Nobody who has heard Mr. S. M. 'J. Woods talking will fail to secure with keen anticipation "My Reminiscences" (Chapman and Hall, 68.) Nor will his many friends be dis" appointed. book is just ike talk—swift, eager, boisterous, dotly, The disorder, by the occasionally reinforced by, rather careless proof-reading. Above all, the book is entirely good natured. "There is not, in the whole collection of stories, one to give anybody an instant's pain. Rugger men may, perhaps, have one com= plaint. 'There is' only a half is chapter or so about their game. Occasional allusions are tantalizing observer and one of the foremost writers in Chinese polities and for example, the desk saring that' A. E. Stoddart was, al Ittle "too" gentle. when' playing gainst Scotland. There is one good tory, too, against the author. The Somerset 'XV. were to play Yorke ire:
We arrived at our hotel, and I was having a glass of beer, when someone in the bar asked'me if I was a footballer. I said I was.
He said, "Playing for Yor or Somerset?" I said, Intter," He said, thou " play?" 1 "Right know Dicky Lockwood? Thou-—soon will, when game starts!" And I did, as he ran round me twice and scored two tries.
But Mr. Woods never minds a story against himself. Thus, for instance, of his. bowling:
On one occasion C. J. Kortright the fastest bowler who ever played, knocked Alec Hearne's cap off. Some one remarked to him th Kortright was dangerous. Alec's remark was, "A bit faster than Mr. Woods, but not half so dangerous.
In this connexion one is tempted to quote the author's interview (when both were "past") with Bobby Abel. (Mr, Woods preface the story by saying he was not of those who said "the Gov'nor"' couldn't play fast bowling.
I went to visit him a couple of yea in his shop, near the Oval. "Hullo, Bobby, how are you? "Lor, it's Mister Sam, and the times you have nearly knocked my head off is wonderful, isn't it" I said, "Yes, my dear, and the times you have made my shoulder ache is wonderful too!" Dear little man, The Gov'nor.
One quotes personal stories—of which there are dozens as good or better. But serious cricketers will find not less interesting the comments on play and players. Mr. Woods thinks there is too much county cricket to-day, that people get slack, and that the average side's fielding and catching His brief "characters" of famous Rimerets and instructive, Bat the and present, are
chief feature of the book is its high plete and its good temper.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.