IN BOOKLAND

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 14 January 1928, Page 16

IN BOOKLAND

Arnold Bennett -has decided to call his iieu- novel “The Strange \ unguard.”

Miss Homer Wilson, the novelist, is writing a life of Elmily Bronte tor Collins.

Bernard Shaw -has at last finished the long promised “Intelligem. Woman’s- Guide to Socialism.” It will be published early in the new year.

IHaeku-oods are publishing a. volume of t.-tfvel and unusual, experiences. in Central America, by Cyril Dawson, under the title “The Elusive Trail.”

Mr. Heckles Wilson has written, as a companion to his .history of the British embassy m Paris, “American Ambassadors in Paris,” which will be published bv Murrays.

Ah-. John Boon, udio has been prominent- in, London journalism for more than forty years, is publishing Ills remi n tsoenees ivith Hutelrinsons, under the title. “Victorians. Edivardians and Georgians.”

W’e shall soon have “Stalky” at first hand. Major-General L. C. Duns-ter ville, the original of Mr. Kiplin a “Stalky,” is engaged on a volume oi reminiscences..

Mr- A. A. Milne -has made more than £25,000 from his “Christopher .Robin” books. In his first year as a writer lie earned £2O. The next year ho made £l2O, and the following year £2OO.

Pugilistic encounters are a feature of the novels, of Mr. Jeffrey Farnol, ivho has, used much of the fruit of Ibis research in a book entitled “lamous Prize Fights.” Thi-s will be published by Sampson Low in the English spring.

An encounter with Mark Twain is described, by Air. Edgar Wallace in “People: A Short Autobiography.’? Mr. Wallace was sent by -lii-s- newspaper to interview Mark Tivai n on the steamer 'which bad brought him to England: “1 don’t mind your interviewing me,” said the great Mark, “but, for God’s -sake, don’t put my words in quotation marks. 1 couldn’t talk as an interviewer makes me talk.” Nevertheless, I and a- dozen reporters clamoured for that interview, and Mark led us forward—ive were on the shi-p -which brought him to England at the time—to where there was working the noisiest donkey-engine that it has been my misfortune to hear. He drew the little circle of reporters close up to the clattering pandemonium and spoke. We beard nothing-^

Mr. Gabriel Wells, of New York, lias sold a first folio, edition of Shakespeare to Mr. Edward A. Newton, a Philadelphia, billiophile, for a price reported to be about £12,0(K). This is the second highest price ever paid- for a book, the record having been set by Air. George D. Smith on December 16, 1920, when he purchased at auction at Sotheby’s, in London, for the Huntingdon coilec-tio-n ;in California, a copy of the first edition of Shakespeare's “Venus and Adonis,” for which he' paid £15,000. The first folio edition qt Shakespeare M-as No. 6 in the first folio census. It is. in unusually perfect condition and has not been restored. The book was bought by Frederick O'nvey, a friend of (In aides Dickens ,in 1870. In 1882 it was purchased by Bernard Quaritcli, London, book collector and dealer, for £-120. Air. Quaritcli later sold it to Lord Cai-ysfort for £BBO, and repurchased it from the Oarysfort heirs iu 1923 for £6IOO. Air. Wells obtained the folio from Air. Quaritcli.

That- valuable and interesting work' “.Journal of the Waterloo Campaign, ' Ivy General Onvalio Mercer, u-hieli had become rare, has been reprinted by Peter Davies. Mercer, was one of the heroes of Waterloo—one of those heroes who acquire extraordinary popularity because they achieve success by disobeying the orders of their superiors. On the afternoon, of the day of Waterloo, about 3 o’clock, Sir Augustus Frazer led Mercer's troop to a posin’on about a third of the distance between Hougminiont- and the Charleroi Road. He left Mercer between the -squares, telling him that the Duke of Wellington’s orders were positive “that in the event of their persevering and charging home you do> not expose your men, but retire ivith them into the adjacent squares of infantry.” This ivas tiie method adopted elseuhere ivith great success that day. But so shaky ivere the- Briinswickers that Mercer felt convinced that if once his men ran from their guns the movement would he the signal for the. complete dissolution of the two. squares. J)isobeying the Duke’s orders, he stood hi.s ground, beat off the first charge with terrible ..slaughter, and put new heart into the Brimswickers. Before the second charge he was assailed by skirmishers, and to restrain his men, ivho were waiting impatiently with . portfires lit, from firing prematurely, he rode up" and down the bank in front of the guns, derisively ivaving 'his arm at the enemy and calling them coquins.

Mercer describes the second crha rge : ‘l Jie spectacle was> imposing, and ii ever- the word sublime was appropriately applied it might surely be to' at. On tney came in compact squadrons, one behind the other. . . . Their pace Avas a. sloav but steady trot. None of your furious galloping charges was this, but it tie Liberate- advance, as of men resolved to carry their point. They moved in profound silence, and the only sound that could be heard front them amidst the incessant roar of battle ivasi the low thunderlike'.reverberation of the ground beneath the' simultaneous tread of so many houses. On our part Avas equal deliberation. Every man stood steadily at his post, the guns ready, loaded Avitii a round shot first and a caso- over it; the tubes Avere in the vents; the port-fires glared and sputtered behind the Avheels. . . I thus allowed them, to advance unmolested until the head of the column might have been about 50 or 60 yards from us, and then gave- the Avord, “Eire!’' The effect, was terrible. Nearly the Aviiole leading rank fell at once; and the round-shot, penetrating the column, carried contusion throughout its extent. The ground, already encumbered Avith victims of the first struggle, became hoav almost impassable. Still, hoAvever, these devoted Avarriors struggled on, intent only on reaching us. The thing Avas impossible. Our guns Avere served Avith astonishing activity, Avhilst the running fire of the tAVQ squares Avas maintained Avith spirit. Those avlio pushed fonvard over the heaps of carcases of. Then and horses game cl but n feAv paces in ad-i vane?, there to fall in t’heir turn and, add to the difficulties of those succeed- 1 ing them. The discharge of even’ gun | was followed by a. fall of men and i horses like that of grass before the I mower's scythe.