Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE

THE LITERARY NEWS IN ENGLAND

HE end of the season always forms a point in the progress of the year where we can mark time; and far removed as Society with the big S, which suggests the Park and an endless succession of smart frocks-may be from anything intellectual, the end of the season serves to remind us forcibly of the poverty of the book world and the complete failure of the playhouses. In fact, the effects of the war are now beginning to be felt with some force. It is many years since business has been so bad, telling especially on advertisement revenues; and in the matter of luxuries, such as books, the shopkeepers have wry faces. One firm of publishers has been unable to meet its creditors with twenty shillings in the pound, while other houses have scarcely ventured to do more than supply books for the passing hour. Even this has been largely overdone, so that war books are a drug in the market, and the publishers are now turning to the crisis in China with all sorts of wares to allure customers. Indeed, nothing has been so marked in the book world than the ease with which books on matters of topical interest are rushed out, reminding one of the dead days of pamphleteering.

Every one of the besieged cities in South Africa has had two and sometimes three book historians, and the campaigns carried on for their relief have been even more minutely described. By the time this letter appears most of the correspondents will have returned home, and unless the publishers grow chary, the congestion of war literature will be more acute. One of the more recent war books is a history of the siege of Mafeking, written by Mr. J. Angus Hamilton, who is a stepson of Mr. A. W. Pinero, and who went out on behalf of the Times. Mr. Heinemann has

been astute in confining his output mainly to books dealing with the political side of South Africa. Mr. Fitzpatrick's essay, "The Transvaal from Within," was a great success, and another volume, “The Rise and Fall of Krugerism," made a hit. Mr. Heinemann has also issued "The South Africa Conspiracy," by Mr. F. W. Bell. The manuscript was one of the few belongings of the author rescued from the steamer Mexican, which was run into off Cape Town.

And yet, despite the dullness of the days, we have had a new publisher in the person of Mr. Brimley Johnson, who began his career with "Two Stage Plays," by Lucy Snowe, which is evidently a pseudonym borrowed from the Brontës. Mr. Brimley Johnson has done some good critical work, and knows a good book when he sees it; but the publication of belles-lettres, pure and simple, does not, as a rule, bring much beyond kudos to a publisher. Mr. Johnson has started, like most of the younger men, in the West.

Several biographies are announced, among which the most interesting is Mr. Morley's "Cromwell," which the Macmillans will issue in the autumn. Mr. A. W. Pollard, who is assisting him in preparing the sketch for book form, is an Oxford man. He is an assistant in the Library of the British Museum, where Mr. Morley, who is one of the trustees, has been an assiduous reader of late in connection with his forthcoming life of Mr. Gladstone. Mr. Pollard has done some good work in Chauceriana. Another librarian at work on a biography (the "Life of Tolstoi ") is Mr. Hagbert Wright of the London Library in St. James's Square. He is the brother of Professor Wright, the pathologist at Netley, who has had much to do in introducing the enteric

anti-toxine for our troops in South Africa. A life of the late Field-Marshall Sir Donald Stewart, who died quite recently, and was buried on the day his Indian successor, Sir George White, reached England from Ladysmith, may also be ex pected in the autumn. One of Sir Donald's sons has gone to China with some of our Indian troops. The second has been fighting in Kumasi. A third interesting biography of a modern will be that of the late Professor Gordon Blaikie, whose son, Mr. Walter Blaikie, is identified with the great printing firm of Constable in Edinburgh. It is announced that the Blacks are to incorporate "Men and Women of the Time" in their ingenious "Who's Who?" having acquired the copyright from the Routledges. The rumor that Mr. Winston Spencer-Churchill is to write his father's life has attracted much attention.

Mrs. Craigie has not made the success one anticipated with "Robert Orange," the sequel to "The School for Saints. That the latter romance should have been published in a sixpenny form argues for its popularity, and is encouraging in view of the great sales of novels absolutely devoid of brains; but Mrs. Craigie has taken herself a little too seriously in "Robert Orange," which bears the marks of a laboriousness which is not always enlivening. She is at her best when she is flippant. She has written a new play which will be produced early in the new year at the Haymarket Theatre. She has been spending part of the summer with her. father at Steephill Castle, in the Isle of Wight, which has been the temporary home of the late Empress of Austria and the ex-Queen of Naples. Miss Helen Mathers, the author of "Comin' Thro' the Rye," used to visit the Castle in former years.

