American nights entertainment
of the effect itself. Nothing is more mechanical than the theatre, but
a good play is not made the less art thereby. Actors, you may say, or
acting; but a scene has been “made” or destroyed more than once by that
utterly mechanical detail, the stage setting.... If as has sometimes
been predicted, a machine will be invented to produce upon us all the
effects of good fiction, we shall none of us quarrel with the inventor
nor will anyone try to destroy the device unless it be our fictioners.
In the meantime, I advise no one to neglect them, lest the day of the
obvious and unconcealed machine never arrive.
iv
To blaze a trail for the reader through the rich forest of books
educational, philosophical, scientific, and withal “popular” is no easy
task. I have not attempted to do more than put down the titles of some
new and recent “general” books, with the authors, and sometimes a note
upon the volume. But should these not be classified? Dear reader, if
you will give me the classification of the things you are interested
in, I will classify the books....
_Christ or Mars?_ by WILL IRWIN. A passionate but documented
indictment. Mr. Irwin says we do not want peace hard enough; the mood
of man must be changed before peace can come about. He believes it can
be done. “We are trying to hide in squirrel-holes from God. And the
church, which purports to interpret to our world His intentions, is
hiding too.”
NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER’S _Building the American Nation_ is a series
of lectures on Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Washington, Hamilton,
Madison, Jefferson, John Marshall, Webster, Jackson and Lincoln.
_The Ideals of Theodore Roosevelt_, by EDWARD H. COTTON. The book
deals especially with Roosevelt’s religious beliefs and his creed as
expressed in a life of action. Theodore Roosevelt’s sister, Corinne
Roosevelt, writes the preface.
_The Spirit of Islam_, by SYED AMEER ALI. Recognised as the one
authoritative work in English for use in Moslem centres of instruction.
Of especial interest in connection with Lothrop Stoddard’s _The New
World of Islam_.
_Man and the Attainment of Immortality_, by JAMES Y. SIMPSON. After
a careful outline of biological evolution, the author interprets
Christianity as the most important stage in the evolution which,
from being physical, is tending more and more to become a mental and
spiritual process.
G. STANLEY HALL’S _Jesus, the Christ, in the Light of Psychology_, an
interpretation of what we know of Christ in the light of present-day
psychological knowledge, is now procurable in one volume.
A new and useful introduction to the study of philosophy is JOSEPH A.
LEIGHTON’S _The Field of Philosophy_.
JAMES HARVEY ROBINSON’S _The Humanizing of Knowledge_, discussed above,
is one of the volumes of the Workers’ Bookshelf series, books primarily
planned for use in American trades union colleges but of varying
general interest. Other books in the series are _Joining in Public
Discussion_, _The Control of Wages_, _Women in the Labour Movement_,
etc. (by various authors).
_The Greek View of Life_, by G. LOWES DICKINSON, a book of charm and
permanence, should possibly rather be assigned to Chapter 15 of this
book.
_The Making of the Western Mind_, by F. MELIAN STAWELL and F. S.
MARVIN. A short survey of the leading elements of the European cultural
inheritance from the days of classical Greece to our own day.
_Suggestion and Mental Analysis_, by WILLIAM BROWN. Takes into account
Coué and Badouin and psychoanalysis, and culminates in an exposition of
Bergson’s philosophy.
_The Dominant Sex_, by MATHILDE and MATHIAS VAERTING, translated by
Eden and Cedar Paul. Argues that there are no distinctively “masculine”
traits but that the traits so-called have been characteristic of either
sex when dominant in a particular society; with evidence to support the
theory.
_The Mechanism and Physiology of Sex Determination_, by RICHARD
GOLDSCHMIDT, translated by W. J. Dakin. Remarkable breeding experiments
carried out with insects; intersexuality; a subsection deals with man.
A book of importance to biologists.
_How to Sing_, by LUISA TETRAZZINI. Practical advice by the great
coloratura singer.
