Babelon, Ernest.Manual of oriental antiquities.New ed., with a chapter on the Recent discoveries at Susa. **$2.50. Putnam.
A reprint of Everett’s translation of Babelon’s work with a chapter which includes M. de Morgan’s discoveries in Susa. He “gives a chronology of the ruins according to recent discoveries, and describes the principles of building, stone sculpture, bronze metal work, jewelry, and the industrial arts. The region described in this chapter has hitherto been almost unknown.” (N. Y. Times.)
“This added chapter only makes more evident the need of a revision or rewriting of the whole work.”
Bacheller, Irving (Addison).Silas Strong, emperor of the woods.†$1.50. Harper.
A strong plea for the preservation of our forests. The author says “It is in no sense a literary performance. It pretends to be nothing more than a simple account of one summer life, pretty much as it was lived, in a part of the Adirondacks.” Silas Strong is a woodland philosopher, and his camp is the scene of the wooing of a wood-nymph by a young politician. “The incidents include a forest fire, while among the leading characters is a dog said to be particularly engaging.” (N. Y. Times.)
“Many will be unable to feel either great admiration for, or any unusual interest in, Silas.”
“Altogether, it is a book that deserves to be read, and, having been read, to be pondered.”
“Strong, fine-flavored story of the woods.”
“The actual story is not as impressive as it might be.”
Bacon, Alice Mabel.In the land of the gods: some stories of Japan. †$1.50. Houghton.
“Ten true pictures of fairyfolk and phenomena set in the frame of a dainty English style.” (Ind.) They illustrate “Japanese beliefs and traditions which Miss Bacon regards as the sources of the Japanese qualities and traits which have been so clearly shown the world during the great crisis of the last two years.” (Outlook.)
“This book is a ‘Japanese fairy world’ to date, but with something of Hearn’s witchery of style.”
“All are worth telling, extremely well told, and full of interest both for children and for their elders.”
“There is certainly much pleasure to be had from reading these ten little stories.”
“These stories are very happily phrased, full of the spirit of intuition, and thoroughly sympathetic with the life which they describe.”
Bacon, Mrs. Dolores Harbourg.King’s divinity. †$1.50. Holt.
They met at a ball given by royalty, he a cousin of royalty, she a charming American girl. The course of true love is interrupted by court conventions and obdurate counsellors, but the divinity of love finally proves itself more than that of majesty.
“Is pleasant reading, but thin in quality and imperfect in its plot development.”
Bacon, Edgar Mayhew, and Wheeler, Andrew Carpenter.Nation builders: a story. $1. Meth. bk.
An appreciation of the itinerant preachers of Methodism who went out to possess the American frontier a century ago.
“It is an inspiring record and the joint authors have well presented it.”
Bacon, Edwin Munroe.Connecticut river, and the valley of the Connecticut; three hundred and fifty miles from mountain to sea: historical and descriptive. **$3.50. Putnam.
Under the headings “Historical,” “The romances of navigation,” and “The topography of the river and valley” the author has “traced all the interesting movements and events associated with New England’s chief river down to the present day.” The book abounds in the picturesque and traditional no less than in well authorized historical fact.
“Is a book of notable interest to New-Englanders.”
“The proportions of the long stretch have been duly considered, and the narrative, not unlike the river which it portrays, runs consistently, though compressed within brimming pages, from cover to cover—a happy concurrence of literary ease and historical severity.”
Bagley, William Chandler.Educative process. *$1.25. Macmillan.
“Students of schoolcraft and teachers will find that Mr. Bagley’s elaborate account of the processes of education repays careful study.”
“The contribution in this book lies in the careful selection of biological and physiological principles which have educational bearings, and which can be seen as such by the average teacher.” Frederick E. Bolton.
“What has been especially needed for some time is just such a work as Dr. Bagley has written. It will be generally agreed that Dr. Bagley has given us here a sound and scholarly statement of educational theory.” Edwin G. Dexter.
Bagot, Richard.Italian lakes; painted by Ella Du Cane, described by Richard Bagot. *$6. Macmillan.
“Mr. Bagot gossips not unpleasantly, if with no great indication of profound historical research.”
“His book contains much valuable and interesting information, but the pleasure of reading it is somewhat marred by the uncalled-for apologetic tone adopted throughout, and the ever-recurrent use of the personal pronoun.”
“Charming pictures—with a very inferior text. Indeed it would have been better had the sketches followed one another and the printed matter been condensed into notes.”
“We have found this the most pleasing volume of a class of books which appear now to have a certain vogue.”
