New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-04


Whoever loves the English countryside-and
no one who has ever been in England could
fail to have such a love-will look with emo
lions OF genuine pleasure upon the volume in
which Mr.. Clifton Johnson has brought together
in text end in pictures his impressions Of travel
The former Is the work of a man who has kept
eyes and OPEN and has jotted down all the
amusing little odds and ends encountered on his
rambles The pictures are taken from photo
graphs. and Mr. johnson is as clever with his
camera as with his pen. He chooses his sub
jects WELL not being afraid to depart from the
beaten track In fact. il is chiefly because he
avoids the beaten track that his book is so
winning. We have before pictures such
as those in which he shows us a typical English
rural church or a characteristic village street,
but when he catches a rustic at home. in the
picture called Washing" or that other one
entitled "Mr Tapow at Home" he affords US
novel glimpses of English life. Some Of the
plates are really valuable throwing light on
matters with which few acquainted. There
is picture In this volume Of three woodsmen
Telling an oak. and exceptionally interesting IT
is Mr.. johnson has been fortunate in stumbling
upon scenes, buildings and figures peculiarly
adapted to pictorial treatment 1t Is hard to
be pictorial with a camera, but this photosra-
pher has the needed art. Whatever his sub
! Ject may be, he presents II 10 us in the best
possible aspect. so that his photographs, which
! ought logically TO be rather arbitrary In their
relation to the page. generally At in as we'll as
! though the author had carefully studied his ma
| terial with brush pencil, instead of selling
/ II by the aid OF the sun. The tranquil beauty
Of the English landscape is reflected in his pict-
ures and also Is the atmosphere Of many
secluded village. "Ecclesheld." view OF a.
village street. is an exceptionally typical pict-
ure. While we are abiding TO typical sub
| tects. we must refer TO the plate showing THE
Street Walls Of Gentleman's Estate" The
subject seems commonplace enough, but even
though IL were not accented in this case by a.
church tower visible the wall it would be
well worth inclusion in the collection This
wall is just such a structure again and again
| looms up before the traveller. Just when he is
sure that he is among howery hedges and pas
| tora fields. We hope that Mr.. Johnson will ex-
! tend his sphere. Having made such a good
! book out OF his English wanderings let him
turn TO France and Holland. Both countries,
| and especially Holland, would be extremely well
adapted to his purposes
Mr. Joel Cooks two volumes travel in Eng
land are intended at once for the tourist in mo-
ton and the tourist at home. The work out
lines ten different tours. with Liverpool and
London as the chief starting points. The
scheme follows convenient lines and would I'M
doubtedly, If followed by the tourist. enable him
to do a great deal without an excessive ex-
penditure OF time and without hurrying. The
text is historical and descriptive putting the
reader In possession Of the salient points in
volved The authors hope that his work will be
nf inta
travellers. ought TO be fulfilled for while his
style Is not particularly engaging he has In
formation enough to be interesting His pict-
ures are Of a quality rare In books OF the sort
They are made from beautiful photographs and
are printed in photographers OF more than ordi-
nary fneness. There are fifty plates scattered
through the two volumes. and II is no more
than fair to state that would not sacrince a
single one Of them This is the kind Of holiday
puohcation TO present to a friend setting out
| upon his travels 1t II also calculated TO Rlsd-