LITERARY NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12551, 3 January 1903, Page 8

LITERARY NOTES.

— Messrs Mcthuen will publish shortly a new volume, by' George Paston, called "Sidelights on. the Georgian Period." This is a collection of short studies of certain phases and characteristics of the period from which the hook lakes ils. title. The volume will be illustrated with 16 reproductions from contemporary prints. . — Messrs'S.'C. Brown and Co., of Hoihorn, inform customers desirous of purchasing high-priced books that such may be had on tho instalment system, "whether from this catalogue or not." The application of tho hire-purchase system to Elzevirs and rare first editions. seems quaint, says the Globe, but it may answer. It will certainly prove attractive where tho purchase, of a fine library set is in question. .. •-. — Young people who take an interest in the heroic deeds .of "the brave days of old" will bo fasciriated with Professor Church's "Stories of- Charlemagne and the Twelve Peers of France." They will not tako the less "kindly to these stories when they find that it is'from the point of view of romance' rather than history that the subject is trea.to.di It is a work this in which instrilc4ion and entertainment go pleasantly hand in hand., . . — The Bishop of Einoa has written a work entitled "An" Introduction to the Study., of the Scriptures," which will bo published as a companion volume to .Messrs Dent's "Temple Bible." "Imake no secret of my own con- ! viotipn," Eays the writer, "thai;, though some j'critics, havo been rash and unskilful, tho ■ general rcsults'of what is called the higher criticism and its scientific methods will come to be accepted:" , — Tho Messrs Chambers havo issued an excellent series of books for young people, and they will bo. found all tho moro acceptably because of_ their bright binding and tractive illustrations. Mention may be made of a collection, of short stories by popular authors; under the title "Grit and Go"; ".Tack and. Black," a tale of rehool lifo and adventure'by'"Andrew Home; "Stan Lynn," a boy's ', adventures in China, by George Manville Fcnn; "A Plucky Girl," a story of experiences at home, and abroad, by May Balwin; "Girls -of the Forest" and "The Rebel of the School," written in Mrs L. T. Meade's happiest stylo; jntl "Miss Bouverie,". by,. Mrs Molcsworth, another favourite writer. — Whatever, pise' may be said about Zola's novels'.' there is' no doubt of their wonderful poularity in Prance. Most of his works years'a'go had far exceeded their hundredth thousand., "to Debacle" was one of those which sold best. The. total sales of the Rougon-Macquart series must havo amounted to nearly;' if not quite, two million copies. It Ira's been calculated that M. Zola had earned altogether by his pen some £80,000. This,- however,, spread ovor a period of 40 years', would- only represent about £2000 per annum—by.no means excessive pay for one of the most widely-read 'authors of his time. —'"I have'.bought tho 'Idler,'" Mr Robert Burr'tolls'us, "and I hope everyone else in England .will'do the same. It will cost you a simple sixpence: I paid a good deal more." Editors; Mr Borr goes on to remind us, havo always rooognisod the commercial value-of a list of. established names. Ho hopes, therefore, to present his readers with:articles, and stories by Tom Smith, ! Dick Jdnest and Hairy Robinson, when these i distinguished writers brace up and'let him have something ';' worth printing. Tho'troth, lie adds,.is thatjie does not care a rap for a great name, ,and he would rather print a good story 'by the unknown .Polly Perkins, of Paddington, 'than a poor yarn from the German '.Emperor of Berlin. On tho other hand, ho has no prejudice against a great name,, -nut it is the man and woman of the future, tho clever writer at present unknown, whom he .is after.—Glasgow Weekly Citizen. — If" we look back at the history of criticism we shall, find that every new form of genius was violently attacked, but we shall also find that it was appreciated with at least equal vehemence. I could bring forward passages to show that almost every dead writer of the nineteenth century, whom wo now recognise as great, was hold by his friends as equal or superior to the great °t old. This -was true, for example, of Cole-ridge,-of Wordsworth, of Tennyson, of CarI lylo,-aml the list might be greatly extended. ! Some few waited long, Browning especially, ; biit it must not be forgotten that tho recog- : nilion-of Browning's wife was a great thine;, and that it was' given very early, whim his fame'steadily grew, among the elect. Emerson ' understood Carlyle, Lamb understood Coleridge, Coleridge understood Wordsworth, and so the record lengthens.—Dr Robertson-Nicol. — "The Negro a Boast, or in tho Image of God?" is the startling title »of a book published in St. Louis,, and now being sold extensively in the' south. Its author, Mr Charles Carroll, announces on tho title-page that he "has'spent 15 years of his life and 20,000d0l in its compilation"; and the publishers advertise the work as "the greatest book.of : the century." Mr Carroll aims to show that tho negro is not human, but a. beast, "created with articulate speech and hands that he may bo of service to Jiis mas-ter-the white man."—Literary Digest (New York), .'-■'"