Bagot, Richard.Passport. †$1.50. Harper.
“Mr. Bagot’s style is clever and finished. It lacks a definite clear-cut motive that should give it force and value.”
Bailey, Mrs. Alice Ward (A. B. Ward, pseud.).Roberta and her brothers; il. by Harriet Roosevelt Richards. †$1.50. Little.
A lively story with a wide-awake, ambitious young heroine who is mother, sister, housekeeper and counsellor in her father’s home. Her trials, her triumphs, and her longings offer wholesome entertainment to young readers.
“Is a book with plenty of life and vim between its covers.”
“The story is wholesome, lively, and sufficiently natural to arouse a response in the heart of all girl readers.”
“The characters are nicely differentiated, the expression fresh.”
Bailey, Mrs. Alice Ward (A. B. Ward, pseud.).Sage brush parson. †$1.50. Little.
The sage brush wastes of Nevada furnish the general setting of Mr. Ward’s story while the particular interest centers in one of the little towns filled with rough miners. Among these carousing groups there appears one day an Englishman of deep religious zeal and culture bent upon the mission of saving souls. The reader’s sympathy is readily won for the lonely figure, whose apparent asceticism is not bred in the bone, but the outgrowth of a bitter heart load. The melodramatic touches are thoroughly in keeping with the locale of the story-drama.
“This is one of the strongest and most human stories we have read in months.”
“It is a good example of how much weakness in a plot and in style may be pardoned, if the central characters win our affection and hold our interest.” Frederic Taber Cooper.
“There is much strength in this vivid narrative, combined with humor, realistic description, and incisive characterization.” Wm. M. Payne.
“The style is crisp, virile, incisive; and although there may be suggestions of Bret Harte, perhaps even of ‘The Virginian’ here and there, this is yet a new story, strongly told, with a character all its own.”
“Logic is not A. B. Ward’s strong point, but she ... writes a readable story and one that keeps the attention right up to the last word.”
Bailey, Liberty Hyde.Outlook to nature. **$1.25. Macmillan.
“We see that the writer is a passionate lover of nature with a strain of the poet in him, but we do not always find his treatment convincing.”
Bailey, Liberty Hyde.Plant-breeding: being lectures upon the amelioration of domestic plants. **$1.25. Macmillan.
To this fourth edition of his volume in the “Garden craft series,” Prof. Bailey has added a new chapter on current plant-breeding practice. “For one who already knows something of garden plants ‘Plant breeding’ affords a royal road to modern evolutionary doctrine, while the changes in the text between the first and the present fourth edition show how rapid has been recent progress in this field.” (Atlan.)
“Gives a remarkably simple and readable account of current practice in this department of horticulture, interpreting every process in the light of recent theory.” E. T. Brewster.
+ + |Atlan.98: 424. S. ’06. 150w.
“Most accomplished writer of pure horticultural English.” Mabel Osgood Wright.
Bailie, William.Josiah Warren, the first American anarchist: a sociological study. **$1. Small.
“Warren’s anarchism was of a type different from that exemplified in the terrorists of today; was, in fact, philosophical anarchism in its purest form. Upholding the doctrine of the sovereignty of the individual and the abolition of all government but self-government, and cherishing the idea that the restraints of government are not needed to induce each individual to exercise his liberty with due regard to the rights of others, Warren spent many years in the endeavor to demonstrate in practice the validity of his theories.”—Outlook.
“Those who are interested in the growth of social theories in this country will welcome this little volume.”
“The story of the way in which Warren sought to put his teachings into practice makes entertaining and not unprofitable reading.”
“Mr. Bailie doesn’t succeed in conveying any impression of his personality.”
Bain, F. W.Digit of the moon, and other love stories from the Hindoo.$1.50. Putnam.
“As stories of an ancient civilization, these flowery, unhurried tales have a charm of movement and meaning. As love stores the tales are pure and ardent, mixing earthly and heavenly motive and passion in the intimate way of the early world.”
Baird, Jean K.Cash three. 60c. Saalfield.
A little lad, as cash boy in a department store, fighting poverty with his father while his mother’s relatives are trying to find him. The tale, ending in a happy Christmas, is full of hardships, relieved by a father’s devotion and a child’s natural cheerfulness.
Baird, Jean K.Danny. 60c. Saalfield.
Goat Hill, an Irish washerwoman settlement, furnishes the setting of a story in which Mary Shannon, and Danny, the pride of her heart, are the principal characters.
Baker, Abby G., and Ware, Abby H.Municipal government of the city of New York. *90c. Ginn.
