Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 70

MORE GOOD BOOKS FOR CHILDREN BOOK NEWS I MINNEAPOLIS SUNDAY TRIBUNE Nov. 14, 1954 MINNEAPOLIS SUNDAY TRIBUNE Nov. 14, 1954 Lt's Nation's Slogan for Young a A WU fc WAWri AWCa mJ 10 O. Henry's Embezzlement Conviction Seems Mistake THE BE ART OF 0. HENRY, by Dale Kramer (Rinehart, UJ.

Reviewed by JOHX K. SHERMAN By CHARLES A. BROWN HI AFTER READING incorrigibly since the day I first was able' to hold up a book, as an adult I can't imagine a world my world, anyway without books. It's as hard to think of being without books as without food. The result is that it is difficult for me to understand why children in many cases have to be subjected to tactful influence and persuasion to be led into the reading habit.

Certainly the publishers of children's books are making that i persuasion remarkably easy. The Young Questionor Provided With Answers DOES your child ask questions? Does he want to know how things work and why they work? If he's normal he does, of course. And 11 you're normal you can't answer a tenth of i his questions. fir III I 1 I taBKBH Fortunately for the Amerh can parent book publishers have taken note of the problem and are putting out more and more books which help satisfy the demands of your child's tremendous "why" gland. Here are some of the better ones now available: 'The Chemicals of Life," by Isaac Asimov, published by Abelard-Schuman, for "The World Through Your Senses," by Sarah R.

Rledman, Abelard-Schuman "All About the Insect World," by Ferdinand C. Lane, Random House, "Restless Earth," by Rose Wyler and Gerald Ames, Abelard-Schuman, "Insects and the Homes They Build," by Dorothy Ster-ling, Doubleday, "The Story of Flight," by Clayton Knight, Crosset Dunlap, "The First Book; of Photography," by John Hoke, Watts, "Winning Your Spurs," by Elaine Moore, Little, Brown, $4.75. Some others recently published are: "The Real Book About the Sea" by Samuel Epstein and Beryl Williams and "The Real Book About Gold" by Harold Coy, both published by Garden City for $1.50 each; "Lost Treasure Trails," by Thomas Penffeld and "The American Indian" by Sydney E. Fletcher, both published by Grosset Dunlap and selling for $2.50 and $2.95 respectively. Yet I know that the reading habit must be built, and be built in tender years.

I see to it that my own children find out to their own Joy the recreation and interest that spill out whenever they part the covers of a book. So far as we have gone, in the readto-me and early reading stages, I am happy to report that they seem to have inherited my addiction to type and pictures. As to why children should read there are a number of reasons. One reason is the acquisition of knowledge. There is nothing that your child can read which will not add to his knowledge.

Your job, as a parent, is to see to it that these added bits are the kind you wish your child to have. Another reason is that of pure, unadulterated pleasure. There is nothing in the world which can give as much pleasure and is so inexpensive and easy to get as a book. Encourage your child to read and share in that reading yourself. The effort expended will be repaid a thousandfold.

The opening of National Book week, with its emphasis on children's books, is a good time to do something about this beyond making a resolution. This page has many suggestions for Christmas gifts for children. But why wait? They can read a lot of books between now and Christmas. Life Stories oi Great Among Best Books ONE of the better biographical series offered by American publishers Is the "Signature" series published by Grosset Dunlap. New books In this series are the stories of: Lelf Eric-son by William O.

Steele, Martha Washington by Jean-nette C. Nolan, Crazy Horse by Enid Lamonte Meadow-croft John J. Audubon by. Joan Howard, Stephen Decatur by. Iris Vinton, Stephen Foster by Esther M.

Douty. The books are $1.50 each. Some other biographies for children recently published are "The Story of Charles Dickens," by Eleanor Graham, published by Abelard-Schuman for "Mark Twain," by Catherine O. Peare, Holt, "Nancy Hanks," by Augusta Stevenson, Merrill, "Laughing Gas and Safety Lamp" (the story of Sir Humphrey Davy) by Amabel William Ellis and Euan Cooper Willis, Abelard-Schuman, "Mary Todd Lincoln," by Katharine E. Wilkie, Bobbs-Merrill, $1.75.

