NYROP, KRISTOFFER.Is war civilization? auth. tr. by H. G. Wright.*$1.25 (2½c) Dodd 940.91 (Eng ed 17-30069)
A collection of papers on the war by a professor of romance philosophy at the University of Copenhagen. They appear to have been written at different times, but have been arranged in a logical sequence to conform with a definite plan: “The general introduction is followed by four chapters dealing with the devastation in Belgium and northern France, after which, by a natural succession, there come the manifesto of the ninety-three and the replies to the same. War of necessity leads to annexation, which in its turn involves tyranny, and some of the questions connected with this are dealt with in the next three chapters. The movement of the irredentists in Italy proves to what an extent the suppression of nationality produces explosive matter and so Italy’s attitude to the war has been made the object of special investigation. Finally, in a few brief sections, I have endeavoured to throw some light on the relations between war and religion, and war and languages, whilst in the last chapter I have drawn attention to thatcivitas Deifor the establishment of which all mankind ought harmoniously to unite.” (Preface)
“If there were nothing more in the volume than the extracts which Professor Nyrop gathers together from authors little known here, all showing the persistency and boundless arrogance of the modern German, the book would be useful.”
NYSTROM, PAUL HENRY.Retail store management. il $2 LaSalle extension univ. 658 17-6655
“This book is intended primarily as a textbook for students of the retailing process, and is general in character rather than descriptive of technical matters. The chief merchandising problems are presented clearly and concisely. The author realizes the need of giving to those engaged in retail business a broad view of the field, in order to counteract the narrowing tendencies of intensive routine work. The necessary theoretical matter is presented by means of illustrations taken from actual experiences of merchants. Reality without minute detail is the spirit of the work. Particular forms of retailing—chain stores, department stores, and so on—are not mentioned in the treatise. Location, organization, accounting, buying, sales, and pricing, the factors whose management means success or failure in any retail establishment, large or small, receive thorough treatment. House policies, especially with reference to direct dealings with customers and employees, are commented on. Several of the merchandising functions are illustrated by simple, well-organized charts, and a few carefully selected forms give hints of possible methods for controlling the work of the different functions.”—J Pol Econ
“‘Retail store management’ is closely related to the author’s other books, ‘Retail selling and store management’ (Appleton, 1914) and ‘The economics of retailing’ (Ronald press, 1915). Taken together, Dr Nystrom’s books constitute no small part of the recent useful literature of modern retailing. The Appleton text is bipartite and makes the three repetitive; the portions on store management should be transferred to the LaSalle text and the three texts would then have more or less exclusive fields.” R. B. Westerfield
“It is intensely matter-of-fact. And, in spite of its prosaic subject, it is interestingly written.” F. H. Hankins
“Dr Nystrom finds call for the course of instruction he lays down in ‘Retail store management’ in his conviction that a very large percentage of the three million and more Americans engaged in retail trade are incapable and inefficient. ... He strongly urges that everybody connected with retail trading should be fitted as well as possible for the work he is expected to perform. Study of Dr Nystrom’s book will tend to show the soundness of this view, while at the same time it will give a practical response to the need of knowledge and training the author so thoroughly demonstrates.”
OBERHOLTZER, ELLIS PAXSON.History of the United States since the Civil war. 5v v 1*$3.50 (4½c) Macmillan 973.8 (17-28462)
v 11865-8.
The first of a five-volume work whose title suggests the scope. This installment begins immediately after the assassination of Lincoln in 1865 and covers three years to the impeachment of Johnson. The social, economic, political and commercial development of those years is interpreted in terms corresponding to this generation’s needs. The writer puts to the period questions that have never been asked before because they are questions that have grown out of the conditions of modern progress. General headings: President Johnson; The South after the war; Congress in control; The triumphant North; Beyond the Mississippi; The Indians; War upon the president; Mexico, Ireland and Alaska.
“It is a storehouse of detail; every page carries the evidence of comprehensive and discriminating research. The author holds a judicial restraint upon his own views. He is expert in searching for the events and the views of those sharing in the making of history. Like Mr Rhodes’s Mr Oberholtzer’s vision of American achievement embraces more than politics.” L. E. Robinson
“Mr Oberholtzer writes with vigor and often with discrimination, in easy, flowing style, and he holds the attention of the reader with firmness.” E. J. C.
