Books and AuthorsLILLIAN KENDRICK BYRN
Books and AuthorsLILLIAN KENDRICK BYRN
LILLIAN KENDRICK BYRN
Mr. Page, whose place among the foremost of living American authors no one disputes, has given us, in “On Newfound River,” a charming love story. It is not so long or so elaborate as “Red Rock,” but the author says of it: “It does not pretend to be a novel. It is, on its face a love story of simple country life in Old Virginia ... the incidents are those which might have taken place in a rural community before the war where the gentry ruled in a sort of manorial manner, and their poorer neighbors bore a relation to them, part retainer, part friend.” The illustrations are by John Edwin Jackson, a young Southern artist who has risen to the front rank in the illustrating world by the merit and sympathetic quality of his work.
The history and characters of the Tennessee Mountains seem to have become the peculiar property of Miss Murfree, who is never so happy as when in this particular field. In her latest book, which, like “The Story of Old Fort Loudon,” deals with the early settlement of this state, she gives a stirring history of the vicissitudes of the early settlers, and the terrible vengeance of the Cherokees. As the time antedates the Revolution by thirteen years the heroine is a lovely, highborn English girl, while the hero is a sturdy young product of colonial training and education. While it is an engrossing love story, it is also a distinct contribution to American romantic history.
Mr. Cable’s delightful book, his first volume, by the way, was published in 1879, and so popular has it proven that it goes through several editions every year. Each issue seems more artistic than the last, but surely the illustrations can never be better than those which Albert Herter has given this Christmas. He has caught the very spirit of the Creoles, their grace, their jauntiness, their naive simplicity. It may not be generally known that Mr. Cable, born of a Puritan mother and a Virginia father, started out on a promising newspaper career in New Orleans, after returning from the Confederate army in 1865; a career which came to grief because he refused to edit the theatrical column, having a deep-rooted prejudice against the stage. He then became a clerk in a cotton firm and his Creole sketches, done at odd times, appeared inScribner’s Magazine, where they speedily won for him the recognition in the world of letters which his later work has so well upheld.
The laughable experience of two country lads who go to make their first call on the girls they admire is rendered still more quaintly comical by Peter Newell’s inimitable drawings. One of the boys had preparedfor the ordeal by a faithful study of “Hints and Helps to Young Men in Business and Social Relations,” but the principles expounded therein prove very poor working dependences. “When seated,” the “Hints and Helps” advised, “ask the young lady who her favorite composer is. Name yours. Ask her pet poet. Name yours.” The sufferings the boys endured in trying to follow these instructions, the humiliating climax that ended their first attempt to fulfill the social amenities, make a thoroughly enjoyable story.
Carrying out what was perhaps his last request, within one week after the death of this beloved man, his old co-worker, Mr. Holcomb, with several stenographers, under the advisement of the bereaved widow, began working night and day, arranging and weaving together into tangible shape “The Life and Sayings of Sam Jones.” The result is a book replete with anecdote, incident and narrative, all showing the forceful and vigorous character, the personal magnetism, the practical knowledge of human nature and the winning tenderness of this foe to cant and sham. These qualities, coupled with his homeliness of speech, every word of which was a sledge hammer blow to the wicked, brought the rich and poor, the ignorant and the educated to hear him. He knew how to excite his auditors to laughter one minute and to tears the next. He knew how to reach the hearts of the callous, and how to encourage the struggling. The volume is profusely illustrated and will probably be put through several editions.
Mr. John Fox, Jr., the author of the popular “Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come,” was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, the very heart of the bluegrass region. At fifteen he entered Kentucky University and from there went to Harvard, where he graduated the youngest of his class. He first thought of studying law, but became attached to the staff of the New YorkTimesand has had a passion for the pen ever since. His interest in the life of the Kentucky mountaineers led to his first book, “A Modern Europa,” and the success of this first effort led to the writing of others. At the outbreak of the Spanish War, Mr. Fox joined the Rough Riders, but left the service to act as special correspondent forHarper’s Weekly. His experience there furnished the material for his next novel, “Crittenden.” After the war he returned to his home and has been engaged in writing steadily since, having a half dozen or more stories to his credit. The study of the mountain dialect is particularly interesting to Mr. Fox. He has found, he says, over two hundred words used in his section that were in use in Chaucer’s time. His latest book is a realistic description of the life and old-world ideals still to be found in the remote mountain districts, and is written in his usual sympathetic vein.
This silhouette of the illustrious and ever fascinating Old Hickory far exceeds anything that has previously appeared from the pen of the Arkansas author. It deals with the life and adventures of Jackson up to and through the battle of New Orleans, showing clearly the integrity, the invincible determination, and the kindliness, withal, of the hero. Two duels are described and through the story runs a pretty romance, which meets and overcomes obstacles, aided by the future president. It goes without saying that Mr. Read has introduced, or rather brought out, a strong element of humor throughout the book.