St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-12
BOOK TALKS.

We so often hear the assertion that
genius is not inherited, that it has
passed into an adage; but there are
always exceptions to every rule, aud
the descendants OF Charles Dickens
seem to be exceptions in this matter.
This daughter Annie has already made
very good reputation for herself as a
writer of short stories, and now comes
his granddaughter, Mary Angela Dick
ems. with a little book called "Nobody's
Fault" 1t is not very long, but
very we'll written story, with rather
unusual plot and clearly told. The
story that gives the title to the book is
not at all the best one in it. "a Social
ESuccess," the second story, or 1.-The
| Inheritance" either of them is more
ljartisticaily good than ''Nobody'S Fault"
but all give promise of better things by
and by. Peter Fenelon Collier, New
York.
If Astoria. Or. does not become the
queen city of the Northwest, if not of
the world, it will not be the fault of that
prince OF boomers, Col. p. DOMAIN. In
little book received this week, he tells
the history of that old frontier trading
post, grown into the city of Astoria.
Years ago, when we were young and
studied geography the name of that far
off post. and that of its Waldorf Ger
man founder. seemed like a bit from
some fairy tale, so vague and unusual
did they seem. Ast0r was almost if
not the only millionaire the country
possessed, and the foundation of those
millions was laid at Astoria. Col.
DOMAIN, whose vocabulary is almost in
eXhauStible, seems 10 think that there
is still opportunity for the making of
other millions Hi what he calls, in his
own Inimitable way, 1.-The peerless mar
thine metropolis of the Golden North
west" The book is illustrated by
pictures that are fine samples of the
photographers skill. Astoria Improve
| ment company.
| Stories i'll which crime and its eX-
| posture are the motives find always
many readers. Such a one is this of
J. Fitzgerald Molloy's, called IAN
Excellent knaye,' published by
| the National Book company, OF
| New York. 1t is a most
interesting story, as any that deals with
life imperlled is likely to be. 1t is
love story, and a very pretty one, too,
with which to while away an idle hour.
1t is prettily bound in the new way of
| combining red and white and gold, and
would make an acceptable Christmas
present for friend. d. ID. Merrill,
| st. Paul.
The greatest good one can do another
| is to teach that other to help himself.
| Nothing good can be had except bv per-
| SOnal effort, and all helps i'll that dlrec
| ton are plainly rounds to the ladder
| that may reach success. A view of other
mems lives are useful only as in them
we may see how circumstances are
overcome and discouragements. so
many goads urging them onward. a
book by Robert Waters, called In
tellectual Pursuits, or Culture by Self
| Help" has come to us. in which lie
says: II have put into this book such
| things as | myself in earlier years,
would have prefited by the knowledge
of; and trust it will not only save
many young man from the blunders L
made myself, but show him the best
methods to success" This is the
kind of help that is needed. There
are glimpses in the book into the lives
ionaire; Thomas Holcroft, the actor
and author; Daniel G. Beard. the artist.
and Theodore Parker, that are object
lessons to earnest workers, aud prove
that effort, strong, uuceasing, is the
| price of all success. These essays can
not fail of being immensely valuable to
all ambitious youhg people into whose
hands they fall.
Hospitality in Town and Country.
With Usages, Formal and Informal" IS
| the big title of little manual OIL in
struetion in that old-time virtue, hospi-
tality. 1t is always pleasant to know
| what is the right thing to do under
given circumstances, and that this book
| teaches. The author strikes blow at
| that silly pride that prevents people OF
| mndaratn means from nrt jnInO THAR
| friends because they are not able to do
ititin the way their wealthy leiyhber
| does, in these sensible words: 10 heSi-
| tate when there is an opportunity to
| give pleasure because of necessity it
! must cost less money than CrHsuS lately
| spent upon his guests is petty. Its wit
ness to narrow spirit since nobility of
character and the graces OF accomplish
| mentS lift simple mode of being hos
| pltable up to the loftieSt of social levels
"a height that, with any amount of
| money, without such personal allure
| ments, the most ambitious of well-bred
| men and women cannot attain. Fred
| erick A. Stokes company, New York;
d. d. Merrill company. st. Paul.
king Billy of Ballarat," and other
Stories by Morley Roberts. the Austria
| lian Kipling, is the title to book COM
posed Of number of very graphic short
stories. The authors style resembles
Kipling's in the lack of detail and a GER
tain ruggedneSs of portrayal in his de-
| llneation of character. The stories III
this book are not pleasant ones; they
are too dramatic to be enjoyed by one
when in an ordinary frame of mind.
Yhey have one redeeming feature,
however-they have never been told be-
| fore. Some of them, notably the one
| BALLAD ssfFha StnrU nf II aMhida Riunr -
| live as traditions in the land where they
occurred, aud are told with baIed
breath still by the old people who were
| living III that country at the time they
transpired. Rand, McNally q Co., Chi
| cago; ID. ID. Merrill company, st. Paul.
When "rhe Quick Or the Dead?, first
appeared and was met by such storm
| of disapproval and severe criticism as
very few books ever aroused, there
were many of Ameie Riyes' admirers
who chung to their first expressed be-
lief in her purity of purpose and fidel-
! ity to art. The story was unreal, I'M
natural, but they believed that the years
| would pruile away the tropical luXuri-
ance of her fancieS and bring out the
matured strength Of mind that had
courage to tell of life as it looked to her
| In this new book "BarbaraDering, Sc
ouel to the "Quick or the .Dead?" their
expectations are fully realized 1t is
not likely that everybody will be
pleased with this book, for it is not
given to everybody to understand the
| intense self-contained characters of
such women as Barbara and EuDice
BarnsDy. L think perhaps that only
women can really appreciate them, be
cause women know how much OF self
| repression goes to the making of con-
| yentional woman. In the character
of Eunice, Miss RiyeS has given
voice to what should be the feeling of
every pure wife and mother as to the de-
grading estimate put upon married life
by the crazy would-be reformer. TolStoi.
When, after years of repressl0li, Eunee
rebels and speaks out her real self to
that eoltl-blooded creature, her hus-
band. she says of Tolstoi: He thinks
| that he is wiser than nature-more far
seeing than God-he has much to all
.SWgr for, that TolStoi of YOURS