New-York tribune., 1886-08-09
NOTES ON BOOKS
SKIDNAPPED"-S SIIAKESPEARIANA-TRA
LIN IN CHINESE --BOOKSEiLiNG.

Ike. only boys story, ike lie..h'ii'
but it is a book OF genius OF som thing very near
IT, Lucky are the boys for whom sucn "A book Is
written no matter of what age. | believe | have
said tnat the list of boys who readers and
admirers of ~Treasure Island" includes Cabinet
Minister'S and even tho Prime Minister. he
present talc made its fret appearance N chedp
weekly paper for boys; notable advance 'no
tastes of boys too long nouri-hed on penny dread
fu.s mast have made. This is the Invasion OF t"r
ature INTO province heretofore the prey oi
barhari~m
II is the fashion now - praise nr. Stevenson
who WAS long neglected save by the few an" "
may be difficult to praIse him too mmch. On'
writer STYLES mn. the Deoc of generation, i'h
is of opinion that since Robinson Cru9oe II" b''h
OF aIy. ntare has appeared that can pretehn u
rvairy with Treasure Island" To h"ishteh HIS
praise nf sir Stevenson he disparagrs fepn''i"
Cooper. Wh,oh sec9s unnecessary and uh'IIiic"'
OF a certain book of adventure called Nv" 'e"''
Before .hc II stn tins p,neIvrist of Mr.. Ste''h>o"
seems never to have heard. Ii has the diS"dVa"'"F
of being true but it is none the ''s o"'' %
adventure and il happens TO be the booh wu'ch
Mr Gi,,l.tone ngled ont as the sole successor u
Rohinaon Crusoc. Fifty Mr.. Dana could not nave
heard him saw that Mr.. Stevenson has read drepy
IN ,b. y fo, period. SWIFT is certainly familiar to
him and he has studied Swft's method of giving
yrrisimilitude to mprcbabtrs "Kidnapp"d'
of the Brig Covenant and the probable course Of
David Raifours wanderings. The book itself is
described as Memoirs of the Adventures OF David
Balfour in the year 17J1 how lie was Kidnapped
and Cast away; hs Suferngs in Desert Isle;
his journey in the Wild Highlands; his acqualnt-
ance with Alan Brcck Stew art and other notorious
Highland Jacobites; with all that lie Suffered at
the hands of hs Uncle. Ehenczer Baliour of ShawS.
falsely called: written by Himself ana now set
forth by Robert Louis Stevenson
TO see how much this is IN Swft's manner Won
have only to turn to the book commonly called
Gulivcr's Travels. Tat also, it may be worth
remarking, is a book of adventure, aud WAS p"'-
llsIed after Robinson Crusor, and may proht-l -lv
"pretend to rivalry with anything Mr. Stevenson
has Yet done. | presume 1t is not wholly unhno"n
to the critic who pronounces. as is tie fashion "i
critics sweeping Judgment The tlue tt'
of the hook is /" Travels INTO Several Remote
Nations of the World. by Lemuel GullIver. fIrst
n Surgeon and then a Captain of Several Sims
Swift's preface is in the form of an address from
the publisher to the reader-tLe publisher meaning
the editor. Although Mr. Gulliver he tea IL. " WAS
born IN NOttinghamshire, where his father dWel''
Vet have heard him say his family came from
Oxforishre: to confirm which have observed III
the churchvard at Bambury in that comfy several
tombs and monuments of the Gul.lNerS. MI
Stevenson's Ebenezer Balfour of Shaws. faSe'y :"
called" is out of the same mould. There Is no
question of borrowings all | mean is that Mr..
Stevenson works by some of the same processes as
Swift; which is paEegyric, not censure.
The birmingham Free Library seems TO be
engaged in a praiseworthy effort TO complete IL
collection of all known or perhaps all important
editions of Shakespeare since the beginning of the
eighteenth century. list of its desidrrata is
gwen in one Of the trale organs. Among the
editions advertised for several printed in Boston.
Philadelphia aud even Auburn. Birmingham has
q reputation for doing with energy whatever II
does and its Free Libraries are among the best
monuments of its intelgenc and public spirit
only hope that it pays more heed than it once did
t. condition as an element of value in books
In the same trade organ find remark which
the American collector of Shakespearcs will do well
TO heed. A set of the first four folio editions of
Shakespeare is to be sold next week at sotheby'S.
"What a number of copies of the first folio have
turned up during the last two or three years,
cries the trade organist; the:c seems to be no end
TO them Ii the book had been as rare as was
popularity supposed. there have been enough COPIES
sent 70 the States this means the United states of
Americal alone to exhaust the English market !
The fact is the book is comparatively common.
except in fine condition. when indeed 1t is a rarity"
But how few people know whether copy is fine
or not Not long ago | went celebrated |
college library in company with large party
which included some distinguished persons.
EVERYTHING shown u.s. and at last were
taken into room where the chief treasures Of the
library were kept by themselves under lock and
KEY. The KEY apDlied to the lock and the
treasures were produced. Some of them were
treasures ia every of the word, and deserved
all the care aud homage bestowed OH them. But
one of the books shown with pride was 4 copy of
tho First Folio OF Shakespcare short dnsound,
with torn leaves. and inlaid leaves, aud title por
trait and either in fac-simile or mere
and fragments of the original. pasted together on
q modern leaf. The book was all but othless.
but to tell the excellent librarian so would have
been sheer cruelty. and ! am glad to say orr party
surveyed tins precious volume with grave faces
and said what they were expected to say
literary curiosity Of no little interest has come
into my hands, nothing less than Poor Richards
Almanac in Chinese. What would Franklin have
said The late Mr.. W. ii. Huntington had a col
lection of European editions Of Poor Richard in
different languages. I believe there were about
thirty i'll all, and he did not think his collection
complete. so cong as his health lasted, he never
ceased his efforts to enlarge tho number. While
Mr. John Russell Young was American Minister at
Pekin ne seized the opportunity OF having "a trans
lation done into Chinese. 1t was executed under
the care of the president Ofthe Iekin College.
"Ihc book" writes Mr. Young to Huntington,
"wll go into circulation as IA part of Chinese
current literature. and it seemed best to do il
therefore cheap FORM" 1t is little pamphlet
of thirty three pages in small foolscap svo with
stin brown paper cover. The Chinese version
seems to have been made from French transla-
ton, and the French text prcccdcs the Chinese.
The French title is ala Science dm Bonhomme
Richard ou lie Chcmin de la Fortune Tel uuel est
clairenlent indiqu6 dams we'll Almanach dc
Pennsylvania ntitnle HAlmanach du Bonhommc
Richard. Imprimc An College de Tungwecn,
Peking 1854" The French fills hfteen pages
the Chinese seventeen, q blank page occurring
the end. Mr Young sent four COZ les of this inter