Morning journal and courier., 1881-07-12
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.

s'The Emperor, 1" romance by Georg Eb
 CTS, author of ''Uarda,'' etc., is published by William s. Gottsberger, New York. Int | scenes of this story are laid in Italy and Egypt during the reign of Hadrian. The re l lations of Hadrian to Antinous, and of the l two pairs of lovers, are handled with mucI l seemliness. Antinous is well-minded, duti l ful boy who loves Selene, young Christian 1 who is killed by mob because she will moi worship the statue of Hadrian. This death, | and the fear that Hadrian will carry out g | plan of making his beautiful favorite his sue. 1 cessor in the empire, causes the young Bithy- ! nian to resolve on suicide, and he drowns l himself in the Nile. Pollu1 young sculp- | tor, makes his fortune by a successful statue of Antinous, done from memory-the Antin..
 ous as Bacchus. The romance is as whole, powerful and pleasing, and the translation from the German, by Clara Bell, is well done. For sale in this city by Judd the bookseller
 ''Count Agenor De Gasparin, by Thomas
 Borel, is published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York. The translation is by Brigadier General o. O. Howard. General Howard, in
 his admirable preface, says ''The writings
 of Gasparin have had no inconsiderabIe in-
 fuence in setting in motion the remarkable
 reformation now going on in France and the
 example of Christian living herein given,
 will ever be cheerful and helpful to those
 who may chance to examine it." Following
 the preface is note from M. Borel, wherein
 he states that the biography here presented
 Is written from authentic notes confded to
 the author by true and faithful hand. The
 biography comprises account of Count de
 Gasparin's birth, education, public career of his success as a writer and orator, of his
 qualities as man, and of his death in 1871,
 at the age of 61 years. A list of Count de Gasparin's works is given at the close of the volume. For sale in this city by Judd the bookseller.
 Contrasts, by M R. Grendel, deals with life in Massachusetts village and with life in the far South. The story opens in the winter of 1S49, and introduces the two young girls who are it's heroines, and de- scribes their appearance and characteristics and the manners and ways of puritan household" The scene shifts after some years to the home of 8 wealthy planter in Alabama, that of the grandfather of the girls, with whom they are henceforth to live
 They find the contrasts sharp enough and though they are full of disapproval of sla- very, they gradually come to love the luxury and ease of their new manner of life, and are contented and happy. The story is very entertaining reading. Published by G. P. Putnam's sons, New York, and for sale in this city by Judd the bookseller
 Walter Cranes ''The First of May: A Fairy Masque," is an exquisite book It is so cost ly in England as to be beyond the reach of any but the wealthy, but James R. Osgood & Co.,, of Boston, have reproduced it by their heliotype process, making it a tac simsi1e of the original and it is sold for only two dol lars and half The masque, following the precedents of this style of composition, is a play in which the characters are Lillian, the Queen of May, and Laures, her lover, and the fairies, elves, imps, evil spirits, shepherds, shepherdesses and children of Rosedale- for est. It is sprightly and pleasing compost tion, but its chief charm is in the illustra- tions, which are on the same pages with the text. There are ffty-two large page plates.
 4Ao moIc1J auQ DOrQST WOrk IS exquisite, but the figures and rural scenes in troduced belong to high art and suggest the grace and freedom of classic models. One of the critics says of the book: Perhaps the chief charm of Walter Cranes work is certain quaintness and refinement. In these admirable drawings, however, there are much higher merits; the drawing has all his fasci- nation of picturesqueness, and of mingled humor and beauty, but there is increased strength, and there are unlocked for resour- ces of varied invention. There are touches l of comedy also, of rustic simplicity, but beau | tiful forms abound, and the groupings are | most lovely compositions. The antique text, | which might have been done by medieval | pen, is also reproduced by the process, so that | we have in fact on the tinted paper a real re- | production of the original volume" For | sale in this city by Judd the bookseller.