BOOKS AND BOOKMEN

Evening Star, Issue 23451, 16 December 1939, Page 4

BOOKS AND BOOKMEN

A LITERARY CORNER

VERSE AND YET . ; , I feel the wind’s wild kiss upon my cheek, And hear the steady rhythm of the rain, I tee a grey sky through a greyer mist, And yet, the blackbird sings his song again. I see a pencilled etching, slim and grey, A leafless tree whose beauty will remain Concealed in tight brown buds, and yet I know In time this tree will bloom and fruit again, O God, who made this happy bird, this tree Inanimate and yet a living thing, Teach me, I pray Thee, when -my life is grey _ To show a hidden beauty and to sing I —Adeline Waller, in the ‘ Postman.’ NEW BOOKS TIMMS'S 'BARK RAPTURE* Mr E. V. Timms has turned aside from the historical novel of the type of his ‘ Maelstrom ’ to pen an absorbing mystery entitled ‘ Dark Rapture,’ which, though darkly occult and baffling, is rapture to the reader. The entire action takes place in a train; and in the short distance between two stations a gripping drama is enacted, A woman, her brother, and her fiance take a train “ agen reg’latipns ” to find themselves in a bewildering and terrifying situation. The train is dark and seems to bear out tho story of a famous fakir of 40 years before in every detail; there is a murdered man in one compartment, persons appear and vanish from a carriage—the only one amid a lino of trucks—unaccountably, and all seems to be unworldly arid inexplicable to the three ■ voyagers waiting for the dread third tunnel where years before the'train and its complement all perished. ’ Though -rill too short, the narrative grips the imagination from the first chapter and holds the reader mystified and spellbound to the surprising deuoueriient. Mr Timms has no mean mastery of the art of sustaining suspense, and an unusual setting gives the novel power. He advances some unique theories on spiritualism which test tho credulity of the reader at times, but never at any stage docs he descend to the tutor and pupil method of imparting his views, but incorporates them neatly into his narrative in a way that adds to the appeal of it rather than the reverse. With one of his characters strongly adherent to supernatural beliefs, and the remaining two principals equally incredulous, but at f times willing to admit their inability to give physical or wordly explanations of the circumstances that rapidly are forced upon, their notice, there is a wealth of humour available to the. reader who does not become too engrossed in the wily theme, but holds himself in check to admire the tactics of the author in presenting a “ top-notch.,” mystery well. Angus and Robertson are the publishers. A MILO THRILLER ‘ Dangerous Promise,’ by Ramsay Bell, is a story dealing largely with people in the social world of London; a world in which, apparently, the most impossible things are possible. Here we have three young men belonging to a social, “set” who descend to the practice of blackmail and worse. Yet members of that set who have actually been kidnapped and their lives threatened by the blackmailers because they are befriending a member of the gang (the fiance of one of the befrienders) who has double-crossed his mates, continue to alternately mingle with and evade the criminals in conventional social life until the denouement which involves another murder. It is all very unreal, but the characters in the story are well enough drawn. Petronella (Peter) Blake, who is > responsible for bringing the others into tho tangle, is a typical wealthy society girl with crimson fingertips, . blonde hair, and no serious object in life; Mary Scott-Howard has a heart of gold and is made for tho wife of the placid Dr Tim Neal; Captain Dudley ScottHoward, who, in spite of a wounded arm, does most of the dirty work in rounding up the criminals, is just a. sound, sensible Englishman, while Roland Goddard, tho double-crossing fiance of Peter’s, is a poor weak sort of creature. As for the murderous Basil Warner and Norman Bennett, one never gets to regard them seriously as such, despite their frequent comings and goings and their killings. Still, ‘ Dangerous Promise ’ is a wellwritten yarn and carries one along nicely, though without undue excitement. Our copy is from the publishers, Hodder and Stoughton Ltd.

