LITERARY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2410, 10 May 1900, Page 64

LITERARY NOTES.

— "The Harvesters" is the title of Mr J. S. Fletcher's new novel, which Mr John Longhas ready lor immediate publication.

—Mr Stephen Phillips's play "Paola and Francesca"' has had a remarkable sale for such a, work. It is now in the eighth thousand.

■ — Mr Rowland Ward will eaortly publish a finely illustrated volume on "'Spore in Central Asia," by Prince Demidoff, the author of "Hunting Trip? in the Caucasus."

— The new editor of the People's Friend in succession to the late Mr Andrew Stewart is .Ml- David Pae. Mr Pae's father was the first editor of the pape. 1 .

— Sir Edward ivussall's volume of reminiscences, published under the title "That Reminds Me."' is to be issued in a third edition immediately by Mr Unwln. — ilcsars Methuen will publish directly _a book on ''The Boer States," by Mr A. H. ICeai.e, which claims to give an impartial account fir.-t of the land, then of the people.

— Mi 1 John Lane's "Flowers of Parnassus" series of illustrated booklets will shortly receive an accession in Browning's "The Staluo and the Bust." The illustrations are by .Mr Philin Connard.

— i cheap edition of Dean Plumptre's Life of Dauls is to be published by Isbister and Co. as a companion to their very charming popular edition of jciumptre's translation of the poet's works. — The new volume of War Songs which is about lo be included in the " Canterbury fofct.-*," published by Walter Scott, will be a companion volume to the naval anthology which recently appeared in the same series. — ilr Fisher (Jnwin will shortly publish a bonk entitled "Mr Thomas Atkins," _by the Rev. E. J. Hardy, the author of "itow to bs Happy Though Married." It is a story of the "Absent-minded Beggar," and depicts every phase of barrack life. — The first weekly number of an entirely new work, entitled Illustrated History of the Boer War," will maize its appearance shortly. II will contain a comprehensive narrative of the campaign in South Africa, profusely illustrated. — Messrs Hutchinson are publishing immediately the second volume of M. Imbert de Sain t-A mand'& new seiies. It is entitled "Napoleon HI and His Court," and deal? with the time of ins marriage up to the birth of the Prince Imperial. This period covers the Crimean war, of which the author gives a precis. —Mr W. E. Henley is enjoying better health now than he has done for j-ears, and he is able to get through a considerable amount of literary work daily. He ha 3 just finished his "appreciation" of Mr T. E. Brown for tho collection of that poet's works which iJessrs Macmillan have nearly ready.

— Mr Marston, of the firm of Messrs Sampson Low, Marston, and Co., was one of the late Mr Blackmore's oldest friends; and, being in a position to speak with authority, the,:c is no doubt that his announcement in tho Publishers' Circular that there will be no "Life" of Blackmore may be taken as definite. This is in accordance with Mr Blackmore's expressed wish. —Mr Percy White's new story, "The Heart of the Dancer," published by Mr Rutchinscn, has for its hero a military msa whose professional character sesms to bs moulded on that of Lord Kitchener, as described by Mr Steevens. The army i? his passion ; all human interests are crushed under the Juggernaut-

car of routine,

— The next volume of the Siddal Edition of Dante Gabriel Ttossetti's works will be the first of a series of four containing his miscellaneous poems. The forthcoming volume, which will he issued in March, contains "Dante at Verona," "Sifter Helen," "The Blesoed Damoael," "Stratton Water," and a number of shorter poems and sonnets. — Colonel Baden-Powell is the popular hero of the moment, and everything he dees oi has done is interesting. Therefore a ready sale is assured for the cheaper editions of a couple of his books which Methuen and Co. announce. "The Downfall of Prempeh" and "The Matabele Campaign" contain Colonel Baden-Poivell'b experiences on active service in 1895 and 1896. •

— The seventh and eighth volumes of Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff's voluminous "Noreb From a, Diary" will be published shortly by Mr John Miuray. These two volumes contain, besides other matters, a description of the author's two trips to Palestine. It is proposed to cai'ry the work up to the end of this year, so that it will form a continuous recoid of hall a century.

- — Of "The Story ot the Notions" series a new volume is announced — ''A Bistory of Modern Italy 150 Years Ago," by Professor Oi'hi, of Venice. To write a continuous history of Italy at; a whole has baffled all men, and Profe&aei" Or&i's volume will only tieat of the genesis oi the modern nation within the last century and a-half. Two others — one on ilio Tvecaii Republics, one on Tenice — will be needed to complete the story.

