FROM BOOKSTALL & STUDY

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19243, 3 December 1930, Page 11

FROM BOOKSTALL & STUDY

Mr Edgar Wallace has launched a new weekly paper called the “Bucks Mail.” to assist his parliamentary candidature. A copy of Dante’s “La Divina Cornmedia,” printed at Florence in 1481, has been sold in London for £l3O. This was the first Florentine edition and the first to contain Landirio’s commentar}'. :: :: Mr Temple Thurston has written his first “thriller” which is being published under the title of “A Man in a Black Hat.” It is a tale of mystery and black magic. 55 55 5v Among recent publications are a children’s version of Darwin’s “\ oyage of the Beagle,” a newly collected edition of the works of John Masefield, the Poet Laureate, and a translation of Marshal Petain’s war history, “Verdun.” Petain was in command at the Verdun battle. 55 55 55 Mr Victor Gollancy, the well-known London publisher, has formed a company called “Mundanus,” for the publication of full-length novels, in paper covers, at 3s. There will be a speciaj cloth-bound edition for libraries. 55 55 55 “In literature and drama.” says the “Manchester Guardian,” “machinery may have made possible the mass production of cheap and standardised trash; but it has at the same time broadened and deepened the interests of the reader, and made possible, even necessary, that typical product of this generation, the sociological novel and play. Modern art may l>e violent and unrestrained, but at least it is alive.” “Rose Macaulay is the only novelist of the generation succeeding that of George Moore who is concerned with prose narrative in its serious and legitimate sense,” writes Mr Humbert Wolfe. “In all her writings her first object is to reach a position with her characters when they can justly say, ‘Happy to have you know me, Miss Macaulay,’ and as the result, not only Miss Macaulay, but her wide public knows them, too.” 55 55 55 The largest known collection of “horn” books which were used by school children in olden times has been discovered in an old house in the Isle of Wight. It consists of some fifty examples, many of which are believed to date from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. , 55 55 55 “Horn” books consist, in most cases, of a piece of carved wood with a simple lesson on one side, and were so called because the letters were protected with a strip of horn. Some are

made in the form of animals and other figures. ... ...

Although Chaucer was not officially appointed Poet Laureate, he became well established in the favour of two Kings, Edward 111. granted to him a pitcher of wine daily, and in 1397 Richard 11. gave him a butt of wine yearly. The annual gift of a butt of canary wine to the Poet Laureate (which continues to this day) may be traced to these precedents. Whether recent Poets Laureate have accepted the wine is doubtful. Tennyson, in lieu of it, accepted £27 a year from the Lord Steward of the King’s Household.

Signor Gabriele D Annunzio has signed a treaty with Italy. ‘lhe ceremony took place in his villa ‘V ittoriale,” when*the picturesque soldierpoet handed over to the Italian people and State his villa, with its grounds and artistic and literary treasures. The agreement, which was signed by the Minister of Education and witnessed by the President of the Chamber and the secretary to the Fascist party, preserves the use of the estate to the poet for his lifetime. 55 55 55 Writing from London to the New York Times Book Review,” Mr 11. W. Horwill says:— ‘Tf an authoritative list were compiled of contemporary best sellers, it would have some surprises for what is known as ‘the literary world. lor it would include many school books and religious publications that never come into the hands of the literary critics. What struck Arnold Bennett most in reading Mrs Cruse s recent account of ‘The Englishman and His Books in the Early Nineteenth Century, was her mention of Leigh Richmond s I he Dairyman’s Daughter,’ an evangelical biographv, as having had a circulation of 2,000,000. Has anybody in these days, he asks, of it?” Mr R- H. Mottram. novelist, speaking on “The Author’s View with, regard to Publishing and Bookselling, at the British Library Association meeting, said: “The private library has gone with the private cellar of wine, the gig, and the locked pew in church of the good old middle class. Modern democracy demands its reading cheap and handy, and immensely wide in range, and does, not want to l>e bothered with the care of a lot of volumes that it has read once, may never want to read again, and which will probably we worn out tand certainly superseded if it did. Mass production and distribution are ! blotting out the age of individual comi mercialism, just as it wiped out the I previous age of private property de-

fended bv privilege. Publishing and bookselling are no longer the affair of a few, almost dilettante persons catering for the known taste of a limited select clientele. They are great roaring modern industries.” 55 55 55

An effort is being made in France to check the abuse of what is called “personality mongering” in literature. A book called “U.S.A. With Music lias j been published with no author’s name and no pseudonym, as part of an effort to induce the public to buy books for ! what they are and not for the name of their authors. The movement is spreading to London. “U.S.A. With Music” is a satire on American life, and other books are to follow. “Many English authors of note are showing a keen interest in the project,” said one of the promoters in London. “After all, how many people know who built the Tower or Westminster Abbey or who wrote ‘God Save the King’? It is the work that counts, not the name. In this new venture anonymity will not be a game of finding out who wrote the book. The authorship of a book will not be revealed. Our chances of success depend on the quality of the books.” 55 55 55 Reminiscences of public men are always the most interesting reading when their writers are “live wires and when they have lived enjoyably full and active and generous-hearted lives. Sir Ellis Hume-Williams, who for years has been in Parliament and for a still longer period has been a leader in the Law, has written a book suggestively entitled “The World, The House and the Bar,” which Mr Murray published on October 30. The author describes many interesting scenes and persons and gives an amusing picture of Carlton Club when he joined it some thirty years ago. 55 55 55

