5 JULY 1930, Page 32

Poetry a! Present. By Charles Williams. (Oxford Press. 7s. 6d.)--In

these days, when there is so much "about it and about," a collection of studies of living poets may be looked upon with forgivable suspicion. We are flooded with too much amiable congratulation. Mr. Williams gives us something different. These are careful studies and interpretations that present us not only with a number of sensitively-wrought portraits, but also a commentary on the development of modern verse that is full of intuition and constructive criticism. In particular, the studies of Mr. W. H. Davies and Mr. Robert Graves are to be recommended for the way in which they bring out the original qualities in these poets. The book should appeal both to students and to those idlers who read poetry Lecause it is an inkling of pure joy.