LORD BIRKENHEAD’S BOOKS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18832, 21 March 1931, Page 14 (Supplement)

LORD BIRKENHEAD’S BOOKS

SALE OF THE LIBRARY. The sale of the “major portion of the library of the late Earl of Birkenhead” took place in London recently. An English writer thus describes the sale, which was held at Lord Birkenhead’s old house in Grosvenor Gardens: — “The lights go up and the experts arrive and take their places. There is badinage between some: others, very serious men in spectacles, who know the temporary value of everything to a shilling, and that there is little permanent value to anything, sit quietly and whatever they buy. will not utter a hundred words in the afternoon. The library fills; there is a fair sprinkling of women who import a human element. “The bidding begins with volumes of judgments by Lord Birkenhead; miraculously fine and logical judgments, as I have alw’ays heard. The first bid of 5/- comes with difficulty, though, and prices in shillings rule. But an appeal for the final of- them, as ‘The last judgment,’ nets a pound. “Eight volumes of speeches work up to fifteen shillings in the end, through feminine intervention. These speeches filled the House of Commons once. Then comes a long succession of books, many classics, poets, Jane Austen, Bacon. Balzac, Burns, Byron. There are thirteen Bacons; the Chancellor remembered his predecessor. The books go moderately well. A Bacon, sumptuously bound for presentation to a Duke of Chandos, fetches 40 guineas. A series of 100 volumes of British poets, which poets was not stated, but with ‘emblematically tooled backs, gilt edges, in red straight-grain morocco,’ reaches 38 guineas. A first edition of Johnson makes thirty; but no word is said of Lord Birkenhead’s fondness for Johnson.”

BOOK NOTES. What is believed to be the largest book in the world has just been made by a Los Angeles man. It is a Bible, spreads more than eight feet, is nearly a yard thick, and weighs nearly half a ton. It is made entirely by hand. From "The Humorist.”—Thrifty wife (as husband continues to look through numerous periodicals on bookstall) : "Playing with fire I call it, Angus.. One of these days you’ll go and buy one of those.”

A grandson of Charles Dickens is shortly to become an admiral. He is Captain Dickens, who is at present in command of H.M.S. Repulse. Captain Dickens bears a distinct resemblance to his grandfather.

From “Last Essays,” by the Earl of Birkenhead:—An extravagant youth is rightly an object of derision; but, on the other hand, I have never been able to share the raptures expressed by some people for the parsimonious young man. . . At the University I found it impossible to live within my income. I was sure, however*, that if I took the full advantage of my stay at Oxford—and this meant a certain expenditure and even extravaganve—l should soon be able profitably to capitalise my experience; and I did not hesitate to take advantage of the credit facilities offered by the local shopkeepers. I left Oxford owing them several hundred pounds. Within three years I had paid off the debt.

“Trodden Ways, 1895-1930,” by Sir lan Malcolm, contains a collection of diverting election stories. This is one of them: —One Irish elector in the 1906 campaign remained adamant under the strain of severe trial. He had determined to vote for an O'Brienite against the Nationalist candidate, and every sort of pressure was put upon him to make him reconsider his decision. At last his wife, almost in tears, assured him on the morning of the poll that, if he carried out his intention, she had high ecclesiastical authority for warning him that he would be turned into a rat. The elector, not believing for a moment that the parish priest had been to canvass him, nor that he had said anything so ridiculous, rejoined: “Ye may tell his Riverence that, whatever his spiritual power, he has no zoological influence over me." Then he left the house to record his vote. But he turned back, and called to his wife, “Biddy, ye’d better kill the cat —just in case.”

According to the statistics compiled by the “Publishers’ Circular." 11.603 new books were published in Great Britain last year, this total being 1356 i more than the number published durI ing 1923. The total does not include ; 3790 new editions of books previously j published. As usual, fiction heads the i list, the number being 1839, of which j 134 were translations from foreign works. And 2081 new editions of novels previously published were issued during 1929. The totals of new books ! classed under other headings which 1 were published in Great Britain last year include: — Juvenile literature .. .. 929 Religious 798 Sociology .. .. .. 666 Biography 638 History .. .. .. 544 1 Science 525 j Poetry and drama .. .. 495