The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-12


title of a new book by Geo. Randolph
Chester, just published by the Bobbs
Merrill Co.
With much of the shrewd practical
business wisdom of the famous Let
tiers of a Self-Made Merchant, with
quite as generous a measure of hum
or, Mr.. Chester's story has in addition
a most engaging love interest. me
three elements-Wisdom, humor and
love-are moreover excellently Well
compounded. Each is present in the
story in precisely the right proper
ton, and in the skilful hands of the
author the three have been mixed
and stirred, and beaten to lightness'
and finally Drowned to delicious
crisp. The story is indeed instantly
tempting even to the fastidious APP
petite, and it is thoroughly digesttble
by the most capricious fancy.
Bobby Burnt himself is a chap
whom one likes the moment that one
shakes him by the hand. Who could
help liking so utterly sweet-natured,
jolly, fresh, young fellow as Bobby
Burnt is, whose faults are, after all,
faults of training and not of charac-
ter? At whatever game Bobby plays
he plays fairly and Squarely; he is a
good loser and when luck is with him
is generous to the man who has lost.
No more likable young man has ap-
peared in the pages of American
fiction in a very long time. In truth
Bobby is more than likable-he is low
able.
Having given ones own heart out
right to Bobby at the start it is very
easy for the reader to understand why
Agnes Elliston is fond of him, and so
the love part of the story seems at
once natural and is convincing.
The story is American to the core.
Both the rapidity and the ease with
which immense deals are made, Bob
bys equal capacity for unbrol<en idle
ness and for constant toll, the large
horizon, the teeming possibilities in
commerce that are suggested on the
side and in the bacl1ground-all these
things are truly and typically Ameri-
can. Though it is concerned in a way
almost constantly with the making
of money, it is by no means sordid,
for moneymalling is but it's sub
theme, the real one being the making
of a man.
One of the noteworthy examples of
the fact that books other than fiction
meet sometimes with very large and
steady sales, is the case of the Time
Life Books. To date, between 400, 900
and 100000 copies in the English edi-
tions-New York and London-have
been published and an additional 100,-
coo copies in the German editions, by
Engelhorn & Company at Stuttgart. One
of this series. In Tune With the In
finite,'' is now published in translation
in ten different countries. This au-
thor's new little book, "On the Open
Road" is meeting with a demand fully
equal to the others.
A monumental work, in two volumes,
large quarto style, is "Women of Ali
Nations, a Record of Their Character
istics. Habits, Manners, Customs and
Influence recently completed by the
House of Cassell, New York. Among
the contributors are: Professor Otis T.
Mason, of the Smithsonian institute
Mr.. w. w. Sxeat, Mr.. Archibald Col
quhoun, DR.. Theodore Koch-Greenberg,
Mr.. w. Crook, and others. The work
Is illustrated with hundreds of striking
and original photographs taken by ex-
perts in all parts of the world, togeth-
er with series Of magnificent plates
in colors from number of paintings
While the text is of the highest yal11e
the illustrations are fully as remark
able, both for their originality and in
terest. For many months the editors
We're in communication with experts in
all parts of the world with a view to
securing the best and most striking
photographs. Ninety-eight per cent of
the illustrations have never before been
published. the remaining two per cent
being inserted only for purposes of
comparison.
John Reed Scott, the remarkably
clever and successful young American
author, who, in three years of writing,
has already to his credit three novels
that reached the best-Selling lists
THE Colonel of the Red Huzzars,''
1.-THE Princess Dehra," and "Beatrix
OF Glare, lis gaining further renown
and favor through his latest romance,
The Woman in Question which was
recently published by J. B. Lippincott
Company. The success of Mr.. Scott's
new novel is unquestioned, as the first
large edition was exhausted some days
before the day set for publication.
Mr. Alexander Irvine has written
the story of his life. which will show
his approach to Socialism; it will fol-
low Mr.. Rockefeller's autobiography
In The Worlds Work. The title of
the series is From the Bottom Up"