LIBER'S NOTE BOOK.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 125, 2 July 1914, Page 5

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK.

Those who enjoyed Mr Hutchinson's clever novel, "THe Happy Warrior," with its strong suggestion of a Borrovian influence, will be glad to know that Hodder and Stoughton announce for early publication a inew story from Mr Hutchinson's pen. The title is '' The Clean iHeart.''

The Baroness von Hutton, of "Pain" fame, has completed an entirely new story entitled "Maria."

"Plain Talk on World Problems," by Gerald Purton (George Robertson and Co.) ? is the title of a little book of essays dealing, so the author tells us, with "obstruse problems," but "written essentially for the man in the street." The author is a strong opponent of the theory of evolution, and endeavours .to prove "its utter deficiency to explain the mysteries of the universe and of life." He deals out some hard knocks what he styles "the dreary and homeless materialistic creed" of Rationalism.

A welcome addition to the Oxford Edition of Standard Authors (Humphrey Milford), is a well-printed volume of "Poems" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson's reputation as a

transcendentalist philosopher is apt to overcloud the value of his poetical work, a special feature of which was its author's keen ' sympathy with and love of the beauties of Nature. There is a simple charm about a poem like his "May Day" which, despite the occasional didactic touches in the verse, makes •the poem very pleasant reading. (Price, 1/6).

"A Marriage of Souls," by Veni Cooper - Mathieson ' Truth-seeker'' .Publishing Co., Perth), is described on the title page as a metaphysical, novel.

George Moore, the concluding volume, '•'Yale," of whose "Hail and Parewell" trilogy has been so well reviewed, has not, it appears, definitely said goodbye to his many admirers. He is, I read, visaing Palestine, and contemplates a. book thereon. Ths author of i'The Mummer's Wife," &nd "The Confessions of a Young Man" is hardly the man one would think to give us a book on the Holy Land. But although lie may offend not a few readers, there is no denying the charm, of Moore's

style, and in any case to get away from his everlasting at his old Irish friends will be a relief. Personally, however, I should prefer George Moore on, say, Montmartre, to George Moore on Jerusalem.

Flora Annie Steel's new book, "The Mercy of the Lord,' ; ' published at the end of May by Heinemann's, is not a long novel, but a of short stories. A '' thi;ee decker" would have been more welcome, but anything and everything from the pen to which we owe "On the Pace of the Waters" and ."The Potjter's Thumb" should be worth reading.

Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson has been telling a 'New York interviewer that "Wells Has found Socialism," while beautiful in theory, to be incompatible with human and predicts that "in the logical .course of events Wells will become .a - Catholic and a feudalist." When Father-Benson reads Wells's last book, "The World Set Free,'' he may probably modify the above silly prophecy.

The lady waiter. .who; calls herself "Victoria Cross'? informs the readers of T.P.'s Weekly that her somewhat notorious novel, I' Anna Lombard,'' was refused, on one ground or other, by twenty different firms „of publishers. When published on commission, it sold very poorly for a time, "but the author spent £250 on advertising .it, and soon a "boom" commenced. A quarter of a million copies of the book have been sold.

One of the best books on Old London that has been published for some time is Canon Ditchfield's '' London Survivals" (Methuen). 1 5 hope to give a review next week.

G. B. "Pshaw" often irritates me by his posing, and especially by his continual fault-finding, but at least one good thing shall be accounted, to him when the Recording Angel digs up his literary sins. For '' G.B.S.'' in his preface to his play, '' The Dark Lady of the Sonnets'' (which, with two other plays, "Misalliance" and "Fanny's First Play," makes up his last published volume), discusses and "rejects the conception of Shakespeare as the illiterate nobody of the wild Baconian theory. Long may G. B. "pshaw" at the Baconians!

