198 REVIEWS THE BOOKSELLER. 



wealthy sunshine -friend, and the politician bent on " serving his 

 country," he thus handles the author; though, as will be seen — with 

 an author's experience, — he has a niche reserved for the critic too : — 



Whene'er an author shows you meekly 



His last new book. 

 And says all critics, daily, weekly, 



Its faults o'erlook, 

 And praise it far beyond its merits — 



On this decide. 

 He ranks himself "wilh choicest spirits, 



And bursts with pride. 



Whene'er a critic o'er his duties 



Still snarls and snaps; 

 AfSrms all faults, and speaks of beauties 



With cold " perhaps," 

 Hunts for small flaws with keenest pleasure 



From day to day ; 

 The man's a donkey; know his measure; 



And let him bray. 



In reference to all such matters the '' Bookseller " is the organ of 

 the trade. Its monthly obituaries record the demise of bibliopolic 

 notabilities ; and its historical narratives tell of the grand achieve- 

 ments of publishing and bookselling enterprise. Moreover, as such, 

 it professes to have glimpses behind the curtain ; to know who the 

 great unknowns are ; and from time to time to let its readers into 

 the secret. Since the death of T. K. Hervey a certain change has 

 been noticable in the tone of the Athenseum, ascribable to the con- 

 sequent changes in editorial generalship. A paragraph in the 

 " Bookseller," for February, admits us into the Athenaeum's editorial 

 sanctum, in its zeal on behalf of the occupant : 



" The Saturday Review,^ says our Trade organ, " Is supposed to be edited by a 

 gentleman who has long been connected with the press — Mr, Cooke, formerly of 

 the Morning Chronicle, — and he might be supposed to understand what is due from 

 one literary gentleman towards another ; yet, in the Review for February 12th, we 

 find the editor of the Athenceum, Mr. Hepworth Dixon, designated as ' dull, pom- 

 pous, factious, ill-informed, and inaccurate ;' also as a * garbler of historical evi- 

 dence.' Has not the editor any control over the ' gentlemen ' who condescend to 

 write in the Saturday Review ?" 



So then, Mr. Hepworth Dixon is the new editor of the Atliencemn. 

 This at least accounts for the style in which Macaulay has been 

 handled of late in the columns of that literary periodical. Again 



