The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-15
THE LITERARY OUTLOOK.
WHY is GOSSIP ABOUT BOOKS AND
AUTHORS POPULARs

John BurrOuEhs' New Volume of
Nature Poems Reveals His Ideas
About Poetry-The Serial Problem.
News AbOut Authors Revised from
Publishers Notes.
New York, Dec. 13.-Several writer's
have recently been attempting to ex-
plain the popularity of gossip about
books and authors-the matter is gem
orally discussed under the head of gos-
sip about literature, but literature is
such a restricted term among the book
ishly inclined and so broad a term for
the average reader that a more definite
classification seems to be necessary
Yet books and authors" opens up a
rather large field, larger perhaps than
clined to honor the whole range of
periodical matter with that name If
we shall restrict books and authors to
only those books which are worthy
Of being bound up and only those au-
thors who are worthy of being read
we are again Jpn dangerous ground,
for who shall judge of the merits of
either? Surely not the critics, for
these, in the true sense, do not exist
in the United States. and we have not
yet come to depend upon England for
guidance in ,Iese matters. Surely not
the publishers, for they are rarely
to be trusted and their interests lie
too much in financial rather than in
philanthropic ends. Surely not the
bookseller, for he is too closely allied
with the publishers. So of all the signs
display advertising, huge stocks in
store windows, favorable reviews of
critical opinions, we must beware And
of just such general iconoclasm as the
foregoing, beware, for the exceptions
are too many to prove rules and the
public too large to be directed as to
the books and authors which they shall
choose.
Gossip about books and authors is
popular only because ii appeals per-
suasively to prospective readers. 1t
is reasonable to suppose that informa-
ton about an authors personality
methods of work and manner of living
is interesting, because books, nova
days, at least, treat of the personal ele-
ment and an authors individuality is
expressed in what he writes. The truth
of the statement is so self-evident that
1t seems useless to mention II. One
appreciates books. in large measure in
direct ratio to his knowledge OF the
author. Publishers themselves have
been quick to realize this, and the lit
erary editors of newspapers are food
ed with brief biographies of authors,
stories of their doings and so on until
they wish to condemn to eternal per-
dition Cadmus, or whoever 1t was that
invented books.
a wiseacre. should furnish a directory
for those too busy to read everything.
The genuine critic should perform the
office of guide to readers" We have
just assumed above that America has
no critics and that the signs of merit
or worthiness are not to be trusted,
but assuming that a critic exists. we
doubt very much his ability to fulfill
the duties which are imposed here.
About five thousand different books
have been published during the present
season and there are still few to
come before the end of the year
Some time ago one Of the New York
publishers requested of Mr.. John Bur-
roughs that he compile a volume OF
nature poems according to his own de-
sires, that is, Mr.. Burroughs was to
select and include in the volume only
such poems as he himself wished. maxi
ing the collection his own in the real
sense. The great Nature lover accept
ed the proposal with much enthusiasm
and for several months he has been
engaged in the work Of compiling I'm a
single volume the nature poems which
he himself preferred. The book. un-
der the titled Of Songs Of Nature" has
Just been published. and. altogether. It
IS as pleasing a volume Of poems as
has been issued this year. Mr.. Bur-
roughs has explained in the preface
his method Of editing and incidentally
some sane Ideas about poetry.
In such matters" he says. 1T all