LIBRARY SEAFLETS

An Epistle to Posterity.

AN EPISTLE TO POSTERITY. Being Rambling Recollections of Many Years of My Life. By M. E. W. Sherwood, author of "Manners and Social Usage," etc. Cloth, 12mo, gilt top, deckle edge, 380 pages. With portrait. New York: Harper & Brothers.

"Mrs. Sherwood writes charmingly; she has been everywhere and seen everything!" exclaims an enthusiast after spending several delighted hours over this latest of her productions. Every reader must immediately assent to the first proposition; for this gifted woman does write with a most refreshing charm; while, if she has not literally "been everywhere and seen everything," she has been in a great many interesting places, and has seen many things which, under the glow of her rare literary light, beam with an interest of no common order. Her narrative begins in her childhood home, opening with a pen picture of her father which is drawn in such a charming way as to insure undivided attention for all which is to follow. It would be impossible in the compass of an ordinary review to follow the writer through all the scenes which she depicts, or even to note the more important points of interest which she touches; nor should the attempt be made, for the reader will better enjoy going with her without having anticipated just the route which is to be followed. But it leads to most of the points of interest in our own country and many others, introduces famous characters of history and social life, depicts the manners and customs of successive decades, and draws from all the observations of a keen and quickwitted woman a wealth of charming recital and finished literary presentation, rarely met in these days of hasty and careless book-making.

Captain Molly.

CAPTAIN MOLLY. A Love Story. By Mary A. Denison, author of "That Husband of Mine," etc. Cloth, 12mo, 251 pages; $1. Boston, Lee & Shepard.

In many respects "Captain Molly" is one of the best of recent American novels. The scenes are laid in New York, and the title will readily suggest the Salvation Army, which comes frequently into the narrative. Captain Molly was born the daughter of a prosperous banker, to whom she was very dear; but the life of idleness and fashion which seemed her birthright was by no means satisfactory to her impulsive, sympathetic nature. She longed to do something for humanity, and to get outside the routine of merely formal fashionable charity. In the work of the Salvation Army she saw the opportunity for doing something congenial to her nature, and for that work she left the home of her father. The characters of the novel are drawn with unusual strength and clearness, each standing clear and well defined. The scenes which are well depicted are in many cases drawn with dramatic force, especially the crisis in the career of Sebastian Bassett, the drunkard, and the burning of "Paradise Flats." The "thread of love" is admirably treated, while every

out seemed to grow upon him, and he finally decided to write another and larger book, taking up and continuing the fundamental thoughts of his former work. This he has now done, incorporating into the preface a summary of the essential features of "Looking Backward," so that the reader may take up the new work understandingly. Really "Equality" is but a sequel or continuation of "Looking Backward," and the whole book is devoted to a tedious series of questions and answers which are calculated to bring out the author's peculiar views of the subject matter. To the average reader, "Equality" can scarcely fail to prove a disappointment. It is a dry, dull, labored rehearsal of the platitudes regarding capital and labor which demagogues have long delighted to ring with numerous variations. It is impossible for a thinking person to read many of the bald statements which are designed to represent the present condition of the relations between capital and labor without rising in indignant protest against their manifest injustice and unfairness. Passages of this sort might be quoted by the score, were

it a necessity. But the striking feature of the book is that it eliminates individuality-or to speak more correctly imagines a world from which it has been eliminated—and, faintly as it sometimes attempts denial, presents to us a condition where the virtues of industry, enterprise, devotion, temperance and right living have no place; where every man and woman and child-presumably—is the servant of a government, the precise nature of which is not explained, and in which each is an individualized atom. Theoretically, everybody is equal to everybody else; yet in the next breath the author gives the solemn assurance that such is not the fact, but that there are still, in this equal realm, degrees of glory. Such is "Equality."

The Christian.

THE CHRISTIAN. A Story. By Hall Caine, author of "The Manxman," etc. Cloth, 12mo, 540 pages; $1.50. New York: D. Appleton & Co.

Mr. Caine's latest novel, while differing widely from some of those which have made his enviable fame, is scarcely less finished as a piece of literary work, and has elements of popularity which will no doubt send it through many editions, in common with his other works. The leading characters in this work, as in those which have preceded it, are from the Isle of Man; but they are transported to other scenes, and the events are laid largely in the whirl of great London. The period of the story is in the last quarter of the present century, so that it deals with modern institutions and conditions; but the author is careful to say that he has "not intended to paint anybody's portrait or to describe the life of any known society or to indicate the management of any particular institution." His idea is "to present a thought in the form of a story, with as much realism as the requirements of idealism will permit." In the delineation of character and the verisimilitude of the scenes depicted, Mr. Caine is at his best-and no further assurance of the fascinating character of the narrative will be required.

