Good Fiction Worth Reading.
A series of romances containing several of the old favorites in thefield of historical fiction, replete with powerful romances of love anddiplomacy that excel in thrilling and absorbing interest.
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GUY FAWKES. A Romance of the Gunpowder Treason. By Wm. HarrisonAinsworth. Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by George Cruikshank.Price, $1.00.
The "Gunpowder Plot" was a modest attempt to blow up Parliament, theKing and his Counsellors. James of Scotland, then King of England, wasweak-minded and extravagant. He hit upon the efficient scheme ofextorting money from the people by imposing taxes on the Catholics. Intheir natural resentment to this extortion, a handful of bold spiritsconcluded to overthrow the government. Finally the plotters werearrested, and the King put to torture Guy Fawkes and the otherprisoners with royal vigor. A very intense love story runs through theentire romance. THE SPIRIT OF THE BORDER. A Romance of the EarlySettlers in the Ohio Valley. By Zane Grey. Cloth. 12mo. with fourillustrations by J. Watson Davis. Price, $1.00.
A book rather out of the ordinary is this "Spirit of the Border." Themain thread of the story has to do with the work of the Moravianmissionaries in the Ohio Valley. Incidentally the reader is givendetails of the frontier life of those hardy pioneers who broke thewilderness for the planting of this great nation. Chief among these, asa matter of course, is Lewis Wetzel, one of the most peculiar, and atthe same time the most admirable of all the brave men who spent theirlives battling with the savage foe, that others might dwell incomparative security.
Details of the establishment and destruction of the Moravian "Villageof Peace" are given at some length, and with minute description. Theefforts to Christianize the Indians are described as they never havebeen before, and the author has depicted the characters of the leadersof the several Indian tribes with great care, which of itself will beof interest to the student.
By no means least among the charms of the story are the vividword-pictures of the thrilling adventures, and the intense paintings ofthe beauties of nature, as seen in the almost unbroken forests.
It is the spirit of the frontier which is described, and one can by it,perhaps, the better understand why men, and women, too, willinglybraved every privation and danger that the westward progress of thestar of empire might be the more certain and rapid. A love story,simple and tender, runs through the book.
RICHELIEU. A tale of France in the reign of King Louis XIII. By G. P.R. James. Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by J. Watson Davis.Price, $1.00.
In 1829 Mr. James published his first romance, "Richelieu," and wasrecognized at once as one of the masters of the craft.
In this book he laid the story during those later days of the greatcardinal's life, when his power was beginning to wane, but while it wasyet sufficiently strong to permit now and then of volcanic outburstswhich overwhelmed foes and carried friends to the topmost wave ofprosperity. One of the most striking portions of the story is that ofCinq Mar's conspiracy; the method of conducting criminal cases, and thepolitical trickery resorted to by royal favorites, affording a betterinsight into the statecraft of that day than can be had even by anexhaustive study of history. It is a powerful romance of love anddiplomacy, and in point of thrilling and absorbing interest has neverbeen excelled.
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For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price bythe publishers,A. L. BURT COMPANY, 52-58 Duane St., New York.
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