THE LAST FIGHT OF ALL.
Nephew. "I'm reading a very interesting book, Aunt, called 'Germany and the next war.'"
Aunt. "Well, my dear, I should have thought they had their hands full enough with the present one."
THE WAR AND THE BOOKS.
"Nowhere," says a contemporary, "is the influence of the War more apparent than in the publishers' lists."
We venture to anticipate a few items that are promised for this time next year:—
For Lovers of Bright Fiction. New German Fairy Tales. Selected from the Official Wireless. 550 pp., large quarto, 10s. 6d. The first review says, "Deliciously entertaining... powers of imagination greatly above the ordinary. The story of "Hans across the Sea, or the Eagles in Egypt," will make you rock with laughter.
Important now work on Ornithology. British Birds, by One who Got Them. Being the experiences of a Slacker in the prime of life during the Great War. Crown octavo, 6s. Profusely illustrated with cuts.
Civilian Life From Within. The author, Mr. Jude Brown, had (for good reasons fully explained in the preface) remained a civilian during the past year. He is thus in a position to speak with authority upon a phase of life which most of his contemporary readers will either have forgotten or never known. Just as Service novels in the past used to appear full of the most absurd technical errors, so to-day many books that profess to deal with civilian life are disfigured by every kind of solecism. Mr. Brown, however, writes not as a gushing amateur but as one who knows. Order early.
In a Good Cause.
Mr. Punch begs to call the attention of his readers to a sale which will take place at Christie's, on February 5th, of pictures by members of the Royal Soceity of Painters in Watercolours. The entire proceeds will be divided between the two allied societies, the Red Cross and the St. John Ambulance. The pictures are on exhibition at Messrs. Christie's, who are bearing all expenses and charging no commission.
A Birthday Wish: Jan. 27th:—
"We have the further intelligence that 80 Turkish transports have been sunk by the Russians in the North Sea. This last piece of information lacks official confirmation."
Dublin Evening Mail.
This continued official scepticism about the Rissians is very disheartening.
"Sandringham is fifty miles due east of Yarmouth."—Liverpool Echo.
Rather a score off the Kaiser, who didn't realise it was a submarine job.
"Our Correspondent at Washington reports that the Press of the Eastern United States is unanimous in excoriating the German Air Raid."—The Times.
If only they would excoriate the Zeppelins themselves.
