Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931), Saturday 6 May 1899, page 4


recent PUBLICATIONS.

-~ ? ^ ? ^ COPY of an exceptionally A t*^, R°od ^all-map, pubM V&j lisbed by the well-known Jwa tfjg firm of Messrs. Collins Iff \ n Brothers, bas been for/Pp\ j\ warde.i to us bv Messrs. fjf~\L j&m ^ Angus and Robertson. IA \V (ffiS^&J In this n.ap Australia is

'made the cen;ral point, eo that the icqairvr after knowledge bas not to dodge from one hemispaerd to another to obtain the relative position of the other continents. This map has been approve . of ?? y tne Department for Public Instruction, and it will prove an admirable imp for conveying to the 3 oung, untrivelied Australianmind mind a bet' er idea ot the

position of Australia on the globe th^n is given by the ordinary and conventional form of nfap, which generally leads the child to believe that Australia is a forlorn island continent, always stowed away in one of the lover cerners of 1 he map. The different trade routes now existent are marked on the map, ani it is a matter of notice how nearly tbe whole of them centre in Sydney. A smaller map {jiving the isothermal lines, winds, currents, &c, is included. Altogether, as a comprehensive m»p of the world for Australians, it is an original and valuable pro iuction. '?Splashes' is a new social illustrated journal. The literary contents of the first number does not call for much comment, the distinguishing article l eing one on the departure of prisoners to Cockatoo Island. This and a silhouette likeness of. Sir George Dibb3 are both very good. . Wo have received 'Lessons of My Life ' from 'General*' Booth. 'The Australasian Book of Poultry/' by A. J. Compton (-3. Kobertson and Company publishers), is certainly the most important work on poultrybreeding ever published m Australia. J he illustrations are carefully drawn, so as to show the shape ani plumage ot the particular breed they are intended to depict, and the letterpress, besides coming from the competent pen of Mr.-Com^ton, has been ennehe i by contributions from otner experts. Certaiuly every poultry breeder should buy this book, for it is net worth while, nor does it paj, to keep poultry unless they are kept propirly. By. means of these pages the veriest amateur can teach himself. Front Messrs. Brooks and Company ire have received anoteer of tbeir educational aeries, beingan ' Illustrated Method for Easily Learning or Teaching French,' by E. Perier. The book is an excellent one lor the purpose, the beginner not Jbeing overburdened with strings of irregular verbs. The illustrations which accompany the lessons should also be ot great assistance to. the youthful learner. The bints us to pronunciation are plain and sensible.

From Messrs. G. Robertson we have received a p&mpblet on the career of Thoma3 Carlyie, by the Kev. James Henderson. It ia called ' From the Pe isanta' Settle to the Throne of Literary Supremacy,' and deals with the subject in a plain and interesting manner. 'The Australasian Photographic Review' his, as usual, some elever samples of reproductions, and is fall of valuable advice to photographers and other matters interesting to the cult. ?' The Cleverest Woman in En jland,' by L, T. Meade (George Bell and Sons) has been forwarded by -r. Robertson and Company. L. r. Meade has done some good work, but this book cannot be classed amongst it. .Dammar Olloffson marries a man with the somewhat familiar name of Geoffrey Hamlyn. She is un eajjer woman ot the newest opinions, and he has the oldtashioned notion's of the duties of the wife and mother. Naturally there are many jars, which his sister, who, very curiously, lives with them, does not seek to mitigate. In the end Dammar settles matters by catching smallpox and dying. As helpirg on the endlesB controversy abom wvman's rights and woman's wrongs, the book 'may be well enough. As a novel it is tame. -The *' Australian Magazine,' No. 2, is to hand. The illustrations are somewhat better than before, and they needed to be so. The meet -interesting, article is one by George Colliugridge contravening the historical-geographical statement made by Cardinal Moran as to the landing place of De Quires having been at the present fort Curtis in Queensland. Collingridge is thoroughly at home on such subjects, and his work is always good. The course pursued by Torres after the separation of the j=faips is sufficient proof that the theory is preposterous, und the ' Bulletin' drew attention to the laets at the time that the Cardinal uttered his. solemn theory. ., Henry. La wson has a story in this number, and the remainder of the contents is just what magazine literature onght sot to be— colorless. ' One writer, however, must be noticed for one brilli -nt sentence: ' Si^na of wealth and taste met my hurried glances — collections of arnior/ pictures, elegant hat-racks, and busts.' 'Elegant bat- racks' is decidedly j-ooJ. A picture called ??Babette' is also remarkable tor the fearful and wonderful distortion ot the subject portrayed. From the publishers, Messrs. George Robertson and Company, we have received ' a Student of Women,' fcj an author signing himself '.fiugah.' It deals' with an unhappy marriage, and the hero, after his first wife dying, somehow mikes. a mecs of another love affair. It is hard 10 understand why the book should be culled by its title, as the hero does not seem to lie a very a-st student of wotaen an j way. There are some other short stories in the volume. The tiles are pieasantU -written, though the style is somewhat crude. :?. ? 'Off the High Ro id,*' by Eleanor O. Price (Maciuillan u.n-1 Company, .pubiisbersj, is . tke fetory of a persecute . heiress ikving fro.ii iier guardians, v- no se.-k to furce. her i,.io an ol'jeetionat.l* ui.rriijfi-. She flies so a scniil couinrv town in ti;e midland «.oui..t;e-j, and tiieie 1 strts an advertisement in tt.e lo^l pawr, tiEiiin-j; ior a Josl^iiiy 'oif Die lugii ro--.' ? : he iinds ] it in ?! if. i mi -.m.--e ttandin^ on tti-? jrop.rty -.?! p. pjumLfc3 oqu.rv, wjosj tou r^iis m iove vita

