LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1728, 19 April 1913, Page 9

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Libar's Letter.Box'. Ben'nettite—The "profound scientific, book," by "X," alluded to by Mr. Arnold Bennett in his "Mental Efficiency," is, it"!? generally understood, Malthus's "Essay on Population," first published in 1798. For particulars re Maltlius see f any encyclopaedia or the Dictionary of .National Biography.; John- Doe (Gisborne).—'As you will have seen by -my note'last week,?" Daily Mail an,d Leader"" was 'a -puro-slip of the pen for "Daily News arid Leader." G.H.R. (Wa'nganui).—Your "local -bookshops .should be able to .supply. '.Grant Richards publishes' a really fine octavo Montaigne, (Florios translation) in three volumes at 31s. Od. The same, translation is available (in six volumes,. Is. 6d. and 25.) in Dent's "Temple Classics"; and, in three volumes, in Dent's "Every- '., .man's Library." E.G. (Hawera).—"Sarah Grand" is the pseudonym of Mrs. ' Mac Fall.. "Tho Heavenly Twins''- was published in Heinemann's Colonial Library (3s. od.). "Celtica" (Masterton).—Synge's poems'and . dramas are published in (I think) four volumes at 3s. Gd. each, r "The Playboy of the Western World" is considered hisvbest play. /.Ho died early in; 190?, a victim to consumption.

"Who Are The Maoris?'! Dr.. Newman's long-promised-book— on: the origin of the Maori' race'is' out "at la*t. The title is "Who are tho Maoris?" I hope iiextjjV(fj?i(£ or iffihc-;: succeeding week, to give' a !: detailelr' review of this •interesting, .and to students of ethnology and anthropology, very' important.'work. In the meahtimo I quote the following; interesting paragraph :from ;the-preface::. "I claim that this book contains ■ evi-. deuce that cannot be criticised away, and th'at-it establishes • (I) that, the Maoris camo from Northern India,' (2) that their I cradle land, Hawaiki, : was India, (3) that I have recovered .the lost.history of the Maori race, (4) that I have conclusively proved the route of tho. Great Migration from tno banks of the'lndus to New Zealand, -(5) that the Maoris- are an Aryan - Mongolic people, but dominantly Caucasian." Messrs Whitcoinbe and Tombs, to whose enterprise we owe so manyinteresting works on early New Zealand and the Maori race, have'produced Dr. Newman's work in a handy and handsome; form. The, price is "7s. 6d.

A Journalistic Jubilee. ' Of interest to • such of my readers as are of the Anglican communion, more especially those who are what is known' as High Churchmen, is an' article in "Notes and Queries" (February 22) on the jubilee of the "Church Times." At Home, when, visiting families attending what is still, in name at least, the National Church, you can always tell what is the bent ecclesiastical thereof by sec-.' ing whether they subscribe to the "Guardian" or. "Tho Church Times." And then, if you are wise, you arrange your, remarks upon matters "churchy" accordingly. For my own part I have read the "Guardian"- these-many years, for its literary reviews; but I can remember the time when not a few people who.wern by no means orthodox accounted it a great treat to get hold of a stray copy of' "The Church Times," if only for seeing what one "Peter Lombard" (the Into Rev. W. Benhani) had to.say on the various questions (not always purely ecclesiastical) with which he dealt in his weekly essays. Similarly, I have no doubt many a staunch Anglican likes to drop, across an occasional number- -'of that staunch journalistic champion of the "Free." or, as they used to be called, the "Nonconformist" churches, the "British •Weekly," if only to see what "Claudius Clear" (Sir William Robertson Nicol) has to say on current events. According to tho interesting article in "Notes and . Queries," ~the "Church Times" was liberal enough in its views (in Pusey's time) to take Jowett><"side when "the University punished him for his supposed heterodoxy by refusing him a decent salury as Professor of Greek," and, later on, /'expostulated with tils own allies for tho indiscreet language employed'by many of Colenso's opponents." A Famous Publisher. For many year, colonial book buvers, especially those who read and value really