Scott, Eva.King in exile: the wanderings of Charles II. from June, 1646 to July, 1654. *$3.50. Dutton.
“A thoroughly workmanlike piece of writing.” V.
Scott, John Reed.Colonel of the Red huzzars.†$1.50. Lippincott.
The mythical kingdom of Valeria becomes very real to the reader who follows the fortunes of the young American army officer who becomes a grand duke and a suitor for the hand of his new found cousin, the beautiful princess royal. The story is full of love and intrigue, of court life, masques and duels and one meets a king, a villain, an adventuress, a dashing prince, a very human princess and many other people both brave and clever in the course of the well devised plot.
“While the book is not without exaggeration and incongruity it at least keeps above the level of the ‘opera bouffe.’” Frederic Taber Cooper.
“The story is a capital one of its kind.” Wm. M. Payne.
“Those with a taste for love, sword, and mystery in liberal mixture will find this volume a pleasant toothful.”
Scott, Robert H.Voyage of the Discovery. 2v. **$10. Scribner.
“Captain Scott’s account of the voyage of the ‘Discovery’ is the most important narrative of adventure and investigation in the Antarctic regions that has been produced in the last half century.” Albert White Vorse.
“Despite blemishes, this story of effort will long endure as a standard of high endeavor and heroic accomplishment.” General A. W. Greely.
“An intensely interesting story of the adventures of his party.”
“The narrative of Captain Scott easily takes rank among the foremost books of travel and discovery which a half-century has brought out, and it will be read with the same pleasure that both old and young like to associate with the reading of Livingstone and Kane.”
“Is a most valuable contribution to the knowledge of what will probably always be one of the most interesting parts of the Antarctic continent. It is written in a charmingly easy and fluent style; the narrative is modest and frank: and the story is always pleasant reading.” J. W. Gregory.
“Probably the most complete account of the antarctic regions ever published in English.”
Scott, Sir Walter.Complete poetical works; with introd. by Charles Eliot Norton. $1.25. Crowell.
Uniform with the “Thin paper poets,” this pocket edition of Scott contains besides the complete text full editorial helps.
Seaman, Louis Livingston.Real triumph of Japan; conquest of the silent foe. **$1.50. Appleton.
“Major Seaman expatiates further in this volume upon the same theme exploited by him in his former account of his experiences with the Japanese army—the success of the Japanese officials in preventing and curing disease. The reasons for this remarkable record are the simple, non-irritating food of the Japanese soldier, the obedience to orders of the surgeons invariably displayed, and the thorough preparation and constant vigilance of those in charge of the health of the army. Major Seaman considers this a greater victory than that won on the field of battle, and makes an earnest plea for similar measures in the American army.”—Critic.
“The book is deserving of more careful consideration than ‘From Tokio through Manchuria with the Japanese,’ as it enlarges upon the reasons for the statements made in that readable volume.”
“The American patriot, the soldier in the ranks and his relative at home, as well as the book-critic, can gladly commend this well-written work and be thankful for it. It is a trumpet-blast of prophecy.” William Elliot Griffis.
“Is perhaps a rather more seasoned and mature judgment than the other books.”
“Dr. Seaman’s book is worth reading from end to end.”
Seawell, Molly Elliot.Chateau of Montplaisir: 4 full-page il. by Gordon Grant. †$1.25. Appleton.
A poor Frenchman, Louis Victor de Latour inherits with no income the dilapidated Chateau of Montplaisir. He is the object of interest to one Victor Louis de Latour, a soap-boiler who offers 300,000 francs for the privilege of sharing the glory of the name and placing the family crest on his carriage. Among the gay group who are responsible for a series of surprising situations is “the antique Comtesse de Beauregard, with a predilection for youthful habiliments and abhorrence for piety in men.” (N. Y. Times.)
“This trivial tale is quite unworthy of the author of ‘Children of destiny.’”
“It is sparkling with humor and is full of amusing situations.”
“Pure merriment, absurd combinations, delicious impertinence, sparkle throughout these pages.”
Seawell, Molly Elliot.Loves of the Lady Arabella. †$1.50. Bobbs.
A midshipman upon one of his English majesty’s ships of the line who takes part in a successful engagement with the French and thereby wins promotion, tells the story of the beautiful Lady Arabella, ward of his uncle Sir Philip Hawkshaw, whom he at first loves and then comes to despise. A joy to the eye, Lady Arabella is a menace to the morals. A lover of cards and a trifler with men, she throws her heart at the feet of a man who will not have it, and all but swears away the life of an impetuous youth whose love she has spurned and who tried to elope with her, then later, to spite them both, she marries the head of their house and thru her first-born succeeds in cutting them both off from a fortune. Other characters, however, share the honors with Arabella and there is a truly true love story which is not hers.
