I, Erzählende Schriften 30, Casanovas Heimfahrt, Seite 108

novel. And get the French version
was in quite large type and very
well printed.
We now hare before us the first
six volumes in Simon & Schuster’s
The Inner Sanctum Novels' at a
dollar. They are not bound in paper
but in a thin paper board which is
fairly durable—and the reader who
wishes them in doth may return his
copy and have a cloth bound book
substituted for a dollar. These books
run to such lengths as 381 and 409
pages. Also the first six of them
give no indicution that Messrs. Simon
& Schuster are making them to ap¬
peal to a Harold Bell Wright public.
In fact they are for the most part
what members of that public would
call highbrow.
The first of them,"I Am Jonathan
Serivener'' by Claude Houghton, an
English author, and is what may be
called a philosophical or psychologi¬
cal mystery story. And it is exceed¬
ingly well told. A young Englishman
is in a business which he does not
like, and, leading an inner life of
renunciation, is taken on as secretary
by a man whom he has never seen.
He is sent to live in the apartment
of Jonathan Serivener, told to cata¬
log his library—but it is intimated
that he need not hurry over the Joh,
and is paid a very good salary. Then
Scrivener’s friends, two of them
women who have latchkeys but who
are not Serivener’s mistresses, turn
up at odd moments. Then two men,
both unhappy. All have met Serive¬
ner and all wish to meet him again—
for he has seemed to them a man
who on a vaster scale has done and
felt as they have done and felt. At
times it seems to Wrexham, the sec¬
retary, as if he had deliberately
pushed them farther along the paths
of their own fatality just to see how
they would react. In a way the mys¬
tery is solved by Wrexham’s com¬
paring his own previous renunciation
of life, theoretical because he was
renouncing what had never been of¬
fered him, with Serivener’s. On what
may be called the mechanical or de¬
Europe and even in America where
tective story level the mystery never
it üirst appeared in translation some
is solved—for after all the mystery
years ago. And it has in this edi¬
tion been awarded the John S. Sum¬
of personality is insoluble anyway,
and a mechanical explanation of this
ner prize for distinguished literature.
In other words that well-known per¬
one would necessarily be an anti-cli¬
son has hailed the book before the
max.
magistrates for indecency. The story
Then we have a shorter book, Fe¬
lix Saltenlen Fifteen Rabbits —an¬
is a tragedy of senescence—dealing
other story of animal life by the au-with Casanova’s rude lesson that he
thor of Bambi'; The Earth Told
is no longer young and attractive,
and it has an introduction by Dr.
Me,“ a full length novel by Thames
Otto P. Schinnerer of Columbia uni¬
Williamson; a short and riotous book
by J. P. McEvoy dealing witn the
versity. The only novel not new, in
Christmag card racket, Denny andthis collection, it was issued in Amer¬
the Dumb Cluck'; an original first
ica in 1921 and was hailed—in these
novel by F. Wright Moxley,“Red
columns as elsewhere—as a great
novel.
Snow,“ in which is forecast what
would happen if human fertility was
No move to prosecute it—or perse¬
stopped: if no more children werel cute it—was made at that time, so
it must have become indecent since
born. The forecast gives us not only
a sensational narrative but serves
then—as a wine ages, so to speak.
the author as a lever for turning up However, Simon & Schuster announce
and thoroly shaking our whole scales that they will fight the case. That
of “success'' values.
Sthey will win it is a foregone conclu¬
Lastly we have the book that, tosion. Meanwhile, we hope that the
the publisher’s surprise, is going tol publicity will offset the annoyance to
be the great advertising investmentjthe publishers. Possibly if it does
of their serles.“ Casanova’s Home-I not, they might consider starting a
coming' by Arthur Schnitzler is al-]society for the suppression of the So¬
ready a celebrated novel—all overl clety for the Suppression of Vice.
asanovas Heimfahrt
box 4/11
30 n nenenenenenenenenee e
%
LOB XNGHEEG, EAL.
RD
AUGUST 14. 1930
ase Is Serleus.
AB0UT B00KS
UAN JONAPMAN SCRIVENER, by Claude Hchohton.
(Simon & Schüster.) 81.
CASANOVA'S HOMECOMING, bu Arthur Schnitzler.
(Simon & Schuster.) 81.
THE EARTH TOLD ME, by Thames Williamson. (Simon
& Schuster.) 81.
FIFTEEN RABBITS, by Felir Salten. (Simon & Schuster.)
91.
TIHESE are the first of the “ Inner Sanctum“ novels to be i.sued
in paper covers by the house of Simen & Schuster. Previded you
are not color blind, you can tell by the biging of an Inner Sanctum'
novel just whether it will fit jour mood.
Novels in blue covers are “more or4—
less serlous' in tone. Of such are
Casanova’s Homecoming“ by Ar¬
The publication of Casanova’s
thur Schnitzler and The Earth Told
Homecoming,“ heretofore obtainable
Me.“ 5y Thames Williamson.
only at 82.50, is a distinct service to
Novels in red covèrs are “books of
American admirers of the netable
a lighter nature.“ Fifteen Rabbits“
is one of these.
Viennese author, Dr. Arthur
Schnitzler.
Books in green covers are detec¬
Thames Willjamson’s book, The
tive and mystery stories.“1 Am
Earth Töld Me,“ is a Knut Hamsun¬
Jonathan Scrivener“ is one of these.
Jonathan Serivener“' is a novel
ish tale of Alaska which will add to
the reputation he has already at¬
literary experiment. The principaj
tained as the author of" Hunky,“
character, Scrivener, doesn't make
•Run Sheep Run,“ Stride of Man,“
his appearance until the last page,
and" Gypsy Down the Lane.“
although he dominates every episode
of the book.
Felix Salten, author of Fifteen
Rabbits,“ needs no other Introduc¬
Most mystery fans will feel that
tion to American readers than the
the book is improperly classified as
fact that ho is the author of“Bam¬
a mystery, for there is no solution of
bi“ and Tne Hound of Florencer
the central mystery, merely a elimax
Salten is certainly one of the greft¬
which leaves the reader waiting for
the sequel.
est living writers on animals.
But once the reader has recovered
1
from his chagrin over reaching the
Today’s Thought
end of the book and finding it isn't
there, he reallzes that hé has been
7OU cannot win without
reading a profoundly absorbing and
sacrifice. — Chärles
searching study of English post-warj Buxton.
soclety.