NEW BOOKS AND PUBLI-CATIONS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11154, 21 December 1901, Page 8

NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

Mr Maurice Hewlett's "New Canterbury ■ Tales" will bo admired, we imagine, rather as a "tour de force" in the matter of style than fof any absorbing interest in its narra-, tiv*s, quaint and powerful though most of them undoubtedly are. We are introduced I to a company of pilgrims, similar to Chaucer's famous band, who set out from Win- J Chester to Canterbury, and who tell tales by the way; «or are they very much be- j hind Chaucer in point of date, seeing that ; they start on their journey in the year j 1450. The tellers of the tales are the Lady Prioress of Ambresbury, Master Corbet, t)ho Scrivenor of London; Dan Costard, the Prioress's confessor; Smith, the shipman of Hull; Captain Bradcnhead, formerly j of Milan, and I'ercival Perceforest, who was \ born in Gloucester. No other living . writer could have imitated the antique man- ' ncr so well, or presented such quaint and j striking tales with such "preciosity" of '■ style. "Dan Costard's Tale" is one of the most remarkable. The Blessed Vigilas, , hermit of Cauntrip, rescued a beautiful babe from two fierce hell-cats of witches, ■mid took it to his home and brought it up. . Because it had not been suckled, however, ; it grew up without a soul, although in j bodily presence a very beautiful maiden, j Hha is the cause of sore temptation, not only to a goodly youth, Pendore, as is natural, but to Blessed Vigilas himself, who is delivered at last, but only after dire ; conflict, and at the cost of martyrdom. ' Aa for the maiden, Paravail, she becomes '•■ once more as a little child, a soul enters ; into her body, ,and ultimately she finds : her natural destiny in marriage with Peri- j dore. (lAindon: Constable's* Indian and Colonial Library. Christehurch: Simpson and Williams; 2i 6d.) The mere announcement that Mr Frank T. Builen lias published another collection • of stories of tlui sea will cause a thrill of j pleasure in the hearts of a multitude of J ratfl&rs to whom his rich, "lowing style of . description and vivid narrative powers are ' if'never failing source of enjoyment. It might be thought that by this time Mr Builen would tsurelv have exhausted most)

The mere announcement that Mr Frank T. Bulk-n has published another collection of stories uf tJwi sea will cause a thrill of pieivjure in the hearts of a multitude of reader* to whom his rich, "lowing style of lUscription and vivid narrative powers are .{"never failing sourco of enjoyment. It might ba thought that by this time Mr liuiten would surely have exhausted most of 'his material, but' the "sea still hath its pearls," unci Mr Bullen knows where to iind them. Certuiuly in "Deep Sea, Plundering" lie has given us ot his fr,e«rt. Hβ has given us stories of adventure, sketches of character, and interesting studies in natural history. The "Debt of the Whole" is ,a. Wry of a typical Yankee -whaling captain- "The Last Stand of the Decapoc.B , ' d-escribea in vivid language an Humerio combat between the kraken and the »perm whales. "Deep Sea. Fiab'V is an interesting cihat about the ewor'd fish, the tunny, the dolphin, and the mackerel family. "The Watchmen of the World" is an eloquent tribute to the British Najy, and "A Mediterranean Morning" is a good example of Mr Bullen's Ruakinese powers of description. (London j, 4 Macmillan's Colonial Library. Christchurch: Whitcombe and Tombs; 2e6d.) Really vie think book lovers this Christmas are very much to be envied. There is yet another treat in store for them in the

