Evening star., 1928-05-26
THE LIBRARY TABLE
ny he B0okloUer

books there is no end" So should run
the prcsent-day version Of the famous
passage in EccleSiastes. AS the wilder
ness of print becomes each year more
dense the makers of guides and the
selectors of the best books multiply.
How to choose among them has now
become problem an answer to which
has been attempted by Asa Don Dickin-
son, librarian OF the University of Penn
sylvania. Four years ago he edited
"One Thousand Best Books" a variorum
list compiled from about 60 previous
lists of greater or less authority in
Guiding such famous lists as those by
Sir John Lubbock, Theodore Roosevelt S
"Pigskin Library" President Eliot s
"FiVe-Foot Bookshelf" and others. That
guide book to books based on the
recommendations o. competent authori-
ties was commented on In this column
following its publication. It's favorable
reception has led Mr.. Dickinson TO com
pile on the same plan similar book to
cover preSent-day writer's and their
books It Is entitled "The Best Books
of Our Time 1901 1925" and Is further
described as "a clue to the literary
labyrinth for home library builders.
booksellers and librarians, consisting of
a list of 900 best books, selected by the
best authorities accompanied by critical
descriptions" In compiling this list
the editor was not able TO draw upon as
many famous previous list makers as
voters in the making of his selections
his main reliance has rather been on
lists issued by the American Library
Association, by individual public .abra-
ries and by historians of English and
American literatures and literary critics.
The results are therefore quite as trust
worthy. In his preface the editor points
out that the titles included have been
chosen by no single person, but accord
ing TO a consensus of expert opinion :.
that they are chiefly in the field Of
bellies Iettres. or If they fall in other
classes, to have been included they
must possess literary charm and excel
lence: that the period covered is the
first quarter of the present century.
since few authors Of great Importance
IN the nineteenth century have produced
much of moment i'll the twentieth, and
that no book has been included unless
at least four sponsors for it have been
found. The author of the book, himself
a man of fine literary discrimination,
confeSses that occasionally, in order to
secure the full quartet of sponsors. as
prescribed by his own rules. he has
himself Endorsed some favorite title, re-
Gently issued. which would osherwiSe
have been excluded.
Mr. Dickinson's supplementary VOL
ume. covering books of this century
lists books by 378 men and women, of
whom 309 are American or British and
50 are by foreign authors whose books
are represented in tranSlationS. The
main body of the book consists of an
arrangement under the authors repre-
sented, giving for each the number of
Endorsements for the author himself
the principal facts about his literary
life; his book or books selected for in
cluSion. with the number of indorse-
ments for each. brief description of
the book, and an enumeration of the
indorSers for each book. Very brief
opposite quotations from reviews are
occasionally used. This alphabetic ar
rangement is followed by other interest
ing lists, including the 10 faVorite au-
thors of the day. the 25 favorites: au-
thors. arranged according to number OF
Endorsements. from John Galsworthy,
with 1877. TO the long list with the mini
mum OF four. in which, by the way.
Harold Bell Wright falls; authors. ar
ranged according TO nationality; 10 ia
Vorite books. 25 faVoriteS. and 100 favor
tics: titles. arranged according TO the
number of lists upon which each ap-
pears. In which Bennett's "Old Wives
Tale" leads with 25 Endorsements. list
Of authors and titles, classified by sub
iect or literary form, and an index by
titles.
The 10 faVorite authors OF our day
as determined by Mr. Dickinson's plan
OF voting. are found to be John Gals
worthy f. G.. Wells Arnold Bennett. @
Barnard Shaw, Edith Wharton, Joseph
Conrad. Booth Harrington. Rudyard
Kipling. w H. Hudson and Joseph
Hergesheimer The 10 favorlte books
as determined by the votes counted. are
shown 10 be The Old Wives Tale :"
''rhe Forsyte Saga" Kim" The Mar
rative Poems of John Masetield. The
House OF Mirth." Jean -Christophe :"
Java Head" Spoon River Anthology :"
"PenrOd" and Ethan Frome' The
Booklover began his comment with q
new version OF EcclesiaSteS. Mi Dick
inSon takes as the motto for his book
this passage from Proverbs Where
no counsel Is. the people fall. but in the
multitude OF counSelorS there is safety"
The resultant is indeed a safe and sug-
gestiyc guide for the general reader
4 y =
Od-time aStrology has long since
given place 10 the Mendel law. but that
Goes not prevent occasional astrologerS
from earning living nor occasional
book on aStrology from being written
'Astrology Your Place in the Sun" by
Evangeline Adams. tells OF the supposed
influence of the planets and constclla-
lions upon personal appearance and
character, If you were born under
demini, you are too logical and lack
heart, II YOU we're born under Capricorn,
you have common sense, If you were
born under Aries. you are intolerant IN
religion; II YOU were born under Taurus,
YOU are quiet. SteadfaSt unimaginatlVe
and so ON History also Is not deter
mined by The statesmen who think they
are making IL, il Is determined by the
stars. The reason why the United
States entered the World War was be-
cause the influence Of the stars over
President Wilson was irresistible. The
transit of Uranus in 1915 over the OPP
position to his radical Mars and the
square formed by Uranus In the end OF
March and the beginning OF April. 1917,
with his radical Uranus. which was
retIograding into his seventh house.
forced him TO act. In spite Of his Libra
instincts" Read the book. and YOU will
perhaps understand what all this means
perhaps not,
In The Closed Garden" translated
from the French by Henry Longan
Stuart Julian Green has written
novel of much the same type AS 'Aear.Ce
House" Il study OF unusual. rather NOR
bid characters placed in strained Situa-
tions The MeSurRt family are provin-
clal bourgeoisie, not remarkable for any
fine qualities, There is tyrannical
Father Mesurat. hated by his daugh-
terS, there Is Gefmaine. an invalid and
hypochondriac. who escapes from home
because she can no longer endure her
fathers unreaSonablenesS, there tS Ad~
rienne. the younger daughter, who falls
in love with u middle aged doctor whom
she knows only by sight, chiefly because
she has nothing else to occupy her mind