Altho written for eighth grade pupils in the New York schools, much of the discussion exceeds local interest and offers suggestions for every city’s government as well as help along the line of preparation for civil service examinations.
Baker, Cornelia.Queen’s page. †$1.25. Bobbs.
“Is one of the most delightful children’s books of the year.” Amy C. Rich.
Baker, Louise R.Mrs. Pinner’s little girl $1. Jacobs.
Baldwin, May.Girls of St. Gabriel’s. †$1.25. Lippincott.
Baldwin, May.That little limb; il. †$1.25. Jacobs.
A misunderstood, unconsciously naughty little girl lives a riotous life in her canon uncle’s home until he has to send her away to school. Her friendship for a young doctor just over the wall who is her prince and who understands her is the foil for all her childishly weird thrusts at life and people.
“Is rather a disappointing book.”
Baldwin, Simeon Eben.American judiciary and judicial system.*$1.25. Century.
Baltzell, W. J.Complete history of music. Presser.
A book for schools, clubs and private reading. “The author begins at the beginning, with the prehistoric music of Assyrians and Egyptians, and follows down through Hebrew and Greek music, through the beginnings of mediaeval music, through the great period of the polyphonic ecclesiastical composers, and so to the modern schools, and the most modern schools There are chapters on musical instruments, on singing, on the origin and development of the opera and of the suite and sonata.” (N. Y. Times.)
“The most useful and up-to-date history of music in any language.”
“For its purpose, and within its limitations this history is unusually good, and an uncommon skill has been shown in its compilation and in the arrangement of its parts.”
“Especially full and informing are the early chapters dealing with the origin and primitive evolution of music.”
Baly, Edward Charles Cyril.Spectroscopy. *$2.80. Longmans.
“Briefly the volume may be described as an excellent scholarly compendium of terrestrial spectroscopy brought up to date. The subject of astrophysics is barely touched upon. Of the seventeen chapters which the treatment includes, the first seven are devoted to what might be called ordinary spectroscopic practice, including the theory and use of the prism and the diffraction grating; the remaining ten chapters are given to more advanced and special problems, such as those occurring in the infrared and ultra-violet regions, spectroscopic sources, the Zeeman effect, spectral series, etc. Concerning each of these chapters it may be said that the problem is always definitely stated, the English is clear and simple, and the references to original sources are ample.”—Astrophys. J.
“The volume as a whole is characterized by a fine perspective and by always putting the emphasis in the right place. It should find a place in the library of every student of physical optics.” Henry Clew.
“The book, indeed, fills a gap in spectroscopic literature which has long existed. Notwithstanding the few drawbacks to which attention has been directed, the book reflects the greatest credit on its author.”
Bangs, John Kendrick.R. Holmes & co.: being the remarkable adventures of Raffles Holmes, esq., detective and amateur cracksman by birth. †$1.25. Harper.
The conflicting traits and characteristics of Raffles and of Sherlock Holmes are strangely blended in this new hero, Raffles Holmes, who introduces himself as the grandson of the famous cracksman and the son of the great detective. His history and adventures as recorded by Jenkins, who is his Dr. Watson and his Bunny in one, are highly amusing. In the double capacity of thief and detective he enjoys a successful and spectacular career, for while the Raffles in him perpetually cries “Take” the Holmes in him thunders “Restore” and he does both to his own advantage.
“A parody needs to be remarkably well done to secure the forgiveness of the admirers of the original. It is to be feared that Mr. Bangs must go unforgiven.”
Banks, Rev. Louis Albert.Great promises of the Bible. $1.50. Meth. bk.
This is the fourth volume of a quartette, the first three of which are “The great sinners of the Bible,” “The great saints of the Bible,” “The great portraits of the Bible.” There are thirty sermons which comprise a complete survey of the Bible promises including the promise of a new heart, forgiveness, answers to prayer, sleep, home of the soul, victory, morning and immortality.
Barbey, Frederic.Friend of Marie Antoinette (Lady Atkyns). *$3. Dutton.
“Lady Atkyns an English actress, lived in France long enough to acquire violent Royalist sentiments, and to be presented to the lovely queen Marie Antoinette, to whose cause she forever swore allegiance. Her recently discovered correspondence reopens the puzzle of the disappearance of the Dauphin. However, the case remains as completely unsolved as ever.... Lady Atkyns seems to have been a monomaniac of very generous impulses, who was the dupe of excited French Royalists, and they appeared as eager for English gold as for the rescue of their king.”—Outlook.