Gilbert Davison, detective, is becoming a figure of renown in the world of fiction, and in Mr R. J. Fletcher’s new thriller, “The Missing Doctor,” which Mr Murray published on October 31, he again find’s a task after his own heart. Dr Harland disappeared from his surgery suddenly and completely and in suspicious circumstances. The finding, complicated by an unusual murder problem, and the general solution of difficulties, provide the reader with sustained enjoyment. (

“ The Edge of the Unknown”, by Arthur Conan Doyle. Published by Methuen and Co., Ltd. “We who believe in the psychic revelation, and who appreciate that a perception of these things is of the utmost importance, have hurled ourselves against the obstinacy of our time. Possibly we have allowed some of our lives to be gnawed away in what for the moment seemed a vain and thankless quest. Only the future can show whether the sacrifice was worth it. Personally, I think it was. Among the various chords which are struck in this little book there may be some to which the mind of the reader may respond,

and which may entice him also in the ] search for the Holy Grail.” i In this volume Sir Arthur Conan 1 Doyle has brought together a number of essays and narratives, not so much , concerning his personal experiences, 5 but mostly his reflections and observa- - tions on experiences of mediums and ; others. To all those seeking to know ; something more of the strange forces , I of the invisible and still perceptible world around them, this volume will prove of exceptional interest. But even to the millions of others who perhaps smile at Spiritualism, but are really : convinced that these strange forces do exist, the volume will prove really, attractive, because it contains the observations of a clever man upon a little-understood subject. •5 55 55 “When Women Whisper”, by Helena Grose. Published by Mills and Boon, Ltd., London. Copy from New Zealand agents, Sands and M'Dougall (Pty.), Ltd., London. Helena Grose’s very modern story is certain to please a very wide circle of readers. The central figure is a twentieth century Ninon who causes a rare scandal because of her hold over a small but select masculine circle. Only those admitted to this circle know anything of her, but occasional whispers reach the outer world, and in Mayfair boudoirs some very intimate discussions take place. What is the attraction of the man-hunter? Whose husband or whose lover will be the next to be attracted by her charms? The ladies are all very much intrigued. Knowing little, they all think the worst; romantic secrets are whispered; age-old problems are re-opened. But this is merely the background for an unusual romance and a somewhat tragic mystery. The tale makes really good reading, the dialogue being especially bright and entertaining. 85 55 55 “Breakfast for Three”, by M. Bryant and G. 11. M’Anally. Published b3’ Methuen and Co., Ltd., London. Cosmo Tirrell, fog-bound for a night on Redmoor, seeks his breakfast at the first habitation he comes to. The windows of the bungalow are open; the ■ table is set for breakfast for three, but the food is stale and the milk sour. Further investigation shows a dead man in the next room, the cause of death being a bullet wound in the head. The victim has only recently . arrived from Australia with his wife, . and the few people who have seen her give such conflicting descriptions that there appears no possibility of tracing her. Who shot Seldon, who was the ' third breakfaster, where is Mrs Seldon, ; why was the breakfast abandoned, how J did the motor-cycle get in the bog and ; the dead woman in the pool, are difficult questions for those making the investigations. The mystery is well ‘ conceived, and the baffling clues and extraordinary motive make this quite an unusual story. 55 55 55 i “ Rapid Measure,” by Thomas Cam- , borne. Published by Cassell and Com-

pany, Limited. Copy from Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited, Cashel Street. This romantic story makes an especial appeal because of the many neatly drawn scenes of English country life. There are many runs in the hunting field, an inside view of the running of the National, and other sporting attractions. Jennifer MellingFoster, the Master’s daughter, is a hard rider and regular sporting lady, but intolerant and impetuous. Piqued by the coolness of her lover, Meikle, she marries his cousin, thereby creating problems which threaten to make a complete mess of at least two lives. The author skilfully untangles the threads of these lives and provides a happy conclusion. “A Little Flutter,” by Ernest Bramah. Published by Cassell and Company, Limited. Copy from Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited. This rather amusing story tells of Mr Coppinger, an obscure clerk, who comes into a fortune on condition that he devotes himself to ornithology and continues his uncle’s scientific work. Should he fail to comply with the conditions of the will, the whole fortune goes to an ornithological society. Mr Coppinger is anything but a birdfancier, and an early scene shows him in seclusion with ornithological works all round him, but with a central space reserved for the manipulation of a “patience” pack. His efforts to convince people, especially experts, that he is devoting himself to this branch of science are really amusing, and the manner in which he gets himself in and out of awkward situations is highly diverting. Even in a story of this character we are permitted glimpses of the artistry which was such a feature of the “ Kai Lung ” series. 55 55 55 “One Flesh,” by Rosita Forbes (Whitcombe and Tombs), is a brilliant story of modern life in London, told with candour. The authoress is quite fearless in her delineation of the relations between men and women of to-day, and she has introduced a chorus of living celebrities who supply clever and amusing comment on the action as it develops. The story concerns an imaginative girl, Zara, who goes through phases of idealism, wantonness and iconoclasm in dread of her own nature and in search ~of happiness. Were it not for the redeeming character of the Jew in the book one might imagine that society was drifting into a state of natural unchastity. The Jew sees the steady purpose of his race to be fulfilled in the sons and daughters. There is a steady, contented, almost individualistic quality in Israel, which Zara might have shared had she not broken idols at other fountains.