“The strong points of the present volume are its remarkable portrayals of life and conditions; its weak ones are those which must become more apparent as the succeeding instalments come out. Indirect discourse, quotations from racy contemporary sources, pen pictures of eminent men, must hold the reader’s interest for a while; but five volumes of this tend to confuse and weary, and one begins to wonder what it is all about. After all the historian must be more than a reporter.”
“What makes the book especially interesting is the attention given to the more picturesque and less well known phases of our achievement.”
“Some readers will not altogether like the leanings of this work as to political questions; some will think the historian’s sense of proportion somewhat defective; but no one can deny that the author makes the past live again.”
“Mr Oberholtzer has faithfully studied the abundant sources of information concerning this period and his copious footnotes constitutes a valuable bibliography.”
O’BRIEN, CHARLES.Food preparedness for the United States.*60c (4c) Little 940.91 17-17192
“In September, 1916, the author went to Germany to study economic conditions, particularly those regarding food supply. ... This book is designed to point out to the individual some of the factors involved and the lessons to be learned from the experiences of the European belligerents, particularly Germany ... who, in rationing her people according to her available supplies, has done so on a basis that was outlined by scientific nutrition experts.” (Author’s foreword)
“Brief but interesting and suggestive.”
“This little book should be sent broadcast over the land.”
“Though much of the advice has been already followed in the passage of the Food bill and the work of the Food administration, and some of the information has already been made clear, the volume contains a great deal that is still interesting, practical, and valuable for us all.”
“He is weakest in his comment on applied scientific nutrition.” Bruno Lasker
O’BRIEN, EDWARD JOSEPH HARRINGTON, ed. Best short stories of 1916, and the Yearbook of the American short story.*$1.50 (1c) Small
This is the second volume of Mr O’Brien’s short story annual. Again he has selected twenty stories which in his judgment represent the best short stories of the year. First place is given to Richard Matthews Hallet’s “Making port,” a story reprinted from Every Week. In addition to the twenty stories reprinted, the volume contains the “Roll of honor” for 1916, a critical summary of fifty-two stories of the year, the rating of the magazines on the basis of the number of distinctive stories published, etc. Mr O’Brien finds the outlook for the American short story hopeful. He says: “Our artists are beginning to think of life wholly in terms of the individual, and to substitute the warmth of the individual in place of the generalised and sentimentalised types to which our American public has been so whole-heartedly accustomed.”
“I am not sure that Mr Edward O’Brien’s ‘Best short stories of the year’ will not contribute their own share to the progressive decline of the short-story in America, for he is creating standards which a real criticism should resolutely reject.” M. M. Colum
“In spite of the most honest intention, it is impossible to take this sort of book seriously. The reprinting of twenty stories, the summarizing of fifty more, and the sober printing of a roll of honor—Baedekerized up to three stars—presupposes the existence of fixed canons of literary judgment beyond either the will or the power of humankind to achieve.”
“Whether or not one may differ with Mr O’Brien about any particular story in the collection, there is no room for any question about the excellence and value and representative quality of the collection as a whole.”
“For the first time in my life I have read twenty successive stories and enjoyed every one.” M. A. Hopkins
O’BRIEN, EDWARD JOSEPH HARRINGTON.White fountains; odes and lyrics.*$1 Small 811 17-11680
Mr O’Brien’s book of poetry is made up of two parts. The first contains two remarkable odes, “Flesh” and “Flower.” The second is a small collection of lyrics. In his odes, the poet has tried the experiment of adapting the form of the Gregorian plain chant to the demands of English verse.
“There has always been a quiet insistence about Mr O’Brien’s poetic work, which now confined within a volume, challenges the attention of all poetry lovers.” D. L. M.
“The second ode is a mystic poem of serene beauty and deep significance. The first is more like Whitman’s ‘Children of Adam’ than anything else in American poetry which I have read, and it is marred by the same lack of humor, judgment, self-criticism. ... No more rarified and ethereal poetry is to be found than he has given us in the small group of lyrics at the end of his book. If, to the fine Celtic qualities already so clear in his verse, he could but add humour, restraint, poise, clarity—why then he would cease to be an Irish poet, and that is a thing not to be thought of.” Odell Shepard
“A number of very good short lyrics are included in the volume.”
