The Portland daily press., 1875-12-11
Recent Publications.

The tenth and concluding volume of the ad
mirable "Bric-aBrac Series has been issued
aud the set is completed in time for the holi
day trade. The series, because of its attrac
tive appearance and entertaining contents
took hold of popular favor at once, and ths
volumes have been eagerly taken up as soor
as issued. MIR. Stoddard has done his work
well, has given US the cream of many books toe
tedious to be read as whole and has added
much to the value of our anecdotal literature
The concluding volume is devoted to A1chi.
bald Constable, the Edinburgh publisher WHO
was called "The great Napoleon of the realms
of print" and to Robert Pearse Gillies, an
obscure author who had the good fortune to
know Scott, Wordsworth, Goethe, Muller, ard
Tieck, and the wisdom to remember and record
notable incidents of the acquaintance.
Constable's business as a book publisher
brought Linn into close connection with the
Edinburgh men who have given Scotland a
great literary repute. The poems Of the North.
ern Minstrel, and many of the Waverly Novels
were published by him. From his shop the
first number of the Edinburgh Review was
issued, and Francis Jeffries, Thomas Camp
bell, William Goodwin, George Chalmers, Dun.
can Forbes, Anna Seward and James Hoeg.
were numbered among his friends and cores
pondents. The basis of Mr.. Stoddard's worl,
is Archibald Constable and his Literary Cor.
respondence," published at Edinburgh in 1873,
1t is mine of entertaining literary gossip. and
has been literally drawn upon.
Gillies was man who tried his hand al
many kinds of literary work, and made little
mark at any. His first studies were devoted
to magic and witchcraft, and when but a boy he
had collected over hundred volumes n Latin.
French, and old English, embracing the works
of Baptista Porta. Cornelius Agrippa, and 9TH
er authorities in the black art. Then he turned
his attention to theology, poring over musty
tones in which Protestant and Catholic di
vines had set forth and defended their creeds.
At the age of fifteen he took to writing poetry.
Afterwards he became possessed of the idea
that the German language concealed an mex
haustible mine of the richest ore. He mas
tered the tongue and began to translate. He
went to Germany, remained there year. and
became acquainted with Muller, Tieck, and
Goethe. The journey was fortunate one for
us, for Gilles took pains to record what he
knew of the German writers. OF his preten-
tious literary work nothing remains of note.
But in the "Memors of a Literary Veteran
published in London In three volumes in 1871
he has given us "reminiscences, worth preserv-
ing, of the authors, German and English
whom he knew 1t is of these memoirs that
Mr.. Stoddard has made digest.
The volume is enriched with portraits of
Goodwin and Goethe (from the Maclise Gal.
lery), Miss Seward, and Constable.
FARM LEGENDS, By Will Carleton. Published bv
Harper Brothers, New York. For sale by Loring,
Short s. Harmon.
The poetic element is not especially promi-
nent in, or even necessary to Mr. Carleton 9
work. The lines have tendency TO lepgthen
themselves out, as if impatient of the capital
letters that set up their frequent limits, and
seem instinctively to incline toward the form
of prose. The same ideas and words that
appear trivial and commonplace when regarded
as poetry would 60 far toward the making of a
series of excellent sketches of homely life.
in prose. Not every subject, however good il
may be in itself, is appropriate for verse, and
to succeed in imparting poetic interest to the
common life of everyday, high and far seeing
vision, or peculiar freshness of delneation is
necessary. Neither of these Mr.. Carleton
appears to possess to any marked degree. A
certain force and earnestness, together with
tenderness and humor, which, not very elevated
or imaginative are however real, are the best
traits of his work. A quality of youthful di-
dacticism and sense of eminent responsible.
ty in the direction of human progress, are
accounted for by the authors lack of years. as
is also the occasional initiation of STYLE. There
is, however, good promise in his appreciation
of the pathos and humor of rustic life, and in
the really fresh and dramatic passages to be
found in his present alton of them. His least
ambitious and most spontaneous poems are de-
cidedly his best.
THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND: Dropped from the
Clouds. By Jules Verne. Translated from the
French by W. ii. Kingston. New York: Serib-
ner, Armstrong g. Co. From Loring, Short g.
Harmon.
Verne has taken desert island for his theme
now. A party of five prisoners in Richmond
steal balloon which the Confederates had pre-
pared for the purpose of serding messengers
out of Richmond when it is supposed to have
been completely invested by Grant, tremen-
dous gale OBTAINING it. They are carried by
the gale to an island in the Pacific and there
construct G home in cave which they find in
the face of cliff. Everything wonderfully
favoring them they display great mechanical
ability in developing the mineral and agricul-
tural resources of the land. The mystery of
the Island is that certain things happen which
appear inexplicable unless there were some
other person there.
ABANDONED, is part III of the same series,
and continues the story. They build sail
boat, and guided by message in a bottle. sail
to neighboring island whence they rescue
demented sailor who had been left there twelve
years before for attempted piracy. Mysteries
continue to occur and the explaraton is left
for Part III, ''The Secret of the Island" not
yet received. Price of each part 81
Moon FOLK, a true account of the Home of the
Fairy Tales,by Jane G. Austin. New York: G. P.
Putnam's Sons. From Dresser, Mcclellan g. Co.
The story describes the adve ntures of little
girl who is taken up the Moonglade by the
Chimney-Elf, and there shown all the old char
oSseIo WIN WuiOu obC udu luduc ueTStIl ldmlI-
lar in fairy lore, in conformity with the old
legend which says that everything lost on
earth may be fund in the moon, as is finely
illustrated by Arosto in Orlando Furioso,
where bis Knight Companion goes there and
finds Orlando's lost wits. 1t is charming book
and is elegantly illustrated by W. J. Linton.
This is second editon,t the first having been
noticed in the PRESS last winter.
TwIcE-ToLD TALES. By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Boston, j. r. Osgood s. Co. Foi sale by Bailey g.
Noyes.
The handsome new edition of Hawtho1ue's
works, in the style of the "Saunterer's Series,
is meeting with great favor at the hands of the
public. To meet the large demand the Messrs.
Osgood are issuing the volumes in quick sue
cesson. The two latest comprise that colec-
ton of fugitive pieces which Hawthorne chris
tened "Twlce-Told Tales" in which are some
Of the finest productions of his exquisite
genius. These volumes make the number so
far issued seven.
THE YOUNG MECHANIC. By the author of The
Lathe and its Uses. New York: G. p. Putnam's
Sons. From Dresser, Mcclellan s. Co.
This is an American edition of an English
work, containing directions for the use of all