8 to 11 Group Picks Favorites READ TO YOURSELF STORY. BOOK, compiled bg the Chili Study Association of America (Crowell, $2J0). Here are stories which will fairly pull your 8 to 11-year-old into good reading. The stories were selected by the Child Study association with the help of a number of children from that age group. The book is packed with stories about dogs, horses, baseball and situations familiar to your child.

He can't help liking it, nor can you. MARLIN PERKINS, director of Chicago's Lincoln Park zoo, is shown with a friendly lion cub. Perkins is also the tar of the television program Zooparade. Rand McNally has now published at $2.95 a beautifully illustrated and written book by Perkins called "Zooparade." The illustrations were done by Paul Bransom and Seymour Fleishman. The author tells the stories of many of the famous animals in his famous zoo and a bit about how he became interested in animals.

DALE KRAMER, who has written biographies of I Icy-wood Broun and Harold Ross ef the New Yorker, whose lives were open books, doubtless had his toughest assign-ment In exploring the shad-; owy career of. William Sydney Porter, known to mil-(f lions of readers as 0. Henry, master of the short story. The problem was not only that of unearthing obscure and withheld farts about a man who kept his past a ferret but also the portrayal of a singularly vague and unaggressive personality. Probably few men In the history of literature had more self-doubts than Torter, or BOOK GOSSfP Authors' Habits Investigated by Cowley I DISCUSSING the habits and morals of American writers of today, Malcolm i Cowley In "The Literary Sit-I uatlon" Rays, among other I things, that "not all of them drink more than they should, but a great many of them do are regarded as a little rocket Books has launched 'Its own magazine, the first issue containing articles by rhillp Wylie, Thurmond Ar- nold and Chester Bowles Herman U'ouk of "Calne Mu- tiny" fame has delivered the manuscript of a new novel, "Marjorie Mornlngstar," to publ Is Doubleday.

It's billed as "a love story of our time" and slated for spring 1955 publication Z. The popular American idea that anyone can make a for tune hy practicing Industry, frugality and sobriety is undermined by Trof. Irvln G. Wyllie in a new book from Rutgers U. Tress, "The Self-Made Man in America: the of Rags to Riches" Now that coffee prices are down again, may-be you can afford to buy and read, later this year, the story of the world's most popular beverage, "Brown Gold," written by a big coffee man from Bogota, Colombia Andres Urile.

2 Youngest Readers Now Well Served THERE IS no area in the book publishing business which has shown such a tremendous change in the last 20 years as that area dealing with books for very young children. There are so many attractive, easy to read books being published each year that it is almost impossible to keep up with them. Some of the most recent of these are: "Wren" by Marie Kil-lilea, published by Dodd, Mead, for $3, a charming, true family story for children over two beautiful books published by Abelard-Schuman for your young fry at $2.50 each called "The Sun Looks Down," by Miriam Schleln, and "What's in the Dark?" by Carl Memling. "The First Book of Words," by Sam and Beryl Epstein, and "The First Book of Music" by Gertrude Norman published by Watts for $1.75 are attractive introductions to words and music. An authentic Indian story by Virginia K.

Smiley called "Little Boy Navajo" has recently been published by Abelard-Schuman at $2.50. Landmark Series Keeps High Level Random House is doing a service to children's literature by adding annually to its Landmark series. This series tells the stories of the lives of great men, women and events in interesting and readable fashion. There are six new titles in the series available for your child's Christmas: "Queen Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada," by Frances Win-war; "Genghis Kahn and the Mongol Horde," by Harold Lamb; 'The Slave Who Freed Haiti" (the life of Toussaint Louverture by Kathrine Scherman; "Lincoln and Douglas," by Re-gina Z. Kelly; 'The Story of Scotland Yard," by Laurence Thompson and "The Crusades" by Anthony West.

The books sell for $1.50 and they are written by distinguished authors and edited skilfully to interest the 9 to 13 age group. Fun Books Fine for Little Shut-ins The Hart Publishing company has just put on the market five educational "fun-books" for youngsters. The books sell for $1.25 each and deal with science, animals, geography, American history and nature. The are full of stories, facts, quizzes and puzzles. They would be particularly valuable for the child confined to his bed or kept indoors by bad weather.

BOOKS less "fight" in them. In a way he was a quitter, obsessed by doom, who succeeded by reason of gifts which he himself discounted and disparaged. 0. Henry's story has more pathos than drama, and the fact that only the last eight of his 48 years were successful or in any way prosperous makes the story more melancholy. The two great tragedies of his lifethe premature death of the vital woman he married and his conviction and imprisonment on a bank embezzlement charge-seemed, in a way, the foreordained fate of a man who profoundly distrusted himself and expected the worst from life.

