Volume 3 — B (continued 2)
Reading edition
+ + A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 6. Ja. ’07.
“Each chapter is the work of the born lecturer, holding the attention of his audience from beginning to end, suggesting here, illustrating there, and always stimulating the appetite for further investigation.”
+ + − Ath. 1907. 1: 293. Mr. 9. 1700w.
“Of substantial merit and permanent value for every lover and student of denizens of the air.”
+ + Dial. 42: 19. Ja. 1, ’07. 370w.
“Mr. Beebe’s style is in itself pictorial: but in clothing his facts with ‘living interest,’ as he says in his preface, he occasionally passes the boundary line between warrantable deduction and pure fancy. Considering the wide field covered, actual errors are infrequent.”
+ + − Nation. 83: 566. D. 27, ’06. 850w.
“The book will take and hold a distinct place in the literature of the subject for it is quite original and stands alone. His book is of worldwide interest.”
+ + Nature. 76: 489. S. 12, ’07. 820w.
“Side by side with a perfection of scientific detail, Mr. Beebe fans to a vital flame an exquisite appreciation of the ethical value of bird life.”
+ + N. Y. Times. 12: 236. Ap. 13, ’07. 730w.
“It thus covers ground that has been but little worked. Here and there slips occur. The book abounds in information and represents a large amount of original work.” F. A. L.
+ + − Science, n.s. 25: 142. Ja. 25, ’07. 920w.
“It is with real satisfaction that we recommend a book which is thoroughly popular, very suitable for youthful naturalists, and at the same time scientific.”
+ + Spec. 98: 1035. Je. 29, ’07. 530w.
Beebe, C. William. Log of the sun: a chronicle of nature’s year; with 52 full-page il. by Walter King Stone; and numerous vignettes and photographs from life. **$6. Holt.
6–41017.
Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.
“This is one of the best nature-books we have had from America.”
+ + Acad. 72: 118. F. 2, ’07. 210w.
A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 38. F. ’07.
“He has imagination and a keen sense of extracting the artistic from matters of fact, but he never allows these accomplishments to distort the truth.”
+ + N. Y. Times. 12: 19. Ja. 12, ’07. 880w.
+ + R. of Rs. 35: 116. Ja. ’07. 170w.
“This is a beautiful book, and good to read.”
+ Spec. 98: 96. Ja. 19, ’07. 200w.
Beeching, Rev. Henry Charles, and Nairne, Alexander. Bible doctrine of atonement. *$1. Dutton.
These six lectures, five of them by Dr. Beeching, were given in Westminster abbey. Three of them trace the idea of atonement as it appears in the Old Testament, and three treat the New Testament aspects of the subject.
“All [lectures] are interesting and easily read. Prof. Nairne’s lecture is a valuable piece of exposition, but is not such easy reading as the rest of the volume.”
+ Ath. 1907, 1: 382. My. 30. 160w.
“The treatment is popular, but in touch with the results of modern investigation.”
+ Bib. World. 30: 239. S. ’07. 40w.
“When we get to what he rightly calls ‘the very centre of the subject’ ... we have a feeling of disappointment, a feeling that after all Dr. Beeching has failed to take us to the centre. We believe Dr. Beeching to be true and correct so far as he goes, but we believe that he has not gone far enough or deep enough; he has given us but part of the doctrine of the atonement.”
+ − Sat. R. 104: 460. O. 12, ’07. 360w.
“A short book upon the atonement which shall be at the same time learned and popular, will, we are sure, be eagerly read by many persons whose views in regard to this difficult doctrine have become unsettled as a result of recent criticism. Such a book lies before us at the present moment.”
+ Spec. 99: sup. 645. N. 2, ’07. 210w.
Beer, George Louis. British colonial policy, 1854–1865. **$2. Macmillan.
7–30451.
A work which in presenting the British colonial policy from 1754 to 1765 covers the fundamental cause of the revolution. It is a work which “has not for its purpose the glorification of revolutionary patriots or motives, but which is content to view the facts of the period as facts.” (Ind.)
“We commend this book to persons who desire a fairer view of the ultimate causes of American independence.”
+ Ind. 63: 1061. O. 31, ’07. 310w.
+ J. Pol. Econ. 15: 570. N. ’07. 220w.
N. Y. Times. 12: 678. O. 26, ’07. 720w.
“This is a book that Fourth of July orators will have to reckon with, sooner or later.”
+ Outlook. 87: 748. N. 30, ’07. 100w.
Beet, Joseph Agar. Manual of theology. *$2.75. Armstrong.
“Professor Beet’s ‘Manual of Christian theology’ expounds the views on the intermediate state which brought him into difficulty with the English Methodists some years ago, but otherwise it follows well-worn paths to conclusions which are now familiar and trite.”—Ind.
33“Dr. Agar Beet’s is, no doubt, a good specimen of its class, but its main result is only to afford one more proof, if such were needed, of the futility of this kind of literature.”
− + Acad. 73: 278. Mr. 16, ’07. 290w.
“The value of Dr. Beet’s work—and it has considerable value—lies in its minute knowledge and skilful use of the words of the Biblical writers, and in the systematizing of the thoughts he finds in those words.”
+ Ath. 1907, 1: 438. Ap. 13. 500w.
“The religious tone of the treatise prevents it from being a dry compendium of proof-texts. But one who has accepted the historical method of studying the Bible will be unable to use the book for anything more than an expression of Dr. Beet’s own convictions.” Gerald Birney Smith.
+ − Bib. World. 30: 77. Jl. ’07. 430w.
Ind. 62: 98. Ja. 10, ’07. 40w.
+ − Nation. 84: 176. F. 21, ’07. 200w.
Outlook. 84: 892. D. 8, ’06. 320w.
“We cannot follow his expositions, but we may say that they are characterised by lucidity and moderation.”
+ Spec. 97: 686. N. 3, ’06. 70w.
Begbie, Harold. Penalty. †$1.50. Dodd.
7–14251.
A story whose plot rests upon a woman’s determination to have a certain bishop reinstate her in English society. By means of the theft and later the loss of a certain book, she planned to show to the world that this bishop now aspiring to the archbishopric of Canterbury formerly belonged to a secret order that was proselyting for the Roman Catholic church. “There results a comedy of errors which in the end very narrowly escapes becoming a tragedy.” (Bookm.)
“A novel of unquestionable cleverness.”
+ − Ath. 1906, 2: 613. N. 17. 220w.
“The welcome feature ... is a distinct originality of theme. Taken altogether, a very readable volume, full of veiled irony, and plainly written with a certain underlying seriousness of purpose.” Frederic Taber Cooper.
+ Bookm. 25: 286. My. ’07. 300w.
+ N. Y. Times. 12: 336. My. 25, ’07. 190w.
“The dignity and serious tone of the book make it quite worth while.”
+ Outlook. 86: 117. My. 18, ’07. 160w.
Belcher, John. Essentials in architecture: an analysis of the principles and qualities to be looked for in buildings. *$2. Scribner.
“Everybody who wishes to be able to distinguish between a good building and a bad, to recognize at a glance the best and worst points of the houses he passes in the street, is under a debt of deep gratitude to Mr. Belcher.” (Acad.) “Dividing the work into four main parts, entitled respectively principles, qualities, factors, and materials, Mr. Belcher discourses pleasantly on each, illustrating the points he makes by reference to well-known buildings.” (Ath.)
“Uncompromising in his denunciation of vital defects, Mr. Belcher is as broad-minded as he is sound in his judgments, and his book is remarkably free from whims, fads, and that irrelevant mass of fuss and metaphysics which Ruskin in later years detected in his ‘Seven lamps.’”
+ + Acad. 73: 769. Ag. 10, ’07. 1030w.
“The interest of the book lies less in the correctness or otherwise of the principles formulated than in the intimate view of architecture presented, which is not that of the historian or the art critic, but one of the practising architect.”
+ − Ath. 1907, 2: 277. S. 7. 370w.
“Every line is pregnant with interest alike to the cultured general reader and to the professional student, whose attention is called to those first principles and ultimate ideals which he is apt to overlook in the maze of practical details.”
+ + Int. Studio. 32: 335. O. ’07. 190w.
“One has only to regret the too obvious and every-day tone of the criticism. It is an odd fault to find with a book devoted to analysis—but one does really long for a little more subtlety, a little finer splitting of hairs, and here and there something unexpected.”
+ − Nation. 85: 216. S. 5, ’07. 500w.
“It is as to contents only a fair average specimen of a class of historical ‘rewrite’ (to use a newspaper term) of which there has been an oversupply of late.”
+ − N. Y. Times. 12: 557. S. 14, ’07. 280w.
Bell, Gertrude Lowthian. Desert and the sown; a record of travel from Jericho through the unfrequented parts of Syria to Antioch. *$5. Dutton.
7–35188.
“The book describes the converse with all sorts of Syrians enjoyed by Miss Bell on a journey through the country east of Jordan to the Jebel-ed-Drûz, and thence, by Damascus, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, and Antioch, to the coast of Iskenderun.” (Ath.) “We get stories of shepherds and men-at-arms as they ‘passed from lip to lip round the camp fire, in the black tent of the Arab and the guest chamber of the Druze, as well as the more cautious utterance of Turkish and Syrian officials.’ She eschews politics, and points out that the wise traveller in Syria will avoid being drawn into the meshes of the Armenian question.... Much of her time was given to archaeological matters, but they are not her chief consideration in this book.” (Sat. R.)
“It is not too high praise to say that the book before us is the most charming addition to the literature of travel that has been published for many years—we had almost said, and we think we should be justified in saying, for many decades.”
+ + Acad. 72: 210. Mr. 2, ’07. 2460w.
“A most delightful account of travel in Syria in which the author shows a wide knowledge of desert lore and desert peoples, of archaeology and Asiatic politics, an unusual power of description, which, together with a keen sense of humor and fine dramatic touch, conveys the whole scene in a quite remarkable way.”
+ + A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 95. Ap. ’07.
“But after a searching criticism this book remains one of the best of its kind that we have ever read. A valuable map is appended, but, alas! there is no index.”
+ + − Ath. 1907, 1: 159. F. 9, 1540w.
“The author has made a distinct contribution to the literature of travel, and has put her name far up on the list of women who have written good travel-books.” H. E. Coblentz.
+ + Dial. 42: 391. Je. 16, ’07. 670w.
“One thing is wanting: Miss Bell has not sufficiently absorbed the medieval associations of Syria.”
+ + − Lond. Times. 6: 28. Ja. 25, ’07. 2510w.
“I cannot quote it all and unless all is quoted you have lost the better part.”
+ + Nation. 84: 437. My. 9, ’07. 1020w.
+ + N. Y. Times. 12: 156. Mr. 16, ’07. 240w.
“A book of unusual atmosphere and charm.”
+ + Outlook. 86: 75. My. 11, ’07. 530w.
“A charmingly written, fully illustrated account.”
+ Sat. R. 103: 276. Mr. 2, ’07. 270w.
“An enchanting example of travel literature. To her power of describing scenery and people, and of recording the living talk of men who, though they belong to the wilderness, have 34shrewd and capable brains, Miss Bell adds a wide knowledge of archaeology and a sound instinct for the politics of Asia.”
