THE LIFE OF MR. GLADSTONE.* The result of the recent elections in England, secured in great measure by the personal efforts of Mr. Gladstone, invests his past career if possible with still greater interest than ever before. It is a happy circumstance that a carefully prepared memoir of. the distinguished statesman has just been republished by Messrs. G. P. Putnam's Sons. The book is of the nature of a biography, and the object of the author has been to place before the reader, in connection with the whole story of Mr. Gladstone's life, a detailed statement of his relations to the great movements of his time and an account of the writings and speeches which these events have called forth. The author does not conceal his full sympathy for one whom he styles "the most conspicuous figure, perhaps, in the public life of our times, and one who is universally esteemed for his talents, his eloquence, his high and pure feeling, and his personal worth." A recent writer speaking of Mr. Gladstone, says: "He cares even more than trades-unions for the welfare of the working men; more than the manufacturers for the interests of capital; more for the cause of retrenchment than the most jealous and avowed foes of government expenditure; more for the spread of education than the advocates of a compulsory national system; more for careful constitutional precedent than the Whigs; and more for the spiritual independence of the church than the highest Tories. He unites cotton with culture, Manchester with Oxford, the deep classical joy over the Italian resurrection and Greek independence, with the deep English interest on the amount of the duty on Zante raisins and Italian rags. The great railway boards and the Bishops are about equally interested in Mr. Gladstone. His mind mediates between the moral and material interests of the age, and rests in neither; he moralizes finance and commerce and (if we may be allowed the barbarism) institutionalizes ethics and faith." CAMP AND CABIN.t-Dr. Rossiter W. Raymond, editor of the Engineering and Mining Journal, has become somewhat widely known as the author of several charming stories. This new volume presents a number of studies of character and scenery from the mining regions of the Pacific coast, and the Far West, which *The Life of the Right Honorable William Ewart Gladstone, M.A., D.C.L. By GEORGE BARNETT SMITH. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 596 pp. 8vo. For sale in New Haven by E. P. Judd. +Camp and Cabin. Sketches of Life and Travel in the West. By ROSSITER W. RAYMOND. New York: Fords, Howard, & Hulbert. 1880. 243 pp. 16mo. will add still further to his reputation. There is an element of refinement in these sketches of frontier life which is not common among those who have gained a reputation for such descriptions. The book contains also an account of the "wonders of the Yellowstone;" the "ice caves of Washington;" and the "ascent of Gray's Peak." GREAT SINGERS.*-The author-Mr. G. T. Ferris-without pretending to any special originality, has furnished in this little book very readable sketches of several of the celebrities among the singers who have gained special renown. They are Faustina Bordoni; Catarina Gabrielli; Sophia Arnould; Elizabeth Billington; Angelica Catalini; Giudetta Pasta; and Henrietta Sontag. DR. BARTOL'S "PRINCIPLES AND PORTRAITS."-In this volume of essays by Dr. Bartol, are discussions of the following subjects: Art; Love; Life; Business; Beasts; Politics; Plays; Science; Deity; Education; Definition; and there are also added papers upon the "Personality of Shakespeare;" Channing; Bushnell; Weiss; Garrison; and Hunt the artist. NOTES ON RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.-This little volume on railway accidents by Mr. Charles Francis Adams, Jr., who has acquired so high a reputation as an acknowledged authority on all matters pertaining to railways, strange to say leaves the reader quite reassured with regard to the safety of all ordinary railroad travel. There is a full account given of all the principal accidents which have occurred on the railroads of this country and in Europe, and their causes are clearly and intelligently pointed out, while the various appliances-such as the Miller Platform and Westinghouse Brake and others-are described, which have been invented to meet what proved to be defective in the system of construction and management. The conclusion to which Mr. Adams comes is that at present "the very safest place into which a man can put himself is the inside of a first-class railroad carriage on a train in full motion." * Great Singers. Faustina Bordoni to Henrietta Sontag. Appleton's HandyVolume Series. By GEORGE T. FERRIS. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1880. 220 pp. 16mo. New Haven: E. P. Judd. Principles and Portraits. New Haven: E. P. Judd. By C. A. BARTOL. Boston: Roberts Brothers. Notes on Railway Accidents. By CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS, JR. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1879. 12mo, 280 pp. New Haven: E. P. Judd. MAGAZINE OF ART.*-Messrs. Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., of New York, are publishing a monthly magazine of art, which needs only to be known to become every where a favorite in those families where there is any interest in art. There are in each number valuable art criticisms, fresh information with regard to the new works of living artists, and all is abundantly and admirably illustrated. POPULAR ROMANCES OF THE MIDDLE AGES.t-At the present time when so much attention has been directed to the mediæval legends which had such a strange fascination for our forefathers, this volume will be found very convenient and useful. The object of the authors has been to present to modern readers the simple story of the old romances, in a form which shall be relieved of all the monotonous and wearisome details which a comparatively rude and ignorant age imposed upon them. The legends which are here collected are: King Arthur and his Knights; Merlin; Sir Tristram; Bevis of Hamtoun; Guy of Warwick; Havelok; Beowulf; Roland; Olger the Dane; The Stories of the Volsungs; The Nibelung story; Walter of Aquitaine; The Gudrun lay; The Story of Hugdietrich and Hildeburg; Grettir the Strong; Gunnlaug and the fair Helga, and Burnt Njal. HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICS.-Mr. Johnston has succeeded in bringing into a small octavo volume of 274 pp. a clear and consecutive, though necessarily brief, account of the origin and progress of political parties in the United States, from the foundation of the government, with a summary of the principal doings of each congress from the inauguration of Washington until now. It is an intelligent, correct, impartial view, in miniature, of the whole compass of our political history. The value of this little manual is enhanced by a well made index, and by appendixes which present the Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, and statistical information of much interest. *Magazine of Art. Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co. New York: monthly numbers, 38 pages. Price per year, $2.75. Single specimen numbers, 25 cents. Popular Romances of the Middle Ages. By Sir GEORGE W. Cox, M.A. Bart., and EUSTACE HINTON JONES. First American, from the Second English Edition. New York: H. Holt & Co. 1880. 12mo., pp. 514. New Haven: E. P. Judd. History of American Politics; by ALEXANDER JOHNSTON, A.M. New York: H. Holt & Co. 1879. New Haven: E. P. Judd. HEALTH AND HEALTH RESORTS.*—Invalids and their friends will find in this book a mass of information which is invaluable in enabling them to decide whether it is best to leave their native land for the purpose of seeking health in foreign lands; and, if they resolve to go abroad, a full and reliable statement of the advantages and the disadvantages of the different health resorts. It is the opinion of Dr. Wilson that there is in no country "such an assemblage of intelligent appliances for the alleviation of suffering" and "such ample provision made for the comfort of the traveling invalid" as in our own; and he fully and clearly sets. forth the discomforts, the annoyances, the depressing influences, and the dangers to which invalids may be exposed in Europe. No invalid should be allowed by his friends to go abroad till after a careful consideration of all that is said in the admirable chapter on "expatriation." For those who think it safe to risk it, full details are given with regard to the special advantages afforded by the Riviera, Nice, Cannes, Mentone, San Remo, Hyères, Pau, Malaga, Madeira, Algiers, Egypt; and by the mineral springs at Spa, Aix-la-Chapelle, Schwalbach, Ems, Hombourg, Kissingen, Carlsbad, Marienbad, Gastein, Teplitz, Vichy, Bagnères de Bigorre, Saint Sauveur, Uriage, Royat, Ischia, and many minor places in Germany and Switzerland. PROFESSOR FISHER'S DISCUSSIONS IN HISTORY AND THEOLOGY.† -We have only sufficient space at command to call attention to this very attractive volume, just published, which contains selections from the magazine Articles of Professor Fisher-sixteen in number-which have appeared in the New Englander, North American, and other Reviews. With a few exceptions these essays may be classified under three heads. The first group comprises papers which relate to the history, polity, and dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church. The second group relates to New England Theology, and includes the Article published in the North American on Jonathan Edwards; the Article on Channing in the International Review; and the Article on Dr. Nathaniel W. Taylor in the New Englander. The third division pertains to Theism and Christian Evidences. *Health and Health Resorts. By JOHN WILSON, M.D., late Medical Inspector of Camps and Hospitals in the United States Army. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates. 12mo, 288 pp. New Haven: E. P. Judd. + Discussions in History and Theology. By GEORGE P. FISHER, D.D., LL.D., Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History in Yale College. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1880. 555 pp. 8vo. New Haven, E. P. Judd. IRENE: THE MISSIONARY.*- -A special interest attaches to this novel of Major DeForest from the fact that the scene is the Syrian Mission of the "American Board." The action is at the period of the war between the Maronites and the Druses. The descriptions of scenery and life in Syria are full of interest. The conceptions also of many of the characters introduced are admirable-although those of the missionaries themselves, it must be confessed, seem somewhat exaggerated. A FOOL'S ERRAND.t-Perhaps no book has appeared since the civil war which will so well enable the people of the north to understand what is the actual condition of things at the South, and what is the nature of the civilization to be found there, as this. The book is professedly written by an officer of the Union army who was, during the progress of the war, so captivated by what he saw of the natural advantages of the south, that on the return of peace he purchased a plantation, and removed there with his family with the design of making a permanent residence in one of the Southern States. He has given the results of his experience under the form of a narrative of what befel him and his family. In his book he gives no evidence of being actuated by any unfriendly feeling to the South, and he is thoroughly impartial. He presents also in strong light many of the attractive features of southern life. The book abounds with sketches of characters, many of which are of great interest, and all give unmistakable evidence of being drawn directly from the men and women with whom he associated. But the chief value of the book is the light which it throws on the sentiments of the southern people before and since the war. It is a book for the times, and should be read by everyone. *Irene: the Missionary. New Haven, E. P. Judd. Boston: Roberts Brothers. 1879. 390 pp. 12mo. A Fool's Errand. By one of the Fools. New York: Fords, Howard & Hulbert. 1879. 361 pp. 12mo. New Haven, E. P. Judd. |