Books and Persons; Being Comments on a Past Epoch, 1908-1911

A lively anthology of the essays that once animated the pages of the New Age between 1908 and 1911, this volume gathers a third of the original material, carefully chosen by the author’s confidant and refined only where the language threatened to offend. The selection preserves the immediacy of the journalist’s voice, letting readers hear the same sharp observations that were first penned in cafés of Paris, the streets of London, and the forests of Fontainebleau.

The pieces range from witty literary criticism of contemporary novelists to trenchant commentary on the social currents of the day. Readers encounter portraits of figures such as Wilfred Whitten, whose humor and humanist outlook capture the era’s intellectual spirit, alongside reflections on urban life, publishing trends, and the evolving role of the writer. The prose is brisk, often sardonic, yet underpinned by a genuine affection for the cultural landscape it surveys.

Listening to this collection offers a compact, engaging snapshot of a transformative period in early‑twentieth‑century thought, inviting modern ears to experience the same curiosity and insight that once sparked lively debate in the periodical’s columns.