Evening star., 1933-06-27
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.
WIND IN THE EAST. BY Anna Robe
son Burr. New York: Duf1ield e.


Green
Lying in the Aegan Sea about eleven
miles to the southwest of Asia Minor is
small island which today is little
heard Of and II mentioned or thought
about at all is remembered only because
at some ancient time a colossal monu-
ment, which came to be known as one
Of the Seven Wonders Of the World,
had been erected within its sea -encir-
cled borders.
In the whirligig pattern of life which
engrosses the great mass Of the popula-
ton of the world today there is but a
small handful. relatively, of individuals
who devote themselves to the delving
into the history of ancient civilizations
and places and to recalling with any
degree Of certainty the positions which
they hold in modern times, or whether
they survived at all
Few areas of territory the size of the
Island of Rhodes have undergone so
many changes as has this small bit of
land of the coast of Smyrna. I, is so
ancient that the origin of its early
habitation is not known. At the dawn
Of history its population was a mixture
Of races from the mainland and of
Phoenicians, who are believed to have
earliest Hellenic migrations the Dorians
came in great numbers, and with them
came the founding of the three once
famous cities Of Indus, Kamyrus and
Ialysus.
1t was In the year 408 BIC. that the
inhabitants Of these cities forsook their
homes and combined their efforts to
form the new city Of Rhodes, which has
to this day remained the capital of the
island. In the Peloponnesian War the
RhodlanS cast their lot with Greece and
remained loyal to that country until 4l2
BIC, when 1t went over to Sparta. Less
than twenty years later, however, 1t turned
again to Athens During the lifetime
OF Alexander the Great it was occupied
by the Macedonians, but following the
death OF Alexander the populace re-
volted and became Independent, MAIN
tanning that status even against Deme-
triuS Poliorcetes in 304 BIC.
Early in 200 BIC. the island became
an ally OF Rome, and in the enjoyment
OF It's favors grew richly in commerce
and trade. But in AZ BIC. it was plum
oered by Casius because it pledged its
allegiance to Julius Caesar Becoming
united to Asia Minor in "A AID, it re-
NAMED comparatively peaceful until
ool, When 1t was conquered by the Arabs.
ana shortly thereafter it was recovered
by the Byzantines. In 1910 it was
turned over by them to the knights of
st. John, who held it against the Turks
until 1922, when it was taken by Solei-
man II. Today the island is not of
great consequence, having only a scat
tered habltation outside of the city of
Rhodes, with its population a mixture
OF Greeks, Turks Mohmmedans. Jews
ana other races, with the Greek pre-
dominant.
On the Island of Cyprus on October
22, 1881, revolution began when. an
gered by an order for the reorganiza-
ton OF tariffs, the population demanded
a union with Greece The governors
palace was destroyed by the mob. and
the r1oting caused the sending of troops
from Egypt and the dispatching of bat
tleships by England to the scene of
action. The revolution failed though
riots and demonstrations were carried
on spasmodically for several weeks.
Inc author of Wind In the East" has
transported the modern revolution in
cyprus to the romantic and historical
background Of Rhodes, and combined
the two In story that is irresistiblv
fascinating and, in some respects. tam
tailzlngly mysterious. There is no ap-
parent reason why the heroine should
De introduced as mystery child, unless
~ Is intended to endow her with all of
the adventurous and fearless charac-
teristlcs OF the modern American girl
and at the same time to give her an
understanding and appreciation of the
ways and the customs of the Near Fast
10 nave eventually solved the riddle of
her abandonment in a Summer hotel
on the Maine coast would not have de-
Iracteo particle from the strength
ana character OF the narrative. and II
would have tended to give a more salts.
Tying reaction in the end.
Naturally, If there is a mixture of
romance and trouble anywhere in the
world some Americans are bound tn he
present. For her assortment of person =
mel Mrs. Burr has chosen Roger Mara
dlne, an erratic American novelist and
collector OF ancient objects of art: Barry
Spartali an Irish-Greek revolutionist
ana soldier OF fortune: Jane Eden.
evidently Of Greek origin with a
thoroughly American upbringing; a
pair OF American exiles making the
best OF their Rhodian sanctuary; BasiIio
Tsavaris. a treacherous Greek: DR.,
Gaunt, retired English physician and
several Greeks, Italians, Turks and
Jews of more or less prominence in the
island.
From the Summer hotel on the coast
OF Maine the scene shifts to a business
offlce in New York City, where Jane
Eden. now grown up and Americanized
through the kindness and love of the
couple who adopted her, is acting as
secretary to Simon Lucas, we'll known
man about town and professional
dlner-out. Through the efforts of a
publishing house to learn the where
aboutS of the globe -trotting Roger
Marradine a bargain is made whereby
Jane is to present herself in Rhodes as
the secretary for which the famous
author has expressed the need, and to
endeavor to secure for the publishing
house the rights to the new book which
Marradine is writing.
Shortly after her arrival Jane be-
comes conscious of many undercurrents
OF mystery and intrigue which she can
not fathom. Deliberately she is kept
in ignorance until her courage and her
integrity have withstood tests under
which even the most stout-hearted
would be likely to falter. She is sent
on strange errands and in some in
stances only her utter ignorance Of
the momentouS events which are about
to take place save her from disaster.
Turkish spies, bent upon stealing
from Marradine a priceless literary
treasure, "Byron's Lost Memoir" add
to the danger and the intrigue already
rampant in the island between the
Greeks, the Turks and the Jews against
the Italians. Old fortresses and walled
castles, great mountains and deep
valleys, ancient shrineS and the famous
lost temple of ZeuS Athaberion, all
figure in and have a share in the
stupendous experiences which are thrust
upon the American girl whose sole duty
had been to wheedle the erratic author
into contract with New York pub
Usher.
Mrs. Burr was born in Philadelphia
and now lives at Bryn Mawr. For
many years she resided in England and
during the Great War did notable work
in that country. She has enjoyed a
close association with both England
and Continent which has given her
an extraordinarily splendid background
for much of her writing She has only