“A most disappointing book. Indeed, one is tempted to ask oneself, when wading through the excellent translation of M. Barbey’s work whether that distinguished writer really made the best of his material.”
“The translation is, as a whole, very tolerably executed.”
“Although M. Barbey is a good compiler of evidence, he has no gift for vividness.”
“There are more exclamatory passages by the author than authentic quotations from Lady Atkyns’s letters.”
“It is a pretty romance anyway, and a few words at least of it might be given as a foot note to the history of France.”
Barbour, Mrs. Anna Maynard.Breakers ahead. †$1.50. Lippincott.
This story outlines the life of a “sublime egoist.” A young Englishman, Thomas Macavoy Denning, leaves home because he has been expelled from school, and comes to America with the resolve to make in the new world, single-handed, a name which shall equal his father’s in the old. He succeeds in so far as wealth and position are concerned, by sheer will, force, and self confidence he succeeds financially; but on the eve of his political triumph, just as his election as governor of a western state seems assured, the results of a lax past, of a period when he sowed wild oats rises up to defeat him—and his was not a soul which could bear defeat.
“The effect as a whole is not convincing. The author’s style is rather stilted and the dialogue is somewhat less than natural.”
“Otherwise the story is exceptionally well put together, and rises steadily toward a climax of interest that proves fairly enthralling.” Wm. M. Payne.
Barbour, Ralph Henry.Crimson sweater.†$1.50. Century.
Life at the Ferry Hill school as Roy Porter, brother of Porter of the Harvard eleven, found it, forms an interesting study of the smallness and the breadth of various boy natures as well as a series of pictures of football, hockey, cross country runs, boat racing, base-ball, and other sports as they were played there. Harry, daughter of the head-master, furnishes a wholesome girl element and is Roy’s comrade thru the various ups and downs that made up his school life from the time when, as a boy, he rescued her pet rabbit, to the time when, having won his place as leader of the school, he is carried on the shoulders of his triumphant classmates at the close of the game in which Ferry Hill at last beat Hammond.
“Although the book was intended primarily for boys, the wholesome, outdoorsy girl will find it just as interesting on account of the hearty friendship between the boy and one of his girl schoolmates.”
“It is perfectly safe to predict a large reading for this book among American schoolboys.”
Barbour, Ralph Henry.Maid in Arcady. †$2. Lippincott.
An aimless Vertumnus drifts into Arcady and beholds Clytie, a daughter of the gods. He gazes spellbound. So begins a tale of love which has the stamp of Olympia upon it, but which in reality is very modern after all, and, true to the adage, does not run smoothly. Believing that she is Laura Devereaux the girl whom his friend loves, he takes himself miserably away striving to forget that he had ever stumbled into Arcady. After a long and weary waiting he discovers his mistake and a happy ending ensues.
“The new story is longer and somewhat more substantial than its predecessors, but equally graceful and amusing.”
“The story is graceful and more spirited than one would expect from the emphasis given to its externals.”
Bard, Emile.Chinese life in town and country. **$1.20. Putnam.
Barine, Arvede, pseud. (Cecile Vincens) (Mrs. Charles Vincens).Louis XIV. and La Grande Mademoiselle. **$3. Putnam.
The present story continues the career of La Grande Mademoiselle where the author’s “The youth of La Grande Mademoiselle” dropped it, just at the close of the Fronde,—that protest of the French nobility against centralization. Mme. Barine’s heroine was related to Louis XIII., was the richest heiress in France, and aspired to be an empress, a political power and a nun. “Her mad vagaries and misguided impulses” furnish material for a comic as well as a tragic study of a fascinating period.
“It is a book of striking interest, and the rendering is tolerably well done, though it retains French idiom too much, and gives us occasionally but jerky English.”
“The proof of the merit of Mme. Barine’s work lies in the fact that one is eager to read it in spite of the very bad translation. To a subject replete with picturesque interest Mme. Barine has done full justice.”
“The narrative has all the vivacity of fiction, though at the same time its historical care and accuracy are evident at every turn. The translation, which is anonymous, is easy and unaffected.”
“Is, to say the very least, vastly entertaining.”
“There is a lack of delicacy in some of the passages, which the translator would have shown better taste either by omitting or toning down, but the sketch given of the court and its manners is admirably drawn, and the pathos of the often ridiculous adventures of the heroine is well brought out.”
“The story may be read at length in these pages, admirably told by the author, so far as a deplorable translation permits us to appreciate it.”
Barnard, William Francis.Moods of life: poems of varied feeling. $1. The Rooks press.
A hundred and some poems which portray the grave as well as the gay moods of life.
