22 DECEMBER 1906, Page 26

Queen Anne. By Herbert Paul, M.P. (Goupil and Co. £8

8s. and £3 3s.)—Mr. Paul's story of Queen Anne would be an attractive book in any case, but when his brilliant epigrams and -vigorously drawn sketches of men and events are set off by the illustrations that have been collected for this volume, we have a very satisfactory result indeed. Queen Anne, though she and her sister Mary stand high in the list of estimable Sovereigns, is an insignificant figure ; but she lived in great times, was served by great soldiers and statesmen, and certainly did not want the vates sacer. Mr. Paul gives two of his four chapters to " Politics," one to " Literature," and one to "Society and Manners." It is not easy to say in what direction he does best. Doubtless he approaches social subjects with a more open mind, but it may be said that he is always anxious to be equal to the best standard of historical writing. It is a drawback to the utility of the volume that it is virtually without both contents (limited as far as the non-artistic part of the book is concerned to half-a-dozen lines) and an index.