PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 6, 6 July 1935, Page 24

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

BOOKS OF THE WEEK

The Chief Librarian of the Wellington Public Libraries has chosen "Herd of the Hills," by Allan Fraser, as the book of the week, and has furnished the following review: It occasionally happens that a first novel makes a meteoric ascent to the peak of public enthusiasm. Rarely, but very rarely, a second novel consolidates the reputation of the first or that of the author. In view of this fact,' one might attribute the success of a first novel to seldom occurring inspiration. However, there. are many first novels which the light of popularity will never touch, yet some of them merit much greater attention. Such a novel is "Herd of the Hills." It is perhaps too small in its application, too local in its ideals, for general appreciation. Yet it will be enjoyed by many who read it. , The story is set in the hilly sheep country of the west; of- Scotland. It is a story of the shepherds, written by one .who must have lived their life and understood it. Duncan Gillies is the illegitimate son of a gentleman and cf Mary Gillies, a shepherd's daughter. Duncan is brought up by his mother and his foster-father, Johnnie Gillies, in ignorance of the facts of his birth. He learns to love the sheep, the hills, and the life of the shepherd. He has no higher ambition than to become . a shepherd on the estate with his foster-father. We see the boy at home, at school, and at' work with the sheep, and we can. see his mentality evolving in the light of experience and the life around him. Then comes the shock of the discovery of his birth and his reaction to it. He is then taken away, by his father's mother to be trained to the life of a gentleman. He revolts, and within two days he is back at the humble cottage in the glen to the only life he understands. It is all extremely simple, yet this slender thread of a story . binds together some splendid pictures of the virile shepherd life. The character delineation is excellent, and the characters themselves are well drawn, particularly those of Old Hugh, Johnnie Gillies, and Duncan. There is a dry humour to relieve what might otherwise tend towards the monotonous. Some of the descriptions of battle against the elements lift the book to a high level. It is interesting to contemplate what general appeal a novel on the life and habits of the New Zealand backcountry' shepherds would have. It would depend firstly on its method of treatment, just as "Herd of the Hills" has done, and secondly on whether the lack of scope, culture, and educated mentality which is usually associated with backblock farming conditions could be counteracted by a study of the natural and finer feelings which our shepherds may display in reaction to adversity and environment. "Herd of the Hills" is a book which leaves an impression. Could the book be translated to corresponding conditions in New Zealand- and still leave the same impression? RECENT LIBRARY ADDITIONS. Other titles selected from recent accession lists are as follows: —General: "Joyous Pilgrimage," by I. Donnelly; "A Publisher Speaking," by G. C. Faber; ."Turkestan Solo," by E. K. Maillart; "A History of Exploration," by Sir P. M. Sykes; "Man's Survival After Death," by C. L. Tweedale; "Fifty Thrilling Years at Sea," by G. J. Whitfield; "What Marx Really Meant," by G. D. H. Cole;" "Through Fascist Italy," by R. G. Andrew. Fiction: "Ambition's Harvest," by N. Scanlan; "The Gold Rim," by I. Rathbone; "On the Hill," by L. Gibbs; "Little Orvie," by B. Tarkington; "Odtt Jobs," by P.' Binder; "So This is Love," by F. E. Baily; "The Last Lap," by G. B. Savi; "Jimmie Dale and the Missing Hour," by F. L. Packard.