International studio (39.1909/1910(1910))

Reviews and Notices

raann.) js. 6a. net.—Mr. Rackham's conception
of Undine is most admirable, and his drawing of
this figure unvarying in its charm. There is an
amount of knowledge packed into these drawings
of the figure, too, which must please the most
academic. But it is Mr. Rackham's singular gift
to infuse this scholarship with caprice, and also
with emotion. The front cover of this book is
very beautiful, and the get-up throughout will
commend itself to every reader.

The Rainbow Book. By Mrs. M. H. Spielmann.
(London: Chatto & Windus.) 5-r. net.—These
" Tales of Fun and Fancy," charmingly written for
the delectation of juveniles by a lady who has a
keen sense of humour, are illustrated by pen-and-
ink sketches at intervals, after the fashion of
magazine stories, and in the same style. The
coloured frontispiece is by Mr. Arthur Rackham,
while numerous sketches are contributed by other
well-known illustrators, such as Hugh Thomson,
Bernard Partridge, Lewis Baumer, H. Rowntree,
C. Wilhelm—a galaxy of talent rarely found within
the covers of a single book.

The Forest Lovers. By Maurice Hewlett.
Illustrated by A. S. Hartrick. (London : Mac-
millan & Co., Ld.) 55-. net. This is a pleasantly
bound book with a beautiful cover design in gold
upon a serviceable green cloth. We are not quite
sure whether the numerous colour pictures, inserted
as they are upon brown papers, come within the
unwritten rules of book making. Here they are,
and can be nothing more than an accompaniment
to the text in a thick volume of prose matter.
As drawings in water-colour, however, they have
all Mr. Hartrick's refreshing handling and natu-
ralism. Mr. Hartrick is nothing if not a close
student of nature ; the value of his pictures and
the charm of the pieces of landscape depend
upon a lively observation. Added to this, he has
of course the art of imagining vividly the scenes
of a story.

The "Song of Sixpence" Picture-Book. Coloured
designs by Walter Crane. (London : John
Lane.) 4s. 6d. —" Sing a Song of Sixpence,"
"Princess Belle Etoile," and "An Alphabet of
Old Friends "—these are the three books in this
volume. No Christmas would be complete with-
out an illustrated picture-book by Mr. Walter.
Crane. His books take one back to days when
he and Randolph Caldecott were first in this great
field of children's picture-books. In drawing Mr.
Crane betrays a loss of his old cunning, but in the
sphere of pure decoration some of his pages can
still challenge any other illustrator of the day.

Types and Characters of London LJfe. Sketches
by George Belcher. (London : Offices of " The
Sphere" and "Tatler.") 21*. net.—This is a col-
lection of humorous drawings of great merit by a
talented young draughtsman. The " Types and
Characters " are true to life and full of vitality, and
they will not fail to raise many a hearty laugh.
They have been excellently reproduced, and put up
in an appropriate portfolio. Much credit is due to
both artist and publisher, and the collection is one
which we can recommend as an eminently suitable
and seasonable present.

The Cloister and the Hearth. By Charles
Reade. Illustrated by Byam Shaw. (London:
Chatto & Windus.) 12s. 6d. net.—The tradition
of partly decorative pen drawing is safe in Mr.
Byam Shaw's hands, whose art in this respect still has
the character which illustration first assumed upon
its release from the service of the wood-engraver.
It is a style perhaps in closer sympathy with the
arts ot printing, binding, etc., than the impres-
sionism of a later school. But colour is the
problem in this volume, as it is becoming more
and more clearly the problem of the modern
illustrated book. In Mr. Byam Shaw's work we
have some attempt to remember in this matter
of colour that water-colours, admirable and beauti-
fully effective upon a gallery wall, are not neces-
sarily suitable for the leaves of a book to be seen
at close quarters. Until this question is studied
more closely the colour illustration of books is
likely to remain where it is and where it has been
brought by the modern illustrator, in his total dis-
regard of the conditions under which his art is to
be looked at.

The Deserted Village. By Oliver Goldsmith.
With Illustrations by W. Lee Hankey. (London:
Constable & Co.) i$s. net.—Goldsmith's "De-
serted Village " has been for more than a century,
and will always remain, one of the gems of English
literature. It is by no means a long poem, and that
it should monopolise a large octavo volume nearly
an inch and a half thick, seems a little incongruous.
The volume bulks large, however, partly because
the illustrative matter is so abundant. In addition
to forty coloured illustrations, Mr. Lee Hankey
has contributed numerous drawings in black-and-
white. The poem is rich in themes for a sym-
pathetic artist, and so imbued is Mr. Lee Hankey's
art with the homely sentiment which pervades it,
that this partnership of poet and painter has turned
out to be a most happy one. The artist's water-
colour drawings have been reproduced exceedingly
well, but without grudging them any of the praise

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