Reviewed by William M. Payne.
Barnes, James.Outside the law. †$1.50. Appleton.
“A detective story with the detective left out.” (Outlook.) Lorrimer, a man of great wealth, imparts to an old servant the secret process by which he can reproduce the works of old engravers with great fidelity. The servant’s treachery in joining a band of counterfeiters starts a series of situations which implicate the innocent Lorrimer, and weave a relentless mesh about him.
Barr, Mrs. Amelia Edith Huddleston.Cecilia’s lovers. †$1.50. Dodd.
A companion book to Mrs. Barr’s “Trinity bells.” New York life of to-day is portrayed, but Cecilia’s “Quakeress benefactor and Quaker home are the most pleasing and realistic features of the book. Her worldly friends and lovers are by no means satisfying to the reader.” (Outlook.)
“As regards the literary quality of the book there is not much to be said, but it is bright and pleasant, and likely enough to find readers.”
Barr, Robert.Speculations of John Steele.†$1.50. Stokes.
“There is not a dull page in the story. It moves on to a happy ending and the situations are so well handled that the reader’s attention is held from the beginning to the end, while as he reads he begins to understand why the mere pursuit of unearned wealth in this country is so absorbing.” Mary K. Ford.
“We cannot believe that Mr. Steele really did that which he is alleged to have done.”
Barr, Robert (Luke Sharp, pseud.).Triumphs of Eugene Valmont.†$1.50. Appleton.
“Eugene Valmont is an addition to the large number of private detectives who have betrayed the confidence of their clients by recording their achievements.” (Ath.) His exploits carried thru a group of stories frequently reveal a deviation from English legal methods, and hence an opportunity for other than machine made results. “The story of how the famous diamond necklace brought ill fate to every one connected with it from Marie Antoinette down is capitally told and helps to explain why Valmont lost his place as chief of detectives in Paris.” (N. Y. Times.)
“The creation of Eugene Valmont may, indeed, be counted one of Mr. Barr’s best achievements.”
“The stories are readable but not absorbing.”
“Some ingenious and amusing detective stories.”
Barrett, Alfred Wilson.Father Pink. †$1.50. Small.
A wily tho good-natured priest enters a fight to secure for his niece, Lucretia, money and diamonds which, by right of an unsubstantiated claim, go to the heroine of the tale, a young French girl. Interested in righting the much-tangled up affairs of fortune is a young bachelor who, tho outwitted on several occasions and who sees Father Pink disappear thru a tiger’s cage with the coveted diamonds, none the less wins the heroine and restores to her her wealth.
Barrington, Mrs. Russell.Reminiscences of G. F. Watts. *$5. Macmillan.
“The author of this affectionately fashioned memorial reveals no critical qualifications for her task.” Royal Cortissoz.
Barrows, Charles Henry.Personality of Jesus. **$1.25. Houghton.
Mr. Barrows is a successful lawyer who was formerly president of the International Young men’s Christian association training school. The author discusses the personal appearance, growth and education, intellectual power, emotional life, will, and unwritten principles of Jesus.
“This indifference to the large lessons to be learned from recent historical study of the Gospels is the more to be regretted, since the author proves himself so well qualified, in his general knowledge and by his warm religious feeling, to discuss the high theme upon which he has expended so much patient labor.”
“The author has done as well as anyone could be expected to do without the aid of criticism.”
“Its practical common sense, its freedom from theological predilections, its sincere spirit, and its unpretentious style combine to make it a useful aid.”
Barry, J. P.At the gates of the east: a book of travel among historic wonderlands. $2. Longmans.
“The information contained in the volume was not obtained from other books of travel, but derived at first hand. The places were visitedin separate circular tours ... both in the spring and the autumn. The volume opens with descriptions of the capitals of Eastern Europe ... Cairo is the next city dealt with, after which come the cities of Southern Greece ... the eastern Adriatic towns ... and in the Western Balkans, Cettinje and the Provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A chapter on ‘Ways and means,’ in which the author tells the prospective tourist how to plan the trip outlined in his book, where to start and at what time of the year, what places to see, a word concerning costs and money, guide books, etc., closes the volume.”—N. Y. Times.
“When the author becomes eloquent or sentimental, as he often does, he is apt to show imperfect knowledge, and make statements which jar on the educated reader. Yet ... the book is pleasant and often instructive.”
Barry, John D.Our best society. †$1.50. Putnam.
“It lacks Mrs. Wharton’s subtlety and finish, and is far from evincing great sophistication but it is none the less an accurate portrayal of certain phases of New York life.”
