Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-12-20
BOOK NOTES

souvenir of California: Poems" by
Lizzie Cross Peel: m, is small COL
lection of verses which Mrs. Peckham
has written from time to time, and has
now gathered together in permanent
form. The verses are of uneven merit;
some are really poems, others are not.
They are local in scope.
Souvenir of California. By Lizzie
Cross Peckham. Los Angeles: out
West company.
Ambrose Bierce has for years been
compiling 1.-THE Cynics Word Book"
AMI at last tits done t is a dictionary
of misdefinitions, funny, iitty and
with an abiding background of humor.
tinge of real philosophy yet never
degenerating into cheapness. One, upon
reading it, finds a decided delight
upon Bierce's character and his grim
morbidness and obsession.
The Cynic's Word Book. BY Ambrose
Bierce. New York: Doubleday, Page
&, Co. Los Angeles: C. c. -3arker. 81
net.
The volume of Poems by Alfred
Noyes, will introduce to American
readers an author whom the London
Bookman has described as zone of the
most interesting personalities in the
upon already as one who will aid in
1.-The re-establishment of the great ira
ditions of English song" Mr.. Noyes
is only IS years old. He is an Oxford
man and an athlete. having rowed
number six in the Exeter college eight
at Henley on-Thames in 1901. He has
published three or four volumes of
poetry. his latest work being an epic
entitled Drake" the early parts of
H. .nttal 1Nr
in Blackwoods Magazine. Not since
Stephen Phillips began to write has a
poet appeared in England whose work
has attracted so much attention or held
out such large promise of future
achievement.
Poems, by Alfred Noyes. New York:
The Macmillan company.
THE Breath of the Runners by
Mary Mears, is one of the first art
novels published in this country since
"The Marble Faun." How the desire
for recognition may both bless and
ban, how it strains at the very breath
of the runners as they move, is the
theme The environment is that great
undercurrent art-world just beginning
to be known in our new land. The
opening chapters have the true atmos-
phere of a section of New York little
known even by the thousands who pass
it daily. The close of the story is dra-
matte and convincing.
The Breath of the Runners, by Mary
Mears. New York: Frederick A.
Stokes company. Los Angeles: C. c,
! Parker. q
Born to the Blue" by Florence
| Kimbal Russell is stirring story OF
army life by an army woman. Mrs
Russell, the author, is the daughter OF
| a United States officer and born in a
frontier post. Her first recollections are
of the soldiers and her connection with
the service has never ceased, as she is
| the wife of Major Edward Russell and
sister of another officer. Naturally, hel
story comes to her at first hands, part
of it is taken from her own experience:
and the climax is based on an incident
i'm her brothers life The story is moi
only true, but it is dramatic and clever
| ly told.
Born to the Blue, by Florence Kim.
ball Russell. Boston, l.. c. Page &
Co, Los Angeles C. C. Parker
"The Auto Guest Book" Ethel Watts
Mumford Grant and Richard Butler
Glaenzer responsible, as a purveyOr Of
fun rivals the "Cynics Calendar" anC
somewhat resembles that clever little
booklet of perverted proverbs i'm spice
and spontaneous gaiety. Aside from
this, Punbad the Railer and his mobile
maXims are unique among the humor
Gus creations of the year. Punbad IL
a philosopher, a cynic, and, withal
something of a wag. To-day thou rid
est in thy integrity; tomorrow may dis
cover thee a man of parts" saith he
And, Though thou swear by thine
auto seven times, the eighth thou will
swear at it; that is I<ismet,"
The Auto Guest Book, by Ethe
Watts Mumford Grant and Richard
Butler Glaenzer New York: Paul Ell
der & Co.
Jack, the Young Canoeman," b!
George Bird Grinnel, is the fourth
volume in the Jack" series which hai
become so popular with boys. 1t de
scrlbes the adventures OF the hero dur
ing a voyage in a chinook canoe alonl
the coast of British Columbia. Amonl
his companions We're his old friend
Hugh johnson, two Vancouver Islam,
Indians, and the famous cobbler-natur
alist of British Columbia, who subse
quently became curator of the proVin
cial Natural History museum. Wit
such companions, I'm a country abound
iOor m eranoa aud poGGagGipns tho moe