New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-12-02
HOLIDAY JUVENILIA
Old Romances and Modern Yarns
of the Forest.
HEROES AND cHIVALRY.


Kniehthood is always in flower in the
heart Of youth. Sober historians may
sift the facts from the poesy, reality
from tradition; the glamour Of its ro-
nance remains alive, and, happily, it &C
companies most of us all the way on the
pilgrimage through an increasingly pro-
sale world. No Christmas in the book
world would be complete without Its
new editions OF the old chronicles, with
out new inventions shaped by their
spirit
Here. then. is still another edition of
the fountain head of chivalry, Malory's
'Morte d'Arthur." 1t is the work Of Mr..
Henry Burrowes- Lathrop, is called
"Malory's King Arthur and His
Knights" and is illustrated with four
pictures in colors Of knightly battles by
Mr. Reginald Birch CThe Baker & Tay-
Tor Company. Mr.. Lathrop offers his
young readers not merely a selection of
tales from Mallory; he presents the main
narrative Of the "Morte d'Arthur," In
Guiding all important episodes, and MAX
ing clear the lines of connection that are
obscured by inserted incidents. And in
the telling he seeks 10 reflect the style Of
the original by undermining IL only so far
as that is necessary TO provide easy
reading. Mrs Mary Blackwell Stir
Ing,s THE Story Of Parzival the Temp
ar. Retold from Wolfram Won Eschen
bach" u. T. Dutton & Coz, is a book
for younger readers, SO far as this
"Knightly Song Of Songs" itself is con-
cerned. but addressed 10 their elders in
the elaborate notes on the themes OF the
poem, its ethical teaching relation to
older traditions. etc. that are appended.
The version of Wolfram's epic is well
made, its story itself especially well
adapted to the understanding Of chill
dren in the clarity Of its figure Of the
hero from childhood onward.
A book worthy Of the attention Of hol-
idap book buyers. or, for that matter, Of
book buyers at any season, is Miss Eva
March Tappan's when knights Were
Bold" (The HoughtoD Mifflin Company.
IT deals with the facts Of the daily life
and customs of mobiles, their families and
IeldlUtISt WIFI NliD tNOAuNAbil Va oiaiASAt q
bit Of heraldry, the construction Of
strongholds their siege and defence,
with jousts and tournaments, pilgrim
ages and crusades, military orders
monks and monasteries, with town life
merchant and craft guilds, commerce,
education, literature, science, medicine
architecture and the arts as they reached
their fun development in Europe from
the Dark Ages till the end of the media
val era The book contains a mass Of
sound historical information, well ar
ranged and most interestingly conveyed.
The Illustrations, from contemporary
sources are admirably well selected. 1t
may be worth mentioning here that the
defenders Of besieged castle in the
Middle Ages did not depend. as Miss
Tappan has II, upon some one within
their walls with ears so quick that he
heard the subterranean noises of the
enemy tunneling toward It's walls. The
military science Of that period used
water for the purpose Of discovering an
approach underground. Placed in metal
receptacles in the vaults OF the strong
mold. the water gave warning by rip
ping in response to the impact Of pick
axe and spade on the soil below the sur
face
The knight without fear and without
reproach is celebrated in Mr.. Chris
TOPPER Hare's The story Of Bayard,"
the narrative being an adaptation of the
chronicles written by the knights
loyal servitor" and others. II is well
told. and Mr.. Herbert Cole has provided
coi0red illustrations and artistic head
and tail pieces partly heraldic, partly
consisting of portraits OF Bayard's his
toric contemporaries, and again Of hits
o. knightly armor and the like. \ brave
book. worthy OF a brave man. Oc. p.
button & Coz.
Homeric, eXtra-Homerie and post.
Homeric legends are somewhat bewilder-
ingly mixed i'm Mr.. w, NJ. L. Hutchin-
sons THE Sunset Of the Heroes: Last
Adventures Of the Takers Of Troy" (E. p.
Dutton & Coz, readable and inform
ing book but for its lack of a preface or
appendix giving unto Virgil what is Vir-
gils and TO Herodorus what is his, to go
no further---StIl nearer the infancy of
hero worship. we have Stories Of midas
Gods and Heroes" by Mr.. w. D. Munro.
y. a. (Thomas y. Crowell q Coz, with
sixteen illustrations in c0lors by Evelyn
Paul. MIR. Munro provides a preface, a
simple but Instructive one, adapted to
his youthful audience, then proceeds to
tell a septet OF tales from the Rama
yana' and the "Mahabharata," furnish
ing at the same time an outline Of the
main story of each of these two great
Aoems