The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-09-06
LITERATURE.


RESIDENCE BOOK LOT lIaNoioIs III
Settlers. by Charles Nordholf. Wit
maps and numerous illustrations Ne'
York: Harper Il Bros; Chicago; Jansen
McClurg " Co. $500.
Just at this time, when California is en-
Toying season of unwon,ed prosperity
and when new and competing roads ar
opened, both for the pleasure seeker to he
many attractive retreats, and for the settle
in search of new and tempting fields o
industry and enterprise, new edition
Mr. Nordhoil's charming work will be es
pecially acceptable The nineyears whicl
have interviewed since the first edition
however, have wrought so many changes IL
the country that tho work had to be almos
wholly rewritten, and the pages which thel
were SO pleasing are largely replaced by
new ones no less delightful, 1t is n region
of wine and olives, Of raisins, oranges, lem
ons and other semi tropical fruits, as wei
as of wheat, corn and barley, yet with ,
climate so uniformly silubrlous and agree
able, that one is surprised it should still
remain 50 comparatively thinly peopled
Mr.. Nordhofl assures us, however, that TIT
filing up process is rapidly going on, ant
gives abundant reasons why it cannot wei
be otherwise. His information as to The
resources and attractions of the state is o.
full as it is trustworthy, and the stages Of
progress and development are traced down
10 the present year. The book is bcauti
fully printed and copiously illustrated, as
well as accompanied with excellent maps
THE HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS
Their Legend and Scenery. BY Samuel
Adams Drake, author of "Nooks and Cor.
ners Of the New England Coast" &c. New
York; Harper IL Rrotbers; Chicago Jan.
sen, McClurg Il Co. $500.
II may lie somewhat late IN the season
to project a pleasure trip to the White
Mountains so that the volume before us
Will be found manly useful to whct the
appetite for next season; but to the vast
majority of us poor devils who can't afford
the trip at any season, Mr.. Drake renders a
grateful service by enabling US TO accom-.
pany HIM in imagination at least to the
very heart of the New England Switzer-
land, and take in all its beauties and glor-
les, without the expense and annoyance,
and fatigues and dangers OF an actual visit
TO those rugged regions We even have a
suspicion that the average reader will ex-
tract more real enjoyment from reading
about than he would in the actual expert
ence OF many of the tourists adventures.
AT any rate, we have read his book with
unalloyed pleasure and imagine we can
dilate as lcarnedly and enthusiastically on
the sublime scenery and many beauties
and wonders of that region as If Of the
throng of annual visitors to that Mecca of
the pleasure mongers we haG been which +"
Like the book of Mr.. Nordhofr noticed
above, this splendidly printed, copiously
illustrated and equipped with excellent
maps.
DICKENS. BY Adolphus William Ward. Har.
per ~ Brothers, New York; Jansen, Nc.
Clurg " Co., Chicago. IS cts
Mr.. Ward has done the "every dav
reader" an acceptable service by so COM
paratlvely Short yet complete and salts.
tacto-y sketch of England's greatest lat
ter day novelist and humorist. The work
OF Mr. Forster, supplemented by the tnree
volumes of letters by Mr. Dickenss elder
daughter, was, considering the shortness of
life, u little more than the cmniverous
IN Ia
through Ward at couple of sittngs and
rise fully satisfied. The leading facts of
Dlckens's life are compactly and at,rac-
lively presented, while the criticisms of his
works are such rs most persons who have
read them will endorse. Though Dickens
had many delects-was given to unlimited
leading often to gross injustice to persons
and classes there was so much IN HIM to
fasClnaic, he was so full Of energy and
humOr, and ran over with so much human
kindness, that Mr.. Brown may well be
pardoncd for dwelling SO lovingly on his
best traits, though his 'mpartiality and
sense ofjust,,, did not permit him to ig-
more his faults. We like the work, and
like Mr.. Dickens the better from reading It;
for though he was often heartless and I'M
just his purpose was high and pure, and
some Of his creations are immortal.
My InisH JOURNEY INiSi9 BY Thomas Car
lyle. Harper IL Brothers, New YORK: Jan
sen, McCiurg IL Co., Chicago. Sl00
If Mr. Carlyle should suddenly rise from
his grave and become conscious OF what
has occurred since he was buried, we have
little doubt his first and most vigorous eX-
pletvcs would be uttered against his post
humOus publishers. The "Reminiscences"
of Mr.. Froudc were bad enough, but this
Irish Journey" Is objectionable. In his
apologize preface Mr. Froude says The
were entrusted to him by Mr.. Carlyle, but
that he gave 1t to his secretary, who sold it
to Mr. Anderson, who sold it to n London
publisher, who gave it TO the world; Mr..
Froude adding that the manuscript con.
sisted OF iragmentary notes to which Mr..
Carly lie attributed no importance. The
reader Will cordially concur in that judg-
ment They are a medley OF crude jottings,
without sense or Arrangement, full OF Ill
nature and petty egotisGs, such as man
may be psrdOned for putting down in the
privacy of his own room in a daily memo
raudum book, hut winch lac would be in
excusahle for permitting even intimate