IN BOOKLAND

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 9 June 1928, Page 18

IN BOOKLAND

“The Coming oT Christ” is a new play by Mr. John Masefield, which Heinemann announce.

Mr. Lloyd Osbourne, Stevenson’s collaborator, has written a novel called “The Grierson Mystery.”

“Itebellen” (Rebels), by Allied Neumann (Deutche Verlags Arista It Stuttgardt), is another historical romance by the author of “The Devil,” e-on-sidered one of the best books published in Germany last. year. It is the first of two’ volumes dealing with the Duchy of Tuscany between 1830 and 184 S, with Guerra as hero. The author works out the tragedy of the unfilled revolutionary idea that swept over Europe in 1848 down to the minutest detail.

Prof. C. \V Everett has edited a new edition of “The Letters of Junius, and offered a solution ot the mystery of their authorship. He has reached the conclusion that the Earl of Shelburne was the author. According to most reviewers of the book the attribution (which is not new by any means) is not supported by the evidence, and the strong probability *c~ mains that the author was Sir Philip Francis.

A well-known firm of London publishers will publish at an early date a book oil the government of the Empire by Mr. Hughes, M.H.R. The book will cover Air. Hughe's experiences during the war period anil at, various Imperial Conferences.

'the late Mr. Justice Alper’s book, “Cheerful Yesterdays” (Murray), lias the advantage of a preface by the Earl of Birkenhead, who sums up the book as “a worthy record of line personality and a valiant career.”

Lady Cynthia Asquith, wife of Mr. Herbert Asquith, lias two books appearing with Hutchinsons. One is a biography of the Duchess of York, and the other is a compilation of humorous .stories called “The Funny Bone.”

“Within the Walls of Nanking” (Cape) is a record toy Mrs Alice Hobart of what happened at the time of the Nationalist rising in China anti how she and her family escaped front their beleaguered house under cover of the British gunboat barrage.

“Lily Christine” is the name ot Michael Arlenes new novel to be published shortly by Hutchinson; s while another volume ot interest is Miss du Coudray’s “Another Country, which won the prize offered by Messrs J hi lip Allan in a competition for Oxford and Cambridge undergraduates.

Windham Lewis, the “pet of the intelligentsia,” has chosen far his next: noiei “The Childermass,” a theme ogreat magnitude. Childermas Day is the festival of the Holy innocents massacred by Herod. In the hook their souls are depicted as congregated on the otliei side awaiting judgment.

Mr. Paul King, former Commissioner of Chinese Customs, in his new book “Weighed in China’s Balance,’ is forced to emphasise the harm done to the Chinese and the foreigner by the seductive cinema films, especially those in which European women are exhibit ed in alluring and meretricious poses. “With the best intentions,” he writes, “we base apparently done much liarni”; and if tins’ ‘explanation helps the ’ English' to understand the situation better, its rather disconcerting criticism will not have been in vain.

Mrs. Charlotte Haldane, whose new book, “Motherhood and Its Enemies'” has just been published, is in private life the wife of J. B. S. Haldane, the famous Cambridge don and biologist. The house in which they live was once known as “Big Hell.” That was in the eighteenth century when it was a village inn, the resort of the wilder Cambridge undergraduates. It was just outside the jurisdiction of the university proctors, and the students were wont to go there to raise what the house was named after. There was another inn across the way known' as “Little Hell.” The eighteenth ecntuivu roisterers wouldn’t know “Big He’ll” now, for it lias been converted into a delightful country house with lawns sloping down to the river. But it still has a room with no windows, which was once used for cock-fighting and similar sports. '

Reference was made recently to Oliver Goldsmith's translation of a famous Italian poem on chess—Vidals “Do Dudn Seaecohorum,” published in Route in 1627. The manuscript of This translation—one of the only four surviving manuscripts of Goldsmith’s known fetched the remarkable price of .65660 at a sale of Mr. J. Rirning-ton-Wilson’s chess library at Sotheby’s London, recently. This translation was fir.4t published in its entirety in Peter Cunningham’s edition of GohLsmitli’s works in 1885. The only three other manuscripts by Goldsmith known are two copies of “The Captivity” and one of the rejected epilogue to “She Stoops to C onquer.” The chess manuscript, which contains 6/9 lines on thirty-four pa.es, is longer than those three together. Mr. Rumington-Wilson, who was a nolle.tor of works on chess, jought this MS. in 1870 for 50 guineas, seven years before lie made his last purchase. The library was maintained intact until after the recent death of bis son, R. H. Rumingtori-Wilson. The sum now given lor the chess MS. may be contrasted with the 6!) guineas Goldsmith got for “The Vicar of Wakeield.”