executed their work in a satisfactory manner. Burns in his poems is the very incarnation of a Scotsman at his best. The most accurate as well as the most popular delineator of the genius, the fervid humour, the puritanism, the prejudices, and the peculiarities of his fellow-countrymen, he places before his readers more successfully than any other author the qualities which essentially characterize Scotsmen. It would therefore not have surprised us to have met with failures. Fortunately, his present interpreters have thoroughly understood him. To an Englishman, at all events, they seem to have preserved in their illustrations that indefinable feeling of verisimilitude which we miss in so many contemporary book-illustrators. There are no anachronisms to be detected either in time or in costume. The text is indeed not only pictured, but vividly reproduced by the artist. Without wishing to be invidious we may specify the illustrations to "Had I a Cave," "The Bonnie Banks of Ayr," "By Allan Stream," in land"The scape; and those to "Auld Lang Syne," Bonnie Lad that's far awa'," "Tam Glen," "O ALL who are acquainted with the "Memoirs" of Chateaubriand are familiar with "Atala." It was a favourite with the author. Written piecemeal, the incidents are real pictures of what is described. Whether the reader is introduced to the prairie, carpeted with vervains and obelarias; or, with the author, follows the course of the Ohio as it increases its volume by the addition of a hundred tributary streams; or sails in a canoe along the silent lakes; or loses his way amid primæval forests-he feels that the scenes described are true representations of actual life, not of life as we now know it, but of the phase of existence which presented itself to a Frenchman at the end of the last century. The local colouring, the personal adventures, are, it is true, such as could not now be met with. The Indians to whom Atala belonged are now numbered with the nations that have ceased to exist; the personages who figure in the story are as strange to the Tibbie, I hae seen the Day," and the well-known "Address to the Toothache," among the figure subjects, as being very effective. In the last named, which we have transferred to our own columns, the artist has cleverly given the scene in which the impatient sufferer proceeded to "Kick the wee stools o'er the mickle, As round the fire the giglets kickle to see him loup. The peevish irritability of the afflicted man, the expression of indifference tempered by discomfort in the presence of pain exhibited on the countenance of one woman and the smirking giggle of the other, have, we think. been very humorously and successfully rendered by Mr. Hay. Each artist has, of course, his own style, and the illustration we have given must therefore be taken, not as a sample of the whole, but simply as a specimen of the quality of the execution. This "Poems and Songs of Burns is a work of more than ephemeral value, and will, we are sure, he as popular in England as in Scotland itself. Numerous Notes and a very complete Glossary are appended to this beautiful volume. ATALA.* ILLUSTRATED BY DORÉ. inhabitants of New York or New Orleans as they are to the people of Tenby or Scarborough; even the country described has undergone such various changes, that the personages of the story-could they return to us- -would find themselves in a changed and alien land. Vast cities now occupy spots which were wilderness when Chateaubriand visited the country, and a teeming population has supplanted the decaying tribes to whom we are introduced in "Atala." Nevertheless, every reader feels that he is presented with a true picture of a state of society which at one time really existed. The work has a curious history. It was written amid the scenes described, and was carried by the author half over the world before it was published. When, in 1793, and the years immediately succeeding, Chateaubriand was starving in London, the MS. of "Atala" was *Atala. By Chateaubriand, translated by James Spence Harry. Illustrated by Gustave Dore. (Folio, 428. Cassell, Petter, and Galpin.) In to be observed between the forces of inanimate nature and the human actors in the scene. this, too, is to be observed that intensification of the grandeur of nature for which the artist is famous. Every illustration is appropriate: and even where we observe anachronisms, we discern that the fault lies less with the artist than with the author-who, in his descriptions, has given to the scenes the varying colours he derived from his own idiosyncrasies, and not from the reality of the nature he portrayed. Altogether this volume is one of the most splendid Christmas Books that has this year come before us, and is highly creditable to the eminent house which has produced it. THORVALDSEN.