BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 197, 15 May 1920, Page 11

BOOKS OF THE DAY

NScuth Sea Foam." Mr. A. Saffroni-Middleton, whoso earl- . ler books on tho South Seas have at- ; tracted 'so much notico, now to i the field of his first successes and gives .< lis, in his ."South Sea Foam". (Methuen j end Co.) a very lively, if highly hnagin- j ativoand. not-a little over-coloured, de-r i Boription of his adventures in Samoa, Ta- j hiti, and certain islands in the lessknown, but exquisitely beautiful, Marquesas. where, nearly a century ago now, Mr. Herman Melville found tho material for his two famous romances. : "Types" aJid "Oomoo." A 'professional i .violinist, a confirmed Bohemian and oiie i who evidently found the wild free life ■; of the, islands much more to his taste than playing in Australian orchestras, the author wandered to and fro through the-Islands, being. every where received - ■with kindness by the natives, .from whom he gathered many quaint legouds and stories which lio now dresses lip for papalangi amusement and instruction'in an exceedingly attractive style. H© and his friend, a young Italian who played the guitar, and shared his companion's affection for the free and easy existence to. bo found in old-time Apia and Papeete,, to 6ay nothing of the even , less sophisticated society of Nuka Hivii, had many desperate flirtations with the ( brown yet comely maids who threw them hibiscus blossoms and sang and ; danced for them under the shade of the odorous frangipannis and flamboyants, whilst ' their paronts were alternatively coaxed with gifts of tobacco, or charged with the strains of the exotic musio. ployed for them by the wanderers. The book is not all comedy. Dramatic and even ( tragic incidents find their place in the ( narrative, and if at times these may be a. trifle over-coloured and open to.tho suspicion of too .careful elaboration,. at .least there can be no question as to the 'excellent-entertainment provided in the volume: Mr. Middleton possesses a dis- . tinct gift for picturesaue narrative, and like its piedecessor3, "South Sea Foam should delight a big public. Tho subtitle of tho book is "The Romantic Adventures of a. Modern Don Quixote in the South Seas." The author,; however, displays himself as a much more sophisticated adventurer than was tho-Knight of La. Mancha. By Thackeray's Daughter. "From Friend to Friend"- (John. Murray; per Whitcombe and' Tombs) is a volume possessed of a certain pathetic interest, for it is the last work to come from the, ever .graceful pen 'of .Thackeray's daughter, the late' ' Lady Anne Richmond Ritchio.' The book comprises a number of interesting sketches and studies, , some here published for the first timo. In the title, sketch Lady Eitchie gives some interesting studies of the Ten-: nysons and their friend and confidante, Mrs. Julia Cameron. Another eSsay or gossip is devoted to the gifted family of tho Kembles; more' particularly-to clever Adelaide Kemble {Mrs. ■ Sartoris),. who; -wrote that delightful book,'"A Week- in - ' a, French Country House."' There "are. sidelights, also,- on the Brownings, Sand,' and that other tainted, but very different," George, George 'Eliot "Omar Khayyam FitzGerald"; Frank . Stone, of tho Dickens circle, and many other famous Victorians. Travel sketches and a short storv make up a volume of greatly varied literary interest. ; "Ypros," 1914. " ' • ; ' 'Spites'; Mli"'instable'andT'Co.,' per-' the Australasian : Publishing . Co. and ■ Whitcombe and Tombs), , is tho title given • to ■ an English translation by "6 C;W'.," of a'German book.' written in thb autumn of 1917 by Captain Otto Schwink. a German Staff officer,der of the.Chief of the General, Staff of • the Field Army, and stated to have been founde'd on official documents. An .introduction. embodying mucli'sliTewd criticism of the German account .of the Ypres battles of 1914. is furnished l»y tho' historical section (military branch) of the . Committee of Imperial Defence. Copious notes are also given,. in the.course of which many inaccuracies in the German Tecord aro exnosed. In the. concluding chapter the German author, although, .claiming that the first battle of. Ypres was a Gorman victory, admits, that , we had not succeeded in making a .'decisive' break through, and the dream o£ ending; the campaign in the West in our* far-! our during 1914 had to be consigned to; the grave."' ; The book contains 'many, "lapses from good taste." as might indeed . be fully expected in'any imUteiy work of Hun origin, but as,the English editor pointedly remarks, "the general nature of the narrative is too, satisfactory to tho" British Army'-to make any omissions necessary