The Portland daily press., 1894-12-14
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

h60GuCky CaEUl mai. a. oGOIyS uy
James Lane Allen. author OF The Blue
Grass Region of Kentucky, etc. Illus
trated. This comely little volume Of the
Harper's Little Novels" series contains
narrative which would be of the order
of Burroughs or Bradford Torrey, so at
tuned is it to the song of theIbirds. were
it not for the Intervening of de-
lightful and piquant love story into it's
sum and substance. A Kentucky Cardi-
nal is a poetic idyl, colored and accen-
tuated by justssthe right proportion in
the way of faulty if lovable human nat
ure Commend to us Adams wooing
for genuinely hour of prose.
Should the Audubon Society want an
effective. tract teachingslove and protec-
tion to feathered folk-here it is! This
is delightful little book to give at
Christmas TO the friends whom you like
to have share a special, literary bone
bouche with you. (New York: Harper
& Brothers; Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmon. Price $l.00).
The number of books about the Civil
War in America is already we'll nigh in
Vulnerable, and each year is adding
many more to the great war library.
With all this abundance--of literature it
would seem that any author might be
excused from adding to it. And yet
there is a place for a clear, concise,
complete and important work. supplied
with plenty of maps and enough plans
to make the battles intelligible to the
non-military reader. The History of
the Count of Paris is admirable in it's
way but it is somewhat too technical and
too minute for the general reader, who
does not care for an insight into the
principles and details of military science.
The memoirs of Grant, Sherman. Sheri-
terestng; but to study the Civil War
from such works is longer task than
many wish to attempt. A work which
promises to bill the wants of the general
reader has been written by Join Goldman
Ropes, and the first volume has been re-
ceived. publishers: G. P. Putnam's
Sons, New York; Portland: Loring,
Short ..& Harmony. The author is a
we'll known military writer, who has
already published works on the Army
Under Pope, and the campaigns of
Napoleon. The first volume brings the
war only to the opening Of McClellan's
peninsular campaign of 1862. The causes
of the conflict are very briefly sketched.
and then the main portions of the vol
ume are devoted to the secession of the
Srates the succeeding small, but i'm
portant contests, and the mastering and
training of the armies on both sides.
The battle of Bull Run is the only move
ment of magnitude described. The de-
scription of this battle is such as to give
the most favorable expectations of the
succeeding portions of the work. The
text is clear, and the maps and charts are
made for the text, SO nothing is left uu-
certain. The Judgment of the author re-
gsrding the great actors of the early days
of the war will be likely to reopen some
old:dispute. He thinks Mcclellan good
soldier but not sagacious or hard
headed commander; and crticizes Presi-
dent Lincoln for not treating Mcclellan
fairly in the early days. Buel was, in
Mr.. Ropes opinion, far greater soldier
than Mcclellan, and one of the very
ablest in the Northern armies. General
Thomas is also favorite with the au-
thor. In Secretary Stanton the only good
things seen by the author are his mex
tinguishable hopefulness and unfinch-
ing courage, qualities which Mr.. Ropes
thinks most necessary in Cabinet pre-
sided over by Lincoln and containing
Seward. But readers who cannot believe
that Stanton was "a terror and marplot
in the conduct of the war" or that Lin
coin and Seward needed to be braced up
by stronger will, will follow with in
terest the clear and intelligent account
of the operations, if the succeeding vol
umes shall live up to the promises of
the first.