BOOKS AND BOOKMEN A LITERARY CORNER

Evening Star, Issue 22276, 29 February 1936, Page 21

BOOKS AND BOOKMEN A LITERARY CORNER

VERSES CIUHTRY REDS Th# mellow friendly country reds, of silos and of plows, Red clover fields in blossom, and the glossy hides of cows. The simple homely cheeriness of red geraniums, The syrups of preserving time, of cherries, grapes, and plums. The luciousness of berries in a bowl of clotted cream, The sumac’s flame in autumn haze like torches in a dream. The frosty reds of bitter-sweet, the reds of cosmic clowns, The depot’s peeling sun-bleached paint in sleepy prairie towns. Tomatoes sunning on the vines, the curl of apple peels, Red flannels flapping on a line in wild Virginia reels. Red tablecloths, a rooster’s comb, the handle of a broom, The jars of jams and jellies in the musty cellar’s gloom. Persimmons tempting ’possums out on chill October nights, , Red candied yams and cranberries to whet our appetites. The rich nutritious kitchen reds, . pimientos, carrots, beets, Paprika, chilis, catsup, beans and lusty reds of meats. , The lively red of radishes, tabasco-’s burn and smart, The coolest red that summer knows, a watermelon’s heart. —Don Blanding, New York. RECOMPENSE We, who remember the first daffodil, And fields whore daisies sway before the wind— Who have stood silent on a sunset hill, Drinking deep draughts of beauty, while the still Slow twilight gathered on the slopes behind— Who have stored treasure thus against the chill, Bleak days of winter, may, rejoicing, find There is an austere beauty winter shows. These sombre trees, sharp-etched' against the sky, Speak to ns poignantly as does the rose. Though summer, with all her riotous blossoming, goes, And autumn, robed in scarlet, passes by— There comes the crystal magic of the snows. So beauty, eternal, waits upon the eye. —Elizabeth Virginia Raplee, in ‘ The Lion and Unicorn.’ NEW BOOKS • NEW ZEALAND— LAND 0F MV CHtiCE ’ Another excellent hook of New Zealand appears in the profusely illustrated ‘ New Zealand—Land of My Choice,’ by Mrs Ellen Roberts. The author’s chief aim in writing this book was to describe the life, sports, and industries of New Zealand, but it is far from being a text book; in fact, it comes nearer to being called a travel book. Mrs Roberts has seen the majority of the Dominion’s scenic attractions, and with each she deals in a most fascinating manner. On leaving school in England she lived with two ,of her brothers on a sheep run in Hawke’s Bay, where she participated in such things as wild horse hunting and pig hunting. After three years in Hawke’s Bay she was fortunate enough to secure a passage on a lighthouse ship which was making one of its periodical trips round the Dominion. She is one of those persons who do not suffer from mal-de-mer, and was able to observe everything, and she provides an interesting account of, the lonely vigil of these watchers of the seas. Such topics as bii'ds, dogs, the Maoris, fishing, shooting, the dairying industry, and many other interesting subjects form other bright chapters in her book, while the inhabitants of the Dominion have_ attracted quite a lot of her attention. The author ranks New Zealanders with the Poles as being the kindest people in the world, while she considers that the children of the Dominion live a life of their own in relation to children overseas, in being taught to assist their elders while still very young. Mrs Roberts once owned and raced a horse in this country, and natnrally she devotes a most interesting chapter to this sport. She says that although “ the sport of kings ” is an apt description of horse racing in England, f ■ New Zealand it is the sport of tET& multitude. These and many other subjects all combine to make an interesting book, while scattered throughout are numbers of amusing anecdotes. The illustrations in the book come in for special praise, over 50 beautiful photographs being reproduced. The publishers of ‘ New Zealand —Land of My Choice ’ are Messrs George Allen and TJnwin Ltd. MME CHICHESTER THRILLS John Jay Chichester is in his most thrilling vein in ‘ Sanderson’s . Diamond Loot,’ reintroducing the wily cracksman. Maxwell Barton and his partner, Barton Clark. Both men are in prison at the opening of the story. They make a sensational escape and resume their baffling of the United States police. ‘ Sanderson’s Diamond Loot ’ is alive with exciting episodes and adventures and will delight a large class of readers who like detective stories, well written and fast moving. Messrs Whitc"mbe and Tombs forwarded the Hutchison novel, which is as thrilling as any of Chichester’s early stories.