“A sprightly and acute narrative. Considered as a novel, the book lacks conventional structure and plot, but so does the life it discriminatingly portrays.”
“Is written with some skill.”
Barry, Richard.Sandy of the Sierras. $1.50. Moffat.
Sandy, true to his name, is a red-headed Scotch lad who goes from the Sierras down to San Francisco to make his fortune. He rises from the lower rounds of the ladder to the heights of political fame. He “becomes boss of the Pacific coast, and is not above the tricks of his trade. You leave him happy in having at one stroke won his love and made his father-in-law Senator.” (N. Y. Times.)
“The author has a better command of journalistic slang than of literary English.” Wm. M. Payne.
“Those who are familiar with the word-painting and lurid touches of Mr. Barry’s ‘Port Arthur: a monster heroism,’ will not miss them in his new story.”
“Mr. Barry, no doubt, could write a better novel now.”
“Much as I like Sandy I should like him better if his creator liked him less.”
Barry, William (Francis).Tradition of Scripture: its origin, authority, and interpretation. *$1.20. Longmans.
“This is a volume of the ‘Westminister library,’ a series intended for the use of ‘Catholic priests and students,’ presumably ecclesiastical students.... The author’s preoccupation is theological, not scientific; and in his treatment of critical questions, he inquires, not what are the conclusions established by the evidence, but what proportion of these conclusions can be reconciled with the pronouncements of Roman authority.” (Acad.)
“The book is no doubt well adapted to those for whom it is intended, many of whom will learn from it much that they do not know, particularly about the Old Testament; and it will serve well enough as material for sermons. But priests and students will be well advised not to rely on Dr. Barry’s treatment of the critical problems of the New Testament, should they ever be called upon to discuss those problems with persons having a real knowledge of them.”
“It is an encouragement to find a Catholic writer thus generously and intelligently treating the critical study of the Bible, and thus ready to welcome the results of honest and truth-loving scholarship.”
Bashford, Herbert.Tenting of the Tillicums; il. by Charles Copeland. [+]75c. Crowell.
“Tillicums,” the Indian word for “friends” is adopted by four boys who ran the round of camping adventure on Puget Sound. Their fearlessness is put to the test by wild animal as well as desperado, and is the real keynote to the spirited tale.
Bashore, Harvey Brown.Sanitation of a country house. $1. Wiley.
“This little book would form a useful, popular and non-technical guide on sanitary matters to anyone about to build a country house.”
“A clean-cut, authoritative little exposition.”
Bassett, Mrs. Mary E. Stone.Little green door. †$1.50. Lothrop.
“The story is pretty in its pale, anemic way, but there are so many lustier blossoms to be gathered.”
Bastian, Henry Charlton.Nature and origin of living matter. *$3.50. Lippincott.
“For the past thirty-five years Dr. Bastian has consistently upheld the doctrine that life not only in the past originated, but does at the present time originate, from dead matter—the doctrine once generally known as that of spontaneous generation.... The present book ... dwells particularly on the importance to medical science of proof that disease germs may arisede novo.... Our boards of health are proceeding on the assumption that one typhoid germ, for instance, is always the offspring of another similar germ, and that if we can exclude these germs we can exclude the disease.... If it be true that a typhoid germ may under certain conditions arise where no such germ existed before, our precautions, tho necessary, will often be unavailing. And that they are sometimes failures for this very reason is Dr. Bastian’s belief.”—Lit. D.
“That the author is convinced of the truth of what he sets forth in his book none can doubt, but that it will succeed in making converts among men of science is not to be expected.” W. P. Pycraft.
“Whatever one may think of the group of opinions which Dr. Bastian has maintained for a generation, consistently and almost alone, he is at least a learned man and a skillful writer, so that his discussion of the general problem is most illuminating.” E. T. Brewster.
“The observations and experiments are absolutely inconclusive.”
“No one will suggest that of the two hundred and forty-five micrographs reproduced in this book, a single one has been falsified; yet it will be almost universally held that the interpretation put upon them by their author and the inference drawn from them are incorrect.”
“Dr. H. Charlton Bastian re-expounds his well known biological heresies with a vigour and industry worthy of a better cause.” J. A. T.
“Dr. Bastian’s work is an interesting one, both scientifically and, so to speak, psychologically. One cannot but feel in reading the work that the author is a man with an extraordinary amount of learning and industry, and it is not unlikely that the learning and industry will be useful at least, in drawing more attention to the subject of heterogenesis.” Charles Loomis Dana.
