The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-05-31
KEOKUK PEOPLE
BOOK WRITER'S
Forty-one kcoIeuk Names Are In
List Of Iowa Authors and Their
Works Published by
state Department.
DOZEN MORE OMITTED
Some Of Those Included are Famous.
and Some are Forgotten by the
Present Generation in
New Century

New Century
Keolcuk has forty-one names in
the book, Iowa Authors and Their
Works" just issued by the historical
department of Iowa, compiled by
Miss Alice MARBLE. assistant curator,
and at that several names belonging
to Keokuk were overlooked in the
necessarily difficult task OF collect
ing data for fifty years and more.
There are about 1900 Iowa writer's
listed in the book, and Keokuk has
about three times as many as is her
pro rata by population ratio.
The book is not only very valu-
able compend of Iowa intellectual
ism, but discloses many interesting
sidelights on Iowa writer's and read
ers.
For one thing, it discloses that
Iowa writers have produced books on
science, law, medicine and other in
tellectual subjects chiefly. with the
fiction writer's in the, minority.
In the large number of Iowa au-
thors in Who's Who in America"
Keokuk has three entries, Francis
Perry Elliott, Walter Barr and Ru-
pert Hughes, all best known from
their fiction, although all three have
worked in other fields Of literature.
Could Not Get Them All.
The outstanding omission in the
book is the lack of the name Of
Mark Twain, who belongs to Keokuk
quite as much as to any other of the
seven cities who claim him. He
lived here, worked here. wrote his
first humorous article for a Keokuk
newspaper, and set the type OF an
old-time Keokuk city directory with
its famous entry: Clemens, Samuel,
SO Main street, antiquarian
There are four Carriers in the book,
but not our own Edward Fountain
Carter. who wrote and published
THE POSTMASTER unique book
more readable than most tones and
handbook for postprandial speak
ers which ought to be studied more
by that ilk.
The trouble undoubtedly was that
1t was impossible for the compiler
to ascertain all the multitudinous
single books by Iowa residents dur
ing many decades. or to know wheth-
er some prominent author once lived
in Iowa. Hannibal has hogged Mark
Twain so thoroughly that it has
nearly accomplished the erroneous
impression that he lived only there.
The keokuk Writers.
The list of Keokuk people In the
book, taken alphabetically as the list
is arranged, is as follows:
James Moores Ball-A biography OF
Versalius. the reformer of anatomy,
published in st. Louis in 1910, and
text book on diseases OF the eye,
published in Philadelphia in 1908.
Walter Barbour books.
Frank G. Beardsley-History Of
American revivals, 1904, and work
on christian achievement in America,
1907. He was pastor Of the Congre-
gational church here.
w. w. Belknap-IHistory of the
18th Iowa infantry, published by X.
B. Ogden & Son, pioneer printers
here. who brought the first printing
press to Keokuk.
John Burgess-Three books, one
of sermons and two of "reminiscences.
published by the Methodist Book
Concern.
Sue H. C1agett-'TIer Lovers a
novel published in Philadelphia In
1877.
Two Editore.
Thomas H. Clagett-Speech In the
Iowa legislature on Governor Kirk
woods address of February 8, 1860
Sam NJ. Clark-Four speeches in
the house Of representatives in the
eos.
Orion Clemens, brother Of Mark
Twain-three books of history or
Keokuk in 1856, the half-breed tract
and the Blackhawk war published
by himself in 1855,
N. e. Cory-"Polymathist or,
Christian Pulpit published in St.
Louis in 1891.
Samuel r. Curtis-A speech in
congress in 1858 on the Mormon re-
bellion.
Reforms and Fiction.
John r. Dimond-"A Soldiers APP
neal TO Grover Cleveland; or the
Blue and the Gray in Financial he
form published by Ogden in 1894.
Francis Perry Elliott-Five novels,
which is only part of his output.
Bertha des Combes Favard-Some
French textbooks and a novel pub
lished in Des Moines in 1884.
Isaac Galland-"The Iowa Emil
grant" published in 1910 at Chilli
cothe, Ohio.
John Gibbons-A book on property
and labor, published by Lippincott in
1888.
Margaret Collier Graham-Three
books Of short stories.
Kate Harrington (Mrs. Rebecca
Pollard)-A book Of poems and
large number Of school textbooks in
reading.
Rupert HugheS Twenty-eight vol
umes from "Amiable Crimes" to