A forerunner of the author’s history now in preparation which will treat
of the minnesong as compared with the old lyrical poetry of Provence,
Portugal and Italy. “This volume is independent of the one to come, for
as the translator justly observes of its contents, ‘if they are poems,
they should need no commentary; that they are poems in the original, is
certain.’ We take satisfaction in saying that they are also poems in
their English dress, poems to be enjoyed for themselves, with no
‘arrière-pensée’ of a philological nature.” (Dial.)
* * * * *
“He undoubtedly permits himself a good deal of freedom both in form and
expression—occasionally with happy results, but not infrequently, we
think, without adequate compensation for the sacrifice made.”
+ − =Ath.= 1909, 2: 236. Ag. 28. 630w.
“This volume is a real enrichment of the literature of poetic
translation.”
+ =Dial.= 46: 408. Je. 16, ’09. 170w.
“Mr. Bithell’s translations are excellent, preserving in good measure
the spirit of the originals, together with the form.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 404. Je. 26, ’09. 170w.
=Black, Hugh.= Gift of influence. **$1.25. Revell.
8–31998.
Sermons dealing with young men’s problems of life. “While quoting
frequently from the poets, they noticeably abstain from anecdote, a
resource of preachers for which Professor Black’s earnest and engaging
manner is an effective substitute. All college preachers should take
suggestion from their compact brevity. Dr. Black thinks that there is
more of idealism among our students than of materialism. ‘No one can
despair of the future who knows the splendid material the colleges of
the land contain, and how eagerly men long to attempt great tasks.’”
(Outlook.)
* * * * *
“These brief and vigorous sermons constitute real messages to students,
not, indeed, as such, but as men and women with ideals and needs common
to humanity.”
+ =Am. J. Theol.= 13: 499. Jl. ’09. 50w.
=A. L. A. Bkl.= 5: 131. My. ’09.
“A volume abounding in eloquence, wisdom, and sound teaching.”
+ =Educ. R.= 37: 318. Mr. ’09. 40w.
=Ind.= 66: 428. F. 25, ’09. 100w.
=Nation.= 89: 439. N. 4, ’09. 150w.
“The sermons are eminently practical.”
+ =Outlook.= 91: 583. Mr. 13, ’09. 150w.
=Blackwood, Algernon.= Jimbo: a fantasy. **$1.25. Macmillan.
9–7037.
Partly allegorical, this is a study of the mind of an imaginative child
whose governess introduces the first element of fear into his
marvelously peopled world of thought. It further furnishes a remarkable
analysis of the strange forms and weird experiences encountered during
this same child’s season of delirium, in which the governess atones for
the wrong done to the child by helping his astral self escape from the
prison in which it was detained.
* * * * *
“A distinctly clever and even poetic fantasy of aviation. The total
effect would be stronger if Mr. Blackwood had revealed or appeared to
reveal a doctrine about fear which would uplift the reader.”
+ − =Ath.= 1909, 1: 284. Mr. 6. 120w.
“It is written in a simple and exceedingly graphic style, and people who
like that sort of reading will doubtless enjoy the book.”
+ − =N. Y. Times.= 14: 130. Mr. 6, ’09. 160w.
“We do not believe it is fit for children to read, nor do we imagine its
lesson would be very effective among matter-of-fact grown-ups who need
the warning contained in it.”
− =Outlook.= 91: 815. Ap. 10, ’09. 120w.
“The book is thus incidentally a sermon to governesses, and ought to be
studied by everybody who has to do with children, except children
themselves, for whom the homœopathy is quite excessive. One false touch
and the aerial illusion would be shattered, but the realism is
maintained.”
+ =Sat. R.= 107: 310. Mr. 6, ’09. 500w.
“‘Jimbo’ is not a book for children, and tender-hearted parents will
find it almost unbearably painful, in spite of its comparatively happy
end. But as a fantastic exposition of the psychology of fright, as an
attempt to illustrate the workings of the mind in the spectral world of
delirium, it is of engrossing interest.”
+ − =Spec.= 102: 619. Ap. 17, ’09. 1650w.
=Blackwood, Algernon.= John Silence: physician extraordinary. $1.50.
Luce, J: W.
9–12624.
Dr. John Silence is a psychic doctor-detective who in the five cases
narrated by his confidential assistant tracks criminals who are not
discernible by the human senses. He deals with the powers of darkness;
in one case it is the discarnate soul of a woman whose evil he
transforms by his spiritual alchemy; in another, personified emotions;
and still another, “fire elementals” and fluidic bodies.
* * * * *
“The reader can take the prescribed amount of the supersensible for
granted long enough to feel creepy with the victims of uncanny
manifestations, and to pursue their adventures with interest to the
climax of each ‘case.’”
+ =Ath.= 1908, 2: 400. O. 3. 150w.
