THE BOOKSHELF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20982, 19 September 1931, Page 9 (Supplement)

THE BOOKSHELF.

JoSance and adventure. " STORV BY JOHN BUCHAN. ti, "The Blanket of the Dark" Mr. / guchan again proves himself to one moft satisfactory of antic adventure writers of the predav. Few//could resist the appeal ?lhe op«n» n g chapter, when the reader /' • to Peter Pentecost against ' J ]ovely background of Oxfordshire In these woods Peter is his hap- • i self. He has discovered and una perfect square of tesselated dement, and of this sequestered spot f e has made a retreat. On the highoff tho pageant of the world *hv Peter lingers in the woods. rO6S V J * little dreaming that before another night falls he will be called upon to play his part The <ky brings nt?ws that ho is not the P oor c ' lerli him. jelf to be, but a prince of noble blood, now other than the grandson of that " high and puissant Prince Edward, Duka w d Earl of Buckingham." Now, this is the reign of King Henry YIIL, a jyua of unrest f6r all factions and a most opportune time in the eyes of some for ik appearance of - Peter, who is closn enough to the throne to make a figure fcead for a rebellion. Peter, tired of his quiet life, is ready for everything. So Sir. Buchan sets his stage for adventure, and there follows never a dull page From first page to last tho forest holds Peter's heart. Solomon Darking introduces him to the Parliament of Beggars, whose kingdom is the woods. He learns their password, and, in consequence, is sure of a motley backing in a tight corner. Peter is not the stuff of which usurpers are made. When the King by chance falls into his hands he saves his life, thereby very nfearly forfeiting his own. His password is the means by which ■he is rescued on the way to the scaffold, and so Peter, as a claimant to the English throne, passes from the pages ot English history, but he and* all of his line were revered among the people of the forest for many a long year. "The Blanket of the Dark," by John Bachan. (Hodder and Stouc'nton.) MODERN BOHEMIA. STEPHEN GRAHAM'S NEW BOOK. Mr. Stephen Graham has broken out in a fresh place. Having tabulated him as a writer on things Russian, one is amused to find him sharpening his pen on the foibles of modern Bohemia. \ ery old is Mr. Graham and very sophisticated in the ways of this wicked world. "A Modern Vanity Fair" is the title of his latest book, but he tells his story • lightlv and with a good deal of amusement, which will be shared by the reader. Xavier Riddell broke into London society. Nothing was known of him, except the fact that he had recently been thrown out o£ the Opera House in Paris. He & invsterv. This mud© him romzin».ic f vMs Hi reputed wealth made him most attractive. To the " gold-digger " type of girl—and Mr. Graham's book is full of them —X. Eiddell was fair game. He becomes intimate with a Bohemian set, and the reader is regaled by a series of Chelsea bottle parties that certainly do not lack " pep." The morals and manners of these young people are outrageous, but,.in spite of the dexterity cf their tongues and cf Mr. Graham's pen. the reader does not take them too seriously. These girls live and dress delightfully on their nimble vrits. Nobody seems to have any money at aIL X. Riddell, the reputed moneyed man, works on a £2OOO credit. It seems <" too good to be true. He stands for Parliament, and there is a delightful account of an East End by-election. The title then proves to be the most serious part of Mr. Graham's book, and if he set out to chastise he probably decided that " kind hearts were more than coronets." for there is plenty of evidence to prove that he turned soft-hearted. "A ilodern Vanity Fair." by Stephen Graham. (Benn.) IRRELEVANT NONSENSE. " BEACHCOMBER'S NOTES. The English people love institutions, landmarks of character which have become national traditions. They carry this peculiarity into their art and literature, and extol an artist for being himself, no longer looking with a critical eye at what he does. George Robey 13 a case in point. He triumphed in spite of the' quality of his work becaase the British public had grown up ■with him, .\;ain, who born south of the Tweed would have thought, that a homely little Scotsman with a tolerable and an infectious grin could draw a record fee from Sassenach pockets ? Charlie Chaplin, that, excellent knockabout comedian, must, often have smiled at tho f, j'jl that the entire critical bench of England decided to find in his horseplay ~~pathos, artistry, searcc-concealcd tears ~-what not ? The intent find to be taken tip is ■ Beachcomber," a verv competent journalist, who rjailv contributes a bright interlude tr> the* gaiety of the nation. Between coffee and bridge it. would bo difficult to tilld anything brighter arid better. If af ijmo.-, one misses a point 1' does not matter; one r an pa»s on without that, guilty feeling of shirking a duty, published in book form tinder the title Bv tho Way," tho extracts still hnvo /a snap and an irresistible irrelevance. But'heir tifip justly rails thorn "By 'lie "ay." it. is nib!e;ir]ing to assign their author a special rib he among English humourists, because of these slight fetches. fine. tha' " Beachcomber " j handicapped through having to rater SUf -'h a popular audience. The subtler a .nd. more (.i.ii-K.il forms of humour arc n ied hin>. If i? Hoar that, left, to himself and given a free range, ho could J'nde his cap 3n d bells to a more grate , measure than ho shows here. Most 01 't is ebullient nonsense, free from per*°nai animus. 1.7 •' Be.ichcomber." Vbheed and VT.ird.i