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PREFACE Publications from which Digests of Reviews are Made A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

PREFACE

This volume is the third annual cumulation of the Book Review Digest. It includes principally the books of 1907 that have been reviewed by the best book critics in England and America. It aims first to record with unprejudiced exactness the scope, character and subject content of books as they appear, and further, to supplement this descriptive information from month to month with excerpts culled from the best current reviews appearing in forty-seven English and American magazines which give prominence to book criticism, thus furnishing to the librarian a basis for the valuation of books. Frequently the best reviews of a book appear during the year following its publication, so in this volume will be found supplementary excerpts relating to books which were entered in the 1906 annual. It will be observed that a number of entries include only the descriptive note. Reviews for these books have not yet appeared; 1908 will furnish the material for appraisal, and excerpts will be included in current numbers of the digest as fast as reviews are published.

In sending out this annual the publishers wish to emphasize the co?perative phase of the undertaking. From three to six people have been engaged during 1907 in the work of preparing descriptive notes to approximately 2,800 books, and clipping from 1,000 copies of magazines sentences most helpful for book selection. This card-index information furnished to libraries for five dollars per year would cost them many hundred times this sum should they do it themselves. For the time thus given to a valuable and indispensable part of library work the publishers look for an equivalent in the support of libraries all over the country. The justice of the statement "Time is Money" is commensurate with its economic terseness.

Publications from which Digests of Reviews are Made

Acad.--Academy. . 20 Tavistock St., Covent Garden, London. Am. Hist. R.--American Historical Review. . Macmillan Company. 66 Fifth Ave., New York. Am. J. Soc.--American Journal of Sociology. . University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill. Am. J. Theol.--American Journal of Theology. . University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill. A. L. A. Bkl.--A. L. A. Booklist. . A. L. A. Publishing Board, 34 Newbury St., Boston. Ann. Am. Acad.--Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. . 36th and Woodland Ave., Philadelphia. Arena.--Arena. .50. Albert Brandt, Princeton Avenue, Trenton, N. J. Astrophys. J.--Astrophysical Journal. . University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill. Ath.--Athenaeum. .25. Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, E. C., London. Atlan.--Atlantic Monthly. . Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 4 Park St., Boston, Mass. Bib. World.--Biblical World. . University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Bookm.--Bookman. .50. Dodd, Mead & Co., 372 5th Ave, N. Y. Bot. Gaz.--Botanical Gazette. . University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Cath. World.--Catholic World. . 120-122 W. 60th St., New York. Critic--Merged into Putnam's on October 1, 1906. Dial.--Dial. Fine Arts Building, 203 Michigan Blvd., Chicago, Ill. Educ. R.--Educational Review. . Educational Review Pub. Co., Columbia University, N. Y. El. School T.--Elementary School Teacher. .50. University of Chicago Press. Chicago. Engin. N.--Engineering News. . 220 Broadway, New York. Eng. Hist. R.--English Historical Review. . Longmans, Green, and Co., 39 Paternoster Row London, E. C. Forum.--Forum. . Forum Publishing Co., 45 East 42d Street. New York. Hibbert J.--Hibbert Journal. . Williams & Norgate, London. Ind.--Independent. . 130 Fulton St., N. Y. Int. J. Ethics.--International Journal of Ethics. .50. 1415 Locust St., Philadelphia. Int. Studio.--International Studio. . John Lane, 110-114 West 32d Street, New York. J. Geol.--Journal of Geology. . University of Chicago Press, Chicago. J. Philos.--Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods. . Science Press, Lancaster, Pa. J. Pol. Econ.--Journal of Political Economy. . University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill. Lit. D.--Literary Digest. . 44-60 East 23d Street, New York. Lond. Times.--London Times , London, England. Mod. Philol.--Modern Philology. . University of Chicago Press. Chicago, Ill. Nation.--Nation. . P O Box 794, New York. Nature.--Nature. . 66 Fifth Ave., New York. N. Y. Times.--New York Times Saturday Review, New York. No. Am.--North American Review. . North American Review Pub. Co., Franklin Sq., New York. Outlook.--Outlook. . Outlook Co., 287 4th Ave., New York. Philos. R.--Philosophical Review. . Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. Phys. R.--Physical Review. . Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. Pol. Sci. Q.--Political Science Quarterly. . Ginn & Co., 29 Beacon St., Boston. Psychol. Bull.--Psychological Bulletin. . 41 North Queen St., Lancaster, Pa. Putnam's--Putnam's Monthly and the Critic. . G. P. Putnam's Sons, 27 & 29 W. 23rd St., New York. R. of Rs.--Review of Reviews. . Review of Reviews Co., 13 Astor Place, New York. Sat. R.--Saturday Review. .50. 33 Southampton St. Strand, London. School R.--School Review. .50. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill. Science, n.s.--Science . . Garrison-on-Hudson, N. Y. Spec.--Spectator. .50. 1 Wellington St., Strand, London. Yale R.--Yale Review. . New Haven. Conn.

