Comfort Found in Good Old Books

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS

The exact title is The Book of the Thousand and One Nights. It contains two hundred and sixty-two tales, although the original edition omits one of the most famous, the story of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. Antoine Galland was the first translator into a European language. His French version was issued in 1717, in twelve volumes. Sir Richard Burton, who translated an unexpurgated edition of The Arabian Nights, with many notes and an essay on the sources of the tales, ascribed the fairy tales to Persian sources. Burton's edition gives all the obscene allusions but he treated the erotic element in the tales from the scholarly standpoint, holding that this feature showed the Oriental view of such matters, which was and is radically different from the Occidental attitude.

Burton's work was issued by subscription in 1885-1886 in ten volumes and is a monument to his Oriental scholarship. Burton left at his death the manuscript of another celebrated Oriental work, The Scented Garden, but Lady Burton, who was made his executrix, although offered £25,000 for the copyright, destroyed the manuscript. She declared that she did this to protect her husband's name, as the world would look upon his notes as betraying undue fondness for the erotic, whereas she knew and his close friends knew that this interest was purely scholarly. Scholars all over the world mourned over this destruction of Burton's work.

Another noteworthy unexpurgated translation was by John Payne, prepared for the Villon Society, and issued in 1882-1884.

The best English translation is by E. W. Lane, an English Orientalist, whose notes are valuable. The editions of The Arabian Nights are endless, and many famous artists have given the world their conception of the principal characters in these Arabian wonder stories.

THE NIBELUNGENLIED

The Nibelungenlied is the German Iliad and dates from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century. No less than twenty-eight manuscripts of this great epic have come down through the ages. From the time of the Reformation down to the middle of the eighteenth century it seemed to be forgotten. Then a Swiss writer, Bodmer, issued parts of it in connection with a version of the Klage, a poem describing the mourning at King Etzel's Court over the famous heroes who fell to satisfy the vengeance of Kriemhild.

The real discoverer, who restored the epic to the world, was Dr. J. H. Oberiet, who found a later version of the poem in the Castle of Hohenems in the Tyrol, June 29, 1755.

C. H. Myller in 1782 published the first complete edition, using part of Bodmer's version. It was not until the opening of the nineteenth century and during the Romantic movement in Germany that The Nibelungenlied was seriously studied. Partsch, a German critic, developed the theory that The Nibelungenlied was written about 1140 and that rhyme was introduced by a later poet to take the place of the stronger assonances in the original version.

The legend of Siegfried's death, resulting from the quarrel of the two queens, and all the woes that followed, was the common property of all the German and Scandinavian people. From the banks of the Rhine to the northernmost parts of Norway and Sweden and the Shetland Isles and Iceland this legend of chivalry and revenge was sung around the camp-fires. William Morris' Sigurd the Volsung is derived from a prose paraphrase of the Edda songs.

Many English versions of The Nibelungenlied have been made but most of them are harsh. Carlyle's summary of the epic in his Miscellanies is the most satisfactory for the general reader. A good prose version of The Nibelungenlied is by Daniel Bussier Shumway, Professor of German Philology in the University of Pennsylvania. It contains an admirable essay on the history of the epic. (Boston, 1909.)

William Morris has made fine renderings in verse of portions of The Nibelungenlied but he has drawn much of his material from the kindred Norse legends. Two translations into English verse are those of W. N. Lettson, The Fall of the Nibelungen (London, 1874), and of Alice Harnton, The Lay of the Nibelungs (London, 1898).

A complete bibliography of works in English dealing with The Nibelungenlied may be found in F. E. Sandbach's The Nibelungenlied and Gudrun in England and America (London, 1904).

Other books dealing with The Nibelungenlied are F. H. Hedge, Hours With the German Classics (Boston, 1886); G. T. Dippold, The Great Epics of Mediæval Germany (Boston, 1882); G. H. Genung, The Nibelungenlied in Warner's Library of the World's Best Literature, Volume xviii (New York, 1897).

THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. AUGUSTINE

The first translation of the Confessions to gain general circulation was in Dr. Pusey's Library of the Fathers (Oxford, 1839-1855). Pusey admits his edition is merely a version of W. Watts' version, originally printed in London in 1650, but Pusey added many notes as well as a long preface. An American edition was issued by Dr. W. G. T. Shedd of Andover, Mass., in 1860; it consisted of this same translation by Watts with a comparison by Shedd between Augustine's Confessions and those of Rousseau.

An elaborate article on St. Augustine, dealing with his life, his theological work and his influence on the Church, may be found in the second volume of The Catholic Encyclopedia (Robert Appleton Company, New York, 1907). It is written by Eugene Portalie, S. J., Professor of Theology at the Catholic Institute of Toulouse, France.

