fight off Guernsey to Castlebar, including Egypt between. No very important battles figure, but the military atmosphere of the period is well-preserved. Sealskin Cloak, The. By Rolf Boldrewood, author of "Robbery Under Arms," etc. 505 PP, 12mo,

90 cents; by mail, $1.05.

Rolf Boldrewood possesses a marked capacity for variation of style, and "The Sealskin Cloak reminds one quite as much of "East Lynne "as of "Robbery Under Arms." The heroine is a young married woman who sets out on a railway journey in a handsome garment, which not merely furnishes a title for the story of her adventures, but also costs her a husband and secures her detention in a lunatic asylum. For she allows another woman to wear it; there is a railway accident; the lady in borrowed garb is killed, and, on strength of the sealskin cloak, buried as Mrs. Hugh Gordon. The real Mrs. Hugh claims her name and her husband, but both are denied to her, and in due course the deluded husband, thinking himself a widower, marries again. Then the mystery takes a new turn. Only the initial plot of this sensational narrative has been revealed: the main developments, and especially the part which reminds one of "East Lynne, are yet to come. There is a good deal about Egypt, and about real persons whom the fictitious characters meet in Egypt. It would be impossible to allow that this story is probable in its incidents; but it contains some good writing, and several pages stamped with such interest as one would expect from a well-read and cultivated writer.

London Athenæum.

Sic Vita Est. (Such is Life.) By Sue Froman Matthews, author of "A Beggar's Story." 301 pp. 12mo, $1.00; by mail, $1.13.

Begins in a boarding-school in Ohio, where the characters are introduced. A story of a mysterious disappearance in which the scene changes to Italy. Publishers' Weekly. Sign of the Red Cross, The. A Tale of Old London. By E. Everett-Green, author of "In the Days of Chivalry," etc. Illustrated. 358 pp. 121110, 90 cents; by mail, $1.06.

The story opens at the beginning of the great plague of London, and with the mayor decreeing that as soon as a house became infected, that it be shut up, and a red cross with the words Lord have mercy on us "' written on the door. The nursing of the victims by two young girls, and the eccentric ways and sayings of an old woman, help to make the story romantic as well as instructive. The fire which followed the plague, destroying London and putting an end to the dread disease, is also described." Publishers' Weekly. Sister Jane. Her Friends and Acquaintances. A Nar

rative of Certain Events and Episodes Transcribed from the Papers of the Late William Wornum. By Joel Chandler Harris, author of "Nights with Uncle Remus," etc. 363 pp. 12mo, $1.10; by mail, $1.25.

This work is not only a picture of the South before the war, but of the South of the whites. The creator of "Uncle Remus" has almost deserted the negro race in this latest romance, the few colored characters who appear in its pages scarcely stepping from the background Nor is the color question hinted at even in the slightest degree in this genuine antebellum novel; there is not a single Southern fire-eater nor a mention of "Dixie"; there is not a plantation scene such as Mr. Harris has already so faithfully painted. The Southern gentleman of the old school is not put on parade either. All of the types are distinctly new. The characters of Sister Jane and Sally Beshears, those two wise women of the village, are new to Mr. Harris' brush, but old Grandsir Roach and Uncle Jimmy and simple-natured Jincy are just such quaint figures as we would expect from him. "Free

manner.

Betsey "is a unique type of the old negress, while the dilapidated plantation of Sally Beshears-where that worthy woman acts like a mother to her 'babies," her two older sisters, Miss Polly and Miss Becky, always muttering about their money, is described in a mournfully realistic A circus episode and a revivalist's sermon give a familiar tone to the village tout ensemble. The curious dialectical twists and turns, the homely and humorous epigrams and village saying are so rich as to defy representative quotation. Philadelphia Record. Soldier Stories. By Rudyard Kipling, author of “Plain Tales from the Hills," etc. With numerous illustrations. 203 pp. 12m0, $1.10; by mail, $1.22. See review.

Solomon Crow's Christmas Pockets, and Other Tales. By Ruth McEnery Stuart, author of "A Golden Wedding," etc. Illustrated. 201 pp. 12mo, 90 cents; by mail, $1.01.

Ruth McEnery Stuart writes as no one else can. Her short stories are inimitable, her originality is never duplicated, or the charm of her style ever borrowed by any other writer. The stories contained in her book, "Solomon Crow's Christmas Pockets," are excellently suited to the season now at hand, and all who read of Solomon or Little Duke will perhaps be readers with the "Christmas Gift." " Quackalina' will interest the children, and those who are familiar with "Old Easter" will be glad to find it included here. Hartford Post.

