of this beautiful volume, with truly artistic pen and ink drawings by L. Leslie Brooke, is so prepossessing and above the ordinary that it deserves the very strongest recommendation, and must be called one of the best Christmas books for the little ones of the year. There is no doubt that book-lovers too, who have preserved enough naivety to appreciate literary beauty and sentiment in children's nursery rhymes, will be glad to embody this excelent book in their own library.

An enticing book for the little folks, one that has as much charm for their elders as well, is "The Fairy Spinning Wheel." It is a translation of a collection of quaint and original fairy tales, by Catulle Mendes, admirably done into English by Thomas J. Vivian, who succeeded in preserving all the delightful flavor of the original. Quite a special feature are the fourteen exceedingly clever full-page illustrations, by Marion L. Peabody, of which we reproduce one in this num-. ber by the courtesy of the publishers. The book is a most artistically gotten up publication, and will delight young and old. (4to. Price $1.50.)

Another delightful publication, a book of animal fairy tales is "The Hollow Tree," by Albert Bigelow Paine, most cleverly illustrated by J. M. Condé. It is a book equally attractive to children and grown people, and perhaps even more so to the latter, as both text and illustrations are in literary quality and artistic taste far above the ordinary children's books. (Small 4to. boards. Price 90 cents.)

The Stories of the Nibelungen Myth, popularized through Richard Wagner, have often been retold in prose and poetry. Of late years one or more new books of these tales make an appearance on the book market every year. This year we find among others one by Anna Alice Chapin, author of The Story of the Rhinegold, entitled "Wonder Tales From Wagner." (8vo. cloth. Price 90 cents.) They embrace the stories from his other operas with the exception of the Nibelungen, and are told for young people in a simple, yet exceedingly attractive manner. The most characteristic motifs of Wagner's music are added to the different stories, thus giving them an additional interest for the musicloving readers.

Madame Zenaïde A. Ragozin, the author of Vedic India, Chaldaea, Assyria and other books which have secured for her a reputation as an authority in archæology and mythology, has written a charming book for young people, telling the stories of Siegfried and Beowulf in an intelligible, interesting and instructive way. The book is entitled

Tales of the Heroic Ages," and is the first of a series of volumes devoted to presenting in a clear and interesting manner the Northern and Oriental epics. The book contains the stories of Siegfried, the Hero of the North, and Kriemhilde's Great Revenge, adapted from the German epic, the Lay of the Nibelungs; and Beowulf, the Hero of the AngloSaxons. They will not only hold the interest of the young reader, but they will also give an acquaintance

with the heroic legends of Northern Europe.

Though young and old are familiar with our late war with Spain, and with the heroic deeds of our mariners and soldiers, a book wherein all these stories are told in a plain, attractive narrative, will be welcomed by many. Such a book, which it gives pleasure to recommend to all our boys and which I am sure will be read by all of them with enthusiasm and profit is "Heroes of our War with Spain," written by that clever and well-known young author, Clinton Ross. And he has done the work well.

It is an excellent book,

and deserves to become one of the most popular boy's books of the year. It is illustrated by Henry B. Wechsler and published by Frederick A. Stokes Co. (Price, bound in cloth, $1.08.)

A stirring story of naval adventures in the Civil War with many dramatically told scenes of historic events is, "In the Navy, or Father Against Son." By Warren Lee Goss. With twelve illustrations by M. J. Burns (cloth. Price $1.08). The healthy spirit pervading this clever story makes it one of the best books for boys published of late.

Another up-to-date naval story, which will please our boys is, "Navy Blue," by Willis Boyd Allen (cloth. Price $1.08). In the guise of fiction the boy Norman serves to explain the whole process of entering and passing through the Naval Academy and fitting himself for service on a man-of-war. The tender passion is not overlooked, nor is wholesome advice upon such subjects as hazing

neglected. Pictures and some documentary matter give the book a lifelike look, and without being in the least objectionable or sensational it is full of animation and movement.

An excellent book which combines entertainment with instructive information is, "The Book of the Ocean," by Ernest Ingersoll (4to. cloth. Price $1.08). It presents geography in an attractive form, tells of the people that live near the ocean, the animal life in its depths, the ships that sail on its surface, and all the many other interesting things connected with it, in a thoroughly enjoyable and intelligible manner. Also the history of shipbuilding and commerce, war vessels and their construction; great naval conflicts are graphically told in this excellent, well illustrated book.

A new book by Henty, the boys' great favorite, hardly needs a comment or recommendation. There are several new ones by this prolific writer. One of them," With Frederick the Great" (Price $1.08), must certainly rank among the best best of

Mr. Henty's many good historical tales. It is no light undertaking to give a clear and adequate account of that great and complicated struggle which we know as the Seven Years' War, but Mr. Henty has had great experience in such work and he is not accustomed to fail. He regrets that in a story so full of great events he has necessarily been obliged to devote a smaller share than usual to the doings of his hero, but it seems to me that we hear a good deal of the achievements of the brave Scottish laddie who fought on the Prussian side, and whose courage and resource won the notice and the favor of the stern Prussian King. The other new Henty books of this year are, Under Wellington's Command," a story of the Peninsular War; "At and Acre," which is, of

Aboukir

course, a tale of Napoleon's failure to conquer Egypt; and "Both Sides of the Border," which deals with the victory of King Henry IV. over Hotspur and the Earl of Northumberland. All these books are handsomely printed and illustrated, and they will doubtless be among the most successful of their class for holiday use. (Price $1.08 each.)

