LITERATURE AND ART.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10836, 20 August 1898, Page 4 (Supplement)

LITERATURE AND ART.

M«. Rtiuyaeb Kipling's new book, which will be published shortly, will consist of about a dozen short stories, having the sea and sea life as their background. The title has not yet been definitely decided upon.

Mr. S. R. Crockett has gone to Spain for a six weeks' walking tour. Miss Marie Corelli is contemplating an earl}' trip to the United States. Mr. George Gissing has returned to England looking much the better for his winter's residence in Italy. Owens College, Manchester, is now the possessor of a very fine copy of the first folio edition of Shakespere's works. It was purcnased by Mr. Edward Donuer, one of the executors under tne will of the late Mr. Thomas Ashton, who devoted the legacy bequeathed to him for that purpose. It- is a circmnst-inco worthy of note that while there is a decline in the demand in England for the works of the late Professor Henry, Drummond, his little book " Pas Vobiscuni" has, in Germany, reached its fiftieth thousand, while "The Greatest Thing in the World" has sold to the extent of 118,000, a remarkably large sale for that country. The original holograph manuscript of Gilbert White's "Garden Kalendar" has recently fallen into the hands of the British Museum authorities. It consists of over 100 pages, and contains a record of the writer's almost daily operations on his land, with observations on the weather and on various local occurrences, etc., from 1751 till 1767. Scottish Universities: " St. Andrews," by J. Maitland Anderson, Librarian, Registrar, and Secretary of the University; "Glasgow," by Professor W. Stewart, L.D., Clerk of Senatus;"" Aberdeen," by Robert S. Rait, M.A.; and " Edinburgh," by Sir Ludovic J. Grant, Bart., Clerk of Senatus and Professor of Public Law, will be dealt with in order in Mr. F. E. Robinson's "Illustrated Popular Histories of Universities and Colleges" series. The new "Life of Charles Dickens," on which Mr. Thomas Wright of Olney has for the past four years been at work, is Hearing completion. Mr. Wright has obtained valuable assistance in the prosecution of his work from several Dickens specialists, notably Mr. W. R. Hughes, Mr. F. E. Kitton, and Mr. Langton. The biography will extend to 30 chapters, and will contain a good deal of fresh matter regarding John Dickens (Micawber), the father of the eminent novelist. Mr. Arthur Temple has written short biographies of twelve distinguished English soldiers of the present day, for publication by Mr. Melrose in a volume, entitled " Our Living Generals." Of course, Field Marshals Wolseley and Roberts find a prominent place; the remaining soldiers being Sir Evelyn Wood, Sir H. H. Kitchener, Sir R«dvers Buller, Sir Donald Stuart, Sir William Butler., Sir Francis Grenfell, Sir Frederick Carrington, Sir George White, Sir Henry Brackenbury, and Sir Baker Russell. A legal ease of some interest to literary circles is about to be tried before the.Oberlandesgericht at Frankfort. The son of Gustav Freytag, by his first marriage, has brought an action against the widow of the late popular novelist for the possession of his father's manuscripts. The process at law was started some time ago by the young man's guardians, but judgment was given for the widow. Notice of appeal was lodged however, and now that the young man has come of age, he has taken up the suit against his stepmother in his own name. . The sale of Freytag's works has been larger than that of any other modern German novelist.' The last edition of his "Soil unci Haben" was the fortieth, and that of his " Die verlorene Handschrift" the twenty-third. ":]'■ -> ; " Mr. Henry B. Wheatley in •■'.' Prices of Books," in the Library Series (George Allen), just issued, tells a very, interesting story of Fitzgerald's version of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the first edition of which was published by Quaritch in 1859. Though the number printed was , few,- ; nobody bought, and eight years afterwards the.publisher in disgust threw the whole.remainder into a box outside his door, and marked all these one penny each. It is said that Dante Rossetti found them there and soon the remainder 1 was exhausted. Early this year a copy of, this penny, boot with' the original wrappers was sold at Sotheby's for £21, and Mr. Quaritch, the original publisher, was the buyer! ... ... '