TWO FOR THE YOUNGSTERS AUSTRALIAN AUTHORESS TO THE FORE. Several talented Australian authoresses are, by reason of their work, brightening the lives of our children and saving Santa Glaus the bother of having to search unnecessarily hard for suitable Christmas gifts. Gladys Lister, for one, has followed up previous delightful stories about gardens and flowers and insects with * Little Round House,’ which is another entertaining excursion into the realm of picturesque fantasy. This writer has a touch that will appeal to the little ones, and, as the book is freely illustrated and decorated by Pixie O’Harris, it should make an ideal gift. 1 Australians All,’ a charming tale of “ land and seas folk in rhyme,” by Nelle Grant Cooper, is another Worthy product of the Commonwealth, In addition to its attractions as reading matter it is full of educational value, and little readers will be given an insight into the habits and mode of living of such highly fascinating things as kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, kookaburras, emus, wombats, opossums, and even of nasty sharks and carpet snakes. The illustrations by Dorothy Wall and Phyllis Shillito are extremely well done. Both these books are published by Messrs Angus and Robertson, of Sydney. MAORI TEXT MM Under the title of ‘ te Rep Maori,’ a text book for study of the Maori language has been written by Sir Patrick Smyth, 8.A., who is a senior master at St. Stephen’s School, Auckland, and a lecturer in Maori at the Auckland Touchers’ Training College. Having taught Maori for 20 years, Mr Smyth is well qualified to write a text book of the language, though he. says modestly that “ it is an endeavour to place in the hands of the beginner a cour-o which is easily followed end mastered.” The book is extremely well arranged, and the phraseology is that of the teacher to the student. Everyday wo-ds have been used frequently to add to the interest and to increase the vocabulary of spoken Maori, Which is at present so pitifully limited. Tha Maori, indeed, as well as the European would profit by the study of this book. No vocabulary is appended, since every ppportunity-lia- given 'for - repetition in,? the .-groups’- into which the book Is? divided. The author advises students that part of their eqaipmentin learning Maori is a copy of Williams’s ‘ Maori Dictionary;’ The publishers of the book, .which ia.in handy form, with * stiff cardboard- cover, are Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd. NEW DORNFORD YATES NOVEL A new novel by Mr Dornford Yates, is sure to be welcomed by his many admirers. This author can always he relied upon to serve up a first class yarn, and t Gale Warning ’ is no exception, as it is one of those stories which just must be finished—generally in the early hours of the morning. The action throughout is very swift, and there are thrills in plenty. The plot is cleverly constructed, and concerns the attempt of a band of. Englishmen to run an arch-criminal to earth and have their revenge for the murder of one of theif friends. It is also the love story of the nSrrator of the tale, which is_ an added attraction. Never for an instant is the interest allowed to nag, and the reader follows every move and countermove of the revengers and the criminal with ever-growing excitement as the story nears the end. Our copy is from the publishers, Messrs Ward, Lock, and Co. (London), ‘TMGN and go 1 In the realm of light fiction Inspector Head, a creation in E. Charles Viviim’s detective stories, is one of the most popular and likeable characters. In ‘ Touch and Go’ the inspector is confronted with one of his most difficult cases, and a young man to whom the finger of suspicion points, hut who is entirely innocent, is in grave danger of being tried on a charge of murder. But the inspector, with the assistance of a young lady who believes in the young man’s innocence, solves the problem at the eleventh hour. Not often in detective stories does the domestic life of the investigators of crime come under review, but in this instance our inspector is upset during the course of his job by the death of his owu wife. However, he carries on according to the traditions of his service, and the story ends on a happy note when, after the real criminals have been brought to book, he finds solace in the love of the young lady who has sb well assisted him. The pubilshers fire Messrs Ward, Lock, and Co. Ltd., London. , STAGECOACH DAYS In ‘ Whispering Mountain ’ John. R. Winslowe has written A tale 0f... the West in the days when, the stage coaches ran, hit story dealing -with the Ballarat Stag© Lines, which , are up against the activities of a band of outlaws to whom murder is merely fun and- the dynamiting of the stages still more fun. Hanford Brandt comes to the town of - Shoshone to investigate the trouble,-, and in .the first chapter falls foiil of ohe df the “ boss ” outlaws when rescuing the heroine from his unwelcome attentions. Brandt.iSj for a time, forced to follow two trails in solving the mystery, and comes near to losing his life, and, for the hero, thereafter cuts a less heroic picture than usual, being an ill and weakened man for much of the story. It is, however, a good tale, with several new angles, and it has the added grace of being written in English and not “ ranchers talk.” Messrs Ward, Lock, and Company are the publishers.

