23 JULY 1927, Page 37

THE QUEST OF THE GOLDEN STAIRS. By Arthur Edward Waite.

(Theosophical Publishing House, Ltd. 10s.)— It is impossible to give the plot of The Quest of the Golden Stairs. One does not give the plot of a fairy story and this one is more than a tale, as admirers of Mr. Waite will recognize. It is an escape from the world into an enchanted kingdom, and we advise the reader to set out on a pilgrimage with Prince Starbeam and see with hint the Phoenix, the Daughter of the Stars and all those who wear white or green samite. Sceptics and cynics need not be afraid of tawdry glitter and silvery sentiment even though they may dislike the spelling of the word Faerie. Some of Mr. Waite's phrases here might have come from the book of Proverbs : " The rusty key may open the house of plenty, and a wicket gate lead to places of mystery," and " The woe of the world is a stinging nettle and the secret is to clutch it."