Robert H. Davis; and she says that his encouragement stimulated her into fresh life, "just as the fatal drowsiness induced by editorial icefields" was about to overtake her. He accepted three of her stories, and from that time she has never had a manuscript rejected. New Orleans Times-Picayune. Kilmer. Joyce Kilmer's home, a place of boundless week-end hospitality and almost equally boundless domesticity (guests being obliged to exercise much agility in clambering about toys with which the stairs were laden) was also year after year a place f almost unbelievable literary industry. The trying idiosyncrasies of the artistic temperament were about as discernible in Kilmer as kleptomania. He was, as you may say, social and domestic in his habits of writing to an amazing degree. Night after night he would radiantly walk up and down the floor singing a lullaby to one of his children whom he carried screaming in his arms while he dictated between vociferous sounds to his secretary or his wife his wife frequently driven by the drowsiness of two in the morning to take short naps with her head upon the typewriter while the literally tireless journalist filled and lighted his pipe. "Joyce Kilmer : Poems, Essays, and Letters."

Roosevelt. Colonel Roosevelt was a contributor to Scribner's Magazine for twenty years. His most important volumes are published by Charles Scribner's Sons. Colonel Roosevelt's books about thirty volumes invariably grew out of his activities, excepting his first book, "The Naval War of 1812," which was produced soon after he left college. His story of his African hunting trip was written by his own hand, in triplicate, in the very heart of Africa. Two copies of each chapter were dispatched by different routes, and one copy he kept by him for reference. These chapters as they arrived were published serially in Scribner's Magazine. They appeared also in a London newspaper, a French magazine, and an Italian newspaper. The volume itself was published simultaneously in New York, London, Paris, Japan, Sweden, Italy, and Germany. As a maker of books and a writer of articles, Colonel Roosevelt was one of the most con

siderate, conscientious, and exact contributors. He never broke a promise to complete a manuscript by a certain time, and the details. of preparing the manuscript were as familiar to him as to the best of the profession. When he handed in the manuscript of a book, it would contain the title page, the dedication,. the list of contents, and all the other machinery which so many authors neglect.. It was a joy to work with him. He would. see the whole book and its illustrations in. his mind's eye, and he would work with enthusiasm and industry to make it as nearly perfect as possible. The manuscripts of his. two great explorations, which he wrote with his own hand, all the rest of his books. were either dictated or typewritten filled with examples of the great care which he used in the choice of words, and the revision of sentences. Scribner's Magazine.

CURRENT LITERARY TOPICS.

are

Abandoned Manuscripts. It is said that Kipling's "Recessional" was rescued from his waste-paper basket, and had it not been for the intervention and pleading of a friend that magnificent fragment, "Hyperion," would have been put into the fire by Keats,. while even the still more famous "Ode to a. Nightingale" was discovered by the same friend behind a pile of books.

Newman thought nothing of his "Dream of Gerontius." He wrote to please himself and would forthwith have burned it; but again a friend stepped in and saved a poemwhich Elgar has set to splendid music, and which provides one of the finest hymns in thelanguage, "Praise to the Holiest in the Height."

One day Tennyson wrote to "Omar" Fitz-Gerald, casually mentioning that he had left a few verses behind him in his cupboard at his late lodgings, and would be rather glad to recover them. Fitz found them among the butter and sugar, written in an old butcher's book. They were "In Memoriam."

FitzGerald thought a great deal about "Alfred's" verses, but very little about his own. He wrote Omar Khayyam" in all its haunting beauty long before his death, and

66

had a few copies printed, but he seems to have told nobody about it. Another poet found a copy in the two-penny box of a second-hand book shop, and boomed it into deserved fame.

. Browning actually did destroy everything he wrote before “Pauline,” and tried to withdraw that from publication in order to burn the last copy left. He did not succeed, but he made it so scarce that a first edition was sold recently for £480.

Sir Walter Scott threw the first copy of "The Lay of the Last Minstrel" into the fire, and was only persuaded to rewrite it from memory by two friends to whom he had formerly read it. Even the first of his novels, "Waverley," was accidentally fished out of some lumber where it had lain for years little regarded. San Francisco Argonaut.

BOOK REVIEWS.

