Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-15
NEW BOOKS And MAGAZINES
Artistic Volumes Of All Kinds and Glasses
for Holiday Buyers
LARGE CROP OF NEW READING MATTER
writers of History and Fiction Vie
with Each other In Production of
Attractive and Interesting
Volumes for Holiday Trade.

The old-tme gft-book had little more
significance than a reward Of merit, pretty,
moral, and for the most part, useless. For
years it had no successor Possibly this
was just as we'll. Then came the days OF
5he private presses, which placed a high
order OF literature, purely Fart pour iart,
with beautiful letterpress in beautiful bind
ings. Soon the fashion became popular. The
old-fashioned giftbo had found sue
cessor. Since then publishers OF belles-let-
tres have been vying with one another in
presenting the best matter In the most ar
tistic dress.
A volume that must attract the attention
OF holiday book buyers is a most attractive
edition OF Charles Reade's peg VOTING
ton" with an introduction by Austin Dob
son. The illustrations by Hugh Thomson
add materially to the attractive appearance
of the volume, being seventy in number.
The book, with its delightful portrayal of
early theatrical life in London, when Gar
rick Barry, Colley Cibber and Kitty Give
gathered about the immortal Woffngton,
lends itself readily to elaborate illustrating,
This is, perhaps the very best of feade $
novels and no neater holiday volume can
be found on the shelves of the booksellers.
Doubleday & Mcclure Co. Price, ST.
boy Life on the Prairie" is a new vol
ume by Hamlin Garland. The author ex-
plains in his preface that the book is the
outgrowth of series OF articles begun as
far back as 1887. 1t is not an autobiography
hut rather recolections OF the life led by
boys in northern Iowa thirty years ago.
The author plowed and sowed, bound grain,
hcrded cattle, speared fish, hunted prairie
chickens and killed rattlesnakes quite in the
To- l.; III. -,
Hamlin Garlands works 1t is very readable
and of interest from beginning to end. The
volume has been brought out in uniform
binding with Main Travelled Roads" Rose
of butchers Coolly' and other works of u e
same author. The Macmillan Co. Price,
$L5o.
Robert Barr has done some very good
writing and the numerous volumes which
he has given to the public have found for
him much favor in the eyes of readers.
Among his best known might be mentioned
"Tekla," "In the Midst of Alarms" "A
Woman Intervenes." The Mutabe Many"
etc. A new volume of stories from his pen
is now at hand bearing the title "The
Strong Arm To say that they are good
stories, well written and very readable, is
hardly necessary, the name of the author
being known. Frederick A. Stokes Co.
Price. S1.25.
Waldron K Post, whose Harvard Stories"
was favorably received by the public, has
written an historical novel entitled Smith
Brunt, U. s. NJ" dealing with our navy in
its earlier days. Lawrence is prominent
character; most of his contemporaries figure
in the volume. and the mystery of Somers
and his crew at Tripoi forms part of the
t, tha
spirit and traditions of the old navy the
author has also tried to bring out strongly
the abominable side of war, particularly
war between kindred people. The story fol-
lows the adventures-of young lieutenant
and OF little midshipman. G. p. Putnams
Sons.
Quite recently BLACK Rock" novel r,
Ralph Connor was favorably noticed in these
columns. new novel from the pen of the
same author is now at hand. bearing the
title of THE Sky Pilot" The last men
toned, tale of the foothills, deals with the
same section and the same class OF characters
as have won all readers of BLACK Rock"
The author has shown remarkable skill in
producing flesh and blood in the personnel of
his engaging story. One cannot but believe
that the drama is portrayal OF real facts in
new book will be found to deserve quite as
full praise as the authors earlier work.
BLACK Rock" Fleming H. Revell Co.
Price SIPS,
Every busy man who cares even little
for the higher, better things of life, and
every woman of true refinement, will well
come the appearance of "Outlooks and In
sights" by Mr.. Desmond. For 1t deals in
condensed but luminous way, with those
subjects that are vitality connected with the
comfort, success and purity of life They
are bright, breezy. racy short essays in
elegant English on live subjects. And they
are full of brotherly kindness. Rand, Nc
Nally & Co. Price. 75c.
Trooper Tales" Is by viii Leylngtcn Com
fort, correspondent of the Detroit Journal
and Ainslees magazine. War books are a
drug on the market, usually speaking. Here,
however, is a book with war as its theme
that is a decided novelty. There is a strong
background of human interest In every one
of the sixteen sketches in this book that
causes the reader to feel the scenes and
incidents described The drunken captain.
the fever r-stricken soldier. the red lips and
dark, enhancing eyes of the Porto Rican
maldens, the troopers in camp and in action
all are so vividly portrayed that one feels
that he has actually been to the front with
Uncle Sans boys when he has read the work
Street & Smith, New York Price 81.
THE Watchers" by A. e. w, Mason, is
the title Of novel the scene OF which is
laid in the Scilly Islands in the middle OF the
eighteenth century, II is the account of the
stirring adventures OF a London man about
town" and there is also a love story OF the
NEST original sort, with episodes having to
do with mesmerlsm In its early days, Fred
erck A. Stokes Co. Price, s1,25.
Through Unexplored Asia" by William
Jameson Reid. is an account of a journey
of exploration through the hitherto un-
known regions OF western china and east
ern Thibet during the year 1894. The au-
thor tells an interesting story OF the trials
and adventures encountered while pushing
his way through an unknown land. peopled
with savage and hostile tribes, II was only
due TO the explorers persistence that he
was able to overcome the well-nigh insur-
mountable physical obstacles and in addi-
tion his party was forced frequently to fight
their way through the domain OF the differ
ent tribes. It is volume that will be
thoroughly appreciated by every one who
enjoys reading books of travel and adven-