LITKKATURK, AMKHICAN, IN 1892. 



375 



the. increase of the commerce of West Africa. 

 The numerous rivi-rs that descend from the 

 jinn known as the Kong mountains 

 fiinn excellent water-ways. These mountains 

 .iiv supposed to be very rich in gold. 



LITERATURE, AMERICAN, IN 1892. 

 Tin- copyright law was, no doubt, a chief cause 

 .I' tin- activity in the book-producing and book- 

 puMishing world observed during the year, 

 which exceeded any other previously known. 

 While many of t he' 4,863 volumes recorded by 

 the Publishers' Weekly" are to be credited to 

 foreign somve>. and many proved old friends in a 

 new dress, yet the proportion of new work from 

 Americans was unusually high; and, be it re- 

 marked, not a small portion, and that of the 

 l>est. came from the West. Only in the lighter 

 depart ments of literature were importations from 

 Kngland numerous, and these were offered in a 

 far more attractive form than has prevailed for 

 years. Two new novels were written for every 

 day in the year, not excepting Sundays (735 in 

 all) ; a marked increase was shown in books of 

 PH. 'try, of voyages and travels, of medicine and 

 surgery, of history, of political and social science, 

 of physical science and the useful arts, of biog- 

 raphy and of law, while a few additional titles 

 are noted among educational and juvenile books. 

 The decrease in the number of books devoted to 

 the fine arts was more than compensated by the 

 improvement in the character of those offered. 

 Contributions were less numerous to theology 

 and religion, to sports, domestic and rural econ- 

 omy, and mental and moral philosophy. 



Biography. Naturally, in the Columbian 

 year several volumes were devoted to the dis 

 coverer of this continent. The "Writings of 

 Christopher Columbus descriptive of the Dis- 

 covery and Occupation of the New World " were 

 edited, with an introduction, by Paul Leicester 

 Ford ; " Columbus and his Discovery of America " 

 formed the theme of two orations by Prof. 

 Herbert B. Adams and Prof. Henry Wood, of 

 Johns Hopkins University, which were published 

 in the "Studies" of that institution; Edward 

 Eggleston edited, with an introduction, " The 

 Story of Columbus," written by his daughter 

 Kli/abeth Hgfjleston Seel ye, and illustrated by 

 another daughter, Allegra Eggleston. which 

 opened the new " Delights of History " series ; 

 President Charles Kendall Adams, of Cornell 

 University, contributed "Columbus, his Life 

 and Work," to the " Makers of America " series ; 

 " The True Story of Christopher Columbus, 

 called the Great Admiral," was told for youngest 

 readers by Elbridge S. Brooks, and " The Story 

 of the Discovery of the New World by Columbus ' 

 by Frederick Saunders ; Franc B. Willie (Poliuto) 

 wrote a " Life of Christopher Columbus " ; Alex- 

 ander Innes, " The Life and Adventures of Chris- 

 topher Columbus"; while "Christopher Columbus 

 and his Monument, Columbia," was a concord- 

 ance of choice tributes to the great Genoese, 

 compiled from upward of six hundred writers, 

 by J. M. Dickey. Vols. XI and XII of the 

 "Writings of George Washington," collected and 

 edited by Worthington C. Ford, were issued; 

 William S. Baker compiled an "Itinerary of 

 General Washington from June 15, 17?.~>. to 

 December 23, 1783 " ; and Washington's " Journal 

 of my Journey over the Mountains while sur- 



veying for Lord Thoma> Fairfax. Huron of Cam- 

 eron, in the Northern Neck of Virginia, tx-yond 

 the Blue Itidge, in 1747- '58," was copied from 

 the original with literal exact n<-**. and edited 

 with notes by J. M. Toner, M. I). "The Story 

 of Mary Washington," by Marion llarland (Mrs*. 

 Mary Virginia H. Terhune), contained new and 

 mlen-Minir information about, tin- mother of the 

 hero. Vol. I of a new compilation bv Paul 

 Leicester Ford of "The Writing* of Tbomtt 

 Jefferson," which will fill ten voli .me*, opened a 

 rich field of study and delight to the student; 

 and Vol. Ill of "Patrick Henry: Life, ' 

 spondence, and Speeches," by William Wirt 

 Henry, the grandson of the great orator, com- 



B'eted a work of rare interest and value. To 

 enry Hall we are indebted for "Ethan Allen, 

 the Robin Hood of Vermont"; while "Robert 

 Morris," in the " Makers of America" series, by 

 William Graham Sumner, is a condensation of 

 his two volumes on " The Financier and the 

 Finances of the American Revolution," published 

 last year. The " Life of George Mason, 1725- 

 1792," including his speeches, public papers, and 

 correspondence, in two volumes, by Kate Mason 

 Rowland, had an introduction by Gen. Fitzhugh 

 Lee, and three volumes (in one edition, limited 

 to 250 copies) contained the " Letters of William 

 Lee, of Virginia, Sheriff and Alderman of Lon- 

 don, Commercial Agent of the Continental Con- 

 gress in France, and Minister to the Courts of 

 Vienna and Berlin," collected and edited by 

 Worthington C. Ford. To a later period belong 

 "Abraham Lincoln and Men of War Times," by 

 A. K. McClure ; " Abraham Lincoln." by Charles 

 Carleton Coffin: "The Children's Life of Abraham 

 Lincoln," by M. Louise Putnam; "In the Boy- 

 hood of Lincoln," by Hezekiah Butterworth ; 

 half biography, half romance ; " The Assassina- 

 tion of Lincoln: The Great Conspiracy. 1 ' by 

 Gen. T. M. Harris; "Life on the Circuit with 

 Lincoln," a superficial work, by Henry C. Whit- 

 ney ; and a new revised and enlarged edition of 

 " Abraham Lincoln : The True Story of a (ireat 

 Life," by William H. Herndon and Jesse W. 

 Weik. The "Autobiography and Personal 

 Reminiscences " of Maj.-Gen. Benjamin F. 

 Butler reviewed his legal, military, and political 

 career; and in the "Great Commanded" series, 

 edited by James Grant Wilson, "Admiral Far- 

 ragut " was from the pen of A. T. Mahon. as was 

 "General Taylor" from that of Gen. O. O. How- 

 ard. "I married a Soldier; or, Old Days in the 

 Old Army." by Lydia Spencer Lane, covered the 

 period from 1855 to the close of the war for the 

 Union, and narrated many of the hardship* of 

 life on the frontier to the softer sex. "The Ad- 

 ventures of a Blockade Runner " were related by 

 William Watson, author of "Life in the Confed- 

 erate Army "; and a new edition was published of 

 "Down in' Dixie: Life in a Cavalry Regiment in 

 the War Days, from the Wilderness to App>- 

 mattox," by Stanton P. Allen, which fir>t ap- 

 peared in 1888. " Memorials of Sarah Children 

 Polk. Wife of the Eleventh President of the 

 United States," were written by Anson and 

 Fanny Nelson. A volume u|>on " Robert 

 Toombs" was contributed by Plca*ant A. Stov- 

 all ; and from Sarah Ellen Blackwell we have 

 " A Military Genius : Life of Anna Ella Carroll, 

 of Maryland" ("The Great Unrecognized Mem- 



