The best romance becomes dangerous if by its excitement it
renders the ordinary course of life uninteresting, and increases
the morbid thirst for scenes in which we shall never be called on
to act.
RUSKIN.
ALCOTT, L.M.
Little Women.
Illustrated by Alice Barber Stephens.
Little. 2.00
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, are as great favorites with the girls of this
generation as they were with their mothers. The book gives a picture
drawn from the youthful days of Miss Alcott and her sisters, and its
sweet natural home atmosphere and high standards make it one that
should be read by every little woman of to-day.
ALDRICH, T.B.
*The Story of a Bad Boy.
Illustrated by A.B. Frost.
Houghton. 2.00
"This is the story of a bad boy. Well, not such a very bad, but a
pretty bad boy; and I ought to know, for I am, or rather I was,
that boy myself."
This much loved volume should be put in the hands of every (p. 162)
American lad. Mr. Frost's illustrations are delightfully sympathetic.
BENNETT, JOHN.
Master Skylark.
Century. 1.50
A sweet fresh tale of the days when Will Shakspere trod the boards.
Little Nicholas Attwood joins a company of actors, and the head
player, dubbing him Master Skylark because of his wonderful voice,
takes him with them to London against his will. Good Master Shakspere,
however, helps him in time of need, and little Nick gets safely home
again to his mother in Stratford town.
BROOKS, NOAH.
The Boy Emigrants.
Scribner. 1.25
An account of an overland trip to California in 1849.
The scenery of the book is all taken from nature; many of the
characters were real people; and almost all the incidents which
here befall the Boy Emigrants came under my own observation, or
under that of people whom I knew on the trail or in California.
NOAH BROOKS.
CANAVAN, M.J.
Ben Comee.
Macmillan. 1.50
This eighteenth-century Colonial narrative gives a vivid description
of Roger's Rangers. The Rangers were for the most part New (p. 163)
Hampshire frontiersmen.
COOLIDGE, SUSAN (Pseudonym of S.C. WOOLSEY).
What Katy Did at School.
Little. 1.25
The sequel to What Katy Did tells of the boarding-school days of Katy
and Clover Carr. While the story is interesting and amusing, it is at
the same time an advantage to any girl to make the acquaintance of
these two delightful sisters, with their simple honorable standards.
COOPER, J.F.
The Deerslayer.
Houghton. 1.25
"The incidents of this tale occurred between the years 1740 and
1745.... Broad belts of the virgin wilderness ... affording forest
covers to the noiseless moccasin of the native warrior, as he
trod the secret and bloody war-path."
Cooper's style is, according to present-day standards, somewhat
pompous and stilted, but all boys should read this account of the New
York settlers' warfare against the Iroquois and know Deerslayer, the
picturesque frontiersman.
And Natty won't go to oblivion quicker
Than Adams the parson or Primrose the vicar.
LOWELL.
COOPER, J.F.
The Last of the Mohicans.
Houghton. 1.25
Story of the French and Indian war. It tells of the siege (p. 164)
of Fort William Henry, the capture of two young girls by the
Indians, and the adventures of an English officer while trying
to rescue them. Hawk-eye the scout and Uncas, the last of the
Mohicans, are two of the other characters.
CARNEGIE LIBRARY OF PITTSBURGH.
EGGLESTON, G.C.
The Last of the Flatboats.
Lothrop. 1.50
The adventures of five boys on a trip down the Mississippi at the time
of a great flood. The tone of the book is manly.
FORBES, C.B.
Elizabeth's Charm-String.
Little. 1.50
Elizabeth's aunt brings home from Europe various tiny symbols relating
to different famous places, buildings, and paintings. The legends
connected with them are told to a group of eager girls.
FRENCH, H.W.
°The Lance of Kanana.
Lothrop. 1.00
This Arab tale of a Bedouin boy of many years ago is so instinct with
splendid patriotism that it is difficult to characterize it as sad,
though in the end Kanana gives up his life for Allah and Arabia. A
graphic picture of Oriental life, full of exciting experiences.
HUGHES, THOMAS. (p. 165)
Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby.
Illustrated by E.J. Sullivan.
Macmillan. 2.00
The one great story of school-boy life, telling of days at Rugby under
the famous Dr. Arnold, and revealing the spiritual influence of a
great master.
INMAN, HENRY.
The Ranche on the Oxhide.
Macmillan. 1.50
Tale of pioneer days in Kansas when wolves and panthers,
buffaloes and Indians, were familiar sights to the ranchman.
Buffalo Bill and General Custer appear in the story.
CARNEGIE LIBRARY OF PITTSBURGH.
Colonel Inman served under Generals Custer, Gibbs, Sully, and
other famous Indian fighters, of whose staffs he was a member.
Over forty years on the extreme frontier gave him a rare
opportunity to study the Indian character.--_National Cyclopædia
of American Biography._
JANVIER, T.A.
The Aztec Treasure House.
Harper. 1.50
The scene of these stirring adventures is laid in Mexico of the
present day, and the heroes, a little band of plucky men, penetrate to
the heart of an unknown Aztec city. The well-written narrative is so
full of exciting happenings that it is a favorable substitute for the
ordinary sensational volume in which many boys find delight.
