The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-05
New French, Spanish and Italian Books

mont. At the end Of the book we find the
relation of Barres's journey to Italy at
war and of a poetic picnic with Gabrielle
dAnnunzio.
The brothers Tharaud, whose Heures
MarocGines have been recently reviewed
in these columns, have written book of
war impressions, La Relieve 1.-The Relief
Parity, whore appears once more the
wonderful lent of the authors to go d.
rect to the Leart of things and to the soul
of people without missing single trait
of their f1-m or personality.
The chapter on The Song Of the Steppe
tells more on the Russian soul than many
volumes on Bolshevism. Al the B'.G3 Of
Heauen and Chocolate at Midnight are
beautiful essays in lyrical and dramatic
story telling.
Among the last and recent war books
the Journal du COmmGHddRt RGyuGl, the
famous defender of the fort Of Vaux at
Verdun, stands foremost. An ineonspieu-
GUS officer before the war and several
times wounded during the campaign,
Major Raynal was left practically alone,
with very scant means of defence, to faee
the German onrush in the spring of 1916.
With complete frankness and simplicity
lie tells the story of the resistance and
finally of the rendition of the fort COM
mitted TO his care and which he surren-
dered to thirst, still more than to the Ger
man army. The relation of the Majors
interview with the German Kronprinz is
especially thrilling.
En- Batterie (My Battery, by Lieut..
Fonsagrive, still reads with vivid inter-
est Verdun, La Somme, L'Aisne and the
battles of 1916-1917 are here cleverly
pictured. One wishes, however, that the
author had brought more clearly to US
out of the jungle of facts the main out
lines of those famous events.
Special mention must be made of AL
bert Dauzat's L6gendes, Prophecies ct
.Superstitions de la Gaterre legends,
Prophecies and Superstitions Of the
VAR, published by the Renaissance du
Livre. A French doctor, Lueien Graux,
snd already published, without much
critical sense, it is true, bulky work on
the subject Les FdusSes Nouuelles de Ia
Grdnde Guerre (7He False NelUs of the
Great War. M. Dauzat was already
known for his linguistic studies and in
particular his DArgot de Ia Guerre War
SIdng). From the legend Of the Twpin
Poloder, which used to pulverize Ger
mans by the hundreds in popular imagi-
nation in the first months of 1914, to the
worship of N6Hette and Rintintin, the
Partisan Fetiches of 1918, the book is an
interesting and sad enough contribution
to the history of human credulity, In
which America has its part. (See p. lib
on American TattooiHg, l. Tatoudge
Am6ricdiH.)
In clever pamphlet published by
Hachette, Gilbert Chinard, formerly of
the University of California and now of
Johns Hopkins, makes a very interesting
study of American political ideals and
principles in relation with the world war.
Professor Chinard proves very foreibly,
Ii seems, against the theorists of an
American non-eommittal attitude, how
the best and most immemorial traditions
Of our history forced this country into the
world war-a real American war, fought
for the same principles in 1917 as in 1776
or 1861.
III.
The market of French books is now
upset by a new increase in prices,
amounting to 100 per cent. The days of
the yellow covered "three francs fifty"
volumes seem, well over and anarchy is
going to prevail in color, types, as well as
in cost. In the world of books, as In that
Of politics and labor, this is the result of
war. "Cest Ia guerre."
=. - b I1,at1co Tho v1V,ahah Io