Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-04-05
letter from Boston,

CO., AND SOME BOOKS WHICH THEY ARE
BRINGING our-THEArRE AND OTHER GOSSIP.
BosToN, March 20, 1878
The spring catalogue of Houghton Osgood
Co. has just been issued, and don't believe
that any house in the country, not even the
lIorpers, can present one larger or more ex.
haustiye. 1t embraces general literature, art,
science, law, medicine and theology, and in
cludes fine juvenile department Among
the authors represented are Dickens, Scott,
De Quincy, Emerson, Lowell, Holmes, Whit
tier, Longfellow, Hawthorne. lIowells Al
drich Thoreau, Mrs. Stowe, Bret Harte, to-
| gether with hundreds of other favorites of
the reading world
The printing is done Mt Riverside" in
Cambridge the business offices are ON the
corner of Franklin and Devonshire streets.
the old headquarters of Osgood & Co. This
house has an oventful record. don't remem-
Der what it originated rs, but the first l ever
heard anything definite of it was as Phillips &
Sampson. don't recolect that. but have
heard Mr.. VIM. Lee and Mr. Charles Shepard.
who now form the firm of Lee q Shepard
tell stories of the firm when they were young
men, and were learning how to become popu-
lar publishers. A. X. Loring was also grad
uate of this house he was there at the same
time with A1essrs. Lee Il Shepard first
knew it as Ticlinor Il Fields then the firm
maine was changed and it became Fields &
Osgood; Mr. Fields at length retired ana it
became J. II. Osgood & Co., which it has re-
manned until the late consolidation with the
Riverside" firm, when it became Houghton,
Osgood q Co., the largest publishing house
IN the country. Since the consolidation they
have published but few books, but later they
will publish many which are now in prepare
ton. The works previously announced have
been published, also those in series. The
Riverside edition of the british Poets" has
reached its twenty second volume. and early
next month three more will be added. These
twenty-five volumes comprehend Words
worth, Coleridgc, Keats, Burns. Byron, Scott.
Moore Shelley, and Chatterton: those TO fol-
low immediately are Cowper and Thomson.
l think this is one of the prettiest and at the
same time most inexpensive library editions
which has ever been printed. The type is
clear and large, the margins wide-n feature
which, think, adds greatly to the charm of
book, giving it such clean, uncrowdod
look-the paper prettily tinted and of nice
quality, although not very thick, the binding
a claret or green cloth, with simple horaldic
device in front, and plain lettering on the
back, very chaste in design. The edition will
be complete i'll siXty-tive volumes. while the
Old contained over one hundred. Each au-
thors poems are placed i'll II box, and any one
wanting a separate work can purchase it, and
without being obliged to take the entire cdi-
uon. 10 any one fitting up "A library, this
edition is specially recommended. Consider
ing the care with which they are gotten up,
and the size of the volumes, they are very
cheap. costing only 81. - per volume.
The Danites" has been delghting large
audiences at the Boston Theatre this week.
That is II play that wears. | consider it one
of the best American plays, especially Of those
which depict Western mining life. that have
been given us. Indeed it is the only success
full one. There has been nm attempt to rob
MIR. Miller of his laurels as playwright A
woman in New York claims the play in be-
half of her husband, who be it known. has
gone whore he cannot dispute her claim, UNI
less be does it through some medium. She.
Mrs. Fitzgerald) says, l believe. that her
husband wrote the play, that Mr. Rankin
paid him $1,000 for it, but fearing that n
play written by an unknown author would
never be listened to, no matter what merit it
might possess, paid Mr. Miller $500 for the
right of using his name All of which is very
pretty, but like many other pretty stories. ut
terly without foundation The play itself is
refniaton of this there isn't a long speech
in it. from beginning to end, which does not
betray its authorship There are hundreds
of lines that no one but Mr. Miller could
write Then, too, Mr. Miller holds his name
worth more than two hundred dollars. Mrs.
Fitzgerald may continue to write letters to the
press as long as she can get them published
she will never convince any one who knows
the peculiar style of the Poet of the Sierras":
but she does Mr.. Rankin infinite service by
her gratUitous advertising of his play: he
ought TO pay her liberal salary to induce
her to persist in her claim. SO much for the
authorship, now for the play. / saw it on the
opening night, and find it very much improv-
ed. 1t was better acted. as a whole than it
was at the Globe, although it seemed then
that neither Mr. Rankins SANDY" nor Mrs.
Eankin's Billy Piper could be improved
Mrs. Rankin surprised me very much, When
she was here in her fresh, pretty girlhood.
and as Kitty Blanchard sang and danced her
way INTO our hearts, we knew only the bright,
Jolly, roilicking side of her nature. ], for one.
had no idea of the real pathetic power which
she possessed, and which shows to such nd
vantage in this play 1t is the saddest char
acter ever saw there isn't a ray Of happi-
ness in it from first to last. | haven't space
to give you the story. but you'll find it in Mr..
Millcrs one novel, The First Families of the
SieTas'
The RankinS brought with them Mr.. Louis
Aldrich, who did some fine acting as the Par
son, and Mr.. Chas. T. Parsloe. who is the best
"Chinee' in the country. The other charac-
tiers were taken by Mrs. Barry, Mrs. Allen and
Mr. Maguinness of the regular company, and
Miss Annie Deland of New York, who played
the difficult character part of Bunker Hill'
at two hours notice and without rehearsal
Mrs. Barry's wilder was simply perfect. it
was so delicate and refined. One didn't won
der at the reverence in which all these rude
men held her nor at Sandy's devoted love for
her.
Mr.. Miller and Oliver Wendell Holmes
were in the stage box and what n contrast the
two men presented One polished in manner
fastidious in dress, sleek, exquisite, and a tri-
file satirieal, the other abrupt and impulsiye
a splendid barbarian who allows civilization
to amuse him. He watched the play as though
he had never seen it before, applauded when
Il hit was made, and took in the good points
of every one on the stage. l saw him the
next morning swinging along through the
Common with his Spanish cloak and brig
andsh hat his tawny hair and beard almost
golden in the sunlight, There's no use talk
ing about it, he is picturesque looking man,
and if he does dress for effect, it's a pleasant
one. Probably he is not the only one who
does it, but unhappily few succeed as well as
he does.
Jennie Collins continues her free dinner