Evening star., 1945-08-12
By Carolyn Cogeins.

summer reading we've ever seen
was written by J. v. McAree In his
column for The Spectator, Hamilton,
Ontario. Because it is good reason
ing to remember, we quote bit
from his long piece on the subject:
80 books recommended for
light reading are generally sup
posed to be inconsequential,
frothy books which will make
little or no demand on the read
er's mind. The presumption is
that in summer the heat will
make it difficult to concentrate.
But If this is true, then obviously
the book to be recommended
Is the sort of book that will make
such imperative demands on the
readers attention that he will be
unable to put it down, once hav-
ing taken it up. With a book
of this sort the reader would
hardly notice the heat. Now the
books that fall into this cate
CORY are the good books, one
might almost say the great books;
in other words, the book at the
other end of the literary scale
from the light, frothy books
which are recommended for sum-
mer reading. We do not think
there can be any physical or
psychological foundation for the
notion that In hot weather the 4.
attention continues to stray from
a subject more than in cold
weather. 1t is probably the sub
ject rather than the temperature
that is responsible for any stray
ing thoughts"
Phil Stong came in from Wash
Ington, Conn.,, the other day to
celebrate Marta of Muscovy," his
fourth nonfiction book. Added to
II juveniles and Is novels since
1882, that is pretty rapid writing.
1t was 13 years ago that "State
Fair" started him out at this pace.
He has done number of short
stories, too, but he writes them only,
1e says, when they are born alive"
Like snakes" commented his
writer wife, Virginia Swain.
AS an Iowa farm boy he lost his
Illusions early about life in the
country. He left it for Drake Uni
yersity, after which he taught and
coached football and worked on
dozens of newspapers. Twenty
years ago, when he and Virginia
we're both on the Des Moines Reg
lster, they met and married. She
was successful serial story writer
for newspapers for years and has
written four novels herself. We
asked her If she writes every day.
NO" said Virginia thoughtfully.
Sometimes 1 make currant jelly"
Phil writes little or a lot almost
every day-rather at night. for his
days gave him the night
habit. He likes the work of
authoring, types his stuff as he goes,
and rarely rewrites. This last habit,
some critics would say, could be
changed for the better.
Since not even New York is full
Of people from the Belgian Congo,
it is odd that two gentlemen from
there should meet at a small. pleas
ant party in New York given by
Charles Studin. The occasion was
honoring Halle and Whit Burnett,
story writer, anthologist, and editor
of Story Magazine, respectively.
One of the guests was Emily Hahn,
author of China to Me-" and with
her was a tall, lean, bearded chap
by name of Putnam. who Is here for
a change from his home in the Bel
gian Congo. where he has lived about
Is years. He explained that the lure
OF it is being a big fish in a small
pond, which Is the lure of all the
Far East for Americans. He lives as
he might in the Adirondacks except
that over there he has about 80
people working for him and here he
have two. It's a life that
is pleasant. but no more profitable
otherwise than If he were In this
country.
He and Ben Lucien Burman fell
talking because Burman went to
the Congo with lie Clerc and broke
the story of the Free French over
here for the simple reason that he
was the only writer within miles
at the time.
Ben Ames Williams Leave Her
to Heaven" has now sold over a mil
lion copies. Carl Van Doren has
at last completed his book, "Benja.
min Franklin's Autobiographical
Writings" and it will come out in
September. Thoreau's Walden
was the first book sold in the Paris
Brentano Bookshop when it opened
recently. A soldier bought it