Familiar Features of the Roadside.

FAMILIAR FEATURES OF THE ROADSIDE. The Flowers, Shrubs, Birds and Insects. By F. Schuyler Mathews, author of "Familiar Flowers of Field and Garden," etc. With 160 drawings by the author, and many of the songs of our common birds and insects. Cloth, 12mo, 269 pages. New York, D. Appleton & Co.

The author of this charming volume begins his preface by saying "that it might be possible to find a wider field for the study of nature than the highway, but in many respects certainly not a better one; for, if we keep on traveling, we will have eventually seen and heard about everything that is worth seeing and hearing in the wide world." It might be too much to say that this book describes all the things which are worthy of description; but certainly it takes up a great number of the more.common sights and sounds of the New England roadside, investing them with a new and vital interest, which must kindle in many a breast the desire to go out and verify by personal observation some of the interesting things which the author presents so charmingly. It is no circumscribed field in which he travels, for, to quote again the preface, "the road" leads "to the top of the loftiest mountain, to the margin of the sea, across peat bogs, through primeval forests, over green meadows, along ferny pastures, down shady glens, over pleasant hills, beside silvery lakes and gliding, shining rivers, over rushing brooks." We are

ready indeed to see something else besides brick walls and stone pavements, and hear something different from the ceaseless din of the busy, restless town. How delightful to hear and know the voice of every bird, and to see and know the face of every flower, as we pass over the highway which crosses the open fields!" We may draw consolation from the further statement of the author-the truth of which we have suspected in advance—that "fortunately there are extremely few who know every wild flower and who can name every shrub by its leaf, and every bird, frog, cricket, and grasshopper by his song. If there were such a man, how intolerably wise he would be! The world is wide, and creation is infinite; we should not expect to know everything under the sun." But a careful perusal of "Familiar Features," with the opportunity for personal verification of the author's observations, must certainly do much toward providing a foundation for such diversified knowledge as would make one, not by any means "intolerable " but charmingly tolerable, through the practical, everyday knowledge which is so often painfully absent from many who are popularly accounted learned and well informed.

The Great Island.

THE GREAT ISLAND; OR, CAST AWAY IN PAPUA. By Willis Boyd Allen, author of "Lost on Umbagog," etc. Camp and Tramp series, No. 3. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo, 176 pages; 75 cents. Boston: Lothrop Publishing Company.

A story of adventure in New Guinea, the greatest island in the world. Some of the boys already familiar in Mr. Allen's "Camp and Tramp" series start for a trip around the world, but are shipwrecked in the China Sea and drift upon the great island of New Guinea. They endeavor to tramp across the island and have many exciting adventures and hairbreadth escapes by the way. They are captured by "head hunters," discover gold mines, engage in battle, and finally escape and reach the settlement and their friends at last. Full of information about an almost unknown land and intensely entertaining and absorbing. For boys and girls of from twelve to sixteen.

Then, and Not 'til Then.

THEN, AND NOT 'TIL THEN. A Novel. By Clara Nevada McLeod. Cloth, 12m0, 215 pages; $1. New York: Robert Lewis Weed Company.

This novel is declared in the publisher's advertisement to have "been written with a purpose.' "The nature of this purpose is shown by the quotation which serves as a preface to the book: "When the husbands and fathers are as pure as they wish their wives and daughters to be; then and not till then, will the foundation of pure society be laid." No one will for a moment question the truth of this declaration; but there may be serious question whether it forms an appropriate theme for a novel. While the present narrative is better than its title, it is told in a hard and crude manner, and the literary world would have been none the poorer had it not been written.

History for Young Readers. GERMANY. By Kate Freiligrath Kroeker; 251 pages. ENG. LAND. By Frances E. Cooke; 253 pages. Each cloth, 16m0; 60 cents. New York: D. Appleton & Co.

Of each of these little volumes, it must of course be ad mitted at the outset that the compass is much too small to permit adequate historical treatment of great nations like England and Germany. At the most, only an outline can

be given of the more important events, though in the history of Germany the author takes the liberty of introducing a few anecdotes and incidents. The propriety of taking the limited space at her disposal for this use must be questioned, though they are well and briefly told. The history of England, too, is in some respects almost as much an essay as a history, and there is notably absent the judicial weighing of cause and effect, and the presentation of both sides of great subjects, without which true history cannot be written. But as the histories themselves are merely suggestive, and can only become introductory to more extended and thoughtful writings, these small defects may be overlooked in the generally commendable character of the volumes. The books are uniform in style, and are well made-as are all which these publishers send forth.