“John Silence is a sort of spiritual Sherlock Holmes, a novel
contribution to the gallery of autocratic specialists in various lines
who tower in the pages of modern fiction.”
+ =Nation.= 88: 563. Je. 3, ’09. 220w.
“You do not lay down the book until it is finished; and when you do it
is with distinct regret that it must come to an end at all.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 160. Mr. 20, ’09. 550w.
=N. Y. Times.= 14: 371. Je. 12, ’09. 130w.
“These stories are weird and thrilling, and their literary and
psychological atmosphere makes that of the cleverest of ordinary
detective stories appear thin. But they are too palpably impossible to
produce illusion. They interest and excite, and Mr. Blackwood is
ingenious, imaginative and skilful in description of persons, moods, and
scenery; but they are just sensational and melodramatic.”
+ − =Sat. R.= 106: 426. O. 3, ’08. 320w.
=Blaine, Harriet Bailey (Mrs. James G. Blaine).= Letters of Mrs. James
G. Blaine; ed. by Harriet S. Blaine Beale. 2v. **$4. Duffield.
8–35845.
These letters run thru Mrs. Blaine’s Washington life from 1869 to 1889,
and are mostly home letters to her absent children. They show her
devotion to her husband and children, cast sidelights upon Mr. Blaine’s
statesmanship, furnish brief, intimate characterizations of men and
women prominent in Washington society during her day, and reveal her
love of service, honesty, honor, and courage.
* * * * *
“A judicious editing would have resulted in reducing the work by half.”
+ − =A. L. A. Bkl.= 5: 72. Mr. ’09.
“Why on earth should a book be issued in two volumes to inform us, for
instance, that the Blaine family had liver and bacon for breakfast in
November, 1876.” R: W. Kemp.
− =Bookm.= 29: 193. Ap. ’09. 1050w.
“Mrs. Blaine at her best was a bright and witty woman, and her letters
would stand on their own merits far above many which get into print;
but, after all, it is the political connection which gives them their
chief interest. Hence it is the inevitable impression that they have
been a little too thoroughly culled, for the sake of avoiding offense,
that will be felt by many as their main defect.” W. H. Johnson.
+ − =Dial.= 46: 114. F. 16, ’09. 680w.
+ =Ind.= 66: 1033. My. 13, ’09. 600w.
“A real and extremely interesting portrait. Occasionally she shows marks
of what is almost literary genius. The letters are always excellent. The
volumes have an index, but it has been badly prepared.”
+ =Lit. D.= 38: 103. Ja. 16, ’09. 1700w.
“There is a useless index, consisting of a list of proper names, with
nothing but the pages on which they are referred to. The notes are
school-girlish, and not without errors.”
+ − =Nation.= 88: 226. Mr. 4, ’09. 1000w.
“Mrs. Beale has rendered a very important service to the American people
in making public [this] collection of letters.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 13: 765. D. 12, ’08. 2700w.
“In making a collection of her letters public Mrs. Beale has revealed
the portrait of a characteristically American woman and has thrown new
light on some recent phases of American history, and she has thus done a
double service to the American people.” E. F. Baldwin.
+ =Outlook.= 91: 316. F. 6, ’09. 2250w.
“They show us the simplicity of life in Washington a few decades ago.”
+ =Putnam’s.= 5: 627. F. ’09. 420w.
+ =R. of Rs.= 39: 507. Ap. ’09. 130w.
=Blake, Alice Elizabeth (Mrs. Warrenne Blake)=, ed.^{[5]} Memoirs of a
vanished generation, 1813–1855; with an introd. by the Lady St.
Helier. *$5. Lane.
9–8386.
While chiefly confined to the domestic affairs of General Knox, his
children and many kinsmen, these memoirs reflect the inner political and
social life of the times. “There is an atmosphere of old-fashioned
goodness and kindness, high morality, warm affection, all kept fresh,
gay, and healthy by a keen sense of the absurd, which makes the book a
charming contrast indeed to some family chronicles, French and English,
one could name.” (Spec.)
* * * * *
“There is a sufficiency of anecdote and family incident in these
memorials.”
+ =Ath.= 1909, 2: 66. Jl. 17. 700w.
“Not, perhaps, very exciting, but giving a true picture of the times. On
the whole, these memoirs are a unique and interesting addition to our
knowledge of a ‘vanished generation.’”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 38. Ja. 23, ’09. 1000w.
“The singular, unaffected charm of the book ... is owing to Admiral
Knox’s delightful and excellent character, the graceful ease with which
he and his belongings accepted the troubles of a life not altogether
smooth, and the light Irish humour which meant happiness for them all.”
+ =Spec.= 102: 618. Ap. 17, ’09. 470w.
=Blake, Sir Henry Arthur.=^{[10]} China; il. by Mortimer Menpes.
(Menpes crown ser.) *$1.50. Macmillan.