Dr. Starkie, Professor of Spanish in Dublin University, spends his
vacations (presumably) as a gypsy. With nothing but a fiddle—he would prefer that name to violin—he plays his way wherever the fancy takes him. This time it took
him to Morocco and Spain. Dr. Starkie is not only learned in .gypsy lore and an academic expert on all things Spanish and musical, but a welcome guest in gypsy quarters and encampments in many parts of the world. His book is rich in intimate details of the primitive life of the Romanies, which he observes as a scholar and understands as a Bohemian —and an Irishman. _He sometimes lays himself open to the charge which is frequently, and with justice, levelled against the intellectual vagabond, of being a poseur. His' laughter is too Rabelaisian, his bold impudence too self- consciously picaresque. Like the gypsies, the reader at first has his suspicions. He has seen this type before. He has read these descriptions of the gardens of Granada and of the Holy Week fiestas in Seville before—in travel-agents' brochures. But on a close acquaintance with Dr. Starkie he will drop his charges. Stripped of its catch-penny decora- tions, this book remains a genuine contribution to our know- ledge of the lower strata of Spanish life, and corrects more popular errors about such subjects as Spanish folk-music and dancing than it commits in its obviously fanciful passages. Next time, we hope Dr. Starkie will decide whether to hunt with the publishers or run with the readers.
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