New-York tribune., 1906-12-15
= Holiday Sheaf of Illustrated
Books of TraUel.

eco Il was wont to possess. Nowhere is
y. Improvement more conspicuous than in the
-s-s,ure Of travel The books about places,
.r+raordinarily plentiful since the develop
h, ~ the haiftone and of the three-color proc
=" made illustration easier. are produced with
..-,ain amount OF luxury but. the whole
| ~ eood taste. They are not designed merely
: @gift books" II they that they are also
u,s.hing more-they are books meant to De
- end to be preserved. A perfect rlustra-
", ,s supplied by 'The Chsteaux OF Touraine'
,-be Century Company, by Maria Hornor
,.,sssle This well proportioned volume, gen.
.-ous IN scale but not too large TO be handled
-, comfort is IN the first place well written
"a Illustrated. so that Il makes its appeal To
=. reader on serious grounds. Then, in addi-
-, we have admirable paper and presswork.
handsome title page. attractive cover and.
!, short. al the things that commend a book
"a the holiday buyer. sound balance is
s-,ck and that is virtue by itself
Ms Lansdale is In at least one respect a
,,os-one Of rare qualifications. She goes about
t.r task with all the sympathy In the world
,-th readiness 10 enter into the romantic spirit
- The region she surveys, but she never forgets
taut n this she differs from many Of her prede-
oessors) 10 keep TO the point. She packs her
nages not with dtthyrambs. but with fnforrna-
tion well digested and gracefully set forth
She has something 10 say. Naturally II is moth
ing that is particularly new, for the architect
u-sl monuments Of Touraine have been tray
s-sed again and again in the modern book of
usrel But at any rate what Mrs. LansdaIe
has 70 tell is fully and expeditiously told
Her reader has before him that welcome book
he book that actually tells him what he wants
10 know. He is curious about ancient legends
hut often he is also curious as TO certain plain
matters OF fact. say the present ownership OF
this OF that chateau. Mrs. Lansdale satisfies
hin IN both directions. Her text is beautifully
Illustrated The full page halftones are from
good clear photographs. and besides these forty
odd pictures IN black and IN tint there are six
teen plates in color from the picturesque
sketches especially made for the work by Mr.
Jules Guerin. In each Illustration, whether
irzwn or photographed. pains have been taken
TO represent the building IN question from an
effective point ot view. In every detail this is
holiday book Of high merit.
Another book of French travel comes TO US,
n two volumes, under the title OF "Cathedrals
and Cloisters Of the South OF France" C. P
Putnan's Sons), by Elise whitlock Rose, with
Illustrations from photographs by Vida Hunt
Francis IN this a good subject is rather in
adequately treated. The author had a delight
~ opportunity, that Of describing the churches
nrne TOO well known 10 the general reader, of
Provence, Languedoe and Gascony. He. pages
are dotted with names full OF suggestion for
the student of French history and architecture.
These names have Enthusiastically reused en-
thGsiasm in the authors heart. but either from
limitations Of artistic knowledge or from want
Of experience in writing she has produced
series OF chapters which somehow fail TO rouse
much interest. The work is, in fact, common
place. The numerous Illustrations atone for
this in q measure, but too many Of them. while
attractive II subject, are from negatives not
sufficiently crisp. Mr.. Michael Myers Shoe
makers Winged Wheels IN France &c. P.
Putnsm's Sons) is a discursive record Of long
tour made IN sn automobile. The author has
done much travelling. and knows what 10 see
snd what 10 mention. His narrative is viva
cious and offers some pleasant light reading.
The Illustrations are good halftones from photo
graphs.
BY Italian Seas CCharles Scribner's sons, by
Ernest C Peixotto, who is his own illustrator. is
charming book on journeys which extend from
Genoa TO Venice, down the Dalmatian coast and
over across the Adriatic and Italy TO Sicily
Malta and Tunis. Mr.. Peixotto is modesty itself
II his brief essays he attempts to do nothing
mere than 10 relate the experiences he and his
wife had. and TO note the beautiful quaint
things they saw But the very unpretentious-
hess Of the different little essays increases their
value. They are truthful and vivid. and though
hey often deal with trifies they succeed in CIV
Ing the reader a fresh and vivid sense of South
err scenes, some of them decidedly unfamiliar.
The authors pen drawings are likewise clever
We appreciate especially the fact that his many
architectural bits are rendered at once pictu-
fesQuely and with the feeling for the essential
character Of architectural form that is. rule,
Only 10 be expected OF a member Of the profess
sion The book. printed IN a handsome. bold
type is dt5icately made. and has pretty sketch
n oolors, set in a design in gold. on the cover
Il Is one more of the holiday books that are ap-
propriate 10 the season and that are good to
Eeep. Miss Wharton's italian Days and Ways"
Fniaoelphia: }. 2. Lfppincott Company is q
simple little volume illustrated with few half
zones IL tint from photographs. It consists OF
ssyly written home letters. in the course OF
"hieh We are made acquainted with a number
u eofnpanionable personalities. This, like Mr..
eaoemakers book. is work OF a minor sort but
agreeable nevertheless, and well fitted TO go into
Z corner Of the travellers satchel.
he two Spanish books which We have just re-
.'"ee are, we are sorry 10 say, OF only moderate
--lefest The first OF them. Mr.. Edgar T. A
"-sfsms Northern Spain" (the Macmillan
O0apsnyJ is made up Of impressions written and
I~-h'eo on four successive bicycle tours. AS
= aFtlst Mr. Wigram does fairly well. There is
IOH"As particularly original about his sketches,
~ ~ Hey are carefully made, giving a straight
""srd account OF the facts. and they have
- Wei reproduced in colors. His prose, a
~'U'e Of historical gleanings and good hu-
eo comment on the ordinary incidents of