The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-07

with the exception Of Ell. He tramped to
London and started in as man OF letters
He began work as reporter on news
paper. and then started work on his novel.
He was born in 1869.
A writer in the London Daily Chronicle
has discovered that Swinburne once tried
his hand at fiction. This was in 1877, when
he contributed to the short-lived Tattler
study Of character entitled "A Years Let
ters." This story was published over
pseudonym-a feminine one at that-and no
one suspected at the time that Mrs Hor-
ace Manners" was Identical with the author
OF "Laus Veneris.
Charlemagne Tower, United States am
bassador to Russia, has presented to the
Philadelphia Library a valuable collection
OF $50 Russian books. They include COM
plete sets of the works of the most dis
tinguished Russian authors, and they en-
brace the entire field of history and litera-
ture. They are finely bound and are beau
tiful specimens of the art of printing. A
catalogue of the collection will be compiled
in Russian and English, and will be dis
tributed TO all the learned societies OF the
United States.
A London correspondent says: while
on the subject of memoirs / may mention
that young Winston Churchill is now en-
gagged in writing the memoirs of his father,
having been placed in possession of all of
Howe and Rupert Beckett, NJ. p, the liter
airy executors Of the late Lord Randolph
churchill. AS rule, sons are not the best
biographerS of their fathers, but young
Winston Churchill is such a clever writer,
so thoroughly independent of social and
political influences, and so completely i'm
bued with his fathers reckless spirit that
he may be relied upon to accomplish his
task in brilliant manner"
In a recent number of the Academy 1t
is stated that there are in England a dozen
novelists whose sales exceed those of Mr..
Kipling. Miss Marie Corelli and Miss Emma
'Thorneycroft Fowler are cited as two of
the twelve. "Mr. Hall Game certainly, and
Sir A. Conan Doyle possibly, might be add
ed to the number; but who are the other
eight?" asks the London Mail. 1t is also
stated that only two novels have exceeded
sale of $4,000 in America, and that among
the recent great American successes are
such English books as IAN Englishwom-
Eternal City," and "Trilby," one of the
greatest successes among modern books.
writer in an English paper. speaking OF
literary conditions in Paris, says: 1T is
difficult to arrive at anything like exact
figures; but one would judge, from the
books displayed in these shops, that lola
is read very much less than he was ten
years ago. The recent centenary celebra-
tons have apparently revived interest In
victor Hugo and Alexander Dumas, pere
both of whom are we'll represented on the
stalls. On the other hand, again judging
merely from a cursory examination, there
is apparently no great demand for what
we in England would call the classic writ
ers, such as, for instance, Gautier, Flau-
bert, or Georges Sand. Incidentally, il was
interesting to note that Mr. Rudyard Kip
ling's KIM in translation, was stocked al
a great many shops. The 'Francais,' the
best Paris evening paper, is publishing Les
Aventures de Sherlock Holmes as a serial
and the Matin is publishing oliver
| Twist"