Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-09-14
BOOKS AND AUTHORS

II DOOxNO IA VI
Max Pemberton is a lover Of the
country, choosing it above the town
for work and play. OF his new cottage
at Troston, Suffolk called Troston Hall,
he writes: I'VE are now settled in an
old country house in Suffolk, with a
charming garden and a beautiful soli-
tude." AS might be expected from a
man who loves gardens and solitude.
Mr. Pemherton finds as much pleasure
out-of-doors as he does in his library.
Sir Richard Escombe." his new novel
which the Harpers have published. re-
fleets this quality of sturdy enjoyment
in a way which is comforting to any
who have grown little impatient of
melanchololy in fiction.
Lily +. Weselhoeft who is well
known as a writer of books for Young
people, is now at her summer home in
Maine, whittier she has gone for rest,
after completing a new Juvenile tale en-
titled. Rover. the Farm Dog" which
her publishers. Messrs. Little, Brown
& Co. will issue in the fall This will
make the 18th book that Mrs Vessel
hceft has had published by this firm.
A copy of st. lrvyne. or the Rosi-
c1uclan, Shelley's early work. was sold
at Sothebys the other day for 81 900
1t was copy which the author had
presented to his uncle.
Sir Cilhort
books. il it does not indicate the future
authorship of novels like 1.-THE W.av-
ers' and THE Right of Way" is 1T least
uncommon. THE books Of my upynnud
which lurcd me most" writes Sir Gil
bert, were Shakespeare eight of
whose plays | knew ~ hearU, David
Coppertield," '"The Heart of Midiothi-
an, Macaulay's "History of England,
kinglake's "Eothen," Carlyles French
revolution" and Websters Dictionary.
You will see that it is an oddly incon-
gruous lot, but l browsed in NV
own way. and if l did not under
stand all of Carlyle the drama,
the vivid ricturesqueness of his style,
captlvated me. Webster's Diction-
airy and Shakespeare were to me
the most alluring of all books, but /
must add to the list the Apocra pha.
winch had all the glamour and none of
the perils of forbidden fruit"
"A recent canvass of the New York
publishers by a reporter for a New
YORK paper brought out the interesting
Tact that the tendency of the reading
public just at present is away from
fiction and more toward books of
serious nature. A similar canvass
mas Just been made in England, with
the following result, as announced in
the London Daily Chronicle:
The taste for reading and book
buying IS not. as some people saw,
limited to novels. The returns of the
public libraries make it clear that the
ordinary reader is. in an increasing dc
gree, looking for the best in Serious
Observation-Disclosures travel, history.
and so on. OF such books even we'll
TODD folk usually have but sparse
representation in their libraries Two
reasons suggest an explanation of this
tine considerable prices at which
these works are issued, and the
amount of space which their size de
mands. The broad result has been
that very interesting writings often do
not come into touch with the mass Of
readers until they have gone out of
copyright"
The HarperS have manuscripts in
process for various new autumn books.
many of them representing distin-
guished names. Among these are
Mrs. Humphry Ward, Robert Kitchens,
William Dean Howells. Hamlin Gar
land. George Harvey. Augustus
Thomas. Kirk Munroe. Peter Newell,
and others. On this list also appears
the name of General Lew Wallace. with
the suggestive mention of an excerpt
from Ben Hur"
1t is often said that the man who
writes novels has only plying smile
for the man who writes book show
ing now novels are written. On the
contrary. the editor of the Glasgow
Evening News. Neil Munro, who hap
pens likewise to be a novelist and the
author of a romance which the Harp
ers introduced to this country under
the title "Eud" confesses that he buys
every book published on the art Of
story riting-not for the purpose of
learning how to write, but for the
Of verifying his own ideas
on the matter. II prefer such books |
t" the ordinary novel," writes Mr. |
Munro, reviewing a new book by Pro-
fessor Horne Of New York University, |
on 'Thc Technique of the Novel;: |
they cheer one so by their cvidenC" |
that technical skill must always be |
second to something which I suspect |
to be individuality in the writer AS |
Professor Horne says, one can con
ccive that a technically perfect novel
might still be cold and tedious. All |
YOU really want. after learning read
ng. writing, spelling, and composition,
is tho ability to make a plot and de
oict Il few characters. 1t is as easy,
says Mr.. Munro, "as sin"
Booth Harrington says that in no state
ave the newspapers more Journalistic
enterprise" than in his native Indiana.
While stopping ut little Hoosier hotel
n the course of hunting trip Mr.. Tar
lington lost one of his dogs.
"Ifave you a newspaper in town. he
asked Of the landlord.
"kight across the wav, there, back of
he shocr;akcr's.' the landlord told him.
The Daily News'-best little paper of its
i've in b,S % |