The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-01-25
7avorite Novels of Authors-Kipling' s
Reason-R of Long Life
Incomes from Writing,
(By Herbert Brewster.)

10y Herbert BreWster.)
score or more OF leading authors
| were recently asked to name the novels
! Of 1902 they had read and considered
good enough TO read second time. Most
OF the number placed KipIing's Kim
FIRST; one author adding that she had al
ready read the book six times AS a
second faVorite came The Virginian,"
| followed by The Blazed Trail, " Tine
valley of Decision" and The Two Van
Ievels. The ques ton is not entirely a
novel one but the usual query put
| TO present day authors is:
! What is your favorite novel9"
| Thus the whole field Of fiction ie left
open for their choice Ii a comnonv Of
people were asked which novel ie most
praised by the leading authors, it is
doubtful If many could reply correctly
! Fielding's TEN Jones'" one of the first
novels ever written, is not only receiving
more praise today than any other, but
almost from the time it was published
| 1t has ranked as the greatest novel The
opinions Of various we'll known writers
on novels are often times as diverse as
| they are interesting.
Conan Doyle says that in his opinion,
| The Coister and the Hearth" is with
out rival. Next to that he places the
works Of ivanhOe, and of recent writer's
he SAYS that James M. Barrie's writings
| give him the most pleasure. AS to his
| own work he considers Tho White Com
| pany" far and away tie best he has
done
| Sir Walter Besant placed Lorna
| Doone" ilrst, as did G. A. Henty. There
are many writer's still living who agree
| with these ,wo Sir Walter also had
much to say N praise of Thomas Hardy
ranking Tess OF the D'UrberVilles" sec
ond, Of the writer's still living, he re-
garded Meredith as the best
There seemed to be much exchanging
| of cOmplim ants along this line among
! the authors, for Meredith is said to place
! Thomas Hardy first of living writer's.
He mentions Scott, Thackeray and Dick
| ems as the greatest novelists of the past.
II. Rider Haggard places Stanley Wey-
mans "a Gentleman of France" in the
first position so far as present day writ
| ers arc concerned, but he confesses a
great admiration for Doyle's THE White
Company. He does not venture to pass
| judgment on the novelists who have
passed away, but one can imagine him
favoring Scott above all others.
/ Edna LydH thinks Dickens the greatest
novelist but recommends also George
Eliot and rhackeTay. George G;ssing
| favors Charlotte Bronte, Meredith ard
Hardy
Robert Louis Stevenson placed Scott
ahead of all others, his favorite books
being Guy Mannering," Red Gauntlet"
and Rob Roy" in the order named At
ter these. he ranks Thackeray's Henry
Esmond.
Thacke:ay, himself always had high
est admiration for Tom Jones' and
placed Fielding head and shoulders above
/ all other writer's of fiction
Rudyard Kiphng has lost his suit
against an American publisher for an
| allcdged infringement OF trade mark, a
litigation which has been dragged along
for nearly three years. Not more than
fifteen sets of his works Were involved
in the matter and the courts held that
! Kipling had no legal claim in a trade
mark which he had failed to register at
the time he entered the suit. 1t is not
at all unlikely that this suit turned many
of his American admirers from him be-
cause il came just after the great flood
Of sympathy for him because of his very
severe Illness, but it must be admitted
I
in the matter. 1t was not a matter of
dollars and cents with him as is shown
ty the statement which he had made
at the time.
an this matter" he wrote, Mr. Kip
ling feels that he owes it to his profes
sion to ascertain if, under the laws of
the United states, persons without au-
thority are at liberty to advertise, pub
lish and sell as an edition of an author s
work a collection of writings consisting
in art of matter authorized by him. in
part OF matter not written Ly him, in
Fart of matter not authorized by him,
and bearing upon its face indications
Of that authors personal approval and
authorization, in sufficient measure to
mislead the public
Doubtless the thing which angCred Mr..
Kirlng more than anything else was the
inclusion in the unauthorized edition
of a biography which, to speak the truth.
was filled with inaccuracies. Unfortu-
nately a great many stories have been
circulated about Kipling which are not
in the least true and the compiler of
this Kipling biography had evidently col
lected together all of these stories ne
could find.
The matter is probably closed now,
however.
! The publication of Kipling's last poem
'"Thc Powers has stirred up so much
comment in Germany, against winch
country it was aimed, that prominent
German critic has recently declared that
hencoforth. the name of Kiplng shall not
be known in the Kaiser's domain. Inc
circumstances make one bark back AGAIN
to Kirlings illness in this country, Tor
, at that time, the German Emperor sem
to the distinguished author long cable
gram. expressing his sympathy and the
hope that he might recover. The mes
sage included the statement that Eng
land and Germany could not spare Kip
ling Emperor Wilhelm's opinion on the
recent incident has not been recorded.
Rev DR. Theodore Cuyler, of this city
has just published a very interesting vol
ume in "Recollections of Long Life.
Among other things, he relates his pur
suit of literary lions when he was
young man visiting England.
'One of these" he writes, was Thorn
I inn tQlljni