The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-03-31
New Books.

New Books.
A Fair Bar50a1an-by Frances Hodgscr
Burnett, author of "That Lass o. Lowrie's,
"Haworth's" Louisiana" &C., Jas. r. Osgood
d Co., Boston.
This charming little work which appeared
first as serial in Scr1b'ser's Monthly, has re-
Gently been issued in neat and attractive
binding from the we'll known publishing house
of Osgood & Co. 1t is novel that has already
created sensation among the lovers of class
of literature not weighty but exceedingly enter
tanning and pleasant. There is no pretention
to anything ponderous. The style is simple
yet attractive, and there is a naturalness about
the characters which is quite refreshing. The
title of the book is in itself happy conception.
The Fair Barbarism" is young American
lady who has lived in Nevada, and who comes
upon an English country town with the sug-
gestive name of "Slowbridge" to astonish its
inhabitants by an individuality of character
wholly unique. She is thoroughly American.
She is entirely unconventional in her ideas
when tried by English standards. She con-
POUNDS and amazes the rigid devotees of pro-
priety, with whom she comes in contact In
this sleepy English village. She absolutely
horrifes the head of Slowbridge society, Lady
Theobald, who EN- bodies all that is arrogant,
angular and domineering in the worst type of
the British regulator of the proprieties. But
withal this American girl is by no means an
Unframed hoyden. She is, on the contrary,
true womanly in the best sense of the term.
She is kind of heart, sympathetic and self
respecting-a really lovely, if somewhat nm
conventional person. She is high-spirited, too
and while she manifests willingness to learn
the standards of those among whom her lot is
temporarily cast, there is a charming youthful
dignity about her which is one of the best
points in her delineation. OF course she finds
her love- OF the results which attend
her wooing, we leave the reader to learn from
the story. The merit of the novel is largely
in its admirable purpose and the exquisite
skill with which it is carried out. 1t is re-
freshing vindication of the American girl,
writers to depreciate of late. Mrs. Burnett
knows her well and does her ample Justice.
She knows England, too, and we have the
benefit of that knowledge in the types of En-
glish character presented.
The book is not likely to succeed in favor
beyond the authors previous productions, but
to gain popularity which none other of those
novels which have treated this phase of the
American girl question have obtained
Hours Of Faney, or Vail and Hassoaa-by AL
dine s. Kiefer-Pubished by Ruebush, Keiffer
g. Co.. Dayton, Va.
This little volume is surprise to us. In
the first place Its handsome gilt and cloth
binding and the beauty and taste of its typo
graphical execution would lead one to ascribe
its mechanical get-up to one of the well known
book publishing houses of the North, but we
read upon its title page the firm name of Rue
bush Kieffer & Co., Dayton Va. Now Dayton
is an obscure little town in the adjoining
county of Rockingham which is chiefly noted
for having established in it large printing
office, but we had no idea it could turn out
such master piece Of workmanship as the
book before us. Our second surprise is that
one who has written such variety of short
poems, many of which are productions of real
talent, should have lived so long among us
and written so much about us, and vet have
been so little known to fame The author is
member of the publishing firm, and the works
of his pen are in a great measure local, the
scenes being laid in the Valley. Many of them
are the inspirations of camp-life during the late
war, and it is but simple justice to say that
they are superior to the majority of the poems
Of like nature that have gained a widespread
newspaper notoriety. There is nothing strik-
ingly original, nothing that would make the
author famous in day, to be found in the
book, but threading through it are pretty little
ideas and fancies of the violet stripe-unpre-
tentious, yet beautiful for their very simplicity.
We advise those who haye not seen it to pro-
cure copy, that they may themselves judge of
the merit of our home poet.