“The two odes, ‘Flesh’ and ‘Flower’ have certain flashes of splendor and an effortless beauty. The type arrangement, or line structure, used by Mr O’Brien lessens the poetic value to the average reader.”
O’BRIEN, PETER O’BRIEN, baron.Reminiscences of the Right Hon. Lord O’Brien (of Kilfenora); ed. by his daughter Georgina O’Brien.*$2.50 Longmans 17-1646
“This book takes us over the long range from the Irish famine to the opening days of the great war. It introduces us to many personages who made history in those times. Queen Victoria, Gladstone, Earl Spencer, Monsignor Persico, Isaac Butt, Charles Stewart Parnell, and Lord Russell of Killowen, are some of the persons whom we meet in its pages. Those who are interested in Irish history come upon striking side-lights in the stirring period covered by Lord O’Brien’s life. ... His official conduct was characterized by great devotion to duty and courage in the midst of much unpopularity and numerous protests and threats. ... His career as prosecuting attorney for the crown brought him in later years the notable reward of appointment as lord chief justice for Ireland.”—Cath World
“The style of the book, the more considerable part of which is in the Judge’s own words—twenty-two chapters out of thirty-one—is marked by simplicity and directness. ... His daughter prepared the manuscript for publication, and added some chapters of her own which throw a new charm over the pages. ... A complete and useful index is given at the end of the volume.”
“It was a rather meagre record which Lord O’Brien left prepared at his death (in 1914), and its piecing out in this volume by his daughter adds little of real consequence. Politically, the most important part of the book is that relating to the Irish Invincibles. The pages are but rarely lighted up by Irish wit, though the reader is often told, somewhat exasperatingly, of amusing stories or clever reports which he is asked to take on faith.”
“These reminiscences of Lord O’Brien are of the most importance for the years 1880 to 1888.”
“His reminiscences are pleasantly readable, and show why the Judge, with his humor and love of sport, was always popular in Ireland.”
“Even an enemy must be impressed by the kindliness and the honesty, the modesty and the courage, of the personality here revealed.”
ODLING, WILLIAM.Technic of versification.*4s 6d Parker & co., Oxford 426.2
“The greater part of this book is a selection of mostly well-known verses, classified according to the rhythmic character of the excerpts, and preceded by thirty pages of introductory notes and illustrations. Following the preface is a short list of some early works on versification to be found in the Bodleian library.”—Ath
“To those without facilities for a study of the longer treatise upon the art of versification, the present volume should be useful. The extracts chosen range in date from 1400 to 1913. The book has neither an index nor a table of contents.”
“One can scarcely be grateful for the writer’s seeming ignorance of the literature of the subject, or his indifference to the conventional use of technical terms. ... The terminology is often interesting, but certainly as often questionable.”
“Professor Odling’s scansion is not always convincing, but his systematic analysis of our poetic forms will interest a good many people.”
OEMLER, MARIE CONWAY.Slippy McGee; sometimes known as the Butterfly man.*$1.35 (1c) Century 17-13219
Slippy McGee, the cleverest crook in America, making his getaway on a freight train, falls and is terribly mangled. When he awakens he finds himself in the parish house of a little South Carolina town, crippled for life. His one piece of luggage, his burglar’s kit, has disappeared, and he does not know till long afterwards when an emergency calls for it, that the parish priest has hidden it inside the statue of St Stanislaus in the church. Father De Rancé’s interest in butterflies and moths is the instrument that saves the soul of Slippy McGee. But it is little Mary Virginia who points the way, suggesting that the slender, supple hands, the hands of the cleverest cracksman in America, be employed in mounting specimens. Slippy McGee thereafter becomes the Butterfly man. Only once does he take on his old character, and then it is in the interest of this same Mary Virginia. After that one occurrence the cracksman’s tools go back into the keeping of St Stanislaus, to stay.
