The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-10-13
THE NEW PUBLICATIONS
SOME OF THE LATEST BOOKS
 OF THE SEASON.

nay-The Queens HOstageS" by Har-
 rlet T. ComstocIx-"The Dragon Paint
 cr," by Mary McNeil Fenollosa---"The
 President of Quex,' by Helen M.
 WinsIOry.
 Quite the most powerful story yet written by the popular author of "A Prince of Lovers" "The Red Chancel- lor," etc, Sir William Magnay, well known as a novelist and as a baronet in his now present-day romance of London social and political life, enti- tied "The Master Spirit" The hero, Paul Gastineau, is presented as the mouthpiece of Godfrey Herriard, a lawyer and statesman of great renown, who is supposed to have been killed in a railroad accident, but who is in real ity a helpless cripple in obscurity. Herriard at the height of lis fame falls in love with the beautiful Countess LAlexia von Rohnberg, and in defend ing her in a suit she has brought for libel against newspaper that has as- sociated her name with a murder mys- tery, has falling out with Gastineau. The complications that follow sustain the readers interest in the story. 'FThe Master Spirit" is written along original lines with strongly drawn characters, replete with dramatic incl dent, ending with a striking and satis- factory denouement It is a story of rare vigor and excellence. The illus trations are by John Cameron.
 The Boston Transcript called "A Prince of Lovers" by the same au- thor, "a remarkable story-vigorous, skilful in plot and delightfully."- enter taining."
 "The Master Spirit" is published by Little, Brown and Company, Boston $1,5O.
 Harriet T. Comstock, author of "The Queens Hostage" a romantic novel just published by Little, Brown and Company, is a New York woman by birth, but was educated and lived until a few years before her marriage in New Jersey. She has been writing since 1895 and until within the last five years her work was confined to short juvenile stories Her first long story was "Cerdic, the Saxon," which was published in 1901, followed by "A Boy of Thousand Years Ago" which ran serially in st. Nicholas and then ap- peared in book form. This was fol- lowed by her longest and most anibl- tious work entitled Flower or Thone," a romance of the girlhood of Elizabeth, pronounced Ia fascinating and plctur- esque book admirably well written" The reputation as writer of fistori- cal fiction which 'Tower or Thorne" gave to Mrs. Comstock will undoubted- ly be enhanced by her powerful new novel, "The Queens Hostage Its events take place in the latter part of the reign of Elizabeth, and the hero Is Lord Ronald, who is made a hostage for his fathers loyalty. It Is a stirring story of love and adventure which abounds in strong characterizations, vivid color, high imagination and pie turesque surroundings. The book Is handsomely Illustrated by Clyde o. De- land. $1.50.
 Kano Indara, the last of his race and the last of a mighty line of artists, his daughter Ume-ko, and Tatsu, a wild anountain artist-the Dragon Painter are the chief characters of "The Dra- gon Painter" the new Japanese TO- nance of Mary McNeil Fenollosa, who, as "Sidney Mccall" wrote Truth Dexter and "The Breath of the Gods" The story of the meeting of Ume and Tatsu, their betrothal, despite the pro- test of Nata, the old nurse of the fami- ly, and the subsequent dramatic events are depicted with the same careful workmanship and brilliant background that have characterized this authors previous books. Three editions of "The Dragon Painter" have been printed by Little, Brown and Company, although the novel will not be pub lished until October 2O
 "The President of Quex, Woman's Club Story" by Helen M. Winslow; H. frustrated by w. L. Jacobs; Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Company, Boston, publishers.
 This handsome book is the first nov el to deal with women's clubs from the inside and Miss Winslow was chosen by those who encouraged this work as the best equipped of all the women writers, both in experience and In force and charm of style, to be the champion of women's organizations and show the spirit of earnestness and worthy endeavor which characterizes the modern club movement.
 "Quex" is the fictitious name of a thoroughly up-to-date club, and the story is of a young and beautiful wo- man suddenly bereaved of all she loves in life, and changed to a recluse in her fine home, to whom the presidency of Quex comes as a revelation and brings 8 new and larger life. The develop ment of her character from loneliness and weakness to joyous activity and strength is a study to be followed with great profit Under the leadership of the president and her loyal supporters, Quex becomes a power for social bet terment that even legislature must reckon with, and is especially efficient in respect to that blot upon our ciyili- zation, child labor, It comes at time when the attention of the whole coun- try is focused upon that very subject and shows what women's clubs may do in beneficial civic lines. The faithfully
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