NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 17021, 18 December 1920, Page 7

NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

"FROM FRIEND TO FRIEND." A book to be hailed by any true lover •>f books is "From Friend to Friend/' tho last collection of sketches and studies by Lady Ritrliie. "Some friends seem like green places in tho desert: one thinks of'them, and o'no is at rest." This applies not only to the daughter of Thackeray, but to friendly things she left behind in the world's libraries. To read them is to be led in green places, with tho good and sweet souls, or with souls in whom Lady liitchie could see only the sweetness and the goodne&j. Naturally, during the last years, her task was chieiiy that of reminiscence. One of these essays, on Adelaide h?artoris remarks on the duty of such work. "It is not for old friends .who remember that recollections are written, but rather to try to tell people -who cannot remember of some of those who have r/one before them, treading with memorable steps towards tho infinite silence." The first paper in this volume, "From Friend to Friend," collects extracts from letters between Lady Tennyson . and Mrs Cameron (the first ,-irtist in photography), from 1852 to Mrs Cameron's death in 1879. It is tho artist who speaks of the magnolia as a flower "mysterious in its beauty, as if it were the only thing left nnsoiled and unspoiled from the "Garden of Eden. A flower a blind man would mistake for a fruit too rich too good for human nature's daily food." In o- Ip»3 poetic moment, she gives us a glimpse into what was considered sick-nursing in 1859. This was her menu for a convalescent. "The patient haa poached eggs at eight; has liis dinner (gravy soup and curry) at one; mulligatawny soup and meat at five; a free allowance of port "wine, averaging a bottle a day." The medical science of the period added, however, to this liberal diet-sheet, "ten drops of Jcremie's opiate every morning, a dose of creosote zinc and gum arable before his meals, and a dose of quinine after each meal." Still earlier in the illness, there bad been "strong beef-tea, thickened with arrowroot, six times a. day." papers on Mrs Sartoris, Mre Kemble, on tho Brownings in Italy, are interesting in themselves, and in the references to other well-known names. There is the story of Gibson's pleasure in a little hoy who accompanied his parents to the studio where stood the tinted "Venus," and asked if that waß a ball of soap that Venus held in her hand. "Seeing her without her clothes, ho naturally thought sho was going_to.be washed. 'A hall of s—Boap,' Gibson repeated, grimly chuckling; lie called it a ball of . Boiap.' " Two "letters to a painter ?rom W. M. Thackeray," show how the man of letters appreciated thfe picturemaker. "In a French village" is-one of the pretty, descriptive articles Miss Thackeray could write so well; and the _ story of "Binnie," reprinted from its newspaper publication in 1893, has much of the atmosphere, though not quite all the sure touch, of her earlier "Miss "Williamson" tales. (London: John Murray. Christohuroh: Whitcombe and Tombs, Ltd. 65.) NEW NOVELS. George A. Birmingham gives its, ir "Good Conduct," a series, of episodes oach with tho same heroine. Virginif Tempest Is a schoolgirl—one of Birming ham's delightful schoolgirls, who car be unmistakably juvenile, while thej interfere quite seriously in matters oi politics, journalism, and other grown' up concerns of life. "When Virginia invades the premises of the "J&ailj Gazette," its editor experiences things quite unknown before in his official routime. When the philanthropic Sii Isaac Wool < does homage to the "citieens of the future," by entertaining six, hundred ragamuffins in his park, Virginia contrives to bestow on some of them a sensation not often gained at charitable picnics by small boys. Virginia received a prize at Christmas for "general good'conduct." The young man she becomes engaged to, in the last chapter, being infftrmed of this item in ner past life, exclaims, "Good Lord I" Her-biographer comments approvingly. ' 'His exclamation, and the tone in which he made it, told me that Jbe knew something of Virginia, and had not drifted blindfold into his engagement with her." But good or not, Her conduct is always amusing, whether she instructs infants in the Montessori . method, causes a Bishop to go punting when he ought to be addessing a waiting audience, defeats and ridicules the distinguished burgeon who 3 desires to cat her tonsils, or, on the highest moral .grounds, teaches the young idea to > smoke. (London: John Murray. Christchurch i Whitoombe and Tombs, Ltd. 65.) Umber Wolves," by Bernard Cronin, author of "Tne Coastlanders," is a good, stirring story of bush, adventure and