NEW BOOKS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144856, 7 December 1915, Page 6

NEW BOOKS.

"Xlio Sentimental Bioko.”—By O. J. Dennis. Sydney: Angus, and Robertson, Ltd. Now Plymouth : Thomas Avery. Price. 3s 6d; 3s 8d posted.

Tho publishers claim that this is the most typically Australian book published since ‘‘The Alan from Snowy River” appeared— twenty years ago. Many readers who do not enro tor slang or dialect in print might bo inclined to pass it over unread, but if they do they will miss somo of the cleverest and most amusing verso of its kind that wo - have seen for many a long day. The sentimental bloke is a Melbourne hawker, and Oio versos describe ho.v he became transformed from a rough larrikin to a decent farmer, and all through mooting Doreen. In tho springtime, when a young man s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, tho reader is introduced to Bill in a fit of melancholy, when “the world ’as got ’im snouted just a treat,” and “ ’is ’cart ’ns got tho pip wiv .yearnin’ for —’e dunno wot.” Then ho sees Doreen “in the markit” and tries to “chat ’er,” but she was “square” and will not respond till ho obtains a proper introduction at the hands of a pal, thus;

“O’ course wo worked tho oriole; you bet I But, struth, 1 ain’t recovered frum it yot I ’Twas on a Saturdee, in Colluns Street, An'-~ quite by accident, o’ course—wo moot. Mo pa! ’c trots ’or up an’ does tho toff—’E alius wus a bloke fer snowin' off. 'This ’ero’s Dorcon, ’o sez. ’This ’pro’s the Kid.’ I dip mo lid.”

His fortunes are followed through the varying stages of courtship and marriage, and then comes Undo Jim.

" ’E ’ns n Tittle fruit-farm, doin’ well; ' 'E saved a tidy bit to see ’im thro’; ’E’s eittin’ old for toil, an’ wants a spoil; .. An' 'erejs a ’ome jist waitin’ for us two. , •It’s ’cr’s an’ your's fer keeps when I am cono,’ Sez Undo Jim. ‘Lad, will ych take it on?’ ”

Bill takes it on, though he miWs Melbourne, and then comes “The Kid”: “But ’struthl ’e is King-pin! The ’ead scrang! I mustn't tramp about, or talk no slang: I mustn't pinch ’is noso, or make a faco, I mustn’t—Strike! ’E seems to own the place 1” By this time Bill’s regeneration is complete, and so life goes on; “Sittin’ at evenin’ in this sunset land, Wiv 'er in all the world to 'old mo ’and, A son to boar me name .when I am gone. lavin’ an’ lovin’—so life mooches on, A glossary is provided to help tho uninitiated into Australian slang to follow tho moaning of some of tho quaint expressions, and thqro are numerous illustrations, clover in their way, by Hal Gyo.

"Tho Research Magnificent.”—By H. G Wells London : Macmillan -and Co., Ltd. "The Research Magnificent** deals with the career of an idealist named William Porphyry Bonham, who quite early in his career decided that he must live tho ‘‘aristocratic ‘His parents had been divorced and both married again \ ho lives with his father, but visits his mother once a quarter. Yet It is his mother who exercises the stronger influence in tho formation of his character, and she encourages him in the idea that he is destined to set tho world straight. Her well-laid schemes, however, miscarry, and young Bonham, instead of entering politics, forms an attachment to a frisky little widow. His ideal saves him from going too far, and then ho succumbs to the charms of a # really delightful girl, Amanda, who is really far too good for such a prig as he develops into. After a honeymoon which is all that it should ho, bis ideal again takes possession of him, and ho must leave her while he travels to Russia and India and elsewhere to study sociology and so forth, in order that ne may. be able to sot the world straight. In Johannesburg he moots a tragic end, being shot in 'a riot. There are exceedingly good character sketches in tho story, and tho description of life and customs in the Balkan States, Russia. China, etc., are very interesting. But there is something unsatisfying about it all. What might have bo6n a good novel is spoiled by too much philosophy, and Bonham is such a prig.