The Bavarian Highlands and the Saldcammergut. (Chapman and Hall.)—This is
one of those works which generally make their ap- pearance shortly before Christmas. It relies upon its illustrations to please, and the letterpress is a secondary consideration. But as an ornamental book, it is fairly entitled to very considerable praise. The drawings, by a number of German artists, are sin- gularly well executed, and their faithfulness is great, as we can vouch for, from an intimate acquaintance with many parts of the Salz- kammergut. The letterpress is a translation of the writings of Herm Hermann Schmitt and Karl Stieler, and is in many places stilted and thoroughly un-English. But being a book to look at rather than to read, the description matters very little, so long as it suf- ficiently explains the pictures: Not that we mean to say it is worthless, far from it, for there is a very handy account of the animals which abound in that richly-wooded land, and the customs of the kindly vil- lagers are briefly described. As some of the most truthful drawings, we may instance those of the Konigsee and the °bargee, places which of late years have begun to attract the attention of the English, as they did long ago that of the German traveller. It is now many years since that district, in its less lofty parts, was written of by Sir Humphrey Davy in his " Salmonia," a book worth dozens of the ordinary travellers' books which are now-a-days read. This large book is in fact a guide- book for home use. As a piece of literature it is nothing more, but it will doubtless serve as a pleasant memento of bright days spent by the lakes of the Bavarian Highlands. As a charming souvenir of one of the most charming portions of Europe, it deserves very hearty recom- mendation.
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