Stray Leaves from Book World

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20587, 28 November 1936, Page 12 (Supplement)

Stray Leaves from Book World

Ih'TERESTING NEWS AND NOTES

Fanny Burney, whose novels won the praise of Dr Johnson, is the subject of a biography by Mr Christopher Lloyd.

A critical edition is about to be published of the Old English poem on the Battle of Maldon, entitled ‘Brytnoth and Maldon,’ edited by Dr E. D. Laborde.

Cassell’s have published a new work by Stefan Zweig entitled ‘The Right to Heresy.” It presents a new portrait of Calvin, retelling the story of the virtual “dictatorship” which he set up at Geneva, and the means he employed to destroy those whose opinions differed from his own.

Having written two volumes of reminiscences, ‘Arches of the Years’ and ‘A Time to Keep,’ Dr Halliday Sutherland does not seem to have exhausted his material. His publishers now announce a new book, Tn My Path,’ which ranges from a quiet Highland village to a West African forest.

The biography of J. T. Grein is expected. It has been written by his wife, “Michael Orme,” herself a playwright, producer, and journalist, and includes a foreword by Conal O’Riordan—a contribution revised and considerably amplified by Bernard Shaw, whose first play, ‘Widowers’ Houses, was staged by J. T. Grein.

Encouraged by the success of his Penguins, Mr Allen Lane has decided to launch a sixpenny series on history, economics, and popular science. The newcomers will be known as Pelicans, and three prominent educationalists have agreed to act as advisers. The co-operation of wellknown educational authors has also been promised.

The Oxford University Press has published a new work by Dr William Brown, Director of the Institute of Experimental Psychology in the University of Oxford, entitled ‘Mind, Medicine, and Metaphysics: The Philosophy of a Physician.’ Among the topics discussed are the psychological aspects of medicine, psycho-analysis, and confession, the problem of mental control, religion and psychology, and the survival of personality.

Keats House and Museum at Hampstead has received from an anonymous American donor 31 letters written by Fanny Brawne, to whom John Keats was engaged when he lived at Lawn Bank, Hampstead. These letters were written by Fanny Brawne and addressed from Wentworth Place, Hampstead. They were sent to Fanny Keats, the sister of the poet, who at the time was living with her guardian, Richard Abbey, either in the City or at Walthamstow. Some of the earlier were written when Keats was dying of consumption. The letters, by permission df the Hampstead Borough Council, are shortly to be published by the Oxford University Press. In the “Life of Keats," by Amy Lowell, which was published In 1925, there is a reference to these letters, which were said to be in the possession of an American who insisted upon remaining anonymous, and who allowed only one or two quotations. Certain critics were sceptical about these quotations, which proved that Fanny Brawne not only was devoted to Keats, but also appreciated his genius. The actual letters, which will, in time, be open to public inspection at the Keats Museum, situated in Keats’s old home, will confirm Miss Lowell's quotations.

It is often asserted—especially with the rather sweeping confidence of youth—that John Ruskin is to-day a back number which is entirely forgotten; but such assertion is open to doubt. Additional to the vigorous Ruskin Society, a new association—the Friends of Brantwood—was formed a year ago with the object of uniting all lovers of Ruskin’s work in caring for his home in the English Lake district. This society will shortly issue a volume consisting of over 500 hitherto unpublished letters of great importance, written by Ruskin to his mother. As a contradiction to the claim that Ruskin is a spent and forgotten force, a writer in the “New York Times Book Review” says that the outstanding impression left by visitors —who go from all parts of the world to visit Ruskin’s lakeside home—is that his teachings are exercising an important influence on modem youth. And at (lie first annual meeting of the Friends of Brantwood, a speaker went so far as to say that every aspect of conventional political economy that Ruskin had attacked is now in ruins, while many of his constructive proposals had been realised.

‘High Failure,’ by Mr John Grierson, is chiefly a record of the author’s pioneer flight across the Greenland ice cap to Canada. Commander Wolfgang von Gronau, who writes from personal experiences of flying across the Arctic wastes, has contributed a foreword.

Forthcoming books from the Oxford University Press include ‘The St. Albans Chronicle, of Thomas Walsingham,’ edited by V. H. Galbraith, Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford. The full text of this important source for English history between the years 1376 and 1422, now printed for the first time, exists only in the Bodleian Library.

The story is being told of an American library subscriber who kept a copy of ‘Antrony Adverse’ out of the library for 860 days and had to pay £9 12s in fines at 2Jd a day! I myself, says a writer in ‘John o’ London’s Weekly,’ have been reading it in my spare time for over a year and have waded through only 436 of the 1,272 pages.

Mr Victor Gollanez regards it as “a reproach” to England (as compared, for instance, with the United States) that there is very little creative proletarian literature of a high order. He is, therefore, Instituting a competition, with a prize attached, for the best genuinely proletarian novel written by any man or woman of British nationality.

The first printing of the book “In the Steps of St. Paul,” by H. V. Morton, was announced as 150,000 copies. Orders poured in so heavily that it was increased to 175,000 and later to 200,000. These were sold within a week of publication and a reprint put in hand of 100,000 copies. This is a revelation in publishing, and easily a record for a book of travel.

“I like that about Chesterton,” remarked the Bishop of Nelson, the Right Rev. W. G. Hilliard, in the course of a lecture on ‘Pickwick Papers’ when quoting G. K. Chesterton that “Mr Pickwick is a fairy.” The Bishop continued: "I believe it was Chesterton who said that the only true stories in the world are the old fairy stories, and dreams come true and visions are realised.”

‘The Collected Poems of Isaac Rosenberg,’ who was killed in the war, has been published. Besides the poems, including much work which has come to light since the selection of Rosenberg’s verse, sponsored by Gordon Bottomley and Laurence Binyon, appeared in 1922—10ng since out of print—this volume contains a selection of letters, prose papers on a variety of subjects, and a number of the poet’s own drawings and paintings. It has been edited by Gordon Bottomley and D. W. Harding.

Quite an event in the publishing world is a re-issue by Messrs Joiner and Steele, Ltd., of one of the famous “Tim Pippin” stories, written by Roland Quiz (Richard Quitetnton), and illustrated by “Puck” (John Proctor). It is entitled “Giant-Land,” and the publishers announce that more of the series will follow. Tim Pippin and his charming sweetheart, Primrose, were great favourites with young and old as far back as 1870. The present volume is dedicated to some very distinguished people, including Sir James Barrie, Bt., and Mr Lupino Lane.

Count Carlo Sforza in his latest book “Europe and European” "alms at presenting a synthesis of the historical and psychological characteristics of the European peoples with respect to their fundamental international problems. Its defect or advantage,” as the Count says, “lies in the fact that it is not based on books, but almost entirely on the author's personal experiences and observations through a long contact with many nations and with all sorts of political problems, first as an Ambassador and Foreign Minister (for Italy), and later during a voluntary absence from his country.” As a contribution to the diplomatic history of the present century, the book has therefore considerable value, especiallj' to students of foreign affairs who are already familiar with the main characters and the course of events. On the other hand the ordinary reader will feel the need of more guide-posts than the author, moving over familiar ground, has thought it necessary to provide. Everyone must, however, be struck once again by the extent to which great events turn on the moods and dispositions, the prejudices and vanities, of individuals —a fact that cannot be too often impressed on the public mind. For war or peace, chaos or Utopia, is dependent on the human factor, the fallible, unreliable mind of man.