Ferber. So unreliable is an author's own opinion of his work, as a rule, it appears, that Edna Ferber begged her publishers almost with tears in her eyes not to bring out "So Big" in book form after it had run as a serial. She said it would get bad reviews and that it would not sell because the general public would not be interested in the heroine. Frank N. Doubleday went ahead and took a chance on the book anyhow. He has already sold more than 100,000 copies of it. - New York HeraldTribune. Tennyson. Tennyson's "Crossing the Bar" was written in twenty minutes, we are told by Willingham Franklin Rawnsley, who has some reminiscences of the poet in the February number of the Twentieth Century. Tennyson told Mr. Rawnsley that he wrote the poem while on a steamer going to the Isle of Wight, and that he had finished it twenty minutes after he set down the first word. Tennyson was the most careless of all poe's with what he had written, Mr. Rawnsley says. He left the manuscript of "In Memorian" in a London lodging that he had left and it was recovered by Coventry Patmore. On another occasion, Tennyson was burning up some poems that he did not want to keep and Mr. Rawnsley's uncle caught hold of one that was about to be destroyed. It was "Break, Break, Break." Vorse."I have no system," said Mrs. Mary Heaton Vorse, "I have no 'method.' I take copious notes and put them carefully away and forget them half the time. I work. That's all I ever learned to do -just work. "As a rule I get through my work in the house by nine o'clock. Then - unless the sun and the wind calls too enticingly I get to work with my stenographer. "Yes, generally I work with a stenographer - dictating to her. That is, if things go well and the story moves along swiftly and satisfactorily. If not, then I get down to labor and dig out by hand. 'Dig' is just the word. It's hard manual labor then. It's the kind of labor man was condemned to do when he was expelled from the Garden of Eden. "I have no use for all this talk about inspiration or temperament. It is bunkum. Once in a long time there may arise a great genius like Michelangelo or Shakspere, who can dash off masterpieces without apparent labor, by spontaneous combustion, as it were. "But the average man or woman has to get down and dig hard, even when he or she is blessed with the gift of expression, the feel for words, the heritage of the story-teller." CURRENT LITERARY TOPICS. The Poet's First Gift. The seeing eye! It is this that discloses the inner harmony of things, what Nature meant, what musical idea Nature has wrapped-up in these often rough embodiments. Something she did mean. То the seeing eye that something were discernible. ... At bottom, it is the poet's first gift, as it is all men's, that he have intellect enough. He will be a poet if he have; a poet in word; or failing that, perhaps still better, a poet in act. Whether he write at all; and if so, whether in prose or in verse, will depend on accidents - who knows on what extremely trivial accidents perhaps on his having had a singingmaster, or his being taught to sing in his boyhood! But the faculty which enables him to discern the inner heart of things and the harmony that dwells there (for whatsoever exists has a harmony in the heart of it, or it would not hold together and exist) is not the result of habits or accidents, but the gift of Nature herself, the primary outfit for a heroic man in what sort soever. To the poet, as to every other, we say first of all: "See." If you cannot do that, it is of no use to keep stringing rhymes together, jingling sensibilities against each other, and name yourself a poet; there is no hope for you. If you can, there is, in prose or verse, in action or speculation, all manner of hope. Carlyle, in "Heroes and Hero Worship." Reading Manuscripts for Publishers. To every layman, and even to the author, there is something unknown and therefore perversely fascinating about the ways of a publishing house. In little, carefully guarded cubicles the members of the editorial staff sit in solemn and sacramental judgment, and through their hands passes the literature of the future. Their task is manifold and as difficult as any human task can be. The selection of a "publisher's list" is the duel between long experience and intuition on one side, and the evershifting tastes and prejudices of a swiftlyreasoning public on the other. The grinding of the editorial mill is mucn as follows: has been turned down by a dozen other publishers. And the great disgrace is to have failed to recognize even incipient genius. Every old