THE WRITING AND READING OF VERSE. By C. E. Andrews, Ph.D. 327 pages. Cloth, $2.00, net. New York: D. Appleton and Company. 1918. It is too much, of course, to say that nobody should write poetry who has not read Lieutenant Andrews's book, but it is not too much to say that if all those who are trying to write poetry would make a thorough study of it, many of them might do much better work. In clear, sensible English, Professor Andrews states the rules that govern the writing of verse as distinct from prose, with innumerable examples to illustrate the principles that he presents. The difference between poetry and prose he discusses at length in his chapter on Prose and Verse, pointing out that verse has an ideal pattern, very largely subjective, of meter and rhythm, to which the poet must fit his thought. "If the words fit into the pattern too perfectly. the verse is monotonous; good verse has a constant struggle between the sense of the words as brought out in the prose reading and the ideal metrical and rhythmical pattern that must be felt in the verse reading. In this struggle, it is the yielding now of one force, now of the other which gives variety to fixed verse. Prose, of course, having no such ideal framework, can have no struggle between form and thought; variety in prose must come from constant changes in the rhythm itself." "Prose," Professor Andrews says, "has rhythm, as well as verse. though prose rhythm is more irregular, and in the ordinary kinds of writing more difficult to Derceive..

The chief differences, then, between fixed verse and prose are that,

though both may approach an equality in time divisions, verse has distinct groups of time divisions, which we call lines; and the divisions in verse must have some regular agreement as to the number of syllables in each i. e., must have a rhythmical pattern. Verse can be read as prose, but prose cannot be read as verse, except for rare short passages. Good verse has, in fact, the characteristics of good prose, with other qualities added." The whole subject of verse-writing is treated exhaustively by Professor Andrews, in the most practical way. Part One of his book deals in a general way with the theory of verse, the principles of meter, rhythm, movement, phrasing, etc. Part Two is intended as a help to the more advanced student of composition who is interested in trying the technique of the different verse forms, or for the student who wishes to become a more capable critic of poetry. Especially interesting chapters are those on French Forms of Verse and Free Verse. For the student of the technique of verse-writing this is the best book written yet.

THE FOUNDATIONS AND NATURE OF VERSE. By Cary F. Jacob, Ph.D. 231 pp. Cloth. New York: Columbia University Press. 1918.

Beginning with chapters on Noise and Tone, Pitch, and Tone Quality, Dr. Jacob in his scientific study of the foundations and nature of verse goes on with chapters on The Quality of Vowel Sounds; Intensity; Genetic Aspects of Rhythm; Time; Rhythm Defined; Duration; Accent; The Phrase: Its Nature and Its Length; Rhyme and the Line Their Relation to the Phrase; The Structure of the Foot; The Content of the Phrase; The Rhythm of Prose; and Scansion. The book is a worthy companion to "The Rhythm of Prose," by William Morris Patterson, also published by the Columbia University Press.

A STUDY IN ENGLISH METRICS. By Adelaide Crapsey. 80 pages. Cloth, $1.00, net. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1918.

Miss Crapsey's investigation of certain problems in verse structure was cut short by her death in the autumn of 1914, so that the study in prosody presented in this book is incomplete, but it gives the results of an analysis of English poems that supports Miss Crapsey's main thesis that an important application of phonetics to metrical problems lies in the study of phonetic word-structure, and that English poetical vocabularies fall into groups according to the percentage of polysyllables employed. Her conclusions will interest students of the technique of verse. A MANUAL OF THE ART OF FICTION. By Clayton Hamilton. 2༣3 pp. Cloth. $1.50. Garden City, N. Y. Doubleday, Page, & Co. 1918.

This "Manual of the Art of Fiction" is a revised and amplified edition of "Materials and Methods of Fiction," by Mr. Hamilton,

which was first published in 1908. It is the best book written for students of storywriting. Beginning with a chapter on The Purpose of Fiction, Mr. Hamilton continues with chapters on Realism and Romance; The Nature of Narrative; Plot; Characters; Setting; The Point of View in Narrative; Emphasis in Narrative; The Epic, the Drama, and the Novel; The Novel, the Novelette, and the Short-Story; The Structure of the Short-Story; and The Factor of Style. No fiction writer can read the book without profit, and beginners in story-writing will get valuable suggestions from it.

THE MODERN NOVEL.

A study of the purpose and the meaning of fiction. By Wilson Follett. 336 pp. Cloth, $2,00, net. New York Alfred A. Knopf. 1918.

Mr. Follett himself says that his book is not primarily a history of the English novel from Defoe to Hardy, neither is it a treatise on criticism or the aesthetics of fiction in vacuo; it is an attempt to trace the development of some important principles of fictional criticism, and to show how the development of these principles has altered the shape of the modern novel. The scope of the book is indicated by its chapter headings The Creative Impulse; Romance ; Sentimentalism; Didacticism; Satire; The Realistic Spirit; Tragedy and Comedy; Humanism; Design; "Entertainment." A valuable feature is a fifty-page bibliography of the novel in English, with hints for study. THE BEST COLLEGE SHORT STORIES

1917-1918.