— "The Love of an Uncrowned Queen" is the titla ol a new work by Mr W. T±. Wilkiiis, which Messrs Hatchinson are about to issue, [t tells for the first time, from original ar.d authentic documents, the story of Sophie Dorothea of Celle, Consort of George I, the "'uncrowned Queen" of England. Many of the lo\ c letters which passed between Sophie Dorothea and Count Konigsmarck will be republished from the originals. — A second edition of the first vgUuftg of

Dr Walter Leaf's edition of the "Iliad" ia now published by Messrs Macmillan. The notes have been largely re-written, and an apparatus critieus and appendices added. Account has been taken of the many contributions to Homeric scholarship made within the 13 years since the book first appeared, and enough is altered or added to give it claim to rank almost as a new work, but the editor's fundamental conclusions on the Homeric problems haA-e not been materially altered. —Mr Leslie Stephen's work in. three volumes on "The English Utilitarians" is to be published shortly by Duckworth and Co. Among other works promised by the same firm we may mention Pr.ofess.or C. H. Hereford's translation of Ibsen's play, entitled — in English — "Lcrve's Comedy" ; a volume of Elizabethan lyrics, to which the editor, Mr Fitzroy Carrington, gives the title "The Queen's Garland" ; and "The Life of Charles Francis Adams,'' by his son. — Another volume each of Tennyson and Browning has been added to the Temple Classics. The former contains the poems of 1842, and "Maud," with the attendant poems of 1855. The latter is made up of "Pauline," the "Dramatic Romances and Lyrics," and "Christmas Eve and Easter Day." Mr Buxton Forman's note reminds us Vnat Browning did his best to suppress "Pauline," published when he Avas 21, and that the second section *iii this volume originally formed Nos. 3 and 7 of the "Bells and Pomegranates" series. —Mr C4ranfc Richards announces the publication of a Avork which il is confidently expected will be found to possess great interest for loA'ers of parish history, archaeology, folklore,, topography, and rural life. In "Annals and Memories of a Yorkshire Parish," its author, Mr J. S. Fletcher, Avill present the result of 25 years of careful observation and research concerning the life and, history of I one of tho most important agricultural vilj lages in Yorkshire, the annals of which date I back to a period long pre-existent to the j Norman Conquest. The Avork Avill deal with j the hiitors' of Darrington. j — By the death of Mr Traill another gap j is made in the now rapidly-diminishing numI bor of those whom Mr John Morley saw 20 j or more years ago gathered around him as | contributors to the English Men of Letters , seriss. Of the 30 Avrilers who were responj sible for ihe 33 volumes of Avhick the series consists, 14 are dead — namely, YTilliam Black, R. H. Button. J. A. Symonds, Dean Chuich, Anthony 'I'rollope, Mai'k Pattison, J. A.

Iroude, Mrs Oliphanl, Professors Huxley, Nichol. pud Minio. Piiucipal Shairp, J. Cotte,' Slorison, and now Mr Traill, who wrote the monographs on Coleridge and Sterne. — The influence of the war upon the book trade, says the Literary "World, is not easily gauged. ' Some books are evidently- being held back from publication until it is over, under ths impreotion that the public would neglect them ii issued while it is in progress. But whether this policy is a wise one cannot so easily be determined. In the case of fiction, and works dealing with military subjects, there seems no reason to apprehend neglect, bus rather increased attention. One . conclusion, at least, may be deduced from the experience of the .American book trade daring the war with Spain. The slight depression that wa? noticeable while it lasted was inoro than compensated by the great impetus to the trade since its conclusion. — Napoleon Benaparce appears in the ILuch Century in.ajiew role — that of a temperance advocate. In the second instalment of Dv O'Meara s hitherto unpublished "Talks with IST.ipoleon'" at St. iielenn, it is recorded that, having a pain in his side, the ex-Empe-ror asked his physician to show him where his liver was situated ; and the latter, in some remarks on the cause ct inflammation of that organ, mentioned intoxication as one of them. Thereupon Napoleon remarked: "Then I ought not to have it, as 1 never was drunk but once in my life, and that was o/i — t- t d

cii year= ago. k.l !Nice. . . . rank thres bottles of Burgundy, and was completely fli-nnk. Oh, hew sick I was the next day ! I wonder how a man who once gets drunk can ever think of doing it again. Such headache, vomiting, and general sickness,. I was nearly dead for two days."