Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Defensa de los padres jesuitas por los problanos. Manifestacion de los sentimientos de los vecinos de La Puebla de los Angeles en favor de la Compañia de Jesus. 1820. Desmaze, C: Curiosités des anciennes justices d'après leurs registres. 1867. Destierro de charlatanes y abuso de cirujanos. 1820.

Diehl, C: Excursions archéologiques en Grèce; Mycènes, Délos, Athènes, Olympie, Eleusis, Epidaure, Dodone, Tirynthe, Tanagra. "Son livre permet de suivre d'une façon méthodique les diverses étapes de l'art grec, et d'apprécier ses trans. formations et ses progrès, en même temps qu'il présente d'intéressants détails sur la vie intime des anciens peuples helléniques. Cet ouvrage, d'où tout apparat d'érudition a été rigoureusement banni, mérite de devenir classique; les jeunes gens et le grand public le liront avec fruit" - Revue bleue, 4 oct.

...

Dodge, T. A. Great captains: Hannibal; a his

tory of the art of war among the Carthaginians and Romans to 168 B. C.; with account of the 2d Punic war.

"Colonel Dodge again shows that he has the faculty for writing a popular narrative of the respectable kind. He can tell a story with spirit, and he has a sound conception of the value of evidence. His account of the passage of the Alps, of the battles on the Trebia, of Lake Trasimene, and of Cannæ are thoroughly intelligible and consistent. The personal greatness of Hannibal will always remain one of the wonders of the world, and an account of his life will be good reading. It ought to be particularly acceptable to soldiers, to whom Colonel Dodge chiefly appeals." Sat. rev., Apr. 11.

...

Donovan, D. Who poisoned Hetty Duncan; and other detective stories.

"Lovers of detective stories can always be sure of entertainment with Dick Donovan as the teller. His latest volume contains eleven short stories." emy, Dec. 27.

Du Camp, M. Théophile Gautier.

écrivains franç.)

Acad

(Les grands

"Une étude sur l'homme et l'écrivain où les souvenirs personnels se croisent avec les aperçus critiques. Les divers talents de Gautier, depuis celui qui l'a fait vivre jusqu'à celui qui le fera durer, sont disposés en pyramide, de sorte que nous nous élevons avec lui, de degré en degré, vers le faîte de sa gloire, où nous le laissons à sa hauteur définitive. Par une habileté qui lui appartient et qui ne nous étonne pas d'un aussi expert ordonnateur de matières, M. Du Camp a combiné cette progression intellectuelle avec l'ordre des temps, sans trahir l'effort par des incohérences ou des anachronismes." Revue bleue, 20 déc. Economia prodigiosa del señor general Quiroga.

1821.

Español imparcial, pseud. Ataque con el silencio á todo enemigo de la imprenta libre. 1820. Estrada, A. F. Carta dirigida al rey desde Londres. 1820.

Fabre, F. L'abbé Roitelet.

"A little literary gem, containing admirable descriptions of peaceful clerical life in the Cévennes." -Nation, Jan. 24.

Ferri, P. N. Catalogo della raccolta di disegni antichi e moderni della R. Galleria degli Uffizi di Firenze. Vol. 1, fasc. 1.

Feugère, G. La Révolution Française et la critique contemporaine. 1889. "Est-il possible aujourd'hui, à la distance où nous sommes de la Révolution Française, de porter sur elle un jugement impartial et juste? Le critique distingué

[ocr errors][merged small]

Fleuriot, Z.

--

[ocr errors]

-

Bouche-en-cœur. 1887.

Cadette. 3e éd. 1888.

Un enfant gâté. 1886.

Gildas l'intraitable. 1886.

Parisiens et Montagnards. 1888.
Tranquille et Tourbillon. 1887.

Fotheringham, L.. M. Adventures in Nyassaland; a two years' struggle with Arab slave-dealers in Central Africa.