CERVANTES' "DON QUIXOTE"

Don Quixote first appeared in Madrid in 1605 and the second part in 1615. Other noteworthy Spanish editions were by Pellicier (Madrid, 1797-1798) and by Diego Clemencia (Madrid, 1833-1839). The first English version of the great Spanish classic appeared in London in 1612. The translator was T. Skelton. Other later English editions were J. Philips, 1687; P. Motteux, 1700-1712; C. Jarvis, 1742; Tobias Smollett, 1755; A. J. Duffield, 1881; H. E. Watts, 1888, 1894. Watts' edition contains a full biography.

A noteworthy edition of Cervantes is the English version by Daniel Vierge in four volumes, with many fine illustrations, which give the reader a series of sketches of Spanish life as it is depicted in the pages of Don Quixote. Vierge's edition is the most satisfactory that has ever been issued. It is brought out in beautiful style by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.

A standard Life of Cervantes is that by T. Roscoe, London, 1839. H. E. Watts has written a fine monograph in Great Writers' Series, 1891. Other lives are by J. F. Kelly, 1892, and A. F. Calvert, 1905. Lockhart's introduction is printed in the Everyman edition of Don Quixote, the translation by Motteux. This introduction makes thirty pages and gives enough facts for the general reader, with a good estimate of Don Quixote and Cervantes' other works.

THE IMITATION OF CHRIST

The early editions of Thomas à Kempis' great work were in manuscript, many of them beautifully illuminated. A noteworthy edition was brought out in 1600 at Antwerp by Henry Sommalius, S. J. The works of Thomas à Kempis in three volumes were issued by this same editor in 1615.

The first English version of the Imitation was made by Willyam Atkynson and was printed by Wykyns de Worde in 1502. In 1567 Edward Hake issued a fine edition. Among the best English editions are those of Canon Benham, Sir Francis Cruise, Bishop Challoner and the Oxford edition of 1841. The best edition for the beginner is that edited by Brother Leo, F. S. C., Professor of English Literature in St. Mary's College, Oakland, California. It is in the Macmillan's Pocket Classics and has an admirable introduction of fifty-three pages. The notes are brief but very helpful.

Some of the best articles on Thomas à Kempis are to be found in The Catholic Encyclopedia and The Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Thought.

There has been much controversy over the authorship of The Imitation of Christ, but the weight of evidence is conclusive that Thomas à Kempis was the writer of this book, which has preserved his name for five hundred years. The book was issued anonymously and some manuscript copies of it bore the name of St. Bernard and others that of John Gerson. As Thomas à Kempis spent most of his life copying sacred books it was assumed that he had merely copied the text of another monk's work.

A Spanish student in 1604 found a sentence from the Imitation quoted in a sermon attributed to Bonaventura, who died in 1273, two hundred years before the death of Thomas. This caused a great literary sensation and it was some time before it was established that the sermon was not by Bonaventura but belonged to the fifteenth century. In casting about for the real author of the Imitation the Superior of the Jesuit College at Arona, Father Rossignoli, found an undated copy of the Imitation in the college library with the signature of Johannis Gerson. The college had been formerly conducted by the Benedictines, so it was assumed that Gerson was the real author. It was only after much research that it was proved that this manuscript copy of the Imitation was brought to Arona from Genoa in 1579. Constantine Cajetan, a fanatic in his devotion to the order of St. Benedict, found in a copy of the Imitation printed in Venice in 1501 a note saying, "this book was not written by John Gerson but by John, Abbot of Vercelli." A manuscript copy was also found by him bearing the name of John of Carabuco. Out of these facts Cajetan built up his theory that John Gerson of Carabuco, Benedictine Abbot of Vercelli, was the real author of the Imitation.

Thus began the most famous controversy in the annals of literature, which raged for several hundred years. Among the claimants to the honor of having written this book were Bernard of Clairvaux, Giovanni Gerso, an Italian monk of the twelfth century; Walter Hilton, an English monk; John Gerson, Chancellor of Paris; John Gerson, Abbot of Vercelli, and Thomas à Kempis.

What would seem to be conclusive evidence that Thomas à Kempis was the author is the fact that the Imitation was written for chanting. Carl Hirsche compared the manuscript copy of the Imitation of 1441 which he found in the Bourgogne Library in Brussels with other writings of Thomas à Kempis, also marked for chanting, and found great similarity between the Imitation and the works admitted to have been written by Thomas à Kempis.

