Perhaps there is nothing that ws the status of a city as much as its book shops. Shanghai is blessed with very good ones, and they seem to be well patronized. What one desires more than any thing else in a book shop (un one is simply a reader of the "six best sellers") is to be ignored and allowed to brouse about amongst the books, reading a bit here and there. I have always noticed that more books are sold by this process.
Edward Evans and Sons have a very fine collection of books. The taste of any reader can be suited at this shop whether he wishes biography, science, drama, poetry or fiction. "London's Prime Minister," by Harold Spender, is a useful and interesting biography. Then there is "The Life of General William Booth," by Harold Begbie, which seems to be a great favourite at the moment. Their fiction includes "The Singing Head" by Jeffery Deprend, "Old Dad" by Eleanor H. Abbott, '"Gleamornan" by Patrick Magill, Captain Jonah's Fortune" by James A Cooper, and Colas Breugnon" by Romain Rolland. I have not had time as yet to read this last book by Rolland, but if it is anything like his "Jean Christophe" library should be without it, for that book, if T may express an opinion, is one of the greatest novels which the twentieth century has produced. Evers lady should have "The Sayings of Mrs, Solomon" by Helen Rowland—it contains much wisdom and many valuable hints.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.