The Portland daily press., 1878-08-03
Recent Publications.

late DR.. Edward 81. Clarke, whose Sex in Edu-
cation gave rise to so much comment few
years since. This book very successfully
attempts physiological exposition of those
extraordinary sights which are usually attrib-
uted to q supernatural cause. The mechanism
of vision is explained with clearness, force,
and beauty which are we'll worthy of the man
who was for many years celebrated for the
attractiveness of his lectures upon the gener-
ally dry topic of materia medics, and the sub
jectiye character of apparitions is plainly
shown. One who follows the discussion closely
can not fail to be struck with the purely auto
matte action of the mind and if he reads with
out prejudice or superstition, he will be sur
prised that so sound Psychologist and logician
as the author could allow himself to weaken
the force of his argument as is done in the
few cases where science is abandoned and fancy
appealed to. Probably this is to be accounted
for by the prolonged suffering of his final ILL
ness, in which this work was written-an ago
ny so intense that it may we'll be made to bear
the blame of having wrenched wishes into
thoughts and hope into conviction. Whatever
may have been the cause, the inconsistency
will be regretfully recognized as serious
blemish in highly interesting and instructive
book. DR.. Holmes furnishes an introduction
and biographical sketch of his lamented friend
and colleague, and photograph of DR.. Clarke
faces the title page. F. 81. g.
Messrs. Harper of New York publish two
volumes of their convenient and substantial
series of biographies of English Men of Letters,
edited by Mr.. John Morley cortland: Loring,
Short s. Harmon) The first of these, the Life
of Samuel johnson, by Mr.. Leslie Stephen, is
very readable and well written work, greatly
abridged from the volube, inimitable volume
of Boswell, bat retaining the spirit of that
curiously minute study, aud adding many facts
and events relating to DR.. johnson. 1t gives
an interesting picture of the great exicogra-
pher, aud one that is in many respects agree
able. Another volume contains biography of
the historian Gibbon, written by Mr.. James
Cotter Morrison Of Oxford, England. It is not
so entertaining work as the autobiography of
Gibbon, so we'll edited by Mr.. W. D. Howells,
but is written in an excellent style, with clear
ness, spirit and impartiality.
Another volume of Sake Holm's stories is
published by Messrs. Scribner Of New York
cortland: Loring, Short & Harmony, and con-
tains some of the authors bast and most char
acteristic work. The most remarkable trait OF
SAKE Holm is her i'm sgination-out her finest
stories are invariably those in which imagina-
ton is employed to heighten the significance,
deepen the color and emphasize the outlines of
tangible things Saxs Holm has too much
na of hra nd fha
and mot 7e power of real affairs and objects to
tone up FER writing to its best strength. When
she takes commonplace surroundings and
practical people and, seeing in everyth ing its
latent seed of poetry, writes so fresh, genuine
and satisfactory story as Joe Hale's Red
Stockings, or, in q manner somewhat less
realistic, but full of wise suggestion aud subtle
instinct Susan Lawton's Escape, the undeni-
able right of SAKE Holm to have hearing
among the first of our story.tellsrs is manifest
In the Four-Lsaved Clover she is fantastic and
simple at once after the fashion of German
story writers, and succeeds in some very deli
cate pathos and good dramatic effect. Still the
story does not impress the reader with sense
of reality as even unmixed fiction may-and
still less does My Tourmaline. which is story
of natural magic and youthful sentiment-the
latter rather weakly depicted and the former
field not yet sufi i;iently explored by Mr. Edi-
son to make it easy walking for the delicate
feet of the romancists Saxs Holm, indeed,
has the noble and poetic gift of clarifying
everyday things, and her work is at its best
when this rare faculty is most fully and health
fully employed. Her simplest and clearest
work is her most fortunate, and the sharp light
she sometimes sheds upon morbid and unnatu-
raj sentiment is as little to the benefit of her
style as Of her readers. When SAKE Hol ms
writing is most full of freedom, sunlight and
reality, it is that its fine and telling power is in
its most fortunate exercise.
The Primrose Path is a charming novel with
dainty title, from the pen of Mrs. Oliphant
to whom are due thanks for some of the most
finished, refined and agreeable novels Of the
day. This story is original and well told, with
the careful and artistic portraitures that one
looks for in Mrs. Oliphant's novels, and consid-
cradle spirit and origin ality of plot. The char
acter Of Sir Ludoric is picture of the gentle
man Of the olden school. fine in action and in
feeling. The heroine, Margaret, is very lovely;
and though the appearance of the hero is rare
and brief until the close of the story, his place
being usurped by the false prince, who is not
agreeable bat we'll drawn-snough is known of
him to win the readers liking. New York;
Harpers; Portland: Loring, Short & Harmony
A Bird of Passage, by j. Sheridan Ls Fanu,
is included in Messrs. Appleton's New Handy
Volume Series portland: Dresser, Mcclellan g.
Coz This is striking original and brilliant
story whose bizarre beauty and pathos recon-
mend it to readers grown weary of conventional
fiction.
The Essays Of Ella, too well known for praise
OF to-day-form another volume of Messrs APP
pleton's Handy Volume Series portland: Dres.
ser, Mcclellan & Co.. -.