“However she may choose to employ these conventions of the story-romancer’s art, it is notable that Mrs Oemler, herself a southerner, takes a vigorous fling at more than one shibboleth, notably that hollow convention of colonel-ism and ‘southern chivalry’ which story-tellers have been wont to handle so tenderly.” H. W. Boynton
“One of the pleasant novels of the year.”
“A certain freshness and gusto rescue the story from melodramatic and sentimental fatuity, and render it acceptable in its kind.”
“Unmarred by so much as a single touch of mawkishness or cant, the story is related with sincerity and charm.”
“In spite of melodrama the book is pleasant from beginning to end, and ‘Slippy McGee’ is a creation the reader does not forget.”
Official register and directory of women’s clubs in America. v 19 il pa $2 H. M. Winslow. Shirley, Mass. 374.2
The preface states: “This is our nineteenth annual ‘Club register.’ The first appeared in 1898 and covered Massachusetts only. The next volume covered New England, and a little later we covered the whole country. ... This is the only directory in the world that covers all the federated clubs.” The text treats of the General federation of women’s clubs, listing officers, etc., then takes up clubs alphabetically by states and their cities giving the number of members and the name of the president of each club. The editor draws attention to the classified list of club lecturers and entertainers found at the end of the volume.
OGDEN, GEORGE WASHINGTON.Rustler of Wind River.il $1.30 (1½c) McClurg 17-10160
A fight between the cattle barons who had for years had control of the free ranges and the settlers who had come in to homestead the land is the basis of this story. To cover up the criminality of their proceedings, the cattle men had spread the rumor that the settlers were a band of rustlers and had branded Alan Macdonald, their leader, as a desperado and an outlaw. Saul Chadron had put a price on Macdonald’s head and his hired gunman was on the man’s trail. But at her first meeting with Macdonald, Frances Landcraft, daughter of the commander of the military post, knows that these tales are false, and she thereafter takes his part. Her judgment is vindicated, and the homesteaders’ cause is won.
“The characters hold together well and when the most original ones are presented together, as in the case of the leading cattle-baron and his murder-tool, the passage between them is strong in its conception and admirably phrased and described.”
“A tale well worth the reading, not for its interest alone, but because of its historic value as a picture of the West in the days when might made right.”
OGDEN, HENRY ALEXANDER, comp. Our flag and our songs. il*60c Clode, E: J. 929.9 17-22075
A brief account of the origin and history of the United States flag, together with eighteen patriotic and other well-known songs, ranging from “The star-spangled banner” to “My old Kentucky home” and “When this cruel war is over.” The songs are credited to their authors.
OGG, FREDERIC AUSTIN.Economic development of modern Europe.*$2.50 (1c) Macmillan 330.9 17-13473
Frederic Austin Ogg is associate professor of political science in the University of Wisconsin and author of “Social progress in contemporary Europe,” some chapters of which have been reproduced, with considerable modification, in the present volume. In deciding “what topics to include, and what space to allow to each, Professor Ogg followed these principles: to devote most of his attention to the nineteenth century, contenting himself with a summary sketch of preceding conditions; to omit from consideration the more technical aspects of economic history, such as public finance; and to confine himself in general to the history of three leading countries, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. ... Part 1. ‘Antecedents of nineteenth-century growth,’ occupies 114 pages. ... Part 2, ‘Agriculture, industry, and trade since 1815,’ pages 117-340, covers the development of production in the leading countries, with an added chapter on Russia; part 3, ‘Population and labour,’ pages 343-474, is devoted mainly to the organization and regulation of labor, and part 4, pages 477-641, treats of ‘Socialism and social insurance.’” (Am Econ R) There are bibliographies at the end of each chapter.
“He has read widely, uses his authorities with discrimination, selects and arranges his materials skilfully, and sets forth his product in good English. He is accurate. ... Altogether, his book offers the best survey known to the reviewer of the recent economic history of Europe.” Clive Day
Reviewed by Edgar Dawson
“The best single volume on the subject. ... Professor Ogg has depended for the most part upon secondary sources and most of these are written in English. ... In the chapter on Russia there is not a single reference to a German authority, although that is the chief source of information for one who does not read Russian. The bibliographies at the end of each chapter ... have not received the same careful attention which the author gave to the text, for there are not infrequent errors in titles, in spelling, etc.” E. L. Bogart
“Of especial interest are the chapters on socialism and on social insurance.”
