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Show Literary Notes. "The Virginian," Owen Wister's fine novel of the Western plains, is bound to be popular in the West. The scenes of his novel are laid in Wyoming, Wyom-ing, between 1874 and 1890, and the picturesque history of the prairie and the local color, are very striking, "The Virginian" is a cow puncher, strong, heroic, but with the characteristics of his kind. "What brought you West?" asked Molly, the schoolmarm on Bear creek. "Looking for chances. I reckon I must have been more ambitious than my brothers or more restless. They stayed around on farms. But I got out. When I went back again six years afterward I was 20. They was talking about the same old things. Men of 25 and 30 yet just sittin' and talkin' about the same old things. I told my mother about what I'd seen here and there, and she liked it, right to her death. But the others well, when I found this whole world was hawgs and turkeys to them, with a little gunnin' after small game throwed in, I put on my hat one mawnin' and told 'em maybe when I was 50 'd look in on 'em again to see if they'd got any new subjects. But they'll never. My brothers don't seem to want chances." And for you who have worn the chaps and helped at the branding and sniffed the yarrow and the sagebrush, "The Virginian' 'is new life to you all. Macmillan, New York, publishes the book. The Author of London publishes the following "literary hints for the wealthy and cultivated," which, it says, were taken from a German publisher's pub-lisher's advertisements: A gentleman does not give his daughter a dowry of from 5000 to 50,000 and forget to provide her with a bookcase. A gentleman does not have a full wine cellar and empty bookshelves. A gentleman does not use eau-de-cologne and read greasy volumes from a circulating library. A gentleman does not borrow good works which he is in a position to buy. A gentleman does not talk about the latest literature when he is acquainted only with what has been said of it by the reviewers. A gentleman does not cut books with his Angers, even after having washed his hands. A gentleman does not possess a box of carpenter's carpen-ter's tools, but no paper knife. A gentleman does not receive books for review and give them away or sell them without opening open-ing them. A gentleman does not make presents only of things which are entirely without intellectual value. A gentleman does not send to his bookseller for a parcel of books on approval, and, after having read them, return them saying that none of them suit him. A gentleman does not only buy sixpenny cheap editions. A gentleman does not depend for his reading upon the daily journals and illustrated weeklies. The authorities of the St. Louis Exposition have determined to be cosmopolitan in regard to the community of the Fourth Estate. We are told by the Publishers' Weekly that on a date to be arranged ar-ranged during the run of the World's Fair there will be held in St. Louis a Congress of Editors. The gathering will be international and cosmo- politan in its character, and will be composed of the chiefs of the world's press. Special buildings are being erected for their use. There is to be a club-house, fitted up with all the comforts of a big West End club. In this 'country the idea has received re-ceived the warmest support and already a circle has been formed. On the Continent, too, the subject sub-ject has made headway, and if practiable, it is believed that the International Association of Editors will arrange to hold their annual confer, ence at St. Louis. Early in the autumn a novel of early Colonial days by Charles G. D. Roberts will make its ap. poarance. It will bear the title "Barbara Ladd." A copy of the first edition of Pope's "Essay on Man," four parts, with MS. corrections by tho author, was sold in London the other day for $950. "Love in Extremis' 'is the title of a new novel that has just been completed by the author of that disagreeable, but successful book, "Red Pottage." F. Hopkinson Smith, in the July Scribner's, tells with great spirit the famous incident in New York Bohemia of the painting of "The Woman in Black" Gorki, the great Russian author, who has but recently attained just recognition outside of his own country, is said to be dying of consumption in the Caucasus. Zola is at work on a new book, in which Zionism will play an important part. Tho prominent French author is now in Jerusalem gathering material ma-terial for the work. |