FROM BOOKSTALL & STUDY

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 368, 9 March 1932, Page 5

FROM BOOKSTALL & STUDY

Mr Thomas Cobb, the author of over ninety novels, died recently, aged seventy-seven. Among the new books announced are “ Elections and Recollections,” which is Sir Arthur Pease’s title for a book of reminiscences about his political life in the days of Gladstone, and the third volume of the famous Prince Von Bulow Memoirs. “ Only a few isolated figures in letters,” says Father Ronald Knox in his “ Essays in Satire,” “ stand out as real . . . Such characters, I mean, as create real illusion; so that a man attaining Heaven might look round him and say, ‘ And now, where’s Pickwick? Oh, no, I forgot, of course he’s only a character in a book.’ ” Eighteen distinguished men and women were asked by the “ Yorkshire Post ” to state which of the new books of 1931 they have most enjoyed reading. Three books—Philip Guedalla’s “ The Duke,” Sir W. Rothenstein's “ Men and Memories,” and Professor A. E. Taylor’s “The Faith of a Moralist” —are mentioned in more than one reply. Mr G. B. Shaw, always perverse, named the “ Police Journal ” as his favourite. A venture which has taken the book trade by surprise is the initiation by the publishing house of Benn of a series of new fiction at 9d a volume. Orders have been placed for the printing of 10.000 copies of each of the first six. which will be issued this month. The authors are J. D. Beresford, Naomi Royde-Smith. Mrs Belloc Lowndes, Eden Phillpotts, Storm Jameson, and Alec Waugh. A hitherto unpublished novel by Gustave Flaubert will be the first book issued by a new American publishing house called the Roman Press. The title is “ November,” and this was Flaubert’s first novel, written before he was twenty. Flaubert had intended in later life to rewrite the.book, but abandoned his intention. It has never before been translated into English. Among the noteworthy centenaries of 1933 is that of “Chambers’s Journal.” Dr William Chambers first issued “ Chambers’s Edinburgh Journal ” in 1532 as a periodical purely literary and entirely unsectarian as regard? politics and religion. It was at once successful, and 4 to-day it retains its excellence and popularity. The jubilee of “ Chambers’s Journal ” was celebrated in February, 1882.

The librarian of the Imperial War Museum, South Kensington, announces that the library already possesses upwards of 60,000 books dealing solely with the events of 1914 to 1918, apart from extensive records in the form of wartime daily and weekly . newspapers and other periodicals, etc. The Marquis of Huntly. who is now in his eighty-fifth year, is engaged in the third volume of his reminiscences. The author of “German War Birds’* states that almost all German flying men were superstitious. German pilots never wish one another anything good. If anyone unacquainted with their superstitions had said “ Good luck! ” to one of them as he was being helped into his cockpit, the pilot would probably have jumped out again. lie might even have ri.-ked a court-martial rather than go up that day, for he would have been certain that he was going to his death. But if you expressed the wish that he might break his neck and his legs, he cculd feel confident of coming safely home, with perhaps a brace of victories to report. They never went up, too, without wearing their special mascots. “ Many cf them, like their opposite numbers in the Entente squadrons, wore the top of a silk stocking under their flying helmets—a fitting lady’s favour for a knight of the air.” :: « Mrs Laura E. Richards, who writes “ Stepping Westward,” a book of recollections, is a daughter of Julia Ward Howe, the author of the “ Battle Hymn of the Republic.” She is hersolf a prolific writer, as is indicated in a chapter on “ Authorship,” which she concludes with a story. She was asked by the head of the Maine State Library to help in forming a State collection of the works of Maine writers, the books to be inscribed by the authors, and kept in a special repository. Mrs Richards writes:— I responded cheerfully to the reque. c t for sixty-odd inscriptions (I must briefly say, by way of apology, that many of the books are very small indeed, and would to-day be naturally treated as short stories) : the books were collected and inscribed, and then sent to the State Library. The box was a goodsized one. and a State House workman was deputed to open it As volume after volume appeared, the good man asked: ‘- What are all these books, anyway?** lie was told that they were all the works of one woman. “ Gosh ! ” he exclaimed,* 4 see what woman can do if she stops talking.”