The Portland daily press., 1877-09-01
Recent Publications.

| . :, Dio'nerS nave issued the late Dr.
As'non commentary on the Rhesus, Medes,
mippoiy'uS Alcestis, Heraclidae, Supplies and
aioaues VI huripides. This Commentary is
Ike LII. Antnon's editions of the Classics, full
and accurate, and conveying al! the informa-
tion which the most eager or the worst equipped
student could desire. Did the text but accom-
| pany it the work would be complete, In addi-
ton to the notes the scanning of each play is
| given. For sale by Loring, Short & Harmon.
10 their Classical Library the Harpers add
Cicero's Tusculan Disputations New York:
Harper q Brothers. Portland: Loripg. Short
q Harmony. The translation s literal and in
elegant. II however fully meets the purposes
| for which it is designed. In addition to the
Dsputations the treatises on The Nature of tho
Gods and The Commonwealth are included in
the volume.
To Mr.. VIM. j. Rolfe's excellent annotated
editions of Shakespeare's plays have been
added A Midsummer Nights Dream New
York; Harper & Brothers. Portland: Loring
Short & Harmony. OF the convenience of
these editions and the value of their notes
much has been said in these columns. The
present volume is equal to its predecessors
The notes contain all the explanations and ref.
erences needful for critical study of the lar-
guage, as well as for understanding the thought
| of the play.
Kilmeny (Harper Bros, New York; Port.
land, Loring, Short & Harmony is the newest
addition to the Library Series of Mr.. William
Blacks novels. Altogether not as poetic a
work, and not to be ranked as :high in literary
merit as the authors Adventures of Pbaton
| or Princess of Thule-it is charming and
| well told story. 1t has the piquant grace, the
| power and individuality, and the good style in
which Mr.. Blacks novels rarely fail Polly
whistler, the honest bright and whole hearted
"artists model is really the finest character of
| the book. The heroine is rather colorless de-
signedly so, perhaps to afford, neutral.tintsd
relief to the brilliant Bonnie Lesley who ia
rather apt to gang DER the border of the con-
ventionalities and minor morals Little Ethei
is an exceedingly clever sketch, in which few
touches tell as if done with the point of the
| etcher's tool. Indeed the criticism one Is led
to make upon this novel, is that the minor
characters and accessories are better drawn
than the principal ones; the reader cares much
more for the fortunes of Polly and her artist,
than for those of Hester Burnham and the hero
in whose ultimate happiness one copcurs
| lower pitch of pleasure than that inspired bv
Polly's well deserved bliss. It is probable that
"Kilmeny" was written before the ''Princess
of Thule, which would account for its less per.
feet tone and comparative lack of art.
Winstowe, by Mrs. Leith-Adams New York:
Harper Brothers; Portland: Loring, Short g.
Harmony is novel of English life-very
| pleasantly and unaffectedly written and of
more than the ordinary degree of interest. 1t
recalls the novels by the author of est Olayes."
in certsin quality of quiet picturesqueness;
1t has occasional touches of humor and liveli-
ness; the good people in it are well drawn, and
| the bad ones with the uncertain vigor of q
writer who, evidently hating sin, Is personally
unacquainted with sinners; it is the novel that
an intelligent and religious English lady might
| write in the leisure intervals of mild amuse-
ments and charitable Deeds If not especially
exciting, it is novel of excellent tone and
will be read and enjoyed by those who do not
care for sensational fiction.
Gerard's Marriage, by Andre .Theuriet. New
York: d. Appleton & Co.; Portland: Bailey
& Noyes) is not at all equal to the brilliant
novel of M. Cherbuliez, which preceded it in
the collection of Foreign Authors series.
This is a somewhat uneventful story of French
life in one of the ancient towns of Lorraine,
To say that French romance is uneventful is
usually to say that the deficiency is more than
made up by charm of detail, of epigram, OF
subtle touches of characteristic is not, how
ever the case in "Gerard's Marriage" There
are some pretty idyllic scenes, with a slight
tendency to the rouge and pearl powder of the
| pestorals of Wattesu; there is the conventional
| pere noble, chevalier with blanched locks and
an expansive heart two cleVerly contrasted
heroines, two we'll assorted heroes, and yery
neat soubrette. 1t is in sbrief, an idyl of the
theatre, which is an attractive thing in itself.
Bat there is certain disagreeable tone of
| coarseness which is not idyllic; it is not the
frankness of-peasant life, but the want of re-
finement that Partisan might permit himself
when OF his guard, unrestraiAed by his accus-
TONED surroundings. 1t has perhaps the same
unpleasant effect that would be experienced, IL
| from the petals of an artificial daisy, in which
cotton had very well simulated the iueffabls
tissue of fower-should emerge the many
little black insects to whom nature has given
the lease of house of gold and silver.
Cooking Receipts from Harper's Bazaar is
the title of the latest volume of the Half-Hour
/ SOAAcS NENoW 1OIhs brOtQerS, POrt-
land: Loring, Short & Harmon) 1t is made nm
of receipts for cookery which have from time
to time appeared in the pages of Harper's Ba-
Ear. 1t is little volume that should be in
the apron pocket of every housekeeper; its
small size, convenient arrangement of contents
and sariety of receipts will commend it at
once to popular favor. And it is not inappro-
pirate to say here a few words due to the Ba
zar. 1t is no easy task to conduct a fashion
paper well, to select among the new modes
those that are suitable and tasteful and to de-
tect those that are merely passing fancies or
vulgar in their style; to report the changes of
fashion with accuracy, advocating those that
are economical and desirable and to furnish
weekly matter of really high tone and usually
OF literary worth-yet this, together with many
good illustrations of fashions, fancy work and
patterns for garments, is what the Bazaar aims
to furnish weekly to its subscribers, and really
| does furnish to them.