"LIBER'S" NOTE BOOK.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 89, 21 May 1914, Page 5

"LIBER'S" NOTE BOOK.

A review of William J. Locke's latest inovel, "The Fortunate Youth," will appear next week. London papers by this week's mail record the death, at the age of 90, *>f Mr Edward Marston, the doyen of English publishers. Mr Marston ..was, for over half a century, "a partner in the firm of Sampson,' Low, Marston and Co., and. edited that useful publication, the '-'Publishers' Circular," so well known and so much esteemed by book-lovers. Mr Marston, whom "Liber" had the pleasure of meeting some years ago in London, used to pride himself upon "having discovered R. D. Blackmore, whose "Lorna Doone" was and is still so popular. Mr Marston's private hobby was angling, on which he wrote 'many interesting books. Although close on 80 when '' Liber'' met him, he was a cheery, genial old gentleman, evidently a keen business man, but not too busy to goodnaturedly spend an hour or two in gossiping with a New Zealand bookman.

.'The "Spectator" (April 4) has'a long and very interesting article (signed "C") on Edward Gibbon Wakefield's "View of the Art of Colonization," recently reprinted by the Oxford University- Press. The article, which is headod "An Imperial Master-Builder,'' mentioxis the fact that Rintoul, the founder of the "Spectator,'' was one of Wakefield's warmest supporters when lie was engineering his colonization scheme.':, • Dr Macintosh Bellas book, "The Wilds of Maoriland," to be published shortly by Macmillan, will contain 70 illustrations in black and white and eight in colour; besides several inaps. Macmillans are publishing > a new edition, "The Dominions Edition," of Kipling. Two sample volumes sent me are ''Plain Tales from the Hills" and ■' 'The Light that Failed.'' The size is that of the usual "colonial," the type is large and clear, and the binding neat and strong. The volumes are'sold at 3/6 each.- A special feature of "The Dominions Edition" is that it' will include, by arrangement with Messrs Methuens, the various Volumes of Kipling's poems published by thai firm, and* in this way \vill be the most'complete edition yet published at a low price. '

In the interesting Teminiscences of his earlier life arid business career, which Mr M'Clure is publishing in his well-known magazine, he mentions the fact that when, the first year after its foundation, "M'Clure's" was losing a thousand dollars a month, Conan Doyle, who was in America at the time, wrote the plucky young publisher a cheque for 5000 dollars, saying he believed in the magazine and its editor. Mr M'Clure also tells us that Miss Ida Tarbell's "Life of Lincoln" raised the circulation of the magazine to 250,000 copies. In 1803 Kipling, Oflfere,d one of his jungle stories for 125 dollars (£25). Five years afterwards M'Clure paid Kipling £SOOO for the serial rights only of "Kim."

Local booksellers have received- the second batch of Messrs Dent arid Co. 's "Wayfarer's Library." The most attractive of the dozen new titles are Conrad's '" 'Twixt Land and Sea," Hardy's "Under the Greenwood Tree," A, G. Gardner's fine studies in contemporary biography, "Prophets, Priests, and Kings," and Richard Jefferies' "The Open Air." In the third series, due in July, I notice Richard Whiteing's. "No. 5 John Street," Hugh Walpole's "The Wooden Horse," Frank Stockton 's ' ' Rudder Grange," ',< Selected Essays" by Austin Dobson, and ' f The Brontes and Their Circle" by Clement Shorter. Wise bookmen will order early from this feast of fifteen pennies.