Evening star., 1897-02-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
UNDERoURRENTs OF THE SECOND EMPIRE:
Notes and Recollectiuns By Albert d. Van.
dam. author Of An Englishman in Paris -
New York; @. P. Putnam's Sons. Washington:

dam, author Of An Englishman in Paris. ="
Brentanos.
This is book edition Of a series OF pa
pers published throughout 1895 in the
| North American Review, but there are evil
| dences Of the solidifying and bettering pro-
cess that usually attacks a serial publica-
| ticn when It is prepared for individual
! covers. There is at present a great awaken
| ing Of interest in French history, caused,
| perhaps, by the Napoleonic revival and
| this has in turn directed close attention to
the second empire, as being intimately typ
ical of the Gallo record Of latter days. No
period deserves closer treatment, for 1t was
OF momentous consequence in the deVel-
opment Of the French republic, and to pres
ent-tine readers, certainly, 1t possesses as
strong charm as even the more dramatic
time of the first consul and emperor. The
volt me just issued comes from an actual
| observer of many of the events he now out
| lines, and his work is well done. The lit
1 erary finish with which he turns out the
| chapters Is itself an attraction. 1t is hardly
| a history that is thus written, but it is
| rather-and, perhaps, better-a sketch Of
! the secondary events which contributed SO
| powerfully to the momentous episodes cul-
minating in 1870 in the downfall OF the
empire. The Messrs. Putnam have given q
handsome form to the work.
MONETARY SYSTEMS OF THE WORLD. Revised
Edition By Maurice l.. Muhleman, Deputy As
| distant United States Treasurer at New York.
New York: Charles H. NiccI.
AS stated in It's subtitle, this is "a study
Of the present currency systems and sta
| tistical information relative to the volume
of the worlds money, with abstracts of
various plans proposed for the solution OF
| the currency problem in the United States. ;"
The first edition of this comprehensive and
| convenient work was issued about two
years ago. The present revision has en-
| abled the author, who is known as one Of
| the foremost of experts on the history and
statistics of currencies and governmental
| finances, to include many valuable features
| suggested by the latest discussion on this
alifmportant topic. The table of contents,
here outlined, indicates the scope of the
| work. United States-Present Monetary
System. Obsolete Forms Of Money, The Vol
| ume of Money. Legal Tender; The British
Empire; The Latin Union; Other European
Countries; Asia; Africa; America, other
| than the United States; Oceanica; Volume
| Of the Worlds Money: The Clearing-h house
System; International Exchanges; Inter
| national Monetary Conferences; Proposi-
tionS for the Solution of the Currency
Problem; Appenoix-Causes for Recent
Bond Issues in the United States.
| THE SIGN OF THE CROSS By Wilson Barrett,
with frontispiece. Philadelphia: ]. y. Lppin-
cott Co. Washington: BrentanO's
This story Of the persecution of Christians
] by the Emperor Nero was given its first
form as a drama, which achieved a marked
success abroad. Its expansion into a novel
Is rather a reversal of the later custom
which results in the transformation of sue
cessful books into plays. The tale of THE
Sign Of the Cross is a stirring one and
| naturally. dramatic in it's situations and
climaxes. The Nero of the book is a liter
| ary development of the Nero of history,
implacable, bestial and tyrannical. The
heroine whom he condemns to death for
her adherance to the Christian faith in
Rome, love that leads him to accom-
pany her to the sacrificial arena, to death
as Christian. The picture of Roman life
which is tainted in the course of the mar
| its realism. yet the conviction is borne
strongly upon the reader that the strokes
are none too powerful.
AN OPAL. Verses by Ednah Proctor Clarke. Bos-
ton: Lamson. Wolfe & Company.
Miss Clarke's poetic work has been given
a previous Introduction to many readers
through occasional publications in the At
| lantic Monthly, the Century and the
Harper's Bazar. The present volume is
compilation Of the verses that have already
thus appeared, enriched by additions from
the manuscript portfolio of the young
poetess, whose style is distinct and charm
ing. f1eT IHOtlNe Is now DAINTY, now Ora
matte. and again slyly humorous. There is
power In the closing selection, After the
Battle" while Tom Weavers Wooing' is
a charming love story of the early days of
dialect. pretty dress is given by the
book-maker to these verses which will
| surely find many delighted readers, espe
cially In Washington, where Miss Clarke
has many friends.
THE CHICAGO RECORD COOK BOOK Chicago:
Published by The Record
In these days OF many cook books prob
ably the best description Of this latest
conner will be found on its own title page,
which announces that the volume contains
''seasonable, inexpensive bills Of fare for
every day in the year. designed to furnish
good living, in appetizing variety. at an
expense not to exceed $500 a year for a
family Of five, arranged SO that remnants
from one day can frequently be used with
menus of the next" There are !, 100 prize
| recipes in the book, selected as the best
from 10000 contributed by the women Of
America to the Records contest, which
as conducted from day to day for several
mon this. Thus the recipes are cosmopoli-
tan in character ard represent great va
riety OF tastes.
GUIDE TO SYSTEMATIC READINGS IN THE
ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA. New and
Revised Edition. By James Baldwin, Ph.D.
Eegies." The Story Of Siegfried," etc. Chi
cago: The Werner Co.
This guide" is, in fact, classified index
with an interesting commentary running
along in explanation. 1t is divided into
chapters that arrange the matter of the
encyclopaedia not only into subject topics,
but also into courses Of study for particular
occupations and lines Of work The revision
is undertaken to adjust the guide" to the
latest development of the encyclopaedia, In
the form of the American supplement, just
published by the same company.
HOPKINS'S POND, AND OTHER SKETCHES By
Robert T. Norris New York: G. p Putnam's
Sons Washington: BrentanO's.
A true sportsman, who loves nature in
all her moods, and who sees new things to
note and to admire on every hunting and
fishing expedition. has evidently written
thsse charming pages. The book is an
easy. discourse on grouse. brant, trout,
deef, .ceot and other denizens of forest,
field and stream, but 1t is not in the least
scientific, and the little essays into which
the volume divides are simple and plain in
their style, yet bear unmistakable evidence
Of close study and consequent accuracy.
THE BOOK OF LIES By John Langdon Heaton