The Portland daily press., 1877-12-29

IL ltS prospectus Tor the new year the An5eri-
can Architect and Building Nelos says that it
will give, as heretofore. special attention to the
departments of decorative art, including fur-
nishing, as well as to matters that pertain TO
technical education in architecture and CON-
struction. The series of papers on perspective
which were promised year ago are nearly
reacy, and will be begun early in the year
The publishers also propose to establish series
OF prizes for designs in furniture or decoration
by draughtsmen and decorators the designs to
be for subjects suggested 10 the american
Arehitect and Building Neaos, the prizes to be
adjudged by competent jury. and the best of
the drawings to appear 10 the paper An early
announcement will be made of the details of
the scheme. The NeWs is pub ished weekly by
]. r. Osgood & Co., Boston.
The chief attraction in Blackuood is an elab-
orats paper on De Quincy, which finds TIN
secret of his popularity in the wonderful beauty
OF his style aud the personal character of hh
subjects. His principal contribution to liters-
ture is the frank revelation of himself His
mind had no. creative power. With all his
graces of style he never presents single bril-.
liant picture OF any other human creature.
Full of fine philosophical instinct as he is, he
has added little to our knowledge of the prius
clples of thought. Bat he has depicted himself
with force and beauty as unusual as the per-
feet openness of the record. "And as the curl
GUS, and the cultivated, and those who really
love literature, and those who pretend to love
it, sought his company while he lived and
listened rapt to his silver tongue, so to the
world of readers who love a delicate excite
ment, but not to be wearied or undergo any
strain of their attention, his works are always
welcome, and will continue to bs So 1t is ssil
asilver tongue to which we listen, with nothing
in it resonant or penetrating, but sweet with
the sottest tinkle as of water, or the Ginning of
far-away b'lls," Repriated by the Leonard
scott Publishing Co., New York.
The first number of the Boston BOOK BuIletis.
a new publication projected by the enterprisiao
house of ID. Lothrop & Co., is issued. ItE
quarto in form aud is printed in clear tyne
upon fine white paper, with the table of con-
tents on the outside page. The Bulletin. to
quote from its title page, is ''au electic record
OIL the best books published, aud of the best
ideas concerning books" The number now be-
fore us will show how well the publishers have
kept the promise made in their announcement.
John I. Trowbridge contributes an article
upon The Genial in Literature, and there is
paper by A Bronson Alcott entitled Reminis-
cences of the Transcendental Club. In addi-
tion, there are signed reviews and original az
tices By Edward Everett Hale, f. b. Perkins
and John Fiske, Austin Phelps, and also from
George Fl. Whittemore, A. M of Cambrides,
mad Lucius E. Smith, d, D., author of 4,
articles on American Literature in Appleton's
Annual Encyclopedias; with illustrated poems
from Bryant and Louise Chandler Moulto..
and LoDgfellow's tribute to Tennysou. A
prominent feature of the Bulletin is its CLASH
fed book list, arranged 10 accordance with ths
Amherst College system, key to which Is to
appear 10 the coming number.
The January number of ST. Nicholas opens
with the fist part of ssmi-rsliSious story by
the author OF the Schonberg- Gotta family, illus-
trated by Sol Eytinge II will be continued in
the February number and will bs accompanied
by several chapters of Miss Alcott's Under the
Lilacs. The pictures which accompany the lat
ter story in the current number of the magazine
are by Mary Hallock FOote, and are very fne
Sol Eytinge's Duet which accompanies Music
on ell Fours, Jessie Curtis's illustration of
and the Three Travellers, are all good. The
frontispiece, Two Ways Of Carrying the Mall
shows the manner in which the mail used to be
carried before the days of the Pacific Railroad,
and in which it is now conveyed The remain
ing contents of the magazine are How the Pony
was Taken, by G. B.; Merry Mike, by Fleba
Forester; An Agreeable Guest, by Sasan A.
Brown; How Kitty Got Her Hat the Stork
aud the Crane, by Howard Pyle; Winter Fire
Flies, by Mrs. w. N, Clarke; The Arms of
Great Britain, by Susan Archer Weiss; A Let.
ter to American Boys an admonitory epistls
from George Macdonald; Annie aud the Balls;
Something 10 ths Clothes Iine, by Paul Fort;
The Tower Mountain, by Gustavus Franken-
stein; How to Make an Ice Boat by j. H.
Hubbard; the Coolest Man In Russia, By David
Ker; and Skating, By Theodore Winthrop.
The Very Little Folks are treated to a story
and picture of Three Little Foxes