Produced by David Edwards, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from scans of public domain material produced by Microsoft for their Live Search Books site.) Imaginary Interviews W.D. Howells [Illustration: See page 130 AT THE OPERA] IMAGINARY INTERVIEWS W.D. HOWELLS ILLUSTRATED HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS NEW YORK AND LONDON 1910 Copyright, 1910, by HARPER & BROTHERS Published October, 1910 _Printed in the United States of America_ CONTENTS IMAGINARY INTERVIEWS CHAP. PAGE I. THE RESTORATION OF THE EASY CHAIR BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION 1 II. A YEAR OF SPRING AND A LIFE OF YOUTH 13 III. SCLEROSIS OF THE TASTES 22 IV. THE PRACTICES AND PRECEPTS OF VAUDEVILLE 32 V. INTIMATIONS OF ITALIAN OPERA 44 VI. THE SUPERIORITY OF OUR INFERIORS 57 VII. UNIMPORTANCE OF WOMEN IN REPUBLICS 67 VIII. HAVING JUST GOT HOME 77 IX. NEW YORK TO THE HOME-COMER'S EYE 87 X. CHEAPNESS OF THE COSTLIEST CITY ON EARTH 97 XI. WAYS AND MEANS OF LIVING IN NEW YORK 107 XII. THE QUALITY OF BOSTON AND THE QUANTITY OF NEW YORK 117 XIII. THE WHIRL OF LIFE IN OUR FIRST CIRCLES 127 XIV. THE MAGAZINE MUSE 137 XV. COMPARATIVE LUXURIES OF TRAVEL 146 XVI. QUALITIES WITHOUT DEFECTS 156 XVII. A WASTED OPPORTUNITY 166 XVIII. A NIECE'S LITERARY ADVICE TO HER UNCLE 176 XIX. A SEARCH FOR CELEBRITY 184 XX. PRACTICAL IMMORTALITY ON EARTH 194 XXI. AROUND A RAINY-DAY FIRE 204 XXII. THE ADVANTAGES OF QUOTATIONAL CRITICISM 216 XXIII. READING FOR A GRANDFATHER 226 XXIV. SOME MOMENTS WITH THE MUSE 236 XXV. A NORMAL HERO AND HEROINE OUT OF WORK 244 OTHER ESSAYS CHAP. PAGE I. AUTUMN IN THE COUNTRY AND CITY 255 II. PERSONAL AND EPISTOLARY ADDRESSES 264 III. DRESSING FOR HOTEL DINNER 274 IV. THE COUNSEL OF LITERARY AGE TO LITERARY YOUTH 283