The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-02

sions. Including Trick Photography" is the
title Of q large illustrated volume complied and
edited by Mr.. Albert A. Hopkins, and issued by
Messrs. Mum & Co. from the offices OF the
Scientific american. This is about the most
complete and comprehensive treatise on L'Art
MdgiQue and its kindred subjects yet pub
lisbed, and 1t deals not only with natural magic
and legerdemain. but gives an Interesting expo.
sition of many stage illusions. which. as well
as the tricks of tho modern prestidigi-
tateur magnificent wordh. are interesting
In that they are largely based on in.
gcnious applications of scientific principles.
An Introductory chapter gives q general
survey Of the field Of magic and mystery. from
the temple tricks OF the ancient Greeks to
the spurious necromancy OF Cagliostro. and
the wonderful mechanical illusions and marvel
lous slcight-of.hand tricks OF Robert Houdin,
and down to the finished exhibitions OF the late
Hermann and other wizards OF our own age;
while in that portion Of the book devoted to
photography there is, among other things, an
explanation OF tho mechanism and methods OF
working OF the MICROSCOPE, autograph. rnd
other instruments employed in the projection OF
moving pictures. There is a large number Of
illustrations. many OF which are somewhat crude
and old-fashioned and scarcely ia keeping with
the general excellence of printing paper, sc.
THE American Railway; Its Construction,
Development, Management, and Appliances"
(Scribnersl. is the title OF a volume made up OF
q series OF papers of great and permanent value,
each of which is written by an expert and
authority on his particular subject. A general
introduction is written by Judge Thomas NJ.
Cooley; Mr.. Thomas Curtis Clarke writes OF
the Building Of a Hallway; Engineering is
treated by Mr.. John Bogart, State Engineer
Of New York; Railway Passenger Travel by
Cen Horace Porter. and So m. Among the mr.
ticles OF most interest TO the non-professional
reader are that on the Railway Mail Service.
by Mr.. Thomas l.. James, eX-Postmaster.Gen-
eral, and one on the Every Day Life of Railway
Men. by Mr.. h. B. Adams, Jr. The volume is
well illustrated. and in addition TO being OF
great general interest, is . valuable work OF
reference.
Messrs. Scribner publish a new edition of
that most popular of all Mr.. F. r. Stock;on's
novels. "Rudder Grange" with the original
illustrations by Mr.. A. b. Frost, and a cover de-
sign in black, white, and green that is a beauti-
full example OF simple work in fiat tones.
Volume y. and NJ. of the fine, thirty-volume
Centenary edition Of the works of Thomas Car.
lyle imported by Messrs. Scribner), which is
printed from the text OF the last edition, col
lated and arranged by Carlyle himself. are. re.
spectively, Past and Present" and that master
piece OF modern biog aphical writing, The
Life of John Sterling" Mr.. II. d. Trail, under
whose supervision the whole edition is being
brought out, writes an introduction to each
volume.
In these rather dull and highly scientific days
of ours such an event as the discovery of a new
world Is worth recording. And II any one doubts
that that discovery has been made. let him get
Animal Land. Where There Arc No People"
IL. p. Dutton & Coz. In this wonder
full little book he will find depicted such
strange animals as the Boddles, who screams
and eats candles and soap; tho Jumma, who
likes chocolate and rabbits. and has the mis-
fortune to BIO a little "blingey -; the Cattaby, a
curious beast that only hops and eats and eats
and eats" The Hottie, that stands on its head
and enjoys itself, and the Ginniwits. that is
larger than any table and is aicays there. and
many other rare and curious creatures hitherto
unheard OF. We should like to try and describe
them all; the excitable fish-eating Womp. the
obedIent Dopple, who docs everything 1t is
told to do and eats pumice stone;' the gentle
| Pollyannset and the rest-but no de.
s~cription could do them justice. They
are pictured by Mrs. Catherine Corbet
from descriptions given by her four-year.old
daughter Sibyl, OF whom Mr.. Andrew Lang.
in an introduction to the volume, says: Her
happy vein Is the vein of Nonsense. not of
Mysticism or Of Arithmetic. Her invisible play
mates are the Didd, tho Stoop. and the Wuss.
She is the Pascal OF pure Bosh, and
discovers it afresh. as the child Pascal
independently invented the elements Of Euclid.
i confess that her inspirations give me more en-.
tertainment than the Asses Bridge, and that
famed Pythagorean discovery, for Joy OF which
the sage sacrificed a hecatomb." As for tho
whereabouts OF Animal Land, let the four.year-
old author thus describe it in her own words:
Animal Land where there are no people is quite
near. only you can't Sc, II. II is a kind Of Garden Cage,
with the North Pole and the sea always roughling
and wayy. In the summer they like to be- hotter and
hotter, and In the winter colder and colder. They live
by the North Pole and in the leafy places near. 1t Is
always light there. always day; they climb the poles
and always play. That is Animal Land.
There is moro quaint and curious fun In this
little book than in a dozen volumes by some
professional humorists.
A child's book almost worthy to rank with
the immortal alice in Wonderland" Ia
Miss Edith King Halls adventures In
Toyland." illustrated by Alice Is. Wood.
ward. We shall be much surprised il Belin.
da. the wicked wooden soldier, the bicycle
man, tho contding rabbit, and tho PREACHER.
GUS clockwork mouse and all the rest Of
these delightful characters do not seem very
real to the wise little folk. There 10 plenty OF
quiet fun, too. in the show given by these very
human wooden figures that may appeal to tired
people who are no longer as young as they
would like to be, while the dainty, humorous
Illustrations are, as the showmen say, "alone
worth the price OF admission"
NJ. Maurice Boutet de Monvel. whose illus
trated children's books. In France. are looked
upon as classics In their way. published last
year in Paris a simple story OF the life OF Joan
of Arc, with a series of exquisite ~fat.tone col
ored pictures. A beautiful edition, with the
original plates and an English version OF the
story by NJ. A. I. du Pont Coleman, is issued by
the Century Company. 1t is a fine example OF
tho best OF NJ. do Mouvel's decorative work.
In the second series of American Lectures
on the History of Religions" Messrs. Putnam
publish "Religions OF Primitive Peoples" by
Daniel @. Brinton. A. NJ, LID, Sc. d.
One Of tho best examples of the excellent work
recently turned out by Messrs. J. NJ. Dent s. Co.
Is tho fine two-volume edition OF Sponsors
Faerie Queene, with an introd ction by John
w. Hales. NJ. A., Professor Of English Literature
at Kings College, London. and a number OF
pictures and decorative designs in black and
white by Mr.. Louis Fairfax Muckley. Mac