The Portland daily press., 1892-12-01
NEW PUBLICATIONS.


expect entertaining but commonplace
novels-like most novels written by Eng
lishmen nowadays. Sufficiently inter
esting to hold the readers attention to
the last page, they take absolutely no
hold upon his memory. Aweek after
the book has been put aside neither char
acters nor incidents can be recalled with
out an effort. To this class of time
killers A Stumble on the Threshold
New York: d. Appleton & Co.: Port
land: Loring, Short & Harmony belongs.
As Payn uses better English and has a
lighter touch than most of his compatri-
OTIS his stories rather hold over the ruck
of modern English domestic novels.
Uniform with the Letters of Count
Helmuth Won Moltke, and his history of
the Franco-German war is the substan.
tial volume entitled 'Moltke, his Life
and Character, sletched in journals, let
tiers, memoirs, novel and autobiography
cal notes, published by the Harpers and
for sale in this city by Loring, Short 6
Harmon. The translation, smooth and
apparently faithful, is by Mary Herms.
The book contains illustrations from
drawings by Moltke, portraits, and fac
smile letters from royal hands. The
scope of the work is sufficiently indicated
by the title. All things, even the most
trivial, are interesting that intimately
concern man like the great German
soldier; but in the volume under consid
Grafton few trivialities are to be found
his career. was too full of high and seri-
Gus purpose to admit them. Perhaps
the most generally entertaining part of
the book is Moltke's novel, The Two
Friends, tale of the Seven Years
War, reprinted in full. Aside from any
interest that attaches to an essay in fic-
ton by man of affairs the story attracts
the reader by its narrative strength and
its merit as a composition.
Under the title Mr.. Billy Downs and
His Likes six of Richard Malcolm John
ston's quantity original stories of the
Old South-the South ''befo' the
wah," that is fast passing away
are collected to form the tenth vol
ume of the entertaining Fiction, Fact
and Fancy Series New York: Charles L.
Webster 6 Coy; series in which are
numbered Mrs. Cavazza's exquisite Ca
labrian Sketches and Irving Bachelors
powerful Master of Silence. ''Billy
Downs" modern Benedeck who rallied
at marriage and then took to himself a
wife, is the hero of the first of these
stories; and has for nelghbors in the
book that bears his name the men and
women who play their little parts in The
Townses and Their Cousins 1.-TWO Ad-
ministrations, and other characteristic
and entertaining sketches that show the
author of Dukesborough Tales still at
his best.
The bound volume of Harper's Young
People for 1892, as full of good things as
Christmas pudding is of plums, has
been received from the publishers.
Nearly nine hundred double-columned
pages, mostly illustrated convey much
entertainment and more knowledge; de-
signed in the first place for boys and
girls, but not without interest and i'm
portance to mature minds. Started in
1879 this periodical publication at once
took high rank in its kind, and has been
gaining in popular favor with every COM
pleted year.
Two of the latest in Lippincott's copy
right foreign novels are A Family Like
ness, by Mrs. B. M. Croker and A Sis
ter's Sin, by Mrs. FL. Lovett Cameron.
The first bears for subtitle A Sketch in
the Himalayas, though so far as plot and
character are coneerned--and anything
significant about India, for that matter
the scene might as well be laid in Lon
don. 1t is commonplace English nov
ell, than which few drearier things are to
be found in this world. Mrs. Cameron's
novel is of the hysterical kind. The sin
of one sister is impurity, and of the 9th