publishing house has the skeleton of some such failure hanging in its closet, but no one who is reading manuscripts likes to see one of those skeletons tagged with his name. It is undoubtedly true that publishers take more pride in the discovery of new authentic talent than in any other one thing." The Piper" (the Houghton Mifflin Company's house organ ). BOOK REVIEWS. THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1924. The Yearbook For ten years now Mr. O'Brien has published First, the manuscript is numbered and carefully recorded, and the members of the editorial staff are assigned their reading. Their reports go to the editorial advisor, who gives his personal attention to them and makes the final recommendation to decline or publish ; but, whatever the manuscript is about, it gets its just share of time and thought. seems Reading manuscripts rarely There is always the gambler's hope of finding the perfect book, but there are also many manuscripts that do not seem quite right for publication, but which are, for various reasons, interesting. Sometimes the reader is exhorted as follows: "The Lord is going to provide the right publisher for these books. The request I make of you is that, if you know Him, you will ask Him concerning this matter. If He wishes you to undertake their publication, He will impress you so." The greatest honor one can acquire through reading manuscripts is to "spot a winner,” especially if, as in the case of one well known best seller, it is discovered later that it 1924." THE BEST NEWS STORIES OF 1923. Edited by Joseph Anthony. 406 pp. Cloth. Boston: Small, Maynard, & Co. 1924. Accuracy is undoubtedly the prime requisite for good news-writing, as Joseph Pulitzer insisted and continued to insist, and Mr. Pulitzer would undoubtedly have agreed that that means not only accuracy in statement of facts, but accuracy in the use of language-the right word for the place, subordination of uninteresting or unimportant details, avoidance of false appeals to the emotions and of any form of literary sloppiness whatever. One of the best ways for a writer to improve his work is by the study of the work of successful writers, and this book, which reprints nearly eighty of the best news articles published in American papers during 1923, not only affords admirable opportunity for such study but will interest general readers, who will find in it good stories of actual occurrences well told. W. H. H. THE BEST PLAYS OF 1923-1924. The Year Book of the Drama in America. Edited by Burns Mantle. 471 PF. Cloth. Boston: Small, Maynard, & Co. 1924. This is the fifth annual volume of a series that should be of interest to all writers, and especially to playwrights, theatre-goers, and all others who are concerned in any way with the study of the drama. Besides presenting in full abstract, with extensive verbatim quotations, ten plays from the 150 that came within the scope of the work, with sketches of their authors, Mr. Mantle gives a list of the plays produced in New York during the year, with casts and synopses, sketches of the season in New York and Chicago, a chapter on "The Little Theatres," a list of persons prominently connected with the theatre showing where and when they were born, and the year's necrology. THE WRITERS' AND ARTISTS' YEARBOOK. 1925. Edited by Agnes Herbert. Cloth. 244 pp. New York The Macmillan Company. 1925. This new issue of "The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook," prepared primarily for English writers, gives full information in a 90page list about the manuscript requirements of British periodicals, together with a list of British news agencies; a list of British publishers, with information about the kind of manuscripts they desire; and lists of British literary agents and music publishers. Information is given also about periodicals in Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, and Canada. There is a 30-page list of American periodicals, with short lists of American publishers and literary agents. Other features of the book are short chapters with such headings as Publishers' Agreements, Warning to Dramatic Authors, Serial Rights, Broadcasting for Writers, and The Art of the Photoplay. THE POETS OF THE FUTURE. Edited by Henry T. Schnittkind. 237 pp. Cloth. Boston: The Stratford Company. 1922. Nearly eighty colleges are represented in this college anthology for 1921-22 — the sixth volume of an annual series designed to show what kind of verse the young men and women in our colleges are writing. Perhaps some of those represented will really be the poets of the future. The publishers say that a number of those represented in earlier volumes of the series "have already gained nation-wide distinction in the field of poetry." HENLEY'S TWENTIETH CENTURY FORMULAS, RECIPES, AND PROCESSES. Edited by Gardner D. Hiscox. 