The Hill Lands of Britain

Abstract

SOCHOPENHAUER, in one of his discerning moods, divided authors into three classes: those who write without thinking-trie most numerous ; those who think as they write ; and those who have thought before they write—they are rare. There is no doubt of the class to which the author of “The Hill Lands of Britain”belongs ; in fact, he has thought so much, done so much, and has so much to say, that out of very exuberance of spirit he sometimes forgets that language, like a living thing, has structure as well as function. His few lapses in this direction have prompted a well-known literary critic to pillory him for not being “an elegant, an easy, or a lucid writer”. The indictment is far too sweeping: the author's meaning is never in doubt, his message rings clear and true.

The Hill Lands of Britain:

Development or Decayı By R. G. Stapledon. Pp. 138. (London: Faber and Faber, Ltd., 1937.) 6s. net.