Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-02-08
Books and Authors.

happy little folks, even the redOutable
Mr.. Bunny" himself. are taken from
life. Likewise the delightful birds
and beasts-'The biggest dog l ever
saw etc.,-are pictures of many
friends and playmates of the boys and
girls of today. There is a gorgeous ar
ray of big and little people, marvellous
animals and strange devices.
| The piece of Mr.. Bunny, His Book"
is only rs cents, delivered, all charges
PREF aid, by the Floral Publishing Com
pany, Springfield, Ohio.
John HabbertOE, the author of
"Helen's Babies" said to his publisher,
when the novel was about ready to ap-
pear. If you want to save the cost of
great deal of advertising just give
me 500 copies Of this book and I'll
guarantee to distribute them so that
We'll have a success without a cents
worth of advertising being needed"
The publisher, little reluctantly, took
Mr. Habberton at his word. The au-
thor thereupon made a list of all the
important book stores in the United
States and found out the name of the
mead of the department of fiction in
each store. Now. the heads of all
collection of autograph first editions
that is, with the authors signature
upon the imprint. There is scarcely an
exception to this rule. Mr.. Habberton,
BEN. wise in all that concerns book
lstOres. accordingly sent to each head
copy of "Helen's Babies" that contain
| ed not only his autograph, but a pleas
ant letter also that expatiated on the
| 10 y.ly hn
delighted. They instructed their sales
women and statesmen to boom "Helen's
Babies" to recommend it to every hest
| ting customer. And thus the book
succeeded, though it would have sue
ceeded, anyway, upon its merit.
Who Miles Amber is will appear
later. say the Scribners; in the mean
time his or her novel will be published
| under the title of divisions, a Story in
Three Parts: 1, Betty; II, Robin; III,
Esther and Rhoda." 1t is about two
English girls, whose fathers family
| had been landowners for generations,
and whose mother was beautiful
gypsy. The story turns largely on
their inherited gypsy traits and the
conflict into which they bring them
with the actual world.
Mrs. Wigs Of the Cabbage Patch"
| is in it's fifth edition, says the Century
| Company, as one reason FOR which
| they allege the unfailing good humor
| and cheerful optimism of the chief
| parsonage in the book. 1T looks like
| everything in the world comes right if
we jes' wait long enough is one of the
keynOteS of her DhilOSODhy.
George AIDE, the fabulist in slang, is
said to be DESTROYS of leaving the field
| in which he attained his first success,
and to do work in the more serious one
of fiction, especially of short stories.
and something of this sort is expected
from his pen before long. He is i'm
mediately engaged, however, upon a
comic opera that is to be produced in
Chicago shortly, called THE Sultan of
Sulu.'' Mr.. AIDE was one of those who
visited the Philippines soon after they
became of special interest to Ameri-
cans and is said to have put the re-
suits Of his observation into his
librcttO.
]. T. Trowbridge contributes to the
February Atlantic some readable remi-
niscences of Walt Whitman. With the
remarks that ne has to make on his
friends writings not every one will
agree; but there will be an appreciative
audience for the bits of personal por-
traiture scattered through Mr.. Trow-
bridges pages. One of his most
piquant passages is this one on Walt
Whitman and Emerson:
1 knew something of the disturbed
relations existing between the two
men. on account of Whitman's indis-
Greet use of Emerson's famous letter
to him acknowledging the gift copy of
the first Leaves of Grass" Whitman
not only published that letter without
the writer's authority, but printed an
extract from it, in conspicuous gold, on
the back Of his second edition-"I
greet you at the beginning Of great
career" thus making Emerson in some
sense an indorser not only of the first
poems, but of others he had never
seem and which he would have pre-
ferred never to see in print. This was
All instance of bad taste, but not of
intentional bad faith, on the part of
Whitman. Talking of it once, he said,
in his grand way: 81 supposed the let
ter was meant to be blaZoned; l re-
garded it as the chart of an emperor"
But Emerson had no thought of acting
the imperial part toward SO adventure
Gus a voyager. I remember hearing
him allude to the incident shortly after
that second edition appeared. Speak
ing of the attention the new poet was
attracting, he mentioned an English
man who had come to this country
bringing letter to Whitman from
Monckton Mines (afterward Lord
Houghton). But" said Emerson.
hearing that Whitman had not used
me well in the matter of letters he did
not deliver it," He had afterward
made strenuous effort to induce
Whitman to omit certain Objectionable
passa ges from his edition of 1860 and
failed And I knew that the later writ
ings of Whitman interested him less
and less mo more evidence of get
ting into FORM" he once remarked-a
singular comment, it may be thought,
from one whose own chief defect as
writer seemed to be an imperfect mas
terry of form.
| Tn connection with the History Oh