The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-13
O AND

BOOKS AND AUTHORS.
Mary Tappan Wright's new novel, pub
lished on Saturday, is a story Of the life Of
a college community taken from the faculty
side, which is a new point Of view. The
background is formed by the most humor-
GUS and delicate picture Of the professors,
their wives and daughters and the faculty
life.
Readers OF Ibsen's letters know the
interest which the old dramatist took in
the education Of his son Sigurd and the
sacrifices he made to give him proper intel
leotual training and opportunities. Young
Ibsen elected finally to go into the diplo-
matte service and was stationed in Wash
ington as attache Of the legation Of Sweden
and Norway during the administration OF
Hayes.
A new edition of Oscar Wildes works is
to be brought out in London which will
include an enlarged version Of de Pro-
funds" The additions will consist Of
passages that have heretofore appeared in
the German, Russian and Italian versions
of the book and Of letters which Wilde
wrote to a friend from Reading Gaol.
A posthumous volume Of George Gissing's
short stories is to be published in London
under the title Of THE House of Cobwebs"-
one OF the tales-with an introduction by
Mr.. Thomas Seccombe.
Mrs. Reginald de Koven contributes to
the current Hdrper's Weekly a description
Of the remarkable letter from John Paul
Jones to Benjamin Franklin, in which the
famous Admiral gives a detailed account
of the fatality Of which no historian has
been cognizant and for which he abandoned
his profession and lived in hiding for two
years. This letter has been discovered in
the vault OF the Philosophical Society Of
Phila delphia, where it had been hidden for
fftv years. 1t explains the change Of
Paul Jones's name and the cause of his
obscure period Of retirement in the colonies
of America during the years Immediately
preceding the outbreak Of the American
Revolution.
The publication OF "A Woman's Heart, =
by Olive Ransom on April ~ will add
another name to the list Of mysterious au-
thors whose identity cannot be established.
Olive Ransom is the pscudonym OF q brill
liant New York woman who has written
other books under another name but who
for many easons prefers to remain I'M
known. She is now in New York living the
life of a ~recluse. "A Woman's Heart Is
the revelation Of a woman's passionate love
for a Roman Catholic priest-a the me which
has appeared in several recent books.
notably "The Lake, :" by George Moore, and
THE Garden Of Allah as we'll as Henri
Lavedan's play "The Duel "A Woman's
Heart which Is made from the manu-
script left by Katherine Pesconet, embodies
a very frank discussion Of Catholicism and
attacks monastio celibsoy from every
standpoint.
George Horace Lorimer, the author Of
Letters From a Self-made Merchant to His
Son" has written a new novel which will to
published this week under the title of The
False Gods" The story is described as "a
tale Of old Egypt and little old New York, y
and has a hustling newspaper reporter as a
hero.
1t is an inter- sting ia ct that Rex T.. Beach,
the young author Of The Spoilers" was 30
fortunate as to place the serial, book and
dramatic rights Of his story all within a few
weeks Of each other. The dra matte rights
vent to Mr.. Daniel Frohman, who will pro-
luce the play in the early autumn.
Justus Miles Forman is leaving New York
for an extended journey, the itinerary Of
which includes Australia, New Zealand and
the South Sea Islands, and which is under
taken, he says, not to gain new literary
material, but solely because he wants to
play a little" Mr.. Forman has been hard
at work upon n new novel and leaves the
manuscript for autumn publication Of q
strong and dramatic piece of fiction.
women and Things" ia the title Of the
second volume in Mark Twain's Library
of Humor," which will be published April
IL. Besides selections from Mark Twain's
writings the authors represented are Bret
Harte, w. L. Alden, T. A. J~anvier, Mary
E. Wilkins, George AIDE, W. d. Howells and
others.
Most European journalists have COM
mand Of more than one language, but few
are 30 well equipped in this respect as
Percival Gibbon, the wal correspondent
and author. Mr.. Gibbon was educated in
France and Germany and is perfectly at
hou1e in the language of either country.
He also speaks Russian and has good COM
mand over Norwegian, Swedish and the
allied tongue, Danish. He spent much time
in South Africa gathering material for his
tales OF the veldt included in 'vronn
Grobelaar" and acquired something more
than a working knowledge Of the Dutch
spoken by Beers, and there is, Of course,
his native tongue in which he writes with
a picturesque style.
Vol. TX. Of the Cambridge Modern His
tory Ia announced for May, under the title
of NAPOLEON and His Times This will