Chapter 15

7–33555.

A book written from the purchaser’s point of view which gives “a good outline of the principal characteristics of modern machine tools, as manufactured in the United States, the various points in which they differ, the advantages and disadvantages of different styles, and some data in regard to their capacity and performance.” (Engin. N.)

“The book is a valuable one and well worth consulting. There is, however, one important fact to be remembered which lessens the value of the book to the buyer of machine tools and that is the impossibility of getting the latest and best information from a book. In this case, it would be safe to say that this book is now two years behind the times.” W: W. Bird.

Bennett, Enoch Arnold.The ghost: a novel. †$1.50. Small.

7–24288.

“The Ghost” by the author of the fantastic “Hugo” “is an exciting story of opera singers and railway accidents and channel-boat disasters and trapdoors and revenge and jealousy that is strong enough to be carried beyond death, and of love that triumphs even over such fatal jealousy.”—Acad.

“Whether his mood be fantastic or serious, his work is always first-class, and though his output is enormous, signs of haste are never apparent in the writing or construction.”

Bennett, Enoch Arnold.Hugo; a fantasia on modern themes. $1.50. Buckles.

6–41708.

One feels that Mr. Bennett fairly slaps his canvas with a Kipling brush of comet’s hair. The result is a fantastic, panoramic “improvisation.” “Hugo is proprietor of an immense shop in London. He falls in love with a milliner in one of his innumerable ‘departments.’ She weds another, is pursued by a third, officially dies, is bereft timely of her spouse, and returns in due season to life and Hugo.” (Nation.)

“He never makes an attempt to modify or explain: he piles improbability upon improbability with calm assurance, and mortars it all together with clever little facts and truths in a style which is always restrained and neat, and by its very lack of ornaments convincing.”

“The plot has been deliberately and cunningly designed to sustain the reader’s excitement from chapter to chapter, and, this being admitted as the author’s aim, the book may fairly be pronounced a success.”

“It is all very absurd and pleasant; all the more so that the writer appears to be regarding his own fable with merely good-humored toleration.”

“An Italian novel with the plot laid in the sixteenth century is tame in comparison, and though Mr. Bennett has used all kinds of incongruously modern stage machinery along with his melodramatic characters, he does it with a seriousness that seems to bridge the difficulty.”

“The book, in fine, is an amusing skit on the vastness of modern commercial enterprises; but in it Mr. Arnold Bennett has by no means touched the level of his delightful comedy, ‘A great man.’”

*Benson, Arthur C.Alfred Tennyson. **$1.50. Dutton.

“Mr. Benson thus formulates his object in the present volume: “(1) I have given a simple narrative of the life of Tennyson, with a sketch of his temperament, character, ideals, and beliefs; (2) I have tried from his own words and writings to indicate what I believe to have been his view of the poetical life and character; (3) I have attempted to touch the chief characteristics of his art from the technical point of view, here again as far as possible using his own recorded words.””

“A quiet sympathy, a genial appreciation, pervades the book and makes it most enjoyable, even inspiring, reading.”

“Few readers, indeed, one would say, can read the volume without deriving from it both a clearer and a higher estimate of its subject than they had before.”

*Benson, Arthur C.Altar fire.**$1.50. Putnam.

7–32854.

Wholly reflective “this volume contains, in the form of a friend’s diary, Mr. Benson’s conclusions upon many things, from the doctrine of the atonement to the Browning letters, but chiefly on the processes of personal religious life.” (Ind.)

“One feels there is a message, but hardly formed and loosely articulated and lacking the virile note. One cannot but wish the book a larger reading than its somber monotony will invite.”

“To his usual characteristics, with which the public is well acquainted by this time, his new volumes add a rather unexpected extension of scope.”

“This generation can hardly have too many books of this temper put into its hands.”

“As an artistic whole ‘The altar fire’ suffers from the use of too ambitious a scene. The book is sure of a large and respectful public; but the remnant of reactionaries, the classical people whose eyes have been dazzled by gazing upon the sun, will still see patent blots in Mr. Benson’s work—if indeed it is Mr. Benson and not the mask which comes between.”

Benson, Arthur C.Beside still waters. **$1.25. Putnam.

7–15922.

