The Library Corner

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20127, 21 April 1928, Page 13 (Supplement)

The Library Corner

By “Bibliophile” “Some Books »re to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”—Bacon.

JULES VERNE AND BRIAND.— An interesting story is told ot Jules Verne and Al. Aristide Briand. When M. Briand was at school at Nantes he occasionally met Verne. In one of his books, “Deux Ans de Vacances.” he drew his portrait —apparently from life —of a French boy to whom he gave the name of Briant (with a “t”): Not much of a worker, although l very intelligent, it frequently hap-j pened that he was one of the last in ■ the Fifth Form. However, when he wished, with his facility of assimila- : tion and his lemarknble memory, he , could rise to the first rank. He is audacious, enterprising, clever at physical exercises, smart at repartee, anxious to help, a buy, a little untidy —in a word, very French and very different from hi.-, comrades of English origin. M. Lucien Descaves, the well known writer and member of the Goncourt Academy, had occasion to ask Al. Briand if he remembered his visits to Jules Verne. M. Briand remembered them perfectly, and recalls ’hat the novelist worked surrounded by blackboards, which he covered with chalkiuarks before he began to write. RUDYARD KIPLING’S EDITOR.— Edward Kay Robinson, a weil-known writer on natural history subjects, died at his home at Hampton Wicks, Eng land, in January after a long illness., A son of the Nate Rev. J ulian Robinson, chaplain in the Indian Army, he was born at Naini Tai in and educated at Cheltenham College. Adopting journalism as a profession, he was the originator of the “By the Way” column In the Globe, and in 1887 became editor of the Civil and Military Gazette, Lahore, on which paper Mr Rudyard Kipling was one of his assistants. Mr Robinson h< Id that position until 1895, when he returned to London. He was the author ot six books, all of them on natural history, which was the favourite study of his life from early boyhood, and the first journalist to show that British natural history has living interest ('rough to provide a fresh topic for every day ot one year after another. In 1905 Mr Robinson started Countryside, the official journal of thp Brit ish Empire Naturalists’ Association, and he edited it up to the time of hilast illness. THOMAS HARDY’S LOST NOVEL. —ln the. Sunday Times, hur J-Mniond Gosse related the story of Thomas Hardy’s lost novel. Until 1901 it had been generally assumed that Hardy s ; first novel was “Desperate Remedies.’ i In that year, however, Hardy disclosed that his earliest novel ‘‘had never, been published and would never sec the ■ light.” It was called “The Poor Man : and the Lady,” ami was written in ( 1867, and was rejected first by John Morley, as reader to .Messrs Macmillan, and then by George Alemdith. as reader to Alessrs Chapman and Hall. At one of their meetings Hardy described the plot of the story to Hr Edmond Gosse. It concerned a squire’s beautiful and spirited heiress, between whom and the talented son ot a peasant on the estate there developed a romantic attachment. The lovers were parted, and the Poor Alan came to • London, where the. Lady, passing in her carriage, heard him delivering a speech in Trafalgar Square which so wounded her Conservative feelings that she broke off all relations. There was further developments in the narrative, but Hardy himself could not recollect whether tno lovers married after all. Some time after its final rejection Hardy destroyed, as he thought, the whole manuscrip, but shortly before this conversation with Sir Edmond he had come upon four or five pages of it. spared by some accident. Hardy admitted that the story was very crude. “The only interesting thing about it,” he added, “was that , it showed a wonderful insight into fe- I male character. E don’t know how: that came about!” :: I “PANSIES FOR THOUGHTS."— I “Voices from Aly Garden.” by Alar-j jorie Weatherly (Alelbourne: Robert-j | son and ATullens, Ltd.), is a delightful: 1 book dealing with Nature in a garden. I which is evidently much loved. i Judging from the cliarmiu: l . coloured . I picture on lhe cover of the Look and i photographs therein, it must be well worthy of affection, 'rhe writer compares humanity and flowers in an understanding manner, and has made a sympathetic study of both. The seed-time, full blossoming, and fall, all are dealt w ith get tly, and noetically, and to add io the attractions of the book there are several poems, which show an artistic soul and deep religious feeling. ‘‘Fragments” could be called a prose poem, and is very beautifully written. In the descriptive work her colour sense is show.) to be very perfect, w.iile the “.Millstone” shows a definite dramatic power. The book is full of <• harming variety, and should find many admirers. NERVES AND FEARS.—Dr. Robert S. Carroll, ot the Highland Hospital. North Carolina, has written of nerves in “The Alastery of Nervousness.’ ’ but whether he has hit upon an ambiguous term or not. there ran be no doubt about his intent when lie takes up his subject. No topic is of greater interest, to the people of this age, who have already realised that the majority of our ills have their rise in the mysterious wires which, running through every inch of their bodies, react to

