Chapter 94

6–2322.

Descriptive note in December, 1905.

Miyakawa, Masuji.Life of Japan. **$3. Baker.

7–28500.

Dr. Miyakawa was educated in America and returning to Japan became interpreter for the imperial army. He reveals intimately “to millions of American homes” a knowledge of Japan and Japanese conditions. The book is dedicated to Commodore Perry whom the author calls the “national redeemer of Japan.” “The bulk of the book is devoted to tracing the rapid growth of Japan since the making of the treaty with the United States, in the reform of its financial system, in the development of its domestic industry and its foreign commerce, the expansion of its army and navy, the establishment of a constitutional form of government, and the adoption of American methods in education and journalism.” (N. Y. Times.)

“For the most part, however, the book is accurate and well suited to the needs of readers who do not care to go deeply into the subjects treated.”

Miyakawa, Masuji.Powers of the American people. Congress, president, and courts. *$3. N. Hayes, cor. N. Y. ave. & 15th st., Washington, D. C.

A manual of instruction which points out the various powers and duties which are imposedby the constitution, written by a Japanese attorney—the first to be admitted to the American bar.

“To the average American student, the book is a primer of the simplest type. To the foreign lawyer who wishes to become familiar with the theoretical side of our government the book will be of considerable assistance, but to a foreign business man or a foreigner studying modern institutions, the book is of little value, for it lives in the dim, forgetful past, not in the pulsing present.”

“While there are some imperfections in the style, and while for the general reader the book would be more valuable if it had undergone revision by an English scholar, it is a remarkably clear and comprehensive statement of the fundamental principles of our American constitution and might well be commended to the lay reader who desires to obtain a nonpartisan impression and scholarly view of the nature of our government and the functions of its various departments.”

Modern pilgrim’s progress; with introd. by the Very Rev. H. S. Bowden. *$1.60. Benziger.

A description of the “phases of thought through which an educated and thoughtful woman passed on her spiritual journey from the Anglican to the Roman faith. The arguments in favor of the Roman faith are as old as its attractions, and the author does not lay claim to any polemical originality.” (Spec.)

“The book is a striking one.”

“The interest of the book lies in the transparent sincerity of the writer, and in the manner in which she emphasises the strange fact that a mind constitutionally restless and hungry for new ideas may be completely transformed and forever pacified by drugs of sacredotal anaesthetics.”

*Moedebeck, Hermann W. L.Pocket-book of aeronautics, by H. W. L. Moedebeck in collaboration with O. Chanute and others; authorized Eng. ed.; tr. by W. Mansergh Varley. *$3.25. Macmillan.

7–29118.

The present work aims to review the history of aerial navigation and its present development and to give scientific information on the physics of the atmosphere.

“In this handy little volume we have an excellent comprehensive summary of the whole subject of aeronautics, and the English reading public have to thank Major Moedebeck for producing such a work which has been so capably translated by Mr. Varley.”

“Useful and timely hand-book. No reference is made to the large amount of data collected with kites in the United States by our Weather bureau and at the Blue Hill observatory, nor to the more recent observations with balloons at great heights, which were instituted by this observatory.” A. Lawrence Rotch.

Moffat, Mary Maxwell.Queen Louisa of Prussia: *$3. Dutton.

6–43228.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“A sympathetic and admiring portrayal of Queen Louisa, and a clear and interesting picture of her times. While it throws no new light on Prussian history, it never degenerates into a court calendar, but is dignified and worthy of its subject throughout.”

“Well-written, well arranged, and always interesting memoir.” S. M. Francis.

“If not taken as a balanced history of the period it will do no harm, and may serve to interest casual readers to a period of German history of crucial importance.”

“A good deal of new matter not found in Horn or even Lonke. There is, too, a good index and a fair bibliography, though it lacks any mention of Martin’s German biography (1887), and is wholly deficient in American references.”

Reviewed by Hildegarde Hawthorne.

Moffat, Rev. James, ed. Literary illustrations of the Bible, ea. *40c. Armstrong.

Six volumes of commentaries entitled; The book of Ecclesiastes, The book of Daniel, The gospel according to Saint Mark, The epistle to the Romans, The gospel according to Saint Luke, and The book of Revelation.

