LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 32, 1 November 1919, Page 11

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Some Notable Biographies. The English autumn publishing season will be responsible for tha appearance of quito a number of notable bcoks. We aio to havo a thrce-vohimo "Life of Lord Kitchener/' by Sir Georgo Arthur, M.\.0., who was private secretary to Kitchener, IDU-191IJ; and a two-volume "Life of William Booth, Founder of the Salvation Army," by Harold Begbie. Then there is the long-promised, fulllength biography of Samuel Butler, of "Erewhon" fnmo, by his friend and literacy executor, Henry Festing Jones; find another interesting announcement is "The Letters of Henry James," an autobiography of the famous American man of letters. All these works aro to bo pushed by blie house of Macmil!an.

A Sequel to "Sonia." In Stephen JPKenna's "Sonia Married," which is, of course, a sequel to the highly successful "iSonia," the novelist reintroduces O'Bane, Sonia, and many other characters in (he first story. Sonia, always erratic in lior affections, has an intriguo with Vinccnt Grayle, tho villain of tho pioco, who, it wotf.d appear, wins her lovo by bullying her— sho has it in common with fllie Ethel M. Dell typo of heroine, in that 6he rather likes being bullied—but in the end sho tires of him, and her husband takes her back, chivalrously acknowledging a chid of whom lie is not the father. One review dcscr.lws tho stay «s "a well-in-formed study of London life during the war, written Ijy a man who has done a good deal more thnn peep behind the scenes. The story of the political intrigues of 1915 and 1916 is fact and not fiction, and it is easy to put real names to the political portraits." Mr. M'Kcnna, it may bo noted, is a nephew of tlio Hon. Reginald M'Kcnna, a member of the Asquith Ministry, and is married to a daughter of Mr. Ascjuith. A New "Jacob." Three or four years ago, when visiting an old friend of mine, whose favourite reading is history and biography, and who, ns a rule, scoffs at all fiction outside Thackeray, Dickens and Trollope, 3 found him arranging on his shelves a complete set of — W. W. .Tacobs's amusing yarns! "Here," said my friend, "is my insuranco against depression when I' find I have outstayed my welcome with my social oirclo, and am thrown back upon my own resources for amusement. I have read and re-read Jacobs s 6torics of sailormen and waterside characters, of ancient skippers and of village '•loafers until I know them almost by heart. I havo now bought a complete set and don't intend to lobk at one single volume until I reach—if Providence allows me to do so—my retiring age. I regard Jacobs as an infalliblo satcguard against boredom." All this is apropos to the announcement of an entirely new collection of stories by the genial English humorist—"Deep Waters" is the title— which is made by Messrs. Hodder and Ptoughton. For'quite a goodly-number of my fiction-loving friends a 'new Jacobs" is a very welcome event. I shall earmark "Deep W<iten>' for my Christmas holiday reading.

"A Tin Treasury." In i lie September issue of the "Cornliill Magazine," a magazine where you will lind no pictures but may always bo pure of (jetting some vcr >' K°°d reading, Mr. Charles L. Graves has an amusing article entitled "Suggestions for ail Irregular Anthology." suggests a colleetion of poems characterised by badness, absurdity,' or eccentricity. In what he would entitle "A Tin Treasury ho would, ho says, include epitaphs, and proceeds t.o c(iiote the following curious example: Hern lies a poor woman who' always was tired, . , "Who lived in a house where no nelp was hired. Her last words on cafth were: Dear friends, I am going Yvlieru there won't bo no scrubbing, nor sweeping, nor Bowing, Tint everything there is exact to my wishes, l-'or where there's no eating there's no washing of dishes. I'll he whero loud anthems i> always a-ringiug, Hut as I've no voice I'm clear of tho singing. Don't mourn for mo now, don't mourn for uio never, For I'm going to do nothing for ever and ever." Lord Bryce on Australasian Politics, Our crst.whilo visitor, Viscount Bryce, has written a new book, entitled "Democracy," in whie.h he deals with the political systems of Australia and New Zealand, as well as with thoso of France. Switzerland. Canada, and the Spanish American republics. New Zcalnnders will bo curious to pee what Lord Bryce has to say on "The Public Service," "Land Legislation," "Undertakings Conducted by the State," and "Compulsory Arbitration in Trado Disputes," which nro amongst the subjects dealt with under tho general head of New Zealand. Maciuillans publish tho book. The Misfortunes of a Manuscript. In one of his always amusing weekly letters'—really an ingenious form of advertisement for his publications—Mr. Grant Richards tells of tho sad mishaps which befell his first edition of Ifowel Evans's new story, "Cribtreo House." Mr, Evans, says his publisher, "wroto tho first chapter, and lost it; be wroto the first chapter again, ami lost it; he. wrote it yet again and it was blown off Eastbourne pier into tho sen; tho carbon copy of tho manuscript was destroyed in error; a mischievous spirit destroyed a Eet of cnrreclpd proofs; the printers lost —yes, lost—the whole first edition and had in reprint it, after, of course, a considerable and very prejudicial delay; no sooner was it actually published than a strike brc'.ko out in the lri?h bindery, and for eight weeks not a copy hu6 been

procurable until this <lny. Hut now that at last it is in tiie book shops its publisher does not despair of its fortunes." "Crabtree House" lias not yet reached New Zealand, but when a ;tpy is availablo I certainly intend to read it—if only to sco whether in reality it deserved to suffer such a chapter of misfortunes. And judging by some of the English reviews of the 'book it does not. But why docs not Mr. Ifichards issue colonial editions of the many good novels which ho publishes?