The Saint Paul globe., 1902-07-12
BOOKS OF MIDSUMMER.

''Her Serene Highness" is a very
charming story. 1t is, however, very.
much like many charming stories that
have achieved considerable vogue re-
Gently and Mr.. David Graham Phillips
had possibly read "Graustark" and
thought there was an opening for more
of the same. And undoubtedly there
is. Mr.. Phillips writes better than the
author of "Graustark' and his charac-
ters are more refined of speech and
have about them less of the style Of
"Mr. Barnes of New York" but the
man who wrote "Graustark" had the
best of him in the matter of invention.
The tale concerns a young man of
Chicago, Grafton by name, with plenty
of money and love of art which made
him one of the best known collectors
in the country. He goes to Paris in
search of a certain picture, said to be a
Velasquez and there he runs across
her supreme highness, the niece of the
Prince of Zweitenbourg, one of those
small principalities located In fairy
land which makes such delightful
background for modern romance. so
to Zweitenbourg goes Mr.. Grafton.
Given a beautiful princess, and brave
American, we must expect the usual
result and the thrilling adventures
which make such good reading when
one knows that the writer will take
care that the denouement shall be the
proper one. So Her Supreme High
ness loves the brave American-is he
not Chicago gentleman-and after an
arrest and duel and several hair
breadth escapes for the heroine, it all
comes right in the end and Her Su-
preme Highness gives up her title and
as Mrs. Grafton goes happily to Chica-
go, where in her Michigan avenue res
idence we leave her and where to this
day she doubtless resides. MIR. Phil
lips story belongs to a class of Htera-
ture, which though light, is still dis
tinct advance over problem stories and
the eternal analysis of emotion and
feminine Mysteries which threatened
us a while ago. With novels, as with
plays, the dictum keep 'em moving
has become important and what the
characters do instead of what they
think interests modern readers.
Col. George Harvey, who is a versa
tile genius and man of affairs, being
no less than a railroad builder, news
paper man, publisher and editor of
the North American Review, is now the
editor of Harper's Weekly. The first
July issue of this paper appeared in
complete new dress and in new form.
1t is reduced from folio to quarto size
and contains forty pages of reading
matter bearing upon current affairs,
profusely illustrated. 1t may fairly be
called a weekly magazine and suggests
somewhat the London Spectator or
Outlook. The first number under the
new regime contained much interesting
reading matter from such well known
writer's as Mark Twain, w. D. Howells,
Thomas A. Janvier and first chapters
of Anthony Hopes new novel, 'The In
trusion of Peggy" which promises to
be more like his earlier style of fiction.
1t is believed that the Harpers are not
concerned in any way with the paper
under it's new management.
Justus Miles Forman, a new Ameri-
can writer of fiction, is soon to publish
his first novel. 1t will be entitled "The
Garden of Lies" and if he can keep up
the style of his short stories in a sus-
tained effort, the book is almost sure
to win popularity. Forman is in a
manner a discovery of "The Smart
Set" and he has written for that pub
lication some exquisite love stories. In
deed his tales have stood out in the
midst of lot of smart. driveling in
a way to make them much sought after
by the readers of that magazine. The
setting of his novel is said to be in
modern Paris and to concern an Amer
lean girl married to a prince of a
reigning house. This is not particular
ly new, but is reversing the usual or
der of the beautiful princess and the
brave American hero. At all events,
in the hands of Mr.. Ferman it is bound
| to be readable.
It is reported that Stewart Edward
White, the writer of "The Blazed
Trail" is now making a canoe trip
from Georgian bay to Sault Ste. Marie,
accompanied by the artist, Thomas
| Fogarty. While ostensibly a fishing
| trip for recreation, the two men are in
reality working together to obtain ma
| teriaI for new book on wood-lore and
| life. It is said that Whites next story
will be placed in the Hudson bay coun-
| try and the many admirers of his first
| book will be glad to know that there
| is to be another.
The latest of the popular stories to
| be dramatized is my Lady Peggy Goes
| to Town." by Fannie Aymar Mathews.
| The book was so evidently intended
| for dramatic presentation that it will
without doubt be easily put into that