Evening star., 1939-01-22

reviewer feels, kind of childish
mentality. 1t is hard to imagine an
adult of Well-rounded development
taking such a line.
For, after all, who cares enough
about his literary opinions to feel
that they have to be kept secret?
Why be anonymous over a matter
so extremely impersonal? The re-
viewer, in her time on The Star, has
had to write of books by her own
friends and, on more than one occa-
sion. has had to criticize those books
adversely This, sometimes, has
made a friend angry, but never in
a personal way. The anger has been
directed against the reviewers obvi-
Gus stupidity, at her inability to see
the beauties of the brain child in
question. And it has beer expressed
quite freely, too.
II, between friends, such exchanges
are possible. it is hard to see why
strangers, wishing to disagree, should
fear to sign their names to their dis
senting statements. The reviewer
welcomes discussion. She will ex-
pect, of course, to keep her own end
up; she very seldom makes a state
ment which she Is not prepared to
defend. But it has always been her
policy to give space to the dissenters,
and she means to continue to do So
provided, of course, that the opposi-
tion will but come into the open and
put Its name freely to its communi-
cations.
On December Is. the reviewer
wrote in these columns of a new
magazine called Omnibook. a peri
odical which is made up of excerpts
from books so chosen as to give
readers a general idea of the whole
contents OF the work The reviewer
characterized Omnibook as a "di-
gest" and uttered low moan.
Now Mr.. Victor w. Knauth of
Omnibook staff writes to object.
Dear Miss Reviewer" he says, "I
hope l am not offending you more
by addressing you as Miss than YOU
offend Omnibook by calling it a di-
gest.
I'm preparing Omnibook. we
learned a lot about digests, because,
above all. that is what we didn't
want Omnibook to be.
I'VE asked people and most told
us that a digest is something that
you can put in your pocket. So we
made Omnibook a size which
wouldn't go even into Hendrick Van
Looms pocket -.
Some told us that digest is a
rewriting of something else. Not a
word IN Omnibook is rewritten. We
have fixed it so that. by almost
miraculous editing, the books In
omnlbook hang togther and make
sense without changing or adding a
one OF the authors original words
And. as to Omnibook being for
people who do not care for literature
ana DO not care for books chat is
what the reviewer said), we beg to
say that the books abridged In
Omnibook are the ones which people
have been buying and talking about
most: 1t would be easy to All
Omnibook each month with literary
f1ops. But you should see us str,Io.
Cling with publishers to get the books
people do want, as shown by
Honest we don't think we are
mutllators (the reviewer called them
that too). In fact, we are confident
that you will learn to love Omnibook
With the passing months"
Now, to the literate, Mr., Knauth,s
letter (Which is certainly good
natured, coming from one whose
brain child has been severely
criticizeO will bear out, with perfect
precision everything which the re-
viewer said. A digest is a digest
big or little, and, as far as this
reviewer goes. they are all equally
accursed. The fact that Omnibook
Is not a rewriting does not help its
case; a rewriting Is honestly that,
at least. But an abridged edition"
Is 1nexcusable. 1t is mutilation, no
matter how 1t may allow a book to
hang together" Hanging is execu-
tion and whether it be done in the
whole or after a drawing and quar-
tering Of the victim, there is nothing
else to call 1t.
Moreover, any digest at all-big,
little, abridged, rewritten or what
have you-exists for the sake of
those who do not care for literature
and do not care for books" for only
such as those make the success of
the digest form possible. The re-
viewer haS nofhiv,o ooo{pct e,,oI,