New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-14
SOME CHRISTMAS BOOKS:

GIFT BOOKS.
Every boy in the land should own Inc h's'o'S
of the United States Navy" as told by Benson -
Losing tIIarper & DrothersJ 1t is an excellent
hool that renresents conscientious work the part
of both author and publisher. Aud it is saying
great deal to credit 1t with being boys history
worthy Of n navy whose annals are so full OF TO
nance and hcgosm that IN the absence oil anthehtc
proof they might ALMOST pass for legend Ihe doom
was written al the suggestion OF Captain Luce, %
the training ship Minnesota and better recrulllnH
officer for the school at Annapolis than TINS nun
voiumo could not be found. The style Is eA
ceed;ug!v bright and crisp and correct
For an outline sketch 1t manages "
he very full of adequate description
opd oracdote II straightforward story aud the
narrative has the power to make even inc mus
ldorIc and Sin gqish PATRIOTS blood tingle. The print
ING binding and Illustrations are worthy speciai
notice. /, 70 bound in navy blue and is very sui
stantialiy nut together. picture OF the MONITOR
ornaments the cover. Aud It is a novelty TO nnd
history fer children illustrated with such admraoe
cuts The frontispiece, showing Farragut IN the
rigging al Mobile Bay, and the battle scenes are
rorl pictorial art. Most of the portraits have un-
usual merit for a work of this class. Fac-slmhes
are printed OF Lawreuce's letter beginning. a Bit
.sh figate is now in sight from my deck" Perrys
letter. I'VE have met the and they are ours
and General Dixs famous order. Several naval
,o,es and ballad, are published in an appendix
ard there is an index.
handsome little gift book for youth is MISS H.
g. Humphreys illustrated edition OF Johh ho"aru
payno's Home. Sweet Home" (Lce " Shepard)
Trs are freshness, fancy aad home ice'IhSah" CUT
ttudc in The pictures Aquaut picture Is made OF
T. house IN which the poet was born Two versions
Of thc poem ale given; that L. two stanzaS Us Tue
poem was originally printed, aud four stauz'S as IL
was rearlanged AID set t. music, TO winch were
subsequently added two stsnza, which have pes-
sonal interest
H. Eob,r. Eoutclccs popular History OF Sci
eurev u.onlon: George Boutlcdgc Il Sousl, boys
and girls who have gone through the ordinary tex
hooks or Natural Philosophy VIII lind something to
absorb their interest aud broaden their minds
There Is no attempt in its go pages to create
fictitious interest by sgrghtiy writing or 10y Tres
passing on urighh0ring domains for illu: ,rat.Ve
matter. = the story OF Science is told win SIM
r,lcitv and fidelity that make the book thoroughly
interesting. The pictures have pictoria! as WEI
rs a scientific value; they number 33i and cover a
WIDE range of subjects the portraits OF eminent
scientists are mostly good. portrait OF FRO
fo>sor Faraday forms the fontispiece. The hIst
three chapters freely describe the science OF Greece
Acx1pdrla. Arabia aud the medIIyal schools From
In, time of 6airo down. the in crest OF each chap
t.; il made 10 centre about an epoch-foImng man.
Tie work does not pretend to be competeas sla'e-
cut of what science owes 10 each great dlscoVerer
q. As a record of all the names that have gained
some fame m scientific pursuits. 1t IS iuIl enough
ia oiaii for the purposes def cd and VIII serve us
guide for young students VINO desire general
knowledge Of scientific discovery as an assistance IN
looking more deeply INTO special branch of the
subject.
Mr. Ernest Ingersors magazine papers on birds
and familiar animals have been collected in hand
GONE little Volume entitled " Friends worth Know
iug0 Harper & Rrothers. 1t Is vol that this
was done, FOR the articles have natural charm and
bear tho stamp OF careful study and original obser
yatlon qualities which make them of permanent
value i'm the young folks library The author might
almost be called a disciple Of John Burroughs. and
las grated some Of his teachers charm of style on
his own individuality Especially interesting are
the charters on wild mice In snaileIy on the
way animals fad their way home and on " Md
sumner Prince" which is not far-fetched title Tor
the splendid Baltimore orlole.
II is di.fiC!lt TO classify Gems OF Genius or Fa-
nous PAINTERS aud their Pictures" by Harry W.
French. Lee d SheparJ.j The work is not serious
enough either literary or al artistic sense to de-
serve mach attention from old heads and while 1t
has pictorial merits and is toleraby well written 1t
misses the Keynote that stirS The youthful soul One
thing Is certain about it--a more unfortunate de-
syn decorative cover on d Ihoic
medley OF oolors has seldom distressed the human
eye.
good plan has been spoiled in the writing of
Bad Bows Diary" u. :. Ogvc & Coz The
portrait of the bad boy is taking and his autograph
scrawl underneath, Yours for Reform George
Hackett" is promising. This eight-yearol'PS spell
Ing. however becomes ntOerabie after three pages.
aud his manners and the commonplace incidents
are wretchedly vulgar. lie rs boy whom one
would like t. celebrate in eegiac verse. The book
is something more than bad; on tine holiday-bo0k
table it is public nuisance.
BOHEMIAN DAYS. by GEORGE ALFRED TowNsBED
rGsih" 1910. pp. 232 H. Campheh ~ Go.
The little volume which Mr.. Townsend has put
forth under the title of bohemian Days" COM
prises three short stories and four poems. and the
book derives its from the fact that two OF the
tales and most OF the relate to aspects OF that
wild and happy. go-lucky life which used TO have
such "A strange fascination for a certain class OF
authors, artists, and students. The best, because
the freshest and most original, of Mr.. Townsends
sketches is the first i'll the collection, The Rebel
Colony in Paris" II describes with that graphic
power which has made Mr.. Townsend one of the
most famous of newspaper correspondents, and
with no little vivacty and humor, the shify expe-
dients OF a band of worthless young Southerners
stranded in the French capital during the war cut
on from ALI communication with their homes. and
living in hand .to-inouth way by begging, DorIOw-
ing. gambling ana still more disreputablc means.
The scenes of dissipation and sordd dishonesty end
with succession of tragedies, and the story,
though slightly put together, is forcibie and i'm
prcssiye Married Abroad is chiefly remarkable
for its realistic picture OF the disOrder courses OF
n young American art student in Pails,-a topic
which even Mir Townsends skill cannot make very
acceptable But il is well that the sort OF TEN
porary marriage to which reference IS here made
shpuld be represented in its most repulsiNe form
The last story The Deaf Man OF KensngtOn," Is "a
tale OF Philadelphia dealing with murder u SUI
eide "a cciet marriage. and an elaborate apparatus
OF myStliicaton. which the lovers OF thc detective
novel will take great delight