THE BOOKMAN'S CORNER

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 3, Issue 9, 2 March 1925, Page 54

THE BOOKMAN'S CORNER

ZEALANDERS could not do better than read more books about their own land, and one book that all New Zealanders should be acquainted with, and that with much profit and entertainment to themselves, is that splendid work on early New Zealand by F. E. Mailing— to give it its full title, "Old New Zealand— tale of the good old times"—written under the penname of "A Pakeha Maori." This is undoubtedly one of the finest books which New Zealand has yet produced. It is the racy, vigorous, humorous story of Maning's life among the Maoris in the Alsatian days of Northern New Zealand, and has become an English classic. Mailing, a cultured, adventurous, courageous Irishman became the most famous of Pakeha-Maoris, and was afterwards a Judge of the Native Land Court. He achieved a book which is enthralling to the general reader, and yet is one which no student of New Zealand history can afford to neglect. The present edition contains an introduction by Dr. T. M. Hocken, and Mailing's descriptions of Heke's War in the North and of Maori traditions, and is illustrated by new pictures drawn by General Robley. Price 6/-. Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited. From the same publishers come, reprint editions of two other very interesting books on New Zealand: "MAORI and Pakeha: A History - L¥X of New Zealand," by A. W. Shrimpton, M.A., and Alan E. Mulgan. A moderately-priced history of New Zealand has been in urgent demand for many years, not only by students, but by the general reader as well. It is intended that this short and somewhat popular treatment of the subject will meet the requirements of all. The period treated is from the earliest times to the accession of the Massey Ministry to power in 1912. Altogether the best review of New Zealand history that has yet been published. Price 7/6; Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited. Adventures of Kimble Bent," by James Cowan. A very interesting history of life in New Zealand. Kimble Bent was a renegade who deserted from the Imperial Forces in 1865, and lived the rest of his life with the Maoris. According to his own story he was the only white man who ever saw the secret rites of the Hauhaus. and he also witnessed cannibalistic feasts. Price 5/-; Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited. "WE have received a reprint copy of the "Times Atlas of the World." This was originally published some two years ago by The Times. London, the first edition selling at somewhere in the vicinity of £lO.

An enterprising firm of London publishers has secured all rights over this magnificent Atlas, have thoroughly revised and brought it up to date, and most marvellous of all, fixed the price at such a ridiculously low figure that we can hardly conceive any home or place of business without its copy. This is undoubtedly the standard Atlas of the world, and the claim has been universally admitted. Before the war the finest maps were made in Germany. To-day neither Germany nor any other country can produce maps to compare in accuracy, clearness, or beauty with those in The Times Atlas. The maps in The Times Atlas are new in the only true sense. That is to say, they are not a mere re-hash of the old plates, but they are based on new and original surveys of th earth's surface. More than 100,001 original survey sheets have beer, used in the preparation of these 112 beautiful double-page plates. The important work of preparation was entrusted by The Times to Messrs. Bartholomew, the famous Edinburgh Cartographers. They have spared no labour and expense to make the Atlas perfect in every detail. Every new aid to the science of map production has been employed. Thus, colour in The Times Atlas is made to serve a definite purpose. Instead of the old "caterpillar" disfigurements representing mountain ranges, physical relief is shown by a carefully graduated layer system of colours —a more costly method, but infinitely more accurate, more easy to read. The Gazetteer Index to the Atlas is by far the largest and most up-to-date Geographical Directory in the English language. It contains some 200.000 place names, and the latitude and longitude, and country, state, or county of each place are given. Simplicity of reference is ensured by the use of a novel transparent grid sheet, ruled in squares and numbered to correspond with the grid numbers given in the Gazetteer. The use of this grid sheet enables the most obscure place to be found on the map in a moment. At 50/- this is the most wonderful effort in book publication of this description of recent years.— Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited. Atlas that has reached this office is The Dominion Atlas, published by Whitcombe and Tombs, Ltd. This is a handy little Atlas containing 72 comprehensive maps. The Australasian section has received special attention, nearly onehalf of each Atlas being made up of maps relating to Australasia. On the maps of the Commonwealth States and New Zealand the \ chief natural productions are systematic-

