BOOKS AND BOOKMEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3862, 20 March 1928, Page 78

BOOKS AND BOOKMEN.

Mr. Hilaire Belloc has been at work on a new book while enjoying the sunshine of North Africa.

Miss Violet Hunt is at work on a book about Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the centenary of whose birth occurs this year.

Mr Ernest Raymond has been busy at his home in Sussex on a new novel, “ The Old Tree Blossomed.”

Major Segrave, who holds the world’s record for motor-car speed, has spent nearly two years over his book of experiences, “ The Lure of Speed.”

Seven short stories —or, rather, longshorts —make up Miss Tennyson Jesse’s new book, “ Many Latitudes.” '

Yet another book of London’s East Encj has been written by Mr Thomas Burke, entitled “ East of Mansion House.”

Mr George Arliss, the distinguished actor who played the principal part iq The Green Goddess,” has written hi§ reminiscences under the title, “Up thg Years from Bloomsbury.” » « «

Egypt is the setting of F. Brett Young’, new novel, “King of Life.” But thg heroine is an English girl, in love with aq Egyptologist.

It is a long time since wo have had $ novel by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch. He i? putting the finishing touches to a new tal§ which we are likely to see next year.

The death has occurred at Penybryn, Carnarvon, of Mr Briah Evans, the well, known Welsh novelist and the oldest mem. her of the Welsh Eisteddfod.

A correspondent in San Francisco say 4 that the author of “ Wine, Women, and V ar,”, published anonymously, is Mr. H, V.. 0 Brien, a well-known short-story writer connected with Chicago.

The Norwegian Government will issue a special postage stamp next year to com. memorate the centenary of Ibsen’s birth. It will bear a portrait of th e great plav. wright.

That brilliant caricaturist Low (Mr, David Low, formerly of Sydney), has made a selection of his * caricatures under the title “ Lions and Lambs.” ’

It is not generally known that Miss Rebecca West is a near relation to Sir A. C, Mackenzie, late principal of the Royal Academy of Music.

A hairless Mexican who was a secret service agent during the War is the central figure of Mr. Somerset - ilaugham’s next novel, “ Ashenden.”

William M‘Fee, who like Joseph Conrad, is a seaman—to be precise, a marine engineer—filmed novelist, has written a book about another seaman, Martin Frobisher.

Mr. Ferdinand Tuohy, the well-known journalist, is writing for an American publisher a bock dealing with the Twelve outstanding figures in the War. It is to ba called “ The Big Twelve.”

Bradda Field, the curious pseudonvnr which will be seen presently on the cover of a ; striking first novel, “ The Earthen Lot,” covers the identity of th e daughter of Mrs—Agnes Herbert, the well-known author and journalist.

Jass and Jasper ” is the punning and puzzling title of a new novel coming from William Gerhardi, who made a great literary if not popular reputation with “ Futility ” and “ The Polyglots.”

Messrs. Chatto and Windu s announce an historical novel competition, in which the first prize is £3OO on account of royalties. Fo r particulars, write Messrs. Chatto and Vv indus, 97, St. Martin’s Lane, London, W.C.2.

For their new book of travel Jan and Cora Gordon have selected the title “ Romantic America.” They appear to have overlooked the fact that the title is also being used by Mr. E. O. Hoppe for a collection of pictures taken in the States.

Lady Cynthia Asquith is writing a book about the Duchess of York. It will present a more intimate portrait than most books about members of the Royal Family. The book will be published by Hutchinson, in which firm Mr Herbert Asquith is chief reader.

Miss Enid Bagnold is in private life Lady Jones, wife of Sir Roderick Jones, the chairman of Reuter’s. The author of “ Serena Blandish,” she lives at North End House, Rottingdean, which once belonged to Sir Edward Burne-Jones.

m One of the last works of the late Mr. T. H. Darlow was to write an introduction to “ The Life of Sir John M'Clure,” the famous headmaster of Mill Hill.

Very little public notice has been taken of the death of that highly-gifted novelist Mary Webb, who died on October 8. Her last novel, “ Precious Bane,” was awarded the Femina-Bookman Prize in 1926. She left behind her a half-completed storv. * * *

_ Two members of the staff of Messrs Curtis Brown, the famous literary agents, have been distinguishing themselves in authorship. Miss Olwen Bowen-Davies ig the creator of that wireless favourite, “ Hepzibah the Hen,” while Miss Christine Campbell Thomson is the author of “ His Excellency.”

Ferdinand Ossendowski, author of “ The Breath of the Desert,” is now in Roumania, having just returned from the unexplored regions of Central Africa, near Lake Tsad. He proposes to visit India in due course.

“ The Lives and Times of the Popes,” in 15 volumes, which is being made for Mr. Thomas Madigan, a New York dealer, will cost about £SOOO for the binding alone, says the London Sunday Times. Rubies, sapphires, ivory, silk, scarlet Levant, morocco, heavy gilding—all these go to the ornamentation of each volume. One side of the cover requires six weeks to tool and iftlay in various colours. This set of books, so marvellously transfigured, was in the first place published in New York, quartosize, in 1910. Now Mr Madigan is having each page separately mounted on a folio sheet, and—what makes the set most valuable —is also inserting a relevant art collection that he spent eight years amassing. It includes original autograph letters and documents of-the Popes, some on vellum, and portraits of the Popes in old en--

gravingg and coloured prints. In addition, there are some 30 original Papal Bulls—yellowed parchment with ponderous seals—and for these (too heavy to slip between pages) special mounts are being prepared, which will fit into cases similar in appearance to the ordinary volumes. Finally the possessor of this work will range some 18 or 19 large books on his shelf, each delicately protected by a swan’s-down wrapper. Tlie scarlet cover of the first completed volume (scarlet being the Cardinals’ colour) has a ruby, in each comer, set in a conventional open rose. The fly leaves are of scarlet silk.

