The Author's Manual. By Percy Russell. (Digby and Long.)- ,
Failing the proverbial advice to persons intending to become authors, " Don't !" we may find something fairly useful in Mr Russell's " complete and practical guide to all branches of literary. -work." He divides his book into two parts, "Newspaper and Periodical Literature" and " Book Literature." On the whole, he is scarcely encouraging. One of the prizes of journalism is to be a sub-editor, and here .2500 is stated as a maximum. This, too, is an outside sum for "fair ability and industry." For "special qualifications there is the possibility of rising to an income of 41,000 or more." How splendid ! a possibility of getting what a bank manager would consider very poor ! The aspirant to literature may certainly read Mr. Russell's book with profit, —a little, one might say, if it teaches him how to set about obtaining iris desires, and much, if it persuades him to give them up.
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