IN BOOKLAND

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 15 October 1927, Page 16

IN BOOKLAND

A valuable addition to the literature dealing with New Zealand has just been published, “The Tongariro National Park.’’ As its title indicates, it is a book descriptive of tlie 'Dominion’s playground which is situated in the heart of the North Island, and in its 140 odd pages, it -covers a variety of subjects, topography geology t Alpine and volcanic features, history and Maori folk lore. The author is Mr. James (Cowan, F. R.-GjS.. the wellknown authority on matters associated with the Maoris and New Zealand history. The book also contains a chapter on the plants of the park, written by Mr. B. Aston. T.1.C.. F.N.Z. Inst. Beautifully Illustrated' by a liberal supply of ph-otographs, the volume supplies, in graphic language most interesting details of this wonderful and beautiful region, which year by 1 vear becomes more popular with holi- | day making New Zealanders and with I visitors from abroad. The chapters 'dealing with the history of the park, i Maori history and folk lore are par- ! ticularlv interesting. There is also an j explanation of the origin and meaning !of names in the park, which is of great j assistance in enabling a reader to fully appreciate their application. There is I also included advice - for intending j campers with regard to 'choice of [routes, equipment, accommodation and food. The book is published, under the authority of the Tongariro National ! Park Board, and is something much : more than a mere guide gook.

Few admirers oi George Borrow know that be wiote a book of criminal trials. The demand tor literature oi this kind has led Messrs. Pay son and Clarke, of New York, to announce a new edition or Borrow’s “Celebrated Trials and Remarkable Cases oi criminal Jurisprdence from the Earliest Records to the Year 1825.” The book was originally published in London without Borrow’s name. The new edition will be in two volumes, and is being re-edited and annotated by Mr Edward Hale Bierstadt.

Commander Richard E. Byrd has signed a contract with G. P. Putnam’s dons to write the story of his life and adventures.- The book will contain in addition to the stories of his North Pole and Trans-Atlantic flights something of Commander Byrd’s plan for his South Pole flight.

The house of Putnam, which publishes (olonel Lindbergh’s “We,” has issued an announcement that the author has written the story of his flight across tiie Atlantic entirely with his own hand. He has “neither dictated a single line nor made one tap on the typewriter.” It is estimated tha.t Colonel Lindbergh’s royalties on sales already made will amount \jx> .£ 19,030.

Biographers as a rule omit to give particulars of the physical dimensions or their subjects. A reader of “The Australasian ’ recently asked what was the height of Victoria. A search of aU the reputable biographies of Victoria proved negative. Nobody seems to have measured the good Queen. A correspondent of the London “Spectator” a few weeks ago asked what was the height of Thackeray. Fortunately an answer is forthcoming, though not in a biography of the novelist. The following occurs in “The Memoirs of Dean Hole,” chapter VII. : —“I was introduced by our host (Leech), and for his sake he (Thackeray) gave me a cordial greeting. AVe must be about the same height,’ lie said; ‘we will measure.’ The bystanders gave their verdict a dead heat’ (6ft. 3in.). . . . He told me of a visit which he had paid with Mr Higgins, ‘Jacob Omnium.’ who was four or five inches the taller of the two, to see a Brobdingnagian on show, and how the man at the door had inquired ‘whether they were in tlie business; because, if so. i:<.► charge would be made.’ ”

The house of Asquith is conspicuous iu the English autumn publishing season. Lord Oxford will give his Reminiscences in two volumes through ('as sell and a volume of speeches through Hutchinson, while the same firm will issue Lady Oxford’s novel

‘ Ootavia.” Mr Herbert Asquith also lias a first novel in “Young Orlando,” lo be issued from the house of Hutchinson, with which lie is closely identified; and 'liis wife, Lady Cynthia Asquith, who two years ago wrote “The Ghost Book ” has made an anthology of mvsterv stories.

