PRISON LITERATURE

Southland Times, Issue 14635, 27 January 1911, Page 6

PRISON LITERATURE

AH nfTEEESTIUG EETUEN. (Special to the Times.) \VKLLI.VG'TOX, Jan. 26. Some interesting particulars of the literary taste of the prisoners in the Mount Eden gaol are given in an account of a “Star" reporter’s visit to that institution. The prison contains an excellent library, comprising some 2000 volumes made up of fiction, history, chemistry, mineralogy, geology, etc. Ghaucer. “The Decline and Fall of the Reman Empire.” “Brougham on the British Constitution,” and modern history are all read, if not as eagerly as ••t >r Nikola," at sufficient intervals to show that interest is taken in deeper matters than are generally associated with the criminal class. The librarian is one of the prisoners, who takes a dee)) interest in this department, and lias produced an annual return that would do credit to any library in New Zealand. From Ibis interesting report it was seen that tfie gross circulation last year was 9900 volumes, of which fiction comprised 9987 volumes. Xat Gould was the author with ttie largest circulation, and Guy Roothhy’s sensational stories were the next most largely sought after, 10. Phillips Oppenheim coming a good third. Forty-five per cent, of the hook's read were hy firstclass authors, IT. per cent, by secondclass, and "1 per cent, by third-class. As showing the range followed in the reading, it was interesting to note Unit melodrama contributed 2.» per cent., sentimental l‘>, romance, historical, etc. 11, sporting 12. tragedy and comedy 11, political and social 8, analytical and character study 7, humour 6, and philosophical Sir Walter Scott and Kipling tire favourite authors, and books dealing with natural history, such as "History of Mammalia, Ants, Wasps, and Bees, etc,” arc to be found. Another volume that would seem to lie out of place in a prison library is one dealig with "Manners of Polite .Society.” and Ui is is read with evident relish.