William Briggs has secured the Canadian market for Amelia E. Barr's new story, "I, Thou, and the Other One," and will publish it in paper and in cloth, with illustrations.

The Musson Book Co. reports a large sale for their recently published book, "Captain Satan; or, The Adventures of Cyrano de Bergerac." They are about to publish a second edition.

The representatives of the Methodist Book Room are starting on their Spring import trips-Mr. Allen in the west, Mr. Walker in the east, and Mr. Stewart in the north. They have a range of samples that will amply repay examination by the trade.

It is many years since Dr. Barry's "The New Antigone," appeared, springing, as it did, into instant popularity. Until the present he has written no other, but we learn that a new religious novel from his pen, entitled, "The Two Standards," is in the press, and will be issued in England by T. Fisher Unwin, and handled in Canada by William Briggs. The strong rivalry between English publishers to secure this book indicates expectancy of a great demand for it when published.

Mr. S. B. Gundy, manager of the wholesale department of William Briggs' Publishing House, returned on the 3rd inst. from his European trip, looking hale and hearty. He was fortunate in securing a number of the "prizes" among the forthcoming books. This old-established house, judging from the list of books in press, seems determined to maintain the prestige

A. W. Marchemont, whose "By Right of Sword" was one of the best of last year's books, has written a new story entitled "A Dash for a Throne." A Canadian copyright edition will be published in April by already won. They have a remarkably good William Briggs, in paper and in cloth. lot of books for their spring output.

The book of the month, if not of the year, in the United States, is E. N. Wescott's "David Harum," the Canadian market for which has been secured by William Briggs. The story is said to be full of rich humor. It does for New York what Nelson Page's stories have done for the South, reproducing the quaint dialects, the localisms, and' the peculiar types of life of the great American metropolis. This was the author's only published story, his death following shortly upon the issue of the book--an unusually promising career cut short.

In the "Heart of Toil," by Octave Thanet, we are brought face to face with the working population of to-day, and find that there is in it much of interest and even of romance when it is exploited by the pen of this talented authoress. Under her guidance we become acquainted with the heroism which frequently lurks beneath the jeans of the operative. There is a life likeness and a sympathetic insight in the book which should be highly appreciated, while the illustrations are of quite exceptional cleverness. The "Heart of Toil" should be as successful an issue of this series as the others have been.

William Briggs has arranged to issue a Canadian copyright edition of Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler's new story, "A Double Thread." This lady's "Concerning Isabel Carnaby" was considered one of the best of last year's English novels. The "Daily Telegraph" described it as "An excellent novel, clever and witty enough to be very amusing, and serious enough to provide much food for thought. Isabel Carnaby is wholly delightful; her very weakness makes her charm. She is so feminine, s0

capricious and so noble." Miss Fowler is a daughter of Rt. Hon. Sir Henry Fowler, a prominent member of the last Liberal Ministry.

Mr. Morgan is to be congratulated on the many flattering notices of his "Canadian Men and Women of the Time" that have appeared in the press on both sides of the Atlantic. "The Queen" (London, Eng.)

in a recent issue had the following comment :-"Mr. Morgan is known all over the world by the works which he has published on Canadian institutions and the makers of Canada. He was an ideal editor and approached his task with a thorough knowledge and a Parliamentary draughtsman's habit of minute accuracy. His book is a much better one than the English 'Men of the Time."" The publisher (William Briggs) remarks upon the number of orders for the book received from abroad. The work is

simply invaluable to newspaper and professional men and those in public life. Mr. Morgan is now engaged in preparing a work on 66 Types of Canadian Women, Past and Present."

A SISTER TO EVANGELINE. The eminent Canadian poet and novelist, Charles G. D. Roberts, is again to the fore with a novel which bids fair to rival the success attained by "The Forge in the Forest." The title of this work is "A Sister to Evangeline, Being the Story of Yvonne de Lamourie." The scene of this romance is laid in the region about Grand Pré and the Basin of Minas, which Longfellow has made immortal in his poem of Evangeline. The date is 1755 and the action centres about that great and terrible dream of banishment which tore the old Acadians from their homes in the garden of Nova Scotia and scattered them in exile over the continent. The story is told by Paul Grande, a young Acadian soldier-poet of seigneurial blood, a nephew of Sieur de Briart, who is the central figure in "The Forge of the Forest." The heroine is a bewitching and wilful demoiselle of Grand Pré, who has fled to Acadie on account of misfortunes at Versailles. The story is not in any sense a sequel to "The Forge in the Forest," each book being complete in itself, but it further unfolds the moving drama of Acadian history, and some of the chief characters in the former novel appear in this one. The Black Abbé is still the evil genius of Acadie; and the fantastic madman, Grûl, still lives to thwart him. To the swift action, fresh outdoor atmosphere, and wholesome purity of thought which marked The Forge in the Forest," this novel adds a deeper passion, a stronger human interest, a more searching analysis of character and motive. It will be without doubt one of the Canadian successes of the year.

