Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-12-19
0Ortester AaiIp Spg.
New Books.

AlS Aor Tue new year, III WHICH ne IOots up OuI
losses and gains to the end of the third year
of the secession war-showing an encourage
ing balance on the profit side. "When," he
concludes, "in the parliament of 1901, Mr..
land had been defended by the mighty arm
of the queen Elizabeth exclaimed from the
throne, No, Mr.. Speaker, but rather by the
mighty hand of GodP SO with us. We have
been saved by the mighty hand of God" Oh
liver Wendell Holmes, under the appropriate
title Of "The Minister Penpo;entiary, com
memorates the excellen' services rendered
by Mr.. Beecher in England to the national
cause. Other prose articles are, the first of
the new series of 'Home and Home Papers"
by Harriet Beecher Stowe; "Governor John
Winthrop in Old England" by Rev. George
E. Ellisi Ray" story, by Harriet z. Pres.
colt; Glaciers" by Prof. Agassiz 'Stephen
Yarrow,,' Christmas story by Miss Harding,
who wrote "Life in the Iron Mills; :" and my
Book, by Gail Hamilton. Bryant. Longfel-
low, and Lowell are the Atlantic poets for
the beginning of the new year-Longfellow
offering three cantos of Dantes Paradise, be-
ginning with the twenty second where Dante
is with Beatrice in the circle Of the fixed stars
she gazing upwards, watching for the descent
of the Triumph of Christ. The reviews and
literary notices are, as usual, discriminating
and-with the exception of that upon Bayard
Taylor's over-praised ''Picture Of American
Life"-excellent and just.
JoHNsoN's FAMILY ATLAs.-Who has not
noticed the wonderful interest the war has
awakened among the people, in the study of
the geography of our country? As various
portions of our vast army march and counter
march through mountain passes, valleys, and
plains, they invest their bloody tracks with
an interest personal to every man, woman,
and child, in the land. Nor is this interest
likely soon to abate. The social and political
reorganization OF the rebellious states will in
duce undreamed-of changes in their popua-
ton and business conditions. To meet the
popular demand for geographical knowledge,
countless numbers of maps Of particular To-
calities are published, from time to time, and
scattered broadcast over the country. But
they are not available when most wanted, or
sufficiently comprehensive in design to be of
permanent value. What we want is an atlas
of tlR right kind, ready in hand, with every
town, village, road: river, mountain, and val
ley, represented from actual surveys. Col
toms Atlas, published eight years ago, has in
great measure met this want, to SUCH as
could afford its purchase: but great changes
have developed the need of something later
and broader. Just at this time, when most
wanted, the old plates have passed into new
hands, valuable additions made to them, The
descriptive treatises rewritten, underlined
and condensed, and other great improve
ments introduced, and offered TO the public,
as Johnson's Family Atlas, complete in one
volume, and offered at great reduction in
price.
We have before noticed this work and COM
mended it to public favor, but having more
carefully examined its distinctive features and
become more fully impressed with its value as
just the Atlas for the present and all times,
we will at the risk Of repetition again call at
tention to its great merits.
Many Of the maps are twice the size of the
old edition, and those particularly of our own
country are on double sheet, thus givngnot
only The state or region designed, but the
surrounding territories, with their railroads,
rivers and mountain Mdges. They give the
latest internal improvements and the statistics
of the latest census. 1t has more than one
hundred maps and charts, finely executed on
steel, and is very valuable treatise on phys
ical geography. 1t is frequently objected to
expensive maps that they soon become obso-
lete in a young and growing country like our
own. This objection has been obviated in
Johnson's Atlas by novel eXpedent. Be-
tween the successive maps guards have been
firmly bound, to which new maps may be
pasted to conform to subsequent changes; and
every volume is accompanied by printed
guaranty from the publishers to furnish such
new maps to subscribers when events demand
them, at a triaing cost. The returns of each
succeeding census will be furnished in the
same way, SO that the work will not only be
selt-adjusting one, keeping pace with the pro-
gress of the age, but will give great facilities
for comparing the future with the past This
feature is an important one, and makes the
Atlas always the latest and best. The price
is SO low that it can have no rival, because
for a long time to come no. rival enterprise
could possibly pay. The agent for this Sec
ton of the state, Mr.. L. w. Fairchild, is
meeting with success in this city unequaled
by the sale OF any similar work 1t needs only
to be examined to be appreciated and pur-
chased.
CROSBY Il NICHOLS have long list of new
books tor young boys, but not at all beneath
the dignity of old ones. ''rhe Wild Man of
the West, Tale of the Rocky Mountains ,
by Il. M. Ballantine, is full of incident and
adventure, and may be read with equal profit
and delight. March Marston, the wild man,
was not so wild as you think, but lived long
after these exciting adventures occurred to
him, zone of the kindest, wsesl, gentlest,
heartiest, and most courageous" of men.
another book of adventures, by the same
author, entitled 1.-The Red Eric, or the Whal-
ers Last Cruise" takes the young reader over
the ocean wastes, aud of all the exciting
III, 1. 4 81