“The work is a condensed but very clear review and discussion of the
phenomena and causes of earthquakes. The earth is consistently viewed
from the standpoint of physics and of the physicist, who regards the
rocky crust as a medium of greater or less elasticity in which
vibrations are produced and through which they are propagated. In this
discussion the larger features of the shocks, such as their distribution
and periodicity, are explained; the means of detection and measurement
are analyzed in a general way, and the more prominent instruments are
described.”—Nation.
* * * * *
“The book presents a timely and excellent statement of the subject.”
+ =Nation.= 88: 175. F. 18, ’09. 240w.
“Dr. Knott has confined himself to the physics of earthquakes, a
department of their study with which he is well qualified to deal, and
of which, more than any other, an adequate textbook was required. To a
large extent the book deals with matters contained in other manuals, the
treatment differing only in form and more than usual correctness, and
frequently in an unusual point of view.”
+ =Nature.= 79: 184. D. 17, ’08. 900w.
=Knowles, Robert Edward.=^{[11]} Attic guest: a novel. **$1.20.
Revell.
9–26805.
A story, autobiographical in form and strong in heart interest, in which
are set down the experiences of a gay southern girl who married a sturdy
Scotch preacher and learned some bitter lessons in his Canadian church
with its surplus of patricians who had “bought their way to the seats of
the mighty.”
=Knowlton, Frank Hall.=^{[5]} Birds of the world: a popular account.
(American nature ser.) **$7. Holt.
9–7956.
A book written in simple, concise, popular style designed less for the
specialist than the general reader. It is furnished with an introduction
by Frederic A. Lucas on the anatomy of birds which leads up to
scientific classification. There are numerous fine illustrations in
color and engraving.
* * * * *
“Fills a gap that existed for untechnical descriptions of birds of
several foreign countries.”
+ =A. L. A. Bkl.= 5: 171. Je. ’09.
“There is no doubt that the book fills a real want. It is extremely
satisfactory thus to have presented the latest information obtainable in
this field of nature-study.” L. S. Keyser.
+ =Dial.= 46: 361. Je. 1, ’09. 1400w.
“To those who would pursue such studies, or who would excite an interest
in them in their families, we would recommend this volume, with its
excellent descriptions, its numerous illustrations, and its brilliantly
colored plates.”
+ =Ind.= 66: 766. Ap. 8, ’09. 400w.
“The most serious drawback to the book is its unwieldy size and its
weight of seven and a half pounds.”
+ − =Nation.= 89: 39. Jl. 8, ’09. 800w.
“Very excellent, succinct, and trustworthy account of the ‘Birds of the
world,’ and we hope it will, despites its bulkiness and weight, meet in
the United States, and in England also, with the appreciation it fully
deserves.” F.
+ − =Nature.= 81: 421. O. 7, ’09. 1300w.
“A book about birds that attempts to describe the salient
characteristics of nearly 4,500 varieties may be regarded, and quite
properly, as a monumental undertaking.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 305. My. 15, ’09. 1350w.
“The method of treatment not only includes scientific accuracy and
comprehensiveness, but supplies that information which the general
reader is likely to require concerning the habits and distribution of,
it may be said, every known member of the bird family.”
+ =R. of Rs.= 39: 638. My. ’09. 150w.
“The author has surveyed the most pertinent literature so well, and has
preserved so sane a judgment in dealing with it, that he is a guide to
be trusted on all matters of which he treats. His errors will be found
to be chiefly those of omission.” F. H. Herrick.
+ − =Science=, n.s. 30: 27. Jl. 2, ’09. 750w.
=Knox, Dorothea Heness.=^{[8]} Heart of Washington. $1.50. Neale.
9–22003.
A story with little pretention to literary claims which is built up
about the love of Washington for Esther Denis, the misunderstandings
that separated them and his marriage to Martha Custis.
=Konody, Paul G.; Brockwell, Maurice W.; and Lippmann, F. W.=^{[12]}
National gallery. 2v. *$8. Dodge.
