THE MYSTERIOUS MUMMER AND OTHER NEWFOUNDLAND STORIES. Batstone, Bert. Illustrated by Stuart Aldridge. St. John's, Jesperson Press, c1984. 123pp, paper, $8.95, ISBN 0-920502-29-6. Distributed by Jesperson Press, 26A Flavin St., St. John's Nfld., A 1C 3R9. Grades 9 and up Reviewed by Floyd Sprachlin Volume 13 Number 3 1985 May The Mysterious Mummer is Bert Bat-stone's first published work. Although the basic format is not unique, the author has assembled a collection of stories from out-port Newfoundland in the 1930's, which were a "unique bridge between the old and new world," as the author himself states. From the introductory selection, "De toime of me loife," a humorous confrontation between a "bayman" and the St. John's metropolis, to "The Mysterious Mummer," a story based on the mystique surrounding that custom of "mummering," Batstone has his audience reeling with laughter, bordering on the verge of tears, empathizing with the friendless and the luckless, and understanding the hardships of those difficult years. The stories vary in length, content, and tone, but all evoke an understanding and appreciation of 1930s' Newfoundland. Batstone has given Newfoundlanders a semi-detached view of themselves. All selections reflect a change (in some cases, the loss) of traditions, that places the inhabitants of the island into a class all of their own. This is an intriguing literary accomplishment, which is deceptively simple. There is something here for everyone. Floyd Sprachlin, G.C. Rowe J.H.S., Corner Brook, Nfld.