+ + Spec. 97: 253. F. 16, ’07. 3000w.
Bell, John Keble (Keble Howard, pseud.). The Smiths: a comedy without a plot. †$1.50. McClure.
7–16483.
“It is a simple, agreeable story of the lives of two affectionate and well-behaved people from the day when they come back from their wedding journey and begin housekeeping in a snug suburban cottage, to the time when they become grandparents.”—N. Y. Times.
“Mr. Keble Howard has shown us again his keen insight into ordinary human nature and with his sympathetic touch has brought to the surface valuable jewels from unsuspected sources.”
+ Acad. 70: 140. F. 10, ’06. 320w.
+ Ind. 63: 343. Ag. 8, ’07. 190w.
“The record of two honest young people who marry on a small income and lead the uninspired life of the solid British middle class, may be quite as tiresome in print as it appears in its suburban villa.”
− Nation. 85: 188. Ag. 29, ’07. 170w.
“Mr. Howard is not only in earnest, but he has also an old-fashioned, tender reverence which is refreshing at a time when that high quality has become somewhat rare. His people are fairly representative of the best members of that great, sterling middle class which at all periods has been the safeguard of English social life.”
+ N. Y. Times. 12: 337. My. 25, ’07. 450w.
“We are warned that the Smiths are neither superior nor fashionable, but it would have been more kind to warn us that they are absolutely uninteresting. We object to the inference that superiority and fashion are required in order to be interesting.”
− Outlook. 86: 340. Je. 15, ’07. 60w.
“Many a person who is genuinely depressed by the mere sight of a suburb from a train-window, and who would be utterly bored by half an hour’s companionship with the Smiths in real life, will find himself oddly interested in Mr. Howard’s little story, until he comes to the love affairs of Phyllis, when the conversations become tedious.”
+ − Sat. R. 101: 210. F. 17, ’06. 200w.
“The story of ‘The Smiths of Surbiton’ is not told with any distinction of literary style or any subtlety in the analysis of the human heart. The want of literary artifice in the treatment makes it therefore obvious that the approval with which the book has been greeted is due solely to its subject.”
− + Spec. 96: 226. F. 10, ’06. 460w.
Bell, Lilian. Why men remain bachelors, and other luxuries. **$1.25. Lane.
6–38991.
A group of half humorous half philosophical essays which deal with such subjects as The management of wives, The management of husbands, The luxury of being stupid, How men propose, The broken engagement, Modern mothers, etc.
+ N. Y. Times. 11: 810. D. 1, ’06. 220w.
“These very personal little essays are amusingly frank, and clever in a journalistic way, but they have none of that delicacy of form—and spirit—which pleases the artistic sense.”
+ − Outlook. 84: 1084. D. 29, ’06. 60w.
R. of Rs. 35: 116. Ja. ’07. 30w.
Bell, Malcolm. Old pewter. (Newnes’ lib. of the applied arts.) *$2.50. Scribner.
W 6–139.
Contains little if any new information but deserves recognition on account of the numerous carefully chosen illustrations.
“His various brief chapters show a considerable mastery of, and love for, his subject. One of the weak points of the letterpress is the ‘Useful books of reference,’ a list which occupies only a single page immediately before the index. The only works named in this insignificant list that deal with church pewter are wrongly cited.”
+ − Ath. 1906, 1: 803. Je. 30. 550w.
+ Int. Studio. 30: 186. D. ’06. 60w.
“Treats its subject very successfully.”
+ N. Y. Times. 11: 179. Mr. 24, ’06. 420w.
Bell, Nancy R. E. Historical outskirts of London. **$2. McClure.
“Mrs. Bell conducts her readers on a tour of the places situated on the fringe of London, recalling the historic associations in which they abound and noting the changes they have undergone down to the present time when these once isolated hamlets and townships have become practically merged in the great metropolis.” (Int. Studio.) Highgate, Hampstead, Woolwich, Epping Forest, Epsom, Fulham, Hammersmith, Greenwich and other places are described with interesting anecdotes of people whose history is associated with them.
“The general reader should be glad to have so much put before him in a compact and readable form. The ‘proofs’ have occasionally been badly read.”
+ − Ath. 1907, 2: 478. O. 19. 240w.
“The book should not fail to stimulate interest in these time-honoured spots.”
+ Int. Studio. 32: 336. O. ’07. 160w.
N. Y. Times. 12: 666. O. 19, ’07. 30w.
Bell, Nancy R. E. Meugens (Mrs. Arthur George Bell) (N. D’Anvers, pseud.). Picturesque Brittany; il. in col. by Arthur G. Bell. *$3.50. Dutton.
6–35603.
Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.
+ Ind. 61: 1398. D. 22, ’06. 70w.
“The charm of her writing entirely dispels from her pages, full of carefully-acquired information as they are, that suggestion of the guide-book which is not always inseparable from works of this kind.”
+ Int. Studio. 30: 278. Ja. ’07. 170w.
“The truth is that writers like Mrs. Bell do not possess a tithe of the information necessary to draw a real picture of Brittany.”
− + Sat. R. 103: 686. Je. 1, ’07. 720w.
Bellamy, Charles Joseph. Wonder children, their quests and curious adventures. †$1.50. Macmillan.
6–38395.
Here are quests that frequently terminate where the rainbow touches the earth, and which permit the wanderer children to open the bags of gold and live in peace forever after.
Ind. 61: 1408. D. 13, ’06. 17w.
+ N. Y. Times. 11: 822. D. 1, ’06. 70w.
“The material is not new and the use of it is not marked by any especial charm.”
− + Outlook. 84: 793. N. 24, ’06. 40w.
R. of Rs. 34: 765. D. ’06. 20w.
Belloc, Hilaire. Hills and the sea. *$1.50. Scribner.
7–13406.
“Mr. Belloc’s book opens with one marvelous sea voyage and ends with another, while the intervening pages are occupied with observations of places and persons encountered along untraveled paths of England, France, Spain, and countries which are not named and whose identity only the initiated can recognize. There is information, too, strewn through these pages—information that some day may serve as footnotes to more serious and less personal books of travel.”—N. Y. Times.
35“It is in tense narration, touched with fantasy, that his strength lies.”
+ Acad. 71: 659. D. 29, ’06. 390w.
“None the less, if not wholly a satisfactory book, this is a book that is filled with a fine spirit and has no slovenly writing in it, and has many passages of pellucid and admirable prose often direct and simple as Bunyan’s. At its best ... it has radiance and gusto, both very rare qualities, and a pleasant wayside Borrovian flavour.”
+ − Lond. Times. 5: 352. O. 19, ’06. 1310w.
+ Nation. 83: 554. D. 27, ’06. 320w.
“The book abounds in sweetness and light, and one must be something more than human or something less not to find therein some congenial and sympathetic message—possibly many.”
+ N. Y. Times. 11: 850. D. 8, ’06. 260w.
“It is because these sketches contain so much good matter that their failings are worthy of note. The faults are mainly faults of manner, and it must be admitted that as the excellencies seem for the most part due to French influences, the badnesses are solidly Britannic.”
+ − Sat. R. 102: 550. N. 3, ’06. 840w.
“He has none of the serious and brooding passion of Mr. Conrad. He sneers at all that he does not understand, whereas the other writer is reverently silent. He postures and swaggers, and, for all his hatred of imperialism, betrays much of the boastful ‘mafficking’ spirit which he repudiates. He falls into mannerisms and catch-words which weary us from their repetition. And yet he has the charm against which all criticism is powerless.”
+ − Spec. 97: 889. D. 1, ’06. 370w.
Belloc, Hilaire. Historic Thames. *$6. Dutton.
“Mr. Belloc ... severely avoids the Thames of the pleasure seeker, and deals almost exclusively with the place of the river in the topographical and commercial system of early England, as well as incidentally, but at great length, with the dissolution of the Thames-side monasteries. From this branch of his subject he is lead, by digressions worthy of Victor Hugo, to the family history of the Cromwells. Mr. Belloc writes as an anti-Protestant, and even gives some slight colour to the popular belief that a curse follows the possessors of abbey lands.”—Ath.
“With all its faults of omission ‘The historic Thames’ is a thoughtful and stimulating essay—in the strict usage of the word. The publishers have made a bad mistake in sending out this volume without maps or plans. No good word can be said of the illustrations; many of them are very badly drawn.” W. T. S.
− + Acad. 72: 599. Je. 22, ’07. 1240w.
“Mr. Belloc’s letter-press may disturb the ordinary Thames public, and is perhaps too good for its place. The drawings have little or nothing to do with it, and are chiefly of scenes attractive to the artist, without special connexion in his mind with history.”
+ − Ath. 1907, 1: 634. My. 25. 390w.
“In spite of the evident efforts to the contrary he becomes involved in the tangle of the Thames’s history with that of England and ends in a tedious recital of the destruction of the monasteries, which has little to do with his subject.” May Estelle Cook.
− + Dial. 43: 119. S. 1, ’07. 180w.
“Naturally his book will call down reprobation from certain high quarters, but it can not by any one be denied the qualities of interest and vivacity.”
+ − Nation. 85: 39. Jl. 11, ’07. 810w.
+ N. Y. Times. 12: 376. Je. 8, ’07. 70w.
+ + N. Y. Times. 12: 745. N. 23, ’07. 530w.
“While he has performed his task with thoroughness and conscientiousness he has missed, whether purposely or not, it is impossible to say, the tone of romance and æsthetic delight which one naturally expects with this subject.”
+ − Outlook. 86: 790. Ag. 10, ’07. 170w.
“Mr. Belloc’s book is a serious contribution to history. The illustrations are very attractive, but they do not illustrate the book, and they are arranged, or scattered about, with a more than usually provoking irrelevance.”
+ − Spec. 99: 26. Jl. 6, ’07. 340w.
Bement, Alburto. Peabody atlas: shipping mines and coal railroads, in the central commercial district of the United States, accompanied by chemical, geological and engineering data. $5. Peabody coal co., 125 Monroe st., Chicago.
Maps 7–25.
In which are set forth conditions in the coal-carrying railways and their relations to the coal mines. “The atlas contains some valuable information and illustrations on smokeless furnaces and smoke prevention, analysis of combustion gases and improvements in boiler designs.”—Engin. N.
“To the investigator in this field, the statistics of the various bituminous mines and contributing railways throughout the central states, which is given in this atlas, should be of as great value as they also are to the various dealers for whom the book will serve the purpose of a trade directory.”
+ + Engin. N. 57: 308. Mr. 14, ’07. 120w.
Benham, W. Gurney. Book of quotations: proverbs and household words. $3. Lippincott.
A collection of quotations from British and American authors, ancient and modern, with many thousands of proverbs, familiar phrases and sayings, from all sources, including Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Latin, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and other languages.
“The collection shows an advance on those available, including material from more recent authors, and from some now adorning or amazing the world with their pens. A fairly thorough search has convinced us of the general suitability and accuracy of the English section. The section of miscellaneous quotations and other odds and ends is good, but we are unable to praise the various lists of foreign quotations.”
+ + − Ath. 1907, 1: 222. F. 23. 1230w.
