New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-21
CHRISTMAS BOOKS.
SOME NEW EDITIONS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS |

have done we'll to bring out "a new edltloh lts
philosophy is healthy, its wit is delicate and It's
style is both Characteristic and pure; but If II Is
therefore valued. still more is it loved for the
charm in which it is enveloped, a charm which IS
indescribable except in far as it may be de-
scribed by saying that Mr. Curtis possesses it in
common-though with a difercnce-with Lamb.
Like the Essays of Ella" Pruc and II draws
much Of its power from idosyncrasies that are per
sonal Regard for its eXcellences is lnseparaoe
from regard for it's author. The new EDITION has
been illustrated by Mr.. Albert Sterner In VEIN VI
refinement His pen and wash drawings have
been well reproduced, the manufacture OF the pooh
is satisfactory and saving that the artistic design
made for the cover has been stamped upon siih-
a material against the use Of which for plr'iih2
purposes we cannot protest too strongly-ts 10 one
Of the best productions Of the season
How ironical is fate Mr.. Henry James is never
more in earnest than when he Is attempting u
draw the portrait of lady; the atmosphere III
which he generally prefers his characters 10 move
is an atmosphere of good bret ding-and VET 'he
single parsonage of his creation who has won an
almost universal welcome in the 1host ias'iuious
circles is Daisy Miller the bewltchlhg heroine oi
innumerable social indscretons, the sort Oh
American" as Mrs. Costello remarked that one
does ones duty by not accepting" 1t is precisely
because Daisy Miller is bcwitching, because she
ia sucb n vivid impusive and daintily pretty
vounp woman in her ribbons and founces. that one
INSTANTLY accepts her and forgets to frown upon
her own ingenious acceptance of Wlnterbourne anu
Giovanelli, upon her curious Difference 'o"aiu
Eusenio. the courier. Giovanelli found her the
most beautiful amiable and innocent young lady
he had ever known. For the thousands OF readers
who have passed not dissimilar Judgment upon
Daisy Miller, Harper ~ Brothers have prepared
holiday edition of her history, printing II IN one
octave with AN International Episode" the story
by Mr. James that is most worthy OF association
with it,
The new edition would have deserved nearly
unqualified praise had not Mr. Harry McVickar
been permitted to make pictures for it, To Cali
hts drawings illustrations would be absurd. The
frontispiece full length in colors, of Daisy, Is
downright libel and the portraits OF WINTER
bourne, Mrs Costello, Mrs. Walker and Giovanelh
are no better The paper and type save the DOCK
Tn the preface to new illustrated edition in
two volumes of I'm the Levant." published by
Hourbton. Mflin & Co.. Mr.. Warner observes that
during the seventeen years which have elapsed
since his book was written the current OF Oren-
tai life has suffered no changes OF nature 10 ne
cessitate revision Of his text. Though, to use Mr.
Warmers own words, " the Sultan has been muir
dered the Sultan has been depOsed as mbecile, the
Sultan still sits in his seraGo lazily watching his
ironclads in the Golden Horn" and though the
Eng lish have wrought wonders in Egypt, the East
has remained immobile, its political viclssltudes
and its social development have had no appreciate
effect upon the places and things described in this,
one Of the most readable of all Mr.. Warmers de-
llchtful books of travel. Thus we have nothing
new ia comment upon in the new edition, except
a frontispiece portrait of the author, which is
GOOD series of twenty-five photographers, chiefly
views Of buildings, which adds very little to the
interest of the book and the work of the pressman
and binder which is all that could be desired.
The Fray Antonio Agapida, upon whom Wash
inrton Irving proposed 10 father his Chronicle
Of the Conquest of Granada when he first pub
lished it, was Pigment of the authors magma
ton, and pigment" which threatened 10 mill
tate against the reputation of the work for his
torical accuracy. But Irving had no difficulty in
establishing a sound reason for the existence, so
to speak, OF his literary phantom; the latters
character for truthfulness vndicated even to
Prescotts satisfaction, and his, or its, name figures
honorably on the titlepage of Christmas edition
of the " Chronicle" brought out in two volumes
by the Patnams to accompany the Darro edl-
ton Of the "Alhambra" which they published last
year Like the "Darro," the "Agapi1a" edition
Is illustrated with many wisely selected photo
graphic plates Of architectural and other subjects,
is decorated with arabesque borders on every page
is well made, has pretentiOus cover, and, like
the Darro7 again, can be recommended to holiday
buyers.
Charles Scrihners Sons have made an attractive
booklet of ffty-three pages out of Thomas Nelson
Pages pathetic story, Marse Chan" Mr.. w. T.
Smedley has drawn seven pictures for it that are
appropriate and welcome.
Lee & Shepard's Christmas publications in
clude three fiat GuartOs Of which the first, THE
New-England Country is the best 1t is pleas
antly written and illustrated by Clifton Johnson.
The second Sun Prints in Sky Tints," is a COL
lection of verses from known and unknown poets
made by Irene jerome and adorned by her with
poor sketches printed in worse tints The third.
1.-THE Falow Field, is one of Mrs. DORIS prettest
poems, illustrated with Indifferent charcoal land
scapes by her daughter, Zulma De Lacy Steele.
While We are waiting for the illustration Of
history TO be established the plane where 1t
belongs-a plane not so very far beneath that on
which the writing of history is maintained in
dignity as 10 be quite beyond the vision of the
watchers on the latter elevation-it is good TO
know that book marking a step in the right
direction now and then gets itself published.
Such book is the new illustrated edition or
Green's Short History Of the English People, )"
edited by Mrs Green and Miss Kate Nargote, and
published by Harper IL Brothers The first vol
ume only has reached us, and as that carries the
history no further than. the death Of Wyclif, in
1894. we have yet 10 judge Of what must in some
respects prove the richest fruits of the editors
labors. From the beginning of the fifteenth
century onward the storehouses must inevitably
Weld more abundant, more sophisticated, more
artistic and, therefore, more minutely helpful
records than survive from earlier times But it
ia lust because the editors have made such in
telligent use Of the limited sources open 70
them for the illustration of their first volume
that il insnires respect and admiration. Ancient