Mr George Moore writes to “The Times” Literary Supplement a timely letter protesting agairxst the increasing use of French words that are ‘‘thrown into English, higgledy-pigg-ledy.” He says:—

Language is to the writer 'what marble is to the sculptor; and we should preserve our language from adulteration and continue to check the word “resume” when it comes to the end of the pen and write “summary” instead, “inclination” instead of

“penchant,” “instinct” or “intuition” instead of “flair,” “taking steps” instead of “demarche.” But of late jears any French word, howex er feeble and * ridiculous, supplants the English equivalent; “menu,” a word without design or sonority, is used instead of the pretty English phrase “bill of fare,” and no man or woman speaks or writes of a “bodice,” but of a “corsage.” And xvhilst defacing the English language with French wolds, journalists complain of Americanisms, but Americanisms are px-e----ferable. surely, t-cj French words, and of all. French words used xvith very little knoxviedge of the French language. .

A particular attack is made by Mr Moore on “intrigue”: — The word “intrigue” used as a verb, has come into fashion within the last 10 years, and nobody can resist the charm of this French construction; it has become a sort of fetish, a sacred ape worshipped for itself alone. “Puzzled” or “inveigled” would supp'v the same meaning; hut an interviexver coming to inquire from a writer what nexv.book he is a about to gix’e to the public begins, “Your xvritings, sir, have always intrigued me,” and the conversation does not -last three minutes before he again comes out with the accused verb. He includes it in his article, and the nox’elist includes in his book, and the playwright ro doubt, includes it in his dialogue. In fact, everybody who can xvrite at all seem's to flourish “intrigue” as if it xvere a flag. I find it even in your leading article; and as the “Literary Supplement” is an English nexvspaper, f think it behoves you to folloxv the example of Mussolini, xvho, in his interest for the preservation of the Italian language, has imposed a tax on all foreign xvords. Why not take the hint and xvhen you send out cheques to contributors deduct lialf-a-croxvn for ex'erv French word and not less than ten shillings for “intrigue” used as a verb ? By doing this you would do

more to preserve our language than Eton and Harroxv, Oxford and Cambridge, have ever done—l xvili go farther than the schools, you will raise yourself to the level of the peasant, who still continues to speak good Engish.

M. Andre Maurois xvrites an interesting comparision between Gladstone and Disraeli in his “La Vie de Disraeli.”:—

r.ach xvas mistaken regarding the other. Gladstone accepted as true ail the cynical professions of laith that Disraeli made under challenge: Disraeli believed hypocritical all the fine phrases xvith which Gladstone in quite good laith deceived himself. Disraeli, \vi.o xvas a doctrinaire, gloried in belie , ing himself an opportunist; Gladstone xvho xvas an opportunist, gloried in i.eing a doctrinaire. Disraeli who affected to dispise, reasoned soundly; Gladstone, xvho believed he reasoned, was actuated only by passion. Gladstone, xvith a great fortune, Kept account of his daily expenditure; Disraeli, xvith great debts, spent his money without counting. Both loved Dante, but Disraeli preferred the “Inferno;” Gladstone “Paradise.” Disraeli, xvho passed for being frixoious, was silent in company; Gladstone, who passed for a person of gravity, charmed e.eryone so much by his talk that it xx as necessary to avoid meeting him in order to be able to continue to hate him. Gladstone was interested only in two things—religion and finance; Disraeli took interest in a thousand things, of which religion and finance xx ere among the number. Neither believed in the faith of the other, and there again they xvere mistaken.

The identity of the author of “War Birds ” a remarkable journal, written, as the title page says, “By an unknoxvn aviator,” lias been established by the confirmation of a rumour that royalties are being paid to the two sous of Lieutenant John McGax’oclc Grider, who live xvith their mother in Memphis, Tennessee. A motion picture xvith the scenario based on “War Birds,” but not on the life of Lieutenant Grider, wall 'be shbxvn this summer. It xvas ■ stated in a note at the end of the x-olume that ’he author xvas shot down by an German plane 20 miles behind the enemy’s lines in France.