New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-07-03
Some Recent Illustrated Books of
TraTeI
Trarel.

cOlOTeQ Inc EH&ilSn nave gone quite llldu over
works Of this sort and are bringing them out in
shoals. Some Of them are useful. We have been
very favorably impressed, for example, by The
Pageant Of London DANES Pott & Coz. book
In two volumes, by Mr.. Richard Davey- This
author carefully eschews the impressionistic
method which has recently come into vogue
again. He has a great respect for facts, he is
Industrious in assembling them. and in a mar
rarive carrying the subject down from Roman
DAYS 10 the Victorian epoch. he places the en-
phasis upon solid information. In fact. he tries
~ do a modest scale what is being done in
the monumental series planned by the late Sir
Walter Besant. He will tell you how London
has been developed and ruled, and he will tell
sou how Dondoners have lived. at work and al
play. His style is clear. and though not espe-
rally picturesque it is sufficiently light in hand
Mr.. Fu1eylove's illustrations. reproduced in
colors add a welcome note To what ought to
prove a popular compendium
The Historic Thames" CE. p. Dutton & Coz
by Mr. Haire Belloc, with colored Illus
trations by Mr.. A. r. Qunton is a rather
pulling volume. We have been accustomed 10
M Beloc as a romantic. vivacious and alto
Fether ehuient writer When he has deal:
with open-air themes he has gone for the at
rosphere Of a kind of poetic vagabondage. In
the present instance he has written with the
colorless soemnity Of a professor. Considering
the Thames as a great natural highway closely
identified with the social development Of the
country. he has turned arch%ologist seeking
Roman
talks Of prehistoric settlements and barbaric
fords Then he tries 10 show the relation Of the
Thames 10 Englands economic growth. He is
grave. learned and unutterably dull For some
obscure reason the book is freely illustrated by
HTr Quint0n with water col0rs full Of the pas
roral sentiment of the river Such pictures
should have had a pleasant anecdotic accom-
paniment Perhaps that was what Mr. Belloc
was expected TO write but being in ponderous
mood he chose to make his book an affair Of
l..---
this clever writer were a little less fervid. but
we had never dreamed Of his producing pages
quite as Unconditional ana heavy those of
THE Historic Thames.
Another color book Just published is Mr. NJ.
A. r. Tuker's Cambridge (The Macmillan
Company. illustrated from paintings by Mr..
William Matthison. This has been executed
with common sense. The author really tells US
what we want 10 know about the famous Eng
fish university devoting one chapter to the
history Of fits origin. another 10 its colleges and
two three 10 its degrees, examinations,
methods of tuition, social life and so on Due
attention is paid, Of course. TO the great men
who have issued from Cambridge. and 10 the
movements conspicuous in its annals. There IS
also a chapter Girton and Newman. It is
2 pra Ctical book, written in straightforward
fashion. Nj Matthson's pictures give excel
lent impressions Of historic buildings but do not
succeed in preserving the sentiment Of place.
We may appropriately note here the publication
IN the Medieval Town Series" Of Mr.. Cecil
Beadlams story Of Oxford (The Macmillan
Company. originally printed a larger scale.
r has been revised, and. 10 some extent. aug
mented, that II might the better serve the
purposes Of a guide book. We are glad TO have
the work in its new form. compact and con-
venient. Mr.. Headlam knows his subject and
he IS q graceful writer His text is ideally il
iustrated IN Mr.. Railton's dainty drawings In
the same series IN which Mr.. Tuker's Cam
bridge" appears, the Macmillan Company
brings out a volume on Canada" the de-
scriptive text being written by Mr.. Wilfred
Campbell and the illustrations being painted
by Mr.. T. Mower Martin. There is some history
81 the book and there are enthusiastically writ
ten notes the natural beauties of the coun-
Try. To these latter Mr.. Mower Martin does
fair justice, though his style might with profit
take on greater freedom and spontaneity.
Mr.. Austin Dobson has contributed an intro
auction and notes 70 Leigh Hunts The Town
and the book is to be brought ont in the series
Ct the Worlds Classics"
Popular lectures on philosophy are usually
popular only in the writer's Imagination. They
are apt 10 consist in a string of ponderously
phrased doguas of some school. none Of which
can be truly understood by anybody outside the
chosen few who 10 not need popular lectures.
But Professor James's "Pragmatism: A New
Name for Some old WAYS Of Thinking" dong
mans, Green d Coz is one Of those rare collec-
tions Of popular talks on abstruse questions
fairly deserving the subtitle cluster Of eight
lectures recently delivered at the Lowell Insti-
tute in Boston and at Columbia University. the
volume presents its distinguished author in his
happiest vein Of easy running speculation, in
which common sense keeps metaphysics close to
the ground. Professor James discusses the
nature Of the new philosophical movement which
bids fair 10 mark an era Of speculative thought.
Pragmatism is the movements American name
and Professor James tries 10 set forth its theory
Of interpreting truth in terms Of practice. OF
course there viii he many VINO hesitate 10 &C
oept all the statements Of the genial philosopher,
some Of which not little startling. That
the true is only the expedient in our way Of
thinking. just the right is only the expedient
IN our way Of behaving viii puzzle the reader;
hut il should tempt him to read the book, for
there is more in n than this apparent heresy
indicates Aside from wearisorne etaphysical
isngles. live topics are briefly but suggestively
handled; the last lecture is charming exposi-
ton n me psychologists thoughts religion.
At no point does the authors facility Of express
zion desert him. AS piece of prose, the book
Is all that might be expected from Professor
James
Doubleday, Page & Co. viii issue this summer
The Memoirs Of Madame Ristori.' The book
VIII he lavlshy illustrated with photographs of
ne great actress and Of many Of her famous
contemporaries IN italy and in France.
Under the title Of THE Comedy Of Life" there
has just been brought out by the Life Publish
ing Company a selection Of illustrated jokes,
originally printed in Life" The name Of the
editor who compiled the book should have been
placed upon the title page, for he has shown
remarkable discretion. All his jokes are good
ones, and If not al the drawings master
Pieces most of them. AZ any rate. are well done
and some Of them are brilliant. The one thing
ABOUT them that would criticise is Their
failure 70 convey. the whole. very pleasing
ioea Of the American girl The types OF fem
rH1r- fFsr