NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 21992, 30 March 1935, Page 25

NOTES

tu the Hollywood film version of ‘A Mid-summer Night s Dream ’ Bottom is to he given a wife.

Sir Charles Firth’s ‘ Cromwell ’ is the latest addition to Putnam’s Black and White Library. The. author has made many revisions for this first cheap edition of his book.

Hilda Vaughan lias scored a great success with her exquisite little gun hook, ‘ A Thing of Nought,’ illustrated by Lee, Elliott, and published by Lovat Dickson. A h ead v the second impression is nearly exhausted.

‘ Dew on the Crass.’ Eiluned Lewis's brilliant study of childhood, continues to ho a big seller both in Britain and America. Hie author is at present engaged on a new work, entitled ‘ The Banquet Begins.’

Air Harold Baldwin, author of an autobiography called ‘ A Farm for Iwo Pounds.' is- a farmer in Saskatchewan. In the last twenty-five years he has .'icon harvester, rioter, hobo, traiti-ju-inper, foreman-navvy, lumberjack, cowboy, lecturer, compositor, and copy writer.

Sir Lionel Earle. author of ‘ Turn Over the Page.’ was Permanent Secretary to the Office of Works from 1919 to 193,‘5. London’s parks and gardens came under his care. He was educated at the Paris and Gottingen Universities as well as at Oxford, and he served in four departments of State.

M. Guy Madeline was bom some thirty years ago in Havre—the scene of his novel, ‘ The Wolves.’ which won the Pi'ix Gonconrt ami recently appeared in an English’translation. He spent most of his life there and has a v/idc knowledge of its seafaring men and merchants. Now, however, he has moved to Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Mr Richard Church, whoso new novel is entitled 4 The Apple ot Concord, worked for several years in the Ministry of Labour. But for the last two years he has Jived in a cottage on the Stiff olk-Essox border, devoting his time to literature. Here lie can indulge liis two main hobbies—rock gardening and cycling. His coloured shirts are another of his simple pleasures.

Mr J. Leslie Mitchell, who died last month in London in his early thirties, was an unusually prolific writer. He used his own mnno and also a pseudonym, 44 Lewis Grassio Gibbon.” His best work was probably Ids trilogy of Scottish life— 4 Sunset Song,’ 4 Cloud Howe,’ and 4 Grey Granite.’ His most recently published book, 4 Nine Against the Unknown,’ appeared under both his own name and his pen name. He was an authority on the Maya civilisation of South America.

Although the present Chaco War is often compared with the groat Paraguayan War against the Triple Alliance which almost extermintted the manhood of that country hot ween 3 SCO and 1870, the territory fought over is quite different. Sixty years ago the Grand Chaco was an interminable wilderness, and the fighting took place not there, hut on tlTc Asuncion side of the Paraguay River. The story of General Coper,’s dreams of Empire that load to this fatal war is told in Baroness Dombrowski’s epic novel. ‘-Land of Women.'

Alias Angela Milne is a niece of Mr A. A. Milne. Shu is a contributor to ‘Growing Opinions,’ a “symposium” hv writers under twenty-five years of age. It has a preface by Professor J. IT S. Haldane—who is excluded from this age limit! The Haldanes are a talented family. Professor d. S. Haldane, whose latest hook is 1 Tho Philosophy of a Biologist,’ is the father of •). B. S. Haldane, an distinguished scientist, and of Mrs Naomi Mitehison, the novelist.

“ It is not obvious why n vniclillonged scientist should be asked to write a preface to a, book by writers under twenty-five years of age. Hut (rovn my middle-aged’viewpoint, one thing seems clear—these young men and women who arc my juniors by twenty years are far clearer headed than their predecessors ten years ago. They are trying bard to think, and some are succeeding remarkably.” Thus the preface by Professor J. B. S. Haldane to ‘ Growing Opinions,’ a .symposium, edited and designed by Alan Campbell Johnson. This work, priced at (is, is being published by Methuen,s (London), being the impressions of the outlook ol British youth on themes susceptible to its influence. The contents include: Itdncation in the Wasteland, the. Greek Tradition. An Approach to Psychology, Youth and Literary Appreciation, the Passing of Christian Dogma, Youth and Music, the Art of the Theatre, Modern Art and Tradition, the Problem of Peace and War, the Family, Youth and Polities, Careers for Women, Growing Opinions in Ireland, Youth and Modern Sport, Women and Dress. Youth and Pleasures. The interest to Dunedin readers lies in the fact that the contra ln.ition on ‘ Youth and Spurt ’ is made by Hie ,\ew Zealand Übodes Scholar, ■) J','. Lovelock,

Thornton Wilder’s ‘ Heaven's My Destination.’ has had a good press in England, and figures among the choices of the Book Society, Clemcnce Dane, a member of the society's selection committee, expresses her surprise at discovering from it that Mr Wilder has a brilliant sense of humour. Desmond MacCartliy, who makes it the subject of his weekly article in the p 1 Sunday 'l'imes,’ calls it a rare hook, in tho noble tradition of Cervantes, and congratulates its author on achieving an escape from the prison of the reputation he gained by 1 The Bridge of San Luis Rcy.’ The literary article in the ‘ Daily Mail Year Hook ’ is contributed by Frederick Whyte, who begins by quoting a remarkable utterance by “a representative publisher.” According to this authority, there are some classes of hook whieli hardly ever fail. Among them arc guide hooks, commentaries on the Scriptures, books of favourite quotations, .sufficiently vulgar autobiographies, and “ major works by masters of whimsy,” such as Mr Beverley Nichols and Mr A. A. Milne, Mr Whyte thinks there is a good deal of truth, in this pronouncement, and mentions some instances to confirm it. He endorses emphatically the dictum about “ vulgar autobiographies,” but points out that there is a quite safe market for autobiographies and biographies of outstanding merit and distinction. The second week of the ‘ Sunday Times ’ book exhibition held recently in London was opened not by a man of letters, but by one of tbc most eminent of living British statesmen—Sir Austen Chamberlain. He appeared at that, exhibition, he said, as an interloper, for he was no bibliophile, ami In’s tastes in reading were limited There were only two books of poetry to which he went baek again and again —namely, the works of Byron and Palgrave’s ‘ Golden Treasury.’ The char actors in well-written books were sr* real to him that sometimes he could not bear to read them without a catch in the throat, or without shedding tears. That was an effect hi l did not experience in going to the theatre.