her. She goes through many adventures, and ib only discovered by her guardians when within a few hours o' her coming o- age. The story is very readable, and the characters are attractive. ' Swallow,*' by Rider Haggard, has been seat to as by George Robertson and Company (Longman, Green, and Company). Eider iiaggard has not been so much in evidence lately, and one of his last looks, 'The People of tbe Mist,' shoved a distinct tailing off trom the creator of 'Allan Quirtermain.' 'Swallow' deals with tiie Boer Trek of 1836, and is the name given bv the Kaffirs to the heroine. The story is supposed to be nictated to her great granddaughter by the mother of the heroine, then an aged woman, ihe plot hinges on the discovery of a castaway English boy, who is adopted by Swailow's father and mother and finally marries her. The troubles are caused by a Boer rival, who m -kes s--ver d we il- meant attempts to umrder the successful lover~and ran off with Jiis bride. At last he so nearly succeeds that Swallow takes refuge with a Kaffir tribe, where she is protected by a grate ml witch-doctress. In the end she is rescued by her husband, and Swart Fiet, the villain, is hurled from a mountain pinnacle. There is plenty of hard fi^htm^ and hairbreadth escapes throughout, and Mr. Haggard bas recovered a goo. 1 deal of his old dash ot style. ' f he Plunder Pit,' by Keighley Snowden (Methuen's Colonial Library), has been forwarded to us by G. Robertson and Company. It is the story of the breaking up and punishment of a band of burgUrs and thieves, who used tne basement of an old abbey as a storage place tor their plunder ; hence the title. A love story ia woven in with this, which of eourse ends happily, and apirt irom the fact that the author &as a somewhat jerky and incoherent w\iy of writing ' Tne Plunder Pit ' forms a readable tale. ' Scribner's ' (Gordon and Gotoh) is not quite so good as usual this month. The ' Bough Rid«rs' and the letters of R. L. Stevenson seem to be interminable, particularly the la'-ter. 'The City Editor's Conscience' is a good snort story, and a 'Winter Trip to Klondike' forms an interesting article. The 'Home Journal' for May has a well -assorted contents, and its pages are fall of th* subjects appertaining to Home, The illustrations are somewhat blurred this month, ana wu certainly fail, to see anything pleasing in the so-called type of beauty. 'Racecourse and Battle-field,' by the sporting Australian writer, Nat Gould, comes to us from G. Robertson and Company (published by Eoutled^e and Compwv). Gould is always good at sporting scenes, and the novel commences with a spirted description of the Grand Aatiocal. The bero runs turough all his money, and finally goes as war correspondent to the Soudan. Here the battle-field comes in. Of coursa he distinguishes himself, and wins the «irl of his heart. Mr. Gould writes in tbe breezy style wnicn a writer ot Bport and outdoor life would naturally adopt, and his latt work will meet with many appreciative readers.