LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 181, 20 April 1918, Page 11

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Pepys and His Diary. A. correspondent (H.F., Wangamti), wlio, by tho way, thanks "Liber" for .having drawn attention to "tFio most amusing book I havo read for somo years past," ,asks: "What is tho correct > way to pronounce tho liamo .'Pepys , ?' , I think I have- nnsuoral this question on a provio'us occasion. According to the lato Mr. Homy J ,, . Wjieatlo.v, tho famous antiquary and editor, of tlio complote, unexpurgatcd edition of tho immortal Diary, w llio doscondants of the Diarist's sister (Samuel himself left no issue) continue tho pronunciation of Pepys as "Poorm," whilst other members of tho family appear to favour that of "Peppis." "No mornher of tlio family," says Mr. Wheatley, i<? known to call himself 'Pops,' and yet this is tho form generally favoured by the public." I gather this information from tho volume of ■J'cpj'sianii (Vol : 9 of tho Wheatley edition of fho Diary), compiled by Mr. Wheatley. Many years ago tho lato Mr. Ashby Sterry, in ono'of his "Bystander" articles in tho "Graphic," expressed a partiality for tho unauthorised popular pronunciation in tlio following excellent epigram:— There are people, I'm told—soino say there arc heaps— Who speak of tho talkativn &imuol as Peeps; And romp, so precise and pedantic thei" step is, Who call Uio delightful old Diaviet Ppppis, i But those T think vighl, and'T follow ■ ttioir slops i Ever mention Uio garniloiis gossip ns Peps. Personally, I givo my vote for Peeps, but a roso by any other name would sinoll just, as sweet, nnd i,ho main tiling is t/> read and onjoy tlio famous Diary, which must over,'in "Lilxsr's" humlilo opinion, rank alongsido Roswell'fi "Johnson" and Walpolo's "fipttora" as ono of tho best "dipping books" ever written. As to tho "Diary of tho Great Warr," and tho "Second Diary of tho

f<reat Warr," by Samuel Popys, junior, I.only hope that all who read these amusing books may bo tempted to make acquaintance, if they do not know him already, with the first and original Samuel and his famous Diary. Tlio Wheatloy edition was first published by George Bell and Sons iir 189399, and consists of the Diary (in eight volumes), a volume of "Popyeiana" by tho editor, and an index volume. Tho price wns, I think, 12 S . Gd. per volume. The work is now issued, hoivoyer, in Boll's Standard Library in eight handy-sized, well-printed volumes at os. oacli (English price). This edition is exactly the same as regards tho text and the notes aB tho costly first issue, but it dues not include tbe volume of Popysinna and the index volume. To those who want >a cheaper edition I would recommend tho Globu Library edition in one volume (Macmillnn, 3s. 6d. net), and there is an even cheaper one-voluino edition, published by Simpkin, Marshall and Co., at 2s. net. But in each caso tho work is gr»atly curtailed and expurgated. ' If you want tlio real;. Pcpys, "warts anrl all," you must havo tho Wheatley edition. For 'family reading," of course, Lord Braybrooke's edition, tlio one used by Ma'cmillans and Simpkins, is tlio most suitable, for the Diarist's over-frank descriptions of certain of his escapades are occasionally more amusing than edifying from tho point of view of a strict morality. The Bookman. The beat thing in the January Bookman" (Hodder and Stoughton) is-a long and appreciative article by Laurwicn Binyon on Sir Sidney Colvin's new life of Keats. To Dr. Barry's article on Chesterton's "Short History or England" allusion is made under a separate heading..' Mr. Wm. Canton reviews Mrs. Meynell's now book of essays,' "Hearts df Controversy," and takes grave exception to the essayist's bitter attacks on Swinburne. Mr. George Sampson's new selection from tlnz ltt's "Essays," to which the editor has added somo very valuable, notes is the subject of another article. Many reprints of Hazlitt's "Essays" have there been during tho past i'ow years, but Mr. Sampson appears to have made an independent choice and tlio book, which is published by tlio Cambridge University Press (at 3s. da.), seems to bo well worthy of attention by Hazlitt admirers, not, 1 fear, so numerous a company in New Zealand as they might bo. As usual the illustrations in the "Bookman" are numerous and intoresting. Stray Leaves. Amongst coming new novels 1 notieo a story by Miss Violet Meynell, entitled 'Second Marriage." Miss Meynell s earlier stories, "Columbine" and jNarcissus," were full of fine promiso of oven better work to come. The author conies of a clever'family, being a daughter of Mrs. Alice Meynell whoso poems and essays havo so many admirers, whilst her father, Mr. Everard Moynell, is an accomplished art critic and litterateur. His "Life" of tho poet Francis Thompson is a specially fino piece of work.: . ! ■ ..

