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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    ¦ M ¦ ~ l !!¦_ I I ' - ~ - . From Mr . William Patereon , Edinburgh . —We venture to say there are few subjects capable of

    literary treatment more difficult to present in a i * popular ' form than the early history of Scotland . One might as well expect to see a '

    popuhfr-5 sed ' history of the Heptarchy , whose wearisome sequence ot battles has , as a mighty poet remarkedabout as much interest for humanity as

    the fights , of the kites and crows . The early story of Scotland is incapable of being what is called ™ ^^^ r - ^ ^ pv - ^^ - ^ f ^ popularised ^¦ v ~^^ ^^ — » ^^ — — - ^^ — ^ - » - » - ^ . It ^ may ^^^ ¦ ^^^ ^——¦ - be —— - - ¦— condensed — ' ° ^— — — — — — , w and - — — —

    the volumes may be issued at a cheap price , but it would indeed be a difficult task to invest the harsh and obscure details with that amount of

    attractiveness which is necessary to gain and retain the attention of everyday readers . Mr . Duncan Keith , in his newly published

    * History of Scotland , Civil and Ecclesiastical , from the Earliest Times to the Death of David I ., 1153 ' ( 2 vols . ) 'brings before the public Mn a

    popular form the , history and state of the people of Scotland during a period little known to any but students of archaeology _ . ' Our opinion of the

    - CJt / A "book is that , eo far as tlje accomplishment of his task was practicable , Mr . Keith has been successful ; indeedfrom this point of viewthe work is

    in a high degree , j meritorious x ~ . His authoriti , es certainly are not recondite , but those which have been consulted have been used with discrimination . Mr .

    Keith ' s research , arrangement , and literar / expression are worthy of recognition . The first volume is — devoted . __ to — civil — history — _ embracing _ the

    Roman period _ , legendary history ^ , , origin of the term Scot , a Narrative—fifth to sixth century , PictlandNorse invasionsDonaldfirst King of

    , , , Albanf Narrative—Duncan , Malcolm III / Canmore , calamitous effects of the death of Malcolm , and a Short History of Ireland from a . m . 2242 to

    a . d . 498 . Eccl esiastical history occupies the whole of the second volume . Succeeding an i ntroduction dealing with the prehistoric period we find

    chapters on Hagiological literature , early Scottish saints , St . Patrick , St . Columba , the institution at Ionathe family of H " y ( Iona ) the Celtic Church

    in Alban , Dissolution of the , Celtic Church and the Establishment , of the Roman system . On most of these subjects Mr . Keith has been

    successful in grouping—in a very readable way it must be confessed—a large amount of information of that nature which best answers the purpose A . 1 he

    had in view . People who are acquainted with the multiplicity of books upon the questions dealt with by the author will be ready to

    congratulate him upon the completion of his task ; and to hope with him that the growing love of investigation will be strengthened by the result of

    his researches , and will direct readers to the study of those more exhaustive works of Dr . Skenewhich are a monument to the accurate

    , scholarship of the age . The new history has been very well produced by the publisher , and it has an ample index .

    From Mr . Bernard Quaritoh . — ' Rainbow Music , ' by Lady Archibald Campbell , is a contribution to

    the literature of what is termed the harmony of colours , from which it would appear that even a melody of colours may be looked for at no distant

    date . The book is interesting in so far as it shows a special and , to us , novel direction of thought . Lady Archibald says that ' a knowledge

    that gives the power to perceive and the wit to make use of the peacock as a beautiful theme for I decorationthe genius to work it out and to

    , I impress it with a strong individuality , with a

    leaning fantastic-wards , is essentially **

    Whistleresque "; for originality may be eaid to be the I characteristic of Mr . Whistler ' s art / I

    From the Heligious Tract Society . —' The Mar- I Emma tyr ' s Victory Leslie , ' is a a — tale story — of of Danish missionary — —far England life im , the by [ I I

    ninth century , . The ^ author - - has ^"" ~~^~~ handled j »^« ^^ s av the L ix O II I ^ H subject carefully , the result being a very credit- H able

    literary story effo of rts ||| an rather age whose difficult obscurity . * The makes Martyr such '

    s Victory n narrative arrative ' , , may luli full of of be incident incident spoken , of and and as tolera tolera being bJ bfy a v grap tru trne a hic to fn f !

