NEW BOOKS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16507, 26 April 1919, Page 7

NEW BOOKS.

THE JTJGO SLAVS. . - A ...little took, of much interest an< usefulness, entitled, "The Fight fo Freedom of the Jogo Slavs," has jus been published in Auckland. ' Thi author is Mr G. L. Scansie, of tha city, and the book is a-nearly complei statement of the Jugo-Slav case, whicl at this moinont transcends in import ance evory other question in the world The leading facts of the dispute be tween' Italy and. Jugo-Slavia over thi 1 future ownership of J?iume and the Dal i matian coast,* have been set forth oi several occasions in "The Press," an« we need not give them again here. M: I Scnnsio writes, of course, entirely fron the Jugo-Slav point of view, but hi book is a very honest assembling of thi main facts relating to the birth o Jugo-SJavia, and of the leading histo rical documents connected therewith To those who desire in "war books' facts arid "documents above all else, M; Scansie has rendered a real service because the documents he quotes an not' easily accessible in a coliecte( form. We have the various treatie arid statements that resulted in th< establishment of the Jugo-Slav State together- with. the authentic communi cations relating to the last days o Austria as they affected Jugo-Slayia The statements and speeches of leading British, French, and American friend; of .Jugo-Slavia are also quoted, anc there, is a survey of the facts of-thi post-armistice trouble with Italy. Mi Scansie writes exceedingly well anc clearly, and is to be complimented up on a good piece of work. No pub lislier's name is given on the title page but as it is understood that the bool is to be put in the tmops, we advisi everyone who wishes to understand thi Jugo-Slavic case thoroughly as every one must wish in view of the lament able crisis at Paris, to secure a cop: of the book. (Auckland: Gordon am Gotch, Ltd.) •'THE NEW HEAVEN." One of tne most curious books w< have encountered for some time ii "Tne jNow ileaven," by G. NVarrei Russell. Altnougu it is only now published, it waa. written in l*>o2, ai the autnor explains. The ftory u this:—The narrator, a Scotch shep hei'd, is hypnotised bv an old tohung! and dies. He goes to Heaven, seei many astounding things, and comes t< life again. 1 Almost tne.whole oi thi book is occupied with a description o: life in Heaven, and a record of lengthj conversations with various peopu there. Heaven, so it appears, is a rea place self-luminous, at tiio very centri of the universe, in which people pre serve their mortal shape, and live u houses, take tne newspauers, fireworks displays by comets and stars go to the theatre, and grow in know ledge and happiness. The - author : object is presumabJy to empbas.se th« detects of existence on this planet bj describing a world in which every thing is as it should be. It can not bo said that Mr Russell ha: anything new to teach us .u this way—he opens up no new lin. of thought, and there are few fresh o. suggestive ideas in-his book. Never thcless. it may bo interesting, and evei helpful to some people. Although thi efiect produced is often oomic, then is-nevertheless, a spirit of energy an< purpose in the singular story that com nelsoiio to read on through the descnp tion of the cosmic, fireworks, the cross examination of Hettry Ward BeecheJ (called up by telepathy, which u Heaven replaces tlie telephone, al tnounh for the newspaper, we an Droud to say, even Heaven has no sub «titute>, >the visit to "the agncultura district (where the people use th« Zummcract dialect), the British Em pire Reunion, Livingstone s lecture and many other exceedingly singulaj nassages. A feature of the boo! i- the .selection of extracts fron great authors to introduce the chap tors The author quotes indifferentlj from himself, St. Paul, Milton, Shakes neare. Shelley, Browning, lennyson \ddisbn, Burke, and others. (London -Methune and 00. Christchurct : L. M laitt. Ltd.*