An account of seven lads, who, after their father's death, help their brave little mother to keep the family together. Simply told; full of sterling common-sense and unselfish precept. The colored illustrations are delightful.

The staunch widow and her seven sons are an admirable object-lesson in faithfulness to the claims of small things. Quite inimitable is Mrs. O'Callaghan's Irish way of putting things, which furnishes the salt to the solid nutriment of the story.--The Nation.

Twelve Years of Age

Amusements And Handicraft

In the course of this camping story directions are given for making tents and other appurtenances of camp-life, bridges, windmills, ice-boats, sledges, et cetera. There are many illustrations.

Most of this very practical volume is devoted to the mistakes so familiar to those of us who have attempted photography. The short chapters are accompanied by pictures illustrating the failures described. Examples of twelve successful photographs and information with each about the plate and time of exposure will give encouragement to the beginner.

A fully illustrated little book which contains clear directions for weaving many sorts of baskets, mats, bags, and other small articles.

The use of dyes is taught, and information given about raffia, rattan, and other necessary materials. There is a chapter on caning chairs, and one by Neltje Blanchan on What the Basket Means to the Indian.

Biography, History, And Government

An exceedingly interesting scholarly account of the ancient Orientals--Egyptians, Hittites, Medes and Persians, Chinese, and others. Descriptions of their methods of writing and translations from manuscripts and tablets are given.

The brilliant career of Oliver Hazard Perry is simply presented. There is a detailed description of the Battle of Lake Erie, accompanied by diagrams, and illustrations from contemporary engravings.

Mrs. Waters speaks with authority, and this fully illustrated volume, prepared with her own little daughter in mind, will be enjoyed by art-loving children. Many anecdotes are related. The first part is devoted to Ancient Art, including Sculpture.

The story of our country from the Revolution to the beginning of the Civil War. Like the others of this series, it has maps and many illustrations.

Mrs. Custer gives us a picture, drawn from her own experiences, of garrison and camp life on the frontier. The book ends with brief mention of the battle of the Little Big Horn, of Sunday, June twenty-fifth, 1876, in which General Custer lost his life.

Its adaptation to the needs of children lies in its lively narrative form, and the picturesqueness of many of the scenes which it presents.--Introduction.

This volume, written with Dickens' own eight children in mind, now more than fifty years ago, holds the interest of the boys and girls of to-day as keenly as when it first appeared. The many excellent illustrations add to its attraction and value.

Permeated by the spirit of a broad and noble patriotism, and written in the interests of national peace, law, and good government, in regard to which it gives, very simply, much information. There are also chapters on voting, the proper use of the people's money, the ideal city and town, policemen and their duties, et cetera; all quite within the comprehension of a child. The book contains many illustrations.

Children will enjoy reading of the childhood days of Napoleon and his brothers and sisters, and of the school-boy life of this remarkable lad who grew up from poverty to become the most wonderful man of his time. Napoleon's experiences as a "king's scholar" in Paris, and as lieutenant of an artillery regiment, are also described. Madame Foa's work is historically accurate, and her style very interesting.

The second volume of Source Readers is, like the first, wholly made up of pieces written at the time of the events and incidents here described. The language is modernized wherever necessary.--Preface.

The character, as well as the deeds, of this remarkable man, whose life stands for faith, courage, and charity, is interestingly drawn. There are eight pictures in color.

Events in the early annals of this old city recounted in pleasant familiar fashion by a grandfather who visits the famous spots with the boys. Many illustrations help to make real the happenings described.

Although this story is professedly and confessedly a romance, history has been consulted at every point. Log-books, journals, and biographies, have been searched, especially the logs, journals, and letters, of Paul Jones himself. Much relating to him has been left out, but nothing of consequence has been put in that is not historically true. The language ascribed to him is, whenever possible, that used by him at the time, or afterward, in his letters and journals.--Introduction.

Brief accounts of the lives of some famous American commanders, many of them of the period from 1798 to 1815. Preble, Decatur, Somers, and Lawrence, are among the number. The book contains portraits.

"Flavius Josephus was born at Jerusalem A.D. 37.... His history of The Jewish War, which was finished A.D. 75, was undertaken at the command of Vespasian, and is a noble and pathetic narrative of events that had been witnessed by himself. His other important work, The Antiquities of the Jews, was finished about A.D. 93, and was an attempt to familiarize the Roman people with the early history of the Jews as it is recorded in the Scripture."

The following pages are ... a simplification of the story of the Jews as related by Josephus.... Josephus wrote his histories for the Romans, and we need not therefore wonder ... at his modifying and toning down the historical statements of the Mosaic records to recommend them to the prejudices of his readers.--Preface.

"When I was a boy I strongly desired to be a pirate.... In fact, I had a great desire to become what might be called a marine Robin Hood."

All boys will sympathize with this point of view, and will enjoy reading of Morgan, Blackbeard, Kidd, and many less famous or infamous men who sailed our coasts.

