Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-23
BOOK WORLD NOTES


Among the timely books for all who
are interested in flowers and gardens will
be 1.-The Book of the Chrysanthemum,"
concise illustrated volume giving the art
and practice of chrysanthemum growing.
John Lane company announces this book
for fall publication, also the book of
Rock and Water Gardens" Fruit grow
ers and cultivators of flowers will be in
terested in "The Book of garden Pests
and Plant Diseases" Another volume
promised for fall publication in the series
of handbooks of practical gardening will
be 1.-The Book of Fruit Bottling."
Lafayette McLaws, the author of ''The
Welding" an important new American
novel dealing with the welding of the ma
ton after civil strife, is an experienced
writer whose southern training and affili-
ations have afforded rather unusual op-
portunities for the study of conditions in
that section. Lafayette McLaws is the
daughter of Gen. Lafayette McLaws of
Georgia and a native of Augusta. Her
mother was Miss Taylor of Lexington,
Ky, niece of Zachary Taylor. After
the death of her parents Miss McLaws
resided with the late Mrs. Jefferson Davis
in New York city, who looked upon her as
her ward. Those who recall that the
first wife of jefferson Davis was the
daughter of Zachary Taylor and know of
the devotion of the second Mrs. Davis to
her husbands memory, will readily un-
derstand why the latter would take a
special interest in this southern author.
THE Wedding is published by Little,
Brown &c Co., Boston. Miss McLaws'
previous novels include when the Land
was Young" and Maid of Athens"
The Stokes company publishes late this
month The Maxims of Methuselah,"
book of alleged apocryphal sayings col
lected by Gelett Burgess. These profess
to be the advice given by the patriarch to
his great-grandson Shem, in regard to
women. They are cleverly illustrated in
color by Louis Fancher, who also con-
tributes borders and a unique cover de-
sign.
Marion Crawford's latest novel Are
thusa" carries one back to the days of
Mr. Isaacs" and "A Roman Singer"
The fertility of this prince of story
tellers'' is one of the most astonishing
facts in literary history. 1t is full quar-
ter of a century since Mr.. Isaacs" ap-
peared and in these twenty-five years
Mr. Crawford has produced at least forty
novels. Yet his inventiveneSs shows no
signs of tagging, his Inspiration is as
| fresh now to all appearances as it ever
vas. Other men have written more than
Mr.. Crawford. but ii is doubtful If any
rnan in the whole history of fiction has
written SO long with such unfailing spon-
tGneity. It is as though he had discov-
cred the fountain of perpetual literary
| youth.
The demand for Prof. Robert w.
! Woods recently published How to
Tell the Birds from the Flowers has
NJ 4. ,INr ~,
first edition, and the publishers, Paul
Elder and Company. announce that
the second edition of 10000 copies is
on the press. 1t is amusing that this
clever skit, a mock endeavor to set
! the public mind right on such matters
as the difference between the crow
and the crocus; the pea and the pc
wee, ETC.. has been miscons trued by
some of the reviewers as intended for
a serious work. The Detroit News for
instance remarks that as a result of
the reading of this manual of for
anthology" both birds and flowers
will stick in thu memory of the child
reader" though the illustrations
seem to have been made with club. !"
The critic evidently understood Prof.
! Woods clever nonsense drawings to
be the best he could do towards lit
eral rendering. A Rochester critic
! finds the work worthy of attention by
the school board as children will be
attracted by the pictures at the start
and thus led to read the verses. with
the result of adding to their knowl-
edge both of birds and flowers"
|
Hall Caine is calling upon the pow
ers of Europe to combine and close
| the Casino at Monte Carlo, which he
calls the thieves" kitchen of Europe.
This is what he says: II think 1t
atrocious that conditions which are
/ put down in all the greater countries
I of Europe should constitute the only
reason for the separate existence of
the little kingdom of Monaco Every
body says that the Prince of Monaco
is an enlightened man, with no par
ticular love of Monte Carlo and its
Casino. and of course. it is impossible
to ask him voluntarily to surrender
the chief source of his income But
what would you say to us in the Isle
of Man If for your own profit we es-