* ALTHOUGH Outwardly uneventful, the life of Thorvaldsen is sufficiently important to attract biographers. There are memoirs and notices of him in abundance; only the other day we had an English translation of the work by Thiele, in two volumes; and now we are presented with an account of the famous Dane's life and works, in French, by M. Eugène Plon. It is, we think, not pretended that Thorvaldsen was what we term a genius. He possessed neither the excellences nor the defects which usually characterize genius. And yet the effect he produced by his works, and on other artists, was undoubtedly more considerable than has been effected by far greater men than he. Whatever estimate is formed of him by presumably competent critics, it will be readily acknowledged by all that M. Plon, in the present work, has presented to the world of art a very valuable contribution. The rank to be assigned to Thorvaldsen had long ago been determined; his position as an artist and creative genius is undisputed; his character is well ascertained; and, in this volume, we have now all that is known, or is desirable to be known, concerning his life and works. We do not suppose that hereafter there will be enough interest concerning him and his works to excite another biographer to go over the ground which M. Plon has here so successfully traversed. The present volume may, therefore, be considered final. It far transcends in interest what has preceded it on the same subject, and will, we think, be found to contain a very complete biography of the sculptor. M. Plon's industry and intelligence are everywhere visible, and it is clear that he worked at his task con amore. The first part comprises all the biographical details that are known concerning Thorvaldsen, and is at once valuable to the art-student and interesting to the ordinary reader; the second is devoted to a consideration of the most im (Bradbury, Evans, and Co.) This is, indeed, a handy-volume edition. It consists of thirteen small volumes beautifully and clearly printed, and is admirably adapted for "the pocket, the knapsack, and the railway." It is an edition that Johnson would have prized, as he would have been enabled to use a volume, with its flexible cover, over the fire, and then, when he had done, to put it in his waistcoat-pocket, or return it to its convenient case. The text, we are told, has been arranged from a close comparison of the most trustworthy editions, such as those of Mr. Collier, Mr. Dyce, Mr. Charles Knight, Mr. Howard Staunton, and the Cam portant works left by the sculptor; and then follows a very complete catalogue raisonné, in chronological order, of the works themselves, in the composition of which, as well as in that of the preceding sections, much attention and discrimination have been bestowed by M. Plon. An Appendix, containing the Will of Thorvald sen and some other interesting documents, adds considerable value to the work. M. Plon, as might be expected, differs considerably from his predecessors in some very important points. Even the date of Thorvaldsen's birth had not, it seems, been ascertained with accuracy, and has been variously given. Some biographers mention 1771, others 1772, as the year. According to the present work, it was said by Thorvaldsen himself to be 1770; and this date has been adopted by the Danish biographer, Thiele, and, after him, by Nagler in his Nouveau Dictionnaire, and by Michand in his Biographie Universelle. Difference of opinion also exists as to the precise day, sothe giving the 9th, others the 19th, and others again the 29th, of November. M. Plon, with much probability, has decided upon the 19th; and his opinion is fortified by a memorandum kept by one M. Haste, a magistrate, who in his youth was one of the sculptor's playmates, and used to register the ages of his comrades. The work is well illustrated. It contains two fine copperplate engravings-one of the sculptor's Venus and the other of his Mercury, types respectively of male and female beauty,— by F. Gaillard, besides nearly forty smaller woodcuts, illustrative of the works of Thorvaldsen, which head the several chapters of the book. *Thorvaldsen; sa Vie, et son Euvre. Par Eugène Plon. Ouvrage enrichi de deux gravures au burin par F. Gaillard,et de trente-cinq compositions du inaitre, gravées sur bois. (Royal 8vo. Paris: Henri Plon.) bridge Edition-not omitting the folio of 1623, "with the primary object of obtaining a reading as nearly as possible in accordance with what Shakespeare actually wrote." We find. however, that the text is very nearly identical with that of the Cambridge Shakespeare-undoubtedly the best we have-and this, on a page free from notes, is all that is desired by most students. Bound in morocco with gilt edges, or in limp russia covers, in an elegant case of the same material, these volumes would form a princely present; and, recalling our own youthful remembrances, we know of nothing that would have enchanted us more than such a set of books as the "Handy-Volume Shakespeare." LYRA GERMANICA: THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.