Some Whims of Fate. By Ménie Muriel Dowie, author of "A Girl in the Karpathians, etc. 220 pp. 12mo, 75 cents; by mail, 84 cents. "Some Whims of Fate 'is by Ménie Muriel Dowie, and the little collection of stories is well named, for surely whimsical fate alone could have devised the odd and unexpected turns of fortune which are here related. Two of the five stories in the book will be remembered by readers of the Yellow Book.

Hartford Post.

Star Sapphire, The. By Mabel Collins, author of Through the Gates of Gold " 311 pp. 12mo, $1.10; by mail, $1.25.

A temperance story which turns on a man in London society, who sells out his wine cellar and sets none on his dinner table. His wife disagrees with him, drinks and dies a sad death, but is forgiven at the last moment.

Stories from the Chap-Book. Being a Miscellany of Curious and Interesting Tales, Histories, etc. Newly composed by many celebrated writers and very delightful to read. 241 pp. 16m0, $1.00; by mail, $1.08.

A very good collection of short stories by various writers is compiled from the Chap-Book. Several of them are sad, but others are bright and cheerful, and all condensed, effective and well worth reading.

N. Y. World.

Stories of Everyday Life in Modern China. Told by Chinese and Done into English, by T. Watters, author of "Essays on the Chinese Language.' 226 pp. 12mo, $1.10; by mail, $1.20. There is a common tendency among people generally to regard China and the Chinese as a huge joke, and to refuse to credit the Celestials with any of the better and more serious virtues of humanity. If it were only to correct this misapprehension, Mr. Watters's book will do good service. But it has other claims to the attention of the public. The stories in themselves are extremely interesting and admirably told. The author vouches for the authenticity of the incidents narrated, and independently of this guarantee we should see no reason to doubt their accuracy. London Athenæum.

Stories of Naples and The Camorra. By Charles Grant.

"

With Introductory memoir of the author by J. B. Capper. 379 pp. 12mo, $1.35; by mail, $1.48. Mr. Grant's collection of Neapolitan sketches, or studies in fiction, founded on his peculiar and extensive knowledge of the populace, is a work of poignant interest. The history of the author himself is briefly told by Mr. Capper in an introductory memoir. Mr. Grant was the son of a lady who was being actually measured for her coffin, in the Gambia Settlement, when the apparent corpse, with unexpected humor, said, "Not yet, Sambo! She recovered, married for a second time, and became the mother of Mr. Grant. Mr. Grant is thought to have had a profound knowledge of the Camorra, which appears as a leading motive in his tales. Of these the first, the story of Peppiniello, a boy collector and vender of old cigar ends, is perhaps the most interesting. The book is full of incident and color. Essential virtues, neglected by many of the respectable, are here tempered by revenge, cruelty, and dishonesty. Though the book is not a novel, the recurrence of several characters gives unity to the tales, and the book is one of permanent value. The author, after enduring a great misfortune, died at Gratz in 1889. Two specimens of his poetry indicate that he was at his best in prose, and if he has left more sketches in the same rank as "Stories of Naples," they should not be kept from the world of readers, to whom this remarkable book may be heartily recommended. London Times.

Tales from a Mother-of-Pearl Casket. By Anatole France. Translated by Henri Pène Du Bois. 247 pp. 16mo, 90 cents; by mail, 99 cents. In his recent book of criticism Brander Matthews recommends to our young writers a study of French literature as a corrective to crudity and carelessness of style. He cites Anatole France, the author of these short stories, as a brilliant example of a writer whose style is picturesque, tender, clear and precise In the group of stories before us it is quality not quantity which concerns him. The themes embrace a cycle of human progress. The end of paganism and the end of the monarchy in France, the saints of the Golden Legend and the revolutionists of the eighteenth century are brought before us with tolerance, sympathy, intelligence and faultless artifice.

Philadelphia Ledger. That First Affair, and other Sketches. By J. A. Mitchell, Editor of Life, author of "Amos Judd," etc. Illustrated by C. D. Gibson, A. B Frost, F. T. Richards, and the author. 177 PP. 12m0, 90 cents; by mail, $1.01.

Tom Sawyer Abroad, Tom Sawyer, Detective and Other Stories, etc. By Mark Twain. Illustrated. 410 pp. 12mo, $1.35; by mail, $1.54.

See review.

Totem Tales. Indian Stories Indian Told. Gathered in the Pacific Northwest. By W. S. Phillips. Fully Illustrated by the author. 326 pp. 12mo, $1.35; by mail, $1.54.

Mr. Phillips represents these to be stories told by the Indians themselves, many of them being taken down from the lips of their tribal story tellers. To the yearly increasing number of students in folk lore they will be of much interest, embodying as they do the superstitions and myths of an unfamiliar people, although admission is made of the difficulty of separating the Bible stories told by missionaries of the early days and changed by many recitals, from the legends of purely Indian origin. Mr. Phillips thinks, however, that by patient listening and relistening he has eliminated all of the former class.

