Chapter 86

6–27704.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“The plot does not strike one as being particularly probable, and the action is a little jerky and uncertain.”

“It is admirably done up to a point, but somehow it fails to carry conviction. It is at least a hundred pages too long. It is discursive where it should be reticent, verbose where it should be merely suggestive.”

McDavid, Mittie Owen.Princess Pocahontas. $1.25. Neale.

7–32383.

A simple story of Pocahontas, her brief career and her relation to the English colonists.

*Macdonald, Alexander.In search of El Dorado: a wanderer’s experiences.$2. Jacobs.

“True romances, no fiction with the ‘Deus ex machina,’ at the psychological moment, but unadorned risks, escapes, and adventures ... and little epics of comradeship—impressions of men to whom gold and jewels are much, but to whom loyalty is the one thing better.” They are adventures of the Klondike, the Never-Never Land of Australia, and British New Guinea.

“The chief merit of the work lies in its graphic pictures of life in the mining camps, and of the quaint humours of their inmates, whom the author portrays in the most kindly spirit. As Mr. Macdonald in his preface lays claim to entire accuracy in geographical detail, we may mention one or two points on which his memory seems to be at fault.”

“At times his adventures are a little too marvelous, the coincidences a bit too striking, and the luck or ill-luck slightly too much colored; but we can appreciate the stories for they are capitally told.” H. E. Coblentz.

“Their adventures are worth the telling, and Mr. Macdonald has told them well. These are right good stories.”

“He has experiences to recount which we do not expect to find outside the boy’s adventure book. He writes admirably and picturesquely, notwithstanding his reminder that he knows more of the rifle than the pen.”

“No book of the kind we have come across for long so decidedly merits reading.”

MacDonald, Frederick W.In a nook with a book. *$1. Scribner.

7–24202.

“Mr. Macdonald’s eighteen short chapters touch on all sorts of themes dear to bibliophiles.... While he writes understandingly of the church fathers and historians, and of the Anglican divines, from Latimer and Jewell to Mozley and Liddon, this ministerial book-lover can also gossip about Pepys and Mrs. Piozzi and Charles Lamb, and is even caught quoting, with admirable effect, from Eugene Field’s ‘Bibliomaniac’s prayer.’”—Dial.

“It is clear that, like some divines of an older period, he belongs both to literature and religion.”

“A little volume of unusual charm. This is the most brightly entertaining book about books that has fallen into our hands for a long time.”

“Of actual criticism in Mr. Macdonald’s book there is little, but that good.”

Macdonald, Frederika.Jean Jacques Rousseau: a new criticism. *$6.50. Putnam.

7–11002.

An “attempt to rehabilitate” the character of Rousseau by showing that he has ever been viewed in the light of the false reputation which attached itself to him as the result of a conspiracy between two contemporaries.

“Mrs. Macdonald has presented a very good case in a very bad manner. Her book is narrow in scope, and written in an uncritical frame of mind.”

“So far as the impression made by the book on the present reviewer is concerned, the future of the reputation of ‘the virtuous Jean Jacques Rousseau’ lies still on the knees of the gods.”

“She writes rather like the advocate who sought to secure the acquittal of his client by abusing the plaintiff’s attorney. That is the weak side of her work. But she has nevertheless made a literary discovery for which credit must be ungrudgingly accorded.”

“Her work is an honor to her head and heart, and as a repository is indispensable to every Rousseau library.”

“Mrs. Macdonald has only brushed away some calumniating gossip; the main questions at issue are as they were a century ago.” James Huneker.

“However significant the results of Mrs. MacDonald’s investigations may prove, she herself has not worked them out in a manner above criticism.”

“The new evidence which she has unearthed is so striking that it cannot be lightly put aside.”

*Macdonald, George.Princess and the goblin.il. †$1.50. Lippincott.

7–12642.

A charming new edition of George Macdonald’s most popular children’s story. The original wood engravings after the drawings of Arthur Hughes have been retained, and Miss Maria L. Kirk has contributed some attractive colored illustrations embodying the atmosphere and spirit of the story.

Macdonell, Anne.Touraine and its story; il. by A. B. Atkinson. *$6. Dutton.

W 7–36.

