Evening star., 1898-12-16
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

THE Ell HISTORY TOE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE Meth
aANs af tcb hs5 by Petrss IT, Johannes Bok professor
Translated by Oscar A. Berstadt and Ruth Put
Ran,,,p Pan Part t. l. ~ From the Earliest Times to the
G. T. Putnam's Sons Washington: Woodward
4 Lothrop.
This Is the beginning of history of the
Dutch people. In view of the political
changes through which those people have
passed during the centuries, it becomes
more than history of a nation, as that
word is applied to an organization. There
has thus far been ne such complete ac-
count of the Dutch. Professor Biloxi is we'll
suited to the task. His translators have
infused into their work a thorough appre-
citation of the Dutch character well as a
familiarity with the two languages. In
consequence, the work as it now stands,
presented in one volume, promises to be
worthy of wide recognition as monument
OF industry and practical achievement.
sketch of the divisions which the author
has adopted in preparing his work will af-
ford comprehensive, though brief, notion
of the changes which have taken place in
the Dutch body polite: % The period of
the most ancient times, ending with the
complete development of the feudal states
| in the fourteenth century; CD the period of
Bergundian power, ending in the last half
of the sixteenth century; CD. the period of
the eighty vars war; ending in 1913; az
1898; (5) the transition period of French in
f1uance until 1915; 90 the period of the
kingdom of the United Netherlands until
1880; ca the period of the history of Hoi-
land after the separation from Belgium.
CUBA AND PORTO RICO; with the Other Islands
of the West Indies their Topography. Climate,
Flora. Products Industries, Cities. People; Po-
ltieal Conditions. etc. BY Robert r. Hill o.
the L. $. Geological Survey. Illustrated New
York: The Century Company
The war with Spain and its remarkable
political results close at hand have wrought
coincidental literary results of equal note.
A sudden and keen interest in Cuba and the
adjacent islands near by has been awak-
ened among the people of the United States.
Some of them concerned only as cit
izens, aroused to patriotic solicitude for
the welfare of the people of these commun-
tiles. Others are interested for business
reasons. The opening of a new commercial
prospect is event of great Importance,
and there is q consequent demand for au-
thentic Information about the islands bear
ing not only upon the sociological and po-
litical and geographical phases but closely
descriptive well of the trade factors, the
opportunities for investment, the material
needs of the people, the chances for profit.
| In Cuba and Porto Rico" Mr.. Hill. who is
a well-known Wasningtonian goes further
than mere enumeration of commercial
statistics and references. for he treats en-
tertaningly and instructively of Cubas po-
litical and social aspects and thus presents
an historical work of exceptional value.
His geographical references are based upon
close personal observati ton. The photo
graphs from which the book is Illustrated
are artistic and numerous.
COMMERCIAL CUBA; Book for Business Men.
BY William j. Clark. with an Introduction by
f. Sherman Gould. Illustrated. New York:
Charles Scribners Sons. Washington: Bren-
tanos.
Mr.. Clark treats specifically of Cuba in
this work and confines himself more closely
than does the author of the volume just
noted to the commercial aspect of the ter
ritory. His purpose is to present work
which, as the subtitle indicates. will be IF
value to business men, for he analyzes
the various opportunities for capitalists and
manufacturers. The first chapter treats of
the. best manner OF approaching a Cuban,
and deals incidentally with the social life
of the people in an instructive manner.
graphical OF Certain Writers of the Nineteenth
trated. New York: Dodd Mead & Co.
In Ecclesastes it is written: "Of making
many books there Is no end" A modern
version of the sentiment would be incom-
plete without some such addition as the
present volume suggests. Surely, the read
ing world of today is well supplied with
books about the writers of books. One of
literature is the turning of critical and ap-
preciative attention upon the authors who
are now dead, but whose works live with
undying force And yet with all the out
put of these books about bookmen, there
seems to b. no croWding of the field for
the lives of the men who have given Amer
lean letters a high place in the worlds eS-
TEEN are worthy of the closest study from
many points Of view Tha present volume
deals mainly with such writers as Irving,
Cooper Bryant, Poe. Hawthorne. Emerson,
Whitman, Whittier, Lowell, Longfellow and
Holmes. The author confesses that he has
been unable to cover the field, for he has
given scant space to Thoreau, Motley and
Others who are entitled to be considered in
the front rank of american bookmen.
CORONA AND CORONET: Being a Narrative Of
the Amherst Eclipse Expedition TO Japan. In
Mr. James Schooner yacht COionet. to Observe
the Suns Total Observation 9th August, 1896.
BY Mabel I.ooms Todd, anthor Of Total
Fclipses of the Sun Illustrated. Bos-
ton: Houghon. Mifl,n & Comrany.
There is a certain fascination about the
methods of astronomers and especially in
their efforts to take advantage of every
opportunity, at whatever cost, to observe
the phenomena of nature. This work am
ply illustrates the tendency to go to any
amount of expense to see things when there
is a chance that the sum of human knowl-
edge may be increased. The spectacle of a
party of men and women-there was one
other woman besides the author-voyaging
to japan from the eastern shores of Amer
lea to see an eclipse is refreshing even IN
these davs of adventure and enterprise, es-
pecially when the means of conveyance was
a small Yacht. OF course the journey was
much In the nature of pleasure trip, and
this fea ture enhances the literary value of