BOOKS and BOOKMEN

Evening Star, Issue 23817, 22 February 1941, Page 4

BOOKS and BOOKMEN

VERSE " WE BROKE KO FAITH " “ ll' ye break faith with us who died, wo shall not sleep, Though poppies blow in Inlanders .Kield.” O Brothers, sleep in Flanders Field; we broke not faith with you ; The Torch you Hung, we caught it up, and kindled it anew. Wo kindled it at holy flames from docks and streets and spires That turned the skies your poppies’ red with sacrificial fires. O Brothers, look from Flanders Field and shade your dazzled eyes. See whore the City of your love docs battle for your prize. Watch England's honour flame aloft—a splendour and a .shield. Whore young and old and weak and strong endure but never yield. Then turn and sleep ... 0 Brothers ... A sound deep sleep to you. You cannot dream so great a dream as this which has come true. When English man and maid and wife, and children on the so a Lift up the torch and pass it on to deathless victory. —I). L. M'Buruey, in the ‘ Daily Telegraph,’ London, NEW BOOKS 1 NATIONAL PORTRAITS ’ AH HISTORICAL SURVEY ‘ National Portraits,’ by Vince Palmer (Angus and Bobertson), conveys little as a title, for such a summary of Australian national, political, social, and historical life was worthy of a better. The book contains 21 sketches of men prominent in the building of the Australian Commonwealth, and adequately traverses the history of the.country up to within a few years ago. The.initial sketch of John Macarthur dates hack to 1789. Obviously the work is merely the condensation of fuller and more complete biographies, but withal, in a workaday world, the essential information presented is in a form more readily acceptable to the reading public, and it is one which would have considerable value as an educational medium in our schools in place of the ofttimos sketchy and uncertain works now in use. ‘ National Portraits ’ provides the reader with something more than an outline of the lives of such men as Macarthur, Macquarie, Batman, Wentworth, Sturt, Parkes, von Mueller. Christisou, Spence, Cardinal Moran, Monash, and others. Indeed, the author has been at pains to include in the book men from every sphere of Australian life. None could be excluded, but others might readily have been added, hut to do so would have made the tome unduly bulky, and in its present form the author has achieved his object. The book is recommended by the Advisory Board of the Commonwealth Literary Fund. It is one which can be read with great enjoyment by all, for the author does not get above the heads of the bulk of readers. 1 THAT FOOL SHARP ’ A " POMMIE " IN HEW ZEALAND One of the more engaging books published in recent montns is ‘ That Foul Sharp,’ the author having given himself the title role, it has a particular interest in that its locale is New Zealand, and its subject matter, the experiences of Richard Sharp while (vainly; seeking his fortune in the Dominion. To begin with, Mr Sharp is refreshingly candid and outspoken. He tells iii vivid fashion the story of 'a chequered career. On leaving school ho saw before him (on the strength of a few essays) a distinguished career in journalism. A relative holding an important post in the London ‘ Times ’ quickly changed that view. Then for several years his parents paid university fees so that he could learn medicine—-and he learned auction bridge instead. In subsequent occupations he tried to sell timber and failed, and became a surface labourer in a colliery. Finally, with what Mr Sharp described as “ unflattering readiness,” his father bought for him a third class ticket for New Zealand, deposited £25 in a hank here, and wished him luck. So, in May of 1927, Mr Sharp sot out for Nh'w Zealand to make a fortune —in the least possible time and with the minimum effort. From his own confession, he must have been a patronising young prig with an exalted idea ot his own importance. Arriving at Auckland he soon faced experiences that readjusted Iris values for him. His first job was as a farm labourer, totally unexperienced, and a rather brutal apprenticeship it was. A succession of such jobs followed in the country districts of Auckland, then work in an afforestation company, back to Auckland city to sell pictures in the suburbs, to a farm once more, and, perhaps the most astonishing of all, to a mental institution (as a warder, not as a patient). Tiring of this last, and most exacting, work, Mr Sharp joined forces with another carefree adventurer, and the two worked their way through various country areas in the North Island. After seven years he returned homo to England.

That gives only the barest outline of Mr Sharp’s lively career in New Zealand. But it was an extremely colourful career, and of his experiences he lias given a most entertaining and readable account. One point clearly emerges—that be worked very hard indeed. particularly on the farms. Whatever money he earned ho frittered away, but if ho returned to England without a fortune he at least learned a great deal of life. His hook will be read with a critical and pleasurable interest. Mr Sharp is occasionally too sweeping in bis generalities whore he has had only particular experience, but on the whole his survey of Dominion conditions is fair comment. ’ There is no sombre note in this book, for Air Sharp is a cheerful young man who took bis many reverses philosophically and without rancour. He is quite dispassionate in bis analysis of his own failings. ‘ That Fool Shari) ’ will he widely read. Its English readers will he given' a rather circumscribed view of New

