Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-04-04


novel, 1.-THE Conquering of Kate"
Doubleday, Page & Co., will issue
within the month. The success of his |
novels seems to be of the lasting sort.
While he lived he did nothing to salts
fly the curiosity about the personality
of their author. but preferred to be
known only through his books.
The authorship of such books by a
writer who had already gained a ma
tional reputation by brilliant Journal
istic work. other books, and some plays
is remarkable fact in literature.
1.-THE Pit" continues to be the best
selling book in the United States, and,
as was expected, it is to be dramatized.
The book offers more than ordinary
opportunity for the making of play,
and competition for the dramatic
rights RACES so vigorously that the
price paid for them promises to be
record breaking. The publishers,
Doubleday Page & Co., contemplate
publishing memorial edition of all OF
| Frank Norris's works, together with
new volume of literary essays very
soon.
Justus Miles Forman, author of
Journeys End" never has been a
struggling young author. When a
schoolboy in Minneapolis ne had all
the advantages that wealth and posi-
ton could give young man in that
city. After he graduated from Yale
he studied with painters in Paris.
When he came back to America he
varied his artistic work with writing,
and he has been so successful with his
stories that they occupy most of his
time. He still keeps at his sketching
and painting. Perhaps it is not I'M
likely that there will soon be novel
by Mr.. Forman, illustrated by it's au-
thor.
Mrs. Margaret Deland is putting the
| final touches to her new volume of ''Ches
| ter Tales before her departure for Eu-
rope within a few weeks. The new tales
will appear serially in Harper's Maya
| ume by. the Harpers: Mrs. Deland con-
siders these last stories the most import
ant and finished work that she has ever
| done.
Readers who wonder how publishers
launch a novel which is known to create,
and required to fill, q great; popular de-
fame and popularity of the author and by
the actual advance orders for the book it
self.may be interested to know about the
Lady Roses Daughter The novel was
published in book form on March 5th; but
for many weeks before that time the Hhr-
per, presses have been kept running day
and night to print the heavy edition re-
quired at the outset. The novel, in fact
is still being printed at the same rate of
production, and there is no prospect of a
slowing down in it's manufacture.
Mr., Kipling has written two new. stories
piine, and Their Lawful occasion ne
These are to appear presently in Golfers
Weekly. This same enterprising period
esting publications of the time-will here
after have the monopoly in America of
Mr. kiplingss; poems on political and so
cial topics These eS, poems will appear sim
the publishers will risk the dangers of
cabling verse-dangers which are obvious.
The London photographers are estimating
that the cost to The, London Times of
cabling from South Africa KiplingS
Settler was something like $2S5.
novel introducing a character who has
already appeared in his Adventures of
Captain Kettle" This character. Nc
Todd, gives his name to the book.
Once more the bookbinding question has
been raised by a Londoner whose soul has
been tried by the covers aftrontlnS MIN
when he has hied him forth to buy a
novel. In his country it presents, as a
rule, he AYERS, IAN extremely tasteless
sought improvement in the manufacture
of their books, but for the most part
"format, type. and imagination. remain
desperately bad, . =. the English book
is as badly bound and tailored as ever.
AS the Disguised commentator points out,
American publishers are generally wiser
than the English where the binding OF
novels is concerned: We have often tes-
titled to this fact, though we must admit
that the proportion of American novels
bound as daintily as "The Turquoise Cup,
for example, brought out only the other
day by the Scribners, to those clothed in
Grass vulgarty, is not yet as large as We
would like it to be- But we are not con-
cerned on this occasion to labor the point
What especially interests us is the re-
mark of the writer quoted above-.if pub
fishers could only realize that it adds
greatly to the selling of book Qf only
as a drawing room ornamenD to publish
| it in a fine setting, we should get re-
action" The point is well made. No one
can doubt that it is commercially a
sound policy to give book an attractive
appearance in it's paper, Typography. and
| binding. Why is it, therefore, that on
! both sides of the Atlantic badly made
books are still common? We fear it is for
the reason that good taste remains what
| 1t has always been a gift from the gods,
and rare one.-New York Tribune.