Seawell, Molly Elliot.The victory. †$1.50. Appleton.
“The scenes of the story are laid at the time of the Civil war. The adopted daughter of a Virginia family is married to a son of the house, who goes over to the union lines. She is very young and does not know what real love is, although her husband adores her. While he is away fighting, a French family moves into the neighborhood, and their son and the girl learn to love each other. Both, however, respect her marriage vows, and neither tells the other of the attachment. The girl’s husband is killed in battle.”—N. Y. Times.
“While there is nothing particularly original in theme or style, the story is well told and the characters are lifelike and interesting.”
“There is no fault to find with the real ‘atmosphere’ that Mrs. Seawell succeeds in diffusing through her story or in the pictures which she draws, one after another ... but the love story of the book strikes us as of a very inferior and unattractive quality.”
“The book is full of humorous touches.”
“Makes a strong appeal to the lover of a good tale.”
Secret life: being the book of a heretic.**$1.50. Lane.
“In every life, says the author of this volume, there is some secret garden where one ‘unbinds the girdle of conventions and breathes to a sympathetic listener opinions one would repudiate on the house tops.’ Lacking a proper sympathetic soul a diary might serve. Upon this theory the book is constructed. It is in the form of a diary, and actually consists of a number of short essays on a number of subjects such as The modern woman and marriage, The ideal husband, Amateur saints, The fourth dimension, The beauty of cruelty, Are American parents selfish? The pleasures of pessimism, The value of a soul etc.”—N. Y. Times.
“Ostensibly, it is a diary in which a married woman, of middle age, moving in a cultivated circle of American society, sets down the wild, original, heretical ideas which she has elaborated during her travels in Europe. Actually, it is a story of the spiritual adventures of a commonplace mind of a chameleon nature vagrant among unrealised worlds of thought.”
“However much we may differ from her expressions of opinion, their frankness and sincerity combined with the author’s genuine culture and love for literature and art in all forms make them worth reading.”
Reviewed by Elizabeth Banks.
“The excellent style, quaint humor, and shrewd philosophy certainly deserve to have their author known.”
Sedgwick, Anne Douglas.Shadow of life.†$1.50. Century.
If indeed it is in the shadow of things thatthis story pursues its way, it is such a shadow as Ruskin attributes to disappointment, the Titian twilight in which one sees the “real color of things with deeper truth than in the most dazzling sunshine.” Gavin and Eppie are two lonely children, hungering for happiness, who during a brief summer in a Scottish country home exchange their weird confidences. During sixteen years, Gavin is absent, then returns to find Eppie a splendid young woman of such strength, sweetness and daring that she seemed a “Flying victory” done by Velasquez. The romance that is quickened to the point of vows is blighted by temperamental differences. Gavin forces Eppie who loved life and battle to see that he would suffocate her, that he was the negation of everything that she believed in. The tragedy is one of helplessness.
“The book is an achievement, and an achievement on a high and unusual plane.”
“Even more compelling in its hold over the imagination of the reader and in its searching analysis of the hidden springs of human action than her previous work.” Amy C. Rich.
“Withal, the thing has been done really well.”
“Has written ‘an impossible love-story’ with immense skill, delicacy and grace.”
“The story is interesting, the scenery is charming, and the author leads her characters thru it according to her despair, a despair which she spreads over the reader’s mind with astonishing wisdom of words.” Mrs. L. H. Harris.
“The author has employed a seductive, pseudo-mystical manner of expression and made a deliberate effort to destroy every reason for the hopes and affections which fill life with interest.”
“Mrs. Sedgwick works on a high plane, and many who care little for the metaphysics of the book will value it for its graces of style and grasp of character.”
“It is a book of great power and significance. The author’s grasp of her material and her instinct for what is vital have kept her characters thoroughly alive—even Gavin, in spite of himself—but the novel would have gained in every way had not the drama been so often obscured under the study of a soul.”
Reviewed by Louise Collier Willcox.
“Is unreal and unconvincing”
Sedgwick, Henry Dwight, jr.Short history of Italy.**$2. Houghton.
A short history of Italy which covers a wide range of years—from 476 to the end of the nineteenth century. It “makes no pretense to original investigation,” but aims to give a bird’s-eye view of Italian history as a whole.
