4 OCTOBER 1924, Page 32

The aim of this anthology is to be an "

introduction and guide " to Hudson's works. Very definitely, that is to say, it is not meant to be a substitute for reading Hudson in bulk, and no one 'whoa buys it will be able to say, Now I know all Hudson, and I needn't go to the trouble of getting any of his books." But how are we to criticize a selection like this ? Mr. Garnett has done his work sensibly and well ' • he has, on the whole, chosen good, simple, straightforward extracts. Most of them are nature-observation, and perhaps Mr. Garnett might with advantage have chosen more from the novels and short stories. To a townsman one nature study is much like another, and a very few would surfice to give him the air of Hudson's writing. To an ardent lover of nature nothing less than the whole of Hudson will be satisfying.