Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-06-22
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
/. C. NJ.
ILLUSTRATED AFRICA. William
D. Boyce. Rand. McNally & Co.


ID. Boyce. Rand, Mentally & Co.
The flrst-rate news reporter has
within him the possibilities OF star
travel writer should he choose to turn
himself In this direction. The powers
acquired by the one become the
prime equipment of the other. De-
veloped by a long, practical expert
ence, the news gatherer and writer
passes in good time from craftsman
to artist. AT this ripe and mellow
stage he Is In full possession of
keen sense of values. He Is ex.
pert in the art of condensation. He
Is alert to the dramatic highlights OF
the matter in hand. He is pictorial
In the use of words and habitually 10
pursuit Of such themes as are cal
culated to excite prompt and general
interest. He is of easy approach to
men and events. He Is essentially
of nomadic turn, ready for the new
field. wherever 1t may lie. and and
alive to the fact that he must reach
ii first. These powers and attain
ments acquired i'm the pursuit of the
top-notch Of news writing become as
well the SURPRISING equipment of the
travel writer
A familiar case In point. where
dozens might be cited. il our own
Frank Carpenter, who passed out
from the newsrooms into the wide
world of travel, where he gained high
distinction for himself, becoming as
we'll source of joy and usefulness to
thousands Of readers. The training
AS journalist served here abundantly
and without modification in the field
of ira vel writing
William d. Boyce, another well
known news writer. in illustrate ted
Africa comes forward triumphantly
in support of the claim of the
pressroom as the best of all schools
i'm general writing. A true news man.
this, who starts upon his wide jour
neyings under the spur of finding a
scoop" Col. Roosevelt had done some
biggame hunting in Africa and. in
characteristic fashion, had come away
with the entire continent in his
pocket. Photogra pliers and scien-
lists had followed him in clear
cleanup of the situation. Some
thing new, something newer. must
he thought ont TO carry across into
public interest this writer's real con-
Germ in the African country. 80 ]
took into Africa balloons from which
to photograph the wild life of jun
giles and plains. Pictures from the
air were new at that time, and the
spectacu character Of the under"
taking made it excellent newspa per
copy"
This copy grew into the book in
hand. Here is the entire continent
embraced in a single volume and with
out any effect Of crOwding. Con
densed, dramatic. pictorial. the values
so estimated as to make straight ap
peal to the resder-such are the jour
nalistic qualities that turn Illus
trated Africa" into an exciting adven
ture for the reader and into an amaz
ing body of information as well. Hun
dreds OF pictures supplement the text
and support the title. These are of
inestimab BILE value. Pictures and ma ps
are indispensable TO the traveller who
goes abroad by way of books. These
added to a text that Is wholly OBJ
iective and tangible make of the
whole a book OF such good and &C
ceptable substance that one looks
about for the fitting word to cover 1t
Monument. compendium come 10
mind-but these are so overused as
To have become perverted and feeble
Moreover. there is the trail of death
in the former, and the stodginess OF
packed learning in the latter. Here
is something wholly alive and some.
thing. besides, whose Information is
not slowed away. rather Is 1t out.
coming in unbroken challenge to in.
terest and enjoyment. A book OF
splendid content and deeply expert
projection.
VIRGIN SPAIN. BY Waldo Frank
Boni 4 Liveright.
In Virgin Spain the mood of the
writer is uppermost, his method SO
subordinated as to seem lacking alto.
gether. Rather has method here been
converted to a new use, giving to
prose writing something of the poetic
form and effect. And this Is as II
should be, for it is as a poet. seeing
visions. that Waldo Frank looks out
upon the lberian Peninsula. 1t is
the soil of Spain. not primarily its
history. that has wrought enchant
ment upon this writer. 1t is the land
of mountains and plains and hills and
streams: it Is the adjacent seas, the
magic Of it's white sunlight. the nee
tar of its atmosphere-these melting
into a beautiful unity. into com
handing personality. that have pos
sessed him. Spain Is the body of an
inscrutable spirit that from age to age
has had it's way with the peoples that
have come and gone under it's do
minion. Such Is the mood, such the
vision. under which Mr.. Frank trav-
eiSes the country, gathering hundreds
of swift sketches. all OF which are
traced back invariably to the order
ing spirit Of the land itself. FraS
mentS of history come and gO-all OF
these. too. not attributable to man, the
commonly recognized maker of his
tory. but to the domination of this
great spirit over the destiny of men
The Moors. who for hundreds Of years
held the land in bondage to it's alier
civilization. The MOors were not con
auered by the Franks and the WISH
goths. Rather did they give way un
der the soft seduction of southern An
dalusia. first captured and first set
tied by them. 1t was this siren OF
the south that Slapped the pioneering
strength of the Moors, that druggeC
the strenuous urge of the Arab Il
overcome into the sluggish ease oil
settled dwelling places. So from pOin,
to point, whether these points cover
periods of history or the life of the
common people. past and present. OIL
some of the features of the land itself
this writer moves in an exuitation Of
spirit that converts the Spain of oui
common acceptance into poem OF
appreciation into symphony Of de
scriptive writing that is as novel as
it is beautiful and stimulating.
II " X
PORTO RICO. knowlton Mixer. The
Macmillan Company.
A study of Porto Rico whose single
nurDOse Ia To proyide useful infOrIna
ton TO Americans on this relatively
new member of the great common
wealth of the Union. A slight back
ground Of history and natural re
sources gives the reader an under
standing of certain current aspects
of the social economic and political
life of the isla nd The at ildX Il ad