good books, have welcomed the name of Henry Frowde on the title page of a volume, confident therefrom that the b.iok would bo worthy of attention. For Mr. Frowdo was the London publisher for the famous Oxford University Press, and, as we all know, the O.U.P. editions of standard British. authors, to say no-, thing of a myriad of excellent educational works, havo long been justly esteemed •for their textual accuracy, scholarly editing, and tasteful binding. Now, after close upon forty years of active, work as a publisher, Mr. Frowde is, I see; retiring from the supervision of the worldfamous book business at Amen Corner, Paternoster Row, that traditional homo of the London book trade. Mr. Humphrey Milford, long his associate, is his successor. No doubt the O.U.P. books wi R ho just as good as ever, but many of us will havo some sentiment; of regret at tho disappearance of the old imprint. Oscar Wilde's "Intentions." Methucn and Co. are adding Oscar Wilde's "Intentions" to 'their excellent shilling library, which alrendv includes several, of Wildo's plays, and' a volumo of selections from his poems. "Intenuons includes two of Wildo's best essays; The Decay of Lying"-porhaps his most brilliant prose work—and "Pen, Pencil, and Poison," an essay on (ho notorious poisoner, Thomas Griffiths Wninewright, who, as "Janus Weathercock," wrote prose which Charles Lamb declared to be "capital." Waincwright was tho friend of Macready, Forster, Maginn, Tall'ourd, and indeed all the early Dickens circle, but nevertheless ended his days a convict in Tasmania. - He was the hero of Dickens's "Hunted Down." mid the. "Tarimy" of I.yttou's "Imcß'thi." ' Hi: poisonci\ hi« two Ijcsiuliful niecrs, «lio*e live* he had insure! for a large fl.mii"" I '. and

was undoubtedly a heartlessly "ci-iiel 'Villain, Wilde's essay on this scoundrel, a man of most refined personal tastes, and yet. absolutely without morals, is ono of tho curiosities of literature, and for it alono tho "Intentions" volume is well worth a shilling. Apart from tho fact that it contains "The Critic as Arlisl," "Tho Truth of Masks." and tho muchdiscussed "Decay of Lying." A Life of W. E, Henley. Mr. Cornfoid, whose excellent biographical skeltcli of Kobert Louis Stevenson in Blackwood's "English Writers" eeries, will bo remembered, has written a short "Life of the late W. B. Henley" 'for C'onstablo's "Modern Biographies" series, earlier volumes of )-hich Jiayo been devoted to Lafcadio Ilearn and" tho Celtic poet and dramatist, J. M. Synge. Mr. Cornford's new book—it only costs fiftecnpence—ought to be. worth reading. I am curious, as an ardent Stevciisoiiian, to seo what Mr. Cornford has to say about Henley's splenetic outburst about Stevenson's popularity, which caused so much talk in literary circles, both in England and America, when it appeared, a few ago now, in tho "Pall Mall Magazine." Henley was' in many ways a flno fellow, but his belittling of "the man who had befriended him when he lay in the Edinburgh Infirmary wag a sad mistake. "Scribner's-Magazine." ' A leading feature in tho March number of "Scribner's Magazine" (Constable and Co.) is an account of the rescue of the Titanic survivors, by Captain Eostron, E.N.R., commander of thos.s. Carpathia. Hero is surely a model narrative in its clean, straight-forward, modest style, so totally devoid of that horrible sensationalism which characterised so many of the newspaper reports. The article is illustrated by reproductions of photographs by L. M. Qgden. Another notable article is "A Benevolent Despotism" (at Panama), by ..J. ~ B. Bishop, secretary . of the < Isthmian Canal Commission. Mr. Bishoo warmly eulogises the work of the American engineers, and especially tho firm and wise control of Colonel (i. . Goethal, the chairman and chief engineer of the Commission, who has been granted such autocratic power as Governor of the Canal Zone. Mr. Prico Collier continues his studies of "Germany aud the Germans"; and there are other interesting articles. The fiction is contributed by Edith Wharton, Thomas Nelson Pa<re, and John Fox, jun„ aud Perceval Gibbon ; and, as usual with "Scribner's," the illustrations are admirable. ' " . ' "The Poet of the Sierras." For some