Evening star., 1935-02-20
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.

MWSuck VeFmOHUs
UNROILING THE MAP. BY Leonard
Cultivate. New York: The John
Day Co.
Between the attractive blue and sill
yer covers Of this new volume the map
of the worlds chapter by chapter and
page by page, is unrolled, revealing in
concise chronological text and In
graphic illustration the most fascinat-
ing subject In all history, the story OF
exploration.
In the preparation and compilation
Of this work Mr.. Cultivate undertook
| the tremendous task Of embracing In
one easily readable book all Of the
most important facts about the ex-
plorers and adventures who have
Travelled the earth, and in each in
stance to present description of the
men who went forth into unknown
places, the degree of civilization that
existed during the era in which they
lived, the territory into which their
expeditions carried them and the ex-
traordinary achievements of these
explorers. geographers. nayigators
scientists, aviators and others who
through 5000 years Of the worlds
history have steadily pushed backward
the frontiers of darkness.
From Hannu, the first explorer OF
whom there Is any historic record, to
the adventures of Prof. Picard In this
| current year, the expansion Of the
earth's known boundaries Is revealed
IN brief entertaining stories that con-
tain a wealth Of information, and in
| maps that are almost hypnotic in
tnelr fascination. The secret of this
particularly outstanding feature of
the work lies in the fact that the
same basic map of the world Is used
throughout the volume. It is black.
with fine white latitudinal and longi-
tudinal croSs-barS, and with all of
the continents and islands of the
globe also family outlined in white.
Against this background of blackness
the flrst map shows five small patches
OF white along and near the eastern
end OF the Mediterranean-the early
empires Of Egypt, Phoenicia, Assyria.
Sumer. Elan and a tiny white dot
marking the ancient and curious
Minoan civilization on the Island of
Crete.
The first section Of the book, BEGIN
ming with the voyage of Hannu. in
275O Be, from the Egyptian city of
Hamamat to the land of Puoni, a re-
glon bordering on and beyond the
southern and eastern end of the Red
Sea, deals with the adventures and
explorers who Travelled the seas and
the lands comprising that part of the
earth which in later years came to be
known as the Classic World, and in
cludes the voyages Of Ulysses, Alexan-
der the Great. Nearchus, Pytheas,
Diogenes and others. AS the achieve
ments of these adventurers into the
unknown are recorded the accompany
ing maps show an expansion of white.
With the coming Of the Middle Ages
and the discoveries Of the Morse ad-
venturers, the Crusaders, Soleyman,
Ibn Battuta, Friar william and Friar
johnson, more rapid spread of the
white Is noted, leading up to Marco
Polo and the great age of adventure
which grew out Of the unbelievable
accounts he rendered of the extraor-
dinary experiences which befell him
among many strange peoples during
his travels to far places.
Following Marco Polo the recession
Of the blackness becomes more pro-
nounced with each century, until the
final chart. recording the exploration
Of Little America and the scientific
discoveries Of the early part Of this
year. leaves only few tiny black specks
on the map of the world of 1885. In
addition to these forceful illustrations
and the intensely interesting stories
Of which they are a part, the book
contains a number Of sketches by Cor
don Grant, world-famed artist, of the
characteristic ships which through
5000 years have carried the venture
some into every corner Of the globe.
+ X
HEROES, CHILDREN AND FUN. BY
Robert Underwood Johnson, men,
ber of the American Academy Of
Arts and Letters.
With but few exceptions, this lat
est volume of verse by one Of Amer
ica's outstanding poets contains lines
written during the year 1884. The
poems are grouped under eight clas-
sifcations, and in that portion de-
voted to public or political themes is
one in tribute to a man who won the
esteem and the love of all
Albert of Belgium.
Thou shouldst have died in battle,
Noble Knight.
And Byron should have writ thine
epitaph.
Caesar, who tore a continent in half,
Trampling thy soil with swarming
legionS' might,
Knew thy brave race, and would
have chosen thee
His victor, conquered by thy chiv-
airy.
Though. for a while, men balance loss
and gain,
And in the fatal harvest Of the
seed
AAC 4Sh ouA P3Ao Va CfcIy cfu Qe6Q-
Doubt that the struggle may have
been in vain,
Time shall remember how from
grasping foe
The world was saved by thy tri-
umphant MOL
In another group Is one which ex-
presses thought often in the minds
of weary mortals to whom the grant
ing or the Withholding of a kindly
smile might spell hope or discourage
ment:
One thrush can fill q valley with
delight;
One smile dispel the cloud Of some
despair;
One generous word can Lift us to n
height
Above the daily Judgment days
impair
OF our best Selves-such light and
easy blame,
Today with laughter but tomorrow
shame.