LITERARY NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2471, 24 July 1901, Page 77

LITERARY NOTES

— The admirer* of Jean Ingelow will be glad to hear that, although there is little likelihood of an authorised "life" being published, ''Some P.eoolUctious of Jean Ingelow and Her Friends," which i» largely ot an imecdotal character, is the work of three friends of the late poet and novelist. — It may be remembered that some of the articles on "No Room to Live in tbe Villages," recently published by the Daily News, were from the pen of Mr Alfred T. Story, author of "The Martyrdom of Labour" and other works. Mr P-tory ha? iinee written a phort novel, Entitled "Master and Slave," which if. also designed to illustrate the cruel conditions of life in agiicultural districts to-day.

—At a three days' sale in London of rare books and MSS., which concluded on May 18, at Messrs Sotheby's, a peifect and fine copy of Spenser's "Faery Queene," 1590 6, with eight pages of >omiets only found in the earliest issue, realised £147. There were also the following: — Shakespeare, "Pericles, Prince of Tyre," 1635, £66; Rabelais, translated by Uiquhait and Motteux, a fine set of the excespively laic first edition in English, 1653 94, £55 10s; E. Spenser. "Complaints," 1591, first edition, £49 10s; R. R Sheridan, "The School for Scandal," 1 1778, £31.

— "Tennyson" will be the subject of the next volume of Messrs Dent's "Temple Crclopasdic: Primers." Tilis introduction h.\s bepn written by Mr M.oreton Lvce. with the abject of "not only seiting forth the poet's life and work, but also to enable its leadeis.to appreciate more fully the great poetic art of which Tennyson was a master." A shoit biography opens th< j volume. In an appendix is given some account of a hitherto unpublished poem. Emerson's "Representative Men" — the third volume of the "Temple" Emerson — will be included in Messrs Dent's Temple Classics. It will ba edited by Mr Walter Jerrold ; and a portiait of Emerson as a young man will form the frontispiece. — The name of Miss Franeesoa Alexander will be familiar to the disciples of John Ruskin, for the reason that he edited severs! of her books. One of these, "Christ's Folk in the Appennine," is about 10 be puh l shed in a new edition by Mr George Allen. As a frontispiece it will contain a repnxhiction of Miss Alexander's picture cf Polism na, which Ruskin purchased many year' ago. The author is fctill living ;n; n Florence, pvd is as energetic as ever in her philanthropic schemes. She gives to charities all the profits that she makes from books in which she is financially interes — The fourth annual i.-suo of Mr TT. T Jane's "All the World's Fightiag Ships" will be published imm3'.H.Uciy Ly Messrs Sampson Low. This new eOmon w'.! ; iiot be limited to the photograph?, rlans, and \ particulars of every warship in tJ c M-orld, but will include a number if ailiclcs by distinguished naval officers, British and foreign; and among the wricors are tr c Grand Duke Alexander ot Russia. Piince Henry of Prussia, Prince Louis of Battenberg, Admiral Cervera, aad Colonel Cr.aiberti, the clever Italian naval architect. In the section devoted to rubiuarines it is curious to learn that the most trenchant arguments against those vessels are put forward by a French Admiral, for the French ha\e done more than any other uic.v. n to * ] opu larise" them. —It is with a volume on asparagus that Mi John Lane will commence a new series of handbooks of practical gardening, under the general editorship of Mr Harry Roberts. The writer of this book, Mr Charles Ilott, i§ lecturer oa horticulture to the Cornwall

County Council. Loveis of that delectable esculent will be glad to hear that the author cannot understand why asparagus «'-ould be io expensive. He maintains <hat it cut be grown \ery cheaply and with comparati\toaae. T'-e next volume in the series lelates to the greenhouse, and is written by Mr J. C. Tallack, of Shipley Hall MiLane is also pieparing for uiimed'-ite publication "My Vicarage Gar.lon," by Cv 110:1 Eilacombe, and "A Garden in tr.3 .^uburbi," by Mrs Leslie William*. — Mr Aithur Symoiii, in his dedication to Mr W. B. Yeats of his recent book on "The Symbolist Mo\ement in Literature, '" cplle, D'Annunzio "the 'one new foi'ce m Italy." The Pilot— a journal which devotes care and ability to its treatment of literature-— had an article on "The Failure of D'Anni. nzio," which -was an almost unqualified condemnation of the author tf (he Romances of the Pomegranate and the Kc«e. Between such ipp^site verdicts no cue can presume to judge who is unable <■••, appreciate the power of D'Annunzio's style in his own language. Imagine persons ignorant of English arguing about the literary rank 01 Mr Swinburne's "i'ooms aid Ba \os. Euncertainly the translations from D'Annunzio in French and English must appear to many to show that nothing but the magic of his Italian could justify the position now commonly accorded to him in contemporary European literature. ' — For the cheap edition >of "The Northwest Passage," by Lord Milton and D' 1 Cheadle, which Messrs Cassell and Company will publish. Dr Cheadle Las' prepared some notes as an appendix, in which he points out that most of the changes forecasted by the authors have come to pas^. An interesting sidelight on the weird epieode of the "Headless Indian" is also given, which proves beyond doubt the accuracy of what was believed to be only a traveller's tale."' Some account of the authors of this remarkable book may be of interest at a time when it is placed within universal reach by the issue of a- popular edition at 2-:. Lord Milton died in 1878, H years after his return from his adventurous journey aero 1 -? the Rocky Mountains. He was twice returned to the House of Commons as member for the West Riding of Yorkshire, a constituency where a former Lord Milton won the celcbiated election in conjunction with Wiiberforce. Before long, however, the fascinations of free life in the Far West drew him across the Atlantic again, and he spent much of his later life in America — at one time on the shores of Lake Superior ; afterwards he made his home on the slopes of the Alleghanies in Virginia. He married in 1867 Miss Beauolerk, one of the most beautiful and charming women of her time — who survived him for a few years only. His father, the present Karl FifczWilliam, still lives at the venerable age of 85. His son, the Viscount Milton of today, inherits the adventurous and enterprising spirit of his father. He has travelled extensively, and fcr the last year has been on active service in South Africa. He has lately returned safe and sound to his duties as member for the Wakefield Dnisiou of Yorkshire.