New-York tribune., 1902-08-02
THE PARIS BOOK SEASON.
a GREAT FLOOD OF NEW PUBLICATIONS
THE POPULAR NovEI.s-MEMoIRs AND HIsToRI-
CAL sTUDIES-sIR EDWARD BLOUNT'S
RECOILECTIONS.

| of July and from until the middle of Sep
tember the stream of literature that has flowed
| unnterruptedly for ten months at an average
| rate OF three new volumes day, until the book
stands throughout Paris and France. the shelves
of the Odeon and the stalls at the railway sta
| tions have become inundated with works in yell
low. white, brown, pink or blue paper covers.
| will cease. Seldom has there been such deluge.
Reference to the photographic Francaise of LIE
| Soudier, to the Catalogue Annue de la LII
| brarie Francaise edited by Jordell, shows that
! the purveying of literary emotions in the form
! of fiction alone goes at pace of nearly two
| books day. A large portion of these novels
heralded 1.-The greatest literary success
| of the year." but what becomes of them all 1t
is impossible to find out. They vanish like dead
sparrows as suddenly they appeared. and are
never again.
| The only genuinely successful novels of the
season now closing are "L'Etape," in which Paul
| Bourget almost reveals himself philosopher;
| "L Enfant dAusterlitz," by Paul Adam;
! "LEpave," by Edouard Estaunie; Il Eau
! Courante" by Edouard Rod; lie Sang Fran
| GALS" by Jules Clarete; Les Oberle,' VIVA
| but highly French colored picture OF Alsace-
! Lorraine by Rene Bazin; La Peur de NlVre'
/ a tale of a young French girl prevented by her
! mother from marrying a military explorer en-
dowed with more glory than money, charm
| ingly written by Henri Bordeaux; "Lettres a
FRANCHISE" by Marcel Provost wherein the au-
thor of ''Demi- -Vierges' and "Vierges tortes
| treats of the normal, healthHy constituted slrl'
| Memories dun Volontaire," by Anatole FRANCE
and ''Florise Bonheur," a delicate analysis OF
the Partisan working girl, by Adolphe Brlssoh'
To these works of fiction. which reached very
! large sale must be added certain novels OF
anaIvsfs such as "Cn Vieux Celibataire,' by
Jules Pravieux: 'CIaudine en- Menage, by
| Willy; "Ecole des Caresses,' by CASTOR Derys;
| "Heures Coniugales" by Michel Provins, and
| "Ces Messieurs du Tiers" by Claude Berton
It is curious to note in French nctlon the
changes in the Christian names of girls ihiS
| year the names that prevail are Paule, Anals'
| Caudine Raymonde, Isabelle, Alice, Marcele,
Marthe FRANCHISE, Cesarine, Jacqueline, LII
cienne Catherine, Jeanne. Germaine Floride,
Andhree, Nicaise. Eve. Emmeline and fVonne.
These simple sonorous names Of the up TO- date
automobile girl the seas side girl and the ges girl
contrast strangely with the of the hero
ines OF fiction in the days of cured hair, White
stockings and cashmere shawls such as Del
phne Angelique, Veronique Valerie, Marie,
Anne and Sophie.
AS Usual, there has been profusion of dra-
matte literature. The successful plays by PAU
Hervieu Alfred Capus and Henri Lavedan have
already been enumerated in these columns
Works of pure philosophy by Ellie Halevy Re
nouvier Bray Querat and, above all. Dugas' in
his amusing "Psychologie du Rire,' giving
clever retrospect Of the theory of laughter
which after all is not question Of science but
of emotion still find a fairly good SAFE. oi
history in the broadest sense there is very hille
but the works that uppermost in favor ana
the studious excellence of which justhes their
nonularity are the 'Memoires'' of historical
persons dealing purely with details and docp-
| ments presented very much as painstakihs
lat evidence a
court Probably at no previous period have
these documentary works attained such pre-
dominance and never before have they appeared
in such readable form. This seems indeed, to DE
the salient characteristic of the years book sea-
SON Among the works Of this class should De
cited "Iettres Inedites de Nine. de Genlis a son
Fills adoptive Casimir Baecker, 1So2-lS3o' by
HenrI Lapauze; Memories de Aimee de
Coigny," by Etienne Lamy giving a precise mar
ratfve IN diary form of events of the Reign of
Terror: dominique Larrey ct les Campagnes
de Ia Revolution ct de PEmpre" by Paul
Triaire, Of the Academy Of Medicine wherein
is found wealth Of hitherto unpuoilshed
documents including letters written by the IA
nous surgeon general of the French army In
the days of Napoleon; lie Marechal de LuHeln-
bourg ct le Prince dOrange 166S-16iSs' by
Pierre de Segur giving curious insight into the
daily life of the courtiers and military officers
Of the seventeenth century; III. Taine, Sa Vie
ct Sa Correspondence" published by the family
Of the author of "Origines de la France Con-
temporaine" in which the youthful confessions
and mental struggles of the precocious student
are related in simple, straightforward letters to
his mother: Memories du Marechal Canrobert,"
/ wherein the marshal of Crmean days writes
! with his own hand his impressions Of Queen
| Victoria; an additional volume of the Me
| rnoires du Comte de Reiset" bringing the docu-
| meDtary evidence down to the rupture between
France and Russia which preceded the Crimean
War; La Jeunesse de la Grande Mademoiselle,"
in which Arvede Barine gives with painstaking
research a pen and ink portrait of her heroine;
Souvenirs de Madame de Maintenon," by Count
d'Haussonville and Gabriel Hanotaux; "Choseul
ct Voltaire d'apres des Lettres Inedites," by
| Pierre Calmettes, which discloses private cor
respondence of great historical value; Memories
| du Due de Broglie," 1921 1901" and Memories
| du Duc ct Duchesse de Choiseul, Leur Vie In
| time" by Castor Maugras.
One of the most delightful among the unpre-
tentious books of the season is Jules Claretie's
"Profls de Theatre" The bright and amiable
administrator general of the Coincide Francaise
excels in sketches and anecdotes of this de-
scription and the stories he recounts of the
elder Dumas the description Of Dejazet ringing
the door of the aged Beranger, to sing to him the
song of Iisette which he unable, owing to
his infirmties, go to the theatre to hear,
postiye gems The ''Memoires' of Sir Edward |
Blount now in his ninety-fourth year, who first
introduced railways in France, and who used |
even to drive the locomotive engines over the |
line between Paris and Rouen, having a
wide sale In Paris, although they have not yet
appeared In the French language. Sir Edward