New-York tribune., 1905-02-03
LITERARY NOTES.

THE Dicksnsian'' is the title OF a new period
fcaI which has just appeared in London. The
first number has hitherto unknown portrait OF
Dickens This publication is to be the organ
OF the Dickens Fellowship. More than two
hundred thousand volumes of Dickenss works
were sold in England last month.
II Is needless to repeat the worn phrase about
prophets in quoting a story told by the English
"Autho-T: 81 remember a crushing reply that
received about year ago. when, in the lend
tug library OF a certain wei known watering
place, ] suggested acquaintance, again a
LADY that she should read book that named,
book by an author whose works are generally
popular What" she exclaimed. in tone of
great contempt. = read that mans books? a?
why, he Tires heTeF Now. have every reason
to believe that this lady by means sim
gular In her views. out that. on the contrary,
there are hundreds, perhaps thousands. Of read
ers. men well women. who would scorn
the bare idea OF reading anything that is written
by any they happen to be personally ac-
quainted with. matter how excellent the
article the story may be-"
Il is as well not 10 go TO a novelist for
conde;nnatory Characterization of a real per-
a Sydney lawyer has pust recovered
much 81 $50 from publication which men
toned him having ali the unscrupulousness
OF Dodson & Fogg, without the astuteness
ascrbed by Dickens to these two legal charac-
tiers"
1t is scarcely necessary to say more of Vol
unles XVIII. XIX XIX and XXI. of THE Phil
ippine Islands cleveland: The Arthur H. Clark
Company, than that they amply maintain the
high standard set in the earlier volumes already
noticed in our columns. These four cover the
90
ments, largely official and all authoritative,
dealing with almost every phase OF insular his
tory and colonial development. In their dis
cussion Of needed reforms in administration.
even at that early date. and of the development
OF industries and commerce they are often fruit
full of suggestion proftably applicable to present
conditions, nearly three centuries later 1t is
really a disheartening reflection. and one not
creditable TO American scholarship and munif-
cence that this admirable compilation of simply
invaluable historical material should have met
with so little encourag cement in the country in
which, of all in the world. it should be of most
interest. We should think that every important
public and academic library and every private
collection which aims at historical fulness would
have REGARDED of these fine volumes as
Indispensable. Yet not a tithe of such institu-
tions. We believe. have sought them. 1t will be
a curious anomaly in the next few years to find
and as difficult of access as rare prints of CEN
turies ago. Now. if it had only been an his
torical novel or a bucolic dialect tale!
It is stated that Signora Crispi is quietly pre-
pairing TO issue. outside the Italian frontier, a
volume of her late husbands memoirs furnished
with introduction which he wrote during the
closing months of his life This work. it is
rumored. is divided into three parts and con-
besides yupIIhliched lat+ars
Garibaldi. Victor Emmanuel II and Gladstone
details Of Crispi's life as refugee in London
and documents by living men who had relations
with Crispi.
The Gambler" we are told is to be the title
OF the forthcoming novel by Mrs. Thurston the
author of The Masquerader"
Her husband. Mr.. z. T. Thurston Cvho has
dramatized The Masquerader'O is about to pub
lsh a book which he calls The Apple of Eden"
The subject is that of the celibacy of the Roman
Catholic clergy.
Warren Hastings is said to have written to
his wife letters Of singular interest and charm
and these letters. heretofore unpublished are
soon to be brought out in a volume edited by a
British novelist.
Three pieces which have not until now seen
the light are included in the new edition of Ros-
settfs poems. These are Dennis Shand: a
Ballad; sonnet, After the French Liberation
Of Italy" and another sonnet After the Ger
man Subjugation of France"
Mr. A H Rullen is now at work on his
"Stratford Town Edition of Shakespeare in
stratford itself. He has established an artistic
printing press, the 'Shakespeare's Head" in
the house which julius Shaw, the 1naltster.
leased in 1591-the same year in which
Shakespeare bought New Place" two doors
away. The type which Mr. Bullen is using is
the beautiful original 'fOld Face" type cut by
William Cason early in the eighteenth century:
the paper is English hand made, with the
Shakespeare crest and coat of arms for water
mark.
stratford itself does not take much interest in
the edition. Apropos Of this lack Miss Coreln
tells this anecdote: You will hardly have
nnuch demand for such edition of Shake
speare in Stratford,' observed the vicar (bimself
a trustee OF Shakespeare's BIRTHPLACE and there
fore accredited with special interest in all things
shakespearian) TO the smart Office boy of the
'shakespeare's Head Press the other dav
Please. sir we don't work for stratford.' was
the prompt reply
No review Of r. L. Stevenson's attitude TO
women could be complete, says the commen-
tator % o." without a reference to Mrs Sit
we'll now Mrs. Sidney Colvin the friend who
bore so large part in his DEVELOPMENT and en-
couragement during his transition period II
was under her influence that he began for the
first time, to believe In his own powers DURING
the most unhappy and unsettled years OF his
life he sent her journal letters made up almost
weekly, chronlcling his moods and doines while
his letters TO his friends in general were snannv
ana lnfrequent A long time after he wrote to