Many of the lessons taught by Jesus while on earth are here repeated and explained in a simple fashion that will instruct and interest children of the Roman Catholic faith.
Lester, John C., and Wilson, Daniel Love.Ku Klux Klan, its origin, growth and disbandment.$1.50. Neale.
The main portion of the book is a reprint of an account of the origin and growth of this great order of Reconstruction days, first privately printed twenty-one years ago. Mr. Walter L. Fleming has contributed an introduction giving side-light information on the Klan and kindred organizations. There are appendices containing the constitution and specimens of orders and warnings issued by the Klan.
“The book is undoubtedly one of great interest.”
LeStrange, Guy.Lands of the eastern Caliphate, Mesopotamia, Persia and Central Asia, from the Moslem conquest to the time of Timur. *$4. Macmillan.
“It contains much information of value to the student of civilization.”
“In spite of the immense number of facts which it contains, is not merely a work of reference, but also deserves to be read for its own sake.”
“But it is as difficult to find blemishes as it is easy to discover merits in a book of which the usefulness to students will be felt not in one but in many fields of research.” C. R. Beazley.
Levasseur, Pierre Emile.Elements of political economy; tr. by Theodore Marburg. *$1.75. Macmillan.
“In spite of additions and changes made by the translator, it is, however, essentially a foreign work. It is therefore doubtful whether the book will prove available for use in American colleges.”
Lewis, Alfred Henry (Dan Quin, pseud.).Story of Paul Jones.†$1.50. Dillingham.
The author of “The Wolfville stories” writes a stirring tale based upon the true facts of Paul Jones’ life from his boyhood in Scotland to his death in France. The main stress of the narrative which assumes the form of an historical romance is placed upon the naval hero’s service to the American colonies during the Revolutionary war.
“From first to last his book is quick with action, is enlivened by dialogue in which the atmosphere of the period is preserved, and is written in a vigorous, pleasing vein.”
Lewis, Alfred Henry (Dan Quin, pseud.).Sunset trail.†$1.50. Barnes.
“Repulsive and dreary as is this picture of primitive Western life, there is much that is picturesque and entertaining, and of the two kinds of American novel the Western adventurous is decidedly preferable to the Eastern ‘cultured’ kind.”
Lewis, Alfred Henry (Dan Quin, pseud.).Throwback; a romance of the Southwest. $1.50. Outing pub.
The hero of this story “is a tremendously irresistible son and heir of an aristocratic Maryland family, who by some stroke of atavism is a reproduction of the fierce founder of the house. He turns a buffalo hunter in the Panhandle district and by his adventures meets all the requirements for a big, hearty dare-devil who can shoot buffalo, kill Indians, find treasures, and win the hand of a somewhat indistinctly drawn heroine. It is a ‘rattling’ story and doubtless portrays with literary impressionism the life of the old days in the great Southwest before the buffalo had disappeared and wire fences had turned cowboys into herdsmen.” (World To-Day.)
“Mr. Lewis’s tale is an odd compound of silliness and brutality.”
“Mr. Lewis has tamed his usual picturesque Wolfville language, but he has left enough of it to add spice, and he has introduced some very engaging humorous personages.”
“It is a little more melodramatic than [‘The Virginian’] and does not carry with it quite the same conviction, but it is capital reading.”
Libbey, William, and Hoskins, Franklin E.Jordan valley and Petra. **$6. Putnam.
“The volumes are a most important addition to the geography of the east Jordan and Petra regions of Palestine.” H. L. W.
“Conveys much valuable information for all, from the Bible student to the mere sportsman, with genial humor sprinkled thruout the pages.”
Liber, Maurice.Rashi; tr. from the French by Adele Szold. $1. Jewish pub.
Although a fitting testimony to the interest expressed in the recent eight hundredth anniversary of the death of Rabbi Rashi, this work is not a product of circumstances. It is designed to take its place as the second volume in the “Biographies of Jewish worthies” series of which “Maimonides” was the first. “Jewish history may include minds more brilliant and works more original than Rashi’s. But it is incontestable that he is one of those historical personages who afford a double interest; his own personality is striking and at the same time he is the representative of a civilization and of a period.... Rashi forms, so to say, an organic part of Jewish history.”
Liljencrantz, Ottilie Adelina.Randvar, the songsmith: a romance of Norumbega. †$1.50. Harper.
