Book Reviews

Hutt News, Volume 13, Issue 24, 22 November 1939, Page 7

Book Reviews

(By V Calliope.")

V Vl. '.111. ' : ■ "The Young Cosing," by Henry Handel Richardson, has its petting in* the musical ■ world of Berlin, during those years of > last century when the tytfe of music we now regard as classical was just coming into its own. v Richard Wagner is a character, although selfish, .hasty, and sometimes rude, he has always a band of devoted followers, not the least among whoiri is the petulant young composer, Hans von Bulow, one of Liszt's most talented pupils, and a protege of Wagner's, All the, struggles, hopes, fears, disappointments and occasional triumphs of the rising young composer are here, woven in with the story of a how a young woman, detrayed by her own impetuosity into a marriage which held no mental satisfaction for her, fell step by step beneath the spell of a man whose strange powers changed the course not only of individual lives, I but history. I The book contains many chprm- j ing descriptions of German countryside, particularly the mountain I districts, and that villa near Zurich j where so much musical history was j made. * * * * Marguerite Steen's latest novel, "Family Ties," is full of the jealousies, intrigues, joys and sorrows that beset every family w-hose mem. bers are strangely unlike in temperament and outlook. It is the story of. the publishing firm of Crome and Lygon, which two half brothers, . Simon and Daniel, endeavour to establish on Fleet Street. A large part of the capital is subscribed by Simon's wealthy father-in-law, and through his interference and attempts at domination, Simon's career is nearly ruined. Christian, his wife, is torn between her husband and her wealthy parents; for her children's sake, she does her best to keep the peace, but as the firm fis a family concern, they find their private lives hobbled to their business in a way that allows them no escape. Simon Crome, a thoroughly human and likeable person, fighfs his way through scandal and the blackmail which threatens to ruin his marriage, to re-establish his business and family life on an independent, and thus secure foundation. * * * * In these troublous days, when it seems that the might which man has created will eventually destroy him, and with his destruction civilisation as we know it will inevitably perish, it is of interest to look back and examine the conditions which heralded past collapses. History covers a relatively small period in the evolution of man, for what are the two and a half thousand of years of which we have records, when we consider the hundreds of thousands of years whose history we have pierced together from the tangible survivals of each succeeding age. Realising the importance of this pre-historife period, Stanley Casson, one of the leading archaeologists,)of our time, lias written "Progress and Catastrophe," in which he sifts the evidence of the past to see whether the conditions which heralded civilisation's two previous collapses in any way resemble those which prevail to-day. Without prejudice, or over-emphasis of personal opinion, Mr. Casson analyses those elements in the growth of civilisation which have led to the progress of the human race, and distinguishes them frofai those which have led to decline and collapse. In so far as elements of either kind are perceptible to-day, it will be possible to decide whether civilisation is on the up or down grade, and from the facts examined the reader may conclude whether we are on the eve of a third collapse.

A point of interest about Dr. Halliday Sutherland's latest book, "Heb'ridean Journey," is its dedication to the memory of Commander Lionel G. Pennington, R.N., and his ninety-eight' companions who perished in the submarine Thetis in Liverpool Bay on Ist June, 1939. This is no ordinary travel book, but is written in a delightfully original style, which shows that the author has not only a deep knowledge but' also a sincere affection for the Hebrides. Everywhere he goes, Dr. Sutherland fi,nds an old legend, a neglected saint, or some quaint villager who tells him a story or perhaps confesses that he has second sight, and' all these discoveries and incidents are recounted for the reader in his inimitable style. Those who know the Hebrides will love this book, and those who have never been there will read it and want to go.