BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 101, 22 January 1921, Page 11

BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

(By

Liber.)

Give a 'man a pipe he can smoke, Give a man a book he can read; And his home is bright with a calm delight Though the room be poor indeed. —James Thomson.

BOOKS OF THE DAY * “The Eucalypts.” The Eucalyptus is essentially AustraIla’s national tree. Its distribution _is practically confined to the Australian continent, only in some islands of the Austro-Malayan group doos the genus occur elsewhere, not even in New Zealand or in the islands of the Pacific. In a preface io his work, "An Anthography of the Eucalypts” (Sydney, Angus and Robertson, per S. and W. Mackay), Mr. Russell Grimwado gives some interesting particulars as to the discovery of what was to William Anderson, the naturalist of the Cook expedition in 1777, an entirely new genus. Anderson, had first noted the treo when a member of Cook's second expedition (1772-5) in his capacity of surgeon, and employed the generic term Aromadondrom to distinguish it. It was his assistant, David Nelson, who, in 1777. gathered the specimen from -which the genus was first botanically described, the name eucalypt being given it by L’fTere. tier. Mr. Grimwade claims that the name Eucalyptus is "admirable alike in euphony and conception.” He says: It has a noble sound, and by its derivation connotes a rare character possessed by few other trees. The actual bloom of the eucalyptus la surmounted by a ltd or "operculum,” which seals the flower until thrown off in the process of opening; the reproductive organs of the tree are then exposed for the process of fertilisation. By this "lid” the essential organs are so well covered as to Justify a generic name derived from the Greek words signifying “well" and "I coyer.” These opercula vary within tho widest - limits in respect of size, shape, and character. But, whether In forest giant or stunted mallee, the operculum is ever present, and unmistakably distinguishes this genus of trees The author describes in detail the loading characteristics of the principal spo cies of the Eucalypts. It is worthy of note that "no other genus affords a tithe of the variety, interest, and inspiration of the Eucalypts, of which at present over 250 species are recognised and recorded with scientific accuracy.” Only one other known genue—Aoaoia —numbers more species than Eucalyptus, and Acacias are of many nationalities, -whereas Eucalyptus is almost purely Australian. The chief attraction, indeed the principal raison d’etre of this handsomely produced- book, at once one of the most important and valuable additions to the botanical literature of Australia that has yet been published, is the series of seventy-nine full-pnge plates which fol low Mr. Grimwade’s botanical essay. The book will, it is hoped by tho author, assist in the identification of species and stimulate research. Artistic effect boa, says tho author, been sacrificed to accuracy, but many of the illustrations are of undoubted beauty. Each plate has nn accompanying scientific description of the species illustrated, thus supplying clues to identification which cannot always be given in a monochrome print. Mr. Grimwade’s Anthography, produced as it is in so completely satisfying a manner, both as to tbp botanical information in the text, and the beauty of the illustrations, is surely destined to become a classical work on the ' subject dealt with. That such a work could have been produced in Sydney speaks volumes for the quality of Australian book . illustration and publishing enterprise.

Soms Chapters fronr Indian History. . Ender the title of "Dupleix and Clive: the Beginning of Empire” (Methuen and Qo.), Mr. Henry Dodwell, M.A., has made an important addition to the already formidable bulk of literature dealing with tho history of the British Empire in India. Mr. Bedwell's position as Curator of the Madras Records Office has given him special advantages for the unearthing and utilising of many im'portant documents unknown to or not used by previous historians, and the result of his labours is a volume whicii must find a place in every well-ordered public or private library which comprises the most reliable historical works. Mr. Dodwefl’a main object in writing his book hne been not so much to attempt any extended personal history of the two "great though essentially different men” whose names appear on the title page of the volume, but rather “to sketch the history of the ideas and conditions which under their impulse resulted in the establishment of the English Company as the principal power in India, and to trace out the obligations of. tho English to the French." These obligations, so the author contends, "have commonly been minimised by the historians of the first, and exaggerated by the historians of the second nation.” Tho book is divided into two sections, the first entitled "The French Effort," and the second, "The English Achievement.” In the first we have an account of how the French and English policies and settlements in India were affected by the War of the Austrian Succession, the alternating successes and failures of Dupleix, the invasion of the Deccan by Bussy, and a general survey and exposition of Dupleix’s Indian' policy. "World Brotherhood.” “World Brotherhood” is the title of a substantial volume published by Messrs. Hodder and Stoughton (Wellington: Whitcombe and Tombs), in which are presented full reports of the speeches and addresses delivered at the First World Brotherhood Congress held in London in September, 1919. The object of the promoters, amongst whom are many leading Englishmen, is set forth by Mr. Basil Matthews, the editor of the volume, in his introduction. The Brotherhood message is, he says, as follows:—•

