Modern English Books of Power Part 8

Crockett in _The Scott Country_. _Abbotsford_, by Washington Irving, gives the best personal sketches of Scott at home.

CARLYLE

Carlyle's _Essays_ and his _French Revolution_, upon which his fame will chiefly rest, are issued in many editions. It would be well if his longer works could be condensed into single volumes by competent hands. A revised edition of his _Frederick_ was issued in one short volume. For the facts of Carlyle's life, the best book is his own _Reminiscences issued_ in 1881 and edited by Froude, who was his literary executor with the full power to publish or suppress. Froude had so great an antipathy to what Carlyle himself called "mealy-mouthed biography" that he erred on the side of extreme frankness. In _Thomas Carlyle--The First Forty Tears of His Life_, _Life in London_ and _Letters of Jane Welsh Carlyle_, Froude permitted the publication of many malicious comments by Carlyle on his famous contemporaries. These and morbid expressions of remorse by Carlyle over imaginary neglect of his wife caused a great revulsion of public sentiment and the fame of Carlyle was clouded for ten years. Finally, after much acrimonious controversy, the truth prevailed and Carlyle came into his own again.

Among the best books on Carlyle are Lowell's _Essays_, volume 2; David Ma.s.son, _Carlyle Personally and in His Writings_; E.P. Whipple, _Essays and Reviews_; Emerson, _English Traits_; Lowell, _My Study Windows_; Morley, _English Literature in the Reign of Victoria_; Greg, _Literary and Social Judgments_; Moncure Conway, _Carlyle_, and Henley, _Views and Reviews_.

Among magazine and review articles may be mentioned George Eliot in WESTMINSTER REVIEW, volume 57; John Burroughs in ATLANTIC MONTHLY, volume 51; Emerson in SCRIBNER'S MAGAZINE, volume 22; Froude in NINETEENTH CENTURY, volume 10, and Leslie Stephen in CORNHILL, volume 44.

DE QUINCEY

It is a curious fact that the first complete edition of De Quincey's works was issued in Boston in twenty volumes (1850-1855) by Ticknor & Fields. Much of the material was gathered from English periodicals, as De Quincey was the greatest magazine writer of his age. This was followed by the Riverside edition in twelve volumes (Boston, 1877). The standard English edition is _The Collected Writings of Thomas De Quincey_, fourteen volumes, edited by David Ma.s.son (1889-1890). A.H. j.a.pp wrote the standard English _Life of De Quincey_ (London, two volumes, 1879). The best short life is Ma.s.son's in the English Men of Letters series. George Saintsbury gives a good sketch of De Quincey in _Essays in English Literature_. Other estimates may be found in the following works: Leslie Stephen, _Hours in a Library_; H.A.

Page, _De Quincey, His Life and Writings_ and in Mrs.

Oliphant's _Literary History of England_.

LAMB

Reprints of the _Essays of Elia_ have been very numerous. One of the best editions of Lamb's complete works was edited by E.V. Lucas in seven volumes, to which he added in 1905 _The Life of Charles Lamb_ in two volumes. Another is _Complete Works and Correspondence_, edited by Canon Ainger (London, six volumes). Ainger also wrote an excellent short life of Lamb for the English Men of Letters series. Hazlitt and Percy Fitzgerald have revised Thomas Noon Talfourd's standard _Letters of Charles Lamb, With a Sketch of His Life_. Among sketches of the life of Charles and Mary Lamb may be noted Barry Cornwall's _Charles Lamb--A Memoir_; Fitzgerald, _Charles Lamb: His Friends, His Haunts and His Books_; Walter Pater, _Appreciations_; R.H. Stoddard, _Personal Recollections_; Augustine Birrell, _Res Judicatae_; Nicoll, _Landmarks of English Literature_; Talfourd, _Final Memorials of Charles Lamb_; Hutton, _Literary Landmarks of London_.

d.i.c.kENS

The first collective edition of d.i.c.kens' works was issued in 1847. The standard edition is that of Chapman & Hall, London, who were the original publishers of _Pickwick_. One of the best of the many editions of d.i.c.kens is the Macmillan Pocket edition with reproductions of the original covers of the monthly parts of the novels as they appeared, the original ill.u.s.trations by Cruikshank, Leech, "Phiz" (Hablot Browne) and others, and valuable and interesting introductions by Charles d.i.c.kens the younger. Another good edition is in the World's Cla.s.sics, with brilliant introductions by G.K. Chesterton. In buying an edition of d.i.c.kens it is well to get one with reproductions of the original ill.u.s.trations, as these add much to the pleasure and interest of the novels.

For ready reference to d.i.c.kens' works there is a _d.i.c.kens Dictionary_, giving the names of all characters and places in the novels, by G.A. Pierce, and another similar work by A.J.

Philip. Mary Williams has also prepared a _d.i.c.kens Concordance_.

