LITERARY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 67

LITERARY NOTES.

— "Sir John Tcnniel, His Life and Work," is to be the =u>\]eit of "The Easter x\rfc Annual," being the Spring Extra Number of the Art Journal ; Mr Cosmo Moukhouse has undertaken the letterpress, and' there will be aboiu V) lilunralici.s cf Tenniel"? worL.

— A complication of elegiac \c.se, evoked by the death of Queen Victoria, 111 which the poems of Sir Theodore Martin, Mr Thomas Hardy. Mr W E. Henley, and Mr George Mersdith will be included, and edited by Mr ,T. A. Hammerton. will be is^ued shortly by Messrs Horace Marshall and Co.

— Mr A. Brimlcy .Tohn-on announces that ho will publish shortly a work on the Afghan campaign of 1580. entitled "The Bombay Field Force, 18£0, and Battle of Maiwand r> The bock is fiom the pon of Major-General Sir John Hillo, R.E.. X C.B. Mam- inEhiuations have been thrown our .i<jiin«t [he ™. U ™S* and steadiness of the Bombay I'ield Force during the operations, and the o e it has been the author's object to refute. — r Henry Lucy has completed his uiaiy of the late Parliament, supplementing etruHer volumes going back to 187*. ' "TheDiary of the Unionist Parliament. 15951900, will be published by Mr Arrowsmith. It will be illustrated by over liaK-a-hundred sketches of tho principal mem-bei-3 of both Houses from the portfolio of Air t T. Reed, an arrangement* made passiole by the permission of the ptoprietoro of Punch.

—Mr Gilbert Parker, M.P for Graveeend, who has been making a tour of inquiry throug-i the pro\mcs of Dongola and up the IS. 110 as far as Khartoum, will return home shortly after Psrliament is opened. Mr Parker is writing a series of short stories tor an American paper, and it is probable that his experiences in Esrypt will be pubI'shed m England.

. — r B T Batsford announces a second issue of Mr Edwin O Sachs's monumental work Modern Opera Houses and Theatres." -Mr Sachs s work comprises three great folio volumes, with 220 plates and o%er 1000 illustrations. The first edition was issued 111 _ 1c95 and on to 169°, after having ye quired over eicht years' preparation. The now issue will be in no wLe inferior to the original.

— Air Maur,e° Hewlett r* engaged on a new novel c!ea.lm ? with Florence at the heiThl of her erpa'nc^s. He is a very sJov, and cot cientious worker— indeed, -i-vcnpul Yen r>r>'"> Xay" was entirely rewri'ten four tirrcs before it satisfied him; and the new nmc!. which at present bears the tit'e of "Tho Tuscan Crown," is not likely to be publisl-ed for some corsidcrable time.

— The puMn-ntion of Mr Ooorge iloore'-i new novel. "S'stpr Thc-resa " has been postponed, in order that "E\ elv-n Innes" might be re-touched, so that a continuous story might be presented in the two book?. It is understood that Air Moore has comoletely rewritten his carhfr uork. and that the plot and characters are considerably changed Meanwhile, a sixpenny edition of "EveVn Innp^" is announced by Mr T. Fisher Fn win

— How lone. one (say<= the Athenaeum) will the Pope and his ad\i*er* continue the somewhat mediaeval and rather futile process of p!:;einrr books on the Index' By the time the prohibited books aro =0 distinguished most people have read them, or have decided not to do so. as the case may be. Moreoicr, the mere fact of a book being placed on the Index gives it a fre-h lease of lifr — sometimes, indeed, nre sorting it from complete oblivion The new catalogue of books which "good Catholics" are not alWed to read is on Hie eve of publication, and will form a volume of 250 ]\i->c. If it gave in each ca*e reasons in e\lcn=o for prohibiting, the dangerous ■\olumes it would be interesting.

— A new and rr\ ised edition of two tvpiral stories by "Ouida." entitled respectively "A Rainy Juno" and "Don Gesualdo" will be miHisl.pd under the title "A Rainy •Tune," by Air Fisher Umvm. in his Colonial Library shortly. Tho former is an episode rorrerning an Kn2rli e h girl pnd her Italian husband. The <ude-h°hts of th© story aro vivaciously told, and the narrative, while hphig both intcre«tine; and attractive, remit* an obwous moral.- "Don Gesualdo" is n dramatic* narrative, -with the scene laid in Italy. The plot hangs upon the dilemma of a priest who has heard the confession of a murderer and wishes to save a young s>jrl wron;} fully accused without betraying his trust. He occomphshes 1119 obioct in a way which the author describes with her onn peculiar skill

Now is the time to secure uo\ cities for the flower garden. Send at once to Xnoro and Blair, Dunedin, for full particular^

— Confidence.— Mabel : "What do you think? You know my dear boy is playing {a the great football match?" Ethel: 'Yes, yes ! Go on." "Well, I have just had a •wire from him" (ecstatically). "What a pweet ! What delicate attention. Just listen : ' Got my nose broken ; got to get It set. Do you prefer it Greek or Roman, darling f '-'

— Insurance Agent: "We can't instire you" Old Man: "Why not?" — "You are 94 years old."— " What of that? Statistics ' will tell you that fewer men die at 94 than 1 at any other age." — Had a Reason — X. : "I say, old fellow, lend me a fiver, will you?" Y. : "Sorry, but , I'm not making any permanent imeatments 1 JUSV HOW."