Since Christmas the book market has been characterized not so much by a decrease in the number of books published as by a very definite slump in their quality. This is especially noticeable in the field of fiction and there can hardly be said to have appeared one single novel of any great importance or significance since the first of the year. The period has produced a number of freaks and curiosities and also several books of lurid titles and erotic content such as "Naked on Roller Skates" and Mr. Hecht's "A Jew In Love." Needless to say the sales of these books have been in direct proportion to their sensationalism. An exception to this rule, however, seems to be the case with Edgar Lee Master's new de-bunking biography of Lincoln. It has been very apathetically received and even free publicity from the House of Representatives does not seem to have boosted its sales appreciably. Among the freaks and curiosities Ogden Nash's "Hard Lines" and a little book of ridiculous answers to examination questions called "Boners" are about the best sellers in Cambridge today. Vicki Baum's "Grand Hotel" is the most successful of the recent novels and seems to have displaced the "Imperial Palace" of Arnold Bennett in popularity.

"Universities, American, English and German" by Abraham Flexner still seems to have great interest for the Harvard reader, for it has been a leader among the more substantial non-fiction books since its appearance early in December. In fact the good non-fiction book is apt to sell more copies in the long run than the usual novel which enjoys a temporary burst of popularity but which is quickly forgotten or relegated to the dwindling sales of the dollar reprints.