The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-12-24
Books and Authors.

THE UNITED KINGDOM. a POLITICAL
HISTORY. by Goodwin Smith. author
OF THE United States" Etc. New York,
The Macmillan Company. Bound In
cloth, crown 8 vo., two volumes, gilt
top. uncut edges. Price 81.
The purpose Of Prof. Goodwin Smiths
new work IS clearly suggested by its
subtitle. 1t Is a political history OF the
United Kingdom from the earliest times
10 the Reform Bill OF 1872. II IS a COM
nanion work TO his former work on 1.-The
United States" a Political History, and,
read with IL, II represents the political
Growth of the English race Prof. Smith
has treated his second work with the
Inc succinetness and with the same
eDiorammatic force and weight as he did
hia work on the United States. which The
Nation characterized as "a literary mas
terpiece. as readable as novel. remark
able for it's compression without dryness
and It's briliiancy without any rhetorical
effort or display.
n. Morse stephens. professor OF Eng
fish and Modern European History at
Cornell University writing In the New
York Times Saturday Review. says;
..Nfr. Goodwin Smiths United Kingdom
must take rank as his masterpiece Of lit
erature The task ne set himself was
far more difficult than the one which he
attempted in his United States; the
period covered is not only longer In point
Of years. but more complicated in its
diversity. and the problem Of what TO omit
must have been proportionately hard
There is not another writer to-day
whether he be trained historian or man Of
letters. who could have accomplished
what Goodwin Smith has done I'm the space
of n thousand medium-sized and broadly
printed pages. Neither Bishop Stubhs,
with his vast store Of erudition. nor Mr.
S r. Gardner. with HIS specialist knowl-
edge. patiently acquired by years or Ia
Dor. OF the seventeenth century, nor Mr..
Leclly. with his philosophical method
could have compassed so readable a re-
view of the whole length Of English his
tory. The only book which can possibly
he compared to Goodwin Smiths admir-
able production IS Mr. John Richard
Green's Short History of the English
People.
Mr.. Goldwin Smith IS an Englishman and
attained honors In that country. being
appointed at the age OF thirty-iive Regius
Professor at oxford. In 1863, ten years
later. he came TO this country and was
made Professor OF English in Cornell
University. when that University was
opened. to which he presented his library
of books on English History. In 1872 he
removed 10 Toronto. but maintained his
connection with Cornell as nonresident
lecturer Now. at the age OF seventy-six,
he has completed this important work.
Somewhat pathetcally, he says in the
preface, "The friends who urged the
writer TO this task know that II has been
performed by the hand Of extreme old
age"
By birth, by training, by reason Of pre-
vious literary work along this same line,
by lessons learned I'm LIES school. he has
been fitted for the accomplishment Of the
task TO show how we'll he has per-
formed it, let me again quote Professor
stephens:
1T is but too certain that none OF the
great living English historians can be
compared with him as a writer Of the
English language. and the great excel
'ence Of his work lies in the fact that he
has transmitted the results Of their labors
and their discoveries into form that can
be appreciated and enjoyed by every edu-
Gated reader
WORLDLY WISDOM. BEING EX-
TRACTS FROM THE LETTERS OF
THE EARL OF CHESTERFIELD TO