BRILLIANT SUSAN ERTZ 'An absorbingly unusual theme is handled with all her customary brilliance by Susan Ertz in ‘ Woman Alive.’ If one should be passing a book counter this novel would catch the eye; the dust-cover is so glamorously distinctive. Of heavy silver paper and of a striking red and black design, the cover denotes quality, which is certainly to be found inside. A wild flight of imagination would be needed to visualise a world of men alone, all the females having been annihilated by a plague, but Mass Ertz has pictured a “ womanless ” universe in her latest story. The quotation marks are permissible, as a girl is discovered in London in a coma from which she is aroused by a very aged doctor who has maintained Lis youth by a drug available to the whole world. The theme is almost allegorical, yet the authoress is so skilled a craftswoman that no reader, however sophisticated, would throw the book aside, with a disgusted: “ Impossible!” ‘ A\oman Alive ’ is -a cleverly devised and a very ably-con-structed story, engrossing to the very last page, when Miss Ertz gives the stqry a twist that can only be described as brilliant. ‘ Woman Alive ’ is quite unlike her other novels, but is equally charming and entertaining. Messrs Hodder and Stoughton are the publishers. , A FEAST OF WODEHOUSE P. G. Wodehouse had the distinction of being quoted among the great English writers in the eventful literary era of the late King’s reign by that highly authoritative newspaper, the ‘ New York Times.’ He has become an institution; the world is all the brighter for his sparkling humour. Wodehouse is a humorist who can be read often and fully, for he has a gift all his own of presenting new characters, so individual and amusing, and affording really Gilbertian situations for them. There was the inimitable Psmith; then the solemn Jeeves; and now Mr Mulliner, who entertains his fellow-habitues of the Angler’s Rest with reminiscences _ of his relations. Mr Mulliner is a highly amusing creation, and his memoirs would amuse the most doleful. Herbert Jenkins, whose green label has appeared on all Wodehouse novels, has published a ‘ Mulliner Omnibus,’ the best value in book entertainment that has yet been placed on the shop shelves. Wodehouse admirers —they are countless—-will welcome this volume, weighty in shape, but so deliciously light in content, as a companion to the ‘ Jeeves Omnibus.’ Over 850 pages are filled wi.th 32 highly diverting stories. Only a calculating machine could keep a check of the laughs which the volume contains. Wodehouse, is priceless—that is the best way to describe his humour. A SATIRICAL ROMANCE Sustained gaiety makes ‘ Good Mroning. Good Morning ’ a most satisfyingly refreshing novel. lan Rankine, the author, is a new writer. More should be heard of him, as in this story his style, so witty and satirical, shows not the slightest sign of being forced. He writes with freshness and vivacity and is successful in maintaining the high spirits to the very end. The story opens with an international conference in a small European state and ends with the marriage of the Grqnd Duchess to a young diplomat from the British Foreign Office. Mr Rankine’s characters are admirably sketched. He is ironical in a very pleasing way, and the dialogue has a wittiness and crispness throughout. In his handling, too, of the romantic episodes, he is equally proficient. The story has action aplenty, a leavening of romance, and a large measure of excellent comedy. ‘ Good Morning, Good Morning,’ which is published by Macmillan, makes excellent light reading. A MYSTERY NOVEL ‘ Escort to Danger ’ is as exciting as the title’ would denote. It deals with mysterious happenings on a lonely isle off the Cornish coast and a nefarious connection with a salvage ship working a mile or two out in the Atlantic. Seldon Truss makes a successful debut as a writer of mystery fiction with 1 Escort to Danger,’ in which the plot has more body than is found in the ordinary stories of this class. The element of suspense is well developed and sustained, although events follow very rapidly and dramatically and the locale changes freely. The main links of the story are perhaps too clear, and those astut* peifile who make a habit of reading this type of fiction might find