A Literary Corner

Zealand, but that does not alter the fact that it is highly entertaining. Mr Sharp lias a compelling stylo and a literary ability that has obviously matured ■with age and experience. Our copy of his challenging book comes from the publishers, Messrs George Harrap and Company. THE MIGHTY HIMALAYAS GREAT FEAT OF ENDURANCE The second highest mountain in the world is for some reason or other known merely as K2. It is situated in the North-western Himalayas. Explorers who have attempted to reach its peak might with reason have given it a name that would mark their exploits. In 1909 the Duke of Abruzzi made his famous ascent of 22,000 ft, and this remained a record for K2 till June, 1938, when two members of an American expedition reached 26,000 ft, the highest climb yet made, save Everest. In ‘ Five Miles High ’ the members of the party collaborate in telling the story of this epic expedition, and the reader is enthralled with their vivid narrative. 'The first part of their account describes the long and hazardous trip, with ponies and coolies, through the gorges of the Indus River and the deep valleys of the Karakoram Range. There follow mouths of reconnaissance from the base camp, and finally the heroic attack on the summit. Many books have been written on mountaineering in the Himalayas. Broadly, when attacking the higher slopes the same problems have to ho faced, and the mountaineers take their lives in. their hands. Skill, courage, and powers of endurance arc essentials to success, and these were exhibited to a remarkable degree in the assault on K2. This thrilling story, told graphically and modestly, closes in this way; “ Behind ns were unforgettable days—day's on the march and days on the peak, whose memories we would not exchange for anything. No harm had come to us or to any of our helpers. In a few days we must say farewell to our Kashmiri and our faithful little Sherpas. We would often think of them in the days to come, and also at times of certain stalwart figures in the little villages of Baltistan. Later, we sahibs, too, must part to go on our separate ways, but wo knew that our bond of friendship would last as long as life itself. And perhaps deep in the mind of eneli was tho wistful, doubtful, almost unhopedfor wish that some day wo might go out again together, with conquest as our single aim, and climb once more those rocky, ice-bound slopes which rise to the lofty' summit of K2.” The publishers of ‘ Five Miles High ’ , are Robert Halo Limited, Loudon. ‘ SILVER ORCHIDS ’ URSULA BLOOM’S NEW ROMANCE, To a long list of romantic successes Ursula Bloom has added ‘ Silver Orchids,’ a love story set in a nursing home that will doubtless appeal strongly’ to her many' readers. It is the tale of a girl who receives an appointment to a private hospital conducted by a handsome young doctor with distinctly revolutionary ideas in the treatment of his patients. One of these patients happens to be a wealthy young widow, and her sudden death precipitates a dramatic situation. The nurse has fallen in love with the doctor, and immediately after the patient’s death marries him. It is only then that she discovers the police are investigating the death of the wealthy widow, together with the coincidence that she changed her will and loft her fortune to him. It would scarcely be fair to reveal the subsequent events of this romantic story’. Suffice it to say that a charming, if somewhat naive, heroine finds ultimate happiness. ‘ Silver Orchids’.is a good example of Ursula Bloom’s style, and will consequently be warmly received by the many to whom this type of fiction appeals. The publishers are Messrs Robert Hale Ltd., our copy coming from Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd. ‘ SOMBRERO ’ Six guns, cowboys, and cattle thieves still form the basis for many novels on western American life. In the field of; light reading they are acceptable, but that is all that can be said of them. However, one wonders sometimes at the amazing ingenuity of the authors in drawing up new plots. While a recent publication, ( Sombrero,’ by William Colt MacDonald, and published by Modeler mid Stoughton, comes within this category, it reaches a higher .standard than most. Its theme is of an ex-Rangor, wrongly suspected of murder, who becomes embroiled in a set of circumstances which keeps him dodging and slinging load from his six guns. A charming ranch owner’s daughter comes into the picture to capture the lanky ex-Ranger’s heart. In the clearing of his name he won the fair maiden’s. Readers of westerns will find the book above the average. ELISABETH OF AUSTRIA Tho life of Elisabeth, of Austria has been sympathetically portrayed by Miss ■Sprigge in her book, ‘ The Raven’s Wing.’ In form and style of writing, in which the authoress reaches a high standard, the work can bo classed as an historical novel, but it is of interest to note that the collecting of facts, involving a detailed study of the letters and diaries of the characters, has given Miss Sprigge’s effort an unusually impressive stamp of authenticity. Although some critics may hold the opinion that she has concealed some of tho shortcomings of Elisabeth, it can bo said that such omissions make for reading that is all the more pleasant. In any case, her kindly treatment of the central personality does nobody any harm. The book outlines the happy childhood of Elisabeth, in which her groat love for her father played a big part, and goes on to describe her meeting with the young Franz Josef. The fascinating and romantic atmosphere of tho times lias been skilfully recaptured, other interesting figures appearing in the tale being Ludwig of Bavaria, Maxmiliau (who went forth to rule Mexico), and Budolf of Austria. The Mayerling tragedy and tho moving climax connected with the assassination of Elisaheth at Geneva are told with vibrant feeling. Messrs Macmillan and Co. aro the publishers.