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The Premier Library.

A Library of Choice Books; well printed, good paper, in handsome paper covers. Retail price, 35c.

Single Copies, 18c.; in lots of 25, 17c.; in lots of 50, 16c.; in lots of 100, 15c.

A YOUNG GIRL'S WOOING, by E. P. Roe.

HE FELL IN LOVE WITH HIS WIFE, by E. P. Roe.
WITHOUT A HOME, by E. P. Roe.

HIS SOMBRE RIVALS, by E. P. Roe.

INFELICE, by Augusta J. Evans Wilson.

33. ST. ELMO. by Augusta J. Evans Wilson.

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AT THE MERCY OF TIBERIUS, by Augusta J. Evans Wilson.
ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, by Mark Twain.

A TRAMP ABROAD, by Mark Twain.

ROUGHING IT, by Mark Twain.

BEN HUR, by Lew Wallace.

THE FAIR GOD, by Lew Wallace.

MISTRESS BRANICAN, by Jules Verne. Illustrated.

NURSE ELISIA. A Novel, by G. Manville Fenn, Illustrated. I FORBID THE BANNS. The Story of a Comedy which was played seriously. By Frank Frankfort Moore. Illustrated. THE DUGDALE MILLIONS. A Novel, by W. C. Hudson. Illustrated.

THE SNARE OF THE FOWLER, by Mrs. Alexander. Illustrated. ENGLISH PHARISEES, FRENCH CROCODILES, AND OTHER ANGLOFRENCH TYPICAL CHARACTERS, by Max O'Rell. Illustrated. 24, THE FATE OF FENELLA. A Novel, by Justice McCarthy, M. P., and Mrs H. Lovett Cameron.

25. TIB, by George Douglas. Illustrated.

27. DR. PASCAL, by Emile Zola.

THE HOME COOK BOOK. Compiled by ladies of Toronto and chief Cities and Towns in Canada. Acknowledged the Greatest Cook Book in the World. Tried, Tested and Proven.

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE. Counsels on the Nature and Hygiene of the Masculine Functions. By Geo. H. Napheys, A. M., M.D.

THE PHYSICAL LIFE OF WOMAN.

Advice to the Maiden, Wife and Mother. By Geo. H. Napheys, A.M., M.D. GLEASON'S VETERINARY HANDBOOK AND SYSTEM OF HORSE TRAINING. Handsomely bound in cloth, and Illustrated. By Oliver W. Gleason. In two parts.

The above books always have a ready sale at $1.00, and we offer them to the Trade at the exceptionally low price of: Single copies, 50c.; in lots of 12, assorted, 45c.; or 100, assorted, 40c.

HERE'S A CHANCE.

ADVICE TO A WIFE AND ADVICE TO A MOTHER. Handsomely bound in one volume. By Pye Henry Chavasse, M.D. Retail price, $1.25; trade price, 75c. PLAIN HOME TALK. Dr. Foote's New and Wonderful Work about the Human System-The Habits of Men and Women-The Causes and Prevention of DiseasesOur Sexual Relations and Social Natures; embracing Medical Common Sense applied; Causes, Prevention and Cure of Chronic Diseases; The Natural Relation of Men and Women to each other; Society, Love, Marriage, Parentage, etc., etc. Handsomely printed and bound in one volume of nearly 1,000 octavo pages, embellished with 200 illustrations. Retail price, $1.50; trade price, 90c.

COMMON SENSE IN THE HOUSEHOLD COOK BOOK. By Marion Harland. A manual of Practical Housewifery Cloth bound. Retail price 50c. Trade price 30c.

A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT. By Mark Twain. Contains over 200 illustrations and 500 pages of reading matter. Size of Retail page, 7 x 9. A book you never tire of reading. price, $1.50. Trade price, 75c.

Sickness is Common to All, For Instructions How to Nurse the Sick Read THE CARE OF THE SICK.

At Home and in the Hospital. A handbook for Families and for Nurses, by Dr. Th. Billroth, late Professor of Surgery, &c., &c., in Vienna. Translated, by special authority of the author, by J. Bentall Endean. New popular edition (The 4th), revised and enlarged, Crown 8vo, with Portrait and 52 illustrations, cloth bound. Retail price, $1.50. Trade price, 90c.