8c7 pp. Cloth. New York: The Norman W. Henley Publishing Company. 1924. This new revised and enlarged edition of "Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes, and Processes" is a book of great practical value, that will be referred to frequently by any one who owns it. It contains more than 10,000 recipes, formulas, and descriptions of methods and processes, disclosing many trade secrets and showing in a practical way how almost anything can be done. It is, indeed, as the publishers say, a valuable reference book for the home, the factory, the office, or the workshop, containing hundreds of helpful hints and suggestions for every one. It tells, for instance, how to make adhesives, inks, anti-freezing solutions, beverages, candies, cements, cheeses, cosmetics, hair preparations, depilatories, dentifrices, essences, extracts of fruits, and so on, and gives information about cleaning preparations, antidotes for poisons, antiseptics, rust preventives, disinfectants, battery fillers and solutions, dyes, headache remedies, insecticides, lubricants, silvering mirrors, ointments, paints, ribbons for typewriters, paper of all kinds, perfumes, photography, plating, polishes, refrigeration, soaps, toothache remedies, and many other things. A special chapter is devoted to useful workshop and laboratory methods fully illustrated by detailed engravings. Incidentally the book suggests many ways of making money. THE SEXUAL LIFE. A scientific treatise designed for advanced students and the professions. By C. W. Malchow, M.D. 317 pp. Cloth. St. Louis: C. V. Mosby Company. 1923. Unlike the books published simply to make money by appeal to the baser side of human nature, Dr. Malchow's book is a serious work, approved by the journal of the American Medical Association, presenting in plain but unobjectionable language only established facts about sexual physiology, which should be understood by all adults, and especially by the married and those about to enter the marriage state. As Hygeia says: "Malchow's book treats of the most delicate relations of married life in plain language without evasion and without any possibility of misunderstanding. . While the author does not indulge in preaching, the highest moral tone runs through every chapter. Undoubtedly ignorance of the matters discussed in this book is a frequent cause of marital infelicity." The book is recommended by the American Association of Social Hygiene in its reading course. W. H. H. THE FOUNDERS OF AMERICA. By Edwin Wildman. Illustrated. 326 pp. Cloth. Boston: L. C. Page & Co. 1924. "The Founders of America," written in Mr. Wildman's bright and interesting style, is the twelfth volume of the Famous Leaders Series, and tells the life stories of the men who championed the cause of the American colonies against England and gave this nation its independence - Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, George Washington, Patrick Henry, Jonathan Trumbull, Nathan THE WRITER is pleased to receive for review any books about authors, authorship, language, or lit erary topics or any books that would be of real value in a writer's library, such as works of reference, history, biography, or travel. There is no space in the magazine for the review of fiction, poetry, etc. All books received will be acknowl edged under this heading. Selections will be made for review in the interest of THE WRITER'S readers.] JOSEPH PULITZER HIS LIFE AND LETTERS. By Don C. Seitz. 478 pp. Cloth. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1924. THE STYLE BOOK OF THE DETRIOT NEWS. By A. L. A story of the days when Charles was King. 242 pp. Cloth. Boston: L. C. Page & Co. 1924. JOHN MASEFIELD: A BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE. Stanley P. Chase. Modern Language Notes for February. VALE! PETER MCARTHUR. R. H. Hathaway. Canadian Bookman for January. D. H. LAWRENCE, Edwin Muir. Nation for February 11. ARTIST LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES. I. Mary Austin. Nation for February 11. NEWS AND NOTES. The Authors' League of America is to have quarters in a 20-story coöperative studio and apartment building, to cost $2,500,000, which is to be erected by a group of members of the League at the southwest corner of Lexington avenue and Thirty-fourth street, New York. The rest of the building will