LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 58, 1 December 1917, Page 13

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Stray Leaves, To .Correspondents:—"C.E.W." (Ha- 1 taitai): The third volume of the "Sarracinesca" series is entitled "Don Orsino." "L. de B." (Hokitika): Have written you. "H. B. Moore" (Warkworth): Thanks for appreciative letter. Cannot print it, but it makes pleasant reading. "A Lucas Admirer": The proper order is as follows—"Over Bemerton's," "Mr. Inglesidc," and "London Lavender." Since then Mr. Lucas has published two other stories, "Landmarks," and "The Vermilion Box." All those books can be procured in Wellington. "H.S." (Wanganui): No space for original verse in this column. Send it to your local papers, or, better still, to either '"The Triad" or the Sydney "Bulletin." "W.T." (Gisbornc): There is a wellprinted edition of '''Cowper's Letters" (a selection) in Macmillan's Golden Treasury scries (3s. 6d.). Mr. J. D. Bercsford's last novel, "House Mates," displayed, so I thought, a certain falling off as compared with the high standard reached in the "Jacob Stahl" trilogy, and in that even liner work, "The House on Demetrius Road." His new book, "W. E. Ford: A Biography," in which Mr. Beresford has had Mr. Kenneth Richmond as a collaborates, is to bo published by W. Collins, Sons and Co., and, it is said, will arouse much discussion. Tho memory of the late 'William de Morgan is to be perpetuated by a tablet to be placed in the Old Church, Chcyne Walk, Chelsea. Chelsea, it may be remembered, was the hackground for several scenes in Mr. do Morgan's novels. William Archer is publishing his impressions of India as he saw that country just before the war. If this new book of Mr. Archer's impressions do voyage ho as good as his notes on Amorica it will bo well worth reading. The well-known publishing firm of W. Collins, Sods, and Co. have long been famous for their cheap and excellent reprints of popular novels. The firm have apparently decided to widen tho scope of their operations, and will nnblisli original fiction, works of travel, biography, essays, and general literature. Their first liat of announcements contains several interesting items, including "Missing," a war novel, by Mrs. 1 Humphrey Ward; "Knights of Aniby," n novel of the East, by Marmadukc Pickthall, whose fine story, "Said tho Fisherman," will he remembered; and "The Gulf," by Hugh F. Snondcr. author of a political novel, "Tho Machiine." Other interesting items are a;n entirely new study of Turgenev by Edward Garnett, with a foreword by Joseph Conrad; a new collection of essays, "An Autumn Sowing," by Mr. E. F. Benson, and a further instalment of tho late Henry James's autobiography, "Tim Middle Years." Mrs. 801100 Lowndes, Hilairo Dolloc's clover sifitor, has written a new story "Love and Hatred," which should be available soon after Christmas. Dents aro bringing out Joseph Con-

rad's novels in a uniform edition, at five shillings a volume. The latest volume to appear is a reprint of "Youth," which was first published in 1902. Tho book includes three separate stories, "Youth," "Heart of Darkness," and "Tho End of tho Tether." I notice that first editions of tlie earlier Conrads are being increasingly sought after by collectors. A clean copy of "Almoyor's Folly," for instance, brought £4 15s. at a London salo in August. Tho ways of the bibliophile are inexplicable. You can buy a copy of tho same novel, equally well printed, the text complete and identical with the first edition, for four or five shillings.

Sir William Eobertson Nicol's articles in the "British Weekly," entitled "A Library for Five Pounds," are being issued in book form. It would bo interesting to compare Sir William's selections with those of Arnold Bennett, published some time ago under the title "Literary Taste."

Our old friend, Sir Percy Slakeney, of "Scarlet Pimpernel" fame, is to the fore again in Baroness Orczy's latost novel, "Lord Tony's Wife." The background is Nantes during the French Revolution, what time tho infamous Carrier, an eighteenth century Bolshovik, was in power and tho horrible Noyados were occurring. English reviews of Mr. H. G. Wells's new book, "The Soul of a Bishop," are not enthusiastically appreciative. In a way it is a forecast of tlio social and religious life which is, says tho author of "Mr. Britling Sees It Through," to follow tho war. American reviews point out that tho clergyman hero of Winston Churchill's "Inside tho Cup" grappled with much the same problems as those which caused Mr. Wells's "Bishop of Printchostor" so much mental trouble.

Upton Sinclair, the American Social-ist-novelist, who at one time seemed to he unduly absorbed by tho sex probleniSj has now written a long novel, "King Coal," in which the labour conditions in the American coal-mines aro indicted. It will be interesting, to see how he will deal with a subject which Zola treated so realistically in his famous story "Germinal," always to "Liber's" mind the French novelist's greatest achievement.

An ontircly new biographical Btudy of the Uritish Prime Minister has been written by Hugh Spender, who wrote that fine political novel, "The Machine." Mr. Sponder gives a special account of Mr. Lloyd George's policy and activities during tho war period. Frederick Watson ("lan Maelaren's" son) seems to havo inherited the paternal talent for delinoating Scottish life and character. His new story, "Children of Passage," is a tale of humblo lifo in the Lowlands.

Marjorie Bowen, who so long found a fertile iield for her rich imaginative powers in various episodes in Dutch history, and whoso pet hero was William of Orange, has now turned her attention to the French Revolution, and has written a story dealing wifli that period, ontitled "Tho Third Estate." I question, however, whether any novelist can tell stranger and more romantic stories of France's social upheaval in tho eighteenth century than aro to bo found in Gustav Lenche's "Romances of the French Revolution." The two volumes in fact, are simply packed with dramatic and romantic incidents culled from the official chronicles of the period.