Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-23

Unlike the reader who lamented thai
there was no more Dickens to read, we
have nine full volumes Of Alexandra
Dumas yet to go through with perhaps
undiscovered translations on the hori'
zon of the mind.
The stories of Dumas still unread
comprise "Olympe de Cleves" g vol
umes). "Agenor de Mauleon" q vol
umes). "AScanio," "Sylvandire," Tales
of the Caucasus" Black. the Story OF
| Dog" and volume containing
"Chauvelin's Will" THE Velvet Neck
lace" and Blanche de Beaulieu.'
Mention might be made. too, OF the
books about great crimes which are
attributed to Dumas, and which may
be by him, as far as the present writer
knows.
These may be left out of account
| for the present, however, simply pc
+ cause they are rather source BOOKS
than romances themselves. While
Dumas might have made very gooo
historian out of himself, 1t is significant
| that he turned his powers to the his
| torical novel.
He made a fair success out OF play
writing. preliminary to engaging In his
real life work; the result Of this train
ing was that his dialogue in his stories
possesses a certain authenticity, true
ness to life while at the same time hold
| ing a literary quality.
He Straddles the fence between the
| colorless type of talk put in the mouths
of characters by certain modern writers
and the ford conversation used By
various authors of the old school.
Conversation, just plain talk, is usec
as effectively by Dumas to further tne
action of a tale as many a less able
author uses plain description OF actual
movements of his characters.
X X X
Perhaps the most widely known tales
of Dumas are 1.-The Three MusketeerS,
and 1.-The Count of Monte Cristo.
Millions OF people throughout the worlo
have read them with bated breath, ano
it is safe to say that as long as man
kind remains In existence they VIII
continue to be read.
A good story is always good story
The translated works of this great
master may be roughly divided into
seven groups, including one OF rather
| miscellaneous character.
| Under the head of the D'Artagnan ro-
mances come THE Three Musketeers.
''Twenty Years After" and "Vicon1tt
de Bragelonne." This latter is fur
Their subdivided into "Bragelonne,
Louise de Valliere" and THE Man ir
the Iron Mask"
Here the ambitious reader has really
one colossal romance, guaranteed tc
keep him reading at normal rate FOL
several weeks, or months II he requires
space between individual novels.
One can scarcely recommend thai
any reader, no matter how devout ar
admirer of Dumas. reads this serie;
through at one grand gulp.
It would be rather too much OF. g
good thing!
The way to tackle this huge achieve
ment is to make up ones mind tc
finish the series. no matter how Ions
1t takes. BY this determination Q
reader will manage to keep the con-
| tinuity of the series.
Dumas stories are so lifelike thai
a reader may begin any one OF these
books Tin the D'Artagnan series) and
become Immediately interested. Dumas
is like life in that respect Life Is
everywhere interesting 1t does not
demand of one that he have experienced
something or other previously. II one
steps through a door and sees before
| him a rolling expanse of ocean, for the
first time in his life. Nature does moi
draw herself up haughtily, and de-
mand, What seas have you seen be-
| fore?"