be largely devoted to workshops and apartmentsfor writers, members of the League. The League is now at 2 East Twenty-third street. Because of unsettled conditions in Spain and Italy, it has been decided to change the place for the next session of the Press Congress of the World, which was to have been held next summer, and to reset the date for later in 1925 or in 1926. The National Institute of Arts and Letters has awarded to Edith Wharton the 1924 gold medal awarded annually to some American for distinguished service to arts or letters. The medal has been awarded annually since 1909, and Mrs. Wharton is the first woman to receive it. Her predecessors among authors have been James Ford Rhodes, James Whitcomb Riley, Augustus Thomas, William Dean Howells, John Burroughs, William Roscoe Thayer and Eugene O'Neil. Other recipientshave been famous painters, sculptors, architects, and musicians. A statue of Fredrika Bremer, the Swedish novelist, who was a friend of Emerson, Longfellow, and Washington Irving, is to be erected at Stockholm. Vivian Burnett is gathering material for a biography of his mother, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and will be glad to hear from friends having letters from her. Material sent to him at Plandome, Long Island, N. Y., will be returned as soon as possible. "The Kipling Country," by R. Thurston Hopkins, is published by D. Appleton & Co. "Charles Dickens," by George Gissing, is published by Dodd, Mead, & Co. "Getting the News," by William S. Maulsby, is published by Harcourt, Brace, & Co. "Fields of Adventure," by Ernest Smith (Small, Maynard, & Co.), is a volume of recollections of forty years of newspaper life. "Freedom of the Press," by Samuel Arthur Dawson (Columbia University Press), is a study of the legal doctrine of "qualified privilege." The Macrae-Smith Company (Philadelphia) has succeeded the George W. Jacobs Company. The Nation for February 11 has an article on D. H. Lawrence, by Edwin Muir, which is the first of a series of essays on the younger authors of today which Mr. Muir will contribute. L'Alouette is a magazine of verse published every other month by C. A. A. Parker, 30 Waite street, Malden, Mass. Aesthete, 1925 is the title of a new magazine issued by the Broom Publishing Company, 42 Grove street, New York, under the editorship of Walter S. Hankell. The new McClure's Magazine, with Samuel S. McClure as editor, will make its appearance April 1. Louis E. Myers, of Valparaiso, Ind., will join the magazine, which will have the welfare of children as its primary motive. The Liberator and two other unconservative magazines have combined under the title The Workers' Monthly. The December number was the last issue of Our World Monthly, which was merged in Our World Weekly with the issue for February 2. The February number of Pearson's Magazine is the first issue of that magazine since October. The Nation is publishing a series of articles by American writers of the first rank, answering the question, "Can an artist exist and function freely in the United States?" The first article, published in the issue for February 11, is by Mary Austin. Good Housekeeping says it has discovered that an article it bought from Harry Flinkman, 954 Forrest street, Baltimore, was copied almost verbatim from an article in the Ladies' Home Journal. The best-selling American novel published recently is "The Little French Girl," by Anne Douglas Sedgwick, of which nearly 200,000 copies have been sold. At an auction before Joseph Conrad's death, his original manuscripts sold for $110,998. In 1909 only about fifteen years earlier - his total royalties from thirteen of these volumes were less than $25. Dick Gerard, who wrote the words of "Sweet Adeline," says that he sold his half interest in the song for $3,000 because he had got only $1,000 for the first two years' sales. "Sweet Adeline" has had a sale of about 10,000,000 copies in twenty years. The author's royalty would have been two and a half cents a copy. The late Mrs. Gene Stratton Porter's income from her writing was usually more than $100,000 a year. Anatole France left an estate valued at 23,000,000 francs- at the present rate of exchange more than $1,000,000. Frederick Marriott, publisher of the San Francisco News Letter, died in San Francisco January 11, aged seventy-four. John Lane died in London February 2, aged seventy years. Rev. William Copley Winslow, D.D., died in Boston February 2, aged eighty-five. Arnold White died in London February 5, aged seventy-six. James Lane Allen died in New York February 18, aged seventy-five. |