General Literature.
The Book of Living Poets. Edited by Walter Jerrold. Crown 8vo.
7s. 6d. net.
It has been the fashion in literary circles of late to aver that modern poetry suffers neglect at the hand of the publisher. That contemporary verse is not altogether unpatronised, however, Mr. Alston Rivers has already proved by the series of little volumes, all the work of living authors, that he has issued recently with success. That effort is now being followed up by a charming volume of upwards of 400 pages, beautifully bound and printed, entitled, “The Book of Living Poets.” Every contemporary poet of distinction, from whose pen verse has been recently published, is represented; to name only a few, Swinburne, Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, and Alfred Noyes.
The Spirit of the People. By Ford Madox Hueffer.
5s. net.
Mr. Ford Madox Hueffer has been aptly described by a well-known critic as one of the most interesting figures among present-day writers. Whether as a poet or as a writer of historical romance, he has always commanded respect, and the appearance of a new work in either direction is regarded as a literary event. It was, however, with “The Soul of London” and its companion volume, “The Heart of the Country,” that the critics’ pens were at their busiest, and in his advertisement to the latter book the author made it known that a third “small projection of a view of modern life” might shortly be expected. This promise is now to be redeemed by the imminent publication of “The Spirit of the People.”
To vaunt the new and concluding volume of the series as more charming than its predecessors would be as absurd as it would be disingenuous. It may, however, be mentioned that the value of “The Spirit of the People” is peculiar. England, both as regards life in the metropolis and rural districts, has been subjected to the considerations of writers of almost every nationality. The English spirit has been diagnosed and analysed often enough. What makes Mr. Hueffer’s new book so interesting is that it is written by an Englishman in one sense; yet, in another sense, scarcely an Englishman. The author’s training has not been that of the average youth of the Established Church; yet the book is instinct with reverence and affection for that Church. Unquestionably the reader will find the many pages devoted to the religious aspect of the English spirit highly instructive; though, in lighter vein, when dealing with Englishmen’s sense of the proprieties, of their devotion to sports, and their hundred other peculiarities, the author is no less engaging. From these remarks it will be judged that “The Spirit of the People” makes a wide appeal; its genial bonhomie and tolerance should ensure a favourable hearing.
Thomas Hood: His Life and Times. By Walter Jerrold. Illustrated. Demy 8vo.
16s. net.
Though over sixty years have now elapsed since the death of Thomas Hood, it is not a little strange that only one attempt has been made to tell the story of his life with any fulness. The fate of his contemporaries, and indeed many successors, has not been Thomas Hood’s: he is still regarded as a writer of comic verse that is above all competitors; his share in the history of modern letters cannot be minimised; and his personality was unusually attractive and lovable. Yet the “Memorials of Thomas Hood,” prepared by his son and daughter, and published in 1860, re-issued ten years later with some excisions and with but few new features, is the only sustained chronicle to which hitherto the enquirer has been able to resort. Even in the later edition the first thirty-five years of Hood’s short life were dismissed in sixty-seven pages, as against 400 pages devoted to his last eleven years, while much that is inaccurate is to be noticed throughout those earlier pages. It was, therefore, a duty incumbent upon the Republic of Letters that some one, well equipped, should take up the task of writing a complete biography; that Mr. Walter Jerrold was well qualified for the undertaking has already been made sufficiently evident. The book is beautifully produced, with suitable illustrations, including coloured plates and a photogravure plate.
“That a grandson of Douglas Jerrold should write a ‘Life’ of Thomas Hood is, in the nature of things, eminently fitting and commendable; everyone who is conservative enough to enjoy the perpetuation of old associations will appreciate the propriety. And all those who like to see good sound work properly recognised will be glad that Mr. Walter Jerrold should have been given this opportunity of publishing what will certainly remain to be regarded as the best-informed, most painstaking, and most accurate biography of Hood—the book to be consulted upon all questions of fact and date.”—The Bookman.
The Chase of the Wild Red Deer. By Charles Palk Collyns. With coloured frontispiece.
5s. net.
A new edition of Dr. Collyns’ classic needs no apology, for the time has surely come when the book should be published at a price that enables all lovers of sporting literature to number it among their possessions. The present volume includes a preface by the Hon. L. J. Bathurst, and a coloured frontispiece by Mr. Stuart.
A Guide to the Foxhounds and Staghounds of England. Being a new edition of the original book by “Gelert,” published 1849. Demy 8vo.
3s. 6d.