Amongst forthcoming uow' poetical ventures, I notice, anew.volumo.of miscellaneous poems by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson, etitled "Whin," and a new collection of verso by tho Irish poet, James Stephens, entitled "Reincarnation." In "Some liawarden Letters." written by Mrs. Drew (Gladstone's daughter), thoro is nn interesting referonco to John Ruskin. Buskin, it appears, had written au-article which interested the G.0.M., and was invited to stay at Hawardon. Ho came (wo read) with a tolegram of recall in his pockot, "as suspiciously as a wild animal entering a trap." When he left ho was on such cordial terms with thorn all that ho wrote at ouco to his publisher to cancel certain strictures -in "Fors," being, as he put it, "greatly dismayed" to.find how much more admirable Mr. Gladstono was than ho had expected to find him. All went well for two years.. Ho was then moved to declare: that ho cared no more for Mr. Gladstone or Mr. Disraeli than he did for two old bagpipes. This ho could not) retract, so ho explained to Mrs. Drow, ; because ho meant it; nor would ho mind if Mr. Gladstono called, him a "broiicn bottle stuck on the top of a wall," upon which Mr.. Gladstone exclaimed with delight, "Ho stands apart from and above nil other men."

Lord Sanderson has written a brief but compact and very interesting monograph on bis old friend and colleajpio, Lord Cromdr. Ho records tho curious fact thnt although young Earing wont to Woolwich at fourteen, and had neither a public school nor a university education, ho was a. devoted lovor of tho ancient clnssics. In tho intervals of- his, heavy official duties, alike iu Egypt and iu India, ho "devoted much patient and methodical labour to the making of extracts and sunimarios, and his ''Commonplace Books ,, contain some 1500 pages of excerpts, mingled with shrewd, frank, and sometimes very humorous anecdotes and comments." Tlio monograph is full of interesting information concerning a mnn who must take a front plaeo in tho ranks of British Empire builders. Tho English prico is Is. fxl.

Following t.ho proccdont sot by the Now ZcalnnderH, a special Australian war souvenir record is to be, published, written and illustrated by Australians at, tho front. 'i'ho titlo is "Fighting Australia."

English papers by tho last mail record the death of Lewis Carroll's brother, tlio .Rev. Edwin H. Dodgson, who died at tlio family homo in tho , quint Surrey town of Cluildford,' ivlinro Lewis Carroll himself passed away in 1.898. A. fun , years ago "Libor" happened i/i be in (iiiildfonl on a special visit Id what is due of tho host-stocked second-hand—or, an they call them nowadays, antiquarian—bookseller's shops in all England. His kindly cicoroiic pointed out tlio hoiiso wliero tho author of "Alico in Wonderland" died, and offered to show me Dodgson's gravo in tho local cemetery.. It was, however, a slooty, niisornbli) dii'.v in Fobrunry, and I. did not avail mysolf of tlio olTer. Tho lato Mr. DodgKon was for many yoars engaged in missionary work on that de.soliilo island, Tristan D'Acunha, at which soino of tlio Now Zealand clipnors, colonial hound, used to touch in tho old dnye. Ono would scarcely hnvo thought that tho present wsih an opportiino l.iino for tbo issuo of an English translation of a Gorman writer's works. But them aro Germans and Germans, and had llenrich Heino boon living to-day Im would havn neon a hitler donoiiiicor nf Hun snviißOi'y. As a matter of fuel, Iloiiin loved (lormaiiy so JiUln that he lived the hitter and major part of his lifo in l'aris, and Prussian arrogance has nevor been more, scathingly satirised (.him hy this clever German .low. Somn yon re ago tho Ink Oliarle.s Godfrey Leland (of "Hans Ilro.itumiin" faino" editoil ton volumos of translations from Ifoino. Mr. H&inejaann is now roisnuing l.he.

"Poetical Works" in four handy volumos at 2s. oneh. I expect this is a reprint of the Lcland edition.