"Mr. Fotheringham has an interesting story to tell. He and his friends hammered away with great perseverance and courage at the Arab traders and slave-drivers, who had invaded and desolated the country of the friendly tribes. There was a good deal of fighting, with a more than usual proportion of noise. In the end, an honourable and satisfactory peace was concluded." Spectator, Mar. 28.

G[alan], M. Prision en la ciudadela del teniente Galan. 1820.

Gardiner, S. R. A student's history of England to 1885. Vol. 1.

"The love of truth is more apparent than the love of colour, and good sense than a strong imagination. These characteristics are evident in the book before us. But the abundant illustrations agreeably diversify the student's path. They are excellently chosen and exe. cuted, and throw much light on the history of the times to which they belong. Here are no imaginary portraits of kings and queens and nobles, but their contemporary likenesses as they appear upon their tombs. Architecture, armour, costumes, and articles of daily use are the chief subjects of illustration. The architec tural series is especially worthy of praise, and gives a complete chronological view of the development of the art, at all events on its ecclesiastical side, during the Middle Ages. The illustrations of armour are also admirable." - Athenæum, Nov. 29. Gibson, F. Bp., of London. A preservative against Popery, in discourses upon the principal heads of controversy, by eminent divines. Vol. 1, 2. 1738. 2 v.

Guérin, V. Jérusalem; son histoire, sa description, ses établissements religieux. 1889. "Le meilleur livre que nous possedions sur la capitale de la Judée. Un plan de Jérusalem est placé à la fin du volume." — Rev. des ques. hist., juillet. Houghton, G: W. W.

The coaches of colonial New York; paper read before the N, Y. Hist. Soc., Mar. 4.

Howe, H. M. The metallurgy of steel. Vol. 1. Ives, B. Catalogue of [his] books and mss.; comprising early printed books, Americana, etc.; to be disposed of by auction, Mar. 5, etc. Jackson, L. Ten centuries of European progress.

"Mr. Jackson certainly writes in a curious style, and we fear that his volume comes under the category too neither,' the information conveyed being too detailed to be read with interest, and yet not full enough to convey exhaustive information on any subject.” — Athenaum, Jan. 3.

Jameson, J. S. The story of the rear column of the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition; ed. by Mrs. J. S. Jameson; with fac-simile letters from Tippu Tib, nat. hist. app. by R. R. B. Sharpe, etc.

"An ardent naturalist as well as a keen sportsman, Jameson had thrown in his lot with Stanley in order to

collect and shoot meat for the expedition.' Natu-
ralists have already acknowledged that Mr. Jameson
has added to their knowledge of the ornithology of the
Upper Congo, and according to Mr. Bowdler Sharpe of
the British Museum, not the least interesting of the
new facts established by the collection is the indication
of the route followed by some of our European birds
on their way to their winter home in South Africa." -
Spectator, Jan. 10.

Johnson, E. The rise of Christendom.
Junker, W: Travels in Africa, 1875-78; tr. . by
A. H. Keane; illust.

"The general reader will find in it a vast amount of trustworthy information presented in an attractive form; the man of science-whether naturalist, anthropologist; or geographer will turn to it to supplement and to illustrate the more strictly technical treatises of its author. Additional interest is imparted to this work because of the account which it furnishes of the whole of the region which lies between Cairo and the Upper Nile. The book may fitly rank with Schweinfurth's Heart of Africa. Higher praise it would be difficult to bestow on a record of travel." Athenæum, Oct. 25. Kastner, J. G: Les voix de Paris; hist. lit. et musicale des cris populaires depuis le Moyen Age; préc. de Considérations sur l'origine et le caractère du cri en gén.; suivé de Les cris de Paris; symphonie humoristique, vocale, et instr. 1857.

Kemble, F. A. Further records, 1843-83; letters; sequel to Records of a girlhood, and Records of later life. 2 v.