“Mere differences of view as to relative emphasis will keep no fair-minded person from doing full justice to the author’s grasp, his sober judgment, and his charm of manner.” Ferdinand Schwill.
“He shows good judgment in selecting the points of greatest interest, and putting the emphasis there.” J. W. Moncrief.
“Mr. Sedgwick has done an exceedingly difficult thing better than it was ever done—in English, at least—before, and about as well, one may venture to affirm, as it ever can be done.”
“For the reading public rather than the scholarly world, the volume combines brevity, conciseness and a grasp of essentials with accuracy of fact and a pleasing narrative style.”
“It is hard to determine for what class of readers this book was written.”
“It is not childish enough for children, it does not show sufficient research to give it value to the student, and is far too casual in its descriptions of many events ... to be useful to persons of little knowledge, but much desire to learn history.”
“He has a good sense of proportion, and good ideas of historical perspective; he writes in a vivid style, and possesses a keen sense of humor which contributes not a little to the entertaining quality of his book.”
“Nevertheless, after making all necessary deductions, we conclude by recommending the book to the public for which it was written. It has no competitors in English.”
“It is a mine of condensed information, imparted brilliantly and trenchantly, and abounds in philosophic generalizations which at once visualize and explain.”
“Mr. Sedgwick has little to fear from the abstract of Sismond’s ‘Italian republics’ (1832). good but antiquated, or from the Rev. William Hunt’s ‘History of Italy’ (1875), a dry textbook.”
“It is a lively and interesting narrative that he has written.”
“The present volume has suffered from the necessity of over-condensation.”
Seeley, Levi.Elementary pedagogy. *$1.25. Hinds.
“The main purpose of the school is to furnish instruction,” says Dr. Seeley, and he gives valuable information and advice to young teachers along the lines of elementary processes.
“Adds one more to the list of educational works, already too numerous, which are chiefly compendiums of the ideas of others with a modicum of the writer’s own thought. In plan of organisation and continuity of development, the book is distinctly weak.”
“Dr. Seeley’s ideas are always sane and practical, and no one need hesitate to follow him, always of course with intelligent choice and adaptation.”
“Dr. Seeley writes for young teachers what every parent may read with profit. It is a well-digested manual of practical wisdom, well assorted and packed.”
Seligman, Edwin Robert Anderson.Principles of economics; with special reference to American conditions. *$2.25. Longmans.
Professor Seligman’s work is divided into four parts: Introduction; Elements of economic life; Structure and process of economic life; Conclusion.
“The author, like Adam Smith, possesses a cosmopolitan mind which enables him in many cases to present more than one view and explanation of the same matter. This cosmopolitan spirit which runs through the work will commend it to a larger circle of readers. The book deserves and will no doubt receive a wide circulation as a supplementary college text.” Enoch Marvin Banks.
“The generic adverse criticism to be passed on the book is that the author has not succeeded in dominating the almost perplexing variety and richness of the material on which he has drawn.” Winthrop More Daniels.
“So great are the solid merits of the new book, however, that there can be no doubt of its ultimate success and wide adoption. Professor Seligman’s clearness and conciseness of style has enabled him to handle his great store of materials with conspicuous success.” R. C. V.
“After all this litigiousness of disposition on the part of the reviewer—this overzeal in the discovery of material for dispute—it is equally a pleasure and a duty to express hearty commendation and cordial appreciation of this new treatise in its quiet, scholarly, effortless dignity and grace of style, its surpassing felicity of statement, its clarity and effectiveness of exposition, and, above all, its winning catholicity of temper and sympathy.” H. J. Davenport.
“With all its merits, therefore, professor Seligman’s ‘Principles’ has, upon its theoretical side, serious shortcomings. As a book of reference it should prove highly valuable—more so, in fact, than any other recent work.”
“His style is remarkably clear, easy, logical, and candid.” Edward Cary.
“We commend this volume heartily to any thoughtful layman who desires to get from a responsible authority some grounding in the essential principles of industrial laws.”
“There are passages in Professor Seligman’s book where either the reasoning is at fault or else the exposition so brief that it is impossible to make out just what the reasoning is. Sometimes, too, there is positive carelessness. The book is an encyclopedic plan, and, as a textbook, suffers from covering so much ground.” Frank W: Taussig.
“This book is interesting both as a restatement of economic theory, and particularly as an exposition of actual conditions in this country.”
“A thorough, well-balanced treatment of the subject which he handles.” G. W. Flux.
Selincourt, Basil de.Giotto. *$2. Scribner.
