New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-04
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

TIE UNCOLLECTED WRITINGS OF THOMAS Df-
QUINCY. With Preface and Aanota'ions Nv
James Hogg. In TWO volumes LIMO PIP NN'
bG3 357 Scrbner IL Wexford
Owing TO the careessness with which DE
Quincy scattered his essays and papers, and the
difficulty with which, after the lapse OF years, lie
rc-collccted them together with the fact that the
completion of his final revision was prevented py
death, it has happened that not few OF HIS
productions have hitherto escaped editorial pul-
suit. and have lain imbedded in the reccsscs Oh
extinct periodicals and other obscure ana uiis"-
rcstiye places Mr. James IIogg was editor OF
a magazine whose pretentious title-lhe ll'ah
did not preserve it from the common fale Oh III
sufficiently ballasted or unwisely conducted ven
TIRES of the kind. For nine years, however,
that is from 1850 TO 1859, when DE quincy
died-.the conductor of Titan was fortunate
enough TO be closely associated In literary WORK
with the English Opium Eater. and III THIS way
he acouired a direct knowledge of a considerable
amount of De Quincey's writing not included IN
apv edition of his works. The editing of DE
Quincy is both delicate and difficult, for he not
only revised freely for final publication, but he
WAS accustomed to use old matter over again,
changing its form more less and also its ar
raneemcnt. Mr.. lIogg believes that none OF the
papers in these volumes. if that on the Casuls-
try of Duelling" be excepted, has appeared in
any of the defnitive editions. In regard to some
of the articles it must be said that it is doubtful
whether their fugitive character docs not prop
erly exclude them from the authors collected
works These papers may be of value as studies
of style, perhaps. but can hardly he said TO pos
sess permanent interest, far as their subjects
are concerned.
As regards most Of TIE other essays and essay
let's this objection cannot be raised. for they are
inherently interesting. Mr.. Hogs first volume
contains " 4 Brief Appraisal of the Greek Lltera-
ture in its Foremost Pretcnsions, " The German
Language and Philosophy of Kant" " Moral IF
fects of Revolutions, Prcfgurations of Remote
Events. Measure of Value, Letter 10 llazhtt
on The Malthusian Doctrine of Population. an
article on Ricardo. an abstract of Swedcnhorsian-
ism. "Skctch Of Professor Wilson," The Lake
Dialect. storms in English History. The
Cnelish in India" "On Novels" and De Quln-
cey's Portrait" OF these the Appraisal of
Greek Literature" is the longest. The articles on
The German language and Kant, upon education,
the sketch OF Professor Wilson. the article Storms
in English History cast in the form of review
of Froudc-and that on The English i'll INDIA
are very Characteristic. fall of DE Cuinceys Pc
culiar charm. and altogether interesting. In the
second volume are these papers: The English
in China "ShaiSespeares TeXt-SuctoniuS Tn
ravellcd- How TO Write English, The Casu-
is,ry of Duelng" The Love Charm, Ludwig
Ticck" -" Last Will and Tcstament-lhe EouSe
of Weeping The Household Wreck. Mr.
Schrcchenbercer,' and "Anelo-Gciman DictIon-
aries" The first four Of these are thoroughly
De Quinceyan. The remainder are mostly transa-
tons from the German Of Iieck and Richter;
pieces Of fiction belonging TO vanished literary
period and state of the public taste but not tie
ofl
Quincy will welcome Mr. Hogs collection, and
the previously incdited papers therein will have
to be included in all future editions Of his COM
plcte Notwithstanding il may be presumed, with
the new collected edition at present in course OF
Duhlipaton