Current Literature
THE FACE OF ENGLAND.
By Edmund Blunden
In selecting Mr. Effinthed Blunden to write the volume dealing with our countryside, the editors of The English Heritage Series have made the ideal choice. The Face -of England (Longman, 3s. Od.) will diSappoint only those readers possessing the superficial " tourist ." mind,; mistake sentimentality for sentiment. True knowledge breeds humility, . and, appreciating the vastness of his theme, Mr. Blunden has wisely refrained from any attempt at systematic or exhaustive treatment. Against a background of the year's changing : aspects of earth and sky; he gives us it series of vignettes of country life and character from his own observaticia and experienee. Eschewing conventional " beauty • spots " and "places of interest," he distils charm from the commonplace; and with the same creative touch, inspired by true intimacy, lee makes us free of the society of the inn parlour, the cottage fireside, or the market train. Interwoven are some delightful personal memories, which serve to show how. rapidly_ the face of England has changed in some respects during the last thirty years, and yet how tenaciously, in other ways,- : tradition defies the march of " progress." Among hits sensitive prose sketches Mr. Blum-len includes e few new poems.
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