The Portland daily press., 1880-09-25
Three Books of Recreation.

Letters as well as laws get no hearing
amid the clash of arms. For the two months
now happily past, Maine folk have given
themselves up to the party newspaper and
neglected the book. Even the magazines,
usually so welcome visitors, have got but
scant and hurried attention, and the only
pamphlets that could command more than
passing regard have been reports from leg
islative committees and reprints from the
Congressional Record. Men preferred read
ing Senator Blaine's startling arraignmeht
of South Carolina census takers or Colonel
WaddelPs ingenious plea for the Southern
eaders to puzzling over the Philosophy of
Final Causes or following Ruskin in his
splendid diatribe against modern fiction
Women forgot the feud of Fusilier and De
Champion, the fortunes of Richard and Mar
garet, the obstacles which stand between
felicity and Mr. James's placid heroine, and
f1ocked to the political meetings and graced
the pavements while political professions
stumbled over the street stones. Even the
children forsook Jack and JILL lost their in
terest in Birds Nesting, and followed eager
ly after their elders. The boy got him
dime torch, bought him campaign hat
and marched sturdily in the rear of the uni
formed men, while the girl went out to ad-
mire the brave show her brother or play
mate was making.
That is all over now. The battle is not
yet lost nor won, but here in Maine an
armed truce has been declared. We are on
furlough until November. The speakers
have forsaken tropes and betaken themselves
to troches. Black type has nearly disapz.
peafed from the columns of the newspapers.
The campaign poster has given way to the
play-bill. The torches are cut, and the
street-lamps seem so dim by contrast that
people will prefer the warm lights of cosy
studies and comfortable drawing rooms to
tie evening promenade. Lettering over a
book will be found far pleasanter than loi-
tering along the street. The imperative
question, "Whom are you going to vote
for?' is no longer put, and in its place we
ask ''What are you going to read?' We do
not take up the newspaper to look for ,he
list of speakers appointments, but for the
column of publishers announcements.
Those announcements, of books already
printed and of books soon to be- are many.
and indicate great activity among the book
makers, and promise much pleasure to the
book-lovers. We have not space here to
even mention by title tie more meritorous
of the volumes that will fad their way into
the hands of readers these lengthening
evenings. But three works of ficton-and
to fiction the mind jaded with political ex-
element and wearied with figures and sta
tistics, viii naturally turn for recreation
fresh from the press, can certainly be
named among the most entertaining books
of the year. These are The Grandissimes,
White Wings, and The Saltwater Tragedy
This is not the column in which to review
them, to point out their defects-not few
or to call ats ntion to their many excel
lences. Our purpose is only to direct those
who are looking for fresh, entertaining and
instructive reading, who are seeking recrea-
ton and not study, and whose interest in the
daily prints has diverted their attention
from the monthly publications, towards
these stories whose course as magazine
serials has just been run. All three are
worth reading, but no one can afford TO
miss reading the Grandissimes. The faults
of it may be more conspicuous than the
faults of the others-but that is because it
is more noticeable in every way.