ANTHOLOGIES IN DEMAND

Southland Times, Issue 24005, 21 December 1939, Page 8

ANTHOLOGIES IN DEMAND

Unexpected Result of War We should scarcely have expected that the publication of anthologies would be stimulated by the outbreak of war, but actually this seems to have happened, writes Herbert Horwill in The New York Times. Edith Sitwell is now compiling one, in order, she explains, to keep her faith in noble things—one of the rare examples of a book’s being planned for the sake of its influence on the author’s own mind. Other anthologies now in preparation have the normal object of appealing to the general reader. During the last war this type of volume was highly popular among men on active service. It was found to supply the maximum of moral and intellectual support, while demanding a minimum of space in the kit. Two anthologies especially designed for this purpose have been edited by Herbert Read, who resigned his professorship of fine art at Edinburgh a few years ago in order to have more time for his activities as an essayist and critic. One of them, entitled “The Knapsack,” (Routledge), is a volume of prose and verse intended for those who wish to be reminded, even when separated from the amenities of peace time, of the finer aspects of civilization. The other, “The English Vision” (Routledge) is described as an attempt to express, through the minds of the great English writers from Chaucer to the present day, the English character and the English attitude to life. The course of our “rough island story” is similarly traced through the English poets by Martin Gilkes in “Tribute to England” (Hutchinson). “FOR READING IN BED” Gerald Bullett began to prepare. “The Jackdaw’s Nest” (Macmillan) some time before the alarums of war were heard, but he is not unlucky in the hour of its completion, for it is, as he

calls it, “a peaceable anthology,” and as such is likely to be welcomed by a harassed generation. Its author thought of it originally as suitable for reading in bed. It may not be any the less fit for reading in darkened sitting rooms or. in the trenches. It presents Mr Bullett’s own choice of stories, poems, essays and miscellanea, excluding anything which previous anthologists have already made familiar. Within this definite limit, it aims at providing, “the greatest possible diversity, both of form and mood, consistent with a certain ultimate equanimity of mind.” Our publishers are certainly facing the unknown future with a cheerful courage, continues Mr Horwill. Their catalogues of forthcoming books for the autumn and winter are arriving, of course, a few weeks later than usual, but these lists are as full and varied as if the peace of the world had not been broken. Their enterprise is the more to their credit now that the newspapers are cutting down so drastically the space they give'to reviews. To the account given in this correspondence the other day of the handicaps from which our publishers are suffering through the

outbreak of war must be added the mention of a new overhead charge which is causing no little worry. The War Risks (Compulsory Insurance of Commodities) Order requires them—like the holders of stocks of other articles for sale—to take out insurance policies to cover their goods, unless the total value does nol: exceed £lOOO. HEAVY INSURANCE COST The rate of premium is one-half of one per cent, a month. Now a publisher who does an average amount of business carries a stock of the value of £50,000. So this involves the payment of a premium of £250 a month or of £3OOO a year. The insurance scheme applies, of course, to booksellers as well as publishers. It is generally agreed that this cost will have to be recovered from the public—at th<j risk of lessening the demand for —ixs—but opinions are as yet divided as to whether this can be done by making a temporary surcharge, indicated by a special label, or by an all-round increase of book prices generally.