The Divine Father challenges us with a great opportunity and a splendid task. We are called to carry forward the purpose of Christ and make a world of brothers, a world in which all tho call God Father know men as brokers, a world in which all cherish each and each Jives for all, in which they who are stronger and wiser hold their strength and wisdom in trust for the weaker and needier, a world in which each life has / meaning and is guaranteed a fair inIf’rjtnnco in society in which men regard industry as a social service, and men of great talent organise industries for tSie benefit of the many and not the enrichment of the few, in which the nations regard themselves ns members of one' family, and each holds its treasures in trust for all—this is the meaning of the Christian Gospel, the yearning of mankind, the supreme task of all the men of good will of all lands. The volume contains speeches and addresses by, amongst others, the Rev. John Clifford, D.D., president of the World Brotherhood Federation, Lloyd George, Arthur Henderson, Sir Harry Johnston, the Bishop of London, Professor Gilbert Murray, Lord Robert Cecil, and Miss • Maude Royden, India and Japan being represented amongst the speakers. A large number of excellent portraits of leading men who are members of, or who are in sympathy with, the objects of the Brotherhood, add much to the general in-

terest of the book. "A Prison Chaplain on Dartmoor." A very interesting description of prison life is given in “A Prison Chaplain on Dartmoor,” by the Rev. Clifford Rick'ards (London: Edward Arnold. Ltd.). The ■ author has had twenty-five yearZ experience of religious work in the great prison on Dartmoor, and lie has many interesting stories to tell. There m good to be found in the most, apparently, unpromising places in Hus world ot ours, and ae the author a hows, many of the

criminals in tile great prison on the dreary Devonshire moor are not without their good points. Several ex-convicts from Dartmoor were, he says, conspicuous for their gallantry and good conduct during the late war. Mr. Rickards describee the daily round of the prisoner’s and the warder’s life, recounts stories of several sensational escapes, find h.i» much that is instructive to say concerning prison punishment and tho disciplinary system generally. In his final chapter he advocates, as preventives of the making or criminals, the more careful training or children, the demolition or cleaning up of city slums, and the abolition or tiro drink traffic. Ho would have every prisoner paid a certain sum for worx -performed, and when he is released he should be interfered with fra "tkb-police as ttttle as possible. (N-Z. price. 10s. Cd >

“The English of Commerce ” "The English of Commerce.” by John P. Opdycke (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons: ner Whitcombe and Tombs!, is a hook which should be found extremely useful by all young men and women whb arc adopting a commercial career. It is not only a cyclopaedia of commercial terms, but it provides a clearly-defined and well-ordered course of study, by following which the student may very usefully supplement tho ordinary training of an accountant or business correspondent. Special attent’on is paid to tho writing of advertisements, and to what may be called "sales literature” generally, a useful feature being a collection of proof marks and corrections. Each section is liberally provided with examples and exercises, and there is an exceptionally good index. To the young clerk or business man Mr. Opdycke’s book should prove a most useful and interesting handbook of practical knowledge and instruction. (N.Z. price, 155.). For the Kiddies.

