_Deutsches Volkskalender auf das Jahr_, 1852. _Herausg, von Gustav. Nientz._ There are two works, which, generally speaking, are found in every Christian family--the Bible and--the almanac. The Almanac has in fact the greater antiquity of the twain, for in the remote East, as in Norway, it was universally published "for the million," on blocks of wood or stone, or on walking-canes, even in the days of paganism. And since it _is_ so generally distributed, would it not be well for some of our higher literati to take the matter in hand, and make it a medium for something better than criminal trials, quack advertisements, and similar subjects? This of Nieritz is well gotten up, and contains excellent contributions from Jer. Gotthelf, Karl Barth, A. Wildenhahn, Karl Simrock, and A. Grube. The best in the collection appears to be _The Broom-maker of Rychiswyl_, by Gotthelf. All of the engravings are admirable, and the work is published for "next to nothing." * * * * * An _Austrian Biographical Dictionary_ is now publishing, by Moritz Bermann, at Vienna; useful to students of history and politics. * * * * * In SWEDEN, is the title of two volumes of _Sketches of Travel_, by HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN, just published at Leipzic. They are replete with all the poetic charm and genial humor which his pen imparts to every subject it touches. * * * * * HENRICH ZEISE is a Danish novelist with whose works we have in this country no acquaintance, but who has just been introduced to the Germans by a translation into their language of his _Novels of Christian Winther_, which are praised by the critics as not only well written, but as affording an excellent idea of Danish social life. Zeise is the son of a country parson of Lolland; was born in 1796; and first distinguished himself by his fugitive poems, which in 1820 were collected in a volume. He travelled in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, and in 1832 published a collection of translations from the German poets and other writers. In 1835, he brought out a second series of his own poems, in which he abandoned to a great degree his previous popular style, and put on the manners of fashionable society. This was not a successful experiment. His novels are more recent; the best, _Osterie_, was published in 1843. In 1849 he translated _Reinecke Fuchs_ into Danish, preserving the original metre. He now has a pension from government, and lives at Copenhagen. * * * * *