“Surveys the painter’s works with thoroughgoing system, and it is rational in criticism.” Royal Cortissoz.
“His arguments are not always the soundest, nor is his criticism as discriminating as it might be. Moreover, his treatment of the whole subject lacks thoroughness. Should prove of much value to beginners in the study of art, and may serve them better than would many a more scientific but less enthusiastic work.”
Selkirk, Emily.Stigma. †$1.50. Turner, H. B.
A Southern girl teaching in Arkansas and the Southern principal of the school appear on the stage of this drama as champions of the negro race. One of the chief actors is a mulatto girl whose “stigma” of blood makes life unbearable, so she ends it. “Equal educational and political advantages for black and white are urged, and from the text furnished in ‘a crimson-backed novel by a Baptist preacher’ the unequal standards obtaining in the South and all over the country are strongly arraigned. There is unquestioned truth in the representation, and it may be well to meet an appeal to public opinion in fiction by fiction.” (Outlook.)
“The story is extremely painful, and as a story is simple almost to baldness.”
“Miss Selkirk states one side of the question but ignores the other.”
Selous, Edmund.Bird watcher in the Shetlands.**$3.50. Dutton.
A journal of observations minutely kept and presented with all their whimsical digressions in an unclassified state. The “watcher” from his “tiny sentry-box on a Shetland cliff” is alert but “many of the items jotted down in the first part of the book are really big errors. But he has thought fit to leave these mistakes, because they will prove a help rather than a hindrance to the student, in whose mind the correct observation will remain.” (N. Y. Times.)
“There is a distinct development, in the present volume, of Mr. Selous’s characteristic manner, as displayed in his two former books on the same subject. But this time the observations are less copious, though not less thorough, and the digressions more plentiful and luxuriant.”
“The only real fault of the book—unless account is taken of some obvious inaccuracies of style—lies in the illustrations, which are taken from drawings altogether too much ‘made up,’ instead of from photographs, as any American is bound to think they should have been.”
“It deserves its place alongside with the investigations and vaticinations of Thoreau. In fact, it is one of the best books of its class that we have happened upon these many months.”
“Altogether, the book commends itself for unusual suggestiveness and interest.”
“He discourses, with digressions, delightfully upon his experiences.”
“You read his notes as he writes them, and begin presently to catch his enthusiasm, and sharing in imagination his physical point of view to share his mental attitude also—in part, at least.”
“With this somewhat whimsical humor the book abounds—but more substantial and certainly of great value to the student are the detailed records of observations, both birds and seals having been minutely and most patiently studied.”
“A sadly disappointing book.”
Semple, Rev. H. C.Anglican ordinations; theology of Rome and of Canterbury in a nutshell. 35c. Benziger.
A little book which addresses Catholics directly.
“A short, clear, temperately written essay from which anybody, in an hour, may get up the facts and arguments of the case.”
Serao, Mathilde.In the country of Jesus; tr. from the Italian by Richard Davey. **$2. Dutton.
“As the translator says in his brief note, Signora Serao writes from the point of view of a very orthodox and fervent Catholic, who unhesitatingly accepts not only the Gospels, but also the ancient traditions of her church. She sails along the Nile, goes through Cairo, sees the Pyramids, and goes on to Syria. She then takes in Jerusalem, visiting all the places of interest, Galilee, and other places visited by Christ or connected with his life and works.”—N. Y. Times.
“The evident enthusiasm of the writer enlivens the whole story.”
“It is not quite perfect. There are florid passages which we regret, chiefly, perhaps, because the translator has not exercised a wise discretion. There are also slight mistakes.”
“Mr. Davey’s translation is admirable for Anglo-Saxon readers, for he admits that in his work he has lopped off certain extravagant expressions. Extravagant or not, Mathilde Serao is seldom uninteresting.”
“There is much in this book to charm the reader. But it is impossible not to be struck by her curious ignorance of what one would suppose every visitor to the Holy Land would be sure to know.”
Sergeant, Philip Walsingham.Burlesque Napoleon: being the story of the life and the kingship of Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte. *$3. Brentano’s.
“An account of the flashy Jerome Bonaparte in court and camp and at home. It is one of many books on members of the Bonaparte family published of late years which are chiefly read with interest for the sidelights that they may throw on Napoleon, and a good specimen of its class.”—Sat. R.
“The book adds nothing to the sum of our knowledge of the period.”
“The narrative is well put together, and the style is not without merit, though occasionally it is disfigured by slipshod expressions.”
