The Portland daily press., 1876-12-16


81 only died last night!"
On the whole the portien of the volume un-
der the general title of the Flight of the God
dess is the best-there Mr.. Aldrich's most for
tunate manner is in full power. There is
very genial quality in his brillisnce, the gayety
of Beranger's songs with no afterthought that
requires mental soda water the next morning.
The Flight of the Goddess is lovely and poetic
enough to call back his muse, were she never so
capricious maiden; On an Intaglio Head of
Minerva is c.ear-cut gem of ITSELF An Old
Castle is failure of the Gothic order. In an
Atelier is charming as can be; the Kings
Wine is a poem of much musical beauty;
among the sonnets, Sleep and Three Flowers
are especially beautiful. Miantonowona is too
abrupt in rhythm and rather foreign to Mr.. Al
drch's talent Spring in New England con-
tains some fine lines The volume affords
specimens of every phase of its authors man.
ner-and it is surely no dispraise to say that
when his verse is most spontaneous and natural,
in its careless, sunny and generous flow, it is at
its best.
ANEcDoTE BIOGRAPHY OF PERCY BYssHE Shell
LEY. Edited by R. H. Stoddard One of the
orue-oouCl ocllCss INSW IuAs OCrluAtI, aIu-
strong & Co. For sale by Loring Short q Har-
mon.
This volume is not only the best of the Sans
Souci Series but the best biography of Shelley
which has ever been published. There are
many memoirs of the poet, some incomplete,
some inaccurate, others written with too strong
a bias for or against him, but complementiDg
each other and forming together tolerably
satisfactory ''life." Mr.. Stoddard has made it
his task to draw from.the mass of Shelley liter
ature all that is most interesting, and to so
combine his materials as to make connected
sketch of the life and character of the most sim
gular genius that England ever gave birth to.
From Hogg, Trelawny, and Lady Shelley he
has chiefly drawn his materials, and has made
from them one Of the most entertaining biegra-
phes ever written. Of the work of Hogg he
has literally availed himself, and with good
Judgment, for that eccentric writer has not only
given fine, strong picture of Shelley, but he is
capital raconteur. True like most good tellers
of anecdotes he caricatures, seizing upon and
enlarging salient features, and one suspects
that he never suffers fact to injure 8 story;
but good caricature often gives better idea
of man than an avowed portrait. Tweed is
sooner recognized by Nasts pictures than by
his photograph. Trelawry's memoirs relate to
the last years of Shelleys life, embracing the
intimacy with Byron, an intimacy of more ben
eft to Childe Harold than to the better poet.
Lady Shelley's work pnrports to tell the whole
story and doesn't but she has much to say that
is of interest and value.
Shelley as pictured in these pages is not alto.
gether admirable, He comes nearer filling the
idea of the bard, whose verse is not an art but
an inspiration, than any other modern poet, and
as to the bard so all things were-permitted to
him he seemed to think. Apparently he had
no conception as to right or wrong where his
feelings were concerned, and yet he was one Of
the purest of men. To a sensitive nature like
his life at lis kindest can be but thin-sown with
delight, and the world was cruel to him. Yet
we should scarcely be warranted in prophecy
ing better things of him under happier condi-
tions. As for his poetry mankind is agreed
that it stamps him as one of the great masters
of song. Whoever desires to learn all there is
to know of him, to study his life. to view his
singular character as pictured from many stand
points will consult Mr.. Stoddard's charming BIZ
ography.
A SMALLER CLASSICAL DICTIONARY OF BIoGRA-
PLY, MYTHOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. By Will
lam Smith. New York: Harper s. Brothers
Portland: Loring, Short & Harmon.
This work, abridged from the well-known
Classical Dictionary of DR.. Smith, is
prepared for the use of schools fol
which the larger work on account oi
size and price may be untitled. It contains
all the information which the student will
naturally seek for, at least until he is greatly
advanced in classical studies, and is complete
manual of reference. for the general reader.
The work is we'll done of courset- the name Of
the author is warrant for that. DR.. Smith has
happy faculty for condensing, AMI in all his
abridgments gives the substance of his larger
works The book is very fully illustrated by
drawings from ancient works of art.
THE NATIONAL ODE. By Bayard Taylor. Boston
William f. Gill s. Co. For sale by Dresser, Nc
Lellan s. Co.
Mr.. Bayard Taylor's National Ode, delivered
at Philadelphia on the celebration of the one
hundredth anniversary of the declaration oil
American Independence, has been reviewed al
some length in these columns, and there is nc
need to again commend its lofty merit. Be-
lieving that the picturesque richness and va.
riety" of the ode "afford rare opportunities fol
the artists pencil William F. Gill & Company
have published an edition in holiday attire
The volume despite some faults in the paper
and the smuttiness of some of the engravings,
makes an elegant gift book, valuable for its
contents and pleasing for its illustrations. The
engravings, including vignettes and head.
pieces are seventy in number from the pencils
of such artists as I. Moran, Mary Hallock, AL
fred Fredericks, A, r. Wand, L. S. Ipsen aud
Robert Lewis,land are engraved by John An.
/ drew & Son, f. Juenling, j. L. Langride and
] others. The illustrations are generally ade