The Washington herald., 1909-02-28
THE WORLD OF BOOKS
The Gorgeous BOrgia Justin Mccarthy Forthcoming
Novel. Has Deceptive Title.

that for the first two long novels he wrota
he received so each. Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle obtained Els for a Study IN
Scarlet. and Miss Beatrice Harrsden
80 for Ships That Pass in the Night"
IN Fate and the Butterfly" by Forrest
Halsey. to be published this spring BY
B. W Dodge & Co., we are at last 70
have a novel OF American society as Il
really is. society. on the one hand, neither
condoned nor fiattered, and, on the other
hand. treated as a subject neither for
sermons nor soeiallstic propaganda Mr.
Haisey's settings are New York. Egypt.
Florence, and again New York His
narrative. the loves and lives OF ons
woman and three men Of widely divergent
types. is startlingly vivid, breathIessly
rapid. and undeniabiy convincing Tho
butterfly heroine, bounded BY fate and
hypocritical convention till the final
breaking Of her beautiful wings. is said
10 be genuine addition 10 American
prose fiction.
The Dickens fellowship has Just ceie-
brated in London the ninety-seTenth an
niversary OF the birth Of the novelist Al
ex-lord mayor. Sir William TreiOar. mada
a speech in which he recalled his young
married days, when he read the immor-
tai novels aloud to his wife. and they
laughed and cried over thena-wheu.
moreover. when they went 10 hear the
Dickens readings. waiting outside the hall
in order 20 get a seat while I was lord
mayor, said the speaker, Il met s0ms
Of Dickens characters at the Mansion
House I often met Mr.. Stiggins there.
and sometimes there WAS q PecksniT,
and now and again a Chadband. Even
Mr. Micswber was to Be found-T have
done a little bit in that way myself, for
lord mayor should have a touch OF
Micawber and a spice OF Mark Tspley."
While holding that ONCE he had the
pleasure Of kissing a little Dickens girl,
aged three. and he had Just heard from
Mrs. Dickens that when she went homs
she said: Il have been kissed by the
Lord Mayors Show" That was not sur-
prising. When he first rode in the golden
coach he felt uncommonly Ike the Lord
Mayors Show. especially when ne heard
the sdmiring comments OF the people.
-" E fancies 'isself, don't e " said one
lady
The first two volumes Of those 6iplc-
matte papers OF the French foreign ofies
which have 10 do with the origin Of tbs
Franco-PrUssian war are stiu II tie
hands OF the commission appointed to
prepare them These volumes deal only
with the events OF IS54-'6s. II IS said that
at least eight volumes viii be required
for these papers. and that the task ot
preparing them viii occupy many years.
IN book or The Royal Stusrts IN
Their Connection with Art and Letters
Mr. ". c Blaikie-NIurdoch points out
that James Of Scotland was q poet Of
genuine gifts; that James " was "a
rue book lover. that James ! was the
reputsd author Of The GaberIunzls
Man: that Queen Mary wrote creditabla
verses. and that Charles I was a blbHo-
phile ard picture buyer OF knoBIsdgs
and taste. Three OF the daughters %
James Margaret. Dauphine OF France.
the Arcilduchess Sigismund of Austria,
and the Duchess CT Bretagne-au had lit
erary ability. Charles IT. IL IS recorded,
could draw well. he delighted IN poetry
and music. and could himself. upon oc-
cssion. display 2 pretty turn il the writ
Ing Of a song AIr Bisikie-AIu-doch notes
that the late " z Henley used TO talk
OF the Stua-ts as family OF artists. and
was wont 20 make some scsthiug and
critical comments on the nation which
thought II to depose the said family.
For several years one OF the standard
textbooks in college courses on verslf-
cation. has been Specimens Of English
Verse" BY Prof. Raymond II. Alden, Of
Leland Stanford University. The new
book BY Prof Alden. Introduction to
Poetry" which IS now announced BY
Messrs- Henry Holt & Co. viii therefore
be awaited with interest This Is dis
cussion Of the theory OF poetry. mora
comprehensive IN treatment than his pre-
yious volume. which VIII deal not only
With the technical metric subdivisions.
but also with the various classes o.
poems. and with the problems OF tbs
inner nature Of poetry.
The new volumes OF the Tudor Trans
lationsT are 10 contain Boccaccio's De-
cameron" It is pointed out that though
this version was first issued as late as
1870, it is Elizabethan in style and method.
and therefore IS well within the scope oE
the series planned by Mr.. Henley. Mr..
Edward Hutton has written an int7oduc-
ton for the work. which Is 70 Ill four
volumes Volumes ! and II VIII be de-
livered 20 subscribers next month. and
Volumes III and " in May at the latest.
Many volumes OF the Tudor TrznsIa-
! tons" are now out Of print. including the
Montaigne. the "Apuieius. the 'Plu-
tareh.' the Don Quixote" the 'Sueto-
MUS and the ''Froisssrt" Nearly OFT
Of print IS TIE Courtier OF CasngIioae.
and the "RabelsiS