“There is no lack of incident ... but it is poorly and thinly written, and throughout the author seems to be in an attitude of apology for having written it at all.”
“His literary powers are not sufficient to impart freshness or interest to such a personage.”
“It cannot be said that Mr. Sergeant is a lively raconteur.”
Seton, Ernest Thompson.Animal heroes: being the histories of a cat, a dog, pigeon, a lynx, two wolves and a reindeer. $2. Scribner.
Reviewed by George Gladden.
“Except for the reindeer story, Mr. Seton has made certain advances here even over his first work. He shows greater variety of treatment, more flexibility of style, and less strain.”
“Read with a mind closed to doubt, however, they are hugely entertaining and no better book could be asked for an evening’s diversion.”
“His methods are not sensational, his literary art is excellent, his knowledge is wide.”
“Alike to young and old the book may be heartily commended as an excellent example of the best style of animal biography.”
Severy, Melvin Linwood.Mystery of June 13th. †$1.50. Dodd.
“Admirers of Sir Conan Doyle will find this detective story replete with the inductive reasoning of Sherlock Holmes, while missing the highest artistic finish of their favorite.”
Sewell, Cornelius V. V.Common-sense gardens. **$2. Grafton press.
A veritable spur to people who neglect the garden possibilities of their bit of earth. “Two points in this excellent and amply illustrated book are worthy of special notice,—the author’s praises of box, and his pictures of enclosed gardens.” (Dial.) “The instructive volume is illustrated by good reproductions of photographs, and decorated in excellent taste at the beginnings of the chapters.” (Nation.)
Reviewed by Sara Andrew Shafer.
“The hints are such as may be followed, as a rule, by people of ordinary means, and it is to the credit of the work that it always prefers the sensible and practical thing to that which is a fad of the day or which leans toward ostentation.”
Shadwell, Arthur.Industrial efficiency: a comparative study of industrial life in England, Germany and America. 2 v. *$7. Longmans.
Dr. Shadwell’s investigations are the result “of laborious inquiries to which the authors of comparisons between the industrial conditions of different countries rarely condescend—inquiries conducted in England, Germany and the United States, and with ‘the help of hundreds of people, from the British ambassadors in Berlin and Washington to ordinary workmen,’ inquiries not merely in books and documents, but in many factories and workshops.... Rarely do chief conclusions emerge in such distinctness and due proportion from a crowd of individual facts. Some of the chapters ... are models of economical investigation.”
“The style is excellent for its subject: even lucid, simple, carrying the reader insensibly forward through nearly a thousand pages without any sense of fatigue.”
“Two volumes of clear, interesting, forcible writing that are worthy to stand on our shelves alongside the classical works of Bryce and De Tocqueville.”
“To have written an original book upon a somewhat trite subject; to have set in a new light many facts which have been treated recently by a score of writers, some of them of no mean ability; to have made a narrative of dry facts readable as well as instructive, is a considerable achievement. It is not too much to say that Dr. Shadwell has accomplished all this.”
“A shrewd observer of men and affairs, who has cared more to gather facts than to spin theories about them.”
“These volumes discuss [the topics] instructively and with scientific love of truth and lack of prejudice. The author is no faddist or theorist.”
“Throughout, these chapters are full of acute criticism and while it is a personal view which is put forward it is a view based not only on reading and travel but on countless interviews with all sorts and conditions of men.” Henry W. Macrosty.
Shakespeare, William.Hamlet, ed. by Charlotte Porter and Helen A. Clarke. **75c; limp. lea. **$1. Crowell.
“The editors are exceptionally well fitted for their work. Indeed, we doubt whether there are in America two persons better fitted for the task. Far and away the best popular set of Shakespeare that has appeared in America.”
Shakespeare, William.Poems and Pericles: being reproductions in facsimile of the original editions; with introds. and bibliographies by Sidney Lee. 5v. *$30. Oxford.
This work supplements the Clarendon press edition of the facsimile reproduction of the Shakespeare first folio, and contains besides, “Pericles” the four volumes of poems, “Venus and Adonis,” “Lucrece,” the “Sonnets,” and “The passionate pilgrim.” A great wealth of critical and historical matter is provided for each volume.
“We have met with few books more thoroughly satisfactory than this Shakespeare facsimile. The book, as it stands, is a treasure that ought to be in every library.”
“The five introductions transcend in interest even Mr. Lee’s introduction of 1902.”
“The Introductions and Bibliographies ... leave little or nothing to be desired. All that unwearied industry and research can acquire he has made his own.”
