New-York tribune., 1922-01-09
Books

Mr. fnrrav. editor OF "The Book
man. suggests that readers of The
tribune who arc not familiar with his
magazine might be interested this
morning II compendium of its
January contents. A readable and in
formative volume is this mid-wintcr
number OF ",rhc Bookman." providing
an ample hour with New York's bril-
liant wits and musng sages.' as they
talk OF the pcnmcn and their pro
ductions. Among its contributions are
the following:
"What the Worker Reads He reads
nothing much besides his nay check
number and the expression on his
neighbours face, according to Charles
X. Walker jr. Mr.. Walker spent two
years in overalls and Investigation.
and found few bookworms among the
horny handed. One doesn't issue from
Twelve hours steel making TO retire to
Carnegie library for a long evening
over the anthologics. Yet Mr.. Walker
met bricklaycr and puddlev or
two who knew their way about Dumas
and the transations of Gilbert Muir
ray. The author is not distressed by
labor's neglect of what is known as
the "printed page and his discourse
is genial. lie is the sort of person.
says the editor Of "Thc Bookman,"
"who can chant Swinburne to YOU
under greenshaded lamp, and can
also get at the spirit of a foreign
workingman."
"Caruso and the Newspaper Man.
Remarks and anecdotes by Grcnvillc
Vernon, disclosing some details of the
great singers real nature. "Dcspite
his practical jokes, his antics, and his
buffoonery, both on and Off the stage,
Caruso remained like Canio, the man
who laughed that he might not weep"
Among the melancholy incidents cited
by Mr.. Vernon is Caruso's quiet but
passionate resentment against the
large fees ($65,00O) charged by his
doctors in his last illness.
"Out of My Newspaper Days
Theodore Dresser tells of his early
experiences as reporter in ST. Louis
They were SO kaleidoscope that one
night, after recording the splcndors of
a Yelled Prophets ball Gin rented eve
ming clothes), he was assigned to cover
quadrup!e murder in q shabby
suburb. He wept while writing that
story, and later, in his dark garret, he
meditated. on "lifc and its accidents,
tangles and miseries" as indicated by
the tragedy; and it's "gauds and
glories" as illustrated by the ball.
The memoirs arc earnest and naive.
and not without eccentric errors in
composition.
EDNA Ferber"-An animated story
and study of Miss Ferber and an
admirable criticism Of her fiction By
an anonymous critic. "Thc Girls" he
thinks Gas others do), proves that she
has escaped the grave rerils of her
cleverness, and also that she is no
.longer under the influence Of O. Henry.
Miss Ferber loves humanity in her
own way; she is cock-sure and candid;
she is reliable in her dealings with
editors; she motors through the
crowded thoroughfares with ease and
grace" and she loves to cook. A maga-
zine editor who called OH her once to
see what she was like found her "alert,
with brown eyes that glowed like live
Goals, an abundance of black hair
slashed back from well-molded fore
head, and skin like velvet upon which
cream has been poured" Every day
before breakfast, when she is living in
New York, she walks AROUND the reser-
voir in Central Park (like the dis
traught heroes Of the story book) to
freshen her brain and to think In
Chicago ut is The shore of Lake Michi-
gan that feels the patter Of her rapid