Evening star., 1920-01-04
ETCHERS AND ETCHING. BY Joseph
Pennen. New York: The Macmillan
Company.

ETCHERS AND ETCHING. BY Joseph
Pennell. New York: The Macmillan
Company.
TCHERS AND ETCHING" is
tE a sumptuous book, calcu-
lated to add distinction to
the Graphic Art series, of
" ich it is a part. IllustrA: ed W
notable examples of the etcher's art.
it forms little gallery of etchings
that are both modern and more re-
mote in source. A fair share of Mr.
Pennell's own work is included here.
The pictures themselves are. however.
subordinate in office. Their purpose
in this connection is to objectify and
supplement the text which, in sub
stance, is history. critical analysis ana
specific instruction, brought to bear
upon this particular medium or eN-
preston. The study separates into
two parts. The first sums. broadly,
the work of the great etchers. Al TINS
point there is an Illuminating appre-
citation of James McNeiU Whistler.
''the greatest etcher who ever lived
Other etcherS of eminenCe and lnHu :
ence come in for relative share OF
appraisal and appreciation. The sec
ond part of the volume is purely teen
nical. describing in specific terms the
various methods employed in the
etching art. A treaSure-house OF def
mite and authoritative information,
this. The whole is designed to meet
the need of different classes of art IN
vest stigators-students, collectors, am
ateurs. dealers. study altogether
useful one, too. that is altogether
beautiful and impressive.
TALES OF A CRUEL COUNTRY. BY
Gerald Cumberland, author of Set
Down in Malice. New York:
Rrentano's.
II is not easy to realize Greece as
broken and ruthless land with sin
lister something in its landscape. a
some thing menacipg i'll its personal
ity. Ones schooling in ancient things
has set Greece firmly as suave per
fection in the deep places of one s
conviction. But Gerald Cumberland
has been there of late. He was there
long enough. besides. to gather out of
it's ravaged face some curious and
impel ling readings. These he has en-
bodied in this group of stories. Like
Tommy Burke and Achmed Abdullah.
Mr.. Cumberland has a genius among
short story writer's for getting close
to the real thing in the human nature
that goes about in the gUise of alien
peoples-Malay. Mongol and those
puzzling Eurasian blends that swarm
in southeastern Europe. These, there
lore, are not pretty SlOTleS-SIilCe
they are primitive, and passionate,
and ruthless folks who animate them
and direct their doings. But they are
remarkably clever stories-dramatic
in, grasp and projection astonishing
ly frank in disclosure. and with
something of knock down quality
in their straightfrom-the-s shoulder
drive
FROM MUD TO MUF~TI. BY Bruce
Bairnsfather. author of Bullets
and BilletS." etc. New York: q. T.
Putnam's Sons.
Bairnsfather's first war adventures
were. properly. in the trenches. These,
you will remember. he passed on
vicariously to the rest of US by way
of '"Bullets and Billets." Now, the
second half of his military expert
ence he hands over out of his --latest
melange from the mud" He calls it
a further story of his own charmed
life as he wandered round the war.
more or less disabled. making pic
lures. from the American front in
France to the shadow of the Wool
worth building in New York. This
book of inextinguishable good humor
and good pluck will specially delight
the American. because there is so
much of the doughboy stirring up its
pages. both in sketch and yarn. And
there are also offhand impressions
of: America here Chat set BARNS
father. as we'll as america. OF in a
new light. The author sums this bum
die of sketches and impressions in a
single characteristic sentence: The
and for a whole e-hearted, hospitable
time at mighty rotten period, / had
none better"
,.ru.Eu E,ORTu Rv Mary Johnston