“If this author is not quite a Huxley, he is more readable than Haeckel: we wonder that it never struck him that proper ‘contents,’ page headings, and side summaries are indispensable accompaniments of a serious scientific book.”
Batten, Rev. Loring W.Hebrew prophet. $1.50 Macmillan.
“His treatment is interesting, fresh, and skillfully related to modern life.” John E. McFadyen.
“The closing chapters, on the prophet’s relation to the church and on the prophet’s vision, are somewhat one-sided and disappointing. As a whole, gives an excellent portraiture of one of the most remarkable figures in the history of religion.” Kemper Fullerton.
“It speaks well for the American pulpit that a work of such ability comes from the rector of an important city parish.”
Battine, Cecil.Crisis of the confederacy: a history of Gettysburg and the Wilderness. $5. Longmans.
“Captain Battine is a clever, a vivid and an engaging writer. But his judgments, both of men and of events, are often airy and unbased.”
“A confessed Confederate bias does not interfere with impartial treatment, and the work is quite worth study by those who are interested in our history as well as by professional soldiers.”
Baughan, Edward Algernon.Music and musicians. *$1.50. Lane.
The twenty seven articles included in “Music and musicians” are reprints of the author’s contributions to English periodicals. He treats such subjects as “The obvious in music,” “Richard Strauss and his symphonic poems,” “Richard Strauss and programme music,” and “Wagner’s ‘Ring.’”
“He has a way of his own in looking at men and things, and it is therefore not surprising if one cannot in all points agree with him. There are many excellent comments and criticisms in the volume.”
“He has ideas of his own, and his lucid style enables him to convey them to the general reader even when they relate, as they must now and then, to matters technical.”
“In all these matters, Mr. Baughan writes interestingly and gives frequent fillips to thought and discussion, even if he has not all the conviction of an aggressive advocate.” Richard Aldrich.
Baxter, James Phinney.Memoir of Jacques Cartier, Sieur de Limoilou: his voyages to the St. Lawrence, a bibliography and a facsimile of the manuscript of 1534; with annotations, etc. **$10. Dodd.
“This volume contains a new translation from the original French of Cartier’s ‘Voyages’ in 1535–1536 and 1541, and the first translation of the manuscript discovered in 1867 in the Bibliotheque Nationale, of the voyage of 1534. A bibliography and a collection of all the pertinent documents thus far discovered in the French and Spanish archives and included, as well as an exhaustive memoir of Cartier.”—Am. Hist. R.
“Dr. Baxter has given us what may almost be regarded as the last word on the great navigator of St. Malo. His work is authoritative.” Lawrence J. Burpee.
“This volume, which seems to have been a true labor of love, is a worthy tribute to his memory.”
“His book is distinctly valuable and an important addition to any library aiming to keep up with the development of the knowledge of American history.”
Bayliss, Sir Wyke.Seven angels of the renascence. **$3.50. Pott.
“Unfortunately, however, it can scarcely be said that he has really contributed anything new to the vast mass of literature on the same subject already in circulation.”
Bazan, Emilia Pardo.Mystery of the lost dauphin, tr. with an introd. essay by Annabel Hord Seeger. †$1.50. Funk.
With a dramatic power which is moving in its forcefulness this Spanish author has written the story of the lost dauphin, the little son of Louis XVI, who was long supposed to have died in prison. It is a book of such realism that the reader feels thruout that it is the dread hand of fate and not the author who relentlessly orders the unhappy life of Naundorff, and forces him finally to give up voluntarily the recognition he has struggled a lifetime to gain. The story of his lovely daughter Amélie, whose happiness is sacrificed, gives to the book a deeper human interest.
“This particular version of the imagined history of the Dauphin has a romantic atmosphere of hopeless unreality, and arouses only a languid sort of interest.” Wm. M. Payne.
“Her literary style is remarkable for clarity and simplicity.”
“It belongs to the highest type of the historical novel, drawing its inspiration from authentic sources and rich in those elements which invest the dry bones of history with flesh and blood.”
“The novel is so well constructed, there is so much rich color in the landscapes, and so much clever character drawing that, at first sight, it seems strange that it does not interest one particularly. But the reason is not far to seek. It is a novel of propaganda.”
“Generally speaking, the English will do well enough. For the story, in spite of Senora Bazan’s reputation, it does not in the present version afford those thrills which one demands in fiction of the lost Dauphin school.”
Beach, Rex Ellingwood.Spoilers.†$1.50. Harper.