the denouement a chapter or so before it is reached. Messrs Hodder and Stoughton are the publishers. ‘ JILL'S YOUNG MEN ’ In this story the author, Eric Norgrove, has portrayed the life of a well-to-do young girl who had no idea of the value of money. She frequented night clubs, and it was the outcome of one of these escapades that made her guardian realise that it was time that she should regard her position more seriously. In three years’ time she would manage her own affairs, and the instruction left to her guardian on the death of her father was that she be taught to value money. It was morning, and Jill Fraser was awakened by her maid with the announcement that her guardian (Joseph Winterton) wished to see her as soon as it was convenient. Jill had had a smash with her car coming from a night club in the early hours of the morning. It came as a bombshell when Jill found that her allowance was stopped and that she would have to go to work. Jill thought that with her charm she could got employment and her many admirers would be willing to help. But did they ? ‘ Jill’s Young Mon ’ (Herbert Jenkins) is a most entertaining romance, and lovers of light fiction will enjoy this I new story. 1

• A CENTURY OF HORROR ' ‘ A Century of Horror ’ is an omnibus volume into which the editor (Mr Dennis Wheatley) has gathered the most noted tales of horror written in a century. Each demonstrates the vivid imagination of the writer. He has set out to make onr flesh creep, and he has succeeded. The list of contributors contains many names that are famous, and all have gained reputations for literary achievement. Authors of an earlier day who are represented are Balzac, Wilkie Collins, M. R. James, Edgar Allan Poe, Guy Do Maupassant, and Mrs Oliphant. Others who followed after them are Bram Stoker, F. Marion Crawford, Algernon Blackwood, E. W. Hornung, while of the writers of today we have, among many others, H. G. Wells, Thomas Burke, Theodore Dreiser, James Hilton, Hugh Walpole, C. E. Montague, and Walter de la Mare. Here we have, for a very small price, a thousand pages of thrilling entertainment to those who like to read of weird happenings that have no natural place in this world. The publishers of this remarkable collection are Hutchinson and Co. Our copy comes from Whitcombe and Tombs. ‘ LYCANTHIA' Reminiscent in some degree of ‘ Dracula ’ and 1 The Were-Wolf of Paris ’ is ‘ Lycanthia,’ a new novel by Frances Layland Borratt, which should make a strong appeal to lovers of the macabre. It tells of Lycanthia, the orphan child of a Polish nobleman and an English mother, who was brought up by a servant in an atmosphere of strange Satanic rites and mysticism. They came to London acconipanied by a huge wolf-like dog, their secret practices of vampirism awakening the distrust of the neighbours. A reign of terror follows, a great wolf-like creature prowling the countryside and terrifying the inhabitants. All efforts to shoot the marauder fail until a lucky bullet, though finding its mark, only deepens the mystery. The girl herself is found dying, wounded in the same places where the animal had been hit. This is an eerie story well told, and one which holds the rapt attention of the reader. The explanation seemed to be, according to the rites of black magic, that the poor girl could either be used by an evil spirit or else was compelled to use the emotional inheritance of an extraordinary father, this taking form and issuing forth as a ravening wolf. The publishers are Messrs Herbert Jenkins and Co. Ltd., London. THE GOLD TRAIL An unusual story dealing with the adventures of a caravan of goldseekers in America towards the end of the Ust century is unfolded in 1 Roll On, Pioneers,’ a novel by F. Lape. The news of the discovery of gold in Calefornia caused a rush from all parts of North Amercia, and this story deals with the adventures of one caravan which started out from Pennsylvania for the land of promise. Indians, deserts, snow, starvation, plague, and all the petty intrigue in the caravan, contribute towards a first-class story. Finally success comes to what is left of the large band that set out, and they eventually reach sunny California. The author, instead of concluding there, however, provides an unusual conclusion, in transferring