Among the Literati

###hort, plump, dynamic Dave Stern ### decided to give New York a ###e of municipal reform. Last ###ek he bought himself The New ###rk Evening Post, a newspaper ###t was slowly strangling itself in ### own hoary beard. He has an###nced that the policy of the paper, ###ich heretofore had always looked ###kward, will be militant, liberal ### forward. If you know Dave ###rn you must realize that he will ### what he says.

###His entrance into the New York newspaper field came as a gratifying ###prise. The Post could not find a ###yer and it loked very much as ###ugh another gang of newspaper-###n were to go on the breadline ### Mr. Stern popped on the scene ### changed the entire picture.

###ulius David Stern is a Jew. Born ### Philadelphia in 1886 he later at###ded the exclusive Penn Charter ###hool and then the University of ###nnsylvania where he earned de###es in arts and law. After a ses###n at the University of Berlin he ###urned to this country and began ###rk as a reporter on the Philadelphia Public Ledger. His first important position was as general ###nager of the Providence News. ###e bought the Camden (N. J.) ###ws and a few years later the Philadelphia Record. It was with ###e latter paper that he made his ###viable reputation as a publisher. ###hen he took over the Record it ###s definitely a second string sheet. ###r. Stern looked around and de###ded that it was about time some###dy smashed the corrupt political ###achine that had ready access to Philadelphia’s money boxes. It was ###long arduous fight with plenty of ###eworks but finally the machine ###as stopped. In the process the ###ecord emerged as one of the most trustworthy, readable and successful ###pers in Philadelphia.

The book publishers greeted the ###birth of the Post with quiet “hur###hs”. It has always been a good ###edium for book news and together ###ith the World-Telegram, Herald-Tribune and Times has made it possible to sell books in New York. Its removal from the afternoon field would just about have cut off half the attention books receive.

Although he lives in Haddonfield, N. J., and has no intention of moving to this city, New York will now see a great deal of Mr. Stern and his wife, Julia Lit, daughter of the prominent Philadelphia department store owner. Mrs. Stern, besides being the mother of his three children, is also the book editor of the Record and well known in literary circles in this city.

NEWS AND RUMORS

Since Harry Schurman of the Book-of-the-Month Club and Bennett Cerf of Random House gave “Story” their collective backing, the magazine has nearly doubled its circulation in the past eight months, according to George Cronym, business manager of the publication. It should be added that Cronym will appear on the Spring lists with a very grand novel called “The Fool of Venus”.

Scheduled for early appearance—a new morning newspaper which will be called “The Express”.

The only town in America where “My Battle” made the best seller list was New Orleans. First editions are still available and will continue to be.

Since I wrote that piece about the 27 books on drinking I found eight more, announced for publication with in the next two months. If you really want to know about wines you can get a very fine book on the subject for nothing. Simply write to the Mouquin Company for a free copy.

After all the fuss about the impending publication of the memoirs of the late Horace Liveright, Simon & Schuster now announce that they do not think they will be able to bring the book out. It was found that Liveright had not furnished sufficient material for a full-blown expose of the literary world.