Books: Of Human Bondage

ULTIMA THULE—Henry Handel Richardson—Norton ($2.50).

Selected by the Book of the Month Club for September.

From the heroically borne ordeals of Job to the wretched suicide of Anna Karenina, the great stories of the race have been compounded of suffering. Anguish is constant in Ultima Thule, which is already being called great. Though modern critics are hasty with their wreaths, this story of impoverished Dr. Richard Mahony, 49, who began anew in Australia, is indubitably a deep-dug, searing novel. Huddling his wife and three lateborn children within bleak walls, the Doctor felt too poor to entertain. He thus lost contacts, clientele. Then he removed to another town, where one of his daughters died, his own abilities ebbed. He set a bone awkwardly; his practice limped thereafter. Moving to the seashore, he tried again, became hopelessly deranged, attempted to burn his home. His wife worked as a postmistress, retrieved him from an asylum. Paralysis crept through his legs. But his clouded mind cleared for the final instant before death. "Dear wife," he said. For her, shattered by faithful, grievous years, it was enough.

As its sales mounted in England the book aroused comment and gossip unusual even for the best bestsellers. Reason: it is a literary mystery. For Henry Handel Richardson is but the nom de plume of an authoress who conceals her real name. She is a robust, middle-aged London woman, long and strong of face, wife of an able scientist. Born in Australia, trained in Leipzig for the career of concert pianist, she published in 1908 a musical novel called Maurice Guest. Admired by discerning critics, this novel has enjoyed quiet prestige for 20 years—from time to time a new edition is printed. In 1911 she planned a trilogy. The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, The Way Home, were commercial failures. Ultima Thule is the completing volume. Written in a rich, loamy, colloquial style, charged with vitality, it has won for its authoress long-awaited acclaim.