Leisurely does Miss Macdonell conduct her follower thru the land of chateaux, and takes him into the byways of the “thousand valleys.” “Indeed, she finds more of the flavor of by-gone days in the lesser castles, where there are no guides to hurry the visitors, and where the shabbinessand quiet decay give the imagination free rein. It is to these that she takes her readers; to the grim fortresses, also, that guarded the lands: to the humble dwellings that nestled in the shadow of the lordly manors; and to the rivers—shy and silent or swift and rapacious—that water this ‘Garden of France.’” (Dial.)

“The book is especially strong on its historical side.”

“Her history systematizes and rounds out the story of the twelve individual chateaux, as told by Miss Lansdale, and her itineraries sometimes duplicate but often supplement the other writers.”

“One that, in spite of all the competitors already in the field, will undoubtedly hold its own, so beautiful are many of the illustrations it contains, so freshly is the apparently inexhaustible theme treated.”

“Perhaps the difference between her writing and that of Mr. Cook is chiefly the difference between the man and woman author. His is more complete. Hers is more picturesque, more literary, more diffuse, above all, more personal. It is inseparable from herself as a traveller; and if we sometimes feel a little too much colour, a faint desire for dry bones and for form, we also feel that her style has more charm than that of her predecessor.”

“A sympathetic chronicler has been found in Miss Macdonell who possesses the historical knowledge which is essential in treating of this district of France where every site has its story and association; she also has no little capacity for describing scenery and introducing the incidents appropriate to the locality.”

“The blemishes are so really insignificant that we feel safe in recommending the book, with its pretty illustrations, to all who care for a fascinating subject.”

McFadyen, John Edgar.Prayers of the Bible. $1.75. Armstrong.

7–7187.

“Contains valuable devotional and liturgical material, together with discussions of the character and content of both Old and New Testament petitions.” (Ind.) It is divided into four parts; The prayers of the Bible, Modern prayer, The prayers of the Bible collected and classified, and Biblical prayers for modern use.

“It is a timely contribution to the understanding of the devotional elements in the Bible by an interpreter thoroughly in sympathy with the modern scientific and historical spirit.”

“The method of the author is scientific, the spirit devout. The study of biblical prayer is of interest alike to the student of the Bible and to the man of religious life and temper whether he be a student or not. To both, this volume will prove of interest and value.” Frederick Carl Eislen.

MacFall, Haldane.Ibsen, the man, his art and his significance; il. by Joseph Simpson. *$1.50. Shepard, Morgan.

7–3098.

A running narrative composed of the plots of the plays and the incidents of the biography. The material is drawn chiefly from Jaeger, Brandes, Gosse, Archer and Boyesen.

“Boiled down, his enthusiastic chapters amount to a fair exposition of some portions of Ibsen’s genius.”

“His individual contribution is a jerky emotional commentary, which makes a brave pretense of being impressive, but exhibits no particular insight or sense of perspective.”

“This book ... is a curious compound of indiscriminating eulogy and sound criticism.”

“We fear MacFall has read too much Shaw.”

“On the whole, though doubtless Mr. MacFall would resent it, his book is a good one for beginners.”

McGaffey, Ernest.Outdoors: a book of the woods, fields and marshlands. **$1.25. Scribner.

7–14649.

“Mr. McGaffey’s book tells of the pleasures of out-door life in the fields and prairies and marshlands of the northern part of the Mississippi valley, and it is written from the point of view of the hunterman and fisherman who take the chase of fur, scales, and feathers more as an excuse for getting into the open than as an object in itself.”—N. Y. Times.

Reviewed by George Gladden.

“The advice to sportsmen which the book contains is not full enough or new enough to compensate for the disappointment this point of view causes the nature lover. Nevertheless, Mr. McGaffey’s appreciation of the background of these naturalistic plays in one act is so delicate and often so poetically worded as to gain him grateful acknowledgment.” May Estelle Cook.

“The style of the book vouches for itself.”

“Will give a pleasant hour to any one who loves and knows the out-of-doors.”

McGehee, Lucius Polk.Due process of law under the federal Constitution. $3. Thompson.

6–32130.