the multitudinous shocks, most of them unperceptible to the conscious brain manhood is heir to as a citizen of this busy world, and slowly but surdy make their owner pay for negThis is an age of speed, of hurry, of myriad contacts and men and women pay a heavy price for the interest they arc compelled to take in the affairs of others. A century ago a horrible murder in the United States, even a holocaust in China, a brilliant political speech in Britain would have remained uniknown to the busy New Zealander and he woul I have sustained no shock when reading of these things in his morning new paper. Nowadays be has no escape—the world comes to his door through newspapers and radios, and when he goes to the cities he finds himself assailed by all manner of sounds and small frights. A few days in a large city is enough to accustom one to the roar of the traffic, but tin noise remains even if an human machine has steeled himself to overcome it. He bears the shocks without knowing it. but his nerves have to take up a heavy burden and often they go into revolt. Then comes the trouble. Unfortunately the trouble comes in a variety of shapes and gives vent to its jury in a variety of places. That is why so mu< h damage has been done in ‘nerve’ cases—misunderstanding has directed sympathetic friends and impatient acquaintances along the wrong paths. The patient himself is wrong more often than he is right, and surrendering intensifies the ills that have attacked L'm. Dr Carroll’s aim has been to meet lhe rt'-piirements of the patients as a primarv measure, but in his lucid and absorbing pages, there is a wealth of valuable information, adv ice and warning for the non-nervous making it easier for them to understand. and therefore to help their less fortunate brethren. Dr. Carroll sets out to help the nervous subject to conquer his ailment by a system of re-education, an I covering a very wide fl - LI with intense interest ho provides help for every case. Stern medical men armed with other theories may question some of Dr. Carroll’s statements, but the victim nf nerves will find in “The Me story of Nervousness” a message of hope, a life line to strength. Aly copy from the publishers, Messrs Angus an<l Robertson, Sydney. LAWRENCE’S BOOK.—The story of Air Lawrence's book on his Arabian adventure did not (•■me to an end with the enormous price charged for thhe American edition, for tin* abridged version. “ Revolt in the Desert,” whicn is ad that has been available to the public at large, has been allowed to go out of print. reason for this is given except that “certain conditions having been fulfilled.” lhe author has exercised his right to decide that no more copies shall be printed. The conditions prov :d<vl that the profits on the abridged edition should pay off the deficit on lhe very costly “{Seven Pillars of Wisdom. ’’ This having been done, AEr Lawrence is unwilling to make any personal protit of the Arabian affair. It is probable that existing copies of the book will now show a very marked appreciation in price. BANNED.—A list of the books now proscribed in Boston was compiled the other day by the New York Times, and runs as follows:—“The Wayward Man.’’ by John Erskine; “Dark Laughter,” by •Sherwood Anderson; “High Winds,” by Arthur Train; “Blue Voyage,’’ by Conrad Aiken; “The Irishman,” by St. John Ervine; “What I Believe,’’ by Bertrand Russell; “Circus Parade,’’ by Jim Tully; “Tha American Caravan;” “Move Over.” by E. Pettit; “Oil,” by Upton Sinclair; ‘‘From Man to Alan,” by Olive Schreiner; “Mosquitoes.” by William Faulkner; “Pilgrims,” by Ikiith Mannin; ‘‘Horizon.’’ by Robert Corse; •‘The Sorrows of .Elsie.” by Andre Savigiton; “A’iggef Heaven,” by Carl i van Vichlen; “Power,” by FeuclitI wanger; “Twilight.’’ by Keyserling; ; “Black April," by Julia Peterkin; 1 “ J’he American Tragedy. ’’ by Theodore Dreiser; “ lhe World of William Clissold.” by 11. Ci. Wells; “Wine. Wonu'ii ari l War;” “.ManilaHan Transfer.” by John I’os Bassos; “The Fruit of Eden,’’ by Gerard; unt Bruga,” by Ben He. hl; “Kink.” by Brock; “Rod Pavilion,'’ by Gunth r; “Ariane,” by Aiict • “Th<‘ Captive,’’ by Bourdet; “Crazy Pavements,” by Nichols; “Young Men in Love. by Alichael Arlen- ‘’ln Such a Night,” by B. Deutsch; “The Starling,” by Doris Leslie: “Prettv < natures,” by William Gerdhardi; “The .Madonna of the Sleeping Car.” by Dekobra; “Dream's End. ’ ’ by Thorne Smith; “ Tomok the S ulptor.” Adelui Eden Phillpotts; “The Plastic Age.” by Percy Marks; “The 11 aid Boiled Virgin,” by F. Newman; “The Rebel B id,” by 1). Patrick; “The Butcher Shop,” by J. Devanny; “The Ancient Hunger,” by E. Greenberg; “AntoiiTiae,” by Hulbert Footner; “The Alarriagc Bed.” by E. Roscoe; “The Beadle.” by P. •Smith; “As It Was.” by H.T.; “Elmer Gantry,” by Sinclair Lewis; “Doomsday,” by Warwick Deeping; “The Sun Also Arises,” by Hemingway; “Blended Kings,” by Kessel and Iswolsky; “Spread Circles,” by Ward; “Little Pitchers,” by I. Glenn; “Master of the Microbe.’’ by Robert W. Service; “Evelyn Grainger.” by ITummcll; j “Cleopatra's Diary.” by Thompson; “The AllinghaniS, ” by Al ay Sinclair.