18 AUGUST 1928, Page 19

Mr. G. E. R. Gedye's A Wayfarer in Austria (Methuen,

7s. 6d.) claims to be the first travel-book on Austria published in the English language. It is more than a guide-book (though it is that too) ; it is an evangel of the charm of Austria : of Vienna, the City of Laughter—but a laughter shot at times with sadness for a glory that has departed ; of the haunting beauties of Graz, Salzburg, and Innsbruck ; of waterfalls, snow-peaks, and glaciers ; of the country's good and extraordinarily cheap food ; and, above all, of its sweet-mannered friendly people. This book is literature and its insight, knowledge, and sympathy help us to understand Austria.

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