To illustrate the uniqueness of London’s colossal gallery “the sumptuous
plates of these two volumes have been got together, while the text
follows the long and splendid procession—placing the painters and
filling in the gaps which even so bountiful an array of plates must
leave in the specimens of the world’s illustrious artists. The text
devotes itself equally to the historical position and to the temper and
personality of its subjects, and is clear and succinct.”—Bookm.
* * * * *
“The general effect of every plate is one of remarkable fidelity. There
is a swing in the text which proclaims that it is mainly intended for
popular reading; but in the matter of dates and facts the latest
researches have evidently been utilized. There are some ‘flowers of
speech.’”
+ − =Ath.= 1909, 1: 322. Mr. 13. 420w. (Review of v. 1, pts. 1–6.)
“It may be doubted if there is any other popular guide to the history of
painting which gives such an admirable, condensed account of a subject
which has given birth to a whole library. The descriptive particulars on
the flyleaf of each picture are not so full as they might be.”
+ − =Ath.= 1909, 1: 652. My. 29. 280w. (Review of v. 1.)
“Perhaps the most notable accomplishment of the season’s art-books.”
Algernon Tassin.
+ + =Bookm.= 30: 343. D. ’09. 230w. (Review of v. 1 and 2.)
=Konta, Annie Lemp.=^{[12]} History of French literature; from the
oath of Strassburg to Chanticler. **$2.50. Appleton.
A comprehensive outline history of French literature produced in keeping
with modern methods of study. Proper proportion is maintained thruout,
both as to the importance of the various forces of literary development
and the modern estimate of their value. The volume furnishes an
excellent text for college classes.
=Kramer, Harold Morton.= Chrysalis. †$1.50. Lothrop.
9–7042.
Opens with a Yale-Harvard football game and then shifts scene to Spokane
and the Palouse. The story is strongly tinctured with a western flavor,
and deals with politics, the rounding up of a band of rustlers, and a
young lawyer’s growth out of chrysalis thru the influence of a strong,
fine-spirited western girl.
* * * * *
“Political and financial intrigue form the substance of the narrative,
and, together with a certain admixture of physical violence, gives it
virility.” W: M. Payne.
+ =Dial.= 47: 48. Jl. 16, ’09. 100w.
“His up-to-date picture of life in Washington, with its action centering
in Spokane, has plenty of the color and the flavor of the people and the
region.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 209. Ap. 10, ’09. 260w.
“A very characteristic story of present-day life in city and country in
the Northwest.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 376. Je. 12, ’09. 160w.
=Krans, Horatio Sheafe=, ed.^{[12]} English love poems, old and new.
**$1.25. Putnam.
9–30314.
A little volume of lyrical poetry from which have been excluded such
lyrics “as, amorous though they be, are still sicklied with the cast of
thought and philosophy ... verses whose ardor has cooled in quest of
fantastic conceits and of ingenious rhetorical devices; and verses in
which love is but the plaything of a pretty wit or antic fancy.” The
poems that have been admitted to its pages are brief, spontaneous,
song-like lyrics, impassioned or aglow with feeling; simple, direct, and
immediate in their appeal.
* * * * *
“The selection is good. The illustrations were better omitted.”
+ − =Nation.= 89: 571. D. 9, ’09. 110w.
=Krapp, George Philip.=^{[9]} Modern English; its growth and present
use. *$1.25. Scribner.
9–22256.
“Presents in popular form the results of a very thorough historical
study of English inflections, syntax, vocabulary, and pronunciation.”
(Forum.) “While the very reverse of provincial, it is a book that could
hardly have been written anywhere but in America, its note throughout
being frankly and refreshingly democratic. Its conclusions, therefore,
are not likely to find full favor with the creators of artificial
‘authority,’ or with academic conservatives in general.” (Dial.)
* * * * *
“There are surface failings. The book itself is an exceptionally good
one, and will doubtless be read widely and with profit.” C. B. Wright.
+ − =Dial.= 47: 177. S. 16, ’09. 750w.
“Is a very sensible and serviceable book; and it is only because it is
so bold in thought and lively in presentment that the reader feels
summoned at times to couch a lance and ride at tourney with the author.”