when presenting it to the British public." ;, 'The Work of the V.A.D> ' In an editorial "Foreword" to a modest little volume entitled. "The Work of V.A.D. London I During, the War , (George Allen and TTnwin, LtdOr Stanley Unwin reminds the reader that all in the detachment of whose practically useful and excellent work a- record is here given, were "medically unfit for service.". "over military age," 0r... low category" men who had been exempted from military scrvice on other grounds. Nevertheless, it is astonishing what, a substantial amount of -really hard; work the members of the detachment managed', to put through. As Mr. TJriwin says, the spirit of the "willing volunteer permeated the detachment, "the ardour of its members suffered no diminution even when certain' journals of the baser sort discovered they were slackers," and publicly branded them as such'. Bed Cross -ivork mainly engaged tho energies : of the members,- and of this an interesting and instructive, although necessarily not an exhaustive account, is given. Several illustrations, chiefly of hospital scenes, add to tho interest of tho narrative. " _. " ; Some Christian Essentials of Recohstruc- ' tion. Under the above title is published;, "by ■ Messrs. Gcorgo Bell and Sons a collection of essays, specially prepared for delivery as lectures at tho Summer School of the Interdenominational Conference of the British. : Social Service Union. The lectures, which deal with various phases of the leading social problems which confront the world to-day, and l which the authors hold "should be settled on a basis of practical Christianity," are the work of various well-known social service workers, including, amongst others, Sir George Parish, the Bishop of Lichfield. Mr. Clutton Brock, and the Rev. . A. J. Carlvle.. America Through Australian Eyes. .The Hon. H. Y. .Braddon, a member of the Legislative Counoil of New. South Wales, "who has paid several visits to America as Commissioner for the .Commonwealth. of Australia to the _ United States, has written in his "American Impressions" (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, per Whitcombe and Tombs), a little book whioh it is to be hoped may_be widely rend not only in Australia, but in Now Zealand. Mr. Braddon's gifts of shrewd perception, well reasoned judgment, and good-natured criticism have enabled him to give - non-travelled Australians and. Now Zealanders a much more accurate insight into _ various American movements, tendencies, and sentiments—especially where British- interests aro concerned—than can be obtained from many muoh longer and moro pretentions, works. In helping Americans to better understand Australia and the Australians, Mr. Braddon must have done the Commonwealth admirablo service. Equally good and practically useful is tho service he now renders in assisting Australasians to arrive at a true and more sympathetic comprehension ot the difficulties with which the American Government had to contend during the earlior war period. In a series of wollwritten essays, he discusses- American politics, finance, business methods, the

negro problem, tho attitude of the IrishAmericans towards Great Britain, and many other equally important and interesting subjects. His final sentences may be quoted :— ■ Both nations are geographically outside war-strlcken Europe. Both are capable, in a detached and observant way. of economically assisting Europe in the four of its terriblo need. If those two preat nations hold thdmselves apart, and nermit pettiness to separate t-hem, it will amount* to a crlmo in tho face of High. Heaven. On the contrary they have it in their hands, b;.' frank *.n<i friendly ;-nterworkine, to assist Europe to rebuild its shattered prosperity. In their hands largely lies tUo safety of tho world. It would bi well wert every public man in Australia and New Zealand—including every 'member of. the journalistic profession—to "rend, mark, learn, and inwardly digest" this admirable little work. "The Substance of a Dream." "The Substance of a Dream," by F. W. Bain (Methuen and Co.), is described by its author as. being "half a lovo story, half a fairy taie." It is the latest addition to a long series of stories in which Mr. Bain, for many years a . at the College of Poona, lias skilfully'utilised Indian legends, beliefs, and folk lore, taken in sonto instances from Hintln manuscripts never' beforo translated. In these Mr. Bain _ has found rich treasure trove of Oriental lomance, drama, and even tragedy. of the stories deal with some particular phase of Hindu Teligious faith All are written in a gracefully picturesque style, and some of them aro exceedingly fascinating to Western, readers. ■ They