A story which breathes the “wild west” atmosphere of Nome and the outlying mining camps, one whose brutality (of the daring Jack London order) proves the truth of Kipling’s “there’s never a law of God or man runs north of Fifty-three.” The plot involves a conspiracy against the joint owners of the Midas, the richest mine of Anvil Creek. A charming girl is the unconscious agent of the villains, and is also the cause of bitter rivalry between one of the owners and one of the conspirators. There are brawls, shootings in the streets, riots, battles at the mines, and murderous hand-to-hand fights—all of which show elemental savage man free from moral restraint.
“The only trouble with his method is that it results in an absolutely false picture of life.” Edward Clark Marsh.
“He mistakes vulgarity for strength and brute force for manliness; and he discusses without reserve matters which emphatically demand discreet treatment.”
“Grips us by sheer brute strength, and almost makes us forget how devoid it is of anything like grace or delicacy of workmanship.” Wm. M. Payne.
“In turning his material into the form of the novel, however, the writer has won no success other than that of maintaining a high sensational tension.”
“He is chiefly intent on his story. That’s a thing full of dramatic incidents and dramatic figures. If the hero and heroine are less effective than the others, that is one of the proved penalties of the dignity.”
“The young novelist knows the men he writes of, and he knows, also, the place in which he has located them.”
“It is distinctly a man’s book, just as the north was a man’s country.”
Beach, Seth Curtis.Daughters of the Puritans.*$1.10. Am. Unitar.
“No one can read these lives without being renewed in spirit, and for young women we know of no works so instinct with spiritual virility or so potential for good as the ‘Daughters of the Puritans.’”
“A collection of brief biographical sketches, characterized by a real interest of subject-matter and a pleasantly unconventional manner of treatment.”
“The author has used pretty faithfully all printed matter relating to his subject; but there is absolutely no evidence of that added exploration of manuscript material which is now demanded by the thoughtful reader.”
“The author’s style and treatment are sufficiently fresh and original to justify publication.”
Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli.Lord George Bentinck: a political biography; new ed; with introd. by Charles Whibley. **$2. Dutton.
“It seemed timely, amid the great free-trade electoral campaign just closed across the water to bring out on behalf of the losing side a new edition of Disraeli’s political biography.... It opens on the eve of the repeal of the Corn laws, of which it gives the Tory view. Bentinck forestalled Chamberlain in thinking that England’s commercial policy should be not free trade but reciprocity.” (Nation.) Mr. Whibley in his introduction “leads thru unsparing denunciation of Cobden and Peel up to a parallel between the leader of the Protectionists in 1846 and the leader of the Protectionists to-day. Thus it trenches so closely upon present politics that we, being non-political must leave Mr. Whibley’s opinions to speak for themselves.” (Ath.)
“An eloquent, not to say vehement, introduction. Frankly partisan in tone.”
“Mr Whibley has certainly managed to compress into a few pages an exhibition of a lack of political judgment and foresight, along with a degree of supercilious cocksureness which will not conduce to recommend his work to the reading public.”
“Mr. Whibley has written as if he had lost at once his temper and his sense of historical perspective.”
“From the historical standpoint, too, there is ample room for criticism. The sweeping statements common to campaign documents abound.”
“Disraeli sums up the character and career of Peel with an impartiality and a penetration that make this biography an English classic. It is the only instance we know of contemporary history being written with a due sense of perspective. But Mr. Whibley is more than sympathetic: he is discerning.”
Bearne, Catherine M.A queen of Napoleon’s court. **$2.50. Dutton.
A sketch of Désirée Bernadotte whose interest centers in “the picture it gives of her times rather than of her life, for she seems to have been an exceptionally dull product of a brilliant age.” (Acad.)
“Miss Bearne has put together a book which will appeal to the reader who is not particular in the matter of strict accuracy.”
“No more interesting book of gossip about famous and infamous people has appeared in recent years.”
“A book that has caught something of the glamour of that extraordinary age. Mrs. Bearne is not always correct, she repeats herself, she will drag in a fine tale, gallantly regardless of any right it has to be there; but she is pleasant gossip, full of mirth and entertainment.”
“It will please a class of readers unacquainted with Bourrienne and Madame Lenormand, indifferent as to criticism and judgment, unskilled in matters of grammar and rhetoric, intent merely on promiscuous anecdote and cheap sentiment.”
“Out of these persons and adventures the author has made a readable volume.”
“Mrs. Bearne’s amusing book gives a capital picture of Napoleon’s France.”
Bearne, Rev. David.Charlie Chittywick. 85c. Benziger.
The tale of a resolute little lad who battled against a whole family of idle, shiftless, worthless members, and step by step becomes a self-respecting bread-winner.