Clayton Hamilton.
+ − =Forum.= 42: 277. S. ’09. 2700w.
=Krehbiel, Henry Edward.= Chapters of opera: being historical and
critical observations and records concerning the lyric drama in New
York from its earliest days down to the present time. **$3.50. Holt.
8–37086.
An important work whose first seven chapters deal with the earliest
operatic performances in New York, and follow the development of
existing taste, appreciation, and interest in the lyrical drama; and
whose remaining chapters deal with the quarter-century history of the
Metropolitan opera house. The record of vicissitudes thru which the
institution has passed is interspersed with estimates of operas,
conductors, singers, and also with humorous anecdotes. The volume is
handsomely illustrated and contains a good index.
* * * * *
“A complete and interesting survey of operatic history in New York
city.”
+ =A. L. A. Bkl.= 5: 44. F. ’09.
“It is only the irrepressible ‘modernist’ who will take issue on this
point with Mr. Krehbiel. For others—indeed, for the ‘modernist’
himself—‘Chapters of opera’ will furnish a generous measure of
entertainment, enlightenment, and edification; and for many it will be
indispensable.” Lawrence Gilman.
+ + − =Bookm.= 29: 86. Mr. ’09. 1300w.
“A book which is not only a valuable and interesting compendium, but
delightful to read.” G: P. Upton.
+ =Dial.= 46: 398. Je. 16, ’09. 500w.
“It is valuable as a record and reference book either for writers who
need the information professionally, or for those who wish to freshen up
pleasurable memories.” G. I. Colbron.
+ =Forum.= 41: 480. My. ’09. 1050w.
“The musical editor of the New York ‘Tribune’ was preeminently fitted
for the task he set himself and he has carried it thru with brilliant
success.”
+ =Ind.= 67: 368. Ag. 12, ’09. 400w.
“The record of the facts is here presented, not only in a readable
manner, but without bias, and with a painstaking accuracy of which only
two other musical scholars in this country—Philip Hale and O. G.
Sonneck—would be capable.”
+ + =Nation.= 87: 636. D. 24, ’08. 930w.
“Both as opera guide and reference book Mr. Krehbiel’s volume should
appeal to music lovers.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 13: 744. D. 5, ’08. 180w.
“He writes in a delightfully engaging manner, with humor, allusiveness,
and an abundance of the personal note. Seekers after the facts of the
record, however, will find them all copiously and compendiously set
down.” Richard Aldrich.
+ + =N. Y. Times.= 13: 799. D. 26, ’08. 1050w.
“The book is painstaking as a history, but is at the same time readable
by virtue of its many anecdotes and passages of personal reminiscence.”
+ =Outlook.= 91: 292. F. 6, ’09. 100w.
“Absorbingly interesting volume.”
+ =R. of Rs.= 39: 255. F. ’09. 200w.
=Kreps, Elmer Harry.=^{[11]} Science of trapping. 60c. Harding, A. R.
9–18378.
Describes intimately the fur-bearing animals of this country, their
characteristics, values and habits, and gives practical methods for
their capture.
* * * * *
“Covers its ground in a very businesslike way.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 677. O. 30, ’09. 80w.
=Krüger, H. Gustav Edouard.=^{[9]} Papacy: the idea and its exponents.
(Crown theological lib.) *$1.50. Putnam.
Traces the outline history of the papacy, its idea and its exponents
from the earliest times.
* * * * *
“The translators have done their work exceptionally well. There are a
few misprints: pp. 191, 210, 271. Possibly German affairs sometimes
receive slightly more than their due attention, but there is, on the
whole, probably no book on the subject at once so illuminating, so
trustworthy and so readable. It should be widely welcomed by ministers,
laymen, and scholars.”
+ + − =Am. J. Theol.= 13: 652. O. ’09. 200w.
“For the reader who does not know the facts the historical background is
insufficient. For one who does know the facts they are unnecessary. Yet
within these self-imposed limits, Dr. Krüger has well performed his
task.” E: S. Drown.
