Books Worth Buying.

“WHITE MAN, BROWN WOMAN”— the life-story of a trader in the South Seas; by T. L. Richards and T. Stuart Gurr. Our copy from Angus and Robertson, Ltd., Sydney. 6/6.

ONE who knows the Pacific Islands is repelled by the title of a new book, “White Man —Brown Woman,” and by the phrase that is blazed across the cover: “I have lived a life beyond the pale!” It is so obviously arranged to catch the attention of those who picture the Pacific in the colours of things exotic and erotic, and to stimulate their feverish imagination. To that extent, it is unfair to the Pacific Islands, which have suffered cruelly from that sort of reputation.

That is a pity, because “White Man —Brown Woman” is a really attractive description of present-day life in Poly nesia. It is well written, gives an accurate description of places and conditions far off the tourist track, and is packed with incidents of a picturesque and unusual kind. One be comes a little weary of the recital of “Trader Tom’s” amatory adventures, and the manner in which he proudly accepts parental responsibility for sundry infants on vari ous islands. It is as if complaisant ladies were peculiar to the Eastern Pacific. They can be found, in greater num bers, in Auckland and Sydney—the only difference being that their skin is white, and they are ingeniously hypocriti cal in concealing their love affairs. Mixed in with the “love motif,” however, is a great amount of valuable material describing the islands of French Oceania, and the Northern Cooks, the literature relating to which is far too scanty.

Every man who has been in Polynesia will meet old friends in these pages. Captain Viggo Rasmussen, for in stance, and his famous schooner, “Tiare Taporo”; old-time associates of Bully Hayes; the cafes and well-known resi dents of Tahiti and Rarotonga; skippers whose names are household words in the South Seas.

It is a most entertaining, interesting and readable book, which can be warmly recommended to Pacific residents. On account of its wealth of historic and descriptive material, we have added it to our reference library—although we use bad language whenever its ‘‘box-office” title catches our eye.

"MEN OF THE JUNGLE" —a description of life and conditions in York Peninsula, North Queensland; by Ion Idriess. Our copy from Angus and Robertson, Ltd. 6/6.

We started to read this book, lazily, at 8 p.m.; we finished it that night, after many hours of eager reading.

There is no “story” about it. It is simply a description of the life lived by three young Australians who, seeking gold, buried themselves for a period in the dense forest, in the ranges at the base of York Peninsula, between Cairns and Cooktown.

But what a description! And what power of observation!

And what a memory—for Ion Idriess is telling of the things he saw, and experiences he underwent, some twenty years ago. Nearly all men who walk through the bush, and make contact with primitive life, see nothing. But, with Ion Idriess, every leaf that flutters in the wind, every forest noise, every mark on the skin of an odoriferous native, every sullen splash in the mangrove river has a meaning and a story; and he tells it all in one of the most fascinat ing books we have read in years. Most men find the Aus tralian forest dull and lifeless. Idriess shows that it is brimful of interest and liveliness, if only one has the bush craft to see and hear. No less delightful than his stories of beasts and birds and trees, are his sympathetic descriptions of the natives—their ambitions and fears, their loves and hates. Through it all runs the inimitable Idriess humour— we are still chuckling at the memory of the pig-hunt, and the encounter between the cassowary and the porcupine.

Incidentally, how does Idriess do it? Four excellent books within a year—“Lasseter’s Last Ride,” “Flynn of the In land,” “The Desert Column,” “Men of the Jungle”—and another due early next year. The man must be a human dynamo! And what a “find” for the publishers—for each book has won big and ever-growing sales!

THE B.P. MAGAZINE FOR SEPTEMBER —Published by Burns Philp and Co., Ltd.

This magazine, quarter by quarter, grows bigger and better. The latest issue is full of excellent articles, beauti ful illustrations and attractive short stories; while the printing is quite exceptionally good, and a credit to Aus tralian typography.