“Meditations and recollections of a man who, after a busy life, settles down into a kind of epicurean seclusion from the world. ‘He found a small, picturesque, irregularly-built house crushed in between the road and the river, which, in fact, dipped its very feet in the stream.’... Could a better lodge be found for a recluse who likes to season his days of solitude with an occasional dinner in Hall with his old college friends! And presently the college takes him back into its fold, while the house by the waters is kept as a place of retreat and quiet work.”—Nation.

“It is difficult to write so completely introspective a book as this. We wonder at the end of it how we have interested ourselves with it for so long, till we reflect on Mr. Benson’s easy flow of undistracting thoughts, raised just a little above commonplace by a certain sanity or breadth of view which no doubt is a gospel in itself.”

“Those who have enjoyed the charm of ‘From a college window,’ with sweet spirit, lofty thought, and exquisite tenderness expressed in limpid delightful English, will find a similar treat in Mr. Benson’s present work.”

“Notwithstanding a tendency to repetition and undue elaboration—a conspicuous lack of epigrammatic terseness,—this book is the ripest, thoughtfullest, best piece of work its author has yet produced.”

“Gives us a scholar’s philosophy of life.”

“Mr. Benson’s polished prose and his mastery of style and language serve only to throw into bolder relief the thinness of the substance.”

“Remind one of ‘The private papers of Henry Ryecroft,’ graceful and wise and sober, a delightful refreshment in the bustle of modern literature, but lacking in the last incalculable touch of style and insight that make Gissing’s book so memorable.”

Reviewed by A. I. du P. Coleman.

Benson, Arthur C.From a college window.**$1.25. Putnam.

6–17648.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

Reviewed by Horatio S. Krans.

Benson, Arthur C.Gate of death; a diary. **$1.25. Putnam.

6–43770.

The author says that the book is not a treatment of death “the saddest, darkest, most solemn, most inevitable, most tremendous fact in the world.” It is merely “the record of the sincere and faltering thoughts of one who was suddenly and unexpectedly confronted with death, and who, in the midst of a very ordinary and commonplace life, with no deep reserves of wisdom, faith, or tenderness, had just to interpret it as he best could.”

“Naturally a great deal in the book will not be agreed with by Catholics; but, making allowances for this, we must say we have here a book of more than ordinary interest and power.”

“He has great power of attention and analysis, a great interest in ideas, and considerable culture, and in addition he is master of an easy and picturesque style; so that he has no difficulty in putting upon paper what he feels and thinks and sees. What he seems to lack as an artist is power of selection.”

“A work not of didactic effect, but of singularly pure and elevated sentiment; of melancholy in the old sweet sense.”

Benson, Arthur C.Memoirs of Arthur Hamilton, B. A. of Trinity College, Cambridge, extracted from his letters and diaries, with reminiscences of his conversation by his friend Christopher Carr of the same college. $1.25. Holt.

The quiet story of the life of a “thoroughgoing determinist who was still faithful to the voice of duty, still striving upwards,” who trusted “in an invisible all-ruling Father who really was ordering the world in the smallest details when He seemed to be ordering it least and who wished the best for His children.” It is a character study with a moral, for Arthur Hamilton “in spite of every trial and every rebuff, preserved at heart a serenity that was not thoughtlessness, a cheerfulness that was not hilarity, a humor that was not cynicism.”

“It is a curious piece of intellectual dissection and has many of the graces of style that characterized the author’s recent volumes.”

Reviewed by A. I. du P. Coleman.

Benson, Arthur C.Upton letters.*$1.25. Putnam.

5–34654.

Descriptive note in December, 1905.

Reviewed by Horatio S. Krans.

“We honestly thank him for painting his portrait so well. It is good work no less than a good likeness. The touch is firm and easy; the treatment broad and yet very delicate. There are a few patches of prettiness which should be painted out; but they do not much mar the effect of the whole.”

Benson, Edward Frederic.Paul. †$1.50. Lippincott.

6–37196.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“It is a purposeless book and an unpleasant one. Its interest suddenly drops at the halfway point, like an underdone loaf of cake, and what is meant to be its most solemn chapter is more apt to provoke a desire to laugh.” Frederic Taber Cooper.

“He deliberately constructs the first half of his plot in such a way as to produce the maximum of irritation, not to say resentment.” Herbert W. Horwill.

“Escaped by a hair breadth writing a novel of the first rank.”

