26 DECEMBER 1891, Page 24

Messrs. Marcus Ward and Co. send us a variety of

prettily illustrated books :—Milton's Ode on the Nativity, illustrated with coloured reproductions of some famous paintings, as "The Sistine Madonna."—Voices in the Starlight, by Sarah Doudney, illus- trated by Edith Berkeley. Both verses and pictures are good, and suited to their object.—Stories of Old, containing the lives of Joseph, Samuel, David, and Daniel. Illustrated by Frank Bindley. These can be obtained in separate volumes.—Of a lighter kind we have Old Mother Hv.blxtrd's Picture-Book, containing also "Mary had a Little Lamb," " Baa, Baa, Blacksheep," and "A Gaping, Wide-Mouthed, Waddling Frog." Illustrated by L. Caldwell with sufficiently humorous drawings. These, too, can be obtained separately. —Messrs. Warne and Co. also send us some pretty books, with pictures nicely drawn and coloured Bird's Nest; Jamie Choraie, told and illustrated by E. L. Shute ; Little Boy Blue ; In the Country ; By the Sea ; and Humpty-Dunipty.—Little Santa Claus (Dean and Son) is the Christmas Number of the Little One's Own Coloured Paper, edited by Mrs. Elizabeth Day. With it comes a notice of an event which we record with regret,.—the death of Mr. G. A. Dean, head of the publishing firm which brings out this volume, and which has achieved so great a reputation for the production of children's books. Mr. Dean was for many years employed in this way, and a great part of the vast improvement which this generation has seen in this branch of literature must be put to his credit.