The times., 1899-12-17
uIustrnted Editions.

One Of the popular illustrated books OF
this holiday time viii certainly be the
Becky Sharp edition Of Vanity Fair" The
pictures being reproductions of photo
/ graphs from life. The success of Mrs.
Fiske in this role makes il certain that a
great many people will want a souvenir Of
her work and that Of her company. Hence
the Becky Sharp edition"
The same plates have evidently been
used for this as for the biographical edi-
tion OF the novel. but the biographical in
PRODUCTION is of course left out and forty
eight photograyuTes are put in. There are
several pictures of Mrs Fiske alone, and
portraits of each of the other chief char
scters, together with most of the principal
scenes in the play. If one were to make a
criticism, il would be that too many large
groups have been attempted. It is i'm
/ possible for the best photographer TO Sc
| cure fine effects in photographing scents
where forty or fifty people are on the stage.
/ IAN Alphabet Of Celebrities is a square.
I thin book full of pictures and rhymes by
/ Oliver Herford There is one rhyme and
one picture for each letter of the alphabet
! and both text and drawings are of a de-
! cidedly original sort. Grave and dignied
! persons ordinarily unrelated are brought
/ into juXtapositIon under most extraordinary
| circumstances. A fair example Of the gen
/ eral plan of this irreverent rhymester is
/ the following stanza:
/ Il is for Handel. who pours ont his soul
/ Through the bagpipes 10 Howelis and Homer, who
roll
On the floor in an ecstasy past all control.
One might ask, in the manner of Dick
| ems: Why Homer? Why Handel? Why
! Howells? Why roll on the floor" and to
! these queries Mr. HerfOrd would probably
! reply, in substance at least, "Sic volo, sic
/ iubeo, stet pro ratione voluntas or. in
! the vernacular, Because" There Is alb
! solutely no sense in these freakish con
/ cepuons and they are therefore clearly
entitled to the desi ignation, nonsense Then
remains the question whether they are
amusing nonsense or mere vacuous bah
! blings, and that is matter which the read
/ er viii have to decide. However, ii seems
( that the man who could arrange some of
/ the relations into which historical and
mythical persons are here brought ought
really to be called a genius. (Bostou:
Small. Maynard & Coz
In Case of Need" Is book of eccen-
/ tric drawings, by Ralph Bergengren, la
beled. on the title page "a Book Of Pic
torial and Versifed Admonition" There
/ IS considerable original humor in the
conceits of this artist, and in his rhymes
| as well. He takes up, one after another
/ certain wellworn bits OF advice and il
/ lustrstes them with pictures of a some
/ what startlingly original style For eX-
ample, one Of the verses is as follows
If you should meet. OF be IL night or day.
4 savage Beast, be not afraid but stay
And boldly look the creature in the eye,
course which always frightens it away.
And the picture on the opposite page is
that Of lady comforting herself in order
to bring her face down to the level Of a
( much h-astOnished mouse, while the tail OF
another rodent is seen disappearing in
the distance and a fringe Of mice adorns
the margin. A scTeed on the duty OF be-
Ing gently courteous under all circum-
stances is accompanied by view of a
/ gentleman who has just lost his balance
and sat down on the icy sidewalk And
so on. Boston: Small, Maynard & Co
/ $125.)
Famous Violinists" is the latest volume
Of a series Of interesting books for lovers
Of music. II not only contains sketches OF
renowned yiolinists but a history Of violin
playing in general from the year 1850 tc
the present day. The illustrations are fine
and consist Of portraits OF Ole Bull Corell
Paganni, Sivori, Marsick, Joachim, Sauret
Ysaye, Maud Powell, and Kneisel. The
author, Henry c. Lahee, writes in the same
easy, charming style which made his for
mer work, Famous Singers" so attrac-
tive, and the book cannot fail to interes
all lovers Of music. Boston L. c. Pag,
& Co. ST.
Little Journeys to the Homes Of Emf.
nent Painters" by Ebert Hubbard, fully
sustains the reputation the author has
made in his other books of Little Jour
neys." Most people are more or less ia
miliar with Mr.. Hubbard's $ style OF writ
ing, and know that whether he is pro
found or not. he never fails to be interest
ing. Few authors have so great a gift O
| bringing out the little details which maxi