Too late for the recent "gift book season.” but most suitable at any time, as a present for a youthful reader, comes a prettily-produced volume. "Coppertop Cruises,” by Harold Gaze, with illustrations by the author (Melbourne Publishing Co., Melbourne). Mr. Gaze, who has written quite a number of fairy and other stories for the juveniles, here describes. the wonderful voyage of the good ship Queercraft, displaying rich gifts of imagination and a pleasantly engaging literary style. As an artist, he is even more successful flhan as an author, for his pictures, many of which are fullpage plates in colour, are full of a very whimsical and delightful humour. Both in its literary and artistic features, its excellent typography and tasteful binding, this purely Australian production is quite equal to any of the best English and American "juveniles.” LIBER’S NOTE BOOK H. M. Tomlinson’s Sea Books. A writer whose name should be kept in mind by all who love to read of the sea, its my&tery and fascination, and who can appreciate a literary style of exceptional merit, is Air. 11. M. Tomlinson, who. so I notice, is now contributing occasional sketches to that vastly improved weekly "The Athenaeum.” To a shelf of “sea books,” which includes Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick,” Dana’s “Two Years Before the Mast,” Conrad’s "Nigger of the Narcissus,” Clarke Russell’s “Wreck of the Grosvenor,” Edward Noble’s “Tho Grain Carriers,” and other favourites, I hale recently added two books By Mr. H. M. Tomlinson. One, “The Sea and the Jungle,” deals with a landsman's experiences on a tramp steamer which crosses the Atlantic in one prolonged gale, and then proceeds a thousand miles or so up the Amazon. In no other book dealing with the sea have I read such a grimly fascinating description of rough, winver weather in the Atlantic as in the first part of “The Sea and the Jungle.” The secona part, descriptive of the solemn silences of the forest-clad reaches of tho mighty South American river, is written in-.a brilliantly eloquent prose, certain passages being of a most fascinating verbal beauty. “Old Junk," a second and less important book by the same writer, deals with subjects as various as a trip in a dramp steamer along the northern African coast, an adventurous little voyage in a Cornish fishing boat, the dockland of London, the worries of a leader writer told off, at a minute’s notice, to "do a column” on some Balkan problem, etc. The book is a veritable Olla Podrida of out of the way literary odds and ends, but each has its special savour, and the whole is most.' palatable. Sometimes Mr. Tomlinson reminds me of Kipling—sans the everlasting Kipling staccato—at others, of Cunningham Grahame. Always is he essentially a “meaty” writer. When the sketches and essays now being published in "The Athenaeum" come tn be republished, the collection should bo worth buying. Stray Leaves. More than once in this column -I have alluded to th© excellent novels of Frederick Niven, of whose two Scots stories, “Ellen Adair" and “Justice of the Peace." I have specially pleasant memories. I see that Niven’s work has been warmly praised by hie fellownovalist, Hugh Walpole, who declares that Niven is the best Scots novelist since George Douglas. Douglas was the author of that grimly. powerful “House with the Green Shutters,” which came as a much-needed corrective to tlie saccharinity and ultra "goody'-good-nees” of the effusions of the once-popu-lar “Kailyard" school. SOME RECENT FICTION "Pengard Awakes.” Mr. Ralph Straus’s “Pengard Awakes” (Methuen and Co.) Is a study of unconscious dual or "associated" personality. The English baronet who tells the story meets in Chicago a very charming man named Pengard, wlio rare books}/ Pengard’s personality is periodically merged into or dominated by that of one Hartley Sylvester, who has written a psychological work of compelling interest, ’ entitled "Indomitable Man." Wo are asked to believe that while Pengard is quite unconscious of the Sylvester domination, Sylvester, who is .in some way a very sinister figure, knows all about his assumption of Pengard’s nature. The Englishman and his masterful sister, Babette, make friends with a scientist, Louis Arne, who specialises in psychology. Arne’s services are enlisted in tho elucidation of the Pengard mystery, but. he fails to rolve the problem. The solution comes about in a curious way through tho purchase of an old volume at a Dover bookseller’s by the Englishman, who unearths the curious and staggering fact that both Pengard and Sylvester have in reality a. predecessor in personality, whose individuality, dormant through an accident for thirteen long years, is suddenly revived. It is a very startling conclusion worked out in convincing detail. I am not so sure how the average reader will take to stories of this kind. T am rather inclined to CTiink he will find the psycho-analysis novel—begotten of too deep a study of

Jung and Freud—just a little bewildering. "Pengard Awakes” is a very original, very clever book. That it is well written goes without saying, for all who remember “Tho Prison Without a Wall,” and "The Scandalous Mr. Waldo." "A Gift of the Dusk.”

"A Gift of tho Dusk,” by R. O. Prowse (William Collins, Sons and Co.), is an exceptionally well-written novel — the style has at times an uncanny suggestion of the lato Henry James—descriptive of life at a Swiss sanatorium specially affected by English and American consumptives. In a way, it is a very pathetic, very painful story, for both hero and heroine are doomed to bo victims, sooner or later, of the fell disease which has brought, them together. Incidentally, the author gives Us a quietly realistic, but none the less rather repellent insight into the selfishness and greed of the sanatorium proprietors and their servants. Despite such a modified happy ending, as is only possible to tho two leading figures in the story, it must be confessed that Air. Prowse’s novel scarcely makes very cheerful reading.

“In the Wild and Woolly West.” If English publishers could always get hold of so satisfying a "cowboy yarn" as is Mr. Luke Allan’s "Blue Pete, HalfBreed* (London, Herbert Jenkins), there would be no need to import American productions of this kind. Mr. Allan is an Englishman, but he evidently knows the Montana and Canadian cattle country at first hand, for his local colour is richly picturesque. The hero, an Indian half-breed, an expert cattle "rustler” — in other words, cattle thief —is an engaging rascal, a strange compact of good and evil. Befriended by a smart Canadian mounted policeman, he shows his gratitude ’by saving his benefactor s life on more than one occasion. A double love srtory is interwoven with a thrilling account of the feud between the "bad men" and the police. This is one of Air. Jenkins’s three and sixpenmes. It is good value for the money, for those at least who like this particular class of fiction. “Corinthian Jack.”

"Corinthian .Tack,” by Charles Pearce (Stanley Paul and Co.) is a stirring romance of life and sport—more particularly sport—in early nineteenth century days W’hen the young bloods of the age indulged in those daredevil adventures and that flambuoyant dissipation of which Pierce Egan drew so lively a Picture in his "Life in London." Corinthian Jack ' would have been hail fellow well met with the famous Tom and Jerry of Egan’s yarns, and his adventures, as here sot forth, make, very lively reading. Some characters from real life, such os Tom Spring, the famous pugilist, and Ihartell, the murderer, are skilfully introduced, and the sporting life of the period, both in London, and the shires is very spiritedly described.