The herald., 1893-02-05
ABOUT BOOKS AND BOOKMAgERS,
A Book About Shelley Published
at an Opp0rtune Time.
The Features Of Bret Harte's Latest
California Story.
Some New Books Reviewed-January
Msgazines-Notes About Authors
and Their More Recent
Publications.
tBy L. Behymer.l

tBy L. Behymer.1
The year 1892 marked the one hun
dredth anniversary of the birth of the
poet Shelley, and the English literary
world celebrated it in fitting manner.
Asplendid marble memorial was erected
to perpetuate his name within the pre-.
cincts of the ancient seat OF learning
that once spurned him from her walls,
and the Shelley society made the year
the most memorable in its annals by its
tributes to his genius, Bound as she il
by all the ties of blood, of speech and
of tradition to the mother country,
America holds the literature of England
as somewhat OF her own, and will not
permit such an occasion to pass un-
noticed. At the close of 1892 A. G.
McOlurg & Go. published little volume
edited by Shirley Garter Hugh
son, entitled The Best Letters of
Percy Bysshe Shelley, which, although
not memorial volume, is published at
most appropriate time to arouse among
American readers generally an interest
in the prose writings of one who is
chiefly known in the field of poetry. In
this little book the chief regard has been
given to the literary excellence of the
letters, without neglecting, however,
their biographical value. All giving
pictures of his time, and especially
those which admit the readers into the
inner circle of that distinguished coterie
of English exiles with which Shelley
was associated in Italy, are carefully re-
tanned. The object of the author has
been to give the best letters of the poet,
and at the same to make the volume
complete and ready work of reference
for those who might desire to con-
suit Shelley's records of his own life,
and the lives of his poet-friends.
Shelley was not voluminous letter
writer, and this volume contains nearly
all that he left with the exception of the
letters of his younger and more imma-
ture years. There are several letters re-
produced from Professor Dowden's Life
of Shelley which have never before ap-
peared in any collection. The reader
will find that each letter gives good rea-
son for its appearance in the volume,
and tho subjects are various enough to
show the author in the full range OF his
prose expression. Many who once
reveled in Shelley's poetry will think
the prose preferable as they read some
of the incompatible descriptive pass
ages. The introduction is highly ap-
preciative; indeed. it is almost without
criticism, 80 readers whose first &C.
quaintance with Shelley is formed
through this volume will be left to search
elsewhere for the secret of the poet
thinkers lack of force and infuence-for
his hatred of moral restraint and his
strangely dormant conscience. This lit
tie volume is nicely bound in dark red
cloth, gold stamped, and forms valua-
BILE addition to the series of Laurel
Crownad Lettara nna of the most ---i-
come sets of small voiumes that has ever
appeared.
The days in this beautiful land of ours
with their sunshine and sweet oders of
flowers, are very productive of attacks
of spring fever and dreamland hours.
One afternoon the book dropped from
my hands and an imaginary Genii of |
Ailadin fame appeared before me and
conducted me into the shadowy realms of
Author Land. On the way I passed
Thomas Hardy and Tess of the D'Urber-
villes, converting with Mrs. Clifford's
Aunt Anne. Richard Harding Davis
was telling what he had witnessed in
The West from Car Window to Mary
E. wilkins and Jane Field. William G.
Prime remarked that Along New Eng
land Roads any day we might meet
Miss Wilkins with Young Lucretia,
telling stories about A New England
Nun. Az I passed through Walter Be-
SAINTS Ivory Gate, 1 noticed @. @. Coffin
and Abraham Lincoln listening to
Brander Matthew explain Americanisms
and BriticismH. A bevy of interested
listeners paid attention to Theodore
Child as he uttered The Praise of Paris,
and George William Curtis introduced
Prue and / to Henry James, who WAS
with Daisy Miller. William Dean How
ellis invited us all to take A Little Swiss
Sojourn with him, and afterwards we
could finish our journey with F.
Millet along The Danube, From the
Black Forest to the Black Sea, providing
Alfred Parsons, the illustrator, was will
fng. Barry Pain was quite humorous
with his Stories and Interludes,
and told us of pleasant visit he had
enjoyed with Mrs. Braddon and The
Venitians. W. D. Howells gave us A
Letter of Introduction to Richard Hard
ing Davis and Van Bibber and Others.
Among them we found Thomas Hardy
snd A Groupe of Noble DANES. James
lane Allen remarked that he preferred
The Blue Grass Region of Kentucky to
Sophie Swett's Flying Hill Farm, or
Julian ~RaIph's Canadian Frontier.
Hamilton Aide started on A Voyage of
discovery to see if he could find S. P.
Green's Vesty of the Basins, who was
considered by Eva Wilder McGlasson
An Earthly Paragon. London was de-
scribed by Walter Besant to John Flavel
Mines, who in return gave his Tour
Around New York, and both received
with great pleasure A. Conan Doyle's
account of The Adventures Of Sherlock
Holmes.
In the history corner John F. Hurst
was talking on the Christian Church
and Indika to Anne Thackerey Ritchie,
who presented Tennyson. Ruskin and \
Browning. A pleasant Family Canoe
Trip was taken with Florence Waters
Snedeker, en- route we passed Frances
Eleanor Trollope, with That Wild
Wheel, with which she was amusing
Auretta Roys Aldrich and her Children.
One OF the sweetest stories was the Story
of Mary Washington by Marion Har-
land, told to Jane G. Austin and David
Alden's Daughter. Lew Wallace enter
tanned Ben Hur and Henry W. Longfel-
low ocoortn1 Tusp~o1s,o