Shakespeare, William.Tragedie ofKing Lear; ed. by Charlotte Porter and Helen A. Clarke. 75c. Crowell.
“For the general reader who is interested in the history of the texts, it is a cheap and satisfactory substitute for the costly facsimiles of the Folio of 1623.”
Shakespeare, William.Twelfe night, edited by Charlotte Porter and Helen A. Clarke. 75c. Crowell.
The famous first folio text of 1623 with its original Shakespearean spelling and punctuation is here reproduced in handy form and at a popular price, with notes which indicate the editorial changes of three centuries, an introduction, glossary, lists of variorum readings, and selected criticism.
Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate.Man and the earth. **$1.50. Duffield.
“He has written an interesting little book, which will repay reading.”
“It would be difficult to match this little book with another so simple, so strong, so informed with material knowledge and so inspired with loving reverence for our common mother, the young old Earth.”
“Written by an eminent geologist who has command of a fascinating English style.”
Shaler, Mrs. Sophia Penn Page.Masters of fate; the power of the will. **$1.50. Duffield.
Self-mastery over various kinds of disadvantages of life is the keynote of Mrs. Shaler’s study. In it are recorded “the achievements of noted persons who, under the stress of grave difficulties, have shown skill in marshalling their physical and spiritual forces to play the part of men.”
“Mrs. Shaler’s book should give chronic invalids renewed courage, and should help them to resist the disheartening down-pull of bodily weakness and decay.”
“A heroic spirit pulsates thru this book. It is an inspiring story, or rather a series of such stories, briefly told, and told for a purpose.”
“Mrs. Shaler has chosen her examples happily. The book breathes precisely that spirit of high endeavor that is most bracing, and its admonition is for the sound as well as the feeble, for if the sorely hampered can do these works, what ought not to be done by the whole?”
Shand, Alexander Innes.Days of the past: a medley of memories. **$3. Dutton.
“Not a mere bookman, but also a general amateur of life—a sportsman, a gastronomer, even a taker of ‘fliers,’ or, as he calls them, ‘flutters,’ on the stock exchange.” (N. Y. Times.) Mr. Shand records with a sure and steady touch the interesting phases of sixty-five years of memories. “Mr. Shand’s recollections of old Edinburg and the almost forgotten ecclesiastical Scotland in which Guthrie and Tulloch played their not unimportant parts shows him at his best. Next to these are his portraits of hosts of men of letters and journalists whom he has come across in his time, such as Blackwood, Delane, Laurence Oliphant, Laurence Lockhart, Kinglake, Hayward, and even Mr. George Meredith.” (Spec.)
“Mr. Shand’s memories, however, might with advantage have been less of a ‘medley.’ His tendency to hop from topic to topic produces a blurred impression, and he is provokingly chary of dates.”
“Written in vivacious and free-and-easy style not unmixed with slang.”
“The author writes in a rapid, readable style and draws on an ample store of personal experience in many lands, although his adventures never approach the thrilling, or even the extraordinary.”
“Is not merely an amusing book, but also something far more valuable. It is an account unconscious, perhaps, but none the worse for that, of the philosophy of a happy life.”
“Mr. Shand’s peculiar weakness is gastronomic. He delights to record his various experiences in eating and drinking. On the other hand, his chapters on the changes in London and on Old Edinburgh, and his literary recollections, are both interesting and valuable.”
“If he knows how to write, how can he help writing a delightful book out of his reminiscences of such an enjoying and enjoyed life? At any rate, Mr. Shand has not been able to help writing such a book.” Montgomery Schuyler.
“The book is discursive and agreeable rather than important.”
“This is one of the most delightful books of the reminiscences’ order that has been published for a long time.”
Sharp, Evelyn.Micky. $1.50. Macmillan.
An entertaining story of a sturdy little English boy and his brother who are left at home with their father and the servants while their mother is absent in Australia. “The book is designed to inculcate manners and morals in the young, and if it accomplishes this end there is little doubt that it will be worth while.” (N. Y. Times.)
“The author has both an excellent grasp of the childish mind, and a capital way of putting on paper its humors, limitations, and sincerity.”
“Reminds us of that clever and charming story, ‘Helen’s babies.’”
“An engaging little story, with an improbable plot, but very probable characters.”
“Is designed for older as well as young readers. The result is that it is hardly likely to absolutely hold the attention of either.”
“It seems, however, more likely to interest older people who like to read about children than the children themselves.”
“Miss Evelyn Sharp’s picture of a sensitive, imaginative child is most delicately and tenderly drawn.”