Fine Arts

This volume seems to the compiler of this List one of the few books on art which children will read with real enjoyment. It is not included with a view to having it take the place of a history of art, but to give a part of the information which old Vasari has handed down to us with such charm. The language is delightful, and we carry away some of the atmosphere of that sunny Italian period. It is a pity that we are not given illustrations photographed from the originals, instead of more or less modified drawings.

Geography, Travel, And Description

The manner of the return of the Polos long after they had been given up for dead, the subsequent adventures of Marco Polo, the incredulity with which his book of travels was received, the gradual and slow confirmation of the truth of his reports as later explorations penetrated the mysterious Orient, and the fact that he may be justly regarded as the founder of the geography of Asia, have all combined to give to his narrative a certain fascination, with which no other story of travel has been invested.--Preface.

As far as possible, Mr. Brooks has allowed the traveler to speak for himself.

This highly interesting account of the great explorer, his crossing of Greenland, and his Polar expedition, will enthrall young people as Farthest North did their elders.

In this good geographical reader the children are taken "upon a personally conducted tour through the most characteristic parts of the South American continent.... The book has the merit of being written from original sources of information. It comprises the observations of the author gathered in a trip of more than twenty-five thousand miles along the routes herein described. Most of the descriptions were written on the ground, and a very large number of the photographs were made by the author especially for this book."

Du Chaillu visited the Northern lands in winter, traveling overland to Nordkyn, living among the Lapps, and later going in a fishing-boat off the coast of Finmarken for cod.

Three chapters are devoted to the Loire country, and we are told of Normandy and Brittany, as well as other parts of France, including Paris. There is a sketch of boy and girl life which will make our young people glad of their freer environment. The twelve colored pictures add to the book's interest.

This account of Arctic exploration consists of a series of sketches of different Polar expeditions, from the days of Sir John Franklin to the Ziegler-Baldwin and other undertakings of 1902. Here children may read consecutively of Kane, Nordenskjöld, Greely, Nansen, and others, and acquire a general view of Polar discovery.

An interesting picture of this most interesting country. The Nile is fully described, and there are chapters on the people, the desert, and the monuments. The volume contains twelve plates in color.

To give a sailor's impressions of a sailor's life ... has been the aim. Neither exaggerating its hardships--they do not need it--nor highly coloring its delights, whatever those may be, the very plainest truth has been thought sufficient for the purpose in view.--Original Preface.

Many changes and improvements have come about since 1854, when this volume was written, but it is republished without alteration of the text, so as to give a picture of sailor days before the introduction of steam.

A series of brief accounts of some of the many peoples of the world, accompanied by authentic illustrations. The author is Professor of Anthropology in the University of Chicago.

Mythology, Folk-lore, Legends, And Fairy Tales

Hawthorne, in his Wonder Book, has described the beautiful Greek myths and traditions, but no one has yet made similar use of the wondrous tales that gathered for more than a thousand years about the islands of the Atlantic deep.... The order of the tales in the present work follows roughly the order of development, giving first the legends which kept near the European shore, and then those which, like St. Brandan's or Antillia, were assigned to the open sea or, like Norumbega or the Isle of Demons, to the very coast of America.... Every tale in this book bears reference to some actual legend, followed more or less closely.--Preface.

This children's classic, with its pure and forceful English, is presented in an attractive manner. The full-page illustrations are in black and buff.

The Mabinogion, or Welsh legends of King Arthur, belong to a much earlier period than Malory. In this edition the original text is scrupulously preserved, except for necessary excision, and occasional condensation which is always placed in brackets.

"Thus lived and died the great Cid Campeador of Spain, most wonderful of heroes, who was never defeated, and who became the ancestor of kings."

This edition is founded upon the translation of Southey.

Poetry, Collections Of Poetry And Prose, And Stories Adapted From Great Authors

Mr. Darton has so delightfully made real the times of Richard II, and has so well adapted the tales told by the immortal pilgrims, that we owe him a debt of thanks. I say we, for certainly we older people will enjoy them as much as our children. In retelling the tales in prose the editor has introduced material from Lydgate and others. Dr. Furnivall contributes an illuminating introduction, and Hugh Thomson's illustrations are, as usual, very satisfactory.

The following Tales are meant to be submitted to the young reader as an introduction to the study of Shakspeare, for which purpose his words are used whenever it seemed possible to bring them in; ... words introduced into our language since his time have been as far as possible avoided.... What these Tales shall have been to the young readers, that and much more it is the writers' wish that the true Plays of Shakspeare may prove to them in older years--enrichers of the fancy, strengtheners of virtue, a withdrawing from all selfish and mercenary thoughts, a lesson of all sweet and honourable thoughts and actions, to teach courtesy, benignity, generosity, humanity: for of examples, teaching these virtues, his pages are full.--Preface.

This edition of an English classic contains engraved portraits of Charles and Mary Lamb, after those in the National Portrait Gallery, and twenty full-page illustrations in color.

This attractive edition of Macaulay's famous poems contains, in addition, Ivry and The Armada.

To make good reading more attractive than bad, to give right direction to the choice, the growing intelligence of the child should be nourished with selected portions of the best literature, the virtue of which has been approved by long consent.--Preface.

