SECONDHAND THOUGHTS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 26, Issue 666, 10 April 1952, Page 13

SECONDHAND THOUGHTS

MEN OF OTHER PLANETS, by Kenneth Heuer; Victor Gollancz. English price, 12/6. ACCORDING to a note on one of "the fly-leaves of this book, it is "copyright 1951 by Kenneth Heuer," but since it is usually permissible to quote brief passages from copyright works one May perhaps draw attention to a note which appears on the page facing the table of contents. It runs, in part, Grateful recognition is given by the author to the popular French astronomer Camille Flammarion, whose works have influenced considerably the writing of this book. . . This appears to be no more than the truth. In its general theme, its speculative strain, the strenuously "popular" style of writing (Flammarion himself was regarded by his contemporaries as un astronome vulgarisateur), Men of Other Planets is remarkably similar to Dreams of an Astronomer. In some places the resemblance goes even deeper. ~~ For example, on page 39 of the English translation of Dreams of an Astronomer, one reads: These are very different conditions of existence from those which govern the destinies of the Earth and of the planets of our group. Two suns! What curious alternations of seasons! What variations in the climates! What transformations in the doubtlessly very rapid changes of their’ vitality! What complications of their calendars. . . The corresponding passage in the gospel according to Heuer runs: .These are very different conditions of existence from those which govern the destinies ‘of the earth and other planets of our group. Two suns! What curious alternations of seasons! What variations in the climates! What strange lighting, abolishing the shadows and creating contrasts of which we can hardly imagine the effect! What complications of their calendars. . .. In his transcription, Mr. Heuer in- | cludes the so Gallic exclamation marks, | but quite omits inverted commas. Nor is | this a solitary example. On page 99 of | Men of Other Planets there is a much | lengthier passage which gives the period of the Martian year "according to Flam- | marion," and follows that with 150. words of romantic speculation lifted | almost verbatim from pages 114-115 of Dreams of an Astronomer. Here again quotation marks are not employedthough Mr. Heuer is more careful with | quotations from his contemporaries. __ His book, in fact, is Flammarion | brought up to date-and he should have said so plainly. It is entertaining read--ing-a diverting survey of the theories | men have formed in all ages concerning | the universe-but since Mr. Heuer has_ not acknowledged the full extent of bie | indebtedness by footnote or bibliography it is not possible to say how much of

it is his own,

J.

M.