The Washington herald., 1921-06-12
AN OCEAN TRAMP by william MeTss tDOsbls.
day Page and eompanyl.

there Is nothing more delightful than TO sit in com
fortabie armchair home reading Of life the ocean
seafaFers and AN lovers Of the and ships the
new edition Of Mr.. MeFes's IAN Ocean Tramp" is an
event To most Americans the book Is new. although
L was originally published In England in 1908 and to
everyone the preface TO the edition Of 1921 IS new
land. Incidentally one of the most charming things
about the book. Here, in this preface. Mr. MeFee
describes very pleasantly his own life in London
lodsngs while cramming for engneer's examha-
tion between voyages at the time when the book was
written In the book itself he Is ostensbly writing
ielters from his ship to his friend in London. but
actually drawing quick. searching sketches Of ship
life and his fellows. making notes long, sea
thoughts And the pctures he draws so human,
50 unhurried so detached from the rush Of cities and
the clutter Of land affairs that he comes near to per-
suading even the most comfortable occupant Of an
armchair that the Is the place to live. The sea.
says Mr.. McFee. lis way Of escape from the in
tolerable burden of life. To the author it was the
means Of finding himself in the world. medium in
which he could work out the dreams which beset him.
But ever at the back OF the mind will there be the
craving 10 eet out beyond the bar to see the hard,
bright glitter Of mpersonal and-lighfs die suddenly
IN the fresh gusts. and 70 leave behind the importu-
nae demands Of business. Of friendship. and Of love
On hot, crowded day. could anything be more en-
: ticing than such cool. free words9
HUNGER BY Knut Hamsm tAlfred A. Knopf
Although nearly 80 years elapsed between the
writing Of Hunger and the writing Of Growth OF
the Soil" il IS difficult believe that the writer OF
that intensely subjective harshly realistic tour de force
could attain the majestic serenity and dispassionate
ohiccfvity Of the later masterpiece The publishers
tel US tlat "Hunger is autobiOgraphical; but il goes
down bit hard We ready to admit that i has
the attributes Of personal revelation Of the most nt
mate sort Its very yividness gives the impression
that the writer about fevershly to describe his
reactions mental and physical in the, course OF
n..kt tta aaffar of etrh
an experience would ousst 80 years even 50 years
And 50 we are against the antobographica theory in
spite Of the publishers and in spite Of Hamsun
himself for to create such a book would be enough
to convince the creator Of il that the experiences ne
describes were real
aHunger" is a grim book Its plot is stated in
the first sentence 0rIt was during the time, writes
Hamsun II wandered about and starved in Christi
ana = There IS squalor and sorddness and lust
and madness II is both repellant and fascinating.
That il Is merely Tepelant IS tribute to Ham
suns genius In reality il is not novel at all but
rather analysis Of the mental processes and Physcai
deterioration Of . man who Is starving There are
MANY dramatic episodes but they are highly colored
By the madness Of the principal actor. Hamsun IS
nsparing and sensational and because OF that these
most extraordinary episodes have the earmarks OF
reality Because of It's limitations as a study OF abb
nomaity il cannot be great novel, Il Is, however,
= masterpiece Of realistic writing
THE cHESTERMARKE INSTINcT-By J. S.
Fletcher (Alfred A. Knopf).
Mr. Fletcher has written a number of unusual and
deseryedly successful mystery stories. There are
number Of very good for the popularity OF these
tales, among them Mr. Fietehers pleasant straight
forward style and his respect for his readers ntei-
eence which makes him abstain from insulting that
intelligence BY TO the weird and unnspired
tricks by which writer's Of tales of mystery strive to
achieve sensational distinction There is good rea-
son why detective story should consist only OF an
utterly improbable and impossible plot peopled by
caricatures Mr. Fletcher proves it. This tale con-
Germs the mysterious disappearance Of English bank
manager With him disappear securities and jewels
valued at fIoooo He is man Of means and charac-
ter. The only persons who suspect him Of guilt are
his employees queer pair whose practices extra
ordinary thongh apparently honest No superman Is