When I dot up dis morning So I dess turned over in my cwib I fought I'd fink a bit BABY'S THOUGHT.(*) About dis boo'ful, grea' big world, By JOE KERR. An' de folks dat live in it; And cuddled in a ball, An' den I fought an' fought an' fought, De fings would tum into my head An' dat one you must know I love my mama so! I twied to fink about my nurse, I tried to fink dat she was dead, An' sweet an' kind-but oh, De fought would always tum like dis I love my mama so! My papa's pretty dood, you know, But den he is a man, An' mans tan't love us little folks As much as mama tan; An' de on'y fought dat I could fink About de folks I know Would always tum out dess like dis I love my mama so! (*) From "The Cheery Book," by Joe Kerr. (G. W. Dillingham Co., Publishers, New York.) LITERARY PICKUPS. The visitors of the World's Fair will doubtless remember the imposing exhibit of the German publishers in the German State Building, and that of the French publishers in the Manufacturers' Building. The "Central Verein für das gesammte Buchgewerbe" of Leipzig has just issued a circular to the German publishers, inviting their co-operation in arranging a similar collective exhibition of the German Book Trade at the Paris Exposition of 1900. We have not heard yet of any such movement on the part of the American publishers. Surely the American publishing business is important and interesting enough to be worthily represented at that great show. American publishers certainly need not fear comparison, nay-should even invite it and give proof to the world of their achievements in book making by uniting all branches of the book business, including book, music and art publishers, printers, lithographers, binders, etc., and arranging for a grand, representative collective exhibit. Col lective exhibitions in harmonious arrangement have certainly in every respect a far greater value than separate exhibits of a few individual publishers. German and French publishers are meeting the desire of collectors of artistic book covers by issuing a small edition of such paper covers separately and selling them at a small figure. Since art in cover designs has wonderfully developed of late and the collecting of such in connection with artistic posters, bookmarks, ex-libris, etc., has become more than a passing fad, such a plan is certainly a very commendable one and should be followed by American publishers also. As, however, American and English books. are mostly published in cloth (the paper covered books being only very exceptionally embellished with really artistic covers), it would be a good idea for our publishers to issue half-tone reproductions of such cloth covers, whose designs have sufficient merit of art or originality to be preserved. Collectors would surely welcome and appreciate such a move, as not many would care to buy a book merely for the sake of tearing off the covers to embody in their collection. "The Brotherhood of the Book" is a new association of book lovers, recently organized in New York. They have reprinted Kipling's Vampire, Le Gallienne's Confessio Amatis, the Conclusion of Pater's Renaissance in limited editions and intend issuing other literary gems in tasteful pamphlet form. Mr. Lawrence C. Woodworth, of Gouverneur, N. Y., is scrivener. The Twilight, that latest addition to the "Freak Magazines" which we sentenced for literary or artistic libel, is oftentimes considered more of an honor than otherwise. Mr. Vance Thompson has made a great discovery! In a recent number of The Musical Courier he asserts that Gelett Burgess and Yone Noguchi are one and the same person. We cannot conceive what leads him to make such a curious statement. They are both akin in their genial eccentricity; Burgess however is principally humorous, while Noguchi is, or certainly wants to be taken, very much in earnest. Mr. Thompson only needs to compare their photographs, to note a very decided difference. Or should his remarks about this supposed identity, in number 23 (of June 8) of the Musical Courier, in that clever department "The Playgoer," be taken as humorous or satirical? In that case we fail to see the joke. The London Academy writes: "Mr. Gelett Burgess, the highspirited young American gentleman who has never seen a purple cow and never wants to see one, but assures us that anyhow he'd rather see than be one, is coming to London to settle. He might do worse than give us a new series of The Lark, the little eccentric monthly which wandered here from San Francisco a year or so ago. Mr. Burgess in his capacity of irresponsible humorist will be very welcome." Since the foregoing paragraph appeared in the London Academy, Gelett Burgess has arrived in London for "a somewhat indefinite stay" as he writes to us. He is working on a book entitled "Goop Babies: a Manual of Manners for Polite Infants," which will appear serially during the the next twelve months in St. Nicholas. He has also in hand a series of "Modern Fairy Tales" which will be published shortly in book form. An English edition of his clever book Vicette, doubtless the brightest thing he has done yet, will also be brought out this fall. In the Echo de la Semaine June 18, a French weekly