The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-02
Literary Lights And Shadows
BY s. MAYS BALL

Brown & Co.)
 Ten years ago MT. James wrote great book, "In and Around the Grand Canyon." His new book will simply furnish the visiting tourist with all the information necessary to an intelligent = knowledge of the physical structure of the Grand Canyon. It points out the special beauties, the famous features, the trails which wind among its rocky recesses, describes the various trips Into Its depths and tells how they can best be taken. It carefully ex- plains just the accommodations to be found and in fact Is nothing but 2 guide book, very complete, to the Grand Canyon region. giving the read CT an accurate knowledge of this won derful country and enabling him to make definite plans for tn cir trip y even to the last detail, whether he ex- poets to spend month or a day among it's splendor. Incidentally MT. James has written much advertising matter, interesting 'tis true, of the Santa Fe railway the Fl Tovar hotel, Fred liar vey, etc He admits the corn, so tis all right. The book Is profusely illus trated from photographs. It is one of the very, very few books in which Colonel Roosevelt easily might have been dragged in and photographed but where cooler heads prevailed, for which relief much thanks. But Big Bill Taft L LOOK dQVanIaB6 OI In6 CVlohcl oiAP- up and he is there with @ party. or course, there Is nothing on earth like the Grand Canyon of the Colorado river It cannot be described in book or explained in its greatness of IS miles across. 5000 feet deep, 200 to 2bo miles long, by photographs. However, some years ago a few of us hereabouts had occasionally to club together to pay the office rent, laundry bills, etc.. of a sap head to keep him out of the streets with his desk, and clean This was long before, of course, sap head married a rich woman and joined the captains of matrimony. At tfne present time we, former club togethers, are lodging the sap heads motor car and dust on the streets, giving him inward ly, sometimes outwardly, dig as we read his heavy opinions in the local press on econimic questions of the day or describing them new building ,fe"Ive just built on newly discovered lines of construction" Sap head Is now the Grand Canyon of these United State of Georgia, as Uncle Remus used to put it. But no guide book Is nec- ~essary. When the writer of this re- turned from four years in the west Arizona, etc, sap head was delighted to see him-he is always that with his old friends when not employing his motor brain and arrn He had been west, been everywhere-and wished to know if this scribe spending years in Arizona saw the Grand Canyon of the " Colorado river!
 Now, you can't, simply cannot reply properly to questions like that. No more than if one asked you if you had breakfast this morning Do did this scrbe-simply walk away without a word.
 "The Girl From Dixie," by Mary Rodney. (The Cochrane Publishing company) .The author of this book has written and published two other books and should know better.
 To begin book these days, to read 40 pages and not be told the scene of the story, Is wearing and really out of the question, and if you are reviewer dis gusting. To read of young girl 10 years of age using the language of | grown person; the first 37 pages devoted | to catching soft shell crabs somewhere, seeing alligators and crazy F'renchman, while fees covered every one described t4uite thrlling.-if you are a reviewer again and life is short you must skip 92 pages of "The Girl From Dixie" i This scribe got to page 40, where pre- surnably the heroine, Nell Hamilton, Is sent off, age IA, to Washington to re ceive an education," and he was not told | from where Nell was sent, so he closed "The Girl From Dixie' and let Nell speed on, while he hoped for better things in something else.
 "The Steering Wheel" by Robert Alex
 ander Wason. (Bobbs-Merrill com pany.)
 'aMr. Wason in Happy Hawkins" fSmall, Maynard & Co) wrote one of the best books on western life published in years This paper said so at the time,
 It's a far cry from Happy Hawkins | to '.The Steering Wheel" which, thank everything, give praise to Red mountain, | does not deal in motor cars. For If 1t | had dallied with carburettes and things the book would not be reviewed this week, that's one thing to 1t. .The Steer ing Wheel" then, is to be taken ngura- l lively. "All the worlds car," says the author. land all the men and women would-be chauffeurs'-or dodgers and cursers The author believes that out of the struggle for the control or the ears" apparatus arise the drama ana humor of life. a-
 .sThe Steering Wheel is funny, inter esting, pleasing. The plot deals with a young chap returning from trip around the world which was the finishing touch to his education, to the house. Of his uncle, a great steel magnate, accom- panied by three (3) socialists, whose doc trines the young mutton-head has inn bibed-like all that kind. Young hero has promised to- furnish leash for the cause"Lwhile his uncle, far from consid- ering any such plans, had been waiting
 
 his hand to the great steel business that he one day will inherit. Uncle and
 nephew are much alike, and furnish much fun.
 Love? Of course. Bobbs. Merrill & Co. wouldn't have touched the book with fl 10-foot pole without sweetness wasted Hgalore. There are two pretty, charming women. The first half-of course, the first half-of the book deals in love ga lore; the second half with a business fight. Certainly everything comes out perfectly lovely and even so.. this re- viewer takes pleasure in recommending ''The Steering Wheel,"' not just because 1t skipped motors either. On the con- trary.
 "Love's Young Dream," by S. R. Crock
 ettl (The Macmillan Co)
 Nearly verybody-sassiety-l Lights. busi- ness men. young things and old-wl be delighted, and interested. In the ways in which Duncan MacAlpine realizes his Letters of Celebrities Bought