some conscienceless fellow-collector "borrowed" or stole it —I possessed and cherished as a great ' treasure a slim little volume, published, I believe, by John Camden Hotten, the predecessor of Wiudus, and entitled "Songs of the Sierras." There was much that I should nowadays, I faucyi vote theatrical and tawdry in taste, in that little volume, but none the less there was an occasional streak of pure gold, aud the name of Joaquin Miller became very dear to me thereby. Miller, who, for many years past, has been living in a suburb of San Francisco, was a strange fellow, who astonished' and amused London on his vis'ts, which, in the seventies and early eighties were not infrequent, by Ins long hair; his sombrero, and his jackboots. He wrote what his fellow Americans would no doubt style "stacks" , of verse, som9 of. it very good, some of it so-bad as to make people wonder it conld all come from the same pen. From all accounts, he appears to ly.ve been a confirmed poseur, vain to a degree, and yet he must have had some excellent qualities, for he was one of the most popular figures at the well-known Bohemian Club in 'Frisco, and was a. welcomo guest at the London' Savage Club. His complete poems wcro published in 1897. His real name—hold your breath—was Cincinnatus Heine Miiler. No wonder-he annexed the more picturesque "Joaquin." It' went • better with the long hair, just as I remember a once-famous professional teetotal lecturer—Coleridge Jones we will call him—telling me that Iris real name was Thomas Jones., But, he ndded, "Coleridge looks so much better on tlio post- .. ers." Miller's death, was reported in ; the -English papers of tho second week iii February, but I don't remember seeing any/mention of, it in tho. • The: Studio. . , .'■''■..' .i In the February "Studio" (London,. The.-! . Studio 'Office), A. L. Biildry' discusses tlio'l paintings and drawings of -Frank Miira, ■ who,, born in Alsace, went'as* child to New York and is a naturalised American. Mr. Mura's work possesses a strong personal quality, and is specially characterised by a delicate subtlety of colour. The' reproductions which accompany tho article exhibit-great versatility of medium. In two of -tho landscapes there is a pleasant suggestion of Harpignies.' An article, on. the National Art Gallery of Canada, at Ottawa discloses the fact that Hie Canadians have got. some splendid treasures in their national collection. Tho Barbizon school is well represented, and so, too, are tho modern French Impressionists. ■ Amongst British' artists I notice.'the names of Millais. Holman Hunt, Leighton, Watts, and John Lavery, and the Gallery can also boast a fine water colour by Whistler, and some fine bronzes by Swan and others. Other articles' deal with, tho work of James M'Bey, whose etchings bid fair to become as much ' sought after as those of D. Y. Cameron and Muirhead Bone; a recent Arts and Crafts Exhibition, at the Grosvenor Gallery ;, Chinese Carvings, etc. The "Studio Talk" is, as usual, an excellent feature, • including letters from.many art centres. Five coloured supplements aro given, and black-and-white illustrations are very numerous, including several full-page plates; not the least interesting being a collection of drawings from Dne of Phil May's sketch books. Altogether an excellent number. Stray Leaves. One of the best selling novels of the present year in England is said to- be • Miss Ethel M. Dell's "Knave of Diamonds." Miss Dell's first novel, "The ' Way of an Eagle," is now in its thirteenth edition. # * # . ! A project is on foot in the Old Country to establish- a permanent memorial in honour of George Gissing, whose fine work brought him'scanty recognition in his lifetime. It is' proposed that a Gissing Scholarship, for the encouragement of literary studies,- should be established at tlio University of Manchester, where, under it§. earlier style of Mr. Owen's College, Gissiiig's student days were passed and.his first literary distinctions won. It has, I see, been cabled from' London that ipoor Captain Scott's diary is to be published in tho "Strand Magazine," Commander Evans ihaving arranged far this to be done. But in the "Athenaeum" of March 8 I read that "Lady Scott has telegraphed from New Zealand to Mr. Reginald Smith that her husband's journal, 'excellent and complete,' is in her possession.". The Journal will bo published, says the "Athenaeum," by Messrs.' Smith, Elder and Co. "in its entirety." Then what about the Diary in • the "Strand"? And of Commander Evans's arrangements with\regard to the same? Sir Win. Robertson Nicol, editor of "Th'o Bookman," is engaged, I Tead, on an elaborate history of Victorian literature, to run into six volumes of 200,000 words each. The first volumo is to bo published in October, 1914.'