The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-11
BOOK NOTES.

Mrs. Don Carlos book is "The Bottle
in the Smoke not the Battle in the
Smoke" as the intelligent compositor
interpreted the chirography of the
writer of the notice in last Saturdays
State Journal.
s'The Price of the Prairies." Mrs.
Margaret Hill McCarter's book, is in
the seventh edition.
Frank H. Spearman, the author of
whispering Smith, which sold more
than 100000 copies, and of Robert
Kimberly" which the house of Charles
Scribner's Sons is about to publish, was
born in New York, brought up in Wis
consin and now resides in Illinois. He
was named after DIR. Frank Hastings
Hamilton, the late well known physi-
clan of New York, an intimate friend
of his father. His mother was of the
Delaware family of Cummings, which
came from England in the seventeenth
century and his fathers family are of
Maryland descent, having settled near
Chesapeake bay about 1890. Mr..
Spearman went to Lawrence university
at Appleton, Wis.-his parents had
moved to that state in 1S6S-but his
delicate health prevented his gradua-
ton and shattered his hopes of a pro-
fessional career. AT sixteen he had to
spend a year in rest and travel and a
year later went into the wholesale
grocery business of his brother, Harry
D. Spearman, at Chicago. In 1884 ne
married the daughter of Thomas Lon
ergan, one of Chicago's pioneer mer-
chants, and two years later, broken
down in health by hard work, moved
to Nebraska and spent ten years work
ing in a bank, of which he finally be-
came president. But all this time he
spent his leisure hours in writing ar
ticles for the New York papers and
m a in
business at 36, he gave himself up en-
tirely to the writing of fiction. In 1894
he returned from the far west an set
tied in Wheaton, one of Chicago's
quietest suburbs, with his wife and
four boys. Among his writings be-
side whispering Smith and Robert
Kimberly" are Doctor Bryson,'' 1.-THE
Daughter of Magnate." 1.-The Close
of the Day. 1.-THE Strategy of Great
Railroads. etc.
Mr.. Oswald Garrison Willard, whose
Life of John Brown" was one of the
most notable biographies of the past
season, spoke at the Boston City club
last week on the New York political
situation. Mr.. Willard is the publisher
of the New York Evening Post.
''The Old Testament Narrative" ar
| ranged and edited by Alfred D. Shelf
field, which Houghton Miff1in company
Recently Is TO De brought out
in England by Constable and Company
Ltd, of London.
One of the new spring publications
| in England is 1.-THE Wild Olive the
| novel by the author of 1.-The Inner
Shrine" which was widely read in this
| country nearly a year ago. In some
| quarters the escape of a young man
wrongfully condemned to death for
| murder has been questioned, and 1.-THE
| L. -af -,
! American novel; This is almost ex-
actly the same fate that it's predeces-
scr, 1.-THE Inner Shrine" met there.
| Harper & Brothers announce that
! they are sending to press for reprint
ing three of their recent novels: 1.-THE
Heritage of the Desert by Zane
Grey; MAX" by Katherine Cecil
Thurston; ''The Lever" by William
/ Dana circuit. They are also reprint
/ Conan Doyle; Dame Care" by Her
mann Sudermann; Rolf House, by
Lucy c. Lille; 1.-THE Red Mustang" by
| William Osborn Stoddard.
| Charles Scribner's Sons state that
| Children of Tomorrow" by Clara E
Laughlin. and Her Little Youne La
dyship," by the late Myra Kelly, which
were announced for publication in the
early spring, will not appear until sum-
/ Tomorrow" has been deferred to give
an important magazine the opportunity
to present 1t serially before it Is issued
as a book. For the same reason the
/ publication of Myra Kellys novel has
been put off till the latter part of the
summer or the early fall.
At the recent suffrage bazaar in New
York there was much rejoicing at the
advent into the ranks of Mr.. Howells
i To show his complete endorsement OF
the cause Mr.. Howells sent the COM
mittee a copy of his latest book, my
Mark TWAIN with the following writ
ten on the fyleaf: Mark Twain be-
lieved in woman suffrage, and so do 1
William Dean Howells.'' This copy Of
my Mark Twain was afterward SOLD
for something like ten times its book
store value.
There will be many of the younger
reading generation to mourn the deatl
of Elizabeth Stuart Phelps who proba
bly, are not at all familiar with ..Gates
Ajar." Among her recent books sh'
seemed to show the modern spirit al
well as writer's who had won no repu
tation when popular taste as differ
| emit Two books of hers show the mod
ern spirit especially well, Jonathan