“The book might almost serve as a complete history of Europe from the early eighteenth century to the outbreak of the great war.”
“His narrative is, on the whole, clear and accurate, and his elaborate bibliographies will be useful to students of special topics. His remarks on the political activity of the German Socialists, written no doubt before the war, now require revision.”
“The book will be found particularly useful as a reference source on the modern labor movement including the related politics, and the paternalistic enterprises chiefly concerning the working class. It gives much evidence of the author’s thorough study of the available data and scholarly fairness of presentation.”
“In many of the historical instances which it gives, this volume also brings surprisingly telling lessons for our own time. The bibliographical references accompanying each chapter are without serious omission and most useful to the student. The judgment exercised in selection and in the discussion of controversial subjects throughout the book is admirable.” Bruno Lasker
OHIO COMPANY OF ASSOCIATES.Minutes and proceedings of the Ohio company of associates; ed. by Archer Butler Hulbert. (Marietta college. Historical collections) $2.50 Marietta historical commission, Marietta college, Marietta, O. 977.1
“This is the first of a series of volumes which will contain original records, letters, etc., illustrating the settlement and development of southeastern Ohio. There is a long introduction by the editor treating of the origin of the Ohio company, the part taken in its formation by Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler, and other leaders, the relation between the Ohio and Scioto companies, and a summary of the land, financial, and ‘paternalistic’ policies of the company. The text of the records covers the period from 1786 to December 21, 1789, and shows, in part, why New England influences were so important in this section. ... These records vividly illustrate the capitalistic as contrasted with the individualistic method of promoting the settlement and development of a new region.” (Am Hist R) “The work, when completed, will contain the name of probably every man of importance in the early annals of the state of Ohio. ... The records are presented as they appear in the writing of the various secretaries, in the large sheep-bound volumes presented to the college by William R. Putnam, the papers having been preserved carefully by the Putnam family.” (Boston Transcript) The editor is professor of American history in Marietta college, Ohio.
“The introduction as a whole is exceedingly well written, and for the first time adequately presents the story of the founding of the company and its influence. The form, appearance, and editing of the book are excellent. Historical students are fortunate in being assured that the editorship of this series is in such competent hands, and we shall look forward eagerly to the completion of a series that will contain one of the most important collections of sources for the study of this section of the west.” M. W. Jernegan
“Professor Hulbert devotes 137 pages to a succinct history of the Ohio company and the ‘Scioto right.’ While these subjects have been treated by previous writers, Professor Hulbert’s paper is such an admirable presentation of the theme, apart from its value as an introduction to the series, that no apology is necessary for its appearance. It gives the reader of the original documents a solid groundwork of information regarding the history of the company from its inception in the bounty land offers made by the Continental congress to prospective soldiers.” G. H. S.
OHLSON, HAROLD.Dancing hours.*$1.25 (1c) Lane 17-2486
Jane Eastwood is the daughter of a deceased pawnbroker. A comfortable income, an unpleasant memory of her parent and a bundle of old letters are Jane’s inheritance. With the bundle of letters, she blackmails her way into society. Jane has red hair and she instantly becomes a popular success. She would have carried the affair off with perfect ease, but alas, the past has a way of not remaining the past. It intrudes itself into the present. But Jane has won the affection of her blackmailed patroness, and she finds another friend, too, who stands by her and sees her through.
“It is splendid to be able to bury oneself in a novel without the horrible suspicion that one is being ‘improved’ or imposed upon by some sugar-tongued propagandist. ‘The dancing hours’ pretends to be no more than a story, but what a story! Here is all the antiquated lumberof mysterious heroines, dashing and handsome villains, manly and long-suffering heroes, unexpected wealth, and happy endings.”
“The story begins well but becomes too preposterous to wear the garb of credibility. It has some clever bits, and the conversations are well sustained.”
