The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-04
BUTTE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Works on History, Biography and
Description.
SOURCE OF INSTRUCTION
The Story of the Saracens-A System
attic Account of the Great Empire.
Arctic Explorations-The
Beacon Biographies.

Librarian Davies gives an interesting
review of history biography, descrip-
ton and travel in his weekly summary
herewith published:
We infer from tradition that our
fathers had relatively higher regard
for history as a source of instruction
than we have to-day. But this was
probably because there was a compare
tive dearth of popular books dealing
with science art and economics, COM
pared with what is available now.
Certain it is that there was never a
time when there were as many good
histories as appeal to every reader in
this next to the last year of the 18th
century. The histories that our faith
ers read were literature. In many of
our leading universities history has ac-
fually become a science, and the valu-
Rble results of scientific investigation of
contemporary authorities. as well as
the fruits of wide cancellations are
helpful to even the most superficial
historical writer of the present.
The books before US this week cover
a wide range of geographical and his
torical interest. From poverty strick-
en- Greenland to the gorgeous East
which showered on its kings 'barbaric
pearl and gold" from frigid Franz
Josef land to tropical Malasia; from
the days of pixies and arrows to those
of Mauser rifles and dynamite cruis-
ers.
The story of the Saracens has en-
tered into poetry and song. 1t has fur
nished many an allusiOn or fragmen-
tary sketch to historian or orator. Yet
systematic accounts of the great en-
pire that dazzed with culture, and at
the beginning of the middle ages
threatened the nations of Chrstendom
with destruction, have been very few.
An imperfect account was contributed
to the Story of the Nations" series
by Arthur Gilman. Stanley Lane
Poole wrote a volume on the great
''Saladin" for the heroes of the n.-
tons. E. H. Palmer described "Ha-
roun AL Raschid' in the new Plu-
tarch series. These are all good,
though incomplete. But we have a
more satisfactory work than any of
them, though this is brief, in "A Short
History of the Saracens" by Ameer
Ali Syed, and it is a special source
of congratulation that the last vol
ume on this subject is from the pen
of an Oriental.
A surprising interest exists among
our readers in respect to Arctic ex-
plorations and any good work on the
subject finds its list of intelligent read
ers. We have two books of value to
mention to such patrons this week.
They are with Peary Near the Pole
by Eivind Astrup, and "A Thousand
Days in the Arctic by Frederick
George Jackson. The tale of one of
Peary's companions cannot fail to
possess charm, while Mr. Jackson's
work in Franz Josef land was perhaps
the most thorough and systematic eff
fort that has SO far been devoted to
the solution of the Arctic problem.
The most dramatic incident of the book
is doubtless the meeting with Nansen,
but the scientific value is that it con-
tains about all the general reader will
care to know about the island it de-
scribes.
A new series of books called the
Beacon biographies appears before the
public this fall. 1t consists of small
pocket sized volumes containing just
about what very busy man feels he
must know about the person who is
the subject of each book. Three of
the books are before us to-day, being
David G. Farragut," by James
Barnes Daniel Webster" by Norman
{ Hapgood, and Robert F. Lee" by
William P. Trent.
There are many books appearing
about the Sandwich islands in these
days, but most of them are too incom-
plete to give fair idea of even the
small group of islands they pretend
10 describe. But one book that treats
very well not only of the characters
ties, but also of the history, is The
Making of Hawaii: a Study in Social
Evolution" by William Fremont Black
man.
The tale of the treatment of the
Indians in Florida is recounted in
THE Red Patriots: the Story of the
Seminoles," by Charles H. Coe
In one small volume by Charles Cof-
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