“We know of no other book of the kind that contains so much matter, and we can heartily recommend it as an addition to the reference shelf.”
+ + Dial. 43: 322. N. 16, ’07. 130w.
+ + Nation. 85: 397. O. 31, ’07. 180w.
“Upon the whole, while it is not to be expected or desired that the new book will supersede the old [Bartlett], it may very conveniently supplement it, and is very well worth having, if one may say so without applying to it the only real test, that of habitual use.”
+ + N. Y. Times. 12: 745. N. 23, ’07. 530w.
“A slight examination will show that a good deal of original research has been employed in the work. The arrangement, classification, and indexings of the book are all commendable.”
+ + Outlook. 87: 497. N. 2, ’07. 170w.
+ + Spec. 98: 297. F. 23, ’07. 190w.
Benjamin, Charles Henry. Machine design. *$2. Holt.
6–45053.
“A text-book for the use of students, and while very useful for that purpose is not complete enough for the requirements of the practical designer.... The principal things in the book which are valuable are the results of experiments performed on various springs, journals, fly-wheels, etc.”—Engin. N.
36“It has the fault that is common to most books bearing its title; that is, it covers only a small part of the subject.” Amasa Trowbridge.
+ − Engin. N. 57: 86. Ja. 17, ’07. 250w.
“The faults of the book are faults of omission rather than of commission; to a large extent the matter given is original and cannot fail to be of great value to designers of machinery. The analytical treatment of some of the problems dealt with is both new and ingenious. We have noticed a few slips, but they are mostly unimportant.”
+ + − Nature. 76: 564. O. 3, ’07. 500w.
Benjamin, Charles Henry. Modern American machine tools. *$5. Dutton.
7–33555.
A book written from the purchaser’s point of view which gives “a good outline of the principal characteristics of modern machine tools, as manufactured in the United States, the various points in which they differ, the advantages and disadvantages of different styles, and some data in regard to their capacity and performance.” (Engin. N.)
“The book is a valuable one and well worth consulting. There is, however, one important fact to be remembered which lessens the value of the book to the buyer of machine tools and that is the impossibility of getting the latest and best information from a book. In this case, it would be safe to say that this book is now two years behind the times.” W: W. Bird.
+ + − Engin. N. 58: 77. Jl. 18, ’07. 390w.
Bennett, Enoch Arnold. The ghost: a novel. †$1.50. Small.
7–24288.
“The Ghost” by the author of the fantastic “Hugo” “is an exciting story of opera singers and railway accidents and channel-boat disasters and trapdoors and revenge and jealousy that is strong enough to be carried beyond death, and of love that triumphs even over such fatal jealousy.”—Acad.
“Whether his mood be fantastic or serious, his work is always first-class, and though his output is enormous, signs of haste are never apparent in the writing or construction.”
+ Acad. 72: 143. F. 9, ’07. 160w.
N. Y. Times. 12: 378. Je. 15, ’07. 150w.
Sat. R. 103: 274. Mr. 2, ’07. 220w.
Bennett, Enoch Arnold. Hugo; a fantasia on modern themes. $1.50. Buckles.
6–41708.
One feels that Mr. Bennett fairly slaps his canvas with a Kipling brush of comet’s hair. The result is a fantastic, panoramic “improvisation.” “Hugo is proprietor of an immense shop in London. He falls in love with a milliner in one of his innumerable ‘departments.’ She weds another, is pursued by a third, officially dies, is bereft timely of her spouse, and returns in due season to life and Hugo.” (Nation.)
“He never makes an attempt to modify or explain: he piles improbability upon improbability with calm assurance, and mortars it all together with clever little facts and truths in a style which is always restrained and neat, and by its very lack of ornaments convincing.”
+ Acad. 70: 92. Ja. 27, ’06. 360w.
“The plot has been deliberately and cunningly designed to sustain the reader’s excitement from chapter to chapter, and, this being admitted as the author’s aim, the book may fairly be pronounced a success.”
+ Ath. 1906, 1: 131. F. 3. 210w.
“It is all very absurd and pleasant; all the more so that the writer appears to be regarding his own fable with merely good-humored toleration.”
+ − Nation. 84: 61. Ja. 17, ’07. 160w.
“An Italian novel with the plot laid in the sixteenth century is tame in comparison, and though Mr. Bennett has used all kinds of incongruously modern stage machinery along with his melodramatic characters, he does it with a seriousness that seems to bridge the difficulty.”
+ − N. Y. Times. 12: 11. Ja. 5, ’07. 440w.
“The book, in fine, is an amusing skit on the vastness of modern commercial enterprises; but in it Mr. Arnold Bennett has by no means touched the level of his delightful comedy, ‘A great man.’”
+ − Spec. 96: 152. Ja. 27, ’06. 360w.
* Benson, Arthur C. Alfred Tennyson. **$1.50. Dutton.
“Mr. Benson thus formulates his object in the present volume: “(1) I have given a simple narrative of the life of Tennyson, with a sketch of his temperament, character, ideals, and beliefs; (2) I have tried from his own words and writings to indicate what I believe to have been his view of the poetical life and character; (3) I have attempted to touch the chief characteristics of his art from the technical point of view, here again as far as possible using his own recorded words.””
“A quiet sympathy, a genial appreciation, pervades the book and makes it most enjoyable, even inspiring, reading.”
+ Dial. 43: 320. N. 16, ’07. 380w.
“Few readers, indeed, one would say, can read the volume without deriving from it both a clearer and a higher estimate of its subject than they had before.”
+ N. Y. Times. 12: 726. N. 16, ’07. 650w.
* Benson, Arthur C. Altar fire. **$1.50. Putnam.
7–32854.
Wholly reflective “this volume contains, in the form of a friend’s diary, Mr. Benson’s conclusions upon many things, from the doctrine of the atonement to the Browning letters, but chiefly on the processes of personal religious life.” (Ind.)
“One feels there is a message, but hardly formed and loosely articulated and lacking the virile note. One cannot but wish the book a larger reading than its somber monotony will invite.”
+ − Ind. 63: 1117. N. 7, ’07. 340w.
“To his usual characteristics, with which the public is well acquainted by this time, his new volumes add a rather unexpected extension of scope.”
+ Ind. 63: 1229. N. 21, ’07. 310w.
N. Y. Times. 12: 654. O. 19, ’07. 20w.
“This generation can hardly have too many books of this temper put into its hands.”
+ Outlook. 87: 767. D. 7, ’07. 560w.
+ + R. of Rs. 36: 759. D. ’07. 120w.
“As an artistic whole ‘The altar fire’ suffers from the use of too ambitious a scene. The book is sure of a large and respectful public; but the remnant of reactionaries, the classical people whose eyes have been dazzled by gazing upon the sun, will still see patent blots in Mr. Benson’s work—if indeed it is Mr. Benson and not the mask which comes between.”
+ − Sat. R. 104: sup. 5. N. 16, ’07. 980w.
Benson, Arthur C. Beside still waters. **$1.25. Putnam.
7–15922.
“Meditations and recollections of a man who, after a busy life, settles down into a kind of epicurean seclusion from the world. ‘He found a small, picturesque, irregularly-built house crushed in between the road and the river, which, in fact, dipped its very feet in the stream.’... Could a better lodge be found for a recluse who likes to season his days of solitude with an occasional dinner in Hall with his old college friends! And presently the college takes him back into its fold, while the house by the waters is kept as a place of retreat and quiet work.”—Nation.
A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 159. O. ’07.
37“It is difficult to write so completely introspective a book as this. We wonder at the end of it how we have interested ourselves with it for so long, till we reflect on Mr. Benson’s easy flow of undistracting thoughts, raised just a little above commonplace by a certain sanity or breadth of view which no doubt is a gospel in itself.”
+ Ath. 1907. 1: 539. My. 4. 330w.
“Those who have enjoyed the charm of ‘From a college window,’ with sweet spirit, lofty thought, and exquisite tenderness expressed in limpid delightful English, will find a similar treat in Mr. Benson’s present work.”
+ Cath. World. 86: 117. O. ’07. 470w.
“Notwithstanding a tendency to repetition and undue elaboration—a conspicuous lack of epigrammatic terseness,—this book is the ripest, thoughtfullest, best piece of work its author has yet produced.”
+ + − Dial. 42: 344. Je. 1, ’07. 350w.
“Gives us a scholar’s philosophy of life.”
+ Ind. 63: 1117. N. 7, ’07. 700w.
+ Lit. D. 35: 61. Jl. 13, ’07. 160w.
“Mr. Benson’s polished prose and his mastery of style and language serve only to throw into bolder relief the thinness of the substance.”
+ − Lond. Times. 6: 84. Mr. 15, ’07. 1060w.
“Remind one of ‘The private papers of Henry Ryecroft,’ graceful and wise and sober, a delightful refreshment in the bustle of modern literature, but lacking in the last incalculable touch of style and insight that make Gissing’s book so memorable.”
+ − Nation. 84: 411. My. 2, ’07. 330w.
Reviewed by A. I. du P. Coleman.
+ Putnam’s. 2: 615. Ag. ’07. 360w.
R. of Rs. 35: 760. Je. ’07. 120w.
Benson, Arthur C. From a college window. **$1.25. Putnam.
6–17648.
Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.
Reviewed by Horatio S. Krans.
+ + Putnam’s. 1: 560. F. ’07. 1060w.
Benson, Arthur C. Gate of death; a diary. **$1.25. Putnam.
6–43770.
The author says that the book is not a treatment of death “the saddest, darkest, most solemn, most inevitable, most tremendous fact in the world.” It is merely “the record of the sincere and faltering thoughts of one who was suddenly and unexpectedly confronted with death, and who, in the midst of a very ordinary and commonplace life, with no deep reserves of wisdom, faith, or tenderness, had just to interpret it as he best could.”
“Naturally a great deal in the book will not be agreed with by Catholics; but, making allowances for this, we must say we have here a book of more than ordinary interest and power.”
+ + − Cath. World. 85: 111. Ap. ’07. 260w.
Current Literature. 42: 196. F. ’07. 2460w.
“He has great power of attention and analysis, a great interest in ideas, and considerable culture, and in addition he is master of an easy and picturesque style; so that he has no difficulty in putting upon paper what he feels and thinks and sees. What he seems to lack as an artist is power of selection.”
+ − Lond. Times. 5: 346. O. 12, ’06. 1290w.
“A work not of didactic effect, but of singularly pure and elevated sentiment; of melancholy in the old sweet sense.”
+ + Nation. 83: 560. D. 27, ’06. 560w.
Putnam’s. 1: 768. Mr. ’07. 190w.
R. of Rs. 35: 760. Je. ’07. 120w.
+ − Sat. R. 103: 531. Ap. 7, ’07. 300w.
Benson, Arthur C. Memoirs of Arthur Hamilton, B. A. of Trinity College, Cambridge, extracted from his letters and diaries, with reminiscences of his conversation by his friend Christopher Carr of the same college. $1.25. Holt.
