Books Of The Day.

BOOKS OF THE DAY .

— : o : — Booka , EInsie , SC . Intonclacl for ravlsm , should be addi'essad to the Editor of the Freemason ' s Chronicle , at Fleet Works , Hew Barnet . — : o : — Highways and Byways in East Ang-lia . By William A . Duttj with illustrations by Joseph Pennell ( 6 s ) . —Macmillan and Co ., Limited .

THIS volume is in no respect inferior to that of Mr . Arthur H . Norway upon the highways and bvways of Yorkshire , which is saying a great deal . Mr . Dutt has two rery necessary qualifications for such a task ; he has read extensively , and he writes agreeably . Dullness is detrimental to any book , whatever its subject ; it is fatal in such a series as this which Messrs . Macmillan are caring for so lavishly .

Mr . Dutt is never dull . He is a keen observer of everything that passes under his eye , and almost as enthusiastic a naturalist as Thoreau , whom , by the by , he refers to in language of warm appreciation . No picturesque bit of landscape is unnoticed , no curious inscription escapes his eye , no ancient church but has its message from the past to be set down in Mr . Dutt's note book . The result of

such skilful industry is before us in this volume , and it is difficult to see how any other contributor to this series can hope to better its example . It should however be remembered that , in writing a book of this description , an author has an unrivalled opportunity of displaying his skill in literary style , his general knowledge of literature , his acquaintance with the life of the hedgerow and the field , his

learning in regard to monkish legend and Anglican Church history . He has practically a free hand ; with few exceptions he goes where he pleases ; he dismisses a town in a paragraph , and depicts a village in five pages if he can thereby heighten the effect of his chapter . All these liberties Mr . Dutt has freely used ; but he has shown such

admirable discrimination in his choice of materials that we are glad he was so far unfettered . We are not sure that we admire all of Mr . Pennell ' s sketches ; but some of them are so excellent that we readily pardon any inferior workmanship which we have noticed in others . East Anglians will buy this book extensively .

Martyred Missionaries of the China Inland Mission . With a record of the perils and sufferings of some who escaped . With portraits , maps , and illustrations . Edited by Marshall Broomhall , B . A . ( 5 s ) . —Morgan and Scott . \ IT is not a pleasant task to read this book . The whole subject is one which it would be wise to regard from a broad and impartial

standpoint ; but such a philosophic attitude can hardly be looked for from those whose relations or friends have lost their lives at the hands of the Boxers . Mr . Marshall Broomhall has edited a volume which is of great use to such as are interested in those missionaries whose martyrdom it narrates , and the portraits , many of which are evidently

excellent , will greatly enhance its value in many eyes . So conflicting were the narratives of these events which appeared in the newspapers that we formerly despaired of understanding fully what the disturbances in China were all about ; but with such volumes as the one now before us it is comparatively easy to do so . There will be a large demand for this book in religious circles .

Souvenir of the Siege of Mafeking-. Being fac-simile reproductions of the most interesting general orders issued to the garrison of Mafeking by General Baden-Powell during the siege . With introduction by Chas . E . Hands , War Correspondent for the " Daily Mail " ( 6 d ) . —John Lewis and Co .

WE shall presently be buried beneath such publications as this ; but so far only a few on similar lines have been issued , so Messrs . Lewis and Co . should find no difficulty in disposing of large numbers of this '" souvenir . " Many of the orders issued by " Colonel R . S . S . Baden Powell" are eminently characteristic ; he saw everything ,

knew everything , and cared for everything . This souvenir speaks volumes for the value of the typewriter in warfare ; for the orders which it contains are facsimile reproductions of the typewritten originals . The fact that they can be read by a rapid glance must commend itself to everybody interested in military efficiency . Mr . Hands has written an able , concise introduction .

