484 MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE. 



The Historical Keepsake, a Series of Original Tales, &c. &c., illustrative 

 of British History. T. Hurst, St. Paul's Church-Yard. 



A TASTEFUL, and, to young persons, useful collection of historiet les, selected 

 from the most interesting periods of English history, the literary department 

 executed with judgment by Mr. J. W. Dalby. It is illustrated with engravings on 

 wood, and is altogether an unpretending addition to our annual literature. 



Prose Tales, adapted from the poets of the Nineteenth Century. By 

 STEPHEN and HORATIO HUNT. Clements, Little Pulteney Street. 



IN this matter-of-fact age, when poetry is at a discount, a work of this nature must 

 be peculiarly acceptable. Its object seems to be to relieve " light readers" from 

 the fetters verse sometimes imposes upon the progress of incident. The number 

 before us the first presents a prose paraphrase of Crabbe's "Visionary ;"and, 

 (let all advocates of cheap literature observe) for TWOPENCE. 



Autumnal Leaves. By HENRIETTA. (Second Edition.) Dedicated to 



the Countess of Munster. James Cochrane & Co., Waterloo Place. 

 THIS is a collection of lyrics, exhibiting a very fair specimen of female talent. 

 The fair authoress might have added her name to the work without fear of encoun- 

 tering the " deep damnation of the critic's * bah !' " 



The Lay of the Lady Ellen ; a Tale of 1834. By HARRY CHESTER, 

 ESQ. Saunders and Ottley. 



A TALE of fashionable life, related in iambic verse, with occasional aberrations 

 into the dithyrambic. Moonlight, minuets, romances, and routs, are mixed up in 

 this "little trifle" (as the author calls it in his mysterious dedication), with a 

 wandering disregard to unity, plainly evincing a highly cultivated taste for the 

 heterogeneous. 



One sample of the author's rhyming propensities will be satisfactory to a 

 " discerning public." It affords a unique specimen of that style of poetry (?) 

 known as album-onian, and would have done honour to a drawing-room 

 debutante just escaped from boarding-school and bread and butter : 



"But hark ! again the fiddles squeal, 

 Attuning for a new quad-ri7/e ; 



Now beaux are bent 



On belles, intent 

 To take a step or two ; 

 And lo ! the men of rope advance 

 To hinder those who do not dance 

 From pressing those who do. 



From end to end 



Two ropes extend, 

 Twisted of worsted green ; * 



On either side 



A passage wide, 

 The dancers all between. 

 Now belles their boas cast aside ; 

 Now beaux their hats in corners hide." 



* " For 'green,' understand ' red.' Printers Devil." 



