1934-12-24 — Page 7

LITERARY NOTES

BOOKS BRIGHT AND CHEAP

Mr. M. Sadleir's Contrast With 1834

THE "SUNDAY TIMES"

EXHIBITION

A comparison of 1834 book condi tions with those of to-day was the subject of a speech by Mr. Michael Sadleir yesterday at the Sunday Tima Book Exhibition, which is being in Grosvenor House, W.

Mr. Gerard Hopkins, who presid. ed. introduced Mr. Sadleir- publisher, essayist, novelist, biblin- phile, and biographer-as that very "rare thing in the modern worlik, a real man of letters." Mr. Sadleir, | he emphasised, approached letters not only with his brains, but his emotions. In doing so Mr. Sadleir filled a position in English letters in which he had no real competitor.

Mr. Sadleir, devoting himself to the etion of 1834 and its back- ground, pointed out that the authors! of 1834 were poorly organised. Their sinndard level of achievement, however, was not a great deal lower than to-day. When the author- of | 1834 was successful, he did just as well as the author of to-day, when there was no mystery in publishing, but only cut-throat competition.

Illustrating the magic of the movie makeup, experts.

THE CHINA MAIL, MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1934

Алая Sten, Russian movie player as she appears of the screen, and as the movie fans know her. The photograph at the left” was taken as she arrived in New York to make scenes in Connecticut

for her next picture.

BOOKS AND WRITERS

Literary Statesmen

MOSES AND THE BULRUSHES

The King's Daughter Who Found Him

ABOUT LIFE IN RHODESIA

Fascinating Travel **Book

FULL OF INFORMATION

"Rhodesian Mosale" by Kawdon

Hoare. John Murray, 10s, '&d. A book for those who love the wide open spaces--and who is there who does not sometimes feel the call of the wild? It is well- described as a mosale, for it is more than a travel book.

It offers to the reader consider- Jable information on that vast ter

ritory of more than 150 thousand aquare miles Southern Rhodesis. The history of Rhodesia, is the his- tory of that vory remarkable Em- |pire-builder, Cecil Rhodes, and several chapters are devoted to his exploits.

The author spent some five years in the country, and has surrender. led himself to the strangely power- ful. Influence of Africa. His style is pleasantly discursive, and he; abounds in anecdotes, both hu morous and pathetic, of life on the isolated farms on the veld,

Strange And Thrilling

A life with very fair amenities of civilisation, such as electric plants. "Frigidaire" refrigeratora, and 80 on, but nevertheless - 2 strange and thrilling life, in al land of romance. with danger from wild beasts, from bush fires, and also from the nativea, never to be disregarded. There have been so many novels about life in Rhodesia, which give, says Mr. Hoare, an entirely wrong impres POSSIBLE IDENTIFICATION

alon. Life is not the orgy of "sundowners" and galeties we BY ENGLISH WRITER

have been led to believe, but a Who was that "daughter of planters and their women folk. very strenuous affair both for the Pharaoh," unnamed in the Bible, often in the midst of heartbreak- who took Moses from the buling disappointments,

Sir Charles Maraton identifier cluding the gorious and awe-in- The descriptions of scenery, In- novel bore of realism and of works comments on their subjects and her and tells her story in his new spiring Victoria Falls, are fascing- racily picturesque which were insonalities, will be of. extreme in-book, "The Bible is Truce" (Eyreting, and the..freshness and indi-

"Realistic" Novela

Psychologically the novelists of The statesmen have taken to the 1834 were not, very different from pen with a vengeance recently, those of to-day: they were pathetic. First we get Mr. Winston Chur- aspiring, vain, generous and selfish. chill's second volume of "Mari- (Laughter.)

borough, His Life and Times". Next. comes the second volume of Lord Snowden's autobiography from In 1834 the categories correspond-Ivor Nicholson and Watson, and ed with those of to-day. There following on, and from the same were novels of warfare, and there publishers, the fourth volume of Mr. was also a tremendous vogue for the Lloyd George's War Memoirs. costume novels and romances which cidentally, there are now two other of late had been so popular,

hooks In preparation which. In view A peculiarity of that time was the of Mr. Lloyd George's outspoken

per

In-

rushes ?

praise of the philosophic and gal-terest and importance. The first is and Spottiswoode, Ts. 6d.).

