LIBER'S NOTEBOOK.

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 74, 21 December 1918, Page 11

LIBER'S NOTEBOOK.

Stray Leaves. The "Mugwump" I know, but I confess that "a ,Stn;;niick" is .1 term which conveys no meaning to me. it.is used by a New York publishing firm, so it appeara, to designate a reader "who thinks Gorky a brand of caviare; Balzac■• tho liiinio of a iniiiiiig'slockj Ellen Key tho > author of "J'lie iitiir-Spanglcd Banner' ; John Jlacy the proprietor of a department store; and Bailer's 'Way of AH Flesh' a sex-book'.' . All this apropos to it new series of reprints culled "Tho Jlodern Library." "Don't ho a 'stagnnck,' read good hooks"—so concludes an advertisement which certainly possesses tho merit of originality. llr. -Ciniut Jiichardis, ' the well-kiiow;\ English publisher, whose weekly "Letter" in "Tho Times" Literary Supplement affords .such a pleasant admixture of -literary gossip and .advertisement, quotes, I notice, in a recent "Letter," certain remarks made in this column some time ago as to the curious lack of discrimination .-romelimes displayed by liio Home buyers or ".selectors" for 'the New Zealand bcok 'market.

Evidently the cost ot paper is not, as yet; at least, any lower in England, for I notice.that Mr. Vifield, who publishes the works of Samuel Butler, of "Krewhon" fame, announces that he will shortly bs compelled to make a .further advance in the prico of these, works! llr. \V. ,T. Locke's latest novel, "The An English living pot'l, whoso, work has always had a select.if not very extended audience of derated admirers, is llr. Herbert Trench..' His "Battle, .of tho ll'arue" has been hailed in certain quarters as the finest'poem for which tho war has been responsible. Mr. .Trench's inoro recent work has now been collected in two. volumes, entitled "Poems, With 801110 Fables in Prose."

Hough lioad," which has been on sale in America since last August, lias at last 'made its appearance in an English edition. It is doubtful, however,. whether ' copies will bo on sale hero until -well into January. T. am a great: admirer of Jfr. .T. D. BeresforiVs novels, notably his ".Jacob Stnhl" triology and that grim'but powerful study of dipsomania, "The House in Demetrius Road." His latest; story, "God's Counterpoint," however, fppdis to be, from Knglish nnd American reviews Iliereof, • to be.. a- iunrbid nnd repellant ■production.-- The. Now York "Hun" remarks:— ' •

To devotp 384: page l ! to picturing, the hideous mental adventure:! oJ 11 perverted nioriil coward Is tvs sU-iliiiis; an inetoiicc of slieer waste 'as we can recall. -Anil all that -My. Bercsford can claim for hi!) book is that it presents oho-of tho most ignoble heroes in all fiction, sUirk and unrelieved by a iiiiiglu grace. : ' The mass, of literaturowliicli can bo gathered together on a single subject is astonishing. Thus Lord Ha.rcourt has recently presented the famous English public school,, Kton College, with hie. collection of Ktouiana. It ends at tho dale l'JOfl, ami contains, more than 2000 volumes, nut. cuuii'ting. the issues of (school periodicals.- ...'.'.- j\laijiirio Bowcn's new.' story, .-. "The Hiirning Glass," is a romance of Parisian life bcfoi'o. the Devolution. .':• 'rho New. York "Bookman" .is now published by- Urn-George 1-1, Dofau C'omjiauy. In the first , number to appear under the new-ownership,- "The Bookman" contains the first instalment of a. serial elory, "Jeremy," by tlie clever English novelist , , Hugh Waliiole. That-delightful humorist, Clirisloj.'iier Morley, - Vliose "Parnassus on Wheels" wns such a crfpital book," is al-K , . a contributor,' and Arnold Jieimetl. has a shod article, '"('he I'ear of .Knowlwlge," in which he. gives some useful advice (much in the strain of that in his book on "Literary Taste") on what to read and. how to read it.

The new story by I hose, clover writers, Ihe Williamsons, is entitled "Everyman's Ijnnd." [(.deals with the romance oi an Irish nurse- aiid an American soldier-liiver, the background being -Hie devastated .li'rench War. 7.011 c. SOME RECENT FICTION. "The Island Mystery." ■Hiss "Daisy Donovan, Ilio prelly lint much-spoiled daiifigler of "Popper" Donovan, a .multi-millionaire from "('heecuwger" or fincinuatli,, , 'or'OshknVli (Jfich.), 1 really forget which,-wants to be a Tlnrupan ipiten. So her oliligiHs "popper" fmys her the tiny island of Snlifso, which is V'omowhere in the Aegean Fea, and is part, of the luni'dom of Mcgalia, whoso monarch, Kinn; Konrnd, is a " hard-lip gambler who much prefers Paris and .ifonte Carlo to Megalia. A penial Iri.»limnii, a Nationalist .Af.P., arraiisres the deal, and Hie Donovans take possession. T may how remark that all this was just "bofuh de. Willi."' as the Southern nepvoes used to say. Now, the Germans had specially selected Rali=sa as a submarine base, and had secretly stored in n cave ilie-rcoii a huge supply of pelrol. Henep, wlien Berlin henrs of llippp iiifprferimr Ta"kee« pettlinp there, tJipj'P is trouble. Exnctlv how Hie trouble work'son', how. .by tlie aid of the ingen'ous O'finrmaii, n' nice-lfinkins young officer of' the English niPrcl'imt forviee, plus s\ youiif; lady named' Kallione. a native of Vlie island, wlio j>o.ts as Jliss Donovan's tiring maid, the Germans—more particularly a bumptious find in other ways offensive Teuton : naval- officer—are oiifwillcd. how Miss Donovan finds a husIxiiid win if not of royal blood, jvvd how

"popper," lvv. convielion a "pacifist," dral«s vitb the objectionable von Mill—all this shall vdu find set forth witb' uiifiilinj? vivacity in a story .cnllo'l "The , Island Mysterv" (?.fethueii and Co.). written V that skilled camnounder of fiction, "fi. A. Birminghnm" (otliofwise Cltiioh TTnnnay), to whom we own "Snnnish Gold" and so many olhnr diverlinr; prndiift'ions. .Tust the book Ibio for n ?e:ipide lianimoclc, or the Main Trunk "smoker," or a si tamer deck chair.