The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-11-24


outward vision may be adjusting itself at the time
of reading "a Poets Portfolio" to an argand
burner In a "two-pair back
In Quaker gray, with white label and on beautiful
Irish linen paper, rough-edged appear Aldrichs lat
est poems, opening with a short drama Mercedes,
and completed with songs and sounets. Mercedes
Is as tragic in its plot any of Shakespeare's
dramas, and as light and delicate in expression
where the less serious moods of thought are repre-
sented-as any writing of Beranger. The scene is
laid in Spain the year 1870 No library of poets is
perfect without Aldrich and this volume will sup
plement the holiday edition of his poems published
two seasons ago. From the poems which follow
Mercedes We venture one short quotation.
APPRECIATION.
To the sea-shell's spiral round
The soft seamurmurs that you hear
Within, are captured from your ear.
You do poets and their song
A greyous wrong,
Ii your own soul does not bring
To their high imagining
As much beauty as they sing
The latest volume of Whittiers poems will carry
with it especial interest 1t is personal in its
eharacter-if we may use the term-than his larger
collections. The frontispiece bears the authors
portrait and autograph and the dedication is to
Edwin p. Whipple Several Of the poems are writ
tan for anniversaries and the closing number IAN
Autograph, is somewhat sad in Tone .How The
Women went from Dover and 1.-THE Bay of Seven
Islands" are in the poets favorite vein. winter
Roses was written upon the receipt of gift of
flowers from the pupils of Mrs. Putnam's school at
Jamaica Plain and 1.-THE Poet and The Children" Is
Whttier's well known and beautiful tribute to the
memory of Longfellow. The pretty design and
eoloring Of the binding makes this an attractive
little book.
voltaire's History of Charles XII, King of Swed-
en- is the latest volume of Roberts Bros. Classic
Series" The first edition of this work was pub
lished in 1850 The character of voltaire hae been
variously judged but of his literary merit there is
no doubt. There was hardly department. of liter
allure to which he did not contribute. He wrote
some of the finest tragedies In the French language
some of its best novels and wittest and most satir
ical poems; he was spirited and iudicious histo-
rian, and penned many acute critical essays He
was coDsumate master in the art of representation
and his prose style is noted for its perspcuity, its
easy and varied grace and its brilliant strokes Of
wit The History of Charles XII is one of his rep
| resentative works
great delight to the little folks will be the
charming pair of story books, "A Round Dozen'' by
Susan Coolidge, and freight Storiesn by Louise
Chandler Moulton, both beloved by all youngsters
In THE Round Dozen the readers of st. Nicholas
will find several old friends and will be glad to see
them, with many new Ones in such pretty binding
with many pictures. Mrs. Moulten's stories are
very sweet and bright, but if they have fault it is
that they rather too sad for the tender hearts of
the little ones, who were mach given to crying over
her Bedtime Stories,'' charming as they were.
| Mr. Richard Jefsries "The Story of My Heart
| Is an extraordinary book. If one had patience to
read 1t he would be, with the author 'only too con-
scious of its imperfections; sfor" he says 81 have
as it were seventeen years of consciousness of my
own inability to express this the idea of my s*s
"One of the greatest difficulties have encountered
is the lack of words to express dea. We beg leave
to differ with the writer for in his sall volume we
find words abundant, and ideas utterly lacking
| The book is diluted mixture OF Walt Whitman and
| Oscar Wilde, and is neither clean nor clever