CURRENT LITERATURE.
CHRISTMAS BOOKS.
Windsor Castle, Picturesque and Descriptive. The text by the late B. B. Woodward, B.A., F.S.A., Her Majesty's Librarian at Windsor. A Series of Photographic Views, taken by Her Majesty's most gracious permission. (E. Moxon, Sou, and Co.) — This gorgeous book of photographs will delight the admirers of Windsor Castle, and give strangers a very complete idea of its chief in- teriors, and also of the view of the castle from the Chewer Meadows We regret that the view from the two groat avenues, the Long Avenue and Queen Anne's Ride (or the Ascot Avenue) —most
characteristic and impressive views—were not included. They combine the castle with the park in the way in which it is most likely to be remembered by the residents in the neighbour- hood, and they give, we think, the most majestic aspects of the venerable pile. Still, what we have is of the highest interest, and the personal friends of the Queen will enjoy the minute photographs of Her Majesty's private sitting-room, with all its pictures and other knick- knacks. The whole makes a magnificent volume. We need not say that a higher authority than the late Mr. Woodward's for the descriptions in the text could hardly have been found. The only take-off to them is that from the large size of the volume it is not easy to road—at least, for persons with any shortness of sight,—in spite of the clear and large print. That size, of course, greatly increases the value of the photographs, which are nothing if not on a certain scale ; but it makes the text, interesting as it would otherwiso be, somewhat inaccessible. — Tropical Nature. With numerous Illustrations. (Sooleys). Practi- cally this volume is concerned with the tropical regions of South America. In so vast a subject a restriction was necessary, and no choice could have been better for the vast variety which it affords. The volume is "compiled," as we learn from the title-page, from the narratives of distinguished travellers and observers." This compilation has been done with great care and taste, and wo have only to complain of the want of what a compilation should always havo,—an index of names and subjects. The text, always readable in itself, is rendered more attractive by some sixty or seventy illustrations, for the most part vigorous and spirited representations. They make us wish the more for colour, always so preponderating an element in the beauty of tropical landscape.—'Tee Survivors of the ' Chancellor.' By Jules Verne. Translated from the French by Ellen Frower. (Sampson Low and Co.) M. Verne and his illustrator "pile up the agony" between them pretty high. And indeed, the situation is alarm- ing. A cotton-ship has taken fire, and a passenger has smuggled on board a package containing thirty pounds of picrate of potash. It does not materially add to the horror of the situation that tho captain has gone mad, though, to be sure, if he had continued in his senses, he might have reached Liverpool before the inevitable explosion. However, the ship runs on a reef ; the picrate of potash is got out and utilised in blowing up some of the rock ; and finally, we find ourselves afloat on a raft,with nothing to speak of in the way of food and drink, and a mutinous crew. The question of anthropophagy turns up, and is treated with perhaps too much realism, though the last horror of sacrificing the living is avoided. 31. Verne tells tho story with his usual graph,c power and accuracy of detail. An early work, " Martin Paz," has boon added to the volume.— Perilous Seas, and How Oriana Sailed Them, by S. Whitchureh Sadler, R.N. (Marcus Ward), relates the adventures of a certain youth and maiden, George Falkland and Oriana St. Clare, whose acquaintance the reader has possibly made before, in a book entitled " The Ship of Ice." Mr. Sadler transfers them from arctic to tropical regions, and the hero, and even more specially the heroine, are equal to the occasion. In the real world, coincidences, we fear, are not so conveniently arranged, and pirates' wives are very different from the devoted Dolores ; but this is not a time for such criticism, and we can recommend Perilous Seas as a lively and harmless romance.—Saved from the Sea, by W. H. G. Kingston (Nelson), is yet another story of shipwreck and escape. Mr. Kingston always tells a capital story, and this time ha takes his heroes to a fresh place, and one which would certainly have not occurred to us, if we had been started to write the tale of a ten-gun brig or " coffin,"—the Desert of Sahara. Thither, however, they get, and there they meet with most interesting adventures. If any one wants a moral, which of course he has no right to do, one is ready,— let a boy learn Arabic if he gets a chance. It will be very useful if he is shipwrecked on the coast of Africa, and gets carried up into the Great Desert.— From the same author and publisher we have also The South-Sea Whaler: a Story of the Loss of the Champion' and the Adventures of her Crew. We can only admire the facility with which veterans like Mr. Kingston spin their yarns. These have, of course, a strong resem- blance to each other. We know pretty well by this time the jolly old captain, the adventurous young hero, the faithful sailor, the villanons sailor, the damsel in distress, daughter of the captain or cousin of the hero, as the case may be. Still there is no obvious repetition. Youngsters read, we find, the fiftieth story about wrecks, rafts, and desert islands, as eagerly as they read the first ; so that seeing that they are pleased, and that Mr. Kingston always writes with good-feeling and taste, we have no adverse criticism to urge. The South-Sea Whaler has perhaps even more than an average share of incident and interest.— Myrtle and Cypress. By Annette Calthrop (Marcus Ward.) There is as much love-making at cross-purposes here as would supply two or three three-volume novels. Lina von Podewils is engaged to Karl Kaiserling, and in love with the Marquis Antonio del Palmello; Antonio is in love with Virginie Tonais, daughter of a French Protestant pastor, who has also stormed the heart of Father Antonio. The father is a model priest, though but indifferently acquainted with Latin, seeing that he exclaims, " !Ilea culpae ! mea culpae l" He in his turn disturbs the peace of a Protestant young lady, who, however, ultimately finds happiness in the more human laws of a Church which does not forbid marriage. The book is too full of sentiment, and its tone, if not unhealthy, is wanting in vigour.—The Holiday Task, by A. R. Hope (Nimmo), is a readable collection of nonsense, —nonsense, it must be understood of the right sort,—with something of a more serious, though still amusing sort, in extracts from Erasmus touching on schoolboy life, and an account of the Bank of England, in which the familiar marvels of the place are sufficiently well described- -Hans Brinker; or, the Silver Skates, by Mrs. Mary Mapes Dodge (Sampson Low and Co.), is an old favourite, which appears in a hand- some garb, with some pretty illustrations, better, however, in drawing than in engraving, which will help to realise the Dutch scenery where the story is laid.—'?'ales of Nethercourt, by the Rev. H. C. Adams. (Routledge.) These are tales of school life, with nothing indeed re- markable about them, but written with good-sense and moderation, and not resulting in those alarming catastrophes and interventions of Nemesis which some writers of such literature think it necessary to introduce.— Extraordinary Nursery Rhymes and Tales. With Sixty Illustrations. (Griffith and Ferran.) When will people understand the difference between " nonsense" and "rubbish?" The old nursery rhymes were nonsense, and very good of their kind ; the novelties which we find here are rubbish. What can be worse than to interpolate into the "Carrion Crow" such punning stuff as this ?—
", What!' cried the tailor, 'bring arrows and a bow,
And ltt harrow up the feelings of this wretched Carrion Crow.'"
