_Correspondence for the Editorial Department should be marked “Personal.”_ CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS’ NEW BOOKS FOR HOLIDAY TIMES. =THE BEGINNINGS OF HISTORY,= According to the Bible and the Traditions of Oriental Peoples. From the Creation of Man to the Deluge. By FRANCOIS LENORMANT, Professor of Archæology at the National Library of France, etc., etc. (Translated from the Second French Edition). With an introduction by FRANCIS BROWN, Associate Professor in Biblical Philology, Union Theological Seminary. 1 vol. 12mo, 640 pp., $2 50. “The work is one which deserves to be studied by all students of ancient history, and in particular by ministers of the Gospel, whose office requires them to interpret the Scriptures, and who ought not to be ignorant of the latest and most interesting contributions of science to the elucidation of the sacred volume.”—_The Tribune._ =COREA, THE HERMIT NATION.= By WILLIAM ELLIOT GRIFFIS, author of “The Mikado’s Empire,” and late of the Imperial University of Tokio, Japan. 1 vol., 8vo, with numerous maps and illustrations, $3 50. “The work bears witness to a vast amount of well-directed labor, and, while it is clothed with a rare charm for the general reader, whose curiosity regarding a long isolated nation will for the first time be satisfied, it is also sure of a respectful and grateful reception from the student of history, ethnology and philology.”—_New York Sun._ THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL. Essays on Beds and Tables, Stools and Candlesticks. By CLARENCE COOK. With over 100 illustrations from original drawings. 1 vol., small 4to, cloth, extra. Price reduced to $4 00. “Mr. Cook writes with an easy finish, and much daintiness of touch, and his pages have a very fresh and pleasant flavor. The publishers have so manufactured the work that it might be called ‘The Book Beautiful.’ But the charm in it lies deeper than in paper surface and letter-press and graver’s lines; and wherever it goes it will educate, inspire and refine.”—_The Literary World._ =Woman’s Handiwork in Modern Homes.= By CONSTANCE CARY HARRISON. One vol., 8vo, richly bound in illuminated cloth, with numerous illustrations and five colored plates from designs by Samuel Colman, Rosina Emmet, George Gibson, and others. Price, $2 00. Mrs. Harrison’s book combines with a discussion of the principles of design and decoration, practical chapters on embroidery, painting on silk and china, etc., most helpful hints as to the domestic manufacture of many objects of use and beauty in house-furnishing, and also suggestions for the arrangement and decoration of rooms in the details of screens, portieres, the mantelpiece, etc. =THE LAND OF THE ARABIAN NIGHTS.=