“The treatment is novel and interesting, and we think might be followed with educational effect by every reader of the Scriptures.”

“A small but choice assortment of gleanings from a fruitful field.”

Moller, Muriel.Wood-carving designs. *$2.50. Lane.

“Six sheets of excellent working drawings of panels, frames, etc., with examples of furniture suitable for them, as to which Mr. Walter Crane writes an appreciative foreword.”—Int. Studio.

“Should prove of great utility to the carver in wood.”

Molloy, Joseph Fitzgerald.Sir Joshua and his circle. *$6.50. Dodd.

7–13429.

Less of a sketch of Sir Joshua Reynolds’ life and character than a portrayal of his relations to the group of men and women prominent in the literature and art of his day.

“Mr. Molloy has re-told the old stories fairly well, and produced the sort of book that very many people like to read.”

“The book certainly cannot be said to have been necessary; but it is written with such infectious good humour and apparent zest, the touch is so spirited and flowing, the local colour thrown on with so light and lavish a hand, that it may be skimmed with amusement and pleasure.”

“It cannot be said that Mr. Molloy’s attempts to be vivacious are always highly successful, nor does it inspire confidence to describe scenes as if the writer were present and spoke from memory of ‘wistful eyes’ and the like.”

“Worth reading, and even by those who are already more or less saturated with Reynolds biographical material.”

Molmenti, Pompeo Gherardo.Venice, its individual growth from the earliest beginnings to the fall of the republic; tr.from the Italian by Horatio F. Brown. Sold in 2v. sections, per section, *$5. McClurg.

This is the second installment of Molmenti’s “Venice.” It contains two volumes as did the first section, and deals with “the golden age” from the viewpoints of conditioning factors, constitution, climate and public health, festivals, the arts, industry, scientific movements, schools, private life, the stage, palaces and houses, fashions, entertainments, the family and the corruption of manners.

“Mr. Molmenti is certainly a learned man in the limited sense of the word, that is, he is a collector pure and simple, whose primitive notion of a book is a succession of scrap-heaps, labelled chapters, which his readers are set to pick over for bright and valuable matter appearing here and there like raisins in a cake.” Ferdinand Schwill.

“The ideal volume from the standpoint of the reputable publisher is one which combines literary interest with an appropriate and attractive type setting and a new edition that goes far toward the accomplishment of this are two volumes recently published with the title ‘Venice.’” Laurence Burnham.

“Among those who have made a serious study of the Venetian past, perhaps none is more eminent than the Italian historian Pompeo Molmenti.” Laurence M. Larson.

“In the main, we find Molmenti’s verdicts sound, and his attitude judicial. We must praise the very readable translation of Mr. Horatio Brown, himself a recognized authority on matters Venetian.”

“Admirably translated by a scholar whose erudition is equal to that of their author.”

“He has what many who attempt works of this kind lack—charm, the gift of presenting a great body of material so that it not only conveys information, but gives pleasure.”

“The material which enables the author to describe these subjects in the most minute detail has been collected with the greatest care, patience and industry from original sources. So complete, indeed, are the descriptions that in many cases we have pages of sheer enumeration—of estimable value to specialists, but of doubtful attractiveness to the lovers of the romantic phases of Venetian history.”

“That the translation itself is excellent goes without saying. The reader’s pleasure is interfered with by no heaviness of style, no awkward turn of a sentence. The straightforward tale of the old Venetians, the most interesting community in Europe, is told with a frank simplicity, and yet with every detail that can be desired by a careful student.”

“The book is not a history of events, but of thought and character,—a far more intricate subject, and one involving a far profounder knowledge. The erudition is as amazing as ever. Our one complaint is that Mr. Brown does not underrate the scholarship of his readers. About one-tenth of the text of the first volume consists of untranslated quotations from some foreign tongue.”

Moncrieff, A. R. Hope.Surrey; painted by Sutton Palmer, with 75 il. in col. *$6. Macmillan.

W 7–171.

Brush and pen have worked in pleasing consonance to reproduce the “enchanting by-ways” of Surrey. Mr. Palmer’s full-page colored illustrations are accompanied by description that are “chatty and spring from point to point very much as William Combe in verse rattled amiably along as an accompanist and reciter for Rowlandson’s pictures of the schoolmaster on his trips.” (N. Y. Times.)

