New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-01-29
LONDON LITERATURE.
WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR.

IoynoN Ian IA month after il WAS advertised
as ready" the first volume of the new edition OF
Walter Savage Landor's Works and Life makes ils
tariy appearance, followed closely by the second
The first feeling Of the admrer OF Landor who opens
them will lie Of disappointment me DooK
not worthy Of the author The publishers nave
lone their part but i'll which IS matter for regret
but hardly for surprise. Messrs Chapman " liaH
are conspicuous, even among English publishers OF
She present day. for carclessness about the mecha-
cal perfection of the books they issue. it would DC
lifcult 10 name single well-prnted book Of THEIRS
The public has a right 70 complain OF this, because
=, publisber is a monOpost. We must take our
books IN such shape as he chooses to PRINT them or
70 without. Messrs. Chapman " Hal nave long
oeen the publishers of D'ckens's works, ana nave
never yet brought ont n tOlerably good edition OF
them The edi ion now appearing has the one merit
Of being readable. but is without pret~nsiohS 10
beauty Of any kind. They have Published AZ least
three collected editions Of Carlyle, OF varying a.
grees Of badness none good. And now comes tnis
II Iapdor against the poverty and meanness OF
which the old man would have rdgod, had the decd
been done in lis lifetime. In form it Ia denny ovo'
but the type from winch 1t is printed would be too
small for a limo AID SO the page-the paper also
beinc cheap-has a neager and at tho same tune
crowded look. and il altogether unatttachVo anu
indeed repulsiye 10 the reader Landor ccSer'sc
monument quite d flercnt from this.
lis the mora pity because this must remain the
,tondarl edition Of Landor. The only other col
Iected edition is that published by MoXon III 1888"
ns years before Landors DEATH, Ill two closely
printed double coluuned, royal Svo voinmes' not
complete nor a pleasant book to handle or reih' l
do not know that the liking of the public for com
pete editions needs encouraging. 1t is too much the
fashion, publishers fashion. party-to gather
together all that man has done in an authors HE
time Label 4 his "wOrks" and publish In UNIFORM
TYNE the inportant and the worthless. There are
few great names of whose writing we want every
scrap we can get, but of most skeleton VIII answer
most purposes. The owner Of moderate library VIII
prefer for the most part, original editions oil What
be ,nost prizes in his author. to loading down ms
shelves with the yOiuminOus issues the publishers
offer him. If he be timid person, and wants au-
thority for negectimg complete editions He VIII hho
If in the practice of the best collectors ana the hest
scholors If he prefer a written guarantee he will
find sufficient one passage from scarce essay
nv .Jules Janin, p4mow des Lirrea-an essay not to
be confounded with later and larger Work called
lie LIRE Jamn is prasing Do Sacy's selections IRON
M,ssillon. Bossuct and other great French tbeolo-
iansand moralists and says "A selection well made
delivers us forever from completes works that
common sepulcher into which editors devoid or
either taste or fitness for their work. shovel pell-
NELL as if they the most ignorant OF mankind
the good bad. and Indifferent alike" You cannot
pass the windows Of Paris bOokshop without see
ing too many examples Of the sort OF merchandise
Jamn denounccs You will see many also which are
not to be included III bis denuncatoi, ana What you
have TO do is to discriminate between what you want
eonple;e and what YOU 10 not want complete ~
well as between what is we'll done ana what is III
dome TO come ack to LandOr. he certainly Is one
Of hon, n,
Mr. Forster's editorial work is likely 70 be good
tbonpb in This case il seems 10 be limited 10
reurintiuc the whole revised works which i-andoT
committed 10 lis pious care. For most people, no
doubt. the present edition will prove the most con-
veniet but for such are not possessed ID thtrase
for uniformity, which catalogue makers promote.
the trouble of hunting for early editions OF Landors
different writings will not seem too great. lhey
nav all or nearly all, be had well printed None III
them are rare few scarce all may Stl be bought
CT reasonable prices Morris this present edition
quite complete. II omts, Mr. Forster tells ns such
parts Of the poetIcal writings as Landorhad himself
deliberately rejected. All the others are pabisled'
with the authors last revision" doubtful advai'-
tage The advantage not doubtful is thai the whole
book is seen through the press by editor 30 care
ful and accomplished rs MIR Forster.
The reader Of Mr.. Fur~t-T's Life of Lander knows
already in what close relationship the two stood, and
that Lander couided III Mr.. Forster- literary judG-
ment rs much as il possible for him to conidc IN
any Judgment not his 1t was Mr. Forster m
whose hand, IanGOr left that collection OF his writ
inqs which, during the later of his Residence IN
England, he had prepared and revised. With It he
left the following characteristic letter to be pub
Ished by way Of dedication with tho worAs:
Ny DEAR FRIEND: Temperance societies rose up soon
after construction Of rn palaces oul literature nay
take perhaps similar tuih, I0r IL Is ao0ustonor ~,
rapd auG OpIo-t" Ones In That case you may i've l."
sierintcud such edition or selection fOm my writings
rs NAV lie called fOr after my death place them III
yoar hands with tle more pleasure, SINCE you nave
Thought iltIn not unworthy OF your notice, and even
sfnGy among IN ahors Of greatest ln;h0rs, our
Datrofs i'm the The world J. ndbtcd 10 you
for know ledge OF TIER characters ami their works
shall bc cont to he % long forgotten, II arise with
WALTER SAVAGE LASBoh.
Upon which follows astonishing confession
by Mr.. Forster, that he had thought Of print
inc what he calls a Selection but what
sbonld have called manned and mutated Frag-
ments OF his Author. He had formed the plan
of carefully abridgng each dialogue rather than
wholly emitting any; thinking thus to bring into
stronger relief the number aud variety in the sub
iects treated In due time ray of returning reason
showed Nh Forster after much progress III this, its
profoundly unsatisfactory result" lie discovered
that he could not subject living body TO dissection,
and think 20 Law each of its members on his table
with the beauty of life that the "Pentameron" had
lost its rich Italian color Percles and Aspasa" its
faultleSs Greek simplicity; "Shakcspoare's tx
animation" the charm which makes it unique.
Ii is useless to talk Of ones surprise that
man of Mr. ForsteTs literary expert
ence should have deemed success possible In
such an attempt 1t deserves simply to be recorded
as a warning and dismissed with some gratitude for
its abandonment. The arrangement of the CONVEX