Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-10-30
DRIFT.

/ TuE Wflt0f VINO n0u most 10 90 with afOuB-
ing the love aud forming q tsste for good
literature In my mind, was dear old Wash.
ington Irving. remember distinctly my
first sw keniDg ~ a child, 10 sense OF the
charm and beauty of mere style, tho music Of
pure and simple language attuned 10 thoughts
and sentiments ss pure and delicious. II came
To mo almost like n revelation. l felt that
had made discovery. over and over again
] read the musical sentences aud began ~
wonder what II was that made them leave 40
pleasant, NO soothing, no thoroughly delight.
ful an effect on the mind. fairly revelled In
the enjoyment aud soon had committed
many pages Of the witching sentences to
memory. Aud confess I have not yet en-
tirely recovered from my first enchantment
For often, when listen 30 the skilled per.
formers In tho great chorus OF more modern
writer's, through all tho marvellous effects
and Ingenious combinations oil thought and
words, there comes swee'ly ringing like q
distant chime OF silver bells, tho echo OF those
hrst impressions, deeply felt when the
quiet bumor OF Rip Van Winkle or the Le-
gend Of Sleepy Hollow, aud the deep pathos
of the Pride Of the Village, Rural Funerals,
The Vile, the Widow aud her Son, and other
| gems found In his Sketch Book, first moved
me tolaughter or 10 tears. And all the su-
perior finish and execution Of more recent
authors fail to satisfy mo ~ did the chime OF
| those silvery tones In years gone by. Many
oil the most famous even seem strained and
artificial In their tones compared with the
natural purity and charming simplicity Of
good old 'tieoilrey Crsyon, Gent"
| WHAT called up this reminiscence was the
circumstance OF my getting new edition of
lrving-my old set had become incomplete,
| and the one bIg, bulky volume labelled
"WDTka OF TyinV - n aatarak ilI Etittpp.p " "a
ceived from a friend as a mark of (mistaken)
Kindness some years ago, II fraud, contain
ing only some works OF Irving, and 80 poorly
printed aud bound within It's gaudily gilt
covers, and 20 pDnderous a book witbal, that
never could read 1t ith comfort nor ever
without a certain feeling of disrespect, al most
Insult Ia the honOrcd author. A writer like
me kindly aud genial irving ought 10 lie en-
palined worthiy or not At all. The print
slEe, proportion and style OF binding OF his
works ought somehow express, or at least
hhrmoniHe with, the character and quality OF
the works Themselves
THAT is just what tins new edition I am
telling OF does | know there has long been
IN the market AN edition, tho only worthy
one knew OF Till quite lately but WAS be.
yond my means or Willingness TO buy; for 1t
costs IS per volume, and there are over
dozen volumes. ! was therefore somewhat
surprised when ! came across an advertise
inent some weeks ago Of Mr.. John B. Alden,
The cheap New York publisher, offering a
nine.volume edition, bound In half morocco
narbled edges, etc, just like that 50 volume
edition, at the incredibly low figure OF g Tor
the set complete Now / knew Mr.. Alden
dld publish some remarkably cheap books,
out some OF them which had seen several
years ago, while worth all OF the low price
were yet not the kind Of books cared to have
in my library TOR permanent use. So did |
not pay much attention to this advertise
.th l.,V a.N
a volume OF Geikie's "Hours with tho Bible" |
from this same publisher at just ~ ridicu- |
lously low price, and printed and bound |
to correspond nearly with the advertised de- /
scription of Irving's works. l examined 1t, |
and found II to be r really handsome and |
every way we'll made BOOK, worth at least /
double the price. i thought to myself "If /
Irving In made in ~ good style want the /
which was offered as specimen for fifty |
cents. 1t arrived promptly and must say (
put my doubts to shame.
| don't believe there has ever been offered
in this country as handsome and substantial
ly made set of books for the money as this
is, As 1 said before, IL consists of nine vol
umes large duodecimo in size printed in
large, clear type, loaded, with good margins,
and on good pspor and bound not only as
well, but better than most higher priced |
books In bali morocco. with msrbied edges |
the work rkmanship on the volumes is honestly |
first class, and the books are as durably as |
they are tasteiully made. The order of the |
volumes II r. follows: |, Life of Columbus. |
:. The Sketch Book and knickerbocker's
New York. oliver Goldsmith and Brace |
bridge Hall 1. The ALEXANDRA and Conquets
oi Granada y, MahOmet and His Successors |
and Moorish chTOuiGleS Il. Crayon Papers, |
Conquest OF Spain and Spanish Voyages OF |
Discovery. :, Astoria and Tour OF the |
Prairies. Adventures of Capt Bonneville |
~ tnl ali
AbbotstOrd aud Eewstead Abbey, and Mis-
cellanies The nine volumes thus contain |
the complete works of Irving with the ex- |
ception Of his Life of Washington. All of |
which Is offered, carriage prepaid Tor the al. |
most ridiculous price OF eight dollars
II any one doubts the correctness OF my |
estimate OF the excellence of this edition, | |
wish he would enclose nifty cents to the
publisher, John B. Alden, Sg3 Pearl street,
New York city, for specimen volume. He
Will then receive The Sketch Book and His |
tory OF New York, In one volume, OF little |
more than 900 pages,-and Will doubt no
more
As opened the package containing the
books l could not help thinking back half
10 the time when | used to pore
over a little Tsuchnitz edition OF this author.
How 1t would have increased my delight In |
those days To have had AN edition like the |
present one from which to study my fayorite! |
And how much stronger, perhaps, my ewes |
would be to-day If then | had cared a little |
more for size aud cearness of type in what |
read
TRULY 1t is a boon the present generation |
cannot too gratefully appreciate, the marvel.
lous chespness OF even the best literature in |
excellent form. There is no longer an ex-
cuse left for anyone not TO read and own the
standard works Of our language. And
among them surely the delicious writings OF |
our own Washington Irving must ever hold |
a place in the front rank. As Charles Dud-
ley Warner says, In the volume on Irving In |
the American Men OF Letters Series, "Ihe |
service that he rendered 10 American letters
no critic disputes; nor is there any question
of our national Indebtedness to him for in
vesting crude and new land with the en-
during charms OF romance aud tradition. In |
this respect, our obligation to him is that of |
Scotland to Scott aud Burns; aud 1t is an OBJ.
legation due only, in all history, to here and
there fortunate creator to whose genius op.
portunity is kind"
II ever the works OF any author had the |
right TO speak as did that " little thick quarto |
curiously bound IN parchment, with brass
clasps" with which Irving held such a |
N charming tho