The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-06
LITERARY NOTES.

Mr.. Henry James calls his new novel
The Sacred Fount.' 1t is to be published
next spring.
Robert Louis Stevenson's cousin, Graham
Balfour, has finished his memoir of the
novelist. He has woven into it a number
of new letters and some of Stevenson's
unpublished literary fragments. TIL book
will contain a full description of his life
In Samoa.
In the last number of the London
Academy is a symposium of opinions from
famous literary men on books which lave
appeared In 1900. Among them Mr.. Fred
eric Harrison says that .'the only first
class book of 1900 has been Maurice Hew-
let's Richard Yea and Nay"
Miss Beatrice Harraden, the novelist.
who was recently severely injured while
mountaineering in Norway, has returned
to England. and is rapidly recovering. She
found while in Norway that the Norwe-
gian translator of her first novel had omit
ted its last chapter, saying that thus the
story was much improved.
New Albany, Ind, is looking up in an
intellectual way. Indiana readers of the
fine poem. Gloucester Moor in Scrib-
ner's Magazine for December, will be in
tereSted in learning that its author, Will
Vaughn-Moody, is a young New Albany
man, at present an instructor in the de-
partment of English in Chicago University.
Prof. Alfred Moremiller, another son of
that town, is holding the chair of the old
French provincial languages in Johns Hop
kins University. He was formerly at the
Indiana State University.
Alfred Ollivant's Bob, Son of Battle"
is now selling in its twenty-sixth thousand.
Thereby hangs an interesting tale. When
this book was issued a little more than
two years ago it fell dead from the press.
nor did liberal advertising help the sale,
though every one who read 1t thought it a
1lninIIa and rQnQrk1hla story Tho fido
turned at the end of six months, however,
and since that time the book has enjoyed
a steadily increasing sale, a single Ameri-
can bookseller ~disposing of more copies
than probably have been sold in the whole
of England.
Indications are. says the New York
Tribune, that there will be a large num-
Der of good books published in New York
the coming spring in response to the same
good demand springing from the country's
general prosperity that has made the holt
day trade so active. In the case of pub
fishing houses with English connections
this is further stimulated by the activity
in the London houses preparing for the
trade of the London season." The sea
SON. in London is a better time for pub
fishing than the holiday period, because in
England Christmas is more of a rural fes-
uval, while everybody is In town for the
season." and, being nearer the sources of
supply, more disposed to buy books.
Perhaps this hardly belongs under a lit
erary head: The American Sunday School
Union, of Chestnut street, Philadelphia,
offers 1000 in two prizes for the best books
on the subject "How Is Man 10 Be Saved?
or, Gods Way of Salvation" Six hundred
dollars will be given for the best book and
$500 for the next best. The society. does
not desire any technical theological treat
Use, but rather something of a practical
and popular character. Although the au-
thors are given the utmost freedom I'm the
form and style of treatment, it is suggested
that each work should contain from 40. 900
to 10000 words. Manuscript should be type
written and must reach the mmitt
of publication on or before Nov. /, 1901.
! are nine member who are labeled author,
the most distinguished being Professor
Bryce Mr.. John Morley, Mr.. Winston
Churchill, Mr., Henry Norman and Mr..
Gilbert Parker. 1t is notorious, says a Lon
don writer, that Mr.. Morley's literary work
has been sadly interfered with by politics.
while Mr.. Henry Norman, whose writing
has always been mainly political, will prob
ably come to little harm. The only other
member than Mr.. Parker who has lone any
| the members for Portsmouth, and Mr.. Fred
Horner, who, following Sheridan, is M. p.
and dramatist. Novel readers will remember
that Disraeli practically finished writing
when he began his parliamentary career.
and they will not, perhaps. altogether re-
greet that Mr.. Anthony Hope Hawkins and
DR.. Conan Doyle have not yet joined Mr..
Parker. OF journalists the new House con-
tins some thirteen, nine of these from Ire
| members, including Mr.. j. A. Balfour, have
] written books as a sort of diversion.