LITERARY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2569, 10 June 1903, Page 69

LITERARY NOTES.

— The King of Italy, who is one of the KKx»t ciitluuiastic coin collector*, is about to bung out a work on the subj^rl that will cost £20,000. It will ha a complete histc ry of Italian moneys — Encouraged by the suoccas of thp-u comi>leto i«>pi!nt of the novels of G. P. R Join's, Messrs Kou'ledgo ha\e a. ranged to publish similar mYuius of t lie no\cJ* of James Grant (52 volume.-) and Captain Mayns "-tci.l (52 -lolu.nc-). —In a hook which will l>e published shortly by Mc-or- SuinpvDn low, Marst' n, ard Co., entitled "Oh\t>r Cromwell, 11. H., the 1,/ord Protector, and tho Royalist livurlection of Manh. 1655," Sir Reginald Palf.<ra\e pubhslvo the contemporary e\ ider.ee that ho has <o!!ect<-d prowug Oliver Ciomwell's complicity in the. insurrection — PiofcL-or Bury's "History of Greece" n now pubhij'ied m an abridged edition for beginners by Me^i-, Macinillan. The general proportion of the work is maintained, and e-nough ha« been left of the opeiiina; chapters, dealing with primitive < lvihs-ation in Mycenaean da\", to help boys to understand Komer a? l*ifcy 'have nener befoie Lad the chaiiLs. to to. — Lh- Grevil'e ha- wntten a book which \wll appear ohortly dealing with the relation* between f-cicnce aud religion. Dr Macdonald, who is well known as a specialist, is a son ol the fainom novelist, Dr George Macclonald, who ii now in advanced years. The novelist sprut tho winter in his ton's houo°. at Hask-mci". H« is in fairly good Lealth, but will n<u<r write again. — "Tho New N'tion" in o book about the Australian Comiuoinw-a tli. published by Mes^fr Smith, Elder It ie a LLi-tch cf the prc-ent conditions of life, and of the e<oiorr.ic and political outlook in the i^aud continent. In a *!•< use. therefore, it is an attempt to do for Federated Australia what Mr Circa did for tho American Commonwealth. The