The quiet story of the life of a “thoroughgoing determinist who was still faithful to the voice of duty, still striving upwards,” who trusted “in an invisible all-ruling Father who really was ordering the world in the smallest details when He seemed to be ordering it least and who wished the best for His children.” It is a character study with a moral, for Arthur Hamilton “in spite of every trial and every rebuff, preserved at heart a serenity that was not thoughtlessness, a cheerfulness that was not hilarity, a humor that was not cynicism.”
“It is a curious piece of intellectual dissection and has many of the graces of style that characterized the author’s recent volumes.”
+ Lit. D. 34: 469. Mr. 29, ’07. 460w.
Reviewed by A. I. du P. Coleman.
+ Putnam’s. 2: 615. Ag. ’07. 160w.
R. of Rs. 35: 760. Je. ’07. 120w.
Benson, Arthur C. Upton letters. *$1.25. Putnam.
5–34654.
Descriptive note in December, 1905.
Reviewed by Horatio S. Krans.
+ + Putnam’s. 1: 560. F. ’06. 1060w.
“We honestly thank him for painting his portrait so well. It is good work no less than a good likeness. The touch is firm and easy; the treatment broad and yet very delicate. There are a few patches of prettiness which should be painted out; but they do not much mar the effect of the whole.”
+ + − Sat. R. 103: 144. F. 2, ’07. 1670w.
Benson, Edward Frederic. Paul. †$1.50. Lippincott.
6–37196.
Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.
“It is a purposeless book and an unpleasant one. Its interest suddenly drops at the halfway point, like an underdone loaf of cake, and what is meant to be its most solemn chapter is more apt to provoke a desire to laugh.” Frederic Taber Cooper.
− Bookm. 24: 487. Ja. ’07. 540w.
Current Literature. 42: 345. Mr. ’07. 660w.
“He deliberately constructs the first half of his plot in such a way as to produce the maximum of irritation, not to say resentment.” Herbert W. Horwill.
+ − Forum. 38: 542. Ap. ’07. 1260w.
“Escaped by a hair breadth writing a novel of the first rank.”
+ Ind. 62: 46. Ja. 3, ’07. 340w.
“The individuality and distinction of phrase are maintained, but the obtrusive ‘smartness’ which marred the first novel [‘Dodo’] has been carefully eliminated.”
+ Lit. D. 34: 105. Ja. 19, ’07. 210w.
Benson, Rev. Robert Hugh. History of Richard Raynal: solitary. $1.25. Herder.
“The story purports to be the translation of an ancient Latin MS., discovered by Father Benson in a library of Rome, and containing an old English priest’s account of a young solitary, who lived somewhere near London in the earlier part of the fifteenth century.”—Cath. World.
“The rare qualities of Father Benson’s mind find here their perfect expression.”
+ Acad. 70: 229. Mr. 10, ’06. 400w.
“The quaint beauty of the archaic style adopted by Father Benson in his recital is beyond praise.”
+ + Cath. World. 84: 412. D. ’06. 340w.
38Benson, Rev. Robert Hugh. Mirror of Shalott, being a collection of tales told at an unprofessional symposium. *$1.25. Benziger.
7–21227.
Fourteen stories which a group of Reverend Fathers told, one tale each evening. They are largely gathered from their professional experiences and concern incidents which cannot be explained without recourse to the supernatural. The evil spirit which was exorcised, the man who offered himself for his brother’s unbelief, the artist whose art founded on corruption was lost when he regained his faith, these and the others have the charm of the unusual.
“There is one that suggests a better capacity on Mr. Benson’s part as a writer than anything else we have read from his pen.”
+ Ath. 1907, 1: 789. Je. 29. 310w.
Cath. World. 86: 257. N. ’07. 210w.
“In truth, qualities that are admirable elsewhere rather prevent Mr. Benson from telling his tales so as to excite the feelings which people, whatever their faith, cherish for the supernatural. He is too surefooted, too painstaking. His method is too robust to deal with such intricate and at the same time poignant emotions; he sets everything in order, tells you how the basket chair clicked, and what happened next, and works out the situation methodically with the desire clearly to get at the truth. But it is a great matter that every story makes an impression of sincerity and intelligence.”
+ − Lond. Times. 6: 189. Je. 14, ’07. 500w.
“Father Benson, like the other brilliant sons of the late archbishop, is a fluent and spirited writer.”
+ Nation. 85: 167. Ag. 22, ’07. 730w.
“The author displays in the narration a skill as subtle and as charming as his imagination has been subtle and weird in the conjuring up of incidents. Each narrator is distinctly individualized by the character of his experience and his manner of telling it.”
+ N. Y. Times. 12: 457. Jl. 20, ’07. 460w.
“Father Benson’s language comes as near as language can to making his readers realize by analogy spiritual experiences which are incapable of being translated into the words and phrases of a material world.”
+ Spec. 98: 1038. Je. 29, ’07. 380w.
Benson, Rev. Robert Hugh. Papers of a pariah. **$1.25. Longmans.
7–14565.
“The ‘Pariah’ is an actor, who has been educated however at Rugby and Oxford, and the ‘papers’ reveal the mental process by which he finally arrived at the Catholic faith.” (Acad.) “Their point of view is of one who regards the Catholic church from without not from within, though with a favourable eye.”
“If only he could bestow his style, and humaneness, and clearness of exposition on converts we would wish him many of them as the result of this brilliant little book.”
+ Acad. 72: 314. Mr. 30, ’07. 140w.
“The tenor of the reflections witnesses to a deeply religious nature and the aesthetic temperament, reminding one of the books of Huysmans, though displaying more of the religious and less of the aesthetic than did that strange Frenchman.”
+ Cath. World. 85: 542. Jl. ’07. 780w.
“‘The papers of a pariah,’ while they will appeal to religious zealots of the Roman Catholic faith, and, to a certain extent, to all who are deeply interested in discussion of abstract creeds, loses in literary value by virtue of these very tendencies. The discussion, moreover, is one of sentiment rather than of reason, an argument of dreams rather than of realities.” Florence Wilkinson.
− N. Y. Times. 12: 350. Je. 1, ’07. 490w.
“The reader will note that in the early part of the book emphasis is laid on the unchangeableness of the teaching in the Roman church, while later this argument is dropped in favour of development.”
− Sat. R. 104: 276. Ag. 31, ’07. 210w.
+ Spec. 98: 804. My. 18, ’07. 330w.
Benziger, Marie Agnes. Off to Jerusalem. *$1. Benziger.
6–36010.
Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.
“Though she modestly refuses to enter into competition with other pens, which have described the scenes through which she has passed, she evinces good capacity for observation and for describing whatever came under her notice.”
+ Cath. World. 84: 837. Mr. ’07. 230w.
Bergen, Joseph Y., jr., and Davis, Bradley, M. Principles of botany. $1.50. Ginn.
6–35475.
Following an introduction devoted to a definition of botany and its subdivisions, the subject is treated in three parts, viz., 1, the structure and physiology of plants, 2, The morphology, evolution and classification of plants, and 3, Ecology and economic botany. Part 2 is Dr. Davis’ portion of the work.
“While the book as a whole is too heavy for the average high-school work, it will be almost indispensable as a reference work because of its large amount of information, its abundant illustrations, and its helpful suggestions as to the significance of structures and their relationship to one another.”
+ + Bot. Gaz. 43: 64. Ja. ’07. 720w.
+ Nation. 83: 380. N. 1, ’06. 440w.
“The book can be confidently recommended to students and teachers, and the latter will find the arrangement well worthy of consideration.”
+ Nature. 76: 124. Je. 6, ’07. 200w.
“The whole revision has been toward greater precision and succinctness of statement, and has resulted in a more scholarly work.” I. N. Mitchell.
+ + School R. 15: 305. Ap. ’07. 850w.
“To ‘touch the high points’ and yet to keep up the connection between them is the difficult task of the writer of an elementary text-book. In some portions of the book before us this has been accomplished, while in others a good deal of matter has been admitted which might well have been left out.” Charles E. Bessey.
+ + − Science, n.s. 25: 144. Ja. 25, ’07. 780w.
Bernhardi, Frederick von. Cavalry in future wars. *$3. Dutton.
War 7–19.
“This book was written at the outbreak of the late war in South Africa.... In the course of the first few chapters, Gen. Bernhardi analyzes the functions of the cavalry as modified by the changes that have occurred since the war, and later explains the difficulties which in the future will confront all cavalry operations unless the cavalry leader and his men have been ‘perfected down to the minutest detail.’”—N. Y. Times.
“His views are entitled to more than ordinary consideration, even though in all his conclusions we may not concur. Perhaps there is no other German soldier so well equipped for handling this subject.” Peter C. Hains.
+ + − Ann. Am. Acad. 30: 606. N. ’07. 440w.
“This book will be read by soldiers, but is needed by a wider public.”
+ + Ath. 1906, 2: 573. N. 10. 1360w.
+ + Lond. Times. 6: 26. Ja. 25, ’07. 560w.
“Gen. von Bernhardi’s ... rank and experience entitle his views to great respect, the more from the earnestness with which he pleads his cause. Barring a few slightly obscure passages, and a faint trace here and there of Teutonic roughness, Mr. Goldman’s translation is smooth and flowing.”
+ + Nation. 84: 479. My. 23, ’07. 110w.
39 N. Y. Times. 11: 875. D. 15, ’06. 290w.
“An exhaustive summary.”
+ + N. Y. Times. 12: 257. Ap. 20, ’07. 70w.
R. of Rs. 35: 383. Mr. ’07. 50w.
“It may fairly be called the last word on the subject.” Grey Scout.
+ + Sat. R. 103: 197. F. 16, ’07. 1310w.
Bernhardt, Sarah. Memories of my life: being my personal, professional, and social recollections as woman and artist. **$4. Appleton.
7–34323.
The whimsical, rhapsodical, patriotic woman of temperament is revealed in almost every line of these memories. The autobiography “exhibits the true woman in clearer relief than it does the largely mythical superwoman whom it labors to depict. Rich as it is in minor details and vivacious descriptions it adds but little to the common knowledge of the career of the best advertised actress in the world.” (Nation.)
“In her very characteristic and brightly entertaining memoirs we have on every page the Sarah Bernhardt of the stage, the eccentric and versatile woman of genius, very much as she is already known to the world.” Percy F. Bicknell.
+ Dial. 43: 279. N. 1, ’07. 2150w.
“Self-revelations such as these give, as we think, a real documentary value to this first volume of Sarah Bernhardt’s memoirs, though no doubt the general reader will prefer the narratives of travel and adventure wherein everything appears to be turning around in a mad farandole.”
+ + Lond. Times. 6: 324. O. 25, ’07. 1600w.
“One of the most successful books ever written. To tell the plain truth, the monstrous egotism of the book greatly weakens the pleasurable impression created by its vivacity, its cleverness, and its abundance of interesting material.”
+ + − Nation. 85: 403. O. 31, ’07. 1140w.
N. Y. Times. 12: 664. O. 19, ’07. 20w.
“An invaluable addition to the library, dramatic and otherwise.” Anna Marble.
+ + N. Y. Times. 12: 733. N. 16, ’07. 2230w.
+ + Outlook. 77: 611. N. 23, ’07. 210w.
Besant, Walter. Mediaeval London, v. 2: Ecclesiastical. *$7.50. Macmillan.