There are now 11 Cubist'' poems as well as '' Cubist'' monstrosities which their deluded painters choose to style pictures. One, Max Weber, for instance, is responsible for a book of "Cubist Poems," published by Elkin Matthews, at a -modest 'shilling. What.is a Cubist poem? Well, I can't exactly tell you, but here is the " Cubist poet in his Cubist mood/' as a writer in an English, journal puts it:— Cubes, cubes, cubes, cubes, High, low and high, and higher, higher, Far, far out, out, out, far. Planes, planes, planes, Colours, lights, signs, whistles, bells, signals, colours, Planes, planes, "planes. Eyes, eyes, window,eyes, eyes, eyes, Nostrils, nostrils, chimney nostrils, Breathing, burning, puffing, Thrilling, puffing, breathing, puffing, Millions of things upon things, Billions of things upon things. This for the eye, the eye of being. At the edge of the Hudson, Flowing timeless, endless,On, on, on, on . . . The above is an extract from a poem, entitled "The Eye Moment." What it is all about is beyond my comprehension, but it sounds something like what Walt. Whitman might have writton had he had delirium tremens. I am j afraid the '' new'' poetry is not for old fogies like '' Liber.'' Several of Jack London's earlier books, some not hitherto published in England, are now being issued in a handy shilling edition (New Zealand price, 1/3), by Messrs Mills and Boon, who send me per Whitcombe and Tombs, a- copy of the American novelist's stories of '' hobo" or tramp life, entitled "The Road." It is autobiographical, and gives an intimate view of the curious Bohemianism, not always without its good points, of the American tramp class. Other Jack London books in the same series are "South Sea Tales," ** When God Laughs," "A Son of the Sun," " Smoke Bellew,'' and "The House of Pride."

As a rule, a librarian is assumed to be naturally and officially a most seri-ous-minded person, not to be even suspected of joking. But even into the usually sedate atmosphere of a public library there comes at times the element of humour. This is when would-be book borrowers begin to "murder" titles. In a little volume called "Library Jokes and Jottings," a London public librarian, Mr Henry T. Coutts, quotes some simusing examples of being given a humorous twist. Thus, Mr Coutts cells of a" messenger who said, 4 ' I 'in from Mrs Smith, and will you please send him 'lndecent Orders.' " The book actually required was "In Deacon's Orders." Another request for was "She Oombeth not Her [lead" (Khoda Broughton's "He Cometli Not, She Said"). Anthony Hope's "Quisante" developed, on the tongue of a-girl messenger, into "Kiss Auntie," and one youth, whose knowledge of French was still elementary, said "Father has seat

back the 'Naughty Dame' (Notre Dame), and wants one 'less miserable' ('' Les Miserables')." A borrower who wanted to renew a book which evidently he had not by him at the time he wrote, said, '' I forget the author and the title, but it was bound in blue, with a picture of a dolphin in the back.'' One veTy pious parent wrote objecting to his boy borrowing from a public library. "I'm,'.' wrote this gentleman, "a believer in the second coming of our Lord, and I think it possible that He will do so shortly. How could I meet Him with a clear conscience whilst I had borrowed books in my house?" "Liber'"' only wishes that a similar exaggeration of scruple would dominate the mind, of certain persons who have borrowed books from him.

Hodder and Stoughtojn. J a second £IOOO prize novel competition, just closed, was confined exclusively to colonial writers. The result will be. announced very shortly. The firm announce a third great novel competition, "open to allcomers, '' in which prizes of a total value of 1000 guineas will be awarded. The adjudicators will be Anthony Hope Hawkins, A. E. W. Mason, and Sir W. M. Bobertson Nicoll. For the benefit of New Zealand writers, I may add that full particulars and entry forms may be had on application to Hodder and Stoughton, St. Paul's House, Warwick Lane, London, E.C.

The special feature in the May number of the "Bookman'* is a long and clever article (by Holbrooke Jackson), on the Jewish novelist, Israel Zangwill, and his work. , Of late years Zangwill has been greatly interested in the Zionist movement, and as a writer is apparently more anxious to shine as a playwright than as a novelist. His ' 1 Melting Pot'' has recently been performed with success, both in London and New York. Zangwill describes America as "God's Crucible, the Great Melting Pot, where all the races of Europe are melting anc| reforming." Personally, I do not care very much for his more recent stories. But what a fine book was '' Th'e Children of the Ghetto,'' and as a story of an artist's life, '' The Master." Another good article in the May "Bookman" deals with the work of Ethel Sidgwick,' whose fine novel, "A Lady of Leisure," was reviewed in these columns a few weeks ago. Miss Sidgwick's earlier novels, "Promise,"

'' Succession," "Le Gentleman,' * "Herself" are worth looking up. A third article of note in the s?BHSe- < number gives some interesting persoaiaK > < particulars about the late Dr (A.K.H.8.), the author of those lightful" books "The Eecreations of a Country Parson." A selection fyoia. A.K.H.B.'s" work, edited by his-son., has just been published by Nelson.-. (2/6). Boyd made many friends b? his writings. Such men as Fronde. Charles Kingsley, Archbishop Wliatelj, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Prineijutf Tulloch were proud to be Boial*em£ amongst his correspondents. ;