* THIS Volume has been produced regardless of expense. No pains seem to have been spared. It is printed by Clay; the illustrations are by some of our very foremost artists; the engravings are by our best engravers; the paper is of the finest quality; the binding is costly; and the book is published by the eminent house of Longmans. Taken by themselves, there is no fault to be found with the illustrations, which are the productions of Mr. Madox Brown, Mr. John Leighton, and Mr. Edward Armitage, each of them charming in its way. See, for instance, the accompanying bit of German architecture by Mr. Leighton, which is meant to illustrate the hymn for "Outward and Inward Distress," in Part II. of the volume. In design and in finish worthy of reproduction. The initial letters, too, and vignettes are very beautiful, and may be pronounced favourable specimens of British art. Whilst, however, we are thus enabled to give praise to the several portions of the work, we cannot but add that the result of so much labour and expense is not altogether satisfactory. The type appears to be too thin and meagre for the page, and the borders to be unsuitable to the type. The titles, too, of the several hymns are far from pleasant to the eye; some of them indeed will, we fear, be almost unintelligible to the reader. As regards the literary contents, to make the volume acceptable to English readers it will be enough to say, that this second series-the Christian there is nothing more to be desired. Every tile on the roof has been conscientiously given; the niches are filled in so that the subject of the figures may be recognised; every corbel is faithfully rendered. The landlord of the Golden Lion lolling at the door of his hostelry, the trooper taking his stirrup-cup, and one or two of the habitual frequenters of the Lion pledging him on his departure-all together form a picture thoroughly in keeping with the quaint architecture by which they are surrounded, and carry us back in imagination, as was intended, to the dark and troublous times of the Thirty Years' War. Whilst selecting this as a specimen, we must mention that most if not all the other illustrations are equally Life as the title implies, contains hymns of a more personal and individual character than those which appeared in the former; hymus "adapted to particular circumstances or periods of life, and to peculiar states of feeling." Many, however, are suited for congregational singing, and are now constantly used, not only in the services of the German Church, but, in their translated forms, have found their way into most modern hymnals in this country and in America, where they have been received and naturalized. *Lyra Germanica: the Christian Life. Translated from: the German by Catherine Winkworth, and illustrated by John Leighton, F. S. A.; E. Armitage, A. R. A.; and F. Madox Brown. (Small 4to. 21s. Longmans and Co.) FAIRY REALM: A Collection of the Favourite | Old Tales. Illustrated by Gustave Doré, and told in verse by Tom Hood. (4to. 21s. Cassell, Petter, and Galpin.) Notwithstanding the large number of good children's books produced annually, some of them by the most popular writers of the day, the old favourites of our childhood, and that of our great-great grandfathers and great-great grandmothers before us, continue to hold their ground. "Little Red Riding Hood," "Puss in Boots," "Mother Hubbard," "Cinderella," are still known and appreciated by the rising generation, and will doubtless continue to interest our descendants as much as they have interested ourselves. They seem to belong to no country-not even to any particular race. The plots are known in various forms in the east and the west, and are told under equatorial suns as well as amidst arctic snows: and, although we are indebted to Perrault for the modern form thus assumed, their real origin is unknown, and beyond discovery now. They are as firmly embedded in the literature of nations as mythology itself. On the present occasion our young people have an opportunity of forming an acquaintance with these favourites, or of reviving their recollection of them, by means of M. Gustave Doré's pencil. The fine favourite fairy legends which M. Doré has here illustrated are so well known, have been so often told, and in so many different ways, that it was a matter of no small difficulty to determine