The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-11-25
BY WALTER d. HICKMAN

n
BY WALTER ID. HICKMAN
ATOWADAYS it seems that every
IN body is selecting the ten best
this and ten best that.
Now We have Burton Rascoe, we'll
known American critic, selecting his
100 best novelists.'
This is done in "Titans Of Lit
erature: From Homer to the Pres
ent," published by c. P. Putnam'S
Sons.
Rascoe admits that ito make an
arbitrary list Of the 100 best novels
is. a presumption beyond my capac-
ity to presume" but adds: How
ever, / have often toyed with the
idea of making a select list of 10C
best novelists, with one particularly
fine example for each Of the novel
lists art"
The critic explains that several
books of the Old Testament might
properly be called short novels, con-
else and dramatic, but 1 have omit
ted these for the double reason that
the authors are anonymous and
that these novels are not long sus-
tanned narratives. .
That statement is interesting, es-
pecially these days when students
of literature more and more are
considering the Bible as a source OF
fine style of writing.
am tremendously interested IN
Rascoe's list because several times
- I have been taken seriously to task
for favoring several of the writer's
who appear on this list as "one
hundred best novelists.
And the list from that standpoint
becomes more interesting to me be-
cause the "one particularly fine ex-
ample of the novelist is the work
that caused me so much grief be-
cause priced them.
1 am glad that Rascoe's list in
cludes Petronius for The Satyrl-
con" DRESSER for Sister Carrie,
Dostoievsky for THE Brothers Kara
mazovp and Cabell for "Jurgen."
In this revocation of what he con-
siders the one hundred best novel
lists. Rascoe is on safe and common
ground when he includes Cervantes
for Don Quixote," Voltaire for
"Candide." De Foe for Mol Fland-
ers." Fielding for Tom Jones,
Swift for "Gulliver's Travels,
Austen for Pride and Prejudice,
Hugo for LES Miserables," Thack-
cry for Vanity Fair" Melville for
"Moby Dick" Carroll for Alice in
Wonderland" Twain for "Huckle-
berry Finn" Stevenson for Treas
ure Island" Kipling for Kim
Conrad for "Nostromo," Bennett fol-
"Old Wives Tale" Galsworthy fol
'The Forsyte Saga" Wharton fol
ETHAN Frome," Chesterton fol
'eeThe Man Who Was Thursday ano
others.
You will be bound to recognize
Ford Matoc for the Tietjens series
Ring Lardner for "Gullible's Trav-
els" Hemingway for "A Farewell tt
Arms" and Faulkner for Soldier;
Pay"
Have just received a copy o
''Funday" by lilo Orleans and it i
rated by the publisher, CLAUDE
Kendall. as lone of the SwelleS
books for children published thi
wear" And that opinion is shared
by such notables as Angelo. Patri
Eddie Cantor. Elizabeth Morrow
Hendrix Van Loon, John Erskin
and Marie Dressler and many others
n q
Brentaros of New York are o
the OBI hon that what more ant
more people ask about books, now
adays, is not which to read, bu
which are being read by the mos
people this week"
The fiction list this week lists
"Flowering Wilderness by Gals
worthy; THE Narrow Corner" b
Somerset Vaughan, Invitation t.
the Waltz" by Rosamond Lehman
"Family History" by V. Sackville
West" Peter Ashley, by Du Bos
Hayward, and, Sons by Pear
Buck.
Well. now I am interested. TIL
Macmillan Company informs m
that THE Reverend Doctor Johl
Trusler was an eighteenth centur
authority on gentlemanly manner
and department at the table. Il
The Art of Carving ($D he give
instructions on how to carve tn
various joints that appear on tn
table of a gentleman, how TO sea
the guests, offer wine, etc"
y
The Business Branch Library an
nounces that the following inter
esting modern books have bee
added: "A New DEAL by Stuai
Chase. in which the author advc
Gates evolution of our present SyS
tenn by drastic amendment in the d
rection of collectivism. such as ecc
nomic planning, public works, Stii
income and inheritance taxes
Credit Cneaters,' manual on ski
tracing technique and procedure,
Luftig; The Story of Uncle Sam
Money" by Woods, and The Bubb
That Broke the World" by Gar
rett. the story Of Americas lo'
ssradft