LITERARY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2396, 1 February 1900, Page 65

LITERARY NOTES.

— Messrs Chatto are contemplating an English edition of Zola's "Fecondite."

— Mr Grant Richards has published a sort, of "edition de luxe" of "Helen's Babies" — that amusing book by Mr Habberton which .=et us all laughing many years ago. —Mr D. J. O'Donoghue, the author of the "Life of Clarence Mangan " and other works, is bringing out a new and enlarged edition of his "Dictionary of Irish Poets," the first part of which will appear early in the new year.

— Sir Spencer St. John, G.C.M.G., has writtei a life of the old rajah, "Sir James Brooke," for the Builders of Great Britain series published by Mr Unwin. Sir Spencer was admirably fitted for the task, having served for seme time under the rajah. — Mr Herbert Cole has illustrated with over 100 drawings a new edition of "Gulliver's Travels," which Mr Lane will have ready for publication very shortly. The artist is so far best known by his contributions to the Pall Mall Magazine. — Messrs Greening have published "Shams," and iVJetsrs Smith and Son have refused tc circulate it. The morality of the book, which, though anonymous, is said to be by a popular novelist, who has taken real characters as models, is the obstacle.

—Mr Edmund J. Sullivan has made 50 full-page drawings to illustrate Lord Tennyson's ''Dream of Fair Women, and other Poems." This volume is to be published at the beginning by Mr Grant Richards. ' Shortly afterwards an edition de luxe will be ready, consisting of 200 copies, each signed by the artist.

—Mr Kegan Paul, the veteran publisher, is about to publish an autobiographical volume under the title of ''Memories of the Past." In the course of his career Mr Paul has been brought into close contact with many men of note, including Tennyson (whose works his firm at one lime published), Tyndall, Huxley, and Cardinal Manning. — Alike from its authorship and the personages which figure in its pases, Mr Thomas Arnold's reminiscences will be of unusual interest. As son of Dr Arnold, brother of Matthew Arnold, and father of Mrs Humphrey Ward. Mr Arnold's volume — which is to be entitled "Passages in a Wandering Life" — is assured wide acceptance. — A volume of the late James Payn's essays will shortly be published by ' Messrs Smith, Elder, and Co., under the title "The Backwater of Life" — sufficiently suggestive, seeing that James Payn ior many years viewed Ins cheerfully from a sick room. Mr Leslie Stephen, who writes from intimate personal knowledge, prefaces a memoir.

— Me&sr-s Methuen announce a new novel by Mr George Gissing, "The Crown of Life," which takes its readers into an atmosphere of greaier elevation than the author's iibual choice. It is. in fact, a modern romance, with a strong love interest, and the happenings and (he aim« of tho day are discussed with Mr Giesing's usual boldness and insight.

— Several "Lives" of Sir Rediors Buller are. it is undcistood, in preparation, and one at least is m the printer's hands. The tuithor delivered the whole "copy" of the book within a fortnight. But this record was beaten by Mr Il'.I I . A. MacKenzie, who finished his "Life of lCruger," which is .so prominent on ilio bookstalls at present, in something under 10 days. .

— Sir George Douglas, whose "Life of the Etlriek Shepherd" was issued only the other da}*, has edited and written an introduction Jor Me-hV- (.lioening's forthcoming vow edition of "Ringan Gilhaize," John Gait's interesting novel. There has bern no edition of

"Kinijan Gilliaize 1 "' published since 1823, &o this- leprint v ill come as a nev book to the majority of readers.

— Mr William H. Appleton, the doyen of American publishers, senior member ol the

house of D. Appleton and Co., hd 3 died at New York, mi the age of 85 years. Mr Appleton wap well knoAvn to many English men of letters and science. His association with Briti'h authors began with Thomas Moore, and hi& pcquahitanee with English publisher 1 .: went back to the lifetime of the elder Murray, the founder of that house.

— A number of years ago Mr J. W. Dawson wrote a book, "Makers of Modern English," dealing with the poets alone. It has been republished with the more correct title, "Makers of Modern Poetry," and Mr Dawson has j n3 l issued a companion A'olume, "The Maker 1 ? of Modern Prose ; a Popular Handbook to the Greater Prose "Writers of the Century" (Hodder and Stoughton). He promises a third, "The Makers of Modern Fiction."

— The seventh volume of the "Over Seas Library" is announced by Mr Fisher TJmvin for publication. It is entitled "A Wide Dominion,'' the author being Mr Harold Bindloss, a gentleman Avith a A*ery extensive knowledge of foreign countries. In this book he ha& attempted to show "lioav the rank and file live and work in that wide dominion which stretches westward from Labrador to the blue ■Pacific, because, haA'ing dwelt a space Avith them, he knows the conditions under Avhich it f is done."

— Many anecdotes of interesting events and personalities of the musical world are promised in a book Avhich Messrs Sands will issue immediately. It is entitled "Recollections of an Old Musician," the author beir>(? an American, Mr Thomas Ryan. His reminiscences extend over 50 years, and among the famous persons concerning whom he has recollections are Jenny Lind, Jules Benedict, Hector Berlioz, Strauss, Rubenstein, Christine Nilsson, and Booth, the actor. —Mr Frederic Lees, who has translated M. Edouard Foa's fascinating book, "After Big Game in Central Africa," is the correspondent in Paris of the Westminster Gazette and the Daily Graphic. In 1898 he published "The Disaster," translated from the French of P. and V. Margueiitte, a work which has met with much acceptance. Mr Lees comes of a family well known in the political and literary circles of the North of England, being the grandson of the late Dr F. R. Lees, of Meamvood.