Lord Jellicoe's "The Submarino She was a relative and rival for sions make the book delightful

lant criminal. Here, again, there

viduality of the author's Impres-

was a similarity in the modern flood Peri", which Cassells will issue the throne of Egypt of the man reading. It is a pity that there

of detective, novels.

shortly; and the other is Professor for whom "Cleopatra's Needle" Trevelyan's biography of Viscount now on the Thames Embankment Although the works of Dickens Grey of Fallodon, which Longmans was built. did not begin before 1836, Dickens will publish. owed a debt to 1834, for in that year

Sir Charles proves that Moses [was born about 1520 B.C. Ia Egyp-

the qualities and characteristics he Sir Philip Gibbs's

"European

frontispiece of are no Illustrations, except for a his homestead, "Fairview."

developed so observantly were al Journey," published under the joint tan history that is in the period TWO GOOD FIRST

ready being employed. There were Holnemann-Gollancz, imprint, is a when the country was dominated

not so many publishers in 1834 as brilliant survey of the state of by Princess Hatshepsut.

now, but the critics were anonymous Europe to-day. In the meantime. Her father, Thothmes I., was

and never influential.

NOVELS

and influential. To-day's great readers may cogitate on this less ruling then. He ruled a few years The Knights of Seleby" is a first critics were very rarely anonymous serious problem which Sir Philip before the exodus of the Children novel to be recommended. It has a Many rea unwittingly sets in his introduction: of Israel from Egypt, and Sir really interesting story, its portraits

connection Hons could be advanced for the he calls one of his companions "the Charles explains the change.

novelist," and describes him thus: between these events.

Hatshepsut's mather was

5.47

Hated

are admirably clear, and the writing le simple and good. Selsby is al One was that literary criticism He is in appearance a strange and daughter of another king of Egypt is more or less run by two men, the town on the north-east coast, which had become a little suspect. It was attractive combination of Lord Ro-so the princess was doubly royal, knights both of them, and cach, at exaggerated, in his opinion, to any bert Cec!l as a young man and that Neither her father nor this was because criticism followed great genius Grock in his noble kings who followed him had that however, the bitterest rivals. Also the two various times, Its Mayor. They are, the advertisements. It was suspect, moods. Temperamental, excitable distinction. he thought, because of the persis and nervy, he has a childlike quality

neither of them is too scrupulous in tent habit of signing. Anonymous of responding to every new Impres

business. criticism was tacitly accepted assion. He is well known as a novelist believed that Hatshepsut ought to stitutes an inquiry-with unexpect There was a strong group who so bad that the Home Office In- Affairs, indeed, become editorial opinion, and to that extent critic, and poet.....We joined him be on the throne. Her father tried ledly piquant results. It seems to carried greater weight. He did not in Paris, and dragged him down to secure direct succession for her, me that Mr. Paul Williams has be know whether the power of criticism from the society of French dukes could be re-established. but he and other aristocrats to our social leading part in the government of of Sir Richard's brother, the rough But while he lived she took a gun unusually well, and his portrait thought it desirable.

level, which was strictly limited to the country. Finally, in regard to the public, second-class hostelries and ordinary Moses, the Bible tells, became rarely opens his mouth except to put but knowledgeable Wally who so they had in 1884 books that were folks.

her son. He was therefore hated food or a cigar into it, is about as clearly readable, but somewhat dull

Sir Philip does not disclose the by Thomas II. and III., who had finished a piece of character-draw- in appearance, and (because of their

name of his companion, and I can feard that the princess would pre-ing as you could wish to find. three volumes) expensive.

think of only one novelist who fills vent their reaching the throne.

