Evening star., 1925-08-01
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the BookLouer.

There are many reasons why travel
at home, by means OK a good book de-
scribing other peoples travels, is far
pleasanter than actual experience.
For example, there are many delight
fully written, beautifully illustrated
books on Italy which may be read
comfortably in a basket chair on a
tree-shded, breeze-fanned piazza, far
from the hot, dusty, fiea-frequented
trains of Italy. And when the book
Is laid aside the reader goes to his
own bed in his own room for the
night, instead of struggling in the
crowds of holy year for hotel accom-
moda ton in Rome or Naples. For the
traveller who thus elects to visit Italy
this Summer from his own piazza or
| under his own electric fan there are
many interesting books. Two books,
| one large and one small, take him
along the Riviera, from Nice to
Genoa. THE Riviera of the Corniche
Road" by Sir Frederick Treves, H.
I Illustrated by the authors own photo
graphs, combines description of
travel with bits of history and legend
| connected with this strip of sea
best Fairgrounds. One chapter de-
scribes the drive along the Grande
Corniche road, following the cliffs
from Nice into Italy. This road was
built by Napoleon l in 1906. with
murderous intent" as "a road Of de-
struction designed to convey blood
shed and desolation into Italy and be-
yond," but it is now used by travellers
| who wish to see lone of the most
beautiful roads in Europe Two chap
| ters on Monte Carlo contrast the
wicked gambling hell pictured by the
novelist, "the seat Of an intensive
culture in iniquity," with the real
| Monte Carlo, a beautiful town Of the
SOUTH" tingling with life, with ex-
citement, with restlessness, with the
playfulness of everything. 1t is
butterfly town. for it lives only for
few gay months" The history of the
| little principality of Monaco is traced
at some length, from 1915, when the
fortress on the rock was built. The
second book on the Riviera is smaller
and more informal-"Things Seen on
the Riviera" by Capt. Leslie Richard
son. 1t makes one understand why
| 80 many people are content TO dream
away their Winters amidst the palms
and flowers at some sunny spot on
the Mediterranean.
X
Leaving the Riviera we come 10 d
succession of interesting cities in
North Italy. each rich in art and his
tory. In Cities of Northern Italy"
Grant Allen and George C. William
son describe the Gothic and Renais-
! sance architecture and painting to be
found in Milan, Verona, Padua, Bo-
logna and Ravenna. Milan is famous
| for its unique Gothic duomo, the
Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci
and the Ambrosiana library of rare
books and manuscripts; Verona for its
castle and many churches; Padua for
the paintings of Giotto in the Arena
Chapel; Bologna for its churches and
Gaming towers; and Ravenna for its
! mosaics and Romanesque architec-
ture. Florence, San Gimignano. Pisa,
| Lucca, Prato, AreZZo. Brescia, Vicen-
"a, Mantua. Pavia, Venice. PiacenZa,
Parma, Modena, Ferrara, Rimini and
various other cities, some large, some
small, are described in Little Cities
of Italy" by Andre Maurel Egerton
+. Williams says in his Hill Towns
| of Italy: Central Italy is the most
| interesting country in the world" He
| continues: Here is beauty also. the
| purest and the original beauty of the
art Of the Renaissance, in the lines Of
countless palaces. in the glowing
| colors of the canVases of the early
masters. And here is natural beautv
in the lovely plains which the noun
tains hold within their grasp-the
wondrous golden plain of Umbria the
fertile table land of Etruria, the lux
uriant Vale di Chiana. the pastoral
valley of the upper Tiber and the
Arno." Starting northward from
Rome, the author takes us on jour
ney through the hill towns: to Siena
founded according to tradition by the
son of Remus. and in the Middle Ages
the center of one of the chief schools
of painting; to Perugia, on it's noun
tain top, a city of Roman walls and
arches and old palaces, looking down
on the source of the Tiber and the
olive and vineyard covered Umbrian
plain: to Assist. on the slope of Mount
! Subasio, the home of st. Francis
where his little hut still stands, but
inclosed in the magnificent pilgrimage
! church of Santa Maria degli Angeli:
to Urbino. birthplace of Raphael: TO
| Spoleto, where Fra Filippo worked
| and died: TO AreZZO. SanSepolcro,
| Gubbio, Fabriano and many others of
| these hill towns famous for art and
| natural scenery.
Rome" by NJ. A. f. Tuker and
Hope Malleson, and illustrated in col
or by Alberto Pisa, is the reading
equivalent of at least q month in
| Rome. One of the most interesting
chapters is that describing the ma
larial, but beautiful Roman Campag
ma, with its aqueducts, towers and
mausolea, including the catacombs,
and the more healthful hill towns sur
rounding it. Another chapter, entitled
| The Roman Menage,' tells of Ro-
man methods of everyday life in pal
ace. villa or apartment. The authors
do not recommend Roman housekeep-
! ing to lovers of comfort. The absence
of any method of heating in Winter,
of bathrooms and of comfortable
chairs and sofas is only partially COM
pensated for by the good cooking.
Roman Princely Families and 70
man Religion" are two other chap
ters different from the more usual
descriptive ones. A trip around Naples
and its vicinity may be plea sanity
made with Arthur H. Norway's
Naples: Past and Present." and w.
NJ. MackenZie's 'Pompeii," illustrated
J in color by Alberto Pisa. Both are in
formal and free from guide book dry
ness and archaeological detail.
| x X *
! The brief acquaintance of Washing
ton Irving with Mary Shelley, widow
of the poet Shelley, is related by
| George S. Hellman in his new biog-
raphy, IVA shington Irving, Esquire. :"
The two met in 1924, when Irving
was 40 and Mary Shelley, widowed
two years before, was 2S. They were
introduced by John Howard Payne,
who was himself in love with Mary,
but without success. Payne seems to
1 have benp cenerO,iS enough IN vriSb