This second volume of the posthumous work of Walter Besant on “The survey of London” treats of the ecclesiastical life, institutions and influence of the Norman and Plantagenet centuries. The first eight chapters deal with the rise of London’s municipal government.
“When the nature of the material permits the story is unfolded with agreeable literary effect. We notice here and there a lack of references, usually associated with a passage of minor historical importance. These pages form a good example to tesselated history.”
+ − Acad. 72: 113. F. 2, ’07. 1610w. (Review of v. 2.)
“There are various heedless and more or less incorrect statements in the general description of ecclesiastical London, apart from the religious houses. The accounts of hermits and anchorites, as well as of pilgrimage and sanctuary, are insufficient. But enough of adverse criticism has been offered. We cannot help thinking that if Besant had lived a little longer, this portion of his work would have been revised by him or by friends who were competent to aid him.”
− + Ath. 1907, 1: 157. F. 9. 1710w. (Review of v. 2.)
“Sir Walter Besant’s ‘Mediaeval London’ has unfortunately, found no more capable editor than his ‘London under the Stuarts’ and his ‘London in the time of the Tudors.’ The illustrations are for the most part of real value.” G.
− + Eng. Hist. R. 22: 206. Ja. ’07. 310w. (Review of v. 1.)
“It is largely a work of paste and scissors, and they have not been applied with intelligence.” M.
− + Eng. Hist. R. 22: 832. O. ’07. 410w. (Review of v. 2.)
“It is impossible to regard this volume as a work which Sir Walter Besant would have presented to the public in anything like its present form.”
− + Nation. 84: 548. Je. 13, ’07. 1000w. (Review of v. 2.)
“We select a single passage for quotation, not only because it is significant in itself, but because it gives, we think, a fair idea of the broad and readable way in which this work treats what many might expect to prove a dry-as-dust, antiquarian record—words which precisely describe the exact contrary of the present volume.”
+ + Outlook. 85: 374. F. 16, ’07. 580w. (Review of v. 2.)
“Is sure to take its place among popular works on the subject.”
+ Sat. R. 103: sup. 4. F. 23, ’07. 190w. (Review of v. 2.)
+ Spec. 98: sup. 115. Ja. 26, ’07. 920w. (Review of v. 2.)
Bevier, Isabel. The house; its plan, decoration and care. (Library of home economics.) *$1.25. Am. school of home economics.
6–41738.
“In the early chapters on the development of the house, domestic architecture is shown to be closely allied to the larger problems of state and nation.... Chapters on house planning, construction, decoration and furnishing, and the care of the house follow, and from them may be obtained much useful information. Throughout the book emphasis is laid upon appropriateness, beauty and simplicity of form and color. The book is suggestive to the home builder; plans, materials and cost and the various subdivisions of these are taken up concisely. The home-operator will find here definite suggestions concerning fabrics and furnishings, their cost and durability.”—Ann. Am. Acad.
“Valuable because of its consideration of basic principles, and of conditions attainable by the average householder.”
+ A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 160. O. ’07. S.
“For its size this little book contains a great deal of that which tends to raise the standards of the householder and to make the home the real center of national life which the author claims should be its real purpose.”
+ Ann. Am. Acad. 29: 632. My. ’07. 280w.
Bevier, Isabel, and Usher, Susannah. Home economics movement, pt. 1. *75c. Whitcomb & B.
7–5679.
A three-part discussion including Home economics in agricultural colleges and state universities, Cooking schools, and Home economics in the public schools.
A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 95. Ap. ’07.
Bible. Gospel of Barnabas; ed. and tr. by Lonsdale and Laura Ragg, with a facsimile. *$5.25. Oxford.
This manuscript was probably written in the middle of the sixteenth century. It is a “rather careless sixteenth century copy, made by a Venetian scribe, of an earlier and apparently Tuscan document.”
“The editors deserve the greatest praise for the thoroughness and skill with which they have performed their task. They have been extremely careful in editing the text, and they have 40supplied an excellent translation, for it is accurate and reads as if it were an original work. They have also written a good introduction, which contains all the information that the reader requires.”
+ + Ath. 1907, 2: 230. Ag. 31. 840w.
“It is to be said that the gospel is interesting reading not only because of its doctrines, as, for example, the view that Paul wrongfully teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus disclaimed Messiahship, that Mohammed is Messiah, not only because of the restraint manifested in the story of the virgin birth, but also because of the positive beauty of some of its sayings and parables.”
+ + Nation. 85: 261. S. 19, ’07. 940w.
Bielschowsky, Albert. Life of Goethe; tr. by W. A. Cooper. 3v ea. **$3.50. Putnam.
v. 2. This volume covers the period from the Italian journey to the War of liberation, 1788–1815, comprising the last two chapters of the first volume and the first twelve of the second of the German edition.
“Mr. Cooper is an American, and he writes ‘American,’ or, at any rate, a dialect of the Anglo-Saxon tongue, which is often forcible and picturesque, but is quite as often not pure English.” Rowland Strong.
+ − Acad. 73: 93. N. 2, ’07. 1800w. (Review of v. 2.)
“Though Bielschowsky displays remarkable skill in interweaving critical analysis with personal details concerning the poet, yet one who is unfamiliar with the actual works will probably find the chapters devoted to them a trifle dull. After all, these defects are really exaggerations of a good quality—the desire to enter into full sympathy with and understanding of Goethe’s point of view.”
+ + − Ath. 1907, 2: 297. S. 14. 600w. (Review of v. 2.)
“In general it seems that here there is a marked improvement [in the translation]; it is very faithful and at the same time the English is usually free from the influence of the foreign idiom. Occasionally the rendering does not allow for the difference in the connotation of the same word in the two languages.”
+ + − Dial. 43: 214. O. 1, ’07. 470w. (Review of v. 2.)
“It is to begin with, erudite; one feels confident that the author has sifted the enormous mass of material accumulated about every step of Goethe’s career. In the metaphysical parts it is excellent, almost impeccable. We commend heartily the translation of this work and recognize its undoubted value; but we must add frankly that it is in no sense of the word in the tradition of great literature.”
+ + Ind. 63: 514. Ag. 29, ’07. 500w. (Review of v. 1 and 2.)
Reviewed by J. Perry Warden.
+ + N. Y. Times. 12: 464. Jl. 27, ’07. 2210w. (Review of v. 2.)
“The work lacks the supreme test of the biographer as interpreter. In this respect this ‘Life of Goethe’ remains incomplete, but in all else it is a masterly production. Crowning merit of a notable achievement, the biography, with all its scholarly thoroughness, is yet even better adapted to the needs of the general public for which it has been primarily written than to those of the special student.” A. Schade van Westrum.
+ + − No. Am. 186: 442. N. ’07. 1640w. (Review of v. 2.)
Bierer, Everard. Evolution of religions. **$2. Putnam.
6–42349.
“The particular animus of the author is against the doctrine of the trinity, which assumes altogether too large a place in his survey of the development of religious doctrines.”—Putnam’s.
“Is amateurish in character, unreliable in statement of fact, incomplete in outlook, and disproportionate in consideration of the phenomena under discussion.”
− Ind. 62: 742. Mr. 28, ’07. 70w.
“Shows an excellent spirit, and the greater part of its material is taken from good sources. The title, however, is too large for the contents, and the book suffers somewhat from the author’s insufficient acquaintance with the general history of religions.”
+ − Nation. 84: 222. Mr. 7, ’07. 50w.
“Although its author, under his limitations as a layman in the subjects of his criticism, takes himself rather too seriously, the book is written with a sincere interest for a devoutly spiritual religion, and for this is commendable.”
− + Outlook. 84: 939. D. 15, ’06. 250w.
Bigelow, Edward Fuller. Spirit of nature study: a book of social suggestion and sympathy for all who love or teach nature. **$1. Barnes.
7–14642.
“A book of social suggestion and sympathy for all those who love or teach nature.” It is intended to strengthen faith in outdoor education.
“In which the author has many effective and deserved flings at the stupidity and inanity of much that passes for the study of nature in schools and elsewhere.” George Gladden.
+ Bookm. 25: 625. Ag. 5, ’07. 90w.
“[Suggestions that are] sensible enough, and their light personal style would make them effective as informal talks at a teachers’ institute but they cannot be regarded as permanent contributions to the over abundant literature of the subject.”
− + Ind. 62: 1354. Je. 6, ’07. 70w.
“The ear-marks of the pedagogue are rather too prominent for the most enjoyable reading.”
− Nation. 84: 14. Jl. 4, ’07. 220w.
Bigelow, John. Peace given as the world giveth. **75c. Baker.
The author writes out of the fulness of a long experience in state craft and diplomacy. He views the Portsmouth peace conference in the light of an “international calamity,” and makes a plea for the “righteousness and wisdom” of war.
“A remarkable historical document.”
+ N. Y. Times. 12: 352. Je. 1, ’07. 450w.
Bindloss, Harold. Cattle-baron’s daughter. †$1.50. Stokes.
6–34082.
Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.
“There is some good character drawing but the book cannot lay claim to artistic merit.”
+ − A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 51. F. ’07.
Bindloss, Harold. Dust of conflict; with il. in color by W. Herbert Dunton. †$1.50. Stokes.
7–7189.
The stormy period just preceding the Spanish-American war furnishes the setting for this story. The hero, “hurried out of England under a cloud,” is wrecked on the coast of Cuba, and in that country becomes a leader of some insurrectionists. “Peril, disaster, and rescue chase each other in such quick and picturesque succession as to give the impression of a grown-up boy’s book.... The military conflicts carry more conviction than the moral one which sets the story in motion.... Yet the moral dilemma is well enough as a means of sending the hero to Cuba and the Cuban part is admirably successful.” (Nation.)
Acad. 72: 168. F. 16, ’07. 310w.
“Not particularly well written but rather lively in interest.”
+ − A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 107. Ap. ’07.
41“It is a rattling good story, told briskly and with zest. It lacks subtlety, and is not notable for refinement of diction; but it also lacks dull pages.”
+ Ath. 1907, 1: 130. F. 2. 160w.
“It would be hard to find a book which is so complete a satire on all the faults of the so-called ‘novel of adventure.’ For the sort of book this present volume typifies there is no legitimate use in literature. Probably it will sell very well, however.” J. Marchand.
− Bookm. 25: 429. Je. ’07. 1020w.
“A story which is rich in dramatic interest, and which exhibits remarkable powers of characterization and description.” Wm. M. Payne.
+ Dial. 43: 62. Ag. 1, ’07. 350w.
“Though of little artistic merit, is exhilarating reading.” Herbert W. Horwill.
+ − Forum. 38: 549. Ap. ’07. 220w.
“The many-sided struggle in Cuba constitutes the strongest part of the novel. In the main, the characters stand well apart from one another, and firmly on their own feet as well.”
+ Nation. 84: 247. Mr. 14, ’07. 360w.
“It is a rattling good story exceedingly well told.”
+ N. Y. Times. 12: 378. Je. 15, ’07. 140w.
“The book is well written and brisk.”
+ Sat. R. 103: 275. Mr. 2, ’07. 170w.
