The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-01
NEW BOOKS.
Continued from Seventh Page,

Amalgamation Of two sets Of stories called
THE Bachelors Club and THE Old Maids
Club" all funny, the former containing
twelve chapters, the latter twenty. The
funniness involves an intricate system Of
punning such as has characterized Punch
since the days Of Mr.. Gilbert Beckett and
which pals soon on a palate that is not
British. The tales themselves are by no
means interesting, and seldom amusing
When he can do 80 we'll with the Ghetto Mr.
Zangwill might leave humor alone.
There IL boyish enthusiasm about A
Madcap Cruise. by ORIG Bates Houghton,
Mifiin a Coz. that might excuse many
things and the book Is by no means badly
written. The author. however. wastes
all his energy on indsnihcant details and
seems TO have no idea Of what is essential
in a story. There are two fairly tangible
Incidents. the stealing Of a yacht and the
smuggling Of some antiquities out Of Italy
The former Is obsCured by the cartography
Of Penobscot Bay, Of more interest 20 the
author than 10 the reader; the latter by
rather vulgar pickering over money mat
ters II MIR. Bates will try to learn what
constitutes a story he may be able TO write
one in time,
A painful development Of correspondence
fiction is presented in Two Of the Guests,
by Kate Gertrude PTindiville James Pott
a Coz II is a plain love story OF red
haired young woman and an athletic young
mar, and with that we have no fault TO find.
They meet, however, at a house party Of
dozen people, and We are made TO read
letters of each person present describing
the others; by the time the sixth or seventh
has been read We feel ready 10 throw up the
whole lot The red-haired young woman,
who meets with general approval, is the
chief correspondent; she describes the
furniture and other belongings Of the
house, she describes in detail the dresses
she wears and others. besides emitting
some literary opinions. We do not feel
qualified TO Judge her fashions. Her set
seems to be strenuously giddy and per-
haps not overrehned. but after the first
dose Of descriptions the letters read easily
enough.
We hardly know what 20 say about books
like "A Prince 10 Order by Charles Stokes
Wayne John Lane. The Bodley Head. We
meet a person In a tangle that puzzles us,
We are led on TO follow his story from one adj
venture 10 another rather breathlessly. audit
ia only a. Wereach the end that We discover
that the original mes was a pretty inept
bunRle. The story reads easily and carries
the reader along; perhaps that IL all that
"a needed. But there have been stories OF
this GLASS where the Autbors have tried
70 present an ingenious problem at the
start and where. In spite Of improbabilities
and absurdities, the reader does not feel that
he is duped. Here We have q clumsy story
told rather clsyerly.
We are glad to learn that Denver, Col,
has q French quarter. and that very bad
things are done there, for there is no telling
when miscellaneous information may not
come In handy. Beyond that we have found
little entortainmentin Art Thou The MANI
by Guy Berton Dodd. Mead a CO... A
crude attempt at detective story, In which
the style does not compensate for the lack
Of skill In construction.