Evening star., 1933-12-23

The current issue of Argosy contains
list Of more than 400 serials which
appeared In the magazine, in its varl-
Gus forms over the years, which were
published later in book form. Several
Of the authors are very well known. The
list includes Mary Roberts Rinehart
and Natalie Sumner Lincoln. both resi-
dents of the National Capital.
This ought to be blow to those who
pretend to 'sneer at the so-called pulp
paper" magazines. The real point, we
believe, is not that story necessarily
must be good to get within book covers,
but that it is just as good a story In
magazine form, provided 1t Is a good
story to start with.
Book covers do not make writing good.
There is a lot of drool in beautiful
bindings, as any one knows who loves
to browse among the bookstalls. Many
fine things appearing in magazine and
newspapers never see other publication.
X y X X
Those who take an interest in all
forms of writing, therefore, will never
regret the hours they have spent with
the cheaper magazines devoted to what
Is called, for want of a better term,
action stories.
These stories do indeed, have great
er appeal to younger men than to older
ones, but one may doubt whether that
is any compliment to the old boys.
The taste for this sort of fiction oc-
ours at different times, and no doubt
meets certain needs of the mental life.
AS a rule, these stories, which some
persons of the old school might call
maturity of handling such as one will
find to perfection in the novels of John
Galsworthy. for instance.
Yet many of these rapidfire tales are
we'll done, and no one should be afraid
Of them simply because they are put
out on paper which will not last a
* X
AS for us, we have never regretted
reading anything which was written
with sincerity of purpose. and which
pleased us, from the vast mail order
catalogues, machinery handbooks, patent
medicine almanacks and the like
through the whole range of world litera-
ture, as far as we have gone with it.
To be a reasonably complete reader,
one must have surveyed the entire range
of print, in a measure, have known
something of everything, have been as
well pleased with the handful as with
the great play, each in its way and
place.
1t is this omniverous quality of the
complete reader which leads many an
older man today to look back with
genuine pleasure on his hours spent
with the so-called dime novels of
yesteryear.
As for us. we have read a stack of
Frank MerTiwellS" which would reach
from the floor TO the ceiling. From
Franks adventures as a fireman to his
choice of Inez instead of Elsie. we con-
tinued on through with the adventures
of his brother. Dick. We never liked
Dick as well as Frank, and don't i'm
agine any other reader did.
Others read with relish in that far
period-and how long ago it seems. to
be sure-were Old King Brady, Fred
Fearnot, Nick Carter, Buffalo Bill. They
we're all action, Of course, but they were
not BADLY written. in any sense. except
that the plots, as viewed today, were
somewhat obvious, and the conversation
rather running to the bromide.
They gave experience, however, some
thing which mankind never gets too
much of. especially in the form Of the
narrative. The tale is a mans peren-
NAL effort to free himself from the
narrow round of the everyday. The
boyish reader does not consciously seek