THE REVIEWER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16748, 1 June 1922, Page 4

THE REVIEWER.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Mr A. A. Alii no is well known to readers of “Punch,” in which journal his identity is thinly veiled by . the initials “ A. A. M.” He has published quite, a. respectable number of books, into which lie has put the same charm and humour which distinguishes his sketches in the famous British journal. His latest novel is “ The Red House Mystery,” which is one of the meet entertaining detective stories we ha v © encountered, and as Mr Milne explains in his dedicatory paragraph all really nice people have a weakness for detective stories and fool that there are not enough of them. In this story there is a murder in the appropriately named Red House and the young amateur detective arrives on the scene just in time to hear the shot fired, and set* to work on the unravelling of the mystery. Mr Milne has contrived to tell the story in a way which keeps up the interest and excitement, but at the same time he has worked in a vein of humour which is most refreshing. The amateur Sherlock Holmes is “ assisted” by a “ Watson,” who is really a superWatson, hut nevertheless a most attractive character. Readers who want to secure a first-rate story, which has smiles as well as thrills, should make the acquaintance of this fascinating book, which i.s published by Methven and Co.. Lon don.

It is open to the reader to wonder whether “ The Haunted Woman,” by David Lindsay, is intended to encourage or discourage psychical research. An elderly lady and her companion take a fancy to an old Elizabethan mansion which is reputed, to have “ something queer ” about it. To the ordinary prosaic person, there is nothing out of the way ; but to the psychic there is a fine opportunity for adventure, in the realms of some mysterious fourth dimension. Where the ordinary person could see nothing but a blank wall, the p6ydhic could see a flight of stairs —teakwood—and, if he or she chose, could ascend to a suite of rooms which did not exist for other .people. The one drawback was that on descending the stairs again all memory of the occurrences “ above ” disappeared. The story tells of three persons who went up and down the stairs, and. from the fact that two of them died with unpleasant suddenness, while the third broke her engagement to an eligible suitor, one may conclude that Air Lindsay desired to voice a warning to psychic researchers to bo careful how they went about it. The 6tory is not exactly convincing—the psychic things are too material, and it is difficult to swallow the suite of rooms and tho teakwood stairs. The book, published by Methven and Co., should interest those who like tales of mystery or the super natural.

One of the most charming little books of music which we have seen is “ An English Bong Book, 5 ’ with melodies, by “ Basso.” It contains the words and music of over one hundred “old and familiar songs we used to sing when we were young.” It is handy pocket size, and the airs are printed in ordinary stall notation, giving the melody only. Looking through the list of songs, one sees words and music which bring back the good old days, when our fathers and mothers sang the good old English songs. Among those I reproduced are “ Begone Dull Care,”

“ Gather Ye Rosebuds,” “ Here’s to tho Maiden,” “ Honest John Bull,” “ Huzza for the Shamrock, the Thistle, and the Rose,” “ Isle of Beauty,” “ Robin Hood and the Abbot,” “ The Bailiff’s Daughter,” “ The Honest Yorks hi reman.” “The Alan that Couldn’t Get Warm,” “The Roast Beef of Old England,” “ There is a Flower that Bloometh,” and a hundred others. It is a fascinating study to even read the words of these old songs. One cannot forbear reflecting that in their serious songs or love ditties our fathers and mothers and their parents had a discriminating ear for music. From this little book the singers of the Victorian era stex> out, modestly and bashfully, and carol most tunefully. Some of the old tunes have survived even though the words have been forgotten. “ Basso ” lias made liis selection with much care—the grave, the gay, the humorous, and the pathetic, all have tlieir places. The comic songs are positively irresistible as literary and musical curiosities. The book is published by Angus and Robertson, Ltd., Sydney, and our copy is from F. H. East and Co. SOAIE MAGAZINES. A fine story magazine is the “ Premier ” for June, with its tales exciting, grave and gay. It has one serial, “ The Return of Clubfoot ” (Valentine Williams) and ten other tales of adventure, mystery, and humour. A capital sample of the well-told story is “ The Bamboo Bridge,” by Edmund Snell. Other contributors are Edward Woodward, Albert Pay son Terhume, Coralie Stanton. Heath Hoskcn, Jack Beckdolt, F. Morton Howard, Lemuel Do Bra, Harry Douglas, C. J. and Annie Tib bits, and E. Newton Bungay—a galaxy of short story “ stars.” The “ Grand ” for June is a special Easter number, and like the Easter egg. it is full of good things. Mr P. G. Woodhouse, who is a master of the humorous story, has the second instalment of his new serial : “ The Adventures of Sally,”—adventures which are of the most entertaining description. Berta Ruck has a short story, “ The Girl without any AXoney,” and among the other writers represented are A. G: Greenwood and William Caine. There are some excellent half-tone pictures, which include photos of “ .Stars of the Stage and Screen,” and a capital series of “The Lighter Side of Things.” “ The Wolrd’e Work,” published by William Heinemann, London, has a fine reputation, to which the March issue should add. It contains a unique selection of literary articles, dealing with subjects of the widest international interest. Students of Homo politics will be interested in a critical article by Air E. T. Raymond on “ The Return of Viscount Grey,” in which the possibility of that statesman playing a leading role in the political life of Britain are discussed. Another ar- ' tide gives a further instalment of the letters of Air Walter H. Page, who was Ambassador to Britain during the war. The period covered is “ The j Lusitania—and after,” and the letters, written by an acute observer with a fine literary style, form a fascinating chapter of the literature of tih© war. There are many other contributors of , political, personal, scientific, geograph- j ical and industrial interest.

