The Portland daily press., 1900-11-21
CONCERNING BOOKS.

OF various stages ana ages sut BOOKS o
beauty and illustrated volumes OF grea
variety. Among these are: Typee
Omoo, Moby Dick and White JACKIE
by Herman Melville, Nature Studiei
from Ruskin, chosen and arranged by
Ross Porter. Among the Great MasterI
OF Music ana Among the Great Masters
Of Literature, the text by Walter Row
lands, The Paradise Of the Pacific ant
The Pearl Of the Orient by j. Waldo
Browne, The Armed ship America by
James Otis, The Pixie and Klaine Stories
by Csrris Morrison, The Booboo Book
by Gertrude smith, Snow White by Lau
ra e. Iliohards, Boston Boy OF ITO by
James Otis, The Liltlest One of the
Browns by Sophia SWEET and the Chat
teTbox.
1t IS coed to see new editions Of some
OF the old, prime fayorites, and one cor
daily welcomes the new set of Herman
Melyllle's works, including Moby Dick,
Typee, White jacket ani Omoo; books
which stand unrivslIed as sea stories,
and to which the boys Of today should be
introduced as soon as possible. 1.-The
Nation" says OF Moby Dick, "that 1t is
the best sea epic since the Odyssey"
and "pralss from Sir Hubert Is praise
indeed"
These books ara uniform In style, OF
clear type, tastefully bound and Illus
trated. Typee contains a portrait OF the
author, Is dedicated to Chief Justice
shaw of Massachusetts,, and has bio
graphical and critical introduction by
Arthur Stedman, while the delicate
fancy OF La Fargo has supplemented the
immortal PEN portrait of the Typee
maiden, with speaking impersonation
of her beauty. 10 those who have read
Melville's immortal works no praise Is
needed; and to the younger generation
they will be warmly recommended by all
who have In the past enjoyed and profit
ed by them. portland: Loring, Short
& Harmony
Melville's first book was published in
1919. In Mopy Dick he reached the sum-
init Of his fame. OF this work bis friend
Hawthorne says: "The gigantic concep-
ton Of the white whale permeates the
whole work and lifts 1t bodily into the
highest domain OF romance" And MIR.
CLARK Russell writes from England;
"Your reputation here is very great. 1t
Is hard to meet man whose opinion as
a reader Is worth having, who does not
speak of your works in such terms as he
might hesitate to employ, with all his
patriotism toward many renowned Eng
lish writer's" Portland: Loring, Short
q Harmon
A beautiful and most desirable volume,
especially for small library, is that con-
tanning Nature Studies, selected from the
writings Of John Ruskin with excellent
taste, skill and Judgment by Miss Rose
Porter,
The compiler merely claims that the
book win serve as a guide to the rich
harvests about "the universe of visible
things which have no faculty of speech.
The various headings to these excerpts
are: Nature and Art, Sky and Cloud,
About the Earth, The Mountain King
dem, Atout Water, Color Studies, Trees
and Their Ministry, Grass, Moss and
Lichen and A Charming Birds.
Miss Porter has made an ideal and de-
lightful collection of gems culled from a
mine of the richest treasures. (Port-
land: Loring, Short s. Harmony
Among the Great Masters OF Literature
and Among the Great Masters OF Music
are companion volumes, each containing
thirty-two reproductions of famous
paintings, with text by Walter Row
lands.
In the first of these two delightful
books are sketches Of Homer, Sappho,
Virgil, Dante, Tasso, Chaucer, Shakes
peare ami twenty others OF the great mas
tiers of literature. These monographs are
not OF the cut-and-dried order of biogra-
ply, bnt graceful and graphic pen pic
lures, garnishsd with the masterpieces
of many noted artists and forming alto
gether work to please the eye. and win
the heart OF book lover.
The second volume is arranged precise.
ly like the first, except that it deals with
the great masters OF music. 1t also is
beautifully illustrated, the frontispiece
being q reproduction OF Hans Temples,
"The lone masters" Mozart, Handel,
Hadyen and Beethoven. portland:
Loring, Short s. HARMONY
Two handsome volumes, full OF pic
lures, which are an education In them
selves, so far as the countries described
are concerned, are The Paradise Of the
Pacific, lie, the Hawaiian Islands. and
The Pearl of the Orient, a name given to
the Philippine Islands.
The Illustrations In both works are
excellent reproductions from photographs
of persons of note who have been conspic-
uous In the histories of these countries;
also of the interiors and exteriors of
buildings, scenery of all kinds, and In
short representations that give one per
feet idea of the people and their sur
roundings.
For girls and boys who are to be taught
something about our new possessions
these fine books will be Invaluable. 10
readers of all ages they will not only
give much entertainment, but they are
full of interesting historical matter. and
important information, while the au-
al