LITERARY NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1199, 22 February 1895, Page 12

LITERARY NOTES.

" l would rather be a poor man in a garret with plenty of books than a king who did not love reading."—Lord Macaulay.

Address all communications., for this column to "The Editor* Nfcw Zealand Mail." Publishers and booksellers are invited to send books and publications of general interest for notice in th s column, thereby enabling country readers to be iiii touch with the latest works in the Colony. Publishers sending books for review are requested to mention their price.

WITH PAPER-KNIFE AND PEN.

** Honey OF Aloes" and other stories, by Nora Vynne. (London and Melbourne : Ward, Lock and Bowden, Ltd. Through Messrs H. and J. Baillie, Cuba streeb.) " Honey of Aloes/' the longest of the thirteen stories and sketches which compose the collection under the above title, is a very prettily told episode of matrimonial misunderstandings, rupture and reconciliation. The motif is but slight, but the characters of husband and wife are sketched with a firm hand, and there is some other very effective character drawing. Some of the shorter stories are, however, much better done and there runs through all of them a felicity of phraseology, a distinct grace of style which is decidedly pleasing. In " The Suicide in Curb Sheet" the authoress touches a genuinely tragic note and in other of the cleverly written sketches she shows a keen sense of humour, both in situation and dialogue. Miss Vynne is decidedly versatile and we should be glad to read "some longer and more ambitious effort in fiction from her pen. The book is, like all of Messrs Ward, Lock and Bowden's latest publications, beautifully printed and bound with a sober tastefulness which is particularly welcome in these days of garish covers.

" My Lady Botha," by Stanley J. Weyman. (Longman's Colonial Library; Melbourne : Messrs George, Robertson, and Co.). Mr Weyman, as in his " Story of Francis Cludde," noticed last week, again doserts his beloved France, and proves his capacity for making most readable fiction out of Continental history by casting the scenes of his new story in the long and bloodthirsty struggle known as " The Thirty Year's War." He is seemingly quite as an fait with German as with French local colour, and although "My Lady Botha" is not up to the high level of excellence of " A Gentleman of France "it is far above the average of modern fiction of the historical order, and is a most readable and enjoyable story. The story is that of the adventures of the Lady Botha of Heritzburg, as related by her faithful retainer, Martin Schwartz, and of hairbreadth escapes, of "battle, murder and sudden death," there is enough and to spare. The scenes in which takes part General Tzerclas, a "Free Campaigner" and a type of the scores of recklessly brave unprincipled military adventurers who came to the front in those days of constant intrigue and warfare, are depicted with a bold hand, and the horrors of the prolonged struggle are described with a realism which is very striking. Occasionally, however, there is a vagueness as to the sequence of some of the incidents. Can it be that Mr Weyman is writing too much ? We fear so, but in the strength of his character drawing the popular novelist shows a marked improvement. "My Lady Botha" is well worth reading and will, no doubt, in its cheap colonial edition, meet with as large a share of patronage as it has achieved in the Old Country. "A History of English Literature," by J. Logie Robertson, M.D. (Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons). There are so many excellent manuals on the subject which Mr Robertson discusses in the volume before' us, that at first sight one is inclined to wonder why yet another such work should have been published. But Mr Bobertson's book possesses distinct and merits of its own and is one which commends itself to the very favourable attention of headmasters of secondary schools, the teachers of upper standards in the primary schools, and of all students who have to take up the subject of English literature for their various examinations. The work has been specially prepared, the author tells us, to meet the requirements of candidates for the university, local, and other Home examinations, and it embodies " the practical experience of nearly twenty years teaching of the subject with which it deals." The arrangement of the matter is excellent, the use of two separate kinds of type allowing the book to be available both for advanced and ordinary instruction. Mr BobertsoU is informative and critical without being pedantic or erring, either in undue enthusiasm or captiousness, and the review of English literature from 449 to 1894 given by the book, is marked by a wise discretion in the allotment of space according to the importance of the writers dealt with. A capital index enhances the utility of an excellent educational work, the clear printing and stout and handsome binding of which are also to be commended. The work is one which will, no doubt, find its way into our New Zealand secondary schools,and those who are working for civil service examinations should not fail to possess themselves of a copy.

" Longmans' Geographical Reader fob New Zealand," edited by Robert Lee, Inspector of Schools." (London: Longman's and Green and Co; Wellington : Whitcombe and Tombs). This is another and most admirable educational work, which to use a hackneyed expression, " supplies a long felt want." Mr Robert Lee, the editor, has a long and varied experienced of educational work and he has prepared a book which should thoroughly interest the youthful student, conveying as it does, information concerning his own country in a very pleasant manner. Nearly every part of the Colony is described in the course of the reading lessons of J which the book is composed;

imaginary journeys are taken, and places of interest and natural features en route very ably depicted, both with pen and pencil, the illustrations of the cities and scenery of the Colony being very well done and adding much to the utility ar.d interest of the work. The editor acknowledges his indebtedness to his colleague, Mr T. R. Fleming, to Mr Edward Tregear (whose chapter? in Maori legend and life are very well written), to Sir Walter Buller, Sir James Hector, and others. Of the illustrations, which are numerous-and well chosen, we are pleased to say that they far surpass, in artistic excellence, any which we have previously met with in an educational work. Most of them are taken from photographs and are remarkably well produced by the half tone process. So far as we can see from a careful perusal of the book the only errors are a few " literal" misprints, and these, no doubt, can be readily rectified in future editions. Mr Lee is deserving of the highest credit for the way in which he has acquitted himself of a somewhat difficult task, and the publishers have ably seconded his efforts by producing a well printed, well illustrated, handy sized and strongly bound school book. We hope that it will not be long before this excellent work is to be found in every school in the Colony, G.W.