Queen Victoria : Story of her Life and Reign. (W.
and R. Chambers.) —Never, we may safely say, has there been a Sovereign for whose life there have been materials so abundant as those which are accessible to the biographer of Queen Victoria ; never one the writing of whose life could have been a more pleasing task. And apparently the demand for these books is inexhaustible. The author of the volume before us does not, and indeed cannot, differ materially from writers who have traversed the same subject before ; but the work is done with correctness and good taste, and may be commended.—From the same publishers we have also received Livingstone and Stanley : the ,Story of the Opening-up of the Dark Continent. Here, too, familiar material is worked up into a convenient shape. Within the moderate compass of one hundred and fifty pages such informa- tion has been compressed as will enable the reader to have a general idea of the subject. There are, of course, readers who, for lack of time, must be content with abridgments of this kind. Commonly, their chief and most useful function is to serve as an introduction to the study of originals.— Columbus and Cook (same publishers) belongs to the same class of book. The story of Columbus is brought up, we may say, to the latest date by the inclusion of the carefully contrived and well-executed commemoration of his work at Chicago last year. Among the memorials of Cook is an interesting account of his family. Three of his sons grew to manhood, two were in the Navy, both perished at sea ; the third died of scarlet fever when
an undergraduate at Cambridge. There is no male descendant of Columbus ; but the Duke of Veragua is collaterally connected with the family.—With these volumes may be mentioned Adventure and Adventurers, Selected by the Editor of "Recent Travel and Adventure," he., the editor appropriately quoting an aphorism of General Gordon,—" England was made by adven- turers and I believe, will only hold its place by adventurers." The feats of hunters, explorers, mountain-climbers, lion-tamers, and others are included. We should be inclined to draw the line at bushrangers, who scarcely belong to the "adven- turers" of whom Gordon was thinking. Nor would this class include the speculative Mr. Boyd, who figures in "The Secret of the Solomon Islands." George Borrow and "Rob Roy" Mac- Gregor are more appropriate. The editor's selection, though not beyond criticism, has produced a very readable volume.
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