LITERARY GOSSIP.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14472, 28 September 1912, Page 9

LITERARY GOSSIP.

Last month there died at Bayswater, London, a lady who was a veritable link with tho past—tiie daughter of Barham, author of tho immortal "Ingoldsby Legends." She was aged eightynine, and was the widow of Sir Edward Bond, lato head of tho British Museum. A cable message to tho Sydney "Sun" says that Mr H. G. Wells's latest novel, "The Star," has just been published in Irfmdon. ■ It is a unique literary production, inasmuch as tho author has adopted the simplified spelling. Here is a sample sentence:—"lt woz on tho furst daT oV the nyu yeer." Mrs Drew, of Ardencaplo House, Helensburgh, who died recently, in her 101 st year, was onp of the few remaining jinks, with Sir Walter Scott- When she was eighteen years of age, Scott was a visitor at Orbiston for threo or four days and she was in his company on several occasions.

A Civil List pension of £70 a year has been grant'd to Miss Charlotte McCarthy, the daughter and amanuensis of the late Mr Justin McCarthy, on account of tho latter's great services to literature. Although Mr McCarthy earned considerable sums by his literary work, his long illness and heavy pecuniary expenses associated with his leadership of the Nationalist Party .left him in poor circumstances (says* tho "Daily Mail").

Somebody has been "borrowing" Mr Pett Ridgo's name to adorn his own short story, which with this recommendation was printed, says the "Daily Chronicle," in a magazine. In another instance even the forgery of Mr Georgo R. Sims's signature did not avail to get a story accepted. In most cases tho sending of the proofs to the supposed author would immediately disclose the theft, but in tho instance given abovo the artful thief had intimated that Mr Pett Ridge would be unable to. correct his proofs, owing to his absence on. a holiday. In any case tho robber would only enjoy the empty honour of having his article printed. No remuneration could reach his pocket;

Those who hav-i studied Shakespeare at school or collego will bo interested to hear of the retirement of Dr. W. Aldis Wright from the post of ViceMaster of Trinity Collego, Cambridge. Dr. Wrighj; has done a great amount of good work for/English literature. To the student he is primarily tho editor (with W. G. Clark) of the Cambridge Shakespeare, and of a Cambridge Milton, and the editor of the well-known annotated Clarendon Press Series of Shakespeare plays and other classics. He is also the editor of Edward FirzGerald. He has, we aro told, • still more FitzGoraluV matter to edit, for he possesses, it is said, still unpublished tho letters of FitzGerald to Cowell, written during the making of the famo.is Omar translation. ■

"On 1 * of \he most depressing «*xiocr!ences through which it is sometimes given us to go is being obliged to wait in a country station for.a-train,on a wet and miserable day," says the "Church Times." "With nothing to read save the fly-leaves containing the railway company's announcements, the weary passenger has "nothing left him but to bewail his sad fate. Ono of those happy thoughts of which everyone of us would be only too proud to. be the originator has occurred to the priest of a_ Sussex parish. - In a rack in the station .waiting-room he has-placed .a small library of"standard books, which may be read on the spot, or, if the traveller desires it, taken on- the journey, the only condition being that ho shall hold himself in honour bound to return the volume when he has read it. -This kindly plan is worthy, of wide imita-. tion. The boon' it would prove to- the .travelling public is incalculable.' It would be interesting to know how the Sussex experiment has . worked, whether the hooks have been duly returned, and in what state. We, can imagine that at first the kindness of those who provide travellers' lending libraries would be, abused, but in time the habit would be ncauired of complying with the conditions attached to tho books.*'