The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-17
LITERATURE OF THE DAY
THE BIOGRAPHICAL EDITION
OF THACKERAY's WORKS

OG 4AAOAGhd y WUhAS
'.Vanity Fair" and "The Memoirs of
Mr.. Charles j. YeIlOwpIush"-
''The Gods of Our Fathers" by
Herman L. Stern-"Cuba at a
O'Hagan.
The book does everything but pay"
wrote Thackeray Of "Vanity Fair"
shortly after it was published. And yet
how much in the coin Of many lands
has vanity Fair" not paid since then?
Here we have new edition of it-and
fortunately not Of 1t alone. but of all
of Thackeray's long list of newsstand
II the public is at all discerning 1t will
pay the publishers a goodly sum in
deed, for this new edition has an adj
vantage over all others that will place
it in the libraries where already are
choice editions of the genial artist; for
this is the biographical edition and
as such it's publishers have right to
claim great things. AS is well known
Thackeray. for good or evil, objected
to having his biography written; the
publics concern was with the books,
not the man. Now those who could
have written with authority of the
man respected his wish, and so it hap
pened that no reliable life Of the great
novelist was ready for his lovers. Still
respecting the spirit Of his prejudice
while. perhaps, disregarding the letter.
10
to her fathers works, that, being far
from the ordinary birth, life, and death
chronicles, reveal the man as he was
and as he still is to all who know him
through his books. The picture that
Mrs. Ritchie draws Of her father is not
a new Thackeray, there's not a rev.
citation in it SO far, it is just a corrob-
GRAFTON Of our own Thackeray: but
it's all the more acceptable for that,
for who does not like the assurance
that he has seen with true eyes, The
biographical edition is to consist of
thirteen volumes, to appear monthly,
and each volume is to be prefaced by
a sketch Of that part of Thackeray's
life that was most closely connected
with the novel, and in this way we
continue to see Thackeray as he wish
ed to be seen-in his relation to his
work, and therefore to his readers SO
the book and it's preface mutually illu-
inmate each other.
Vanity Fair" while it does not be-
long with the masters earlier writings,
yet connects him with the schools of
his boyhood, and Mrs. Richie bases on
this most charming sketch OF Thack-
cray the boy-"Billie Boy as she calls
him.
Vanity Fair" went the rounds Of the
publishers, like many another master
piece, and after it found one with dis
cernment enough to bring it out the
'sale was SO small that it was ques-
ton at that time whether it's publica-
ton should not be discontinued alto
gether." This we read Of the novel
which Thackeray himself called un-
doubtedly the best Of his books. "It has
the best story" he said. land for an
other thing the title is such a good
one, you couldn't have better"
Even in the days before the "Book
News" extracted the authors personal
"aims'' from them. writer's occasionally
expressed themselves, though perhaps
only to their nearest. Thackeray
writes to his mother: "Of course, you
ere quite right about Vanity Fair
and Amelia being selfish. 1t is men
TONED in this very number. My object
is not to make a perfect character, OF
anything like it. Don't you see how
oGious all the people are in the book
with the exception of Dobbin), behind
all of which there is dark moral, 1
hope.
'sWhat I want is to make a set of
people living without God in the world
(only that is a cant phrase). greedy,
pompous men, perfectly self-satisfied
for the most part, and at ease about
their superior virtue. Dobbin and poor
Briggs are the only two people with
real humility as yet. Amelia's is to
come when her scoundrel Of a husband
is well dead with a ball in his odious
bowels, when she has had SufferingS,
child and religion. But she has at
present a quality above most people.
whizz-LOVE-by which she shall be
saved I wasn't going to write
in this way when 1 began. But these
thoughts pursue me plentifully. Will
they ever come to a good end? should
doubt God who gave them If I doubted
them"
The first volume of the Biographical
Edition. is rich with those delightful
pen sketches that were as
dear to the novelist's heart as they are
to the favored owners of early editions
of his work. The "Yellowplush Pa
pers" are illustrated by Cruikshank.
The volumes of this edition are very
slightly; the letterpress is a delight,
anu lIlc OlLuiIlS anu COVER u6SlSu OI
that dignified simpleness that is real
ly the secret Of elegance. The only un-
favorable criticism that even a caviler
could make is that Vanity Fair Is
a two-volume novel. and it makes
rather weighty handful as one, and
''The Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. yell
lowplush,'' 1.-The History of Samuel
Titmarsh," and t'The Great Hoggarty
Diamond" COOKS Diary" ETC.. make
q volume too generous to be altogether
desirable.
The frontispece to VANITY Fair" is
a very satisfactory reproduction of
that familiar photograph of Thackeray
where he sits at ease against a back
ground of arbor leaves More unique
is the portrait that comes with the
'Yellowplush Papers, it is reproduce
ton of a drawing by Maclise. which is
owned by the Garrick club.
Vanity Fair ''The Memoirs of Mr. Charles
J. Yelowplush," Etc. by William Make
peace Thackeray. Biographical edition. 81 so
each Harper & Bros, New York. For sale
by the St. Paul Book and Stationery COM
pany.
"The Gods Of Our Fathers"
"The Gods of Our Fathers" is study
Of Saxon mythology, by Herman I.
Stern. Mr.. Stern takes to heart the
suggestion of Rasmus B. Anderson
that ''it would be an interesting work