ABOUT BOOKS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12540, 29 June 1901, Page 9

ABOUT BOOKS.

■P Her Mountain Lover,” by Hamlin Gary land. (Hednemanii’-S. Dollar Library.), ' Reference has already been made in this column to Mr Pl o incnrmni’s new Dollar Library” venture, the publication in England of some of the books that have achieved exceptional popularity in the Unitfd states. “ Eer Mountain Lover W one of them;. Like so Jnnclt of pecent American fiction, it describes, nob tuo uevelppjnent, but the mature condition of a remarkable personality. “ Eben Holden md “ David Harum ” are striking examples of this type of novel, which , have become popular with •‘Her Mountaan Lover” may hot' achieve the success that has attended tho publication of the other two volumes, because Its central character has not. the wonderful charm of David and Uncle Eb. But in art it exceeds them both. _ It has a “ situation,” simple enough, it is_ true, but developed with great skill, and instead of Being an outsider an the story, as are Eb. «nd David, the Mountain Lover is the hero ©f the romance. It will be seen at once that this fact mates for unity in the novel. A Californian miner, a genuine son of the mountains, Jim Matteson, goes to London to place his mine. He is of the “Nature’s gentleman ” type, hut rough in dress and broadly Western iii speech.' His fine face and native strength of character fascinate I. London society woman, has yearnings after unsophisticated' 1 nature. The Conflict - of the artificial and. the natural is not a new theme in fiction, but Mr GarJand manages' to give it a very new dress, ■She ' romance threatens to become a tragedy, but Jim goes back to the West arid to the American girl who first channCjl 'him there, Mr Garland has a fresh, vigorous style and abundant humour. *!|Jq,bs, the Impossible,” by f|rand. (Hutchinson’s Oplopial Library. Ghfistchurcb; Wbitcombe and Tombs.) Madame Sarah Grand’s new book has had very mixed reception from the ' critics. They have almost >ll responded to her invitation, andi have declared that the title is justified, and that Babs is rqaUy impossible, and for some inconiprehensiblo some of them have condemned the work as heav). 2fp colonial reader will find Babs “ imp os-, siblq.” There are plenty of tprq-boys in New Zealand quite as free and unppnventipnal in their ways, and one has only to give a tomboy -soul” tp prodpep a “Babs ” The combination may be unusual, but it is seftainly possible, and from this point of wew the criticism levelled, at the book strikes at least one reader as unjustified, jfar can the novel lie justly described as he|vy. It is merely longer t|ap. the average fiction of theday, and few readers, having read a dozen pages, will care to lay the Volume aside until the end is reached. Bats is not, perhaps?, ft genuinely lovable child, but she is highly attractive, and qften amusing. The description of the quiet country village, with, its superfluity of unxpairied ladies, is diverting in the extreme, an(| tl}3 (npoon? pi tlie |>.Offcly Mr Jellicomb Turvey, if not strictly honourable, are entertaining. The novel is, undoubtedly, Madiame Grand’s best production.

An interesting incident at the contingent luncheon on Monday "was the presentation to Mr Seddon bj-pplonel Robin of a bound copy of % ** VftMfc Ly-cp.” This was'a journal produced on Christinas Day of last year, by E. A. Rees, L. Price and R. Johnstone, when the New Zealand Contingent? 1 were resting at Rhencster Kop, : in J the Transvaal. On their return ■to New Zeo:‘ land, the editors had the journal printed by Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs, and a copy of it has been sent to this office by tfc# drip. !( I?he Vejdt Eyre,” with which is incorporpted the “ Second New Zealand Contingent. Chronicle, 5 ’ is undoubtedly unique. Produced in such circumstances, it contains a wonderful amount pf interesting matter, interesting* to gpnprql readers td the Contingents.' Thp friepds of the Ejecpnd Contingenters, for instance, will be delighted to have Adjutant Todd’s record of the Contingent’s travels and treks in South Africa, with the casualty list qnd contingent rail, and the accounts of the Rhenoster Kop and Rooidikopje's affairs by Colonel Cradock and Eieutenant Ranks, re: apectively, are valuable articles. In. different vein* is* Colonel Pvobin’s brief note on “The Empire; Can, We Colonials Help to Make It?” Those who are fortunate enough to possess copies of the publication will treasure them always. The published PHPe is half a crown.

Messrs Whifccom.be and Tombs forward a cbpy of their shilling “Colonial Everyday Cookery,” aq a,clnip-ab|? and esjensive col: lection of recipes for plain and fancy cooking, with clear illustrated hints on carding. The arrangement is excellent, and there is a carefully compiled index.

Mrs Henry Reeves, whom’ novel readers know better as 'Helen Mathers, rnet with a severe accident xepeiitly.' flhe'wps walking down Grosvenor' Stpet" w kch! she w*B knocked over by $ •who cannoned against her suddenly. The result was a badlv sprained ankle, as well as a gyeat shock to the nerves. Mrs Beeves was to have gone away into the country for a change as soon, as she could be moved.