Sharpless, Isaac.Quakerism and politics: essays. $1.25. Ferris.
In his collection of essays and addresses, President Sharpless of Haverford college treats chiefly the political conditions of Pennsylvania, past and present, and the part played by members of the Society of Friends in the state politics.
“There are a few instances of careless proofreading in this volume.” Herman V. Ames.
“A book which in general gives wholesome and needful counsel to Pennsylvania Quakerism as to its political duties and responsibilities.”
“Written from the Quaker point of view, they are valuable to non-Quakers as an exposition of the principles underlying Quaker conduct, and to Quakers as a stimulus to definite action in the direction of insuring political reforms.”
Shattuck, George Burbank, ed. Bahama islands. **$10. Macmillan.
“It is the most complete and authoritative work that has ever been published on these islands.”
Shaw, George Bernard.Dramatic opinions and essays; containing as well A word on the Dramatic opinions and essays of G. Bernard Shaw, by James Huneker. 2v. **$2.50. Brentano’s.
Selections collected from the dramatic criticisms of Bernard Shaw during 1895–1898 when he sat with the “critical mighty and filled his eyes and ears with bad, mad, and mediocre plays.” So says Mr. James Huneker in his prefatory “Word.” Also, “Here is a plethora of riches. Remember, too, that when Shaw wrote the criticisms in this volume he was virginal to fame. It is his best work, the very best of the man. It contains his most buoyant prose, the quintessence of Shaw. His valedictory is incomparable. He found that after taking laughing gas he had many sub-conscious selves. He describes them.”
“The drama in America is about ten years behind that of England, and we are passing thru a transition period similar to that when these ‘Opinions’ were written, so they are especially pertinent.”
“Contains a large amount of entertaining matter. It is doubtful, however, whether the collection will prove beneficial to his reputation.”
“A more or less patent examination of these essays has convinced at least one reader that they show flippancy, verbosity, unbounded egotism, and that they fail to rise above the pretentious mediocrity.”
Shaw, George Bernard.Irrational knot. $1.50. Brentano’s.
“In brief, it is the raw, inexperienced venture of an immensely witty person, formless in a way, full of pith, full of promise.” Mary Moss.
Reviewed by Mrs. L. H. Harris.
“He leaves us just where he finds us, as far as any serious discussion of the question goes. The display of pyrotechnics in the story is not bad, though of course these be but pale and ineffectual fires beside the author’s later work.”
“Its cleverness is beyond question; so too is the frigidity of its characterisation. We can cordially recommend the first twenty-five out of the four hundred odd pages which the book contains.”
Shaw, George Bernard.Plays: pleasant and unpleasant. 2v. **$2.50. Brentano’s.
The first of the two volumes contains the “unpleasant plays,” “Widowers’ houses,” “The philanderer,” and “Mrs. Warren’s profession.” They are so called because “their dramatic power is used to force the spectator to face unpleasant facts,” and in “dealing with economics social and moral relations, Shaw has delivered the most direct blow yet levelled by the stage against the cowardice of social compromise.” The “pleasant plays” are “Arms and the man,” “Candida,” “The man of destiny,” and “You never can tell.” They “deal less with the crime of society and more with its romantic follies.”
“Mr. Shaw is not only entertaining in his plays, as are some other men, but he is also immensely entertaining in his prefaces.”
Shaw, George Bernard.Three plays for Puritans; being the third volume of his collected plays. **$1.25. Brentano’s.
A reprint of the 1900 edition of the three plays, The devil’s disciple, Caesar and Cleopatra, and Captain Brassbound’s conversion. The volume contains the author’s characteristic preface to the 1900 edition and a note—the only new matter included in the issue—in which the following statement appears: “Now that theturmoil has abated, the platformer, ever ready to seize upon the public’s passing whim, has told all he does not know about Shaw, the dust settled, one gets a clear perspective, and finds him standing pretty firmly after all.”
Shaw, Judson Wade.Uncle Sam and his children. **$1.20. Barnes.
“In prosecuting the work of his organization Mr. Shaw found everywhere a demand for a book that should not simply outline the machinery of the government, but should emphasize its special advantages and the duty of citizens in the use of their privileges. He has accordingly, embodied in the present volume an account of the struggles through which the founders of the country passed, a statement of the principles that actuated them, an outline of our territory and its resources, and some discussion of the perils that threaten us and how to meet and escape them.”—R. of Rs.
“His book is a sort of elementary manual of American good-citizenship.”
