New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

tents OF seven large volumes to the limited pages OF
one octave does not augur well for the presentmeht
of the substance Of the work so abridged Yet the
..Short History OF the Renaissance In Italy which
Lieutenant { olonel Alfred Pearson has made from
the elaborate treatise Of the late John Addingtoh
symonds is not unlikely to prove OF more geherh
value than the latter. The general reader whose
name Is legion. has no time for an exhaustive s.uu'
Of the italian renaissance. and he has waiteu iois
for tust such summary OF the period as this new
compilation provides Burckhardts "eh-h'o""
hook the best OF all other brief essays, Is more
profound more philosophical in the fullest German
sense of the word: but 1t has been Tor tnose 'ei'
reasons an authority TO be consulted py speoi" gu
dents rather than the great mass OF ihteresteu pe
ple Symonds took scholarly views OF MS supJe'"
AT the same time his scholarship was VVheu pS
strong sympathy for the human elements IN history
.rd x,ho, he wrote has great vitality. the inchha-
zion toward a poetic slightly rhetorical treat
ment of historical prose. for which ne mas "e'
widely criticised. on the whole queS'io" %
manner Imagination is as essential as VeId0iS ~
tho noodern historian and he was never airaiu' III
drawing the picture Of historical episode 10 en-
,,o tho nenotratIye Imagination with which ne was
,,,ad lie presented facts. but he was never PECAN
tic: he presented them in the garb which MS MN
ton as well his studies. tod nm was Su''.D,e ~
tho time in which the scenes were piacea Inns 10
what makes him an ideal popular historian oi III.
italian renaissance. Though the present abstract OF
greatest
.rob,e nictorial effect Leutenant-Colonel Pearson
has reflected the spirit of his author. and the BOOK
nreserves the animated quality upon which S'ie''
has lust been laid Mr.. Symonds himsei was sa'is
fed and pleased with the way in which 'he ui'i,oui
.ask had been accomplished No more couiu DC
osted Two editions of the history have reached
ne. one on thick paper and in large type iro"
Char,ns scribner's Sons and another In less ex-
pensive FORM from Henry Holt & CO.
The second edition Of "a Century OF fan.e's VI
the English School," sent us py |harles ''e'io'
Sons gives the results Of Mr. Redgraves palns'aN
,ng study in a shape more adaptable to use among
art students than that in which they were nist pun
,,shd The text has been curtailed. matter OF only
local or minor interest having been REMOVER anu
the narrative has been extended SO 1ar ih,o 'ie pres
ent day. or at least the yesterday OF TINS u'ne' d"
IN embrace the Pre-Raphaelite group. ms histoiS
,s q compendium of which the usefulness in direc-
,,ons other than critical was long ago demois''a
ted. Mr. Redgrave puts the reader IN possesSioh =.
verv fair survey Of his subject. his arrangement
~ the artists being sound as to chronology ioca'
fly and tendencies
I'll. same publishers who bring out this history
6ave nubished a handsome volume or Arts anu
craft. ESSAYS" a collection Of short papers on va
v,ou. forms Of industrial and applied art MT. MOT
~. writes the preface and the rest Of the pooA Is
made I'D Of contributions from members OF INC
Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society This soc'e! 10
doing good work in London by enticng the puonc
taste toward beauty through the channeis Oh ci"''
susceptibe OF artistic elevation The writers Oh 'e
,.eoys ,p This volume make a good case Tor the
revival Of art in the production Of textiles wall pa
,ers furniture metal work. table glass anu oec-
pratiye work generally. They succeed ho"e'e''
more through the strength Of generaAues coihpie
hensibe to the initiated alone than throus" SUM-
ANALYTICAL and popular argument. The essays are
10 huf a trlie tlln, anu nave
an ephemeral character which is especially regre'a-
bile in view Of the lavshed upon their puDhca-
zion. The book itself is a little gem OF artistic
craftsmanship.
practical nd directly instructive book is the
,r,ements of Handcraft and Design lMacmillan
A. Company which Mr.. W. a 5. Benson has writ
ten He goes into the details of caoinet-makers
industry, explains the mysteries OF the workshop
relating to the lathe the carpenters oench anu 'e
,netal-workers corner. and while treating THESE
things with an eye artistic suggestion writes al
vavs with good sense. His book should be helpiui
among prospective artisans So Also among prospec-
tive architects and decorative artists should be the
,,tt,e volume entitled practical Designing" (Mac-
milan Coz. for which Mr.. Gleeson Whlte mas
edited essays by half dozen English WORKERS IN
the field of applied art. 1t is really manual on
the production of working drawings The authors
discuss the various processes involved in the manu-
facture of carpets wall papers, tiles stained glass;
book bindings and forth. and they do so In such
a way as to show the close connection between inc
designer and the maker The book offers authorlta-
tive advice couched in ineligible phraseoogy TO
both classes and 1t deserves readers In studios
pfices and workshops There should be, indeed an
indissouble bond uniting artist decorator architect
and craftsman and II is stimulating to find MT
Walter Crane advocating. in THE Claims OF Deco
rative Art (Houghton. Mffiin & Coz. return 10
the old conception Of beauty which looked TO each
branch of TO a source or equal sighnicahce'
Mr. Crane has republished in this volume a number
of short articles written at different times and I'M
der different conditions He appears, therefore des-
ultory and fragmentary But the leading motive or
his teaching that the arts Of design are related ana
should be cultivated with the idea OF maintaining
harmony between them. is one OF sufficient moment
20 give his otherwise tenuous chapters reason for
existing.
An illustrated edition of Thomas Hoods "Humor-
nus Poems" comes from Macmillan & Co.. close
upon the heels of the Irving volume adorned by
Mr. Boughton which recently published in the
same form as Crawford" The illustrator OF the
present volume is Mr. Charles +. Brock new
man Of whom 1t is possible TO make an encouraging
estimate In style he has apparently formed hirn-
self upon Mr. Hugh Thomson. but the decision ana
technical ability in his drawings must be his own
and so must be the huinor. which is the most wei
come quality TO be discovered in his designs. Hoods
poems as presented in this volume, with the al
yantages Of perfect press work and an accompan-
ment Of artistic sketches seem to merit more than
ever such kindly treatment they receive at the
hands OF Canon Anger in a charming preface.
A charming little book of travel is "A japanese
Interior OIoughton Miiliin & Coz, by Miss Alice
n Bacon an American lady who spent about q
year as teacher in a private school in Toxic 1t Is
composed OF letters written home. and left. in spite
of editing with the attractive quality Of familiar
talk Miss Bacon lived japanese life. associating
with Japanese women and observing their habits
and manners with a sympathetic eye. Her volume
IL a particularly pleasant contribution to the minor
literature of national customs.
1t Is something TO have written about Corsica
without dragging in observations either hGh-fown
Or insipd on the subject Of Napoleon. NJ. Emile
Bergerat the author OF "A wild Sheep Chase
Macmillan 4 Coz. travelled through the historic
little island IN the Mediterranean In the company Of
Prince Roland Bonapare and everything in the book
which refers TO the lattcrs great-uncle is in good
taste and delightful spirit This book is I'M
provisaton. a bagatelle a fragment. a trie: