Your faithful servant,
A. B. Starey,
Secretary Authors' Club.
CHAPTER XIV
AN ACCOUNT OF E. P. ROE'S BOOKS
A few more pages will be given to an account of the circumstances under which my brother's books were written, including mention of some incidents which suggested the stories.
His first novel was "Barriers Burned Away." Speaking of this venture he said at one time:—"I did not take up the writing of fiction as a means of livelihood, nor to gratify ambition. When I heard the news of the great fire in Chicago I had a passionate desire to see its houseless, homeless condition, and spent several days among the ruins and people, who found refuge wherever they could. I wandered around night and day, taking notes of all I saw, and there the plot of my story was vaguely formed."
When Edward had written about eight chapters of this book, as has been said, he read them to Dr. Field and his associate editor, Mr. J. H. Dey. He would not have been greatly surprised had they advised his throwing the manuscript into the burning grate before them, but, instead, they requested him to leave it with them for serial publication in The Evangelist.
In the intervals of his busy life at Highland Falls the story grew into fifty-two chapters. He wrote when and where he could,—on steamboats and trains as well as in his study,—the manuscript often being only a few pages ahead of its publication. His characters took full possession of his imagination and were very real to him.
The serial continued for a year. The next thing was to secure a publisher for the book. Mr. Dodd, senior member of the firm of Dodd, Mead, and Company, said once when questioned in reference to this subject:—"Mr. Roe brought his manuscript to us one day. We read it and made him an offer. At that time we looked upon the venture as purely experimental. Mr. Roe accepted our offer, and we announced the book. In a short time letters began to pour in upon us from people who had seen our announcement, and had also read as much of the story as had appeared in The Evangelist, asking when the book would be published. These letters were the first indication we had of the story's popularity, but they were very good evidence of it. An edition was issued; the book sold rapidly, and the sale since has been large and continuous."