AMTHER VIEWPOINT LIGHT ON THE VICTORIANS. “ It’s almost Victorian—-practically pre-histpric,” And the product of an enlightened to-day has said the las# word, thinking probably that no subject could be more effectively dismissed. But, here and there, you will find a diffident, but growing, respect for the age of the Queen and its conventions. It is doubtful whether Lady Sybil Lubbock wrote ‘ A Child in the Crystal ’ to foster this feeling, hub certainly the book has this effect and throws a clearer light than most. - In her closing paragraph she quotes an uncle of here, “ Surely you don’t imagine that we two, now, looking at this familiar scene, ate seeing the same view—that any two people, at any moment, have tne same vision of the world. That is what life is , . . always you, with your own eyes and yCur own mind transforming the world, You can never escape from the child in the crystal.” Such understanding may be platitudinous, but it is everywhere applicable.The style of the book is prosy, but if the reading is fitted to the mood it will be enjoyed. In any case, a faithful account of aristocracy in any age will always have its public, even when, as in this case, it is mainly concerned with the life of the very young. ; The publishers are Messrs Jonathan Capo Ltd. ANIMAL STORIES Appreciation of animal stories is nofl confined to the young, and *duß readers, of Miss de la Roche’s collection of short stories, ‘ The Sacred Bullock,’; will be just as charmed with these delightful stories as the younger generation. Readers of Miss de la Roche’s books will recall how welt Jier knowledge and love of animals are exemplified in ‘ Portrait of a Dog ’ and in her ‘ Whiteoak ’ chronicles.- These short stories are something out Of the ordinary, and no single one can be picked out as being better than the others. In addition to the’l2 stories, the volume contains some ; _ 40. attractive .black-and-white illustrations, including Several occupying a; full page, by Stuart Tresilian, the wellpknown animal artist. Our copy of ‘.The Sacred Bullock ’ it from the publishers, Messrs Macmillan and Co. (London).‘THE MG’ Although ‘ The Dog, Its Ailment# and-Diseases ’ is written by Australia’s leading authority on dogs, Mr D. A. M’Michan, R.V.S., for Australian dog lovers, the\ book will ■ be just as welcome in New Zealand, as it is one of the most authoritative and. practical handbooks of the kind issued. It is S complete and practical Study of the Subject, in which directions, instructions, diagnosis, and treatment are dealt With in a simple and straightforward manner. Not only does th# author describe how to _ diagnose every disease that the dqg is heir to, and how to treat it, biit more important still, how to avoid disease. All dog owners will find Something of interest and value in:this excellent book, which is published by Angus and Robertson (Sydney). ‘TNE TEMPLE IF DAWN * Colin Robertson ha* provided • wel{copstruete* story in * The Temple of Dawn,’ a book that will engage the rapt attention of the readier from, cover to cover. A ” cult of inner beauty,” to which a number of neurotic women are attracted is used as a cloak for a blackmailing gang who stop at nothing short of murder when suspicion is drawn to their activities. Peter Gftyleigh, a debonair adventurer, who - might bo called a modern Robin Hood, ind who uses methods not strictly conventional, proves the stumbling block to the activities of the criminals, who in tha end pay the price for their villainy.. There is a delightful romance as a background to the story, which is published by Messrs Ward, Lock, and Co« Ltd., London. ‘FRMI FATHER TR IM ’ Paul Trent, who invariably provide# an intriguing story, write# in ‘ Father and Son ’ of a man who. returns to England to see his wife arid son from whom he has been separated for 2Q years. The quarrel had not been very serious, and Gilbert Nash hoped that perhaps the severed relations might be mended. He finds his sop, though well educated, a prig, tied to bit mother’s. apron strings, and his wife still intolerant. The author develops liw story cleverly, with Some excellent character sketching, and after a long testing time, reconciliation is reached, it being the wife and son who are most anxious to make amends, Gilbert Nash proving that he is the most worthy* The publishers are Messrs Ward, Locks rind Co.-Ltd., London. ;'- • REIKI NHI TIM.* A rousing Western story with a medical man as the central character pro* tides an unusual and welcome changt from the. ordinary story of this type its ‘ The Medico on the Trail,’ written by Jairiea L. Lubel. It deals with a rand)land feud—this time between the homesteaders and the sheep herders. Late for hi* wedding through attending a Wounded ranchhand and through saving the life of a girl ill with pheumbnia, the doctor finds he has incurred tha wrath of one section, arid in the War which follows between the opposing parties he has a full quota of adventure and excitement. The publishers are Meaen Ward, Lock, and Co. Ltd., London.