Edited by Henry T. Schnittkind, Ph. D. 458 pp. Cloth, $1.50, net. Boston: The Stratford Company. 1919.

This collection is introduced as the first of a series of annual volumes to include the best short stories written by college undergraduates. It presents twenty-two stories, three of which, according to Edward J. O'Brien, "bear favorable comparison with the best short stories written by contemporary American writers." Apart from its interest to the general reader, the book is especially valuable to writers because it includes a sixty-two page symposium by fifty-nine editors of current periodicals, telling what their attitude is toward new and unknown authors, followed by a thirty-four page symposium by twenty-eight successful authors of short stories, telling how they have attained literary success. THE POETS OF THE FUTURE. A college anthology for 1917-1918. Edited by Henry T. Schnittkind, Ph.D. 214 pages. Cloth, $1.50, net. Boston: The Stratford Co. 1918.

It would have been better if Dr. Schnittkind had made the title of this book, "Poets of the Future," instead of "The Poets of the Future," since not all of our best poets have come, or will come, from the colleges. Again, if the verses of the young writers that are collected here are fair illustrations of their genius it is well that the future of American

poetry does not depend upon them altogether. Still, there are some good poems in the anthology, and as a whole the collection is an interesting one.

ENGLISH LITERATURE DURING THE LAST HALF CENTURY. By J. W. Cunliffe, D.Lit. 315 pp. Cloth, $2.00. New York: The Macmillan Company. 1919. Professor Cunliffe's book is written to furnish guidance for first-hand study of Meredith, Hardy, Samuel Butler, Stevenson, Gissing, Shaw, Kipling, Conrad, Wells, Galsworthy, and Bennett Assistance in reading the authors themselves," the author says, "not substitutes for it." A chapter is given to each writer, and there is an introductory chapter on Contemporary Literature, with three concluding chapters: The Irish Movement, The New Poets, and The New Novelists.

THE ENGLISH VILLAGE: A Literary Study. By Julia
Patton, Ph.D. 236 pp. Cloth, $1.50.
New York:
The Macmillan Company. 1919.

A charming study of English village life, especially as it is illustrated in English literature during the century from 1750 to 1850, Miss Patton's book will be read with sympathy by cultivated readers. She shows how the characteristic phases of village life have been brought out both by the poets and the novelists, so that if the English peasant is going from the land, we have him in literature as a permanent possession.

NEWSPAPER WRITING IN HIGH SCHOOLS. By L. N. Flint. 42 pp. Paper, 50 cents. Lawrence, Kansas Department of Journalism Press, University of Kansas. 1917.

This bulletin on teaching the art and practice of newspaper writing in high schools, although intended chiefly for teachers of journalism, is a practical guide for any student of the principles of newspaper work, since it shows what he needs to learn, and gives information about the best authorities. THE STYLE BOOK OF THE DETROIT NEWS. Edited by A. L. Weeks. 92 pp. Cloth. Detroit The Evening News Association. 1918. This newspaper Style Book is intended for the guidance of writers for the Detroit News, but it contains practical suggestions about newspaper writing that any newspaper man may profitably study. It is packed solid with rules and advice, distinguished by clear common sense, and altogether is a very useful manual.

THE TYPIST. A course of lessons in the proper fingering, and the efficient manipulation of the typewriter. By J. E. Fuller. 142 pp. Cloth, $1.25. Cincinnati The Phonographic Institute Company. 1918.

Any intelligent typewriter operator who makes a faithful study of this book, following the directions of the drills for keyboard mastery and for practice with an exhaustive collection of models of all kinds of typewriting, will find that the manual is admirably designed to fulfil the purpose of the author,

the richness of Russian literature becomes more generally known. Students of the language will find these five books all useful helps. "First Steps in Russian," meant for students who have acquired the primary principles, presents a series of progressive reading lessons with explanatory notes, the subject matter of each lesson being made plainer by a picture. So many words are taught that the Vocabulary contains more than twenty pages. "Russian Verbs Made Easy is a useful manual, although its title may be a trifle too enthusiastic. The little reading books, with two stories by Turgenyev and a story by Lermontoff, both have notes and vocabularies, and the little book of Russian proverbs gives the Russian text and the English translation on opposite pages.

"

RUSSIAN COMMERCIAL CORRESPONDENCE. By A. S. Mindel. 89 pages. Flexible cloth, $1.10, net. New York: Longmans, Green, & Co. 1918.

Sooner or later, order will be restored in Russia, and then our business relations with the Russians will increase. In the meantime very many Americans are studying Russian, and are finding the language not nearly so difficult as it is generally supposed to be. This book is intended for students who have acquired an elementary knowledge of Russian, and will make them familiar with the expressions used in business correspondence. WORD-FOR-WORD RUSSIAN STORY-BOOK. By Nevill Forbes, M.A. 55 PP. Flexible cloth. New York: Longmans, Green, & Co. 1916.

