New-York tribune., 1900-12-26

No reprint could be more welcome than that
which the Scribners import Of ''Shakespeare's
Predecessors in the English Drama" by John
Addington Symonds Published in stout
tavo seventeen years ago. it has been priced by
whoever has known It, but until now no popu-
lar edition OF the work has appeared. The
subject. of course, has been touched upon at
different points by many different writers. In
fact, English dramatic literature contemporary
with Shakespeare and just preceding him has
received so much attention that 1t bulks enor-
mously in the Libraries But Symonds not only
had special flair for this field OF research
his style and method were uncommonly well
adapted to the production of a scholarly and
yet popular volume relating to it. Although
there is so much that is Immediately attractive
to the student in the history OF the old English
drama, there is great deal that needs TO be
sklfUlly interpreted, If it is to be made com
prehensible and suggestive. In this book every
thing is Illuminated by the author. The new
edition is uniform with that of his great work
on the italian Renaissance, and is published at
a modest price. We prophesy for it a wide cir
culation. as one of the best and most readable
contributions to the subject ever produced.
The three latest volumes in the Library Edi-
ton" of the works Of DR.. Edward Everett Hale.
which is being published by Little Brown &
Co.. Of Boston. are devoted to ethical and socio-
logical essays. This sounds rather weightv and
there is, indeed, much that is of serious weight
in what the author has to say in these pages:
but the latter are marked especially by the
genial common sense and delicatey humorous
persuasiveness which have made Dr. Hale not
only a practically valuable but very delightful
contributor to discussions on social fonfcs
How to Do 1t. TO Which Is Added How IN
Live. that is the suggestive title Of the frat or
these volumes. The uplifting inspiration of
spiritual man is behind everything that the book
contains-and a workaday reasonabIenegs goes
with his high thought. Addresses and Eesays
on Subjects Of History. Education and Govern
ment, the second in this group. Is also fun OF
wise counsel. "Sybaris and Other Horoes,
comes with special appositeness at this time
when questions Of municipal administration arc
much in mems minds. Some of these naaes
date from as far back 1863 but the funda-
mental ideas in them are of the sort that ara
always useful. Abiding to the fact that IN tbo
ancient Greek and Roman cities "the men who
| discharged specific functions were trained n
lhose Iuhcuohs ana knew how to discharge
| them" he recognizes the tremendous difHcu1+ias
that wait on proper management of our more
complex governmental machinery because he is
| no blindly iconoclastic faddist but what he ho
to say is nevertheless well calculated to nut
reformer. The tenth and concluding voIrroo :.
this edition OF his works viii be given to bis
poems criticisms and literary essays. We oh
| serve prefiXed TO the Addresses and Fssavs,,
portrait Of Dr. Hale at work in his library
The second volume in the series of reprints .,
| classics issued by Dodd Mead &, Co 10 5o,,o.o.
TO The Scarlet Letter" We have airesd,, -
toned the excellence of the manufacture 90 -
series. and especially It's decorative o,,a,,.I--
me second volume is no less attractive thar tta
predecessor save that the frontispiece IN oa,a
Is rather dubious performance II n,ia.,.t oolOis
have been spared. wen
The Scribners issue the twelfth and ...,
edition of Baedeker's handbook for -seu
lhe tnirteenth edition. also revised. Of the sara
puohshers handbook for Northern Germany -
far as the Bavarisn and Austrian frontiora "a as
record the fact with due appreciation ot a. "e
portance. AS we have hitherto had occas,ou '','-
more 'han once. each edition Of
! Saeaeker volume is q distinct blessing.