Untitled

Otago Witness, Issue 2426, 12 September 1900, Page 64

LITERARY NOTES.

— Messrs Ke°-an Paul announce thai the first of their "Westminster "Biographies" will bo "Browning," by Mr Arthur Wartgh.

— Messrs F. V. White and Co. will publish immediately a new novel by Mr _Willi«im Le Queux, entitled "An Eye for an Eye." — Much interest attaches to a now edition of "ChambeiVs Tuioyelo acedia of English Literature." Dv Tiie\cnd Gaiaett. one ci our mott accomplished scholars and critics, is prcminenily engaged in th\s woik. — Messrs Ward and Lock ore publishing a volume of stories by Mrs Clement Shorter under the title "The Father Confessor : Stories of Danger and Death."' — Hutchiiibon and Cp. will shortly publish "The Mesmerist," a iioaol by Mr B. L. Farjeon, and with it will be issued the dramatized version of the story.

■ — Mr Fisher Unwin will add to lilt «■ erics of " Builders of Groat Britain " a volume on Sir Stamford Raffles and his work for England in the Far East, by Hugh E. Egerton. — Mr Hall Caine's new story will commence in January next in a. new lady's magazine that Messrs C. Arthur Pearson, Liiniro'l, will then issue. The title of Mr Hall Caine's story will be "The Eternal City." — Tolstoi, who has recently undergone Ihe experience of excommunication from the Orthodox Christian Chinch on account of the opinions expressed in ''Resurrection," is now at work upon his new book, which will bear some s,ueh title as "The New Slavery."

— Mr Watts-button hab contributed an introduction to a new edition of Sorrow's "Lavengro." Mr Watts-Dutton was personally acquainted with Burrow, for whom hs. entertains a naturally enthusiastic admiration. — Mr Oliver Onions, on artint, is the author of the first novel in Mr John Murray's half-crown series. Its titlo is the "Complsat Bachelor," and is somewhat in the style of Mr Anthony Hope's society novels. It is the author's first attempt at novel-writing. —In view of the crisis in the Par "Bast, Messrs Cas&ell and Company have arranged to issue a cheap edition of " The New Far East," by Arthur Diosy. — " The Whistling Maid " is the title of a new Welsh story by Ernest Rhys, author of "The Fiddler of Came," and will appeal to thoee who appreciate the open-air charm of "The Forest Lovers." It will be issued shortly by Hutchinson and Co. — Mr William Heinemann lias, under the title of "Bowerytales," issued the lurid stories of New York slum life — " George's Mother " and "Maggie" — written by the late Stephen Crane. — Mr A. W. Pollard is assisting; Mr John Morley in the revision of the " Life " of Oliver Cromwell which he has written. The work will be published by Messrs Macmillan in the autumn. — Two monographs on Huxley will be forthcoming — one, by Mr P. Chalmers Mitchell, will appear in Messrs Putman's Sons,' "Leaders of Science" series ; the other, from the pen of Mr Edward Clock!, in the "Modern English Writers" series of Messrs Blackwood.

— Shakespeare's next biographer is to be Mr Israel Gollancz. the editor of the "Templo" Shakespeare. The biography, in fact, is to form the crown and complement of the "Larger Temple Shakespeare."

— Maurus Jokai, the Hungarian novelist, who is being made a great lion in Paris, musu even in these days be accounted a more than usually prolific writer. He has written some, 350 volumes — poetical works, 25 romances, six dramas, besides numbers of novelettes, reviews, and political papers. — Miss Elizabeth Robins, the clever actress and novelist, who has written a play for Mr Beerbohm Tree dealing with the life of Benvenuto Cellini, is the author of that very remarkable book, " The Open Question," which, ti eating of a very delicate subject in a striking and able manner, created quite a sensation' when it appeared anonymously a j'ear or two ago. — Admirers of Richard Jefferies will "/elcome the reprint of his novel, "The Dewy Morn," now issued in a cheap form by Me&srs Macmillan. The same publishers have included in their Prize Library, Charles Kingsley's delightful boob of description "At Last," and the still more delightful introduction to marine zoology which ho called "Clacus ; or The "Warden of the Shore." 7- Professor Walter Raleigh, of University College, Liverpool, has been appointed to the Chair of English Language and Literature in Glasgow University, vacant by the resignation of Professor Bradley. Professor Raleigh, ■nho was born in Glasgow, but was educated at University College, London, and King's, Cambridge, is best" known to the world of literature by his book on "The English Novel," and the little treatise on "Style," published three years ago. — A second and revised edition of " The Campaign of Waterloo," and "A Man of Mark," Antliony Hope's first novel, will be included in Messrs Mcthuen's sixpenny " Nov elisfc" series at an early date. Ths bpok which Mr Cutcliffe Hyne has edited for the benelii of the^war fund will be published under the title of " For Britain's Soldiers." The contributors are Messrs Alden, Besant, Crockett, Hornung, Hyne, Ridge, Wella, White, Wood, and Mrs Croker — Haiper Brothers will shortly issue the '" 'Overland' to China," by Mr Archibald R. Colquhoun, author ol" "China in Transformation," with ironti->picce, map&, plans, index, etc. The book is an account of the development of Asiatic Riissia, the construction of the Trans-Sibarian railway, and a study of the rapid ascendancy of Russian influence in China during the past few years. — One of the most inteiesting literary personages in France is certainly M. Ferdinand Biunetiere. The subsidence of the Dreyfus agitation lias, happily, permitted his return to questions, of pure literature, and jusi, at present M. Brunetiero is engaged on a task both pious and patriotic. He has deliveied three lectures — at Rome, at Besuncon, and, last, at Paris — upon different, aspects of Bos-suet's genius, and the proceeds of these lectures are to go towards erecting a statue of the great orator in his own cathedral at Mpaux. — That tireless gleaner in many fields, Mr J. Bolt Schooling, has republi&hed, in book form, the series of articles which he contributed last year to one of the popular magazines under the title " A Peep into Punch ',' (London: George Newnes). Never wos journalistio "gutting" done with more ability or discretion. Within the covers of this littlo volume there is provided a kind of Liebig's extract from Punch, retaining all the nourishing qualities in the smallest possible compahs, and accompanied by an intelligent commentary that wisely, leaves the pictures to speak for themselves.

— The admirable uniformity of the jiisfc completed "Dictionary of National Biography" its perhaps its most striking feature. IVir Leslie Stephen, the first editor of the dictionary, and one of its largest contributors, wrote the memoir of Addisoa as a model for con tributois to follow; audit was followed by Mr Stephen himself when, 15 years later, he. wrote "WordsworLli " for the last volume. Mr Sidney Lee, with whom the editorial honours OX the li?t seven or eight years rest, has been hhii&elE the heaviest cor.tiibutor. The memoirs he has written number 820, and would fill three volumes if arranged consecutively. y\i Thompson Cooper comes next with 14-22 shorter articles, equal to two volumes. Tha longest article in the "Dictionary" is Mr Lee's oa Shakespeare, and it may Eafely be said that everything known about the great dramatist has been collected and arranged by Mr Lee. The "Dicrionary" was fortunate in its first editor. Mr Leslie Stephen is pre-eminently a man of letters, a mellowed writer on literary themes, a man of broad grasp and balanced judgment. Twenty-one volume* were published under Mr Stephen's sole editorship, but in 1890, owing to ill-health, he associated witli biiYi^elf as joint-editor Mr Sidney Lee. Mr Lee, who is only 41, was born in London, and went to the City of London School before proceeding to Oxford. In addition to being an authority on national biography, he has found time to make himself an expert in Shakespeare and the Elizabethan drama generally.