have been described 1 as Hindu poems in English prose, a description which those who know such books as "A Digit of the Moon," "A Heifer of the Dawn," and "The Great God's Hair" will at once accept' and oonfirm. In 'Mr. Bain's latest book, the eternal feminine is well to the foro. The story deals with love, disappointment, hatred—the heroine runs up the whole gamut of a woman's: omotions under dramatic and trying circumstances. As in the earlier stories touch of the charm of Mr. Bain's latest romance lies in tho grace of its telling, but as a series of pictures of Hindu life it has a distinct educational value for English readers. The tasteful typography and binding of the little, volumo must materially enhance its appeal to tile'book-lover. "The Story of Australia for Boys and Girls." There can be no, excuse for presentday British boys' and girls being ignorant as to the extent and/resources of tho great Empire of which they are citizens, sq -many excellent books, are there published dealing with the great oversea Dominions. Such- books- as: "The Story of Australia for Boys and Girls," by Joseph Bryant (Hodder, and Stoughton), are equally adapted for Australian or Old Country reading. In an interesting foreword to Mr. Bryant's book, Sir W. P. Cullen, K.CiM.G., Chief .Justice of New South Wales, ia justifiably enthusiastio over the brave deeds of Australia's sons on the battlefields of Europe, and rightly maintains that the history the land which produced suoh ■ men • will show that the Australian soldiers had inherited their pluek and determination <from the hardy pioneers. ■ The story of theso pioneers, and of. the gradually building up of Australia- into a great nation is set i'orth by Mr.- Bryant with a directness and clarity . .which prove the author to'he well at home in handling historical material. . The. mystery attaching ■ to-the. .gre.a,t f unknown; land-sTnye" la Grande'it.i,s callcd on a map''dated probably first solved by a' Portuguese navigator, soon to bo followed by the Dutch. Mr, ..Bryant credits a Dutchman, Willem Jansz, captain of the Duyfken (The Little- Dove), with beinjr the first_ to effect a landing on Australian soil, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. ,The Dutchman's descriptionof the country was not complimentary. "A land for tlio most part desert, and inhabited _by cruel, black savages," was the opinion Jansz formed of Australia, Mr. Bryant tells how first the: Dutch and then tho British made' Australia Letter known, and co'.i'tinues Australia's history from the period of pioneer settlement right up to the present day,'.his descriptions of tho early pastoralists and their plucky struggle against many difficulties, and His pictures "of tho romance-laden days when the "gold .'fever'" raged being specially, effective. ' In ;the- three finni chapters of an exceptionally well-planned book an Interesting description is given of the fauna and flora of the country, the author having hero had the assistance of acknowledged Australian authorities. It is'to'be hoped that the publishers mny seo their .way. to produce an eaually interesting volume dealing with Now Zealand. 'Sydney' 1 from the Air. From Messrs.. Angus and Robertson, Sydney (per Messrs. Whitcombe and Tombs) comes a well-printed, admirablyillustrated booklet bearing the title "The , ■First Aeroplane .Voyage from England to Australia." Tho author is none other ■than tho intrepid airman, Sir Boss Smith. K.8.C.; whose sensational flight from London to Australia has been tho 'subject of so .much curiosity and enthusiasm.-' The account, given by Sir Ross' Smith of his epoch-making adventure is modestly written, but makes most interesting reading. The chief attraction'of the publication, liowever, lies in its illustrations, reproduced from photographs taken:from the aeroplane by Captain- Frank- Hurley. These show a variety: of views of Sydney, the city, suburbs. and 'harbour, and of various towns in- the New Sintli Wales country _ districts. 'The'booklet forms a most interesting and valuable souvenir of a great exploit, and is well worth preservation. "The Beginner at Billiards." There are eo many ardent devotees of tho game-'of billiards in the Dominion Slat "The Beginner at Billiards," by "Cuk Cavendish" (T. Werner Laurie, Ltd.) should be. welcomed by many New Zealand readers. The author gives just that advice which the average amateur needs to ,set him'on tho high road to proficiency in his favourite pastime.. The book contains many useful diagrams and a special feature i 3 ft reproduction of the new. handicapping table of the British Billiards Control Club, together with some useful hints on tho art of handicapping amateur players.