"ALICE IN WONDERLAND."-HER

AUTHOR.

The life of the author of "Alice in Wonderland"-Lewis Carroll-in other words Rev. C. L. Dodgson, is one of the books which a bookseller may submit to his most intelligent customers with the certainty that it will be appreciated if not purchased. For it is a book of solid interest to any person interested in literary matters. It brings us face to face with a world which is peopled by famous persons, and has an attraction altogether apart from its being the biography of a man who produced one of the most popular books that was ever written. "Alice of Wonderland" was, of course, a book of nonsense, but it was superior nonsense, and it was the work of a highly culti vated and scholarly man, who was also distinguished as a mathematician. That he was an expert amateur photographer and that this handsome volume is illustrated by upwards of 100 reproductions of the work of his camera make it additionally valuable because one gets through it a first-hand acquaintance with people whose names will live in history.

"DIANE OF VILLE MARIE."

The reception given Miss Macdonell's novel has, on the whole, been very gratify. ing, and should incite the author to further ventures in the rich field of historical romance offered by early French Canada, and in which she evidently is perfectly at home. The story is by no means without its defects, and these have been pointed out with ready zeal by some of the critics. They are chiefly faults of construction, and can be guarded against in any future work. One of our Canadian writers, who is achieving distinction by his stories treating of the French Canada of today, writes the publisher of "Diane of Ville Marie" as follows: "In many respects it is a notable book. I take it to be a faithful representation of the period it deals with, and its addition to Canadian literature is, in consequence, valuable. Indeed, so admirably are the details of dress and customs belonging to Canada's early colonial days impressed into the story, that the handsomely gotten up volume might well serve as a textbook.

Miss Macdonell has shown herself to be most indefatigable in research; her pen as well refining scene and character, description and incident as only a gifted, highminded woman can. The authoress also proves herself to be a subtle analyst of feminine thought and instinct. In places the movement is most marked; that which opens Chap. XIX, A Woman's Loyalty,' being unusually interesting and virile. Nanon, if we may discriminate, is a character we have every pleasure in meeting with, and her moods and caprices, irreverence and volubil

ity-in short, the true French abandon of a serving-maid-is very good- as refreshing as a draught of spring water." Doctors are not the only persons who differ. The reviewers quite as often fail of harmony. The critic of "Saturday Night" comments upon this same story as follows: "It deals with a romantic period of the country's history, consumes a wealth of material, yet I found it lacking in interest. History and romance are here thrown together, but not blended, they are present but not commingl

ed.

The reader jolts from one to the other, as does the reader of a newspaper who reads a poem and then a market report.” No word of appreciation is given, no discrimination shown-" No quarter" evidently being the war-cry of the knight of the quill in his charge upon the luckless book. Amid these conflicting views the reader may be at a loss to know what is the real value or merit of the book. This he can find only by reading it for himself-which is a good thing for the bookseller.

AYLWIN.

The great success of Theodore Watts-Dunton's "Aylwin" (Morang) has no doubt been considerably aided by the diametrically opposite views of it which have been taken by certain critics. While most of the reviewers have given it unstinted praise, so that it may be said that the consensus of opinion is in its favor, one or two tasters of books have said hard things of it. This is notably the case with regard to the New York "Critic," which now and then wakes up with a start to the realization of the fact that England is the centre of creative fiction, and betrays a little vexation thereat. On this occasion the "Critic" appears to think that the success of "Aylwin" has been made because a number of reviewers have conspired to "hurl it at the heads of the English people." But the successive issues of the work would seem to show that there is something intrinsic-very much in fact-in the book itself to account for the way in which the public have received it. As a matter of fact it is an uncommon novel, it has a strong story element, and a great deal of literary skill has been employed in its making. It certainly fulfils one of the requirements of a work of fiction, viz., that it shall entertain the reader and transport him from the dull round of ordinary existence into a region of romance. Besides, there will be found in it none of the slipshod English which occasionally passes muster in some of the novels of the day. But whatever its characteristics, the hooksellers know very well that everyone wants to read it. Its form, its ethical message, its lineage and traditions, are new. It is full of undeniable poetry and philosophy, of tragic. power, of delicate purity of tone.

