Mr. Brimlcy Johnson, that true lover of .lane Austen (Dent,
15s.) has certainly absorbed something of her pre-eminent gift of readability—which is something apart from her genius.
Janeites " will not be able to put this latest book of Mr. Johnson's down. He brings together all that has been told or can be gathered from letters about her life and her works. His pages are woven of quotations.' Do not let any devotee pasOthe book by because he thinks that he already knows all that there is to be known. It is most likely that he will find himself mistaken. For instance, there is quite a suggestive tittle here about love affairs. How often have we been told by careless critics that there were none ? A really detailed picture has been pieced together of the life at the rectory out of which Jane came. Sister Cassandra and the sailor brothers become known to :us as we read. What a charming family ! Compare them
with the Brontës !
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