Barbara Blomberg.

BARBARA BLOMBERG. A Historical Romance. By George Ebers, author of "Cleopatra," etc. Translated from the German by Mary J. Safford. In two volumes, 16m0, 402 and 333 pages; paper 40 cents, cloth 75 cents per volume. New York, D. Appleton & Co.

In the same attractive form in which previous works of this author have been put forth by them, the publishers issue this latest of the historical novels of Professor Ebers. It opens with the great Emperor Charles V. at Ratisbon, near the middle of the sixteenth century, and in the stirring scenes connected with those times when great events in the world's history were being wrought out, the versatile historical student finds an abundance of material ready to his hand. This he gathers and uses in his usual careful, pleasing manner, and the result is a production which, while in no way exciting or sensational, gives the abiding pleasure of the historical novel at its best. The work of the author has been well conserved by the translator, whose rendering is always of the best, preserving the distinctive coloring of the German life and thought, yet presenting a narrative so smooth and perfect that one would never observe the fact of its translation.

An Expectant Heir to Millions.

AN EXPECTANT HEIR TO MILLIONS. A Novel. By Charles Macknight Sain. Cloth, 12mo, 241 pages; 75 cents. New York: Robert Lewis Weed Company.

It is hard to decide whether the botched plot, the crude and awkward literary style, or the wretched mechanical execution of this book is worst. There is nothing about it in which either author or publisher can take any pride.

The Library of Useful Stories.

THE STORY OF THE ATMOSPHERE. By Douglas Archibald, M. A., Fellow and Sometime Vice-President of the Royal Meteorological Society, London. With 44 illustrations. Flexible cloth, 16m0, 194 pages; 40 cents. New York: D. Appleton & Co.

The author has brought together in this small, handy volume, a great variety of facts relative to the atmosphere or air in which we live; and which, as he points out in the first chapter, is really a part of the solid globe on which we stand. The style which he has chosen is that of the easy, discursive essay, rather than of the technical textbook, and one reads his several chapters much as the same matter would be read in a newspaper article, or

heard in a familiar talk. This makes the work attractive for the casual reader; while it is so filled with varied information, of a diversified character, that no one can scan the book without a feeling of increased knowledge of the universe of which his actual information is so limited.

Saints, Sinners and Queer People.

SAINTS, SINNERS AND QUEER PEOPLE. Novelettes and Short Stories, by Marie Edith Beynon. With portrait of the author. Cloth, 12m0, 341 pages; 75 cents. New York: Robert Lewis Weed Company.

Seven stories have been brought together to form this pleasing book, which is heralded as the first offered to the reading public by its author. We must hope and believe that at no distant day it is to be followed by others, since this author writes with a strength and power of character painting which will assuredly make her a favorite with those loving a good story well told. That of "Nanny" must be given the place of honor in comparison with its associates, though all are good. Mrs. Beynon's stories are told in an easy, finished manner, without affectation or commonplace, while her dialogue is very well presented.

Appleton's Town and Country Library.

HIS MAJESTY'S GREATEST SUBJECT. By S. S. Thorburn, Bengal civil service, author of "Asiatic Neighbours," etc. No. 223. Paper, 324 pages; 50 cents. New York: D. Appleton & Co.

The scene of this novel is laid in India, with which the service of the author has made him so well acquainted that he is able to give a highly realistic setting to his pictures. The adventures are supposed to have happened in the early years of the twentieth century; but the reader will not be critical of the chronology. The author is a master of literary expression, and his adventures are so ceaseless and so varied in their characteristics that the work is decidedly pleasing.

DEAR FAUSTINA. A Novel. By Rhoda Broughton, author ef 'A Beginner," etc. No. 219. Paper, 306 pages.

A rather heavily told story, not by any means up to the best of this author's work, and with a decided want of literary polish. "Dear Faustina" is a strong-minded woman with whom the heroine, Althea, is for a time blindly infatuated, her infatuation making trouble for herself and her friends.

A COLONIAL FREE-LANCE. By Chauncey C. Hotchkiss, author of "In Defiance of the King." No. 222. Paper, 312 pages.

This is a story of adventure in the time and amid the scenes of the American Revolution, and the reader must follow the succession of thrilling episodes, covering both sea and land, with unabated interest. The author is a graphic and powerful writer, and in this novel is at his best.

THE FOLLY OF PEN HARRINGTON. By Julian Sturgis, author of "John Maidment," etc. No. 221. Paper, 269 pages.

This novel has the merit of being told in a bright and charming way; its characters are unconventional, well drawn, and full of spirit; the dialogue is excellent, with a fine sense of humor pervading every scene.

