Chapter 58

20–15944

The book is a compilation of famous communications from the spirit world for the purpose of proving their religious significance. The author’s object is to show that the life beyond is but a continuation of life on earth, that we reap what we have sown, that every character development here on earth counts beyond and that, in a certain sense, there is a judgment day awaiting us. The contents are in part: The necessary pre-acquired mental conditions for securing happiness in the next world; The laws of eternal life; The gospel of character, preached and practised in the next life; The acquisition of the Christ-like character and conduct is everything hereafter, and must be striven for on earth; The true spiritual meaning of “heaven” and “hell”; The fate of the suicide—a terrible warning; The nature of man, here and hereafter.

“He gives out matters of opinion constantly as matters of faith. If such a world as the contributors to this volume depict really existed, the fact ought to be concealed, in the interests of the preachers of immortality.” M. F. Egan

HENSON, HERBERT HENSLEY, bp. of Hereford, and others.Church of England; its nature and its future. *$1.75 Macmillan 283

(Eng ed 20–16630)

“Those who arranged this series of lectures took care to secure a thoroughly representative group of English clergymen. Their live lectures taken together set out with considerable force the views of high, low, and broad churchmen, with two academic pronouncements from a couple of Oxford professors. The Rev. W. R. Matthews, dean of King’s college, London, where the lectures were delivered, in a short preface, states that their purpose was to bring together exponents of the different tendencies within the church and to secure from them full and frank statements of their views on the great problem which gives its title to the book.”—The Times [London] Lit Sup

HERBERT, ALAN PATRICK.Bomber gipsy, and other poems. *$1.50 Knopf 821

(Eng ed 20–1081)

With a few exceptions these poems are reprinted from Punch. They are spirited and humorous pictures of life at the front. Besides the title poem some of the pieces are: Ballade of incipient lunacy; The rest-rumour; At the dump; The atrocity; The ballad of Jones’s Blighty; The trench code; The mischief-makers; The deserters; Free meals; The cookers: a song of the transport; A song of plenty.

“Because he has a sense of humor, a great deal of common sense and the good sense to make what is merely good verse and in no way pretends to be serious poetry, Mr Herbert has given us a very likable book about the Tommy.” Marguerite Williams

HERBERT, ALAN PATRICK.Secret battle. *$2 (4c) Knopf

20–628

He was a sensitive, romantic and imaginative lad, lacking confidence in himself but pathetically eager and conscientious about doing the right thing, not to make a mess of it, to measure up and more than measure up to what was required of him. He always exacted a bit more of himself than could reasonably be expected. He distinguished himself at Gallipoli in the most trying part of the war until he was carried down to the ship in a high fever. Later in France, his record was the same, always doing the over and above his power of endurance that was bound in the end to undermine his power of existence. When the strain had become too great and petty jealousies of fellow officers and the bullying arrogance of the commander had done their deadly work, the fatal move was made and one of the bravest men the war knew was shot for cowardice.

“Mr Herbert’s is one of the most interesting and moving English war books.”

“The story is told with a quiet restraint, with no attempt to pile up horrors, but with a relentless insistence on the central tragedy. Very fine work with a limited appeal.”

Reviewed by H. W. Boynton

“It is simply and vividly told. It reads not like fiction but like fact, which perhaps it is.”

“He evidently and perhaps rightly considered that to draw any ultimate consequences from his story in the world of conduct would have diminished its inherent force. That force is very great.”

“Very simply, very quietly and naturally, the author builds up the structure of events, some of them apparently trivial at the time, but destined later to become of dreadful portent, which at the last crushes and breaks Harry’s nerve. The logic of it all is unassailable and perfectly convincing.”

“Vivid, convincing, written in a style at once strong and flexible and revealing an unusual gift for character portrayal. ‘The secret battle’ is one of the few really big novels of the world war.”

“Being the work of a cultivated Englishman, it has the restraint of the famous public-school tradition. It wishes to betray too little rather than too much feeling. Its manner is tense with sympathy, but its matter approaches dryness.” H. W. Boynton

“The indictment against the verdict is stated quietly and without passion. The issue it raises is of interest to all ex-service men; how far must the army treat men as things, how far can and should it treat them as persons?”