The “bull” is a difficult beast to dodge. He always times 'his attacks, and occasionally attacks his “Timos.’’ In a review of “Baibs the Impossible,’-' we read;—“We §re ip a feminine Eden, seventeen miles? distant frepi a railway station, where meat of the eligihle§ pro either married oy absentees.” To the 'feminine'" residents in Eden, if not to their reviewer, ifc must bsM® Ilf? 11 ' obvious that the married men were not eligible and the absentees were pot there.

Lichfield has followed the example of Siratford-on-Ayop. 3pd Qlney in making a shrine of the’birthplace pf her greatest son.' Through the generosity of Alderman Gilbert, the house in the Market ?lace in which Hr Johnson was born has become tiib property of the corporation, 1 and was bpepbd to, the’ public af Whitsuntide. In time it is hoped the house will become a museum of Johnson relics, after the manner of Carlyle’s house ip Cheyne-row. To this end the Mayor pi Lichfield has asked that h'ppJcV,’ pipßU'eSj of’ mingspripts relating tp ijr. 'Johnson, which owners may be. wiidng to place in hi? parly home, should be cent to the town clerk.

Even so mlpent a novelist as the late B. I>. Blaakmore appears to have sneered —a 3 , hfi t3iopg|jt—the editorial blue penp?. In a letter at Sotheby’s the other day, for 18s. and dated May 19, 1892. the novelist states that «Cripps the Carrier ” first appeared in the “ “ but'has net been sliced or slashed so badly as others of mv Tbs editor cf tha”“ graphic” ought to » V?ry -proud soian tq* get even tills p.c-s.thurpqusi testi;mcay to bis discretion. Qtlfer authors do seexa to •fea quite so grateful. ; Thuß_ ; 3fc 'fbtowas ccrnplqipsi in hi? pt«sjfacst to *■* Xe.:S l? the B/dJiberYilles, ’■ ■'vvhl c h appeared serially in. the “ Graphic,’’ ihat seycral passages, and some bf the, of the •original, had been out, opt by t!ha editor’s blue pencil. One scene,, thiuf treated tvae that in which Ttss baptises her. hqby. hit tferpup K. Jerotuc piade to ■in iniervievrir. a jwra humorous protest against same “ cutting ”■ which, w«t 3 . (lens to Cg?t«in passages .in sums- descriptive articles 'is yvrqt& for phe “’Dally ftraphi c -” A jewing, reference to “fleas'’’ tw bub out, '“And 'fitas,”"haid Mr Jotautc, “are sqdq churmuy gt.tth tbs9gs.'” ; ’ ’ T|is mystery is ‘being kept veil the public. Itco ■nliy the “ Canid Frianci ” {wKicli ilie preTicais week haa •ttribpted . the authorship to Mrs W. K. .Cuiford) printed a contradiction from that lady. Well, v/hat about Mr Laurence Housmaq? (asks the “ iphropiplo”). Ju-the “British Weekly” it finds'Mr Hcpsman idisplipiulpg “ Responsibility. That is all. Ha <|aes ipf. (llselaiiu ‘aptjwpfsstyp. '•J£s Uutvip'ha? just punished in hisOfiapiai Library Mrs Amelia, E. Barr’sl»ew.««oaace '4, s»iik-,flf^BiKas«« ,^ l E-dwii

Pbilpott’s new novel “The ‘Good Red Earth ” has also been published in Mr Fister Unwpi’s Colonial Library. Two characters claim particular attention, that of Johnny Fortnight,, a unique, canting, oily tpngupd hypocrite, who beguiled the natives of a Devonshire village Into making him their pastor at sufficient salary to enable him to discontinue nis trade of pedlar, and the silent Mary Gilbert, a great type of wornanhopd and wifehood. Tlp> ftory is said tp be humourous,' often its scenes are dramatic,‘ arid its ending is unhackneyed, and -breathing through the whore romance is me scent of the orchards and-the breath of the country.

A fppr Jays’ sale of rare books and manuscripts, which concluded at Messrs Sotliebys’ recently, was marked by an event Unique in the history of book sales in Englandl—the oalo of a copy of the first elrLion of Buuyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress,” 1678, of which not more than five copies are known, three being imperfect. The copy sold on this occasion is unique in the respect that it has the engraved portrait of Bunyan dreaming, by R. White, with the view of tho city in the background labelled in error, “Vanity” (it should be “Destruction,”) which does not occur in either of the other known copies, and Which, in its cornet form, has hitherto been regarded as first issued with the third edition. This copy is additionally interesting from- the fact that it was given to Jane Fleetwood by her uncle. It then came into possession of Ann Palmer, who was adopted by the sisters of Dr Fleetwood,, Bishop of St Asaph, and thence into the Nash family, in whose possession it lias remained until the present time. It realised the enormous sqm of £1475, the purchaser being Mr Cockerell, and the under-bidder Mr F. B. Stevens, an American bock agent. Anothei interesting lot ip the gale consisted of about fifty-one quarto folios of the original autograph MS. of Sir Walter Scott’s “ Ivanhoe, in Scott’s very- small and neat hand,, and forming, with a similar portion sold in 1894, probably all that was written in Scptt’s own autograph, it -being well-known that most of it was mitten by 9a amanuensis. Tljk; portion realised £340, the purchaser betog Mr Isaacs.