Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-08-23
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
The CRIME OF HENRY VANE BY J. s, OF Dale
New York Charles Scribner's Sons. San Fran
cisco: A. L. Bancroft & Co. Sacramento: C.
s. HoughtOn.

! NEW PUBLICATIONS..
THE CRIME OF HENRY vANE ByJ s, of Dale
New York Charles Scribner's Sons. San Fran
cisco: A. L. Bancroft & Co. Sacramento: C.
s. Houghton.
This is announced as story with u
moral. Why the author should have writ
ten that "catch-line is incomprehensible
All stories have morals, and hence it can
not be meant in this case to imply that the
moral is phenomenal matter. 1t must be
intended to impress the reader with the
important fact that the moral of this fiction
| is a understanding more forcible and
emphatic, indeed, than most morals. But
| TO the story. 1t is claimed to be fact, and
not fiction but we assume by this that it
is meant it conforms in the main features
| to the records and actions of real lives 1t
is the story of a young man. who, in re-
markedly brief time, redeems the financial
credit of his deceased father, cares for a
stricken mother, and being fortunately pos
| sessed of means, enters society, and at once
| falls in love with fiirt, who final
Whereupon he pistols himself. The
! point of the tale really is, not
| in the man shooting himself for love of a
! foolish and vain woman since men have
! often done and always will commit that
crime, but in the fact that 4 man who was
such hero as Vaue is pictured should do
such thing. He had, III most rapid
| manner, restored the financial honor of his
house, conquered and risen superior to a
first love, practiced self-denial for the sake
of stricken relatives, disciplined himself,
! and won all battles he had entered upon.
And the end was at the muzzle of pistol
for woman the author makes utterly
loveeSs, and who played with Vane most
| cruelty and purpoScly. and against whom
he had been warned. Had she been low
able. passionate woman, we might cOniure
up sympathy for Nane. But we must say
that j $, of Dale has not given us
compensation for the endeayor, honestly
made TO find the superior moral he prom
ised in the titlc-page. If Vane's crime, in
his eyes, was so great, in our humble judg-
mcnt the hero atoned for all his folly by
dutiiully shooting himself. The story is
well tod and the diction fair, with some
rough passages and some rather startling
statements in strong English, and some
equally strange metaphors.
PRACTICAL Essays. by Alexander Balm. LID.
New York: D. Appleton Il Co. san Francisco:
James 7. White * Co.
DR.. Balm is Emeritus Professor of Logic
i'll the University of Aberdeen, and is widely
known as an essayist of great clearness and
force. The essays in the volume before US
treat of common errors of the mind Errors
of Suppressed COrrelatives The Civil Ser
vice Examinations; the Classical Contro-
yersy; Metaphysics and Debating Societies
and the University Ideal. There are nine
distinct papers, but there is n novelty about
each of them in the method OF treatment
DR.. Balm has adopted. One of the papers
should have especial wide reading; that on
deiberative bodies in which the learned
writer takes the position that that great in
stitutiOn of political liberty, the delibera-
tive assembly, is on the eve of breaking
down because of the length Of the debates
and the protraction of the meetings.
OF Loyelrs Library we have No. 402
tJohn W. Lowell & Co., New York.. 1t
is entitled How He Reached the White
House or a Famous Victory "a novel al
ready noticed in this journal
PooR's MANUAL OF RAILROADS OF THE UNITED
STAES FOR lSS3-issue of 1851. New York: H. |
V. and H. W. Poor.
The seventeenth annual number of Mr. |
Henry Y. PoOrs manual is at hand 1t is |
more voluminous than any of its predeCcS-
sors. The introduction, which constitutes |
a synopsis and comprehensive view of the |
railroad industry for 1888, has already been |
noticed fully in the,edtorial columns ofthis |
journal. No previous volume of the =" Man |
lIal has been so exhaustive as this. The |
tabulated statement by groups of the mile |
age, stocks, earnings, capital operations, |
traffic. etc, covering nearly 100 close pages, |
is a compilation of great statistical value. |
This number contains one especially new |
feature that is pleasing, and adds to the |
usefulness of the work-correct colored |
county maps for every State in the Union, |
showing all lines of railway. Maps are also |
given Of Canada and the Atlantic British |
possessions. The Manual " in other re- |
spects is improved, elaborated and rendered |
more desirable. As railroad statistician |
it has no superior i'll the world.
