purposes served by stories of trade and commerce.
Something more than entertainment. Among the interesting new
books are "The Common Lot," by Robert Herrick; "The Master
Word," by L. H. Hammond; "The Plum Tree," by David Graham
Phillips.

Spring has brought with it a multitude of gay volumes. American
bookbinding has at last reached such a point that, whatever the nature
of its contents, a novel may at least make an impression by its good
clothes.

Trade stories almost overcrowd this brilliant assemblage. Of course,
it is what might be expected of American commercialism, that our
literature should open its doors to all phases of business and
manufacture. Most of us feel particularly at home and in our element,
as it were, when finding amusement for a leisure hour among mills or
stock markets.

And these tales, like the Rollo books, impart much valuable
information to the uninitiated. We can remember feeling a slight
degree of impatience some years ago, when Mr. Hopkinson Smith gave us
his careful demonstration of the building of stone piers in the pages
of "Caleb West." But in the end we recognized thriftily that he had
given us, for the small price of the book, enough points to be
available for carrying on an intelligent conversation with a stone
mason; a decided addition to one's accomplishments in those days of
social misunderstanding.

That book came with the first advances of the tide. Now hundreds of
such volumes are washed up at our feet, out of which we may accumulate
regular trade libraries if we like, from which a young student can
learn the ins and outs of all professions and commercial ventures, their
temptations or advantages, and their relation, as well, to the mysterious
workings of love. What a possession for a would-be-well-equipped
worldling!

The only difficulty is, what are we going to do when these resources
are used up?

However, there is no real need to worry. We can still encourage the
unsuccessful author, who has been befogged by romance and idealism, to
peg away for a year or two at some, if possible, unique form of
manufacture, going into it from the bottom and learning its tricks and
its manners. He will have at least the opportunity of becoming a good
mechanic, and probably some chance of getting up a paying novel in the
hereafter--with a seductive cover.

* * * * *

There can be no doubt that "The Common Lot," by Robert Herrick,