The Portland daily press., 1881-04-16
Recent Publications.

Life and her Children. By Arabella B.
Buckley (New York: D. Appleton & Co.;
Portland: Hoyt, Fogg s. Donham). Miss
Buckley is one of the most charming of writ
ers upon natural history, and possesses the for
tunate gift of adapting her science to the un-
derstanding and taste of the young readers for
whom she writes. In her hands, natural his
tory becomes like fairy tale; and her facts
are at the same time carefully verified. The
present volume treats of the lower forms of
animal life, sponges, sea-urchins, star-fsh of
the ocean, and insects of the air and earth.
The lively and fascinating manner in which
these creatures often repulsive enough to
sight and touch-are described, will not fail to
enlist the interest of young people for these
strange and limited lives; and the observation
and study concerning these least of Life's chill
dren, which Miss Buckley's volume will sug-
gest, will add many new pleasures to the sum-
mer soiourn in the country or by the sea.
Frederick the Great and the Seven Years
War. By F. W. Longman Of Balliol College,
Oxford. (New York: Charles Scribners Sons;
Portland Loring, Short and Harmony This
FOluHlc lOTLuS Ouc Vi bli6 EpOCUS Vi NlOu6rn
History series, which, especially designed for
young students, will be found no less valuable
and useful to older readers who desire a clear
general idea of history, without minute special
study in that department. The concise, clear
and appropriate arrangement Of the work, the
scope and effectiveness Of its plan deserve full
eenamendation. 1t gives an excellent view Of
the state of affairs in Europe, America and In
dis during the epoch of the Seven Years
War; of which, in strong and brief chapter,
Mr. Longman points out the historic weight
and influence.
Muscles and Nerves. By DIR. 1. Rrsenthal
(New York: D.. Appleton & Co.; Portland:
Hoyt, Fogg & Donham) is new volume be-
longing to the International Scientific SERIES
1t is copious treatise upon the general physi-
ology of muscles and nerves, their structure,
chemical processes, etc., and will be of interest
and value to the student of anatomy and ply
siology.
Livy. By w. W. Capes, NJ. A. (New York:
D. Appleton & Co.. Portland: Hoyt, Fogg &
Donham) belongs to the series of Classical
Writers, edited by John Richard Green. Like
its companion volumes, it is written with
freshness interest, and freedom from tiresome
pedantry. 1t gives vivid and lifelike picture
of Livy and his times and praises the patriot
ism, practical quality and healthy morality of
the historians writings; while the criticisms of
Livy's literary style are discriminating and
full Of interest. Such volume as this brings
antiquity near; revives its life and its letters;
gives us to see the everyday politics, business
and action of the time, and goes far to estab-
lish kinship of human feeling between the
past and present, without which history must
seem dead letter that can take no hold upon
the Imagination.
The Caliph Haroun Alraschid, aud Saracen
Civilization. By E. H. Palmer. (New York:
G. P. Putnam's Sons; Portland: Loring, Short
& Harmony. The Caliph Haroun Alraschid
seems, at first thought to be as little subject of
grave and reverend history as Aladdin or Ali
Baba-but reflection and the reading of this
singularly interesting biography confirm the
readers knowledge that the good caliph actu-
ally lived, made laws, and ruled with judg-
ment tempered by mercy or caprice as the
fancy took him. He was arbitrary, cruel and
irresponsible, but vein of generous if unrelia-
BILE good-nature ran through his temper, like
the blue wavy lines of Damascene sword Le-
gend and tradition have grown over him, the
impossible has marked him for its own, he is
part and parcel of the extravagant dreams of
the Thousand and One Nights-yet the histor-
ic truth remains that he came to his caliphate
about the year 7S5 and held his lively and Sc
we're sceptre over the Mussulman people. The
biography is full Of anecdote as we'll as of So
Der historic recital, and is one of the most at
tractive of the New Plutarch series.
Egypt. By Clara Erskine Clement. Boston:
D. Lothrop & CO.. This is an exceedingly
well arranged and comprehensive history of
Egypt, designed for popular reading. 1t re-
cords the principal events from the times of
the Mem phian Kings, 400 to $500 B. G. down to
the present date. No annals are so rich in his
toric interest, so suggestive to the student of
civilization, as are those of Egypt. The re-
cent novels of Professor Ebers, brilliant and
scholarly revivals of antique life. have awak-
ened much interest in regard to the Egyptians;
and this volume of Mrs. Ciement's-quite diff
ferent in design and treatment from Prof.
Ebers's superb romances-will afford a solid
basis of chronology, ma ational history, ETC., upon
which to support the impressions which the
reader gains of a civilization scarcely inferior
to that of our own time as regards the arts and
sciences, and indeed rejoicing in much kpowl-
edge that is now lost or in process of iaborious
requirement. The colossal and mysterious rel
les of olden Egypt, the limitless pathetic DESERT
t1,o; lobl hun toll ;1s
attest, the perdurable silent testimony of the
Sphinx have an irresistible power over the imag-
ination. But it is not to the over-curious, armed
with ell-measure, square and compass that the
secret of Egypt is revealed; but to the sayant
like DIR. Ebers, whose science and imagination
await the rustic Of the hidden papyrus and the
witness of the hieroglyphs, not to support theo-
ries of orientation and astronomical measures,
but to relate the history of ages that passed
over the eldest and wisest of peoples, the
strangest and most wonderful of countries. To
the intelligent study of Egyptian antiquities
such compact and practical work as this of
Mrs. Clement, will be Of much use and con-
venience.
Wit and Wisdom of George Eliot (Bos-
ton: Roberts Brothers; Portland: Loring,
Short & Harmony is small and
tastefully bound volume Of short ex-
tracts from George Eliot's novels; and
will be welcomed by the admirers of her works.
1t would be an ungracious and not over-wise
thing to deny that many admirable sayings
are to be found in these pages-but whoever
has followed George Eliot's wisdom through
the perfunctory and many-worded meditations
Of Mordecai, and assisted at gathering up the
scraps and clippings which were economical
into the volume Of Impressions Of Theophras-
tus Such will perhaps have become somewhat
satiated with words of her wisdom-and, as for
wit, George Eliot often humorous, lacked
something of the lgh tness and gayety of in
tention and truth that are the soul of epigram.
The Life of George Fourth. By Percy Fitz-
gerald. New York: Harper & Brothers.
Portland: Loring, Short & HARMONY. This
diffuse, gossiping, curiousiy minute memoir of
the fourth George and his court is an exceed
ingly readable if not especially dgnifed con-
tribution to history. Mr.. Fitzgerald has been
at great pains to collect from every possible
source information and anecdotes, letters and
,,,apoo;rS of tho Tina Tho raaJar ,,;ll H., ,o,,.o