In the days when the Norsemen held their fabled sway in the new world, Randvar, the songsmith, son of Rolf the Viking and Freya, King Hildebrand’s daughter, came to love the proud sister of the jarl with the blood red hair. The story of his love is a story of arms and adventure and thru it runs the mystic legend of the were-wolf. In the end the old round tower, which Randvar’s father built for Freya, claims another royal bride thru whom, and his own valor, Freya’s son comes to his own estate.
“Is not appreciably better or worse than the same author’s earlier volumes.” Frederic Taber Cooper.
“It is a pretty story that Miss Liljencrantz has told, and it has many elements of popularity.” Wm. M. Payne.
“Miss Liljencrantz lacks the skill and the power to weave these things into a compelling story, as she lacks also the power to breathe life into the words of her puppets. ‘Randvar the songsmith’ is an unrealized ambition.”
“The story is well told and as a pure romance, is well worth reading.”
Lillibridge, William Otis.Ben Blair: the story of a plainsman.†$1.50. McClurg.
“An uneven book, which has some chapters of refreshing strength.” Frederic Taber Cooper.
“Will at least hold the reader’s attention, tho at the end he may realize that the book has a touch of the dime novel.”
Lincoln, Abraham.Complete works of Abraham Lincoln.12v. ea. $3.75. Tandy.
“Some dozen years ago appeared ‘The complete works of Lincoln,’ edited by John G. Nicolay and John Hay, and published by the Century company. A new edition is now brought out by the Francis D. Tandy company ... in which are included ‘nearly 20 per cent. more of Lincoln’s own writings, culled from numerous public and private collections,’ with explanatory notes to make the significance of the text clear, and with a series of ‘introductions,’ articles by prominent writers—Greeley, Sumner, Bancroft, Beecher, Roosevelt, Gilder, and others.”—N. Y. Times.
“Enough that is new is brought together in this edition to make it necessary for every large library to purchase it for students of Lincoln and his times.” Charles H. Cooper.
“A commendable work has been done in collecting these thousands of scattered bits.”
“The best edition of the complete works of Abraham Lincoln for a library is that edited by John E. Nicolay and John Hay.”
“The portraits continue to present an interesting variety.”
Reviewed by Edward Cary.
Lincoln, Charles Z.Constitutional history of New York from the beginning of the colonial period to the year 1905, showing the origin, development, and judicial construction of the constitution. 5v. $15. Lawyers’ co-op.
“We can best give an idea of what the book is by saying that it is arranged both historically and by topics. As a whole, it is the history of the constitution of New York traced from its earliest sources in Magna charta and the ‘Charter of liberties’ down to its present form, accompanied by explanations of the political and social changes underlying its development. But, being arranged also by subjects and having a whole volume of tables and indices, it is easy to find either the chronology and rationale of any particular topic ... or what is often of quite as much importance, the part played in the development of the Constitution by any particular person.”—Nation.
“Not only a monument of industry and research, but a useful historical and legal compilation as well. The author is well qualified for his task.”
“No effort is made to attract ‘the mind that requires to be tempted to the study of truth.’ The work is not cast in literary form. It can not be read through. The highest praise that can be given to it, the criticism that would gratify the author most highly, is to say that no one seeking any information about the Constitutions of the state of New York is likely to consult these volumes in vain.” Robert Livingston Schuyler.
Lincoln, Mrs. Jeanie Lincoln Gould.Javelin of fate. †$1.25. Houghton.
A love story of Civil war times with the “main action centering in that hot-bed of rebellion, Baltimore.... For years she escapes the Nemesis of fate, but throughout her brilliant career there is one motive behind her social activities and political intrigues—the wish to punish the man who spoiled her youth and robbed her of the capacity for happiness. At last her opportunity arrives, but old instincts and old affections assert themselves. She forgives the man and goes to find her child. Then the javelin strikes her. This is the main thread of the narrative, which is skilfully interwoven with others less sombre.” (Dial.) “It is only a very distant echo of the war that sounds in Mrs. Lincoln’s story. It is mostly the women’s side of the fray.” (N. Y. Times.)
“Is distinguished from the mass of current fiction by the technical skill with which it presents a plot that has in itself real movement and vitality.”
“The best that can be said of ‘A javelin of fate’ is that it contains all the materials of a good story, but they have not been well put together.”
Lincoln, Joseph Crosby (Joe Lincoln, pseud.).Mr. Pratt. †$1.50. Barnes.
