The New York herald., 1876-11-09
LITERATURE.
THE BOSTON TUPPKR's LAST BooK-HEMERroNs
COMING NovEL--TENNYsoN's NEW POEM

THE BOSTON ruPPBR's LAST BooK-HEMERroxs
COMING NovEL-TBNNYsoN's NEW POEM.
Bosroy, Nov. 9, 1875.
Boston has author whose pen apparently never
tires, but who has, Notwithstanding been compelled
to buy printing machine to enable him 10 keep up
with tho demands OF his eager readers and this person
is Oliver Optic, whose book, "Living Too Fast" was
published Saturday by Loo Shepard. Oliver, or
rather Mr.. W. T. Adams, usually writes about very
smart, good little boys who develop into something
very little lower than tho angels and tho habit 80
hard TO break that although his hero a dishonest
bank cashier and dcaulIer, he feels II his duty 10
bcstow large fortune tho youth aud TO let him
escape tho penalty OF his crime The contemplation OF
this awful dispcnsaton OF justice will in Mr. Adams'
opinion. check the extravaganza OF American youth
especially he distinctly states that tho cashier was
not always comfortable In his mind when he thought
OF his crime Nobody but Boston man would ever
havo dreamed OF such refined remedy for unthrift-
ncss, bat the weakness of Its moral vii, not prevent
Nr. Adams book from being read, as the luckiess
public library girls will be able TO testify long before
night At the Athenian Club dinner Saturday night,
Mr.. Adams called upon to answer 10 tho toast,
ITO the improbable and impossible elements iu the
culture OF American youth
"For optis sharp It needs wecu,
10 SEQ Wnat IL not 70 DO 6cen."
Mr. Adams defended the apparent extravaeances In
his books by showing that lie always blended them
with great undoubtcd truths "For instance he said
.l'm writing story which the hero goes fishing for
white FISH in Lake Huron. Now, there Is q Lake Hu.
ron, and people 60 fishing In 1t for white FISH, These
great truths and tho fact that nobody caught
5000 pounds OF fish from Il in day except my hero
does not dctract from their force" Besides Mr.
Adams book, Loo b Sheppard havo also
brought out 'Nelly Kinnaird's Kingdom" ("
by Amanda Mr. Douglass and D. Loshrop
Co. have published . new edition Of Ella Fsrman's
"white Hand" book which appeared little too late
for the holiday season last year, and worthy Of
better fac than the quiet Ignoring which received In
consequence.
HAnERrox's LATEST NOVEL.
Tho novel or tho week, however, Is Philip Gilbert
Hamerton's "wcndcrholmc," reprinted by Roberts
Brothers. and greatly abridged from the form In which
It originally appeared. Mr. Hamcrton gives the reason
for the great size OF nrss edition passage Of tho
preface which will be found curious and interesting by
all who Iiko know tho inner history OF booknakng
s.It happened " no says ''some time before this
story originally composed that the author had
most eminent publishers OF fiction in London. Tho
Of his experience that In the peculiar condi
tlons OF the English market short novels dd pay
whilo long cnes, Of the same qualify, much
safer investments Having incurred several successive
loses short novels, my friend. tho publisher, had
made up hts mind never TO have anything
moro to do with them and strongly recommended me
II attempted work Of fiction, TO 60 boldly INTO
throe volumes a. once and not discourage myself by
making experiment on = smaller scale, which would
only make failure certainty. Tho reader may easily
imagine tho effect Of such conversation as this upon
an author who, whatever may have been his expert
enco other departments OF literature, had none nj
all IL the publication OF novels. Tho practical conse.
wr,en reasons prevailed as thew unbsr
PLY often do provail over artistic reasons, and the
book was madc far longer than, AZ work Of art It
ought to have boon.
s'wendcrhonc" is the history OF old family man.
sion In Lancashire, which, IN the chances changes
OF few years. rs Inhabited BY an English gentleman,
by wealthy cotton spinner and thea by the nephew
OF the latter and lho daughter OF the former who
marry each other aud live happily forcvcrmore.
Mr.. Hamerton is q man whom It is only loss unsafe
to attack than " he popular clergyman for he
has large following every soul OF which believes that
he is naliibl, but II only fair to say that his novel
is not near perfection his other
books Ho says that many OF tho char
actcrs have been taken for portraits, and IL
10 significant fact that nearly all these characters ars
unovablc. Tho truth il that Mr. Hamcrton, nke
ne nrly all writer's who are unaccustomcd to novel
writing, almost hates his disagrccable PERSONS before
he finishes their portraits and draws thom sharply
that the iancies that personal dislike have
guided his nand whereas is simple hatred Of an ab-
stract feeling.
THE cHARAcTKRs
The best OF tho pcrsonagcs In the book is mrs. Og-
dcn the mother Of tho wealthy cotton spinner before
mentioned. Nr. Hamerton a COOL ronical George
Eliot way Of writing about women and he makes Mrs
Ogden almost real to tho reader Maggie TuIIc-
ver's aunts. This s his description OF Mrs. Ogden
There is a squareness and risidisy In tho back and
chest which evidences rather Of strength OF body
and resolute character than OF grace The visase,
too. have been pretty though II must In
Tier life have possessed the atrnctivcness Of health
deed, although ts early bloom OF by this
Aoacthcr lost there remains nrmncrs In the fcshy
parts o IT enough prove that the possossor yet
untouched by tho insldious advances OF decay. The
cheeks are prominent and the jaw II powerful; but
although tho forehead 10 high, suggests ideas OF
intellectual Development and seems rather TO have
grown merely asa line vegetable marrow grows,
than TO have been developed by any exercise
OF thought Tho nose slightly aquiiine
IN outline. but too large and thick tho lips.
the contrary thin and pale and would be out of
harmony with the whole facs n tho did
accurately and curiously correspond with them Those
eyes Of exceedingly light gray rashcr nciininG
bue and tho mind looks out from them n what, to
a superficial observer. might frank and direct
readily satisfied with first impression, and might
fancy he detected shade Of possible insncery
power OF Discrimination. The hair seems rnther scanty.
and close 20 the face; u Is gray OF that pccu
liar kind which results from n mixture Of very fair
hairs with perfectly white ones. We can only .
little of II, however, ON account Of tho cap
she proud OF everything that she says and does,
and never under any circumstances loses her sslf-
noeaaanon TacA ana haa nana A loaa hus her ahsp.