NELSON’S NOVELS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19252, 16 August 1924, Page 4

NELSON’S NOVELS.

The latest issue in Nelson’s series of reprint novels at Is fxl net, headed by J. MacLaren Cobban’s ‘‘The Red Sultan,” recalls memories of twenty-five or thirty years ago. MaoLaren Cobban was a raw-bonod Scot, who canto to London in the early seventies and became a tailor in a private school for boys. He gave up school teaching in favour of a literary career but, failing to make good, lie married and accepted a position as minister of a Unitarian church. Subsequently ho drifted into journalism and became attached to the staff of tho National Observer as one of Henley’s young men. In the intervals of a chequered career ho wrote a number of novels, one of the best being ‘‘The Rod Sultan,” described as "The Remarkable Adventures in Western Barbary of Sir Cosmo MacLaurin Bart of Menzie in tho County of Perth.” Save for his youth in Scotland Cobban was never out of England, and scarcely out of London. Nevert.hole.ss ho created an admirable foreign atmosphere in litis exceedingly entertaining story. ‘‘The Battle of the Strong, ’ is one of Sir Gilbert Parker’s earlier navels. It was first published in 1898, and it ranks with the best of his numerous romances. The scene of the story is laid in Jersey towards the close of the enghteenth century, and the opening episode is the battle of Jersey merging into the great war between France and England. At times the story shifts to Brittany. There is abundance of local colour, the outcome of careful study, and tho patois of the peasants is accurately reproduced. Years before Fir A. T. Quillor-Couch attained to the lofty attitude of Professor of English Literature at Cambridge University he was known familiarly as “Q” and wrote romances for a living. It is thirty five years since ho came to fame with “The Splendid Spur,” a capital story of tho Civil War, which derives its incidents mainly from the history of the campaign in Cornwall and the West of England, told from the Royalist side and with strong Royalist sympathies. The story is well worth toreading and is in Q’s best style. Mss B. M. Croker made a mark with her Anglo-Indian stories, among which ”Mr Jervis,” originally published in 1884, ranks high. Its re-issue should attract a host of fresh readers. . The issue six years ago of a new edition of Mr Leonard Merrick's works with introductions by a number of contemporary writer? did much 1o popularise the writings of a clever story-teller, 'me collection of short stories, entitled A Call from the Past” was not, included in that edition, and its appearance among Nelson’s reprint novels is therefore the more welcome. Once again wo call attention to the handv pocket size, dear typo, and strong and attractive binding of these novels which at their published price are first-rate value.-