The Pall Mall Gazette from London, Greater London, England • 12

DecembbR i6 i8 12 nnrW drawn up lide across a smooth Venetian sea. The exhibition irbe one of Mrs. Helen AngelFs genre-pteces her Hedge-sparrow's Nest and Hawthorn is charming. KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, AND rVc LIST. PALL MALL GAZETTE.

THE FOLLOWING EDITIONS OF MR. TENNYSON'S POETICAL AND DRAMATIC WORKS INCLUDING "The Lover's Tale," "Ballads and other Poems," ARE NOW READY, THE AUTHOR'S EDITION, in 7 vols, crown 8vo, with Froatismer-v. -Rnvhmvh. half morocco. .2 IAS.

Us' cl, tj 7 Vol. VII. contains The Lover's Tale," "Ballads and oth er Cloth, 5). THE CABINET ioh'IIUJN, 13 vois, tcap, evo, witn i-rontispieces, cloth Vol. XIII.

contains "The Lover's Tale," "Ballads; and other Poems," THE ROYAL EDITION, in 1 vol. with 26 Illustrations and Portrait, cloth cstuj bevelled boards, gilt edges, 21s. THE GUINEA EDITION, in 14 vois, neatly bound, and enclosed in box, cloth price 21s. French morocco or parchment, 31s. 6d.

THE CROWN EDITION (the 115th Thousand), cloth, 6j. cloth extra, leaves, Js. 6d. roxbuvgh, half morocco, 6d. THE EDUCATION LIBRARY, EDITED BY PHILIP MAGNUS.

An INTRODUCTION to the HISTORY of EDUCATIONAL THEORIES. By OSCAR BROWNING, M.A,, King's College, Cambridge. Cloth, 31. 6d. JOHN AMOS COMENIUS: his Life and Educational Work.

By Professor S. S. LAURIE, A.M., F.R.S.F,,, University oi Edinburgh. Cloth, 3J. 6d.

111. OLD GREEK EDUCATION. By the Rev. Professor MAIIAFFY, M.A., University of Dublin. Cloth, 3s.

6d. "SYNNOVti SOLBAKKEN." This idyllic Norwegian story is a kind of pendant to the Greek tale of "Loukis Laras," recently translated by M. Gennadms. Like Loukis Laras Synnove Solbakken" is a story of the lives of simple, natural people in lands remote enough from the turmoil of modern existence. But the Norwegian peasants of Bjomson are much more fortunate than the harassed and oppressed Levantine traders of the Greek story.

What attracts an English reader to this book of Bjornson's is the air of peace and security, the repose of lives passed in conditions that have only changed by becoming less adventurous since Grettir and Egil made love and fought in heroic Iceland. It is always difficult to tell how much tmh Sre I in pictures of peasant life. Zola indignantly protests that George Sand's peasants do not bear the slightest resemblance to the rustics real life. There may be some Northern Zola or Zoilus to declare that the Scandinavian country-folk are not at all simple, pious, contented, and almost free from any fault but the manly hereditary one of being too ready for a fight. It is more pleasant to believe in sfornson's version, especially as that version recalls in every chapter the attractive life of the ancient sagas.

The very names of the characters have often descended from some dateless Scandinavian antiquity. The hero, Thorbjorn, is an unluckily named man S.amunds and Thorbjorns had always alternated in his family. The Samunds had been lucky, the Thorbjorns as unlucky as Grettir was after he saw the dying eyes of Glam in the moonlight. To break the child of wilfulness (no small element in bad luck) his father treated him very sternly. But there was in the house a three-quarter witted servant lad called Aslak, who constantly reminds one of that wretched thrall, who brought Grettir to his end.

Aslak fills the boy's head with the old fairy tales which Sir George Dasent has made household words in England. Little Thorbjorn, whose own home is in what the Scotch call the glack" the dark side of the shoulder of the hill believes that fairies dwell" on the sunny side. And there, in fact, did dwell, not a fairy, but pretty, sweet-tempered Scandinavian Mascotte," Synnove Solbakken, who brought sunshine and good luck wherever she came. The loves of Synnove and Thorbjorn, of good luck and bad luck, of light and darkness, make up the story of the book. Thorbjorn is not rich, is hot-tempered, is in a fight at every dance, bridal, and merrymaking.