the scene of the present day. The reader is introduced to the descendants of the pioneers, travelling in a pullman car across the same country as their ancestors, and no more satisfactory end to an excellent book could be required. The publishers of ‘ Roll On, Pioneers,’ are Messrs Philip Allan and Company. SAVOY STORIES A series of charming transcriptions from the Gilbert and Sullivan operas is incorporated in the latest addition to the huge library of works on those famous collaborators—‘ The Savoy Operas,’ by Evelyn Gatcliff. There is, of course, very rich material in all these enchanting operas, both in music and libretto, and of the ingenious Gilbertian inventions Miss Gatcliff lias made many sympathetic studies. She has a fanciful, if a somewhat naive, touch, and her work should provide for anyone a pleasant introduction to a serious study of the full librettos. The value of the stories is enhanced by the decorations of Wolfgang Cardamatis, in the Aubrey Beardsley style of the original ‘ Savoy Magazine,’ and there are several photographic illustrations of Nellie Stewart and Ivan Menzies. Mr Menzies, incidentally, will be with us again very soon. Our copy of ‘ Savoy Stories ’ comes from the publisher, P. R. Stephensen, of Sydney. WESTERN STORY Stories of the Wild West of America always have a large following, and readers of this class of fiction should find much to suit them in ‘ White Wolf’s Outlaw Legion,’ by Hal Dunning. The hero of the story, Jim-Twin Allen, had been outside the law for years, not altogether the result of his own fault, but because of the lawless nature of the times. With' the fastest gun in the district, he is known as the y White Wolf.” Crime was rampant in the district, and even the rangers could not cope with the situation. The governor decides to call in Allen to do the job, promising him a pardon for his own misdeeds when it is done. “ Allen is the man to do it,” says the governor. “ I have an idea there won’t be much law, but there’ll be justice.” The manner in which Allen and some of his pals clear out the evildoers provides a thrilling story, fraught with excitement from beginning to end. The publishers are Messrs Ward, Lock, iand Co, Limited, London.,

• THE KIOWA TRAIL • ‘The Kiowa Trail,’ by Philip E. Beere (Wright and Brown), is a lively story in which brave and strong men in regions west of the Mississippi braze the trail for the coming of a great population. All the trials of the early settlers in- the wilderness are related, in which the courage of the men and the heroism and endurance of the women are revealed in a vivid way. Cupid is always somewhere about in those virile tales, and it is so in this case. After many dangers have been safely passed the book ends on a happy note; “ Oh, honey!” The girl snuggled closer. “ You’re not going out on any more trails, are you?” “If Ido it’ll be a peaceful one. And you’ll be with me,” replied the youth. “ The Red Wolf is no more.” Our copy of ‘ The Kiowa Trail ’ is from Whitcombo and Tombs. NOTES Madame Halide Edib, whose novel, ‘ The Clown and His Daughter,’ published recently, is one of the best-known writers in modern Turkey. Her books have been translated into German, Russian, and various Scandinavian and Eastern languages. Mr R. IT. Bruce Lockhart referred in ‘ Memoirs of a British Agent ’ to the East which he would “ never see again.” But, after six years in Elect street, the desire to revisit the scenes of his boyhood proved too strong, and the result is ‘ Return to Malaya,’ which Putnams are about to publish. Mr Jerrard Tickell took 10 years to write his first novel, ‘ See How They Run.’ When he was half-way through, he put the manuscript in a bag and left it in a bus. At the Lost Property Office, the official placed a value on every article in the bag. Mr Tickell explained that the manuscript was half a novel ho was writing, and was rather dashed when the official replied, “ Waste paper—no value ” A man who knew the Brontes died last month at the age of 87. He was Sir James Roberts, the Yorkshire manufacturer. He remembered “ the frail, unforgettable figure of Charlotte,” who often spoke a kindly word to him in the street. He also recalled her husband, the Rev. Arthur Nicholls, visiting the local school, and her father preaching in