Every lover of Goldsmith--and who ever read one page of his delightful
writings without admiring the author, and loving the man--
"... for shortness call Noll,
Who wrote like an angel, but talk'd like poor Poll?"--
must be grateful to Mr. Murray for commencing his New Series of the
_British Classics_ with the _Works of_ {46} _Oliver Goldsmith_, edited by
Peter Cunningham, F.S.A. The Series is intended to be distinguished by
skilful editorship, beautiful and legible type, fine paper, compactness of
bulk, and economy of price. Accordingly, these handsome library volumes
will be published at 7s. 6d. each. If Mr. Murray has shown good tact in
choosing Goldsmith for his first author, he has shown equal judgment in
selecting Mr. Cunningham for his editor. Our valued correspondent, it is
well known, and will be proved to the world when he gives us his new
edition of Johnson's _Lives of the Poets_ (which by the bye is to be
included in this Series of Murray's _British Classics_), has long devoted
himself to the history of the lives and writings of the poets of the past
century. But in the present instance Mr. Cunningham has had peculiar
advantages. Besides his own collections for an edition of Goldsmith, he has
had the free and unrestricted use of the collections formed for the same
purpose by Mr. Forster and Mr. Corney: a liberality on the part of those
gentlemen which deserves the recognition of all true lovers of literature.
With such aid as this, and his own industry and ability to boot, it is
little wonder that Mr. Cunningham has been able to produce under Mr.
Murray's auspices the best, handsomest, and cheapest edition of Goldsmith
which has ever issued from the press.
Of all the critics of Mr. Dod's _Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage of
Great Britain and Ireland_, Mr. Dod is himself at once the most judicious
and unsparing; and the consequence is, that every year he reproduces his
admirable compendium with some additional feature of value and interest.
For instance, in the volume for 1854, which has just been issued, we find,
among many other improvements, that, at a very considerable cost, the
attempt made in 1852 to ascertain and record the birthplace of every person
who is the possessor, or the next heir, of any title of honour, has been
renewed and extended with such success, that many hundred additional
birthplaces are now recorded; and the unknown remnant has become
unimportant. These statements are perfectly new and original, acquired from
the highest sources in each individual case, and wholly unprecedented in
the production of peerage-books.
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