The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-19

fa1r 10 say tnaJ tncre are poems AZ 'he
collections, most of them. There are sure
TO be in Eugene Fields, and in
James Whitcomb Riiey's. These two
Westerners are the most notable poets OF
their region. They are not very much
alike, except in the whimsical habit both
have OF missng up the pieces they write,
| good and bad, grave and gay, real aud
/ sham. 1t is all TO satisfy voracious pub
fishers, dou btiess, who know there will be
good sales for the pretty volumes they
turn out. This latest little book
OF Fields is pretty all through-covers,
paper, type, sen timent, rhyme. Some OF
the pieces are not love songs, nor rsongs Of
any sort. The best one in the book 10
Jess Fore Christ mas" which was pub
lished in the Ladies' Home Journal this
month. 1t is delicious bit OF boy vaga-
bondia, tingling with boy-lore.
Father calls mo William. sister calls me WILL
Mother calls me Willie. but the fellers call
mo Bill
Mighty glad amt a grl-ruther be a boy,
Without them sashes, curls. an things that's
worn by Fauntleroy
Love TO chawnk green apples an go swim
min in the lake
Hate TO take the caster lie they give for belly
ache
Most all the time. the whole year round
thcre amt no HES on me,
But jess fore Christina. I'm as good as kin
be.
This is not fair sample of the verses
Mr.. Field has filed this dainty little book
with. 1t is not love song, exactly, but
said thought IL the best thing among
them when / first looked the book over,
and more careful reading did not change
that opinion, though many OF the others
| are more tender and more entitled to be
called poetry.
Mr.. Howells' "Their Wedd ing Jour
ney long ago-though not SO very long
| ago-made its own reputation, or began
to. 1t is one OF the masy good thin IS the
author has done To atone for thoss that
make US feel a little savage when his
name is suggested, and it Is issued in the
handsome dress given it by Hong h
| ton, Mifflin q Co. this holi-
| day season at very apro pos
time. Mr.. Howells Is letting hims elf
| down, easily and gracefully. from the peak
| he lifted himself to some time since,
and we are willing to take his "Wedd ing
Journey" as earnest that he is with US
once again. When this house issues an
edition de luxe, or a book intended to
have value as work Of art in
itself. there are no half mca sures
employed. The product Is apt to be lin
ished, in the best sense OF the word.
This book is q model OF book ma king
conforming to those canons that we feel,
but seldom name. 1t is sxquisitely printed,
the page Is proportioncd exactly right,
the margins satisfy Pathological taste,
the binding is simple and elegant, tosled
delicately ON white. The illustrations are
numerous, and ideally suited to the
text, not solely as flfumfning the mottvs
and action OF the narrative, but as tone
to tho delicate and artistic sentiment.
They are by Mr.. Clifford Car Teton, and
have the additional interest here in
Providence that they are done by
townsmsn. They are not in line
with the book illustration successes OF
last season, but have distinc originality.
They nearly all treat figures, and chiefly
the figures OF the couple who are on their
bridal tour; put the repetition does not
grow stale, because there Is expressed the
varying sentiment and occasion.
"Wben Moll as Six" by Eliza Orne
White, (Houghton NJ is a very pretty little
book, charmingly written. 1t tells about
a six x-year-old girl, and there is a story
for every month In tho year-an easy ar
rangement, aS molly was NOW 1eai q
day chick herself, and she and the
year enjoyed their birthdays together.
The illustrations are as charming as the
text, and are by Katharine Pyle. 1t is
printed on large, clear type, and is bound
up In covers that are so pretty one re-
grets, almost, to hide them frem sight
even for the purpose OF enjoying the
printed pages.
"The Story of Bad Boy" was first
published when the present generation
OF fathers OF bad of good boys were
themselves good and bad boys, so there
must be o perfectly new constituency
of boys to enjoy it. Mr.. Thomas
Bailey Aldrich has written
new preface, in which he says
the book is intended for the young and
for "men and women who still rsmem-
bered that they once were young"; and 1t
seems impossible that 1t will not enter
tain both classes. 1t Ia handsomely made,
with ali the art Of the simple elegance
and artistic sense OF proportion that
make the Houghton books popular.
Books and Bookmakcrs.
ain Gold and Silver" by q. III. ELL
H. II -..-A-