14 DECEMBER 1901, Page 22

Calumet K. By hferwin-Webster. With many Illustrations by Harry C.

Edwards. (Macmillan and Co. 6.)—Calumet K. is a brisk and characteristic example of the American novel,—the romance of Labour in which the hero is the "emergency man" who does not know how to spell the word "impossible," and the heroine a young woman of similar mettle, who acts as stenographer and book - keeper in the office of the works of which Charles Bannon is " boss." The material of the book is absolutely prosaic, and any attempt to give an outline of the movement of the story must be a failure. But the story will delight readers who combine mechanical tastes with the spirit of practical enterprise. Charles Bannon is a man of action. He has no ambition. But he has the eye of a Field-Marshal and the organising faculty of afgreat engineer. He is, moreover, a thoroughly good fellow, and we like his character as much as we admire his energy. The joint authors have the faculty of clear and brief description, which makes it easy to follow the intricacies of a " business " plot.