500
NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 s. m. JUNE 2*.
and 'Peel's Triumph and Fall' precede the account
of Crimea and Cawnpore. Then come 1 he Waning
Century,' 'Lord Beaconsfield,' ' Mr Gladstone,'
'The Close of some Great Careers, and Literature,
Art, and Science.' Like its predecessor, the volume
is profusely illustrated, not only with portraits,
but with such engineering triumphs as the Forth
and the Tower Bridges, and scenes such as Balmoral
and Cleopatra's Needle.
Kin ft Alfred's Old English Version of Boethim.
Edited by W. J. Sedgefield, M.A. (Oxford,
Clarendon Press.)
THOUGH this exceedingly careful production of an old English classic is regarded by the editor himself as a fair compromise between the conflicting claims of the literary student and the scientific philologist, he seems to us to pay little regard to the require- ments of the former. This is a pity, as the approach- ing millenary celebration of our greatest monarch will draw to his works the attention of many who are not Anglo-Saxon scholars, and yet could pick their way through his pages with an occasional helping hand. But Mr. Sedgefield is austerely in- different to the "humanities" of his subject, and devotes himself to laying the solid groundwork on which others, if they choose, may build a more showy and popular erection. His first object is to secure as perfect a text as possible, a work of immense difficulty, owing to the sadly defaced condition of his chief MS. the Cottoman (about 960 A. D.) from fire and water. On this he has bestowed most patient labour, and he is able, in consequence, to produce many new readings of interest and importance. His secondary object is to supply so much lexical apparatus as will enable the student to interpret his text. But we look in vain for anything in the way of commentary, literary criticism, illustration, or exegesis. All this he severely eschews. Many mediaeval allusions and etymological questions might well have suggested annotation ; and, indeed, the few strictures which the editor does in his introduction cite from Dr. Schepss, tracing a few of Alfred's amusing blunders to their source, serve to show that he could have made his volume much more interesting to the general reader if he had not chosen to dishabihtate himself by a self-denying ordinance. This, how- ever, is to quarrel with the writer's ideal and method, and not with his work, which is intended for advanced students. It has been performed with manifest conscientiousness and conspicuous ability.
Books Worth Reading. By Frank W. Raffety.
(Sampson Low & Co.)
MR. RAFFETY'S book is an outcome of the rather silly discussion for as such we cannot but regard it as to the hundred best books. The second part is, indeed, called ' List of One Hundred Famous Books adapted for Leisure Reading,' to more than eighty of which it gives a short introduction. That there is no one to whom the list will be serviceable we do not say. It cannot, however, be of much value to a genuine student, and to give fourteen of the one hundred books as classics to be read in trans- lations is pure whimsicality. All stomachs are not alike. The books that help men are those the con- tents of which they can assimilate. Mr. Raffety, meanwhile, is not even up to date, and the few hints he furnishes concerning alleged masterpieces have no special significance. A man of great and very varied erudition is required to make a selection
such as is attempted, or to justify his selection.
Mr. Raffety gives us some pregnant utterances of
men of learning and judgment. His own conclu-
sions, however, are not of equal importance. The
volume is prettily got up.
MR. FRANCIS EDWARDS, of High Street, Mary- lebone, has issued a catalogue of books relating to Australasia, Malaya, Polynesia, the Pacific Coast of America, and the South Seas, which may be regarded as an important step towards a biblio- graphy of the subject. It is probable that books on these subjects will in future times be as much in demand as are now early books referring to America. This list of over three thousand volumes, compiled by the well-known expert Mr. E. A. Petherick, is thus well worth the attention of bibliophiles, librarians, and all concerned with the purchase or the disposition of books, and should be placed on the shelves among works of reference.
WE hear with much regret of the death of Mr.
James Brown Montgomerie - Fleming, a notable
citizen of Glasgow, and a warm friend of and fre-
quent contributor to 'N. & Q.' He was born in
1840, educated at the Universities of Glasgow and
Edinburgh, and was a keen student of Scottish
language and literature. His ' Notes on Jamieaon's
Scottish Dictionary ' and his ' History of Kelvin-
side ' were reviewed in our columns. He wrote
also much on Scottish antiquarian and historical
subjects.
MR. FRED. HITCHIN-KEMP promises, with the aid of members of his family, by subscription, through the Leadenhall Press, a general history of the Kemp family. Information to be sent to 14, Beechfield Road, Catford, S.E.
We must call special attention to the following
notices :
ON all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
WE cannot undertake to answer queries privately.
To secure insertion of communications corre- spondents must observe the following rule. Let each note, query, or reply be written on a separate slip of paper, with the signature of the writer and such address as he wishes to appear. Correspond- ents who repeat queries are requested to head the second communication "Duplicate."
CORRIGENDUM. P. 446, col. 1, 1. 20, for " Catling" read Catlin.
NOTICE.
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