The San Francisco call., 1905-08-27

cause sne mas decided on American
| heroine for the novel she has contracted
to write for the HarDers- No sugges-
tion IS given of what incident in our
political or social history she has selected
I for the basis OF her story Mrs Ward
has already drawn at least one American
girl in her boOks-Luey. the New Eng
! land girl in "EsleanOr'-but she was seen
away from her natural environment. II
will be interesting to observe how long
Mrs Ward will require TO absorb the ne
eessary atmosphere for a tale Of Am
erican life and manners.-New York Tri-
bune.
Ethel Watts Mumford's new humor-
Gus book for 1905 is 10 be a very novel
Joke Book Note Book to be published
by Paul Elder & Co., San Francisco
Since the first appearance Of the famous
"Cynic's Calendar of Revised Wisdom
Mrs Mumford has prepared an annual
volume or her clever nonsense work
The 'Limerick-Up-to-Dat Book OF
! last year was a distinct success and the
publishers announce that they have
just filled an order FOR an edition Of the
| book for the Australian market.
The publishing of G. Bernard Shaw's
! "Irrationa Knot has been somewhat de-
layed. owing to the fact that the author,
upon rereading his proofs decided TO add
postscript 10 his preface, which was
: already or some length. The preface and
postScrfpt together now make I'D about
twenty pages. and it has been pronounced
| oy those who have read Il one of the
most CHARACTERISTIC of all Mr.. Shaw's in
Productions. The book itself il an exceed
ingiy long one. running about 40 pages,
put no reader Is likely to wish anything
omitted The publishers expect to have
the book ready about September L
1
The Matinee Girl, in the Dramatic Mir
ror of this week. devotes a long column
and half TO In the Bishops Carriage
the dramatizatiOn Of Miss Miriam Michel-
sons brilliant story that has lust been
made by Claiming Pollock From the
Matinee Girls account the play seems to
have achieved immediate success. Nu-
merous changes have been made In the
story, though iue chief lines are left un-
touched. Most important OF the changes
Is the one which makes Latiner the
| lover Of Nancy. and reIegates Fred Ober-
muller TO the role OF 'pIatonfc friend and
| manager, with one eye TO Nance's charms
but the other on the box office" Mr.
Pollock again. as the Matinee Girl puts
1t, has, for reasons TO him sufficient,
omitted the confoundIng of the theatrical
trust by a sharp-witted girl. but has kept
Nance Olden so busy with her love afrairs
and her reformation that besides her
profession. that OF a thief there
was quite enough TO do In one evening.
and the disappointment at the omission
Of her big task in the book was short
lived
Latimer has been transformed fuDn in
valid TO a sort of SYLVAN in the Leah
Kleschna' role. As Sylvan with Leah.
Latimer assumes the task OF reforming
Nance
What can a manl do for a girl Ike
your" he asks. thoushtfully. after max
ing Nance restore the articles Tom
Dorgan has stolen, and which she re-
eefved. playing the role OF fence"
Do" snaps Nance He can reform
her. show her how TO get diamonds OF
her own"
all still according to the Matinee Girl
Very good word. of her own spark
ling and whimsical sort, the lady gives
TO Julia Dean. to whom the role OF Nance
Is intrusted- Great favortte is Miss Dean
here, and the following viii therefore
be welcome hearing: Temperament
ally Miss Dean is admirably adapted to
the role Of the high-spirited. generous,
cunning. loyal little guttersnfpe. Her
gift Of comedy is known. but 20 those
who have followed her work her emo
tional power. shown In the climax OF the
fourth act. was a revelation The
shifty cunning, the bravado and the
stance were well portrayed Henrietta
Crosman, in her profane exit from the
window In Mistress Nell was not more
effective than was Miss Dean IN her
frst curtain order to the chauffeur OF
Latimer's automobile: Go where you
d-n please"
The whole cast seems TO have been
remarkably fit. and the play TO be
booked among the coming successes
Miss Myrtle Reed keeps a notebook
In which she Jots down promising ideas
and titles Just as they come to her.
The title OF Lavender and Old Lace"
which IS one Of the best names a book
ever had. was in Miss Reeds note
book two years before she had the
slightest inkling of the story that be-
longed with it She is now writing
new story around a particularly
charming title which is almost as Old
Apropos Of Miss Reeds method Il Is
interesting TO recall that other authors
have had the same trick. II Is said
that Theophile Gautier thought OF the
title of his masterpiece, lie Capitaine
Fracasse." fifteen years before he write
the book or knew a detail % the plot
There are some books which do not
make much stir In the literary world
books that are not widely advertised
quiet way. selling readily from year
to year among certain classes OF read
ers and having for their only advertise
ment the recommendation from one
reader to another. Such a book Is
Miss Putnam's "Cirillo," the dainty mu-
sical love story which finds it's clientele
among lovers OF music and of Florence.
where the principal scenes OF the story
are laid
The Macmillan Company is about TO
send out the third edition Of the volume
of nine papers by Walter Pater. which
originally appeared anonymously IN The
Guardian. and was first issued in an eJi
ZION de luxe in 1901 II IS now in cheaper
form. bound in very dark green cloth
covered boards. with uncut leaves, print
ed on English handmade paper The
essays are: English Literature" Ami
els Journal Intime." Browning
Robert Elsmere'' Their Majesties'
Servants" Wordsworth" "Mr. Gosse's
Poems" Ferdinand Fabre." and The
! .Coutes' OF NJ. Augustin Fflon-