Mabel Osgood Wright; edited by Frank M. Chapman, illustrated by Ernest Seton Thompson, and dedicated to William T. Hornaday, Director of the New York Zoological Park, in recognition of his efforts to preserve the living American mammals where they may be known to the children of future generations. This galaxy of well known names of persons, instrumental in the production of this book, which list must be completed by adding the name of the Macmillan Company, as the publishers, is in itself sufficient to attract attention and vouchsafe for the sterling worth of the book. It is primarily written for young people, but grown folks, interested in natural history and the animal world of our country, will no less enjoy this both entertaining and instructive book. The author, to whose able pen we owe several other charming books of nature, like Bird. craft, (1) Citizen Bird, (2) Tommy. Anne (3) and the Three Hearts, (4) tells of the life and character of our four-footed citizens in her easy and interesting style of narrative and is supported and endorsed as to the scientific side of her stories, by the wellknown naturalist Frank M. Chapman, author of Handbook of Birds (1) Birdcraft. A Field Book of 200 Song, Game and Water Birds. By Mabel Osgood Wright. Illustrated. 8vo. cloth. Price $2.25. By mail $2.45. (2) Citizen-Bird. Scenes from Bird Life in Plain Language for Beginners. By Mabel Osgood Wright and Dr. Elliott Cones. 12mo. cloth. Price $1.40. By mail $1.50. (3) Tommy-Anne and the Three Hearts. By Mabel Osgood Wright. Illustrated. 12 mo. cloth. Price $1.08. By mail $1.23. (*) Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America. By Frank M. Chapman. Illustrated. 12mo. cloth. Price $2.25. By mail $2.45. of Eastern North America, (1) Bird Life, (*) etc. A special feature of the book are the excellent illustrations by Ernest Seton Thompson, both artistic and characteristic, which greatly add to its attractiveness and value. All factors combined make this a book, which it is a pleasure to recommend and which deserves to be found in every American family. The mere announcement of a new volume by Kipling is sufficient to arouse general attention, and make his innumerable admirers rush to procure a copy. The new volume, published by the Doubleday & McClure Co., is entitled "The Day's Work," (3) and comprises the following twelve stories: "The Bridge Builders," "A Walking Delegate, "The Ship That Found Herself," "The Tomb of His Ancestors," "The Devil and the Deep Sea," "William the Conqueror,' the Conqueror," ".007," "Bread Upon the Waters," "An Error in the Fourth Dimension," "My Sunday at home," "The Brushwood Boy" and "The Maltese Cat." The last mentioned story is that magnificent bit of animal fiction, a most graphically told polo game in India from the ponies' point of view, which, published some time ago in a magazine, has since been most eagerly expected in book form. Mr. Kipling's new book is the (1) Bird-Life. A Guide to the Study of our Common Birds. By Frank M. Chapman. Illustrated by Ernest Seton Thompson. 12mo. cloth. Price $1.35. By mail $1.50. (2) The Same. 8vo. edition with 75 full-page colored plates. Price $3.75. By mail $4.00. (3) The Day's Work. By Rudyard Kipling. 8vo. cloth. Illustrated. Price $1.08. By mail $1.23. product of his most mature genius thus far and is rather a long 'day's work," having been making for the last three or four years. The title of the book is, however, doubtless meant to signify the character of the stories, which tell of some "day's work" well done and which in their moral purpose might be taken for an apotheosis of work. Most of them are stories of ships and machinery, in which he makes the inanimate live and the huge organism of the marine engine as well as the American locomotive speak-a field absolutely new and one in which only a man of genius like Kipling, could be successful. It is illustrated with eight clever full-page drawings by W. Louis Sonntag, Jr., W. D. Stevens and E. L. Blumenschein, well printed and presents a most attractive volume. both in appearance and contents. The poems of Conan Doyle, just published under the title of “Songs of Action" (*) show all the qualities of his prose works. Subtle suggestiveness, beauty of form, delicacy of sentiment, philosophical thought, which the word poetry more or less implies, will be found in his poems as little as in his novels, but they are alike full of go and force; his poems possess a ring of romance and an inspiring rhythm which promises to make many of them popular. They are, as the author rightly calls them, Songs of Action, drinking, (*) Songs of Action. By A. Conan Doyle. 