
fully and wonderfully made.
The vtXed question Is frequently asked
10y the publisher. Does ar does not Strla!
publication tend Ia promote interest In a
work Of fiction when ii is published as "a
book - The only answer with any degree
OF satisfaction in ii that has been arrived
at. is that in case of poor story. II
hurts the sale Of the book. bat when the
story is good one. II helps IL Immensely
There must be some truth in this con
clusion for Messrs. Harper X Brothers
report that interest in their two magazine
serials. Gilbert Parkers The Right OF
Way and Miss wilkins The Portion
of Labor" has already resulted in lare,
advance orders Tor thu Sc tw" novels in
book form which have exceeded their
expectations. Indeed. i'm the case o! Miss
wilkins, the orders already received for
this book excel any advance orders they
by this author. Miss Wilkins Il n
derstudies. by the way. has gone into
a third edition. ana in England the grow
ing appreciation 90 her work there !,
! evidenced by the quickcucd demand FOR
this latest OF her books.
A. Maurice Low. the author ~ The
Supreme Surrender. To- be published in
August by the Harprrs. was born in
London. but has spent the best wears of
his life III this country. IA" was educated
in London and Austria. and after leaving
college, entered an architects office In
London. Some business interests of his
fathers brought him to this country his
INTENTION being 10 remain only few
/ months, but once here the months ran
into years, and ne sealed his affection for
his adopted country by marrying an Amer
lean girl. The nrst few years Of his lite
: III America were spent In commercial nun e.
suits. but Il natural love OF writing caused
him to drift int" journalism, and for
some years past Washington has been
his home As WASHINGTON corresponds
cnt he has Il reputation on both sides 81
~" Atlantic. due 10 some very notable
journalistic beats. In England hc made
me nrSt publication az thctacrrcrn"ut Nv
which the Venezuelan boundary DISPUTE
was 10 be arbitratcd and thu mn text ~
the olncN-Paunc"fot" general treaty NJ
arbitration. In this country Great Grit
|lh dtt"rn1ihati"n To resist further
capture of her sealcrs in Boring Sea-.
The resolution reached by Prcsid, II;
cleveland {" compel u settlement ~ tht
long standing Venezuelan boundary ais
pate. and several other important mat
tcrS were first made public through Nj
Low $ DISPATCHES Fnr many wears he has
been in charge Of tho Washington bureau
correspondent OF the London Daily
Chronicle. the American editor of IN,
National Review OF London. and fire.
duent contributor to the leading Amrri-
can and English Reviews and periodicals
He has an established reputation as Il
political writer. and is an authority ~
foreign affairs. Ills pave IN Harper :
Weekly European politics under til,
title '.TrauS.ttltutlr Topics" il wid"l .
road and copied. Although The So
pr"me Surrender Is Mr.. Low tir~t
novel. It is not his first work II fiction.
bat the short story is form of Ntcrd-
tIrc which h" dis!ikcs. \ ncwsparcr
mans training insures versatility anl
this faculty Mr. LOW possesses IN 4
marked degree. He is equally at home
whether writing Il newspaper utSratCn
furccaStinc tn. result Of 4 political c"ii-
Vrntiun or niCtureSduclN telling bow a
statistics to trace the movement of tn"
worlds commerce covering 4 quarter nt
Il century. or il may nc. describing a
picture OF war as II" saw II for the hrSt
time i'm cuba. An account which he
wrote ON the battlefield with the dead
xpnd wounded around hm-a courier i'm
hatlently waiting to take the copy ~
the coast-was 50 graphically and t"rsclT
written that Il French newspaper conStd-
cred il worthy OF translation. and well
! known writer has Incorporated y ~ NJ
history Of thu. war with Spain. Mr.. Low,
DESPITE his long ."rcrienco. has not mas
tered the art Of dictation. He CompnSvi
on the tVpewriter as readily AS he does
with the pen. but when dictate. 70
use his own expression. Il lose my n"mi
native ease. and | am never able to find
it again