“There is much rustic humor in this tale by the author of ‘Cap’n Eri,’ and Mr. Pratt is a continuation of the former country philosopher. That two tired young stock-brokers should elect to follow the rules of the ‘Natural life’ as laid down in a popular book is not so incongruous as it might have seemed a few years ago. Mr. Pratt is engaged as their factotum, and relates their adventures with much shrewd comment.” (Outlook.) “Whimsical medley of the ‘simple’ and ‘complex’ life.” (Lit. D.)
“Mr. Lincoln is particularly enjoyable in ‘Mr. Pratt’ which, altho evolved from sundry independent short stories, is as coherent and readable as could be wished.”
“The story is absurd, but it is meant to be; it serves its purpose as a diversion, a gentle satire upon a recent popular fad.”
Lincoln and Douglas debates; ed. by Archibald Lewis Bouton. *60c. Holt.
“The book is well edited and gives a good idea of the matter.” E. E. H., jr.
Lindsay, Charles Harcourt Ainslee Forbes (Charles Harcourt, pseud.).Panama: the isthmus and the canal. **$1. Winston.
“Mr. Forbes-Lindsay has done a service in bringing together in one small volume a large amount of material hitherto scattered through the American public documents and French company reports. He begins with the romantic history of the Isthmus when the city of Panama was one of the richest and most luxurious cities of the New World.... Gives some interesting figures in regard to the operations of the De Lesseps company and traces the history of the canal under the receivership, the New canal company, and the present commission. An appendix contains an abstract of the Government report on the great canals of the world. There is a good map and profile of the canal as authorized by Congress, and a number of half-tones of Panama scenes.”—Nation.
“He has not shown any skill in arranging his material. The volume contains many repetitions, not a few contradictions, and is generally incoherent.”
Lindsay, Thomas Martin.History of the Reformation, v. 1, The reformation in Germany from its beginning to the religious peace of Augsburg. **$2.50. Scribner.
More than a compilation. Dr. Lindsay “has brought out the full significance of the movement with which he deals by treating it, as it must be treated, in its social environment, complicated as it was by the political and economic conditions of the time, as the gradual outcome of a slow, unconscious process.”—Int. J. Ethics.
“It is not a great book and has not the grip of Creighton nor the ease of Mr. Armstrong, but it is useful, and will be to many Englishmen an excellent substitute for Köstlin and D’Aubigné.”
“A valuable and comprehensive treatment of the first period of the Reformation.”
“As a summary of the sources, manner and result of the Reformation, at once succinct and adequate, this work is quite first rate.” M. A. Hamilton.
“The work has many merits, but in our opinion its most distinctive feature is the careful analysis of social and religious life in Germany on the eve of the Protestant revolt. On the strength of first-hand knowledge, excellent arrangement, and thoughtfulness, this book deserves the most respectful attention. It is well adapted for use in the senior grades of university teaching.”
Linville, Henry R., and Kelly, Henry A.Text-book in general zoology. *$1.50. Ginn.
A text-book for the educational public with suggestions for laboratory work. The volume is intended for high-school or elementary college classes and the inductive method is used with each class and phylum of invertebrate animals. In the first chapter after the remainder of the Arthropoda are described the other invertebrate phyla follow in a descending series, ending with Protozoa. Then, beginning with the fishes, the order ascends to the mammals and closes with man. There are 233 illustrations.
“It has many original points, and deserves recommendation as one of the very best books yet published in this line. Every high school and biological laboratory should have reference copies, even tho some other book is already adopted as the regular text-book in zoology.”
Lippincott, Mrs. Sara Jane (Clarke) (Grace Greenwood, pseud.).Stories from famous ballads; ed. by Caroline Burnite; with il. by Edmund H. Garrett. *50c. Ginn.
“These stories are reprinted in the hope that girls may appreciate the simplicity and beauty of them and thereby may be led to read the romantic ballads in their original poetic form.”
“The stories tell, in a style of remarkable simplicity and beauty, of ... famous old ballads.”
Lippmann, Friedrich.Engraving and etching: a handbook for the use of students and print collectors. 3d ed. rev. by Dr. Max Lehrs; tr. by Martin Hardie; with 131 il. *$3. Scribner.
Dr. Lehrs has made revisions in keeping with the last century’s results in modern research, especially along the lines of steel engraving, lithography and the modern mechanical processes which have caused a revolution in reproductive arts.
“Is not only comprehensive, but so well written that we scarcely appreciate, as we read, the industry and learning necessary for such a task. The chapter on engraving in England is very brief, and not up to the standard of the rest of the work.”
