The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-31 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Leyton Hall, and other Tales. By Mark Lemon,

3 vols. Hurst and BlaCkett.

A pleasant collection of, for the most part, sea-
sonable stories, by a pleasant and always seasonable
writer. The longest tale which occupies the first
volume, and gives its name to the book, is a very
romantic and somewhat melancholy history of the
times of the civil war of Cavaliers and Roundheads.
A too credulous baba in the wicked fabrications of
another lago, causes years of unhappiness and
estrangement to the gallant owner of Leytou Hall,
and his very charming wife, Maud Netherby.
The various details of the plot are cleverly con-
trived, and the sketches of the men and manners
of the time are portrayed in a picturesque and attrac-
tive manner. Among the minor tales one of the best
declares to us the astounding intelligence of " What
Came of Killing a Rich Uncle, One Christmas
Time." Never before, assuredly, did so much hap-
piness and good fortune result from such a cause !
We will say no more lest we destroy the murderer's
secret, and sugggest to others the commission of a
similar enormity-. " Flowers and Thorns,"
" Hearts are Trumps," " The Ghost Detective "
" A Christmas Day in a Jew's House," a very
animated and interesting story, entitled " Mind
your own Business," and a charming story fo r the
young, on the fatal effects of vanity, " The Talking
Shell," form the remaining contents of, this very
attractive collection of amusing tales well-adapted
to the Christmas fire-side.

Oliver Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield. New Illus-

trated Edition. Fred. Warne and Co.

An exquisite edition of this lovely home-story of
English life and manners during the last century
has made its appearance just in time for presenta-
tion as a New Year's Gift-Book worthy of presenta-
tion. It is at one and the same time a masterpiece
of literature, of art, of typography, and even of
binding. The mere getting-up of the volume, one
could not in a manner wish to be better. The paper
on which the book is printed is thick and beautiful.
The letterpress is admirably good and from an un-
worn fount. The embellishments are printed in oil
colours, and are at the least rich, almost gorgeous
at times in their colour. Their one obvious de-
ficiency is a lack of character. Moses is not
Moses—Squire Thornhill, Squire Thornhill—
or Mr. Burchell, Mr. Burcliell. Olivia and Sophia
would do equally well the one for the other : and
which is Dick and which Bill one would have some
difficulty in conjecturing. Even Dr. Primrose
might be as readily mistaken for a vague shadowing
forth of the Rev. Laurence Sterne as for himself
there being in each instance a total absence of any-
thing like distinct individualisation. The pictures,
again, are in one case misnamed—(viz., where George
is represented as being sent to college by the Vicar,
when, on the contrary, he has quitted college alto-
gether, and is, in point of fact, being sent by
his father to seek his fortunes, armed simply
with a staff and a Bible, in the wide world of
London)—and in two other instances are misplaced,
that is where the Vicar's family are a chapter or
so too soon seen going Late to Church on horse-
back, and where Mr. Burchell, otherwise Sir Wil-
liam Thornhill, is pourtrayed a chapter or so too
late, in his shirt-sleeves helping Sophia, rake in
hand, in the hayfield. Apart from these minor
blemishes in the putting of the book together,
blemishes admitting of easy correction in the event
of (what we should suppose must be inevitable) a
reprint of so very charming a new edition of an old,
old favourite—the volume is delightful. It is ex-
actly the volume for a New Year's Gift-book—this
exquisitely-printed and radiantly-embellished edi-
tion of Oliver Goldsmith's " Vicar of Wakefield."

Varia : Readings from Rare Books. By J. Hain
Friswell, author of "The Gentle Life." One
vol., pp. 341. Sampson Lowe, Son, and
Marston.
The thoughtful writer of " The Gentle Life" is
a deserved favourite with thoughtful readers. It
is a pleasant contrast to the rapid whirl of excite-
ment which pervades even the literature of the pre-
sent day, when the old saying, he who " runs may
read," is not only verified, but is also frequently
reversed in its application—it is a pleasant con-
trast to open a book which will transport us for a
time to the world of thought, and enable us to in-
dulge for awhile in the tranquil delights of meditation.
Such is the peaceful ambition of the author of the
" Gentle Life." Already we have more than once
yielded ourselves willing subjects to his spells. In
the present volume he invites us to accompany him
in an investigation as to the merits and virtues of
some of the rare books and famous men whose
names are of world-wide celebrity, but of whom in
many instances the world knows little more than
the name. " Varia" is the title of the book, and
various, indeed, are the subjects of its contents :--
" The Angelic Doctor" and " Doctor Faustus"---
" Thomas a Kempis" and " Michael Scott"—" Sir
Thomas Browne" and " George Psalmanazzer,"
arc among the names !Jere rr,:5.2.1,t0d to our uuLico.
In the article on Thowas-4-Kempis, the author
apologises for classing with " rare" books " The
Imitation of Christ ;" which, according to
Dr. Johnson, had in his time gone through far
more editions than there had been months since
its publication, and of which it now appears that
more than 1,800 editions have been printed, and the
work has been translated into sixty different lan-
guages, and, says Dr. Thompson in the Sunda!'
Magazine, " has been probably more read than anY
religious book, the Bible excepted." The terin
" rare" may, indeed, in another sense be justly
ascribed to this familiar volume. The articles in
" Varia" are not likely to be so generally popular
as those iu the writer's former works. His opinions
are strongly expressed, and in many of them we
must confess that, in common no doubt with lO'
milers, we canuot always agree with him.