There has been much speculation about Porter's misstep at the First National bank of Austin, Texas, where he worked as teller-bookkeeper in the early '90s. On the basis of what facts are still available, Kramer can't help but feel that Porter was innocent, despite his flight to Honduras while he was out on bond. The bank was run in a slipshod way, the bookkeeping was a mess, and the bank's officers and their wives, even some of the favored customers, dipped freely Into the tills, leaving markers or intending to. Jf Porter's books were any worse than those of the other tellers. It was probably due to his inefficiency as a book-keeper'and his habitual carelessness with money.

There was no evidence that he was ever a whit richer after the "theft" was discovered. His flight to Central America (from which he returned to face the music) was brought on, according to Kramer, by panic, by the dread of facing a court trial. He would rather duck than fight. One of his close friends remarked that he "would not have defended himself If accused of eating his own grandmother." Probably Kramer's only recourse, after raking up what sparse material he could find on his subject, was to write a flctlonized biography, as he has done here. He has introduced conversation and supplied motivation and built his O.

Henry personality on the basis of the few facts he has turned up, on the plausibilities and on his own psychological insight into character. The result Is a credible and often moving story of the man who In the earlier years of the century timidly went to New York and became famous almost over night as 'a short story writer. Under the pressure of turning out a story a week and the need of supporting his motherless daughter, he began to drink heavily and eventually found his creative fluency turning to sterility. He died in a New York hospital after borrowing money to pay the entrance fee. Donald Ferguson Book Chats Guest Donald N.

Ferguson, chairman of the music department at Macalester college, will be the guest on Book Chats at 4 p.m. Monday over KUOM. The author of sev-eral books about music, Ferguson has just completed "Masterworks of the Orches-. tral Repertoire: A Guide for Listeners," published by University of Minnesota Press. gead.

WMSHi Didrick Orfield's Verses for Young UNCLE DIDRICKS STORIES, by DUrltk J. Orfield Publishing $3). "Uncle DIdrlck's Stories" is a delightful collection of children's poems, which will re-mind many of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Garden of Verses." Orfield has captured the between-the-world's vision of childhood. Thirty-eight nieces and nephews have shown their uncle the winding path to "Rock Candy Mountain" land and he makes the en-chantment live again in such poems as 'The Fairies," "The Sandman" and many more. In the hands of a book-lov-ing child, many of these colorful poems will be read 1 again and again.

The little volume is effectively illus. trated by Marion Matchitt. A.J.C. Two Interesting Books on Indians If your children are as Interested in Indians as mine are they'll like these two new books. The first Is "Famous Indian Tribes" by William Moyers and David C.

Cooke, published by Random House for $1. The second is "Indian Crafts and Lore," by W. Ben Hunt published by Simon Schuster for $1.50. Both are full of authentic pictures and facts about the American Indian. Singing in Home Encouraged For children who like to sing there are two new books which are wonderful for family singing.

The first js "More Songs to Grow On," by Beatrice Lan-deck, published by Marks-Sloan for $3.50. The second is "God's Wonderful World," by Agnes Leckie Mason and Phyllis Brown Ohanian, pub-lished by Random House for $3.95. Either book would be ex-eellent for kindergarten or Sunday school, as well as for the home. NEW BOOKS YOU'LL HEAR TALKED ABOUT Best Sellers in Minneapolis FICTION MY BROTHER'S KEEPER, oy Marcia Davenport SOLDIER OF FORTUNE, by Ernest K. Gann.

LOVE IS ETERNAL, by Ir-ving Stone, LORD GRIZZLY, by Freder- ick F. Manfred. KATHERINE, by Anya Seton. NON-FICTION THE TUMULT AND THE SHOUTING, by Grantland Rice. BUSINESS WITHOUT BOUNDARY, by James Gray ABRAHAM LINCOLN (one volume), by Carl Sandburg.

THE GOOD AND EASY BETTY CROCKER COOK-BOOK. ADVENTURE IN POLITICS, by Richard Neuberger. vATinvAi. rmi.nREV'S 5 BOOK WEEK i "Let's Read" During November 14 to 22, rowers is observing thej I theme of National Children's Book Week, "Let's You are invited to come in and browse for your selec- tion of Christmas gifts. Ypu will find all of the books listed on this page plus many, many more in our 5 Book Department.

