SWEET HAMPSTEAD AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
Sweet Hampstead and its Associations. By Mrs. Caroline A. White. (Elliot Stock. 28s.)—Sweet Hampstead has a pathetic little preface which even were the book less agreeable to read would more than suffice to disarm criticism and soften the cen- sorious. Mrs. White tells us that though the idea of writing the story of Hampstead occurred to her "very many years ago," other engagements compelled her to lay aside the completion of the task for a generation, and that it was only lately re- sumed. We are further told that the work has been a-delight, " bringing back—though sometimes through a mist of tears—. images of the past, with pleasant memories of sunny days, that, looked at from the perspective of eighty-nine years, seem brighter even than the sunshine is itself. From such a pile of years I almost lose the author's dread of the critic. Praise or blame are to me now much the same ; but being a woman I still prefer the praise." We can assure Mrs. White that this preference is not limited to ladies, and that what she prefers she fully deserves. She has written a charming book, considering her years a phe- nomenal book, and so infused with her own kindly and genial spirit as to put her en rapport with the reader from the very start. Moreover, the book teems with information and pleasant gossip. Hampstead is so rich in historical associations, so many notable people have dwelt there, or had ties therewith, and the authoress is so full of local lore, that the work, which is profusely illustrated, may be dipped into again and again, and every time with pleasure and profit, even by readers whose connection with the neighbour- hood goes no further than an occasional visit to its famous heath.
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