LITERARY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2525, 6 August 1902, Page 59

LITERARY NOTES.

—Mr Michael Davitt, who was with the Boers in the early months of the war, has embodied his experiences in a volume entitled "'The Boer Fight for Freedom." The book, which will be issued early this month, is partly intended as a reply to Dr Conan Doyle's vindication of the British side. The publishers (Messrs Funk and Wagnalls) candidly describe Mr Daiitt's volume as "a smiting denunciation of British policy in relation to the Dutch Republics."

— Coronation literature still keeps pouring from the press. The latest book of this^ class, which is promised by Messrs Isbisterp. is "The Crowning of Monarchs." by Dr* Purey-Cust, Dean of York, a little volume giving a historical resume of the Coronations of past Kings and Queens of England, from William the Conqueror to her late Majesty, with an account of the origin of many of the customs, both ancient and modern, observed in connection with toe ceremony. I

— Perhaps no series of Gifford Lectures at any of the four Scottish universities has attracted such attention as those delivered at Edinburgh last winter by Professor James, the distinguished occupant of the Chair of Philosophy at Harvard, and the author of "Principles of Psychology" and other notable works on mental science. Professor James's leccnt lectures at Edinburgh will be published shortly by Messrs Longmans, under the title of "The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study of Human Nature."

— The great position which the sixpennyreprint now holds with English readers is indicated by a list which Messrs Denny, the well-known Strand booksellers, have just issued. It contains the titles of over 500 no\ els, each to be had in paper covers for the modest sum of 4id. A number of these reprints are by the Old Masters — a Scott, a Dickens, or a Reade — but the multitude are by living writers. To look over the list (says the Daily Chronicle) is to find how easily one can become possessed of nearlyall the successful novels of recent years.

— The first number of a new quarterly review of religion, theology, and philosophy will appear in October. It will be issued under the sanction of, and with the support of, the Hibbert Trustees, and will be called "The Hibbert Journal." There will be an editorial board, of which Dean Stubba, Dean Kitchin, Canon Cheyne, Dr John Watson (lan Maclaren), Principal Drummond, Sir Edward Russell, Dr Oliver Lodge, and Professor Percy Gardner are members. The editor will be Mr L. P. Jacks, and Messrs Williams and Norgate will publish the quarterly. — The Rev. Dc Adamson, of Windermere, has for some considerable time been engaged on the life of Dr Parker, of the City Temple) and Messrs Inglia, Ker, and Co., of Glasgow, hope to publiih it early in September. As the life-long friend of Dr Parker, Dr Adamson has had a unique intimacy with him, no,t only in his public work, but in hifc social and private life. Much fre-sh and interesting matter hitherto unpublished will appear. Dr Adamson's successful works on Principal James Monson and Dr Fergus Ferguson bespeak the claims of the forthcoming biography as one of exceptional literary merit.

■ — A series which threatens to rival in extent the many-hundred-volumed "Bolm" i 3 announced by Messrs D. C. Heath and Co.. London. It is to be entitled the Belles Lettres Series, and will include English classics from the tenth to the twentieth century. The scheme will ultimately embrace many departments of English literature, but for the present only three sections are announced. The first of these will deal with English literature from its beginning till 1100, and will be under the general direction of Professor Miles Brown, of Cincinnati University; Professor Flugel, of Stanford University, will deal with Middle English literature; and Professor Pierce Baker, of Harvard, will be general editor of the section devoted to the English drama from its beginning to the present day. For those sections no fewer than 88 volumes have been already arranged for. The English writers engaged include Mr Sidney Lee, Mr Austin Dobson, Mr \Vm. Archer, and Professor Herford.

— Among the men of his own time that Sir Walter Besant met at Cambridge Uni\er«itj, as lie i^cords in his autobiography, "Incomparably the most brilliant, the finest scholar, the most remarkable man irom every point of \iew, was Calverley. He was the hero of a hundred tales; all the audacious tiling*, all the witty things, all the clever tilings were fathered upon him. It is 40 \ear-s since his time, and no doubt the same iiudaiituF. lopiirti'e-J, and tilings of uiu'xpefttdnoss which in\er die lia\o been fnt'ieicd upon others, his Mterc-'-sors in brilliant talk and scholarship But consider, «o a lad like myself, the delight of knowing a man who was not only the finest scholar of hi-, year — wiiting Latin versos which oven to oyes like mine wore charming— biu a man wlio (ould play and *>ing with a giace and ,wpetnc«s quite chwne. as it seemc-d to me; who could make paiodies the moat ridiculous and burlesques the most absurd ; whose English veri-es wore as delightful as his Latin; who was always sympathetic, always helpful, always considerate." — Alfred Kdward Woodley Mason, the novelist, was born 37 years ago. His. fechool days were spent at Dulwich, from which place he went on to Trinity College, Oxford. In turn Mr Mason has been many things Fiom 1838-94 ho was a member of the F. R. BiMison Dramatic Company. Then for 12 months he acted as a political agent, this bring followed by a church secretaryship. His career as a novelist was commenced in. 1895, when he published "A Romance of Wantdale,"' this being followed by "The Courtship of Mor rice Bucbler," a book that created a great impression among readers of fiction. This no\el was dramatised and produced at the Grand Theatre, Islington. "Parson Kelly" (with Mr Andrew Lang) and "Miranda of the Balcony" were both written in 1899. Among the young writers of romance lie is far the beet; and his \iews on the subject of romance-writing are distinctly useful. — The Unit Library, which is now being issued in weekly volumes, seems to have "Q*uj»u.t o»j" as its American origiuaton

would s?y. Mr Bel Inoft, who I»?9 &f.vg^ of thw puhl : «!:!ng arrangements in Ij.gianifv expressed hinself as more than satisfied with( the results of the novel enterprise, which he; thus described to an interviewer: — "Wo" reckon up the number of pages in a txiok," he said. "We then prico it at a penny, for every 25 pages, and we add on a suni for the binding. This sum varies according to the binding. For the paper wrapper it is Id, for the cloth cover sd, and for thei leather binding Is 2d. The result, to teka a case in illustration, is that the next volume, the 'Autocrat at the Breakfast Table,' will cost 7d in paper, lid in cloth, and Is 8d in leather." Two rules are acted upon in choosing volumes for inclusion in the Unit Library — they must be hall-markeo; literature, and at the same time readabla by the "man in the street." Occasionally recent and copyright books are to be issued, as. for example, Mr Laird Clowes's volume, "Some Modern Naval Campaigns," which will appear soon.

— It has become a fashion of late to speak of ''Loma Doone" as Mr Blackmore's best work, but the truth is that the author always expressed surprise at this preference. He considered that much of nis other worlrf £was at least equal, and in' many respects superior, . to "Loma Dooue," not only as regards style, but in dramatic interest. An author may, of 'course, be* allowed to have his personal prejudices" as- rregards his own • work; but in this instanVe/liis^earlier critics fully confirmed his own opTnion. It is only of late that a younger generation, of critics has maintained "Lonia Doone" alone in the fr-ont rank and left the other works nowhere. This is. doubtless duo to the fact that "Loma Doone" has been brought so • prominently before a large public by the enormous sale of its first issue in, the sixpenny form, an advantage which none of the other work( (except "Clara Vaughan") have yet had. Messrs Sampson Low, Marston, and Co, now propose to print several of Air Black. moro's other novels, beginning with "Springhaven," which "the novelist con. sidered his masterpiece, and followed a( intervals by "Cradock Nowell," "Chnsto well." "Alice Lorraine," "Mary Anerley" and "Cripps the Carrier."