In these days of directories, there is no branch of sport which has not a complete reference book of its own. In 1849 the hunting world was quite unrepresented in this respect, and the publisher ventures to think that “Gelert’s” attempt to supply the deficiency may be interesting enough to justify the issue of a new edition. The book is accompanied by an introductory chapter containing certain comments on the text, and comparisons with the present conditions of the hunting world.
The Human Harvest. By D. S. Jordan.
2s. net.
As may be gathered from the title, the author in this book examines the question of military selection and its effect on the human race. It is not a long book, but it is so full of shrewd common sense that on laying down the volume the reader will have acquired more food for meditation than many a work of hundreds of closely printed pages could supply.
The Siege of the North Pole. Dr. Fridtjof Nansen. In preparation.
16s. net.
The Contemporary Poets Series. Imp. 16mo.
1s. each net.
A Ballad of Victory, and other Poems. By Dollie Radford.
From Inland, and other Poems. By Ford Madox Hueffer.
Democratic Sonnets. W. M. Rossetti (2 vols.).
Repose, and Other Verses. J. Marjoram.
The Soul’s Destroyer, and Other Poems. William H. Davies.
Sealed Orders, and Other Poems. Walter Herries Pollock.
The theory of the Editor and publishers of this series is that, whilst to-day there exist a large body of excellent poets and a fairly considerable body of intelligent readers of poetry, there has not, of late years, been any very serious attempt made to bring the one into contact with the other. Hence an attempt to bring together a collection of small—as it were—samples of the works of poets of the most varied description, ranging from the simple lyric to the definitely political or the mere vers de société, published in the cheapest possible manner that is consonant with a dignified appearance and a sufficient amount of advertisement to bring the venture before the notice of the Public.
Ten Years of Locomotive Progress. By George Montagu. Demy 8vo. 50 illustrations.
6s. net.
“Mr. Montagu has happily combined a good deal of useful technical knowledge with his popular treatment of the subject, and we congratulate him on a timely book which will serve to remind the public of what we owe to railway engineers. It has numerous illustrations of all the locomotive types.”—Says The Spectator.
“On such a subject as this it is not easy to write for the general reader without bewildering him in places with technicalities, but the author has achieved his aim of producing a popular semi-technical work describing a remarkable movement.”—
Says Mr. H. G. Archer in The Tribune.
The Soul of London. By Ford Madox Hueffer. Imp. 16mo.
5s. net.
“It is long since we came across a more attractive collection of essays on any subject, and the author is to be heartily congratulated on his success.”—The Morning Post.
“‘The Soul of London,’ published to-day, is the latest and truest image of London, built up out of a series of brilliant negations that together are more hauntingly near to a composite picture of the city than anything we have ever seen before....”—The Daily Mail.
“Londoners should read this book; and even more certainly should countrymen and denizens of provincial cities read it.”—The Standard.
“There have been many books on London, written by literary men, statisticians, reformers. But no one has achieved or attempted what in this book Mr. Hueffer has done with power and fine insight.”—The Daily News.
The New Sketch Book. Being Essays now first collected from the Foreign Quarterly, and edited with an Introduction by Robert S. Garnett. Demy 8vo.
7s. 6d. net.
The undoubted authenticity of “The New Sketch Book” has been conceded by every critic whose expert knowledge makes his judgment of value. Mr. W. L. Courtney, in the Daily Telegraph, says:—“The world is to be heartily congratulated on having obtained the opportunity, which Mr. Garnett’s editorial care has given it, of READING NEW SPECIMENS OF THACKERAY’S LIGHT WIT, RAPIER-LIKE DEXTERITY, AND CURIOUSLY INDIVIDUAL STYLE.” “No true admirer of the larger Thackeray,” says Mr. Walter Jerrold in The Tribune, “but will welcome this book, and wish to turn to it himself and read the essay now identified with the honoured name.” “The publication of the book is beyond all cavil justified” (Daily Chronicle). “Mr. Garnett’s editorial introduction is admirable, and for his labours we have nothing but praise” (Times). “We must congratulate Mr. Robert Garnett on a discovery which it is surprising that no one had made before, and on the sound critical introduction which he prefixes to these delightful essays” (Academy). “Lovers of Thackeray need have no hesitation in placing on their shelves, in company with the master’s other writings of the same fugitive order” (World). “Here is his New Sketch Book gathered together with inspired industry by Mr. R. S. Garnett.... Mr. Punch places it in his archives with reverence.” (Punch).