+ − =N. Y. Times.= 14: 511. Ag. 28, ’09. 1100w.
“Professor Krüger’s book, though distinctly anti-Papal, is a valuable
contribution to the literature of the subject.”
+ =Spec.= 103: 246. Ag. 14, ’09. 280w.
=Küchler, Carl G. F.=^{[9]} Elizabeth, Empress of Austria; tr. by G:
P. Upton. **60c. McClurg.
9–23800.
Sketches the life of Elizabeth, Empress of Austria. Her estrangement
from her husband, the lack of sympathy in her relatives and the tragic
death of her son, Prince Rudolph, are some of the events which made her
life one of the saddest in the history of royalty.
* * * * *
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 677. O. 30, ’09. 50w.
=Kuehnemann, Eugen.=^{[6]} Charles W. Eliot, president of Harvard
university (May 19, 1869-May 19, 1909). **$1. Houghton.
9–14956.
Originally written for the “Deutsche rundschau,” of Berlin this essay
will appear in its May and June numbers “as an homage of Germany to
President Eliot on his retirement from office and at the same time to
America in the person of her representative educator.” The chapters are:
Introduction, The university at the time of Eliot’s inauguration; The
college under Eliot’s administration; The professional schools under
Eliot’s administration; Eliot’s educational philosophy; Eliot’s social
philosophy (The ideals of American democracy); Eliot’s life, public
activities, personality.
* * * * *
=A. L. A. Bkl.= 6: 17. S. ’09.
“The book is an important memorial of the Eliot régime.”
+ =Dial.= 47: 24. Jl. 1, ’09. 150w.
=Educ. R.= 38: 204. S. ’09. 40w.
+ =Ind.= 67: 308. Ag. 5, ’09. 110w.
“To us, naturally, the little essay brings little that is new. If Prof.
Eugen Kuehnemann errs anywhere it is in laying somewhat exaggerated
emphasis on President Eliot’s devotion to the cause of American
democracy. The German reader is a bit in danger of drawing wrong
conclusions concerning the aristocratic tone of the average American
university other than Harvard.”
+ − =Nation.= 88: 579. Je. 10, ’09. 160w.
“There should be a good deal of encouragement for doubters in the pages
of this book, and certainly for every one who reads it a better
understanding of the ideals that have made Harvard what we find it
to-day.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 386. Je. 19, ’09. 320w.
+ =Spec.= 103: 566. O. 9, ’09. 270w.
=Kuropatkin, Alexei Nicholaevitch.=^{[5]} Russian army and the
Japanese war: being historical and critical comments on the military
policy and power of Russia and on the campaign in the Far East; tr.
by Capt. A. B. Lindsay and ed. by Major E. D. Swinton. 2v. *$7.50.
Dutton.
War9–53.
A volume of memoirs in which Gen. Kuropatkin discusses the policies
which led up to the Russo-Japanese war, and gives a full account of the
conflict. “It is a matter of singular interest, to note that Kuropatkin
has not made his memoirs the vehicle for a protest against his
government for the latter’s cavalier treatment of him during the course
of the war. The book is thus not, as might have been expected, a sort of
‘apologia,’ but it is a straight, impersonal handling of a great
historical theme. The present English translation does not cover much
more than a fourth part of the original work in Russia.” (N. Y. Times.)
* * * * *
=A. L. A. Bkl.= 5: 172. Je. ’09.
“Though there are passages that are hopelessly profuse this work makes a
decided contribution to our knowledge of the war. It brings us nearer to
an understanding of Russia’s defeat and to a realization of her future
ambitions in the Far East.” C. L. Jones.
+ − =Ann. Am. Acad.= 34: 209. Jl. ’09. 480w.
“Students of war and politics will welcome the appearance of these two
volumes.”
+ =Ath.= 1909, 1: 527. My. 1. 880w.
“In genuinely illuminating and informing qualities, the four chapters
devoted to this theme [the reasons for the Russian reverses and the
Japanese successes during the recent war] have not been surpassed, and
it may be doubted whether the Tsar himself, were he so inclined, could
speak more authoritatively upon the subject.” F: A. Ogg.