A hearty welcome will be given by [ the reading public to the firet issue of ; a new Harmsworth publication, “ Peop- j les of All Nations.” If the fortnightly / issues maintain the quality' of the first j there should be no doubt about its | reception. It is said that the proper j study of mankind is man, and some knowledge of the races of tho globe

d is essential to the student of affairs. ’ j The new magazine sets out to give , I this, and it has secured the help of an. ’ ! imposing army of talented writers, of e ‘ accepted authority. The opening article t appropriately is concerned with “ The t Dawn of National Life,” which is an t outline of racial origins, showing how * man emerged from the horde at the 1 call of the tribal spirit. In accordance with the plan of the work Abyssinia. Afghanistan, Albania, and Algeria are i : dealt with in this first number, and r j the articles are of the most lively in--3 terest. The magazine is splendidly illusj trated. the proprietors having comc manded the services of first-rate photographers. From a pictorial point of _ I view we have not seen anything better . in magazine publications. A great fux ture should bo before “ Peoples of All _ , Nations.” 3 I The “ Yellow Alagazine ” for April has the usual flambuoyant cover with > an original design. It is full of good l stories, exciting or amusing, with an - I occasional excursion into the mys- , j tcriou.s. Among the contributors is . i Fred AI. White, but there are fourteen other writers who can spin a story skilfully. A magazine that is lively and bright from cover to cover is the “Yellow.” Our copies of the magazines reviewed ’ above came from the London Bookstall 3 ! (Air H. P. Dobbs). - j [ j “ A LONG SHOT.” The length of tho shot may be 5 guessed from the odds, which wero 50,000 to 500. and. of course, as the late Nat Go.'Jd is the teller of tho 5 story, the subject of the wager is a horse-race. Albury Hal ton fails to keep 3 on good terras with his wife, who divorces him, but, dog-in-the-manger-like, he starts out to make trouble when he finds that the lady is welldisposed towards another man; the big bet is made between the rivals. Judging by his posthumous output, the late po--5 milar writer must have left a fairly largo budget of material to his literary executors.—Received from John Long, ! Ltd., London. | Steed's, Alay 13.-—The recently much- . discussed. Airs Annie Besant .is the sub- ’ jeet of a very appreciative sketch as a “ Woman <>f Mark” and a “ Truthseeker ” ; Pilate’s query has point ! Captain Pitt-Rivers, who has had some experience in the South Sea Islands ex--1 presses a vStrong opinion tliat “ unacknowledged evils deliberately introduced as blessings, such as Western ideas of morality and monogamy,. . . the vaunted eff?>rts to‘ uplift’ the native have meant the gradual extinction of the native clan system and the disappearance of tribal warfare,’ and are “ more the cause© of the rapid extinction of native races than the acknowledged evils oi civilisation such as alcohol, contagious diseases and Western vices.” Bret Hart© dealt pithily with this matter. A Special Correspondent gives an excellent resume of the position in the Middle East. The usual in- , formation and caricature departments are up-to-date. i Strand ATagazine for April is received from Alessrs. Gordon and G-otcli. The Chief Inspector of the L.C.C. has some facts interesting to the student of child psychology as to what class of hnmori ous situation causes most amusement |to children of various ages; he gives [ an analysis of the replies received to | a question as to the funniest sight some ; thousands of children had *een. Antij feminists will fake comfort from one of i the opening sentences of Lady Lavery’s I exposition of her views on Art and I other things, “Notwithstanding the j protests of feminists, man must take first place in Nature; Woman comes second; she is the weaker vessel,” and

still more comfort probably from a remark of Barrie's which Lady Lavery quotes, “ Before I die I’m going to write a play called ' Women Spoil Everything ’ and leave it to be produced after mv death ”. Lady Lavery was her husband’s model, besides being an accomplished artist; the interview is full of good stories, especially about the surrender of the German navy, a scene of which Lavery was the only civilian observer. Dame Ethel Smyth appreciates the late Augusta Holmes, song-writer, Bohemian and Irish patriot. Hayden Church interviews John Barrymore, the actor from the States, who intends to show the opening of the career of Sherlock Holmes. The fiction is in the hands of C. N. and A. M. Williamson, Phillips Oppenheitn (a “Norman Greyes ” detective story). L. J. Beeston. Ole Luk-eie (the author of “ The Green Curve”), J. J. Bell and William Caine and H. AI. Baleman (an amusing extravaganza dealing with the London entertainment of a coloured potentate). London Alagazine for Alay. also from Alessrs. Gordon and Gotch.—“ You cannot govern a country or boil an egg without paying duo observance to certain principles which the wisdom an l experience of Hie ages have proved to bo salutary. If you refuse to do so the result is Bolshevism or a wasted ■egg.” Thus Lady Diana Cooper on

“ The Rules of the Game”, dealing with the question of the codification of the laws of society. It is told how tho famous Pool© of I<ewes trains a Grand National winner; Poole uses Shaun Spadnh as a hack! A synopsis is given of the play, “ The Faithful Heart”, bv Alonckton Hoffe, now playing at the Comedy Theatre. London. The second instalment of the late Governor of Dartmoor’© diarv is informing as to conditions in the big prison, and as to some of the idiosyncrasies of convicts. “ Rising Stars ” deals with actors and actresses who are giving promise of shining more brightly in the theatrical firmament. The fiction includes some chapters of John Buchan’s serial, “ Huntingtower ”, stories by Aluric* Hine, Stacpoole, Andrew Sou tar. Ter hune. Tliere are seven pages of pictures of scenes- on the coast of Britain.