Evening star., 1935-10-04
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
ETHELBERT NEVIN. BY John Tasker
Howard. New York: Thomas Y.
Margaret Cermond.


Crowell Co.
When John Tasker Howard had assem-
bled the material for the writing OF bi-
ography of Ethelbert Nevin the store OF
riches from which to choose proved as
much Of an embarrassment as did the
dearth of facts that had made so difhcult
the compilation of an authentic life OF
Stephen Foster. For among those living
today there are a number of friends and
associates of Mr.. Nevin, as well as men,
bers of his family. who gave generously
of their time their personal correspond
enCe and their memories to the end that
this complete chronicle of his life might
be q worthy contribution to American
biographical literature.
From the hundreds of letters written
by Nevin to his mother, his wife, his
friends and his publishers, and from his
own diaries, scrapbooks of criticisms and
reviews, manuscripts Of published works
and sketches and notes on unpublished
compositions have been drawn the details
Of life devoted to the pursuit and the
expression of beauty. The intimate pic
ture of the man himself has been cleaned
through a veritable reliving with his
friends and his relatives OF the years
through which he toiled toward the full
fillment of his ambition.
The music of Ethelbert Nevin has re-
ceived both criticism and praise. Both
viewpoints are discussed with candor and
without prejudice by Mr.. Howard, for it
has not been his purpose in this work TO
present the man as q great composer.
The measure of q mans greatness, how
ever is not the majestic heights which
only q few may reach, but the power OF
his gift to touch and to win from the
heart of mankind q warm and eternal
emotional response. Tenderness, beauty
and melody do not fade with the years.
and that which was produced by Ethel
bert Nevin, whose life was far too short,
is firmly intrenched in American af1ec-
tions
Mr.. Howard is himself musician and
composer. as well as an author and lee
turer. With this equipment he is emf
nently fitted for the TASK of bringing TO
the public these authentic and Sympa-
thetic biographies of two of Americas
most unusual and appealing composers,
Foster and Nevin.
~
THE VOYAGE OF THE CHELYUSKIN.
New York: The Macmillan Co.
Two years ago this past August party
Of Russian scientists and explorers ender
the leadership of Prof. Otto j. Schmidt
began a voyage to determine whether an
ordinary cargo boat could navigate the
Northeast Passage and make its way
around the northern extremity of Asia.
In November of the same year the
Chelyuskin became imprisoned in the
| ice only six miles from the open Pacific,
and success seemed certain. But it will
be remembered that the region was swept
by a typhoon and that the ship, along
with the ice field in which 1t was held,
was forced northward and after three
months of drifting with the ice cracked
up and sank.
When news of the disaster reached the
world there was great concern for it was
known that the members of the expedi-
tion numbered more than hundred and
that ten women and two children were
in the company. There seemed little
hope that more than a few If any. of the
explorers had survived, and there was
occasion for sincere rejoicing throughout
the civilized world when in April the
entire expedition was rescued by airplane
from the ice on which they had encamped
and survived on the Scant provisions
saved from the sinking ship.
At the time of the rescue the news
dispatches carried various accounts of
the difncult rescue and q few incomplete
descriptions of the experiences of the
explorers, but not until now has the
whole story, with all of its thrills and
its hardShipS, its hopes and the despair
which descended into the souls of these
men and women as they drifted help
lessly upon their unstable ground" been
told.
The complete history of the expedition
has now been written by individual MEM
bers of the expedition and put together
in chronological order. Each of the
seven aviators has also contributed a
chapter on the hazardous rescue expe-
dition. There are accurate accounts
taken from the diaries Of the men, a
chapter giving the full record of their
radiogram communication with the rest
OF the world, another telling Of the
necessities that compelled them to be-
come inventors, full descriptions of the
wreckage and finally the sinking of their
ship, how they organized and established
q camp on the treacherouS ice noe, the
defenses they employed against the saw
ASc hICtlC ClCHlCHtS, uho VI bkich CVCAbuuI
rescue and the breaking up of their pre-
carious home" These and many more
are the vivid, stark stories Of those who
lived through the experiences they relate.
the chronicles of an extraordinary adven-
ture and the things that were learned
during the long months of its duration.
. Maps, photographs, charts and dia-
grams profusely illustrate the volume,
which Is most attractively made up and
bound, and which was released by the
publishers yesterday. The work has been
translated by Alec Brown.
xHx
FIG TREE JOHN. BY Edwin Corle New
York: Lveright Publishing Corpora
ton.
A novel that depends upon the Ameri-
can Indian for its background is always
colorful. sometimes exciting and usually
interesting. The story Of Fig Tree
John" Is no exception, for it possesses
all of these qualities of entertainment
and is exceptionally well written. 1t is
not legendary tale of the old massacre
days, but an up-to-date relation of the
events in the life of o twentieth century
Indian.
Fig Tree John" is bad man by
reputation. He is supposed to have killed
five white men and is said to be the
smartest, the most dangerous and the
greatest chief in the Colorado Desert.
Whether or not he is really a White