The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-18
NEWS NOTES AND GOSSIP
OF BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

Mr. + ". Stokes. whose first pictures in
color FROM the Antarctic will be seen in the
August issue of the Century, has had three
paintings accepted and we'll placed in the
Champ de Mars salon in Paris this spring.
The John Lane publication of the Vale
Press volumes draws toward close. There
are now only two more to be issued. The
present addition TO the series is doctor
Faustus." by Christopher Marlowe, seen
through the press by John Masetield, dec
Grated by Charles Ricketts,, under whose
supervision the book has been printed Tor
the benefit of the Romantic Stage Players.
The tragical history of Doctor Faustus Is,
as every one knows, the El;zabethan dra-
matte version Of the ancient 'Noiksage.
from which Gounod and Goethe have both
drawn respectively in the well-known opera
and play.
Thomas Dixon. Jr.'s. new novel will be
called The one Woman and it will be
issued August by Doubleday, Page & Co.
Like his wonderfully successful first novel,
he is said TO show mastery OF the express
sion of powerful human emotions. in the
attempt to show the power OF love as affect
ed by the movement toward Socialism that
marks the new century. Socialism is de-
scribed as a deadly force, annihilsting homo
life and weakening the structure of Anglo
Saxon manhood, and the sweep of the story
shows an intimate study of the character
of men and women in widely diversified
walks of life in New York City.
Drexel Biddle. the publisher of the popular
novel, Peggy O'Neal." claims that in nam
ing book by the name of person. be that
name ever SO rare in present day society,
mistakes are apt to happen The reason for
such statement DreXel Biddle says. Is
patent in an occurrence of 4 few days ago.
In large New York department store some
books were being sold at the dry goods
counter a special attraction. A business
man rushed in to get the latest novel. on
his way down town, and he CHANGED to mis-
take the dry goods counter with the book
speciality for the book department In
GREATNESS haste he asksd for Peggy
O'Near': and the saIeslady at the counter
answered: Not here at the moment, but
will call" The saleslady next rushed to
the speaking tube and cried: Send Peggy
O'Neal down right away!" A few moments
later the impatient customer was confronted
by young woman. whose name answered
to the title of the novel. Explanations and
apologies followed and then the customer
was shown to the book department.
Anyone who has read Arnold Benefits
closely studied novel of the Staffoydshire
pottery district. Anna of the Five Towns
(AIcClure. Phillips & Coz, could hardly be-
lieve II TO De the work Of the same author
Great Babylon HOTEL which was Mr.. Ben
netts first bid for fame. The explanation
lies in the fact that Mr.. Bennett is made
up OF two writers, each with an entirety
different literary method. The Arnold BEN
nett. who wrote THE Great Babylon Hotel"
is notable for the speed Of his composition
While lunching in the big Savoy Hotel the
idea for the story came to him. and twenty
one days later It was finished Work Of
that kind takes no time at ALL" says MI.
Bennett. It's light nonsense. and is prsc-
ticaliy all done when one has worked out
the plot
The other Arnold Bennett works, with al
most painful slowness. and this is the man
who wrote Anna of the Five Towns" He
was five years thinking out the plot before
1t approached completion, and it took him
over year to make the first draft of the
novel. He considers 1t by far the best work
yet from his pen.
Mr.. Alden, the editor Of Harper.s Maya
zine, discoursing in the Study for July
upon the subject Of co-education, expresses
his opinion against It. He points out very
clearly the difference between the aspira-
tons Of the girl and the boy. and he be-
heres that the boy works under disadyan-
tages when he is subjected to the social dis
traction offered by the presence of girl stu
dents Also. Mr.. Alden advocates the study
OF Latin, Greek and the English classics.
he Is himself graduate of Williams Col
lege in the class Of 81. and received the de.