BOOKS OF THE WEEK

Taranaki Daily News, 21 December 1929, Page 1 (Supplement)

BOOKS OF THE WEEK

SOME CHRISTMAS GIFTS.

(By

C.E.)

Just for once, because Christinas is at hand, I propose to permit myself this week to vary my practice and mention half-a-dozen books instead of one. It will be found that they make up a variegated collection, but at the moment one common quality links them together—they are all admirable Christmas presents, and well within the capacity of modest pursea. First let me take three little booklets, which Messrs. Thomas Avery and Sons, Ltd., New Plymouth, have been kind enough to send me. All these are old and trusted friends in a new form, small paper-covered booklets, with very pretty covers and nicely printed. One is the Rubaiyat, the second Emerson's essay on Friendship, and the third Elbert Hubbard’s “A Message to Garcia.” The order in which I mention them is my own, but all three are favourites and any one of them would be a delightful little token of. remembrance to send to a friend.- They are published by the Lothian Company, of Melbourne, and are issued in appropriate boxes —a consideration when it comes to posting a small parcel. The price of each booklet is 2s. Now for something that will interest younger folk, a book of verses entitled “Story Time.” Messrs. Angus and Rob- j ertsqnj Ltd., of Sydney, inform me that they accepted the verses for publication in 1925, but various causes delayed the issue of the volume. Now that it- has arrived it proves to be well worth having. It is a rather elaborately and tastefully bound volume and contains many very apt illustrations by Miss Nancy Dobson, of Melbourne, who draws charming children and fairies and some very interesting animals. The versifier, Mrs. Sonia Hardie, also of Melbourne, makes pretty rhymes and jingles and is very clever in her choice of subjects. While she tells a number of intriguing fairy stories, she also has the happy knack of weaving rhymes about the more substantial things which surround the children in their everyday life, and she is not given to excessive moralising. Published at ss, “Story Time” makes an excellent gift for a child just old enough to look after a good book. The old-time antagonism between I Pakeha and Maori has afforded Miss Isabel Maud Peacocke a delightful theme for a fine Christmas gift book. In the uncertain period following the Maori Wars a fine young chief, Te Huia, gave little Nona Stewart a ride on his horse. Her father, thinking she was being kidnapped, shot the chief’s horse, and this so angered him that he actually did carry’ I the child off,, to make her a princess among his own people. It was not till twelve years later that efforts to find the missing girl led to any hopeful result. Then her two brothers set out in quest of her, and the story of their adventures is full of excitement. Miss Peacocke constructs her story uncommonly well, having a keen appreciation of dramatic possibilities and staging her situations cleverly. She writes dialogue that runs naturally as well as rapidly; the scene at Te Huia’s stronghold when the boy’s make their way through the secret passage and are captured is full of vigour. Messrs. Ward, Lock and Co., Ltd., London and Melbourne, publish Miss Peacock’s book in their usual attractive style. “Ginger for Pluck,” by’ Daniel Hamline, is a book that I opened in the expectation of reading a story for big boys and girls. It turned out, however, to "be a novel of a rather unusual kind; big boys and girls certainly will find it thrilling, but older people also will enjoy’ it thoroughly. It is a story written in Australia and published by the Cornstalk Company, of Sydney (Angus and Robertson, Ltd.) and the writer, so far as I know, has not previously been heard of. He has taken for his theme the experiences of a young man, Harry Bagnall, who goes as tutor to the family of a Queensland squatter. The'squatter, Deshon, is Irish, his wife was Spanish, a:.d their children are impulsive and daring, in some cases wild, and yet strangely loveable. Their ages are various, the oklsst being almost grown up. These are a girl and a boy, who comprise one of the three sets of twins. They' have driven away many tutors, but' Harry is determined to stick. His experiences are fearful and wonderful, for he soon finds himself in the midst of very highlycoloured adventure. The author has given full play to an extraordinarily’ vivid imagination; in fact, there are times when one becomes a little incredulous. Hovvccr, one overlooks his ultra-enthusiasm because the story' keeps one going at a rapid pace. It is not without heart interest, which is nicely’ introduced, and the very unusual heroine, Quita, the oddest girl pupil, is a remarkably' clever creation., . Another novel, which would make a fine holiday' companion, conies from Messrs. Sclvvyn and Blount, Ltd., London, througl- Messrs. Hutchinson and Co.,’ Ltd., Melbourne. The title is “Destination Unknown” and the author is A. Sidney. It is an adventure story possessing new features. An ex-flying officer, an old friend of his, and the latter’s former batman set out to fly.acioss tropical Africa. A forced landing in heavily bushed country damages their machine and they find themselves captives in the hands of a fair-haired, brown-skinned people,'who speak archaic English and call their territory Angland, but have the civilisation of negroes. Alfred, tin king of this tribe, spares the strangers’ lives, but the priest of the community disapproves and trouble is fermented. By means of. hard labour the three Englishmen repair their.plane and coax it out of the rocks to a place where they can take off, but the question is whether the priest will strike before they are ready. 'A revolution, in the tribe introduces some hair-raising adventures, in which two splendid women assigned by the king as wives to the two officers play a big part, ine theory of the story is, of course, that the savages are the descendants of some long lost English party. The idea is new, and it is skilfully exploited in a very 'pleasing story. If, as seems likely, Mr. Sidney is a new writer he is to be congratulated on the production of an unusually promising, first novel.