“Needless to say, it is a painful book. Comfortable people who do not like their feelings harrowed will no more find it to their taste than they found ‘Justice’ or ‘Jude the obscure’, to their taste. To the former, indeed, the last part of ‘The secret battle’ offers a striking parallel. Not in detail, for it is pitched in a quieter key, and its author expressly states that he is not attempting to indict a system.”

HERGESHEIMER, JOSEPH.San Cristóbal de la Habana. *$3 (4c) Knopf 917.29

20–21412

In a passively receptive mood the author went to Havana and drifted thru his days taking in impressions of the city, of the people, of the social atmosphere, of its all-pervading romance. “There was never a more complex spirit than Havana’s, no stranger mingling of chance and climate and race had ever occurred; but, remarkably, a unity of effect had been the result, such a singleness as that possessed by an opera.... It was its special charm to be charged with sensations rather than facts; a place where facts ... could be safely ignored.”

“Mr Hergesheimer, translating the spell of Havana into words of great imagery and color, has visualized its wonderful charm.”

“Half the time we see the city through his meticulously observant eyes, and the other half he plays Boswell to his own personality and ideas. The result is an engaging series of vignettes, a most understanding interpretation, and a remarkably honest human document.” J. S. N.

“A production at once original and excellent. Mr Hergesheimer possesses to an extraordinary degree the power of subjectifying the objective, which is another way of saying that he can make external realities his very own. In consequence of this happy ability his book is about one-tenth Havana and nine-tenths Hergesheimer.”

“Not the least interesting of Mr Hergesheimer’s remarks refer to the creation of literature, his own and others.’”

HERRICK, CHEESMAN ABIAH.Outstanding days. *$1.25 Am. S. S. union 394

20–4985

A book of selections for readings and recitations for day school and Sunday school. Each section is prefaced by a discussion of the origin and meaning of the special day under consideration. “A collection of nearly a hundred literary selections is presented in connection with the several studies. Some of these are old favorites which can never be out of date. Others are relatively recent, furnishing an expression of the thought and feeling of the present on the subjects discussed.” Contents: Place of special days; New Year’s day; Lincoln’s birthday; Washington’s birthday; Good Friday; Easter Sunday; Mother’s day; Memorial day; Children’s day; Flag day; Commencement day; Independence day; Labor day; Beginning school; Thanksgiving day; Christmas day.

HERRICK, GLENN WASHINGTON.Insects of economic importance. *$2 Macmillan 632.7

20–12386

These “outlines of lectures in economic entomology” are a revised edition of a previous volume. Space considerations prevent the inclusion of all insects of economic importance. “However, the principal pests of our important fruits, vegetables, cereals, farm animals, shade trees, and of the household are discussed. A brief summary of the life habits of each, so far as they are known, is made, and the latest methods of control are outlined. In addition, a concise discussion of insecticides is given together with formulæ and directions for making and applying them.” (Preface) The first twelve chapters are: Losses caused by insects; Useful insects; Entomological literature; Natural methods of insect control; Artificial methods of insect control; Poison insecticides; Poison baits; Contact insecticides; Fumigating substances; Miscellaneous means of insect control; Dusting; Quarantine and insecticide laws. The remainder of the book is devoted to the special insect pests and their victims and an index.

HERRINGHAM, SIR WILMOT PARKER.Physician in France. (Liverpool diocesan board of divinity publications) *$5 (*15s) Longmans 940.475

(Eng ed 19–19873)

“Preliminary to this narrative the author discusses the surprise of the English at the sudden outbreak of the war. After this preliminary discussion he, in his fifth chapter, begins his personal narrative and relates the early operations of the medical corps in England at the beginning of the war, showing us how the thing was done and the sanitary precautions that were made against sickness among the forces. Continuing, he tells of the organization and work of the Field ambulance corps; of the clearing stations; of the work of transporting the wounded and of the base hospitals and nurses. He then discusses some phases of medical work, especially the management of cases of enteric and other fevers, and of shell shock. He talks of the advance of medicine in the war, of the operations on the plains of Flanders: of the medical headquarters at Hesdin. Diverging, the author, drawing from his experiences abroad, tells of education and the religious question in France and of some interesting contrasts between French and English people, in domestic manners and management and in human characteristics.”—Boston Transcript

“The reasons for his popularity will be apparent to anyone who reads his book, for it exhibits in an attractive form the qualities of his mind and general outlook.”

