The Cup of Trembling, and other stories. By Mary Hallock Foote. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1895. Cloth. S1. 25.
Whatever comes from Mrs. Foote's pen is sure to be worth reading, and the four stories which make up this volume are all of more than usual interest. There is a freshness and originality to them which make them a delightful addition to the short-story literature of the day.
The Kind's Peace. A historical sketch of the English Law Courts. By F. A. Inderwick, Q. C. Macmillan & Co., New York, 1895. Cloth. S1.50.
In this compact little volume Mr. Inderwick gives an exceedingly interesting account of the English Law Courts, from the lime of Alfred the Great to the present day. The book will delight the lawyer, the antiquarian and the layman. It is written in a pleas ing style, and imparts many valuable facts connected with England's legal history. The illustrations, mostly taken from quaint old cuts, add much to the value of the book.
In a Hollow of the Hills. By Bret Harte. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1895. Cloth. S1. 25.
This is a story of Californian life in the old mining days. The incidents are extremely dramatic and are depicted in Bret Harte's inimitable style. No writer has a keener sense of humor and pathos, and his quaint method of expression invests his works with an unusual charm and fascination, " In a Hollow of the Hills" will rank with the best efforts of his pen.
A Victorian Anthology. 1837- 1895. Edited by Edmund Clarence Stedman. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York. Cloth. S2.50.
No one is more admirably fitted than Mr. Stedman for the preparation of such a work as this, and his selections from the Victorian poets will meet with general approval. While one may, perhaps, miss a favorite poem and wonder why it has not been in cluded in the compilation, still, taken as a whole, it is doubtful if a better and more representative choice could have been made. The biographical notes are valuable and useful, and the indexes of titles and first lines are of great assistance. This anthology is designed as a supplement to the author's " Victorian Poets."
The Mystery of Witch-Face Mountain, and
other Stories. By Charles Egbert Craddock.
Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New
York, 1895. Cloth. S1. 25.
Miss Murfree is always sure of hearty welcome for anything she writes, and the three stories which make up the contents of this volume will endear her more than ever to her readers. The Tennessee mountains, as usual, form the back-ground of these sketches, and both scenes and characters are por trayed with the author's evident love for place and people whereof she writes. Besides the title-story the contents include: "Taking the Blue Ribbon at the County Fair," and "The Casting Vote."
St. Nicholas Magazine. Vol. XXII. (Nov., 1894, to Oct., 1895). Conducted by Mary Mapes Dodge. The Century Co., New York. In two parts, bound in red and gilt cloth. S-l.oo. If the boys and girls of the present generation were asked, from what one source they had derived the greatest pleasure and entertainment, the answer would undoubtedly b : "from the St. Nicholas magazine."
To put into the hands of a boy or girl the two handsome bound volumes which contain the numbers for the past year is equal to a gift of half a dozen story books. In fact, some of the most popular books of the year for children have first seen the light in these pages. Here one will find Palmer Cox's irrepressible Brownies, on their tour through the Union; Howard Pyle's brave "Jack Ballister," who got the best of Blackbeard's piratical crew; Albert Stearns's "Chris and the Wonderful Lamp "; Napoleon's dashing page, in Elbridge S. Brooks's "A Boy of the First Empire;" "The Quadrupeds of North America," of all sorts and conditions, de scribed by W. T. Hornaday; and a number of famous horses, historic and legendary, that are very lovingly written about by James Baldwin. There are a series of sketches in a simple and sympathetic vein of "Famous American Authors," by Brander Matthews, and Theodore Roosevelt's inspiring "Hero-Tales from American History." Aside from these serial features the volumes are crowded with stories, sketches, and verses, that will help as well as amuse childish readers. One of the best of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Stories, which have already been accepted as classics in juvenile literature, is "The King's Ankus."
There are also many articles that are written especially for girls. Even the interests of the very little ones are provided for in the pictures and jingles.