16mo. cloth. Price 90 cents. By mail $1.02. hunting and war songs. There is little doubt but what these Songs of Action will be more widely read, appreciated and bought than many books of tender, sentimental poetry. Here is a specimen, which we reprint by permission of the publisher: THE SONG OF THE BOW. The bow was made in England; So men who are free Love the old yew-tree, And the land where the yew-tree grows. The cord was made in England; A rough cord, a tough cord, Of the hempen string, And the land where the cord was wove. The shaft was cut in England; So we'll drink all together And the land where the gay goose flew. Ah, seek it not in England; When the strings harp in chorus, It is there that our mark will be. The men were bred in England; Here's to you-and to you! Have you ever boarded a train on a hot, sultry summerday, leaving the city behind with its enervating heat and vapor and buzz and noise and then reaching a peaceful little country place, found a spot where the cooling shade of the woods embraced you? You drop down in the grass; at your feet spreads a green meadow; a rivulet murmurs lazily along; in the tree tops chirp the birds; the stillness and peace of nature work their charm on you; you forget the sorrows and troubles of a busy life and abandon yourself with a feeling of utter rest and ease entirely to a happy thoughtless dream.-Or have you ever been sick with a burning, raging fever and felt the comforting soft touch of a beloved being's hand on your hot forehead? You forget the raking pains; you become quiet and comfortable; you begin to feel restful and at ease under the touch and presence of your friend. Such are the sensations which the reading of "Rose à Charlitte "(*) leaves on the reader. It is a fascinating book, soothing and pleasing as few we know. It is, to use a colloquialism, really a "sweet" story, one of the prettiest we have come across in a long time; an Acadian romance, as the title indicates, which takes you to the country of Evangeline and gives you an intimate, endearing picture of a people whose existence, thoughts and feelings, almost untouched by modern times' influence, are based upon and almost entirely made up of the tradition of bygone days. Though the principal charm of the book lies in its unpretentious style, in the way in which the character and life of an attractively (*) Rose à Charlitte. By Marshall Saunders. 12mo. cloth. Price $1.08. By mail $1.23. quaint people are most cleverly pictured, it has plot and incident enough to keep even sober minded or unsensitive readers interested. But even if it had less story-body, it could not fail to please. There is an atmosphere of comfort, homeliness and enchantment about the book which is hard to describe and which is irresistible. Though a long story, covering 516 pages, it is not a bit too long and no one who has begun it, will lay it aside unfinished, and will surely take it up again from time to and knows the people she writes about from her own intimate knowledge. Her first literary venture and an immediate success was that well-known book Beautiful Joe. Others of her recent writings have been The House of Armour and For the Other Boy's Sake, published by the American Baptist Publication Society, and The King of the Park, published by T. Y. Crowell & Company. An English edition of Rose à Charlitte has been brought out by Methuen & Company, the London publishers of Anthony Hope, Stanley Weyman and other equally noted writers of English fiction. (1) "Scribes and In his new book Pharisees," (2) William Le Queux is most decidedly a surprise. While his former deservedly popular novels are written in a pregnant, rapid style, which good stories of mystery and crime require, his new one starts out in a coherent, detail loving, easy flow of narrative, beginning with an intimate picture of Bohemian life in the Paris Quartier Latin, most cleverly introducing characteristic types. Truly a vastly different style from that of his former writings, yet not less interesting and fascinating. As the story goes on, the scene shifts to (1) Books by Marshall Saunders: Beautiful Joe. 16mo. Illustrated. Cloth. Price 45 cents. By mail 57 cents. The House of Armour. 12mo. cloth. Price $1.08. By mail $1.20. For the Other Boy's Sake, and Other Stories. Illustrated. 12mo. cloth. Price 75 cents. By mail 87 cents. The King of the Park. Illustrated. 12mo. cloth. Price 90 cents. By mail $1.02. (2) Scribes and Pharisees. By William Le Queux. 