The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-08
BOOKS AND BOOKNAKING.

~ 10 eunouhcou tnAt mario COfolne
next book will Be AMPLY . love story
but the thing IL unthinkabls. Are there no
more eternal law to Be- torn UP BY the roots.
no potentates to b topp,sd from their
thrones, no vexed questions to be set right
BY mere turn OF the Coreln voosbularyt
Mary Holland Kinkaid, author Of .walda,.
hes been visiting the Five Nations and writes
to q friend that she has been entertained
by Mr.. Joe Mule. Mr.. Hot Gum and Mr..
Go Forth.
Joseph Conrad has q violent antipathy
for . camera and stubbornly refuses to
face one.
Before sYouth' was launched his pub
fishers asked him for photograph Of him
self. He refused TO have one taken and
they started upon a stil hunt thoroughout
England and America for likeness Of the
modest author.
Finally. after weeks Of search, someone
stumbled upon . small picture Of the man.
buried deep among old files OF an illustrated
magazine; and from that old half tone por-
trait all recently published pictures Of Mr..
Conrad have been made.
Few modern writers are 80 coy.
Ernest Thompson seton's frst long story
In to be published in book form by Double
day. Page d Co.. and presumably will de-
light small boys. for II was written accord
ing to the boys own orders. Mr.. Seton
asked the boy readers Of his serial stories
to write 10 him and tell him what sort Of
story they wanted.
An avalanche Of correspondence swept
down upon him. About 90 per cent. Of the
young Americans stoutly demanded q book
about Indians and living in the woods
Hence the Two Little Savages
This boy symposium 10 . most reassuring
and gratifying indication Of literary tastes.
Evidently boys are still boys. despite the
efforts and theories Of modern education.
william Henry p. Phyfe has nnished
another illustration OF condensed tragedy
In a book title. ten thousand Words
Often Mispronounced' is the name Of bis
new book. Once there we're but seven
thousand OF the words. Does Mr.. Phyfe
imply that the public Is detenorsting or
merely that the vocabulary IL increasing?
In either event. there remains the fact that
the revised book gives TO the conscientious
three thousand more vexed problems Of
pronunciation.
England still clings to the idea that only
the Wild and the more or lees woolly va
rieties Of local color are distinctively Amsri-
can She accepts our men Of letters. but
she halls with enthusiasm our letters OF
Indian, cowboy and mining tales.
Alfred Henry Lewis In the latest dis
oovery OF the English critics. who have
rushed into print to do the WoHvills stories
honor, and proclaimed the author lineal
successor to Bret Harte.
.wee Macgregor,' just published by
Harper Il Bros. has been sold TO the extent
Of over 100 900 copies in Great Britain since
the beginning OF the year, yet the author.
j. J. Bell, had great dhaculty In launch
ing it,
He published the sketches first in Glas-
COW newspaper Then he tried TO hnd
some one who would publish them In book
form. No one would touch them. He
offered the book for $50 cash. he offered it
for nothing. No publisher.
Backed BY friends he published the book
himself. Its success was instantaneous.
and at the present time the author has
netted profit Of more than 81. 900.
All Of which will not, II In to be hoped,
lead to q delugs OF privately printed
stories by amiable. il misguided. young
egotists.
Apropos Of mistakes in regard to the
taste Of the reading public. tho publishers
now clamoring at the front door OF Booth
Tarkington's rural home had . chance at
'Monsieur Beaucaire.' but passed II by.
The story we mt the rounds before IL found
q publisher.
At q recent dinner q well-known literary
man told a good story Of hterature's little
worries in connection with his own debut.
He wrote . story and hawked it assidu-
ously throughout the publishing. district
but couldn't win q word Of praise, much
less q promise to publish. When he had
given up hope a prize story contest was
announced, with liberal sum offered for
the story taking first prize.
He sent his worn and yellowed manu-
script. 1t won hrst prize. he was launched
Simeon Ford is to address the Bookseller
Association. and feels himself unusually
we'll qualified to talk about the booksellers
duties, now that he 10 about to publish .
book himself.
He has often been urged to put his speeches
into book form, but has refused until this
season. Possibly, in time he may come
around to accepting another proposition,
The enterprisinS manager q . vaudeville
show offered him ii 500 TO talk for ten min
utes, twice Q day, upon the stage. and Mr..
Ford admitted that the proposition was
1T figures up ti2.so q minute he said.
thoushtfuliy. THE hotel business doesn't
pay me Sii.so a mi mute. At least. there
are some minutes whom don't make that
However, he resisted temptation.
Mr.. Ford's book 10 to be called "A Few
Remarks.
The Macmillan Company has just pub
lished a delightful book in DR.. Georg
Brandes's Poland DR.. Brandes has
drawn a striking picture OF an Inflated
country and q romantic race.
seumas McMsnus, whose Donegal tales
won him . reputation and who has recently
brought out novel, A lad Of the O'Friels.
Ia, no rumor has It, planning to join the
Irish contingent OF America.
Mr.. McManus II q fighting IrishmAn
and q hot-headed patriot, and upon all
matters pertaining to lrslands rights he
IL most militant.
AZ a oon.enuence the Government au-
thorities In Donegal cali him q troublesome
character and devote 40 much OF their at
tention to him that he u FESTIVE under the
restraint and surveillance. and thinks Of
trying a home in q freer land.