New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-11-28
FOREIGN LITERARY TOPICS.
ENGLISH AUTHORS AND THEIR WORKS.

cRITIcs-PoPULAR LECTURERS.
fPhoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rhisO'r
LONDON, Nov. SIT is stated by one o, INC
book trade organs that Mr.. Tennyson Is aga'i w
change his publishers Messrs. Strahan % 20 ""N's
Ell cir ocreement with the Poet Laureate an
unavoidable one. They, upon his quitting MoNo o
90 undertook to pay him 1000 guineas tSo'oVo,
,,,,artor for the exclusive right OF publishing his
,,,eos-I suppose the poems already in print Now
:, annears that they have lost several thousand
,onnds by their contract and have given notlce OIL
,ba;r intention TO terminate ii at Christmas what
fbe new agreement is do not hear, bit should DC
glad if some day Mr.. Teunyson should chance upon
a publisher who would issue his poems IN form as
elegant as they deserve. All recent editions, in
clndinC what is called the library edition, are very
ordinary in appearance. So is, I am sorry to
raw the new Dickens, and lovers of that writer may
as well abandon once for all the hope OF seeing
really good uniform edition of his works. The first
volume of Messrs. Chapman IL Halls new issue IS a
bulky octave, printed poor paper. the type suf-
fciently readable but not handsome, the iuustra-
tions the result of one more working of the worm
out original plates which have done duty for many
years past and have long since become entitled TO an
honorable retirement. In the advertisement OF
the new edition the publishers, with happy audacity
announced the temperance of these plates In
terms well calculated to convince a conhdlng
public that they would give great value TO
the edition. But this is a commercial age. Inc
impressions ] have seen retain scarcely trace OF
the merit the illustrations possessed at hrst' Inc
only thing left for him who cares TO possess Dickens
in a GOOD form is to collect, when he can, the
original editions. They occur, from to time In
pure state and whoever has patience and plenty OF
money may hope to complete set, not OF oil
Dickens's works, but of all that are worth having
A third series Of Mr.. Havward's essays is among
the late announcements of MesSrs. Longmans' The
great success of the second series has oceasoned no
doubt the collection of a third. But the second was
made up largely of what might be called, meaning
no disrespect TO Mr.. Hayward, drawingroom papers
ESSAYS which, with all their high literary merit,
were not too fatigung to be eagerly read by friv-
oIous peoplo in search of mental stimulants-the
kind of people who read, rs Carlyle says, with one
eve shut and the other not Open The present series
is graver; it's titles are The British Parliament its
History and Eloquence; CuriOsities of German
Archives: England and France their National Quail
titles, Manners, Morals and Society; Lanfrey's Ma
poleon; Vicissitudes of Families; British and Con-
finental Nobility; The Second Armada; The Pur-
chase Systems The Lord Chancellors OF Ireland, and
Lord PamerstOn.
That there is still good heathful demand for the
lighter classics of the last century is proved both by
appearance of new series. Messrs. Bickers & Son
aud Messrs Sotheran have brought out within the
last two OF three years library editions of Fielding,
ten5volumes; Smollett, eight volumes and Sheridan,
two volumes. To these they have now added Steme
in four volumes, and they promise toiextend their
field so as TO include Swift, Ben JoDson, and others
IL these editions not all that could be desired,
they are better than none, and they make their
writer's much more accessible than heretofore. There
are unhappilv. some grave faults of editing, and
great want of the minute and conscientious care
which classical author deserves. Between these
and almost any other recent English editions of
great prose writers and those now publishing of the
French classics by Messrs. Hachette the contrast is
painful The one English author to whom full JUS
tee has been done is Bacon. TO him Mr.
Speeding has devoted an ability capable
of dealing with every difficulty and patient energy
which shrunk from toll, and the result is an
edition and Life that do honor to English scholar
ship. Unhappily it does not pay" and Speddng's
Bacon to-day may be bought in London for about
half the price which Basil Montagu's fetches, the
latter one of the wOrst-edited books known to the
student and deriving nearly all its value from Its
handsome printing. Nobody would ask that Mr..
Speeding should apply himself to editing novelists
or pamphleteers, nor that the same sort of work
should be bestowed by anybody on these as on a
great philosophical writer None the less do they de-
serve that what done for them should be good in
its KIND. The BickerS-SOtheran series is sold at
price quite large enough TO include ample payment
for editing, and the volumes, though readably
printed are in no way remarkable for excellence as
specimens Of book making.
There is TO be, moreover, according to The Alien
ann q republication by Mr.. w. Carew Hazlitt of
Dodsey's collection of Old Plays, including the
uncollected works of the authors which formed part
of Dodsleys collection of bikes and others, with
other plays now published ~ for the first time"
This is not an announcement which can be hailed
with any great degree of satisfaction OF Mr.. w. c.
Hazlitts capacity editor Of Old English Liter
allure the public has had abundant means Of Judging
and the judgment has not been favorable one. TIE
work needs doing however, though The AhenGam
thinks not is that journal aware that the last edi-
ton Of Dodsley, published in 1926. edited by Mr..
Collier is held at an almost prOhibtive price by the
second hand bOoksellersf On a catalogue that APP
peared day or two since moderate copy is quoted
at eight grIiDeas and a half, something over $40,
at which it is article Of luxury and not for COM
mon consumption. am not speaking of large paper
copies, which. with the rare supplement forming
the 18th volume, worth twice that in good con-
ition. 1t il not likely that their cost will be les
sened by the appearance of Mr.. Hazhtts edition. 1t
may be increased
Testimonial rs TO ne offered 10 Mr. stephen tIske.
The promoters Of II announce themselves as man
ayers, actors, authors. musicians, Journalists and
Others. The particular achievement of Mr. Fiske to
be commemorated is his recent success in resisting
the attempt of Mr.. Clement Scott 70 have him Grim
inay prosecuted for libel. am not going into that
story, which is now an old ono; but am struck by
the statement that these managers actors and musi
clans desire to preserve the honesty and independ
enee of criticism in this country The means they
take TO preserve it is to raise testimonial for the
~ II m.