Editor's Portfolio.

SPRINGFIELD, MASS., SEPTEMBER, 1897.

Extracts from Good Housekeeping. Each issue of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING is copyrighted, but our exchanges are invited to extract from our columns-due credit being given-as they may desire, save the contributions of MISS MARIA PARLOA, all rights in these being especially reserved to the writer.

Original Papers.

The special papers which appear in GOOD HOUSEKEEPING will be written expressly for its pages by our selected contributors and-with few exceptions-the entire Table of Contents will be served up from our own larder. Whenever we borrow from a neighbor a bit of this or a bite of that, we shall say where such bit or bite came from and to whom belonging.

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The applications for exchange with GOOD HousekeepING are so numerous that we are obliged to decline many received, that we should be glad to consider favorably, could we do so in justice to our business interests. Many of these applications come from journals of acknowl edged merit and high position in their respective fields of effort and usefulness, but which are of no service to us in the conduct of Good HOUSEKEEPING. We must, therefore, draw the line where some benefit may accrue to us from the exchange, and can only respond favorably to those applications on condition of the customary monthly notices. To prevent confusion in our Exchange Department, the address of the journal to which GooD HOUSEKEEPING is sent must accompany any private address that may be asked for.

SOCIETY, STORY, AND SENTIMENT.

The formal dinner is taken up and considered by Mrs. Hester M. Poole, in her paper on "Social Graces" in this number of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. The author very pertinently remarks that this event "requires a degree of care and involves anxieties second only to those accompanying a marriage and the attendant feast." But after perusing the very complete and sensible instructions which follow, specifying just how all phases and matters connected with the undertaking are to be carried through, even the novice cannot fail to succeed, and to make such an event a gratifying pleasure to all participants.

Vira Albert tells in brief manner but very comprehensively, what to do and what not to do in the "Care of the Kitchen."

Readers who live upon or are in any way interested in a farm will find instruction and profit—of a material nature-in the article on 'Butter Making on the Farm," which deals in the present issue with the treatment of the milk, reviewing all approved methods, and giving explicit suggestions as to the proper procedure in the interest of best results in quantity and quality.

All that is known, or that any one will wish to know, about ants will be found in the article on "Household Insects," which with the series closes.

Ada Marie Peck writes of "Hidden Treasures," a subject which will interest every housewife delighting in rare and valuable things. It is not always that these are recognized when met-the perusal of this essay will aid in the ability to make such recognition.

Coming to the practical papers, Margaret Ryder offers one on "Sponge Cake," with a variety of recipes and some general rules.

"Mrs. Philander Evans' Precaution" necessitated on the part of a visitor the solving of a most bewildering mystery. How it was done is told in a pleasant short story by Susan Brown Robbins.

The part which may be borne in the household of the twentieth century by the electrical kitchen is depicted through the medium of a vision by Mary Louise Brewster. Whether her description shall prove prophetic remains to be seen; but most assuredly the occult electric force which now does so much for us, will very soon do more for woman.

"When the Busy Days Begin," that is, about this season of the year, those who have the nobler ends of life in view may find help in the suggestions of Olive E. Dana.

The original papers of the current number close with three brief practical articles: "Sandwiches," by E. L. Gebhard; "Practical Housekeeping-the Kitchen," by Jane Long Boulden; and "A Trio of Good Recipes," by L. L. Trott.

The original verse will be found of more than usual merit and charm-which is saying much. It begins with the frontispiece, "Golden-rod and Aster," by Mary A. Gillette; while scattered through the number will be found: "The Voices of the Past," by A. S. Brendle; "Autumnal Tints," by W. G. Park; "My Pets," by Grandma; "A Picked-Up Breakfast," by John Wentworth; "How to Make Coffee," by Isaac Edmunson Wade; "Water Lilies," by Marie Burr; "The Rose of Dutcher's Coolly," by Isadore Baker; "The Story of the Wheel," an illustrated poem, by Clark W. Bryan; "The Hour Glass," by A. P. T.; "Asleep," by James L. Elderdice; and "Simulcra," by Edward Wilbur Mason.

Then following the several popular departments, including the favorite prize anagram, which will elicit attention from all portions of the Englishspeaking world.

Publishers Desk.

SEPTEMBER, 1897.

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GOOD HOUSEKEEPING for 1897 promises an unusually good bill of fare, and that publication always lives up to its promises. Ladies who once enjoy its monthly visits want to have them continued. It has no superior in its class, and it is high class. The family reading is hardly complete without this valuable publication.-The Westborough Chronotype.

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