+ =Dial.= 47: 65. Ag. 1, ’09. 1550w.
+ =Ind.= 67: 197. Jl. 22, ’09. 600w.
“This is an important, albeit a somewhat heavy, work.”
+ − =Lit. D.= 39: 352. S. 4, ’09. 570w.
“An excellent translation.”
+ =Nation.= 88: 583. Je. 10, ’09. 1050w.
“In the literature arising from the recent war between Japan and Russia
these memoirs are undoubtedly destined to hold an authoritative
position.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 274. My. 1, ’09. 620w.
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 376. Je. 12, ’09. 150w.
“This book is valuable, in fact, because a great deal of it constitutes
an excellent treatise on the art of war, on the value of good
communications, of the necessity of politics and strategy being in
harmony with one another, on the need for resolution and foresight on
the part of the government powers of a country as well as for efficiency
in tactical respects on the part of the troops.”
+ =Sat. R.= 108: 17. Jl. 3, ’09. 1500w.
“It can hardly be doubted that the more interesting portions have been
selected, and the work of both translator and editor leaves nothing to
be desired. It would not be difficult to multiply instances showing that
in many cases when blame is thrown upon subordinate officers, or even
upon private soldiers, the Commander-in-Chief was himself the principal
offender.”
+ − =Spec.= 102: 782. My. 15, ’09. 1900w.
L
=Ladd, Frederic Pierpont.= One fair daughter. $1.50. Kennerley.
9–4955.
This “fair daughter” hating poverty marries a man whose heavy face was
the color of the tallow upon which the fortunes of his family had been
builded. A young clergyman falls victim to her wiles, thinks it is his
mission to save her soul, in so doing sells his honor, gives up his
church, and then discovers that the woman whom he had stolen is less
concerned about her soul than about the luxuries without which life
would pall.
* * * * *
“The author has been too intent upon his story to make all his
characters fit his theme. His heroine is not illy portrayed, and she is
not without some degree of convincingness. But the situations into which
the clergyman, supposed to be an honest-minded, high-principled man,
allows himself to be drawn from the start are so humiliating as to make
the man absurd.”
− =N. Y. Times.= 14: 194. Ap. 3, ’09. 210w.
=La Farge, John.= Higher life in art: a series of lectures on the
Barbizon school of France. **$2.50. Doubleday.
8–37207.
Descriptive note in December, 1908.
* * * * *
=A. L. A. Bkl.= 5: 44. F. ’09.
“To a picture lover the book is full of charm and to an art student it
overflows with helpfulness.”
+ =Ind.= 66: 426. F. 25, ’09. 320w.
=Int. Studio.= 39: sup. 23. N. ’09. 20w.
“Numerous illustrations, happily, for the most part, chosen from
examples to be found in this country.”
+ =Lit. D.= 38: 388. Mr. 6, ’09. 530w.
“The facts rehearsed are to be found elsewhere; what interests is the
light thrown, incidentally, upon Mr. La Farge himself, his own art, and
his attitude toward the art of others.”
+ =Nation.= 88: 233. Mr. 4, ’09. 180w.
“He makes familiar and comprehensible the fundamental truths which
commonly are shrouded in formulas and technical words.” E. L. Cary.
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 30. Ja. 16, ’09. 1000w.
“These talks are full of suggestion: some of the best things are merely
dropped and left.”
+ =No. Am.= 190: 262. Ag. ’09. 400w.
“The volume is one of inspiring quality and of high value.”
+ =Outlook.= 91: 335. F. 13, ’09. 680w.
=Lamson, Zachary Gage.= Autobiography of Captain Zachary G. Lamson,
1797–1814; with introd. and historical notes by O. T. Howe. $1.25.
Clarke.
8–34124.
“Gives all too briefly some of the incidents of an active and honorable
career in the merchant service between the years 1797 and 1814.* *...
The story is especially valuable in the many side lights it throws upon
nautical matters during the time of the Napoleonic struggle. It is
edited by O. T. Howe, who gives a painstaking and accurate account of
the state of the American mercantile marine at that period and of the
international complications which beset our efforts to carry on trade
under the prohibitory conditions of Napoleon’s Berlin and Milan decrees
on the one side and the British Orders in Council on the other.”—Nation.
