400 



LITERATURE, BRITISH, IN 1896. 



The following are the figures of book production 

 during the year as given by the " Publishers' 

 Weekly": 



LITERATURE, BRITISH, IN 1896. The 



E reduction of books in England increases at a far 

 iss rapid rate than in our own country, the record 

 showing 6,573 volumes sent out in 1896 against 

 6,516 in 1895 an increase of but 57 in all. Of this 

 number, moreover, but 5,234 were new books, a 

 falling off of 347 from the 5,581 new books of the 

 year previous, while the excess of new editions was 

 more than 400. This is the more remarkable when 

 we remember that the excess of new books pub- 

 lished in 1895 was 281 over the number produced 

 in 1894. The number of new works of fiction was 

 1,654, an excess of 110 over 1,544 in 1895, and 525 

 new editions stand against 347 of that year. The 

 most remarkable increase shown was in the depart- 

 ments of history and biography, and of arts, sci- 

 ences, and illustrated works ; and more works on 

 political and social economy, and on law appeared, 

 as well as volumes of poetry, while a decrease of 

 270 books was shown in belles-lettres, essays, etc., 

 and of 510 in books of a miscellaneous character. 

 Fewer books of educational, classical, and philo- 

 logical character were written, fewer medical books, 

 and fewer of voyages and travels, while theological 

 works remained almost absolutely stationary. 



Biography. This department of British litera- 

 ture is always inviting, and several works of per- 

 manent value are to be noted among the numerous 

 contributions made during the year. " The Life of 

 Cardinal Manning" was written by Edmund Sheri- 

 dan Purcell in two volumes, and two others contain 

 the " Life and Letters of John Gibson Lockhart," 

 by Andrew Lang. " The Life and Letters of George 

 John Romanes," written and edited by his wife, 

 was a valuable record of an eminent philosopher, 

 and "An Autobiography, 1834-1858," by Philip 

 Gilbert Hamerton, accompanied with a memoir by 

 his wife, 1858-1894, possessed a rare charm. ''My 

 Long Life," by Mrs. Mary Cowden Clarke, com- 

 piler of the " Concordance to Shakespeare " and 

 author of " The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Hero- 

 ines," was a charming autobiographic sketch, ?nd 

 Augustus J. C. Hare told " The Story of my Life," 



Eublishing also " Biographical Sketches." " Our 

 even Homes " contained the autobiographical 

 reminiscences of Mrs. Rundle Charles, the author 

 of " The Schonberg-Cotta Family," and Freder- 

 ick Locker-Lampson imparted " My Confidences," 



full of the finest literary flavor. The first install- 

 ment of " I Well Remember," by Felix Moscheles, 

 was entitled "In Bohemia with Du Maurier," and 

 contained 63 original drawings by that accom- 

 plished author and artist. Two volumes contained 

 " The Story of my Life " as told by Sir Richard 

 Temple, ably supplementing his previous books on 

 " India in 1880 " and " Men and Events of my 

 Time in India " ; " The Life, Letters, and Works of 

 Louis Agassiz"came from Jules Marcou, and the 

 " Life and Letters of Sir Charles Halle," in two 

 volumes, containing his autobiography, 1819-'60, 

 his correspondence, and diaries, edited by his son, 

 C. E., and his daughter, Maria Halle. To scientific 

 biography belong also the " Autobiography of Sir 

 George Biddell Airy ; " " The Scientific Papers of 

 John Couch Adams," edited by William Grylls 

 Adams, the first volume of which contained a mem- 

 oir by J. W. L. Glaisher ; and " C. Pritchard, Late 

 Savilian Professor of Astronomy in the University 

 of Oxford," being memoirs of his life compiled by 

 his daughter, Ada Pritchard, an account of his 

 theological work by the Bishop of Worcester, and 

 of his astronomical work by H. H. Turner. " Fran- 

 cis Orpen Morris," a memoir by his son, Rev. M. C. 

 F. Morris, told of a gentle student of Nature as well 

 as an active clergyman ; and " The Life of Sir F. A. 

 Gore Ousley," by F. W. Joyce, of the work per- 

 formed by that Professor of Music at Oxford. 

 "The Life and Letters of Samuel Butler, D.D. 

 (Head Master of Shrewsbury School, 1798-1836, and 

 afterward Bishop of Lichfield), in so far as they 

 illustrate the Scholastic, Religious, and Social Life 

 of England, 1790-1840," were given to the public 

 by his grandson, Samuel Butler; F. St. John 

 Thackeray contributed a " Memoir of Edward Cra- 

 ven Hawtrey," the Head Master of Eton ; and Prof. 

 Knight a " Memoir of John Nichol, Professor of 

 English Literature in the University of Glasgow." 

 The " Life and Letters of Fen ton John Anthony 

 Hort, D. D." came from A. F. Hort, and " John 

 Veitch, Professor of Logic and Rhetoric in the 

 University of Glasgow," from Mary R. L. Bryce. In 

 the " Century Science Series " appeared " Humphry 

 Davy, Poet and Philosopher," by Thomas E. Thorpe ; 

 " Charles Darwin and the Theory of Natural Selec- 

 tion," by Edward Bagnall Poulton; and "James 

 Clerk Maxwell and Modern Physics," by R. T. 

 Glazebrook. The other well-established series re- 

 ceived important additions. " Lorenzo de' Medici," 

 by Edward Armstrong, " Jeanne D'Arc," by Mrs. 

 Oliphant, and " Charles XII," by R. Nisbet Bain, 

 appeared in the " Heroes of the Nations Series " ; 

 " Dundonald," by J. W. Fortescue, in the " English 

 Men of Action " ; " Grover Cleveland," by James 

 Lowry Whittle ; "Don Emilio Castelar," by I). R. 

 Ilannay; "Pope Leo XIII," by Justin McCarthy; 

 and " The Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain," by S. 

 H. Jeyes, in the " Public Men of To-Day " ; " Riche- 

 lieu," by Richard Lodge, and " Philip Augustus," 

 by William Holden Hutton, in the" Foreign States- 

 men " ; George Barnett Smith contributed " William 

 Tyndale, the Translator of the English Bible," and 

 " General Gordon, the Christian Soldier and Hero," 

 to the " Popular Biographies " ; " George Fox," by 

 Thomas Hodgkin, was the only addition to the 

 " Leaders of Religion," as " Thomas Hardy," by 

 Annie Macdonell, was to the " Contemporary 

 Writers." In the " Famous Scots Series " we had 

 "Thomas Carlyle," by H. C. Macpherson; "Sir 

 James Y. Simpson," by Eve Blantyre Simpson ; 

 " Hugh Miller," by W. Keith Leask ; " Allan Ram- 

 say," by Oliphant Smeaton ; " John Knox," by Alex- 

 ander Taylor Innes; "Robert Burns," by Gabriel 

 Setoun (Thomas Hepburn) ; and " The Balladists," 

 by John Geddie. In the "Great Writers Series" 

 we had " Henry David Thoreau," by Henry S. Salt, 



