Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-06-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

The Elementary Geography of the State
series of school textbooks, is one of the
neatest books of its class that we have seen,
| and review of its contents will sustain
| the impression made by its general appear
| ance. The elementary facts of geography
| such as direction, distance, natural features
| OF the earth's surface, climate, etc., are pre-
| sented in novel manner, is fresh and at
| tractive. The child is constantly called
upon to exercise his observation in the
ACQUISITION of the information to be gained,
| and the book contains many pleasing sug-
| gestions of methods for awakening interest
| in study that should never be devoid of
it. This feature of the work especially
meets our views concerning the cultivation
| OF the power of observation. Ingenious
| questions upon the maps teach the child in
! an interesting fashion to discover not only
| the location of cities, rivers, mountains,
| ETC., but also the character of the climate,
direction of the great land slopes, products,
adaptability of country to agriculture,
| manufactures, commerce, mining, etc.
This is supplemented throughout the book
by brief, though interesting description
California is very fully described in its
| physical and industrial aspects, and with
| unusual clearness and vigor. Twenty-six
pages of the book are devoted to this de-
scription. The products of the different
| counties are named on the maps in the
locality in which they are found, SO that
the eye assists the memory in
locating them. This is an excellent feature,
The book is generously and happily IL
Illustrated, and is in this department highly
creditable to those employed upon it.
While good book is first in importance,
1t is gratifying also to note that though this
volume contains from twelve to thirty
pages more than the books of correspond
ing grade heretofore used in the schools of
| this State, the cost is but so cents in Sacra-
mento, and the retail or mailing price 60
cents, as against IS cents for the books
used to date. The volume is also much
more st o igly bound than other books of
its kind have been. The State Board of
Education and the Superintendent of the
Printing Office are to be congratulated, and
deserve the thanks of school patrons
throughout the State for this handsome
quarto.
OF the Heroes of the Nations" series,
edited by Professor Evelyn Abbott, OK
ford, We have from G. P. Putnams Sons,
New York aud London. and The Bancroft
Company, San Francisco, THE Life of
Nelson with treatment of the naval
supremacy of England. 1t is by w. Clark
H. Jaques, late of the United States NAVY.
Mr.. Russell is the author of The Wreck
of the Grosvenor' and other brilliant
stories of the sea. In his Nelson he has
proved himself equal to heavier work than
fiction. Nelson was emphatically peoples
hero, and the story of his life has been
very properly confided to a writer who,
himself an old sailor, is also
master OF marine description. Curl
ously enough, no one of the Drevi-
Gus biogrsphers of Nelson had any
personal knowledge of the sea- and
Southey, whose memoir, slight as it is, has
shown the most enduring popularity of ali.
was probably entirely ignorant of nautical
matters. Mr.. Russelfs narrative, however,
while evidently carefully studied as to the
facts and the history, is as breezy, and as
briny and as full of stirring incidents and
dramatic situations as any of the best of his
stories. The picture remaining in the
mind of the reader is that of fierv Young
Viking. who seemed almost an anacronism
IN this nineteenth century. Possibly the
Vikings themselves would have found
their expeditions more difficnlt if they had
been hampered as Nelson was with slow
moving and unappreciative Boards of Ad-
miralty. Mr. Russell has succeeded in pre-
seating very vivid picture, or series of
pictures. OF Englands great sailor, from
hrst experience at sea as an exceedingly
diminutive ''midshipmite," to the dramatic
and hitting death on the quarter deck of the
Victory, at the triumphant close of what
was, perhaps, the most brilliant naval sue
cess in history.
Alexander Badlam, the well known citi.
zen of California, at once man of the
world, a business man. an investigator. a
patron OF the fine arts and politician, bad
never been suspected of being possessed of
the essentials of authorship. But in his
The Wonders of Alaska" just issued by
the Bancroft Company, San Francisco, he
has established himself as a descriptive
writer of force and of grace Mr.. Badlam
was for some years Treasurer of the Cali
fornie-Russia Fur Company, and in con-
slant communication with the Alaskan re-
gion. He also made an extended visit to
| the Territory. These advantages put in his
way excellent opportunities to gather the
data necessary for such book as this. He
has not only succeeded, but has given us
more than a mere descriptive book. He
has penned thoughtful work, one of orig
inallty OF idea, positiveness of opinion and
vigor OF expression. 1t is a thoroughly en-
tertaining book, one that instructs while it
addresses the imagination. 1t is superbly
illustrated, and is altogether book that
does credit TO Mr.. Badam's taste, iudg-
ment, practical views and manly sensibili-
tiles. In the preparation of the work Miss
Maude Isabel Bad!am was editor, and it is
fair to assume that she had considerable to
do with the arrangement of the matter.
and probably aided also in its preparation
Aside from its very readable character Mr.
Badlam's Work is really a guide book, and
to tourists will prove of especial value
when making trips to the glacial zone
Every story, article and poem in the
Ladies Home Journal for July has an
outdoor flavor. A beautifully illustrated
article, "a Day with Ida Lewis" the Grace
Darling OF America, is an authentic de-
scription of the home life of the famous
heroine of Lime Rock Light-hou 1t is
followed by Amateur Photography for
Girls Mary T. Holmes gives a lovely
Moonlight View of Naples" while Dr.
William A. Hammond furnishes a most
practical and timely article on Hints for
Summer Tourists" Anne Sheldon
Coombes has a dainty story of Sunny
Italy. beautifully telling of Gan Untold
Dove" while Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney, Kate
Epson Clark and Maud Howe each fur
nish parts of their novels. A bright Vas
sar girl tells of "a Girls Life at College,"
DR.. Talmage writes of summer pleasures
and dangers; Edward w. Box gives some
Helps TO Literary Success" The Duchess
tells how she wrote her first novel; Mrs.
Mallon has five pages of practical styles in
woman's dress, and then follow dozen
more large pages each replete with some
thing entertaining, useful or helpful for
women; t433-435 Arch street, Philadel-
phia.)
The Magazine OF Art for July will de-
light two classes of people-those who are
fond of cats and those who are fond of
Robert Browning. The frontispiece. "a
Study of Cats is etched by Eugene Gau-
jean after painting by Eugene Lambert
The third of W. NJ. Rossetti's Portraits Of
Robert Browning" will be hailed with de-
light. These are eight in number, from
the familiar painting by R. Lehman,
made IN 1879, to Photograph of the poet
and his son in Venice, taken By Miss Bar
clay IN 1883. There are two full-page pict-