* * * * *
“Few books of its size, if any, contain so much in these respects that
is worthy of reading and preserving.”
+ =Nation.= 88: 16. Ja. 7, ’09. 160w.
“Interesting and valuable.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 32. Ja. 16, ’09. 300w.
=Lancaster, F. Hewes.=^{[12]} Marie of Arcady. †$1.25. Small.
9–28273.
Set among the descendants of the exiles of the land of Acadie in the
basin of a bayou along the lower Mississippi, this quaint story of a
land of “small farms and large loves and of loyalty to love” is a
transcript of life as it is lived among the Cajan people. The young
Marie Micou, a lonely unselfish girl, almost breaks her heart in
relinquishing the love of the stalwart Aluin because the glad-eyed
friend who had been good to her loves him too. Around this central theme
the story is built.
=Lanchester, Frederick William.=^{[8]} Aerodonetics, constituting the
second volume of a complete work on aerial flight; with appendices
on the theory and application of the gyroscope, on the flight of
projectiles, etc. *$6. Van Nostrand.
9–6513.
A technical work dealing mainly with the following points: the
conditions of longitudinal, lateral, and directional stability; the
theory and use of scale-models; theories of soaring flight; and a large
number of experimental verifications.
* * * * *
“It is to be regretted that Mr. Lanchester has not made some attempt to
bring his equations more into conformity with ordinary well-recognised
notation. Mr. Lanchester’s observations and experiments are deserving of
the most careful consideration.” G. H. Bryan.
+ − =Nature.= 80: 221. Ap. 22, ’09. 1050w.
=Spec.= 101: 745. N. 7, ’08. 40w.
=Lanciani, Rodolfo Amedeo.=^{[12]} Wanderings in the Roman campagna.
**$5. Houghton.
9–30395.
The fourth volume in a brilliant and authoritative series on Rome.
Natural beauty, picturesqueness, rich historic association, art interest
abound in the campagna; of these attractions the author discourses
freely, adding an authoritative account of many important discoveries
and lending to the whole a personal note that interests and charms the
reader. The chapters are: The land of Saturn; The land of Horace; The
land of Hadrian; The land of Gregory the Great; The land of Cicero; The
land of Pliny, the younger and the land of Nero. The volume is
handsomely made and fully illustrated.
* * * * *
“A popular, yet authoritative account.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 658. O. 23, ’09. 20w.
=Landor, Arnold Henry Savage.=^{[12]} In the forbidden land; new
one-volume ed. $3. Harper.
9–29220.
A popular, one-volume edition of the author’s account of his journey
into Tibet, his capture by the Tibetan Lamas and soldiers, his
imprisonment, torture and ultimate release.
=Landsberg, Grace F.=^{[7]} A B C of philosophy. 75c. Fenno.
9–18056.
A primer of less than a hundred and fifty pages which gives in brief,
concise form an outline of philosophy from the time of Thales, the
father of philosophy, to the present day. Aside from its reference value
it is designed as a suggestive, nutshell presentation of the theories of
philosophy for the general reader.
* * * * *
=Educ. R.= 38: 206. S. ’09. 30w.
=Lane, Elinor Macartney.= Katrine: a novel. †$1.50. Harper.
9–7828.
Katrine, the heroine of this tale, is a charming Irish girl whose father
is overseer of a North Carolina plantation. The love-making of the head
of the house of Ravenel, the separation due to his family pride,
Katrine’s triumph thru her gift of song, the man’s struggle for manhood
mastery, and the final reunion are elements in a most entertaining story
based on the facts of an actual singer’s career.
* * * * *
“Less interesting than ‘Nancy Stair,’ but a pleasant, wholesome story,
specially successful in depicting the Irish temperament.”
+ =A. L. A. Bkl.= 5: 148. My. ’09. ✠
“Katrine, less individual in type than Nancy, never for a moment wears
her convincing air of being alive.”
