Through David's Realm. By Edward Staats de Grote Tompkins. (Sampson
Low and Co.)—An American tourist's impressions of the Holy Land could hardly fail to present some novel points of view to English readers, and the much-prefixed Mr. Tompkins of
this volume does "give to think" on a good many points. He is rather too " regardless of grammar " to be quite agreeable to
fastidious sticklers for the proprieties of syntax,—for instance, in the following little dialogue between himself and one of the English in Jerusalem :—" Do not all Americans whittle ?' he asked, mischievously.—' I never have,' I replied, smiling.—' I thought they were never happy unless they were.'" (The italics are ours.) He is also given to platitude, and goes into details of the best-known places and customs as though he had discovered the latter; but he is writing, we must remember, for a vast reading public presumably untravelled, and his book ought not to be judged by our standard for our narrators of travel of this order, whose works never get beyond the classes. He is observant and thoroughly pleased, two excellent notes for a tourist who means to record his impressions ; and even if we were less able than we are to approve thoroughly of his work, we should receive it cordially for the sake of the two hundred charming, and in many instances humorous, illustrations by the author ; these none can fail to appreciate.
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