The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-16
NEW BOOKS.
Views OF Many Lands.

Views " NuAu1 NIUE
While from its form the importance OF
Russia. Travels and Studies by An
nette NJ. B. Meakin E. p. Dutton and Com
/ pany) may be somewhat ~ephemeral there
can be no doubt that for the moment the
book is extremely serviceable. The chap
tiers are apparently extended newspaper
articles describing the chief cities OF Euro
pean Russia. The author, who is familiar
with the country, combines in them general
! descriptions, including some OF the infOr-
nation sought for in guide books, with bits
Of history, inquiries into social conditions,
a good many personal experiences and scme
account Of matters of momentary interest.
such as notices Of Father o OF Cronstadt
and Count Tolstoi. Some OF the places
described like Kishined and Pskof, have at
tanned notoriety Of late; others have been
described repeatedly. like NovGorod and
Moscow, but in the present condition Of
Russia any one Of them at any moment
may be a centre OF great interest about
which we may want to know a great deal
more thar the atlas and the encyclopedias
supply. 1t will bevery convenient. then, TO
turn to the graphic notes OF an intelligent
traveller who has seen these places recently.
At the end is an account ola rather hurried
trip into the Caucasus territory. The
pictures are by no means good.
Worse things may be done than treating
OF ~hackneyed subjects. and the purchaser
OF Mr.. Leonard Williams's Granada"
William Heinemann; j. B. Lippincott and
Company, may well feel that he has been
taken in when he finds that the Alhambra
has been left out. The omission. to be
sure, brings out the author and his expert
ences in the own and the surrounding
country in greater relief, but less Of Mr..
williams and more OF the one thing hat
attracts people to Granada would improve
the book vastly. At the end he relaxes so
far as to give in a few pages his personal
impressions OF the Alhambra by moonlight
after talking ostentatiously OF everything
else. The book serves to display the authors
smartness, his British limitations and to
describe a number Of objects OF very minor
interest. Ii is illustrated with small but
excellent photographs.
The day after the fair Mona Card tackles
Romantic Cities Of Provence" Ct. Fisher
Irwin; Charles Scribner's Sons). The
country has been described very recently
by a competent authority who had studied
the subject thoroughly. Here we have
impressionistic sketches, mingled with
, many unimportant personal experiences OF
travel, Of the better known and more easily
reached places in the district. Still,
Provence and the south of France, apart
from Monte Carlo and the neighboring coast
towns, are let alone by travellers and this
book may help to turn them from the beaten
path. The illustrations are pen sketches
by Mr.. Pennell and others in the same style
by T.. M, SynRe.
Even more impressionistio and personal
are the sketches OF French life in Felicity
in France by Constance Elizabetb Maud,
which is imported by Charles Scribner's
Sons. These deal chiefly with h North,
and particularly with Brittany, though
there Is a slip into Provence toward the
end. The descriptions OF incidents OF
travel are pleasant and afford innocent
amusement by the exhibition OF how things
French are regarded by British eyes.
Those who have read Mr.. +. Berkeley
Smiths previous books will know what to
expect from I'm London Town Funk a
Wagnalls). His view Of life in foreign
parts is that OF the "Tendsrloin"; he loves
the bold. bad sights that the man who has
a whole week in which to see France or
England PUSHES to at once. His book en-
bodies widespread II erroneous impressions
Of the city he writes about. such a. may
be formed by the New York rounder with
a touch Of the American Persian. The
pictures from photographs are fair; those
by Mr.. Smith and his friends call for a
good deal OF charity.
Although a technical report prepared for
commercial purpose, Mr.. A. l.. A. Himmel-
wright's The San Francisco Earthquake
and Fire, published by the RoeblinE Con-
strucdon Company, New York, h Of ex-
t~raordinary interest. Tho author. an cngi-
neer. was commissioned TO examine the
buildings after the disaster and 10 report