The sixpenny reissue of modern novels has again begun to boom, for even "Tess

of the D'Urbervilles," which is scarcely a book for the crowd, is going into that form. Miss Corelli, who met with an accident the other week when out driving, is reported to have received £5,000 on account of the royalty for her new novel, "The Master Christian," while Mr. Hall Caine has got £1,500 for the serial rights of "The Eternal City," which will appear in Pearson's new magazine for women, Miss Corelli made some good friends at Stratford-on-Avon recently when she met the members of "The Whitefriar's Club," a body of very staid Bohemians who have since visited Mr. George Meredith at Boxhill. Mr. J. M. Barrie is gradually becoming more interested in playwriting than in novels, much to the regret of some of his early friends. He has finished two new plays-one for the Haymarket-and is engaged on a third. A new writer of fiction has come forth in the shape of Mr. Oliver Onions. His "Compleat Bachelor" has been issued by Mr. Murray, who is venturing fiction to a much greater extent than he was wont.

The rumored intention of Ibsen to visit Orkney and Shetland in the autumn should draw attention to the charm of Ultima Thule. The islands remain most markedly Scandinavian in their characteristics to this day, and Ibsen, who has Scots blood in his veins, is said to have several relatives there. The Shetlanders still speak of the people on the mainland across the Pentland Frith as "foreigners." They have an interesting literature of their own and are represented in London by the Viking Society, which includes Danes and Norwegians as well. One of the most distinguished literary writers. from Orkney is Sir George Robertson, who made his mark with a book on the "Defence of Chitral," where he was severely wounded.

M. Brunetière is going to spend a holiday in Scotland with a view to studying

the vernacular and the influence of French literature upon early Scots verse. This is a most fascinating subject, which was brilliantly dealt with by Michel. Different as the peoples are, there remains to this day far more affinity between the Scots and the French, than between the French and the English proper. It is most interesting to work out the connection between the metres used by Burns and the metres of the old French versemakers, as exampled by ballades and rondeaux more especially. Several French and Belgian scholars are working at this problem at the moment.

The proposal to destroy some of the printed material in the British Museum has raised keen opposition, and it now appears that the trustees of the museum are promoting the bill because the treasury will not give them money to extend buildings until they have destroyed what the treasury considers rubbish. During last year there was a slight decrease in the number of students in the reading-room, the daily average being 627. The museum sometimes suffers from the book thief, who has a fine field in London. Only the other day a thief stole the colored plate of "The Descent of Madame Sanguie" from Thornton's "Don Juan," whilst that work was on view at Puttick & Simpson's, who have recently remodelled their historic premises (Sir Joshua Reynolds's house) in Leicester Square. The experience of liThe experience of librarians who have tried the readers' access to lending-library shelves has not been very happy in this country.

The recent appearance in the market of the Golden Cross Hotel, Charing-cross, serves to remind us that it was from there that Mr. Pickwick and his friends began their journeys on the Rochester Coach. Dickens was specially devoted to it, for he introduced it in "David Copperfield," Mr. Peggotty having often visited David there. In Dickens's day the coach left

the "Bull & Mouth of the West," as the hotel was known, under an arch, which was abolished in 1851, when many improvements were carried out. The early Victoria stucco still remains, but in recent years the lower part has been completely remodelled on the lines of a first-rate restaurant, which has very little flavor of the Pickwick period. Apropos of Rochester I may note that Cobham Park, described in "Pickwick," is the property of Lord Jarnley, who threw it open the other week for a soldiers' and sailors' fête.

Another old inn in the market is "The Bell" at Edmundton, immortalized in "John Gilpin." Mosseil Inn, which stands between Hawick and Langholme, has just been reopened. It is not only associated with Scott, who frequently stayed there, but the prototype of Sam Weller's father is believed to have been Tom Laidlaw, a well-known character, who used to frequent this old hostelry. While on the subject of literary topography, which is less appreciated by us than by Americans, I may remark that Mr. Kipling has denied that he was called Rudyard after the lake in North Staffordshire, near which his father and mother are fondly believed to have become betrothed. Mr. Kipling writes that " so far as he knows there is no connection between his family and the place named Rudyard."

Several new journalistic ventures are announced, the three great competing firms being specially involved. Pearson is to start a new magazine for women. Sir George Newnes has started The Traveller, which deals with all sorts of travel. Two of Mr. Alfred Harmsworth's brothers (Cecil and Hildebrand) are to edit a monthly called the New Liberal Review. The Review will be the organ of Liberal Imperialism. Its appearance from the house of Harmsworth is exceedingly interesting, for the firm do not champion lost causes. They have enormous facili

ties for floating new ventures, so that the fact of their issuing a journal of this kind does not argue much for the success of the "Little Englanders," who are in such a minority at the present moment, whatever the future may bring forth. The fact that the Harmsworths should embark on such a venture is also hopeful for the whole journalism of ideas which runs. such risks of becoming quite obliterated by the art of the unrelated fact. Lord Frederick Hamilton is to resign the edi

torship of the Pall Mall Magazine, which Mr. Astor is understood to be anxious to sell.