the best mode of treating them. The plan adopted is to give the tales in a simple metre and in the most unpretending manner, going, in short, little if anything beyond mere recital in easy verse. Mr. Hood tells old familiar stories fluently and clearly, though sometimes his verse is overloaded with allusions. THE STORY WITHOUT AN END. From the German of Carové. By the late Mrs. Sarah T. Austin. With 15 exquisite Drawings by E. V. B. printed in Colours in fac-simile of the original Water Colours, and numerous other Illustrations. (4to. 12s. Low, Son, and Marston.) Of its kind this is without exception the most beautiful book of the season. Were it possible to have produced it in the Middle Ages, monasteries would have disputed for its possession, and negotiations would have been entered into for its use. Children of our day have, indeed, much to be thankful for; and for nothing more than the beautiful books that are written for them by the most eminent authors, and produced for them by publishers in the best style of art. This "Story without an End," translated by the late Mrs. Austin from the German of Carové, and published by Messrs. Sampson Low and Co. is a book which will give delight to all who are so fortunate as to become its possessors. The tale is admirably suited to the capacity of those to whom it is chiefly addressed. It is metaphorical enough to whet the appetite of young readers, and make them auxious to ascertain the hidden meaning, and plain enough for those who seek no meaning but what is presented to their eyes on the printed page, and in the pictures which illustrate it. These latter, indeed, are marvels of beauty in design and execution. They are the most brilliant specimens we have seen of English colour-printing, and not only do the printers, Messrs. Leighton Brothers, do justice to the drawings of the honourable lady who designed them, but in tone and colour they have produced pictures which appear as fine as some of the best of those which illustrate mediæval Missals and Books of Hours. There is, moreover, a homogeneity in the series which will make the volume most attractive to young folk, who usually are very susceptible of incongruities in the books they read. The cover, too, with title inlaid in ivory, is a novelty in the binder's art. We may address our readers in the words used by Mrs. Austin in the dedication of the book to her daughter :"The story you love so much in German, I dedicate to you in English. Let us hope that your confident expectations of sympathy in your pleasure may not be disappointed; or that, if others think the story less beautiful than you do, they may find compensation in the graceful designs it has inspired." (4to. POETRY OF THE YEAR: A Series of Illus trations from the Drawings of Birket Foster, Harrison Weir, Barker, Lejeune, E. V. B., Duncan, Lee, Cox, &c. &c. beautifully executed in chromo-lithography, and mounted. 16s. Griffin and Co.) The design of this volume, although not new, is a happy one. It enables the editor to bring together the most beautiful lyrics and pastoral poems in our language, and thus to give the reader some of the most splendid poems, or passages from poems, extant. There is no doubt that, in descriptions of external nature, no poets surpass our own. The seasons in all their moods are accurately reflected in our verse, and the subjects of some of our most exquisite poems consist of the sights and sounds peculiar to English seasons and English landscape. It is not surprising, then, that among the contributors to this collection are numbered the brightest names on our poetic roll. Spenser and Surrey, Shakespeare and Milton, Keats and Shelley, Wordsworth and Southey, Burns and Thomson, Clare and Bloomfield, Longfellow and Bryant, have all contributed to the selection, and the result is one of the most interesting collections of elegant extracts in our language. With such wealth before him, the difficulty of an editor would be one arising from doubt as to what should be omitted. He has, however, done his work satisfactorily. It is true that living English poets are excluded, but the volume coutains enough to compensate for their omission. Of the chromo-lithographs we cannot speak in unqualified praise. The illustrations are perhaps up to the average but we do not think full | justice has been done to the drawings of Creswick and Birket Foster. Mr. Harrison Weir and Mr. Wolf have not ceased to give us noble specimens of the feathered denizens that strut about the barnyard, any more than Birket Foster and Creswick have ceased to produce exquisite landscapes-but the manner in which their work has been reproduced, although, as we have said, not below the average mode, is not in the very highest style of the art. |