27 FEBRUARY 1948, Page 26

Sussex. By Reginald Turnor. (Paul Elek. 9s. 6d.)

Tins is not Mr. Belloc's Sussex, nor Mr. E. V. Lucas's, but in its way it is quite as good as either. Mr. Tumor knows his county through' and through$ and his descriptions have an intimate personal totieh which gives the letterpress part of this volume great charm. As for the other part, the thirty-two pages of illustrations are quite outstanding. Whether it is landscape or seascape, forest or caide or windmill or bridge, the photographer has invariably brought to his subject the eye of an artist. The reproduction of a map of 5607, a 3-mile to art inch ordnance map folded in at the end, the drawings, black-and-white and wash, by Michael Rothenstein, all make up a much more than ordinarily attractive volume. Sussex has a pattern of its own, with its downs behind the sea and the weald behind the downs, its four rivers running north to south through the gaps in the hills, the Roman Stane Street driving north from Chichester to the gurrey border. To all that, familiar as it is, Mr. Tumor gives his special touch. But he knows the remoter Sussex—the little lost down churches, and Ebernoe and Plaistow and Northchapel and the like—as well as Brighton and Littlehampton or Hastings. In carless days there can be much worse plans than to take an early train to Billingshurst or Pul- borough and then let Mr" Tumor lead the way.