Life — May 26, 1898 — page 17: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

of Batrachians—of the Rhampholeon Kre- steni or the Phrynomantis bifasciata—can follow him with delight, and perhaps with some benefit to their muscles, for the book weighs as much as a dumb-bell. * * * OR joyous and sustained enthusiasm, however, no recent traveler approaches Mr. Poultney Bigelow,* who in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State has found at last the realization of his most cherished ideals embodied inthe blameless Boers, Itis pleasaut to think that there lives—even far away—a race so w s0 gentle, so magnanimous, so intelligent, so honest, so brave, so immaculately and ressively virtuous as often- maligned Boers. Prester Johu and his fabled subjects, whu told no lies and toler ated no vice, are outdone by the noble Duichmen, who seem almost too good for this workday world; and it is in sheer despair of yielding them even meagre justice that we go gladly back to black man’s Africa with Mr. Glave,t who lived for six years in Congo-land, the friend aud devoted ally of Stan) Oh! the relief of turning from the contemplation of Presi- dent Kruger’s coat to the frank simplicity of the native African’s costume, as de picted by Mr. Glave, with its instinctive sense of appropriateness, its air of sincer- ity and comfort. And who could help loving the cheerful and ingenious Oubangi, who, having been roundly punished for venturing to attack the white men, solaced themselves by wearing their enemy's empty rifle shells for earrings, All book-writing travelers, however, do not venture so far afield, There are those who, like Mr, Steele? and Mr. Paton,$ merely make little voyages to Scandinavia or to Sicily; and there are those who, like Mr. Stoddard,| go, or propose going, over the civilized earth. Mr, Stoddard's very weighty volume is announced as the first of ten. He designs to do for travel what Mr. Charles Dudley Warner has so kindly done for literature—condense it all into a lim- ited compass, and save us the trouble of making With Mr, Stoddard to carry us over the world of land and waters, and Mr, Warner to carry us over the world of letters, we can hardly go astray, for we need never move at all, Mental labor and these Africa” By Poultney Bigelow. ” By E.J, Glave New York) A Voyage to Viking-Land.” By Thomas Sedgwick Steele, (kates & Lariat, Boston.) 4° Picturesque Sicily.” William Agnew (Harper & Bros., New York.) [Jobn_L. Stoddard’s Lectures.” (Belford, Middle- brook € Co., New York, Chicago, Londen.) (RM Rus. Paton, > LIFE: physical activity are spared us in the future, The age of luxury bas begun, and many readers will be deeply grateful for the generous assistance offered to their disability and their inertia, . * * I comparison with these comprehensive plans, it seems as trivial a thing to go to Norway or to Sicily as to pick up—un- adlvised—* Pendennis” or “Quentin Dur- ward.” Yet byways of their own choos- ing suit some natures best, and Mr, Steele is so frankly, gloriously enthusiastic over his mountains aad fjords, he takes such ex- cellent photographs, and induces so many handsome young women to pose for him in holiday attire, that his ‘ Viking-Land” bids fair to prove a pleasant friend in sul- try summer days, when the mere thought of snowy glaciers and chilling waves bring with them sensations akin to rapture. Mr. Paton’s * Picturesque Sicily ” is also admir- ably illustrated, though prints are power- less to reproduce a shadow of such beauty, and “picturesque” fs but cold praise for the loveliest spot on earth. Moreover, Mr. Paton is too sad, sometimes too edifying. The Sicilians are poor, but in Italy the beg- gar is no Pariah; he enjoys a so a religious distinction of bis own, t worth having than an almshouse bed. The peasant boys of Taormina are the hand- somest, happlest little rascals in Christen- dom. Why fill their hearts with the foolish wisdom of our overdriven land?’ Why them the doctrine of hard work, enterprise, accumulation? If there are still places where these words are never heard, let us thank Heaven and be silent. * * * preach to O go to the seat of war as a “special correspondent” is a pleasant, healthy, harmless and inexpensive way of seeing the world. Mr, Frederick Palmer,* who followed the Greek Army in its month's campaign, has written all about it with much cheerfulness, a fine sense of humor, and a limited sense of propriet; Mr, Richard Harding Davis, who spent some weeks in Cuba,+ would have enriched his literary reputation by staying away. It is strange, indeed, that aman who in his descriptions of the Czar's Coronation and the Queen's Jubilee} has reached the very zenith of reporting, has written as no ré porter ever wrote before, enthralling thou- sands of readers with his clear, glowing, vigorous sentences, should have cared to give the world this foolish little book on * Going to War in Greece." By Frederick Palmer. K.) * Ry Richard Harding Davis (RIL Russell, New York.) IA Year from a Reporter's Note-Book.” By Richard Harding Davis. (Harper & Brothers, New York.) 449 CUBA IN WAR TIME By Ricuanp Hanotxo Davis. with 24 full-page iMustrations by Frederic Remington. A com- plete review of the situation in Cuba, showing what we are fighting for, Together with new war map and flags for marking the positions of the American, Cuban, and Spanish armies. 141 pp. Deckle edge paper, Kilt top, Boards, Price, $1.25, Paper covers. Price, 3 cents, BATTLE SONG REMEMBER THE MAINE By Ronert Burxs Wiisoy, With Music by ‘Cnances Crozat Coxverse. Handsome litho- graphed covers, showing a reproduction in colors of one of the sailors of the “Maine,” to- gether with the signal flags "Remember the Maine.” Price, #0 cents, GOING TO WAR IN GREECE. By Freoerick Patsen. A graphic story of the recent war between Greece and Turkey. con- taining over sixty illustrations, reproduced from photographs taken by the author, 12 pp. Deckle edge paper, attractively bound «Price, 31 TWO PRISONERS, By Tuomas Netsox Par, With frontispiece in photogravure by E. W. Kemble. One of the most delightful stories for children that Mr, Page has ever written Bound in green and gold, cloth. 1 96 pp. Price, 3 THE NIGHTINGALE. By Hays Cunistiax Axvensex, Attractive! tustrated after the Japavese manner by 3. J. Newill. Printed in old style, black letters on deckle-edge paper and bound in flexible boards. vo. Price, 73 cents THE PINERO BIRTHDAY BOOK. Containing quotations for each day in the year from the plays of Arthur Pinero. Boutid in cloth. with photogcavure frontispiece of Hollyer's picture of Mes Pinero. 23 pp Cloth. Pree. $1.25 SHAPES AND SHADOWS. By Maptsox Cawetx. A Book of Poems by the author of ‘= Undertones.” ir. Cawein’s work is marked by exquisite delicacy of nature impression.” —Atlantic Monthly. Printed on deckle-edge paper. Gilt_top. Cloth, Stamped a color. Price, $1 HOW THE BUFFALO LOST HIS CROWN. By Jony H. Beacos. An old Indian legend, with illustrations by Charles M. Rusvell. Large quarto, 10% x12, on plate paper, ha somely bound. Cloth. Price, $1.35. PHIL MAY’S SKETCH BOOK. Fifty cartoons selected from Phil May's best drawings. Printed on heavy plate paper, 11x15 inches, with a foreword by the artist Bound in brown buckram, stainped. (New Edition.) Price, $1 PHIL MAY’S GUTTER-SNIPES. A series of fifty original sketches in pen and ink presenting a most sympathetic picture of the street children of London. Large 8vo, printed on heavy plate paper, with cover in colors. Price, $1.00. ALABAMA. Mr. Avovstvs Tuomas’ most popular drama. “Itis a good play to begin with, Next. it isa play by'an American. aud last. it is a play about Americans" —New York Herald. Green Room Edition, Paper, For sate by all book: paid by the publisher, on receipt of price New Catalogue with illustrations by Gibson, Remington, Wenzell, Abbey, Hopkinson Smith, Kemble and Nicholson sent free on application. R. H. RUSSELL 3 West 29th Street, New York W cents. lers, or sent post comicbooks.com