Kansas City journal., 1897-10-11
ON our BOOK TABLE.
SOME OF THE LATEST OFFERINGS
TO THE READING WORLD.
Literary Notes, and Comments ON the
Authors Of the Day and Their
Productions-Ncw Books
Received.

Captains Courageous. BY Rudyard
Kipling. 12rno, 800 pages, with twenty cne
illustrations by W. Taber. Cloth. Price.
s1.5o. The Century Company, New York.
The author of the Jungle Books and of
the stories OF Soldiers Three has writ
ten in Captain Courageous his first
American novel. Mr.. Kipling never ven-
lures into a field that he does not know.
and there have been many proofs of his
intimate knowledge of the strong types of
American character and of the picturesque
scenes that he depicts in this novel. The
story deals with the experiences of the son
of a Western millionaire. He is a
boy of only 15 years, but he has been
spoiled by a dsoting and indulgent mother.
He is swept by wave from the deck OIL an
Atlantic liner. and is picked up by the
crew of a fishing vessel on the Grand
Banks. The captain of the smack Is a
typical Yankee skipper, who rldicules ms
story Of wealth and prominence, ana forces
him to work his way until the cruise Is
ended. After q. false start or two the boy
faces the situation with true American
pluck. His months of continual hardshlp
his association with the rugged, sturdy
fishermen, develop the latent manliness In
his character. The book is full of the
breezy romance of the sea-. and the ad-
ventures are stirring and thrilling. 1t is
the most vivid picture of life on the Grand
Banks, with its pearls and its tragedies,
noaed hds in eosn Other ee BOOKS by Mr. Kipng it
appeals with equal force to young and
Mr. Kipling is invariably felicitous in his
choice Of titles There has been some
speculation as to the source from which
he drew the happy title, Captains
THAI i Wss probaby aken
from the good old ballad of Mary Am
bree."
when captaines courageous, whom death
Did march to the siege of the City of
Gaunt," etc.
And later:
Whom thinke you before you now you doe
behold?"
1.-THE Crime of sylvestre Bonnard;"
Translated from the French of Anatole
France by Arabella Ward. With illustra-
tions by 2. Boyd Smith; Faiense edition;
& Co, New York and Boston.
1.-The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard" has
justly taken its place as one Of the typical
examples of romance in the highest and
purest French style. In spite of the
name. there is absolutely nothing sem
sational in the story. The hero; like the
Academy; he is an elderly man who, in
spite of having delved all his life in an
tiquities. and being more familiar with
own time, has nevertheless a most sensi-
tive and generous nature. Down in the
depths Of his heart there Is large room
for romance and sentiment, and when at
last he discovers in somewhat raw and
unframed maiden in humble position, the
daughter of his first and only. though long
lost love, he finds scope to lavish the sup
pressed tenderness of a lifetime. The
fascination of the story lies in the wonder
ful portrayal Of the genial old scholar who
put his benefactions in a quantity ironicaI
light. There is little action to the story,
1t has the beauty of slowly winding
stream full Of perfect reflections and un-
disturbed by any disagreeable association
The subordinate characters are likewise
drawn with care; the grabbed yet PAINS
pretty Princess Trepoff, the exquisite
Madame de Gabry and her likable husband
and tho sweet and natural Jeanne. The
high quality. full of nobility and refine
ment The translation has been made
with scrupulous care and worthily trans
fers to English the flavor of the original.
TALES From Hans Andersen With
colored frontispiece and eight full page
illustrations. by L. ]. Bridgman. 16mo. 75
cents. 7. Y. Crowell 6, Co., New York
and Boston.
1t would be work of supererogation to
praise the fairy stories of Hans Christian
Andersen. For half a century his name
has been a household word all over the
world. The story of The Ugly Duckling,'
The Constant Tin Soldier. Little TUX"
food of millions of happy children. They
are rightly held up as models, not only OF
simple style and beauty, but also of whole
some moral instruction. If they depict
selfshness and cruelty, they show them up
as they are in life and make them de-
testable; II they paint the virtuous suffer-
Ing injustice they make it evident that
courage and virtue are their own reward
even IL they do not always seem to tri.
umph in the end. The present collection
contains twenty-seven of the most char
acteristic of Andersen's tales and NAV be
recommended to the attention of parents
and others who desire to find uneXception-
able literature for the young. These tales
offer the right stimulus to the imagination
and are treasure for any household.
1.-THE Days of Jeanne Dare" BY Mary
Hartwell Catherwood. With frontispiece
reDroGuction of the statue by P Dubois
limo. 2S0 pages. The Century Company
New York. Price, s1.50.
The story of Jeanne dare has of late
been much in the mind of the world of art
and letters. With the revolt from petty
realism has come a relish for tales Of
genuine heroism and strong but healthful
emotion. Mrs. Catherwood has made a
close study of the life and times of the
Maid of Domremy. and she has repro
duced the spirit of the age with fidelity
and picturesque effect. Her Jeanne is no
military maid. but timid. loving. tender
child-a child devout Aand single minded
and possessed with the passionate devo
ton of her sex and creed. fired by love