“The Countermine” is the work of Mr. Arthur Wenlock, whose “As Down of Thistle” showed considerable promise, though perhaps his subtle vein of sardonic philosophy escaped due recognition.  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.

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.”  In this their latest work the prospectus of the Napolio Syndicate forms a bowstring whence fly shafts of satire that hit the mark every time.

The Loot of Cities.  ARNOLD BENNETT.

Publican and Serf.

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. Alston Rivers is publishing in the same form (1/- nett, paper, and 1/6 cloth) “Publican and Serf,” by Skitaletz, a Russian Author, who, while by no means behind Gorky in point of realism, possesses in the opinion of some critics a still greater measure of literary ability.  Other items of Mr. Alston Rivers’ Shilling Library, which has prospered as only the result of the most careful selection could prosper, are “Lovers in London,” by A.A.  Milne, brightest and most promising of the younger humorists, and “The Loot of Cities,” by Mr. Arnold Bennett, the mere name of whom is a sufficient guarantee of entertainment.  As for general literature, “The Soul of London,” by Ford Madox Hueffer, may be justly described as