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LITERATURE AND LITERARY PROGRESS IN 1869. 



"W. H. H. Murray, a volume full enough of 

 "life," but accused of resorting to the long- 

 bow at times. " The Brawnville Papers," by 

 Moses Coit Tyler, a lively and sensible plea for 

 physical culture; J. Esten Cooke's "Hilt to 

 Hilt, or Days and Nights in the Shenandoah," 

 the story of a Confederate; "Evenings with 

 the Sacred Poets," by Frederick Saunders, a 

 work deeply interesting to all lovers of sacred 

 song; "Home Pictures from the English 

 Poets," a meritorious compilation for the 

 young; "The Comic History of the United 

 States," by J. D. Sherwood, amusing, though 

 the jest is on a large scale ; Mrs. Ellet's 

 "Court Circles of the Republic," a sort of 

 book always popular, when skilfully done; 

 "Essay on Professional Ethics," by George 

 Sharswood, a book for lawyers, from one of 

 high rank in the profession. An edition of 

 the prose writings of R. W. Emerson is a 

 noteworthy event. Mr. R. II. Dana, Jr., has 

 revived a long-remembered pleasure by a new 

 edition, with additions, of his "Two Years be- 

 fore the Mast." "The Literature of the Age 

 of Elizabeth, "by E. P. Whipple,and "Lectures 

 and Essays," by Henry Giles, are works of 

 standard merit. A fourth volume of the Ora- 

 tions and Speeches of Edward Everett will be 

 received with a pensive satisfaction by the ad- 

 mirers of his eloquence. 



Here also should be mentioned some works 

 of general reference : " The American Year- 

 Book and Annual Register," edited by D. N". 

 Camp, a work meant to occupy a place similar 

 to that formerly maintained by the " American 

 Almanac," and which is certainly a creditable 

 beginning ; McPherson's (standard) " Political 

 Manual," a revised and Americanized edition 

 of Haydn's "Dictionary of Dates," a very use- 

 ful book, with room for still more revision and 

 adaptation to American wants ; "Z ell's Popu- 

 lar Cyclopaedia," in course of publication, a 

 comprehensive work, containing much informa- 

 tion in a highly condensed form in fact, at- 

 tempting so much as to make some deficiency 

 and error almost unavoidable. Just begun, 

 near the close of the year, a work of admirable 

 promise, Lippincott's (Thomas's) " Biographical 

 Dictionary." For extent, accuracy, and ser- 

 viceableness for reference, it bids fair to excel 

 all similar works that have preceded it. 



" The Mississippi Valley," by J. W. Foster, 

 LL. D., is rich in information, and there is con- 

 siderable ingenious theory and speculation 

 furnished by the way. "The New "World 

 compared with the Old," by George Alfred 

 Townsend, is a good plan inadequately exe- 

 cuted. The increasing summer resort to 

 watering-places and rural retreats, from the 

 cities, makes the guide-book an American ne- 



Books are twenty in number. " The Summer 

 Tourist's Pocket Guide-Book to American 

 Watering-Places," etc., by E. B. Hall, compacts 



much information within very small com- 

 pass. " The Yosemite Guide-Book," and 

 " Historical Sketch and Resources of Montana, 

 with a Business Directory of the. Metropolis," 

 offer information relative to the new West. 

 The last approaches more the character of the 

 statistical almanac, of which an Oregon press 

 furnishes a specimen in " McCormick's Alma- 

 nac for 1870," with full statistics of Oregon, 

 Washington, Idaho, and Montana. This class 

 of publications increases in number and value 

 from year to year. Each religious denomina- 

 tion has its annual publication ; almanacs of 

 political information and statistics issue from 

 several leading newspaper offices, as the " Tri- 

 bune Almanac," and "The World Almanac," 

 and the Albany "Evening Journal Almanac." 

 Prof. Schem's " Eclesiastical and Educational 

 Almanac" contains an amount of valuable infor- 

 mation such as merits a more attractive form. 



In illustrated Gift-Books there has been for 

 a year or two a declining interest. This can- 

 not be the result of a growing dissatisfaction 

 with their quality, for that has noticeably im- 

 proved. It is probably in part a mere matter 

 of fashion, in part due to improvement in the 

 style of book-making generally, and to the 

 greatly-increased use of pictorial illustration in 

 popular works. Some of the most successful, 

 in fact, of the holiday issues are equally suita- 

 ble for gift or purchase at all seasons, and are 

 noticed in other connections such, for exam- 

 ple, as "The Universe," by Pouchet; "The 

 Ocean World ; " Mr. Beecher's " Overture of 

 Angels ; " Rev. L. Abbott's " Old Testament 

 Shadows;" and Mr. Mitchell's "Pictures of 

 Edge wood." Besides these there are several 

 that deserve particular mention: " The Goethe 

 Gallery, " by F. Pecht; Shakespeare's "Mid- 

 summer Night's Dream," with silhouette illus- 

 trations; Miss Alcott's " Concord Sketches ;" 

 " The Bryant Homestead Book," by Julia Hat- 

 field, and illustrated editions of Mrs. Brown- 

 ing's " Lady Geraldine's Courtship," and of 

 Miss Phelps's " Gates Ajar." 



The number of Juvenile Publications increases 

 from year to year. The union and denomi- 

 national publishing houses give more atten- 

 tion to this branch of their business, new pub- 

 lishing firms give it their exclusive or princi- 

 pal attention, and long- established houses find 

 it profitable to compete for youthful patron- 

 age. It were well if it could be said that our 

 writers for the young are reaching a higher 

 average of merit. It is to be feared that the 

 pressure of demand leads to a hurried supply. 

 And yet it is undoubtedly true that there is an 

 improvement on the whole in the character of 

 juvenile books, due to the fact that the quality 

 of books republished and imported serves to 

 make good the defects of native productions. 

 Such a book as Napier's " Tommy Try, and 

 what he did in Science," or the volumes in the 

 Illustrated Library of Wonders, translated from 

 the French, or the translation of Saintine's 

 " Daine Nature," or the beautiful fictions of 