OLCOTT, FRANCES JENKINS.Red Indian fairy book for the children’s own reading and for story-tellers. il*$2 (3c) Houghton 17-25283
Sixty-four stories from Indian folk legend have been chosen for this volume. As most of the stories are nature myths, they lend themselves readily to the arrangement by seasons which Miss Olcott has chosen. She says, “In choosing themes for these stories, a large body of folklore of many tribes has been gone over. In retelling, all that is coarse, fierce, and irrational has been eliminated as far as possible, and the moral and fanciful elements retained. The plots have been more closely constructed, and retold in the direct manner interesting to children. The character and spirit of the original stories have been carefully preserved.” The illustrations, including frontispiece in color, are by Frederick Richardson. Many of the stories have been printed in the Saturday Magazines of the New York Evening Post.
“Sixty-four stories delightfully told; they will interest any child of fairy tale age.”
“Miss Olcott has a real love and a real inspiration for her task. Her re-treatment of materials from the ‘Arabian nights’ more than justified itself. In the present book she has made a more distinct and original contribution to child-lore.” J: Walcott
“Miss Olcott has added two valuable volumes to this season’s output of juvenile books. They should prove rich source-books for the professional story-teller. She is happy in maintaining that naïve simplicity which lies always at the basis of Indian legends.”
OLCOTT, FRANCES JENKINS.Tales of the Persian genii. il*$2 (3½c) Houghton 17-29800
These stories from old Persian tales, adapted for boys and girls, are retold from authentic translations. One of these sources, “Tales of the genii; or, The delightful lessons of Horam the son of Asmar,” appeared in England in 1765, ran thru many editions, and formed part of the youthful library of Charles Dickens. Miss Olcott says, “All the stories have been recast with great freedom, and moulded into a continuous narrative; the aim being to keep them truly oriental and at the same time to preserve all the detail that will delight the imaginative modern boy and girl.” Each story has an ethical lesson, but in addition to their moral teaching, she believes they will foster a love of rich color and an appreciation of beautiful objects. The pictures are by Willy Pogány.
“The reteller of these oriental tales has gathered her material carefully, both in its fictional quality and in its atmospheric background. She has been greatly aided by the colorful imagination of the Hungarian artist, Willy Pogány.”
“The stories will prove very entertaining for they transport the reader to fragrant oriental gardens where many-colored birds and a thousand fountains make music all day.”
OLGIN, MOISSAYE JOSEPH.Soul of the Russian revolution. il*$2.50 (2c) Holt 947 17-27862
In the year 1901-‘02 the author of this book was a student in the University of Kiev. He was one of 200 students who were sentenced to one year’s military service in punishment for political activity. In 1905-‘06 he took part in the thwarted revolutionary uprising. He is now in New York and has written this book in English for American readers. He has attempted to give a review of the movement as a whole and to show the character of the different elements concerned in the revolution. The first of the four parts which compose the work deals with Social forces. Part 2 covers the years 1905 and 1906, and the establishment of the Duma. Part 3 draws on Russian revolutionary literature as an aid to understanding the spirit of the movement. Part 4 covers the actual revolution of 1917 up to the formal abdication of the czar. The illustrations are taken from revolutionary periodicals, most of which were not allowed to circulate. Vladimir G. Simkhovitch contributes an introduction.
“A popular but scholarly study.”
“He is silent on hidden motivating forces which reveal the moral poignancy of the Russian struggle for the civilized world. The people, the soul and meaning of their revolt, are absent; what we have is the story of the industrial proletariat led and betrayed by a militant revolutionary minority. All Russian life is looked at from the vantage ground of party bias. The main value of Mr Olgin’s book consists in the clear exposition of the revolution of 1905 and the exposé of the ideology of the professional revolutionists.”
“It is impossible to read him without gratitude for his clarity, his objectivity, his documentation; and impossible not to conclude from reading him that the first fact about Russia is still the Tsardom that has been deposed.” F. H.
“Mr Olgin has succeeded wonderfully well in clarifying and defining for American readers, who really know very little about any other than superficial aspects of Russian affairs, the origin and significance of the many varied currents of influence and tendency that led revolution-ward. In the third section Mr Olgin does something that all readers of Russian literature will thank him for and makes a novel attempt to link Russian literature and Russian life.”
“The author has true dramatic power.”