KIPLING, RUDYARD. (p. 166)
Captains Courageous.
Century. 1.50
An indulged lad, the son of rich parents, falls overboard from a
transatlantic steamer and is rescued by the crew of a fishing-smack
off the Banks of Newfoundland. The boy has to stay with the men and
make himself useful until the fishing season is over. The hardy life
of the sea makes a man of him by the time he is restored to his
parents.
"Now Aprile is over and melted the snow,
And outer Noo Bedford we shortly must tow;
Yes, out o' Noo Bedford we shortly must clear,
We're the whalers that never see wheat in the ear."
MARTINEAU, HARRIET.
Feats on the Fiord.
Macmillan. .50
A vivid picture of Norwegian life of the eighteenth century. Full of
action and interest, and conveying much information as to Northern
ways and customs in such a manner that it becomes a part of the story.
MARTINEAU, HARRIET.
The Peasant and the Prince.
Houghton. .40
Whatever we may think of the literary quality of Miss Martineau's
work, the practical achievements of her life were remarkable....
The Peasant and the Prince is a good example of her method. It is
a sketch of the condition of French society just before the
outbreak of the Revolution. Only the first part can be called
fiction, and that only in a superficial sense.... So deep a (p. 167)
sympathy, so passionate an earnestness, informs much of her work,
that it is still worth reading for its own sake as well as for the
sake of the distinguished woman who produced it.
H.W. BOYNTON.
The book is extremely interesting.
MATTHEWS, BRANDER.
Tom Paulding.
Century. 1.50
The description of a successful, yet unsuccessful, search for buried
treasure in the streets of New York will satisfy in a harmless way the
desire which all normal boys have for books of this character.
MUNROE, KIRK.
The Flamingo Feather.
Harper. .60
The exciting experiences of a French lad during the settlement of
Florida by France in the sixteenth century. Many incidents hinge on
the faithful friendship existing between a young Indian and the hero.
PYLE, HOWARD.
Men of Iron.
Harper. 2.00
A historical story of the time of Henry IV, giving an account of the
training and knighting of Myles Falworth, and of his struggle as
champion for his old blind father in the ordeal by battle; of Prince
Hal, and the wild hard days that bred fighting men.
SHAW, F.L. (p. 168)
Castle Blair.
Little. 1.00
This charming picture of child-life on an Irish estate was highly
commended by Ruskin in these words: There is a quite lovely little
book just come out about children, Castle Blair!... The book is good,
and lovely, and true, having the best description of a noble child in
it (Winnie) that I ever read; and nearly the best description of the
next best thing--a noble dog.
SMITH, M.P. (W.).
More Good Times at Hackmatack.
Little. 1.25
A further account of farm life in Western Massachusetts begun in Jolly
Good Times at Hackmatack.
Sit with me by the homestead hearth,
And stretch the hands of memory forth
To warm them at the wood-fire's blaze!
WHITTIER.
To fear God, do your duty, tell the truth, and be
industrious--this was the New England ideal; and until we can
replace it by a better, we can hardly afford to belittle
it.--_Preface._
STEIN, EVALEEN.
Gabriel and the Hour Book.
Page. 1.00
This simply-told story presents in a charming way a sketch of French
life in the reign of Louis XII. It tells of how little Gabriel helped
Brother Stephen to illuminate a wonderful Book of Hours for the King
to give as a wedding gift to Anne of Brittany, and of the (p. 169)
happiness that came to the faithful workers therefrom.
STOCKTON, F.R.
The Story of Viteau.
Scribner. 1.50
A tale of two French lads, the sons of the Countess of Viteau, who
lived in the rude days of Louis IX. Many of the duties and pleasures
of mediæval life are incidentally described.
THOMPSON, A.R.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail.
Little. 1.50
These adventures of two New England boys in Alaska and the Northwest
Territory are based on real happenings. The scenery of the region is
described, and useful information given about the Klondike, and its
flora and fauna.
TRUE, J.P.
The Iron Star.
Little. 1.50
The iron star was a meteor, whose story is that of the ages from the
days of the Cavemen to the time of Miles Standish.
TWAIN, MARK (Pseudonym of S.L. Clemens).
The Prince and the Pauper.
Harper. 1.75
This never-was-but-might-have-been story is truly one "for young
people of all ages." It tells of the exchange of station which
occurred between young Edward Prince of Wales and Tom Canty the (p. 170)
beggar's son. Tom grows to like the stately life, but the noble
young prince learns many a bitter truth about his realm. We are glad
for both boys when the latter, now King Edward VI, comes to his own
again. The author follows closely the life and customs of the day.
In spite of the main incident and its consequences being historically
factitious, the tale presents a vivid picture of the young King and
his people, and the London of that time.
_THIRTEEN YEARS OF AGE_ (p. 171)
_Where go the children? Travelling! Travelling!
Where go the children, travelling ahead?
Some go to conquer things; some go to try them;
Some go to dream them; and some go to bed._
RILEY.