THE BOOKSHELF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20426, 30 November 1929, Page 8 (Supplement)

THE BOOKSHELF.

LAFAYETTE ESCADRILLE.

DIAEY GF A FLYING " ACE.".

" One Man's War," is the record—part diary and part narrative —oE tho doings of a famous flying " ace," Bert Ilall, both before and during tho Great War. It embraces tho story of tho Lafayette Escadrille, that band of American airmen who fought for Franco with such marked success, from its formation in 1916. Ilall was a born soldier of fortune; in 1913 ho was Abdul Hamid's entire air service, engaged at 100 dollars a day. When the money was withheld, ho packed up and flew over into Bulgaria and was engaged at the same figure to fight the Turks. Hie Bulgarians stopped his pay and had designs on his savings and his life. He escaped with tho one but without the other, and wrecked his aeroplano in the Pyrenees. When war was declared Ilnll joined the Foreign Legion, to help to fdl tho gaps caused by tho defection of Germans and Austrians. lie did some fighting as an infantryman, but his heart was always in the air, and when opportunity occurred ho joined the French Flying Corps. He records some exciting air battles, and tells of the excitement of placing spies behind tho German lines, and collecting them again. Once he fell into an ambush and escaped by a miracle. Then came the formation of the Escadrille, and there are moro thrilling stories of the fights of himself and other famous aces, Lufbery, Nungesscr, Guynemer, and Nimmie Prince. It is not all" fighting, there are some gladsome " rags" of these hearty airmen —very destructive of crockery. Even affaires do coeur are recounted with frank enjoyment and expert technique. These wily airmen picked their sweethearts with one eye on physical comfort; ono would acquire a cook, another a laundress, and tho whole band would share tho benefits of the sentimental attachment.

Bert Ilall, as a veteran airman, looked upon • tho Americans with a little condescension, and when the offer carao to rejoin the French Corps ho had no hesitation in accepting it, especially as all his friends except Bill Thaw had already been claimed by death. Ho was sent to Russia to put some life into tho Tsar's air services, but the task was beyond mortal aid. However, lie saw the Revolution, and finally escaped by the Trans-Siberian railway. His description of events in Russia is perhaps the best written part of the book. " One Man's "War," could only have been written by an American, it has that peculiar quality, not boastlulness, not self-consciousness, perhaps a sort of boosting sentimentality characteristic of that nation. It has all the American raciness, a little too prominent at times. In moments of emphasis, Hall invariably lapses into profanity. In modern books of action, some such expedient appears to be de rigeur. But profanity in tho heat of tho moment may slip naturally from the tongue, in the colder soberness of the printe/1 page it suggests hysteria rather than strength, and the publishers might with advantage have used the blue pencil. In spite of Hall's boyish pride in his heart conquests there aro incidents in tho book that ono would like to hear more fully. This applies especially to the fugitive appearances of tho famous woman spy Mata Ilari, tho friend of princes, generals and diplomats, who was yet doomed to fall before a French firing squad. It is interesting to learn that though Hall came out of the war scarred and worn out, his spirit was unsubdued, for this indomitablo man is reported to be now General Chan, Chief of the Air Service in Canton. " One Man's "War," by Bert Hnll and J. J. Xiles. (Jolm Hamilton, Ltd.).

WOMEN AND FICTION.

VIRGINIA WOOLF'S PLEA, " A Room of One's Own," is an important liltlo book for two reasons. It is important because its author is Virginia Woolf, the outstanding woman writer of the day, and it is important because of its subject—women, their circumstances in the past, and the effect of thoso circumstances upon their writing. Virginia Woolf, the youngest daughter of Sir Leslie Stephen, is the wife of Leonard Woolf, editor of The Nation and Afhaeneum. Sho is famous as a novelist, the author of " Mrs. Dalloway" and " Orlando' - and some half dozen other im-

>ortant books both of fiction and criticism

Hers is an individual gift. It lias been said that she has revolutionised the novel as Lytton Strachey has revolutionised biography. Her novels are something infinitely more than stories to idle a spare hour over. For this reason they are not for every reader. Thoso who admire her work find it often very near perfection. " A Room of One's Own," is based upon two papers read to the Arts Society at Newnliam, and tho Odtaa at Girton. The original title of the papers was "Woman and Fiction." Musing on this subject Mrs. Woolf freely opens tho doors of her mind to her readers. Now Mrs. Woolf's mind has ever been something of an Aladdin's cave, but it, is impossible to prepare tho reader for the surprise and brilliance of this book. Her wit, tho lucid loveliness of her prose, all serve to oxliilarate tho reader's intelligence into a sense of its fullest power.

All women should read this book. Mrs. Woolf tells how grappling with her subject she consulted the library of the British Museum and was amazed at the number of books written about women, and curiously enough they were all written by men, yet these gave her little useful information. However, the deduction she drew from her study was that imaginatively woman was of the highest importance while .practically she was completely insignificant. Nor could she find any. woman horn with a great gift before tho sixteenth century, although genius of a sort must have existed. Mrs. Woolf surmises that " When one reads of a witch being ducked, or a wise woman selling herbs, then perhaps we arc on the track of some mute inglorious Jane Austen, some Kmily Bronte who mopped and mowed about the highways crazed with the torture that her gift had put her to.".

Tho authoress traces the beginnings of freedom of the feminine mind from the earliest times to the present day. Even as late as the nineteenth century women writers were sneered at, and did homage to convention • by hiding behind anonymity. The great essential, says Mrs. Woolf. for a woman who wants to write, is a room of her own—and an income. A two-fold freedom that was unthought <>t a century ago, and is difficult to achieve oven in these enlightened days. This 'nook though (slight, covets ground not before explored in print. It is stimulating as well us provocative, and ouo dares to predict that it will draw Mrs. Woolf's admirers by a single hair. It is published by Tho Hogath Press,* which was originally a private hand press belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Woolf, for tho purpose of publishing and encouraging books by little known writers. One of the earliest stories of Katharine Mansfield's was first [niblished by Tho Hogath Press.

A Boom Of One's Own," by .Virginia Woolf, (Tho Hogath ProßS.)<