. # ♦ * According to Mr. Clement Shorter, in "The Sphere" (March 8), some strictures were passed "upon the recently-published edition do luxe," in oneivolumo of Mr. Kipling's "Collected Poems," "because it did not contain tho 'Barrack Room Ballads,' " but these, says- Mr. Shorter, "were omitted by tho absolute injunction of Mr. Kipling." As a matter of fact "The Barrack Room Ballads" are included, but most of tho Departmental .Ditties are ' omitted. / | There seems to be' a never-ceasing demand for Napoleon books and books en . the Peninsular War. It was only tho ; other day that Mr. Edward Eraser's'"The. ' Way of the Eagles" was published, and tho'same nuthor i 9 now, I see, responsible for an illustrated record of deeds of dnr- , ing and chivalry in tho Peninsular War, entitled. "The Men whom Wellington Led." The narratives are given as far as possible in the form or extracts from the diaries, journals, and letters of the sol- ; diers flienisel-cs. Mcthuens arc the pub- ■ lifhers. Two \\i 11-I<iiii»ii yuuiig Kirjlish uovpl- ! i-1.-, I'crriviil (.iibfcou. 'w|io*.i> ''A'.lvciiI t-'ircs of Miss Gregory" wa.i reviewed in

the.'o columns a week or two ago, and. Alphon.-c Courlander, tho author of that excellent story of present-day journalism, "Mightier than the Sword." have been (serving as war correspondents in the Balkans; the. first for the "Daily News," the second for the ".Daily Express" "John Ayscoiigh," whose latest story "Fanstula"—-an "idealistic romance"—is praised by the Homo i papers, and whoso earlier story "Marolz" was much admired by the critics, is the noni-dc-plumc of the Right Rev. Monsignor Bickerstafl'eDrew, Protonas Apostolic, and a prelate of the Papal Household. Ho was formerly an officer in the British' Army, and has, I L-eliero,' relations in the Dominion. George Edgar, whose story of the oldfimo prize-ring, "The Bluo Bird's Eye," was a capital fisticuffs romance—there is a fight in, it which is almost as good as Borrow's "Flaming Tinman's" encounter —has a new book out, I notice, in Mills and Boon's Library. It is a romance of the road, a highwayman's story, as_ may easily bo seen by tho title, "Swift Nick of the York Road." Some of the best highwayman yarns L- ever read were those written by the ers-Christchurch man, H. Marriott Watson. * * » There seems no limit to tho literary industry of Mr. A. C. Benson. It was but the other day that I was reading a new book of essays from his pen, and yet before ino is the announcement of "Along the Road," a "new book of essays by A. C. Benson." Mr. Benson's "From a College Window" was a fine achievement, and deserved the success it attained. But ho has overworked this particular field. Jeffrey Farnoll's new book,' "An Amateur Gentleman," has been, largely subscribed by the book trade. It has been running as a serial in an American monthly, and those who have read it consider it quite equal to "The Broad Highway," which is certainly more than could be said of that very poor production, "Tho Money Moon." In justice to Mr. Famoll, however, it must be stated that "The Money Moon" was written some years ngo. In the' February number of "The Book Monthly," "A Novelist" .writes a long letter on "The Perfunctory Reviewer. ■But how about the "perfunctory novel? The reviews are too short, ' say the authors. But what is a harassed reviewer to do when he gets fifteen new-novels in ono week? How can he possibly find time to read them, and; what is-more to tho.point, what newspaper can spare the space for fifteen long reviews? And in how. many cases is not the novel'"perfunctory," dull, lifeless, illwritten, and, justifiably, quite a negligible quantity?