SCHOOL BOOKS.
Thucydides: Book VI. Edited by E. I. Merchant. (Macmillan and Co.) —Mr. Merchant begins with a brief but sufficient account of the policy of Athens in the attempted conquest of Sicily and of the generalship of Nicias. (By " Imperial aspirations," as commonly understood in England, is meant the consolidation, not the extension, of the Empire.) Then follow (1) an account of the "Manuscripts and Text," a sine DA non now in any well-equipped class-book, (2) an orthographical list of certain words often misspelt, and (3) a detailed discussion of various "emcee." We find ourselves commonly in agreement with Mr. Merchant, but doubt his explanation of rapacruevb atrrn- arpdrn u.v.a. The explanation that " Thucydides here looks forward to a time when possibly some Greek State might send out an expedition that would beat the record established by the Sicilian expedition for costliness and magnificence" seems far- fetched, whereas the remark that it was the finest expedition that had ever been is quite natural. Of course ridrrn is a very inconvenient word. The annotation is sufficiently full, and there is a very useful index.—Demosthenes : First Philippic and the Olynthiaes. Edited by John Edwin Sandys, Litt.D. (Same publishers.)—Dr. Sandys's prolegomena are all that could be wished. He gives in them a sketch of the early political career of Demosthenes (the third Olynthiac was de- livered in 349 B.C., when the orator was thirty-five), of Macedonian history, and of the events which led to the delivery of the speeches included in the volume. In his dealing with the text Dr. Sandys is, as usual, conservative. In his annotation, which is more than commonly copious (being at least three times the bulk of the text), the student will doubtless find all necessary help. —The Troades of Euripides. Edited by Robert Yelverton Tyrrell, Litt.D. (Same publishers.)—Professor Tyrrell thinks that this play is " in many respects the best of Euripides for school reading." Certainly his treatment of it, bringing out as it does, the literary excellence of the drama, goes a long way towards justifying the dictum. The annota- tion, with its judicious quotations from Mr. Way's fine version, ought to be iu-Tiring to any youth who has any sort of taste. This sympathy with his autli.r, combined as it is with accurate scholarship and felieitons illuitration, makes this edition one of the most desirable.—C1ee.v: the Fourth Verrine Oration. Edited for schools by F. W. Hall, M.A. (Same publishers.)—The Fourth Verrine ( " De Siguis " ) is a good choice, not only because it has never before been treated (in this country) in a separate edition, but on account of its intrinsic interest. Cicero pretended a contempt for Greek art— connoisseurship in it was neseio quid nugatorium—but he really cared for it and tells us a good deal about it. Tho revived interest in classical archwology makes this edition a very suitable addition to the " Classical Series."—Liry : Book VI., edited by W. F. Mason, M.A. (W. B. Clive), belongs to the " University Tutorial Series," a businesslike undertaking which has all the prestige of success.—ln tt Macmillan's Elementary Classics" we have Virgil: Georgic IV., edited by T. E. Page, M.A. (Macmillan and Co.); and in the "Pitt Press Series" Xenophon: Anabasis II., edited by G. M. Edwards, M.A. (Cambridg.• University Press).— In the series of " Books of the Bible" (Rivington, Percival, and Co.) we have The First Book of Kings, edited by the Rev. W. 0. Burrows. This is a very good piece of work. Mr. Burrows has kept up with the results of modern research, and has an open mind on the subject. The results are not so certain that they must needs be definitely asserted in a book of this kind, but he prepares his readers for them. The prolegomena on authorship, date, sources, &c., are all that could be desired. The section on "The Value of the Historical Books of the Bible" may be specially commended.—The Rev. G. A. Pope, D.D., gives the title of St. John in the Desert (Clarendon Press) to his edition, with Introduction and Notes of Browning's " Death in the Desert." He modestly says that "these pages are for the merest beginners." We should say that more advanced students will find them useful. (It will be understood that it is meant for students of the University Extension type.) We would especially mention chap. 6, with its comment on lines 318-421, " Special Objections and Diffleulties."—Among French class- books we may mention :—Graduated Course of Translation into French Prose. By Victor Speirs, M.A. (Simpkin, Marshall, and Co.)—The passages, one hundred and forty-four in number, are partly extracts from English classics, partly versions from French authors of repute, which the student is required to retranslate, and they range from " Easy " up to " Very Difficult." The graduation seems to be as good as one would naturally expect from a teacher so skilful as Mr. Speirs. Some useful hints as to the methods which the student is to follow have been pre- fixed. A Key has been added, but not to all the pieces. A master who suspects the illegal presence of this help has only to give a piece for which no "fair copy" has been given, and he can easily satisfy himself.—French without Tears : Book III. By Mrs. Hugh Bell. (E. Arnold.) —This is a continuation of a lesson- book which has been largely weloomed as one of the best friends both of learners and teachers.—A Primer of French Etymology. By B. Daly Cocking. (A. D. Innes and Co.)—A useful little book, intended primarily for examination purposes, and founded on the works of Bracket, Littre, and Cledat. —The Study of French. By Alfred F. Eugbne and H. E. Duvaux. (Macmillan and Co.)—This is an attempt to find a shorter road than the somewhat weary way which most learners have to traverse. " The most important channel," say the authors in their preface, "through which a language is to be acquired is the ear, not the eye." Briefly, the method is the colloquial. But we cannot pretend to summarise it in one word, or indeed in a good many. Our readers must consult the preface for themselves; they will certainly find it interesting and suggestive. And the book itself looks as if it might be useful.—Les Deux Sours is a " Beginner's Text," adapted from the Roumanian of Mdlle. Geral-
dine Rolland, and edited by A. Delacourt, (Rivington, Percival, and Co.)
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