The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-23

an intimate motion picture of Ameri- can men of money and letters while engaged in conversation with an alert English woman of the world.
 With just the right amount oi sparkling frankness, Clare Sheridan the English American society won. an. the cousin of Winston Churchill describes here visits into the homei of the Vanderbilts, the Whitneys, the Otto Kahns, the Morgans. and hei adventures in American, from New York to Mexico and back again by way of California.
 In other words, 1t is more than tho best intimate chronicle of American social life of recent years, focusing as 1t does, the most appealing reflec- ton of Clare Sheridan, tho woman and the artist.
 GThe Beautiful and Damned'
 Mir. Scott Fitzgerald perhaps more than any other author is the ons giving the reading public the type of novel which is essentially delec- table midsummer" reading.
 Bright, gay. insoucIant-his '-Ths Beautiful and Damned" (Charles scribner's Sons, publishers, New York eity) has caused quite as much of 2 stir as his first story This Side oi Paradise"
 In relating the story of the love and marriage of Anthony Patch and the vivid beauty, Gloria, 1t reveals with devastating satire, section of American society which has never before been recognized as an entity that wealthy. floating population which throngs the restaurants cabarets, theatres. and hotels of our great cities-people adrift on Sea of luxury without the anchor of homes and the rudders of responsi- bilities; people without roots or backgrounds.
 Fitzgerald shows in particular these two young people, Anthony and Gloria, of natural charm and beauty, cast upon this shining sea and drifting toward that awful whirlpool that may do worse than kill; it may destroy the soul and leave only the body. This he does with such bril- liance of dialogue and whitening comment. with so effective 8 success sion of scenes and incidents, that this floating society in all It's gilt ter and color Is brought before the very eyes of the reader. Through the medium of fascinating story he reveals a phase of modern life whose significance was not formerly ap- preciated.
 Souls for Sale
 When Rupert Hughes writes n novel it matters not what season of the year 1t may be, he is assured of a tremendous clientelel
 Souls for Sale" (Harper Brothers, publishers, New York city). Mir. Hughes latest story, Is no exception to the rule, for with It's crispness and it's charm, 1t affords the reader real summer trip"-to no other place than that much talked about spot, Hollywood.
 At Hollywood, MT. Hughes allows the reader to investigate conditions and more than that he meets and is on intimate terms with all the stars and lesser lights of the motion picture world, the directors and producers, and even those precocious children who present their mothers with motor cars from one week s salary. They are real people hence forth to the reader, and wheren he watches his favorite star upon the screen he will have inside" infor : nation as to what she has encount- cred in succeeding in her career; he will know how that storm scene was shot" and he will have an insight into the private life of the average motion picture actor.
 For Rupert Hughes passes a great part of his time at the motion pie ture studios of Los Angeles. Ills novel Is perhaps the first of it's kind written so far by one who knows whereof he speaks. It Is by no means propaganda, either for or against the movies" but an honest statement of Hollywood studio life.
 There are number of personal ities in Souls for Sale" which are based upon real people. Many of these are named. But, above all, MT Hughes has told good story.
 Zane Gray's popularity Is unques- tioned ITO the Last Man" his latest story (Harper Brothers, publishers New York city) being one of the most widely read of all his novels
 Tt was inevitable that in my ef- forts to write romantic history of the great west I should at length come to the story of a feud," Zane Grey says in the foreword to his lat est and strongest novel, "To the Last Man" And the story of feud that he tells has given him bigger scope for his talents than any oi the other books of the west which nave made him one of the most widely read authors in America.
 ITO the Last Man" is the mos, fundamental story Zane Grey has ever written. It Is based upon facts which chronicle the struggle. tbe fight, the blood and the romance ot the pioneering of the west, facts which the author gleaned by liyins TOT two years in the widest country ne had ever visited, and among the widest people he had ever known Little by little, he dug up the story of the feuld notorious in Arizona ., the Peasant Valley war. a feuf within a feud, which was, indeed rought Ito the last man"
 "A Short History of American
 Literature.
 Edited by William Peterfielt Trent, John Erskine,, Stuart P. Sher. man and Carl Van Doren. "A Shori History of American Literature" fC; r. Putnam's Sons publishers, New York city) affords the reader 2 glimpse of some of the high lights In America's literary history.
 The education of no American car be called complete or even adeouatt unless he has familiarized himsel, with the works of the men whc have from the earliest days been the leaders of thought in the republic The chapters of this short history have been shaped with special ref. erence to the requirements of col. lege students. but present attractive reading also for all intelligent citi. zens who want good critical guide 10 the best works of the Amerlcar authors included in the survey The estimates of the contributors to the Cambridge American Literature day the writer heard a converse tion in which the army was men