The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-15
LTTERATURH.
REVIEW WOF VIEW BOOKS.

From J. b. Lippincott & Co. we have re-
ceived "Our Poor Girl: the Story of Thou
sands, by Writ Skies This is an amplifcation
of the story of ''Susy Garland" that appeared
some time since in the columns of Hearth 0red
Home, combined with other sketches that Mr..
Skies is desirous of having preserved in
more permanent shape than they could be in
the columns of daily or weekly journal
Whether his readers will share his solicitude
on this subject is at least open to question.
We are informed that the story of ''Susy
Garland" was written in the railroad cars, or
wherever the writer could find opportunity
while travelling, and on glancing over it we
find no reason to doubt the authors assertion
on this point. 1t is badly imagined,
badly constructed, and badly written,
and indeed the whole book is about
as weak an affair as has recently come
under our notice. 1t is a series of sketches of
low life in New York, and as local reprints in
the columns of daily newspaper some of
them might pass muster; but when pre-
sented to the public in their present shape, we
have a right to ask for better workmanship.
Mr. Skies may be very good local reporter,
but he is very bad book-maker, and he is
apparently deficient in the common sense
with which most reporters are gifted, or he
would not imagine that his scribblings could
possibly interest any intelligent readers after
they had once passed under survey in the
columns of newspaper.
The same house send us "Hester Strongs
Life-work, by Mrs. S. A. Southworth, an en-
ofo Of T,,oloV1
life.
--Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfnger send us
''The Early History of the Falls of Schuyl-
kill, Manayunk, Schuylkill and Lehigh Navi-
cation Companies, Fairmount Water Works,
etc., ;" by Charles V. Hagner. This work is the
substance of two lectures delivered by Mr..
Hagner in the year 1856 at Manayunk and
the Falls of Schuylkill, and it contains many
interesting "reminiscences of those localities.
It is valuable contribution to our local his
tory, and it will certainly find large num-
Der of appreciatiVe readers
From T. B. Peterson & Brothers we have
received "Major Jones Courtship,' humor-
GUS work that has achieved fair amount of
popularity.
-''The Atlantic Almanac" for 1870 pre-
sents an excellent list of articles in prose and
verse, including contributions by E. E. Hall,
W. D. Howells, w. M. ThacKeray, Elizabeth
| S. Phelps, T. w. Higginson, Charles Dickens,
Alfred Tennyson, j. r. Lowell, j. T. Trow-
bridge, William Cullen Bryant, and other
| first-cass writer's. The illustrations are gene
rally good, but the frontispiece, after pic
ture by j. G. Brown, is an atrociously bad
specimen of color printing; and ''Shad Fish
ing," from a picture by Samuel Colman, is
scarcely better.
From T. Ellwood Zell we have received
Nos. 81 and IS of ''Zells Popular Encyclo-
pedia," which is brought down to the title
Cashmere"
Turner Brothers & Co. send us On,
Boys and Girls for October %, and Appyetoa's
Journal for the same date, which contains q
portrait and sketch of Pere Hyaeinthe, fine
steel engraving of Lake George from picture
by j. w. Casilear, and other interesting
| matter