“It is written in ordinary, straightforward language, free from those amateur attempts at the literary manner which make most books written by doctors so tedious. Much of the book is political, and this, except as throwing light on the character of the author, is the least important part. The most entertaining part of the book consists in the record of the author’s observations of French life and its contrasts with our own.” H. R.

“Entertaining and instructive. The purely medical chapters of the book have their value as a lucid exposition calculated to enlighten the layman and to enlist his sympathy.”

“In the opening chapters, devoted to a consideration of the causes which led up to the outbreak of the great war, the author exhibits a fine patriotism tempered by broad-mindedness. The book will enhance the author’s reputation, and prove most welcome reading after the publication of so many self-centred memoirs.”

“Unfortunately, the opening chapters are platitudinous and have nothing to do with the author’s real theme; but the book improves as he gets into his stride, and is best of all in the later chapters, devoted to the differences between the customs and viewpoints of the French and ourselves, which are handled at once frankly and with comprehension and discretion.”

HEWLETT, MAURICE HENRY.Light heart. *$2 (5c) Holt

20–8858

This tale is a story of men’s friendships. Thormod, of the light heart, is a poet who easily wins the love of women, but his real devotion is given to men, first to his friend Thorgar, whose death he avenges, then to King Olaf. In his preface the author says, “Of this heroic, naked story, three fragments survive in ‘Origines Islandicæ,’ that learned repository; but to compound one plain tale of them it has been necessary to go for the catastrophe to the Saga of King Olaf. As a result of my hunting and piecing I am able to give an orderly account of the life of a young man which, I think, justifies the title I have given it.”

“While ‘The light heart’ is far less interesting and far less stirring than either ‘Gudrid the fair’ or ‘The outlaw,’ it has one truly splendid moment—that in which Thormod swears his allegiance for life and death to King Olaf.”

“I confess that for me the starkness, the frugality, the astringency of this tale render it a tougher morsel than some of the Norse fables Mr Hewlett has previously wrought from similar materials. For his sources he shows a reverence almost excessive.” H. W. Boynton

“The story is good and unusual. But above all we would commend Mr Hewlett’s short introduction on the nature of the Sagas.”

“The story has retained the legendary atmosphere of the twelfth century Iceland and Norway. The book is written with Hewlett’s usual romantic touch. It is interesting mainly on account of the unusual setting and the strangeness of the characters treated. The author sacrifices plot to faithfulness to his sources.”

“Colloquial and prosaic though the telling is—prosaic even in describing dreams and visions—there shines through it a spirit which is high and beautiful.”

HEWLETT, MAURICE HENRY.Mainwaring. *$2 (4c) Dodd

20–19506

The story portrays two extremely opposed types, a man and a woman. Mainwaring is a genius of a sort, grasping everything to himself, ambitious, a demagogue, reckless and unmoral. From obscurity he rises to political power and is only stayed from achieving the highest rung by disease and death. He burns himself out prematurely. While still quite young and out of his mastering passion of grasping everything he wants, he forces a beautiful young working girl to marry him. Lizzy in her selflessness, her poise and sincerity, her obedience to duty, is his opposite. She endures starvation with him but when he asks her to follow him into high life she refuses. She has seen through it at a glance and hates it, and prefers the duties of a housemaid to those of hostess at his banquets. He subjects her to every indignity but willingly accepts her services as a nurse during his last days.

“Mainwaring stands before a dull gray background, which is rather bad for the story, but serves the purpose of the novelist in making Mainwaring a crimson figure against this same gray. As usual, Mr Hewlett is fascinatingly facile with his pen, but this same smooth style cannot wholly atone for a very flimsy plot and a succession of avowed characters that are of no more use than a Greek chorus.”

“Lizzy is a human being, strongly conventional in her sense of duty, yet as freshly natural in emotional values as Eve strayed from the garden. On the whole, however, ‘Mainwaring’ is a disappointment as a novel. The author too apparently is doing over again with unconvincing dexterity things once well accomplished in ‘Rest Harrow’.”