"There is a fair sprinkling of good anecdotes and interesting gossip about the friends and acquaintances of her youth; but the volumes are disappointing after the 'Records of a girlhood,' and Records of a later life.'" Athenæum, Feb. 28.

...

Ko-ka. (Translated as "Flowers of the country.") "A new publication which comes from Japan itself. The text is entirely in Japanese; the improvement of an added text in some European language is yet to come. Each number contains either five or six full-page illustrations, the page being nine by fifteen inches. Of these illustrations some are photographic reductions of ancient paintings, and these are extremely well rendered." Nation, May 22.

M., J. M. D. Caso original sucedido en estacapital ó sean observaciones importantes y consulta al publico. 1820.

Mallett, Sir L: Free exchange; papers on political and economical subjects; ed. by B. Mallet.

"Logical consistency is the note of all the papers included in this volume, the note of the admirable paper on the incidence of taxation and that on the law of value, of the demonstration of reciprocity as 'the essence of all trade,' and of the valuable reflections on monopolies, natural and artificial."- Sat. rev., Apr. 11.

Marlet, L. Le comte de Montgomery.

"M. Marlet nous a restitué la vie de Montgomery d'une plume élégante et vive, avec un grande richesse d'informations puisées aux meillieures sources. Il a le sens du pittoresque: tels des épisodes, le tournoi du roi Henri II, le siège de Rouen, la nuit de Saint-Barthélemy et la poursuite de dix lieues à travers champs le lendemain, sont contés de main de maître. Nous devons remercier de cette nouvelle contribution à l'histoire du 16e siècle, l'historien des Châtillon, de Louise de Coligny, de Bussy d'Amboise et de Florimond Robertet." - Revue des ques. hist., juillet.

Martineau, Rev. J. Essays, reviews, and addresses. Vol. 1.

Contents. Personal; political.

"There is not one of these essays that is not masterly, sometimes even masterful,- in its way, and there is

[blocks in formation]

1, 2. 2 v. 1889-90.

"Every now and then it chances that among the welldrilled archivists who represent history in modern France there arises some one with the old French gifts of synthesis, of general ideas of life, philosophy, and imagination, yet having profited by the new French acquisitions of exact truth, minutest study, patient analysis, and unwearied criticism. When the rare conjunction takes place the result is an historian. M. de Maulde at his best (and he is often at his best) is such an historian, delightful and accurate, alive and exact. The details are carefully verified, and yet do not interfere with the effect of the ensemble." Athenæum, Oct. 25. Moore, Rev. A. L. Essays scientific and philosophical; with memoirs.

[ocr errors]

...

"These essays, unequal both in their dimensions and in their merit, contain much that will fully sustain the reputation of their author. At the present moment many of us are fatigued with the unreality of scientific men who write on theology and the unreality of theologians in their treatment of science. It is hard to say which makes one the more impatient, Archdeacon Denison on Wellhausen, or Mr. Huxley on the Deluge. It is, then, no small satisfaction to find those modern prob. lems which the intersection of the two departments are raising treated in a manner which shows that both are equally real."- Spectator, Mar. 21.

Moore, G: H: Suum cuique; John Dickinson the author of the declaration on taking up arms in 1775; with a fac-simile of the original draft.

Morley, J: Studies in literature.

"Rather disappointing book of an able writer who rarely fails in correctness and vigour." Athenæum,

Feb. 7.

Müntz, E. Histoire de l'art pendant la Renaissance. Vol. 2.

Contents. Vol. 2. Italie; l'àge d'or.

"M. Müntz, dont il serait superflu de signaler la compétence, l'érudition et le talent d'écrivain, a tenu dans ce volume toutes les promesses que le premier avait fait concevoir, et montré qu'il était tout à fait à la hauteur de la tâche importante qu'il avait assumé d'écrire une histoire générale de l'art moderne. Le tableau d'ensemble qu'il nous présente est aussi complet, aussi précis et aussi exact qu'il soit possible de l'imaginer; toutes les formes de l'art y sont représentées. L'abondance et le choix des gravures qui illustrent son livre charmeront les lecteurs qui ont pu contempler les merveilles que garde l'Italie." Revue bleue, 20 déc.