Combin

ing the mystical with the actual, the pomp of society with the humor and pathos of the slum, it is a glittering picture of the life of the time, and amazing in its variety, power, and vigour. Enlivened with a vein of personal reminiscence, it has a finished touch and a graceful movement which only an artist can produce an artistic touch of the critic. The scene is laid on the North sea coast of England, and shifts to North Wales, thence to London, and back again to the Welsh haunts of the Ramonies, where the Cymric superstition about "the call from the grave" wreaks its awful vengeance upon the three principal characters, Henry Aylwin, Winnifred Wynne, and Sinfi Lovell, the gipsy maiden. There is nothing in modern literature so moving, so intensely pathetic, so sorrowful, as the madness of Winnie; nothing of its type and kind so majestically finished, so heroic and unselfish, as the study of Sinfi. These two young girls will rank among the greatest heroines in recent fiction. But the book has a deeper meaning, which many readers will scarcely comprehend-a meaning that goes beyond the art of romance into the mystic realms of spiritualism, into the causes and results of a dead man's curse, into the very science of the overpowering love-passion itself. This element appears behind the veil of an intense, ennobling, self-sacrificing love, forming the mysterious background of a story both remarkable and unique for its continuity, compactness, poetic style, elegance of diction, and thrilling interest. The grace and art which have characterized Mr. Watts-Dunton's poems and critical essays illuminate every page, and it is to be regretted that he held it so long in manuscript (some twenty years) before giving it to the world. This is partly explained, however, by his friendship for Browning, Tennyson, William Morris, Meredith, Rosetti, and Swinburne, several of whom figure under a thin disguise in this brilliant work.

WITH NANSEN.

Messrs. George N. Morang & Company have just brought out an edition of Lieutenant Hjalmar Johansen's book, "With Nansen in the North," and while not so large or expensive as Nansen's book of two years ago, it contains an amount of information about the famous expedition of the Fram which will, no doubt, make it very popular. The work is a simple, straightforward narrative of adventure, written by a brave man, who, without much of the art of the litterateur, makes us acquainted with what the captain and crew of the Fram did during their perilous voyage in search of the North Pole, very much as one might be told of it by some plain, bluff sailor, detailing, without effort of display, the incidents of his voyage. Johansen joined the celebrated

expedition in the capacity of stoker, all the other posts being filled. Such was his enthusiasm that though he was a lieutenant in the Norwegian army, he preferred to leave pipe clay and drill for the discomforts of the stokehole and the small engine-room of the Fram rather than not join the vessel at all. The book is illustrated by numerous reproductions of photographs, and should have an extensive sale, being both on account of its size, its illustrations and its interesting contents the cheapest work on Polar exploration ever published.

MORANG'S FLORIN SERIES.

In deciding to bring out a monthly series of first class novels at the low price of fifty cents, the firm of Morang & Company were no doubt well advised, and they deserved the success which has attended the first three issues, viz: "Bob, Son of Battle," "The Nameless Castle," and "The Heart of Toil," the last just put upon the market and already in sight of its second edition. With regard to "Bob, Son of Battle," it may be said that it is one of the books exactly suited to the Canadian market-clean, strong, and vigorous, with plenty of incident and good character painting. Some particulars as to the author, Alfred Ollivant, may perhaps be interesting. "He was born in 1874, the son of an artillery officer. From earliest years he was destined for a soldier. At 13 he went to Rugby, and passed thence into Woolwich in 1891. He went through the two years' course at the R. M. A., and in 1893, at the age of 19, passed out with his commission, at the head of the list, Tomb's Memorial Scholar, and winner of the coveted saddle and bridle. Two months later he joined; but almost immediately a severe fall from a horse brought on a disastrous illness. He became a complete cripple, confined on his back, the plaything of surgeons. At the end of two and a half years, still no better, and realizing that he would never again be fit for service, he sent in his papers. The sword sheathed, he drew his pen. Reading one day an essay of Stevenson's Pastoral,' he happened on a tragic tale of a collie who came to an ill end

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for alas,' wrote the essayist, he was the foulest criminal under trust, a sheep eater.' Herein, surely, lay the germ of a romance to stir; here was the sick man's chance. A dog-lover from his youth, such a theme suited well his temper. He attempted a short story, sheep-murder for motive. The story swelled. James Moore needed a foil; Adam McAdam came on the scene. The little Scot loomed ever larger. His maker played with him, lived with him, dreamed of him, till at length the little man became what he now appears in Bob, Son of Battle.' Hindered by operations, the

writer wrote arduously, and the physical difficulty nigh overcame him, for not a word from start to finish but must be written scriptore recumbente a table pinned across Lim as he lay. Now, too, he was undergoing the open-air cure, and remorseless surgeons, pitiless parents, hounded him out of doors at all hours. So he must work in coram populo, lying in a spinal chair, his face skywards, that eternal table athwart him; and the wind sowed the landscape with his labors, and the crowd jostled round and cheered, and the ink refused to run uphill. So he wrote and rewrote unto some seven times. Then it was finished; and the end found the writer crawling cautiously out of crippledom."