“Though the version, on the whole, is spirited and readable, we have noticed several passages in which the sense of the original has been missed. In technical matters, however, which set most pitfalls for the translator of such a handbook, Mr. Hardie’s knowledge has enabled him to walk warily.”
“The book as it now stands is a fairly complete account of engraving and etching up to the beginning of the nineteenth century.”
“No writer on the subject has so perfectly combined minute historical accuracy with a sober and just taste.”
“Another indispensable book.”
Lipsett, Ella Partridge.Summer in the Apple Tree inn; il. by Mary Wellman. †$1.25. Holt.
Apple Tree inn is a charming play house which a kind Aunt Margaret had made ready for her group of young visitors. A clever Japanese youth is the central spirit of all the good times, entertaining his young charges with Japanese legends, giving motive and setting to their games, and incidentally teaching the children gentle manners and good morals.
“A pleasing story for children.”
Liquor problem. **$1. Houghton.
“The committee, by publishing the results of their study in a single volume, will gain access to a far wider audience, and will thus induce many more persons to go more deeply into the evidence by turning back to the earlier special reports for more prolonged study. No more sane, balanced and convincing statement of the problem has been made.” C. R. Henderson.
“The pseudo-scientific character of so-called temperance instruction in the public schools is unmasked. The remedial aspect of the matter is treated with breadth and sanity.” Winthrop More Daniels.
“While it will undoubtedly prove useful, it should not take the place of the larger books as a source of information.”
Little, Alicia Bewicke. (Mrs. Archibald John Little).Round about my Peking garden. **$5. Lippincott.
“In her knowledge of the real China, Mrs. Archibald Little admittedly stands unrivalled among living European women.... She has ... genuine love and sympathy for China and its people—a trait which, it is perhaps unnecessary to say, is not universal among European residents in the country. ‘Round about my Peking garden’ may be described as a collection of sketches of North China.... By way of the Peking palaces, temples, etc., Mrs. Little takes us to the Ming tombs, the Western tombs, the Mongolian Grass Land, the seaside resorts near Peking, and even to Port Arthur. This is the geographical distribution ... of the sketches. With regard to time, they all appear to be dated about the period of the last occupation of Peking by the allied troops.... It is copiously illustrated from photographs.”—Ath.
“Mrs. Little’s manner of writing is generally pleasant. She has a genuine instinct for description, and excels therein. She is apt to mar her picturesque passages by a tendency to moralizing and emotional apostrophe.”
“Altogether the book is to be commended quite without qualification.”
“‘Gush’ is the prevailing note, and Mrs. Little should not be regarded as a trustworthy guide.”
Little, Archibald John.Far East. *$2. Oxford.
“It is hardly a book for the average reader, but rather for the scientific traveller, who takes careful notes by the way.”
“Trustworthy in its general physiographic statements and so rich in maps, sketches, and diagrams, and all well indexed.”
Little, Frances.Lady of the decoration.†$1. Century.
With an unhappy married life behind her, a young Kentucky widow who had never missed a Derby since she was old enough to know a bay from a sorrel suddenly accepts an offer to go to Japan and teach in a mission school. Her letters home make the story, whose chief interest centers in a romance that grows out of her love for the man who she had supposed was lost to her. There are bits of Japanese life given with sprightly touches.
“Contains an odd mixture of fact, fun, opinions, vivid impressions, and sentiment. Unfortunately the sentiment is very much overdone, but the book is fresh and unconventional and well worth reading.”
“The descriptive portions of the book produce on the whole a strong effect of reality.”
Reviewed by Frederic Taber Cooper.
“It has somewhat of the thing that gave the ‘Saxe-Holm’ stories their success a generation ago; that popularized the first novel or two of the late Maria Louise Pool; that on a higher literary plane, gave the work of the Brontës its lasting value.”
“A bright story about equally compounded of humor, philosophy, description and love.”
“A piece of rather tiresome gush.”
“The reader would generally be very grateful if the book had been so planned as to give a little more fact and a little less sentimental reflection.”
Livingston, Luther Samuel.Auction prices of books. 4v. *$40. Dodd.
“Mr. Livingston’s concluding volume is the most important of all.”
Lloyd, Henry Demarest.Man, the social creator. **$2. Doubleday.
