The morning call., 1890-11-30
LITERATURE.

book contains but little of the conventional
novel; the principal characters have passed
the heyday of youth and its foliles. Inc
heroine, Alfrieda Hammersley, is woman
of extraordinary will power, who elevates
herself to higher and purer plane of ex-
stence, and carries with her in her uph ard
course those she comes in contact with. Her
influence shows the power of mind over
matter. In the preface the author writes:
In writing a novel upon such an abstruse SUBJ
iect il was necessarily impossible 10 do more
lban touch uron lie main features Of the case IN
poiuI, | avlGg an immeasuraDle Eeid yet ull-
discussed; The anthor Is but transmtter, a
medium through which tile story has been trans
fused. and, according 10 The capabilities OF af-
pecatlng its truths, Will It assume either The
aspecis OF fart tched narrative, an IMPORTANT
message or Iuerie, oNeIdrawn composition.
To some il Will appeal In It's soul-sense, TO
Others IN It's artistic phase; others again VIII
read between the lines and comprehend ana ois-
cover truths, prolific or spontaneous thought;
70 doubt many ilusl0naIy and vain constfuc-
lions will also be placed upon the meaning oil
occult truths. and many VIII condemn inc
elaboration and description OF material beauties
and Surroundings: but all Will judge u from
Their own standpoint of knowledge, experience
and mental development.
SOCIETY AS l HAVE LEFT IT. BY
Would Make all-astir. (New York: Minerva
Publishing Company This is a satire upon
Ward McAll Ster's book, Society as l
Have Found It," and is a clever skit, fol
lowing closely upon the lines OF Mr.. dc
Allister. The author says that the BOOK
is intended 10 miss everything, with beau
tiful disdain for any sense, and adds:
"Since my book is completed l have seen
,rayesty Oh it. called Society as L Have
Found It, and following very closely upon
the lines l have laid out. l hayc now de-
tectiyes trying to discover where and how
they got my copy. But anybody WHO reads
both books will see the difference.
The MAGNET OF DEATH.-By Lew Van
derpuole New York: Vanderpoole Publish
Ing Company The author has in this
work, in view OF the fact that so much In
mt dern fiction rails ut marriage Ties ana
their Sanctity, aimed to treat that subject
from n more wholesome standpoint lie
endeavors to show by his story that all are
more or less fataliSts and that in accordance
with the belief OF The HlndoUs whrn
wrouged husband is lyingin his grave where
his wlfe's heartleSSReSS has sent him, when
her final hour has come, she is drawn to him
by the strongest power i'll the universe-the
magnet OF death-and that 1t matters lot
beth noun taiuS or seas divide them, or
even If she be Oh sick bed wasting away
with illness, she will still be drawn to him.
Over hill and field, across stream or ocean,
by desert track or through forest SolltudeS
the magnet VII still draw her On, her Iect
knowing no WEAKNESS, until her head is pill
low ed on his grave. The book Is dedicated
las an admonition to the person who on
receiving 1t nnuS her name Written on the
page by the authors hand"
a WARpoF THE GOLDEN Catchy Bret
Hnrte. New York ana Boston: HoughtuD,
Miffiin IL CO.. This is very interesting
story of California life in the early. days and
is told in the Nel-knOWn authors best
style. 1t presents many phases OF the times
TO which it is aevo;ed, and is entertaining
from beginning TO end, alike to those who
lived in California In the Gays when the
waters came up 10 M0ntgom ry street,"
and 10 those who came in later years. For
sale by Chilion Bea b, 81 %.
TALES AND LEGENDS FROM THE LAND
OF THE TZAR.-By Edlth Nj. 5. Hodsetts.
New York: CHARLES L. Merrill Il Coz This
book of 324 pages, handsomely bound in
cloth, is one that is admirably suited as
a holiday gift for children who are fond of
fascinating iaiIy tales. 1t is an entertaining
and well-written collection of stores dlcta-
ted at sch0ol in Russian to the writer, tod
her by nurses and servants in her fathers
household, and some are TRANSACTIONS OF
stories current among the people Of Russia.
The perfect recklessuess regarding posi-
biilty-to say nothing Of probability lends
a special charm to the Russian story. Moth
ing stops the progress OF events. The most
startling phenomena occur IN the most
every day sort of way, aud none of the
characters seem surprised at occurrences of
which the bare narration almost deprlVes
one of breath. Ii is most Interesting book
for stud, nts of folk lore For sale at the
bookstores.
The MATCnMAKER.-By Beatrice Rey
nolds. Ct. Is. Peterson ~ Bros, Phlladel-
pha.) The Matchmaker" is powerful So
ciety novel, which is published by the trm
named at popular prices In order that 1t may
reach the masses, who heretofore have been
denied the privilege of reading II ON account
of the high price demanded for IT, The
writer in this story opens rich vein of in-
fa Ia nor nj with which
her characters are blended, have the fresh
ness ana vitality of truth. The story is an
exceedingly interesting and entertaining
one. For sale at all the bookstores.
Book Notes.
Benjamin R. Tucker Of Boston has just is
sued the first English translation Of Claude
Tilers humorous novel. my Uncle Ben
jamIn." OF this romance Charles Montse-
let has said: 1T has no equivalent in the
litera ture IF this century," and Ludwig
Pfau says: 1T combines the spiritual fresh
ness of Gallo presentation with that Ger
man humor that laughs through tears, and
is in this respect unique in French lltera-
ture."
"The Worlds Desire" is tile title of the
book by II. Rider Haggard aud Andrew
Lang, published by Harper d Brothers. 1t
is a later Odyssey-a sequel, in a certain
Is Odysseus, returned second time from
adventurous wanderings, and the heroine is
Helen, still the bcauteous object of the
worlds desire. The scene is LAID in Egypt
at the time that Moses is preparing TO de-
liver the Israelites from bondage. The
story is remarkable for the holiness of its
plan aud its execution.
III to Preserve HEALTH" by Louis Bar
kan, MD. of Brooklyn, y. Y, is published
only by the American News Company.
"A Kentucky Colonel" written by Opie
P. Read, and published by I. J. Schultz of
Chicago, has, it is announced, had a sale of
10, COO copies iu five weeks. Several theatre
cal men have applied for the right to drama
tie the work.
F. j. Schultz & Co., the publishers. an
nounce that neither Judge Tourg4e nor Mr..
Powderly had anything 10 do with the pub
llcation or writing oil Caesars Column"
and that they expect shortly to obtain per-
mission to make public the name of the
author.
Brentanos will commence the immediate
publication of Terrible Teles," collec-
ton of carefully selected short stories from
the French, German, Spanish and Italian,
very many of which have never before ap-
peared in English. The tales are told by
masters of the craft of storytelling. For
the ordinary mortalS the terrible will always
possess fascination, and the best literary
men Of all countries and all times have been
availing themselves of 1t In order to enter
tain their readers. The series will be in four
volumes handsomely bound.
Jacob A. I,iis, for many years police
headquarters reporter for the Associated
Press, has prepared very vivid picture of
the tenement districts of New York. and
this will shortly be issued by the Scribners
in a volume entitled "How the Other Half
Lives" 1t will be illustrated with forty
pictures from instantaneous photographs.
The ScribDers have issued new and cheap
er editions Of Peter, the Great" and Pro-
fessor Sbaler's ASPECTS Of the Earth"
Rudyard Kipiing's latest work, 1.-THE
Light That Failed" will shortly be issued
in book form by the United States Book
Company of New York. 1t is said that
though there is military element in the
book, the story is quite different from
Three Soldiers" and other sketches of
this writer. "The Light That Failed" is
quite the longest piece of work that Mr.