There appeared recently the book, announced some time ago by Messrs Longman, Avhich tells the history of Lord Lytton'p Inuian Administration. It lias been compiled by his daughter, Ladj T Beltj r Balfour, the Avife of the Secretary for Ireland., from letters and official papers. The letters referred to are those which Lord Lytton Avrote on Indian affairs while he was Viceroy — that is to say, not priA r ate letters. The period of Indian Administration dealt with is' from 1876 to 1880 — certninly an interesting time. It saw the proclamation of the Queen as Empress of India, and the rise of the "ForAvard Policy."

—In giA-ing us an English "Life" of BenA'enuto Collini, the author of "The Life of Kenelm Digby" (avho still elects to remain anonymous) will, at least, be presenting us with something which (if it is collected aright) we do not possess already. There haA-e been, of course, several translations of Collini's autobiography, the latest and the best of which — that by J. Addington Symonds — first published in 1888, has run through several editions. Those of Nugent (1771) and Roscoe (1822) have been quite superseded by SymoncU's. But a handy and adequate biography of Collini in English is yet to come, and it is only hoped that it Avill be supplied in the forthcoming A'olume.

— The late Mr Thomas Purnell ("Q" of the Athenaaum) Avas probably upon terms of personal intimacy Avith a greater number of distinguished men than any other literary Bohemian of his time, and when he died, 10 years ago, he left behind him a copiouslyannotaterl, though unarranged, selection from his epistolary correspondence with some of the most illustrious personages of the latter half of the century. Under his own title of "Letters from My Contemporaries," it i& proposed shortly to publish this collection, which includes letters from Tennyson, Swinburne, Mazini (whom he introduced to the poet), Darwin, Sir Duffus Hardy, and a host of others.

— The. late Miss Florence Marryat had many stories of her father, although he died Avhen she Avas quite a child. Captain Marryat, she used to sa3*. much regretted in after years the "fast tone" ol his first novel, "Frank Mildmay" — produced Avhen he was under 21 — and always sorrowed that he had written it. He always Avrote Avith everyone about him in the room, and no amount of conversation seemed to interfere with the ready flow of his thought. The night befoie his death he dictated these words: — "Christianity must be implanted in the breast of youth ; there must be a bias towards it giA'en at the early age. It is now half-past 9. World, adieu!" Early next morning he was dead.

It is delightful to see Miss O'Connor Eccles has at last admitted the authorship of "The Rejuvenation of Miss Semaphore," one of the funniest books of modern times. In fact, it is as funny as "Three Men in a Boat," with, perhaps, a subtler touch, an essence of femininity 'which half persuades the reader into forgetting the delicious absurdity of the whole thing. Now, as Mr Pickwick would say, "why in the name of all that's inflammable" isn't it known over the length and breadth of the laud? People are Availing aloud for humour, sitting on Jacob's and Pett Ridge's and Jerome's doorsteps asking for it. "The Rejuvenation of Miss Semaphore is quite as funny as anything that has been written for years past, and yet the crowd doesn't know it. _ Buy, good people, buy, and, like Oliver Twist, ask for more. People never do see what is right under their noses. — Wentworth Smee, in Sunday Sun.

— A portion of the library of the lale Mr H.'Bendelack Hewetson, F.G.S., of Leeds, has -just beon sold at Sotheby's. The books catelogued included works on art, archaeology, and natural history, the most important of which was an incomplete copy of Audubon's "Birds of America." This was bought by Mr Quaritch at £30. On the same occasion a record price wa.s paid by Mr R. Waid ior one of the publications of the Kelmscott Press, tine "Woiks of Geoffrey Chaucer," published three years ago by William Morris fit £20. It was ornamented by pictures by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and with i-ome beautiful woodcut border and initial lettei-b designer! by Morris himself. The volume hap on steadily increasing in commercial value, until at Lhe above the record price of £60 was reached. The "Chaucer was one of a complete ket of the Kelmscott Press publications, which, s>et in separate items, realised a total of nearly £500. Tho original published price of a set wss something under £150.

—At present the book in moat demand at all the libraries is Mr Fit/.patrick's "The Transvaal from Within." Since Lord Rosebery, in his speech at Bath, advised liit. hearers to study Mr Fitzpatnc'k's book, thai wider audience who did not hear, but v. ho haAe read his speech, seem straightway to have taken his advice, at least as many of them as could lay hands on the book. It is certainly the most topical book of the hour, and has enough incident and blood-curdling detail

to make it rival the most realistic fiction* Lord Rosebery assures us that it seems to him "to bear on every page and in every sentence the mark of truth,'" and with thia certificate from this authority it is not surprising that the book is more talked about than almost any other of recent times. It is terrible reading, and makes one's blood boil with indignation, not only at the Boers, but at some people who are more "sib" to us. All or any literature relating to the Dark Continent is in demand just now, and at the libraries there is not a book on African travel to be got — they are all out.