AN AUTHORS' SOCIETY.

At a meeting held in the Canadian Institute, Toronto, on Monday, Feb. 6th, a society known as the Canadian Society of Authors was formed. The society has for its purpose the promotion of literature in Canada. At a meeting held on January 13th it was decided that such a society should be formed. The new organization has now been launched. Quite a number of those interested in literary work were present, among them being Prof. Rand, Prof. Mavor, Dr. Burwash, Dr. Stafford, Richard T. Lancefield, of Hamilton; James Bain, jr., Bernard McEvoy, E. F. H. Cross, John A. Cooper, J. Castell Hopkins, A. Haultain, Miss FitzGibbons, Miss K. M. Lizars, O. A. Howland, W. E. Stark, J. E. Maybee, A. H. Lefroy, George Moberlye, W. T. James, Dr. Barnard, Dr. G. R. Parkin, Dr. Hahn, J. G. Ridout and Walter Barwick.

A committee was formed to draft a constitution, when another meeting of the society will be held and officers elected.

The Hon. Geo. W. Ross, Minister of Education for Ontario, was chairman of the meeting. Mr. Ross read an excellent paper on the Copyright Question.

I do not propose, he said, in this paper to right of the Parliament of Canada under the enter upon a discussion of the constitutional B. N. A. Act to deal with the question of copyright. The late Sir John Thompson, in his report to the Governor General-in-Council, dated the 3rd August, 1889, and in his letter to Lord Knutsford, dated at London, Eng., 14th July, 1890, has presented the constitutional view of the question with a frankness and perspicacity, which leave nothing to be desired. Following several decisions of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, he insisted upon the right of the Canadian Parliament, having due regard to the Imperial interests involved, to legislate as freely with regard to copyright as with regard to any other subject relegated to it under the provisions of the British North America Act. Unhappily, notwithstanding the vigor of his argument, his views did not prevail with the Colonial Office.

INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT.

Briefly stated, the present condition of British and of International Copyright is as follows:-

1. Any British author who publishes his work in the United Kingdom secures copyright in all British possessions, and no colo

nial law can prevent the importation of such work into any colony of the empire.

2. By the Berne Convention of 1886 an agreement was arrived at between Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Hayti and Tunis, by which a reciprocity of copyright was established among these countries. It follows that a copyright granted in any of them has the same right of sale in any of the British possessions as a copyright obtained in the United Kingdom.

3. The United States was not a party to this convention, but in 1891 Congress passed a new copyright law whereby the British author obtained copyright in the United States by printing and publishing in that country simultaneously with the publication of his work in Great Britain; and the American author obtained copyright in Great Britain by registering his work at Stationers' Hall, London, simultaneously with printing and publication in the United States. It may be stated that this arrangement met with the approval of the British authors, for the reasons (a) that the publication in the United States of works by British authors is greatly in excess of the publication in Great Britain of works by American authors, and (b) that the United States offer an immense market. It was argued on behalf of the United States that British authors had more to gain in securing the United States market than American authors had to gain in securing the British market. This may be true, but the effect of the American copyright law by which all books, to obtain copyright in the United States, must be printed as well as published in the United States, has been that British publishers have established houses in New York, and are doing a large business.

As regards Canadian copyright, the following is the present situation:

COPYRIGHT IN CANADA.

1. A Canadian author or publisher, by first printing, publishing and registering in Canada, obtains copyright throughout the British Empire. A British author obtains copyright in Canada by simply publishing in London. A citizen of the United States domiciled in the United States who wishes to secure Canadian copyright, must present a certificate that his work has been registered at Stationers' Hall, London, and must, in addition, print and publish his work in Canada.

2. An author or publisher, or anyone who has the right to dispose of a work, may sell the right to produce it to a Canadian publisher, who may print and publish in Canada, thus obtaining Canadian copyright under the present Act, still the British author or publisher, who has already disposed of the Canadian rights, may nevertheless send into Canada other editions of the same work. Even if he refrains from sending in his work directly, and even if he prints on the cover this work must not be sold in Canada," there is nothing in the law to prevent anyone in England from purchasing and sending on his own account the English edition of the work into Canada. The effect is to destroy the Canadian market as a separate market, and to retard the development of publishing in this country. This reacts also upon the British author, who is practically deprived of a possible additional market for his works.

It must be evident that the Canadian