New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-25
LLOYD CEcScg

young days (does this date rs too
closely?) at the modest price Of IS
cents apiece. The same series included
George McDonald's The Princess and
the Goblin (neither P. D. nor /. FL
got the title quite right and The
Princess and Curdie; also that other
fairy tale, still more dearly beloved
as joyous satire as exists, Andrew
Lang's Prince Prigio, bound in one vol
ume, with its surprisingly satisfying
sequel, Prince Ricardo, which Is only
a shade less delightful. &c is Prince
Prigio, the clever eldest son, who bids
his father send not him but the third
and youngest son against the monster,
on the ground that he's the one who's
bound 20 succeed in the elE
Indeed, practically every volume be-
longing to these Little Men and Little
Women series of Burt's was we'll worth
while, except the trashy and sensational
writings of I. r. Meade, whose ex-
ecrable style, Tn proud to say rec
ogrized at an early age for what it is.
"Other English books 70 be recon-
mended, besides the adorable Alice
(whom I always did adore, but now
more than ever, are Kingsley's The
Water Babies, Anna Sewell's Black
Beauty and Miss Mulocks Adventures
of q Brownie, Little Lame Prince and
Little Sunshine's Holiday (though this
last. being the straightforward and IN
vanished narrative OF a very unadven-
turous journey, probably would appeal
to the mothers rather than to the Lt-
tie Sunshines). There is also certain
charm about Mrs. Molesworth's books
which I see to-day more clearly than
did yesterday, when the whimsical M
certainty as to whether these were
dream stories or mere fairy tales Ian
uncertainty particularly marked in The
Cuckoo Clock and The Tapestry Room
rather vexed me.
"To come across to this side of the
ocean, I'm delighted that the aunt de-
tends against the aspersions Of me
niece Little Prudy and Dotty Dinpie,
with whom might likewise be mentioned
Flake Frizzle, the equally ifelike hero
inc of later set by the same pleasant
author (Sophie May. The members
of this trio are vastly different IRON
Elsie Dinsnore, who tainted on the
piano stool rather than obey ano
crafty her father by playing for him
on the Sabbath II believe that's TIE
story; but I am proud to say that IN
regard TO Elsie I quote from hearsay
only.
"Other serfes by American writer's
that ! uscd to enjoy are the oips'
Books, by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps; tnS
Little Colonel Books, by Annie fei-
lows Johnson, and the Margaret books'
by Laura f. Richards, who, tnin1'
was likewise the author Of the ea
quisite Captain January. The Little
Pepper Books (by the way, they're J"
Margaret Sidney--or Sydney--hav'ns
gotten rid of them long ago, can.
verify the photography l never csi''
for; the author was too fond Of arss
ging in fire or burglary or an a1S
dent when she couldn't think OF any
thing else.
"And, of course, there's always dear
Miss Alcott, whose Little Women mas'
almost rank with Alice in the degree
and the extent Of the afFectiorats to
gard in which they are held.
Il have enumerated here some o.
the childrens books that used TO eDT
joy. Oddly enough Cor naturally
enough, perhaps), those that l fSsI
best as a child are still those thar
like best to-day.
''P. ST almost forget Buitincn'
Age Of Fable. I read it through from
cover to cover, not once, but hundfsus
of tines-never travelled without II,
and derived from Bulfneh's tales o.
the doings of gods and heroes nesTS
the same joy that get from the sans
stories direct in Homer and Pfnaass
vergil and Ovid, to-day"