“A collection of addresses delivered by the late Henry D. Lloyd during the ten years preceding his death, and now brought together in a volume.... The main thesis of the present book is indicated by the title, namely, that man is creating, out of the divine potentialities of his own nature, the social life and institutions which are, for a large body of thinkers to-day, the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ upon earth. The book is also understood to embody the author’s religious beliefs.... Everywhere we find optimism—evil interpreted as good in the making, and the future heralded as a mighty advance upon the present.”—Dial.
“The strength of this book is in its affirmations; its weakness is in its denials. When it is specific it is persuasive; when it deals with generalizations it invites doubt if not actual contradiction.”
Lloyd, Nelson (McAllister).Mrs. Radigan: her biography, with that of Miss Pearl Veal and the memoirs of J. Madison Mudison.†$1. Scribner.
“‘Mrs. Radigan’ is another book exposing New York society, but in so jocose and headlong a way as not to make much impression until one pauses to reflect how true to life and perspicacious Mr. Lloyd has been.” G. W. A.
Lloyd, Nelson (McAllister).Six Stars; stories. †$1.50. Scribner.
Six Stars is a little village hidden away in a Pennsylvania mountain valley. The stories are pitched in the quiet monotonous key which the valley-folk sound in their uneventful lives. “There are some passages of serious feeling and indications of currents of passion, but in the main the tales are gently humorous, with a taste of dialect but without its abuse, and with a true perception of what is interesting and worth recording in the lives of simple people.” (Outlook.)
“Is a book to read aloud, if you can for laughter, to some appreciative listener; it is one of the pleasures that are increased by dividing. The book is homey and wholesome as a red-clover field in full bloom, and is just the sort of literature that the nerve-weary need.”
“Mr. Lloyd’s way with his rustics has an undoubted charm.”
“A dozen or more admirable short stories.”
Locke, William John.Beloved vagabond.†$1.50. Lane.
Who he is and what manner of vagabond he is may be gleaned from the following: “One who though a gentleman and a scholar, has become a peripatetic philosopher, a roadside humorist, and the delight of cafés of the Latin quarter.” (Outlook.) He picks up a little boy out of the gutter, adopts him, wanders with him all over Europe for the sake of the child’s education. This is the record of their pilgrimage told by the boy years afterward.
“The book is a little masterpiece, possessed of that exquisite charm and refined simplicity which are connected with French writers of the best period.”
Reviewed by Amy C. Rich.
“Mr. Locke’s new novel is less a novel than a study in temperament. The tale is picaresque in character, and is maintained with great spirit and gusto.”
“Mr. Locke should not be judged by his ‘Beloved vagabond’ alone.”
“As a novel the book is unique in its method and its treatment of the subject, while its intellectual flavor and its large and tolerant presentation of life make it constantly enjoyable from first page to last.”
“The author shows artistic courage and literary skill in thus following human nature rather than the ordinary conventions of romance and sentiment.”
“One may shrink from the realism with which some phases of our delightful vagabond’s life is depicted, but one is fascinated by the overflowing humor of his talk and by the free open-air spirit of the road with which the book is pervaded.”
Locke, William John.Morals of Marcus Ordeyne.†$1.50. Lane.
“It is brisk, witty, gay, even, with a minor modulation for relief.” Mary Moss.
Lodge, George Cabot.Great adventure: sonnets. **$1. Houghton.
A volume of sonnets whose themes are Life, Love and Death. The twenty-five sonnets under the heading “Death” are dedicated to the memory of Trumbull Stickney.
“High praise must be given to the thoughtful and imaginative qualities of Mr. Lodge’s verse.” Wm. M. Payne.
“There is dignity and even nobility in many of them and there are occasional lines of great verbal felicity and real power, so that the apparently unnecessary lapses are the more teasing.”
Reviewed by Louise Collier Willcox.
Lodge, Sir Oliver Joseph.Life and matter.**$1. Putnam.
A reply to Professor Haeckel’s “Riddle of the universe,” intended to “act as an antidote against the destructive and speculative portions of Professor Haeckel’s interesting and widely read work.” The author “holds that life belongs to a separate order of existence from the material world, on which it depends for phenomenal manifestation, and on which it reacts according to laws as yet undiscovered, though discoverable.” (Outlook.)
“One could wish that ‘Life and matter’ were somewhat less controversial in form, that it somewhat less obviously grew out of separate articles and addresses, still more could one wish that the discussion were less condensed, for the book is but a little one: one could not ask for a more penetrating criticism of current opinions by a great scientist who is as little given to serving idols of the cave as of the market place.” E. T. Brewster.
