GIFT-BOOKS.
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.*
READERS, old and young, seem nowadays to demand jam with every powder, and they are fortunate in the number of writers, artists, and publishers who are willing to supply them with instruction and delight in the form of prettily decorated books which contain some learning in no very ponderous shape. Making our start in this island, we have a sumptuous book, The Story of Edinburgh Castle,' finely illustrated and grandly, not to say grandiosely, printed. Professor Geddes, who has done so much unselfish work for the city and its University, contributes a somewhat wordy preface, extolling civic pride and municipal energy. Mr. Weirter has written a full account of the historic events connected with one of the most imposing buildings in the world. No one can look at it without being impressed by the grandeur and romance with which site and circumstances have surrounded this volcanic upheaval of distant ages and the work of man which crowns it. In spite of Stirling, Scone, and many other places famous in Scottish history, in spite of the lack of communication with large tracts of the country, Edinburgh Castle has been connected with nearly every great event in Scotland. It is therefore by far the best peg, if a peg is needed, upon which to hang a history of Scotland, and that is almost what we have here. The author's etched and collotype views of the castle, inside and out, are artistic, daring, and successful. He combines the two businesses of author and illustrator more successfully than is usual. Mr. Munro Orr also contributes some good line draw- ings illustrating incidents of the story, which, though a little flat in appearance, are decidedly clever.—Mr. lichens takes us further afield in his continued collaboration with M. Guerin. He describes for us, under the title of The Near East? the Dalmatian Coast, Greece, and Constantinople. We know his power of word-painting and his ability to absorb Oriental feeling, but here and there it seems as though these qualities alone raise his book above the level of a verbose guide-book. The time of the outbreak of the war was an interesting period in which to travel in these regions, but it appears to have been a hasty journey, except for a considerable stay in Greece. There are many large and well-chosen photographs, and M. Guerin's pictures are good examples of his clever style of drawing and colouring, and (beat of all) of his black- and-white wash drawings. He succeeds in conveying a sense of romantic mystery in Greece, whereas Mr. Hichens and the photographer seem to be more in harmony together. The book is pretentiously printed in America; this leads to such divisions of words, among other blemishes, as tempes-tuous, inte-rior, dec-laration, which would horrify an educated proof- reader.—We are still in the East when we turn to On the Banks of the Nile.s Miss Ella Du Cane has painted a series of pretty pictures, chiefly in pinks and blues. They are numerous and become slightly monotonous, but would make a pleasant portfolio, especially with Miss F. Du Cane's explana- tory notes, which are printed almost invisibly on the tissue shields. They are, however, interleaved with Mr. Todd's text. The reason for binding his work and the pictures together is not very apparent. Mr. Todd has lived for some years in Egypt (teaching political economy, we should gather), and seeing well qualified to write a sketch of the country's wonderful history. He adds a guide to Cairo and up the Nile to Wady Haifa. He appears to be a very proper admirer of Lord Cromer and Lord Kitchener.—In Provincial Russia,' too, the collaboration of writer and artist is not close. Mr. Stewart knows Russia well, and describes the life in nearly every large district except Lithuania, Esthonia, Poland, and Finland. He can also quote from many of the best modern writers of the * (I) The Story of Edinburgh Castle. By Louis Weirter. London: George Harrap and Co. [20s. net.]—(2) The Near East. By R. Hichens. Illustrated by Jules Guerin. London Hodder and Stoughton. [25s. net.]—(3) On the Banks of the Nile. Painted by Ella Du Cane. Text by John A. Todd, London : A. and C. Black. [20s. net.]—(4) Provincial Russia. Painted by F. de Haenen. Described by Hugh Stewart. Same publishers. [7s. 6d. net.] — (5) Stories from Dutch History. By A. H. Dawson. London : George Hanup and Co. ps. 6d. net.}--(6) Jerusalem and the Crusades. By Estelle Blythe. London : T. C. and E. C. Jack. [Ss. net.]—(7) The Story of the World. By Elizabeth O'Neill. Same publishers. [7s. 6d. net.]—(8) A History of Germany. By H. E. Marshall. London : Henry Frowdo and Hodder and Stoughton. [7s. 6d. net. J—(9) Germany. By John Finnemore. London : A. and C. Black. [1s. 6d. net.]—(10) The Story of Greece. 13y Mary Macgregor. London : T. C. and E. C. Jack. [7s. 6d. net.)—(11) The Cm:. querirrs of Pers. Retold by H. M. Gilbert. London; George ilarrap and Co,, OB. 6:1. net.]
