The Portland daily press., 1871-06-24

The Wife 0fG, Vain Man is the title of the
fourth of the transations of the novels of
Marie Sophie Schwartz, and is equal in inter-
est to any of its predecessors, Madame
Schwartz has achieved the very highest place
in her own country as a writer of fiction, and
her success with the reading public of Amer
lea is already assured. Her writings are
characterized by great power and bear the
impress of genius throughout. Lee & Shep-
ard, Boston. For sale by Loring, Short &
Harmon.
Ina, by Katherine Valeria is a romantic
Italian story, the plot of which is thus sum-
med up by the Boston Transcript:
1t is the old tale of an ambitious and proud
Italian, who marries by stealth in Switzerland
young German girl, but does not own his
marriage for fear of lis aristocratic relatives
and Its effect ON his political advancement.
He is very handsome, very able, but without
any religious beliefs; doubts about God, and
knows no life but the present life. In due
time his wife, whom he leaves in Swift
zerland becomes mother of a beautiful
boy, is cursed by her stern brother because
she will not tell the name of the child's
Iather, and then goes to Turin to find her
husband and make him acknowledge the mar
riage. But she discovers that he is false TO
her, and that another siren has won his heart.
She casts him off at first, but finally, when
he is shot by some person unknown, she re-
lents and marries him again on his death
bed, that her boy may become his lawful heir
The interest of the book centres on these two
characters, and is we'll sustained. Besides
these there are some good side characters:
SOf, the maid servant, who has had rather a
strange succession of lOve-experiences; Mar
cello, who finally consoles the bereaved widow;
the Beponi family, who are wise and benevo-
lent; and the Colman family, Americans,
who are apparently drawn from life, but who
do not add much to the charm of the narra-
tive. The story belongs to kind which T.
AdOlphus TrollOpe has made familiar, though
it has no complication of plot and no very
elaborate description. The details of dress
are in the style of an expert. James r. Os-
good q Co., Boston. For sale by Hall l.. Da-
Wis.
The Atlantic for July is the best number
of that monthly we have ever seen. If i'm
protements are to be made hereafter it must
be by enlargement for there seems no room
for improvement in any other direction. The
letter of r. III. Dana, Jr., giving an account OF
his meeting with John Brown at his own
home in 1849, is one of the best written and
most interesting articles that has appeared
for long time. sour Whispering Gallery"
is as readable as ever, and makes one feel as
though he could hardly wait for the next in
stallment. Some portions of Bret Harte's
story, "The Poet of Sierra Flat" is very good
but as whole is hardly up to his reputation.
The number contains a continuation of
"From Generation to Generation" "Castillian
Days" "Kate Beaumont" and "Mountaineer-
ing in the Sierra Nevada" T. M. Brewer
makes out good case for the BIRDS Higgin-
son contributes an article entitled Sappho,
and Longfellow, SAKE and W. C.i wilkinson
furnish the poetry.
Harpers for July is literally crammed with
good things, and is illustrated more profusely
than ever. The contents are as follows: "The
Mount Gems Railway and Tunnel" "Poet
and Painter" "The United States Nava
Academy" "Along the Florida Reef" "The
Recovery of Jerusalem" "Put in Bay" San
teros, ,""Music in the Night "The American
Baron" "When this Old Flag was new, '"The
;Saddest of all is loving" "Anne Furpess,'
"The Star-spansled BANNER" ""The Spectre
from Elba," "The story of Handkerchief"
''CImate ofthe Lake region" my two lime
trees" Queen Louise of Prussia" "Easy
Chair" Literary, Scientific and historical rec
ord and Editors drawer.
The variety in this number is especially
noticeable, and he must be queer fellow
who fails to fiud something just adapted to
his taste.