New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-31
NEW PUBLICATIONS

sRoumANIAN FAIRY TALES. Collected by MI, MITE
~ KnEMSIaz. Adapted aud arranged by j. H. PEREZ
val I2mo PIP. 243. Henry Holt Co.
Mr. Percival has given us one OF inc
freshest and most entertaining ssoIy
hooks we have read in long while.
One may suspect that it owes some literary graces
TO the "adapter"; but the character OF the taies
~ strong and distinct enough to leave no DOUBT
that they are substantially faithful versions OF
the fctions current at popular fre-sides. The kou-
Hanian love Of the marvellous tends decideay
toward dragons who dcvaState wide stretches OF
territory and witches-not always old aud ugly
who are powerful within certain bounds OF country
Miraculous feats Of strength, extraordinary cur
ming. and the help Of the brute CREATION are the
favcrite agencies by which the heroes ana herolhes
of the tales overcome the evil powers. Everything
happens in the most stupendous way. whenever
human passions come into play they are exagger-
ated to the point of the grotesque; while III inc
surtrnatural apparatus a taste for the grandose is
induIced to the utmost. The incidents, always
abundant and quick moving, show hlgh deFeloP-
mept of the imaginative faculty; thcy
are ingenious varied, and sngul'uS
bold: sometimes they are marked by an unucl-
STRAIN of poetry; often they are humorous Inc
first story IN the collection, that OF stan boilNan'
who outwIts pair OF dragons by mere poasiing'
e. q GOOD tyDe Of the whole. Ii rs dehsAiu W
listen q
with inst a little fun TO spice the eXtIaVaGalce'
The ire cical history Of The Princess and the flsh-
ernao . dhat is nearly tragicall ends with beau
tifnl touch of droilery. IN the story OF 4he OId
Women and Old Man - the couple adopt n mouse rs
Their child and v hen it is drowned III POT o. pol
ridge one tears his beard and the "taer puiIS Out
her hair Then we have the following spnlie0 con-
clusion:
Tho old man left the house with fearful eyes and
I..g ,l. ny,J ne 4,
The has, pcrchcG magpe, when see,Ls mn, dSNC "a
"Why have you pulled out your beard oiu
"0h. ny dear bird, how can l help tearing my
beard. when my little chlld has UO"heo l''el1 l."
the pot OF p0Iridgc and Is dead -. -. + oil i4s
when the maggie heard thlS, IL toIo ou' "ii I'D
feathers leaving nothing but TIE tan; A.,
The old woman sci of with her oald head TO We
wei. to get jug OF water to WASH 'Ae ue"u Oou'
By the eve Vel stood prl with pitcher, who had
come draw water; Wnen she 81" TIC u" "'N''N
'' MT, Old woman, why have YOU torn the hair out
of your head till you are perfectly p9Ht :,,.
Alas, lay darling, now can AtIP t,II-u- ny
hair and making myself bald when my niue mouse
is deadf' -, i.ohor -, tv-o
then she hurried to the Empress 10 zen Ht' t tn
story: the royal lady. as soon rs she heaId IT, leI
down from the balcony broke her anhlo alu V ui,u,
while the Emperor, out OF love Tor III VIE; C-'
away and became = monk in the monastery Oh Lies,
beyond Tie Country of Truth; while
Acquaintance made with grandsiIes Old
To whom this simple tale told,
II seemed to them such perfect chsu
That its bare memory raised a laugh
Asmight have been expected we ina occas"uH
traces of the same legends which have been woven
into our own fairytaes OF Cinderella, lor instance
and of the man who lies still while time whirls
around, which appears in so many fables from the
Seven Seepers to Rip Van Wrinkle There Is some
thing of this III the story of Youth With
out Age and Life without Death"
prince tarries with three beautiful ladies
in an enchanted palace until the desire
10 see lis parents oveTpowers him. aud lie faces
homeward But he finds that his parents nave
been dead two or three hundred years; their palace
is a heap of ruins; no one knows nm, and suddenly
he has grown a long white beard. lie explores
the remains Of his old home and the tale ends with
this finely imaginative conception:
he CROPPED hither and tnither, holding up ms
eyeliis With his hands, and scarcely abe 10 toIttr
along while his snowy beard nov TEL 10 rs Knees
but found nothing except dllapldaied Oid cEcSt
which he opened. IL seemed empty, but as ne
raised the lid a voice from the bottom Sald; Ne'I
come, il you had kept me waiting MUcn loIseI' l
too should have gone to decay. $500,
Then his death, which had become completely
shriyeled IN the chest. seized him: but the prince
fell lifeess ON the ground and instantly oIulhO4cu
into dust.
ROBERT GRANT. 12mo. PIP. 195. Ticklor a Co.
Lest some unwary father should be misled into
buying this book for his children, may explain
that calling 1t a fairy story is one OF Mr. Robert
Grants iIttlc jokes. 1t is substantially series OF
social sketches moderately satincal, with
gTOtesQuey designed tale TO hold them together
but tine tale does Not move very brskly; the sero-
comic conclusion is too forced and too Oug post
poned and the sketches themselves lack the light
and graceful touch which such productions impeTa-
lively need. In short the book is a heavy trhe. If
Mr. Grant caras ohOut his renutatiOn he should