The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-16
Chimmie Fadden EXPLAINS.


1t seems that we are to have series of
Chimmie Fadden stories and that the
present volume is No. 2 of the series
In it Chimmie Fadden explains, although
his explanations are somewhat hazy, and
Major Max expounds. The peculiar style
of each of these worthless needs no exposi-
ton.
Mechanically speaking this No. of
the Chimmie Fadden stories is note
worthy. 1t is study in black and white
and lesson in topographic standards of
beauty. The face of the text type is bold
black letter. being what is known as the
Ienson type, after Nicholas Jensen, a
Frenchman, who at Venice in 1470 founded
the true Roman type. The initials, cover
and title-page for the book were designed
by Sindelar. and all are striking and
artistic The whole in fact very closely
suggests some of the best efforts of the
celebrated kelmscott Press, which the
artistic designs of William Morris have
made famous.
There is, however, such thing as the
eternal fitness OF things, in bookmaking as
in all else, and in bringing all these artistic
effects of antique-type Venetian black-let-
ter initials and delicate tracery into play
as setting for "Chimmie Fadden'' and
| major Max" the publishers have shown
lamentable disregard for this fitness. The
blunder is an unfortunate one. We have
not so much of really artistic bookmaking
in America that we can afford SO to
cheaper it. MIR. Townsend's work in its
antique dress is as painfully out of place,
as shocking to artistic sensibilities as
well, as Chimmie Fadden himself is in re-
fined society.
1t is a question whether the reading
world really wanted any more of Chimmie
In g..
but like the real live Bowery boy for whom
he stands, little of him goes a great way
Major Max is at once more commonplace
and more endurable, but, when all is said
and done, they are both Just little tire
some. They have so very little to say that
when the charm OF novelty has worn away
from Chimmies dreary slang and the
majors circumlOcution something else is
needed to hold the readers attention.
New York: Lowell, Coryell & Co. For
sale by Doxey, San Francisco. Paper, so
cents
Familiar Flowers of Field and Garden.
We have seen nothing better of its kind
! than this attempt by f. Schuyler Mathews
to identity for the uninitiated our familiar
garden and wild flowers Most of our
botanies are too technical. Most of our
| writer's on botany are too learned to be
very uSe1ul 10 Ine student VINO wants to
know flowers merely as flowers. The usual
way of the botanists is to give the bare
facts about plants in phraseology that re-
quires reference to an elaborate glossary
and the mastering of an unknown tongue
20 comprehend the simplest description OF
the commoneSt weed.
Mr.. Mathews does nothing of this sort.
He writes of the flowers and plants bv
their familiar names, but gives also their
botanical names and adds a little personal
gossip about EACH for it is evident that the
| flowers are his friends and intimate ac-
| quaintances. He knows the family history
| of each, and tells US something of them
| and their relations and associates in the
most sociable way Imaginable He is,
| moreover, an artist. He has himself
| sketched from nature each plant of which
he writes, and he adds, what only an artist
can add to his descriptions, accurate desig-
nations as to color. Nothing is more be-
! wildering to the amateur botanist than
the absolute inconsequence with which
most scientific students of plant life write
| of the colors of plants. 1t would seem as
though with most of them everything is
| blue that is not red, and whatever Is left
| is yellow. The present work is by no
means an exhaustive treatise on the bot
| any of the Eastern States, but so far as it
goes, and it covers great deal of ground,
it is excellent and will fill very real want.
New York: D. Appleton & Co For sale
by William Doxey, San Francisco. Price.
81 1871