A few of the illustrations are good. —Nor can we approve of the design of the Six Wives of Blue-Beard, by Sabilla Novelle (Grant and Co.), in which we have described by pen and pencil the slaughter of the pre- decessors of Fatima. The old romancer had his chamber of horrors, but ho was too wise to make his book into what reads like a chapter of the Newgate Calendar. The illustrations are grotesque, without being funny, but they are prettily executed in colours.—Fables, by Mrs. George Cupples (Nelson), enforces the familiar morals by stories in -which boys and girls play the parts of the beasts, wise or foolish— Little Rosy's Pets (Seeleys) is to be noticed for the great cleverness of the silhouettes with which it is illustrated. Those give the little people charmingly ; the animals are not quite so good ; the trees, &c., would be as well away. The narrative will amuse young readers.—Sunny- land Stories. By the Author of "Aunt Mary's Bran-Pie." (Henry S. King and Co.)—This is a really charming little book. A little girl goes on a visit into the country, and there makes sundry friends, human and non-human, the most noticeable of the former being one Peggy Paterson, a faithful, industrious little creature of thirteen, who does her business of caring and working for her blind grandfather and little brother with all love and courage, and tells her story with much simple pathos, and in a natural style which does the greatest credit to the writer. What melancholy truth, for instance, is there in her acceptance, without ques- tion and comment, as of a common dispensation of Providence, that "father took unsteady and quit work when Tommy was a baby, and we haven't heard no tell of him since "1 Sunny/and Stories has our very best recommendation.—Happy Child-life, in Pictures by Oscar Pletscb, with Rhymes by Mrs. Charles Heaton (Routledge), is a collec- tion of gay little pictures, with rhymes above the average of merit in children's books.—Of small tales, &c., we may mention Honour and Glory, a Book for Boys, by Jeanie Herring (boys who read this must not suppose that William Wallace was really "a noble young chieftain, standing in the purple heather with the kilted warriors ") and Charlie Bell, by Mr. F. Marshall Ward. (Bemrose.)—Goat- land, by the Author of "The Life of a Bear" (Seeleys), is a pretty little story of a city child who is sent to spend a year in the country, and makes acquaintance with various creatures, especially with the goat which gives a name to the story.—We may take this opportunity of supplying an omission which we made in mentioning last week an excellent series of books containing selections from biographies, travels, &c. The Book of Noble Englishwomen, edited by Charles Brine (Nimmo), contains nearly forty biographies, beginning with Anne Askew and ending with Maria Edgeworth. The selection is well made, and the narratives executed with judgment and taste.— We have to acknowledge in Cassell's Family Magazine (Cassell and Co.) a handsome and well-illustrated volume. It contains a novel of the orthodox length, which we shall take the opportunity of criticising else- where. Along with this runs another of the same quantity (its quality we have not the opportunity of testing), entitled " The Manchester Man." There is a large variety of other matter, useful and entertaining. The illustrations are above the average in merit.—Messrs. Nelson send us Pictures and Stories from Natural History, in two numbers; and Beautiful Birds, in three. The Birds are described in verse (one of the classical poets calls them " light-minded "); the Beasts in more sober prose, which, on the whole, we prefer. The pictures are pretty, and brightly coloured by some process which appears to promise per- manence. The three numbers of the Birds are devoted to " Humming- Birds," and certainly help one to realise the wonderful beauty of these little creatures. Of the Beasts, the first number gives us the Lion, the Tiger, the Leopard, and the Jaguar; and the second, the Horse, the Ass, the Goat, and the Sheep. The drawings of the animals are decidedly inferior to those of the birds. One gets no real idea of a sheep, for instance, and the horse is a theatrical affair.—For the little ones, we have Chatterbox, Sunday Reading for the Young, and The Children's Prize, all edited by the Rev. J. Erskine Clarke, and published by Mr. W. Wells Gardner.
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