A volume which “deals accurately and clearly with a subject of which some phase or other is under daily discussion. The regulation of railway rates, the protection against impure food, the suppression of child labor and of monopolies, the validity of a decree for divorce based on constructive service, are but a few of the problems in which ‘due process’ is involved.... The rules expounded are as far as possible based on decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States.” (Nation.)

“The author ... succeeds in being concise as well as readable; and he criticises modestly, but firmly.”

“The text of the book is admirably unobstructed by confusing detail.”

“He displays a sense of proportion and a faculty for generalization, arrangement and concise and exact statement which render his work lucid and readable and remarkably free from the clumsiness of much legal writing.” Thomas Reed Powell.

McGinley, Anna M. A.Profit of love: studies in altruism; with preface by Rev. George Tyrrell. **$1.50. Longmans.

7–4504.

“Is the world growing in love as well as in knowledge? This is the fundamental question dealt with in the present volume of essays on human love and its relation to our common daily experiences.... The dedication of the series ‘to my neighbor’ is significant, and the aim of the author thruout is to show from a study of the elementary laws of natural growth that the trend of all human progress is toward universal brotherhood, enlightened and sustained by a supremely dominant altruism rather than by man-made laws.... It deals with principles rather than with their practical application, tho many useful hints in this direction can be easily gathered by way of influence.”—Ind.

“The main point is: Has this book power and vitality enough to arouse views, thoughts, ambitions of any kind in the mind of its readers? This book has that power and vitality, and we wish a wide circulation for it.”

“The book is deeply spiritual, but it does not belong to the conventional and still less the conventual type of such writings. Certain accepted educational and religious notions are called in question with a frankness which, while it may alarm the timid, cannot fail to prove stimulating to the thoughtful, and for these alone the book is intended.”

McGrath, Harold.Best man. †$1.50. Bobbs.

7–30162.

Three stories: “The best man,” “Two candidates,” and “The adventures of Mr. ‘Shifty’ Sullivan,” make up this volume. The first is the story of a young lawyer who finds that the millionaire father of the girl he loves has made more millions by a dishonest transaction and he is torn between love and duty of disclosure. He chooses duty, but the girl’s grandfather comes to the rescue and the honest lawyer is able to keep her love and to see the wrong righted. The second is a tale of love and politics, and the last tells of how a young minister fought a good fight.

MacGrath, Harold.Half a rogue.†$1.50. Bobbs.

6–43779.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“There is nothing new and striking about the story as a study of American life; while as a romance pure and simple it is far inferior to the ‘Man on the box.’” Amy C. Rich.

“There is very little plot in the story, tho much diversity of incident marks the rather lively narrative. Upon the whole, it is a good machine-made novel.”

“We cannot give unstinted praise to Mr. McGrath’s last novel. His tendency to be epigrammatic is occasionally a trifle wearisome.”

“A bright, entertaining story.”

Macgregor, David Hutchison.Industrial combination. *$2.50. Macmillan.

7–12496.

“Everything that can be said either in favor of or against trusts, cartels, and unions is stated fairly and minutely.... [The author] analyzes with much skill the various phases of modern organizations—their productive efficiency, the greater or less risk as compared with competitive methods, their bargaining strength, their resources—and discusses at length their relation to labor, especially in connection with trade unions. He sums up his general views in the two final chapters—the attitude of public opinion and legislation.”—J. Pol. Econ.

“No student of combinations can afford to dispense with this book and no reader will fail to learn from it. Copious material has been used, but it has been so adequately digested that the reader will nowhere find himself overburdened with detail, though the touch of reality is preserved throughout by the illustrations selected. The arrangement suits well the method of treatment.” S. J. Chapman.

“Mr. Macgregor’s style and mode of presentation are disappointing. His method, while detailed, is essentially abstract. There is no guiding purpose visible in the work. It is altogether a fair and impartial study of the subject, and in this respect is wholly admirable. But there seems to be no point to which the author is aiming. It is as if he did not see the wood for the trees, and yet the trees are all abstractions, not concrete things. This quality will prove a serious handicap to the success of the work.” Garrett Droppers.

“The most careful scientific study which has yet been made in this field of investigation. Mr. Macgregor’s conclusions are generally as sane as his methods of procedure are correct. The chief, if not the only ground for criticism is his disposition to take too seriously ‘official’ material dealing with the trust movement in the United States.”