published in Boston, we find the following paragraph: "The oldest cook book known dates from 1375; it is entitled Le Vian der, and has for its author Gillaume Tirel, chef of King Charles V. of France. A copy has been recently sold for 1,950 francs." This is not quite correct. The oldest cook book was written sometime during the first century by a certain Caelius, who added to his own name that of Apicius, a famous gourmet of or perhaps before his time, to whom he likely owed most of his recipes. There lived three epicures by the name of Apicius at Rome; the one generally referred to is Marcus Gabius Apicius, who after having wasted his immense fortune, estimated at over twenty-five million dollars, and finding it reduced to about half a million dollars, poisoned him (*) Vivette. By Gelett Burgess. 12mo. cloth. Price 90 cents. By mail $1.02. self in order to avoid the misery of plain diet. The title of this old Roman cook book is, Caelii Apicii De Obsoniis et Condimentis sive de re coquinaria; the first printed edition is dated 1490 and was printed in Milan. The oldest English cook book known is The Form of Cury by the master-cook of King Richard II., written about the same time as the above mentioned Le Viander. The first printed English cook book The Book of Carving, was printed by Wynkyn de Worde in 1508. Le Viander however is probably the oldest cook book ever printed. The New York Times published the following extract from a letter by Felix Gras, the author of The Reds of the Midi (1) and The Terror, (*) to Mr. Ripley Hitchcock of the publishing firm of D. Appleton & Co., this city, which expresses views on the present war somewhat different from those of the majority of his countrymen. He writes: "In the meantime, I sincerely trust that your country may deliver the unfortunate people of Cuba from the fanatical priests, and from the despotic and cruel soldiers which dominate them. dominate them. And if, after your victory, you show by your generosity that you have been impelled to this war for the love of humanity, you will reveal to our old Europe how free people bear themselves, and this will be a lesson for all the tyrants of the earth." (1) The Reds of the Midi. By Felix Gras. 12mo. cloth. Price $1.08. By mail $1.20 (2) The Terror. By Felix Gras. Translated from the French by Catharine Janvier. 12mo cloth. Price $1.08. By mail $1.20. We quote the following paragraph from a recent number of Literature: "The coming season will see several new works by Colonel Richard Henry Savage, best known, perhaps, by his novel My Official Wife, (*) which, we believe, is now published in Bulgaria, in Buenos Ayres, in Italy, in Spain, and is read in Iceland and in Ceylon. Of this novel Prince Lobanoff once said to a distinguished American traveler: "Take the little book! It is real Russia-and incomparable.' It has been translated into seventeen languages and holds the stage all over Europe to-day, having been dramatized, burlesqued, and plagiarized. With such a reputation for what was almost a first book, it is not surprising to find that Colonel Savage has published some five-and-twenty novels. His books to be produced this year include a novel of the Baltic shores and one dealing with romantic life in the Ukraine regions of Russia; these will be followed by two volumes of stories of travel, diplomacy, and military life, besides a second volume of collected poems and cers de societe." itorship of a new magazine, called the American, to be established in New York. One of the leading publicists in America may take the general direction of this magazine, in which case Colonel Savage's functions will be purely editorial. Lieut. Peary has recently been awarded the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society (London) as a special distinction for his achievements in the world of science during the past twelve years. Following the issue of Peary's book on the far North, will come that of his companion Astrup, announced by the Lippincotts for the early fall. Astrup's title is With Peary Near the Pole, and each volume needs the other for a complete understanding of the perilous journeys. Rudyard Kipling's Captains Courageous(1) has been on the market only five months, but has reached its thirtieth thousand in this country alone, and bids fair to rival the pop Savage's latest book, just pub- ularity of his Jungle Books.(2) lished, is entitled In the Swim, a story of currents and under-currents in gayest New York. It is an exceedingly interesting novel and bids fair to repeat the success of My Official Wife. We learn from an English source that Colonel Savage will accept the ed (*) My Official Wife. By Richard Henry Savage. 12mo paper. Price 33 cents. By mail 40 cents. Anthony Hope's Prisoner of Zenda (3) has just been translated into German by Clarence Sherwood. (1) Captains Courageous. By Rudyard Kipling. 12mo. cloth. Price $1.08. By mail $1.23. (2) The Jungle Books. By Rudyard Kipling 2 volumes. 12mo. cloth. Price per volume $1.08. By mail $1.23. (3) The Prisoner of Zenda. By Anthony Hope. 16mo, cloth. Price 55 cents. By mail 63 cents. New edition, uniform with "Rupert of Hentzau." 12mo. cloth. $1.08. By mail $1.23. |