OTHER ABBREVIATIONS:

The plus and minus signs preceding the names of the magazines indicate the degree of favor or disfavor of the entire review.

In the reference to a magazine, the first number refers to the volume, the next to the page and the letters to the date.

Books noticed for the first time this month have an asterisk immediately below the author's name in entry heading.

A Maltese Cross indicates that the A. L. A. Booklist suggests the books for first purchase. The letter S indicates that the same publication recommends the book for small libraries.

The publications, named above, undoubtedly represent the leading reviews of the English-speaking world. Few libraries are able to subscribe for all and the smaller libraries are supplied with comparatively few of the periodicals from which the digests are to be culled. For this reason the digest will be of greater value to the small libraries, since it places at their disposal, in most convenient form, a vast amount of valuable information about books, which would not otherwise be available.

We shall endeavor to make the descriptive notes so comprehensive, and the digests so full and accurate, that librarians who do not have access to the reviews themselves, will be able to arrive at substantially correct appreciations of the value of the books reviewed.

This is particularly true in regard to the English periodicals, which are practically out of the reach of the ordinary library, we shall endeavor to make the digest of these reviews so complete that there will be little occasion to refer to the original publications.

Book Review Digest

Devoted to the Valuation of Current Literature

Digests of Reviews appearing in January-December 1907 magazines

Norwegian farm life is pictured with quaint detail in this story of Lisbeth, the little peasant who came to Hoel farm as its herd girl and by faithful service won the proud position of head milk maid.

"Gives the best picture we have of Norwegian farm life."

"A very neat translation of a very pretty little Norwegian story."

"A simple and delightful story."

True only to the sentiment "upon which thread this rosary of love letters has been strung" the author has rendered the letters of Abelard and Heloise in rhyme.

"A sympathetic setting forth in English verse, of the letters of these historic lovers."

A posthumous work that represents a life time of study. "The determining principle of the whole structure is that 'whatever is evolved as consequent must be involved as antecedent.' The outcome of this 'principle of absolute logic' is that personality, in the philosophic sense of the word, is 'both the source and outcome of all that is,' and that philosophy at last becomes 'theology modernized as scientific realism and scientific theism.'"

"We confess that we have found in his work little to clarify the problems of philosophy and nothing besides the author's own earnestness and enthusiasm which we can call uplifting. In no way does the book appear to us to be a prolegomena to science or an important contribution to philosophy."

"The novel terminology once mastered, the new method becomes interesting."

"They are erudite and earnest, but dogmatic and ineffective. We do not question the earnestness and sincerity which have produced these two volumes, but we do question whether the absolute unit-universal will save his philosophical children from their sins through the message of the syllogistic philosophy." R. B. C. Johnson.

"Well equipped with wide and careful reading as Dr. Abbot evidently was, he seems to have fallen upon an arid formalism which forces him to serve up afresh, and with reiterated emphasis, many of the contingent features peculiar to idealistic absolutism in the nineteenth century."

From the point of view of the worker of magic, Mr. Abbott, who is not a medium, reveals all the tricks of the s?ance. "The ardent believers whose faith no number of exposures can disturb, the skeptics whom no sort of s?ance has been able to convince, and the scientific investigators toward whom the author is a bit contemptuous, will all find in its pages matter in plenty either interesting or irritating."

"All those who have a kind of shamefaced desire to know just what spiritualists do and how they do it will be entertained by his exposures. Even those who go full of faith to consult palmists, clairvoyants, fortune-tellers, and other modern sorcerers, will find him interesting."

"There will be racy reading for a good many different kinds of people in Mr. Abbott's leisurely turning inside out of mediumistic tricks."

"In reply to friendly dissentients from his views, especially as expressed in his previous book, 'Silanus the Christian,' the author publishes this 'explanation and defense' of them as an introduction to two volumes of a technical and critical character to appear presently. His view of the Biblical miracles is 'that some are literally true, but in accordance with what are called laws of nature; others are not literally true, but are metaphorical or poetical traditions erroneously taken as literal; others are visions that have been erroneously taken as non-visionary facts.'"--Outlook.

