The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-02
Wallanall, = a
THE BOOKS AND MAGAZINES
The Great Beer War. by A. Conan Doyle; Mrs
Iiersey's Letters 10 Girls; Gossip Of
Books and Authors; what's in
the Magazines.

Among his numerous titles to fame,
The second William Byrd. of Westover.
the most accomplished and wittiest yir-
Einian OF his tine the founder of Rich
1nG1d, whose portrait hangs in our City
F3all, may safely DE called the founder
OF English literature in America. II. is
quite natural that Virginia should take
great pride in Colonel Byrd. He lived
and died an English subject, but he was
born IN Virginia, and except for his hay-
Ing been bred and educated in the home
OF his cavalier maternal relatives in Eng
iaGd, he spent his whole life in Virginia
His ncscendents-Birds, Chamberlaynes,
l3arrisons and numerous connection
take high place among the best people
OF the Old Dominion. Besides his fa1ni-
IL, the city of Richmond, old .fBelvidere,
hnd beautiful historic Westover have
borne witness in his own country to the
memory Of this gallant gentleman OF the
royal regime; and now. in the more gen
orally intellectual era. of the present, his
writings, always held in high estimation.
are causing his praises to be sounded
throughout America and in tho England
OF his ancestors
Colonel Byrd is described by outland
critics as without doubt the greatest
man of letters previous to Franklin
Racy graceful and charming, his writ
ings give an unusual insight into the
history as we'll as the political and social
life Of the tines The seventeenth
eighteenth century, d6141744). Doubleday,
Page & Co, of Now York. have had the
discernmeEt to appreciate the beauty, i'm
loitance and permanent value Of the
writings of Colonel Byrd, and with char
acteristic enterprise and TASTE they have
brought them out in an almost unabridS-
Il ;,, ,1,- a. ooI, 80
so limited an edition as to preclude the
possibility OF q vulSarization of the work.
This was done under the scholarly editor
ship of Professor John Spencer Basset,
OF Trinity College, Durham. \. c.. editor
Of the new South Carolina Quarterly.
Under Mr.. Bassett's plan the present
book includes all the really important
matter from Colonel Byrds pen which
has come down to US. The editor has
omitted the numerous Irrelevant papers
that are included in the old vellum-
bound volume. which is preserved by the
family at Brandon. These papers were
printed in the Wynne edition OF 1856, be-
cause it was the intcntion of Wynne to
make that an exact reprint Of the MSS.
originals on the other hand. the editor
has been able to include in the present
edition some samples Of Byrd's letters.
In two appendices has been included the
catalogue OF the Byrd library and the 4
generalogy OF the immediate Byrd family
The former will interest those who are
curious to know The contents OF the
largest private library in the English
colonies and the latter has a personal
value to many Virginia families
Miss .johustou's audrey" BY Miss Mary
Johnston. Haughton, Mifl1in ~ Co.
Roston. s150 Now on sale at the
bookstores.
The sketch of The Byrd Family III
Virginia. which is given as an nitro
duction, was taken almost "hoiiS ION
manuscript sources. 1t is based on an
,tracts of the Virginia papers IN the
..Rritish Public Records Office, made by
Mr.. NJ Noel Salisbury, and preserved
In our state Library under the 1itie OF
..Sainsbury Papers: on the Souhelt
,ni,.lltes some of which are deposited IN
The state Library and some are heid by
the Congressional Library at WashhS-
ION: on the letters of William BYRD the
first and William Byrd tie second, which
are preserved. In original form or III
COMES. by the Virginia Historical So
Getty; and on other documents OF mis-
cellaneous nature, to which reference is
made in foot notes.
The piece do resistance OF the feast in
Colonel Byrd's History CT the .DlVidinS
Line" the story of the survey OF the
Virginia North Carolina boundary made
-
savage wilderness. Colonel Byrd kept
diary Of his experiences while upon this
business, and in the leisurcly years alter
his retirement from public life, his lite
rary tastes led him to elaborate 1t INTO
The small work known by that title.
Professor Moses. Colt Tyler says of 1t:
1T is almost unique in our colonial age;
and it is without question: one of the
most delightful of the literary legacles
which that age has handed down to ours.
i3cre We have the off-hand, daily iottings
OF n very clever Virginia gentleman of
the early time, who has travelled much,
read much, been long in the best COM
pany. and who, with a gayety that will
not yield to amy hardship or veXation,
travels for several weeks through
wilderness. accompanied by a little army
o. very miscellaneous and very queer
people, encounternS Indians, semi
savage whites wild beasts. insects. rep
tiles. every sort of fatigue and discom-
fort. the horrors and the Grandeurs of
nature in its widest state"
In n similar style are IA Journey to
the Land of Eden" and "A Progress TO
The MineSt The miscellaneous Let
ters" are rare sidclghts upon the point
cf-riew of an early eighteenth century
gentleman and scholar in various rela-
tons OF the whole production too much
cannot be said in its praise Upon the
foundation of Byrd's literary writings,
SO Informing and wittily and entertain
ingly set forth. the editor has formed his
most engaging superstructure and the
whole has been dressed by dc Winnie in
BIS Very best style in paper typography,
and binding. The illustrations are few,
l,tit of equal excellence, the most notable
being the accompanying portrait of the
author. j. n
WaIIanah. Colonial Romance. BY VIII
Lotion Hargrave; handsomely illus
tiated and bound. The B. i. Johnson
Publishing Co, Richmond. Va. On
sale ut the bookstores. Sl.So.
In the great gi'ist of historical romance
which has come from the mill of later
day story writing, colonial North Carolina
has entered blt little. No one seems
to know Why. For several years North
Carolinians were busy making history,