language or languages. On the whole it is a pleasant picture of simplicity in spite of the great poverty. The peasants' condition is likely to improve as the shackles of Socialism fall away : evidently such relics of socialistic barbarism as the common field tillage are out-worn there at last, and where there was in rare cases overcrowding on the land there is a tendency to emigrate to the new and rich lands of Siberia. Mr. Stewart has studied closely the extraordinary mingling of Eastern, Western, and Northern races, especially to the south- east. Politics and government do not obtrude here because the peasant is generally ignorant of their heavy hand, which only reaches the towns with any force. There is description of scenery, but scarcely any natural history: indeed, Mr. Stewart seems in one place to confuse swallows and martins. Mr. De Haenen's pictures are very pleasant representations of the people.—Mr. Dawson's Stories from Dutch History' bring us nearer home again. In spite of its title the book is a continuous history from the days of the Celtic Batavians and Teutonic Frisians down to the Treaty of Utrecht. Mr. Dawson hopes that his readers will be led on to Motley. He has studied that historian himself with noticeable effect, and we are not spared the horrors of Spanish cruelty. Such a nightmare of blood and torture almost inevitably obsesses any writer of Dutch history, but it is hardly fair to imply that our unhappy, narrow-minded Queen Mary desired to convert her kingdom "into a hell." Mr. Dawson gives little weight to the really immense help which that admirable woman, Mary Jr., gave to William of Orange, nor has he much to say of Dutch art. Otherwise this seems an excellent short history of our near neighbours. It is illustrated with monochrome reproduc- tions of pictures mostly by Dutch painters.
The books remaining on this list are mainly for young people. One of the most attractive, and one which need not bore older readers in spite of its simple style, is Jerusalem and the Crusades,' by the daughter of the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem. She has acquired an enthusiasm for the subject and has an intimate knowledge of the places where every stirring event took place. Miss Blythe is not blinded by her enthusiasm: she is just in her estimate of noble Saracens, such as Saladin, and of those ignoble Christians who, by their discreditable jealousies or bloodthirstiness, brought ruin to these high mediaeval ideals. She reviews the whole history from the days of Peter the Hermit to the cruel destruction of the Order of the Templars, and tells many exciting incidents in detail. The only point at which she displays ignorance is where she confuses a white ensign with a "George." The book is illustrated with photographs, with reproductions of old pictures and drawings, and with some good coloured plates of welcome originality by L. D. Luard. There are useful appendices and an index.—The Story of the World,7 by Elizabeth O'Neill, begins with some anthropology given with a scientific air, but when it passes to the Biblical and legendary history of man the scientific distinction between fact and legend is dropped without warning. Greek and Roman history follow, and lead to European history through the Middle Ages and onward. America, Australia, Africa, and the Far East are dealt with at the end. No two people would agree upon the allotment of space to periods or countries in a work of this kind, but to us it seems that ancient Egypt is too scantily treated. Similarly there is little satisfac- tion in pointing out errors of detail, except that they should be corrected if another edition is called for. But (for example) our King Henry IV. was not known as the Earl of Richmond (p. 283). It is a worse mistake to call Socrates the first great Greek philosopher (p. 52), or to bring to children's ears such a phrase as "like they did" (p. 247). On p. 122 a printer's error presents King Prusias of Bithynia as "Prussia's king." There is no great virtue in crowding children's heads with dates, but a few more would have been helpful here for the purpose of comparing the sections of history which are geographically separate. The book is illustrated with photo- graphs and reproductions from widely various sources.—Miss H. E. Marshall follows up her excellent French history for children with A History of Germany.° It is not so easy a subject to make interesting. The tangled record of blood- shed, of external and internal war, which forms the main recorded history of the mediaeval Empire, is necessarily a chief part of German history, and the real progress of the people can scarcely be traced. But the author does very well. She passes quickly over the mythical beginnings before Arminius, and throughout she lightens the burden of her tale very pleasantly with occasional anecdotes. The Reforma- tion is lucidly treated, but the statement that the young Luther "gave up his studies and became a monk" might be very misleading. There are some adequate coloured plates, illustrative of the text, by A. C. Michael.—It is highly desirable that young people should be brought up with sym- pathetic understanding of our Teutonic cousins, and we may recommend here a small book, Gernzany,g by John Finnemore. It is one of a series called "Peeps at History," which really does not deserve so ill a name. This volume is quite a good example of judicious sketching at history. It might well form a foundation for further study. The only sentence at which we take offence states that till the middle of the thirteenth century Prussia was "a pagan land." It is true that the bishoprics founded by Otho I. were wiped out in the Wendish invasions, but Prussia was again, nominally at any rate, a Christian country by the time of Lothair. The book is illustrated with some coloured views of interesting spots, some imaginary pictures illustrating events, and by small black-and-white reproductions from various sources.—Miss Macgregor's The Story of Greece IS resembles her Story of Rome in so far as it is no continuous story at all. It is a succession of short stories from mythology and from history down to the deaths of Alexander and Demosthenes. The writer has evidently gone to the best sources, for the tales are taken from Homer, Herodotus, Plutarch, and other good writers. Perhaps the full measure of quantity and the brevity of each story make the whole seem too "scrappy," but in any case Hawthorne and Professor Church are not superseded by this work. On page 93 "Rome" seems to be a mistake for Rhodes. The illustrations are by Mr. Walter Crane. He is still a master of beautiful composition and design, but he has not adapted his colouring for modern reproduction, nor is he careful to keep his figures in correct drawing or perspective. —Lastly Prescott's Conquest of Peru has been "peptonized " by Mr. Gilbert in The Conquerors of Peru)' It seems rather an unnecessary labour; for surely the original is still at least "readable" even by fairly youthful people. The method, of course, involves skipping, which seems to have been judiciously done, and the invention of much conversation. There are some exciting monochrome pictures by Mr. Maybank. Thus may friends and relatives thrust upon each other or their children some learning clothed with great attractions for the eye.
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