BOOKS AND BOOKMEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3996, 14 October 1930, Page 69

BOOKS AND BOOKMEN.

A . first-edition copy of Milton’s Lycidas,” published in _J63B,‘ realised £970 at a recent sale in London.

One of the newest members to he elected to the exclusive Royal Yacht Squadron is Mr A. E. W. Mason, the celebrated novelist.

Mr S. F. Markham, M.P., has written *' A History of Socialism.”

Miss Prudence O’Shea, whose first novel, “ Famine Alley,” appeared recently, was once a member of the famous Ziegfeld Follies, and also a partner in a cabaret of the late Rudolf Valentino.

A sequel to “ The Universe Around Us,” by Sir James Jeans, is announced under the ' title “ The Mysterious Universe.”

Dr Alex Munthe has written a new introductory essay for another reprint of his book “ The Story of San Michele.”

Mr D. L. Murray’s selected essays, Scenes and Silhouettes,” have been reprinted for a new edition, entitled “ Candles and Crinolines,” to be issued in the “ Travellers’ Library.”

The post-war development of Turkey Is described at first hand in a book entitled “ Turkey Faces West,” by Mme. Halide Edib.

Of “ The Diaries of John Bright,” only a small part has been, published before. The book has been edited by R. A. J. Walling and includes a foreword by Philip Bright.

The death has occurred at Cowbridge of Mr John Morgan, the Glamorganshire poet and historian, who was a familiar figure for many years at Eisteddfods. H’s Bardic title was loan Trithyd. In three months’ time he ■would have been 100 years old. ¥ ¥ ¥

The private diaries which were kept by the late Mr Edwin S. Montagu on his visit to India in 1917-18, which was responsible for the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms, are to be published under the title of “ An Indian Diary.”

Mr 11. L. Mencken, the American author and journalist, who is well known for his outspoken opinions on the subject of women and marriage, was himself married on September 3 to Miss Sara Powell Haardt, of Baltimore. Mr Mencken, who was 50 on September 12, was always thought to be a confirmed bachelor.

Mr John Masefield, the Poet Laureat?, began in the September number of an American periodical a long narrative poem entitled “ The Wanderer,” describe ing the adventures of a British ship. The poem will eventually appear in boot: form, and special copies are to be sent to members of the Royal Family.

“ Great Short Stories of the War ” is an international selection edited by Captain H. Cotton Minchin, with an introduction by Edmund Blunden. The French section has been selected by Andre Maurois, the American section by Coningsby Dawson, and the German by Dr Kurt Fiedler.

The Oxford University Press has issued a new work bj T Sir Arthur Berriedale Keith devoted to the “ Constitutional History of the First British Empire.” Closing with the loss of the American colonies, the book is intended as an intro duction to the study of British colonial policy at a later date.

Mr L. A. G. Strong, the author of “ Dewer Rides,” “The English Captain,” “ The Jealous Ghost,” and numerous short stories, has decided to give up his job as a schoolmaster at an Oxford preparatory school. He will devote all his time to literature.

It is probable that the monastic portions of Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire, once the home of the Byrons, which were purchased recently by Sir Julien Cahn, may be handed over to the Nottingham Corporation. In the grounds is the lake from which Lord Byron was rescued by his dog, Boatswain, in whose honour he erected a memorial which may still be seen.

Major Arthur Hamilton Gibbs, whose new novel, “ Chances,” was issued a short time ago, is a member of the famous literary family, being a brother of Sir Philip Gibbs. He has spent much of his life in the United States, and lives at present in an old farmhouse in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. His wife, formerly Miss Jeanette Phillips, was a member of the Boston Bar, and has written several books, including “ Portia Marries” and “Humdrum House.” During the war Major Gibbs saw service with the Lancers and the Artillery in France, Egypt, Greece, Serbia, Malta, Mudros, and Ireland.

Mr Gerald Buliett’s two novels, “ Egg Pandervil ” and “ Nicky Son of Egg,”

have been revised by the author for publication in one volume, to be called “ The Pandervils.” This is only the realisation at last of Mr Buliett’s first intention, and readers will find that the presentation of the history as one story adds considerably to the significance of the two parts.

The ex-Kaiser has supplied photographs from his personal collection to illustrate Herr Karl Friedrich Novak’s “ Kaiser and Chancellor.” This is the first of a series of three books, in which Herr Novak tells the history of the “ Third German Empire.”

Tn a volume entitled “Scarlet and Khaki,” Wing-commander T. B. Marston records his collections of some 50 years of peace and war. The book, which is illustrated by G. D. Armour, recalls many famous packs of the shires and provinces; and experiences and personalities in the South African campaign, as well as in the war of 1914-18.