Norman Gale

“ For often they total far more than a man—
Just think of last year and the short runs they ran!
Buzz her in!
Don't trot by the side of the ball like a dolt,
Buzz her in!
But cram on the pace like a fine Derby colt,
Buzz her in!
Pick her up, dash her in true and fast to the sticks,
And teach the best batsmen to look to their tricks! ”

“ The primary business of a publisher is to discriminate, both as to intrinsic literary merit, and with regard to what will hit the public taste, a classical illustration of the difficulty in gauging the latter being the rejection of "John Inglesant" by the late James Payn, then "reader" for an eminent firm. ”

“ The possession of high musical attainments makes her temperament all the more interesting, and accounts for the presence in so remote a district of her German friend whose acute sense of the ridiculous leads to such untoward results. It is hard to say whether the author's talents are best evinced by her true pathos or by the delicate touches of humour which pervade the book. Another commendable feature of the novel is an alert skill in construction which stamps it as a thoroughly artistic production. ”

“ Oh! all my odds are even,
And (I hope to be forgiven)
'Tis a truly Cricket Heaven
Up at Lords!
[5]
OUT
O very potent little word,
'Out!'
How often have we sadly heard
'Out!'
When stupid umpires surely sin,
Just as to settle we begin,
And say, in place of saying 'in,'
'Out!'
Though I am Captain of the team,
'Out!'
Though I in doubt may gravely seem,
'Out!'
Though I have barely scored a run [6]
My average goes down with one,
And other Bats must have the fun—
'Out!'
I see Jones laugh behind his hand—
Out! ”

“ The question requires no answer now, for the triumph which the publisher at once foretold on reading the manuscript has been more than attained, and "The House of Merrilees" is indisputably the novel of the season. It has at the same time demonstrated to the publishing trade that a sensational story does not labour under any disadvantage by the abduction of literary style.
In a wholly different vein are "The Discipline of Christine" and "The Unequal Yoke," by Mrs. Barré Goldie and Mrs. H.H. Penrose respectively. ”

“ As its name denotes, the interest in the new novel is largely military; in every line the soldier, with his nice sense of honour, his virility, and his direct methods, stands revealed. "The Countermine" is certainly a most thrilling tale, and should raise the author to the front rank of writers on "Service" topics. Of Mr. Thomas Cobb, whose reputation is already firmly established, it is only necessary to say that in "The Friendships of Veronica" his fertile and resourceful pen is at its best if, indeed, his literary reputation has not been substantially advanced. ”

“ I'm growing inert and no longer exert
The nimble gymnastical joint:
I cannot rejoice when a hurricane cut
Contuses my shin with its crunch;
When fielding to hitters my heart patters-pitters,
But trust me to sparkle at lunch!—
I radiate freely at lunch. ”

“ Penrose has taken for her theme the love story of a clergyman whose benefice is an Irish coast town, and in whose flock prominence is attained by narrow zeal rather than by amiability. He is really a good man, and is lucky enough, or the reverse, to win the hand of a delightful young lady whose charms, however, do not command the unanimous approval of the parishioners. ”

“ A striking study of nomadic life among the peasant classes, translated from the Russian by J.K.M. SHIRAZI.
It is one thing to be a famous writer; it is another to be widely read. Maxim Gorky is at present included in both categories, though as regards the second condition he had scarcely qualified prior to the publication of "Creatures that once were Men." It was a bold venture, for all the former successes in shilling form were either sensationally melodramatic or frankly farcical. Encouraged by the huge demand for Maxim Gorky's book, Mr. ”

“ Gale, perhaps more truly and constantly than the verse of any of our younger living poets, stands the Miltonic test of poetry, in proving itself "simple, sensuous, passionate."'—From The Poets and Poetry of the Century. ”

“ The Alston Rivers' Shilling Library.
Creatures that once were Men. MAXIM GORKY. With Introductory by G.K. CHESTERTON.
Lovers in London. A.A. MILNE.
"'A Coming Humorist.' ... In Mr. Milne it may not be extravagant to descry a writer with a future before him." —Evening Standard and St. James's Gazette.
Change for a Halfpenny. C.L.G. and E.V.L.
The hustling methods of modernity possess undoubted possibilities for humorous treatment, and no one has appreciated the fact more keenly than the authors of "Wisdom While you Wait." ”

“ To get thee away!
For muscles must wither,
Our cricket be flown;
And we shall inhabit
Pavilions, and groan!
Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to Her Majesty
at the Edinburgh University Press
BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
In Verse.
Country Muse. In two volumes. (David Nutt.)
Orchard Songs. (Elkin Mathews and John Lane.)
In Prose.
A June Romance. (George E. Over, Rugby. The cheaper edition nearly ready.)
SOME CRITICAL OPINIONS.
'Dowsabella lives again and cowslips are in bloom.'—'A Fogey' in The Contemporary Review. ”

“ These "Sunday Morning Talks to Children" are full of charm and suggestive thought.
"We can hardly praise too highly the beauty and exquisite simplicity of these talks."—Literary World.
London: ALSTON RIVERS, 13, Arundel Street.
Mr. Reginald Turner has already achieved such distinction as an author of superior fiction (witness the success of his "Comedy of Progress" and "Cynthia's Damages,") that a cordial reception was assured for his latest book "Peace on Earth." It is a pathetic story that he has to tell ”

“ Four years ago the author of this book issued a slender volume of cricket songs. Seven of these are now reprinted; the rest are new.
The cricket ball, for the most part, is spoken of as a female. Once or twice the neuter gender is used. ”

“ The Unequal Yoke. Mrs. H.H. PENROSE. [Now Ready.
The Discipline of Christine. Mrs. BARRÉ GOLDIE. [Now Ready.
Peter Binney, Undergraduate. ARCHIBALD MARSHALL. [Now Ready.
Peace on Earth. REGINALD TURNER. [Now Ready.
The Countermine. ARTHUR WENLOCK. [Now Ready.
The Friendships of Veronica. THOMAS COBB. [May 17.
Hugh Revel, A Public School Story. LIONEL PORTMAN. [July 25.]
Notes on Books.
In issuing a list of new and forthcoming publications, Mr. Alston Rivers cannot but express his gratification at the spirit of fair play which has enabled him to realise such a striking series of successes. ”