    the traditions of the remote , past . From the same . — ' Christ and the Heroes of Heathendom' by the Rev . James WellsM . A . Author of i

    , , , ' Bible Echoes' & c , is a published series of j lectures delivered to a Young Men ' s Literary ! Institute . The style being more popular than i

    profound by pleasantl , vth © y introducing book should youthful serve a us readers eful purpose to an ! acquaintance with some of the greatest names in ;

    tetus ancient , and story others * , -3 form Eschy the lus , subjects Socrates of , P lato volume , -Epic- . A powerful paper is that on * Christ and His

    Competitors . ' From the same . — 'Peril and Adventure in Central

    Africa' is a "book having a peculiarly melancholy interest , being a series of illustrated letters to the youngsters at home by the late Bishop

    Hannington . The illustrations are from , original ekttches by the Bishop . A biographical notice precedes the letters . The volume should be a

    lavourite gift to young folk . From the same . —Dr . Macaulay , the editor of the

    Leisure Hour , is known io have ^ a very happy facility for gleaning characteristic incidents from the written lives of great men . We have just

    perused his ' Livingstone Anecdotes , ' being a bketch of the career , and illustrations of the character — of David — Livingstone — . The book is * all

    , - - ^ j that could be desired in a work of the kind . From the same . —* Young S ! t Richard , ' by H .

    Frederick Charles , is a simple , pleasantly-written stpry that ehou ] Ui have great attraction for young people , and that can scarcely fail to interest

    their seniors as well . The hero , Dick Hanbury , is so boyish ,. so thoroughly natural and human , bubbling over with hih K 7 iritsand UV 4 perfectl fc /

    irrepressible MMVVliiJ g V V \ J J . in If llli his . , AlJ cheery g ^ Ai sp L / lXJt lig , bt -heartedness \ J A . A V ^ "Jy , albeit albeit a « . sjwI sad scapegrac RranGfrriL ^ e e and and mischief TniHO . hi « f worker worker , t that hat

    , fi the rst , reader and is ' s maintai sympath ned y throug goes out hout to the him account from the of his career » . In artistic h w ^ ar contrast mm ^ m w *& to the hero is the ¦ kj

    ^—^ — *^ r ^ rm ^^ . ^^ ^^ *^ v ^ " ^ ^»^> ^ v ^ m ^* ^ v * ^ r ^^ ^^ - ^ ^ m ^^ ^ r ^^ ^ r ^ v ^ ^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^ w ^^ *~ ^^ with character great of cleverness Geoffrey Burton and force , equall . * Young y sketched Sir Richard * is a very good storywhich should be

    highly appreciated by readers . , * From the Salvation Army Book Depdt .

    —Outside the ranks of the army not a few persons ra » y be found williog to read something of its organisation and wonderful progress Mt . ^ 3 . All is fully

    described in " Twenty-one Years Salvation Army under the generalship of William Booth . As might be expected , the book is characterised by to to

    conventionalities unctuous unctuous enthusias enthusiasm -which m , , and and ignores that that the indifference indifferen possibility ce of existence for any literary style .

    From the Soientiflo Publishing Co . ( limited ) .

    ' The 86 . Gas This and is the Water tenth Com edition panies of Directory a very usefu w l

    Jfo : . ¦ ' - -T ' ¦ ' ; "¦ - : . -- : '...

    jfo : . ¦ ' - -t ' ¦ ' ; " ¦ : . -- : ' ¦ : -- ' -- ; ' - " - ' ^^ ^ ^ ^^ r - ^ ^ ^ - ' 1 ioi 6 The i , Publishers' Circular is Sto

    IOlO 'Juc . JLUuuouw » v ^ uu-uu . Sept ** - -JJj * t * 1886 . *** II II

• Citation
  • Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), Sept. 15, 1886, page 1016, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_15091886/page/14/