Negreyros y Soria, J. I. Superior revocacion de

las sentencias dadas en los consejos de guerra, hechos a los atormentados, apremiados y complicados en la demarcacion de Apam por la figurada revolucion. 1820.

Newman, W: Contributions chiefly to the early, history of Cardinal Newman; with com

ments.

"Professor Newman's little book on his brother is inProperly structive, amusing, and a little painful. used, the sketch is decidedly valuable. After applying

...

the due reagents and qualifications, we get from it the fact that the Cardinal, honest man as he was did certainly present himself to this other honest man, who knew him intimately, as a person who from the beginning worked out a crochet, a peculiarity of temperament, a call it what you will, much more than he obeyed the dictates of reason or the illuminations of fresh learning. The two men, for all their strange differences, were strangely alike, and this polemic of the younger against the elder, doubtful as is its taste as a whole, and less doubtful its accuracy in parts is both valuable as bringing out the likeness, and as throwing light on the idiosyncrasy of the greater of the two." Saturday rev., Feb. 21.

Perry, G: G. Religious pieces in prose and verse; ed. from R. Thornton's ms. in Lincoln Cathedral. (Early Eng. Text Soc.) Piozzi, Mrs. H. L. S. T. Mrs. Thrale; a sketch of her life and passages from her diaries, letters, etc.; ed. by L. B. Seeley.

"The editor has waded through books many and long, and has had a great deal to do in shortening, condensing, and arranging materials before he could give to the world this agreeable sketch of a life that is indeed remarkable, but made more so, perhaps, by friendship and society than by any great distinction of its own." Spectator, Jan. 10.

Portfolio, The; ed. by P. G. Hamerton. Index to 1st ser., 1870-89, vol. 1-20. Potter, A. C. Bibliography of Beaumont and

Fletcher. Prospecto para el establecimiento da la Academia patriotica constitucional en Méjico. 1820. R., V. Los borrachos y los niños suelen decir las verdades, ó carta de un vinatero á un amigo suyo sobre el papel La Canoa, etc. 1820. Sanders, L. C. Life of R: Brinsley Sheridan. (Great writers.)

"The little Sheridan of Mr. Sanders is a specimen of its kind worthy to rank with some of the best of its predecessors the Emerson,' and 'Carlyle' of Dr. Garnett, the Johnson' of Colonel Grant, the Smollett' of Mr. Hannay, the Dickens' of Mr. Marzials, the Congreve,' of Mr. Gosse. It is rapid and workman-like in style, and the author has evidently a good practical knowledge of the stage of Sheridan's day. Of posi tively new information we have noted little."-Satrev., Jan. 10.

Sayce, Rev. A. H: Fresh light from the ancient monuments; confirmations of the Bible from recent discoveries in Egypt, Assyria, Palestine, Babylonia, Asia Minor. 1888. (Bypaths of Bible knowl.)

Sepet, M. Les préliminaires de la Révolution.

"Le tableau si complet qu'il trace de l'êtat de la société, le récit attachant des dernières années qui précè dent 1789, où la mauvaise gestion des finances, l'anarchie des esprits, les troubles des provinces, le retâchement de tous les liens sociaux et politiques préparent la Révolution, justifient pleinement sa conclusion: on pouvait faire des réformes pacifiques, mais on ne le pouvait qu'avec une grande habileté et une grande fermeté, et l'on n'eut ne l'une ni l'autre." Rev. des ques. hist., juillet.

Slafter, E. F. The discovery of America by the

Northmen, 985-1015; discourse before the N. H. Hist. Soc., Apr. 24. 1888. Smith, G: History of Babylonia; ed. by Rev. A. H: Sayce. 1888. (Ancient hist. from the monuments.)

