LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2635, 4 December 1915, Page 9

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

"Interested" (Bulls). —W. T. Stead was sentenced (November 10, 1885) to three months''imprisonment. He was . actually in gaol for two- months and .. seven days.- This was his only impris- ; omrient. > Will my correspondents please note that I cannot undertake to trace poetical quotations or titles of poems? The cleverly written verses entitled "The Sentimental Bloke," by Mr. C. Y'. Dennis, reviewed in these columns last week, appear to' have "caught on" in Australia to a,quite astonishing and certainly, for author and publishers, a very agreeable,extent. Messrs, * Angus and Robertson, of Sydney, who published Mr. Dennis's book,' inform me that already they have disposed of over ten thousand copies to the, boksellers, aiid repeat orders come in 'by every mail. This is, I think,, a record sale for any book of Australian verse, or for that matter, for an Australian published book of any. kind.

The October number of "The Bookman" (Hodder and Stoughton) has an excellent biographical and critical article on Compton Mackenzie and his work. Tho article' is illustrated by portraits of the successful young, novelist, and views of his Italian home, at Capri. Mr. Mackenzie is now serving .as a motor launch engineer at the Dardanelles. A review of his latest novo], "Guy and Pauline," will aprear next week. Another good feature in the number is an article on Walter Bagehot, a collected edition of whose works is now being issued by' Longman's, The subject of the "Bookman GaUery" sketch this month is Mrs. Wilfred Meynell, by S. Gertrude Ford. Altogether an exceptionally good number. ,

In his recently published book of reminiscences, entitled "The Pulse of the World," Mr. Malcolm Stark, a Scots journalist, who has spent forty years in Fleet Street, tells some good stories of "Press Blunders." An American subeditor, whose cable told him, and truly, that" the Oxford Music Hall had been burned down, could find nothing better to do than read up "Oxford" in his book of reference, and solemnly announce the destruction. of "the Sheldonian'Theatre'!' Again, when Carlyle died, at tho time of the campaign in'Ashantee, the items,"Carlyle'■' dead. Fighting Ashantee," cabled to Australia, ■ came out thus: "Mr. Thomas Carlyle, formerly of Craigenputtock,. but lately of Chelsea, author of 'Sartor' and the 'History of the French Revolution,' died yesterday, fighting the Ashantees."

The lady novelist is always most severely satirical at-the expense of her own sex. Thus, for example, in her last stoiy, "The Euchanting Distance," Mrs. Lilian Arnold makes one of her lady characters say: "Somo people's idea of charm is.represented by Hinde's curlers all the 1 week and their omission on Sundays.", . ... , . ..

Mrs...'Francis Hodgson Burnett's new story "is entitled .''The. Lost Prince.'" Hie scene is laid partly in modern Lon-, don, and partly in the imaginary land' of Samavia; According to American reviews, Mrs. Burnett's new story will be more popular than was even ','T. Tembaron."

Baroness d'Orczy's new story,,: "The Bronze Eagle,'' is based upon ' Napoleon's experiences in the fateful "Hundred Days'" period.

A memorial to Robert Louis Stevenson is being erected on the shores of Lake Saranac, where, it may. bo remembered, R.L.S.'spent some months on his second ; visit to the" States. ' The memorial is being designed by a : SwedishAmerican sculptor, Gutzom Borglum.

Those who, like "Liber," have found Theodore Dreisler's "The Titan" such a fascinating story, will be glad to know, that John Lane will shortly publish another novel from Mr. Dreisler's pen. Tli© title is "The Genius," the interest centring on the life from childhood of a young'man who develops into an artist, and later is successful as a business man.

A new book of essays by that delightful writer, Arthur Symons, is announced by Constable's. The book includes studies of George Meredith as a poet; vSt. Augustine, Charles Lamb, Gustavo Flaubert, Thomas Hardy, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Rossetti, Pater, Ibsen, Coventry Patmore, Aubrey Beardsley, and others. It is a pity that some cheap edition is not' issued of Symons's earlier books. They were published as a rule at prices quite prohibitive to the average, colonial bookworm. 'Personally I wait till I can pick -up second-hand copies. *

_ I already possess three editions of George Borrow's masterpiece, "Lavengro," but I confess I am greatly curious to see a new edition of this famous book, which is to be published by Foulis, of Edinburgh. A special feature will be a series of illustrations by. that clever artist, Edmund 'J. Sullivan, of whose brilliant black and white work I have been a faithful admirer, since, a good quarter of a century ago, I rejoiced in his inimitably humorous sketches, "The British Working Man—By one who does not believe in him." They appeared in tho now_ defunct weekly, "Fun." The illustrations to "Lavengro" are, however,, to he'in'colour.

It is some time now since we had a story fr° m '" 10 P en which gave us The Ordeal of Sir Richard Calmad.v" and the cruelly satirical "Tante." "The Wisdom of Damaris" is the title of Lucas Malet's" new story, to be published by Hutchinson's. "Lucas Malet" is the psoudonym of Mrs. Harrison, (laughter.of the late Charles Kingsley.

Arthur Rackkam, whose Peter Pan illustrations were so .popular, has "done" a set of coloured and black and white drawings to illustrate "The Christmas Carol." I have seen a good round dozen or so of illustrated editions of Dickens's famous story, but I still prefer the original illustrations by John Leech, especially if, as they are in tho first edition., they are hand-coloured. To ine there can be only one "Pickwick" (Seymour's, which "Phiz." after Seymour's death, adapted, as his own), and but one "Scrooge" (John Leech's). But Rackham should be specially good in his Marley's ghost and tho various spin to who appoar to Scrcosa,

Arnold Bennett is republishing (Methuen's) his impressions of his visit to the French front, which have been appearing iii a London weekly. The book will be entitled "Over Thero." Cassell's will. shortly publish a new book by John.Foster Fraser, "Russia of To-Day," with glimpses of Russia of to-morrow and its potentialities for British commerce. ■ The new batch of "Everyman's Library" will consist of twelve volumes, including "Green's Short History of the English People" (brought up by R. P. Farley to the beginning of tho present war), in two volumes. Other volumes include: "Edwin Drood," with an introduction by G. K. Chesterton; Gogol's "Dead Souls," Balzac's "Ursule Mirouet," another volume of Ibsen's plays, Newman's "University Education," and "Christianity" and "Scientific Inrestigation."