“The individuality and distinction of phrase are maintained, but the obtrusive ‘smartness’ which marred the first novel [‘Dodo’] has been carefully eliminated.”

Benson, Rev. Robert Hugh.History of Richard Raynal: solitary.$1.25. Herder.

“The story purports to be the translation of an ancient Latin MS., discovered by Father Benson in a library of Rome, and containing an old English priest’s account of a young solitary, who lived somewhere near London in the earlier part of the fifteenth century.”—Cath. World.

“The rare qualities of Father Benson’s mind find here their perfect expression.”

“The quaint beauty of the archaic style adopted by Father Benson in his recital is beyond praise.”

Benson, Rev. Robert Hugh.Mirror of Shalott, being a collection of tales told at an unprofessional symposium.*$1.25. Benziger.

7–21227.

Fourteen stories which a group of Reverend Fathers told, one tale each evening. They are largely gathered from their professional experiences and concern incidents which cannot be explained without recourse to the supernatural. The evil spirit which was exorcised, the man who offered himself for his brother’s unbelief, the artist whose art founded on corruption was lost when he regained his faith, these and the others have the charm of the unusual.

“There is one that suggests a better capacity on Mr. Benson’s part as a writer than anything else we have read from his pen.”

“In truth, qualities that are admirable elsewhere rather prevent Mr. Benson from telling his tales so as to excite the feelings which people, whatever their faith, cherish for the supernatural. He is too surefooted, too painstaking. His method is too robust to deal with such intricate and at the same time poignant emotions; he sets everything in order, tells you how the basket chair clicked, and what happened next, and works out the situation methodically with the desire clearly to get at the truth. But it is a great matter that every story makes an impression of sincerity and intelligence.”

“Father Benson, like the other brilliant sons of the late archbishop, is a fluent and spirited writer.”

“The author displays in the narration a skill as subtle and as charming as his imagination has been subtle and weird in the conjuring up of incidents. Each narrator is distinctly individualized by the character of his experience and his manner of telling it.”

“Father Benson’s language comes as near as language can to making his readers realize by analogy spiritual experiences which are incapable of being translated into the words and phrases of a material world.”

Benson, Rev. Robert Hugh.Papers of a pariah. **$1.25. Longmans.

7–14565.

“The ‘Pariah’ is an actor, who has been educated however at Rugby and Oxford, and the ‘papers’ reveal the mental process by which he finally arrived at the Catholic faith.” (Acad.) “Their point of view is of one who regards the Catholic church from without not from within, though with a favourable eye.”

“If only he could bestow his style, and humaneness, and clearness of exposition on converts we would wish him many of them as the result of this brilliant little book.”

“The tenor of the reflections witnesses to a deeply religious nature and the aesthetic temperament, reminding one of the books of Huysmans, though displaying more of the religious and less of the aesthetic than did that strange Frenchman.”

“‘The papers of a pariah,’ while they will appeal to religious zealots of the Roman Catholic faith, and, to a certain extent, to all who are deeply interested in discussion of abstract creeds, loses in literary value by virtue of these very tendencies. The discussion, moreover, is one of sentiment rather than of reason, an argument of dreams rather than of realities.” Florence Wilkinson.

“The reader will note that in the early part of the book emphasis is laid on the unchangeableness of the teaching in the Roman church, while later this argument is dropped in favour of development.”

Benziger, Marie Agnes.Off to Jerusalem. *$1. Benziger.

6–36010.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“Though she modestly refuses to enter into competition with other pens, which have described the scenes through which she has passed, she evinces good capacity for observation and for describing whatever came under her notice.”

Bergen, Joseph Y., jr., and Davis, Bradley, M.Principles of botany. $1.50. Ginn.

6–35475.

Following an introduction devoted to a definition of botany and its subdivisions, the subject is treated in three parts, viz., 1, the structure and physiology of plants, 2, The morphology, evolution and classification of plants, and 3, Ecology and economic botany. Part 2 is Dr. Davis’ portion of the work.

“While the book as a whole is too heavy for the average high-school work, it will be almost indispensable as a reference work because of its large amount of information, its abundant illustrations, and its helpful suggestions as to the significance of structures and their relationship to one another.”

“The book can be confidently recommended to students and teachers, and the latter will find the arrangement well worthy of consideration.”