“The sharp contrasts between these well-drawn figures, whose souls are silhouetted by the tragic circumstances in which the author places them, afforded Mr Hewlett equal opportunity to display his powers of creating and analyzing character. The artistry and dignity of the story he has written around them make ‘Mainwaring’ a worthy addition to the novels bearing his name.”

“The political part of the story is not excessively interesting, although it has capital pen sketches of Disraeli and Gladstone under slight disguises. Like all Mr Hewlett’s writing, the literary execution of the book is admirable in its finish and quiet effectiveness.”

“A brilliant study in its kind; but some of us will feel as we have often felt with Mr Hewlett, that the childlike creature woman rather than the childish creature man gives the story its charm. Mainwaring’s Lizzy is a girl to be remembered.” H. W. Boynton

“The two characters are analyzed in vigorous fashion and will stand as examples of Mr Hewlett’s most finished work.”

HEWLETT, MAURICE HENRY.Outlaw. *$1.75 (3½c) Dodd

20–4

This is the fifth of Maurice Hewlett’s saga tales retold. It is the story of Gisli and of Grayflanks, the sword on which a curse was laid when it was turned against its owner. Young Gisli is a craftsman and man of peace, who nevertheless is fated to be the slayer of men, to flee from Norway to Iceland, to become an outlaw, and to die fighting with his back against the wall, his wife, Aud, beside him.

“We cannot help wishing that he had been a great deal more lenient with himself. For the tale, as it stands, is so exceedingly plain, and the fights, murders, escapes and pursuits described upon so even a breath, that it is hard to believe the great, more than life-size dolls minded whether they were hit over the head or not. There is no doubt that the very large number of words of one syllable help to keep the tone low. They have a curious effect upon the reader. He finds himself, as it were, reading aloud, spelling out the tale.” K. M.

“None of his stories out of the Icelandic sagas is as spirited as ‘The outlaw.’ The vein of romance discovered in them by Mr Hewlett seems to be inexhaustible.” E. F. E

“‘The outlaw’ is a noble tale fully and in the main nobly told.” Ludwig Lewisohn

“A grim tale, full of strong passions and desperate fighting, is this of ‘The outlaw.’”

“Needless to say, it is masterly in its art and vividness; yet many of the author’s admirers would welcome his return to that type of writing that gave us ‘Half-way house’ and ‘Richard yea-and-nay.’”

“Mr Hewlett tells a tense dramatic story, reveals studious research of ancient lore and a singular gift for vitalizing the remote scenes of a vanished civilization. This is no mere approximation of what the Vikings were and what they did. It is a lifelike recreation.”

“In reproducing the old story Mr Hewlett mediates with his usual skill between the Scylla of excessive modernity and the Charybdis of an obsolete idiom. It is, however, questionable whether he might not without harm have ventured even closer to Scylla.”

HEYDRICK, BENJAMIN ALEXANDER, ed. Americans all; stories of American life of today. *$1.50 (1½c) Harcourt

20–14759

The editor of this volume of short stories states in his preface that he believes that the short story is the form which can best stand as the adequate expression in fiction of American life. He says “If it were possible to bring together in a single volume a group of these, each one reflecting faithfully one facet of our many-sided life, would not such a book be a truer picture of America than any single novel could present? The present volume is an attempt to do this.” Contents: The right Promethean fire, by George Madden Martin; The land of heart’s desire, by Myra Kelly; The tenor, by H. C. Bunner; The passing of Priscilla Winthrop, by William Allen White; The gift of the Magi, by O. Henry; The gold brick, by Brand Whitlock; His mother’s son, by Edna Ferber; Bitter-sweet, by Fannie Hurst; The riverman, by Stewart Edward White; Flint and fire, by Dorothy Canfield; The ordeal at Mt Hope, by Paul Laurence Dunbar; Israel Drake, by Katherine Mayo; The struggles and triumph of Isidro de los Maestros, by James M. Hopper; The citizen, by James F. Dwyer. There is a sketch of the author following each story, and at the end a List of American short stories classified by locality, and Notes and questions for study.

“An interesting group of stories.”

“Only two stories in the volume, Myra Kelly’s ‘Just kids’ and William Allen White’s ‘Society in our town,’ have grown instead of being made after a model.”