“As a rule the neat and simple method of the artist suits the process fairly well.” Charles de Kay.

“Altogether, the book is one of the most agreeable of this series.”

Monroe, Will Seymour.Turkey and the Turks: an account of the lands, the peoples, and the institutions of the Ottoman empire. $3. Page.

7–26348.

A brief but unified picture, gained thru study and travel, of the incoherent Ottoman empire and its complex civilization. A chapter is devoted to the rise, another to the decline of the empire one is given to the significant events in Turkish history during the past thirty years, but the most of the book is devoted to matters of purely human interest, including eight chapters upon Constantinople, its monuments, characteristic quarters, street scenes, bazaars, baths, kahns, fountains, mosques and dervishes.

“As a whole, the book is to be commended for the useful information which it gives, but in some points it merits criticism.”

Montague, Margaret Prescott.Sowing of Alderson Cree; with a front. by W. T. Benda. †$1.50. Baker.

7–12272.

Alderson Cree is shot by an enemy and upon his death-bed exacts from his young son the promise to avenge the deed. “His ‘sowing’ is the spirit of revenge and hatred which is thus implanted in the child’s heart, and the reaping comes ten years later, when the boy must choose between revenge and love. The story has in it all the rough strength of the mountain valley where the scene is laid and of the rough mountain people who figure in its pages.” (N. Y. Times.)

“A book of extraordinary sweetness and strength, for in reading one is led along by the sure touch of the writer, who, born and living all her days among the mountain people, knows their lives and touches them with truth and tenderness.” Harriet Prescott Spofford.

Montgomery, Edmund.Philosophical problems in the light of vital organization. **$2.50. Putnam.

7–5071.

“This work is divided into two parts: 1, Philosophical survey; 2, Biological solutions. Some of the problems discussed in the first part are substance, identity, causation, the problem of the external world, universals and particulars, innate faculties, subject and object, etc.... The problems of substantiality, causation, mechanical necessity, living substance as sensorimotor agent, sentiency and purpose in movements, teleology in nature, etc., are discussed in the second part, in conjunction, with the author’s own views.”—Psychol. Bull.

“Futile as is all such philosophizing, there are valuable practical applications of biology, in ethics, education, and sociology, and these Mr. Montgomery has instructively presented, though disadvantaged by a heavy and otherwise somewhat defective literary style.”

“A somewhat peculiar setting forth of a familiar view, relating to what is here termed the psychophysical puzzle. What is peculiar is the mystical, or mystifying phraseology in which these views are presented.” E. A. Norris.

Montgomery, Hugh, and Cambray, Philip G.Dictionary of political phrases and allusions with a short bibliography. *$2. Dutton.

W 7–84.

A novel book of reference in which “foreign political phrases, terms, and catch-words of international significance, but with particular reference to Great Britain, are defined in simple language.” (N. Y. Times.) “This book will help a hasty journalist to write in such a fashion as to pass muster with a hasty sub-editor.” (Ath.)

“Numerous catch phrases of recent political campaigns are discussed which surely do not deserve a place in a one-volume work of this character, and even the allusions to strictly English politics are not treated with comprehension of their relative importance. The worst fault of the book is the lack of judicial attitude. Almost every page is tinged with a national prejudice which warps the discussion so as largely to destroy its value.”

“Most of the entries fall a little short of the exactness to be desired in such a dictionary.”

“To any one having occasion to refer to British acts of legislation or to catchwords of British politics the usefulness of this volume is obvious.”

Montgomery, James Alan.Samaritans, the earliest Jewish sect. **$2. Winston.

7–15492.

An exhaustive study of the Samaritans which treats of their history, theology, and philology, with a closing chapter devoted to the literary history of the sect.

“It is a mine of information. The author has apparently overlooked nothing. The method and style are clear and simple, and the book deserves a place in any library.”

“A large amount of diligent research is evident.”

“Its account of the romantic story of this curious sect will be an authoritative work upon the subject, for it presents an amount and variety of material which can be found nowhere else.”

“The book is a contribution to the literature of an obscure subject. It makes no pretense to popularity. But it will interest scholars who will be especially thankful for the careful ‘Samaritan bibliography.’”

“We commend to our readers his volume.”

