The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-17
LITERARY OUTLOOK.
New Books Being Talked About-Au-
thors as Editors

New Books Being Talked About Au-
thors as Editors.
Without doubt the most talked of
book of the present week is The Pit
the second novel of the Wheat TrilOgy
by the late Frank Norris. The book is
not yet off the press with the first edi-
ton, but there is little doubt of its pop
ularity since the advance orders are
over $4,000. Frank Norris died very
young man yet he lived to enjoy
large share of the reading public's ap-
probation, ana in the few weeks since
his death there has been a surprising
number Of eulogies for him from the
best critics in France and England as
well as in this country.
THE Pitt relates the story of a
shrewd westerner who passes from
farming into stock manipulation. He is
the unknown holder OF a great wheat
corner in the Chicago market, in the
swinging of which operation he loses
everything he has. The story ends with
the man and his wife leaving Chicago
for the west where he plans to begin life
all over again
In gathering the material for his
/ wheat trilOgy, Mr. Norris Travelled
great deal i'm the west spent several
months on some of the big wheat ranch
/ es and drew freely from the experiences
of many we'll known characters. The
late c. p. Huntington was undoubtedly
the man whom Norris pictured in The
Octopus" For his iufOrma ton about-the
methods of stock markets. Nj Norris
went TO Edwin Lefevre. the author OF
wall Street Stories" Lefevre told
him many stories of deals" and mani
pulatiOns. At one of these Norris is
said to have exclaimed.
That's the real thing. No novelist
could invent anything like that" AS a
matter of fact explained Mr.. LefeVre
the main point of the story was not fact
at all Mr.. Lefevre in telling the story
saw the dramatic possibilities in adding
a little fiction to it and it was just this
that excited Mr.. Norris admiration.
J Pierpont Morgan is well known as
one of the most enthusiastic collectors
in the world. and rare and valuable
books form no little part of his hobby
he recently was attracted by the work
of the BooldOvers Guild of German
town, Pa, and purchased from them
some of the best examples of their
work. He paid a large sum of money
for special editions of 'Iincoln's Get
/ tysburg Address" THE One Hundred
and Nineteenth Psalm. - ''Eranklin's Esz-
The Deserted Village and The Eve
( of Saint Agnes" Some of these produc-
tons were printed on parchment and
illustrated by original pen and ink
drawings 1t is said to be the purpose
of this guild of artists to publish in old
English type and in choice bindings
various classics of literature. OF course,
the editions in most cases viii be limit
! purchased by Mr.. Morgan We're limited
to one copy each in the edition.
The passing Of Mr.. Finley P. Dunno
into the editors chair in Golfers
Weekly office calls attention to the
number of well known authors who are
/ occupying responsible positions as edi-
tors at the present time. The author
Of THE Letters of a Self-Made Mer
chant" Mr. George H Lorimer, is edi-
tor of the Saturday Evening Post, Lynn
Roby Meelzins, author of Adam
Rush. was for some time the assist
Samuel Churchill Williams occupies a
responsible editorial position on one of
the Philadelphia papers; Ripley D.
Saunders is one of the editors of q
Washington paper; George AIDE and
John t. McCutcheon both occupy reg
ular positions on n Chicago paper. John
Hendricks Bangs is about to become
editor of the Metropolitan Magazine I'M
der its new management; Bliss Carmen
is just taking up work as editor of a
literary magazine in Boston. Indeed
most of the editors of the leading mag
azlneS are better known through their
books than through their editorial
S work. The list would include such men
{ as Bliss Perry, Richard Watson Gill
der, Henry I'll. Alden. William Dean
HoWells. Walter H. Page, Tudor jerks
, and a dozen others more or less well
( known The number of men who have
at one time or another been connected
ttl DQDlCdL0HS III an eQiIOElaL ca
8 pacity and are known solely as authors
1 Is also very large. Leaving out those
t writer's Of a former generation, when.
b I'M fact. the proportion was much larger
{ tran now. we shah find the names of
Winston Churchill. IrVing Bachelor.
y Mark Twain. Sara Orne Jewett Ida
: III. Tarbell, Booth Harrington, E. w.
. Townsend, Richard Harding Davis,
Z John Fox, Jr.. Henry Van Dyke. Thos.
Nelson Page, joel Chandler Harris and
5, many others now in the public eye. The
a 5Wo professions are very closely allied
q doubtless the training in one fits Tor
= the other.
c From England there comes The news
that Lord ROsebery is writing a book
~ on the American War for Indepen-
:, dence Nothing is said as to the char
acter Of the volume to be, but it is
, DOUBTLESS critical work on the his
. torl2al side There is. of course much
y to be written about the period. Not
. until Mr.. Claude IT. Van Tyne publish
= ed his "Loyalists in the American Rev
olution" last fall had it occurred tC
= anyone apparently that there was here
= 2 most Interesting field for historical
e writing. Mr. Van Tyne's book threw
consi 7aroble liG1t an tho other side o.
ne War and its times. the side WING
.ngh7tme0 had pe-Haps considered
but yet had not written much about
? Americans had not taken into accoun
any sort Of history that did no. dea
y WIN the period from the side OF tn
p srevolutionists.
Eden PhillpOtts has completed a new