Visitors to the Paris Exhibition who are interested in book-making should examine the fine collection of books sent by the English publishers. I think they will note a very marked improvement in the general format of our books, while the question of paper will be found to have been tackled, though by no means solved. J. M. Bulloch.

IT

NOTES OF RARE BOOKS

T is always a kindness to the seeker after definite and accurate information to call his attention to some new source of positive knowledge, or to suggest some way in which he may bag his game more successfully. Apropos of this remark, there has been started in London-or more accurately, revived-a new quarterly, entitled The Library. The December, March and June numbers are issued, and everything that ink, paper and good taste can do to make it appeal to the elect has been done. Each number has a photogravure of some important collector or librarian, and the text is particularly interesting to the collector. The initial number contains such articles as "A Sketch of Dr. Garnett," apparently by Mr. Macalister, the editor; "The Paper Duties of 1696-1713: Their Effect on the Printing and Allied Trades," by Mr. Macfarlane, of the British Museum; Catalogue of Danton's Library," by H. Belloc, the biographer of Danton; "Woodcuts in English Plays," by Alfred W. Pollard, the English secretary of the Bibliographical Society, and many other shorter articles.

[blocks in formation]

known English authority; Incunabula at Grenoble," by R. Proctor, and other interesting items.

The third number presents as a frontispiece the face of our Librarian of Congress, Mr. Herbert Putnam. Among other articles of more than passing interest to the collector, may be mentioned

66

English Royal Collectors," by W. Y. Fletcher ; "The Children's Books That Have Lived," by Charles Welsh; "The British Museum Revised Rules for Cataloguing," by H. B. Wheatley. Altogether, the first three numbers are thoroughly informing and attractive, besides being well illustrated.

Readers of the London Athenæum will doubtless recall that in 1894 Mr. J. Dykes Campbell (who always signed his erudite communications J. D. C.) started an inquiry concerning the first four editions of Lord Byron's "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers." From that day until the present much information has been brought to light concerning the original as well as spurious editions, and it may be of interest to the collector to summarize this information, as the mazes of bibliography are not interesting reading where the facts are all that are sought for. Briefly stated, the facts are these: The first edition was issued in March, 1809, by Cawthorn; by the end of April the author was engaged in preparing a second edition. The genuine first edition is to be recognized by being printed on thick paper, with the water-mark "E. & P. 1805" on it. The poem contained 696 lines, and was printed on 54 pages.

On the verso of page 54 is the imprimatur, in italics, of "T. Collins, Printer, Harveys Buildings, Strand." Some copies have a leaf of advertisement at the end, containing Cawthorn's list of books.

Besides this first edition two spurious ones were issued, easily recognizable—one having no watermark, and one having water-mark dated 1812.

66

In the second edition Byron added over 400 lines, making the total 1,050, and the pages were 86 instead of 54. On the recto of page 85, at the bottom of the page, is Deans & Co., Hart Street, Covent Garden"; on the verso an advertisement announcing a novel entitled "Henry, Count de Kolinski, a Polish Tale." So far as known, there was no spurious issue of this edition.

In the case of the third edition the complications and intricacies are more numerous, but the evidence points to the following identification of the genuine first issue of the third edition. It has the date 1810 on the title-page, the paper has the water-mark" E. & P. 1804." This seems to have

been re-printed many times with water-marks bearing the dates 1812, 1815, 1816, 1817 and 1818. Many printer's errors occur in the reprints.

In the case of the fourth edition there are two issues, one containing one thousand and fifty lines, and the date 1810, and another containing two lines more and dated 1811, this latter might really be classed as a fifth edition, or a fourth edition with variations, as the investigators might elect.

There is evidence of much weight that the edition bearing the date 1811 is the genuine fourth, while that of 1810 is spurious. The imprint on this fourth edition runs thus, and may help the collector to identify his edition: "London: | Printed for James Cawthorn, British Library, No. 24, | Cockspur Street; and Sharpe and Hailes, Piccadilly | 1811. "We are all waiting for the Bibliography to be published in the new edition of Byron edited by his grandson, the Earl of Lovelace. In the meantime we have to be contented with such information as we have on the subject. Ernest Dressel North.

THE POET'S HERITAGE

SOME men have wealth and vast estates,
And acres broad and palace gates;
One is a prince and one a king,
And one an humble underling.

And lo! the poet, what hath he,
That he doth trudge so merrily?
About his happy footsteps throng
A thousand little waifs of song.

SONG

I LIKE no book whose hero goes
Page after page through desert prose,
And wanders wearily along

Far from the happy hills of song.

For me a heroine who trips

With lilting lyrics on her lips,

And lovelight in her eyes sublime, By rippling rivulets of rhyme.

-From "A Book of Verses." By Robert Loveman. By permission of The J. B. Lippincott Co.

« PreviousContinue »