author is Mr Percy F. Rowland, late scholar of Hcrtfoid College, who bases the \^ork on seven years of colonial urban life. —Mr F. B. Sanboru's recollections o£ Emerson, wirh, his account of Emersca'cs individuality, viewed after a long and intimate acquaintance-, will be published by Mr Goocfepecd, of Bosteon, U.S., shortly". This record of table-talk, conversations', anecdotes, and impressions, now first made public, will be of exceptional interest to the admirers of Emerson, tho ctne-hundrefch, anniversary of whose birth was eelebiat.d on May 25. As illustrations will be g.ven an ttohing by Sidney L. Smith from, tho (standing) portrait of Emerson painted! by Da\id Scott in Edinburgh in 1848, auct facsimiles of two letters. — Some Amencaa critics ha\e reccintlyi been declaring that Edgir Allan Toe is, after all, the most distinguished literary genius that tho United .States h.is pioduced. There they aro right ; and it ig probab!e that any reluctance there may ha\a been to admit it is due to the fact thtib Poe's genius was so little American. Ah'ke in prose nnd pootiy, his literary alriDit;es were to be sought in Europe. In America he was isolate!: his character, genius, ay.dl susceptibilities all kept h.m apart from liis fellows. DcubtLess he would ha%e been lonely anyi\h<~re, but in America lie was a, definite anomaly.— T. P.'a Weekly. —It was origiually intended that ill' Murray's fine edition of "Byron's Life and Lotters" would be comprised within 12 volumes of about 400 pages each, six bent; devoted to the letters and prose worke and.' six to the. poetry. I:- the course of pieparaticm, however, it has, owing to tho larpe amount of new infoimation contained in it, expanded beyond all expectation, and it lip«j been found necessary to add "a thhteei'ih volume. This will include epigrams, .i f <\v stray verses, a complete bibliography ( vb e!t will be invaluable, to student* ai.d i^!l<ctors of Byrta's works), and nn exiuu'-t \o index. It will also contain some i'l ■■- trat'op.s, chiefly fron? drawings of lcopiirosr intimately cor eetcd with B}-ron, made upre&sly for tho late Mr Murray. The volume will be published during the summer. — According to the American Bookman, the meat popu'ar novel m tlK> United Sta o=» for 1902 was "Mrs Wiggs of th" Cabb\-a Patch," a book which has al«o lira consk'-r.. ablo success on tins side of t'i-> At'.-u c. Sir Gi'bert Parked "Tie Ri^hr \, A ," "The Mississippi Bubble." n.id "Ihc A vpmiEiri" come l r\t, md ait; folio >i ' v "Tlit Crisis," "Ttt'fe Man from (Jl i "in»'.ri» '' "The Leopard's Spoir,," "LaramV ' .* C'iuaher," and "Sir Kichard Calmady "' E hoar (says the "Literary Louugci ' hi " o Mcrtch) that thpie is a drtmcc -Uii' p m t!:c sale? of fid. on in the United P.,-1 s, md tba't it is bcoomir.j difficult \> orRauiu^ p "boom " The fact is. of r n'-=e>, that thr> rending public is l-~ni:u:.;j p certain amount of discretion, ai di- X '.i".<s tued of havirg fifth rato ricturi foiric on it by gigantic and flamboyant ? ' e~ nrnr>:. — Tie Gieat Storm of 1703, tho ory of which has been so lone; kept aliw tho Little Wil 1 Street Chnpp! (Lerdor). row being pulled down, wilr be brotmht r^ mmd! — especially this y^ar — by tl c f?ct ll.it it mado Addison's fortune. ITis famous sii.vla of the Angel in hi; description rf Mar!boiough's conduct of tho battlp of Blenheim was paid for indirectly and ultimately at a rate (tc-v line which has probably novpr ' m approached : — So when an angel by divine command "With riwng tempests shakes a gu !ty 1." d, Such as of late o'er pa!© Britar.m.i p-i'iccl. Calm and serene he drives the furcu- blast; Aud, pleased the Almighty's orders to pc-fo.ra, Rides in the whirlwind and d' recta the = torm. This simile not only procured Addas • nistant reward, but it took the sting c 1 - of the jibo to which the poem as a vile wa<- open, of be.ng "a gazct c in rhyme — Tinio flies! Only the other c'av Mr G. R. Sims was urit.ng tho prolcrg o to what seemed to be a tremendous \*oik, "Living Londcin," to be published in. I forget hoiv many parts, but to be concluded in three bL' volume.*. And now thr- ta^la ha« been achieved, thp j)lay h fin>il.e Tiid' tho editor has wntten the epilog'.;r. This last of tl<e three volumes is published, constituting a contribution to the hibt; ry of the metropolis that is unique in dc^igu and, cm the bnrs nrigiually laid dowti. fc-fect in its realisation. With a band of authors aud draughtsmen tho editor hag told the slory of London fioni day to diy. iiom night to night, in ail its br gl'tiie-' and! shadow, in all its seedinoss and mystery, in all ita sple.ndoiu- and n all it= si £ na]or, tie great multifariors, ciidlf<:^, epvci. citing, ever-growing town. "Living Lei don" is a work by itse-lf, and though it r.ir.y be legaided a« the companion to all oth"rs oix the same subject, it deals with London of to day, taking little or no lio^d of the past, and in this re«psct is a perfect contrast to Ca>sp.ir-, othe-r books on the great town. Tl.eir "Lrndon Old and New " and their "Oip.?^rr l.ondnn '' may be said to ha ported up to r!a»p in "Living London." Publisher.; Ca?is"ll and Editor Sims may both, be hcaitily congratulated on an admirable pi^co. of work —No prose writer cf hi*. time has fciicii rc.-ourcs of imagery es■.fnrially portic in nature as EmerFon — not tvn Rut'kin. His pro-e it, more fecund in imagery, and happier in imagery, than his poetry— orto of th" proofs (we think) that ho was not primarily a, poo*', undoniabV though some of 1::.. poo-hy n. He had freer and ampler "-core ar.d use of a'l his powers in prose, evpn 'jf three, powers in their nature speofically poetic. It ii a thing furious, but far from unexampled With sveh figurah'vp ranc. such. p.t=v and M!cxbau<3tibl<> plasticity of pxprc?sion, ro nimble a perception, this iterative stjlf* v.as al! hut mrvifablo That cpul«»nfc mouth could not p-iu^ at a 6int;!e utterance. His undpr'-tardinor played about a thought hke lightning about a vane Ib hli^Cstorl numbprlc^ aiialocri^ 5 , vri ondlwi spqur-ncc of a»-ooiated idpa-i. cmint'e^s aspect', hlnftintr facr-ts of prprr.^ion : and it worn much if h" «houlrl rnt £^t down n. poor thrpe or four of them. We, hard]jush^d for our onp pauper phrase, may call i r oxcev in him ; to Emerson, doubt-le--s, it wca austerity. — Academy.