The Portland daily press., 1901-01-22
CONCERNING BOOKS.

IN ali hfB literary career Mr.. Howells
has done nothing better or more Satisfies
TRY than tiB lat s. volume. In which ne
whites concerning his Literary friends
and c1uaintances, and gives us delight
fuI PERSONAL retrospsct Of American au-
thorsnip. Emerscn, Lowell, Hawthorne.
Mrs julia Ward Howe, Celia Thaxter,
Bayard Taylor, Steiman ana Hoime1
were all his tIi nds; and he tails us, ~
wall, OF many other noted men and
women whlm he had mst and known.
Thus bis book Is not only very entertain
ing, tut must have q distinct value for
tioss of t1s next generation who win by
ana by be looking backward for snowl-
edge of the American literature and
Iiterati Of the last half OF the ninsteeSth
&c t1ry.
It seems to me that MIR. Howeils has
been very successful In making his book
just what he intsndei IL 81 oult be, and
that his pen Portraits are remarkably life
ike and vivid. He does not pose his men
ami women In order to produce striking
efieots, but, in bright ana sympathetic
way, gives his Impressions OF these per-
sons, wham to know was liberal educa-
ton.
In his short preface, or note, to the
work, Mr. Howeils takes the reNde: into
his c1niidezcs when he says; cit seems
{ } me that If one is TO write such q book
as this at AL one cannot prohtabiy do so
without frankness concerning ones self
| as well as others which might ee mis-
understood But wish to make Of my
own personality merely a background
which divers important figures are pro-
jsctsd ageinst. and I am willing to sacri-
fios myself little in giving them relief"
MIR. Howel's is quite t5o molelt, being
himself very attractive aud Interesting
figure In the worl iof letters. and among
his contemporary s He minsles delight
fully with his literary friends and with.
out touch of egoism. Thus the circle Is
far more complete because he IL part OF
It.
There lie a pleasant page or two about
Portland, where MIR. Howeils came on
summer day, pilgrim to ths shri ne OF
Lsngfellow. In Portland he got his first
glimpse OF New England, and Of the sea.
which latter was rather 8 di sappoint-
ment. He says: ~ could not make more
OF 1t than OF Lake Erie; and have never
thought the color OF 1t comparable to the
blus OF the lake. But hs adds, there
was something In Portland vastly more
to me than seas ana continents, and that
was the houss where Longfellow was
born And he got his friend to show
him
the brsezy dome OF groves.
The shadows OF behring's woods.
lie mad, an GRAND to the docks, for
the sake OF the
''-black whArves and the ships.
And tine sea-tlde tossing free,
And the Spanish sailors with bearded lips,
And the beauty and mystery OF the ships,
And the magic OF tine sea-.
He wandered under
the trees which shadow each we'll
known street,
AS they balancs up aud down."
for, when he came again to Portland, the
great fire had swept away many of those
beautiful eims, whose "Gothic arches and
traceries'' he we'll remembered.
The entire book lie full OF charm, and is
deli yhtful reading, especially to n New
Highlander, while 1t contains at least
seventy five Illustrations. many of them
most interesting portraits New York /;
Harper a. Brothers; Portland: Loring,
SPORT & Harmony