The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-26
NEWS AND VIEWS
OF THE BOOK WORLD
Leading Novels of the SeasonThe Fate Of Popular Kpng
EditiOn--Sex in Authorship--A Publishers Reader--A
Volume of Business Sense.
By HERBERT BREWSTER.

man, that The Confessions of a. Wife"
may be the work of a Mr.. Adams i'm
stead of May Adams or Mrs. Ward.
Agnes c. Liant, who writes stirring
tales of the West and Northwest, has
habit of signing her books "a C.
Liant" and the reviewers remark that
Mr.. Liant must have been a hunter
and trapper on the fringes of civiliza-
ton to have written such convincing
stories of that country when reality
and romance change places. Lafayette
McLaws is generally taken for a
man. George Madden Martin" the
creator of the little school girl, Emmy
Lou" is Mrs. George Madden Martin
in real life, but those who do not
know it, will be puzzled by the dis
play OF intuitive knowledge on the part
of Mrs. Martin. Henry Somerville is
Mary Gay HUMPHREYS, and she deceiv-
ed not only the public. but her pub
fishers as well, until a visit to their
offices became necessary. There are
some readers who do not care whether
the author be man or woman-the
quality of the story is their only re-
gard-but the patient reviewer and the
reader curious to learn something
about the author suffer because of this
confusion of the sexes.
The process of publication of a book
contains no more interesting depart
ment than that In which the publish
ers' readers figure The reader is an
unknown person, who, in the opinion
or the rejected, is brainless substitute
for person of ability-to appreciate
GOOD literature; to the accepted the
parsonage may never be known. In
oeed, 1t Is the object of the reader to
remain unknown. They have to be a.
mystery as to their identity, purposes
and methods of work, because the
wrath of disappointed authors and the
scorn of the public hang over them.
They are constantly rejecting MSS.
which afterwards become famous and
tney are often the humble instruments
which influence the publication of the
veriest rot.
1t is said that one fiction reader for
Boston firm pretends to be a. wool
salesman. He carries MSS to and from
MS home in cylinders similar to those
USED for wool samples. In spite of all
precaution, however, one writer, at
least suspects him. Not long ago at
tea, this story writer poured a cup
OF chocolate down the readers neck.
me latter had rejected a story of the
formers few days before and, not
wlthstanding the profuse apologies
which he received, the reader now lives
a trembling existence for fear Others
may. find him out. AS a supposed wool
salesman he must now feel something
like the wolf in sleeps garments.
1t is a natural feeling on the part Of
the reader to avoid public recognition.
To have advised against a book which
afterwards becomes a record-breaker
must be disheartening enough without
having added to it the scorn of the
public as well. In the matter of re-
jections, the list is so notable that one
wonders. Uncle Toms Cabin is said
to have been refused fourteen times,
David Harum" forty-two, 'Helen's
Babies" twenty-one. There was a time
when Ernest Thompson Seton then
ton-Thompson could not get into the
magazines much less between book
covers. Booth Harrington has had
much the same experience. So far, as
am able to learn, Josephine Dodge
Daskam is the only writer who claims
that she has never had a MSS rejected.
Most authors have at least one room In
their houses--if they have houses
CONTINUED on Page Twenty-eightl