The GIANT ROBE, By F. Ahsley, New York; |
d. Appleton 4 Co.. san Francisco; james. T. |
White Il Co.
original in design, choice i'll diction, and |
thoroughly entertaining. This book is |
quite the equal of Mr.. Anstcy'S fine |
satire, "Nica Versa, which at the time of |
its issuance afforded its readers keen pleas
urc and many profitable smile In THE |
Giants Robe there is good plot, well sIs
tanned, ana constant manifestations of Wig
orous thought and vividness of style The |
story involves the acting and living ola lie |
by one who becomes possessed Of a manu-
script which is the composition Of i deceased |
friend When it is published he, however |
does not discla!m the authorship. There |
are character sketches in Ibis capital novel |
that approach closely 10 The best mark Of |
Charles Dickens.
THE REMARKABLE HisroEY or SIR THOMAS !
IGNORE BART, N. p: FORMERLY KNOW, As |
''TuNMT IGNORE By Z. Il. BEfckmorc. |
Kew York: Harper & Bros. SAN Francisco: \. |
/. Bancroft q Co.
No one will regret having taken up Mr. |
Blackmorc's book above entitled. 1t is |
venture III strain very different from that !
novelsts usual style. 1t is an account of |
strange adventure, the supernatural and |
mystery. It's pages are all action-there is
nothing slow in the movement of the |
tale, and at no time docs the interest |
sacken, or the text grow weary for want of
keen wit and telling points.
WORDS: THEIR UsE AND ABUSE By William
Mathews, LII D. Chicago: s. C. Griggs 1; Co.
Dr. Mathews will be remembered by lit
erarv students as the author of Getting
On in the World" THE Great COnyers-
ers." Hours with Men and Books, Ora
tory and Orators" " Literary Style and
" Monday Chats The present volume is
a new edition of a work from Mathews
pen in 1873. 1t met with great favor. The
edition has undergone some revision and is
in answer to demand for the work. 1t is
an admirable work and intended for popu
lar reading rather than for scholars.
"What is TO be Done?" is the title of an
emergency handbook by Robert &. Dixon
NJ. d. 1t is intended for the nursery, and
has useful hints for adults also: DR.. Dixon
is physician to the Boston Dispcnsary. The
little book appears 70 us to be a very useful
one 1t does not profess to supply the
place of the family physician. 1t is from
the press of Lee Il Shepard, Boston, and is
for sale by c. S. Houghton, Sacramento, at
30 cents.
Pictures of Life and Character is the
title of a new number of the . Parchment
Paper Series, issued by d. Appleton e Co.,
New York 1t is by John Leech, from
the collection of Mr.. Punch, and is ninety
two pages of comic illustrations, with but
the fewest of explanatory lines. But they
are ample since the ca oonS are speak
ING" ones. For sale b, James I. White Il
Co. San Francisco.
John b. Alden, New York, W hose method
of reisSuing standard works in form that
puts the price within reach of any one at
all DESTROYS of good reading matter we have
heretofore commended, has sent from his
presses in two neat rec edged volumes Mil
ions &" Paradise Lost ,,.d Millions " Shorter
Poems" They are vcry tasteful and conf
pact little volumes, bat i'll clear, large type.
MAGAZi,. IS ETC.
The September - Century" opens with an in
teresting outing entitled From Coventry to
,St,o,or ~, WhepIs.'' paupho - n story of Mon