“Literary merit aside, however, the authors all have a place in a book which seeks not to present the best short stories but rather different phases of American life. ‘American life of today,’ however, is a misnomer. In their steadfast sometimes sentimental idealism, in their passionate belief in democracy, the stories are obviously and pathetically stories of life before the war.” Marian O’Connor

“An unusually excellent anthology of American short tales.”

“Considered merely as a vehicle of recreational reading ‘Americans all’ answers its purpose well; for the one who desires to combine recreation with study of the successful short story the text is well selected.”

HIBBEN, PAXTON.Constantine I and the Greek people. il *$3.50 (3½c) Century 949.5

20–10649

The book was written in the spring of 1917 after the author had been in Greece, Macedonia and Serbia and constitutes another postwar revelation. It is stated that “during the war and after our entry into it as an ally of France and Great Britain, without our knowledge and consent the constitution of a little, but a brave and fine people was nullified by the joint action of two of our allies: the neutrality of a small country was violated, the will of its people set at naught, its laws broken, its citizens persecuted, its press muzzled. By force a government was imposed on this free people, and by force that government has been and is today maintained in absolute power.” (Foreword) The contents is in three parts: Intrigue; Coercion; Starvation; and there are an epilogue and appendices.

“Interesting to read as a sequel to Mrs Brown’s ‘In the heart of German intrigue.’”

“This fascinating story of political and military intrigue makes poor reading for those who blindly felt the Allies did no wrong. It constitutes a bitter arraignment of Venizelos.”

“The book, as a whole, is well done. It is written in a clear, readable style, is carefully documented, and is unusually free from errors. Particularly good are the analysis of diplomatic situations, the different attitudes of parties and foreign powers being excellently portrayed. The book’s only noticeable defects arise from the reflexes of the author’s own temperament. Obviously a man of strong feelings, Mr Hibben seems occasionally to be slightly carried away by them.” Lothrop Stoddard

“Mr Hibben’s book has the defect, on the surface, of being too much of an apologia.... Mr Hibben has given us one of the torches; it does not always burn clearly; he waves it in the air too violently at times: but it is a torch, and its light may help to show how little we understand the temperament and the good qualities of the Grecian people.” M. F. Egan

“The writer of this book had a full opportunity to study the Balkan situation and above all the Greek question. Unfortunately, all this unusual opportunity has been wasted on a book so full of inaccuracies that it is difficult to determine whether it is the mere result of journalistic carelessness or a calculated attempt to palliate truth.” A. E. Phoutrides

“The story is told with great skill and lucidity, and the volume is one of the most readable that has come out of any of the so-called side-shows of the war.”

HICHENS, ROBERT SMYTHE.Snake-bite, and other stories. *$1.90 (2c) Doran

19–11943

“‘Snake-bite’ is a collection of six stories, three in the approved Robert Hichens style, one an excellent little mystery, one a story of a faith healer, and one a dainty little war-time sketch. You have your choice of the familiar East or the unfamiliar West, with or without a touch of colour.” (The Times [London] Lit Sup) The titles are: Snake-bite; The lost faith; The Hindu; The lighted candles; The nomad; The two fears.

“As a teller of short stories, Mr Hichens reveals in this collection another phase of his skill. In each he shows his mastery of place and people, and his command of the illusory effects of atmosphere.” E. F. E.

“In the matter of atmosphere and sustained mood, comparable with his best work.”

“Of the six short stories two are dominated by the desert, while one might almost be called a plain ghost story, and these three are so markedly superior to the others that they are quite in a different class.”

“We doubt if Mr Hichens has ever done better work than in ‘The snake bite’; the African color and atmosphere are admirably rendered.”

“These stories are well told, with a brisk, practised pen. The dialogue is interesting, and the touches of light and shade well done.”

HICKS BEACH, SUSAN EMILY (CHRISTIAN) (MRS WILLIAM FREDERICK HICKS BEACH).Shuttered doors. *$1.75 (2½c) Lane

20–7653

A story that covers several generations in the life of an English family. The figure of outstanding interest is Aletta Hulse, who is strongly influenced by association in childhood with her aunt, Ann Duller of Duller Place. Aletta inherits a fortune from an old Boer uncle, marries and brings up a family of three children, who in their turn marry. Interest in the latter part of the story centers in Andrew, one of the grandsons, to whom his grandmother bequeaths Duller Place. Andrew is killed in the war leaving an infant daughter to carry on the family tradition.