Bindloss, Harold. Mistress of Bonaventure. *$1. Fenno.
Cattle raising in the Northwest, its difficulties and the dangers from man and nature that beset it, is the burden of this tale. The Canadian mounted police figure in the story which combines love, adventure and practical business. In the end the railroad penetrates that wild country and it finds the rancher hero successful both in love and labor and the frank little mistress of Bonaventure happy in her hero and her prairies.
N. Y. Times. 12: 656. O. 19, ’07. 20w.
Bindloss, Harold. Winston of the prairie. †$1.50. Stokes.
7–29150.
The hero of Mr. Bindloss’ story of the Canadian northwest is a young man under unjust suspicion of murder who has traded names with a man of low caliber and who when he wishes to return to his own name finds it stained with crime. This “impersonation of another man leads to exciting complications, and it is difficult to see how he is going to extricate himself from the false position in which he is placed. But his services to the little farming community, which he teaches to win prosperity out of seeming disaster, are so substantial that when the hour of disentanglement comes, he both clears his name and finds condonation for his deception.” (Dial.)
“In the wheat-raising region of western Canada, Mr. Bindloss has found a field almost as virgin to the novelist as to the agriculturist, and so subdued it to his purposes that his work will not easily be matched.” Wm. M. Payne.
+ Dial. 43: 252. O. 16, ’07. 290w.
N. Y. Times. 12: 656. O. 19, ’07. 60w.
“His doings are sufficiently thrilling to while away some dull hours, but the book is not well enough written to commend itself to a reader of particular taste.”
+ − N. Y. Times. 12: 678. O. 26, ’07. 150w.
Binns, W. Moore. First century of English porcelain. *$12.50. Lippincott.
6–33521.
After outlining clearly the leading principles of connoisseurship “Mr. Binns relates with great minuteness the story of the evolution of English porcelain, beginning with the foundation of the first factory at Stratford-le-Bow, and passing thence to consider in chronological order the various establishments which in course of time brought the art to a perfection that aroused the admiration even of the most exacting foreign critics, and also of those later manufactories in which was inaugurated the inevitable decadence.” (Int. Studio.) The work is made complete by a chronological schedule of English ceramics and an index.
+ − Ath. 1906, 1: 488. Ap. 21. 330w.
“The book will be prized as a real art treasure by its fortunate possessors, quite as much as for its store of information.”
+ + Dial. 41: 455. D. 16, ’06. 500w.
“A work that will be of great value to collectors and connoisseurs, as well as to all who are interested in what may be called the human side of every successful national industry.”
+ + Int. Studio. 29: 89. Jl. ’06. 350w.
“While essentially for the collector, the book is written in general, popular phrasing, and the techniques of the art, and some of its secrets are revealed in a pleasantly instructive manner.”
+ N. Y. Times. 11: 836. D. 1, ’06. 490w.
“The historical side of Mr. Binns’ book is sound as far as it goes; the author has digested a certain number of text-books, and reproduces facts with a commendable air of spontaneity. There are some serious omissions in Mr. Binns’ history.”
+ + − Sat. R. 101: 590. My. 12, ’06. 1480w.
Spec. 96: 467. Mr. 24, ’06. 300w.
Birch, Mrs. Lionel. Stanhope A. Forbes, A. R. A., and Elizabeth Stanhope Forbes, A. R. W. S.; with 8 reproductions in color and 32 other il. *$1.50. Cassell.
6–45369.
A monograph from the standpoint of personal friendship on two living artists. It reflects the characteristics of two personalities and the environment in which their work has been done.
“Contains a concise and interesting record, pleasantly tempered by anecdote, of the lives and various works of the two painters of whom it treats.”
+ Ath. 1906, 1: 707. Je. 9. 440w.
“There is, indeed, not one dull page in the book, and the numerous illustrations are thoroughly representative.”
+ Int. Studio. 29: 272. S. ’06. 290w.
“She deserves her readers’ thanks for having filled the record carefully, while avoiding the reproach of overexcitement and an exaggerated sense of the import of her task.”
+ Int. Studio. 30: sup 25. N. ’06. 710w.
Birdseye, Clarence Frank. Individual training in our colleges. **$1.75. Macmillan.
7–18833.
A study of a college student’s problems from the standpoint of the graduate. In his discussion the author deplores the loss of the direct personal influence exerted by professors and instructors over the students of fifty years ago. He deals with the fraternity question and its related problems.
“His book shows more knowledge, clearer vision, deeper devotion, and more rational hope regarding the American college, than any other book we know of.” Edward O. Sisson.
+ + Dial. 43: 285. N. 1, ’07. 940w.
“Upon his own ground the place in our educational machinery which the Greek letter fraternities have already taken and the higher place which, thru the influence of their alumni, they may be made to take, on this ground, Mr. Birdseye speaks with the authority of the constructive reformer and for this reason, if for no other, his book deserves and should receive the careful study of every man who has at heart the welfare of the American college.” F. P. Keppel.
+ + − Educ. R. 34: 325. N. ’07. 4300w.
42“The book is too long-drawn out, and in parts is repetitious; but it contains much important material in the form of documents and reports, as well as of the author’s own observations.”
+ + − Nation. 85: 281. S. 26, ’07. 190w.
“To make his study effective, the author undertakes to enter the student’s college home life. He searches diligently for facts and deals frankly and candidly with the facts as he finds them.”
+ R. of Rs. 34: 126. Jl. ’07. 170w.
Birukoff, Paul. Leo Tolstoy, his life and work. v. 1. **$1.50. Scribner.
6–22384.
Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.
“If we are to take ... [the translation] seriously as an attempt to give English readers as intelligible a narrative as that enjoyed by readers of the original, we have to point out that the work has been carelessly done, and that the English reader often finds himself mystified where the Russian finds himself enlightened. When in his old age Tolstoy tells us what he thinks we ought to know of his reminiscences, no one has any right to interpose between him and the English reader. Least of all, has anyone a right to do this anonymously and secretly.”
+ − Sat. R. 103: 51. Ja. 12, ’07. 1690w. (Review of v. 1.)
Bishop, Emily M. Seventy years young, or The unhabitual way. *$1.20. Huebsch.
7–20745.
A sensible outlook on life whose purpose is “‘to put it into the heads’ of its readers that they can add (1) life to their years and (2) years to their life.” The keynote is the admonition to “keep out of ruts.”
“A very suggestive, thought-provoking volume.”
+ R. of Rs. 36: 756. D. ’07. 40w.
Bisland, Elizabeth. Life and letters of Lafcadio Hearn. 2v. **$6. Houghton.
6–44374.
“Less than one-fifth of this work contains the record of Hearn’s life. The rest is pure Hearn—even more intimate than the books he has written, dealing with the themes which always moved his imagination. His strange origin, his troubled boyhood and years of apprenticeship, his pursuit of the weird, the exotic among tropical peoples, and finally his departure for Japan in 1890 resulting in permanent expatriation, are recorded in more or less brief compass.” Lit. D.
“The facts of his later life Miss Bisland tells with exactly the brevity and precision with which such facts should be told. Indeed, it is a pleasure to feel that too much praise cannot be given for the ability and reverence with which she has done her work.”
+ + Acad. 72: 88. Ja. 26, ’07. 1810w.
“It is certain that no letters reveal more vividly or subtly the inner feeling—the essence, one might say—of the writer, than do these.”
+ A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 9. Ja. ’07.
Reviewed by Paul S. Reinsch.
+ + Ann. Am. Acad. 30: 607. N. ’07. 1230w.
“Perhaps the worthiest thing to say of these two volumes of some nine hundred pages is that there is not a page too much. Indeed, one page more would have been welcome—containing a bibliography and a glossary of Japanese words.”
+ + − Ath. 1907, 1: 126. F. 2. 2170w.
“It is certain, at any rate, that this vivid, affectionate, one might almost say motherly, record of Hearn’s fugitive and feverish life affords a view of him in more illuminating consonance with the quality of his work than any that has been offered by his friends of his own sex.” Ferris Greenslet.
+ + Atlan. 99: 261. F. ’07. 7490w.
Reviewed by Harrison Rhodes.
+ Bookm. 25: 73. Mr. ’07. 1990w.
Current Literature. 42: 49. Ja. ’07. 1890w.
“It would be impossible to give in a few words any adequate impression of the rare quality of the letters that make up the larger part of this book. It is impossible to read them and not feel acquainted with the writer—with the real man behind the mask.” Frederick W. Gookin.
+ + Dial. 41: 448. D. 16, ’06. 2370w.
+ + Ind. 62: 560. Mr. 7, ’07. 800w.
+ Ind. 63: 1230. N. 21, ’07. 130w.
“No reader of Hearn’s books can do without this work.”
+ + Lit. D. 33: 855. D. 8, ’06. 100w.
“In these days when our shelves are crowded with trivial biographies, it is rare to come across a book so full of human interest, so suggestive, so valuable as a contribution to history as the ‘Life and letters of Lafcadio Hearn.’”
+ + Lond. Times. 6: 52. F. 15, ’07. 1440w.
“Of the biographical chapters, it is possible to speak with praise, while admitting considerable reservations. Unquestionably these letters of Hearn’s are among the most interesting that have appeared for a number of years—probably the most valuable since the publication of FitzGerald’s.”
+ + − Nation. 83: 464. N. 29, ’06. 1350w.
“The most entertaining, self-revealing, even fascinating literary correspondence published since the death of Robert Louis Stevenson.” James Huneker.
+ + N. Y. Times. 11: 803. D. 1, ’06. 2380w.
Reviewed by Olivia Howard Dunbar.
+ No. Am. 184: 417. F. 15, ’07. 1860w.
“His letters are good to read because they are hearty, spontaneous, lacking in all those reticences and poses with which we are familiar in the correspondence of literary persons of minor note.” H. W. Boynton.
+ + Putnam. 1: 636. F. ’07. 500w.
+ + R. of Rs. 35: 254. F. ’07. 110w.
+ + Sat. R. 103: 174. F. 9, ’07. 2050w.
+ + Spec. 98: 501. Mr. 30, ’07. 1530w.
Bittinger, Lucy Forney. German religious life in colonial times. **$1. Lippincott.
7–12674.
An interesting account of the general course of ecclesiastical life among the Germans in America during the Colonial era. The subject is treated under the headings, The Separatists, The church people, The Moravians, The Methodists, The German churches during the Revolution, and it is dealt with in a purely historical manner.
“Her work shows much care and pains, and full sympathy with its subject.”
+ Nation. 84: 498. My. 30, ’07. 100w.
+ Outlook. 85: 525. Mr. 2, ’07. 200w.
Bjorling, Philip R., and Gissing, Frederick T. Peat: its use and manufacture. **$2. Lippincott.
A practical account of the different methods of preparing peat for commercial purposes and the uses to which peat can be applied. A subject which is claiming more attention as the American coal supply diminishes.
“It is doubtful if there is possible a more comprehensive view of the field in a small volume than is given in this one. The material is of course largely compiled, but with more detail than one would think possible.”
+ + Engin. N. 58: 425. O. 17, ’07. 460w.
+ Nature. 76: 562. O. 3, ’07. 1020w.
