New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-14
LITERARY NOTES.


"The Saturday Review" prints an amusing
note on famous pair OF coiiaoora'oiS.
long literary partnership between Henri Meihac
and Ludovic Halevy," 1t says gave rise W
many misconceptions as to the snare Oh cav, ~
the works they produced. especially IN those
works the success OF which was owing 10 tue
con,,c element they contained. Meilhac Win MS
rnercurial temperament. his utter absence OF co"-
ventionality his fondness for pracucai 'oN'i,e
and, above all, his ready-somewhat 100 rea'S
hitting wit. was generally credited with having
contributed the greater part OF the brilliant ana
quaint conceits and so forth Halevy, VINO LOOKS
like q Hebrew prophet as we imagine lsaiah OF
E,es,e, 70 have BEEN and who is. in fact very
serious, was supposed to have conceived anu
elaborated the plots The very reverse was the
case As rule. the plot originated with 'he
restless man. the topsy-turvy dialogue with the
.oda,e and unperturbed one. Meilhac was ex-
ceed,nsly od-natured but hasty. AT rehears-
ala he stormed an draved, and the only one VINO
was really not afraid Of him was Hor'ehse
Schneider"
Mr. David Wilson. British Commissioner In
Burmah, has written a book on MI rIouuo
and Thomas Carlyle" in which 1t is said the
author goes for the biographer or the MS
tor,an with great JUNCTION and along some new
lines.
The Macmillan Company announces singing
Verses for Children" book OF childish concei's
nv Mrs Lydia Avery Coonley. with colored Illus
trations by Mrs. Alice Kellogg s. Tyler.
In the July number Of 'Blackwood's Magazine
there are three or four pages Of delightfully."- Loyal
and annrec,ative "reminiscences of Mrs. Ollphant
from the pen Of the present head OF the great
publishing house. One passage giving an III
teresting idea Of the length Of her term or ser
vice. runs as follows: More than half century
ago Mrs Olphart a. young girl Oh IeH'a'
able literary promise. was led by the eeh'ie
Delta tremblingly before the dread ulouhai oi
Christopher North. so long as she is young anu
happy work will do her harm said the sage
who little knew that he was addressing one VINO
more than any other was 10 MAINTAIN uhiih-
paired the traditions Of his beloved Maya anu
TO find the GROWING work of her life IN recoroihs
tie no, uneventful annals She was already
an old contributor when she wrote her WS'
Christmas Tale for the memorable number IN
which George Eliot began the Scores of Clerical
IJfe'" II Is said that Mrs. ELEPHANTS TWO
volume history Of Maya was left in such shape
az to be very easily put through the press Tor
publication in the fall
Anecdotes Of book hunting often have a flavor
as romantic and as fabulous as anything III 'ie
pages Of Sir John Vaudeville Kt' but there Is
this difference the boOk-hunters tales are usu-
ally true Here is one from recent nuihoer Oh
"Chambers's Journal" which is certainly eX-
traordinary:
"A London book hunter Of the last generation
gave 10 his son. as the 'nest-egg Of his future
library a translation Of The Life ana Chaiac-
ter OF Theophrastus' minus the tite-page' Dut
giving
his son. the father wrote his name on the ny
,eaf A few wears aft srward the son. accom-
named by his beloved books went TO Jamaica
where the translation in question was borrowed
of him by a military officer on service In that
\ colony This officer, being Unexpectedly trans
ferred with his regiment to another co.ohE'
quilted Jamaica very suddenly, inadvertently
taking with him tie borrowed translation,
circumstance which caused great annoyance
and regret TO its owner who pr1zed IL very
highly as being the gift OF his rather ana
containing that parents handwritlng lie mace
various attempts to learn the whereabouts Of the
officer who had carelessly carried OH the
treasured volume. but could never obtain any
tidings of him. and at length relinqushed the
effort. and gave up the book for lost. Ffve-and-
twenty wears afterward the book-hunter. having
returned to London, was one day strolling along
the Old Kent Road and peoring about him as
usual when he came to the shop of dealer IN
old iron near the then existent turnpike gate
which formerly stood nearly opposite the bur-
ial-ground AS he glanced into the dingy depths
Of this shop he suddenly espied his lost transla-
ton slowed away upon a shelf Hastily enter
ing the shop he bought back his missing treas
ure for the sum of sixpence which the man OF
iron seemed TO think himself very lucky IN
getting in exchange for il. The presence or MS
fathers handwriting on the fyeaf was still as
leeible as ever and rendered II certain that the
volume SO strangely recovered. was the ldenu-
cal one the loss of which he had so long de-
plored"
Mr. Nathan Haskell Dole's Indispensable Varl-
Drum edition of Omar Khayyam is to be brought
out IN a new edition by L. c. Page & CO., OF
BOSTON The book will contain Danish and ltai-
ian translations Of the Rubaiyat. in ADDITION 10
the English German and French renderlngs'
There will be additional notes and an amplihed
bibliograpby A number of portraits OF various
important transators will be included, ana these
will be welcome but it is a perilous experiment
10 nr,nt also some illustrations drawn by MI
r N Garrett Perhaps he will make some al
rnirable designs and lovers Of Omar will rejoice,
but then. again. he has Elihu Vedders illustra-
tions 10 rival and that may prove his Waterloo
BOOKS OF THE WEEK