“‘Shuttered doors’ presents one of those pictures of English life before which Americans can only stand and wonder. Perfection of detail in living has not yet been attained by us to such a degree that an entire novel can be built about it with little attention paid to plot, and not even much to characterization.”

“This long, slow story of ‘upper middle-class’ life in England never rises above the deadly commonplace. Andy Duller is the most human character in the novel.”

“Most people will not have very much sympathy with Aletta Hulse, later Aletta Picard, but at any rate her character is consistent to the smallest detail, and the author succeeds in creating a living figure.”

HICKS, FREDERICK CHARLES.New world order. *$3 Doubleday 341

20–14528

The book is the outcome of a course of lectures on International organization and cooperation, delivered at the summer session of 1919, in the department of public law, Columbia university. “The general purpose was to examine the League covenant analytically in its relation to (1) international organization, (2) international law, and (3) international cooperation, using the comparative method whenever precedents could be found.” (Preface) The author’s personal conviction is “that the League of nations should be supported not merely because it provides means for putting war a few steps farther in the background, but because it emphasizes the necessity for cooperation between sovereign states.” (Preface) In strict accordance with the general purpose the contents are in three parts and the appendices contain, besides a complete draft of the treaty of peace with Germany: The Triple alliance; Russo-French alliance; The Holy alliance act; Central American treaties, December 20, 1907; Hague conventions and drafts, 1907; Treaty for the advancement of peace between the United States of America and Guatemala, September 20, 1913; Bibliography and index.

“A useful reference manual.”

“For college classes studying the legal aspects of international organization Mr Hicks’s book will doubtless be very useful. The pedagogical apparatus and Mr Hick’s treatment of the problems he discusses are unexceptionable. ‘The new world order’ is an excessively pretentious title for a volume dealing with the League of nations. Such a utopian nomenclature would have prejudiced the case for international organization even if idealism has been triumphant; under existing circumstances it is little short of absurd.” Lindsay Rogers

“From the legal and historical points of view, an important exposition of the Versailles treaty has been gathered, coordinated, and written by Columbia’s law librarian.” Walter Littlefield

“The scope of Mr Hicks’s plan is so impressive and his workmanship is so excellent that it is greatly to be hoped that his volume will not be allowed to fall into oblivion, whatever the outcome of the struggle over the League in this country.” E: S. Corwin

HILL, CONSTANCE.Mary Russell Mitford and her surroundings. il *$6 (*21s) (7c) Lane

20–12406

“The name of Mary Russell Mitford—the author of ‘Our village’—is dear to thousands of readers, both English and American, for she has enabled them to see nature with her eyes and to enter into the very spirit of rural life.” (Chapter 1) She was born December 16, 1787, and was a versatile writer not only of stories, but of poems and successful dramas, performed in London with John Kemble and Macready in the leading parts. Many quotations and extracts from her writings acquaint the reader with her style. The book is illustrated with drawings by Ellen G. Hill and has an index.

“Speaking truthfully, ‘Mary Russell Mitford and her surroundings’ is not a good book. It neither enlarges the mind nor purifies the heart. There is nothing in it about prime ministers and not very much about Miss Mitford. Yet, as one is setting out to speak the truth, one must own that there are certain books which can be read without the mind and without the heart, but still with considerable enjoyment. To come to the point, the great merit of these scrapbooks, for they can scarcely be called biographies, is that they license mendacity.” V. W.

“Miss Hill has compiled an entertaining volume of literary personalia, and its attractiveness is increased by numerous drawings from her sister’s pencil.” E. F. E.

“As an introduction to Miss Mitford’s work and personality Miss Hill’s book is an admirable achievement. It presents the women perfectly and brings before the reader again the age wherein she lived.” H. S. Gorman

“Our feeling on laying it down is that we had better have spent our time in reading Miss Mitford’s own account of herself in ‘Recollections of a literary life.’ Nevertheless, the book is a nice book, a very nice book (if it is largely paste and scissors).”

HILL, DAVID JAYNE.American world policies. *3.50 (7c) Doran 341.1

Back to Index Next