858 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



therefore, do not embody the results of his 

 long and varied studies, but they have the in- 

 terest of beins; his first and freshest intellect- 

 ual work. " Ranthorpe " was written at the 

 age of twenty-five, though it was published 

 five years later, in 1847. He says, in the 

 preface, after acknowledging the defects of 

 the book : " That the faults are not more nu- 

 merous is owing to the admirable criticisms 

 of two eminent friends, who paid me the 

 compliment of being frankly severe on the 

 work submitted to their judgment. Sen- 

 sible of the kindness in their severity, I 

 have made them what, for an author, must 

 be considered as a magnificent acknowl- 

 edgment I have adopted all their sugges- 

 tions " ! 



It is not difficult to explain why " Ran- 

 thorpe " was not a success in the ordinary 

 sense of a popular novel ; but the expla- 

 nation will probably give the reason why it 

 has been since recalled to the attention of 

 the reading world. It was of too didactic 

 a quality to suit the tastes of novel-readers 

 in search of mere sensation. It is full of 

 moralizings, and, although the topics are 

 secular enough, it is rather preachy. But 

 there is a good deal of wisdom in it that is 

 not without its use. The hero of the book 

 runs a literary career, goes first into poeti'y 

 and fails, then into the drama, and his 



tragedy is d d. The main interest of 



the volume is in the copious side discus- 

 sions on the causes of failure in literary 

 adventure, and we have a vivid and read- 

 able illustration of ideas which the author 

 subsequently developed in his review ar- 

 ticles on " The Principles of Success in Lit- 

 erature." From this point of view the 

 book is instructive, while the plot keeps up 

 the reader's interest in the usual way. 



Sewer-Gas and its Dangers; with an 

 Exposition of Common Defects in House- 

 Drainage, and Practical Information 

 relating to their Remedy. By George 

 Preston Brown. Chicago : Jansen, Mc- 

 Clurg & Co. Pp. 242. Price, $1.25. 



This work is the result of investigations 



made by an impartial inquirer in the city of 



Chicago into the extent to which sewer-gas 



is responsible for sickness and discomfort. 



An amazing prevalence of defects of all 



kinds in the construction and working of 



the house-drains was discovered, of which 



the dwellers in the houses generally seemed 

 unconscious. The conditions were not ex- 

 ceptional or peculiar to Chicago, but may be 

 considered as general and common to all 

 large towns in which the improvements 

 suggested by the most recent experience 

 and knowledge have not been adopted. 

 Many particular defects are described^ and 

 cases of sickness that were traced to them 

 noticed. Illustrations are given of bad 

 drainage in actual houses whose appearance 

 promised a better condition. The dangers 

 which bad sewers and drains entail are 

 forcibly presented ; and suggestions are 

 given for remedying and preventing the 

 evils which they occasion. 



The Wilderness-Ccre. By Marc Cook, 

 author of " Camp Lou." New York : 

 William Wood & Co. Pp. 153. Price, 



$1. 



" Camp Lou " was a magazine article 

 which related how the author, being in a 

 decline with lung-disease, was restored to 

 health by camping in the Adirondacks. It 

 called out more inquiries for minor details 

 than the writer could answer individually, 

 and he has therefore put all the information 

 that was sought in the questions in this 

 little volume. The book describes the " Wil- 

 derness " country and the conditions of the 

 camp ; considers the practicability of weak 

 persons wintering in the region described, 

 furnishes a summary of several cases that 

 have been treated in the method recom- 

 mended, or one like it, and considers the 

 questions of necessary outfit and expense. 



A Text-Book of Anatomy, Physiology, 

 AND Hygiene. By J. T. Scovell. Terre 

 Haute, Indiana : Moore & Langen, Print- 

 ers. Pp. 88, with six plates. 



This work is designed as a text-book, 

 to be supplemented with the study of other 

 works more completely discussing the points 

 considered, of which a partial list is given. 

 It presents the principles of the science 

 plainly, clearly, and briefly, in well-framed 

 sentences, and is arranged after a logical 

 classification of the divisions and subdivi- 

 sions of the subject. In addition to this, the 

 section on hygiene is practical. The illustra- 

 tions are given in engravings in separate 

 plates. 



