A Gallery of Heroes and Heroines. By Sir Harry Johnston.
(Wells Gardner, Dorton, and Co. 5s. net.)—Sir Harry Johnston has written a dozen brief Lives of famous Britons, beginning with Drake, ending with Captain Scott, and including Nelson, Wellington, Wolfe, Captain Cook, Livingstone, Elizabeth Fry, and Florence Nightingale. They aro intended for young readers, and an epilogue inculcates the duty of taking every opportunity for Self-education. They are written in careful language, and usually in a calmly judicial spirit. For instance, Nelson behaved " in the basest way " at Naples ; Wellington was " cold and unlovable," his soldiers " had no personal affection for him whatever." Yet Sir Harry's hero-worship is stimulating rather than cold. The twelve portraits by Ms. Joseph Simpson are successful. They must be taken mainly from other portraits, except inthe eases of Drake and Balogh. They are as strong and effective as such reprodeetiona fn colour can well be.' For their sake, no doubt, the whole book is printed on a grey paper which does not set off so well the fine, spacious printing of the letterpress.
Previous page