Forster's _Life of Charles d.i.c.kens_, in three volumes, is the standard work, as Forster was closely connected with the novelist from the time he made his. .h.i.t with _Pickwick_. George Gissing, the novelist, made an abridgment of Forster's _Life_ in one volume, which is well done. Scores of shorter lives and sketches have been written. Among the best of these are Dr.

A.W. Ward's _Charles d.i.c.kens_ in the English Men of Letters series; Taine's chapter on d.i.c.kens in his _History of English Literature_; Sir Leslie Stephen's article in the _Dictionary of National Biography_; Mrs. Oliphant's _The Victorian Age in English Literature_; F.G. Kitton's _Charles d.i.c.kens: His Life, Writings and Personality_. _The Letters_, edited by Miss Hogarth and Mary d.i.c.kens, are valuable for the light they throw on the novelist's character and work.

In reminiscence of d.i.c.kens, the best books are Mary d.i.c.kens'

_My Father as I Recall Him_; J.T. Fields' _In and Out of Doors With Charles d.i.c.kens_ and G. Dolby's _Charles d.i.c.kens as I Knew Him_, the last devoted to the famous reading tours.

Edmund Yates, Anthony Trollope, James Payn, R.H. Haine and many others have written readable reminiscences.

For the home life of d.i.c.kens and his haunts see F.G. Kitton's _The d.i.c.kens Country_; Thomas Fort's _In Kent With Charles d.i.c.kens_ and H.S. Ward's _The Real d.i.c.kens Land_. Of poems on d.i.c.kens' death the very best is Bret Harte's _d.i.c.kens in Camp_. _The Wisdom of d.i.c.kens_, compiled by Temple Scott, is a good collection of extracts.

THACKERAY

Almost as many editions of Thackeray's works have been published as of d.i.c.kens' novels, and the reader in his selection must be guided largely by his own taste. In choosing an edition, however, always get one that contains Thackeray's own ill.u.s.trations, as, though the drawing is frequently crude, the sketches are full of humor and help one to understand the author's conception of the characters. The best general edition is _The Biographical_, with introductions by his daughter, Mrs. Richmond Ritchie (London, 1897-1900). The Charterhouse edition of Thackeray in twenty-six volumes, published in England by Smith, Elder & Co. and in this country by Lippincott, is an excellent library set containing all the original ill.u.s.trations.

No regular biography of Thackeray has ever been written because of his expressed wish, but his daughter, Mrs. Richmond Ritchie, has supplied this lack with many sketches and introductions to various editions of her father's works.

Anthony Trollope in his autobiography gives many charming glimpses of Thackeray but his sketch of Thackeray in the English Men of Letters series is not warmly appreciative.

One of the best short estimates of Thackeray is Charles Whibley's _Thackeray_ (1905). Also valuable are sketches by Frederic Harrison in _Early Victorian Literature_; Brownell, _Early Victorian Masters_; Whipple, _Character and Characteristic Men_; R.H. Stoddard, _Anecdote Biography of Thackeray_; Andrew Lang, _Letters to Dead Authors_; G.T.

Fields, _Yesterdays With Authors_; Jeaffreson, _Novels and Novelists_ and W.B. Jerrold, _The Best of All Good Company_.

The reviews and magazines, especially in the last ten years, have abounded in articles on Thackeray. Among these the best have appeared in SCRIBNER'S MAGAZINE. A small volume, _The Sense and Sentiment of Thackeray_ (Harper's, 1909), gives numerous good extracts from the novels as well as from the essays.

CHARLOTTE BRONTe

Smith, Elder & Co. of London were the publishers of _Jane Eyre_ and they also issued the first collected edition of Charlotte Bronte's works. This firm still publishes the standard English edition, the Haworth edition, with admirable introductions by Mrs. Humphrey Ward and with many ill.u.s.trations from photographs of the places and people made memorable in Charlotte's novels. A good American edition is the Shirley edition, with excellent ill.u.s.trations, many of them reproductions of rare daguerreotypes.

The standard life of Charlotte Bronte until fifteen years ago was Mrs. Gaskell's, one of the most appealing stories in all literature. Clement K. Shorter's _Charlotte Bronte and Her Circle_ is now indispensable because of the ma.s.s of facts that the author has gathered in regard to the life of the sisters in the lonely parsonage and their remarkable literary development. Augustine Birrell has written a good short life of Charlotte, while A.M.F. Robinson (Mme. Duclaux) has a volume on Emily Bronte in the Famous Women series.

T. Wemyss Reid was the first writer to make original research among the Bronte material and his book, _Charlotte Bronte--A Monograph_, paved the way for the exhaustive study of this strange family of genius by Clement Shorter. Other books that give much original material are _The Brontes in Ireland_, by Rev. Dr. William Wright, and _Charlotte Bronte and Her Sisters_, by Clement Shorter. Mr. Shorter also in _The Brontes--Life and Letters_ gives all of Charlotte's letters in the order of their dates.

