The Book of Anecdotes, or the Moral of History; Taught by Real Examples. By John Frost, LL. D. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1 vol. 12mo.
This is an entertaining volume, and will be especially acceptable to the young. It is hardly worthy, however, of being called “the moral of history,” even that moral which history should teach the boys and girls. The “do-me-good” air of the narratives, is strangely at variance with the essential character of some of the events and actors. The most superficial student will notice in the volume many incorrect impressions conveyed of historical personages. The “moral” of the book is about on a level with the moral of Weems’s lives of Washington and Marion.
Eclectic Moral Philosophy. Prepared for Literary Institutions and General Use. By Rev. J. R. Boyd. New York: Harper & Brothers. 1 vol. 12mo.
This work is principally made up of classified selections from standard writers on ethics. It, of course, lacks unity, and therefore can hardly be called a system of philosophy; but it very well answers the purpose for which it was compiled. Its merit, as a book for schools and general use, consists in the stringent application of moral principles to individual conduct. All those actions and states of mind which clash with morality, are analyzed with much acuteness, and set forth with great directness.
Ghost Stones: Collected with a View to Counteract the Vulgar Belief in Ghosts and Apparations. With Ten Engravings from Designs by Darley. Phila.: Carey & Hart. 1 vol. 12mo.
The object of this little volume is clearly enough set forth in the title. It contains twenty stories. The illustrations are graphic, and add to the interest of the wonders described. We notice, however, one omission—the Cock Lane Ghost, in which Dr. Johnson believed. So celebrated a ghost as that should have had a prominent place among the other spectral worthies of the volume.
A Progressive German Reader, Adapted to the American Edition of Ollendorff’s German Grammar: with Copious Notes, and a Vocabulary. By G. J. Adler, A. B. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1 vol. 12mo.