Though not one of this year's books, yet of lasting value, and one which deserves to be heartily recommended for every child's library is M. M. Blake's charming book, entitled "When the Century was Young." It is an interesting story of the times of Washington, written in a spirited, patriotic and attractive style and profusely illustrated by the author. (8vo. cloth. Price $1.05.)

(From "Chilhowee Boys in Harness." By Sarah E. Morrison. T. Y. Crowell & Co., Publishers.)

A very wholesome and entertaining reading for boys-and grown-up people too, who enjoy going back in memory to their own boy-days, is Laurence Hutton's last book entitled "A Boy I Knew and Four Dogs." (Price $1.08.) It is a charming book of New York fifty years ago, a frank and humorous autobiography. It has already pleased many boys, while appearing in serial form in St. Nicholas, and will surely please many more in its present form.

Jules Verne's fascinating wonder stories are still among the boys' prime favorites. This year's book is entitled "An Antarctic Mystery," and will be sure of a hearty welcome, all the more as Arctic exploration has of late become an exceptionally interesting topic through the efforts of Nansen, Peary, Andree and others; and a topic that is discussed

by the grown folks, will naturally interest young people particularly. (8vo. illustrated, cloth. Price $1.08.)

Quite a novelty in boys' books is a story with a trick dog as its central figure. J. T. Trowbridge is the author of this original and clever book and Two Biddicut Boys," its title. It is a most entertaining and lively story, which will doubtless please our boys hugely. (Cloth. Price $1.08.)

Henry Inman, the author of The Old Santa Fe Trail and the interesting and valuable companion volume, The Old Salt Lake Trail (Svo. cloth, illustrated. Price $2.75 each), has written an excellent story of Western life for boys and girls, under the title "The Ranche on the Oxhide (12mo. illustrated, cloth. Price $1.08.) He describes the settling of a claim in Kansas by a family from Vermont, and the exciting life on the prairie. The story is kept in the foreground, yet the history of the driving out of the Indians by the whites, their habits in peace and war, and their legends, lends this story a characteristic and instructive Buffalo Bill, General background. Custer and General Sheridan are characters of the story.

In this, the Christmas number, we present to our readers two complete short stories. The one entitled Their Dear Little Ghost, is taken (by permission of the publishers) from a small volume entitled The Shape of Fear, and other Ghostly Stories,(1) by Mrs. Elia F. Peattie, published recently by the Macmillan Co. Though called "ghostly" stories, they are not of the weird, creepy kind, but charming little sketches or allegories, poems in prose in which the subtle and suggestive sentiment is illustrated by some vision, apparition or hallucination, but all in such a sweet, sympathetic way, and told in such an unobtrusive, quiet, yet pretty manner, that they cannot fail to appeal to all who have a sense of and a liking for quiet poetic sentiment. The other one, entitled His Appointment, is an original story by Miss Hallie Erminie Rives, one of our most talented and promising younger Southern writers, whose portrait forms the frontispiece of this number. She has already published two books, and will bring out her third volume shortly under the title As the Hart Panteth.(2) It promises to attract fully as much attention as did Smoking Flax, (3) her remarkable story of the south.

(1) The Shape of Fear, and other Ghostly Stories.

Miss Rives was born in Kentucky and grew up in the Blue Grass country, but is now pursuing her literary labors in New York. She is a cousin of Amélie Rives, the author of The Quick or the Dead?(*) H. F. G. says in the introduction to Miss Rives' first book:

66

Smoking Flax is a story of the South written by a young Kentucky woman. Undoubtedly in the South its advent will be saluted with enthusiastic bravos. What will be the nature of its reception in the North it is hazardous to predict. One thing, however, can be confidently prophesied for it everywhere-consideration. This the subject and manner of its treatment assures.

"The methods of Judge Lynch viewed from most standpoints are, without extenuation, evil; from a few aspects they may appear to be perhaps not wholly without justification. Miss Rives, through the medium of romance, presents the question as seen from many sides, and then leaves to the reader the responsibility of determining what is truth,' though where her own sympathies lie she does not leave much in doubt.

"The authoress comes of an old Virginia stock to whom the gift of narrative and literary expression seem to be a birthright. Since revo

etc. 16mo. cloth. Price 55 cents. By mail 63 cents.

(2) As the Hart Panteth. By Hallie Erminie Rives. 12mo. cloth. Price 90 cents. By mail $1.02.

(3) Smoking Flax. By Hallie Erminie Rives. 12mo. paper. Price 15 cents. By mail 23 cents.

more or less enriched by contri

(*) The Quick or the Dead? By Amélie Rives. 12mo. cloth. Price 75 cents. By mail 85 cents.