New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-03-31
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
NOVELS AND STORIES.

NOVELS AND STORIES.
ERsTIIA Ry the Author Of My Little Lady" 12mo PIP
1913. Henry Holt & Co.
THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND THE MODERN ROBIN
g. sK KHson svO y b. sG ase senaer Armstrong Co
HEBBEw s c HEROES Sco,, BY A l. o. E lemO pP' $685.
THE GOLDEN FLEECE, AND zATDAs NOTEBOOK.
lGmO Pr. ia and 159. The same.
wes eFc sao BY f ATh e same Gs the and
THE o or JgpA1 al BY ,SS Author of Th'
LEGENDS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. By
sEeseE LTPARD svO PIP 527' T. b. Peterson q
In "Ersilia" we evidently have a new and
somewhat uppracticed hand The opening scene, with
us pleasant gmpses of Pyrenean scenery, holds out
promise TO the reader which soon fails The story pro
be told by English artist, Humphrey Ran
dolph whose vibrations between the Arst and third
son. mis- narration. frequent to become
fuslng The heroine Ersa, the Princess Karakine, the
widow OF Russian nobleman is his cousin, whom after
the fashion of English novels he desperately loves The
rival in this case his and dearest friend another
artist named Fleming Ersia chooses the latter and
the wedding take place when the dead Prince
Karakine suddenly life We thus have viii
lain and three hopeessy wretched characters upon
at the same time After few chapters Fleming is
slain by the Prince in duel and then Ersa falls into
decline which reaches death at the close Of the book
leaving Randolph alone and slowly vanishing. in
mist. Only sharp and vigorous power OF portraiture
find On the contrary, the characters drawn with
weak and uncertain hand; rightly know them
are hence quite untouched by their The author
Is evidently woman, and who has made few If any,
objective studies Of human nature.
Jules vernes Mysterious Island" which has
been lingering through the pages of Scyt6ers Monthly
for time past will be welcome in Its present
completed form. The three volumes in make rather
a formidable bulk. but boy will object 10 that
and probably few older readers The peculiarly of the
authors talent which might call scientific imagna
ton less manifest in this than in his former works
hat with the exception Of the beginning and end OF the
story along the borders of the region Of
possibility. There is less of Poe and more OF DeFoe in
the incidents and the narrative style is necessarily sim
pier carefully realistic. The life OF the castaways
81 coin Island and their ingenious devices TO recover
from savage nature all the arts and aids of civilization
described with astonishing skill and power of inven
The characters from the engineer down TO the dog
are distinctly inoyiduazed and the reader is speedily
led feel personal interest in their fortunes Marvel
th6iF adventures few Of them have an impos
sbe stamp until reach the solution OF the mystery
which hangs over te island linking this story to the
authors previous WORK, Twenty Thousand Leagues
under the Sea" As piece of literary art, the latter
feature is mistake but there is little in Directing TO
,narves which one cannot help enjoying. The ransls
ton has all the spirit and racness Of original work.
md the las illustrations have the merit Of being from
single hand.
" Hebrew Heroes Is an attempt 10 convert history
into fiction in modest and unObtrusve way. The time
chosen temporary restoration Of the Judean
kingdom by Maccabees in the second century before
Christ The characters are jewish with the exception
Of Greek named Ly cdas who finally adopts the Mosaic
faith through his love for maiden Of Jerusalem. II re-
mires much more than observance of the order OF
teach seTviceable history this manner but
Young people, who viii rapidly read the book for the
sake story, would scarcely appreciate any closer
study Of the times The Golden Fleece" and "Zada's
also only adapted to the young and belong
iu the category Of sUuday-schoO literature. Comfort
Strong and The Captivity Of Judah" by different
authors but alike written with piOus intentions. The
FIRST is story of life in the West beginning with de-
scrpton Of a campnectin-, where young girl eXhOrts
the multitude The plot very simple, and there some
lively representation Of types of character no one OF
which is especially good bad, complex. The latter OF
the works keeps oleraby close to the Scripture ac
count of the jewish Captivity and is wen adapted for
the use Of classes in Sunday-schools.
1t is difficult TO understand the necessity OF issuing
edition Of George Lippards Legends Of the Amer
lean Revolution" e. b. Peterson Brothers. Philade
phal, without admitting that rant may possess very
stubborn vitality. Stories like these where the simplest
description brstles with exclamationpOirts, where the
characters cry Ha Ia - 10 ho" at every turn
and the readers blood is called upon TO cmde at magin
~ horrors, are neither Legend nor Literature.