Reviews.

“Reaching for the Stars,” by Nora Waln (Angus & Robertson, Sydney) is the Australian edition of a book on Nazi Germany. We are fortunate in having available in such a reasonably priced and well-printed edition a work that has attracted much favourable comment in other parts of the world. Because her story is told with such insight and sincerity this book must make a tremendous impression. In it we see the true Nazi character revealed, and of the effect it is having on the people of Germany. For four years Mrs. Waln lived a friendly life among people of all classes in Germany. She shared their joys and their fears, their trusts and their suspicions. To have such a picture conveyed in gentle, cultured words and in a spirit of charity, is no mean achievement.

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“In Ben Boyd's Day” by Will Lawson (“New Century Press,” Sydney) is worthy of everybody's attention. It is a novel of engrossing interest and is a page 46 page 47 fairly faithful historical record of a famous and picturesque figure. It is also a sample of fine writing. In short I think it is Lawson's best prose work to date. Ben Boyd was an arresting figure in the early days of Australia. From London he went to Australia determined to conquer and build lasting monuments with his manipulations of men and money. The trouble was, however, that he paid no heed to the many enemies his schemes created and they eventually proved more powerful than Ben himself. The story of his efforts to build a city, his triumphs and his failures, his unusual attitude in love affairs, his ships, and his many schemes—all complete a colourful picture from real life. Will Lawson has told a fine story and, of course, he is never better than in scenes at sea. A book to keep and to read more than once.

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“Fools’ Harvest” by Erle Cox (Robertson & Mullens, Melbourne) will at the moment interest everybody because it concerns war. It is an imaginary and, I hope, not prophetic story on an invasion of Australia by a foreign power. How an ill-prepared nation faces terrible attacks from air, sea and land is told in a story of action. Shift the same possibilities to New Zealand and the average reader will be faced with a fearsome picture.

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“Three Went West” by Gilbert Anstruther (Angus & Robertson, Sydney) is a strange tale of hatred between two brothers. The six central figures are mostly people with souls and hearts of flint and their final tragedy of revenge and murder is fought out in the appropriate atmosphere of the Australian desert. Out of the tragedy of it all, two emerge human beings. In the case of one, the man, love performs a miracle, melting the granite heart and cold as steel cynicism and leaving him the surviving hero of the piece. Much of the action of the story takes place in a remote mining camp in Central Australia.

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“The Awakening” by Captain D. G. Mitchell, M.C., D.C.M., is an Australian war novel that has attracted widespread interest and has been issued by Angus & Robertson Ltd. in a cheap 1/6 edition. It is a vivid futurist picture of what might happen to Australia if attacked by a foreign foe. The book has been described as “a warning to Australia.”

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“The Art of Debating” by J. B. Baggaridge and P. Masel has just been issued in a third edition by Robertson & Mullens, Melbourne. This is a valuable book for public speakers and is a concise guide in the art of debating. It contains forty subjects suitable for debate, with detailed arguments pro and con.

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“Essential Christianity” by Professor S. Angus of St. Andrew's College, Sydney, is described as one of the three most distinctive religious books of 1939 issued to date. In a much worried world which seeks almost frantically for light and guidance in its troubled and disaster-threatened existence, such a book as this will be widely read and discussed. Professor Angus argues for Christian spiritual unity and claims that Christian character does not rely on any particular orthodoxy—that it should be known by its fruits rather than by its dogmas. Christianity, he claims, must not be competitive but must be co-operative so that concerted action might help to cure the ills of the world.

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“Blue Bowl,” a small collection of poems by Mary Hedley Charlton is, to date, the best printing job from the persevering Handcraft Press. The author must certainly feel flattered over the trouble taken to dress her poems so nicely. The verse itself is sincere and simple but not outstanding. The thoughts have been penned in an apparently effortless manner and because of their unaffectedness must be pleasing to the reader.

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“Locomotive Management—Cleaning—Driving—Maintenance,” by Jas. T. Hodgson, M.I.Mech.E., and the late John Williams. Revised by Chas. S. Lake, M.I.Mech.E., M.I.Loco.E., London: “The Railway Gazette,” 33 Tothill Street, Westminster, S.W.1. 8 ½ in. by 5 ½ in. by 1 in. 500 pp. 105 half-tone illustrations and 195 line drawings. Price 6/- net.

The seventh edition of this text book on the management of locomotives has been revised and brought thoroughly up-to-date. As its title indicates, the work is a manual intended for the use of locomotive enginemen and those in training for the responsible duties associated with that calling. It will be found also of considerable assistance to members of the running shed and shop staffs whose work brings them into daily contact with the preparation and maintenance of locomotive engines.