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“To business that we love we rise betime 
1916 
May, 
‘THE: TALK: OF- TERE Ea 
FOR READING ALOUD 
TIS not often that a book of timely interest 
can come before the public a second time, 
long after the events which made it up-to- 
the-minute have passed, but such is the case 
with the latest novel of A. M. and C. N. Wil- 
liamson, whose popular romances of travel have 
entertained so many people. The book we refer 
to is “Secret History, as Revealed by Lady 
Peggy O’Malley,” which was partly laid in El 
Paso during the Mexican troubles of several 
years ago. One of the features of the story 
was the discovery of the plot of certain Mexican 
trouble makers to raid the Texas border city. 
Strangely enough, the events of last March 
on the Mexican border are rather a close 
parallel to the situation woven into the 
Williamsons’ novel. 
“Secret History” is a book which we can 
unhesitatingly recommend to our good friends 
as one to be read aloud, for it is light, clean, 
sprightly, interesting—and, besides, it is more 
timely than it was when it was published a year 
ago. It has many little touches and asides to 
please the listener, and will not drive him to 
sleep in an effort to think over it. 
We publish here an interesting picture of a 
gentleman who was so absorbed in the fortunes 
of little Lady Peggy that he could not put 
the book down even as he walked into the sea 
for his bath. He almost lost the volume in ° 
the waves before he awoke to his situation. 
It isa pleasure to be able to announce a new 
book by Mr. and Mrs. Williamson which will 
be published next month, and which we pre- 
dict will be enjoyed by all lovers of a sprightly 
romance, by motorists, and especially by the 
thousands who read their earlier motor novel, 
“The Lightning Conductor.” This book was 
one of the most popular of the Williamsons’ 
early stories and in bringing their “ Lightning 
Conductor” to America we believe they have 
achieved an equally interesting and instructive 
book. 
Mrs. Williamson last summer spent several 
months in this country gathering the material 
for this book. She took a motor trip over 
several of the eastern states studying the his- 
torical associations of all places of interest and 
letting the beauty of the varied scenery sink 
in. In writing the story, which is told in the 
form of letters, Molly and Jack of the earlier 
And go to ’t with delight.”—Antony and Cleopatra 
“Lightning Conductor” appear, but this time 
not as hero and heroine, as in the course of 
years they have become a mature married 
couple, deeply interested in the affairs of some 
younger people we hope you will meet and 
like in the new book. 
He was so interested in the Williamsons’ new book, “ Secret 
History,” that he walked into the sea at Nassau, Bahamas, 
before he knew it. 
A BOOK ON THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN 
Although very few war books have come 
from the Country Life Press, we feel that in 
Mr. Stanley Washburn’s “Victory in Defeat” 
we have just published an important addition 
to the literature on the great war, and a book 
which will perhaps have definite historical 
value as time goes on for the first-hand picture 
it gives of the great sweeping campaigns of the 
Russian armies in Galicia and Poland. 
Mr.Washburn is an American war correspon- 
dent of wideexperience who spent from October, 
1914, to November, to15, at the front with the 
Slavic forces as correspondent for the London 
Times. Last March he returned to Russia to 
follow the spring and summer campaign. 
During his thirteen months with the Rus- 
sian forces Mr. Washburn enjoyed unusual 
advantages for observation as he was with 
every active army but one, covered some 10,000 
miles of territory from the Bukowina to the 
Baltic, saw many of the important battles 
and was the only American (with the excep- 
tion of the American Military Attaché Lieut. 
Sherman Miles and Robert R. McCormick) to 
have any general access to the fighting lines. 
He discusses in illuminating manner the Rus- 
sian leaders, the morale of the Russian troops, 
the Russian shortage of ammunition, and 
points out how far from any possible con- 
summation was the German hope of effecting 
a separate peace with the Czar. 
The author’s experiences in Russia include 
a luncheon with the Czar, at the Imperial 
Field Headquarters, where he was decorated 
with the Order of St. Anne. 
Mr. Washburn is a young man and fulfills in 
every way the popular ideaof whata war corres- 
pondent shouldbe. He “‘covered” the Russo- 
Japanese war for the Chicago Daily News, oper- 
ating the dispatch boat Fawan outside Port 
Arthur, later serving with General Nogi’s army. 
He was decorated with the Order of the Imper- 
ial Crown. Later, recuperating from a nervous 
collapse in Pekin, he received a cable message 
from his paper saying: “Proceed Russia direct 
how soon can you start.” 
“Start 9 morning,” was his reply, and 
against the orders of his physicians he started 
for Constantinople. Russia was in the throes 
of the Revolution of 1906 and his object 
was to reach there as soon as possible. At 
Constantinople he chartered a small steel 
steamer and against the advice of all seafaring 
men in the Turkish capital started for Odessa. 
They were nearly wrecked in the Black Sea 
several times in the fierce winter gales, were the 
first ship to enter the port of Batuum on the 
Black Sea flying an American flag, and scored 
a beat on the newspapers of the world on the 
progress of the Revolution in Odessa. 
Besides these thrilling experiences Mr. Wash- 
burn has headed several exploring parties into 
Northwestern British Columbia where he has 
located many important water power sites. 
THE LORD & TAYLOR BOOKSHOP 
CONDUCTED BY DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO. 
opened on April 3d at 38th Street and Fifth. 
Avenue, New York. It is an unusual book- 
shop, not so good as it should be, but improv- 
ing, and it will be a pleasure if our readers will 
visit it. 
