Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-04
London Literature
And American Books
Special Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
LONDON, October %, 1906.
r ONDON has just now lost picturesque
| personality by the death Of R. G. s.
Mann, who for years was one of the
best known Of political newspaper men. and
prominent member Of the house Of COM
mons press gallery. Clad invariably In
| brown velvet, with horn-rimmed monocle
in his eye and one or more ugly-look1ng
| bulldogs at his heels, Mann was an uncom-
monty striking figure, and he was interest
| ing to all literary folk in this country as
| the original BILLY Kirker'' of ]. NJ. Bar
| rie's laughable book, When Mans Sin
| gle.''
| Barrie met Mann at Nottingham In the
| early days, a score Of years ago, when the
author of 1.-The Little Minister was writing
| leaders" for the journal Of that town;
| Mann was chief reporter on the paper ana
| the ideal leader of the old Bohemian school,
+ Barrie took to him at once, as did all
| who met him, and the result was Billy
| Kirker of the Silchester Mirror Though
| a sketchy caricature, all who knew the man
recognized him. The original enjoyed the
| fun of the exaggeration as much as any
one. In the book he Is named president OF
| the Frying Pan, a Bohemian club. In real
| life the club was named the Kettle. Sew
| eral of the original members are distin-
guished figures in law, literature, politics
and art today.
Mann never wearied of telling Of Barrie
Introduction to the club and election to
membership. Barrie was dismal little
chap" he used to say, "and thought that
to make him a member of the Kettle Cluo
would cheer him up. But the more ne
drank the more melancholy he became
His performance filled me with despair. l
washed my hands of the cheerng-up bust
ness with him after that night
X X
Ior ocfhn al
| him. One of his early gods was Whistler
Mann wanted to be an artist and sighed
that his lot kept his nose at the Journalistic
grindstone He never had any lessons In
drawing, yet could sketch vigorously and
with great facility Some of his caricatures
were very clever = His favorfte subjects
were monsters-most imaginative monsters
and bull dogs. He had a passion 1or
brown velvet and always had his CLONES
made of that material as nearly all artlsts
did in the Victorian period. But he made
compromise. He wore his hair shorn to a
black stubble and hob-nailed boots. WIN
this get-up and with his unsightly trimmed
monocle and his languid, lackadaisical air,
he was parsonage much commented upon
and looked at by visitors in the precincts
of Westminster.
In the wears that have rolled by uniform
ed and alleged guides have pointed him
out to unsuspecting American and foreign
sightseeing visitors to the houses or parma
OSS~A
| Wilde to a noble duke.
X
St. Paurs churchyard and Paternoster
Row, the two landmarks in the publication
world. are knowing the publishers less as
| the years go on. The latest firm to move
| from the Row is Holder & Stoughton, VINO
| this week went into new premises in War
wick square. This firm, one of the most
prominent in London, owes its success to
an American book, From Log Cabin to
White House." the life of President Gar
| field The history of the firm is practically
| the life story of one man, H. H. Holder,
now seventy-seven years of age. He was
apprentice to an old publishing firm Jack
| son & Walford of ST. Paurs Churchyard.
Seventeen years later, he was allowed to
| buy a third share and his name was added
| to the firm. A short time after, he took
| charge of the business. His first book was
| 1.-THE Beggars' by ]. B. de Liefde. 1t was
| a failure. Then he got hold of the Ameri-
| can book and his fortune was made. Over
| a quarter of million sold in the first
| year The firm is now going strongly in
for fiction, and publish among Others ]. NJ.