Evening star., 1936-12-26
By Mary Carter Roberts.


famous collector, DR.. Rosenbach,
i is az sensible one as q person
could have. For DR.. RoSenbach does
not disturb himself at all about the
merits of written works; he does not
enter into critical battles or have
any heart burnings over sales. To
him, books are a sport. They are just
items In q game of skill. 1t is doubt
full II any one in the whole line OF
professions and trades represented by
book publication gets any more fun
out Of print than he does. At any
rate. his present work, describing his
collectors adventures, reads like the
account Of . rarely enjoyable good
time.
And, indeed, the quest Of the col
lector brings to light enchantingiy
curious things about the human kind.
as DR.. Rosenbach sets it down. His
chapter heads give an idea OF the
manner of his material: Letters
That We Ought to Burn"-or an ac-
count of various indiscreet love let
ters which great men and women have
left behind them; "Old Mystery
Books" in which he brings out that
the first known mystery story was
titled "Dracole," and that its fifteenth
century locale was the same as that
of Bran Stoker's nineteenth century
"Dracula";; "The Trail Of Scarlet"
which deals with manuscripts and
books relating to alterations and
crimes; Extra! Extra!" the story
of early "broadsides" which were the
ancestors OF our modern tabloid news
papers; Mighty Women Book Hunt
ers'-and so on.
It is all intensely interesting and
done without use Of such technicali-
ties as would puzzle the layman. 1t
a illustrated with many reproduc-
hons of scripts and pages from IA
NOUS collectors items. On the whole
It is . delightful volume for any one
who has the good fortune to regard
the printed thoughts of man with
amusement and curiosity. 1t Is rec
commended.
TWENTY-FIVE BROWNING LET
TIERS. New York: United Fea-
ture Syndicate.
THIS handsome special edition con-
tains a hitherto unpublished let
ters of Elizabeth Barrett and Rob-
ert Browning. They were addressed
to Mrs. Browning's sisters, Henrietta
and Arabella Moulton-Barrett. Their
publication is made possible by ]. A.
s. Altman, grandson Of Henrietta.
They were o part of small packet
kept by the Altman family when the
majority were turned over to Brown
ting editors many years ago.
They pertain mainly to family af-
fairs and consequently do not contain
much Of importance to Browning
students. The family details in these
letters shed light on the Browning
tradition only where light has been
shed amply before, q picture Of the
absolute devotion Of the poet and
his poetic wife and their 1nhappiness
over the Barrett familyis attitude to-
ward their marriage.
There H nothing sensational about
these gracefully written family epis-
ties. but they are indisputably from
the pens Of two loved poets, and that,
alone, would make them welcome.
e. T.
THE ROMANCE OF LLoYD's. BY
Comdr. Frank Worsley and Capt.
Glyn Grifhth. New York: Hill
man Curl, Inc.
THE name of Lloyd's Is q byword
- throughout the world. In the
United States II Is known from Wall
Street to Main Street. The man in
the street can tell you the odds Lloyd's
h quoting. possibly even the rate for
. new type Of insurance. But the
same man probably knows exactly
nothing about the origin and back
ground OF Lloyd's.
The story OF Lloyd's Is almost the
story Of commercial development OF
the British Empire. While the EN-
pire has achieved success at sea,
Lloyd's has become the greatest ma
zine insurance house In the world.
Lloyd's started as q coffee house
The story of two British officers takes
Iloyd's to its palace OF modern times
to a place as underwriters for the
world. Today there are about 1.4oO
underwriting members Of Lloyd's and
about 1<0 syndicates. all participating
In and sharing marine insurance and
risks.
Edward Lloyd no doubt never
thought that his name would be per.
petuated through world commercial
history when ne opened q coffee house
In Tower street in London, either In
1886 or 1887. Lloyd died In 1918, bul
the conee house stayed In his family
Merchants, tradesmen and seamer
came to the coffee house to transact
their business. The name OF Lloyd'i
came TO be associated with the sea.
From this beginning the coffee house
gradually evolved into an association
OF marine underwriters. Later in it.
history Lloyd's entered other fields
outgrowing building after building q,
It's business expanded. The first grea,
man Of Lloyd's, Still known as it,
father" was John Julius Angerstein
chairman at various times from l78.
70 1875. and prominent In its affair,
Until his death in 1923. It was An,
eerstein who brought Lloyd's out O
the coffee-house era. Later the hous,
was incorporated.
The book wesves into the history O
Lloyds many interesting tales OF tn,
sea, the greatest ship disasters sns
the greatest insurance swindles Of his
tory. development OF the royal Brit
1sh navy. and the progress VI insur
ance. Those familiar with Lloyds vii
appreciate the opportunity 10 learI
Its history, story OF success by tn
evolution Of centuries. R. A.. Z.
SEVEN WAYS TO MAKE A LIVING
BY william Rado. New York: Liv
eright Publishing Corp.
EVER since the first one-celled bit {
protoplasm wriggled It's way out {
the primeval ooze. thereby becomin
Our common ancestor, there has bee