The San Francisco call., 1897-08-29
LITERARY NOIES.

I LITERARY NOTES.
Mark Twain has been asked by an English
publisher to write his autobiography, the
Bookman says.
James Payn has for several years been suf-
fering under grea physical disability, but his
courage and energy never fail him, and he is
about to issue a new novel, "AEothers
| Burthen."
Doubleday & Mcclure Co., New York, have
just issued the first of a series entitled 'Tales
From McClure's." The series is made up of
short stories selected for their intrinsic in
| terest among the best published in McClure's
Magazine.
At the request of Messrs Harmsworth and
Messrs Eyre and Spottiswoode of London,
| Lord Charles Beresford has consented TO col
iaborate with MT. II. W. Wilson in writing
new Life of Nelson, the first part OF which. it is
| hoped, will appear on Trafalgar day in Octo-
| Der next.
Harper & Bros. viii publish September 8:
! Certain Accepted Heroes" By Henry Cabot
Lodge; 'From Girls Point of View" by
Lillian Bell; 'Paste Jewels" by John Kendrick
Bangs; THE Painted Desert by Kirk Mum
roe; "Mrs. Keith's Crime (new edition), by
Mrs. W. K. Clifford; "Nooks and Corners of
the New England Coast (new edition), by
Samuel Adams Drake, and IAN Open-Eyed
Conspiracy" by w. D. Howells.
Mr.. Mere dith's volume of selected poems is
almost ready for publication, and will in all
likelihood be issued about the middle OF the
month. AS representative work the volume
will contain more than one notable poem
| written in recent years, and Mr.. Merediths
sonnet the death of Robert Browning, as
well as the fine Trafalgar Day" poem in ex-
altation of Nelson-"For he is Britain's ad-
miral till setting of her sun"-will each find
| place.
Stanley Waterloo's new book, 'The Story of
Alb; A Tale Of the Time of the Cave Men,
will appear probably next month and stimuli
! taneously in the United States and England.
1t will be published in this country by Way &
Williams of Chicago and in London by A. d
C. Black. publishers of the Encyclopedia Brit
annica. The delay in publica tion is caused by
the necessity of an arrangement between the
| two firms for first issue on the same day, In
order to preserve the international copy right.
Messrs L. c. Page & Co. of Boston have in
preparation revised edition OF the variorum
"Rubaiyat," edited by Nathan Haskell Dole.
1t viii contain Danish and Italian transla-
tions of the famous poem, in addition to the
English, German and French variants, ex-
tracts from Mr. lie Gallienne's version, addi-
tional notes, biography, photography, etc.
1t will be illustrated by q number OF drawings
by E. H. Garrett and with a number Of por-
traits of various foreign translators.
| Lee & Shepard will publish shortly a curious
book prepared by the late Queen of the Ha-
waiian Islands, who signs her introduction,
| '.Liliuokalani, of Hawaii, Patron of the Poly
nesian Historical Society,"" The work Is
| translation of an ancient Hawaiian chant, the
! ''yery chant which was sung by Puou, the
| high priest of our ancient worship, to Captain
| hnu, he ah LOQO.
| the four chief gods. dwelling high in the
heavens, but at times appearing on the earth"
1t is descrip ton of the creation of the world.
together with geneaIogy of the ancestors of
the dynasty to which King Kalakaua and the
Queen belonged.
Well suited to the use of high schools and
college preparatory schools Is the 'Short His
tory of Rome" By E. s. ShuckD Durgh, whose
larger work on "The History OF Rome to the
Battle of Actium" is already well known. The
Short History is supplied with maps, plans
aid few illustrations. Each chapter is pre-
ceded by a brief topical outline which is car
ried through the chapter also in paragraph
headings. The last cha pter contains notice
able summary of the condition of the Roman
empire under Augustus, with brief sketch OF
the study of literature and art under his pro-
lection, and the influence he extended over
his wide dominion
The Macmillan Company is about to publish
a new Handbook of European History" by
Arthur Hassall, general editor of the Periods
of European History series. 1t is gotten up
| somewhat after the plan of "Nichols' Histor-
ical Tables" or the "Chron illogical Outlines of
Literature" by Ryland and Whitcomb. Par
| allel columns show what events OF
Importance were taking place in diff
| ferent countries at or about the same
time. Germany, Eastern and Southern Eu-
rope, England and France are the divisions
| under which the entries are made. The Dook
cannot fail to be of great value. helping one
| to do away with some of the misconceptions
| which arise from the too common practice Of
reading the history of each nation by itself,
with only occasional refersnce to what is go
Ing on in other countries at the same time.
| Following these comparative ables are tables
of genealoges, lists of sovereigns, etc.
The autumn publishing season will be dis
tinguished by the issue of two biographical
yoiumes of frst-class Importance. Both will
come from the house of Macmillan. in several
respects the Lives will have points of resem-
blance; each is the work of son OF the sub
ject of the biography, and in both the
autobiographic element will have q place.
In each biography likewise there will
| be embodied considerable number
of letters, In the later years OF his
life Lord Tennyson was extremely reticent
with his pen. Professor Huxley, on the
other hand was an industrious epistolary
writer to the very last; not seldom, indeed, he
put himself to inconvenience in order to per-
sonally answer numerous inquiries and ad-
vice sought from him by various conditions OF
people The Life of the professor is likely to
appear few weeks earlier than that OF the
poet.
In the Book Buyer for this month Is q review
by Hamlin Garland of Miss Ellen Glasgow's
! "The Descendant" recently published by the
| Harpers Mr.. Garlsnd writes
"The principal thing to be observed is tnat,
in time of lath swords and tin armor, here
| is a young girl who sets herself to the
| difficult task of dealing with the life OF
| a man whose hand is against organ
ized society," and whose brilliant and
splendid powers seem TO produce only evil
| while he strives with his whole will to reform
and purify. That she has been only partly
successful in this great work is not to be won
dered at The courage of the attempt was
superb the achievement is worthy of gener-
Gus praise, and entities the author to very
high rank among the novelists of America.
naca dan an nf tha rlOe