7 JANUARY 1871, Page 22

Miss Sewell and Miss Young give us a second volume

of their European History. (Macmillan.)—Their plan is to tell their story in "a series of historical selections from the best authorities," an admirable notion, which they carry out with good judgment. The selections are joined together by introductory sketches written by the authors themselves. The volume will form a most valuable supplement to the orderly teach- ing of history, which fails to interest because it commonly has not space for detail, and cannot make exceptions for this or that scene or cha- racter, however important. This is exactly what the book before us does ; gives us, for instance, forty odd pages about St. Bernard, taken from Mr. Morrison's admirable life of the saint. No manual of history could do that; yet where could a student of history learn more of real history than from that life ?