Yet for his sake Synnove refuses all the wooers that come about her from the day when she is confirmed. The girl and the lad come to something more than a silent understanding on the lonely hillside where the maidens watch the kine. But Thorbjorn's bad luck is not exhausted. He has made up his mind to attend no more merrymakings he has come, like one of the brownies in the fairy tales, and planted and delved Synnove's garden while every one slept. The girl herself is so light of heart that, though her parents are Haugeans, and hold dancing in horror, she waltzes alone with Thorbjorn's sister on the hills, This is one of the prettiest scenes in the idyll, the two girls dancing alone, like the nereids of Roman belief, in a beautiful glen of the mountains.

But even while they are merry bad luck falls on Thorbjorn. The wretched Aslak makes his horse Jib; he loses his temper and beats it; his cart is broken Thorbjorn has to seek help at a homestead where a wedding is being celebrated. At this said bridal, where the bride is in love with the minstrel, and where the minstrel has been nearly killed by a bully named Knud, Thorbjorn is forced into a. quarrel. Knud and he fight; the manner of Norse fighting is known among us as rough and tumble." Thorbjorn is the victor, but is stabbed by Knud.

He lies long between life and death, and finally determines to give up Synnove he thinks both his temper and his hurt incurable. But time passes; Thorbjorn recovers, and meets Knud at church, when he forgives him in a manly and straightforward way. After this the course of true love runs smooth, in happy contrast to the tragedy of the marriage celebrated when Knud and Thorbjorn fought. The heroine and her goodness and good luck break the old curse on the Thorbjorns. The landscape in this little tale is not described with tedious minuteness nor prolixity, but seems always to be present as a tranquil framing of the story.

The humours of the bridal party, and the wild tale told by Aslak, the wandering fool a tale which accounts for his own wretched life are admirable sketches of life and manners. The story is a valuable addition to such literature as George Sand's novels of French peasant life. The translation is written in a simple and fluent style, and it is very rarely that an i diom misplaced or an awkwardness reminds us that we are not reading an original composition. There is one obvious blunder on the first page, where we are told of a. farm called Sunnyside," There the snow remained latest in the autumn, and melted sooner than elsewhere in the spring." It must be meant that the snow arrived latest in the autumn.

It could not remain latest in autumn after having melted earliest in spring. The book is beautifully printed on papier verge, and would make a better Christmas present than most Christmas books. Limp antique, small crown Svo, y. THE ENCHEIR'IDION of EPICTETUS. Trans- lated from the Greek, with a Preface and Notes.

By T. W. II. ROLLESTON, B.A., T.C.D. Crown 8vo, with Portrait, cloth, UNDER THE ASPENS Lyrical and Dramatic.

By Mrs. PFEIFFER, Author of Gerard's Monument, and other Poems," Large post Svo, with 500 Illustrations, cloth, Js. THE LITTLE CYCLOPEDIA of COMMON THINGS. Edited by the Rev. Sir GEORGE W.

COX, M.A. Demy 8vo, with Portrait, cloth, 14., SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN his Family and his Times. With Original Letters, and a Discourse on Architecture, hitherto unpuu-lished, 15S5-1723. By LUCY PHILLIMORE, Author of "Bishop vulK'' force a Sketch for Children." New and Cheaper Edition, large crown Svo, cloth, js. 6d GERMANY, PRESENT and PAST.

By the Rev. S. BARING-GOULD, Author of The Vicar of Morwenstow," to We have seldom met with more pleasant reading than Mr. Baring-Ooiu volumes on Germany. The book is as remarkable for the brightness i 115 and the variety of its subjects as for the comprehensive precision ct its research, Mr.

Baring-Gould knows the country well, and is deeply branches of its literature." Times. This is a very interesting book, and full of information not easily attain, by ordinary Englishmen." Guardian. Crown Svo, with Illustrations, cloth. The BRAIN and its FUNCTIONS. By J.

Physician to the Hospice de la SalpStriere. Intemational ScieutiflC Series. Small crown 8vo, with 74 Illustrations, cloth, 5. i The the MICROPHONE, and ttit PHONOGRAPH. By Count DU MONCEL.

lt "We commend this volume, as containing a full and clear histoiwai of the remarkable inventions to which its pages are devoted, Small crown Svo, cloth, zs. -n DISCONTENT and DANGER in INDIA. A. K. CONNELL.

-fjwnt interest in The volume deserves the attention of all who take an mtelligent Indian questions." Scotsman. Crown 8vo, cloth, is. 6d A oTffUR THE EASTERN MENACE. By Colonel CORY, Retired List. LONDON: PATERNOSTER SQUARE.

Given Synnove Solbakken." A Norwegian Tale. By Bjornsteme Bjorason. in English by Julie Sutter. (London Macmillan and Co. 1881.) 2404.