“Besides fulfilling its immediate object, will serve as a complete reply to Mr. Mallock, and a host of less distinguished thinkers.”
“The main value of the book is, after all, the fact that Professor Haeckel’s theories enable Sir Oliver Lodge to present us with a most interesting study of the relation between life and matter. No higher praise could be given Sir Oliver Lodge’s book than to say that it is a strong assertion of the rights of human experience as against artificial dogma, the product of abstraction.” Charles F. Clogher.
“The arrangement of the various topics is not always the best possible. Apart from these slight defects the book deserves hearty commendation.”
“While Professor Haeckel’s errors are exposed, the solid part of his work receives an extension into a fruitful field of scientific inquiry.”
“At present ... it is doubtful whether the great mass of his ‘brother scientists’ will accept him as their spokesman.” Frank Thilly.
“The book is an interesting and well-intended but disappointing attempt to reconcile the categories of exact science and humanistic idealism.” H. Heath Bawden.
“It is needless to say that Sir Oliver Lodge is well worth hearing on such a fascinating subject as the relation of the higher physics to the phenomena of life.”
Loeb, Jacques.Dynamics of living matter. *$3. Macmillan.
This volume owes its origin to a series of lectures delivered by the author at Columbia university in 1902. It is the purpose of the lectures “to state to what extent we are able to control the phenomena of development, self preservation, and reproduction.” The chapters are as follows: Concerning the general chemistry of life phenomena, The general physical constitution of living matter, On some physical manifestations of life, The role of electrolytes in the formation and preservation of living matter, The effects of heat and radiant energy upon living matter, Heliotropism, Further facts concerning tropisms and related phenomena, Fertilization, Heredity, and On the dynamics of regenerative processes.
“The book is in all respects a worthy member of the ‘Columbia university biological series,’ of which it is the eighth volume. I could not give it higher praise.” E. T. Brewster.
“The lectures are readable and instructive, and they are especially commended to the attention of plant physiologists, who are too apt to pass over literature not strictly pertaining to plants.”
“The present volume, containing a survey of recent work in biology, may be commended, not to the specialist, for he knows of it already, but to the sociologist or the theologian—to any scholar, in fact, who is interested in the fundamental questions of life, and not afraid of meeting many words that he does not know and cannot find in the dictionary.”
“Think what we may of such questions of logic, it is undeniable that the book is full of the most instructive and extraordinarily interesting matter, in large part new to all but the most fully informed, which is presented with great perspicuity, and put in as simple a form as possible.”
“We may regard the work as a useful counterblast to those who term themselves neovitalists.”
“It is a very interesting book which instructs and at the same time stimulates the reader to independent thinking.” S. J. Meltzer.
“Is marred by sneers at psychology and metaphysics.”
Loeb, Jacques.Studies in general physiology. 2v. *$7.50. Univ. of Chicago press.
“These two volumes of the Decennial series of the University of Chicago, bring together in reprint the list of brilliant contributions which gave to the author his prestige in protoplasmic physiology. They consist of thirty-eight papers, published through various channels and in two languages, between the years 1889 and 1902. These are arranged in the chronological order of their previous publication, beginning with those on tropisms and ending with those on artificial parthenogenesis and on the irritability of muscles.”—Bot. Gaz.
Reviewed by E. T. Brewster.
Reviewed by B. E. Livingston.
“The two volumes of papers collected under this title form one of the most interesting and suggestive works that have been published on the subject.”
“We have here before us the fruit of a most indefatigable and ingenious investigator who has done pioneer work in many fields in biology. These studies will be a source of instruction and stimulation to many an earnest student in general physiology.” S. J. Meltzer.
London, Jack.The game.†$1.50. Macmillan.
“Excellent novelette.” Mary Moss.
London, Jack.Moon face; and other stories.†$1.50. Macmillan.
“The eight stories which comprise this volume exhibit in quite varied fields the dramatic quality and virile powers of expression for which Mr. London is noted.” (Lit. D.) They include besides the title-story; Planchette, The shadow and the flash, Local color, and All Gold canyon.
“They are terse, virile to the verge of brutality, and they grip the mind. The language is fresh and convincing, save for one irritating phrase, ‘what of’, which Mr. London uses very unsuitably.”
“Not nearly so good as they should be—as they might be, if Mr. London were in less of a hurry.”
“Mr. London, when he errs, does so on the side of flesh; there are moments even in his most powerful work, when one is prompted to say, ‘That is a false note: human nature is nobler than that!’” Frederic Taber Cooper.
