The Indianapolis times., 1930-12-29
Fec Shoe
Interest in
Mysteries

NEW YORK, Dec. "a survey
OF the reading habits Of Wellesley
graduates FIVE years out OF college,
made by the Book Publishers Re
search institute, reveals that these
women read about four times as
much fiction as they do serious
works. like history and essays; that
biography comprises approximately
one-eighth Of their reading; that
they read practically no mystery
novels; and that English literature
has far more influence on their
present reading than any other one
course taken in college.
wellesley college was chosen Tor
the first Of a series Of surveys by
the institute to determine the read
ing habits Of college graduates, be-
cause it was considered as represen-
tative of a womans' college Of the
east and one upholding definite cul-
tural standards.
The fifty-three women contribut-
ing TO the survey live in seventeen
states, in widely scattered sections
of the United States. OF the total,
twenty are married.
62 Per Cent Is Fiction
Fortv-six named total of more
than $50 books of fiction, not in
cluding detective and mystery
stories, among books read during
the last year Only seven named
novels. Fiction thus comprised
approximately g. per cent Of the
total Of books named.
Asked to name some of the books
they had read during the last year,
the works of Sigrid Undset led.
Priestley. with Angel Pavement -
and 1.-The Good Companions came
next, with fifteen mentions. Re-
marques "All Quiet on the Western
Front was mentioned eight times,
and Ferber's "Cimmaron," Heming-
ways "A Farewell to Arms" and
Wilder's Woman of Andres" were
mentioned six times each. Sack
Vile Vests THE Edwardians" was
given five mentions.
OF the twenty-five books of f1c-
ton mentioned more than twice,
more than a third are American,
most of the others being British,
and few by authors Of other
European countries.
Biographies Are Popular
Although only about IL per cent
of the books read were biography,
tWenty-nine of the fifty-one women
listing their reading reported hav-
ing read at least one biography,
five of them naming four bio
graphies.
In biography, Anthony's Queen
Elizabeth" and HackettS Henry
VIZ were mentioned seven times
each. Others mentioned frequently
were Stracheys Elizabeth and Es-
sex" Isadora Duncan's "Autobio-
graphy," Maurois's "Disraeh" and
Byron" and Carlson's "Mata Hari." !"
In other types of reading matter,
books of an expository nature, such
as history and essays, totaled about
IS per cent; poetry, 5 per cent;
drama, 4 per cent, and mystery and
detective novels, 2 per cent.
Books of these types mentioned
most frequently we're Lippmann's
"A Preface to Morals" Thurber's
rs Sex Necessary" Connolly's THE
Green Pastures" and THE Rise Of
the American Civilization" by
Charles and Mary Beard.
Few Read Mysteries
Only five women named mystery
novels, the total named being ten,
while eighteen named total OF
twenty-seven volumes of poetry and
ten named twenty-one plays.
OF the fifty-three graduates,
twenty -eight declared that they
read more now than when they
entered college.
Only one out of the f1fty-three
stated that she read no magazines.
The others mention a total of sew
enty-five different magazines. OF
these, twenty-one read the Satur-
day Evening Post, which takes the
lead Good Housekeeping comes
next. with twenty-one mentions.
Others mentioned more than
once follow in order: Harper's and
the Atlantic Monthly, II each;
Time, IS; the New Yorker and
Readers Digest. 10 each; Literary
Digest and the National Geograph-
ic, 8 each; Ladies Home Journal, q;
Scribners and Cosmopolitan,
each; Harpers Bazaar, Woman's
Home Companion, Vanity Fair and
Vogue, each; House Beautiful and
the Saturday Review of Literature,
A each: Golden Book, Fortune,
House and Garden, Forum, Nation,
American, Current History, Survey,
and the New Republic, 3 each;
Judge, Better Homes and Gardens,
Golfers, Delineator. Parents, and
Historical Outlook, 2 each.