The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-24
new PUBLICATIONS.


A volums OF charming short stories By
Grace HoExrf Peirce has been issued BIZ
the Price-Mctiiu Company. of 81 Paul, IN
their choice fiction series, tie Uotdsn
Library.
Ina History OF Religion" Published
b- the Con mon wealth Company, OF New
York. EIixabeih E. Evans sEpposes she
has givea knock-out blow 20 the doc
trines OF Christianity.
The Arena Publishing Company. of Bcs-
ton, has issued volume on the soclal
question by B. O. Flower. called s'Civiii-
cations Inferno" Il merely gees over
the subject again from tie usual extreme
pessimistic and one-sided point OF view o.
most OF the volumes on sociology.
Seventy Years on the Frontiers" is the
title OF a book published by Rand. Nc
Naliy Il Co.. Chicago and New York. The
book is written by Alexander Majors, the
originator Of the pony express" the
original overland mail and express route
across the continent, and abounds with
thrilling tales Of adventure and progress
Rand, McNally & Co.. Chicago and New
York. have issued volume by John NJ.
Burke ("Arizona John called Buffalo
BIZ from Prairie TO Palace" II is an ac-
count, in short form, of . career that
rivals the famed stories of Daniel Boone
and Dayy Crockett in the earlier history of
this country. Besides being book OF
thrilling interest it deals with fact which
Is indeed stranger than fiction"
recent volume from the press Of g. p.
Putnam's Sons, New York, Is entitled
Authors and Their Public in Ancient
Times" by George Haven Putnam. Mr..
Putnam modestiy oisclaims credit for any
extended research on his own part, but
he has used to great advantage the inves-
legations of modern authors who have
sought ancient data Of this rareiy-consid-
cred subject. In these days. when SO
many rush into print and receive finan-
ciAl returns IN a greater or less degree. it is
interesting TO look back 10 the beginning
of literature to see how its pioneers were
received by their public. Mr.. Putnam has
done this for US, aud In this book presents
10 Us an exceedingly attractive narrative
descriptive of the manner in which the
ancient authors published their works.
Nobody who loves literature should fail to
read this work
The fourteenth edition of Reeds Engi-
ueers' Handbook has been issued by
Thomas Reed & Company, Is4 High street
west, London. England, and Is being
placed before the American public by o.
born & Alexander, (The Technical and
Scientific Book Concernl 40l Market
street. San Francisco. The handbook con-
tains q large amount Of Information which
Is of great value to marine engineers, so
arranged and coditied as TO be at all times
convenient for reference. The text is pro-
fusely illustrated with cuts. nearly one
half of the space between the covers being
given mp 10 drawings of the modern ma
rine engines and their parts; almost every
part of an engine being shown separately.
The first part OF the book is devoted
10 an explanation of the requirements
for q certificate DIS o first or second class
engineer in the British commercial
marine, as laid down by the Board of
Trade. London. and parts of arithmetic
and geometry as 1t is necessary to know
to pass the required examination for o GER
tiicate. It would be better If an Ameri-
can edition had been prepared, for there
are many differences between the Ameri-
can and English text books, which the
American student must now bear con-
stantiy in mind, none of which Is more
marked than the difference in that portion
of the subject which enters into all calcu-
lation, notation and numeration.n To
the American student many of the
operations seem to be unnecessarily COM
plicated and to entail much needless
memorizing of figures. As an instance of
this, take the method of finding the area
of circle. The text books of both coun-
tries use the same fixed number, 14l6 for
finding the circumference OF n circle, and
the American text books use it also for
finding the area, while the English text
books use 1854 to attain the same end.
OF necessity the knowledge gained from
work of this character is superficial, for
1t would require several volumes. each the
size of the handbook, to prove the various
subjects in detail.