Evening star., 1933-12-31

memoirs. They are written In deWI-may-
care style which suits the subject matter.
END PAPERS: Literary Recreations. By A.
Edward Newton. Boston: Little, Brown
g. Co.
A EDWARD NEWTON is a successful busi-
We man, whose hobby has been the COL
lecting of first editions of important English
books; he has private library of about 10000
volumes. He not only has legal title to these
books, but knows them so well that he has
written six entertaining books about them that
JOY to other book lovers. Mr.. Newton has
not been content to try to pass to others,
through his writings, the contagon of his love
for the literary quality of books and their
physical characteristics He has also estab-
lished at Swarthmore College a prize to be
given each year to the undergraduate who has
formed the best not the largest, collection Of
books on the subject in which he is specializing,
and has given best evidence by the selection and
care OF his books of his appreciation of the
Joy of book ownership. Mr. Newton tells in
the essay in End Papers called "On Forming
a Library of the visit of Swarthmore students
to his own library that led to the founding of
this prize. Though this essay was written to
promote the private ownership Of books, never
theleSS he says he sees today greater anxiety
written on the faces of my millionaire friends
than do the faces of the poor men who
resort today to our public libraries, there to
Mr.. Newton. who puts Dickens next to
Shakespeare a genius, says that at 26 Dickens
enjoyed such popularity no other ever had
before, and that "he rose like rocket and he
has not yet come down. and we Dckensians
feel that he never will" He has two essays in
this book on Dickens, on the Christmas
Carol" which he pronounces the greatest little
book written" One essay is on Agnes
Repplier-our best Blue Stocking to whom
with another, this book is dedicated. The book
contains group picture of Mr.. and Mrs. New
ton and Miss Repplier pouring tea on the oc-
caSion Of party given for her on the pubca-
ton of her book of essays ITO Think of Tea"
This is book which tempts quotation eSpe-
cally from the chapters on Lord Nelson Mary
Webb, Anthony Trollope, Robinson Crusoe,"
Burton's Anatomy" Laurence Sterne, Oliver
Goldsmith, Carolyn Wells and other sketches in
biography and bibliomania
THE LUDWIGS OF BAVARIA BY Henry
Channon. New York: E. P. Dutton g. Co.
DOYALTY and nobility, however ignoble they
N may be, in biography and fiction always
draw readers. The fact that their lives usually
involve a good amount of important history
probably justifes their biographers. The Wit
telsbach dynasty of Bavaria, overthrown when
Germany became republic at the close of the
World War, had ruled for 1000 years Much
history was made during that time in the most
charming portion of what during late
years the German Empire. The Wittelsbachs,
with their strain of madness. were adored by
all classes of their people and there is at pres
ent much talk of the possibility of their re-
turn, instead of the HohenZollerns should Ger
many again become monarchical. Mr.. Chan
non, after an Introductory essay on the dynasty,
devoteS his attention to three King LudWlgS
Ludwig, 1st who he calls the 'neo-cassical Lud-
wig and who lost his throne partly at least
on account Of his favorite, the dancer, Lola
Montez; Ludwig, I'd, the Mad friend of wag-
ner, who built Neuschwanstein and drowned
himself in order to get away from his doc
tors, and Ludwig, Sd, who was so unfortunate
as to come to the throne in 1872 at the age
of 81, looked like Father Christmas and
forced to fly from Munich in 1918. Mr.. Chan
non writes most Sympatheticaly Of his three
royal unfortunates and closes with a chapter
on the present Grown Prince" Rupprecht His
book is not scholarly but it is an interesting
narrative.
THE DISINHERITED. BY Jack Conroy. New
York: Covici-Friede.
A WORKING man, writing from the inside,
\ of labor, ''the disinherted and dispos-
sessed of the world Jack Conroy has avoided
the bitterness, sentimentality or propaganda
which would have marred his story. There is
strong reason to imagine that his hero, Larry
donovan, SOn OF codI miller, HAS HuC1l LII
his personality and experiences of Jack Con-
roy himself. Larrys father, with energies
sapped by the darkness, long hours and in
escapable poverty Of his own life, has one
ardent desire toward which he works-that his
promising shall escape from the mines,
which have killed two older sons and enter a
class which seems to him more secure. So
he tries to accumulate petty savings, which
are usually devoured by the family needs in
times OF strikes, and his wife takes in wash
ing, in order to keep Larry in school. Finally,
he takes an exceptionally risky job, which
pays better, land IL killed. LarTy's' efforts 70
escape unaided from his inherited slavery take