Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-09-29

/ as well as my last, and | think some
hot shot would do II good II Is no ex-
| aggeration 10 say that the high road
10 literary fame is well nigh deserted.
But the short cuts arc so crowded that
the adyenturers bump one another at
every step. RumOr has Il that one
aspirant for Immortality personally WIS.,
It's every book stall IN the large cities
and presents an autograph copy 10 the
chief salesman before his volume rs
marketed. another makes II his bust
ness to procure testimonials from pub
lie characters on every book he offers,
and a few years ago fancy dress ball
was given IN Washington by an author
whose guests were actually requested
10 impersonate the characters por-
trayed IN their hostess latest home,
Report does not say whether the masks
saved the wearers' faces, but the
laughter that this supreme effort pro-
voked was happily undisgulsed."
Ellis Parker Butler. whose clever
story "Pigs is Pigs was so favorably
received this year. win have a new
book published this month. Tile In
cubator Baby Is the title ana Funk &
wagnalls company are tie publishers.
II Is gentle satire on "scientinc
motherhood" and is promised 10 be as
original and amusing as his first book
IN Mt williams introduction 70 MT
Pickwick's Christmas" which The
Baker & Taylor Co. VIII publish as
companion 10 the Williams edition Of
"A Christmas Carol and The Cricket
on the Hearth" issued In 1905. an IN
teresting fact Is brought out As is
we'll known. Dickens wrote the Pick
wick Papers serlally as a vehicle Tor
certain plates executed by Robert Sey-
mour. hut Seymour committed suicide
and great difficulty was found in Sc
curing a successor. Thackeray, IN re-
spending 10 toast Of Literature,
al the Royal academy banquet, said; !
can remember when Mr. Dickens was
a very young man and had commenced
delightlng the world with some charm
ing humorous works. OF which / can
not mention the name but which were
colored light green and came out once
a month. that this young man wanted
an artist 70 illustrate his writ
ings. and | recollect walklne
M TO his chambers with two
or three drawings In my hand, which
strange 10 say. he did not find suit.
able. But for that unfortunate blight
which came over my artistical exist.
ence Il would have been my pride and
nv pleasure 20 have endeayored one
day 10 find place on these walls Tor
one OF my performances" Later he al
luded 10 the rejection OF his services
as Mr.. Plckwick's lucky escape
Mr.. Williams book Is about ready 70
be put on the market
Most people in England and many IN
America are OF the opinion that Eng.
lish authors In the old days received
small II any, pecuniary returns TOT
their works published IN this country
II NAV be. therefore. a matter OF inter-
est though OF little significance under
the changed conditions, 10 Know tha'
Charles Dickens received from Har.
pers 81 600 for "A Tale Of Two cities
'ei25o for Great Expectations and
ei.000 for "Our Mutual Friend.
Thackeray was paid e4s0 for me
Virginians." Trollope received EtVV
for "Sir Henry Hotspur' and George
Eliot received cl,200 for Middle.
march and for Daniel Deronda
el5OO. When Macaulays Life and
Letters" was published in 1876 Elbow
was paid for the use Of advance sheeus
for the American edition.