business intrigue. A Melbourne ' speculator has acquired vast rights over * the timber lands in north-west Tasmania. The hero, who undertakes, quite innocently, to promote the schemes, of #. "wolf," finds that his arrival amongst the hardwood is. the signal for an extraordinary amount of -unpleasantness. He makes good friends, however, as well.as lively enemies; and the plot works \ out, with comedy, tragedy, and love interest, through the breezy pages of a manful out-door tale. Hodder and Stoughton, Ltd., 1 - 44 Mary Marie," by Eleanor H. Porter, professes' to be the diary of the very • attractive little girl upon "the cover. In tins form, the grown-up novelist presents some arguments against the 'American habit of divorce. The effect - ia unfortunate'. Wo resent a goldenhaired heroine of thirteen who. fills a journal with comments upon a divorce rait between her father and mother, "even though it happens to be one so "perfectly right and genteel and re l spectable," that school-girl friends can - wag of much more interesting divorces .in their various homes. "They Raid mine was tame, and had no sort of snap to. it, when they found mother didn't havo a lover Waiting in the next " town, or father hadn't run off with his ■ stenographer, or nobody had shot anybody, or anything." ?sor does her attitude become more graceful when, the reparation accomplished, "Mary Marie'' begins tp ' conteraplato- her mother's friends, married or single, "for, of course, the married ones could get * divorces," as prospective suitors. "I 'suppose one of,them will be- mother's lover by and by; but, of course, I don't know which one yet. I'm awfully interested in + hem, though. Ancl, of • worse, it's only natural that 1 should be. Wouldn't you be interested in the man that was going to be your new father?" The small daughter, in the . end, brings her parents to be of one ■ mind in one house again—but the book ■ .is a strange compound of American - sentimentality, combined with, bad taste. (New York: The Christian Herald Bible House. Sydney: The Aus.tralasian Publishing Company, Ltd. 65.) " "John Bull, Junior" a story of public school life, by F. Wren Child, opens "With a small hero, Nigel Brant, experiencing the oqld comfort of his first ' ™ a dormitory, at St: Lucian's . College. Scarsdale. "He appeared to :" a ve plunged abruptly into a starred world devoid of the most elementary ,®Mnforts. .'ln varying degrees he had ®6eo conscious of the same feeling ever Since 'his arrival, five hours ago. Not had the hall, the cloisters, the TOfiwooms, and other places he had jW>lored struck him as resembling the - "Arctic regions, but 'the people he had '■ whether boys or seniors, had .■"\j*enied .equally chilling." The small •;«Ws trials during the first days, his . ; ifadnal acceptance of new rules, and t' ! wioption 0 f new manners, lead on to 'iSfecord of friendships, games, school 'VgWunphs,. and school crimes. The joecrot Society," £ssmed tar three V \

friends, has some amusing features. Boys will like '"John .Bull, Junior," wliieh stands dedicated to two boys who asked '"Whai was it like to be in a big school?'"' (London, Methucn and Co.. Ltd., Gs.) '"All captives in a strange country, trying To escape, each in his or lTer fasiiion, back to the land of their i)irth.' : This is Hugh Walpole's view of the characters he has chosen for his new novel, entitled "The Captives." There is no Russia in this story, appropriately dedicated to Arnold" Bennett, and dealing with middle class English .people in small homes, with a iimittxl outlook. Maggie, tho heroine, whoso life is always being hedged-in by outside rules unwelcome to her, passes, rfter her father's sudden death, to uncongenial aunts, and. later, to an uncongenial husband. There is always an atmosphere of strain, a suggestion of over-hanging tragedy. Tho aunts find their spiritual outlet in the chapel ! where the "Kingscote Brethren," under their special prophet John Warlock. held fast to tho daily expectation jcf God's coming. Maggie dreads, above all things, to be "made religious" against her will Her one love adventure brings unhappinees. Her marriage takes her amongst people still more impossible to live with. In tho end, the husband is deserted, and Maggie discovers that thoro are deep tranquil emotions of life still left to* her, -with the man slie has always loved, who now needs her. Happiness pours in upon her, "as water floods in upon a dried and sultry river-bed." "Captives" is a cheerless book for the most part, but it holds some fine thinking, and has a fine central idea—"There's "a brotherhood of the dissatisfied, and the uneasy, and the anxious-hearted, and I believe it's they who will discover tho grail in. the end if it's ever going to bo discovered at