Musical Monstrosities. By C. L. Graves. Illustrated by George Morrow.
(Pitman and Son. Is. net.)—Since not one of the witticisms of this amusing little volume appeared originally in the Spectator, we are perhaps the better able to appreciate and recommend it as holiday reading. Musical Monstrosities is truly monstrous. The behaviour of its musicians, from M. Paderewski to Mr. Algernon Ashton, is prodigious throughout ; perhaps the infant prodigies are the most amusing of all. One of them, who plays long compositions by Me, writes a diary which is delight- ful reading ; another, engagingly named Boleslas Bilger, breaks a bowstring and is provided with another by the Sultan. The index, doing double duty as a work of reference and an index to the character of the book, is ingenious. We were particularly interested in "Alderney, last moments,of a priceless, p. 95," and "Breast, the savage, successfully charmed by Madame Claribel Kenwig, p. 459," but failed to trace the latter reference in a work of two hundred and sixteen pages. There ought to bo an index to Mr. Morrow's illustrations; we commend the idea to Mr. Morrow, and we commend Mr. Morrow also to holiday-makers who know bow to laugh at humorous drawing.
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