LIBER'S NOTEBOOK.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2156, 23 May 1914, Page 9

LIBER'S NOTEBOOK.

A review of William J. Locke's latest novel, "The Fortunate Youth," will appear next week.

London papers by this week's mail record tho death, at the age of ninety, of Mr. Edward Marstcn, the doyen of English publishers. Mr. Marston was, for over half a century, a partner in tho firm of Sampson, Low, ' Marston and Co., and edited that useful publication, "Tho Publishers' Circular," so well known and so much esteemed by booklovers. Mr. Marston, whom "Liber" had tho pleasure of meeting some years ago in London, used to pride himself upon having discovered R. D. Blackmore, .whose "Lorna Doono" was and is still so popular. Mr. Marston's private hobby was -angling, on which he wrote many interesting books. Although close on eighty when "Liber" met him, he was a cheery, genial old gentleman, evidently a keen business man, but not too busy to spend very good-naturedly an hour or two in gossiping with a New Zealand bookman.

The "Spectator" (April 4) has a long and very interesting article (signed "0") on Edward Gibbon Wakefield's "View of,the Art of Colonisation," recently reprinted by tho Oxford University Press. Tho article, which is headed, "An Imperial Master-Builder," mentions the fact that founder of the -"Spectator," was one of Wakefield's warmest supporters when ho was engineering his colonisation scheme.

Dr. Macintosh Bell's book, "The Wilds of Maoriland," to be published shortly, by Macnullau, will ' contain seventy illustrations in black and white, and eight in colour, besides ' several maps. \

Macmiilan's are publishing a now edition, "The Dominion" edition, of Kipling. Two sample volumes sent me -arc, "Plain Tales from the Hills" and-"The Light that Failed." The size is that of the usual "Colonial," the type is largo and clear, and tho binding neat and strong. The volumes are sold at three and sixpence each.- A special feature of "The Dominions" edition is that it will include, by arrangement with Messrs. Methuens, the various volumes of Kipling's poems, published by that firm, and in this way will ho the most complete edition yet published at a low price.

In the interesting reminiscences of his earlier' life and business career which Mr. M'Clurc is publishing in his wellknown magazine, ho mentions the fact that when, the first year after its'foundation, "M'Cluro's" was losing a thou--sand dollars a month, Conan Doyle, who was in America at the time, wrore the plucky young publisher a cheque for 5000 dollars, saying ho believed in the magazine and its editor. Mr-. M'Clure also tells us that Miss Ida Tarbett's "Life of Lincoln" raised the circulation of the magazine to 250,000 copies. In 1893 Kipling offered ono of his "Junglo Stories" for 125 dollars (£25). -Five years afterwards, M'Clure paid Kipling £5000 for the serial rights only of "Kim."

Admirers of Mr,,H. G. Wells's books should make a paint of getting the April number of "Tito Bookman," which contains ;a-long, and exceptionally. interesting artifelfc* vy Thomas Seccohib'e : 'bri the' famous novelist and social philosopher. Mr. Scccombe's article is largely' biographical, and is specially interesting as disclosing tho originals of several not-, ablo Yvellsian backgrounds. Wells's father was head gardener at Penshurst, and in his day a leading professional cricketer, playing for Kont in tho 'sixties and the last century. When tho future novelist was born, his father was keeping a. small mixed shop at Bromley, in Kent. His mother was tho daughter ot an innkeeper at Midhurst, tho scene of the of Mr. Hoopdriver's fortunes in that amusing earlier story, "The Wheels of Chance," just republished in Mr. Dent's "Wayfarer's Library." Probably the family shopkeeping finds some reflection in "Mr. Polly." At any rate, Mr. Wells, sen., like Mr. Polly, lost first what little custom he had and then his small capital, the mother taking a position as housekeeper. Young-.Wells went as a "learner" into a draper's shop at Windsor, an experience which was the origin, no doubt,, of some of the earlier episodes in "Mr. Kipps," but. tiring of tho drapery, after a second experience in a shop at Southsea, ho transferred his energies to a chemist's shop at Midhurst. Hero he gathered that curiously intimate knowledge of the humbler class of. "pharmacy" which stood him in such good service in the writing of "Tono Bungay." .

Finally, after a brief stage a,s pupil teacher in a primary school at Wookey Hole, Someiseb, he became a 16-year-old assistant at the Miclhurst Grammar School, where, no doubt, lie drew up a "Schema" on the same linos as that, famous document which figures in "Love and Mr. Lewisham." Still following Mr. Seccombe's interesting story, wo find Wells winning a scholarship at tho Normal School at a 'South Kensington, where he studied biology under Huxley. Ho passed his B.Sc. with first-class honours'. His iicxd move was to an assistant-mastership at Henley House School, St. John's AYood, where ho taught not only science, but English, and edited tho Henley House Magazine, which had been started some years previously by a boy named Alfred Harmsworth!- A breakdown in health compelled rest from teaching, and to keep the pot boiling Wells contributed articles to tho "Pall Mall Gazette." He made the acquaintance of Henley, Stevenson,.George Steevcns, and, later on, of George Giving, Grant Allen, Edward Clodd, and Frank Harris. Through tho latter's • influence he got his work into "The Saturday Review" and "The Fortnightly." He was now definitely launched on a career of journalism, which after a time, ho relinquished for the writing of novels. Mr. Seccombe's. article, which is well illustrated, runs into a dozen or so pages of "The Bookman." Every line of it will be of interest to admirers of Mr. Wells's many-sided genius and brilliant literary work.

That very self-satisfied young man, Monsignor Benson, who writes dreary novels iu the intervals of his ecclesiastical duties, and thereby, i suppose, imagines himself an authority <ji literature, has been lecturing on modern novelists, and adopting a supercilious attitude towards the great novelists of'the past. Ho declared, lor instance, that lie was "quite unable to read Scott." Whereupon a "Saturday Review" writer rises in his wrath and pounds the Mnnsignor iu the Rood old style of the "Saturday." The following extract may interest my readers, amongst whom, I mako certain,-there are many staunch admirers of Scott: —"Scott may be voted dull by readers of Miss Corelli and Mr. Hall Cainc, but. people who know about ti'.ese things know him for a giant. People who distinctly do not know about these things say he is old-fashioned— that his books are about peoplo and Tonus that are dead and forgotten. Similarly, Shakespeare, Napoleon, and l~ive are ot no account to-day—they have been dead too long. The truth about Scott, of course, is that ho was a huge, writer, a creator of immortal characters.and stories. There are scenes in 'The Bride of kuemeniioor,' 'lled-

gauntlet,' 'St. Ronan's Well'—-by 110 means his best books —full of the freshness that never lades. In the firstnamed, for example, what a splendid clash, what livciiess and roalness, aro in the duel scene between Butklaw and the Master! Of who could rival, fur romance, the scone in 'Retigsumtlct' when black Colin Campbell appears at the close of tho Wanderer's adventure? Not to bo able to read Scott--imagine inability to read Guy Mannoring—is a man's obvious misfortune; but to re/id Scott and find him a dull writer—which one is siiro Monsignor Benson is'incapable of—is it not perilously near confessing oneself a dunce?"

And, as "Liber" would atM, on his own account, how about "Tho Antiquary" and "Rob Roy." - I onJy wish Mon'signor Benson, through certain of whose novels it has been "Liber's" duty to wade, at the cost of much Weariness of-spirit, would but take a few lessons from the great author whose stories he "cannot read."