New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-11
LEGENDARY.


MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT EGYPT.
By Louis Spence Sixteen p aies I'D cg.of D, ~ ~,
/ Paul and fhirty-tUU other illustrations o'' -
] so Tie Frederick A stokes Company
HERO LEGENDS or THE RIiNE. rs Lewis
Spence With sixteen co.lo'ypes ailef ui'SHs, ~
/ Lieutenant Louis Weiuer. II j. =, At To-, y = sd
/ Illustrations in color $50 ~. H. 'N0' i"'
erck 4 Stokes Company.
/ THE GOLDEN AGE or MYTH ANp LL,iETIIp
/ Being Revised and ENLARGED Edition o. ~. .e
/ Age q Fable" illustrated NO Up 4''''' Wv
The Frederick A. okes Company
A popuarizer, Mr.. Spence, the author
J Of Myths and Legends Of Ancient
: Egypt IS also d Serious au'horit" lie
has given US, besides this volume
/ studies Of the myths OF Mexico, Japan
/ the Celts and the Indians, but there ne
/ breaks to a certain extent new ground
! The mythology Of ancient Egypt, he
points OF. was for long time the ex-
elusive domain of Egyptologists, who
but rarely were familiar with the meth
DDS of NEUROLOGICAL research or OF the
study o. comparative re lglOn. nehce
q tendency to set the beliefs OF Egypt
aside as outside the worldwide cur
rents of religious development. And
it is the leading purpose OF this vol
ume TO link Egypt, on the one hand, TO
the past, beginning with animsm, and,
on the other, to trace It's religious De
liefs and ceremonies back from the
country which they so deeply infiu-
enced Greece rpvor the Gyl tan
/ records leave US with but scant infor-
nation. as in the case Of the mysteries.
A serious work this, but at the same
/ time readable, popular in tone. well
adapted to the needs of the Interested
layman. There is considerable contro-
versial matter here, notably on the sub
ject of totemism, but that may be left
to the experts Suffice il to say that
the author links the myths of Egypt to
its history and the daily life of its peo-
ple-that he gives his subject a living
quality. The numerous illustrations
form veritable archaeological gallery.
The authors collection of the myths
o. the Rhine makes a wider appeal
Here there are no puzzles TO be solved,
no matters Of controversy. Beginning
with a sound historical introduction,
the book takes the reader up the stream,
including in the trip even its unevent-
full course through Holland to the sea.
The Rhine legends we know are all
here; but there is a wealth of less Ia
milar tales and traditions which more
than justifies the publication Of the
book. The author gives us, moreover.
more than a mere outline of the stories,
which is too often all that their trans.
lators have given US. He preserves
their spirit, sad and gay, but nearly
always mystic, whether il be in his
version Oi the Nibeiungen song or
Of the later legend connected " th the
Lorelei. And throughout he insists
upon the faithful response of these ira
ditions to the prevalent moods Of nat
ur in the localities that gave them
birth. The colored plates, many of
them from paintings made familiar to
us in reproduction, are splendidly print
ed, and the collotypes, mostly of places,
always have an illustrative connection
with the text. The book was written
before the war. The Rhine trip is not
likely to form part of the itinerary of
American tourists next summer any
more than il did during the season just
of the river is all the more welcome for
that. 1t deals with its subject in de-
finitive way.
Bulfnch's cage Of Fable" needs no
introduction. 1t has stood the test of
half century as a masterpiece of pop
ularization. The editor of this new
and expanded edition has therefore
done well in leaving the original text
unchanged wherever possible, chiefly
combining his work in the chapters de-
voted to Greek and Roman mythology
to ne introduction o. additio al quo.
tations which carry out still further
Bulfnch's intention of illustrating the
connection between classic mythology
and English literature. The chapters
on Morse mythology, on the other hand,
have been considerably amplifed, and
the original chapters on the origin of
mythology and the religious beliefs of
Egypt and the East have been brought
up to date by Mr.. Spence. The illus
trations in color and b.ack-and-w white (
are excellent. Only the first of these .
books is new; yet all three of them are
the best of holiday books for this or
any future Christmas season.