"It may be pointed out that Dr. Abbott's reason for calling Christ supernatural has nothing to do with the evidence furnished in the New Testament and it is therefore not easy to see why there should be such a waste of interpretation as there is in his books."

Dr. Abbott addresses himself to readers who are not ready to accept the miraculous element in the New Testament and who at the same time do not reject the doctrine of Christ's divinity. He shows that the belief is not rendered impossible by the disbelief. The book is in the form of an autobiography of an educated Roman. "The gist of its teaching--and it is solely intended to teach--is summed up in the words of Clemens. It has been said, he tells Silanus, that the religion of the Christians is a person--and nothing more. 'I should prefer to say the same thing differently. Our religion in a person--and nothing less.'"

"Dr. Abbott's writing is itself interesting on account of the literary skill with which he presents innumerable points of exposition and criticism, and on account, too, of the beauty and strength of many of its passages."

"While the book aims to be popular, the author's wide knowledge and competent scholarship lift his efforts entirely above the level of the usual endeavor to teach Biblical and Christian history by means of fiction."

"The book is interesting; it is ably written; it is in parts striking; and yet one feels that somehow it misses effect as a whole. And we think that the reason is obvious. Dr. Abbott in writing it had two diverse ends in view and each interfered with the other."

"It would be unfair to lay stress upon the weaknesses of a really impressive book, and after all they are only prominent in one part of its argument where the writer has been carried away by his own pet theories."

"As to whether he has succeeded or failed in his religious purpose his readers will no doubt form diametrically opposite conclusions. We think, however that those who are most convinced of his theologic failure will not deny him a literary success. He has written a deeply interesting theological book in the form of a story."

In Miss Abbott's rambles one may live over again the delights of many of New England's quaint byways. "She has caught the spirit of New England, and introduces incidentally curious and charming out-of-the-way places, historic spots, Indian legends and New England folklore."

"She has traced it all with a literary skill which is above the average, and has succeeded in charging her text with animation and entertainment without the loss or historical accuracy."

Eleven essays are included here whose keynote is sounded in the first, "Three kinds of happiness." "There are three kinds of happiness," says Dr. Abbott, "pleasure, joy, blessedness. Pleasure is the happiness of the animal nature; joy, of the social nature; blessedness, of the spiritual nature. Pleasure we share with the animals, joy with one another, blessedness with God."

A very illuminating introduction shows that Jesus resorted to the parable to allay the wrath which his plain truth-teaching had stirred up against him. "He veiled the truth which unveiled had been rejected with such wrath, and he did so that they might listen to him without perceiving the truth to which they would refuse to listen if they did perceive it." The scriptural version of the parables follows, with a well-executed illustration here and there suggesting the modern prodigal, the modern foolish virgin and the present-day house builded upon the sand, etc.

How did the old masters produce their results? How have these results defied time and atmospheric changes? Twenty-five years of study have been devoted to these questions by the author and "he has proved to his own, and we may say, to our satisfaction, that the great Venetians and Flemings used no mysterious varnishes whatever, their vehicle being plain linseed oil, and their reliance for permanence and brilliancy being plenty of time for drying between successive paintings and upon prolonged exposure to direct sunlight to burn out the excess of oil."

"Few serious workers in oils, though they omit the book, will fail in the next year or so of coming upon the track of his researches."

A book which aims to "give an impartial account of the facts from the stand point of an unbiased historian, and to remove all misunderstandings which prevail among the Americans concerning India and her people." It sets forth for popular reading phases of Vedanta philosophy. "In this system the people of India, according to the author, find the ultimate truths of all sciences, philosophies, and religions. There are instructive chapters upon the religion of present-day India, the social status and the system of caste, political institutions, education, the influence of Western civilization, and woman's place in Hindu religion."

"This compact little volume, written in an attractive style, and dealing with the life, philosophy and religion of India should prove a useful addition to the literature of a fascinating and as yet largely unknown subject."

"From the historical point of view, which is assumed by the Swami, it is to be regretted that the author has not made himself better acquainted with chronology."

"In the present volume we find Acton's inaugural lecture as Professor, his scheme for 'The Cambridge modern history,' and nineteen of his lectures, covering in giant strides the ages of the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation. the wars of religion, the rise of political parties, the creation of the Prussian and the Russian powers, and the American revolution."--Ath.

"Finest and best of all is the noble and ennobling fairness in his treatment of all men and all ages." G. S. F.

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