Books Reviewed

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 489, 19 October 1928, Page 14

Books Reviewed

HIDDEN TREASURE. AN ATTRACTIVE little maid in a scarlet jumper, a laddie whitling a tent pole, and the alluring title “Silver Island” —this latest story by Edith Howes should be assured of a warm welcome. For once the author has deserted the realm of faerie; and Jim, Enid, and the engaging Wuffles are ordinary, happy-go-lucky little mortals who find fun and adventure on an uninhabited Island that is a tiny New Zealand paradise. Here, on an unauthorised holiday, they spend happy, sunshiny days, tinged with just the excitement that will appeal to the juvenile heart. There is a cave, and

there are mysterious footprints in the sand; there is a fight with an octopus; and there is hidden treasure. The island takes its name from the silver that is supposed to be hidden on it, but the wealth that the children garner is the loss romantic, but equally valuable ambergris. There was a time when New Zealand children were fed on stories of English nursery life. That day is happily now past, and the fresh, openair atmosphere of this story of Stewart Island is one of its most attractive features. Miss Howes is on intimate terms with the creatures of the bush and the beaches, and not the least interesting chapter in the book is entitled "The Kiwi.” Here is a present for any niece or any nephew this Christmas! “Silver Island.— Edith Howes. 'Whitcombe and Tombs. Ltd. Our copy from th» publishers. All New Zealand In its third year of being, the “New Zealand Artists’ Annual,” edited by Mr. P. A. Lawlor, goes to prove that from little saplings big trees may grow. The first number, of tentative slenderness and modesty, served its purpose in establishing the fact that sufficient artistic and literary talent exists in the Dominion to make a yearly gleaning a reasonable venture; the second “Annual” had grown beyond recognition, while the third issue has a brightness and stability that speaks of an assured future. Full-page drawings by Harry Rountree and George Finey are

featured, while other New Zealand writers and artists who have sought wider fields abroad are well represented. An interesting addition is a hitherto unpublished poem by the late Dick Harris, whose lyrics and wistful verses have now been collected. Among the artists who have con-

tributed to the Success of the annual are A. S. Patterson, of the “Dominion,” G. E. Minhinniek (Auckland Sun), M. G. Skipper (“The Bulletin,” Sydney), Tom Glover, “Alec,” of “Aussie” fame, ♦ Gordon Mclntyre, Ken Alexander, Tom Bell, P. G. Reid, R. W. Coulter, M. Matthews, and Stuart Peterson, while the letterpress has the support of such writers —most of them known to readers of The Sun— as Jessie Mackay, Dora Wilcox, Edith Howes, Eileen Duggan, Winifred Tennant, Margaret Macpherson, Mona Tracy, Robin Hyde, Hector Bolitho (now a prolific novelist), Will Dawson, Pat Dawlor, “Riverina,” lan Donnelly, lan Coster and many other poets and short-story writers, whose work is well known in New Zealand and Australian journals. A thoughtful article on the late Katherine Mansfield from the pen of A. R. D. Fairburn, is also included. “The New Zealand Artists’ Annual,” published by P. A. Lawlor and printed by New Century Press, Ltd., Sydney. The Marriage Modern. The modern world and modern youth are very well known to Mr Grant Richards, and novels are always sophisticated and mostly interesting. His latest effort is “The Hasty Marriage,” a headlong affair with the scene set in Monte Carlo and England, and its characters of vintage 1927 or 1928. It is daring in places, giving one the sense of hearing what is going on in the bedroom while the door is just ajar. As a piece of thinking, however, “The Hasty Marriage” is not wonderfully profound. It deals with the marriage of Gisele Ogden, Irish-American and very charming, and Terence Starrett, English and debonair. Their parents object to any suggestion of marriage. So the story concerns the efforts of the two to keep their marriage secret until approval is gained, and the attempts of Terence to placate one Claire, a lady of the stage who once had his affections. Joe Mitchell, a stout fellow and a scholar, also enters into the plot. “The Hasty Marriage.” Grant Richards. Jonathan Cape, London. Our copy from the publisher. The Building of Civilisation. A review on broad lines of the origin of modern civilisation can scarcely be dull. Even if it is badly done it has the interest of its splendid theme. “The Foundation of Modern Civilisation,” by H. C. Thomas and W. A. Hamm, is not badly done; some of it is very weii done, in fact; and all of it can he read with pleasure. But the authors want the unifying grasp and the powerful sense of direction which are essential to the highest success in their task. Their arrangement is rather incoherent and scrappy; their treatment is unsteady —they waver towards a national point of view too often and into excess of detail in the national history. But ‘here is a great deal of honest work in the book, which is astonishingly cheap and should be useful to many students and general readers. “The Foundation of Modern Civilisation.” H. C. Thomas and W. A. Hamm. John Hamilton. Our copy from the publisher. A Backwoods Feud. That critical journal the “Saturday Evening Post” does not publish stories without merit, which is a recommendation for Clarence Budington Kelland, author of “Knuckles”. The reader accompanies Warren Cross, an efficiency expert in the employ of the Consolidated Lumber Company, from New York to the mill town of Colchester, his job there being to show cause why a mill bought by his company should make a big loss instead of a big profit soon after the change of ownership. How he traces the cause to a backwoods feud and finally straightens out the tangle makes interesting and exciting reading. Mr Kelland creates some eccentric characters, but he can persuade the reader that they are real, “KnucWes.” Clarence Budington Kelland. Hodder and Stoughton, Ltd. Our copy from the publishers’ Australian representative. Publications Received “ Tui’s Annual. —“ The New Zealand Dairy Exporter” Annual. Containing the result of the annual’s Christmas competitions. Full of good reading, excellently arranged and illustrated. Striking cover design by M. Lynn Gurney (winner of a £l2 12s prize). 112 pp. Clark and Matheson, Ltd., Auckland. Our copy from editor, Mr. A. J. Heighway, P.O. Box 1001, Wellington. “ Stead’s Review. I’—Vol. 1 ’ —Vol. XLV, No. 10. First number of new series issued under control of new company. Thoughtful and well-written articles on topics that will interest the man who follows world affairs. Stead Review Pty., Ltd., 241 William Street, Melbourne, C.l. “The Eucharistic Congress in Sydney.” —As described by Frank A. Russell

in the Melbourne “Herald.” Reprinted in booklet form as a souvenir. Our copy from the Melbourne “Herald” Publishing Co.