all." (London, MacMillan and Co., Limited. The Empire I Library.) A highly interesting novel with, a Chinese background, is "Tho Claw of tho Dragon," by that expert on matters Chinese, George Soulie Do Morant. Tho Duko of Krong, . Ambassador in France, has a learned and aristocratic first-sec-retary, Ming-ni, Viscount of Lin. MonintiOj a charming young French girl, falls' m love with Ming-ni. They are married, and return to his home in the heart of China ; where, according to custom, the son is but "the little dog of tho household," and botlx father and mother, who bear absolute rule, aro very far from welcoming a European wife. Monirjue's adventures are exciting and almost tragical; but the young couple com© through, all troubles bravely—even the troubles concerning Nelumbo, Ming-ni's "second wife." It is rather a triumph of narration that De Morant can transport his readers •with liis heroine, eo .absolutely into the Chines© point of view. (George Allen and TJnwin, Ltd., 75.) FOB THE CHILDREN. For several years the publishing firms of Britain and America have paid increasing attention to the business of producing books for children. In older timea the range of children's booGs was small. The books were good, but there was not much to choose from. To-day the enormous advances made in printing processes, and particularly in the printing of pictures, in line, block, and colour, have been harnessed to the wider talents of those who write and draw for the children, and the result is that for the parent on his business of choosing the Christmas books, the problem is not to find something suitable, but to choose amongst such an embarrassingly large and delightful display of seductive covers and still more seductive insides. For girls promoted from the nursery Mary Isabel Martin has written "The Little Princess" (Chicago v Albert Whitman and Co.), a longish story about a seven-year-old darling with ail a darling's habit of getting into seven-year-old scrapes. "The Camp Fire Girls" I (Philadelphia: John C. Winston Co.) is by Margaret Vandercook, the author of the well-known "Ranch Girl" and "Bed Cross Girls" series, the modern I and very good successors of the "Elsie" series of long ago. "Nan Sherwood at Lakeview Hall" (New York: George Sully and Co.) is another volume which young girls will find bright and brisk. For children of all sizes, there is still that excellent annual "The Prize,'' still printed by Wells, Gardner, Darton and Co., and sturdily keeping up its standard in that admirable manner common to the larger annuals like "Chatterbox" and the "Boys' Own." It is delightful to find this sterling perennial foing as strong as ever. C. Arthur earson, 'Ltd., issue an uncommonly inI teresting book called "The Little Jetts —Bible Stories and Etchings," by Wade jCr Smith. This is a picture book in ' which incidents in the Scriptures are related in sketches of that simple sort I in which the figuies are small skeleton outlines. Some of the sketches are curiI ously effective. More unorthodox is "A ! Life of Our Lord." issued by the S.P.C.K., and well illustrated. This "Life" is constructed on new lines; the story is told by direct quotations from the Gospel, without summaries or connecting narrative—a method one has often wished to see adopted. "Stories from Grimm" (T. C. and E. C. Jack) by Amy Steedman, is illustrated by Harry Rowntree, and is a pleasant little addition to the innumerable selections from this prince of storytcllorSf * One" of tie most attractive of all the books for very little folk is an edition of "Mother Goose" (complete') which has been brought out by Donohue ; of Chicago. The illustrations are either from copies of very old woodcuts or from admirable imitations of them, and each heavily illustrated page has coloured borders. . The book has such a thoroughly old-fashioned air that, after little use, it will appear to be the very volume that was in the nursery _50 ago. . "Puss in Boots" (New York: George Sully and Co/), comes m a most attractive dress. The illustrations are vivid pastels, drawn with wonderful dash and spirit. We can only briefly note "The Joy Book" (New York: Ctrpples and Leon Co ), a much-illustrated volume for the very little ones; "Tho Adventures ot Paddy the Beaver" (Boston: Little, Brown; and Co.); "World, of Fun and Story," a kind of American, Tattle Folks," edited by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and full of very good tl.mgs ; -"The Hamper of 'Mr' Books" (Warn© and Co.), a collection of tiny volumes, illustrated by Lawson Wood; ' Funland, a clever, "Nature Study book of cardboard and missing heads; and A .Jnraboree of Laughter," in which Heath Robinson makes the Boy Scout tho subiect of his eccentric- ta'ent. Our conies are from Whitcombe and Tombs.