BOOK REVIEWS
Sir-After hearing the ZB Books (October 28) and the reviewer, R. T. Robertson, I have been wondering whom the session is intended for, and what it is supposed to provide for its listeners. Mr. Robertson dealt at length with the reminiscences of an airman, an officer at times associated with New Zealanders. A long notice would be justified of a book such as Adolf Galland’s which has much to contribute to the theory of aerial warfare, but could this be claimed for Mr. Robertson’s subject? Was it not, rather, a book of popular appeal, of interest to ex-servicemen (or some of them) and ATC cadets, present or prospective? I have no quarrel with noticing books of this. kind, but the time given amply to these reminiscences was time taken from considering Mrs. Wilson’s Moonshine, which was treated briefly, and Mr. Duggan’s Immanuel’s Land, which was treated curtly. Are we to take it from Mr: Robertson’s presentation that he thought the Wilson and Duggan books are not the sort likely to interest his listeners? If he did think this, is he not effectively showing a contempt for his audienceand I do not believe Mr. Robertson would take on, deliberately, such an annoying superiority. On the other hand, we are admitting that books and capable discussion of books have a decided importance for and in our community. Are we to understand that by the time he allocated them Mr. Robertson was showing how much less worthy he thought the two New Zealand books ‘were in relation to the warbird’s jottings? This seems unlikely. I am not setting out to rap Mr. Robertson’s knuckles, but I am suggesting he did considerably less than justice to Maurice Duggan’s fine collection. I wonder if Mr. Robertson was influenced, in‘ apportioning his time as he did, by the fact that this was a ZB programme? It would be a great pity if this did have any bearing on judgments in the book
session,
KENDRICK
SMITHYMAN
(Auckland ).
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19561116.2.12.1
Bibliographic details
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 902, 16 November 1956, Page 5
Word count
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332BOOK REVIEWS New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 902, 16 November 1956, Page 5
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
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