New-York tribune., 1922-12-17

profitable topics. The dcluee Of
wretchcd little books on these subjects
which We have had to endure during the last
ten years increases rather than abates. One
genial hack Of my acquaintance makes an
excellent living By browsing in the scholarly
pages Of Mr. Havelock Ellis. not 10 mention
those Of Dr. Marie Slopes. and turning out
volume after volume with such titles as "a
Guide TO Courtship" or "How 20 Make Your
self Beloved" They take him about a fort
night to write and their sales are enormous.
! suppose they appeal TO something naive and
simple in the makeup OF. the average man
and woman. to the quality which makes
them fy 10 patent medicines and deyour the
free literature" with which they are in
variably surrounded. II your trouble is "bad
legs" whatever they may be- you can study
the advertisement columns in your daily
paper and send for a free booklet and a free
sample. But II your pain is in the heart the
charge for advice TO remedy your Ills Is con-
siderably higher. The products Of the quaek
love doctor rarely sell for less than half a
crown!
Mrs. Gertie de s. Wentworth James. whose
new eTort-ealled "The Love Book"-has in.
spired these observations, is By no means
The worst Of her kind. She is not writer
Of great literary merit, and throughout her
literary career she has stuck resolutely to
the profitable theme. Her books pulsate with
'pashun.' and when she deals with purity
she wisely dyes It pink. But with it all she
has certain shrewdness; she can observe.
and she knows the sort Of things that hap
pen. In rather a horrible kind Of way she is
q realist. What she doesn't know about the
way Of stock broker with his stenographer
is scarcely worth knowing
The usual rumors are going about London
to the effect that Wyndhom Lewis has writ
ten a new novel. | hope they may be true.
but in Lewiss case there is many a slip
between the completion Of a manuscript and
its delivery to the printer. "Tarr" was re-
vised / don't know how many times. re-
member that / was shown one version OF
the book at least eight years before the
final draft OF il was published. Lewis only
left it in my hands for twenty-four hours.
The morning after he gave it to me he ar
important corrections" imagine that, like
Marcel Proust, he put in the final touches
on the galley proof. All this only shows that
he is not mere poseur, as some people
imagine, but very serious and eonseien-
tious artist.
Mr. David Garnett. who is in partnership
with Mr.. Francis Birrell in the firm OF
Birrell & Garnett, booksellers. OF q Gerard
Street, London, has just written a curious
fantasy called Lady Into Fox" which his
wife has illustrated. II tells the sad story
OF a country gentleman whose wife, 90 whom
he is greatly attached, suddenly turns into
a vixen. The book has sold extremely WELL
and will. I understand. be published in New
York by Mr. A. A. Knopf Mr.. Garnett is
the son Of Mr. Edward Garnett. who was
one Of the first English critics Of standing
10 take an enthusiastic interest in eontcm-
porary American literature. Mr.. Edward
Carnett is now literary adviser to Mr.. Jona-
than Cape, the English publisher Of Mr..
Sinclair Lewis, Mr. Eugene o'Neill. Mr. II.
L. Meneken and other well known American
writers. He has recently issued a volume Of
literary essays called Friday Nights
have no idea whether Miss Stella Benson