Shorter Notices
A Picture of Life, 1872-1940. By Viscount Mersey. (Murray. 18s.
LORD MERSEY has had a more than ordinarily interesting life, and the story of it was well worth telling. Whether it was worth telling to the extent of 44o pages is less certain. Few autobio- graphers, and not all biographers, realise how often halving the length means doubling the interest. There is a good deal here that could have been shortened with advantage. Eton in the 'eighties, for example, has been abundantly described already, and travel narratives have to be singularly well done to hold the attention long. But Lord Mersey's later chapters, from his experiences at the Dardanelles onwards, are full both of personal and of general interest, and well stocked with anecdotes both instructive and entertaining, including many early references, always appreciative, to Mr. Winston Churchill. Some rather exciting historical research is suggested by such a diary-entry as: " Lady Wakehurst (Lady Louise Loder) told me of an account of a confinement of Queen Elizabeth being found among the archives at Windsor. It was given to Queen Victoria, who burnt it, saying that it was Queen Elizabeth's private affair." Altogether a very agreeable parcel of memories.
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