Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-26
REVIEW OF RECENT LTTERA TURE

among the residents of the American
colonies at Rome. Florence and other
Italian cities supply Mr.. Fuller with a
fund of material for book of delight
full narrative, illuminated by much keen
philosopsy and wide, though by no
means oppressive, learning. The book
is attractively bound and illustrated.
Waldo Trench and Others: BY Henry
B. Fuller. New York: Charles Scrib-
ner's Sons.
The name of F. Hopkinson Smith is
a sufficient guarantee of something
readable and entertaining when 1t ap-
pears on a book. Peter" is one of the
most delightful of the works of this
prolific writer.
Peter Grayson is a banker of the old
school, a middle-aged man of high
ideals and of a buoyant, CHEEKY OPP
timism; a man Of taste and experience;
member of the Century club and the
associate of painters, writer's and archi-
tects. The young hero, quixotic, illogi-
cal but true-hearted, with old fashioned
ideas of honor and honesty, and the
heroine, a fascinating girl who can
work and play with equal charm and
grace, and most Of the other characters
are people of moderate means and fine,
healthy principles, who live in an at
mosphere of simplicity and good breed
ing as true to life as 1t Is rare in fic-
tion. This novel, which has not beer
published serially, will take rank as the
best and most ambitious of Mr.. Smiths
stories.
Peter BY F. Hopkinson Smith. New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
OF. H. G. Wells last book. First and
Last Things"-the Putnams recently
in G
contains the sum and essence of ali
that he has written, the Sun says:
"Of course the ideas of the well
known Socialist, Fl. G. Wells, are to be
found scattered through many of his
romances, novels, short stories and So
Geological essays. Nevertheless the
readers and admirers of this highly
original thinker will naturally like to
see his beliefs and notions collected III
a compendious form; and this has beer
done for them in a volume called 'Firsi
and Last Things; a Confession of FAITH
and Rule of Life
Those interested in Mr.. Wells work
may be glad of the following passage
from literary portrait" of him in the
London Chronicle:
HE is known to his friends as H
G." and he lives on a cliff amid ail
and light, with a view of the sea
through square loaded windows.
He would tell you that he is OF
humble origin; OF truth he is of the
best origin in the world-the English
country working class, from which ne
draws alike his humor, his stolidtty, his
determination and his sh1ewd sense
He will tell you that he has been by
turns poor schoolboy, draper's assist
ant, usher, science student, crammer
Saturday Reviewer, story writer, Uto-
pian, novelist, Fabian, and owner Of a
charming and satisfactory house
Thence he looks down with a serene
and aloof comprehension alike upon a
small bathing town, a. military station
and the sea; there he lives and talks
and gardens and plays various games
very much in the air, and there al
times he writes"
First and Last Things. BY H. G.
Wells. New York: Putnams.
Many heroines in fiction have trod-
den dangerous paths In the pursuance
of their main desire, but the paths
trodden by 1.-THE Wild Widow are
more than overgrown with insidious
perils.
She is poor-she becomes rich-she
marries a man under perhaps more
extraordinary circumstances than any
widow" has ever married before, while
her friend "a girl whose girlhood has
been spent in unconsciously waiting
for a desperate, passionate love- af-
fords example of that mingled ardor
and caution which dominates the ma
ture of so many modern women.
Many social and moral questions are
discussed in the book, the situations
are poignant and a most astounding
surprise is revealed in the last chap
ter 1.-The Wild Widow" by Gertie
De S. Wentworth-James. New York:
Empire Book company.
Miss Helen Green's latest book is
1.-THE Maison de Shine" Her first
hand knowledge of all sorts and condi-
tions of men and women-especially
the non-domesticated species-makes
her books inimitable.
She knows the stage and stage peo-
pie down to the ground" and her
factors boarding house" stories are
little pieces out of real life. She knows
the western and Alaskan mining
camps from actual personal expert
ence and tells of them in way that
only Jack London can equal; her
knowledge of the east side slums and
of criminal types of every nationality
is profound, indeed, in a woman little
short of amazing.
Add to the above keen sense fol-
catching and transcribing the Vita
trivialities of dialect and wonderful
insight into the foibles and humors OF
everyday people and her success is not
surprising. "The Maison de Shine" by
Helen Green. New York: B. w. Dodge
& Co.
Highways and Byways of the Pa
cific Coast" is unique in being the only
book of travel and description that
deals with the western coast. No other
region in America attracts so many Wis
itors, and Mr.. Johnsons new volume
the result of personal wanderings and
observation, is therefore of exceptional
interest to a large number of readers
All the country beyond the Rocky
mountains is covered; and, while Cali
fornia is given the most space, the
neighboring states-Washing Ore
gon, Idaho. Nevada and Arizona-are
none of them neglected. Like Mr.. John
sons previous books, this abounds In
anecdote and humor. bits of history
and odd experiences, but is even richer
in atmosphere and local color. The
illustrations are delightful, numbering
sixty-three full-page reproductions
from the authors own photographs.
Highways and Byways of the Pacific
Coast. By Clifton Johnson. New York:
The Macmillan company.
-eSS-
TEACHER USED NOVEL