New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-06-15
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

BRIEF GEOGRAPHICAL plCTQNARY Compile 9ds END e,s ar
t,nsrd by the Rev CaAaIEs holE = Al Iny Vice. Iss al
WHrEIER assistant eiGI Of Webster Donars' and ss1loF
Of a. D'i naid i Is S''' ''''-'
The purpose Of the editors Of this neat and handy little
volume has been rather to give the longest possible list Of
names in the shortest possible space, than 10
furnish anything like full or satisfactory &C
count Of even the most eminent characters. One
line IS the limit fixed for each biography, and very
indeed allowed TO pass it. Nothing is told
abou, any Of the persons mentioned except the name, &C.
cupton or cause of celebrity and year of birth and death,
with the NAME in some cases, Of principal work,
and a brief reference to special biographies. Thus,
the entry under Lord Nelson lone Of the few that
exceed single Incl is as follows: "Nclson, Horato,
viscount. Admiral. Life by Harrison, 1906; Clarke &
Macarthur, 1909; Southoy; Pettgrew, l75S-lsO5." OBJ
vously the value Of such work must consist almost
tircy IN its dates collection Of biographies it has
iittlo worth. IL the English edition the month and
day Of death given as well as the year. but the
American editor has thought it advisable to omit
these particulars because, among other reasons he
-upposes that most persons would consider the month
and day of birth equally important. In this
think he has made grave mistake. II Is very
often Of great consequence TO know the precise date OF
distinguished mans death, but very rarely that OF MS
birth and had Mr.. Whcelers suppostion been cor
given you simply because he has not given you more.
A very serious omission in many, but moi ALL of the
articles is that of the country to which the person men,
toned belonged Thus we have. "Faweett, John.
Actor" MILL John, ID. D. Editor Of Greek Tesla
mont" "Hudson Thomas. Portrait painter; with
nothing 70 show whether theYwere Engshmen or Ameri-
cans. Sometimes the notices calculated TO mislead
US Thus, Deme'rus Augustine Glllitzn is de-
sonbed as Russian nobleman and missionary
nom which would guess that he
an American by adoption and the field Of his mission
work was in Pennsylvania. To take an example Of just
the opposite sort OF ooscness in statement the German
DR.. Charles Gutzlaf, is called Chinese scholar and
missionary" Thomas Hope is described "writer on
art and in brackets we have the namo of his novel,
"Anasasus, which has nothing to do with art. More
over he not what generally understands by "a
writer art" for he wrote costume furniture and
decorations. Madame Recaner is not characterized at
all; have only her name followed by the not very sig
nifcant words, "of Paris" Jean Reboul, the French
baker and poet is sci down without his Christian
Christian OF foreign languages generally trans
la,od into English, but not uniformly. We do not like
this way of torurng and disguTing name and where
the oomplers of dictionary extremely careless as
Mesrs Hole and Wheeler about mentioning the country
20 which each distinguished person belongs it is especial
~ Objectionable. There is lack Of order in the arrange
ment Of the book which impresses us unfavorHbly
great many names given in their proper places and
then repeated in the supplement- among them are Lord
Bacon Calvin Ceramics and Dante. Other characters
figure twice under different names the great Spanish
cardinal who is given under Cisncos and again under
Ximenes; the Duke Of Marlborough, who appears at
length under NJ after having been entered already under
Churchill; the two ClaTendons who make second ap
peannce under HYDE and Lola Montez who has one line
under Moniez where she belongs, and two under Lola
where she has no business 20 be ALL
While we regret that Mr. Wheeler did not make more
thorough revision Of Mr.. Holes labors beside exercising
little better Judgment in his own cheorfully give him
cred, the great improvement he has made in the die
tonary. and especisAy for his additions of American
names, which are as full could reasonably be ex-
perfaH