A Path of Thorns . B y Ernest Alfred Vizetelly ( 6 s ) . —Chatto and Windus . MR . ERNEST VIZETELLY has given us plenty for our money , and we are not disposed to fraternise with that critic who suggested that it would have been , far better had he given us less . For we cannot believe many readers will find these pages unnecessarily prolix—the

characters are too well drawn for that . The Countess de Trevy is endowed by her creator with a wealth ; of beauty which would be alluring indeed were she not likewise inordinately passionate and given to pursuing - her hatreds , as well as her loves , to the bitter end . Her companion-dependent , educated by Romish sisters at the orphanage of the Order of the Holy Cross at Deols , is likewise eminently

attractive , and the way in which her attractions prove detrimental at times to those of her mistress is well described by Mr . Vizetelly . For those vvho love a carefully written story , thoroughly characteristic of French life and manners , loves and hatreds , this novel will afford genuine pleasure . We are pleased to find that Mr . Vizetelly , who has translated into English almost everything written by M . Zola , has contrived to imitate successfully the many virtues of his literary godsire , without

imitating his vices likewise . Nothing can be gained by deliberately essaying to write with the pen of another ; as a rule it is far better to write with one's own . Mr . Vizetellv has , we think , sometimes borrowed the pen of M . Zola , but he need not have done so , for he writes equally well with his own . This path of thorns leads at length to the day of orange blossoms ; there is a wedding at the end of the book , so the young ladies will not be disappointed when they finish the last chapter ,

Books Of The Day.

The Great Magician . By T . R . Threlfall . Illustrated by W . S . Stacey ( 3 s 6 d ) . —Ward , Lock and Co ., Limited . WE have a solemn warning to impart to our readers . If you are tired and intend to retire early to bed , you must not sit down at nine o'clock to commence " The Great Magician . " Mr . Threlfall cares little whether readers are interested in his topic at the beginning ,

for he knows he will soon have the whip hand of them . Seldom have the fierce passions of the Mohammedan been more forcibly portrayed . The whole story is , as a critic once said of Mr . Threlfall ' s " Phillippi the Guardsman , " rigorously managed . We suspect there is more description in this book than many will welcome ; there is certainly less dialogue than most folks would like to see ; but the

descriptions are so ably written and the dialogue , where we have it , is so admirably brisk and sustained that we cannot think many will be so bold as to question the wisdom of Mr . Threlfall ' s methods . The ladies are certainly very self assertive , and the men , for the most part , hardly lovable ; but these are common failings in several countries and we must take people as we find them . Readers who

are fond of powerful description for its own sake and who would care to know something of what their feelings would be if lost in the Soudan , should carefully read the second chapter of this book . The lurid cover , and the lady in red and yellow who figures upon it , will by no means repulse this sensational , bizarre generation . The book should prove a profitable speculation .

Mr . Murray is preparing a fresh impression of the works of Crabbe . It is to be a reprint of the edition of 1 S 34 . We have seen this edition , and handled it ; if the present public admire it as much as ourselves Mr . Murray will sell a great many copies . Messrs . George Newnes Limited are to publish " The Story of Wild Flowers , " by the Rev . Prof . Henslow ; "The Story of Books , " by G . B . Rawlings ; " Russian Life in Town and Country , " by Francis H . E . Palmer .

Mr . T . Fisher Unwin has many new stories in the press or in course of writing : e . g .: "Mistress Barbara Cunliffe , " by Halliwell Sutcliffe ; " Yorke the Adventurer , " by Louis Becke ; " Black Mary , " by Allan McAulay ; "The Yellow Friend , " by Mrs . Alexander ; "John Jones , Curate , " by Miss G . Pyrce ; " Sister Teresa , " by George

Moore ; and many others . Also , he announces in other departments of literature , "In Tibet and Chinese Turkestan , " by Captain Deasy ; " The Barbarian Invasion of Itaty , " by Pasquale Villari ; and " The Papal Monarchy from Gregory the Great to Boniface VIII ., '' by Dr . William Barry .

Mr . David Nutt has published the first of a series to be entitled " The ancient East . " This first volume is " The Realms of the Egyptian Dead , " by Prof . Alfred Wiedemann , and will be followed by a volume from the pen of Dr . C . Niebuhr , entitled " The Tel-el-Amarna Period . "

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