Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-07-11
With
Enormous Sales
Our London Literary Letter.

the writer's. The correspondence which
has arisen over my books has brought
me some of my best friends"
The reason Corelli is SO immensely
popular with women renders Is be-
cause she deals with the emotional
side of the commonplace. The wo-
men admirers of Corelli seldom read
the last chapter first as is the wont
OF most women devourers of books:
but they wade right through. Her in
come from her books IL said to aver
age about $4,000 year. She lives in
a fine house at Stratford and has about
everything the heart of woman could
desire-including the bitter luminosity
of hosts of enemies.
SILAS X. HOOKING.
Another author whose works run
into many thousands is Silas X. Hook
ing. One of his books, Her Benny"
has reached its one hundred and fifty
thousandth. and has been translated
into nearly every known language.
This book has also had the unique dis
tinction of having been made into
lantern slides" That is, drawings and
photographs illustrating nearly every
portion of 1t have been prepared, and
the work has been used by lecturers
treating phases of NE in Lancashire
and Yorkshire, where the book is a
Hocking's name is not on all the bill
boards, he has attained solid and,
what Is better still, very remuner-
alive fame which has only come after
years of struggling His first entrance
into literature was an attempt to win
$500 prize; but he only completed
a few chapters OF his book, and then
gave up. The next effort was the
completion of 80, 900 word story,
| for which he received STb.
TURNED MINISTER.
That bored him, and he became n
| Methodist minister! but there is a
| saying that "once n writer always a
| writer" and he finally reverted 10 lit
| eraturc. After some years, several OF
the large religious papers got him "a
write serials FOR them, and his novels
| began 10 appear, smoking Flax,
| "The Wizards Sight" and his recent
| books have had phenomenal sales, He
f. another OF the authors who, like
| Mrs Puddicombe, have won success
| without literary boom" One OF
| tho curious facts which assisted Hook
| ing most was his announcement by
| the Church OF England clergy. Al
| though Methodist minister, his
| books do not necessarily take on a re-
ligious turn but he deals Win social
| scientific ana other problems. He in
| CURED the cnmity OF many church
men Tor his rather advanced" view
on most OF these topics, The result
OF the opposition he met with was an
increase OF circulation. on this point
Hooking tells rather amusing storS
OF himself.
II was once travelling from Man
chester into Yorkshire he said In th'
course of a recent Interview. ION th'
way l saw a Young woman reading on'
of my stories. clergyman spoke u
her and asked II she was fond o
reading, and when she said Yes in
quired what she was reading,
one of Silas Hocking's books sh'
replied lie expressed his regret
saying It was had for her from over,
point Of Wow.
when / heard this, ! took up The
cudgels on behalf of Sllas Hooking
and aecertamod that this clergyman
had never read one Of my books. And
yet he said he objected 10 all of them
and stated that q Acknowledgment
friend would not permit them 'msid'
his house.
when wo came to Halifax, whe'
my Journey ended. l gave this minister
my card. YOU should have seen th'
look OF CONSERVATION ON his face.
CHARLES oGDENS