New-York tribune., 1885-02-02
NOTES ON BOOKS.
THE NEW DICTIONARY OF BIOGRAPHY
THE BOOK HUNTER--BIBLE AND PsAL-

p"oA ~ LONDON January IA.
The first volume of the Dictionary OF National
Biography has made its appearance promptly, and
is welcomed in every quarter as a sound ana ac-
curate piece of work. Mr. Leslie stephen comes
as near to being model editor for such Oook as
any man of letters who could be suggested lie
has taken immense pains; his list of names is 10
complete that few omissions have been pointed
ont and the writers he has chosen are mostly COM
petent and sometimes excellent. The one biot IN
this volume is the space devoted to laoorious
adulation of the late Prince Albert oy
Sir Theodore Martin. Mr.. Leslie Stephen
ought to have been made OF sterner
stuff than TO give way to the pressure that must
have beep put upon him before he could have COM
mitted such topic to such man, with for all one
sees. free scope for lattery Sir Theodore Martin
is a correct chronicer He has written tho Lie OF
Prince Albert in five ponderous volumes when are
but one tedious record, not of what Prlnce Albert
was and did but of what his widow believes ana
wishes other people to believe he was and did' NO
such monster Of fautlessuess ever did OF couid e&
ist. To allow Sir Theodore Martin, after such
performance to embalm his hero i'll the pages OF
work meant to be national and historical, Is 10 de-
grade the character and standard OF the dictionary
The style of the court circular is not the style 1or
n work of permanent reference where facts and not
fusODe tancleS are lnc tililSS Ndh'cu' NV"
IN England. where matters pertaining to royalty
are still discussed at times in hysterlcal strain
Mr.. Stephens mistake has been censured with very
considerable planness of speech But the mischief
is done and legend is to take the place of history
for ali readers of Prince Aberts life in this new ma
tional dictionary.
Against this grave blemsh there are abundant
merits to be set off, In fulness. general accuracy,
conciseness and simplicity of treatment with not
infreouently an infusion of literary quality,
the biographies of this first volume are certainty
superior to those of any literary work of the KIND
in English. Mr.. Leslie Stephens own article on
Ad iison may be taken as an example OF what such
articles in such work ought to be. Professor
Freeman's Alfred is q paper more ambitious ana
perhaps dogmatic, but still admirable The oms-
sion of ALI American names, even of those great
Americans who prior to 1776 British subjects.
NAV he regretted but is defensible enough from
the editors point of view 1t will require not less
than fifty volumes TO complete this dictionary in Its
present plan. Many buyer of the first may pause
to think whether he is likely to see the last. lie
will however, have a new one every three months'
which NAV serve, according to his mood, as re-
minder of his mortality or a fresh proof OF his con-
tinuing good fortune in the lottery OF llfe Inc
publishers of the Dictionary of National Biography
are Messrs Smith Elder g. Co., and the nominal
pence of English money, which means that 1t can
be bought over the booksellers counters for sum
equal to So % of American currency.
The volume is well and leglbly printed on paper
which is too stiff and glossy, faults more common
In American than English books. There are two
things which the papermaker and bookmaker
ought to learn. The first Is that no book printed on
paper wanting in softness and fexibility can ever
be well bound or easy to handle. The second and
more important is that glazed and glossy surface
is distinctly injurious to the eyesght These are
points which ought to be considered IN the contro-
yersy which American manufacturers have entered
upon as to the respective merits OF American ana
English papers AS for the latter, the best appre-
hend, are still better than most of those made IN
America if the English standard OF excellence be
accepted. But when last went over paper-mll
in the Connecticut Valley it seemed to me that
the aim of the American manufacturer was diher-
cnt from the aim of. the English manufacturer
The Epchshman was all for hand made paper the
American for machme-made. The very qualities
on which my Springfield friend prided bimsef were
these which. Messrs. Whatman most carefully
avoided. The calendered or hot-pressed papers
with their metallic surface and metallic touch ana
stubbornness of texture, which | was shown as
specimens of American ingenuity and perfection OF
workmanship, would have been anything but at
tractiye to the English experts.
IL must be said. however, that the paper used IN
the making of English books has been steadily de-
teriorating IN quality. THIS think, is less the
fault OF the papernaker than the publisher. Inc
one idea of tho English publisher or the main idea,
is to get his books produced at the cheapest posi-
Bile rate Mr. Henry Stevens includes the English
papermaker in his decaloguc of eyil-doers who
spoil new English books "Cheapness has sue
ceeded to quality; shoddled paper IS as common as
Al ,Iar
of people who either know or care whether their
books are printed good or bad paper Is not
great. There is to this day in the market an
edition of George Eliot, which The Atheneum
prajsed as everything that could be wished in type
and paper 1t is printed in pale ink on paper OF
which cotton and shOddy are the chief compoRents.
The Pail Mall GIzette which, like The Athen@am,
weekly airs its unacquaintance with the elements
of book-making likewise praises the " fine paper
of this edition. With the mentors and guides OF
the public in this condition of blindness, what won
der f the uu bic lies down content in any ditch the
publishers choose to dig for It'll IL the American
wants better paper and books let him go TO Paris
for models though even there he must accept only
the best. and he will find that many OF the best
French books are printed neither on French nor
English paper but on pdpier de BOtldnde. Not the
least proof of the excellence of this Dutch paper is
the fact that it is sedulously initiated by the
French makers, and that much Of the so-cailed pa
,er de Hoande is in fact the production of French
mills. But know of no Galic maker who has yet
offered TO the world paper equal in supple firm
ness of fabric pleasant at once to the eye and 10
the touch, as that which has long been the spe-
cialty and the pride of the wel-known house OF
Van Geldcr. Japanese paper has lately been used
for French books of luxury. The publisher takes
pains to tell you that it is from the mandatory OF
the Mikado 1t takes good impression from type
or plate, but it is by no means perfect paper for
general purposes.
Still another edition of the Book-HuDter, by