Stephens, C. A. On the Amazons; or, The cruise of the Rambler; as recorded by Wash. [1872.] (Camping-out ser.)

Thouvenel, E: A. La Grèce du roi Othon; corre

spondance; rec. et pub. par L. Thouvenel. "Ce gros volume présente un double intérêt. Il s'adresse en premier lieu aux historiens, qui y trouveront d'utiles renseignements sur les intrigues diplomatiques dont Athènes était alors le théâtre. Les luttes d'influence y étaient continuelles entre les trois grandes puissances garantes de l'indépendance hellénique: la France, l'Angleterre et la Russie. Les lettres de M. Thouvenel permettent de suivre les phases diverses que la politique française traversa dans le Levant, tandis que les gouvernements se succédaient à Paris."- Bibl. univ., Aug.

Tourneux, M. Bibliographie de l'histoire de Paris pendant la Révolution Française. Vol. 1. Contents. Préliminaires événements.

"Au nombre des publications relatives à l'histoire de Paris pendant la Révolution, que poursuit avec tant d'activité et de succès le service municipal des travaux historiques, nulle ne pouvait offrir une utilité plus géné rale, ni un caractère d'impartialité plus incontestable, qu'un catalogue de documents décrits et classée suivant les règles d'une méthode rigoureuse. Cette énorme en. treprise, deux érudits de premier ordre se la sont par tagée, MM. Maurice Tourneux et Alexandre Tuetey M. Tourneux s'est mis au dépouillement des imprimés Le deuxième tome (organisation et rôle politiques de Paris) est sous presse; le tome III embrassera les monuments, les mœurs, et les institutions: le tome IV, les biographies et mémoires: le tome v sera consacré à la table générale.". -Revue bleue, 23 août.

...

Tuetey, A. Répertoire général des sources manuscrits de l'histoire de Paris pendant la Révolution Française. Vol. 1.

"M. Tuetey a recueilli les matériaux, non seulement dans son propre domaine des Archives Nationales, mais aux manuscrits de la Bibliothèque nationale et de l'Arsenal, et dans les archives de la guerre, de la justice, de la ville de Paris et du départment de Seine-et Oise. L'histoire ne tardera pas à se ressentir heureusement de la perfection de cet instrument de travail." Revue bleue, 23 août.

Wagner, W: R: Uhlig, W:

Letters to his Dresden friends, T. Fischer, and F. Heine; tr. with pref. by J. S. Shedlock.

"Wagner was indeed fortunate in his friends; they were few in number, but they served him with ardent zeal and devotion. ... There is one thing which we miss in this volume, and that is the letters of the three Dresden friends to Wagner. These letters in point of

interest are equal to those addressed to Liszt. In one respect they are yet more attractive. In writing to Liszt Wagner no doubt felt that he was communicating with a true and devoted friend, but he was certainly not on the same terms of intimacy with him as with the Dresden trio. With the latter he was quite at his ease. ... In many letters he speaks about himself, and shows how thoroughly he was aware of his own failings. Any one reading these letters, and judging Wagner from an ordi nary standard, will misunderstand them. They will abuse him for his violent attacks on men whom the world hon. ours; they will accuse him of selfishness, of weakness, of heaven knows what! To be fair to Wagner, he must be judged as a whole, and he must be weighed in balances capable of discriminating genius.” . Academy, Nov. 1. Ward, H. My life with Stanley's rear guard.

"Written at the suggestion of Stanley who will learn from it a few unpalatable home truths. In Mr. Ward's opinion, Mr. Stanley must himself bear the greater share of the blame for the disasters which overcame his rear guard." Athenæum, Mar. 28. Wells, H: P. City boys in the woods; or, A trapping venture in Maine; illust.

"What differentiates this book from most works of the class to which it belongs, is the reality of the adventures which are depicted in it. Well illustrated." Spectator, Apr. 4.

...

Aristoteles.

