New-York tribune., 1906-12-19
Literary .Nes,s and Crfffc;s,,

uIlafns issue in small volume .sTba
@N0e together" with Illustrations nrip+ad
- japan paper. in which Mr. F Cobur,
- very spirited accompaniment for
''Hs vivid lines. Mr. Coburn also draws
.. headpiece for each page. and incloses
- "a. oeiow in a dainty floral border II Is
:, '''' decorated and very pleasing edition oF
--0 'oe'n- From Dodd. Mead G Co comes I
M oI The Swarm" which Is to saw of ona
-, 'Nos' interesting parts Of Maeterlinck's
"orh' The Life Of the Bee" A land
- - <A'4lhony Euwer serves as front.spiece
anu me same artist draws for every nara
design family printed in green as ,,ro+-rs g
Ihe Century Company adds 10 IT'S
-ailller and always welcome ..rb,,r,r,,.,1
oe1.es The Man Without q Countrv" nv
'''-e IhlI1itable story; Friendship and Char
-, IIherson's two essays, and THE Proverbs
- No4'iiloh Miniature books have rarely been
win the taste that goes TO the making of
me leather covers alone are enough IN
c8puVate the holiday purchaser. and the IT.
ei@'ure printed IN the series is alwava Of the
'o' 1hat IS worth while. A booklet that 70 lfLo-
'se valuable IN substance and we'll made into
,-'e ID gain Is The Wisdom Of BENJAMIN Frank,
winch pears the imprint Of the Brentanos.
= q oooA OF reflections and observations not
1Hc-uded In Poor Richards Almanac" The
compiler. Mr.. John J. Murpbv. cont-ih,,+es orgo
" snort preface This is an interesting pocket
volume. p0o1Ne'
Mr. Thomas Nelson Page has arrived - +ba
dignity Of g collected edition of his works. It
= pHbhshed. and sold by subscription. bv
CharIes ScrtbneTs Sons. There are twelve VOL
uInes In this Plantation Edition" The form
Is a small octave, which means that the vol
ui's7 are very easy to handle Paper ana typog-
IaphY IoIiow the thorough and refined style
which IS counted upon in the subscription edi-
tons brought out by this house The first and
the last volumes have frontispiece portraits Of
the author The frontispieces of the others are
from designs by wen known artists and there
are other illustrations Chrtsty, GIackens. Frost.
Wright and Clinedinst are among the drafts
men who contribute 10 the artistic side OF the
scheme. good shade OF dark green has been
chosen for the binding, which is judiciously left
with very little decoration It is q set Of books
for the library. Il deserves all Of its external
advantages. for Mr.. Page has put some excel
lent work TO his credit
It is varied work, embracing novels, short
stories essays and poems. It is not Of even
merit Mr.. Page has not often reached the
standard Of his reconstruction" novel. Red
Rock" But there IS one quality. important to
the character Of that admirable book. which
IS to be dtscerned in all OF this authors writ
ings, and that is most engaging sincerity. He
has dealt with Southern life from the inside and
he has handled It with q winning affection and
with a strong resolution to set down the truth
Perhaps the truth as he sees II is not placed IN
precisely the right perspective. Like other
Southern rOveIists. Mr.. Page is apt TO convey
the impression that the chivaIry Of his beloved
region strikes him as possessing esotertc virtues
The sentiment is frequently overdoae in his
pages. But AZ least he has the courage Of his
convictions. and as we have gone over the IA
miliar ground OF his work in this new edition,
We have been impressed by his fidelity to the
motives and spirit OF his earliest productions.
He IS still the lover Of his romantic South; from
first 10 last he has held 10 the high aim Of IL
its characteristics at their best.
In his Introduction, 1Ir. Page relterates his
devotion 10 the South. but he speaks also Of his
pride IN the Union, and Of his belief that he has
never written a line which he did not hope
might tend TO bring about q better understand
ing between the North and the South. and
finally lead 10 a more perfect Union" Many
reader viii testify to the effectiveness OF Mr..
Pages Iabors es an interpreter Of the South TO
the North. One passage in this introduction
gives so interesting a sidelight on the authors
literary career that We must quote it intact:
In the first place the writer's home was on an
old Virginia plantation fl the county OF Hanover.
within sound Of the guns or battles IN LlrEe great
ca--plLgns in which not less than so3ooo men telI
and during his boyhood and youth the RECOLLECTION
s+-ar v-as shown him which baf been taken from
the pocket of a dead private IN Georgia regiment
~ rs W y-t+a, IN an TIta~a-e hand on coarse blue
Confederate paper. and was from Young girl in
Georgia to her sUectLea-t. In II she told him
thar She had discovered since he left home that
had been 50 cruel 20 him before he went away:
that, in facr she had loved him eYer since the
~ her and that now II he would get q furIou-h
and come home she would marry him. This was
all. except, Of course. a postscript As = fearful
that such a temptation might prove 700 Tae-
even for the man she loved. across me blIe Con-
come without furIough, for If Won don't come
honorable. won't marry you The date Of the
that Of the battle in which her lover fel and the
4i f-,TI+ This f6aa tool -azeas.ior ~
ne and IN about ten days had written '1fa-se
not published unt:I something over three years
It was then foHo|Sd by the -, other
naming tales in this edition.
Afoffat Yard & Co have issued holiday vol
me entitled "The American Girl as Seen and
Portrayed by Howard Chandler Christy" There I
e a due allowance Of text i'm which appreca tive
,++ertion is paid to 'The Sweet Girl Graduate" .
The Debutante." and. in short. the American +.
yirl in all her phases bat OF course the i'm .
7ortant thing is Mr. Christys series Of drawings /
=, blaclz-and-white and in colors. These are +
'aciIe and smart" and the type OF feminine .
elegance they chiefly commemorate is what IS +
commonly called fetching" 1t is sometimes /.
,ra rlzIing but il IS not precisely Iova1le. Good
,rass work has been bestowed upon the volume. T.
very. mage Of which has graceful floral border f
n brown tint one OF Mr.. Christy's colored /
sketches embelIshes the cover.
Paul Elder & Co, the san Francisco publish
- -,-5,o have recently come TO New York bring /