“But the quality of these stories indicates either a decline in power or disposition to live on the unearned increment of his former reputation, a shocking ethical fault in the apostle of the proletariat.”
“There is a freshness and originality in these unconventional tales, a sort of primitive vigor and pulsing life, that lift them above the average of the short stories that now have such vogue. Here and there, it is true, his style is disfigured by a grotesque stroke.”
“These stories present Jack London at his shallowest, but by no means at his worst. Everything in them even their brutality, is subordinated to a trivial ingenuity of plot.”
“Nearly all are below his average level of achievement.”
“Have all of Mr. London’s recognized vigor and originality.”
“Shows here and there the author’s power, but will add nothing to his reputation.”
London, Jack.Tales of the fish patrol.†$1.50. Macmillan.
“Fairly exciting the stories certainly are.”
“Mr. London’s style has of late shown marked signs of a chastening process. He progresses. This is better work than ‘The game.’”
“The author seems to know his subject thoroughly, and he can make excellent use of his knowledge.”
“All are told with vigour, but they are the kind of tales which any magazine-writer might have written, and admirers of Mr. London’s work must confess to some disappointment.”
London, Jack.War of the classes.**$1.50. Macmillan.
“In short, the book may serve a useful purpose by stimulating thought in readers of independent judgment, but will prove a stumbling block to the unwary.”
“The economic reasoning, however, is not clear, and there is little constructive thinking.” Charles Richmond Henderson.
London, Jack.White Fang.†$1.50. Macmillan.
“In “White Fang” Mr. London reverses the “process of retrogression” of “The call of the wild,” and traces the fortune of a dog which is part wolf to the time of the redeeming of his brute nature. And the transition is not without triumphs for the ugly nature within him. Finally when he merges from his last fight—and there is no more blood-curdling dog-fight in literature—he is rescued by his love-master. By this patient, kind man, his brute nature is redeemed, and for the master he loves he learns to endure the restraints of civilization.” (Dial.)
“The book will be judged inferior to ‘The Call of the Wild’ by sticklers for ‘strong’ endings; nevertheless it will be more enjoyed by the mass of readers.” May Estelle Cook.
“In workmanship it is as good as anything the author has done in this field, and no one has done better.”
“This is the kind of thing Jack London does best.”
“By far the best thing that has come from his pen since ‘The call of the wild,’ and in some points a better dog story than the latter ever succeeded in seeming to the present writer.”
“The subject is one which fits the author’s peculiar gifts admirably and gives him full scope.”
“No stronger piece of work in this field has appeared.”
London, Jack, and others.Argonaut stories. 50c. Argonaut pub.
Twenty-two stories contributed by as many writers among whom are Jack London, Frank Norris, Gwendolen Overton, C. W. Doyle, Robert D. Milne and Buckey O’Neill.
Long, Augustus White, ed. American poems, 1776–1900, with notes and biographies. *90c. Am. bk.
“Mr. Long’s book puts in a volume convenient for class work a good selection of American poetry, beginning with Freneau and coming down to the poets of our own day. There are also biographical introductions, a little critical comment, and notes.”—Bookm.
“We do not criticise [the notes] because they explain what is obvious ... but rather because they often do not explain what is not obvious.”
“Has made his selections with discriminating intelligence.”
Long, John Luther.Heimweh and other stories. †$1.50. Macmillan.
“The book is worth reading though its contents are of unequal value.”
Long, John Luther.Seffy; a little comedy of country manners. †$1.50. Bobbs.
“All these go to make up a charming book, despite the sordid and rather coarse phases oflife that are especially emphasized in the early chapters.”
“A tender little story, exquisitely told, and full of the delicate half-tones of human emotions.” Frederic Taber Cooper.
“The story is slight but fairly interesting.”
“It is a charming story, charmingly written, with just enough romance to save it from the bald monotony of reality and enough reality to prevent it from being hopelessly romantic.”
Long, John Luther.Way of the gods.†$1.50. Macmillan.
In this story of Japan “the little Samurai—a ‘girl-boy’—born to be a gentle poet, is educated and inspired to be a soldier of the Emperor.... Never a warrior in appearance, the spirit and patriotism of the man carries him honorably through two wars. He succumbs to love for a Japanese maiden of lowly birth whom he finds in China. He marries her, and upon that act follow all the tremendous train of suffering and tragedy in which the two loving souls are engulfed.... Mr. Long is able to make us see from the Japanese point of view, and reverence the nobility of the lowly maid who sacrificed all for love and rose to heights of heroism that her beloved Samurai could never attain.”—Outlook.
