LITERARY NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 246, 23 October 1897, Page 2 (Supplement)

LITERARY NOTES.

The autumn avalanche of literature this year promises to be exceptionally heavy. Mr Fisher Unwin. who is first in the field with his announcements furnishes per sea formidable list Amongst other attractive works he advertises a volume of the 'Private Papers of William Wilberforce,' by Mrs A. M. Wilberforce. We are also to have an elaborate essay on the 'Works of Charles Keene' (the famous 'Punch' artist) by that eminent black-and-white dilettante Joseph Pennell and a volume on 'The Love Affairs of Famous Men,' by the audacious cleric who wrote 'How to be Happy though Married,' some years ago. Mr Hardy will have his work cut out to beat T. P. O'Connor's 'Some Old Love Stories' which is a capital mixture of history, gossip, and surmise dealing with this subject. The first of.the 'Builders of Greater Britain' series, which Louis Becke and Mr Wilson of the Colonial Office are editing will be 'Sir Walter Raleigh,' by Major Martin Hume, and 'Sir Thomas Maitland,' by Walter Frewen Lord, and the initial volume of a popular series on 'Masters of Medicine,' 'John Hunter,' by Dr. Stephen Paget. Mr J. F. Hogan, M.P., has not merely written a book on 'The Gladstone Colony,' but captured an introductory letter from the G.O.M. himself to give it tone. Furthermore, Mr Unwin will publish for Mr H. de R. Walker a volume on 'Australian Democracy.'

The most notable fictions emanating from Paternoster Square should be 'The Tormentor,' by Benj. Swift, the youth who got such kudos from Mr Barrie and others for 'Nancy Noon;' 'The School for Saints,' by Jno. Oliver Hobbes; 'Wild Life in Southern Seas,' by Louis Beeke; and 'The Outlaws of the Marches, 5 by Lord Ernest Hamilton.

The edition de luxe of Kipling in 12 volumes which' MacMillan announce is of course merely a reproduction by arrangement of Scribner's 'Outward Bound' issue. Its chief interest lies in the fact that the author has rearranged his stories in suitable groups Thus, under 'Soldiers Three' will be found all the events in which Mulvaney, Ortheris, and Learoyd were concerned, followed by other military stoi-ies; 'In Black and White' covers tales of native life in India, and 'The Phantom Eickshaw' those which deal with matters more or less between tie two worlds. To 'Under the Deodars' has been added' Mrs Iluksbee Sits Out,' and to 'In Black and White,' 'The Enlightenments of Paget, M.P.' 'The Story of the Gadsbys' and the AngloIndian child stories stand as first issued. Alterations in matter and text have been avoided as much as possible, but two talcs, 'Bitters Neat' and 'Haunted Subalterns,' have been added to 'Plain Tales from the Hills.' These formed part of the original series as it first appeared in. India 10 years ago. The Mowgli Stories have been collected in one volume and arranged in sequence.

According to latest advices Louis Becke has relinquished the editorship of Unwin's 'Rulers of Greater Britain' series which will now be supervised by H. F. Wilson only.

Besides the New Zealand novelist Marriott Watson's tale of adventure, Harper Brothers (who have now a London house of their own) will Bex* year run Henry Seton-Merriman's 'Eoden's Corner' through their magazine. Dv Maurier's 'The Martian' will be published by the same firm on the 17th Sept. Mrs Mannington Caffyn's 'Poor Max' is also due in volume form shortly. 'Materfamilias' will be the title of Ada Cambridge's new story. Prince Ranjitsinhji's cricket hook is a big success. Of the Edition de Luxe of which 350 were printed only 20 remain unsold. The 25s edition has been nearly exhausted, and the second popular edition, of which 5,000 werr printed, has done so well that a third edition is meditated. Ten thousand were printed of the first popular edition.