TABLOID CLASSICS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 285, 28 August 1919, Page 6

TABLOID CLASSICS

TO-SUIT PRESENT DAY TASTES.

A Boston newspaper is printing a hundred -'condensed novels' ,at the rate of a novel a day, Sundays included," says the New York "Evening ' Post." .. _For any other city this would bo lieavy /are, but for Boston it doubtless seems no more'.than a square meal. 'This is by no means tho -first time that novels ;'?;;|iaye-.been subjected to this process. It lias, the distinction, however, of being the first to enlist a group of distinguish- " "ed men and women to do tho condens- '• ; mg. Tkreo of Winston Clmrohill's novels 1 are v cpndonsed by tlirco men of political • .prominence. "I'ho Crisis' is condensed ex-President Taft, 'Coniston' by exs Governor M'Call, and "Richard Carvel' -By ex-Governor Walsh. The librarian ..the Boston Puiblio Library, in the words of the advertisement, "will deal' with 'David Copperfield'; Jame6 B. Con...nolly, a writer of sea stories himself, .will ?ee what can be done with 'R-ibinspn Crusoe' -and 'Captains - Courageous.' To crown the whole, twenty popular novels liavo been offered to the public for condensation, with prizes for the accepted efforts. "Tho'ostensible reason for condensing famous books is that persons will read ! them in that form who will not tackle them unabbreviated. Comago /is re- , quijod for starting in on 'Adam Bede,' which is almost as long a$ the shorter novels' of Hall Caiue or Marie Corelli. ' In thesp modern days, no one has time ; for Thackeray, not if ho is going to keep ■ up with Wells. It' is generally admitted ' that Dickens could be out to advantajgo. , Soott confessed that ho could not stop • at tho right places. But .this reasoning breaks down in" tho face of condensation of Kipling and Booth Tarkington. If nobody read Gcorgo Eliot, nobody would ' think of condonsmg her novels. It is becauso so many persons do read her that • it is thought worth while to try to get her work unfamiliar hands. The '. strange thing is that condensations soon die, while tho books that they were to keep alive go on living without thorn. How many persons have read the con. dentation of a single ono of, Scotts' Hovels? A really good condensation of a good book would defeat its purposo; for it would lead most of its ronders to drop it for the uncondonsed version. Their curiosity to see how the author hail written it would be too much for them."