New-York tribune., 1896-05-09
NEW BOOKS AND NEW EDITIONS.

ca, does no, 90 so far as il ought. Mr.. Martin
tells in his comparatively few pages OF history,
things about parodes that are worth knowing anu
that are to be sure. inaccessible to the generai
public But his notes, on the whole, are scrappy'
and as for the selections which fiji the greater num-
Der OF his pages they not half so well maze
as should be the case. Mr.. Martin seems 10 nave
forgotten many a piece which II IS unreaso"ao.e
In the editor Of anthology to forget: ana "hiie
ne explains the impossbi,ity Of incud.ng every
thing he knows II would have been better IL ne
had omitted many of the pieces actually printeu
and given in their place some OF the CLASSICS VIM"
we miss. Calverley for example, is NOT as "e',
represented as he should be. and MI Martin co.iu
have made room for some OF his good thhes ny
excluding those moderately amusing verses .io'
"Punch' of which he seems inordinateiy ioho'
And how the editor Of an Anthology Oh paI =,
could possibly have ignored the works OF D. ~ o..
is one OF those things which II Is hopeless 10 NY "
understand This volume. in short, Is good sAe,o"
toward an anthology OF parodies. n coi''0'''
collection remains 10 be made
In rb.r series OF literary gems there has oeen
published by G. p. Putnams sons Mohlaiene
essay on THE Education OF Childreh. IN ms
t,nv reprint one gets sturdy wisdom ana hhe
literature intertwned Montagne had what Is
called common-senss but he wrote with Iter-
ary charm that lends to his sasacity d e'ae
more associated with books tnah WIN "u.n"'.
things Perhaps 1t would be 5uster 70 say 'ha'
MOntaigne
parts Of the same experience The present essay
is one of his most characteristic productions ana
the form which the Putnams have given u IL 40
,xactly the form In which it is most pleasant 10
meet It, II one is to meet 1t alone ins'eao VI '''
volume of Montaigne's collected works.
The Putnams also publish, In their Ella series,
.some of the Dlscourses Of Epctetus, transiateo
by Professor Long. This volume makes an ca
celIent companion to Longs translation OF "a'IuS
Aurel,us The printing is admirable, ana the size
1S u,
however, that the cover is decorated IN holIu
s,vle not at all in harmony with the austere text
of Epictetus
Some Of the best contributions TO the Eighteenth
r.n+urv Riographical Series printed by the Scrlp-
ners have been made by Mr.. l.. b. See,ey he wrote
well OF Horace Wapole, OF Mrs lnraie anu %
Fanny Burney The three books IN "hlch ne cei1
brated these picturesque figures were all re'ieWeu
at length upon their first appearance ana hotins
f,r,her needs 10 be said in app; oval OF theiT
qualities A new edition OF the book oeVo'eo u
Miss Burney however. has just appeared, anu
note 70 that effect is necessary and al the Same
time pleasant TO print
To reprint old biography seems usually iful.iess
enterprise So much Of 1t has been lnVahua'eu ps
later researches that there are very ieW
IN tbis field which profably be reissued IN 'hef
original form. There are cases however 'ai'u we "o
ros thinking merely Of such classics as Lockhart or
RosweD in which 1t is desirable TO keep the bioS-
raphy In circulation just as 1t was nrst "''''en'
Messrs Stone G. Kimban enforce this opserVatioh
BY two volumes which they have recen'y puuIisneu p
The first Is devoted to Izaak Waltons hVes Oh Do"e
xyotton Hooker George Herbert and DR.. Sander
son It is undoubtedly true that modern criticis"
has found many things to tell, certainly many 'e'
to say about the subjects In Waltons pooK WHICH
Walton left untouched Yet has any one written
about Donne, for example. in a way TO make II un
interesting TO 20 back to Walton? 1t Is DOUBTFUL
The other day Mr. Saintsbury wrote an introouct'oh
TO a new edition Of Dome 1t Is an excehen' p'eee
of work. but it has no such quality as "a'o"
sketch possesses and the erudition OF many ino.-
ern bographers like Mr.. Saintsbury can reaoiiy pc
.n.rad for the sake OF those serene pages In which
the Angler told his stories Of the men ne wished 10
celebrate. This edition OF the Lives Is eA
ouisitely printed, and the binding, though II ooes
not promise to hold together very long, Is artstic
and appropriate The book appears In a series OIL
..EnsIish Classics" OF which Mr. W. +. ffeniey Is
the general editor For this particular Voiume MT
Vernon Blackburn writes an adequate ana chain''"s
introduction. IA.
an Introduction by David Hannay. that collection or
naval biographies which Southey wrote and left for
pretentious critics to treat with patronage anu ior
mere lovers of good writing TO prize as among 'he
best minor possessions Why Will people 20 Oh BOY
ING smart things about Southey as Though ne were
a mere hack whom the critical cock robins or the
present time could have taught? 1t Is true that 'S
very volume is piece OF hack WORK. Dut !. IS 'no
kind OF hack work which only true man Oh letter >
could do Compare 1t with the kind OF biographical
material that is most common to-day. Is any one
writing with more thoroughness with more SKILL
with more downright knowledge than Southey SHOWS
IN these studies OF Lord Howard OF Efnngnam' inc
Earl Of Cumberland. Hawkins Drake, ana ihonias
Etandish? AS matter OF fact these biographies
are models in their way and they come most iehc,'-
ously into a scheme devoted to English Classics
In the year 1886 one John Whitney came from
London to America. He brought with MN MS
wife Eleanor and his sons. John, Richard. Ma
thancl Thomas and Jonathan They settled IN
WATERFOWL Mass and from this source there
sprang Whitneys who have carried the name anu
the fame Of the family to all points OF the compass
in this country. The Whitney family came orig
tnally from the parish Of Whitney, in the county
of Hereford. Wales. The hrst menuioh VI
Whitney occurs In Domesday Book 1856 In the
gsneral armory of Burke the Whitneys are oe-
scribed as a knightly family of remote antiqui'y'
Their origin therefore dates from even further oack
than the note in Domesday Book To the history
Of these Whitneys Mr.. Henry Melville mas oe'o'eu
. volume of research which extends TO nearly three
hundred imperial octave pages. Into the geheaioS'
cal details with which his book Is concerned u 10
impossible TO enter here. but 1t may be sao 'ha'
the work is Of interest to stuoeh's Oh our
.n,on,al ancestors Mr.. Melville has spared no
,.n. IN the elaboration of his text 1t Is based on
the most careful Investigation. and 1t has peeh
written not only with enthusiasm but with oscie-
tior Not content with the vast amount OF MS
torcal information which he has been aoie 10 IN IN
corporate into his text, this writer has sought OUT
interesting Typographical records. he has repro
duced IN fac-simile important old documents. ne
has compiled and drawn out genealogical tables and
diagrams; and, finally. he has added to all his maps
and reproductions a number OF photographs from
scenes and buildings In England identhed with Inc
xvb,tnevs The whole has been printed at the DE
Winnie Press on exquisite paper In an edition OF oo'
copies. handsomely bound in vellum. The history
has been plainly labor Of love. and Mr. Melville Is
10 be congratulated upon having produced reaiiy
remarkable piece Of bookmaking, which Will he
matter Of pride not only 10 those Whtneys who can
claim descent from the original Whitney OF Whit