New-York tribune., 1898-11-11
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
BOOKS ABOUT BIRDS-JANB AUSTEN
ANA-GAMES-W1RE-
LESS TEIEGRAPHY.

LESS TELEGRAPAf
Mr. Scotts Bird Studies" &c. r. putnam
sons) will be especially valued by those stuoeh's
vho wish 10 be able to identify the feathered
x.,s,,ors on their lawns and among their trees.
hut do not care to wade through the peoan'ic
d,sou,sitions with which too many orni'hoi-
ogists are disposed to burden their pages he
has divided his handsome volume into sections
first dealing with the birds that approach tho
house. then studying those that frequent the
h,chwav. and In turn taking up the character
,s,ic birds Of the woods. the fields. the marsh
end swami. stream and pond. BY this method
tho investigations OF the reader are al ohce
clarified He turns TO q section and finds every
bird associated with II concisely described Coi-
ors and markings are noted. the size or the
bird ia given. the nest and eggs are oe-
scribed and there are notes on Its breeding
niaces and its food To complete the scheme
Mr. Scott has Illustrated his volume with superb
nhotoerap phic plates. many OF them taken from
ufe Altogether this Is a beautiful and thor
oughly useful work
The author Of Bird Neighbors." Mr.. Neltjc
Blanchan. has prepared another book which
ought 10 be equally popular Compiling this
volume Birds That Hunt and Are Hunted
Doubleday G. Mcclure Company. with notable
system and learning. he has nevertheless taken
pains 10 make his text absolutely lucid. His
notes are full and instructive; they also make
very pleasant reading. Mr. Banchan's Illus
trations are printed in color They are remark
ably delicate and artistic In character The
printing IS perfect.
There are people who cannot read Jane Aus
ten. There are others among them Mark
Twain, who. we believe. find Fenimore Cooper
a difficult author. Well. are sorry for all
these unhappy people. They do not know what
they lose These reflections are suggested by
the new edition Of The Last Of the Mohicans,"
ius, brought out in two attractive octave VOL
umes by the Macmillan Company. The Illus
trations. admirably designed by Mr.. H. NJ.
Brock are In coors. The type is clear the
mage is small but has a sufficient margin. The
paper is Opaque and pleasant to the touch Ihe
weight Of the volume is slight. We are sorry
We repeat for the man who could resist 1t, VINO
could not be allured to subject himself to Coop
er's enchantment. 1t is little old-fashioned'
no doubt-so many good things are old-fash
joned-but II is very much alive: the romance
OF the woods as we'll the romance OF human
nature is In these pages. and to follow the ad-
venturous narrative through its turnings and
windings is to come into contact with exhila-
rating things There ought not TO be any doubt
about the popularity OF this new edition OF one
OF the first Of American classics.
The Harpers send US the current volume Of
their Round Table" less bulky in form than
its predecessors bound up when this periodical
appeared every week. but none the less valua-
BILE The policy pursued in the editing or this
Juvenile seems exactly what 1t ought to be. APP
pealing to boys and girls in their own field there
is nevertheless a quality in the Round Table
witch ought quietly 10 raise the standard OF
literary taste among such readers There IS
nothing sensational. but there is nothing dull
The editors light ht-hearted public is addressed
on high ground but It is never bored. One
thing in particular imprcsses us as we turn the
pages They are no whit less carefully printed,
they are no whit less artistically illustrated.
than the luxurious pages OF "Harper's Monthly"
itself.
More Bismarckiana. Professor Munroe Smith
of Columbia University reprints under the title
Of Bismarck and German Unity: A Historical
Outline" (The Macmillan Company. a newspa-
per obituary notice first published at the time Of
the statesmans death. The book is necessarily
OF the briefest description, but a good deal OF
Information IS condensed within it's ninety mine
pages and. we'll bound with an interesting from
tispece portrait. this is a meritorious contribu-
ton TO Bismarckian ephemerae
The Real Bismarck" by NJ. JIes Hoche.
translated by Mrs c. r. Rogers. and published.
with Illustrations. by r. F. Fenno G. Co.. belongs
in the category Of minor but readable works on
the subject. It gives fairly adequate survey OF
Bismarck's career. in plain prose. Busch's re-
cent volumes and the forthcoming Memoirs"
naturally cast a publication like this in the
shade. but It should serve as popular sketch.
Last year Marion Harland prepared in Some
Colonial Homesteads and Their Stories de-
lghtfully American holiday book. This season
che publishes a not dissimilar volume. dealing
with famous people of all countries. Where
Ghosts Walk: The Haunts Of Familiar Char
acters in History and Literature" &c. p Put
nam's sons) brings together the memories Of
traveller who has followed in the footsteps OF
Savonarola ard Burns, Sam Johnson and Saint
Catherine Of Sena- Dante and Carlyle. sketch
Ing tho scenes they knew and filling out her
pictures with well-selected anecdotes 1t is a
readable little book gossipy but dignined, and
the numerous illustrations from drawings. pho
tographs and paintings distributed through
pages printed we'll and tastefully bound.
BY the addition OF few chapters on modern
outdoor sports. The American Girls Handy
Book" (Scribner's), by Tina and Adelia B. Beard
has been brought into line with the spirit OF
to-day. The chief topics treated IN the new
part Of the work bicycling. swimming. golf
and the most approved Of recent IDEAS on gen.
eral physical culture. When the book was first
published. ten years ago, the day of these sports
had not come. Now. 1t Is evident at once that
no account OF girls amusements can be any
thing but hopelessly old-fashioned II 1t omits
them. The chapter on bicycling contains In
formation which. while not new. Is sound and
onncisolu nut 1uhiln that de alinR golf pivas