Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-18
THE CRITICS REVIEW.
A Deluge of New Volumes, Mainly
Novels, From Foreign Shores.
AN AMERICAN REVIEWER ABROAD.
Some Useful Information for Those Who
Will be Looking for
CHRISTMAS BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH.

EIGHTEEN books in paper covers.
Novels, Of course, and the majority OF them
by foreign writer's. No, not all novels;
here is one exception, 'sThe Passion Play at
Oberammergau. (John W. Lowell Com
pany.) Canon Farrar's name is on the title
page. "Archdeacon" is DR.. Farrar's title.
And a full third of the book belongs to
that extraordinary enterprising writer, Mr..
William T. Stead, once of the Pail Mall
Gazette, now Of the Reuieao of Reuieps. By
the way, there is an American edition of
the Reuie,o of Reviews published now.
Everybody ought to read it. It contains
everything about everything. Of course,
the Archdeacon and the editor, IN company
with almost all actual witnesses of the play,
approve. They give their reasons in these
pages.
Looking at the backs of the II paper
novels. I would at once assert that
the best one in the lot is "Tke
Chief Justice" (LovelD, written by
Karl Emil FRANCIS. Because I have read
''For the Right" book of his, one of the
most remarkable piece of fiction which has
been put into the hands of English readers
for several years. We want our fiction with
an unconventional background nowadays.
Or else with background so remarkably
conventional that its very familiarity sur
prises and pleases us-as in Mr.. Howells'
novels, That remarkable young man, Mr..
Rudyard Kipling, owes some of his popu-
larity to the untrodden paths in which he
makes his heroes walk. ''The Chief
Justice" lived sufficiently out OF the world
to please anybody. He presided over "The
Higher Court Of Bolosch, an important
German-Slavonic town of Northern
Austria" 1t is worth while to go there in
Herr Frances company. He lives there
and knows all about it. And he has made
a special study of that region. One of his
books is entitled From Semi-Asia," and
This is no light novel. 1t is sad, like "For
the Right" even tragic. That insistence
upon absolute justice, which is so emphatic
in ''For the Right" has its place here, too.
Here are four translations, two from the
German, two from the French. Louis
Mistake" (Worthington) is by W. Helm
burg. 1t looks like an interesting story, and
comes out all right in the end. "Children Of
the World" (Worthington) is by Paul
Heyse, and has his picture for frontis-
piece. "Flirt" (Worthlngton) is by Paul
Hervien. The pictures in these three, to
which attention is especially called on the
title pages, are atrocious. The subjects are
commonplace, and the photo-grayure" treat
ment spoils whatever good work the artist
may have done. "Juancho, the Bull Fight
err" (Cassell Publishing Company is from
the French of Theophile Gautier. You are
not asked to cut any leaves to get at it; you
do not have to use microscope to read the
text; and you are not yexed by impertinent
pictures. --.r.
And these four are English novels in Low
ellis international Series:' 'The Great Mill
Street Mystery" by AdelIne Sargent; "The
Night OF the Third Ult.," by A. T. Woods;
Dumps" bv Louisa Parr, and with
Essex in Ireland" by Emily Lawless. These
books are authorized reprints, their authors
receiving at least some measure Of
their lawful earnings in them. The
rest are American. I'm Stella's Shadow"
1.-The New Adam and Eve, ""Nearly Lost :"
"Her Nemesis Vengeance" SAT the Dawn
ing"-all pretty trashy. At least this is
their look to one who only turns the leaves.
That may seem rather hasty way to read
a book, and a still more hasty way to- criti-
else it. But is 1t? Can't you form a fairly
active judgment of people who pass you in
the street, just from looking ut them? Do
you need to know their whole family history
for four or five generations? You can tell
Wndb SOrG VI pcOple lucf are ny the way LDey
dress, by their manner of carrying them
selves, by their hands and feet and faces.
There are some books which can be read,
summed up and pronounced upon without
opening their wrappers.
And ''if you read this, you can't read
that" So many books, and so few hours
And so much the more need then for wise
choosing. There are some books which are
only time-killers. And time just now. in
this stirring generation, is worth too much
to be killed after that careless fashion.
"Sunset Pass" (LovelD, by Captain
Charles King, looks like good book. The
scene is laid in the Apache land. The
authors name is promise of interest.
'Stolen America" (CasselD takes the read
er to Bermuda journey worth taking.
"Not of Her Fathers Race (CasselD, by
William I. Meredith, is one of the long
series of tragedies growing out Of the rela-
tions between the blacks and the whites of
the South.