'Tne Vaxisneo Eweie—By. Putnam'
Weale. "Macifillan & Ca, London, '026, At such a time as this when the world is waiting to. see whether the Kuomintang can succeed in putting some semblance of reality, into the Chinese Republic, Mr. Putnam Weale's bovis makes an appropriate appearance. Starting from mythical times and carrying his narrative down to the fight of the Kuominchun from Peking last July, Mr. Putnam Wee has conte an' admirable survey of Chit history in something less than 400 ages of large type, Illuminated by easy style and by the journal istic instinct for the "human ele-mont" which never deserts him, book is eminently readable, "al though it is certainly somewhat lopsided, Not much less than half of it is devoted to the intrigues of Poking since the opening of the 'Tarif' Conference on October 26, 1925, These latter pages give very little notice to the doings of the South, although there is a lengthy, digression describing the murder-us attack made on the Shameen on Tune 28 last year with some sound reflexions on the fatal blunder that was committed in not immediately avenging 'There ave many of us who never: tire of reading the history of ancient China, the word ancient also} including those later years of the! Mancha Dynasty which now seem! almost as remote as the days of the dodo, Mr. Putnam Weale has done' his work remarkably well in 80 small a space, although, in respect of the war of 1830-40, he gives undue prominence to the part played by opium as compared with the intolerable exactions and caprice of the Chinese officials which were the PLuM Brossosis aND Buur Incexse awe Omer Stories oF TE EAst, Jnmes W. Bennett and Soong Kwen. Hing." Eublished by the Commercial Press, Shanghai, $350. delightful book of short stories. Perhaps one could call them essays, but they are so engrossing that it is impossible to lay it aside }when one has started reading it. In it one finds tales of China and. the East generally. They are full of charm and sweetness, One was listed for honourable mention among the 30 best distinctive short stories for 1923 by the American Society of Arts and Sciences in its year book of the American Short story' and another was placed seventh on' the previous year's list, Mr, Bennett} is well-known as a writer for magazines abroad and his latest book, will be road with none) the interest than there which have preceded it, understand that he has been given a contract for another new book by one of 'America's leading publishers. 'The originality and the freshness of the stories are most absorbing. The parts which have been translated from the Chinese are excellent and' help the reader to understand the quaint styles of different Chi nese writers. As a Christmas present, there could be nothing! better. "It is well worth the price and one will get one's "money's can well recommend
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.