We have a wide selection of children's favorites plus many new Jj stories, which Would delight children of all ages. 1 POWERS Ctrefit Floor i Powers 5 Bookt COMMITS UNI CHUREN'S BOOKS AS RIVIIWIO ON THIS PA6I! Century Desk Stsrt 25 HmmpIm Obm IvMiftfi GGEE) ECU as 3 Country Horses Go to Town THREE LITTLE HORSES bg Piet Worm (Random House, Here Is a beautifully illustrated and told story of three horses from the country who pay a visit to town, by a Dutch artist who is as gifted with words as he is with paints. THE TALL BOOK OF CHRISTMAS (Harper, $1). Beginning with the story of Christmas from the best known book in the world and ending with Clement Moore's "The Night Before Christmas," with a filling of well-known and lesser stories and poems about Christmas, this Is one of the most attractive presentations in a good many years. The illustrations are particularly inviting and the book Is a welcome addition to holiday literature.

Minnesota Skyiins F.ttur.t St.t. P.opl. Hiitory R.iourc.i in Poetry by U7 tutheri. At All leek Stern. $150 An idtal gift I In Tim for Ov.rit.i M.ilinf Cam N.Im Ikbardt.

Miter (. I Hillbilly Puts i Air Force Into at" Comic Dither AO TIME FOR ERG EASTS. by Mac Hyman (Random, LAUGHS. Lots of laughs. A couple hundred pages of laughs.

That's "No Time for Sergeants" a situation novel that doesn't suffer for being placed in the air force in-" stead of a hillbilly crossroads town. In fact it starts In Just such a town, from which young Will Stockdale trudges into the air force and almost drove it into the arms of a rival service. Hillbilly Will and his air buddy, little Ben Whitledge, blithely snarl up every efficient and well-moaning activity the air force thinks up. And all with those deadly weapons super-patriotism and country-style logic. Will and little Ben finally become flying airmen much to their surprise and much Z.

to the relief of the training base non-coms. W.A. OLD KING COLE and his fiddlers three, a Marguerite de Angcli illustration from her new "Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes" (Doubleday, $5). One of the most de luxe and imaginative presentations of childhood favorites in years, Miss de Angeli's handsome book is on the way to becoming a classic. Dr.

Peale Aids Christmas the Teen-ager in Tall Book Elsa Maxwell Says Snub Put Her on Career R. S. bg Eha Maxwell (Little, Brown, Reviewed by ELEANOR M. BLOOM WHEN Elsa Maxwell was 12 she was told that she would not be invited to the party given by Theresa Fair, daughter of the wealthy senator, because her family was too poor. The reason, surely oversimplified, was enough to make the snubbed child vow that some day she would give parties to which rich people could come only if they had more than money.

Money still seems to be her criterion of real acceptability, with fame perhaps in second place, and people with either or both certainly do come to her parties. Now 70 and still giving parties, Miss Maxwell has been many things along the way. She has been a pianist, a song writer, actress, columnist, lecturer and press agent. And party giver. She's worked darned hard at all her careers, too, bragging that she has never missed a deadline.

What a name-dropper she Is, in the bargain. Elsa has known them all royalty, stage and society luminaries, politicians, statesmen, musicians, composers, and dress designers. It hasn't been an especially admirable or valuable 70 years but, for some odd reason, you can't help rather liking the old girl. At the very least she has to be given credit for knowing what she wanted and going out after it Fishin' Chuckles FISH IV FUN, by W. A.

Brook. (Derby Press, $3). For leisure reading, punctuated with chuckles and an occasional laugh, here's a book of selected pictures, prose and poetry dedicated to the comic side of the angler's sport. Recommended for doctors' reception rooms and guest cabins at the lake. E.M.F.

Play West with an ace, South considered it prudent, in view of the bidding, to place East with all the remaining high cards. On that premise it would appear that the contract was unmakable, for apparently he must lose a heart, a diamond, and two clubs. However, declarer hit upon a plan of attack which would win the hand if East held exactly two spades. He cashed only the ace and king of spades, leaving one at large. He then led a low club and played the nine from dummy.