Public Opinion. Triumph of Death, The. By Gabriele D'Annunzio. Translated by Arthur Hornblow. With an etched portrait of the author. The Romances of the Rose. 412 pp. 12m0, $1.10; by mail, $1.21.

"The Triumph of Death is a story of the gradual mental breakdown of a young man of intellectuality through the free indulgence of passion, combined with the progress of inherited insanity. George Aurispa destroys all the delights of life by morbid analysis and comes to despise himself and the beautiful sensual woman who has fascinated him. He is ever conscious of her coarseness, yet ever the slave of his infatuation, and it ends in his hurling himself off of a cliff in her arms. His final madness was the only end possible, yet we do not feel the inevitableness of the end when it comes. Hippolyte, too, is unbalanced, a tendency to epilepsy being exhibited in many of her actions. For neither of these unfortunate creatures nor for the other member of the Aurispa family-all finely drawn-does the author win our sypmathy. Hippolyte does, once in a while, impress us as being human, but the hero is without the pale of human sympathy, save as an object of pity, and so we do not take their fate to heart as we do that of Mr. Hardy's fated lovers in "Jude the Obscure." Herein lies Signor d'At nunizo's gravest fault-that he writes of the abnormal, not the normal, man. Dramatic power and an exquisitely beautiful style he has, and a wondrous insight into human character, but he does not write of men and women whom we feel our fellows. Philadelphia Telegraph. Uncle Scipio. A Story of Uncertain Days in the South. By Mrs. Jeannette H. Walworth, author of "Dead Men's Shoes," etc. With a frontispiece. 310 pp. 12m0, 90 cents; by mail, $1.05.

A love-story set in the picturesque Mississippi valley, describing the conditions that prevailed immediately after the war of the rebellion. Uncle Scipio is an old negro slave. Publishers' Weekly. Uncrowned King, An. A Romance of High Politics By Sydney C. Grier, author of "In Furthest Ind,' etc. 487 pp. 12mo, $1.10; by mail, $1.25. Viscount Usk, a member of the Lower House, by his father's death is obliged to take his seat in the House of Lords. He resents this, as he is a Liberal and reformer and full of unconventional theories. During his period of brooding he is offered the kingship of Thracia, an imaginary province in the unruly territories of the Carpathian Mountains. At first he refuses; then, encouraged by his young, careless brother, he accepts. The power behind the throne and the new king do not agree beyond three months. His plans for his people, his labors for temperance and evangelization, his brother's counter efforts for show and glory, and the king's poetic love for a young Sythian of Irish descent are told with spirit.

Publishers' Weekly. Under Three Flags. A Story of Mystery. By B. L. Taylor and A. T. Thoits. 343 Pp. 12mo, 90 cents; by mail, $1.02.

This mystery story took the third prize in the Chicago Record competition. Its scenes are laid in the United States and Cuba and are extremely "contemporaneous." A detective, a newspaper correspondent, a Spanish girl, etc., are the raw material. Whiter Than Snow and Little Dot. Illustrated. The Colportage Library. 122 pp. 12mo, paper, 15 cents; by mail, 20 cents.

A story about a good little girl who dies and goes to Heaven.

White Sand. The Story of a Dreamer and His Dream. By M. C. Balfour. Illustrated. 331 pp. 12mo.

paper, 90 cents; by mail, $1.03.

Miss Balfour's delineation of the light woman of society, as personified in Sylvia Carpenter, is distinctly to be commended. She has painted the type to the life, though obviously in these days she had no difficulty in procuring abundance of models. Sylvia is as unstable and shiftless as white sand; she has mistaken her métier, which is clearly not for the home. Presently, out of sheer good-nature, rather than from deliberate vice, one of the men with whom

she flirts consents to run away with her. The "poor devil" is to be pitied almost as much as the husband, who ultimately, also out of sheer good-nature, takes her back. He is a strong man, generous and philosophic, and he feels that this pretty, weak, pleasureloving little woman needs his protection. All this is exceedingly well done. The largeness and wholesomeness of this book would make it acceptable; its author has, however, vivacity, directness, and she marshals her characters and presents her incidents skilfully. There are, too, some excellent and dramatically conceived scenes in the book.

London Academy. With Fortune Made. A Novel. By Victor Cherbuliez, author of "Samuel Brohl and Company,' etc. Appleton's Town and Country Library. 346 pp. 12mo, 75 cents; by mail, 85 cents. This book has much of the charm of the earlier work of this writer, who has somehow not continued to keep his once considerable vogue. The present book is deformed by some serious lapses from good taste, and it is tedious in parts through the digressions at each introduction of a new character, making a big part of it dry reading. But the idea of the story, the running down of a rich old uncle by designing relatives, is entertaining, if not particularly novel. The uncle, however, is abundantly able to take care of himself. Philadelphia Telegraph.