43Black, Rev. Hugh. Listening to God: Edinburgh sermons. **$1.25. Revell.
6–42404.
Brief sermons by the professor of practical theology in Union seminary.
“The sermons are not brilliant, but they are manifestly the expression of the personality and experience of the preacher. And that after all is the only preaching that counts.” Theodore G. Soares.
+ Am. J. Theol. 11: 711. O. ’07. 140w.
“The sermons are full of ideas, without being in the least sensational, and cannot fail to stimulate thought.”
+ Ath. 1907, 1: 438. Ap. 13. 110w.
Ind. 61: 1572. D. 27, ’06. 40w.
“Some of them put fresh points to their texts, and all of them are characterized by simplicity, earnestness, and moral vigor.”
+ Outlook. 84: 794. N. 24, ’06. 110w.
Blackmar, Frank Wilson. Economics; new ed. *$1.40. Macmillan.
7–12998.
A new edition which extends bibliographies and brings its tables down to date.
“In preparing his book on economics, the author has obviated both of these general criticisms by stating his problems in a clear and interesting manner, and by placing on the market a text book which is both elementary enough and cheap enough to be accessible to average beginners.”
+ Ann. Am. Acad. 30: 150. Jl. ’07. 180w.
“Beyond being simply and well written, the book is without any very marked distinguishing characteristic. Its presentation of the doctrine of socialism in chapter 8 is excellent.”
+ Educ. R. 33: 535. My. ’07. 70w.
J. Pol. Econ. 15: 376. Je. ’07. 50w.
“The whole is a moderate and common-sense exposition of the subject, not always set out in the happiest terms.”
+ − Spec. 99: sup. 646. N. 2, ’07. 110w.
Blair, Emma Helen, and Robertson, James Alexander, eds., and trs. Philippine islands, 1493–1898. 55 v. ea. *$4. Clark, A. H.
3–6936.
Descriptive note for series in December, 1905.
“There is no other comprehensive treatment of this subject to compare with it. It is a most praiseworthy piece of editorial work.” James A. LeRoy.
+ + + Am. Hist. R. 12: 912. Jl. ’07. 1100w. (Review of v. 39–46.)
+ + Ind. 63: 878. O. 10, ’07. 740w. (Review of v. 39–50.)
Blaisdell, E. Warde. Animal serials. **$1. Crowell.
6–34712.
In which animals are drawn to express the “foibles, fancies, weaknesses, and conceits that are noticeable in human beings.”
“A unique and mirth-provoking collection of droll drawing.”
+ Arena. 37: 333. Mr. ’07. 50w.
+ Dial. 41: 397. D. 1, ’06. 140w.
Blake, Mary Elizabeth. In the harbour of hope. **$1.25. Little.
7–37236.
A volume of verse by one to whom Dr. Holmes once said, “You are one of the birds that must sing.” Her poems touch upon religion, nature, humanity and ideals, and voice the sturdy yet peaceful notes of the simple life.
N. Y. Times. 12: 667. O. 19, ’07. 30w.
Blake, William. Letters: together with a life by Frederick Tatham; ed. from the original manuscripts by Archibald G. B. Russell. *$2. Scribner.
7–15910.
From all the material furnished in this “life and letters” one gathers a story of Blake’s life “quite apart from his poetry, his painting and his mysticism, and full of human interest.”
“A collection of letters as complete as it can be made at present.” A. Clutton-Brock.
+ + Acad. 71: 524. N. 24, ’06. 900w.
“No more simple and straightforward letters were ever written, nor any in which an intimate ecstasy has found such immediate expression. The other part of Mr. Russell’s book, the life of Frederick Tatham, is of no literary value, but is invaluable as a document.”
+ + Ath. 1906, 2: 611. N. 17. 910w.
+ Lond. Times. 6: 12. Ja. 11, ’07. 120w.
“Mr. Russell’s introduction is written from large knowledge, and is a really valuable essay on Blake as an artist.”
+ + Nation. 83: 533. D. 20, ’06. 350w.
+ + Outlook. 85: 527. Mr. 2, ’07. 150w.
“These letters give us a better idea of the man than any biography.”
+ + Sat. R. 102: 708. D. 8, ’06. 500w.
“Mr. Russell has made amends for some want of editorial judgment by restoring the true reading in one line of poetry, misprinted in Gilchrist, and consequently in every edition of the poems.”
+ − Spec. 97: 826. N. 24, ’06. 680w.
Blanchard, Amy E. Four Corners in California. †$1.50. Jacobs.
7–30993.
In which the four Corners go on a trip to California where new scenes and experiences call forth all their young enthusiasm. There are bits of instruction which the young reader may cull from the story.
Blanchard, Amy E. Three little cousins. (Little maid ser.) †$1. Jacobs.
7–28974.
One from England, one from the east and one from the west, three little cousins meet for the first time at their aunt’s cottage by the sea. This story tells of the good times they had during a summer together.
Bland, Edith (Nesbit) (Mrs. Hubert Bland). Railway children; with drawings by C. E. Brock. †$1.50. Macmillan.
6–34371.
Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.
“Told with something of the humor and originality of the ‘Would-be-goods’ but overdrawn, inclined, to sensationalism, and not nearly so good.”
− A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 80. Mr. ’07.
“It must be confessed, however, that the incidents in ‘The railway children’ are quite as conventionally melodramatic as in many of the American stories.”
+ − R. of Rs. 34: 763. D. ’06. 270w.
Bland, Edith (Nesbit) (Mrs. Hubert Bland). Story of the amulet; with 48 il. by H. R. Millar. $1.50. Dutton.
7–32330.
“Here we have what we may call ‘Alice in Wonderland in excelsis.’ A family of children, whose father has gone as a war correspondent, while their mother is on a health voyage, discover a wonderful creature called a Psammead. By his help, together with the amulet which figures in the title, they are transported to various scenes in the past, after the fashion of the king who lived a life while he was dipping his head in a pail of water. They go to pre-dynastic Egypt, when palaeolithic man was in the Nile valley; they see Babylon, whose queen has an opportunity of expressing her views about social conditions in London; they see the vanished Atlantis, and Julius Caesar when he was in Britain, and then, by a backward leap, a Pharaoh, one of the special devotees of the Amen-Ra.”—Spec.
“A delightful book, destined to be read and re-read by (or to) her small admirers.”
+ Acad. 71: 608. D. 15, ’06. 70w.
44“Children who like fairy tales will enjoy the book and unconsciously acquire a certain amount of knowledge.”
+ A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 206. N. ’07.
“Characteristic of E. Nesbit are skillful delineation of childish individuality and facility in charging the most impossible situation with a current of sweet reasonableness, and these features distinguish ‘The story of the amulet.’”
+ Ath. 1906, 2: 653. N. 24. 70w.
“Very delightful book which is interesting for old as well as young.”
+ N. Y. Times. 12: 618. O. 12, ’07. 130w.
“A fascinating narrative, and one which has beneath the surface a gentle satire and also a kindly human sympathy.”
+ Outlook. 86: 256. Je. 1, ’07. 180w.
+ Sat. R. 102: sup. 8. D. 8, ’06. 70w.
“The general result is a very clever extravaganza, which an intelligent young person will hardly be able to read without acquiring, unconsciously, or even against his or her will, a certain amount of knowledge.”
+ Spec. 97: sup. 658. N. 3, ’06. 200w.
Bland, Hubert. Letters to a daughter. *$1.25. Kennerley.
“A staid book of imaginary letters” in which the writer “instructs a young woman in that mysterious art, in which all that is subtle, all that is beautiful, all that is morbid, all that is delicate, all the all of all, can be expressed—the art of being a woman.” (Acad.)
+ Acad. 71: 406. O. 20, ’06. 220w.
“He drags Epicuranism over the ultimate precipice of cynicism, and it is only because he does it with humor and an eyeglass that we forgive him. Our admiration in any case must follow him.”
+ − Ath. 1906, 2: 654. N. 24. 350w.
“One thing Alexa’s father did not have, and that was keen sense of humor, a thing hardly to be forgiven in a letter writer.”
− N. Y. Times. 12: 253. Ap. 20, ’07. 400w.
“They are eminently readable. How far the instruction they contain is suited to the age of their supposed recipient—a girl of nineteen—is another matter.”
+ − Spec. 97: 529. O. 13, ’06. 1940w.
Blunt, Reginald. Paradise row; or, A broken piece of old Chelsea. *$3.50. Macmillan.
7–25145.
Being the curious and diverting annals of a famous village street newly destroyed, together with particulars of sundry notable persons who in former times dwelt there, to which are added likenesses of the principal of them and their several houses; the whole collected and presented by Reginald Blunt.
“Our author’s style does not always please us, and is sometimes complicated.”
+ − Ath. 1906, 2: 616. N. 17. 480w.
N. Y. Times. 11: 857. D. 8, ’06. 300w.
“He tells his story very agreeably.”
+ Sat. R. 102: 780. D. 22, 06. 220w.
Boardman, Rosina Cox. Lilies and orchids. *$2.50. Cooke.
7–24620.
“A guide to those interested in this particular branch of floral and botanical study, and is of use also to all lovers of wild flowers. The flower families are illustrated by specimens chosen mainly in the United States east of the Rockies, but with a few also from Canada and California.”—Outlook.
“A timely and attractive publication.”
+ Dial. 42: 380. Je. 16, ’07. 60w.
+ Nation. 84: 595. Je. 27, ’07. 190w.
“A really unusual book.”
+ N. Y. Times. 12: 410. Je. 22, ’07. 60w.
“The color-studies are notable for their exquisite tints and faithful reproduction of the originals.”
+ + Outlook. 86: 526. Jl. 6, ’07. 90w.
Boigne, Comtesse de. Memoirs of the Comtesse de Boigne; ed. from the original ms. by M. Charles Nicoullaud. **$2.50. Scribner.
7–21749.
v. 1. “This new collection covers the period extending from the last days of the old monarchy, through the revolution and the first empire, to the restoration of the Bourbons by the allied sovereigns of Europe.... The pages are filled with lively reminiscences and amusing anecdotes in which figure all the famous folk of this wonderful time, men and women distinguished in society, politics, and literature, from Mme. Récamier and Lady Hamilton to Guizot and Lamartine, from Lafayette to Mme. de Staël.”—N. Y. Times.
v. 2. “The reminiscences of the Comtesse are continued during the Hundred days, Napoleon’s return from Elba, the events of Waterloo, and the restoration down to the year 1819. During this period the Comtesse returned to England with her father, who was French ambassador. Anecdotes of the English court and aristocratic society abound, and much criticism of English manners and customs, pointed by comparisons with French social and political life, makes highly entertaining reading.”—Sat. R.
“These memoirs are exactly what memoirs should be—to be of value and interest. No attempt is made to write history; there is nothing pretentious about them, nothing dull.”
+ + Acad. 72: 532. Je. 1, ’07. 1340w. (Review of v. 1.)
“A volume which, while here and there open to doubts as to accuracy, is everywhere attractive.”
+ − Ath. 1907, 2: 64. Jl. 20. 1160w. (Review of v. 1.)
Reviewed by S. M. Francis.
+ Atlan. 100: 492. O. ’07. 610w. (Review of v. 1.)
