The Portland daily press., 1879-03-17
Gossip About Books.

MIR. Ii. u . edman Is expected 10 write
life of Bsyard Taylor.
Robert Browning has in the press collection
of short poems bearing the title Of dramatic
Idyls"
John Habbeiton says 900 copies of his
Helen's Babies, in twenty different editions,
have been sold abroad and he has Noted $500
from the sale.
The latest number of the Spectator (London)
contains long review of A Masque of Poets,
the volume Of anonymous poetry in the No
Name Series. The reviewer says he derived
sensible pleasure from finding "verses which,
though falling short Of originality, are yet free
of the echoes of Shelley, Rossetti and Swim
burne, which are all but inevitable here" He
regards A Mood of Cleopatra as the most seri-
Gus and finished piece in the volume, and
quotes some twenty-five lines of it. It has
been attributed to Edgar Fawcett. The
Marshes of Gym is Zone of the few poems
which show signs of power; it has an air of
youth about it," The author of this is Sindey
Lanier. My Heart, Cannot Still 1t, is zone
Of the most favorable specimens of pretty writ
ing in the book. 1t has freshness, and the
proportions of this little group of words are
quite artistic aud right" 1t is By james Rus
sell Lowell, whop, the Spectator elsewhere in
the article coils the oaost exqaisitaly ella sborate
composer of prose, and the most flashed Uristo
Of the time" Iu American literary and artis-
tic work, that which impresses the Spectator is
the evidence that though the nation IS young,
the race is old" Even in fourth aud fifth rate
work it has "never found signs of the untaught
and living growth of young race"
The l-test number of the Literary World,
bsaring date of March 10 contains the second
of Colonel Higginson's Short Studies of Ameri-
can Authors, the subject of this paper being
Poe.
Wilke Collins, i1 recent letter to the pub
lishers, makes the following comment, III see
in an American newspaper that the Interna-
tional is now issued monthly. This is, in my
option, a great change for the better. The
two months interval was too loog. 1 don'5
believe that our old quarterly reviews here
ever get a new subscriber; they languish rather
than live. on CLUBS, instltati0Ds aud old sue
scrbers l most sincerely hope that you will
fiud the new form of issne remuuerative 10 the
commercial as well as the literary sense. Every
one who wishes well to the cause of lit nature
must wish you success 10 the creditable and
spirited effort you are making.
Locusts and Wild Honey, is The title of
new book by John Burroa ,hs, announced by
Hough hton, Osgood & Co.
Lecky writes to his American publishers
that he will not have the next two volumes of
his History of the Eighteenth Century ready
b9fore 1881.
La the opinion of the Saturday Review, Bay
ard Taylor's Translation of Fanst is lone of the
most remarkable feas of translation achieved
| in any modern language" The Review adds,
In regard to the trauslator: slime for line and
metre for metre he followed Goethes way,
| flinching before no difficulties, and seldom
otherwise than victorious-a labor so great
that DO man could have hoped for success who
has poti in nOh of tha 10
| dertske it as labor OF love-"
The Library Magazine for March will be
ready OH the 2Sth-not dated in advance, as is
the custom its contents being mainly from
the foreign publications of same date, thus CIV
ing what is newest in the literary world. $1.eO
| year, or 10 cents Dnmber American Book
Exchange, Publishers N. Y.
The 'Lfe of William Collsn Bryant, by
Prof. d j. Hill, of Lewisburg University, will
be published by Sheldon & Company in few
days. This is the second of the series Of great
| American authors which Prof. Hill is prepar-
ing, the 'Life of Irving" having been the first
| The "Llfe of ByranG' will be a book of 250
pages, and will contain steel-pls,e likeness of
Bryant.
| John A. Van Nosirand, Jack" of Mark
| Twain in his "Inuocents Abroad" died in
jacksonville, Florida. last week. He was q
resident Of Brooklyn.
Oliver Logan writing from London says:
"The British Museum is said to possess finer
American library than any in the United
! States. Charles Leland is taking full advan-
tage OF it, see him there very frequently,
r. sading n D aud collecting material for his life
| OF Lincoln.~ Writ Skies, whose work On the
Folk Lore of Wales is already attracting the
attention of scholars. reads constantly at the
| Museum when his leave of absence from his
| post permits" Writ Skies 10 Mr.. Olive Logan.
The success quietly attained by the l. brary
| Table during the past three years has indu ed
the pub shers to issus it Weealy after March
15tb, iIstsad of Fottnightly as heretofore. 1t
! is their purpose nov to push the Library Table
| forward to its proper place among the leading
| journals of the country. 1t will ba increased
to 80 pages and enlarged slightly in form. Its
| high literary character will be maintsined,-
| w: its Signed Articles by leading writer's on
| The principal books published, critical Notes
/ aud Comments, "Briets" on im portant volumes
/ freshly issued, and the most resent Intelligence
/ concerning the makers and making of books
! and several new departments will be intro
! duc,d. The enlarged size of tha paper will
permit the discussion of important political
! questions. "Notss of the Week" will be brig ht
/ trenchant cou ments on current events. "Cou-
| tribu,ors' Miscellany" will contain piquant say
| ipgp old coDcets, poems, "reminiscences. A de-
partment of Notes and Queries will be intro
| duced, and greater space given to the depart
ments Of Muse, Drama and the Fine Arts,
wh.c .ch will hereafter be conducted By competent
specialists. There will also be weekly article
on the Stock Market, aud D p3rticular attention
| will be given to the great Financial and Indus
! trial Interests of the county. The Library Ia
bic as Weekly will be a comprehensive iDde-
per dent and useful American Journal ln Or
der TO procure the largest possible consttuency,
the price OF be paper has b7en fix, al cents
per Copy $3.50 per aucnm. To fhcl't4te reot-
gauiz itiou, he fortpighty issues of Feb 18th
! aud March 1st will be omitted; he first week y
number is published on Saturday March
| 18th Both we'll & Hinton are the Publishers,
No Evening Post Building, New York City.