The Portland daily press., 1871-12-07
Regent Publications.

A. G. w.
Recent Publications.
The american Home Book is perfect CYCLIC
pedia of information ON the important subject
of childrens games Hoyle's "Games" for
larger people is not more complete, but far
more disreputable. By reading this volume
one may become an expert in the weighty mat
ter of dolls, amusements for boys, games for
little children, forfeits, games of memory, nat
ural magic ventriloquism and-politeness,
game which Young America far too frequently
does not understand. Our summary is far from
complete. The book is we'll illustrated, and is
prepared by Mrs. Caroline L. Smith, better
known as 'Aunt Carrie" Published by Lee &
Shepard and for sale by Loring, Short & Har-
mon.)
Songs of the Heart is sumptuous gift-book.
1t forms the third volume of the reissue of
Folk Songs, of which Songs Of Life is the first
and Songs of Home the second. The series will
be completed with Songs of Nature. The pres
ent volume is made up of large number of Sc
lections of sentimental poetry, foreign and
American, and is illustrated with designs by
Moran, Clifford Miss Hallock, Miss Ledyard,
Bolles, Hoppin and Others. There are aiso
four autographs-those of HaliecK, OooAo
Proctor and Leigh Hunt AJac sansa9e Oh the
authors manuscript of Abou Ben Adhem can
hardly fail to interest most readers. In ornate-
ness of binding, richness of paper and general
elegance Sonqs of the Heart is excelled by few
books issued from the American press, the
present year. Published by Charles Scribner
& Co., New York. and for sale by Loripg,
Short & Harmony
The Library of Wonders was such slngu-
lar success that its publishers have projected
and begun the publication of new series to be
called the illustrated Library of Travel, Ex-
ploration and Adventure" One volume will
be devoted to each country described. Bay
ard Taylor will be the editor of the SERIES and
in the first volume, now issued, entitled Japan,
he has raised most pleasant anticipations as TO
those which are to follow. OF course it is a
compilation, but it is all the more attractive on
that account, the experience of the early travel
ers in Japan being richer than that OF their
successors. There are many illustrations in
this volume, and its general execution will COM
pare favorably with that of the books of the
popular series that preceded it. published by
Scribner & Co., and for sale by Loring, Short
& Harmony
Tennyson is not yet done with his Idyls Of
the King, and sends us for Christmas a new
one entitled The Last Tournament. Its place
is between ''Pelleas'' and "Guinevere Pub
lished in thin volume, cloth-bound, by James
r. Osgood & Co. For sale by Hall L. Davis.
Poems by VIM. Allen Butler is volume
that contains much more to commend it than
the famous, much-quoted Nothing to Wear. ?"
The book is large one for so modest poet,
but is better worth publishing than much of
the poetry that gets into print. DANES r. Os-
good & Co. For sale by Hall L. Davis.)
Robert Dale Ovens new book, The Debata-
bic Land, is intended to present strong argu-
ment in favor of the immortality of the soul
The following is the table of contents: Prefa-
tory Address to the Protestant Clergy. Book
l. Touching communication of religious knowl-
edge to man. Book II. Some characteristics
of the Phenomena. Book Ill Physical man
ifestations Book ~ Identity of Spirits.
Book V. The Growing Proof of Immortality.
Book VI. Spiritual gifts of the first century
volume is made up of narratives drawn from
the experience of believers in modern spiritual
ism. Those who love the marvellous may here
crafty their taste to any extent Whatever
may be thought of the doctrine of this book, it
cannot fail to prove interesting to everybody.
1t is unnecessary to say that it is much
above the grade of average Spiritualist litera-
ture. Carleton, New York. For sale by Bal
ley & Noyes.)
G. W. Carleton & Co. have just published
Richard B. Kimball's address on Collegiate
Education, delivered last Summer before the
Alumni of Dartmouth College A consdera-
BILE portion of it is occupied in defending a
Classical Course, which, as we had right to
expect from the author, is done in an able and
scholarly manner (For sale by Bailey &
Noyes.)
STUDENTS COLLECTION OF CLASSIC FRENCH
PLAYs-I., lie Cid, by Corneille; IL, Athalie,
by Racine, edited by Edward s.. Joynes, NJ
A. and published by Holt & Williams, New
York 1871
The text of these two masterpieces of the
French Drama are, here accompanied by ex-
planatory notes which remove many of
the difficulties that learners find in at
tempting to read the older French
authors. These works were written
nearly in Shakespeare's time, and since
that day the French language has undergone
as great changes as our own. Again, works of
genius of any period rise superior to the gram
mar of the language in which they are written
inasmuch as the grammar is determined by the
ordinary usage of the same. In our schools
perhaps, we too often regard only as prasIcal,
in French, those books which profess to give
the pupil command of the language in CONVEX
sation, forgetting that to nine-tenths of our
scholars, an introduction to the literature of
FranceMould be far preferable to an introduc-
ton to the drawing-rooms of her capital. This
edition of French classics seems well adapted
to the study of these authors with the same ex-
actness that we study the old authors of Greece
and Rome. l. b. Z.
THE GROWTH OF THE DoNINIoN.--The Cana