The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-21

llal fish Aesop; La Fontaine was the Aesop of France, Leasing of Germany, and Bidpay of the third century the Aesop of India. Now we have a true American Aesop Frederick Burr Opper, the creator of Happy Hooligan and other classics! This edition, published by Lppincott, makes him indeed worthy of the name! Incidentally, Caxton translated and printed the first edition in English just 490 years ago.
 If a magic wand could make old Aesop' s friends-the ape, the fox, the crow, the crane, the eagle, the lamb, the raven, the cock, the wolf. the cat, the frog, the mouse and the rest of the glorious com pany come to life to examine the twen- tieth gentry editions of the fables of which they are the heroes they would doff their hats to MT Opper and say You have the humor, the fun and the spirit of us all-thank you!" All the fa- bles that you and your young friends want are here and with them, the fasci- mating illustrations by the great car toonist
 Is it to be wondered that MT. Opper made a delightful collection of pictures since he expresses himself as follows: T am glad this book is about animals, birds and insects because I like them. like all animals except the skunk and him I respect. I like all birds except the rooster and I would like him if he did not get up so early I like all insects which can be mentioned in polite com pany, and though I do not like reptiles, l am sorry for them. I used to think ii a pity that nature did not give our fel- low creatures of the animal kingdom the power of speech There talk would be more interesting than ours, but perhaps 1t is just as well as it is Men would teach them to lie and swear, and they might tell tiresome stories and circulate gossip. A dog fight would be a good deal worse than it is if the dogs would call each other names while they were fight ing" Yes. indeed Opper was the man to illustrate this greatest of all animal books.
 WRITING THE POPULAR SONG." By E. M. Wickes The Home Corre-
 spondence School, publishers, Springfield,
 Mass.
 In Writing the Popular Song" E. M. Wickes takes us in hand and shows us step by step how that fascinating product is put together Mir wickes has written many lyrics for songs, some of them having sold into six figures, as the pub fishers express it, and Harry Won Tilzer, who writes the introduction and has strongly indorsed the book, has written so many hits that 1t would make one dizzy to count the aggregate millions of copies. If anyone can tell Us how to write a song surely MT. Wickes can.
 This book of about 200 pages--it is 8 volume of ''The Writers Library" edited hv r cir ic off nrt to show the ins and outs of song writ ing. Of course it's chief value lies in telling the writer what he should not do, and why-the why is of the ut most value.
 The various types of popular songs are analysed clearly, from the semi-high- class down or up to ragtime. Song lyrics and magazine verse are entrusted. titles are treated with some interesting side lights on their punch" and how they are invented, and the selection and rejec- tion of song themes fully explained-in- deed, two chapters are wisely given te this latter part of the subject.
 WRITING FOR THE MAGAZINES" By J. Berg Esenwein The Home Core
 spondence school, publishers, Spring
 field, Mass.
 "A remarkable book"-how trite the expression has become in reviews ano notices! And yet, what would you say of book of 276 pages, written by a past master, that actually plucked out the heart of magazine writing and showed clearly, to the beginner and the expe rienced alike. at least score of secrets as to how successful magazine writers choose and handle their work so as tc put it across?''
 Writing for the Magazines" by J Berg Esenwein is such a book-and much more, because it proceeds on the sensible basis that success in writing depends or four things: Having something to say knowing how different editors like it said knowing how to shape material, and knowing the markets. These practical considerations were evidently foremost 1T pr. Esenwein's thought all the time he was doing the research work for this important help for writers and putting it into chapter form, for throughout there is minimum of doctrine and a heapeC up measure of facts for writers to work upon.
 If you are writer or are ambitious tc write, suppose you had at your elbow g concise statement of how the magazine differs typically from the newspaper; 2 list of hundreds of different magazines (wth addresses) each filling field De
 
 and using the sources of magazine ma. terial and in filing it for use example. of and instruction in writing short items short articles and long articles; notabl, study of magazine humor, with 50 exam pies classified and analysed; an equally light giving chapter on humorous maga zine verse; a compact analysis of maga zine poetry of the higher sort; the same clear sort of treatment of fiction ant drama in our present day periodicals the minutest directions for the prepara tion of manuscript, and full, rich chap ter on how best to market all sorts O. literary material. Would not that justif, the adjective "remarkable2"
 The arrangement and the lucid style O Dr. Esenwein's book make 1t easy read ing, yet every page Is packed with fact that must come as revelations to 19 ou of every score of writers, and inform even the twentieth.
 PARTNERS OF THE NIGHT" By Leroy Scott Illustrated by DaltoY