12mo. cloth. Price 90 cents. By mail $1.02. London and there he gives us a graphic picture of literary life, of the struggles of an aspirant in literature, who begins with journalism, suffering all the trials and tribulations of a small country town's editor, itor, most sympathetically told. Then the hero's first literary success fills his heart with unbounded joy. Some verses, written by him in French, were accepted for Temple Bar. After that he tried his luck in romance. He wrote short stories, which were brought back by the postman with a regularity that was disheartening.' "Don't you think 66 that the average man, if he perseveres, can get his stuff taken" asked Rosmead in the course of a conversation about the burning question with a man who had spent 30 years in and about newspaper offices and had risen no higher than local journalism. nalism. "No" answered the journalistic failure with some bitterness "not unless you know the editors. "It's all by favor nowadays.”—And favor it was, that brought him from the Hounslow "Rag" to the staff of a prominent London evening paper. So the slow climbing of the ladder to literature and fame is most sympathetically and interestingly recorded, characteristic details cleverly described and many types of literary London introduced. With the 15th chapter, however, the author begins to be more his old self; the plot thickens and though some mystery and crime had been introduced incidentally at the very beginning, it is not until in the second half of the book, that we recognize some of the favorite old style of Le Queux. The story moves faster, description makes room somewhat for more action and incident, and through some exciting chapters we hurry to the happy ending of the story. It is an excellent novel, which will deeply interest all actively in pursuit of literature, but which will no less give satisfaction to the mere seeker of entertainment. It has all the brilliant qualities of this clever writer's former books, but is more coherent and exceedingly strong and consequent in characterization. It has the stamp of actual occurrences and truth and we are inclined to believe that the author has given us, in this fascinating book, something like an autobiography, embellished of course by the novelist's fantasy. In his last book "The Town Traveller, " (*) George Gissing, the strong and clever exponent of morbid misery in London middle and low class life, leaves his favorite ground and presents a more sympathetic, even humorous picture of middle class society, which he knows so well. We must say, that his new departure is a most successful one and will doubtless be appreciated by many who were pained or repelled by the glum and depressing aspect of life, characteristic and interesting though it is, in his former novels. His new book shows all the strength and characteristic qualities which have gained him such a prominent place in modern fiction, and which have made him a favorite among the new English writers. The plot of the Town Traveller has apparently been suggested to him by a recent cause célèbre, which has appeared also in our American papers, the story of an English lord who led a double life, as lord and as merchant. The principal character of his story, however, is not he, but the city salesman, Gammon, surrounded by a number of typical London characters, such as the buxom programme seller, Polly Sparkes, the gentlemanly but not very intellectual clerk, Christopher Parish, Mrs. Bubb the landlady, Maggie the slavey and others, most cleverly and naturally drawn, and showing the author as a brilliant and keen observer of human character and every day London life. The book is full of clever episodes and interesting incidents, and will not fail to please and to become widely read. It seems that the modern speculative, psychological or the favorite historical novel cannot entirely oust the old-fashioned novel, wherein intrigue and crime, hidden haunts and secret drawers play the prominent part and keep the reader in awe and suspense to the end. It is, however, much more in England, where this kind of novel still flourishes and finds an eager public, than on this side of the ocean, and the particular book, which we refer to, 66 The Hepworth Millions (*) by Christian Lys, indeed hails from England. Still we have no doubt, that it will find a large host of appreciative readers in this country too, as it certainly has a strong plot, well handled, and holds the reader's attention to the end. (*) The Hepworth Millions. By Christian Lys. 12mo. cloth. Price $1.08. By mail $1.20. |