Evening star., 1930-06-24
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. C. NJ.


ence School.
In response to its market. the de-
! tective story has reached the stage OF
quantity production. Unlike most con-
| siderable enterprises. this is an unor-
! ganiZed industry Its single bond is
| that of common speed-drive to meet
large and demanding public Such
| point of union issues in an individual
| rivalry of haSty production rather than
| In the efficiency of collective compeu-
tion. 1t is such pressure of time that
| IN large part, no doubt, accounts for
the generally recognized mediocrity of
the mystery tale. This, that accounts
in some measure for the Frequency Of
the loose and clumsy plot: for action
that has neither clear objective nor ap-
| preciable conference; for motive and
| crime-tnseparable pair-so diSparate
and incommenSurate; for farcical de-
vices, named clues, that skip In and
out of the situation in blithe disregard
| OF fact or OF average common sense;
and for complete disregard of the plth
OF the whole matter-that devotion to
the steps in cause and effect, to the
logic of the case, to the inductive rea-
soning which is the essence of solution
for the problems of crime
Yet, in spite OF such open defects, in
spite OF the fact that TIE great mystery
tale Is a rare bird, indeed, its author
one of not more than five, six at the
most this is by all odds the most pop-
| ular brand of current fiction in every
| day ana year. The detective story is a
permanency. A thing TO make better
than 1t is, since 1t is here to stay with
out doubt.
There's reason for forecasting long
| life to this particular brand of fiction.
Wonder, mystery, this lies deep in man.
He was born out of 1t. He dies into it.
And day by day his life long he is
brushed by its invisible wings in IN
, Vulnerable points of incident coinci-
| dence, chance, miSchance. Curiosity
too, is mans next primal instinct This
| the driving force that has produced
! much of the worlds growth as it moves
forward age by age. 1t is this prying
ferreting human, seeking answers to his
own small puzzles, digging into the COM
mon enigmas of every day, that is so
| concerned in his playtime and hours of
ease over the tales of mystery, the stories
| of crime that are multiplying so pro-
| digiouSly under his clamor for them.
"The Technic of the Mystery Story"
by Carolyn Wells, provides one with the
chance in a thousand to secure intelli-
y
area with which the general public is
| so deeply concerned. Carolyn Wells is
a scientist whose field of investigation
is such fiction as has to do with crime
and the professional pursuit of crimi-
mails. Therefore, just as geologist, as
tronomer chemist or other whatnot of
scientific research would do, this expert
| also assemblies appropriate material in
, adequate amount and variety to demon
strate fairly the essence of the mystery
story, its requirements, its special tech
mic, its approaches to other orders of
fiction and its departures from these,
its spirit and its individuality The
material assembled is of wide range in
time and in the developing history of
romantic literature. Here is set def
nitely the particular fiction under con-
sideration, its beginnings, its growth,
its adaptations to changing literary
conceptions and purposes. The study is
objective. 1t deals with the stories
themselves. 1t is concerned with the au-
thors of this particular kind of fiction,
with their equipment, their achieve
mentS, their comparative successes and
failures. The book is of historic worth,
showing the rise and growth of the art
IN America, indicating its relations and
variants in other countries pushing the
whole back in passing reference to old
literatures to show its deep-seated origin
in primitive man himself. 1t is above
all a practical book, whose special
stresses are upon the present and the
immediate future OF this art. Its easy
familiarity with the subject adds inter-
est and intimacy to the readers ac-
quaintance with immediate profess
SionalS OF this craft. The bulk of the
study Is engaged with analysis, diSsec-
tion' for the Identification of parts with
the whole, for the tallying of purpose
with process and outcome, for the valid
ity of the partnership between means
and ends, for fair accountings between
the story and the pattern of life which
1t seeks to embody and project A COM
pTehensive study. whose large outline is
at every point supported by scholarship,
by dramatic imagination, by literary
acumen, by artistry of high value. A
study, besides, of good detail for definite
instruction on the subjects OF plot,
structure, general effects. There fol-
low careful examinations into motive
and its place in the detective story, an
analysis OF evidence as such, the i'm
portance of observation in the study of
crime, with many examples of famous
men who, by acute eyesight and mind
sight, grew uncannily expert in its pur-
suit. A section is devoted to the detec-
tive, the general readers chief concern
many times in the whole matter The
new psychology as a crime prober is
given good attention here Indeed, no
phase of the mystery story, either its
past or its present, appears to be lack
ing at the hands OF this indefatigable
student, this expert accountant this
able expositOr and this most interesting
writer. Many would have been lost in
the abundance of material Not this
writer. Instead, there steps out a COM
prehensive, orderly, superbly Co-ordi-
mated outlook upon big subject. And
to such general excellence is added q
minute study OF complete illumination
and engrossment The book is designed
primarily for students whose objective is
Writing-Writing mystery tales. In
valuable for these. Equally worth while
also to the reader to the one who de-
lights in this sort of fiction. In the
best sense, in its only real sense, read
ing is laboration-laboring together
with the author 1t is going along with
the writer, foreSeeing his general moves,
accepting his ways and means-of re-
Jecting these-suggesting at this point
or that a better move than he has made,
truer angle than he has seen. 1t is
entering into his mood, pausing with
him here in enjoyment and apprecia-
ton, intellectually sympathetic with his
high aim and emotionally stirred by his
superior artistry. Such, in sum, is
j reading
Reading is collaborating No other
term expresses its blend of acceptance
or rejection, of appraisal and judgment.
Reading is by no means a mere scan
| ming of words, a lax mental attitude,
limp uncritical passing of the time.
That is disSipation-just another crime
story in this case and then another
| one. An anodyne along with opium
| and tobacco and such like. Here, on
the o@ntrary is vigorous. stirring stuff.
Here is work worth any ones doing.
Here Is nartakinP of the authors own