New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-27
NEW BOOKS AND NEW EDITIONS.

The great number of books written for chill
dren in these days would seem to make the re-
publication of old favorites superfluous, but
there must be a welcome nevertheless for
Stories from Old Fashioned Children's Books"
imported by Charles Scribner's Sons. This is a
quaint compilation by Mr.. Andrew w. Tuer.
He brings together hundreds of amusing odds
and ends, early Victorian doggereI with uncon-
sciously drol woodcuts matching them. old
fashioned title pages and solemn Improving
tales. The youngsters will enjoy the collection.
and their elders will smile with interest over
the naive pages The whole book forms Gu
rious picture OF almost forgotten phase of
juvenilia-
From the Scribners comes also rather novel
book on the subject of children, Little Folk OF
Many Lands by Louise Jordan Min. The
thor is diecursive anecdotic, descriptive, with
no more elaborate purpose in view than to depict
In a friendly way the younger members of tribes
whose adults are usually alone considered by
foIklorists and explorers Dealing with French.
Canadian and Sicilian children she is famil-
far ground; but most Of her little types have
been found in Burmah the Far North. in the
Orient, and among the people Of Egypt or the
South Sea Islands. She talks about them with
just enough scientific knowledge to make her
book OF some service TO the student, but she is
most TO be commended for the motherly and
sympathetic way IN which she treats her en-
gaging theme. There are in the book good
Photographic portraits OF the children of many
races
The two latest volumes in the new "Haworth'
edition Of the Brontes published by Harper g.
Bros are devoted respectively 10 Shirley and
'Villette." To the solidity and comelness Of
this edition we have already referred. The
books are as we'll illustrated as they
featured. Mrs. Humphry Ward. in her intro
ductory essays, shows the marked indie
pendence of judgment which reused special
comment on the appearance Of the first volume
in the series She writes with mixed feelings OF
Shirley" Traversing briefly the conditions un-
der which the book produced. she turns to
the critical consideration OF il with these words:
There can be question that Shirley
from a literary point of view. suffered seriously
from the tension and distraction OF mind amid
which il was composed" In IL she finds how
ever. the promise and potency of higher things
than Jane Eyre-of the brilliant, the imperish-
able ''yillette'" and in the volume which is
given 10 that work she pays this warm tribute
10 it:
Il is the writer's masterpiece. II has never
been so widely read Jane Eyre" and proba-
by the majority OF English readers prefer
Shirley The narrowness Of the stage on
which the action passes. the foreign setting the
very fuiness Of poetry, Of yisualizing force thai
runs through il. like a fiery stream bathing and
kindling all il touches. down TO the smallest de-
tail are repellent firing 20 the mind that has
no energy OF it's own responsive TO the energy
Of the writer But not seldom the qualities that
give a book Immortality the qualities that
for time guard IL from the crowd-tiIl its