Mr. Green's Julius-Fenton-too the bill. Here is a photograph of

The time of her death coincides is well worth reading.

Penton Is readers of this excellent book to my "guess-it may help other with Mosea' flight to Midian.

Thothmes III. was the Pharaoh cunning glants of men who work one of those vigorous, forceful, and solve the puzzle.

of the Oppression. Cleopatra's solely for their own advancement. Needle is one of his monuments. He is the headmaster of a large

To-day, as could be seen in that Exhibition, the public was for tunate in being able to acquire books that were distinguished by bright- ness, clearness, convenience, cheap- ness, and variety.

The Art Of Biography

At the evening session Arthur Bryant delighted a

Mr.

One of the most travelled women in England is Miss Rachel Hum [phreys. She has been right round

the world twice and half-way round

several times. She was one of the large first few women to be elected Fel audience by an address on the art lows of the Royal Geographical So of biography.

ciety. Her new book, "World Wide

Mr. E. V. Rieu, who presided, sald wanderings," which Heath Cranton that in the days of Imperial Rome is publishing, describes her many It was the custom for an author to and varied adventures encountered recite his works in public, and al- in strange journeys.

though that would be wearisome

∙and 'inconvenient in these days of

100,000-words books, it was none the

F.

STORY. THAT MUST NOT BE MISSED

1

Eighteenth-Century Cameo

school in a provinell-town, and also, secretly, a moneylender on a meat.efficient at his job. But he is

large scale, and as the years pass he comes to hold half the town, as it were, under his thumb.

He goes, however, too far, and cannot prevent first his own family, and then his Ancial victims from taking their

Another very short and most un-revenge,

usual piece of work which must This is a carefully drawn portrait, not be missed is "Silver Collar and it says much for Mr. Greer's Body"-a cameo of the days when skill that despicable as Penton is,

less an excellent thing for authors paper figures, but real human beings, Queen Anne, though stout and you can almost find it in your heart like Mr. Bryant to meet some of his And there was a benefit also to the gouty, was not yet dead. It is de- to be sorry for him in the days of public in the lecture room.

study of history.

lightful as much for the moving defeat.

Mr. Bryant gave a fascinating The Victorian style was in great for the pleasing way in which that description, rich in quotations. of contrast with the modern, but the

the work of a biographer. The aqb-great essential was

little story which it has to tell as to obtain story is recorded.

ject was attractive, he said. If only material in all kinds of places and. There is in existence, the writer ing the lady's unfortunate passion and watches without understand- because the most remarkable above all, to assess its value pro-would have us believe, a fine pic for the young painter who loves publishing phenomenon of recent perly,

ture by an unknown painter: alan actress. We ses him, at Twic- years, had been the interest taken in Mr. H. de Selincourt, speaking at little negro alave offering her kenham in that disastrous thun- the subject of biography. A the morning session, lamebted the pearls. It is known who the lady derstorm, and are told of the fine To-day it had become one of the modern conception of what con- was; it is understood that the funeral accorded him, and if at standard ways of earning money stituted knowledge.. The scientific little black boy's ghost, still in the the end we are not quite certain and notoriety, in contrast with the conquest enabled us, he said, to hear twentieth century, is haunting, what really did happen, that is period in which biographies were something that was happening at though not always in a malevolent just as it should be. For this, written as a pious duty, mostly at the other end of the world, yet it way, the lady's descendants. What too, la fantasy, and its writer may the request of members of a family, did not enable us to know what was is the story behind the picture he congratulated on a first essay who purchased the majority of the happening to ourselves or in the We are taken back to 1714, in fiction well out of the ordinary. copies. Through the medium of minds of those close to us, Our when Tittie Pompey is brought to Incidentally, Mr. Rex Whistler's biography it was possible to show knowledge seemed to be at the England and comes to love hin embellishments add considerably that men who had died were not wrong end of the stick.

mistress, and is temporarily lost, to the little book's attractions.

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