AN OLD FRIEND IN A NEW DRESS.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2717, 11 March 1916, Page 9

AN OLD FRIEND IN A NEW DRESS.

It must be close on thirty. years ago that "Liber" first made acquaintance with Pierre Loti's famous story, "Madame Chrysautheme," which, with Daudlet's equally famous "TartanV 'de Tarascon," he bought at the good old bookshop of Messrs. H. I. Jones and Son, in'Wanganui, a shop still in existence, and, when I last visited the pretty very progressive town on the . "New Zealand Rhine," as ivcll stocked as. ever with': temptations for the book-lover. And now after'all these years there comes from the publishing house of .T.' Werner Laurie a. new and quite sumptuous edition of the old favourite, and/again I read of Loti's Japanese experiences, and 1 of those of the "big .brother" Yves, who made such unmerciful fun of tlie temporary, and to liuropean ideas, sadly irregular menage which the young French officer of the Triomphante set up in Nagasaki with the slant-eyed, black-hairedj dainty, but kittenish little Japanese dame whom he. immortalised ,as' Madame Chrysantheme. iThe Japan of to-day is very different from the- Japan "which Loti knew, but. his . 6tory, with , its piquant little sketehes.'ofv Japanese -life, its;' delicate satire, its' quiet- ironic humour, is as readable as ever. Its main incident, -once accepted as a "custom of .'the country," there', is nothing very much in the book to affright tho Mrs, Grundy tribe. On the other hand, the story is replete with a singular and most'fascinating beauty." The new edi-'! tion is a fine octavo, printed on plate paper, and, containing all tho delightful illustrations by- Rossi 'and■ Myrbaclv j which appeai-ed in the original'Guilkume edition (from -which .my Wanganiti purchase, published.by-:Eoutledge, -Was a translation). ''Some of thp bracks show signs of the wear- and.tear of age, but for the mostV'part'theiy are; as'delicate' and charming.ae^eyer.There must be nowadays a generation /of readers who know not /'Madame G r ! 1r y s all til em o." They could not make .acquaintance with that attractive little person' in a'iprettier dress than that in which she is now presented by Mr. •Werner iLaurie. (New Zealand price, 10s.)

SOME FAIRY TALES. A. few weeks ago attention was drawn in these columns .to a "Book of-. Nursery Rhymes," illustrated by Miss Margaret Tennant, and published by Messrs. Ward, Lock and Co. From the same publishers, per Whitcombo and Tombs, now comes a companion volume of "Fairy Tales,": edited by Harrr Golding, and illustrated by coloured illustrations by Miss Tennant. The stories include many of the old favourites, which have provided entertainment for the young folks of so" many generations, but Miss Tennant's pictures, as in "The Nursery Tales," form the chief attraction. They exhibit a fertile imagination, a, keen sense of humour—of that special kind of humour ; which makes successful appeal to the juvenile taste— a graceful 'draughtsmanship, and a fine and delicate restraint in the employment of colour. Miss Tennant's pictures should be a pure joy, not only to the young folk for whom the book is intended, but to everyone who can appreciate -work which' is genuinely artistic. The frontispiece and the end papers are specially attractive examples" of Miss Tennant's imaginative and delicate art. An ideal gift book'for the little folk. (Price not stated.)