«hape of "Young Bwrbariaius," by lan MaoLar«n. This oocupiea the same position in Br. Wateon'a repertoire that "Stalky and Co. , ' does in Mr Kudyafrl Kipling's list of works. It is a story of Scottish schoolboy life, in whlah lan MaoLaren'e droll humoitr and rioh humanity are allowed full scope. Iv some respects we are inclined to think it is one «f the best things the author has yet given us. The chief boy-cliaracter at Muutortrn Academy ie Peter McGufße commonly the Sparrow, or in Scotch, tofcgu* Speug, but Wfe-hardly know Wther tb» character jfcetoß. of Speug or of hie HTatfeer; (horsetfealer of the place, is the most delightfully drawn. Of the latter we are told that be, was a sporting man of established repute, a short, thickeet, red-!aoed, loud-vodced, cliean-ehavcn man, with Jmir cut close to his head, whose calms eaid whose. nratta*r were the secret of Muirtown, "Quiet citizens of irreproachable respectability and religious orthodoxy regardea him with ; > pride w;hich tbey would,nev%r confess; not because they j would have ejpoken or as he did for ; » King's! ransom, mA not because they 1 woufeil nave liked to stand in his shoes > when he "came to die—considering as they did .'that the i oture of a horisedealer and *n owner of racing horses was' dark in the extreißie —bttt because h« was » perfect specimen of hia kind,, and Tiad. made the town of Muirtowni to be known far and wide, in sporting circles." Baillie McCallum sutauned". up tlie. eituatit* : "It's an *wfui' trade,"he .used to remark, "and McGuftWa no the man for a» «ider, but sail, rrftebouy ever got the, better o' him at a bargain,*.' Of Dougall Mftokinnon, known oraong the, boys &s "The Bulldog," the dour teacher of mathematics at the scliool, we have only to *ay that be ie one of the bast character. studies, the -most humorous, and a* tee came time thermos* pathetic that lan MaoLaren ha* ever drawn. And \v» can hardly give.higher praise than that. "Young Baimrians" ii & Iwok which all Scota people and a large proportion of Southrons will hasten to.lmy. (London: Hodder and Stoughton. Chthtdiurch: fountain Barber. 2s 6d.) ' £t )hst m author , has arisen who has that region hitherto tocred to Mr Louis TS&cke. "Love »nd Longitude" is a tale of the Fatcific in 190 th The hero of the etory—Rkshard Blackbum«—jff iDS a smskil trading/schooner in Sydney as first officer. The owner of th* v*s«el and his beautiful daughter set Mil in her in order to find a ] rich ffuaoo island. Unfortunately they had piajrue on board, and several of the di«d, and tbe ovrr.er was washed overboard in » «torm. Thus the daughter ba-, came owner and the first ddßßeer—captain. i Tliey determined to carry out the original plane, w> ,tlwy sailed together in search of the ieland, well knowing but j tiat Mw (Srundy would hold up her. hands ' in holy horror. Our readers must- find out for tlwsn&slvea the exciting experiencee of 1 this adventurous couple, and of thenr sx«>- ' sequant fat*, and we can assure tbsxn they will find it. interesting reading. One df the cleverest character in. the book ts "Alf JSTaeh." He is mi excellent specimen of the Sydney -larrikin, and some of his anecdotea afe" e/tremely amusing. The story is well written, and life on a small schooner amonKstf the Pacific Islands is capitally described. For the benefit of nautical people thero 3s an appendix, "On finding a lost date, inclination, and owftraphical position. , (Sydney: Angus end Robertson.) The Lion'e Wbelp n ie on historical Bovel 4n>m th« prolific pen of Anjelia E. Barr. It ie a «tory of the Okvaliers end Bonedheads. 4urin«. the time of Cromwell* rule. Cron***ll—"tte» lion's wbelp"--w represented «c ftmostlbeautifttl character, gentle and tender cc a woman,, yet i&rd and inflexible as ««k wiien «cod be, end A perfect tower of irtsrength to whom everyone flies when in trouble. The, book givee a rery good description of tbe righteous, p*akn-s*nging, Bobwiy-dpeesed Roundheads, and the #jf. ■oleaeare-loving, gambling Cavsdfers. Tm fovo of the book is & Puritan, bufc, strange to «a-y, a handsome, -rather dashing yottne: j lord- aiMl, indeed, none of the piinoipalj cheaaciere, though Puritans, are solemn, J long-faced, ecriptuie-quoting creatures, sucu ■Jβ one geoespaJiy aesocietes with, the namer | Towarde tlie end of the book Cromwelle j an«U6h and sense of *fovinz more then be cafbear vhm he fewte that th« people j m» bediming to lose fattb in hw,*** with; tSeprorerbial fickleness of the pub- j Ec, <«« femring to long for the return of *fee Stuante, ere very pewwfuHj debribed, aaid ti» «-*V^.Ji «2£ ' the book ends, of one of England s ?**}?**■ JSoiTißfullof pathos. , (London: T- FisherUnwio,, 2s 6d.) -ihi Story of Fish Life" is the latest <AliW to George Newnee* admirable «L*tor of Ueefol Stones/ , «»d aseuredj?no* ooenof the kaet attractive or < i

1 instructive. "When is a &&' »ot a fieh?" is a riddle which might be set to Advantage. It is not always very easy, to solve, as this little book points out. lampreys and hag-fishes are cases in point. Some hold the lamprey to be a degenerate fish, while others, who deny" ite claim to be a fish, regard) it as the Bepxese&tatlve of the ancestral stock from wMch the fishes took their origin. This is: a point on which the investigations of Dr. Dendy regarding ttoe New Zealand lampreys may possibly shed some light. The ebory of the supposed degeneration of the ihag-fish , ie one of the <bx>rrora of natural history— I aetory euchae Edgar Allen. Foe might hive I conceived. The lampreys attach themselves 2>y a sucker-like mouth to the bodies of other fish, on which they lead. . Tfoe hag-fishes carry thie a stage further by boring into the victim's body and feeding thereon till death pate an end to the longdrawn tragedy., This leech-like propensity I renders unnecessary jaws, hardened scales, a bony skeleton, paired fins, and other ' characteristics of the true fish. It is sug- i gested that these might have existed originally, but disappeared from -want of.use— j thus the degeneration of the lamprey, and ; still more of thfejfaag-fisb, was brought about ;by its own gihoulish practices. . Is sot j this very much like a sermon in biology? ! (London: G. Newoes, Limited. CShrktohuroh, Whitcombe and Tombs, Iβ.) From Mr Fountain Barber we have received a parcel of children's books, suitable for ! presents at this festive season, v Among : them that old favourite, "Gurt£erbox,"~ still j holds high place, as affording plenty of ; excellent illustrations and abundance of mii teresting and instructive reading matter. I (London: Wells, Gardner, Darton. and Co.) By children ' a little younger. "The Prize , ' ' will be regarded as fully acting up to its name. The stories are alike attractive and wholesome. Of the purely picture books the most artistic is "The Animals' Ficnjc," d*. : seribsd by Clifton Bingham and pictured by ,G. H. Thompson. This interesting gather - ! ing is arranged by Mr and) Mrs Jumbo; and euon a heterogeneous assortment of guests was . never before assembled outside of the Ark. The pictures—most of them coloured l — : are ; admirably drawn, with a quaint humour \ that will prove almost aa irresistible to I adults as to children. The accompanying I rhymes are also sufficiently amusing. (Lon- ■ don: Edward Nister.) Another book which ; will have a great vogue at the present time is "Soldiers of the Queen, 1 ' which depicts the everyday life of the British soldier; and the leading types in the army,-in series of well-executed coloured pictures. -One of the illustrations shows how Sir Redvers • Buller won the Victoria -Gross. (London: 1 Thomas Nelson and Sons.) Picture books which appeal more particularly to younger are "Little Mother Goose: An-A B 0 of Nursery Rhymes." ~. (London :r 'T. Nelson and Somj and , "Whirligig Pictures" (London: Ernest Nister). , ~,"■. . ,