GEORGE ELIOT

The first collected edition of George Eliot's works was brought out in 1878-1880 in London and Edinburgh. Many editions have since appeared in England and in this country, the best one being the English Cabinet edition, published by A. & C. Black.

The standard life of George Eliot is _George Eliot's Life as Related in Her Letters and Journals_, edited by her husband, J.W. Cross, who served for ten years as curate of Haworth.

Leslie Stephen has written a remarkably good short life of George Eliot in the English Men of Letters series.

Among critical articles on George Eliot may be mentioned Henry James in _Partial Portraits_; Mathilde Blind, _George Eliot_; Oscar Browning, _Life of George Eliot_ in Great Writers series; Dowden, _Studies in Literature_; Oscar Browning, _Great Writers_; Mayo W. Hazeltine, _Chats About Books_; R.H.

Hutton, _Modern Guides of Religious Thought_; R.E. Cleveland, _George Eliot's Poetry_; Frederic Harrison, _The Choice of Books_ and Sydney Lanier, _The Development of the English Novel_.

RUSKIN

The great edition of Ruskin is the Library edition by E.T.

Cook and A. Wedderburn, begun in 1903. It is splendidly ill.u.s.trated and is a superb specimen of book-making. English and American editors of Ruskin are numerous.

The standard life of Ruskin is by W.G. Collingwood, his secretary and ardent disciple. One of his pupils, E.T. Cook, published _Studies in Ruskin_, which throws much light on his methods of teaching art. J.A. Hobson in _John Ruskin, Social Reformer_ discusses his economic and social teaching. Dr.

Charles Waldstein of Cambridge in _The Work of John Ruskin_ develops his art theories. Good critical studies may also be found in W.M. Rossetti's _Ruskin_ and Frederic Harrison's _Tennyson, Ruskin, Mill and Other Literary Estimates_; Justin McCarthy, _Modern Leaders_; Mary R. Mitford, _Recollections of a Literary Life_ and R.H. Hutton, _Contemporary Thought and Thinkers_.

Among magazine articles may be noted W.J. Stillman in the CENTURY, volume 13; Charles Waldstein in HARPER'S, volume 18; Justin McCarthy in the GALAXY, volume 13, and Leslie Stephen in FRAZER'S, volumes 9 and 49.

TENNYSON

The best edition of Tennyson is the Eversley in six volumes, published by the Macmillans and edited by his son Hallam, which contains a ma.s.s of notes left by the poet and many explanations of peculiar words and metaphors which the father gave to the son in discussing his work. This edition also gives the changes made by the poet in his constant revision of his works, some of which were not improvements.

A ma.s.s of critical commentary and reminiscence has been published on Tennyson and his poetical work. Among the best of these volumes are _Tennyson, Ruskin and Mill_, by Frederic Harrison; _Tennyson and His Friends_, by Mrs. Richmond Ritchie; _The Homes and Haunts of Tennyson_, by Napier; _Tennyson, His Art and Relation to Modern Life_, by Stopford A. Brooke; _The Poetry of Tennyson_, by Henry Van d.y.k.e; the chapter on Tennyson in Stedman's _Victorian Poets_; a commentary on Tennyson's _In Memoriam_ by Prof. A.C. Bradley; _Alfred Tennyson_, by Andrew Lang; _Views and Reviews_, by W.E. Henley; _Yesterdays With Authors_, by J.T. Fields; _The Victorian Age_, by Mrs. Oliphant. Dr. Henry Van d.y.k.e contributed five articles on Tennyson to SCRIBNER'S MAGAZINE, volume 6.

BROWNING

An enormous literature of comment, appreciation and interpretation has grown up around Browning, largely due to the work of various Browning societies in this country and in Europe. The London Browning Society especially has brought out many papers that will be of interest to Browning students.

Other works are Arthur Symons, _Introduction to the Study of Browning_ (London, 1886); G.W. Cooke, _Browning Guide Book_ (New York, 1901); Fotheringham, _Studies_ (London, 1898); Stedman, _Victorian Poets_; Prof. Hiram Corson, _Introduction to Browning_; George E. Woodberry, _Studies in Literature and Life_; Hamilton W. Mabie, _Essays in Literary Interpretation_; A. Birrell, _Obiter Dicta_; George Saintsbury, _Corrected Impressions_.

The first edition of Browning's poems appeared in two volumes in 1849, a second in three volumes in 1863 and a third in six volumes in 1868. A revised edition containing all the poems was issued in sixteen volumes in 1888-1889. A fine complete edition in two volumes, edited by Augustine Birrell and F.G.

Kenyon, was issued in 1896, and Smith, Elder & Co., London, brought out a two-volume edition in 1900. In this country the Riverside edition of _Browning's Poetical Works_ in six volumes, issued by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., and the Camberwell edition in twelve handy volumes, with notes by Charlotte Porter and Helen A. Clarke, published by Crowell, are valuable for Browning students.