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The Author. Harold Bell Wright is " a real man, a hard worker, a man of intense convictions and a compelling love for humanity" (Hildegarde Hawthorne). He lives in Arizona, likes the outdoors, plans his novels with great care, and is the only American Author to have a hotel named after one of his fictional characters (The Barbara Worth). His other books include: That Printer of Udell's, The Winning of Barbara Worth, When a Man's a Man, Helen of the Old House.
Born in Rome, N. Y., in 1872, Mr. Wright was for two years a student in the preparatory department of Hiram College, Ohio. He functioned for ten years as a landscape painter. Later he became a pastor (in Kansas, Missouri, California). He retired from the ministry in 1908.
Good Books
SNAKE DOCTOR—Irvin S. Cobb— Doran ($2.00). A collection of short stories by one of the prominent American exponents of magazine fiction. The title story received the 0. Henry Memorial Prize as the best short story of 1922. Lengthy, discursive narratives for the most part, one of which, Red-Handed, deserves attention for a certain ingenuity of mechanism. The others seem dully garrulous at best—but Mr. Cobb has a large and faithful public and, it is to be supposed, knows exactly how to please them.
THE RIDDLE—Walter De La Mare —Knopf ($2.50). Fifteen short tales and sketches, many elvish with true magic, all beautifully expressed by one of the most distinguished artists in prose and verse now alive. A book to put on the shelves by Lady Into Fox and The Memoirs of a Midget and the other too-too-few books of the last few years that have in them something naive, fanciful and enduring.
ESCAPADE — Evelyn Scott—Seltzer ($3.00). In this autobiography very much in the modern manner, the author records some three years' experiences—poverty—squalor—illness—painצstracism —undergone in Brazil, until, when the persons of the narrative were almost down and out, Chance rescued them. There is a little beauty in the book, some fine and some vigorous writing, but for the most part the author keeps her eyes firmly fixed upon the unpleasant side of existence as much and as long as possible. The self-revelation of an oversexed and coprophagistic intelligence, the book contains much interesting and valuable material, if the reader has the patience to dig for it, but in the main it takes its place among the increasing number of literary experiments of more interest to the psychoanalyst than the general public.
ANTHONY JOHN — Jerome K. Jerome—Dodd Mead ($2.00). Anthony John was a dreamer like his father, but since father had been a failure in material affairs, son suppressed his dreaminess as much as possible, except when he married. But idealism crushed to earth will always rise again—in fiction—so when Anthony John found himself at last a great financial success, happily married, owner of a large estate, he suddenly decided the game wasn't worth the candle. Fortunately his wife agreed with him, so the end of the novel finds them about to sacrifice great possessions to a spiritual thirst. A mild easy-going little romance— weak tea with a dash of morality to stiffen it.
Alexander Woollcott