“The translator, modestly anonymous, has succeeded in giving to his version the agreeable effect of an original work.” Percy F. Bicknell.
+ + Dial. 43: 84. Ag. 16, ’07. 1630w. (Review v. 1.)
“This second volume is inferior in interest to the first, owing to the lesser importance of its subject-matter.”
+ Ind. 63: 1376. D. 5, ’07. 700w. (Review of v. 2.)
“This volume is one of exceptional readableness.”
+ + Lit. D. 35: 271. Ag. 24, ’07. 2480w. (Review of v. 1.)
“The Comtesse de Boigne is a good talker, and we cannot have too much of her. She is not as piercingly clever as Madame du Deffand, or as steely in her philosophical content as Madame Geoffrin, or as sensitive as Madame de Beaumont, or as sensible as Madame d’Epinay. But she is what the frontispiece tells us—a shrewd, sagacious, witty, unexaggerative Frenchwoman, with enough heart to serve our turn and enough experience to make her wise—not enough, perhaps, to make her lovable. She may have been more trenchant than profound, but to quarrel with her is impossible.”
+ − Lond. Times. 6: 188. Je. 14, ’07. 2250w. (Review of v. 1.)
“The work contains much distinguished trifling, and is interesting for desultory reading or as a mine for quotation.”
+ Nation. 85: 237. S. 12, ’07. 460w. (Review of v. 1.)
N. Y. Times. 12: 378. Je. 15, ’07. 150w. (Review of v. 1.)
“The appendix is stored with some interesting correspondence, which the judicious editor has carefully sifted from the text in order to make the latter coherent. Everywhere his literary 45skill and historical knowledge are in evidence but never intrusive.”
+ + N. Y. Times. 12: 509. Ag. 24, ’07. 1330w. (Review of v. 1.)
“Decidedly, these memoirs are among the best and most valuable published this autumn. No lover of biography and personalia can afford to forego the pleasure of their perusal. No historian of the period can ignore them. Incidentally, both will be under deep obligation to M. Charles Nicoullaud, the editor, whose literary adjustments have undoubtedly added to the coherence of the book and whose running commentary and appendices make its authority complete and secure.”
+ + N. Y. Times. 12: 713. N. 9, ’07. 1180w. (Review of v. 2.)
“Delightful reading of their kind.”
+ + Putnam’s. 3: 370. D. ’07. 310w. (Review of v. 1 and 2.)
“What makes these memoirs so interesting is that Madame de Boigne describes, with pitiless fidelity, the intimate life of three successive régimes, that of Louis XVI., that of Buonaparte, and that of Louis XVIII.”
+ Sat. R. 103: 784. Je. 22, ’07. 1620w. (Review of v. 1.)
“She was a shrewd observer, wrote cleverly, and her little cynicisms, mingled with aristocratic complacency, are extremely amusing.”
+ + Sat. R. 104: 460. O. 12, ’07. 140w. (Review of v. 2.)
“A readable translation, though it appears to miss the point of one of Madame de Boigne’s best stories.”
+ − Spec. 99: 57. Jl. 13, ’07. 210w. (Review of v. 1.)
Bolce, Harold. New internationalism. **$1.50. Appleton.
7–6637.
The financial and commercial amalgamation of the nations is the central theme of Mr. Bolce’s discussion. The following comparison between this book and Miss Jane Addams’ “Newer ideals of peace” is enlightening: “Mr. Bolce is material; Miss Addams spiritual. He puts his trust in the development of international trade; she detects the development of cosmopolitan friendship. One sees, in the financiers and merchants, the architects of the new internationalism; the other finds among the feeblest immigrants the harbingers of the new ideals. But the books are complementary, not contradictory.” (Ind.)
“The book is scrappy and somewhat superficial, but clever, interesting and emphasizes a note that needs emphasis at the present time, that of reciprocity and the economic interdependence of modern nations.”
+ − A. L. A. Bkl. 3: 118. My. ’07.
+ Ind. 62: 855. Ap. 11, ’07. 680w.
“Though written primarily for English readers, it has interest for American students of the subject, but it does not pretend to be a book for experts. If it can lay claim to no striking merits, the volume is also free from striking defects.”
+ − Nation. 84: 553. Je. 13, ’07. 320w.
“There is nothing visionary or academic about Mr. Bolce’s economics. His sympathies are all with the men who do things, and he thinks them competent to teach the closet theorists.”
+ N. Y. Times. 12: 58. F. 2, ’07. 320w.
R. of Rs. 35: 382. Mr. ’07. 50w.
Bölsche, Wilhelm. Haeckel; his life and work; tr., with an introd., by Joseph McCabe. *$4. Jacobs.
6–24940.
A “plain study” of Haeckel’s personality and the growth of his ideas which is intended in its approximately true appreciation to replace “a hundred Haeckels grotesque in their unlikeness to each other” which “circulate in our midst today.”
+ Current Literature. 42: 96. Ja. ’07. 1780w.
“The distinguished German biographer brings to his task not merely literary style and imaginative qualities, but a technical and intimate knowledge of science in its latest development.”
+ + Lit. D. 34: 177. F. 2, ’07. 160w.
“This is an unusually successful work in a difficult field. While we must give credit to the author for teaching us a great deal of zoology in a pleasant manner, the most difficult part of his task, he has hardly done justice to an exceptionally interesting individuality.”
+ + − Nation. 84: 392. Ap. 25, ’07. 790w.
“Prof. W. Bölsche’s study of Ernst Haeckel is, like the frontispiece of the book, a picture in warm colours. The author is nothing if not enthusiastic, and indeed no one can think over the achievements of Haeckel’s life without sharing the author’s admiration for his hero.”
+ Nature. 74: 26. My. 10, ’06. 680w.
“In the nature of things—and the German professional point of view and literary manner—the total is rather hard reading. Yet there is much of real interest.”
+ + − N. Y. Times. 12: 43. Ja. 26, ’07. 1120w.
“Is a model biography for the unprofessional, but cultured reader.”
+ + Sat. R. 102: 585. N. 10, ’06. 110w.
“Very lucid and interesting account of this veteran biologist’s life and work.”
+ + Spec. 97: sup. 467. O. 6, ’06. 260w.
Bond, Beverly Waugh, jr. Monroe mission to France 1794–1796. 50c. Johns Hopkins.
7–22912.
A detailed account of this important diplomatic incident, which is based upon the Monroe papers and gives the inner history of the mission, definitely establishing the circumstances and the motives of the actors.
Bonner, Geraldine. Rich men’s children; il. by C. M. Relyea. †$1.50. Bobbs.
6–37925.
A western story in which a multimillionaire’s son marries an adventuress, takes to the mountains to win back his peace of mind, falls in love with a bonanza king’s daughter and hopes for developments that will permit an honorable marriage. The way appears when the former husband of the unfit wife appears, and is a welcome factor in straightening the tangle.
“Is one of the strongest romances of the year.”
+ + Arena. 36: 687. D. ’06. 280w.
“All things considered, it is rather the best piece of fiction that has yet come from Geraldine Bonner’s pen, the clearest character drawing, the strongest situations, the most thoroughly human appeal from first to last.” Frederic Taber Cooper.
+ + − Bookm. 26: 78. S. ’07. 710w.
“Miss Bonner’s book is primarily about the children of two of these bonanza families, but its best and most interesting, parts are those that treat of the parents.”
+ N. Y. Times. 11: 871. D. 15, ’06. 460w.
Booth, Mrs. Maud Ballington. Twilight fairy tales. **$1.25. Putnam.
6–38892.
Mrs. Booth’s tales follow the fortunes of a little boy “who found the magic land of ‘Maybe’ the more readily for faithfulness in the land of ‘Is,’ and so lived cheek by jowl with fairies when he had behaved himself properly.” (Nation.)
“The stories are new and ‘different.’”
+ Bookm. 24: 528. Ja. ’07. 70w.
Ind. 61: 1408. D. 22, ’06. 20w.
Nation. 83: 514. D. 13, ’06. 40w.
N. Y. Times. 11: 718. N. 3, ’06. 60w.
46“Mrs. Booth writes fluently and gracefully. The pictures are somewhat strained in effect and badly drawn.”
+ − Outlook. 84: 795. N. 24, ’06. 70w.
Booth, William H. Water softening and treatment, condensing plant, feed pumps, and heaters for steam users and manufacturers; with figs., diags. and tables. *$2.50. Van Nostrand.
7–4532.
The work is divided into five sections as follows: 1, Treatment of water by softening, together with the separation of oil and filtration; 2, Air pumps, condensers, and circulating pumps; 3, Feed heating and stage heating; 4, Water cooling; and 5, Feed pumps and injectors.
“From those portions of the book more closely related to its title the American engineer will learn but little. The methods of analysis given are inadequate and the forms of softening apparatus described are evidently less efficient than those in common use in this country.” George C. Whipple.
− Engin. N. 56: 187. Ag. 16, ’06. 190w.
“Altogether, the book contains complete information with respect to the purification and supply of water to steam boilers, which will be valuable to users of steam; whilst the first portion on water softening, will be very useful in indicating the methods by which hard water may be rendered available for various manufactures requiring pure water.”
+ + Nature. 74: 464. S. 6, ’06. 570w.
Booth, William Stone. Practical guide for authors in their relations with publishers and printers. *50c. Houghton.
7–14814.
“A clear and terse exposition of ‘those questions and difficulties which may arise during negotiations for the sale of a manuscript to a publisher, or in the relations which exist between a publisher and an author after a work has been accepted.’”—N. Y. Times.
“Mr. Booth writes with authority, having full and very helpful knowledge of his subject.”
+ Ind. 62: 1474. Je. 20, ’07. 80w.
+ Ind. 63: 763. S. 26, ’07. 70w.
“He writes of the practical side of things with sanity and clearness.”
+ Lit. D. 34: 723. My. 4, ’07. 50w.
“The best book of its kind we have seen, both for its simplicity and its comprehensiveness. It is in reality an excellent ‘style-card’ for printers and proof-readers, as well as a book of directions for writers.”
+ + Nation. 84: 359. Ap. 18, ’07. 40w.
“Should prove of great service in making the creators and publishers of books more often walk the primrose path.”
+ N. Y. Times. 12: 291. My. 4, ’07. 160w.
“Aside from the scholarly work everywhere evident in the book, there is an interest not usually associated with books of a similar kind—in fact Mr. Booth’s book makes entertaining instruction of a very dry subject.” H. E. Coblentz.
+ + School R. 15: 556. S. ’07. 270w.
Borden, Spencer. Arab horse; with preface by Prof. Henry Osborne; il. **$1.20. Doubleday.
6–36199.
“An interesting history of the animal, both on his native heath and in the countries to which he has been exported. Considerable space is given to the Arabs in America; and their pedigrees and history are interesting to the lovers of the breed.”—Nation.
+ Nation. 83: 393. N. 8, ’06. 50w.
+ N. Y. Times. 11: 904. D. 29, ’06. 110w.
Borden, Stephen Whiley. How to check electricity bills: containing methods of charging for electricity with directions for reading and testing electric meters. *50c. McGraw pub.