Haworth Church. In 1928 Sir James bought the old Parsonage and gave it to the Bronte Society to be used as a museum. At a meeting of the English Club at Oxford, Mr T. S. Eliot gave advice to would-be poets. He declared that poetry was not a career and a wholetime job, and recommended poetic aspirants to get a job occupying part of the mind for part of the time, instead of one occupying the whole of the mind for the whole of the time. Mr Eliot mentioned the Civil Service, banking, and insurance as good forms of employment for budding poets. Macmillan and Co., the publshers of Rudyard Kipling’s prose hooks, have sold more than three and three-quarter millions of those volumes. In 1934 10.000 copies of “The Jungle Books” were sold. Altogether 407,000 conies of “ The Jungle Book ” have been sold, and 207,000 of the “Second Jungle Book.” His most successful novel was ‘ Kim.’ 287,000 copies of which have been sold. ‘ Stalk}' and Co.’ comes next with 202,000. Miss Marjorie Barnard and Miss Flora Eldershaw, who have written their third novel,* The Glasshouse,’ under the name of “ M. Barnard Eklorshaw,” are both graduates of Sydney University. Miss Barnard used to lie Librarian of the Sydney Technical College, and Miss Eldershaw is headmistress of a women’s college. When asked how they collaborate, they replied that they had no set scheme. 'They merely talked over what they intended to write and discussed it thoroughly; then one or the other continued the writing. Sir Walter Scott’s original manuscript of ‘ The Heart of Midlothian,’ the novel best remembered by the fine character of Jennie Deans, has been presented to the National Library of Scotland. The manuscript passed into the possession of Alexander Cowan, paper-maker, in 1826, when he became trustee to the creditors under the bankruptcy of Archibald Constable and Co., in which Scott was involved. When the rest of the manuscripts wore sold * The Heart of Midlothian ’ was given to Alexander Cowan by the creditors, in thanks for his services, and Cowan gave it to his son John as a .wedding present. Miss Topham, a direct descendant of Sir John Cowan, has now given the manuscript to the Scottish, nation. It reveals that Reuben Butler was originally surnamed Tawse, and that David Deans’s name was originally “ Andrew,” an error which crept into the first edition of the book. Mr Francis Samuel Williamson, an Australian poet, whose work is represented in anthologies, died at the Royal Melbourne Hospital on February G. For 10 years he was liou.se master at Newington College, Sydney, and for many years he was English master at Wesley College, Melbourne. Later he was a relieving in the service of the V ictorian and New South Wales Education Departments. He wrote several school songs. In 1912 a collection of his verse was published by Lothian under the title ‘Purple the colours of Wesley College. Several new poems were ready for publication shortly before his death. Mr Williamson retired from the Education Department in 1930. and in recognition of his services to Australian literature a Commonwealth literary pension was granted to him. THE SPLIT INFINITIVE A humorous demonstration of the splitting of infinities is given by G. L. Rogers, Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in this letter to the ‘ Sunday Times ’:— Every Sunday morning when I am able to without slacking do it, it is my custom to reverentially pick up a copy of your paper and to carefully read the whole of the correspondence columns. Easy as it is to accidentally split infinitives, I understand the best authors to but rarely do it. It is certain to by now clearly appear to you that it is possible to, to a varying~degrce, split infinitives. J, therefore, appeal to your readers to eagerly thumb the pages of their favourite authors, to happily find those occasions when their authors are known to regrettably lapse into casually splitting infinitives, with a view to quantitatively estimating the infinite to most satisfactorily be split, I Finally, I beg to humbly apologise to those of your readers, and, if necessary, to you, Sir. who regard infinitives religiously as things to never be split, for I have been given to clearly understand to without regard to euphony deliberately split an infinitive to truly be wicked.