New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-01-15
LONDON LITERATURE.
CHRISTMAS BOOKS.

FIELD Il NEWCASTIk-ON-TrNR
[TRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSEI
LONDON, Dec 23.-The near approach OF Christ
mas is felt in all its severity this week. On every
book work Of all kinds is stopped, what are called
Christmas books alone excepted. All through De-
cember indeed. the same sort of pressure has been
felt. Books of a serious kind-I do not mean pious
books-long since advertised as ready" are not
ready and now not likely to be till after New Years
The first volume of the new edition Of Landor was
promised three weeks ago and is not yet TO be llad
OF the gift-bOOks which thus elbow out the others
not much, a rule, need be said. The best Oh
them are cmldrens books, those which are equally
good for old and young children like Messrs. Mac
mi'lans "Old Christmas" from Washington lrv-
ipys sketch Book The illustrations to this by IL.
,ldecott delightful, and they are quite ont OF
Il hackncycd kind. The title page is novelty
good in itself, and suggestive of the good things
which ere waiting TO be done. Irving Is always Il
popular name in England, and this book is pleas
ant tribute to him, its editor says it was meant TO
be- The same firm add to their list of books on great
artists. Life of Correggo," edited by Mrs
lleaton, who did the Raphael and Michael Angelo;
with auoyIe copies Of the best engrayiues from the
painter's best pictures. Dr. Meyers Life of Cor
reggie has been abridged and passably translated
The "Orphau OF Pmlico" which appeared this week
Smith, Elder Il CO.., If a memento of lhackeTay
for which admirers Of that greatest of the victorian
noyeiists-I borrow the word from Mr.. Stedmah-
must be grateful. The book IS handsome royal
quartz edited by Miss Annie 1hackeray, the novel
lists daughter. Everybody knows that Thackcray
once studied drawing, and that all his life he re-
tanned curious talent III pcn-sketching. His own
illustrations TO his own books familiar 10 readers
OF them. Miss lhackeray, in her graceful way tells
us that he took no care to preserve his drawings.
bc had pf
own drawings framed. and when was child ! re-
member great scrap-book which was given to me
10 play with and 10 work my will upon" charac-
teristic touch If Thackcray may be in what she
saws about his once questioning her-Once only
concerning some scissor points with which she had
ornamcnted some of his sketches. Then she writes
But although ne certainly never wished us to inaAe
was oi vivid and serious RANT! 'o hlih anu oi
Interest and suggestion. When book was pui,hcd n"t
long ago and called by his name. We resretied mat Il
ssold be Ought give iar example Of hi feeling Tor
art aud IL seemed 10 us that II might bo well 10 pnhh
sciuc Of the later drawings which more Adequately req
his t. and one more genuinely himself tuH t"e
slight earl .aures and limitations OF has cary school ana
college days.
Il had been known before that the book referred
TO- Thackcrayanar had given pain to the family,
rs II did to many friends. II was product Of Nh
Hottcn's tal,n for .crapng together from whatever
quarters whatever he could legally lay hands upon.
However, his rather INSCRIPTIONS performance Las
ended in causing this delightful mcmento of hack
cray 10 BE- given To- the world, and the dead offender
may be forgotten. The Orphan Of Pnlhco' which
gives a title to the volume, * but Of forty
sketches. more or lcss elaborate, but all full Of the
quaint humor and almost chdike pleasure in the
odd which never forsook 1hacAcIay ans NOR than
his perhaps least generally recognized gli-hs depth
Of genuine tenderness.
The list ~ new books Of the season has not been,
II. al, Vt a ift.
been long one, and a writer who undertakes TO
deal with current publications. even in the most
clr-ory way, must contemplate with despair the
eyer-incroa,ug pile on his table. Here, among
others are the Prose Works of Wordsworth which
have been waiting their turn for weeks. one who
respects Wordsworth may we'll hesitate what 10 say
about them. They contain writings which one must
desire Ia possess. IL il the first attempt 10 bring
together what Wordsworth did in prose much oft
il of great value to the student Of h- poetry and If
his times. Yet the collecting and arranging and
editing Of them are 80 bad V done ~ TO constitute
real grievance. The editor 10 the Rev Alexander i.
Cro,art of whom am sorry to have tospcak in such
terms. He has done service OF certain kind
in republi,hine old authors. The so-callcd
Fullcr's Worthless Library is his, and it Is work Of
kind which is useful, even though impcrfcctly
executed He belongs 10 the Dryasdu,t family,
~ hcb il a worthy family often exposed 10 rcproach
by the groicsquc yagarics of IT. members These
vagaries are supposedly the public To be inspired By
their pursuits, whereas they are probably the
growth Of individual ccccnricitics IN favorable cir
cumsances NJ. Grosart WAS chosen, lac tells Ms To
edit Wordsworth by those who hold ms Mss. aud are
his nearest representatives. 1t il within the bounds
Of Ct moderation to say that work Of the kind
has been more clumsy performed, and that Nr.
Gro.ar. Preface is one Of the most offensive pieces
of literary work in existence. To write sentence Of
plain. straightforward English Is 10 MI Grosait
an impossbiy. Nobody could form 70 bad
style as his without taking great pains 10
make il bad His perpetual aduailon of
Wordsworth is offensive; bis acrlmony against
ANYBODY vino lttteB his author less
grossly tan himself IL hardly less offensive. lie
describes Ilaztt attacking Wordsworth with
Characteristic insolcncc and uncritcal shaowncss
and haste" and adds, the lecture is included IN
Hazlits published lectures in all its ignorance and
wlongheadodncss; but 1t mere "A pity to lose ones
temper over such trash" He calls DE Quincy "a
monkey with "A mans soul SOMEHOW trunsmigrated
into IT," Emerson he mentions ~ "A lesser
DE Qunccy. and EnersOn's English Traits" are
"uudcrbred.' and E" a most un-Englsh book Than
this latter adjective the force of ytuperaton can 40
further 20. 70 say thing is un-English Is, ia an
Embellishments belief, 10 damn 1t utterly for all the
world and for al time. ! suppose Mr.. EmcrSon's
oAcnsc consisted in ananccdOte or two of Mr. Words
worth which Mr.. Grosart deems too familiar. In
short il is hard 10 say whether would prefer TO
dispense with these prose works altogether. TO put
them on his shelves in company with Mr.. Grosau's
80 pages of Preface part Of what is here collected,
including some Of what Mr. Grosart says il first
prinicd may be found elsewhere; of il is only
inter sting because it is Wordsworths; some OF 1t Is