Montgomery, Thomas Harrison, jr.Analysis of racial descent in animals. *$2.50. Holt.

6–16987.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“Our author undertakes the herculean task, we venture to think successfully, of setting the study of phylogeny on a surer foundation.” A. D. D.

“Every teacher and advanced student of biology should become acquainted with the views of an author who has studied so many and widely separated biological phenomena.” Robert W. Hegner.

Montresor, Frances Frederica.Burning torch. †$1.50. Dutton.

The story of an orphan child endowed with second sight which has descended to her from a Highland ancestor. “The heroine not only does not marry, she is killed in a railway collision. This, being a kind of domestic Cassandra, she has foreseen, as, helpless to prevent or to convince, she has foreseen all the other catastrophes which have befallen her circle—the suicide of her father, the almost patricide of her favorite cousin, the violent death in the desert of the man she loves.” (Nation.)

“It is only just to state that in spite of a considerable lack of sympathy with its philosophy we read ‘The burning torch’ with an interest that surprised us.”

“One does not realize it (there are so many diverse interests touched by a sympathetic and exceedingly observant perception) till nearly the end; but the tale is compounded of elements which do not coalesce quite happily.”

“Parts of the story are pretty dull, and the style tends to be tedious, but for all that there is really good stuff in the rather nondescript and futile whole called ‘The burning torch.’”

“While there are many grim and not altogether pleasant traits distributed among the actors, there is also a decided hopefulness for humanity and faith in God pervading the story.”

“A book heavier with fate and fatalities we have never seen. It is not an easy book to read.”

“Miss Montresor can always be relied upon for a straightforward story without ellipse or obscurity; she tells it fluently and at some length, as though she could not help telling it. She has delicacy and enough observation to make every one of her numerous characters distinct.”

Moody, Winfield Scott.Pickwick ladle and other collector’s stories. †$1.50. Scribner.

7–35226.

Sketches of “two hardened bric-a-brac hunters.... Each story breathes an agreeable leisure, and the thread of the Wyckoffs’ adventures among the antique dealers is enriched by a shrewd characterization of the dealers themselves, from Dirck Amstell, the honest Dutchman, to a proud representative of Du Val upon Fifth avenue.”—Nation.

“Unusually well told stories.”

“Dainty in touch, with humor that is real and pervaded by an atmosphere of good society.”

“The pleasant surprise of the stories as a whole is that treating of the infinitely small, they constantly broaden into a larger perspective.”

“Altogether delightful little stories.”

“After reading much of the fiction of the day, one feels as if in this modest volume he is really once more in good society.”

Moore, Edward A.Story of a cannoneer under Stonewall Jackson, in which is told the part taken by the Rockbridge artillery in the army of northern Virginia; with introds. by Robert E. Lee, jr., and Hon. Henry St. George Tucker: il. $2. Neale.

7–21269.

“In which is told the part taken during the civil war by the Rockbridge artillery in the operations of the army of northern Virginia.... It is history and romance in one, and at the same time a chronicle and a picture gallery. To read it is to know intimately the brave and noble young fellows who formed the company, a command that proved its mettle in twenty-three engagements.”—N. Y. Times.

“We heartily commend the volume as a truthful picture of real war.”

“The book possesses genuine value despite occasional eccentricities of style which careful editing would have avoided.”

“He tells the story of the four years’ struggle in a clear, direct, soldier like way, always with a sense of the humorous, and always sympathetically, like a man to whom life is larger than any one man’s experience.”

“The story is well told, and gives a real insight into the every-day life and typical privations of the confederate soldier-boy. Mr. Moore’s sympathetic narrative is full of ‘human interest’ of a very genuine kind.”

Moore, Frederick.Balkan trail. $3.50. Macmillan.

6–41820.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“The story throughout is as straightforward and as thoroughly to the point as could be desired. There is no pretension, the facts are told in simple style, readable and interesting from beginning to end. The book as a whole gives a better idea of the life in the Balkan region than any other similar volume yet published.”

“He has the capacity to see the really interesting things and record his impressions so as to convey them to the reader. And this he does without the tall writing which as a rule disfigures the work of a newspaper correspondent. He possesses also the gift of humor.”

Moore, George.Lake.†$1.50. Appleton.

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