Excellent reading practice for students of Russian is furnished in this little book, which includes twenty-five Russian stories, with interlinear transliteration of the accented text and word-for-word translation, with explanatory notes following each story.

THE NEW YALE SONG-BOOK. Compiled by G. Frank Goodale, Musical Director of the Yale Glee Club. 181 pp. Paper, $1.00, net. New York: G. Schirmer. 1918. This new collection of college songs includes the best of the old favorites that are still sung at Yale and the new songs of the last ten years, including twenty-two songs that have never been published. The book is made more attractive by many superb halftone views of Yale, including a wonderful frontispiece picture of the great Yale Bowl during a Harvard-Yale football game. JIMMY-BOY, RECRUIT, AND OTHER VERSES. By Joseph K. Colton. 81 pp. Boards. Worcester, Mass. Harrigan Press, Inc. 1918.

Mr. Colton is a newspaper poet who writes verse with more than ordinary facility, and whose poems, reprinted widely, have become familiar to newspaper readers, many of whom will welcome this collection of them.

BOOKS RECEIVED:

[THE WRITER is pleased to receive for review any books about authors, authorship, language, or literary topics or any books that would be of real value in a writer's library, such as works of refer

ence, history, biography, or travel. There is no space in the magazine for the review of fiction, poetry, etc. All books received will bé acknowledged under this heading. Selections will be made for review in the interest of THE WRITER's readers.] THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1918, AND THE YEARBOOK OF THE AMERICAN SHORT STORY. Edited by Edward J. O'Brien. 441 pp. Cloth, $1.60, net. Boston: Small, Maynard, & Co. 1919.

AN ANTHOLOGY OF MAGAZINE VERSE FOR 1918, AND YEAR-BOOK OF AMERICAN POETRY. Edited by William Stanley Braithwaite. 285 PP. Cloth, $2.00, Boston Small, Maynard, & Co. 1918.

net.

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THE WORLDS AND I. By Ella Wheeler Wilcox. lustrated. 452 pp. Cloth, $3.50, net. New York: George H. Doran Company. 1918.

WITH OLD GLORY IN BERLIN. Experiences of an American girl music student in the German capital, 1916-1917. By Josephine Therese. Illustrated. 319 pp. Cloth, $2.00, net. Boston The Page Com pany. 1918.

PARIS THE MAGIC CITY BY THE SEINE. By Gertrude Hauck Vonne. 354 pp. Cloth, $1.50. New York: The Neale Publishing Company. 1918. THE HEALTH-CARE OF THE BABY. A handbook for mothers and nurses. By Louis Fischer, M.D. Tenth edition, completely revised. 182 pp. Cloth, 85 cents, net. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Com. pany. 1918.

LITERARY ARTICLES IN PERIODICALS.

[ Readers who send to the publishers of the period. icals indexed for copies of the periodicals containing the articles mentioned in the following reference list will confer a favor if they will mention THE WRITER.]

CRAFTSMAN AND CRITIC. John Jay Chapman. Yale Review for April.

CONCERNING GENIUS AND LONG HAIR. Brian Hooker. Yale Review for April.

EDUCATION IN PURSUIT OF HENRY ADAMS. Samuel McChord Crothers. Yale Review for April. HISTORY OF A LITERARY RADICAL. Randolph Bourne. Yale Review for April.

Kate

DINING WITH DICKENS AT DELMONICO's. Dickinson Sweetser. Bookman for March. HUNTING HACK WORK. Robert Cortes Holliday. Bookman for March.

CURRENT TASTE IN FICTION. A Quarterly Survey. John Walcott. Bookman for March.

WHITMANISM AND ITS FAILURE. Yone Noguchi. Bookman for March.

MEXICO'S NEW POETS. Irving Ormond. Bookman for March.

LETTERS OF RILEY AND BILL NYE. Illustrated with photographs. Arranged, with comment, by Edmund H. Eitel. Harper's Magazine for March.

A NATION OF HAMLETS. A study of the Russian character as shown in Russian literature. L. E. Miller. Century for March.

BRYANT'S "INDEX EXPURGATORIUS." The Point of View, in Scribner's Magazine for March.

THE COMING BACK OF OSCAR WILDE. Richard Le Gallienne. Munsey's Magazine for March. THEODORE ROOSEVELT AS A ΜΑΝ OF LETTERS. Brander Matthews. Munsey's Magazine for March. WAS GEORGE MEREDITH REALLY A NOVELIST? Current Comment for March.