The herald., 1898-10-16

uleS VI 1AlStcHCe.
The Appletons keep on announcing
new and good things. David Harum,"
a story of American life by the late Ed
ward Noyes Westcott, Is attracting much
attention on account Of the quality of
the book and the circumstances attend
ing its publication. Besides the above
is Concerning Isabel Carnaby," a new
novel by Ellen Thornycroft, and Max
we'll Grays new story, 1.-THE House of
Hidden Treasure" which the author be-
lieves to be her best work since 1.-The
Silence of Dean Maitland"
The first serious history of the late war
to appear will probably be Marion Will
cox's "Short History of the War With
Spain." which will be published in No
vember by the Frederick A. Stokes COM
pany. Mr.. Wilcox, 1t will be recalled,
| wrote an admirable war diary for Harp
er's Weekly during the period of hostili-
ties Possibly, however. Richard Hard
ing Davis history, entitled 1.-The War Of
1885," may be presented to the public
| flrst. This volume Is now passing
| through the press of Charles Scribner's
Sons. The bases of the history are Mr..
Davis articles in Scribner's Magazine,
which have afforded so much interest
during the last few months. The char
| acteristic of this volume Is that it will
have the combined value of a wideawake
war correspondents momentary impress
| sions and descriptions, written in the
midst Of events, and the carefully con-
| sidered summing-up by an especially Sc
| rious, II not competent, student of war.
mot all the reasons given for the de-
layed publication of book are as neat
and conclusive as those advanced in the
case OF recently announced book, Ease
in Cycling The publisher had to beg
for indulgence because his author had
just been pitched off his wheel, broken
his collar bone and lain insensibIe for
sixty hours"
A volume of California verse by Mar
shall 1lsley Of Santa Barbara is an
nounced for publication about October
LIST by Elder & Shepard, San Francisco.
The volume will be beautifully done. Mr..
1lsley's work is stepped in the sunlight
and perfume Of California Of the south.
o o o
After Hawaii, Jamaica. The ladys
desire to get on board too, while COM
mendable, is embarrassing. It is all
tvery we'll to be nice and polite, but what
with the thousand and one sultanas in
the Pacific, the ship of state will need
overhauling II she's to carry any more.
In addition, there is the example and
contagion Of it to be considered. If
Jamaica be admitted into the family
circle, who knows but what that black
wench Of a Hayti will want to smuggle
in too. Then there are the Leewards,
the Windward set, the Bahamas and the
lot of them. And a bad lot they are.
Long ago the government cut st. Thom-
as in the street. There is no reason why
it should hand Jamaica up the hatch
way now. Besides, it is an island with
a past. Since the year /, when it was
known as Xaymaca, its carer has been
a compound Of rum and crime. There
was an epoch when it's wastes wavered
between earthquakes, massacres and
buccaneers. Latterly its behavior has
been more in consonance with the usages
Of good society, but 1t Is an island with
q past all the same. No good ever came
from there. We have no real use for 1t,
and we have enough shady territories as
1t is.-Edgar Saltus in Golfers Weekly.
THE AMERICAN KING. By Ben
Rhodes. Paper covers, $50 pages.
| Price, so cents. San Francisco:
American Publishing company.
! story of exciting adventure; Cali
fornia in the early days; from wealth
to poverty and back to wealth again:
the ups and downs of mining life; and
last, but not least, a study of financial
| systems as they are conducted in these
United States; pen picture of the eco
nomic and Industrial conditions as they
have suffered under the contraction of
the currency and the decentralization of
silver; how the people since the closing
days Of the war have suffered from the
operations of contraction. aided and
| abetted by that great calamity which,
in spite of sneers and derision, has we'll
been termed "the crime of '73." 1.-THE
American King" is, in other words,
historical romance. There is hero and
heroine, and they "live happily ever
after" but their prior experiences are
we'll worth reading.
The book Is crudely written in some re-
spects. The author has not mastered the
science Of novel-making as It is laid
| down by the critics; and yet there is
a life, purpose, in the written words
that atones for any deficiencies in plot
and literary style. People familiar with
the early history of California will agree
that it presents realistic and typical
scenes and events. The great worth of
the book, however, lies in the great
truths that 1t presents. For those who
wish to secure an adequate description
and close understanding of the causes
that have plunged our country into
financial and industrial difficulties, the
book is bonanza. It is IAN education
In political economy in simplified form"
The author hides his identity under the
pen name of Ben Rhodes" but he need
not court such obscurity.
| O O o
CALIFORNIA PLANTS IN THEIR
HOMES: A BOTANICAL READ
Err FOR CHILDREN. BY Alice
| Merritt Davidson. Los Angeles: B.
r.. Baumgardt & Co. Cloth, illus
trated, $40 pages, with index.
A California book, by Los Angeles
author, and printed here at home! The
author was formerly teacher Of botany
in the state normal school in this city,
and the aim of the book is 'to foster
] children's love for nature and for out