The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-15
BOOKS ANp AUrHORa


English society, 10 which Ghs defends Ire
position Of the author, Who exploits the
misdoings Of up 10 date society m fiction
with q freedom and franlmeas oftsn cTiti-
cized by thoughtful readers. AZ Mrs.
Wharton Is the acknowledged lead0F Of
that school Of soOisty novsllsts, her de-
Tense u pertinent and dRnihcant. Bbe
proaouncos Mr.. SturgiBs novel sBsl-
chamber a. belonging 10 the class de-
scribed as unpleasant by readers who
do not pause 10 distin guish between .
writer's purpose and his theme, and ex.
plains that books dealing with the adj
ventures Of idle and fashionable people
do not generally make for edihoation, for
the reason with which DR.. Watts has fur
nished US. But there Ia a noble way Of
viewing ignoble facts and that Is the view
which Mr.. Sturgis has taken Of the world
he depicts He has shown US In firm, clear
strokes the tragedy Of the trivial; has shown
us how the susceptibilities Of tender and
serious spirit may be crushed and trampled
under foot In the mad social race for luxury
and amusement. A handful Of vulgnr peo-
pie. bent only on spending and enjoying,
may seem negligible factor in the social
development Of the race, but they become
an CINE Of destruction through the illu-
sons they kill and the generous ardors they
turn to despair.
Leo S. Olschki, bookseller In Florence.
has recently purchased the Dante collection
OF Leonidas Lsonetti Of Udine. The COL
lection contains with a few exceptions
every edition Of Dante In the original and
in TRANSACTIONS that appeared from l477 10
1904 and upward Of 5000 essays and dissert-
atoms in all languages referring 10 Dante.
Mr.. Olschki has made a specially OF Dante
literature himself and were he TO combine
the Leonetti collection with his own the com
bined collection would be the most complete
in existence.
Edwin Lefevre, the author, Is OF HuEue-
not extraction, but was bonn on the Isthmus
Of Panama in 1871. His grandfather was
Chief Justice of Panama. Mr.. Lefevre was
educated to be mining engineer. Lul found
writing more in accordance with his taste
than science. He has sc.ye his apprentice
ship in Journalism, as 30 many successful
writer's in Amer: "a nave done. serving for
some years as sub-editor on the Engineering
and Mining journal and has been connected
with the New York dailies in various ca
pacities. Now he may be said 70 have
won his spurs in the literary field with one
Of the most widely read and favorably
criticized novels Of the season. The unani-
nous verdict Of THE Golden Flood Is that
II Is one Of the best constructed mystery
novels Of the day, absolutely logical in con-
clusion and 50 cleverly ged as to pro-
long suspense and baffle curiosity TO the
finale which is 80 simple after all that every
one wonders why no one thought Of that
solution Of the situation.
Pierre Lofts new book ia Troisieme
Jeunesse de Nine. Prune,' which appeared
recently, reached it's twenty-ninth edition
In two days. according 10 the Debdts.
which may be safely pronounced a record
breaker. similar success by a stylist,
a clever juggler with words, would not be
possible in England or America.
The 10Th day Of the month seems TO be
fateiul day for George Barr MoCutoheOn,
according 10 the data Of the records and
the testimony Of his diary. Mr.. MoCutoheon
was born on the Goth day Of July and mar
RED on the goth Of September. He be-
gan "Graustark' on the 10th Of December.
Castle Craneycrow' on the 10th Of Sep
TENDER, and Beverly Of Graustark' ON
the 26th Of November. The author says
that he was not at any time conscious Of
this coincidence In dates, but a recent read
ing Of the record in which be puts down
the dates on which he begins and ends his
books has startled him into the belief that
the 2oth Of the month il a lucky day for
him-so far, at least.
The oscillation Of books by their bind
ings opens up an interesting study TO book
lovers and one Of practical value as well,
an instance Of winch is the positive identih-
cation Of the Bodleisn first folio Shake
speare through making the binding yield
up its secret. In leather bindings buck or
doe skin was largely employed throughout
Europe, and English manuscripts bound
in that leather generally date from before
1900. White sheepskin was in general use
in England down TO the middle Of the hf-
teenth century, when il gave way to calf.
Pigskin is, roughly speaking, confined to
the Germanic countTies, and morocco was
the leather Of Italy and Spain The earliest
material employed for bOokbinding was
naturally wood, and oak was used In Eng
land, while birch was employed on the
Continent and pasteboards are found fret
in Europe on Italian books. To arrive ct
Of a book each component part Of the bind
ing, the color, the tooling the 'headboards,
the decoration Of book edges, must be con-
sidered, and each il Of in, rest 70 the lover
Of book making.
A series Of twelve photogravure fac
SMILES Of rare fifteenth century books
printed in England and now in the Uni
versity Library at Cambridge are in process
Of preparation by the Cambridge Uni
versity Press. Olly two hundred copies
Of each will be for sale, when the plates will
be destroyed. II is proposed 10 publish
the frat four OF these books this spring
-Chaucer's "Enelida and Arctic from the
unique copy Of the Westminster edition
Of william Caxton; "Augustini Dacti Scribe
SUD Tullianis elogancij 4 verbs eXoticis
in sua fac,lndissima Rethorica incipit por-
nate Iibellus, from the unique copy printed
AZ st. Adams about itTe-sO) by The
schooluaster Printer The curious mi
mute types used for printing this book do
not occur again. except in the signatures
OF the -IAurentius de Saona- Of 1850 and
Of the sJoannes Caaonicus"; The Temple
- sNs,yVa.