+ − =Atlan.= 103: 703. My. ’09. 200w.
“A pleasantly readable and quite harmless little volume, although not
for a moment to be ranked in the same class with this author’s ‘Nancy
Stair.’” F: T. Cooper.
+ =Bookm.= 29: 318. My. ’09. 200w.
“One lays it aside with the feeling of having met an adorable
woman-spirit, not Katrine’s, but the author’s own, of having listened to
great music and of having walked at evening in an old-fashioned garden.”
+ − =Ind.= 66: 760. Ap. 8, ’09. 600w.
“In ‘Katrine’ are to be found all the requisites of a satisfactory
love-story, and this winning, irresistible Irish girl bids fair to
become as popular as her predecessor, Nancy Stair.”
+ =Lit. D.= 38: 725. Ap. 24, ’09. 200w.
“Graceful and charming.”
+ =Nation.= 88: 515. My. 20, ’09. 200w.
“There are many elements of popularity in the book, and it will no doubt
prove a satisfactory successor to ‘Nancy Stair.’”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 192. Ap. 3, ’09. 310w.
=N. Y. Times.= 14: 376. Je. 12, ’09. 140w.
“Has vivacity, wit and insight.”
+ =No. Am.= 189: 921. Je. ’09. 140w.
“It is beautifully told, and the viewpoint throughout the book is an
exalted one.”
+ =R. of Rs.= 39: 760. Je. ’09. 70w.
=Lang, Andrew.= Maid of France: being the story of the life and death
of Jeanne D’Arc. *$3.50. Longmans.
9–8027.
The Church of Rome by its special decree of beatification has admitted
Joan of Arc to the ranks of the candidates for canonization. This action
implies recognition of the very conditions emphasized in Mr. Lang’s
championship of the peasant girl of Domremy. The biography is not
written “in the soothing spirit of leisurely research. It has a vivacity
inspired by the two master passions of literature, love of the subject
as a vital issue, and a strong objection, both temperamental and
reasoned, to the author (Anatole France) who has most lately treated
it.” (Nation.)
* * * * *
“Mr. Lang’s admiration of the Maid would not let him stop with a
refutation of error, but made him go forward to produce a readable and,
on the whole, a sound biography of Jeanne. He too has read deeply in the
literature of the fifteenth century, though not so prodigiously as M.
France, and his side-lights are thrown more faithfully, if somewhat less
luxuriantly. A few of his conclusions will be disputed in minute
detail.” F. C. Lowell.
+ − =Am. Hist. R.= 14: 803. Jl. ’09. 500w.
“The author’s issue with Anatole France’s iconoclastic conception and
exposition, in his recent ‘Vie de Jeanne d’Arc,’ gives the narrative a
controversial tone that detracts from its interest for general reading,
but as a valuable and scholarly work it will hold an important place.”
+ − =A. L. A. Bkl.= 5: 105. Ap. ’09.
“Apart from the criticism and the polemics, the book is good to read. In
his desire to worst his adversary he sometimes presses a point
dangerously far. He has given us the life, ‘complete and critical,’
hitherto lacking in this country.”
+ − =Ath.= 1909, 1: 248. F. 27. 1000w.
“If Mr. Lang’s careful citations from the documents and his minute
scrutiny of the evidence have now and then interfered somewhat with the
easy flow of the narrative, his book is none the less profoundly
interesting and a welcome addition to the literature of the subject.” E:
Fuller.
+ − =Bookm.= 29: 88. Mr. ’09. 1450w.
“Takes its place, with all due respect to Mr. Lowell’s work, as the most
complete and critical English work on the subject.”
+ + =Cath. World.= 88: 826. Mr. ’09. 950w.
“While the author has apparently written for the general reader, he has
not forgotten the needs of the serious student.” L. M. Larson.
+ =Dial.= 46: 260. Ap. 16, ’09. 2000w.
“It is well for English readers at all events to have a ‘Life’ written
by one who can stand apart from this conflict.” C. L. Kingsford.
+ − =Eng. Hist. R.= 24: 787. O. ’09. 1100w.
