August 25, 1915



INTRODUCTION


It falls to the lot of few men in these days to blaze a new trail
in Bookland. This Mr. Brett Page has done, with firmness and
precision, and with a joy in every stroke that will beget in
countless readers that answering joy which is the reward of both
him who guides and him who follows. There is but one word for a
work so penetrating, so eductive, so clear--and that word is
_masterly_. Let no one believe the modest assertion that "Writing
for Vaudeville" is "less an original offering than a compilation."
I have seen it grow and re-grow, section by section, and never
have I known an author give more care to the development of his
theme in an original way. Mr. Page has worked with fidelity to
the convictions gained while himself writing professionally, yet
with deference for the opinions of past masters in this field.
The result is a book quite unexcelled among manuals of instruction,
for authority, full statement, analysis of the sort that leads the
reader to see what essentials he must build into his own structures,
and sympathetic helpfulness throughout. I count it an honor to
have been the editorial sponsor for a pioneer book which will be
soon known everywhere.

J. BERG ESENWEIN