“Mr. Macgregor does not share the view of his compatriot, Mr. Macrosty, that cartels and trusts are stages in a movement toward socialism. The reasons for his dissent from that view are given in the third division of his book and must be considered the least satisfactory part of his work.” Henry L. Moore.

“Perhaps the most instructive feature of the work is its discussion of the effects of the protective tariff upon the operation of the trusts. On the whole the work is a valuable addition to the literature of the general trust movement. It is, however, likely to find its chief usefulness among the scholarly students of the subject since it is marred by the constant use of technical terms many of which seem to have been coined by the author and which he does not usually explain.” Maurice H. Robinson.

Mach, Edmund Robert Otto von.Outlines of the history of painting, from 1200–1900 A. D. *$1.50. Ginn.

6–30483.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“In small compass is given all the information that has so far been scattered through encyclopedias.”

Mach, Ernst.Space and geometry in the light of physiological, psychological, and physical inquiry. *$1. Open ct.

6–34085.

“The first essay deals with the relation of the spatial concept to the senses. In the second we have an attempt to trace the natural development of geometry from psychological causes, while the last essay discusses the subject from the point of view of physical inquiry. Incidentally, a number of illustrations are introduced, some of which are admirably adapted for teaching purposes.”—Nature.

“The translation is well-nigh perfect.”

“There could be no more suitable book for giving the elementary or secondary teacher some intelligent ideas about geometry than Dr. Mach’s series of essays.”

“We certainly have to thank the Open court publishing company for adding this little book to the other works of Professor Mach that they have published in English.” W. T. Marvin.

Machen, Arthur.Hill of dreams; il. by S. H. Sime. †$1.50. Estes.

“The ‘Hill of dreams’ is a study of the perverted mental and moral development of a boy with an absorbing love of the beautiful. ‘Beauty for beauty’s sake’ and ‘art for art’s sake’ his cult are accustomed to call it when they drench a poisonous swamp with perfumes and cover it with rose leaves.”—N. Y. Times.

“There is something sinister in the beauty of Mr. Machen’s book. It is like some strangely shaped orchid, the colour of which is fierce and terrible, and its perfume is haunting to suffocation by reason of its intolerable sweetness.”

“His Muse is a kind of Lilith—not a drop of her blood is human—and thus, except from the decorative point of view, he leaves us cold.”

“Although written with noticeable ability, the book in itself has not sufficient strength to deserve attention here, did it not mark a curious morbid phase of English fiction in which sound, color, and scent are put to superfine uses by neurotic young gentlemen who should be shut up, or set at manual labor.”

“This ‘Hill of dreams’ is like nothing so much as a long-drawn-out bad dream from which one awakens with a feeling of thankfulness that it isn’t true, after all.”

Mackail, John William, ed.Select epigrams from the Greek anthology.*75c. Longmans.

“A new edition of ... a book which has long been out of print.... The word ‘epigram’ is the equivalent of ‘inscriptions,’ and the greater number of the pieces have this character,—lines inscribed on tombs and altars and votive offerings and family memorials. In the anthology as we know it to-day other verses have been added, fragments of idylls, lyrics, quotations, from forgotten gnomic and dramatic poets.”—Spec.

“Mr. Mackail’s introduction is an entirely delightful piece of work. The subtle and beautifully expressed analysis of the Oxford professor of poetry makes it quite a different thing from the ordinary introduction to a classical edition.” R. Y. Tyrrell.

“This little volume alone suggests that Greek is ‘worth while.’”

“Would that the number of Americans who could make use of so delightful a book were many times greater.”

“Its charm is its homeliness, its intimate appeal, and its amazing range.”

“It is not easy to choose where there is so much beauty and pathos.”

MacKaye, James.Economy of happiness. **$2.50. Little.

6–28423.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“The volume seems to be the work of a man who has not stopped learning, and who is likely to use the clues in the present argument to good purpose in further study of social problems. He is well entitled to a hearing. The absence of an index is unfortunate.” A. W. S.

“Is an elevated and closely knit moral system with an outcome frankly socialistic.” John Graham Brooks.

MacKaye, James.Politics of utility: the technology of happiness—applied: being book 3 of “The economy of happiness.” **50c. Little.

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