"THE LIBRARY OF FAMOUS LITERATURE."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 182, 12 August 1901, Page 2

"THE LIBRARY OF FAMOUS LITERATURE."

De Quincey once entered upon a circulation of the numbar of books a studious man might except to read in a lifetime, if he gave up to literatim the day* which most rafn are compelled to devo'e to sterner labours. Tht figurei we' 6 d'sippiintingly meagre ; and although in is true that the Eng lish Opium Eater omitted to m>kproper allowance for the great things which can be accomplished by the judicious exercise of the art of skipping, the fact remains that not even the most assiduous or the mo<t leisured can hope to make acquaintance with one-tenth of the books they desire to read. The books which one "ought to read" may, perhaps, he left out of account, since the miscellaneous wanderer into the broad field of literature is under no such obligation to acquaint himself with all the master-pieces of letters as is incumbent upon the professional critic. Great books are often little read. The scanty leisure of the average man of cultivated tastes is absorbed by the endeavour to "keep abreaat" of contemporary additions to the bookshelves, by the re reading of a few old favouritrs, or by the pursuit of some special' line of literary, ioquiry. Mo e-t,ver, the masWpieee is not al ways readily accessible. And, indeed, the tired man, who comes home at night with perhaps only an hour to spend with a book, may be forgiven for not attempting to make a collection even of the immortals of his own ton[ gue. He finds that the serious pursuit of literature is difficult, if not impossibly to bim. What he needs, indeed, is rather an Anthology than a library proper, the opportunity to pick and cho )so, to pursue where fancy suggests or personal interest dictate?. But an Anthology which shall take a wide \iew of literature, which shall embrace the old and the nev, which shall reproduce 'he univ n>l language of genius in all aaes, under all conditions, and under all forms of achievement ba« never be f'ire b-en at ; erupted, Such an attempt has now beea mido, and »n announcement we publ.sh this morning bears witness to its extent and thoroughness. "The International Library of famous Literature " is an endeavour to present, in a compact form, tbe cream of all literature. It is a great undertaking, and its subess in' England has been the event of the past publishing season. The eeneial Editor of the "Library" is Dr. Bichard Garnet*. 0. 8., who to an encyclopaedic knowledge of books acquired in his long service in the Raiding Riom of the British Mu<«um, adds a critical skill and an enthusiasm for letters which hav» already made many charming contributions to contemporary literature. Ne man could be bitter equipped for a task so delicate and so difficult. He has been assisted in his labours by- M. Leon Vallee tbe erudite L : braran of the Bibliotheque Na'ionale, who has not only brought the fruit of his specialised experience, but has also enriched the Library by tho contribution of an admirable study of French literature: Professor Brand!, who occupies the Chair of Literature in the Imperial University of Berlin, has also been associated with Dr. Garnett in the preparation of the Library, and ha* written, for the fourth volume of the work, a study of " Tbe Main Currents of German Literature." Mr. Donald G; -Mitchell, who is, perhaps, .better known ucder his familiar pseudonyn of "Ik Marvel," is responsible for those emotions'of the work which deal with that American literature which, in a good deal less than a working century, has added so extensively to our book-she'veg.

i . The plan nf the work is simplicity [ itae'f. The twenty of "The [ Library of Famous Literature" cantain the best parts of each author's . work, not a ragged extract, but a caro- - fully-chosen complete pic ure in tbat author's typical style —enough for balf-an-hour's reading, enough to give the , rodder the desire I sfdro of inUl'ectual i change of air. Morn thin a t.hc/usand 1 of these /examples ara offered in a 1 handsome and convenient form. Nor ' is the result a ra re compromise The . best thing an author ever wrote is, for the purpose of occasional reading, better than the whole bidy of his work, ; since it enables tho r- ader to get at the essence of his creation, without losing ! time owr the straw and chuff which form a part of even tba most, precious literary growths. The " Library," in . short, endeavours to do the reader's " skipping " for him, perhaps to do it more judiciously than he could himself, and, in any case, to do it intelligently and with insight. Of so | voluminous and go many sided a work it is obviously impossible to give a de- ! tailed ac.iount, but an examination of the vo'uroes shows that Dr. Garnett ; and his awoeiato have exhibited very considerable ingenuity .in the selection and arracgoment of th'ir material. Trie index to the twenty volumes shews that; more than three hundred of the mo it famous poems, and more than four hundred of the bmt stories, are included in this Anthology, which alfo contains the best of the world's store of travel and adventure, philosophy and science, wit and humour, letter.?, journals and rneraoirß. F.ve hundred full-page illustrations, printed apirt from the letterpress, on enamelled paper, add ti the beauty and interest of the volumes. In addition to an original s-nie-i of portraits of authors in their h mes, these il'ustratior'S include a number of co'oured reproductions of i'luminations from rave mediaeval manuscripts. Examples of this oft a n delightful form of art are s ldom 'o f-e found in books deigned for the general reader, and they have a peculiar interest ar.d valuo. The only certain knowledge we have of tha customs, dress and household decoration of the Middle Agfa is derived from the carefully painted d»sians with which the mo "kg enriched their manuscript hooka of devotioß, and the Editors of the Library have done well to include these plates among their illustrations. The twenty volumes contain ten thousand pages of the best work that; has been done in literature since men first struggled to give literary form to their traditions, their fancies, and thoir invention, from the most ancient fragment of an Egyptian papyrus down to the contemporary work of the American humourist. But these twenty volumes contain, also, some notable contributions to criticism in the shape .of a series of original Essays which, if cot exactly a guide to all literature, form at least a serious contribution to its study. Thus, to ini'n'ion cn'y a selec ion of these chapters, M. Leon Vallee writes upin " French Literature," 'Dr Alois Bi'uiHl upon "The Main Currents of German Literature," Professor Pasquale Yillari upon " The Italian Renaissance," Dr Edward Dawden upon " Characteristics f of Elizabethan Literature," Dean Far-| rar upon " The Literature of Religious I Criticism," Mr. Edmund Gosse upon

r The Appreciation of Poetry," Sir Walter Besant upon " Novell that have made History," Profetsor J. P. Mah»fiy upon "The Literature of History," M. Paul Bourget upon "The Critical Essay in France," Mr. Henry James upon "The Future of the Novel," Mr. BreS Harte upon "The Rise of the Short S:ory," Mr. Maurice Maeterlinck upon " The Modern Drama," Mr. Andrew Laog upon " The Progres* of Literature in the Nioe•esiith Century," M. Brunetiore writeon " French Poetry in the Nineteenth Jentury," and M. Emile Zola upon " The Naturalist School of Fic'.i in in France.'To the work of each author is Appended a brief useful biography and bibliography; while the index, whiob contains more than ten thousand entries, appear to be singularly complete and well arranged, And it is not the least recommendation of this " Libiary of Famous Literature," that its volumes, although containing five hundred pages each, are free from the too frequent disadvantage of excessive weight. Their lightness, indeed, makes them singularly pleasant to handle. Thi», however, is tnerdly t> mechanical advantage, convenient, perhaps, but not everything. The essential is that the volumes do achieve that which ihey set out to accomplish. The creative work of all times and all peoples is th;-re represented with a fulness and richness altogether surprising.