_The Art of the Prima Donna_, by FREDERICK H. MARTENS. Discussions
by Bori, Calve, Easton, Farrar, Galli-Curci, Hempel, Homer, Jeritza,
Schumann-Heink and others are the feature of the book.
_Public Speaking_, by FRANK H. KIRKPATRICK. Those interested in this
subject will probably want also ALFRED DWIGHT SHEFFIELD’S _Joining in
Public Discussion_.
_The Process and Practice of Photo-Engraving_, by H. O. GROESBECK, JR.
There has hitherto been no handbook and manual.
_Construction of the Small House_, by H. VANDERVOORT WALSH. For the
architect and the layman alike.
As an example of the finest type of book in one of many special fields,
there may be mentioned ARTHUR T. BOLTON’S _The Architecture of Robert
and James Adam_, in two volumes with about 700 illustrations, folio
size, $60.00.
_The Book of Building and Interior Decorating_, edited by REGINALD T.
TOWNSEND. Practical advice from experts.
_Interior Decoration_, by FRANK ALVAH PARSONS. A standard work.
_The Psychology of Dress: Life Expressed in Clothes_, by FRANK ALVAH
PARSONS, is a history of costume made still more interesting by
illustrations.
The Amateur’s Book of the Garden Series, edited by LEONARD BARRON,
offers:
_The Vegetable Garden_, by ADOLPH KRUHM
_Planning Your Garden_, by W. S. ROGERS
_Lawns_, by LEONARD BARRON
_House Plants_, by PARKER T. BARNES
_The Flower Garden_, by IDA D. BENNETT
For the owner of the greenhouse there is _Gardening Under Glass_, by F.
F. ROCKWELL; SYDNEY MITCHELL’S _Gardening in California_ is a guide for
the amateur on the Pacific slope; and _Adventures in My Garden and Rock
Garden_, by LOUISE BEEBE WILDER (author of _My Garden_ and _Colour in
My Garden_) is the descriptive history of a piece of land hardly more
than an acre in size.
_The Plain Sailing Cook Book_, by SUSANNA SHANKLIN BROWNE. Simple
recipes for beginners.
_A Handbook of Cookery for a Small House_, by JESSIE CONRAD. With a
preface by her husband, Joseph Conrad. This was the meat on which our
Cæsar fed and grew so great.
_A Pocket Bridge Book_, by WALTER CAMP. For those who must have their
daily dummy.
_Modern Auction, 1923_, by GRACE G. MONTGOMERY. The new edition of a
standard work.
_Singles and Doubles_, by W. T. TILDEN, 2D., world’s tennis champion,
1920, 1921.
_The Gist of Golf_, by HARRY VARDON. Vardon writes most readably and
gives a chapter to each club. Pictures.
_Field Soccer and Hockey for Women_, by HELEN FROST and HAZEL J.
CUBBERLEY. Pictures and diagrams.
_Ski-ing Turns_, by VIVIAN CAULFIELD. With card diagrams that can be
removed from the book.
_How to Box_, by NORMAN CLARK. With 61 photographs.
_Training for Power and Leadership_, by GRENVILLE KLEISER.
_The Making of an Executive_, by A. HAMILTON CHURCH. Personal
qualifications and the special knowledge required.
_Creative Selling_, by CHARLES HENRY MACKINTOSH. Making and keeping
customers.
_The Law of Sales_, by JAMES BURTON READ. The law relating to the
transfer of personal property for considerations.
_Advertising for the Retailer_, by LLOYD DALLAS HERROLD. Complete
information on every type of advertising used by the retailer.
Illustrations of layouts, window decorations, show cards, letters, etc.
_The Leadership of Advertised Brands_, by GEORGE BURTON HOTCHKISS and
RICHARD B. FRANKEN. Successful advertising and marketing methods.