East was in with the queen but found it Impossible to relinquish the lead without sacrificing a trick. A diamond return would permit declarer to discard a losing heart as he ruffed in dummy. A heart return was obviously out so that in the forlorn hope that partner held the Jack, he returned a low club and declarer was able to pull the remaining trump and five up just a heart trick. (Goren's column on bridge appears daily In the Minneapolis Star.) RtOM Till BOOKS OF 1 I 1 MILLIONS ef readers have gained a new, lasting and rewarding approach a II -f. I I a THE POWER OF POSITIVE THIS KING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, by Norman Vincent Peale (Prentice-Hall, U.9S).

Dr. Peale's earlier book written for adults is presented here in a new version for the teen ager. If ever there was a group which needed the inspirational help which this minister has to offer it is the teen-ager of today. The chapter headings give an excellent idea of the book's contents: You Make Your Own Happiness, Stop Fuming and Fretting, What to Do in a Slump, and You Are What You Think. If your teen ager is going through any of the phases so common to his age group he may well gain a great deal of help from this famous author and minister.

re mm ipimuai proDiemi or roaay. sea 1 thesa helpful and inspiring books at your bookseller NOWI the mi luo and mt copmri Wwm IKS TIN COMMAKSMSNTS $2.00 12.00 $2.00 SU5 $2 JO IJ0, POWCX THROUGH CON3TXUCTIVI THMXINO MAKE YOUX LOT WCXTH WHiLI FIND AN3 USI YOUX INNSI POWEX ALTKXYOUXUn STAKI YOUX CLAIM Af eM btOsVffjpM chas. h. goren Ion bridge Neither vulnerable, NORTH 9 7 5 AQS62 5 A 9 4 North WEST 10 8 3 10 9 4 A 10 6 3 2 7 6 EAST 4 7 9 4 3 SOUTH AKQ62 5 3 7 10 8 5 2 The bidding: 3 HAXKX A BSOnsSS, N. Y.

161 A Rare Strip the recent mail brought me one such case. The bidding was of the dog fight variety so frequently seen in tournament play at match points. North's opening bid is not looked upon with favor by the modern players who do not hold in reverence, as their ancestors did, the "2H trick Curiously, though, were the jack of diamonds transposed to the heart suit it would be an acceptable bid. Nor does this amount to splitting hairs, for in that case opener would have a good five-card major suit which would justify an opening bid with only 12 points. When East went to four diamonds, North was convinced that he could defeat the contract but fearing that it might prove to be only a one -trick set (100 points would not compensate him for being deprived of the three-spade contract, which in tournament play yields 140 points) he chose to gamble on a four-spade contract West opened the ace ef diamonds and declarer ruffed the continuation.

Finding 5 4 8 2 5 7 4 3 6 5 2 4 7 A A I 8 5 4 3 TT 4 8 5 7 4 OOAJMVWCUP IT 6 2 i 7 8 4t 7 8 3 1 4 2 NLRR EHPOT i 3 8 4 2 5 3 i 7 2 5 4 A A A WE I "2 4 5 Vi T5 8 3 4 6 I I I 1 3 4 2 8 5 6 3 4 2 8 5 7 A L. OPEL A 4 8.2 7 5 3 3 7 4 5 3 8 A I 8 I I WHEREVER CRISIS IMPENDS you'll find a crack New York Times foreign cor respondent. That's one reason why the Minneapolis Morninf Tribune regularly brings you the significant reports of f)f $eto Pott Etmes NEWS WIRE SERVICE The informed, reliable dispatches from this expert corps ef reporters, strategically located on 30 key news fronts abroad, afford you better understandinf ef complex foreign news. UltMEAFOUS MOANING TACUNCf North East South West IV 2 2 3 3 4 4 Dbl. Count the letters In your first name.

If 6 or more, subtract if less than add 3. The result is your number. The letters under the number spell a message. CRYPTOQUIPS IEXAED'H IPSWVVG: AE IWNASQ WMBSGPK Opening lead: Ace of diamonds, i I A strip and end play at a time when there is still a trump outstanding is somewhat of a rarity; however, ATW BHQXTEHEVGAPX DEEA ENG BGAP-WKA'H WMXWHH GBBWAPAW. Today's Clue in the puzzle equals Answer to last Sunday's Crytoquip: WOULDN'T YOU KNOW DEPARTMENT: ALL PLAY AND NO WORK MAY MAKE JACK A JOCKO..