BOOKS.
THIS WEEK'S BOOKS.
THE Rev. S. Gordon Wilson has been moved by indignation to write a description of The University of London and its Colleges (University Tutorial Press). A newspaper journalist recently wrote an article with the title, "Where is the Uni- versity .of London ? " and complained that he had spent a day in search of it and had failed to find it. This mild facetiousness, adapted from the legends of another University, roused Mr. Wilson's anger, and he set out to write a descrip- tion and history of London University to dissipate, such ignorance." He has not been allowed space for more than a brief account, for he has to deal with nearly forty schools and colleges, but he will succeed in convincing his readers -that the University, scattered though it must necessarily be, contains in its parts as much to admire and venerate as other Universities. Perhaps ,it will come as a surprise to many that London University has a considerable number of undergraduates in residence who are bound by the same customs and rules, and live much the same life as the under- graduates of Oxford and Cambridge. We have received from Messrs. Grant Rielrards the fourth series of Mr. Frank Harris's Contemporary Portraits. None of the portraits seems equal to Mr. Harris's earlier work, but there is undoubtedly an appeal in having Wagner, Turge- nieff, Mark Twain or Renoir in some degree brought -to life, or in having vicarious conversation with Charlie Chaplin, Trotzky or Jim Larkin. Mr. Harris is generally good- humoured in his portraits, but it appears that any modern American President will stir him to the utmost fury. Mr. J. D. VVhelpley has composed a treatise on British- American Relations (Grant Richards), with a short introduction by Mr. Harvey. Messrs. Kegan Paul send two additions to their Library of Psychology. One is a translation of Alfred Adler's The Practice and Theory of Individual Psychology, the other Speculations by the late T. E. Hulme, edited by Mr. Herbert Reade. Hulme was more a wit and commentator than a philosopher ; he has chiefly been known on account of his exiguous output of verse ; but there is much among his notebooks and papers to stimulate thought.
Mrs. Margaret L. Woods has worked into a novel, A Poet's Youth (Chapman and Dodd), the recent additions to our knowledge of William Wordsworth.
On January 15th the B. B. C. are making a new experi- ment. Mr. Nigel Playfair will be responsible for a whole evening's entertainment, which will consist of recitations and one-act plays. Among the latter are two specially written for
broadcasting by Mr. A. P. Herbert and Mr. Richard Hughes, who is one of the Spectator's regular reviewers. These
" Listening-Plays " are apparently the first of their kind. It is obvious that the ordinary stage-play, which depends as least as much on sight as sound for its effect, is fundamentally unsuitable for the purpose : the wireless will have to evolve a purely audible technique in the same way as the cinema has evolved a purely visual one ; and it will be interesting to see what the authors have made of the present opportunity.
THE LITERARY EDITOR.
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