Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-11-14
@NOTES.S

Tho publishers of Harpers Magazine
send us the following interesting aC-
count OF the writing OF Sir Mortimer"
Miss Mary JOhustons romance, Sir
Mortimer" which, after long post
ponement, begins in Harpsr's Magazine
for November, has been written under
unusual circumstances. The story was
TO have commenced publication in May,
1902, and the first instruments had been
placed In the hands Of the artist, Mr..
+. G. Yohn, for Illustration. Just at this
time Miss Johnston fell III, and was UNI
able to continue the work Messrs. Har-
per q Brothers then announced the
necessary postpOnement of the novel
Meanwhile Miss Johnston had been or
dered to bermuda by her physician, and
as soon as she was permitted to write
for an hour each day pluckily resum-
ed her work, expanding, as Is her GUS
tom, the most minute care upon her
writing, until every paragraph received
its due polish. Not content with the
unusual work of revision, however, it
is remarkable under the circumstances
that Miss Johnston has completely re-
written many pages OF the revised
proofs, so anxious has she been to
make Sir Mortimer her greatest novel.
The heroine is a lady-in- waiting upon
Elizabeth, the hero Sir Mortimer, an
officer in her majesty's fleet, command
ed by Sir John Nevl 1t is interesting
to conjecture what rows of volumes
Miss Johnston must have read and alb
sOrbed to enable her so richly TO pre-
serve the very aroma OF the romantic
times of which she writes. She is now
in Richmond recovered and again bus
lily at work.
II would be interesting TO know how
many copies Of the Pilgrims Pro-
gress' are required every year. The
number for 1903 win not be very large
ly increased by the new edition de
luxe announced by the Religious Tract
society, because this Is limited TO $50
copies at two guneas each. The fea-
ture of the edition is its Illustrations
by Mr. Harold Coping. which. instead
of being reproduced IRON process
blocks. will be photographed direct
upon bromide paper, The text is taken
from the eleventh edition of 1855, the
last revised by Bunyan, The London
Daily News recalls some interesting
facts about early editions OF this inn
mortal work "a first edition Of IL
fetched 81 $50. or more than el00 per
ounce If, then, the 1855 reprint is to
be found in any farmhouse library some
rustic has a treasure that he knows not
Of 1t Is curious TO note how Bunyan
added TO his story year by year, World
ly Wiseman made his debut in the sec
ond edition, Mr. By-ends In the third,
which appeared in 1879.
For 90 years Hawthorne was, ac-
cordlng TO his own statement the OBJ
scurest man Of letters IN America
Goodrich testifes that II was almost
impossible to find publisher for
'Twice-Told Tales in 1887, and / my
self remember how limited circle
greeted the reprint In the enlarged edi-
ton OF lSil. When Poe, about 1916,
wrote patronlzngly Of Hawthorne, he
added, 1t was never the fashion, until
lately, to speak Of him in any summary
Of our best authors. Whittier once told
me that when he himself had obtained
with some difficulty, in lSi1, the inser-
ton Of one Of llawthorne's sketches I'm
the National Fra the latter said quiz
city, There Is not much market for my
wares From Hgginson and Boyn-
tons Readers History Of American Lit
erature.
THE American traveller in England
who takes pains to inquire in book
stores as to the comparative standing
or his country's poets among English
readers, Is likely to hear Longfellow
ranked at the head, with Whittier as a
close second. In the same way II he
happens 60 attend English conventions
ana popular meetings he will be pretty
sure TO hear these two authors quoted
oftener than any other poets British
or American, This parallelism In their
fame makes It the more interesting to