New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-02
LITERATURE in LONDON.
NEW ENGLISH AND AMERICAN BOOKS.


TONS LIFE OF vOLrAIRE-PEPAcroN-rI
EvERsLEY EDITION OF KISGsLEY's woRKs-os-
CAR wuDEs POEMS ASD PROPOSED AMERICAN
LECTURE ToUR-zFURNIvALL, THE FOUNDER, AND
his BROWNING SOCIETY.
.FRou rng KnGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNE
LONDON July 21.-Books about Carlyle multi
ply At least three biographies of pretensions
to seriousness have published since his DEATH
MIR Froude's warning TO all the world that the
materials without which no life OF Carlyle could
rightly be written were in his hands, has had about
as much effect as such warnings usually have.
Among the lives presently forthcoming is one by
Mr. Moncure ID. Conway; a single volume TO be
published Ivy Chatto e Windus This will at least
have the value which belongs to the account Of
man who knew Carlyle and saw n good deal of him.
and kept notes of his talk. Another is announced
in two volumes-W. II. Allen & Co., pubshers--by
Mr.. X. H. Shepherd; to contain, are told some
personal "reminiscences and selections from his pri-
waite letters to numerous correspondents. Mr. Shep-
herds qualifications for producing Memoirs of the
Life and Writings of Thomas Carlyle for such
is the title of his book-are not obvious. He is
known a grubber in the byways of literature;
not to say IN the bitches ana dungheaps. lie il was
who reprinted, against the protest of MIR. Browning
the early poems of Elizabeth barrett; who re-
printed without the authors sanction some early
illusions of Mr.. Longfelow's muse; and who is
referred to in the few singing words with which
MIR. Tennyson prefaces the compulsory repubica-
tion of his =" Lovers Tale" Mr. Shepherd has done
some ercditable work, though of a humble kind in
his biographies of Ruslln and Thackeray; which
are useful but by no means excellent examples in
their kind He edited Mr.. b. NJ. chickering's edition
OF the Poems and Dramas Of Coleridge and wrote,
believe the memoir pre6Xed TO those volumes. 1t
is, perhaps. his best performance, yet by means
a remarkable work, nor of q nature to inspire
with much hopefulness of his Carlyle memoirs. Mr.
Froudes paper in the July NjReteeRh Century is to
be followed, hear by others, though the state
ment that he intends TO publish the entire biography
in serial form is probably exaggerated.
The AdtenRuR has found an American book to its
mind, and bestows column or two of quite cordial
praise General Badeaus Military History of
Ulysses S. Grant" To say that General Grant
shas been fortunate in his biographer as he
was successful a general" is to pack as much
panegyric into a single sentence a single
tence can conveniently hold. Whatever else may
be said of General Grants military exploits nobody
has yet denied that he successful as a general
In the opinion of this reviewer General Badeau is
always clear, his narrative well proportoned, his
language free from the slang of the journalist and
he is not dull. That General Badeau's conclusions
would have impressed the world more favorably
had they been more qualified is opinion in which
everybody who is not Grant man quand nome
viii coincide. But General Badeau hardly pretends
to mpartIality. His book has been long DELAYED
1t appears happily at time when the labored COM
platon of Mr.. Jefferson Davis is dumped upon the
English market. l must admit nevertheless that
have heard one two faithful English students of
American history complain gently of the quantity
of material thus suddenly provided for them. But
there is a difference between the two books worth
noting. Mr.. Jefferson Davis had an audience wait
ing for him here, whose ardor he has all but
quenched General Badeau had to collect his Eng
hsh audience; and they seem we'll satisfied with
the entertainment provided for them. His book
will really do much for the military reputation of
General Grant. 1t may even revive the admiration
which some of us used to feel for the military
abilities of the commander, the scandals of whose
political career we have so bong had to lament.
MIR. Partons "Voltaire" finds but scant favor
with English critics. In more than one important
journal it has been sharply reviewed, and in the
last number of The academy, Mr.. Santsbury, who is
one of the highest English authorities on French
literature, puts the finishing touch to the general
critical depreciation of Mr.. Parton's work. Ad-
uniting that Mr.. Parton has diligently studied the
enormous materials tor his subject, Mr.. Saintsbury
nevertheless considers his acquaintance with the
actual world of letters and manners in which Vol
taire moved, insufficient. l have read this last
book of Mr.. Parton's, but from previous perform
ances of his took him to be of opinion that any
subject in literary political biography could be
craInmed and that industrious examining would
always prove sufficient equipment for resolute
Hfe-writer. He may probably therefore be sur
prised to be told by Mr. Saintsbury that " an in
Vulnerable multitude of small errors disfgures his
pages" and that his critical and original remarks
are almost always insufficient and frequently of a
really marvellous ineptItude" 1t is true of all
lives of men VINO held central position in their
periods it is especially true of Votare that a writer
VINO deals with them needs to have his mind satu-
rated with the history and literature of the time
For the want of this nothing will make up; no
amount of examining of confidence in ones
capacity of rapid judgment. If Sr. Parton had taken
this view, he would have been less discounted than
he will now be when he finds his book judged as a
work of art and Independent contribution to
literature. and, so judged, found wanting.
In very different tone is the criticism in the same
journal upon a very different book Mr. John Bur
roughs's "Pepacton" of which Mr.. Grant Allen
says This is a delightful book, of a sort whereof
the Americans almost seem to have the monopoly
1t is redoent throughout of the fresh air and the
woodlands; aud yet it is as full withal of culture as
an egg is full of meat" And so on through two
columns.
The edition of Charles Kingsley's novels to which
Messrs Macmillan give the name of Eversley Edi-
tion. IL, IN Its way good monument to the memory
OF that genial writer. The volumes are well
printed very readable, convenient SIZE and issued
with cloth covers of deep Indian red that reoices
the eye. "Westward Ho," which most of Mr.
Kingsey's admirers consider his masterpiece, began
the series; Two Years Ago. which is very far from
being masterpiece, following and "Hypatiao
coming next each of these stories is in two volumes
and the series to be completed in eleven. 1t is
worth noting that they printed paper much
liner and more flexible than the English publisher
OF these days often thinks it proital lie to use On
the other hand, the proofreading leaves something
A. -