Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-07
BOOKS AND
| AUTHORS

.reu American books are rupiisheo
II, ENGLAND today where one was pun
u-;,.d twenty yt%rs ago, Ni!es
r,,.,-- Roberts in the NoFld =" o. -
r.,.,t,er -.These books are Wihh!i's
a., s.rr,,y Of readers. VINO hdo' III t'1
raj, to h. aroused from inteils" III
lirrrcLc.. to the details OF American
,;f." The large sales secured Ill
Great britain for David hafuii''
.Et.r Holden old Gorgon Ira
ham" and Mrs. Wigs were not
rredicted by those who were Conscious
Of the general tone Of SUCCESSFUL Elis
l,s,, novels These books are IN
,eusaly human" but they are ais"
"intensely foreign" and full Of detaii
unite unintclligible 10 the average
ITitnn: ,.
certain writers, like James Lane
Atl,.,, u,ir . large. audience because OF
their adherence to the traditi"ii"
art Others are purely the ld'"i
Of fortune. like Winston thulchi'i'
whoe.. similarity Of name with p'pu-
lar and pushing young Enslisiiiidli i,a'
undoubtedly helped the sale vi Ms
novels or these people whose pooh9
s.u well on their merits. there dle wv
or thrc. achools-Mary WILKES lor
i,s.arcc rerr-sents one, Ellen Tiasso"
,,,tb.r lack London and the late
Fink Norris third. Their DOCKS
arr. all eu n books az the English read
90. axr.ots from America, and most
.,.;tv understands when he gets them
,st,le from fiction. books like Andrew
c.,rn.gi,'s "Empir" Of Business sell
,,.ll known in Great Britain as IN
America: Ike Booker l. W ashihso1'i =
+, that the humanitarian and socioi"s-
Teal pubi, is perhaps the WIDEST III the
world; like Helen Keller aut'-
biography. for the sam" itHSoii' VIII"
the romantic attraction of the hnth"r
personality added
Large sales, in the American Ae''Se'
arr. scarcely possible in England. Inc
reading I.ublic is "A smaller percentage
of the population than the reading
,,u,,lic in the United States. rev oi
,h.. millions taught to read by Tree
e,bnols have reached the point where
tn.y can Jpprcciate fairly good movers.
,rb. ,bran vechlirs and monthiies are
the most popular forms of literature.
Int the wcekli,.s and the mohthiles
vI,icn go to millions of American
hnu.s are irnmedsurably better than
the same class of publications. in Eng
land" The English reader, more
over. ecldoms buys ii book; he gets IL
from Il library.
one wonders how any book reaches
n s,l" of ten thousand. The big IL
braricS may each buy thouSahh
copi.s Of book, and several thouSailu
NAV be distributed to book-stalls at
stations. and to book-shops. strange
ia say English readers seem most
Given to beck -buyiHg when they are
setting out on journeys. and the sale
Of n bo,k TO the great monopolists or
railway. station stalls. w. II. Smith x
Sons. is often greater than TO amy
other buyer The English bookseller
has h. en- :, famous character in the
rast. but. from all accounts. h" Is
waning power, and will ultimately be
overt ornc by tn. department stores
Tho enlarged edition of Edward
Everett Ual"'s memories of Hun
,red Years" soon 10 be brought out by
th, Nacmillans. Will contain some add
81 ch,ntcrs relating to the author :
early lit- and ministry. perhaps In
view of 4 criticism by reviewer of the
first edition. to the effect that. while
TN, irdcx was fairly complete. 1t taleo
To contain the name of DR.. Hale.
Young woman. for many years con-
r,ct.d with a New York paper. hui
rn,y wearing laurels won in the Wider
field of literature tells pretty story
of an interview with Mr.. HowellS. II
w,s her first interview. She walked
M and down in front of the novelist
home IN Fifty-ninth street many times
b,ror. she could screw up her courage
sufficiently to enter once in the kind
IL presence. however. all fear and TIM
iditv vanished. and before she knew IL
she was not interviewing Mr. HoweilS
Int he was Interviewing her. and she
was telling him all her troubles. Of hel
work on the paper. that this was hel
first ATTEMPT at interviewing. how
anxious she was. etc. She wrote her
interview, and she says now 1t was
pretty bad but what did Mr.. Howells
do but write n note. not to her which
would not have meant much. hut to the
editor of the paper. telling how much
pleased he WIS with the interview as
printed praising its accuracy. etc. The
letter fixed the young woman with the
paper. gave her her start and from
that day she has blessed the name OF
William Dean Howells.
According to the London Chronicle
Mr.. Henry James is sending back som,
letters to friends IN England thes'
DAYS which would make good reading
for Americans IL they We're made pub
lie This much Ia revealed. however
that our expatriated eountryman nov
takes ii all back-all he has saiC
against America. and instead Of sayin,
with his own hero Grass" at ever,
turn. addresses to himself word tina
rhymes with Grass and is shorter b,
two letters.
Elizabeth Jordan. whose new book
MAY Iverson: Her Book" has beef
published by Harper & Brothers. wa
born in Milwaukee. She is a gradual
OF Notre Dame Convent there. and IL
the story of May Iverson who is a con
vent girl. has preserved the atmosphere
Of conventual life very successfully
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