Shaw, L. H. De Visme.Wild-fowl; with chapters on Shooting the duck and the goose, by W. H. Pope; Cookery by Alex. Innes Shand. $1.75. Longmans.
Sheedy, Rev. Morgan M.Briefs for our times. *$1. Whittaker.
Some three dozen brief but strong pleas for Christian living under such headings as: The value of self control, The duty of service, Socialism true and false, Money mad, Choosing a life work, Begin at home, The gospel of wealth, The gospel of pain, “The house of mirth.”
“Mr. Sheedy seems to be a fearless, straightforward preacher, with a turn for the moral and practical, and with ability to couch his thought in vigorous English.”
Sheldon, Anna R.Pistoja [a guide book]. *$1.25. Brentano’s.
A “few pages of collated facts” gleaned from a variety of sources which throw light on “one of the most interesting cities in Tuscany, because of its charming situation, its long and varied history, its people—a hardy, vivacious, and well-favored race; as the birthplace of many illustrious men, patriots, jurists, and churchmen, scholars, poets, and artists, and finally, because of its valuable monuments of art.”
“If only a few more pages were devoted to the history of the town—half a dozen written in the proper spirit would suffice—this little volume would be as welcome in the study as it undoubtedly will be in the pocket of the tourist.”
“Supplies the lack of a convenient guide-book in English, handsomely illustrated. It was a happy thought and is well worked out.”
Sheldon, Walter Lorenzo.Divine comedy of Dante: four lectures. 50c. S. Burns Weston, 1415 Locust St., Phil.
Four lectures “intended especially for those who have never read the poem but would like to know something about it.”
“The class of people for whom it is written may read it with both interest and profit.”
Shelley, Henry C.Literary by-paths in old England; il. **$3. Little.
It is over the English footpaths that the reader is invited to journey in meditative mood with eye and ear eager for sights and sounds unfamiliar to the more frequented highway. The haunts of Spenser, Sir Philip Sidney, William Penn, Burns, Keats, Carlyle are all visited, also the birthplace of Gray’s “Elegy” and Goldsmith’s “Deserted Village.” The volume is generously illustrated with reprints from photographs.
“The novelty of the work does not consist so much in new discoveries, for there are none of consequence, as in presenting his subjects in a light not usual.” Wallace Rice.
“Mr. Shelley’s book is sympathetically written and gives evidence of individual research.”
“The author has not failed to make researches that were worth while, and he has an agreeable style.”
“Is a thoroughly readable book.”
“The book should revive in many minds a longing to reread the English classics in the light thus shed in picture and text on some personalities which still inspire the finer things in letters.”
“Rarely does one come upon so charming a literary sketch-book as this.”
Shelley, Percy Bysshe.Poems; with introduction and notes by Edward Dowden. $1.25. Crowell.
A valuable feature of this “Shelley” which appears uniform with the “Thin paper poets” is the comprehensive sketch of the poet’s life by Edward Dowden.
Shelley, Percy Bysshe.With Shelley in Italy, ed. by Anna Benneson McMahan. **$1.40. McClurg.
Shelton, Louise.Seasons in a flower garden: a handbook of instruction and information for the amateur. **$1. Scribner.
A manual arranged as a calendar “giving detailed instructions as to what to plant in each month of the open season, with many useful hints of a miscellaneous character.” (R. of Rs.)
“The directions are clearly worded, well grouped, and reasonable. For a small garden and a young gardener, the book will render the real service for which it was written.” Sara Andrew Shafer.
“A very practical manual for the amateur.”
“The book supplements, but cannot replace, the formal garden handbooks.”
“She does not realize that the brevity of her descriptions may be confusing and not carry to the novice the very idea that she is seeking to implant.”
Reviewed by Louise Collier Willcox.
Sherard, Robert Harborough.Life of Oscar Wilde. $4.50. Kennerley.
“The life-story of the brilliant but erratic genius, Oscar Wilde, whose sun of promise rose so bright and had so dire a setting, is presented to us in a handsome and dignified volume.... Although the book is confessedly an apology or defense, and promises at the outset to refute many calumnies and to effect noteworthy results in clearing from the foul aspersions of malignity a name still dear to hundreds of faithful disciples, yet there is fortunately, a wise avoidance of unsavory details regarding the events that clouded Wilde’s closing years and led to his tragic end.... The volume ... is supplied with a good index; while the bibliography, showing a surprising number of titles in prose and verse, with translations into French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Swedish, and Polish, gives a new sense of the brilliancy of Wilde’s talents as a writer, mingled with regret and pity for his downfall as a man.”—Dial.