The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-04

In this volume of Memoirs, we certain ly must get the real Disraeli-a personal ity not born to the purple, young Jew without much money, lacking powerful friends, but withal-a man of destiny.
 But this first volume, the only one is- sued, shows Dsraeli also studying law and travelling; trying finance and jour nalism; writing his novels; suffering from Illness and despondency. but usually of good courage, confident of conquering
 The loosening of the Beasonfield letters will not only provide an excellent means for the study of a great character but they will also fill out many an incident in English literature and history which hitherto have been without his contribu- tions of direct knowledge.
 Dsraeli's books, 'Vivian Grey" Pop anilla," "Contarini Fleming.y and the "Runnymede Letters inform us how he saw life shaping about him, saw 1t clear ly, resolutely, far ahead. General contem- porary sources of information previously have been available to writers, students, general readers, and so on, but now the inner archives are first unveiled, tha is, regarding Lord Beaconsfield
 The Sword Maker, by Robert Barr, CF. A. Stokes Company.
 MT. Barr has gone way back wonder to dig up some history of us and romance upon and about 1t. He has dug well; the romance, the history are both handled splendidly.
 "The Sword Maker is lively romance dealing with the conditions on the Rhine Q few centuries ago when the robber barons in their strongholds of Rheinstein, Falkenstein, Furstenburg and others, had put an end to all commerce on the river, the consequence being that Frankfort and other cities were in pitiably un happy condition. The reigning emperor at this period of time was a self-indul- gent old man therefore the warlike Arch bishops of Mayence, Treves and Cologne determined to take matters into their own hands, making beginning by placing Prince Roland for safekeeping in the castle of Ehrenfels until such time as he might be called to the throne Roland was young and attractive and had ideas of his own, so 1t was not diff ficult for him to bribe his jailer to per- nit him to leave his prison whenever he pleased. In disguise. Prince Roland, be- came a practical sword maker and later when he had the opportunity, he set the current Of commerce once more flowing in its natural channel of the Rhine by strategetically plundering the barons' fortified castles
 And. of course, MT. Barr gives us love galore in his book. What would a TO- nance be without luv? The element of love is supplied by the presence of the beautiful Countess Hildegunde von Sayn, kindred spirit to that of Roland With Roland and Hide, MT. Barr has given us very thrilling tale of love and adven- ture. And, there is some real history in the novel, too. But it will not dis turb the best-sellerite
 The Scales of Justice, by George l.. Knapp, c. B. Lippincott company. This is a strong, interesting mystery story. One who is accustomed to tns average mystery story can tell after pe- rusing 6o or so pages what is going to happen to whom and which. But this is not true Of MT. Knapps story. It is full Of action and deals with rather an im- pressive expose of the essential infamy of the alleged modern police method known as " the third degree" We are told that the practice of sweating &C., cused persons is one of the horrors of bygone barbarisms that still survive in police circles today
 A United States Senate committee was formed to investigate this third de-
 gree," ti-third-degree bills have been passed by some states in the union, and | f. is a fact that has nothing to do with MT. Knapp's thrilling story that so emi-
 nent a body as the American Academy under taken probe The provision of the law which says that a man may not be compelled to testify against himself is declared to be dead-letter in nine po- lice departments out of ten.
 MT. Knapp tells of a false confession of murder wrung from poor, covering offender by police officials for the sake of winning a large offered reward. Through the efforts of the hero, Arthur Kern, a reporter whose brilliant iournal- 'st1c abilities are wonders to read of. surely, the condemned man is acquitted and the guilty one escapes suspicion only by advancing the actual occurrences of the case as his theory-the truth to the police being unbelievable.
 This Is a frst-rate thriller This re- viewer read all the way through 1t, which is saying a great deal for thriller in the hands of reviewer. ''The Social Buccaneer." by Frederic S
 Tsham. (Bobbs Merrill Co)
 MT. Chatfeld Bruce is a young man of large inherited fortune, a New York society man of supposedly eastern ori- sin. MT. Bruce declines, for reasons best known to himself, to touch the large for tune inherited. He has keen ability in business affairs and is generous in char ities. His charities are source of con- tinuous wonder since MT. Bruce is SUD- posed to subsist frugally on moderate | salary earned in a Hebrew commission | house.
 MT. Bruce is suspected of stealing a | famous rope of pearls belonging to the daughter of his pebian millionaire en- ployer.
 The plot of the story deals with how Miss Golberg wore her exquisite pearls and how they mysterlousy disappeared.