The Portland daily press., 1889-06-03
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Fairy Tales in Prose and Verse. selected
from early and recent literature, edited
with notes by William ]. Rolfe, A. M. This
Is one OF the excellent series of English
Classics for school reading, published by the
Harpers. The contents are The Fairies (Ar-
llngton): The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood
Miss Mulock); The Sleeping Beauty Ten
nyson); Tom Thumb Miss Muleck); The
Fairies OF the Caldon-Low M. Hewitt; The
FAIRY Queen (Anonymous); A Midsummer
Nights Dream &C. and M. Lamb; The
Merry Franks of Robin Goodfellow (Anonv-
nous; Prince Cherry Miss Muloek); Queen
NAB CT. Hood; Ariers Song shakespeare !;
The Fairy Tempter Is. Lover; The Prince
with the Nose miss Mulock); The Green
Gnome *. Buchanan): The Haunted Spring
=. Lover; Poucinet &c. Laboulaye); The
Gathering of the Fays q. r. Drake); O.
Where do Fairies Hide their Heads ct. II.
Bayly); The Fairy Crawish &c, Laboulaye):
A May Song al. A. Lathbury); A Fairy
Tale %. McDerm otD. The plan of the book.
says Prof. Rolfe in the preface, is similar to
that of the Tales of Chivalry and the Tales
from English History, but the selections are
suited to somewhat younger grade of pupils
than those volumes are intended for. Prof.
Rolfe's notes are as always exceedingl lu-
mlnous and assist greatly in the understand
ing and enjoyment of the text. Cor sale by
Loring, Short & Harmony
Outlines of a New Science, by E. j. Dom
nell. is No. LV. in the Questions of the Day
Series, issued by G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1t is
a lecture delivered before the Tariff Reform
Club last October from the free trade stand
point, and is an able contribution to that
side OF the controversy. (For sale by Lor-
ing, Short & Harmony
Bureaucracy, or A Civil Service Reformer.
by Honore De Balzac. Boston: Roberts
Bros. } portland; Loring, Short & Harmony
The title OF this book may have tendency
TO turn some readers from its perusal for
fear that the well worn subject of "Civil
Service Reform" as known to this genera
ton, is to be served up by foreign author
and the opening chapter would give some
ground for apprehension, for it is largely
devoted to development of the scheme of
reform OF the bureaucratic government of
France under the Restoration, which had
taken shape, after much thought, in the
mind Of one of the principal characters of
the book. and which serves to introduce him
TO the knowledge of the reader. 1t also
gives the author an opportunity to introduce
some OF his peculiar notions on the theory
and functions of government in France, in
GLIDING system of taxation which levied a
tax on consumption by means of direct taxa
tlon and suppressed the whole machinery of
Indirect taxation. OF the merits of this
scheme 1t is not necessary to inquire, as the
interest In the book is by no means de
pendent on 1t, but rather on the consumate
art which the story of Ragoudin, the chief
clerk, who sacrifices his prospect of pro-
motion by his attempts at reform of evils in
the administration of government is told.
Nowhere is the wonderful gift of Bazac in
sketching character with few broad strokes
seen to better advantage. The style is crisp
and incisve. There is no padding, no mere
writing for effect, but the hand of a master |
Yields the pen and the characters live and |
speak before us. There is material enough |
in tnese three hundred odd pages for the |
making OF half dozen novels of the modern /
type, ana breadth and accuracy of treat |
nent Whlch is found only in few great |
masters OF the art. The more enc reads of |
Balzac the more one is surprised at the range
and variety of his creations, the extent and
minuteness of his studies of life. He has
faculty of reducing things to their SIMPLEST
forms, of stripping off all DISCUSSES and Law
ing bare the human neart and its motives So
that we are able to trace complex human
actions to their source, and the result of this
analysis is not to destroy the synthetic
quality of his art, but rather to emphasize
It's effect, and by skilful handling of domi
nant traits to give to his characters the force
and freshness of studies from the life.
The story of Phoenicia, by George Rawlin
son. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons0 |
Portland; Loring, Short & Harmony The
publishers of this admirable series of histol-
cal hand-books for the young have shown
their good judgment in placing the several
books of the series in the hands of writer's
competent for the task, and certainly no one
In the list stands higher for historical
accuracy and research than Rawinson, who
is Camden Professor of ancient history in