The San Francisco call., 1905-01-15

ume. which is an elaborate affair, and
we expect to do ten more volumes,
which means the second section OF a
great United States history. the total
of which is twenty eight volumes.
In addition TO this work we expect
TO do a great history OF science The
people of the country seem to be
hungry for scientific and serious books.
In the line of poetry we might men
tion the fact that we are Just COM
pleting a collected edition Of Swim
burne's poetry, and the way people are
taking to it indicates that good poetry,
so far from being dead, is CONNER
cially profitable.
In literature we expect TO have a
book by Henry James, who has come
over here to rediscover America, and a
companion work by William Dean
Howells, who is in England discovering
that country. OF course there will be
the usual amount of fiction: two
new authors will be brought
forward, one a woman and the
other a man, both of whom promise
great originality. We. shall also have
q new novel by Mrs. Thurston, author
Of THE Masqueraders." other writers
who will be read this coming year
are Maurice Hewlett. Mrs. Humphry
Ward, Booth Harrington, Hamlin Gar
land, Mary E. Wilkins and so on.
The life of the average novel is
yearly growing smaller, but any good
book on any subject Is bound to be
profitable both to the author and the
publisher. Our publications have aver
aged about the same the last year as /,
during any previous year.
MISS JEANETTE GLIDER, EDI-
TOR OF THE CRITIC.-It is not an
easy subject to prognosticate upon.
The literary tastes of the public are
singularly tickle and unstable, and any
prophecy, however cautious and con-
servative, is quite as likely as not to
be set at naught by the course OF
events. 1t is comparatively safe, how
ever, to predict few things, and one
of these is the steadily increasing de-
cline of the historical novel. The re-
action from its phenomenal success OF
a few years since is still being felt.
Another thing that may be predicted
with equal safety is that we will see
still less of the spectacular advertise
ments Of books, especially novels. The
publishers are returning to the moro
Legitimate methods OF calling attention
to their wares. and the reform is
Judicious and we'll chosen, not only for
it's ultimate effect upon the book mar
ket, but upon reader and writer as
WELL The injudicious booming of every
new book that came along and the in
discriminate hailing of every new au-
or George Eliot was carried to such
an excess that we may look for the ut
most conservatism in the near future.
The effect of the reaction will not be
so favorable to the new and untried
author as heretofore. Under conditions
as they have been publishers were
eager to take up almost any book that
came along, trusting to luck and to
spectacular booming. But IN the fu-
ture individual merit will have q bet
ter showing. There will be a fine field
for new authors and for untried
talents, a fair field and no favors.
THE CENTURY COMPANY.-rhs
present year will develop considerable
action and reaction in various direc-
tions. but chiefly along the lines Of no
exaggerated characteristics that have
made for great successes in the past,
but which no longer attract by reason
of the fact that they have been over
done. There will be a healthy re-
newal of interest In the historical
novel, and in accordance with this be-
lief we open the year with the issue Of
a story laid in the times of the Reign
Of Terror. I'm the Name OF Liberty"
A. q. HoUGHToN Of Houghton.
Miffin & Co.-Ths tendency Of the
public reading taste will run largely
to biography and to fiction. The novel
is, of course, like the poor, always with
u.s. and 1t would be idle to say that
any form OF literature Is ever likely to
exceed 1t in popularity-at least fora
long time to come. -
Jack London, the author of The
Sea Wolf" just out In book form af-
ter its serial run, has turned his hand
to play writing. The drama Of the
Klondike, which he Is writing at the
request Of Ethel Barrymore, is found
ed on one of his early stories Of the
frozen north, and is said by those
who have read the manuscript to be
full of humor. \
DR.. Charles A. Eastman, the edu-
Gated Sioux Indian, author OF the new
animal stories, RED Hunters and the
Animal People," after a tour of
New England, where he lectured
upon the Indian and kindred sub
jects, is now on the Pacific Coast,
where he is engaged for a three
weeks tour, and later will lecture in
the South and Middle West. He has
lately returned from the Sioux reser-
vations in South Dakota and Nebras-
ka. where he has been revising the al
lotment rolls Of the Sioux and group
ing them under appropriate family
names. He was commissioned to this
work by President Roosevelt 80