BOOKS

Northern Advocate, 14 January 1939, Page 7

BOOKS

By “Caxton”

IN London, on Friday, •'November 4, Mrs Neville Chamberlain, opened ■the largest and most attractive exhibition of books and allied interests eve? held. . The idea of 'an annual book fair took shape in the first exhibition in 1933. All Records Broken r Every year since then it has grown in size and popularity. This 1938 fair broke all records. It was held at Earl’s Court, and visited daily by thousands of people, between the opening day on the 4th and the closing day on the 21st. • A lecture hall seating 850 people was well filled at each session for

Why Not A Northland Book Fair?

I the addresses delivered by 47 different speakers, some of whom presented thgir talks in the form of friendly debates. The list of speakers included Captain von Rintelen (on “More Secret Service”), Chiang Yee (“A Chinese Looks at England”), Sir Norman An gell (“Authorship and Dictatorship,” with Lady Rhondda in the chair), Professor Lancelot Hogben (“Scientific Julian Huxley in the chair), Cecil Roberts on “How to Write,” Denis Wheatley on “Black Magic,” and Cecil Day Lewis, representing the young Oxford poets, who are compelling a complacent world to sit up and take notice. The list of J names is too long to quote more, except to mention that lan Hay (MajorGeneral lan Hay Beith) was .the

speaker on the opening day. From Manuscript to Publication Variety was the key note of the organisation. Old and priceless books were there, lent from private and public collections: new books during the year: reference books (a considerable section); children’s books, and sections illustrating the production of books from manuscript to publication, Nothing was overlooked that served to illustrate the wide-world of books, and their place in history and human progress. ■; Why Can*i We?“But we can’t do anything like that in Whangarei,” Why not. I recall the success attending an exhibition hold a few years ago in the Presbyterian Hall. It Was generally regarded as an “eye-opener.” First of all, no doubt, opening our eyes to the large numbers of genuine literary and artistic treasures owned in this town and district which before were quite unsuspected; and secondly, for the inti’insic interest of these treasures in their own rights.

Hidden Treasures No one who has travelled the Northland and been a guest in private homes will disagree with me when I contend that the homes of Northland contain many priceless treasures of artistic literary and historic interest, which the public would appreciate. Nor will anyone dispute my conviction that the Northland people are generously willing to lend their treasures when and where they recognise a co-operative effort for the bc-nefil of the public, organised under responsible and satisfactory safeguards. There is. moreover, net only the pleasure given the public, but the publicity which the North would receive. Then there is the cc-cperation of booksellers, publishers, authors, libraries and schools. I visualise a ready encouragement from overseas. It Can Be Done As to speakers and demonstrators, it would be a surprise to a number of i people to know how many are available. not. of course, confining our programme, to the North, or even to Auckland. but including authors, writers and craftsmen in printing and publishing from other ami all parts of the Dominica, and possibly some coincident visitors from other countries. There arc some famous people on New Zealand's visiting list for this and next year. Why hot? Well, there it is. The idea of a book fair in Whangarei. But it would mean

some good hard work to prepare for it, and six months would not be too long for the job. But it would be well worth doing.