New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-25
ILLUSTRATED BOOKS.


coln's Staple, Gray's and other legal Inns ;
and among English writer's Of to-day we know no
one better qualified 10 gather those memories
together and make book of them than Mr. W.
j. Loftic. He has shown himself good guide
and as good a writer in his books Windsor
Castle, Westminster Abbey, and Oh London itself.
Now he has once more proved his ability In The
field Of typographical essay writing, in q" The
Inns Of Court and Chancery" (NcwYork Mac
milan & Co.., a folio OF about fourscore pages
Of text reprinted, with some ffty-siX illustrations
by Herbert Raiton, from The Portfolio.
Author and artist show that in style they have
been influenced by sensitiveness to the inter
mingling, in old English architecture, of literary
association with the gradual and graceful decay
Of stone and brick Mr. Lofte rescues for us the
fugitive lines Of their own or Of other men
writing which enable us to throns the
Temple with celebrities like Lamb. johnson. and
Goldsmith; and Mr. Railton fixes in fair black and
white the beauty Of the structures beneath the
shadow OF which those celebrities moved But
what makes this book most welcome is that IL
awakens the sense Of old, suggestive ana lnde-
scribably moving vitality of which every Amer
lean must be conscious when he rambles through
the Temple or comes suddenly upon the timoered
front of Staple Inn.
first cathedral of England and its history is inter
woven with that of two Of the bravcst figures
in profaAe chronicle-BeoSet and the Black Prince
With such q foundation TO build on a competent
writer could not fail to produce valuable book,
and tho late Dean Stanley did this when he
grouped a number Of essays and lectures, and sent
them forth under tho title of Historical Mcmori-
ais of Canterbury" The A. ID. T. Randolph
Company publish an illustrated edition of the
book uniform with their reprint, issued last
Christmas of the same authors Memorials OF
Westminster The usefulness Of the "Canter-
bury" has been extended by the inclusion within
its pages of q dozen or more artistic photographs
and drawings.
Mrs. Oliphant is trustworthy and entertaining
companion among the men and monuments oil tho
past in certain European cities. and there IL a
place waiting to be filed by the new cxtra-ilus-
trated edition of The Makers of Venice which
the Maemillans publish in one handsomely bound
volume The new illustrations consist OF a
fTontispiece engraving Of the portrait OF Doge
Leonardo Lorcdano by Bellini, which is III the
National Gallery of London; thirty Photographic
plates of places, churches and other buildings,
and nearly fifty sketches BY II. II. Holmes. which
are not quite as good as the respectable photo
graphs.
Tue fifteenth volume of The Magazine of
Art" presents in ore binding-which is glaringly
tnartstic-the essays and illustrations which have
lately appeared from month TO month. The gen
eIal impression made by the years numbers as
they now stand is that they contain much that
has had right to ephememl existence.
few articles worthy of permanent form-Mr. Blom-
fields. on house architecture, is the best OF
them-and many illustrations which are worth
preservation in modest portfolios.
What is il about "The School for Scandal" that
leads the publisher of Christmas books TO exploit
the play during the holidays? Can it be any
thing more than the pictorial motives In the
costumes Of the dramats personae? Except for
her fnery, there is nothing about Lady Sheer
well to make her grateful guest IN our
libraries at Christmas time, nor are her pro-
tagonists any more alluring. Yet last season we
had large folio of the play, illustrated IN col
ors. from ore house. and this year Dodd, Mead
Co. bring out an octave OF 1t, very prcttny
bound and printed well calendered paper. The
head-peces in ink, by Mr.. Frank NJ. Greg
ory, adorn the pages, but the wash drawings
he has made disfgure it,
We could not give better idea Of the KIND OF
verse Mrs. VI. Il. NJ Toland writes in AtIina" zine
j. b. Lppincott Co.. than by quoting her. Here
IL fragment from one of her songs:
Ripple,
Dipplel
Waves with rhapsody
Brightly,
Sprghtly
Ever
Laugh in gladstone geei
If that does not show her quality we'll enough,
the following may do so:
Sweet carols sang wild birds in gladstone gee
Query: Surprising this sort of thing to
the reader to glee would his glee be gladstone
or some other kind?
"Sccnes From the Life of Christ" is the title
OF a book of reproductions from some Of the
great sacred paintings of the word, and from
some that are not great, with quotations from
the Scriptures and few modern poets, printed
az accompaniment Jessica Cone edits the
book, which is in intention very acceptable
Christmas gift, but which fails to entirely please,
because an inferior process has been used for the
rcprs,uctious Of the pictures. The Putnams are
tie publishers
Four clever little tales by Florence and Edith
Scanncll are published in four books by Estes Il
Lauriat under the title Of " Christmas III Many
Lands" They treat Christmas episodes In
Italy, Germany, England and France, are told
with simplicity, and have an air OF sweetness
about them which will touch the children for
whom they were written. These young readers
may be willing, for the sake of the pleasure they
receive, TO overlook the badness of the illustra-
tions The same publishers send us four white
and gold booklets, each devoted 70 one division
Of Thomson's Seasons" which show good taste
IN the tiny landscapes and fower-pieces with
which they illustrated.
Mrs Elizabeth Stuart Phelps's tribute to
Florida, A Lost Winter is reprinted in an
oblong quarto by the ID. Lothrop Company. The
sketches made for it by Mary c. Spaulding are,
We are sorrr to saY very poor.