Prince Pertinaz : a Fairy Tale. By Mrs. George Hooper.
Illus- trated by Margaret L. Hooper and Margery May. (Field and Tuer.) —Mrs. Hooper's tale, first published, though not quite in its present form, twenty years ago, in the Monthly Packet, is excellent. It has its moral, as one might guess from the name, but it is gently sug- gested, and never obtruded. And it is full of delicate fancy ; alto- gether, in fact, a really good fairy tale,—not an easy thing at all to write, if we may judge from the many unsuccessful attempts that even clever people make. The illustrations, executed in sepia, and skilfully reproduced, are very pleasing, and, indeed, something more than pleasing. The "Enchanted Forest," which is the head-piece of the tale, is particularly good. The effect of depth in the wood is an admirable piece of perspective, and the figures are effective. The "Diversion of the Fairy King and Queen," on p. 19, is equally good, and indeed, considering the grasping of the numerous figures, even better. We may also mention the landscapes on pp. 63 and 81, one with its weird, and the other with its cheerful effect, as worthy of praise.
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