Literary Notes.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1032, 11 December 1891, Page 14

Literary Notes.

Edited by T. L. Milts. Readers of the Mail who are interested in literary subjects and who meet with an 7 difficulties in the study thereof, aro invited to put their trouble into a question and send it to this column and an answer will be given herein as early as convenient. Publishers and booksellers are invited to send books and publications of general interes. for notice in this column, thereby enabling country readers to to be iu touch with the latest works in the Colony. As an encouragement to literary beginners t l !« editor will faiily and honestly oriticiss any writings sent to him for that purpose and short contributions from readers will be welcomed for publication. Address oil communications for this column to •‘the Literary Editor, New Zealand Mail. TO QUERIES. ENGLAND’S POETS. Will you bo gooi enough to give me the names of the four greatest poets of England? Latjba S. The four greatest names iu English poetry are almost the first we come to— Chancer, Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton, BEN AND PRESS. Can you give me the author or authors of the poems, and the titles, a few lines of which I quote : (1) Exulting and proud, like a boy at his play He bore the new prize to his dwelling away. He gazed for a while on its beauties, and then He cut it, and shaped it, and called it a Pen. (2) Ob, the orator’s voice is a mighty power, As it echoes from shore to shore : And the fearless pen has more sway o er men Than the murderous cannon’s roar. (1) This is the last four lines of the first verse of f The Pen and the Pres3.’ by John Critchley Prince. (2) ‘The Voice and Pen,’ by Denis Florence McCarthy. WRITERS OF AUSTBALIA. Will you give me a list of the best known Australian celebrities in literature (real and pen names) ? Austral. Browne (Rolf Boldrewood), Marcus Clarke, Mrs Campbell Praad, Lindsay Gordon, Mme. Couvreur (Tasma), Mrs Frederick Martin (Catherine Mackay), Brunton Stephens, Haddon Chambers, and Ada Cambridge. German. —Goethe’s ‘Wilhelm Meister ’ was the result of ten years’ labour. Enquirer. —Johnson's ‘ Lives of the English Poets ’ is considered as the noblest specimen of elegant and solid criticism which any age has produced. S. A. McA. —The noble art and mystery of printing was first invented and practiced by John Faust, in the city, of M>ntz, in High Germany, about the year 1451, and it was introduced into England by William Caxton in 1471. Yes, a benefit incalculable. I have received a correct reply from a. correspondent, signing ‘ Htamoot Mailliw,’ concerning tho quotation from ‘ The East Man.’ REVIEW. «'Gallegher, and Other Stories,’ by Richard Harding Daria. 2s and 33. H. and J. Baillie. * A Group of Noble Dames,’ by Thomas Hardy. 2s and 3s. H. ani J. Baillie. Colonial readers have not yet learned to appreciate the great advantage they enjoy in the wav of cheap literature. While readers in England are paying the high price of 31s 6d for a new novel, we colonials have' the privilege of a special edition only for Britain’s colonies, by which we get the high-priced books at a very low price indeed. The two books named above belong to this category. Both America and England have positively devoured ‘ Gallegher,’ and certain it is that the book deserves all tho praise bestowed upon it. The author is a very young American, in his 22nd year only, yet hehas very few superiors in the art of short story writing, as evidenced by this, his first collection. The 236 pages contain ten stories, of which the one which gives the book its title is the gem, although ‘There were Ninety and Nine ’ presses very hard upon it for first place. Feminine readers will be delighted with ‘A Walk up the Avenue,’, as well as several other of the sketches. No two of the stories are alike in their treatment, and I venture to predict no reader will lay down the book without a wish for more. The book belongs to Osgood, Mcllvaino and Co.’s ‘ Red Letter’ series, which is to say that it is beautifully printed and a treat to handle. Everything combines to enable one to pass a pleasant evening over the book. Thomas Hardy needs no introduction for himself, but in bringing ‘ His Group of Noble Dames’ before readers of this column it should be stated that this book also is a collection of stories, reminding

one of Chancer’s * Tales,’ in that the incidents in tho lives of the ‘ Dames ’ are recounted by such personages as the local historian, the old surgeon, the rural dean, the colonel, and several other gentlemen—the group consisting of ten. The incidents of the book, generally speaking, are out of the usual run of Mr Hardy’s style, but the treatment is in every way up to the high literary standard which has always been connected with his name. I heartily recommend the book to those of my readers who are looking out for something fresh and interesting, and who are tired of the ‘ modern novel.’ When I mention that it belongs to ‘ Petherick’s Collection ’ it will be understood that the ‘get-up’ is satisfactory.