Mrs. Wiggin tells us that she and her sister have searched the pages of the great English-speaking poets to find verses that children will love. The quest has been successful, for the collection gives us full measure of that which is among the best in English poetry. The selections are arranged under headings, such as The World Beautiful, For Home and Country, and In Merry Mood. One division is devoted to Christmas songs and carols.

Religion And Ethics

An exceptionally good book, describing as a connected narrative the events of Christ's life. The language is simple and dignified, and the words of the Gospel, whenever used, are given without variation. Fully illustrated from photographs of famous paintings.

Under three divisions, Kite Talks, Random Talks, and The Life I Ought to Live, Mr. Strong gives us practical, interesting, and helpful suggestions for leading broad spiritual lives of love and usefulness. Many anecdotes enliven the text.

Science, Out-of-door Books, And Stories Of Animals

These accounts of the wonders of modern science tell of liquid air, wireless telegraphy, X-Ray photography, and other marvels. There are many illustrations.

A careful observer and nature-lover gives us a familiar account of the wonderful lives of the little brook creatures. The insects mentioned in these pages are those of Alameda County, California, but members of the same families will be found in or beside almost any brook, East or West.

This book ...is an attempt, in the absence of any kindred elementary work, to narrate, in as simple language as the subject will permit, the story of man's progress from the unknown time of his early appearance upon the earth to the period from which writers of history ordinarily begin.... The First Part of this book describes the progress of man in material things, while the Second Part seeks to explain his mode of advance from lower to higher stages of religious belief.--Preface.

The subject of this volume seems a little appalling for children, but it is treated in so remarkable a manner and with such simplicity that the book should be in the hands of all young people. It is not surprising to learn that it has been translated into many languages.

Children of inquiring minds will find in this tiny volume expert answers to their questions about the earth and its wonders.

Dr. Holland, Director of the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, has given us an authoritative account of the butterfly-life of North America north of Mexico, and at the same time has kept this book entirely within the comprehension of the unscientific nature-lover. Directions are given for the capture, preparation, and preservation, of specimens. There are forty-eight pages of color plates, reproducing more than a thousand North American butterflies, and several hundred black and white text illustrations.

Waves, tides, and currents, early exploration, war-ships and naval battles, merchantmen, yachts and yachting, marine industries, and the animal life of the ocean, are all discussed in this good-sized, fully illustrated volume.

A simple treatise on electricity and its uses in connection with the telephone, telegraph, electric light, et cetera.

How few thoughtful parents have not been perplexed by the question of when and how best to tell their children the great truths of the beginning and development of life in the world of nature. Miss Morley is well qualified to treat this most difficult subject, which she does delicately and reverently, from a scientific standpoint. As there is so great a difference of opinion as to the advisability of giving books of this nature to adolescent boys and girls, it is strongly recommended that this one be carefully read beforehand by the parent.

Directions for making simple electrical appliances, such as batteries and electric bells.

The illustrations which accompany these descriptions of the mammals of North America north of Mexico comprise six plates in color from paintings by A.B. Dugmore, and ninety-four half-tones from remarkable photographs from life by Messrs. Dugmore, Carlin, Beebe, and other expert nature-photographers. Some of the photographs were taken in the New York and Washington Zoölogical Parks, and some in the open.

Stories

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, are as great favorites with the girls of this generation as they were with their mothers. The book gives a picture drawn from the youthful days of Miss Alcott and her sisters, and its sweet natural home atmosphere and high standards make it one that should be read by every little woman of to-day.

"This is the story of a bad boy. Well, not such a very bad, but a pretty bad boy; and I ought to know, for I am, or rather I was, that boy myself."

This much loved volume should be put in the hands of every American lad. Mr. Frost's illustrations are delightfully sympathetic.

A sweet fresh tale of the days when Will Shakspere trod the boards. Little Nicholas Attwood joins a company of actors, and the head player, dubbing him Master Skylark because of his wonderful voice, takes him with them to London against his will. Good Master Shakspere, however, helps him in time of need, and little Nick gets safely home again to his mother in Stratford town.

An account of an overland trip to California in 1849.

This eighteenth-century Colonial narrative gives a vivid description of Roger's Rangers. The Rangers were for the most part New Hampshire frontiersmen.

The sequel to What Katy Did tells of the boarding-school days of Katy and Clover Carr. While the story is interesting and amusing, it is at the same time an advantage to any girl to make the acquaintance of these two delightful sisters, with their simple honorable standards.

"The incidents of this tale occurred between the years 1740 and 1745. ...Broad belts of the virgin wilderness ...affording forest covers to the noiseless moccasin of the native warrior, as he trod the secret and bloody war-path."

Cooper's style is, according to present-day standards, somewhat pompous and stilted, but all boys should read this account of the New York settlers' warfare against the Iroquois and know Deerslayer, the picturesque frontiersman.

The adventures of five boys on a trip down the Mississippi at the time of a great flood. The tone of the book is manly.