Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-10
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRAcEwELL.

Gus praise. We believe that in most
cases authors could write their own in
Productions better than any one else
could do it for them. After all, an Elm
PRODUCTION" by a second party is most
often nothing but a review. And who
wants to read a review at the begin
ming of book? Since foreword, how
ever, may be skipped or read, just as
the reader chooses, we see nothing tc
growl about, one way or the other.
MY "reminiscences as a Cowboy" by
Frank Harris, is one of the most inter
esting of these Paper Books. Frank
Harris is a name well known to al
writers and to most readers. His monu-
mental life of that tragic figure of Eng
liSh literature, Oscar Wilde, has but
recently been issued-unexpurgated--in
a cheap edition. Mr.. Harris tells, with
light but sure touch, of his initial
experiences in love, in a day when
America was much given to cowboys
tobacco juice and the wild and woolly. ,
THE Master of the Day of Judg-
ment," by Leo Perutz, could have been
written by none other than an Austrian
there is something at once SO eerie, SO
compelling, SO satisfactory. While II
must be labeled a mystery" story, it is
entirely different from the run of such
books, and packs tremendous kick
in the final chapter.
Prosperity" by Stuart Chase, deals
with some aspects of the American
problem and handles them well.
The Return of the Hero" by Darrell
Figgis, is book which has been at
trlbuted to severalt authors. It is the
only one of the dozen which we have not
read, and so we reserve comment. AS
far as we could make 1t out, however
Just by looking it over, it is an Irish
Helen of Troy (Erskine).
by the Waters of Manhattan" by
Charles ReZnikoff, is a novel done in
the French manner, told in the objec-
that nation such a delight. This is a
story in two parasitic first laid in old
Russia, the second in America. Ordi-
narily this is a f1ctional trick which we
dislike, but in this book it is exception
ally we'll handled. The first part gives
the childhood and young womanhood
of the heroine, the second brings her to
the United States, shows something OF
her life in the garment trades, but deals
mostly with the inner conflict of her
son, who is her own mind extended
The character of the son is one with
which many a reader will identify HIM
ity to a novel apart from and above
that achieved by the writer in the
telling.
"All in the Racket" Is a swift-moving
tale of modern crime and it's punish
ment; in this case its unjust punish
ment The story is obviously modelled
on the Little Caesar" which was a
best seller" last year.
The last book to arrive, the one on
the cerise-pink cover, is Margaret
Fuller" biography by Margaret Bell
It has an introduction by Mrs. Franklin
D. Roosevelt. which adds or detracts
from the book, according to the readers
viewpoint on introductions, as explained
above.
This biography will strike many read
ers as a bit dull. but to those interested
in the history of the human mind it is
quite readable, and on a par with most
of the biographies which have been
rushed into print during the past two
years Not every biography can attain
the stature of Matthew JoSephson
''zola and His Time"
Margaret Fuller was an interesting
woman only in that she was ahead OF
the mass of the women of her time in
the everyday handling of such intelli-
gence as she possessed. She did not
have the glamour of beauty, and her
life, despite It's success, was a great
tragedy in some ways. Perhaps that
may be said of most lives, which may
explain why this is a good biography
after all And If you know where to
purchase a better one for so cents,
please let us know.