Stories from Hans Andersen. With Illustrations by Edmund Dube. (Hodder
and Stoughton. 15s. net.)—The stories chosen are seven in number, "The Snow Queen" standing first in the list and being the longest. Next to it comes " The Nightingale." These two are typical, and we must own to a preference for the second. Anyhow Mr. Dakar's illustrating pencil seems to find in it its best opportunity. The scene is in China, and the pictures, with their Chinese characteristics, are admirable. What, for in- stance, could be better than the young women who put water into their mouths and try to imitate the " jug-jug " of the bird, or the learned music-master who writes twenty-five volumes about the artificial bird ? Never, we think, has Andersen been more ably interpreted.—Another handsome illustrated edition of an old favourite is King Arthur's Knights, by Henry Gilbert, with Illus- trations in Colour by Walter Crane (T. C. and E. C. Tack; 7s. 6d. not).—We do not quite understand Mr. Gilbert's claim for originality in the retelling of these stories. One would think from the way he expresses himself that Sir 'Thomas Mallory had never been adapted before for boys and girls. The young person who takes down the Hcrte d'Arthur from his father's bookshelves and finds it written in a puzzling old-fashioned language must have been badly looked after. Did Mr. -Gilbert ever hear of a very successful work of the kind by the late Sir James Knowles ? It was done, it is true, some fifty years ago ; but the records of that remote time are not all lost. The telling has been done well enough, though such language as "Will ye be my good and kind lord when ye are king ? " is somewhat absurd. Mr. Walter Crane's illustrations are very attractive though not all of equal excellence. "Young Percival" and "Sir Geraint and Enid" we like better than " The Witch and Sir Tristram?'
Previous page