Woman In It, A. A Sketch of Feminine Misadventure. By Rita," author of "Peg the Rake,' etc. Lippincott's Select Novels. 285 pp. 12mo, paper, 38 cents; by mail, 43 cents.

Nina Garbett, a volatile Irish girl, who preferred to be known as Mrs. Noel Gray, on account of her part in sensational and divorce proceedings, decides to earn an honest livelihood as companion to a woman of rank. Her successes and failures, in that line and other business and social ventures, are duly recorded in a diary, which tells also of the parts played by Jasper Oldreeve and Jack Enderleigh.

Publishers' Weekly. Woman With a Record, A. A novel. By Mrs. Finlay Anderson. 223 pp. 12mo, paper, 38 cents; by mail, 43 cents.

The heroine, Lenoir Vaillant, tells her own story; she is an adventuress living in New York, and has many lovers; she is witty and cynical, given up to gambling and the pleasures of life; her story being a record of dinners, suppers, matinées, wine-drinking, bon-bon eating, violets, and stock-gambling. Solon Maurel, one of her lovers, also a gambler, lives upon her bounty, and is finally stabbed in his chambers by a jealous woman. Publishers' Weekly.

GERMAN BOOKS.

290 pp,

First Year in German. By J. Keller, author of "Bilder aus der Deutschen Litteratur." 12mo. with an appendix, $1.00; by mail, $1.10. Author is professor of the German language and literature in the Normal College of the city of New York. His little book unites the best of the purely grammatical and the natural method, and endeavors to avoid their defects. Publishers' Weekly.

Tales from Hauff. With Introduction, Notes, and Vocabulary. By Charles B. Goold, A. M. 200 pp. 12mo, 90 cents; by mail, 98 cents.

The stories chosen, all taken from "Das Wirtshaus im Spessart," embrace "Said's Schicksale," "Die Hohle von Steenfoll" and Die Sage vom Hirschgulden." The notes explain syntactical and other grammatical peculiarities, translate idioms and unusual phrases and give such general information in regard to the subject matter of the text as to enable the pupil to read rapidly and understandingly. The book is adapted to the wants of such students as have had a fair foundation of grammar and are ready to commence the translation of an easy author. Or it

can be used for more rapid reading and translation at sight. The introduction includes an account of Hauff's life, a brief statement of the scope and aim of the so-called romantic school, and a short sketch of "Das Wirtshaus im Spessart," and the circumstances under which the tales were told. The vocabulary is especially full and complete. Philadelphia Press.

ALMANACS.

Kate Greenaway's Almanac and Diary for 1897. Illustrated. 32mo, 45 cents; by mail, 48 cents. An almanac and diary, a line to each day, with colored illustrations in Miss Greenaway's familiar but now somewhat hackneyed manner.

PERIODICALS.

Century Illustrated Magazine, The. Vol. LII. New series. Vol. XXX, May, 1896, to October, 1896. 960 pp. Quarto, $2.70; by mail, $3.08.

A glance at the table of contents shows how much that appears in this magazine is of more than passing interest. The volume contains among other interesting articles the conclusion of Professor Sloane's "Life of Napoleon," with all of the dramatic interest that crowded the Corsican's career from Wagram to St. Helena. There is also the last half of Mrs. Ward's "Sir George Tressady," generally conceded to be her strongest novel. There are three novelettes: "The Harshaw Bride," by Mary Hallock Foote; An OpenEyed Conspiracy," by W. D. Howells; and “Prisoners of Conscience," by Amelia E. Barr. A group of papers by Mr. James Bryce, "Impressions of South Africa," is the most important record of the political development of a great country. There are short stories by many popular writers.

From the Publisher's Notice. Yellow-Book, The. An Illustrated Quarterly. Volume XI. October, 1896. 342 pp. Small quarto, $1.10; by mail, $1.24.

He is

Max Beerbohm is responsible for the grotesque frontispiece, called "The Yellow Dwarf." also accorded the place of honor in the literary contents with his story, "The Happy Hypocrite." It. tells about a buck in the days of the Regency who was repulsed by an operatic fairy whom he wanted to marry, because his face reflected the world's vanity. He had recourse to a fashionable mask-maker and wooed and won "Miss Jenny" disguised with waxen cheeks. The exposure of the deceit by a discarded flame brought the romance to a happy ending. It is cleverly done. "The Friend of Man," by Henry Harland, is a dramatic study of the downfall of a man of high aims and ideals, who squandered a fortune, and needing money endeavored to gain it by cheating at cards. There are several other stories of excellent quality, betraying less tendency to the bizarre than is supposed to be typical of "The Yellow-Book." Philadelphia Press.