The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-06-30
ThEBOOK SHELF
BY THE BIBLroPHrLn

BY THE BIZ
THE MAN IN LONELY LAND"
BY Kate Langley Bosher. Harper Broth
ers, New York
Kate langley Bosher, the author of
.sAlary Carey and Miss Gibbie Gault"
has made a name for herself In the lit
orary world that is beyond compare, In
many respects.
She writes with a sense of humor and
wit that is far reaching in its clever
ness and her conceptions of situations
and making the most of them. is gift
that few writer's possess.
Naturally. when the publishers an
nounce a new book from her talented
pen. the reading public begins to take
notice. and when THE Man in Lonely
Land" appeared short time ago, 1t
was eagerly sought, far and near.
The story might easily have been
published among Christmas" books
for a large part of THE Man in Lonely
Land deals with Christmas times and
Christmas shopping and other things
i1eidenta, to that delightful season of
the year; still THE Man in Lonely
Land" is not incidental to any one sea-
son but to all seasons, it is so delight
fully fresh and clever and charming
that 1t will be enjoyed at any time.
The story deals with a successful bus
mess man of forty, who after accumu-
lating all he wants of this worlds
goods, finds that he is lonely-decidedly
So
In the opening chapter. an aphorism
of the authors might be remembered
and used in many things. when she
says:
Success unshared, is of all things,
ironic,"
And this is quite true of our hero who
has only his faithful dog General" to
share not only his success. but his life.
Mrs. Claiming Warwick (sister Of
Mr.. Winthrop Lame the hero) invited
him to her house and here the real ro-
daughter of the hostess prattling and
talking so much about the lovely lady
that is going to visit them. that tho old
bachelor uncle Immediately begins to
get interested.
1sNt' Why lOntNNis as hibu-
hearted. intellectual, upright man can
be. In an indefinite sort of way-one
grown weary of the world and women
and the things that interest most other
men.
What makes you so horrid, Win
throp?' asks his sister, Mrs. Warwick.
IF you go on ignoring people as you
do
"I'll have to have paid pall-bearers
a. nv fun 7 l., II,
his dry, clever way.
Again delicious bit of wit is recalled
when Dorothea. the talkative little
niece. says to Mr.. Iaine
What's party called, Uncle Win
throp?"
IT'S the penalty ono has to pay for
being invited where one doesn't want to
go" he makes answer
Miss Claude Keith arrives to visit
the Warwtcks in due time and before
she has been there ten minutes, Doro-
thea has told her every blessed thing
that her crusty old uncle has ever said
about ladies' and about Miss Keith in
particular, the result being, that she
finally tells Mr., Winthrop all she knows
that he has said.
Can't you see the finish?
OF course you can--so I'll not tell you
but let you read the way in which Kate
Langley Bosher in her own inimitable
way tells it-and feel sure you'll agree
with me. when you've done so, that
The Man in Lonely Land" is Just like
all other men in lonely lands, when the
right girl comes along and that you are
glad this particular man got such
sweet, attractive. charming girl to take
him out of the loneliness into which
he had sunk.
TWO CLEVER BOOKS BY SAMUEL
G.. BLYTHE.
THE FUN OF GETTING THINGS
AND CUTTING IT OUT" BY SAM
UEL BLYTHE Forbes and Company.
Chicago.
Two tiny little books that YOU can
read in half hour. THE Fun of Get
ting Things" and Cutting It Out" are
from the clever pen of Samuel Blythe.
who writes just the most delightful.
original and unique things of any body,
In the writing world today.
Fat folks will certainly enjoy Mr.
Elythe's 'cleverisms" in The Fun of
Getting Things
He's been there" and he KNOWS.
Among other things he observes:
Half the comedy in the world is
predicated on the paunch At that. the
human race is divided into but two
classes-fat people who are trying to
set thin. and thin people who are try
ing TO get fat Fat. the doctors say, is
fatal. ! move to amend, by striking
out the last two letters of the indet-
nent Fat IS fat, 1t isn't any more ia
tai to be reasonably fat than to he
reasonably thin but II is n darned sight
more comfortablep
Blythe's witty description of the fiat
person." is of himself. when he declares
that for 90 years he looked like the
rear end of a hack. and had all the
characteristics of a bale of hay
lr Cutting 1t Out" divided into five
little chapters, each one entitled why
Quit" Mr. Blythe says in the first one
This is TO be a record of sundry ex-
periences, centering around a stern re-
solve to get on the water wagon, and a
sterner attempt to stay there. 1t is
an entirely personal narrative. of
strictly personal set of circumstances.
II is not temperance lecture or a
Temperatures tract or o chunk OF advice,
or a shuddering recital of the woes of a
horrible example, or warning or an
admonition - or anything ut ell. but
a plain tale of adven ture that started
out rather vaguely. and wound up rath-
er satisfa ctorily"
SO there you are, with the facts stat
ed you can readily imagine that Mr..
Blythe deals with them accordingly. in
very unusual and amusing manner
chow TO VISIT EUROPE ON NEXT
$. s TO NOTHING"
BY z, p Prentys. Dodd. Mead and Com
pany. Now York
T. P. Prentys, the author of How to
Visit Europe on Next to Nothing" has
chosen the most opportune time of the
year to launch his hook for ever,r hodv