The San Francisco call., 1906-06-10
FEW MOMENTS SPENT WITH
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

the New York Press, is one of those
versatile Americans who do most
things we'll He has written a novel.
named The Princess Olga" This cir
cumstance that he has written a story
not for the first time. however
makes il proper to recall a number of
facts about him which are of some in
terest outside the literary connection.
Mr.. Wardman was born in Salt Lake
City, Utah, and was educated at Phil
lips Exeter Academy, and, later, at
Harvard University. After gradua ting,
he Joined the news staff Of the New
York Tribune, where he underwent a
thorough course of training. both lit
erary and practical. As a reporter,
il is the testimony OF those. who
worked with him that he was "a hard
man to beat at running down a story"
From the staff he passed TO the copy
editors desk, and there he showed
/ his mastery of the art, which not
4 every author possesses, of getting the
! greatest amount of meaning into the
1 fewest possible words A reporter who
/ turned his copy in to Mr. Wardman
/ saw his story in the paper the next
/ morning. not perhaps as he had writ
/ ten it, but exactly as he had tried to
/ write it. The experience as a practi-
cal stylist probably stood Mr.. Ward
man in good stead when he took up
/ novel-writing.
Mr.. Warduian's new novel, "The
! Princess Olga" is not his first attempt
at story-writing. While he was a
member of the Tribune's staff he
wrote, among others. two short stories.
/ entitled respectively, Mr.. Cutting. the
Night Editor" and The Coloners
Last Campaign" These1were very SUE
-
urgency of other work that prevented
Mr.. Wardman from planning and c4S-
rying out a longer novel at that time.
However that may be, he has now
definitely entered the ranks of novel
lists.
Paul Elder & Co.. who shared the
| common lot of San Francisco business
/ firms in the late disaster, are taking
active steps to resume business. Their
| San Francisco retail store will be lC-
Gated on Van Ness avenue, corner of
Bush street, former residence heigh-
borhood that promises to be the center
of the new shopping district. fnstc vi
4 of putting up merely temporary
| shack, they have secured plans fEoIr
B. r. Maybeck for an attractive
building with interesting details Il
construction. that promises TO afford
4 them a more appropriate home even
than their former permanent quarters
and will serve as a distinctive note in
the art interests of the New San Fran
4 cisco
owing to the entire loss of their man
ufacturing facilities. win be moved al
once to New York City TO enable them
to reprint and bring out their new
publications for the fall season
An interesting experiment in con-
Quoting book store along original
lines Is being attempted by James
ID. blake. formerly with A. NJ. Robert
son of this city. Mr.. Blake. who has
opened the first new bookstore in Sar
Francisco since the fire, is devoted tC
the dramatists, and believing tha
there are a number of persons in SaT
Francisco whose tastes coincide with
his own. will specialize on the works
vieu and the modern playwrights. A
present the stock Is practically linn
ited to the contents of Mr.. Blake
own library. which escaped the fir.
and contains many rare items of Osca'
Wilde. first editions of II. G. Wells
/ rare books of 'Californiana.'
The store, which is located at 81;
T Turk street, is finished in old mission
style. The interior work is along thi
J line of simplicity and economy. AM
! many original ideas have been ap
| piled to the arrangement of shelving
) and fixtures AT the Sign of tin
Lamp" has been adopted for the firm
j name and the lighting effects will b
: in keeping.
J Paul Elder & Co. announce the i'm
2 mediate publication of a work on tn
San Francisco disaster by Charlie
: Keeler. Mr.. Keeler writes from tn
E standpoint or a participant in tn
scenes he describes. as he came TO tn
, stricken city from his home in near
r by Berkeley the morning of the earth
; quake, to take active part in the relic
/ work. and stayed through ali the day
OF the eonflagrstion and first reorgan
{ izatfon. His San Francisco and There
: abouts," published recently. was de
voted 10 San Francisco in the DAYS o
her prosperity. and tire present wor
e wiil be a strange and unusual com
D piement.
4
I Herman scheffauer. vice presiden
$ of the San Francisco Arehitec
: tural Club. who adds to his other &C