The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-12-12
LITERARY GOSSIP,

LITERARY GOSSIP.
The autumn list of Messrs. Hurd and
Houghtons new publications is exceedingly
rich in promise. Among works nearly ready
we have new editions of the admired "Canter-
bury Tales by Harriet and Sophia Lee, of the
Rejected Addresses" by Horace and james
Smith, and of the "Tales and Extravaganzas" of
Hood; also the Encyclopaedia of Biography"
of Parke Goodwin, new and supplemented edi-
ton, Swinburne's new poem of "Chastelard,"
"Mozart's Letters" ACROSS the Continent" by
Samuel Bowles, Palgrave's Essays on Art"
collections of the poems of Edna Dean Proctor,
Mrs. w. Fl. Milburn, and of Elizabeth Bogart,
and other miscellaneous works. Of beautiful
ly illustrated holiday books they offer large
number, conspicuous among which we find the
elegant "artist's edition" of Irving's sketch
Book" Bryant's "Forest Hymn" "The Hudson
Legends" comprising Grip Van Wrinkle" and
SLEEPY Hollow" an elegant illustrated quarto
entitled SIN the Woods with Bryant, Longfel-
low and Halleck," new translation of Sain-
tines "Picciola," with illustrations by Leopold
Flameng, and pictures of Society,"" collec-
ton of tales and sketches by popular English
writers, illustrated by such artists as Millais,
Pickergill, Cope, Watson, Horsley, etc. A
sumptuous edition of "Esop's Fables" has al
ready received extended notice in our columns.
OF the choice list of juvenile books offered by
these publishers we have also had occasion to
speak before, but we cannot refrain from again
calling attention to few of these, such as "The
Vagabonds," by J. T. Trowbridge, "a Visit
from st. Nicholas" Stoddard's Little Red
Riding Hood" and 1.-THE Children in the
Wood" Andersen's "Tales for Children" "The
Adventures of A Little French Boy" and
new illustrated Robinson Crusoe." Spectre
pia; or Surprising Spectral Illusions, showing
Ghosts anywhere and of any Color" is book
which will afford exhaustless parlor amuse-
| ment. 1853.
SO successful has Mr.. Carleton's funny
book on Cuba proved, that he is now preparing
larger sized Illuminated quarto edition for the
Christmas holidays, uniquely printed in seren
| colors, and we suppose Enthusiastically emit
| tied Our Colored Artist in Cuba.
Miss Flora McF limsey, of Madison Square,
that unfortunate young lady who had IN 9TH
ing to Wear" will figure pretty extensively in
new satirical poem soon to be published in
New York by Mr.. Carleton, under the title of
| Country Love VS.. City Flirtation," containing
some twenty splendid full-page Illustrations by
| Hoppin, in his most luxuriant style. From
the same press will also soon be issued new
book entitled "The Prince of Kashna," by the
author of "In the Tropics" with an Introduce
ton by Richard B. Kimball, Esq. Ea
"A complete, accurate but not too volumin-
GUS history of France has long been desidera-
tum. M. Dareste, Dean of the Faculty of Let
ters of Lyons, has made new attempt to sup
| ply it. He has issued the first two volumes of
"Histoire de France depuis son Origine
jusqu'a nos Jours," and in it he intends, he
says, to be complete without being long
This is the very thing the public wants; and as
he has for years been professor of history, and
has always gone to original sources for his
facts, he will no doubt give what he promises
The two volumes, which bring the history down
to the reign of the mad Charles VI, are well
and clearly written, and not too diffuse. The
book is issued by M. Plon, the Emperor's pub
Usher. -.r-rr3 e
Under the title of lie Due de Persigny ct
les Doctrines de l'Empire," the Imperial pub
Usher has issued volume which will probably
make some noise. 1t is record of the public
acts of the famous founder of the second EN-
oire, and collection of the speeches he has de-
livered on different public occasions, also of
the few literary productions of which he is the
author. si-ira af s5hF BOA -Zla
Harriet Martineau, in recent letter to her
American publishers, indicates that her last
literary work is finished, and her career is
| drawing to close. The last volume of her
sc @IaD L -t1s-y
cember, will contain an original book, not in
cluded in the English edition. and covering the
period of English history from 1S46 to 1854
Literature has sustained severe loss in
the death of Mrs. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell,
| the English novelist and biographer. On the
18th instant she was reading to her daughters
in her own home, at Alton, England, when she
suddenly fell dead. An English paper, refer
ring to this sad event, says, "At time when
most of our lady novelists are running riot in
tales of adultery and murder, it was of great
Importance that there should be few writer's
| Of fiction capable of constructing an interest
ing tale without wholesale breaches of the
Decalogue. Miss Evans, Mrs. Oliphant and
Mrs. Gaskell were the chief of these, and of
this trio unhappily the last has been taken
from u.s." Mrs. Gaskell whose maiden name
was Stromkin, was born in 1912, and was mar
ried to the Rev. William Gaskell, a Unitarian
minister, of Manchester. Her first work which
attracted notice was "Mary Barton" tale of
| operative life in Manchester. It was not writ
ten for publication, but for the purpose OF d.
verting her mind from a heavy domestic Attic
ton. 1t was published, however, and meeting
great success, was followed by Ruth" "Cran-
ford" ''The Life of Charlotte Bronte," series
of short tales contributed to Household Words,
and, last and best, wives and Daughters .
which is now running its course in the Cornhill
Magazine. To the American edition of this
work, soon to be published by the Harpers, she
has prefxed the following dedication :-"This
book is dedicated to all my Northern friends,
with the truest sympathy of an English-wo-
man; and in an especial manner to my dear
friend Charles Eliot Norton, and to his wife,
who, although personally unknown to me, is
| yet dear to me for his sake"
Rev. George Constantine, of Athens, the
translator into Greek of the "Pioneer Boy"
writes the author of that admirable biography
/ of President Lincoln, "Our Consul at Reirut