Mr George Moore has contributed something more or less serious to the Shake-speare-Bacon controversy—if such a controversy may be s aid to be still alive. It seems that, having written a play about Shakespeare, Jonson, Elizabeth and Bacon, Mr. Moore put it away in a drawer and let it remain there in manuscript for three years, “ foreseeing that if it were sent to a manager all sorts and kinds of proposals for cuts and transpositions would be made.” He has now issued it through Faber and Gwyer in an edition limited to 1240 copies at three guineas. The book is called *' The Making of an Immortal,” and it sets forth that, in October, 1599, Queen Elizabeth was greatly disturbed by certain performances of “ Richard the Second,” not because she disliked the play, which, on the contrary, she admired, but because she suspected the Earl of Essex of being its author, and of having “a traitor’s intent in the writing of it.” Bacon who had the best of reasons to know that Essex was innocent of the piece, beinc alarmed by the Royal curiositv, consulteS with Jonson how it might be allayed. Who was to appear as the writer of the plays that had been given the name of “ Shakspere ? Who better than the player in Burbage’s company, the spelling of "whose name added but an “e ” and an “a?” ahe dimes Weekly Edition gives some account of Mr. Moore’s play: — “ The scene in , which Jonson and- Bacon persuade and buffet and flatter Shakespeare 111 j accepting so prodigious a charge has a delicious irony. The poor man has no wish to be embroiled in th e high schem- , e S rea t- He wants nothing better xr f ? rt " ne prosper, than to retire to otratford, liv e on his small rents, and patronise the Grammar School. But will he not find Stratford tedious, Bacon asks, after the good company at The Mermaid? Shakespeare.—The hours will not be long enough for me. I think my tenants be all good and honest men, but tenants need w-a.tchi.ng, and quarter-day must be always at the back of a man’s mind. Tenants call for repairs to be done, and repairs are worse than moths amid clothes; Holy Writ speaks of moths and rust, but repairs are your line devoured, as I know, having paid many bills.

Such is the man who is presented to Elizabeth by Bacon as the writer of all the plays. Elizabeth is deceived—perhaps a little too easily—and to the consternation of Shakespeare, who knows he can write nothing, commands a new plav of ' the fat knight in love.’ But before" the end, when he is assured that Bacon and Jonson will ‘ take the play over,’ we guess how, well he will perform his new part of 1 uomo universale— well enough it. may be, to impose not on Elizabeth only, but on posterity.”

In a recent sale at Sotheby’s, London a very fine and apparently unpublished four-page letter, from Robert Burns to Alexander Cunningham (the property of Dr Maurice Davidson) was bought bv Mr ■-pencer for £2OOO This seems to be a record, for a single letter in the poet's hand. This letter contains Burns’s lyric, O my love s like the red, red rose,” no manuscript of which is mentioned in Henley and Henderson’s edition of Burns -lhe Urbani mentioned in the letter is 1 ietro Urbani, a Milanese singing master and composer of song settings. 'Portions of the text of the letter are :— Urbani has told a damned falsehood—l made no engagements or connections with him whatever—after he and I had met at Hord Selkirk’s we lived together three or four days in this town, and had a groat deal of converse about our Scots songs. I translated a verse about an Italian song for him, or rather made an English verse to suit his rhythm, and added two verses which had been already published in Johnson’s Museum I likewise gave him a simple old Scots song which I had pickt up in this country, which he promised to set in a suitable manner. I would not even have given him this had there been any of Mr Thomson’s airs suitable to it unoccupied. 1 shall give you the song on the other page. Urbani requested me to lend him a hand now and then in his work. .. . but that now until Mr T ’s publication was finished, I could not promise anything. ... He hinted .... something about mentioning my name in an advertisement, which I expressly forbade. . . For his imprudence he shall never receive any assistance from me. . . . N.B.—As to retorting to the Signior I scorn it. Let him, his lies, and his works go to hell in their own way.—R.B.

The text of the lyric differs somewhat from the familiar wording; and “Love” is so spelt, whereas in most versions it is “ Luve ’’ throughout the poem. The song in the letter reads: — O, my love is like a red. red rose, That's newly sprung in June; O, my love is like the melodic, s That's sweetly play’d in tune. As fair art thou, my bonnie lass. So deep in love am I; And I will love thee still, my dear. Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear. Till a’ the seas gang dry, And the rocks melt wi’ the sun! And I will love thee still, my dear, While the sands o’ life shall run. And fare thee .weel, my only love, And fare thee weel a while! And I will come again, my love, Tho’ it were ten thousand mile! * -x- * Among the new books to be expected this summer is one on New Zealand by Hector Bolitbo, whose novel “ Solemn Boy ” ’ went into a second edition immediately on publication in England

last spring. Messrs J. M. Dent and Sons, who are to publish the work on New Zealand in a new series of books on the Colonies called the “ Outward Bound Library,” announce that it is “an unconventional and very entertaining view of the country, with history, original opinions, passages of description, statistics and facta, all so ingeniously intermingled that the final effect of the book is different from anything that has been published.” Instead of writing a long narrative and succession of chapters, Mr Bolitho has conveyed the important truths about New Zealand in a series of sketches. Mr Harry Rountree, the well known New Zealand artist, will be the illustrator. This will be only one of Mr Bolitho’s books to be published this year, for his reminiscences of 10 years’ travelling in 14 countries are also to appear under the title of “Thistledown and Thunder.’’