This is the second series of short essays, reviews and squibs on books and writers, collected from weekly contributions to the New Statesman. They are brilliant, witty and full of originality. Some of the topics are: The descendants of Shakespeare; Scientific management for Pegasus; The inferior poems of Keats; One’s favourite author defined; Shelley’s letters; The essay in America; The humours of hymnology; Dialect in literature; Verhaeren; On submitting manuscripts; Rupert Brooke in retrospect.
Booklist 17:107 D ’20
“Even more interesting than technical success, in this sort of thing, is the quality of mind we see at work. Mr Squire has an admirable sanity.” K. F. Gerould
+ Bookm 52:263 N ’20 780w
“Mr Squire’s style is distinctly conversational. The fluent grace of such table-talk, however, neatly disposes of the adage that all men talk in prose.”
+ Dial 69:665 D ’20 70w
“Somehow the sense of leisure in ‘Books in general’ is not richly filled; the notations are too fluent, the writing lacks spring, and more often than not it lacks the effect of enjoyment. Scarcely one of his papers can be read without expectancy. But the promise is seldom fulfilled.” C. M. R.
− Freeman 2:382 D 29 ’20 210w
“The comments on books, politics and things in general are thoughtful, amusing and suggestive, worth reading and thinking about.”