“Careful, critical, and, perhaps we may add, exhaustive monograph.”
+ =Lit. D.= 38: 386. Mr. 6, ’09. 260w.
+ − =Nation.= 88: 169. F. 18, ’09. 850w.
“His achievement, while disconcerting alike for her detractors of 1431
and those of 1909, opens a new path in the story of biography where the
supernatural has hitherto veiled and obscured from rational view the
faith and sincerity of the subject.”
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 157. Mr. 20, ’09. 2150w.
“The author seems to have consulted the archives diligently; and yet
there is little that is new in the book and not to be found in that of
Mrs. Oliphant published in 1896 and in Mr. F. C. Lowell’s ‘Life.’”
+ =No. Am.= 189: 782. My. ’09. 240w.
“On the subject of Jeanne’s trial Mr. Lang makes some interesting
suggestions, though on the main points he adds little to our knowledge.”
+ =Sat. R.= 107: 78. Ja. 16, ’09. 1700w.
+ =Spec.= 102: 130. Ja. 23, ’09. 2600w.
=Lang, Andrew.= Sir George Mackenzie, king’s advocate, of Rosehaugh,
his life and times, 1636–1691. *$4.20. Longmans.
9–15743.
A far reaching knowledge of Scotland’s history lies back of this sketch
of “Bluidy Mackenzie” who “began his career, like most political
lawyers, in Opposition. In 1661 he defended, unsuccessfully, the
Marquess of Argyll against a charge of treason. In 1681 he prosecuted,
successfully, the Earl of Argyll, his first client’s son, on a similar
charge. In the interval the young advocate had made himself so
conspicuous at the Bar and in Parliament that Lauderdale took him up and
finally made him King’s advocate. Unlike most lawyers, Mackenzie was
interested in history, philosophy, and belles lettres. Indeed, he was
himself a poet, an historian, and a Stoic pen. It would be going too far
to say that the King’s advocate was a sceptic; but we gather that his
religion was ‘that of all sensible men.’” (Sat. R.)
* * * * *
“Mr. Lang shows his usual minute and varied learning, and brightens the
gloomy and stormy sketches over which he passes with occasional flashes
of wit. While it has many merits, the book is hard reading. We are lead
through labyrinths of detail, events are alluded to rather than
described, and to use the author’s own words in another connection, ‘his
characters are as numerous as the grains on the ribbed sea sands.’” A.
L. Cross.
+ − =Am. Hist. R.= 14: 814. Jl. ’09. 420w.
“Solid and valuable as this work is, we are by no means delighted with
its style.”
+ − =Ath.= 1909, 1: 695. Je. 12. 1100w.
“On the whole, the discussion is sane and convincing, far more calm and
judicious in tone than the author’s vigorous English usually permits.”
+ =Dial.= 46: 406. Je. 16, ’09. 250w.
“This book is, like all his other works, deeply interesting, it adds
much to our knowledge of the life of its subject, and it presents him in
a far more favorable light than ever before.”
+ =Nation.= 89: 165. Ag. 19, ’09. 600w.
“Mr. Lang has treated his subject with thoroughness and with a sympathy
that does not go too far. We recommend the present work especially to
lawyers.” G: S. Hellman.
+ =N. Y. Times.= 14: 287. My. 8, ’09. 800w.
“Partly owing to his cryptic and bald style of writing, and partly owing
to the fact that there is not very much about Mackenzie’s private life,
Mr. Andrew Lang has contrived to write a dull book about an interesting
subject.”
− =Sat. R.= 107: 275. F. 27, ’09. 950w.
“Mr. Lang has such a strong equipment of learning, and so genuine an
imaginative sympathy with his subject, but we cannot but regret that he
should not have given more time to the shaping of his material. He has
written the standard book on Mackenzie; but he might have made it a
great deal better if he had remembered Sheridan’s remark about easy
writing and hard reading.”
+ − =Spec.= 102: 377. Mr. 6, ’09. 1400w.
=Lang, Leonora Blanche.=^{[12]} Red book of heroes. **$1.60. Longmans.