The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-09-07

HsAS AEU00 woA0-WeW wOOkos
The great Fall Trade Sale commenced at the
rooms Of Messrs. Bangs, in Park Row, yesterday.
The catalogue is by far the largest ever offered in
America, and We doubt whether any Of the famous
German Booksellers Fairs have exhibited as largo
number or variety Of publications, or anything like
the quantities fbooks invoiced and to be Sold But
careful examination Of this catalogue, which makes
stout and compactly printed octave volume, dis
appoints rs in an important particular in no season
Tor tho last ten years has the literary production of
the country been meagre and unsatisfactory. The
lists furnished by the several principal houses are Of
old works, for the most part offered in previous sales
and in original American books, and in republica-
tons of recent foreign literature, there is really
scarcely anything to repay an hours consideration.
The month before the Autumn Trade Sale is usually
prolific ofthe best performances of the best minds in
the country. This year scarcely half dozen vol
umes with sufficient character to demand review
have como out in all the half dozen weeks since thu
drst of August We will glance at few Of those
most talked about
OF tho women of genius now living and writing in
The United States, it is generally conceded that
Alice Carey ia the first; and not only the first, but
50 much above all others that it is almost an alb
her. Miss Sedgwiok writes always with certain
degree ofgood sense; Mrs. Kirkland has practical
ness knowledge and humor, though the latter is Of
masculine and sometimes Of q vulgar kind Miss
Fenimore Cooper has fine talents for observation,
and style eminently pure and idionatic; Miss
Warner, (authoress of I" The Wide Wide World, ~
faculty for the interesting combination Of common
places, and . religious tone in keeping with the
most orthodox standards; Catharine E. Beecher,
vigor, acuteness, and temper for every species Of
debates and her sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, un-
auestionably great deal of strength, with such
capacities for dramatic situation and dialogue
as will insure the sale Of any composition in which
she does herself JUSTICE though all her books, except
6 Unces Toms Cabin" were failures, and the un-
bounded success Of that performance is due much
more to its subject than to its literary merits In
the better class Of literary women must also be men
toned Mrs Robinson {" Talyi,'') Mrs. Lee, Miss
Stuart "a daughter Of the late eminent Hebrew pro-
fessor,) and Mrs. Conant, very learned lady,
<vhose husband is of the professors at Roches-
ter); and we could add list of a dozen female
poets Of no mean powers
OF the gang Of iDfdel, socialist, and bloomer
Uomen-Mrs. Rose, Mrs. Nichols, Mrs. Green, Mrs.
Oakes Smith, Miss Cheesebro, Sarah Jane Clark
<who, for some cause, is SO much ashamed of her
name that shs writes herself &c Grace Greenwood"
not only in books and newspapers, but in waybils,
tavern registers, and private correspondence, as
Tor these we say and all the rest of that blue sis
terhood. old, ugly, or with bag propensities, they
have not an aggregate of womanly feeling and in
telgencs sufficient for the gaining of an honorable
fame, or even Of any notoriety except such as may
be temporarily won by any ecoentricity or sngu-
larity to which shameless persons may abandon
themselves.
Alice Carey is Of a different and far higher school
Her role is poetry, and the triumphs of her genius
are in that volume Of "Lyrs," &C., published few
months ago. Of which Halleck has said that it enti
ties her to outrank all the female poets who have
ever written the English language. But in her
"Ciovernook" she made profound impression as
writer Of prose fiction. No work not addressed to
partizau preudices, written by an American woman,
has attained to great popularity, and though it
has been year before the public, it still sells with
unfalterng rapdity. "Clovernook y is q series Of
pictures from the West pioneer and village life in
Ohio-and il takes all hearts by its graphic edec
Mveness, its gentlcness and naturalness, and tho
veins of tender sentiment and genial Imagination
which penetrate it and pervade it. 1t is to be
classed with Irvings "Sketch Book" Wilson's
1'Lights and Shadows Of Scottish Life, and Our
Village" by Miss Mitford-most resembling the
latter, but altogether superior to it example
and display Of excellence in this kind Of writing.
"Hagar," a novel which Miss Carey has just pub
lshed through Redfeld, is grouping of the char
acters Of tie day. and though the plot Of the story
is not managed with that nice regard to unity and
- H. k:o~
practsed novelist, it is ingenious. probable, and
in its denouement, surprising and powerful. Dis
carding altogether the Fourisrite and lcentious
philosophy, which ID inculcated in several recent
fctions which have been pulled into undeserved pop
ularity, she makes suffering follow like blood
hound in the track Of sin, and, though never in an
obtrusivs way, vindicates the laws Of Christian
morality by appeals to the general experience and
consciousness. Her characteristics are tenderness
and pathcs, but "Hagar" is enlivened with exam
pies Of playful satire, and the most genuine humor
As an example Of the latter quality We may quote
the account given Of the last days Of progressive
woman" Mrs Eunice Wurth =
Mrs. Eunce became years ago the centre Of circle In
rR sns s L np
hundred generations demolished with as much ease
Ahos by that old conqueror who found the mountain
tivated until men were seen by her in all their natural
and deforty and she made terrible resolves
against the continuance of their tyrannous monopoes In
the cou6ci and the field and all varieties of out door az
fairs. She had been chairwoman Of scores of COM
ees formed to demand governors and presidents the
liberation and pardon Of the most depraved wreches SEN
fenced to commentaries scaods she perfectly
convinced that the philosopher of Jerusalem" was far
behind the editor Of the TrnscenSanf Trarscendena
and that tine twelve whom he commissioned to teach his
doctrine less advanced than the standing committee
OF the socety Of Unapprecated Women Of which she her
viz he hen
undue Differences to the ROSTERS every of whom seemed
to think himself really entitled to be cock Of the walk
she said il wonder, with the examples they had
before them hateful assumptions and she organ
ICED powerful society for the assertion vndicaton and
preservation OF Biddes' Rights; but though 1t passed
alarming sets Of resolutions the socetys labors awaited
hut little obstinate Is mistaken nature and difficult
IL II to put down abus1 that have been long quietly sub
mted to- Annoyed at the difficulties in the way of
construction Of society but confident that the luminous
theories had propoundcd in her to
The Hor Class and The Old Roman and in her speeches