Review of the Book

My Neighbor's Landmark
by Frederick Verinder

Joseph Dana Miller

[Reprinted from Land and Freedom, January-February 1936]

Joseph Dana Miller was during this period Editor of Land and Freedom. Many of the editorials published were unsigned. This review is signed by Mr. Miller.

Under this title Mr. Verinder contributes a well stored little volume to the arsenal to which resort must be had for weapons in the up-to-date warfare against privilege. Mr. Verinder is secretary of the English League for the Taxation of Land Values and is the author of the work, well known among Henry George disciples in English speaking countries, "My Neighbor's Landmark," with its thorough and judicious selections from the Bible confirming the gospel of economic emancipation.

This little volume is arranged by chapters, and the subjects treated under special headings answer practically every question that will occur to earnest inquirers. These chapters entitled "The Mother of All Things, "The Value of Land," "Monopolies," "Landlord and Capitalist," "Our Heritage of Shame the Slums," "Some Objections Considered," etc. Arthur Madsen contributes an appendix.

"Land Value Taxation in Practice," which cannot fail to impress the reader with the wide-spread progress that has been made in the partial application of our principles.

Rich in argument and historic facts, strong in its indictment against the fundamental evil of our times, with abundant footnotes and citations from numerous authorities, the work is calculated to do a world of good. Crowded into a small compact space it is full of what the British people, as well as our own people, should know about the land in which they live, the natives of which boast that none shall be slaves, unconscious of the fact that an overwhelming proportion of the population are slave-ridden.

The work is well written, as we would expect. In it even those who are familiar with the subject will find interest and profit. We have before this taken occasion to compliment our British advocates, among whom, and one of the foremost, is Frederick Verinder, on their thoroughness.

This is said without reflection upon such writers as H. Ellenoff, Dr. Padelford, Eugene Way, Peter Witt and many others who have contributed so much that is valuable to the literature of exposition. Our English friends seem to have it a shade over our American pamphleteers. This is not at all a question of difference of ability but rather a difference of outlook, and perhaps also of a certain orderly process peculiar to the British mind and method. This quality is especially noticeable in this little book and adds enormously to its propaganda value.

The work is accompanied by a very useful and complete index and a catalogue of the many books and pamphlets published by the Henry George Foundation of Great Britain.