The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-06
HISTORY AND TRAVEL
Interesting Reviews of the Lii
brary Books.
LIBRARIAN DAVIES TALK
Volumes Devoted to History Travel and
Description Are Treated in a
Highly Entertaining
Way.

Drary. we continue this week notices OF
books devoted to history. travel and de-
scription. of which there were too many
to receive mention in last weeks arti-
Gle.
The first book of which we shall speak
is one of much popular interest to all stu
dents Of American history, and particu-
larly to residents of our part of the coun-
try. We refer to 1.-THE Great Salt Lake
Trail" by Colonel Henry 1nman and
| Colonel William F. Cody. Those of our
readers whose attention was called to
| Colonel Inmans book of last year on the
as peculiarly interesting narrative and
as valuable contribution to history. This
years volume is no less valuable as con-
| tribution to history. and is even more at
| tractive to the patrons of our library, both
because it comes a little nearer to us ge-
| geographically and because Colonel Imam
| has the collaboration of Colonel Cody, the
| world-renowned Buffalo Bill Those
! who read the Santa Fe Trail will be
sure to want the Great Salt Lake Trail"
| and those who did not will need to read
| both.
| A few books before us this week are de-
voted purely to Montana subjects. THE
Montana Advertising Directory. 1888, .
published by Steel & Co., has long since
| outlived its value to its publishers or its
advertisers, and has become of value 20
| the historian of the state The History
| of Missoua County and City" q mainly
| made up of the recolections of Judge
| Frederick II. Woody. The following I'll
| ties are articles of brief nature which
| have appeared as contributions to differ
ent periodicals. but whic., have been
| bound for convenience in separate form
1.-THE Montanans," by Rollin Lynde
Hartt; "A Brush With the Bannocks,
| by General Nelson A. Miles, and 1.-TWO
| Montana Cities" by Edward Roberts.
| AS we have just mentioned publications
| of local interest. we will call attention to
other books about our own country before
| those dealing with foreign nations.
| Los Angeles. California, Illustrated is
| a publication of the Los Angeles cham
! Der of commerce. and is the most attract
| i've book we have seen whose object is
purely to advertise a city. The volume is
| of convenient size, and made up almost
| wholly of photographs calculated to ere
| ate an interest in the garden city of the
| Golden state.
John McIntosh's "Origin of the North
American Indians is an old work of his
| toric interest compiled before the devel
| opment of modern archaeologic science.
A contribution to both the history and
| literature of the great struggle for free
| dom is Orators of the American Revo.u-
ton" by Z. l.. Magoon.
| A compilation of peculiar nature Is
| the rebellion Record: a Diary. With
Documents, Narratives, Incidents, Poetry.
! etc. Dec, 1860, to June, 1861 edited by
| Frank Moore. The chief Importance of
| the books is in the large collection of an
ecdotes and war poetry concerning both
sides in the great contest.
In the "Story of Old Fort London
| Miss Mary N. Murfree has thrown in
| story form the narrative of an episode
| in the early history of Tennessee We
are particularly glad to see this book, for
| it illustrates the theory that we have Of
| ten advanced that however interesting
an author may be who INDUCES largely in
| dialect, much better work can be done If
| close attention is paid to the usages of
cultured society in matter of expression.
Seven volumes have so far appeared in
| the "Official Records of the Union and
Confederate Navies in the War of the
| Rebellion" which is destined to be of
equal Importance with ''The Official Rec
ords of the Armies" though it can never
rival it in extent.
We have often wondered that when
many of our railroads employ the best
| literary talent and devote large sums of
| money to the production of books de-
| scribing the regions from which they
| draw their patronage it does not occur
| to them to place these volumes in at
| tractive covers and distribute them to
public Libraries, where they will be much
more useful than in the manner in which
they are distributed. And now we see this
idea is carried into execution by the
Southern Railway company, which has is
sued very handsome book called "The
Southland: Present Resources and De-
velopment of the South" by Frank Pres
bury. The book has two great attrac-
tions to the business man and the stu
dent. 1t has a magnificent country to
describe and it describes it well.
"Our Navy in the War With SPAIN" by
John r. Spears. is a book bringing down
to the beginning of 1899 his four-volume
History of Our Navy"
A happy idea is that of Lyman P. Pow
ell who has compiled a volume on His
torc Towns of New England" This book
consists of separate chapters on Port
land, Me-: Rutland. Salem, Boston, Cam
bridge, Concord, Plymouth. Cape Cod
towns and Deerield in Massachusetts,;
Newport and Providence. r. T.. and on the
Connecticut cities of Hartford and New
Haven, each place being treated by an
author who is supposed to have special
qualifications for his subject. Mr.. Powell
calls attention to the omission of Lex
ington Groton Portsmouth aud the Mys-
tic towns for which omissions he
marks that there are good reasons which
are not expressed. Probably the strong
est reason is the hope that second vol
ume on New England subjects may be de-
s:rable. Certain it is that Mr.. Powell eX-
poets that the series will not end with
New England. but ultimately may include
the cities of note in the country. In this
hope we share and will be glad to see
volumes devoted to the municipalities in
| the Rocky mountains and on the Pacific
coast The publishers have furnished the
work with a pretty page and handsome
cover.
Among our living essayists there is no
more fascaationg verbal gymnast than
is Agnes Reppler. When she leaves her
chosen filed and prepares historical
work on philadelphia; the Place and the
People we presume that she is well
posted on the facts and we know that
her style will be delightful.
The civil war from new point of view
] Il