The Imitation has been a favorite book with many persons. Mrs. Jane L. Stanford, who showed such remarkable faith in the university which Leland Stanford founded and who made many sacrifices to save it in critical periods, always carried a fine copy of Thomas à Kempis with her. Miss Berger, who was Mrs. Stanford's secretary and constant companion for over fifteen years, told me that whenever Mrs. Stanford was in doubt or trouble she took up the Imitation, opened it at random and always found something which settled her doubts and gave her comfort.

THE RUBÁ'IYÁT

Edward FitzGerald's version of the Rubá'iyát was the first to appeal to the western world. It has been reproduced in countless editions since it was first issued in London in 1859. Dole in the Rubá'iyát of Omar Khayyám (Boston, 1896) gives a fairly complete bibliography of manuscripts, editions, translations and imitations of the Quatrains.

Five hundred quatrains from the original Persian, translated metrically by E. H. Whinfield, were issued in London, 1883, while Payne made a poetical translation, reproducing all the metrical eccentricities of the original Persian, which he called "The Quatrains of Omar Khayyám, now first completely done into English Verse from the Persian, with a Biographical and Critical Introduction" (London, 1898). Heron Allen has added a valuable book in The Rubá'iyát of Omar Khayyám: A Facsimile of the Manuscript in the Bodleian Library, Translated and Edited (Boston, 1898).

One of the best editions of the Rubá'iyát is a reprint of FitzGerald's various editions, showing the many changes, some of which were not improvements, and the quatrains that were dropped out of the final version, with a commentary by Batson and an introduction by Ross (New York, 1900).

Another excellent edition of FitzGerald's final version, issued by Paul Elder & Company, is edited by Arthur Guiterman and contains The Literal Omar, that lovers of the astronomer-poet may see, stanza for stanza, how the old Persian originally phrased the verses that the Irish recluse so musically echoed in English.

DANTE'S "DIVINE COMEDY"

The best known English translation of the Divine Comedy is that of Cary, first published in 1806. Other English versions are by Dayman, Pollock and J. A. Carlyle. Longfellow made a translation in verse which is musical and cast in the terza rima of the original.

A mass of commentary on Dante has been issued of which only a few noteworthy books can be mentioned here. Among these are Botta, Introduction to the Study of Dante (London, 1887); Maria Francesca Rossetti, A Shadow of Dante (London, 1884); Butler, Dante: His Times and His Work (London, 1895); Symonds, Introduction to the Study of Dante (Edinburgh, 1890); Lowell, Among My Books, one of the finest essays on the great poet and his work (Boston, 1880); Macaulay, Essays, Vol. I; Carlyle in Heroes and Hero Worship.

One of the largest Dante libraries in the world was collected by the late Professor Willard Fiske of Cornell University. At his death this splendid library was given to the university which Professor Fiske served for over twenty years as head of the department of Northern European languages. Professor Melville B. Anderson, recently retired from the chair of English Literature at Stanford University, is now completing a translation of Dante, which has been a labor of love for many years.

MILTON'S "PARADISE LOST," AND OTHER POEMS

The first edition of Milton's Paradise Lost, in ten books, bears date of August 10, 1667. Seven years later, with many changes and enlarged by two books, it appeared in a second edition. All that Milton received for this poem was £10. Paradise Regained was first printed with Samson Agonistes in 1671.

The standard biography of Milton is by Masson in six volumes (London, 1859-1894). The best short sketch is Mark Pattison's in John Morley's English Men of Letters Series (New York, 1880). Another good short sketch is in Richard Garnett's volume in Great Writers' Series (London, 1890).

One of the best editions of Milton's Prose Works is in the Bohn Library, five volumes, edited by St. John.

The Poetical Works, edited by Masson, appeared in 1890 in three volumes. Buching of Oxford issued in 1900 reprints of the first editions under the title, Poetical Works After the Original Texts.

Among famous essays on Milton may be named those by Dr. Johnson, Macaulay, Lowell and Trent. Dr. Hiram Corson's Introduction to Milton's Works will be found valuable, as will also Osgood's The Classical Mythology of Milton's English Poems. In Hale's Longer English Poems there are chapters on Milton which are full of good suggestions.

BUNYAN'S "PILGRIM'S PROGRESS"

The Pilgrim's Progress, which has been translated into seventy-one languages and has passed through more editions than any other book except the Bible, originally appeared in 1678, a second edition came out in the same year and a third edition in 1679. Bunyan made numerous additions to the second and third editions. The second part of Pilgrim's Progress appeared in 1684.

Bunyan's literary activity was phenomenal when it is remembered that he had little early education. In all he produced sixty books and pamphlets, all devoted to spreading the faith to which he devoted his life. Among the best known of his works besides Pilgrim's Progress is The Holy War, The Holy City, Grace Abounding in the Chief of Sinners, The Life and Death of Mr. Badman.