'Avalon Tourɛía; on the constitution of Athens; ed. by F: G: Kenyon. "Mr. Kenyon has done solid service by deciphering the papyrus. How painful the task of transcription has been will be recognized by all who study the fac simile; and scholars owe him a debt of gratitude for weary hours of labour. We regret that we cannot say more. The authorities of the British Museum who might have had the help of disciplined masters of Aristotelian lore, eminent not in England only for sagacity and erudition, chose to commit the responsibilities of editor and commentator to a member of their own staff, who, through no fault of his own, did not possess the requisite experinece and knowl. edge. The result is the book before us a text bristling with corruptions, and a commentary not only ca priciously incomplete, but uncritical and inaccurate." Athenæum, Apr. 4.

- Ethics; Chase's tr.; with introd. essay by G: H: Lewes; (Nicomachean ethics. Camelot ser.)

Ballou, M. M. Aztec land.

[blocks in formation]

7th ed.

The new Eldorado; a summer journey to
Alaska. 4th ed.

Under the Southern cross; or, Travels in Aus-
tralia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Samoa, etc.
[1888.]

Balzac, H. de. Shorter stories; Eng. versions by W: Wilson, and Count Stenbock; with pref. notice. (Camelot ser.)

Barine, A. Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. (Grands écrivains français.)

"There have been some excellent numbers of this series, but for sheer pleasantness of reading we do not think that any contribution has excelled, if any has equalled, that of the clever lady who calls herself Arvêde Barine on the author of 'Paul et Virginie.' Her general criticism of St. Pierre is sound. The most amusing part of the book is the earliest, which tells the story of Benardin's extraordinary Odyssey,' as the French say, west, north, east, and whither not, of his sensibility, his crotchets, his astounding want of common sense, with an 'engoué' wit which is quite French, and at the same time with a quiet humour which is almost wholly English." Saturday review, Feb. 21.

[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]

Brady, W: M. Anglo-Roman papers. 1. The English palace in Rome. 2. The eldest natural son of Charles II. 3. Cardinal Erskine.

"Every one who has visited Rome must be familiar with the Palazzo Torlonia, the imposing building planned by Bramante. For a few years it belonged to Henry VII., and Henry VIII.,and so came to be called the English Palace. Mr. Brady discourses on some of the people who have lived in this magnificent dwelling, now fallen from its high estate and let out in flats. memoirs of Cardinal Erskine though unskilfully put together, will be read with more interest than his other two papers.". Sat. rev., Mar. 14.

The

Brown, W: H. History of the first locomotives in
America. 1874.

Call, A.. P. Power through repose.
Canterbury (Diocese.) Vicar-General. Allega-

tions for marriage-licenses, 1679-94; ed. by G: J. Armytage. 1890. 2 v. (Harleian Soc.) Chetwynd, Sir G: Racing reminiscences, and experiences of the turf. 2 v.

"Sir George Chetwynd has one strong qualification for writing a book about racing he knows his subject intimately and familiarly from every possible point of view. One feels perfectly safe, therefore, in the author's hands as regards his knowledge; and, indeed, it is a matter of common notoriety that what Sir George Chetwynd does not know about racing is not worth the trouble of learning. His competence from a literary point of view, is another matter, and his style is curiously unequal. He has much to tell us about the men as well as the horses that have been prominent on the Turf during the period over which his Reminis cences extend." Saturday rev., Feb. 21.

...

Coppée, F. E: J. Les paroles sincères.

"Coppée est, comme disent les Anglais, 'a representative man.' Il est le Français, et surtout le Parisien de ce temps. Il dit en vers exquis, dont la forme est frappée à sa marque, nos pensées et surtout nos senti ments, doutes, fantaises, défaillances, rapides attendrissements, inquiétudes du mieux, aspirations vaguesvers la vérité et la justice, rêvées plutôt que cherchées, entrevues et adorées dans un nuage." Revue bleue,

29 nov.

Cundall, F. The landscape and pastoral painters of Holland; Ruisdael, Hobbema, Cuijp, Potter. (Great artists.)