“To trace the varied economic and political influences at work for all those centuries of Russia’s history was indeed an enormous task. No one man could hope to accomplish it completely, even to his own satisfaction, but we are not likely to see in our time a better résumé of this complicated subject than has been provided by this Russian journalist.”
OLIVER, SIR THOMAS.Occupations from the social, hygienic and medical points of view. (Cambridge public health ser.)*$1.80 (5c) Putnam 613.6 (Eng ed 16-15036)
A book devoted to the relation of occupations to health. It has to do with conditions in England but will doubtless prove of value to all who are interested in similar problems in America. The work was begun before the war and problems rising out of war conditions are not touched on. The subjects covered are: The air we breathe; The air of factories, workshops and workrooms; Work, wages, efficiency and fatigue; The health and comfort of the worker; Occupation and age fitness; Choice of a career; Dusty occupations; Gases; The chemical trades; Injuries caused by electricity; The skin and occupation.
“It will prove valuable and interesting to public health workers, and will give much information to the general citizen who wants a bird’seye view of the subject.” Carl Kelsey
“Although the book contains a mass of interesting information, the reader constantly receives the impression that he is being presented with a succession of disconnected and unrelated statements. No stress has been laid upon fundamental principles. ... The least satisfactory portions of the book are those dealing with the causation of fatigue, and with the action of gases on the body; these are not up to date. ... In spite of these defects the book contains much that is useful, especially in the chapters on factory hygiene and on dusty occupations, and although it cannot be recommended from a scientific point of view it may prove of value to the general reader.” F. A. B.
OLMSTEAD, FLORENCE.Anchorage.*$1.35 (2c) Scribner 17-12956
“A cloistered romance,” a story of the Little sisters of the poor, and “Father Bernard’s parish,” a book presenting an unusual aspect of New York life, are the two novels by the author that precede this one. For her third book, she has chosen still another setting, a quiet country community in Georgia. The friendship between Paul Osborne and Harriet Sterling had flowed on quietly for many years. The man was a semi-invalid, shut out by his lameness from active participation in life. In his friend Harriet, he found companionship and the encouragement and mental stimulation his brilliant powers required. Harriet, on her part, found satisfaction in serving him, and if her heart asked for more than this, she gave no indication. This is the situation when Harriet’s young cousin Hilda comes to visit her. Hilda brings a new element into Paul’s life. She comes and goes, leaving bitterness behind her, but out of the bitterness grows wisdom and an understanding of the gift that had always lain ready at his hand.
“Miss Olmstead places her scene in Georgia, but her characters seem rather typically of New England. Many individual personages are admirably set out in the tale, so admirably that the reader is a little impatient they should be wasted on so trite a plot.”
“The young girl Hilda, the best-drawn character in the book, is very cleverly drawn indeed. ... Louisa, the middle-aged, commonsense spinster, is also cleverly sketched, and would be amusing if we did not hear quite so much about her. But Paul, around whose character and whose invalidism the entire story revolves, never becomes more than a lay figure.”
ONIONS, BERTA RUCK (MRS OLIVER ONIONS).Girls at his billet. il*$1.40 (1½c) Dodd 16-23626
The three of them, Evelyn, Nancy and Elizabeth, their ages ranging from eighteen to twenty-two, lived in what Elizabeth called “a God-forsaken village on the bleakest part of the east coast of England.” They lived with an elderly aunt and their lives were as bleak as the coast itself, for the village was devoid of men. Then comes the war and the establishment of a training camp in their midst and the billeting of a young officer in their very household. But what is one man among three girls! So two friends and fellow-officers are brought forward and in course of time (and not a very long time), there are three war-time engagements to be announced.
“Light, pleasant, and showing none of the horrible side of the war. Not as entertaining as her other books.”
“The novel is, of course, the lightest sort of whipped cream fiction, but few purveyors of that delicacy whip their cream to so dainty and airy a froth as does Berta Ruck. ... Moreover, she writes with a certain joyousness which is very attractive.”