EDWARD H. SCHULZE’S _Making Letters Pay_ covers business letters from
the viewpoint of “better results, in less time, at lower cost”; while
CARL A. NAETHER’S _The Business Letter_ offers thoroughgoing practice
in making good business letters a habit. SALLIE B. TANNAHILL’S _Ps and
Qs: A Book on the Art of Letter Arrangement_ is concerned with personal
letters.
_Funds and Their Uses_, by FREDERICK A. CLEVELAND. Now available in
a revised edition. Methods, instruments and institutions of modern
financial transactions. The revision adds chapters on the United
States Treasury, commercial banks, the Federal Reserve system, trust
companies, investment bankers and agricultural credit institutions.
_Cotton and the Cotton Market_, by W. HUSTACE HUBBARD. Production,
marketing, the future contract system, the speculative factor; a pretty
complete survey.
_Reminiscences of a Stock Operator_, by EDWIN LEFEVRE. The chief appeal
of this book is the appeal of fiction, although it is obviously founded
on the facts of one or more Wall Street careers. Much market wisdom.
_Co-operative Marketing_, by HERMAN STEEN.
_Historic Textile Fabrics_, by RICHARD GLAZIER. More than 200 varieties
are illustrated.
_The Business of Writing_, by ROBERT CORTES HOLLIDAY and ALEXANDER VAN
RENSSELAER. A trustworthy book on marketing the writer’s product.
_Writing to Sell_, by EDWIN WILDMAN. What will be marketable and why,
from short pieces for household periodicals to special feature articles
for monthly magazines.
_The Community Newspaper_, by EMERSON P. HARRIS and FLORENCE HARRIS
HOOKE. Developing the newspaper to the community’s benefit and the
owners’ profit.
Readers interested in the subject of JAMES HARVEY ROBINSON’S _The
Humanizing of Knowledge_ will be interested in ABRAHAM FLEXNER’S new
book, _A Modern College and a Modern School_.
_Modern Industrialism_, by FRANK L. MCVEY, presents in very full
outline and from the examples of many countries present-day industrial
organisation.
_Trade Unionism in the United States_, by ROBERT F. HOXIE. A revised
edition is ready.
_Everybody’s Business_, by FLOYD PARSONS. A readable survey of
America’s natural resources and the story of the development of our
major industries.
_The Great Game of Politics_, by FRANK R. KENT.
_Too Much Government--Too Much Taxation_, by CHARLES NORMAN FAY.
* * * * *
NOTE: The list of every publishing house has its special
characteristics and the reader of books will naturally associate
certain types of books with certain imprints; it is desirable that
he should, aiding the bookseller, when possible, in the quest for
publications of a special sort. I have tried to name below, as a
general guide supplementing the fragmentary list above, the chief types
of publications of the four houses associated in the production of this
book:
D. Appleton & Company, whose long history has given them the honour of
publishing important works by Charles Darwin, Haeckel, Froebel, Thomas
Huxley, John Stuart Mill, Max Nordau, G. Stanley Hall, Muensterberg,
Flammarion, Florence Nightingale and L. Emmett Holt, publish many
scientific, business, educational, technical and industrial books,
military and naval textbooks; books on the Spanish language and many
translations into Spanish from English, including fiction; medical
books; fiction by Zona Gale, Joseph C. Lincoln, Harold Bell Wright,
Edith Wharton, Brand Whitlock, etc., and general literature.
George H. Doran Company publish many books of historical importance,
memoirs, biographies, etc.; contemporary politics; travel; sport;
belles lettres; a very large list of religious books; spiritualistic
books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and others; poetry; plays; and a
remarkable fiction list including Walpole, Mary Roberts Rinehart, W.
Somerset Maugham, Arnold Bennett, etc.
Doubleday, Page & Company are noted as the publishers of many garden
and nature books; of important biographies and historical works;
travel; poetry; belles lettres; general literature and fiction by
Joseph Conrad, Booth Tarkington, Gene Stratton-Porter, Edna Ferber,
Kathleen Norris, etc. They publish the works of Rudyard Kipling (except