"The traditional lives of the Dutch pastoral painters were conjectural, and have proved to be inexact to excess. During the last few years several antiquarians of distinction, among them in particular Bredius, Van der Willingen, and Veth, have added so largely to our knowledge of detail, that fresh lives of these painters were imperatively called for. Mr. Cundall has produced within modest proportions, a volume which gives all that can at present be known about Ruisdael, Hobbema, Cuyp, and Potter." — Sat. rev., Mar. 7. Davison, F.

Poetical rhapsody; ed. by A. H:

Bullen. 2 v.

"Mr. Bullen is not, we think, wrong in describing the book with which he has closed his series of collections of Elizabethan lyrics as the most valuable of our old anthologies.' The historic interest' of 'Tottel' is greater, and the poetical merit of England's Helicon' is greater, but the poetical merit of the 'Rhapsody' is, on the whole, higher than that of Tottel,' and the historic interest much higher than that of the 'Helicon.' For as Mr. Bullen well points out, we could reconstruct the latter, or very nearly so, from other sources; the contents of the Rhapsody' are for the most part, exclusively its Sat. rev., Apr. 11.

own.'

Dawson, H: Life, 1811-78; with plates from his works; comp. and illust. by A. Dawson. "There is reason to fear that the fame of Henry Dawson as a landscape painter is still but imperfectly

known to many of those who are well acquainted with the names of worse artists. ... Henry Dawson is one of those artists whose place it is somewhat difficult to assign, even though some years have elapsed since his death, and his style was of the 'old school' of English art. That he was very skilful cannot be doubted, any more than that his art was sincere and vigourous to begin with, and unusually subtle and accomplished at the end. His claim as a colourist of a high, if not the highest, rank must also be conceded, But his individuality, though by no means weak, never quite dominates his work." Sat. rev., Feb. 22. De Fonblanque, E: B. A life-journey from Mannheim to Inkerman; from the Reminiscences

of an army surgeon.

"In a way, the thing is like the vagueness and want of finish of real life, yet not like enough to impress the reader with the least feeling of reality."— Athenæum, Jan. 10.

DeWolf, A. The town meeting; a manual of Massachusetts law.

Enebuske, C. J. Progressive gymnastic day's orders; according to the principles of the Ling system.

Ford, R. Thistledown; a book of Scotch humour, character, folk-lore, story, etc.

"A most comprehensive book on an almost inexhaustible subject, which is probably quite an untrodden field to the mass of readers." Athenæum, Feb. 14. Gibb, W: The royal house of Stuart; plates in colours drawn from relics; with introd. by J: Skelton, and descriptive notes by W: H: St. J. Hope.

"What is termed an introduction to the artistic por tion of the book, but is really a historico-biographical sketch of some length, and more weight. is contributed by Mr. John Skelton. He is one of the most picturesque of living writers; indeed, he is much more successful as an artist in words than as a disputant on historical questions. The reproductions of a number of the Stuart relics which have figured in various of the exhibitions of recent years, and which are accompanied and explained by notes in which there is not a superfluous word, are marvels of chromo-lithography." Spectator, Jan. 10.

-

Gibbins, H: de B. Industrial history of England.

(University extension ser.)

"The work should by no means be looked upon as a mere skeleton to be filled out and clothed by means of reference to the numerous larger works referred to. It will doubtless serve this purpose, and be found a use. ful guide by the serious student: but it is written in so pleasant a style, and with such a discreet avoidance of elaborate statistics and voluminous notes, that most readers will be glad to freshen up by its perusal their recollections of perhaps the most interesting portion of our national history. It is not always impartial, but it is always worth consideration." - Spectator,

Dec. 6.

Gould, S. B.- In troubadour-land; a ramble in

Provence and Languedoc.

