The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-12-21

Great Emergency" By Mrs. ,. H Ewing, and "Joliy
Good Times Al School," by P. Thorne.
r. worthngton offers a. his piece De rtsistancs the
handy volume waverley, scott's novels complete m
twenty ave volumes in cloth or paper done up IN .
neat booK and sold At very low ngure. There are
great many people with whom Scott has not gone out
OF fashion and who viii be glad his acquant
Ance tn this attractive form "The Prince OF Argols
Is the holiday book OF Henry Holt Co. II IS an ODD
hslie volume OF from Greek mythology the
illustrations are curious as the text. The holiday
book Of George Routiedge Sons Ia 'Art Ramoles In
the Highlands and Islands OF Scotland" with 100
sketches from nature. drawn BY the author aud en-
graved by the brothers DalzeL new edition OF the
Christian year illustrated with symbolic flowers To
coors This house publishes the Walter Crane toy
books that stand at the head oil illustrated books Tor
small children. They are as simple as A c, yet NO
child can be familiar with them without having
his taste for pictures improved. Tho PUSSY TIP
Toes" books, published by E. p. Dutson Co, are
among the most popular books for the little folks
"Frisk and HIS Flock, - "a Housefui OF Cnidren."
.The Little Brown House." by the same author. ana
"Captain Fritz ana His FRIENDS, by Emily Hunting
tom Miller are books that the children will revel 10.
HOUSEHOLD ART-NEw BOOKS ON THE SUB
JEcr By CLARENCE COOK AND HARRIET
PRESCOTT spoFFoRp.
AS q household art reformer there 10 no one who
has done better work In America than Mr.. Clarence
Cook and great deal OF the good taste displayed IN
many homes IN this country IS due to MS
practical articles upon this subject These
articles which originally appeared in Serb
sr's Monthly, have been collected and printed
in book FORM by Scrbner, Armstrong Co., under tho
title OF 1.-The House Beautiful" borrowed from "Pii-
ationa real
ana were made by such artists as Miss Maria r.
Oakley and Frances Lathrop. and engraved by Henry
Marsh f. s. King and others The frontispece Is COL
ored Autograph made by Walter Crane, the well known
London artist The picture represents room iur'
nished artistic style, with open fireplace ana
Dutch tiles In the centre OF the room is graceiul
little table which s an od-fashioned urn, ana oy
which stands a picturesque looking woman pouring
out cup or steam,ng tea. We almost catch the
odor OF the beverage and arc quite sure that
it is English breakfast tea and feel pretty certain
that there is Scotch marmalade in OF those dainty
dishes
To begin with, the cover of this book Is work OF
art and Is one Of the attractive have seen of
modern design and the title page Is worthy COM
panion. The blocks are carefully printed and
carefully engraved with the exception OF one
or two, which have had parts spoiled In
the cutting these are Miss Oakey's pages 125 and
127. The faces of the children in her designs have
been hacked out of all expression The book is
printed tinted paper, with generous margins, and
is fine specimen Of the bookmaker's art When
these articles running through Scribners we'll
xnown English house sent over here to know II they
could buy the electrotypc Of the GUS, adding in tho
letter that they surprised at such evidences OF
taste in America Their idoa OF American household
furniture probably Are burning in the middle Of
ground floor with few scaplocks hung up by way OF
decoration Mr. COOKS book IS Interesting being the
first original book the subject Of household art
printed In America. The only thing that 1t can be
compared to is Easakes book, which 1t is only like
subject Mr.. Eastlake advocates but one style OF
furniture, which not always admirable, while Mr..
Cook recommends everything that Is beautiful, bor-
rowing from the antique or modern at Will The do
signs bis book all drawn from she life, and
great many OF the articles are 70 bs found ia his own
home which is indeed . "house boautiiul." The
titles TO the illustrations not such-as we are
used TO seeing books Of this nature-for example.
"This is a chair" or "Ths Is a desk" but they
called by appropriate quotations that make them
seem as though they belonged to q story, such as
"And all Arabia Dreathes from yonder box" "Now
do be seated 10 comfortable looking chair ana the
like
Since Mr. Cook began to write on this subject be has
contain prices articles described and their dimen-
sions feet and inches. If the writer's had reelected
they would have that such Information, II gwen,
would have been practically useless, .'since two
people ever want thiDgs Of the same OF the
shape. and that the cornpetlton OF the shops
the price never asked for the article in
any two places. The author of these pages Of
tered to give any such Information. He has only
serted what is strictly true-that when people are
spending money furnishing their houses they will
find II costs more TO get pretty things than ugly
things things that good taste than things that
bad taste. The point is Has the buyer tasteP
he have this book may perhaps be Of some service
to him in showing him how to use his taste furnish
Ing his house. II he have none, the author conicsses
with humility that he knows OF no way Of inocuatng
him with itn Much OF the trouble have In getting
furniture TO SUIT U.s. says Mr. Cook, from
ing things that do not suit US. The writer here
quoted the OF young couple who heroically de-
termined that when they were married they would
live as comfortably as they could on the smallest in.
come that would be theirs; that Tor fashions sake
nor for any Gdeety conventional friends sake would
they to any expense that would make them uneasy
for moment The husband was professional man,
fond of books and pictures; the wife was womunly
pleased In her work, IN her books and sslehery,
and could touch the piano; and when evening
was pleased with what pleased him. Flats had not yet
been introduced, and between ..whole house" and
boarding house the latter the resort OF despairng
young married people, there seemed no middle
ground, was any until It occurred to one Of them
take a whole house and live in the upper floors,
and. reservng Of the cellar for Goals, to lot
the rest oil the house to somebody else. This they
did, and straightway went to work to furnish their
hoor with the best looking furniture they could
get without hunting too far In the artist circle
and circle Of young lawyers and budding
literary folk, and architects, and the Utopians,
generally, this upper floor became q synonyme for
domestic paradise, and, indeed, prettier place had
not been seen IN New YORK. Mr. Cook has divided
his book into ave parts, called respectively ssThe En-
trance" "rhe Living Room" "Tne Dining Room, .
"rhc Bedroom ana words Here and There -
Everybody about 10 furnish house should read this
volume, for II gives hints that II followed, would
make an uninviting modern house a thing of beauty