23 JANUARY 1942, Page 20

'Cavalier Lyrics and other 17th Century Love Poems ; Everyman

a Morality ; A Country Zodiac with Woodcuts by Thomas Bewick ; The Hunting of the Snark. By Lewis Carroll, illus- trated by Mervyn Peake. (Zodiac Books, Chatto and Windus. as. 6d. each.) THESE are all new additions to the attractively produced Zodiac books which set a new standard for books produced at a low price. It is useful to have that most magnificent example of morality plays " Everyman " separately available in a tasteful format for the general reader. This fifteenth-century drama is the first great piece of dramatic literature in the English language, and it is far less well-known than its merits deserve, in spite of its successful production at the " Old Vic " Theatre before the present war. If this country ever has a National Theatre, then an adequate performance of " Everyman " will be one of its first duties. The selection of " Cavalier Lyrics " contains the obvious, but by judicious exclusion sustains a certain unity of tone ; more various and unexpected is the Country Zodiac, an anthology of prose and verse with an excellent choice of Bewick's delightful wood-cuts. A word of praise is due to Mervyn Peake's illustrations to " The Hunting of the Snark," they are as queer and distinctive, though not as lyrical, as Carroll's verses.