PAPERS, BOOKS, AND AUTHORS. Mr G. W. Arrowsmith, the well-known English publisher, was to bring out a new book by Max O’Rell last month, entitled ‘ Tho Frenchman in America.’ Mr Barry Pain, the new English humourist to whom I referred the other day, is now a regular contributor to Punch. He also writes the reviews of novels in Mr Wemyss Reid’s paper, ‘ The Speaker.’ Edna Lyall’s latest announced book is to be called ‘Max Hereford’s Dream,’ which is to deal with the question of prayers for the dead. Rudyard Kipling’s latest collection of stories, ‘ Life’s Handicap,’ha3 had a large sale at Home in its 63 form, two large editions being called for in leas than three weeks. Our local booksellers very quickly disposed of their consignments, and there is not a copy to be got at present, but more is expected shortly. I believe the book would have a very largo sale in the colony if it wore published uniform with the colonial editions which some English and Australian houses are issuing. The idea wa3 suggested to Mr Kipling during his stay in Wellington, and he took very kindly to it, which will probably result in the suggestion being sent to his publishers (the Macmillans). Professor Henry Drummond is to give us a Christmas booklet uniform with his popular series recently reviewed in this column. The number will probably deal with the Programme of Christianity. Through the courtesy of Messrs Baillie Bros., of Cuba street, I have received a copy of a new literary journal, published in London by Hodder and Stoughton. The Bookman (‘I am a bookman.’ J. R. Lowell) is a 40-page monthly journal, every page of which is full of matter interesting to bookreaders, bookbuyers, and booksellers. A new department is opened, headed Young Author’s Page,’ iu which it i 3 proposed ‘ under certain regulations to examine and give an opinion on manuscripts sent by young aud inexperienced authors.’ There is a capital display of publishing houses’ advertisements, full of interest to all bookmen.

‘Beggars All’ is the title of a recent successful novel published by Messrs Longman. The authoress is Miss Lily Dougall, who is the youngest daughter of the late Mr Dougall, who was the editor of the Montreal (Can.) Witness, and the son has succeeded the father in the chair. Mis 3 Dougall has been a large contributor to magazines. Most of her time will'be spent in England. This book has arrived in Wellington. 1 Long-looked-for come at last !’ was an expression used the other day in one of our bookshops at the sight of a sixpenny edition of Dickens’ famous story, ‘ David Copperfield.’ The copyright has hitherto kept this masterpiece on the list of the dear books, but now that the time of right has nearly run i ts course the holders of it have forestalled the impending rush. The book is illustrated with the original cuts. The demand for the works of Dickens increase day by day. The cheap edition of ‘ David Copperfield ’ is on all our local bookstalls. ‘ The most convenient editions of the best English novelists that have ever been published’ is promised in the sixpenny Everybody’s Series by Messrs Howe. Mrs Oliphatit is one cf the few living authors who was praised by the severe Jeffrey. He declared that her * Margaret Maitland ’ was superior to anything in its line since Galt. A leading London bookseller tells the ‘ Bookman ’ that while there has been a great demand recently for the poetical works of the late James Russell Lowell, there has been an almost entire absence of enquiry for his prose works. ‘ Aperaantus,’ iu Literary Opinion, writes, apropos of the event of the publication of ‘The Web of the Spider:’— Those who, like myself, have watched the literary career of this gentleman (Mr H. B. Marriott Watson) since he ‘ turned up ’ in London from the Under World some few years ago will open the pages of this new book with no ordinary feelings of expectation. Mr Marriott Watson’s name is not altogether new in the realms of fiction, as he has already published a wild romance, ‘ Marahuna ’ (from which circumstance his humourous friend, Mr J. M. Barrie, is in the habit of styling him Mary Hooney), and a most thoughtful and, to my mind, delightful novel, * Lady Faintheart.’ Mr Watson is among the band of brilliant young men who have already made the National Observer the rising rival of the Saturday Review and the Spectator. He was born at Caulfield, near Melbourne, seven-and- twenty yearß ago ; but was entirely brought up and educated at Christchuroh, New Zealand, where his genial and vigorous father is an Anglican clergyman.