The best short life of Bunyan is that by James Anthony Froude in English Men of Letters Series (New York, 1880). Macaulay's essay on Bunyan ranks with his noble essay on Milton. Other lives are those by Southey, Dr. J. Brown and Canon Venables.

BOSWELL'S JOHNSON

The first edition of Boswell's Johnson appeared in 1791 and made a great hit. There was a call for a second edition in 1794 and Boswell was preparing a third edition in 1795 when he died. This uncompleted third edition was issued by Edward Malone in 1799, who also superintended the issue of the fourth, fifth and sixth editions. Malone furnished many notes and he also received the assistance of Dr. Charles Burney, father of the author of Evelina, and others who knew both Boswell and Johnson. An edition in 1822 was issued by the Chalmers, who contributed much information of value. All these materials with much new matter went into the edition of John Wilson Croker in 1831. Croker was cordially hated by Macaulay and the result was the bitter criticism of Croker's edition of Boswell's great work that is now included among the famous essays of Macaulay. Bohn brought out Croker's edition in ten volumes in 1859, and it has been reproduced in this country by the John W. Lovell Company in four volumes. Carlyle's Essay on Boswell's Johnson is one of the best pen pictures of the old Doctor and his biographer that has ever been written.

Percy Fitzgerald's Life of Boswell (London, 1891) is good and Rogers' Boswelliana gives many anecdotes of the writer of the best biography in the language. Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale, by A. M. Broadley, furnishes much curious information about the relations of the old Doctor with the woman who studied his comfort for so many years. It is rich in illustrations from rare portraits and old prints and in reproductions of letters (New York: John Lane Company, 1909).

ROBINSON CRUSOE

The first edition of Robinson Crusoe appeared in 1719. It made an immediate hit and was quickly translated into many languages. A second part was added but this was never so popular as the first. The first publication was in serial form in a periodical, The Original London Post or Heathcote's Intelligencer. So great was its success that four editions were called for in the same year, three in two volumes and one, a condensed version, in a single volume.

In 1720 Defoe brought out Serious Reflections During the Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, with His Vision of the Angelic World. This was poorly received, although it has since been included in many of the editions of this story.

Of the making of editions of Robinson Crusoe there is no end. Nearly every year sees a new edition, with original illustrations. A noteworthy edition is that of Tyson's, published in London, with many fine engravings from designs by Granville, and another in 1820 in two volumes, with engravings by Charles Heath.

A fine edition of Robinson Crusoe in two volumes was issued by Houghton Mifflin Company of Boston in 1908, with illustrations from designs by Thomas Stothard.

The standard life of Defoe is that by Wm. Hazlitt, published in London (1840-1843) in three volumes. Sir Walter Scott edited a good edition of Defoe's complete works in 1840, in twenty volumes. About fifteen years ago J. M. Dent of London issued a fine edition of Defoe's works, with an excellent introduction to each book. A good selection of some of Defoe's best work is Masterpieces of Defoe, issued by the Macmillan Company in a series of prose masterpieces of great authors.

"There are few books one can read through and through so,With new delight, either on wet or dry day,As that which chronicles the acts of Crusoe,And the good faith and deeds of his man Friday."GULLIVER'S TRAVELS

Swift foretold very accurately the great vogue that Gulliver's Travels would have. In writing to Arbuthnot he said: "I will make over all my profits (in a certain work) for the property of Gulliver's Travels which, I believe, will have as great a run as John Bunyan." The success of the book when issued anonymously in November, 1726, was enormous. Swift derived his chief satisfaction from the fact that he had hoodwinked many readers. Arbuthnot told of an acquaintance who had tried to locate Lilliput on a map and another told him of a shipmaster who had known Gulliver well. Many editions of the book were called for in England, and in France it had a great success and was dramatized.

A large paper copy of the first edition, with Swift's corrections on the margin, which appeared in later editions, is now in the South Kensington Museum. It shows how carefully Swift revised the work, as the changes are numerous. Toward the close of 1726 the work was reissued, with a second volume. In 1727 appeared the first new edition of both volumes. Swift's changes were mainly in "Laputa," which had been severely criticized. On Dec. 28, 1727, Swift in a letter suggests illustrations for the new edition and says of the book: "The world glutted itself with that book at first, but now it will go off but soberly, but I suppose will not be soon worn out."

A Dublin edition of 1735 contained many corrections and it also included a "Letter from Gulliver to his cousin Simpson," a device of Swift to mystify the public and make it believe in the genuineness of Gulliver.

The best life of Swift is in two volumes, by Henry Craik (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1894). The best short life is by Leslie Stephen in the English Men of Letters Series.