This section includes a number of maps on the latest educational lines, illustrating Climate, Vegetation and Density of Population, and Communications by Land and Sea; maps illustrating the progress and history of Australasian discovery and settlement; also relief-model maps and maps showing the pres-ent-day political divisions of Australasia. In the other sections, the regions of the world outside Australasia are illustrated by means of reliefmodel and coloured political maps and also a series of 60 views representing characteristic scenery, great cities and industries throughout the world, together with a full Index, complete this Atlas, rendering it an ideal and invaluable one for home or school use. Price, 2/6; Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited. T ABOUR-Saving Hints and Ideas for the Home.—The hints and ideas contained in this book are selected from no less than 30,000 entries that were submitted in connection with The Good Housewife Competition, conducted by Fleming and Whitelaw, of Australia House, London. Jo great was the response to the press announcements concerning this Labour Saving in the Home Competition that it was found necessary to discontinue the advertisements after the lapse of a fortnight. Many of these hints are not wholly confined to labour-saving, but the vast majority of them will be found instructive and interesting. ' As the book is intended primarily for reference, purposes, a copious index is provided; but the reader will find entertaining information on any page he or she happens to open. Price 2/6, from Whitcombe and Tombs. Limited. NOVELS WORTH READING by F. E. Benson. Mr. F. E. Benson, with his characteristic skill, has succeeded in giving us a very clever study of the selfish, egotistical Alan, a novelist of the old school. Alan, when the story begins, is a novelist of great repute, a literary lion of no mean order. His wife Agnes was his devoted helper and amanuensis hang ing upon his every word. Come disillusion and doubt in the shape of Timothy, the great man's cousin, who is the protagonist of the young school of novel writers. For the first time in her life, under the influence of Timothy, Agnes feels that she is not a mere slave. Alan, forsaken by his inspiration and old in years, is carried home from his club to die. Agnes, at >lasf free from her literary tyranny, sees the dawn of freedom and happiness with Timothy which will lighten the darkness of her past drab existence —Price 6/-, from Whitcombe and Tombs. Limited.

"JJOMINIE'S HOPE," by Amy McLaren. new novel by the author of "Bawbee Jock" is an event which will delight many readers. The scene is laid in the Scottish border at the present time, and the dwellers not only in the "big house," but in the village are drawn with real sympathetic insight and skill. The story turns on the finding of a lost heir, and contains a strong and appealing love interest. —Price 6/-, from Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited. "THE Reckless Lady," by Sir Philip Gibbs.—ln this new novel by Sir Philip Gibbs the scenes are chiefly laid in England and the United States. The leading characters are a young brother and sister of modern type, brought up abroad by a charming but adventurous mother separated from her husband. The author gives an intimate study of English social life at the present time. The scene changes later to the United States, and the author shows the contrast of life between the Old World and the New. Like most of Sir Philip Gibbs' fiction, his latest novel aims at being something more than a good story. It is a picture on a broad canvas of contemporary life in this time of social change. Price 6/-, from Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited. "J£LAINE at the Gates," by W. B. Maxwell. When, as a child. Elaine waited for her father outside the gate of the wealthy Mrs. Castleton's house, peering in at the beautiful garden, she seemed to be standing just outside the Gates of Happiness. Could she have guessed, her situation at that moment queerly symbolised a large part of her future life. Later, the man she loves is for a time unworthy of her, and she proudly steels herself against him, but when he repents she loves him too passionately not to forgive him; but as the gates seem to be opening they are slammed suddenly in her face, and he is caught in the net of one of his past follies and severed from her in a hopeless and disastrous marriage. Again and again, when other, lesser, ways of happiness are opening to her, they close and leave her outside, and it is only at the last that they are thrown wide open, unexpectedly, and she can go through to happiness with the man she had loved from the first. In the truth of its characterisation, the humanity and dramatic intensity of its story, "Elaine at the Gates" will rank as one of the finest things in modern fiction.—Price 6/-, from Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited.

Any of the above books are obtained at Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin or Wellington