New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-23
BOOKS And AUTHORS.
Current Talk of Things Present
and to Come,

and to Come.
In the new volume of short stories by Mr..
Robert Hichens which, as we announced the
| other day. is soon to be published the author
| will offer his readers decidedly mixed fare. The
| titular composition. 1.-The Black Spaniel is
| tragic, but it is followed by a broadly comic
| tale describing the adventures Of novelists
husband who goes to Africa In search Of copy
for her latest work of fiction Among the stories
| there will be a series of eight relating to the
J Sahara and to Sicily.
Apparently there is to be end to the new
books dealing with one phase or another OF
Russian history. The great Northern empire Is
under the microscope to-day as it has never
been before and writers making the most of
her present and her past. There will soon be
published book by Mr.. Fitzgerald Molloy en-
titled THE Russian Court in the Eighteenth
Century" It is based quantities Of official
documents and will contain extracts not only
from these but from the correspondence of for
eign ministers and the memoirs Of travellers
There will be many portraits.
Modern books of essays rarely repay tho
reader, but there ought to be good stuff in the
volume of Studies in Poetry and Criticism"
which Mr.. ]. Churton Collins has in press. He
is scholar without pedantry, and one Of the
most vigorously independent of the critics Of
the day. and he has knack Of hitting upon
fruitful subjects.
All the way from San Francisco, where it is
published by Paul Elder, comes dainty booklet
by Agnes Tobn THE Flying Lesson" a sheaf
of poems from Petrarch. wrapped in velum and
tied with green ribbon. Miss Tobin is a delicate
artist and her versions have atmosphere
of instructive craft as well as Of true poetic
feeling. Here is a specimen Of her aptitude:
LAURAS HOUSE
Is this the nest in which my phoenix dressed
Folding my heart in shadow of her wings
To listen to its clamor near her breast?
Oh ro sweet 9 face o Wbenos Gods light its glory filings
To quicken me and all my darkness ness rings g
See how TF1 the earth is nournful for your, sake!
And If bondsman to the things these walls awake.
Night on the hills where your bright footprint
The hills which you for awful hills f9 g AXE
According to "The Atheneum.' the extensive
structural alterations at the Bibliotheque Ma
tionale are progressing slowly but surely. The
great new public room is very nearly finished
and will soon be opened. The plans for the
scheme of enlarging the Bibliotheque were
drawn up in 1879 and accepted ten years later,
but the work was not actually begun until 1898.
The alterations not expected 10 be com
peted until 1914, owing to the insufficient annual
sum granted for the work.
Houghton. Mifiin & Co. have Just published
one of the most important of their holiday vol
umes a reprint, in their series Of special edi-
tons of Cavendish's Life and Death of Cardi-
nal Wolsey." The biography is given in COM
plete form from the most authoritative text, and
it is illustrated with eleven full page photo
Eravures in sepia and red chalk tints from por-
traits by Hobetn and others
Two years ago the Scrbners published a
volume Of "Reminiscences of the Civil War" by
General John 3. Gordon. Of the Confederate
army one of the best of the personal souvenirs
Of the time recently published We glad to
note that K has just gone into edition, for
it deserves to be frequently reprinted The
author knew how to rise to the height of his
great argument but he also knew how to re-
Iieve his stern narrative with many an amusing
episode. Here is one of his stories told apropos
of the battle of Malvern Hill:
believe it was in this battle that was first per
petrated that rustic witticism which afterward be
came so famous in the army: Through one of the
wide gaps made in the Confederate lines by Nc
Cellars big guns as they sent theic death dealing
stricken rabbit. flying in terror to the rear. A
stalwart mountainser noticed the speed and the
disagreeable surroundings He impressed by
Voice 6f ma heard he din of 5a Il go 1s
Molly Cottontail 1 wish I could go with you''
One of his comrades near by caught up the refrain
and answered: Yes. and by golly jim. I'd go with
Molly too. if it wasn't for my character"
The "Petits Poemes en- Prose" of Baudelare
wiz presently appear in translation by Mr.
Arthur Symons. This information will be re-
ceived with little enthusiasm. in quarters
where to be decadent is to be great. The au-
thor of "Fleurs de Mar a profoundly I'M
wholesome figure In French literature. AS he
emerged from the strange depths in which his
imagination expanded, he brought with him a
certain weird phosphorescent quality which is
undenably interesting to the student OF lit
erary phenomena but for such student Bau-
deaires original text Is always available. and
there is no reason why he should be made ac-
cessihle in English 10 the general reader. even
assuming what we are slow to assume. that his
essential accent can be translated.
What promises TO be a valuable addition to
the literature of the Brownings will be pEinted
in thu October number OF 1.-THE Century Mag