“The whole revision has been toward greater precision and succinctness of statement, and has resulted in a more scholarly work.” I. N. Mitchell.

“To ‘touch the high points’ and yet to keep up the connection between them is the difficult task of the writer of an elementary text-book. In some portions of the book before us this has been accomplished, while in others a good deal of matter has been admitted which might well have been left out.” Charles E. Bessey.

Bernhardi, Frederick von.Cavalry in future wars. *$3. Dutton.

War 7–19.

“This book was written at the outbreak of the late war in South Africa.... In the course of the first few chapters, Gen. Bernhardi analyzes the functions of the cavalry as modified by the changes that have occurred since the war, and later explains the difficulties which in the future will confront all cavalry operations unless the cavalry leader and his men have been ‘perfected down to the minutest detail.’”—N. Y. Times.

“His views are entitled to more than ordinary consideration, even though in all his conclusions we may not concur. Perhaps there is no other German soldier so well equipped for handling this subject.” Peter C. Hains.

“This book will be read by soldiers, but is needed by a wider public.”

“Gen. von Bernhardi’s ... rank and experience entitle his views to great respect, the more from the earnestness with which he pleads his cause. Barring a few slightly obscure passages, and a faint trace here and there of Teutonic roughness, Mr. Goldman’s translation is smooth and flowing.”

“An exhaustive summary.”

“It may fairly be called the last word on the subject.” Grey Scout.

Bernhardt, Sarah.Memories of my life: being my personal, professional, and social recollections as woman and artist. **$4. Appleton.

7–34323.

The whimsical, rhapsodical, patriotic woman of temperament is revealed in almost every line of these memories. The autobiography “exhibits the true woman in clearer relief than it does the largely mythical superwoman whom it labors to depict. Rich as it is in minor details and vivacious descriptions it adds but little to the common knowledge of the career of the best advertised actress in the world.” (Nation.)

“In her very characteristic and brightly entertaining memoirs we have on every page the Sarah Bernhardt of the stage, the eccentric and versatile woman of genius, very much as she is already known to the world.” Percy F. Bicknell.

“Self-revelations such as these give, as we think, a real documentary value to this first volume of Sarah Bernhardt’s memoirs, though no doubt the general reader will prefer the narratives of travel and adventure wherein everything appears to be turning around in a mad farandole.”

“One of the most successful books ever written. To tell the plain truth, the monstrous egotism of the book greatly weakens the pleasurable impression created by its vivacity, its cleverness, and its abundance of interesting material.”

“An invaluable addition to the library, dramatic and otherwise.” Anna Marble.

Besant, Walter.Mediaeval London, v. 2: Ecclesiastical. *$7.50. Macmillan.

This second volume of the posthumous work of Walter Besant on “The survey of London” treats of the ecclesiastical life, institutions and influence of the Norman and Plantagenet centuries. The first eight chapters deal with the rise of London’s municipal government.

“When the nature of the material permits the story is unfolded with agreeable literary effect. We notice here and there a lack of references, usually associated with a passage of minor historical importance. These pages form a good example to tesselated history.”

“There are various heedless and more or less incorrect statements in the general description of ecclesiastical London, apart from the religious houses. The accounts of hermits and anchorites, as well as of pilgrimage and sanctuary, are insufficient. But enough of adverse criticism has been offered. We cannot help thinking that if Besant had lived a little longer, this portion of his work would have been revised by him or by friends who were competent to aid him.”

“Sir Walter Besant’s ‘Mediaeval London’ has unfortunately, found no more capable editor than his ‘London under the Stuarts’ and his ‘London in the time of the Tudors.’ The illustrations are for the most part of real value.” G.

“It is largely a work of paste and scissors, and they have not been applied with intelligence.” M.

“It is impossible to regard this volume as a work which Sir Walter Besant would have presented to the public in anything like its present form.”

“We select a single passage for quotation, not only because it is significant in itself, but because it gives, we think, a fair idea of the broad and readable way in which this work treats what many might expect to prove a dry-as-dust, antiquarian record—words which precisely describe the exact contrary of the present volume.”

“Is sure to take its place among popular works on the subject.”

Bevier, Isabel.The house; its plan, decoration and care. (Library of home economics.) *$1.25. Am. school of home economics.

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