New-York tribune., 1905-11-05
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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1905.


published having for their purpose the lntroduc
tion Of the reader to scenes new or strange
Indeed it is scarcely necessary any more that
the scenes described should have anything
strange or new about them Inc writers VI
these books do not claim to have made dlscoV-
cries in hitherto hidden byways. 1hey frequent
we'll trodden paths, and in many instances, III
stead of going to the ends of the earth for their
material they turn to this or that we'll known
European capital The interesting thing is that
the result of their labors is often better worth
while than though they had undertaken auda-
cious explorations. They make good use OF all
the writer's who have gore before them, anu
they put into their pages history that can De
trusted and authentic anecdotes. Not seldom
they fail where atmosphere" is concerned but
when the facts are faithfully presented this
omission is easily condoned. Naturally ue'ei
opments in illustrative processes, especially as
regards reproductions in color, have had much
to do with this movement and occasionally II
would seem as though the pictures, and not the
text had been made the excuse for publication
In the main however, these books of travel
have their origin in serious purpose, anu
reach standard Of excellence both in text
and in illustration which cannot be too warmly
praised
There Is nothing like the common sense Of MI
Andrew Lang He is as bookish man as ever
lived. but he never carries his bookishness to
excess Thus he confesses in "The Academy
that he prefers authors like Herrick, Lovelace
and Sucking 'in the i'll printed first editions, as
the poets themselves possessed them, but, on
the other hand, he says. II do not think that
could only read Shakespeare in the Quartos,
and though he has copy of the hrst edition Oh
Homer's Continuator, Quintus Smyrn9us ne
adds that he reads the poet, "who well deserves
nSti IN
other words Mr.. Lang is fully alive to the
charm of association in an edition, and when
it does not interfere with enjoyment of the text
he is willing to handle an old anC even Ill
printed book. But he draws the line at pre-
tending to be happy with the archaic "Who
peruses bIack-Ietter romances which were once
the crown of amateurs Hbrary?" He an
swers the question with the fortnight asSer-
ton that 'most collectors of rare books no more
study them than collector of gems seals MS
letters with the works Of Deuchdas." Yet
we have heard enthusiasts declare that they
liked black-letter, and that the one thing that
gave them positive rapture was to read classic
in an immense folio The truth is that if one
thing more than another has served to discredit
the Typography Of the late William Morris, for
example, it has been the fact that the work he
did at the Kelmscott Press aimed at everything
save the mere convenience Of the reader.
It is gratifying to that this question or
making book really easy to handle and to
read is receiving more and more attention
among the publishers The big art book rightly
continues to get itself printed, for the plates
which explain its size have definite value.
But the reprinting of the work a smaller
scale is growing in favor A year ago the Scrib-
ners made smaller and less sumptuously Illus
tratei but equally desirable book out Of the
Life of Gainsborough," by Sir Walter Arm
strong, which originally published in
monumental volume, and now they have per-
formed the same service for his "Sir Joshua
REYNOLDS" Mr.. Lionel Gusts admirable work
on Van Dyck, which the Macmillans first
brought out in massive form, is to reappear
under their auspices this season in a smaller
volume. This MEANS Of course, lower prices
and readers who have not been able to afford
magnificent folios may have access to what is
after all, of most importance in them. But
even readers with long purses must rejoice in
the opportunity to study in comfort the text
of books hitherto difficult of management to
say the least 1t would indeed, be good idea
if in many the makers of the big art
bo ks were to print the text in small octavos
and put the plates into portfolios. We recall
some vaiua BILE works. like Mr.. Berenson's "FIor-
entine Drawings which are rendered almost
unreadabIe by the portentous scale on which