IN BOOKLAND

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 2 June 1928, Page 8

IN BOOKLAND

“Powers and Pillars, ” by Herr Rudolf Kircher, is shortly to bo pul> lished by Collins. *****

Dr. Dover Wilson’s “The Schools of England” is due this mouth from Sedgwick and Jackson.

“Black Valley,” by Hugo Wast, .is to come from .Longmans, almost immediately. This is the Spanish Royal Academy prize novel for 1.926.

“Savage Abyssinia,” by James E. Baum, is a Cassell book that tells of an expedition through country never before visited by wlnto men. ». ,r „ -K *

Ashley Dukes, the successful English playwright, has a volume of essays; on the theatre coming out with the Oxford University Press called “The World to Play With.” * » * « *

Christopher Morley, who confesses that he learned Chinese from laundry slips, has a book of not very serious 1 ‘Translations from the Chinese’’- appearing with Heinemann. * * * * *

New and forthcoming novels are “The Children,” by Mrs. Edith Wharton (Appletons); “The Runagates’ Club,” by John Buchan (Hodder and Stoughton), and “Farewell to Youth,” by Storm Jameson (Heinemann).

A novel edition to the mass of war literature is “Mjedicine and Duty,” the diary of Dr. Harold Bearden when he was acting as medical btticer to an infantry battalion on the Somme. It is to be published by Heinemann. * X * , * *

Ward Muir who died not long ago, left the MS’ of a completed novel, which he had called “The Bewildered I .over.” This, the last novel of an author whose untimely death is lamented by everyone who knew him, will be published by The Bodley Head.

An extraordinary picture of Russia since the Revolution is said to bo presented in “The Diary of a Communist Schoolboy,” by a Russian author named Ugnyol, which will be published presently bv Victor Gollanez. the autboi, who is an anti-Cdmmunist, shows liow Communist Russia appears to a boy who lias known no other form of government. » *> * * *

Commander Richard E. Byrd’s story of his adventurous career, to be published immediately by G. P. Putnam s Sons under the apt title “Skyward contains, in addition to the tale of the author’s exploits in the past, one chapter devoted to liis plans lor bis next great adventure, the flight to the South Pole. The book is handsomely illustrated from photographs. *****

A great deal. of discussion is likely to be aroused —and not only in Church circles—by a Life of Christ written by Emil Ludwig, the historian, under the title “The Son of Man.” For the author frankly avows that he is concerned only to write history, to prosent a portrait of Christ as a human figure with no “theological incrustations,”., and that he has therefore made no mention, in his book, which will be published by Benn, of any “supernatural occurrences” —in other words, the miracles. *****

The collection of books from the library of Major H. E. V iibrahain, ot Northwieh, has been sold by auction at Sotheby’s, in London. It included a first edition of Gray’s “Elegy.” The “Elegy” in its original six-leaved form is orie of the rarest literary items that come into the saleroom, , and there was keen competition for. the copy sold, it had some slight imperfections from the point of view of the oollectoi, . hut reached a bid of £1290 before it fell to Mr. ’Walter Spencer. When originally sold in Paternoster Row nearly two centuries ago the price was sixpence. The highest price yet paid for a copy of the “Elegy” was £looo, at the Mac George sale four years ago. That was an exceptionally fine copy. .** * * *

Mr. John Galsworthy has accepted an invitation to serve on the .subcommittee of arts and letters appointed by the international committee on intellectual co-operation of the League of Nations. This committee, which includes a number of leading .writers, artists, and musicians, watches over the rights of authors and deals with' matters relating to popular art exhibitions, the protection of natural beauties, questions arising out oi translations, and other matters. Its next meeting will take place in July. • *****

In “Woodrow Wilson : Life and Letters,” Mr. Ray Standard Baker tells us that the dying ex-President, in a letter that he was too weak to sign, dictated on his deathbed, turned over all his papers to him, and even now, after nine years of incessant lie is struggling with the ‘ - 6< steel eases containing 5,516 folders and 200,(HK) letters and documents,’.’ “a huge wooden box” which holds 29,000 more letters, the “confidential file, with 30,000 documents, iii 17 wooden boxes, the “personal file” in many other ’ receptacles, the “Peace Conference documents, in a four-drawer steel cabinet arid five large wooden boxes.” other cabinets that hold Mr. Wilson’s entire correspondence for many years, and, tin all v, all of iMr. "Wilson s. piePresidential letters and documents.” Such is the scale of this work that the volumes to oome, whose number is not hinted, may conceivably render it one of the longest biographies in existence. *****

Mr. Philip Guedalla is already at work on his new “Life of the Duke of Wellington.” The work cannot appear for twelve months to come, but the writer has a clear field lor a first-rate adventure in biography, For several reasons the result ought to be one of the most living and lasting books that Hodder and .Stoughton ever have published, says the London “Observer.” For one thing, a biographer of “Pam’ is well equipped to approach the Duke. For another, there ,ts no human biography of that great man who had all the disconcerting defects of his monumental qualities. For a third tiling, Air. Guedalla is lucky again in his new material. The present Duke has placed at bis disposal the whole mass of unpublished correspondence preserved at Apsley House. ,