“On close inspection this curious, erratic, exotic bit of fiction offers a better example of this whole matter of pictorial art in novels than any other book of the month.” Frederic Taber Cooper.
“Perhaps ungrateful to complain very bitterly of mere mannerisms when the matter beneath is altogether admirable.”
“Mr. Long has succeeded in conveying in this romantic yet thoroughly modern story a fine impression of the marvelous persistence of hereditary ideals of honor and sacrifice among the Japanese.”
Long, William Joseph.Brier-patch philosophy, by “Peter Rabbit” interpreted by W: J. Long; il. by Charles Copeland. *$1.50. Ginn.
The rabbit’s sunny brier patch to which Mr. Long’s readers are invited is a pleasant place to contemplate “the sweet reasonableness of animal thinking,” and the associated subject of animal psychology. “If you care to follow the rabbit’s trail ... he will take you thru the dead timber of science, thru streets of reason and psychology, thru the open country of instincts and habits and dawning intelligence, to the origin of natural religion and the distant glimpse of immortality in which we are all interested.”
“Mr. Long in this serious piece of work, has made a contribution to animal study that will have permanent influence. It should be said, moreover, that the unusually animated illustrations save the book from being too serious.” May Estelle Cook.
“Plausibility and proof are two very different things, and it is just in the failure to distinguish carefully between them that Mr. Long has always shown himself radically weak.”
Long, William Joseph.Northern trails: stories of animal life in the far north. *$1.50. Ginn.
“These ‘Northern trails’ lead one through many other evidences of Mr. Long’s ability as a naturalist.” George Gladden.
“The book would have been much better without the first story—for the plan is not original; it is ‘written down’ and it lacks reality in spite of the author’s efforts. But as for the rest, even Mr. Burroughs will find little in the natural history to object to, and certainly no one can hold out against the story interest of the chapters, nor the grace and charm of the style.” Dallas Lore Sharp.
“There is a certain sameness about his work, but we do not think that he has written anything better than ‘Northern trails.’”
Long day: a true story of a New York working girl as told by herself.*$1.20. Century.
“This book will do good. It presents a section from the social life of today with pathetic fidelity.”
“There are innumerable flashes of [humor] in ‘The long day.’” Winthrop More Daniels.
“As a human document this is an important piece of work.”
“The writer’s tone, even when there is most provocation to heat, is conspicuously fair and free from hysteria; eminently broad, sane and hopeful is her view. With its disclosures, its suggestions, and its hopes, ‘The long day’ is a book that must and will be read.”
“Few novels have such sheer narrative interest as this book: fewer still combine with such interest so vivid portraiture. The book abounds, too, with descriptive writing of no mean order.”
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth.Poems; with a biographical sketch by Nathan Haskell Dole. $1.25. Crowell.
Uniform with the “Thin paper poets,” and contains a sketch of Longfellow’s life, notes, and a frontispiece.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth.Tales of a wayside inn; with an introd. by Nathan Haskell Dole. 35c. Crowell.
Uniform with the “Handy volume classics.”
Loomis, Charles Battell.Minerva’s manoeuvres: the cheerful facts of a “return to nature.”†$1.50. Barnes.
Lord, Eliot; Trenor, John J. D.; and Barrows, Samuel June.Italian in America. $1.50. Buck.
“Apart from its value as an important contribution towards a correct statement of the immigration problem, his volume is well worth reading.”
Lord, Walter Frewen.Mirror of the century. *$1.50. Lane.
Twelve crtical essays each one of which is a study of one of the following nineteenth-century novelists: Trollope, George Eliot, Jane Austen,Lytton, Thackeray, Charlotte Brontë, the Kingsleys, Charles Reade, Beaconsfield and W. E. Norris.
“We find it impossible to realize the standard of ideas which makes such a judgment as he sets down possible. On every possible occasion he says the thing that is exactly wrong with a perversity that never deviates into illuminating criticism.”
“Mr. Frewen Lord is a clever talker, whose ambition exceeds his industry. As a revelation of temperament the volume is not striking. Is at his best when he has found a quotation upon which to exercise his humor.”
“The charm of Mr. Lloyd’s book lies in this very novelty of many of its ideas, its piquancy of expression, and its revelation of his own alert and unconventional mind. It is a suggestive and readable book.”