ONIONS, BERTA RUCK (MRS OLIVER ONIONS).Miss Million’s maid; a romance of love and fortune.il*$1.40 (1c) Dodd 15-21422
Miss Million’s maid is Miss Million’s former mistress, Beatrice Lovelace. When the little Cockney maid of all work inherits a fortune from an uncle who lived in America and leaves Aunt Anastasia Lovelace, Beatrice, who has tired of her aunt’s maxim, “Better no society than the wrong society,” runs away and persuades the highly embarrassed Miss Million to take her as lady’s maid. They go to the Hotel Cecil, lovers appear on the scene and many complications ensue.
“Mrs Onions treats the complications with ready humour and considerable freshness. Her characters are much more probable than her story.”
“Not so clever as certain of Berta Ruck’s novels, but pleasant and entertaining.”
“A very diverting and by no means unexciting story, which, considering the motif, loses nothing by the note of caricature which runs through the whole.”
Operation and tactical use of the Lewis automatic machine rifle; based on the experience of the European war. il*60c Van Nostrand 355 17-20406
This pocket manual, clearly printed and illustrated, has an introduction by Col. I. N. Lewis, U.S.A. (retired). Colonel Lewis says: “The descriptive text is full and accurate in detail, while the system of preliminary and practical field instruction as outlined follows closely that now employed at the various machine gun schools and special instruction camps in England and France. In our own service, the machine gun is as yet a new and untried weapon, and I therefore believe the general principles governing the present operation and tactical use on the great battlefield of Europe, as briefly presented herein, will be of interest to all officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of our army, navy and marine corps.”
OPPENHEIM, EDWARD PHILLIPS.Cinema murder.il*$1.35 (1½c) Little 17-15545
One likes Philip Romilly from the first and continues to like him thru all his checkered career; yet, all the time, one wonders if he really did murder his cousin back there under the bridge in England. When he takes passage for America he is traveling under Douglas Romilly’s name and wearing his clothes. Once arrived in New York, he adopts another name and begins a new life. On board ship he had made friends with Elizabeth Dalstan, the actress, who later produces his play. She is ready to go further to show her loyalty to him, and the question of his guilt is of no concern to her. Fortunately for their future happiness the one person in the world who knows the real truth about the occurrence under the bridge puts in an appearance at the most critical moment.
“His portrayal of stage life is as before, highly idealized and ultra romantic, and it brings to the reader all the glamour of the footlights that persists in the midst of those who know nothing of life behind the scenes. But realities are notMr Oppenheim’s forte, and we are certain to like the stories he tells all the better because they are not.” A. A. R.
“Suggests that it does not pay to be too good in this world. The outcome of the story justifies the hero in his departure from rectitude.”
“A swiftly moving story, so cleverly told that its weak spots are easily overlooked, with plenty of color and many effective contrasts.”
“Not one of Mr Oppenheim’s best stories either in writing or construction. Few habitual readers of crime stories will fail to guess early in the tale, at least in a general way, the true outcome of the murder mystery.”
“It will be well for Mr Oppenheim, if he intends further to employ the American vernacular, to take a course in George Ade. ... The story is characteristic and therefore diverting.”
OPPENHEIM, EDWARD PHILLIPS.Hillman.il*$1.35 (1½c) Little 17-698
Mr Oppenheim has laid aside his preoccupation with international intrigues to tell a love story. Louise Maurel, a distinguished actress, motoring from Edinburgh to London, is stranded in the Cumberland hills. Her car breaks down and she is forced to accept the grudgingly offered hospitality of Stephen Strangewey for a night. Stephen Strangewey is a misogynist and he has brought up his younger brother in the creed that all women are to be despised. But John Strangewey is too human to resist the spell of Louise, and he follows her to London where he is caught up by the whirl of fashionable society. The author’s hand does not lose its skill when it turns to new themes and the reader is left in doubt as to the outcome to the last page.
“Never before has Mr Oppenheim been more ingenious in the weaving of a plot, never before has he so skilfully led his hero and heroine through many dangers—in this case they are wholly moral dangers—with such logical success.” E. F. E.
“There are, of course, two kinds of Oppenheim books—those that are the best of their kind and those that are not so good. ‘The hillman’ is one of the latter. Yet even so it will be read with unabated pleasure, and the reader will not be disturbed by questions of social science, nor, indeed, by questions of reality.” E: E. Hale
“A new though quite successful departure on the part of the author.”