"The book is not altogether worthless; the illustrations are good, and about fifty pages, or less than a sixth of it, contain matter which if printed as a pam phlet, might have constituted a valuable supplement to the exhaustive guide-books which illustrate these well. known regions all of which lie either on, or a few miles away from, main lines of railway. In its present form it is difficult to see for whose instruction the work was intended. We sincerely hope that neither those

who have to winter among English fogs, nor those who can escape to sunny Provence, will take their impres sions of that romantic land from this ill-conceived book." Athenæum, Jan. 10.

Grant, R. Mrs. Harold Stagg; a novel; illust. by H. C. Edwards.

Hughes, G: M. History of Windsor Forest, Sunninghill, and the Great Park.

"Though Mr. Hughes has been compelled to sweep away various curiosities of parochial gossip, it need not be assumed that he has therefore put together a dull dry book. This would be doing these pages a decided injustice, for they mostly possess the rare merit of com. bining accurate archæology and correct history with well-sustained interest and an attractive style. There is not a dull line in the chapter which tells of the people' of the Forest from the times of Edward II. to the present day.". Athenæum, Nov. 22.

Hurd, D. H. History of Middlesex Co., Mass.; with biog. sketches. 3 v.

Hyde, D. Beside the fire; Irish Gaelic folk stories; with add. notes by A. Nutt.

"All the tales are told with much characteristic humour, and are illustrated with notes by the editor, and by Mr. Alfred Nutt. Mr. Nutt in a brief preface traces the come and go between 'Märchen,' Sages, bardic stories,' and folk-lore again. The book is valuable and entertaining, though it would have been more valuable still had circumstances not prevented Mr. Nutt from making his comments as complete as he desired. But Dr. Hyde's introduction is full of much lore, in addition to his remarks on the decay of the Irish language.” . Saturday rev., Feb. 7.

[blocks in formation]

"The character, colloquial almost if not quite to vul. garity, of the Norwegian dramatist's dialogue throws great difficulties in the way of his translators; but Mr. Gosse has, on the whole, surmounted them better than Hedda Gabler strikes us as a stronger any one.

...

thing than any that the author has done since the 'Wild
duck,' which it resembles a little in its termination,
and also in other touches. ... We have before now
commented on the excessively unfavorable portraits of
women which Ibsen draws, and Hedda is, at any rate
at first sight, nearly, if not quite, the worst of them.
She is very much less agreeable, and very much less a
creature of genius than Becky Sharp, but she is not less
possibly real than Becky. Her utter ruthlessness, her
sleepless jealousy, her blended love and hate, her in-
tense self-centredness, her recklessness of consequences,
are all strictly feminine exaggerated in degree, no
doubt, but genuine in kind. There is nothing purely
modern about her; she is a bourgeois Clytemnestra, a
Joan of Naples with the luxurious vein less developed.
That is to say, she holds on, in however imperfect a
fashion,to the great traditions of Life and art which alter
not; and thus stands head and shoulders above the
ephemeral and unreal Noras and Rebeccas." —Sat. rev.,
Jan. 31.

Jefferies, R: Bevis; the story of a boy.

"It is all that a boy's book should be, and in the first rank of such literature there is none more fascinating. This delightful book is to some extent the autobiography of the early years of Richard Jefferies." — Sat. rev., Nov. 29.

[ocr errors]

Jennings, H. Phallic miscellanies; ancient and modern sex worship as illust. chiefly in the religions of India; an app. to Phallism, and nature worship.

Keynes, J: N. The scope and method of political

economy.

"The tenor of Mr. Keynes' book is, that though political economy is intimately connected with ethics and sociology generally, as geography is connected with geology, still as a positive science it should stand alone, and must, indeed, be specialised if any progress is to be made. His arguments strike us as reasonable." — Westminster review, March.

Kovalevsky, M. Modern customs and ancient

laws of Russia; Ilchester lectures, 1889-90. "As an admirer, though not a blind disciple of Sir Henry Maine, the writer of this book has written of the

« AnteriorContinuar »