The Portland daily press., 1892-10-19
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Paddles and Politics Down the Dan
ube, by Poultney Bigelow. with illustra-
lions by the author. This is the second
of Mr.. Bigelow's contributions to Mr.
Arthur Stedman's Fiction, Fact and
Fancy Series,'' the first being ''The Ger
man Emperor and his Eastern Neigh
bors." In this same series Mrs. Cavazza's
'Calabrian Sketches has recently been
published. Mr.. Bigelow's two volumes
are companion books. The reading world
knows of this authors friendship for the
present German emperor, and also knows
that the Volga would have been navigat-
ed. canoe fashion, as well as the Danube,
but for the interdict of the Gar of Rus
STA. Paddles and Politics Down the
Danube furnish very pretty stroke, and
one to which the lover of good reading
will readily keep time. The descriptions
are easy and graceful, and an air of mer-
riment and good cheer pervades the pages
of the book. The drawings have evident
ly been left to Mr.. Milett and Mr.. Par
sons in their larger, more extensive
work, for Mr.. Bigelow contents himself
with, OF his editor introduces for him,
the rapid sketches made for his children.
They, are not without attraction, thelr
crudity and occasional queerness of per-
spectiye being atoned for by a certain
and spontanicity. His horses, for instance,
look as if they would goa quality not
always recognized in more finished draw
ings. Mr.. Bigelow's Danube is to be
welcomed as an agreeable and instructive
narrative, and readers of portions of it in
the magazines will be glad to have it in
permanent and completed form. New
York: Charles L. Webster & Co. Price
Is cents
Writings of Christopher Columbus.
Descriptive of the Discovery and Occupa-
ton of the New World. Edited. with an
introduction, by Paul Leicester Ford. Of
the same series as the above-and what
would any group of books do just now
without its Columbus?-Mr.F ord's COL
lection of the writings of the great dis
coverer is really valuable and worthy
little volume. The supposed portrait by
V. la Grabo prefaces a delightful dozen
pages of introduction wherein the ele-
gance of ready writer and the skill of
a learned scholar combine to give fair,
unbiased and singularly fresh presenta-
ton of the subject in hand. Columbus
own writings here given include letters
to Ferdinand and Isabella; Raphael San
chez, treasurer of their majesties; Suis
de Sontangel, secretary and steward of
the household of Aragon, and to Juana
de la Torres, the former nurse of PIince
Don John; also a copy OF the
will of Columbus. New York: ECharles
L. Webster. Price, Is CENTS.
Mr.. FORMERS Marital Claims and other
stories by Richard Malcolm Johnston. AS
good in its way as 1.-THE Revolt of Mother
by Miss Wilkins, is the story which giveS
this book of Col. Johnston's it's title
though The flavor be Georgian and mas
culine, rather than New ENGLAND and on
the 'Mother's side of the house." Mr..
Fortner has talked and talked about the
religious views of certain Methodist
friends of theirs, Mr. Fortner being a
rigid Baptist Referring to the young
people-brother and sister---he says:
ssNother of 'em have read the Scriptur
fur theirself, but think they must 60
with their ma, thick and thin, snolus-
bolus ''--If Mr.. Fortnier had been a
Latin scholar, instead of these words he
would have said: ''Nolens volens')-
(which it all go to show what prejudice
is, and that it'll go from gin'ration to
ginration.'' Claws! Mr.. Fortner,' she
sometimes answered, in weary indiffer
ence, s'Of course it's all from the way
people is raised" ''Of course, my dear,
which it makes the case that much pitt
fuller. Well, my hopes about the Hol-
lys is that they'll come in after awhile,
like the 'lev'nth hour people spoke of in
Scriptur,' but which sech people always
can't help from knowin' then're paid
more than their works worth, which, if
it weren't in the very aoord O. Scriptur',
couldn't never see the justice of such a
settlement that's been a-workin' in the
win yard a. constant" This initial
story is new, while the four followers in
the table of contents are reprinted from
the Century, Lippincott's and Dixie. New
York: D. Appleton& Co.; Portland: Lor-
ing, Short & Harmon.
Passing the Love of Women by Mrs.
j. FL. Needell, author of Stephen Eli
colts Daughter, etc., is a love story
where there are ways, not those of pleas
antness and peace to which the reader
must allow the skillful author to recon
Gle him. For in spite of occasional care,
lessnesses both in English and in trifiing
statements-bits Of inaccurate repetition
etc., the novel is well told and has both
spirit and body. It's people live and
luoo+J,o ord o,o Jro,x,, with 81