Evening star., 1933-12-31

in spite of the literary reviews best
seller lists and book club Selectons
Living Authors" published in 1881 DID much
to help this realization, and Authors Today
and Yesterday" is even more comprehensive.
Both are invaluable reference books Tor any
one doing literary critical work or Tor the
student of modern literature The present
volume includes biographical sketches OF 32O
authors of the twentieth century, each ac-
companied by portrait. Many OF tne living
authors have contributed their own biographies
In each there is a photography OF the
authors works and of books and articles about
him Some of the authors telling their own
stories are James Truslow Adams, Phyiils
Bentley. Robert Hichens, Hans Fallada. Count
Keyserling L. A. G. Strong, Francis Stuart,
Margaret Aver Barnes and Pearl Buck. MIS-
A. J Cronin has written the sketch OF her
husband.
The idiosyncrasies of authors, their methods
of writing their choice of homes their recre-
ations their taste in books, music, palntlng'
their wives and children sometimes their di-
vorces) and their friends are some of the inter-
esting subjects upon which Light is thrown
Striking episodes are related and facts are
given about individual pieces of writing. Joseph
Conrad's twenty fifth novel, left unfinished at
his death, had an Indian setting and was called
Suspense" The ashes of Thomas Hardy were
carried from the crematory at Woklng 10 tne
Poets Corner in Westminster Abbey Dy Slr
James NJ. Barrie. Ivan Bunin, recent winner
of the Nobel Prize, was at one time cores
pondent and follower of Tolstoi. Charles Nord-
hoff one of the authors of "Mutiny on the
Bounty" prefers SCOTS novels to all others
Francis Stuart likes bad books if they are only
exciting but thinks he knows good ones when
he sees them, and considers William Faulkner
"about the best American novelist" James
Truslow Adams reads poetry when he is tenn
porarily tired of history. Paul De Kruifs fav-
Errac Hpnn
ingway and Edgar Lee Masters. Some writers
frankly admit that they do not care for reading
at ALL like those ministers who do not enjoy
the preaching of other ministers. The authors
most in favor with other authors seem to be
Marcel Proust, James Joyce, D. H Lawrence,
Thomas Mann Ernest Hemingway Sinclair
Lewis, George Bernard Shaw and Joseph Con-
rad Fondness for country homes and the
outdoor life is general amcng authors. Walter
Prichard Eaton says of his life in the country:
"I found happiness and health. have never
had sleepless night. nor sneezed and shifted
with hay fever since left New York" Chicago,
however suits Margaret Aver Barnes very well,
and Helen Hull likes New York in the Winter.
Library of World knowledge. Complete In
One Volume Edited by A. H. McDannald,
B. L. New York: William H. Wise & Co.
COMBNING two desirable elements for a
~ home encyclopedia, relatively small size
and inexpensiveneSS, "The Modern Encyclo-
pedia' has also the requisites of being nom
technical and up-to-date The articles are
written by the staff Of the Encyclopedia
Americana" under the direction of its editor
in chief Dr. McDannald and are illustrated
bv nearly / 200 drawings especially made for
the volume. The editor says in his foreword
that the present encyclopedia rejects the
theory that to be informative an encyclopedia
must be verbose 1t is based on the idea that
from a concise, clearly written and accurate
statement of facts the average reader will be
able to obtain all the information relating to
a given subject that he desires" There are
In all $4,000 articles in the 1927 double-col-
umned pages humb-indexed for easy refer
ence
To check the recent nature OF the knowledge
incorporated we turn to 'electron' and find
a column table Of elements, symbols, atomic
numbers and atomic weights. "Photo-electrlc
cell' yields good brief definition, with refer
ence to electric eye" The history of aero
nautics'' begins with the mechanical flight OF
Veranzio in 1917 and ends with Amelia Ear
harts first transatlantic solo flight by woman
in May, 1882. Recent medical science is repre-
sented by many references, among them "secre-
ton, glandular"; "insulin,' "vitamn," "X-rays'
and sunlight therapy." Radio and its vari-
Gus subdivisions occupy two pages. Calvin
Coolidge is designated an American states
man; Warren G. Harding merely as the
Twenty ninth President of the United States. "
Lily Pons and Rosa Ponselle occupy adjoining
places Most Of the colleges and universities
of the United States are briefly mentioned
Literature receives generous treatment and few
American writer's, who have any claim to dis
tinction omitted. Modern foreign writers
do not fare quite well. The apportionment
of space among the fields Of knowledge seems
to be judiciously done. 1t would be to the ad-
vantage of every high school and college stu
dent to have copy of "The Modern En-
cyclopedia" beside his one-volume dictionary
ON his desk and as home reference book 1t
would be hard to find anything better. The