+ Pub W 97:606 F 21 ’20 60w
“The story is improbable and the characters overdrawn, but the work is written in an entertaining vein.”
+ − Springf’d Republican p13a Ap 25 ’20 130w
KELLAND, CLARENCE BUDINGTON. Efficiency Edgar. il *$1.25 (6½c) Harper
20–7299
They called him Efficiency Edgar in the office in a derisive way, but then—had he not more than doubled his salary in two years? He was determined to order his life with efficiency. He decided that it was an efficiency measure to get married. He conducted his courtship as a sales campaign employing the “follow-up system” and the “intensive cultivation of prospects.” Mary thought it was lovely and signed the contract. Next came housekeeping by strict schedule which worked to perfection including Mary’s feigned sprained ankle—result a cook and exit schedule. It was reserved to Edgar Junior to prove to his efficient parent that “a baby isn’t a machine with gears and cranks and pulleys. A baby is a kid.”
Booklist 17:34 O ’20
“One is inclined to wonder if, apart from Mr Kelland’s reputation as a short story writer, this particular tale would have had such wide appeal. There have been so many similar stories and, even possessed of willing mind, much of the material seems dull and hackneyed. Only in the courtship chapter have we a ghost of freshness.”
− + Boston Transcript p4 Ag 28 ’20 150w