TRAVEL BOOKS
EVERY thoughtful visitor to the Isle of Man should read Miss Herbert's charming book, which, we are glad to see, has been reprinted in a cheaper form, with coloured drawings by Mr. Maxwell. As a Manxwoman Miss Herbert writes with real knowledge and sympathy about the history and folklore of her delightful island, and she describes the less familiar hills and glens, away from the Douglas promenade, in chapters that are all too brief. Those who have walked over the lonely hills from Port Erin to Peel or on the moors in the north of the island will know that the author does not exaggerate the attractiveness of the scenery. But for many of us nature is more engaging when it is the background for such a romantic history as the Isle of Man can boast. Miss Herbert wrote before the War, but her legends, fairy tales and amusing anecdotes are as fresh as ever. It would, however, be inter- esting to know whether, as she found in 1909, the Manx language—a variety of Gaelic—has ceased to be used by the farmers and fishermen.
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