p. 7 | LITERARY NOTICES by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Feb 1, 1905

LITERARY NOTICES.

By Editor

No PUBLISHING house in the world has done so much to make the Bible convenient, beautiful, and usable as has the Oxford University Press, Oxford, England. We nearly said that all publishing houses combined had not done so much as has this one. This would be placing it too strongly, doubtless; but we are perfectly safe in saying that the Oxford Teacher's Bibles have always stood at the head in beauty of workmanship, in convenience, in durability, in helps to the study of the Bible in small space. Other Bibles have been published with some one or two excellent features, but the Oxford has combined more.

Its latest are reprints of the text of our common version in clear, beautiful type of varying size, as your eyes may choose, on their special unsurpassed India paper, with entirely new helps. And these helps are multum in parvo, placed in the form of a cyclopedic concordance. There is selected from the great mass of Bible helps, a wonderful amount of information thoroughly revised to date. In the old series of helps the information was given in forty-seven alphabetical lists; in this edition it is in one list in alphabetical order, so that all given on any subject may be instantly found. The Cyclopedic Concordance is more than a mere word book or text finder. Not alone is each word found in its proper alphabetic place, but oftentimes it is found in some table with kindred words. For instance, "diamond" is found in its regular alphabetic place; it is found also in the list of "precious stones of the Bible." Each musical instrument is found in its regular place in the vocabulary; also in the list of "musical instruments." Each mountain is given in its place; then there is a list of "Mountains of Scripture," with their principal associations. The order of events in Christ's life, and very full chronological tables are given. It would take at least two score of headings to summarize the contents. There are beside fifteen new maps, embodying the latest discoveries, with complete index, and thirty-one illustrations from photographs, revealing some of the very latest discoveries in archeology.

To sum up, it is an extremely beautiful and helpful book. Its prices are according to style, type, size, and binding. University Press Warehouse, 91 and 93 Fifth Avenue, New York; Henry Froude, Amen Corner, London. The Oxford Bibles may be obtained from the Pacific Press, Mountain View, Cal.

"Life of Christ" for Little Children, with illustrations from the masters, and illuminated after parchments of the fifteenth century. By Mary Mein Carter. Printed on fine plate paper, pages 9x11¾ inches. A. J. Holman & Company, Philadelphia.

This book of sixty-four beautiful pages has twenty-eight full-page illustrations of persons or events in connection with the life of Jesus, with the artist's name. In each opposite page is an alphabetical verse. For instance, opposite Raphael's "The Way to Calvary," is this verse:

L stands for the Lord, Who for us was led Up Calvary's mount, Where for mankind He bled.

These verses have no particular merit, save the simple truth taught in most cases. The illuminated pages are very beautiful, and the photo-reproductions of the great paintings excellent. There are also five pages giving sketches of Da Vinci, Raphael, Corregio, Reni, Rubens, and Murrillo, with portraits. It is neatly bound in cloth with illuminated side title.

"Man and His Environment."—"Thoughts of a Thinker," collected and edited by John P. Kingsland. 334 pages, cloth; $1.25, net; postage 13 cents. James Pott & Co., New York.

This volume is composed of selections from the manuscript notes of a student of philosophy and religion, especially in the relation of life experience to time and place. It is what may be called a "new thought" book, gathering some of the best of God's gems of truth, and asserting that man has the power within himself to attain to all. It does not ignore Jesus Christ as respects His beautiful life, but in that life is no redemptive power, save as an example. It is a series of hopeful thoughts of what man ought to be and may be, but which after all miss the Way, the Truth, the Life, as it is revealed in God's Word and in Jesus Christ. In fact, the volume is a mass of undigested, incertitudes, the scanning of which makes a thousand times more precious the eternal certitudes of Holy Writ.

"The Bible Reader Number Two." By Edward A. Sutherland and M. Bessie DeGraw. Advocate Publishing Co., Berrien Springs, Mich.

This is an honest, faithful attempt to give children a reader, the matter of which teaches, not only facts, but living, moral, saving truth. The greater part of the matter is composed of Bible stories on persons, events, and providences in the book of Genesis, with occasional short lessons on things in nature. The plan, to take a lesson at haphazard, runs about like this: Reading Lesson, "Hagar the Egyptian Maid," followed by a list of words to spell; For Study, questions on the lesson; then follows "Word Drill," with a list of about forty words to combine into sentences. Following this is a poem, and the next exercise is "Lessons on the Oak." Our chief criticism is that there is too little variety. Many beautiful selections could have been embodied, which would have given greater variety in style. We earnestly commend the book to parents having little children.