Hanover Browsing
A YEAR ago this column was given up to departmental recommendations „ of the best books of the year in their respective fields. Faculty cooperation enables me to repeat this, and in be- half of the DARTMOUTH ALUMNI MAGAZINE, I extend my thanks for their help. So a promise made last year to the alumni readers in this column is here fulfilled.
DR. MARTIN L. LINDAHL, of the Department of Economics, recommends "six of the best books of the year in economics." They follow:
1. Burns, A. R.: The Decline of Competition. McGraw-Hill, 1936.
2. Burns, E. M.: Toward Social Security. McGraw-Hill, 1936.
3. Clark, Grover: A Place in the Sun. Macmillan, 1936.
4. Studenski, P. and others: Taxationand, Public Policy. Richard R. Smith, N. Y., 1936.
5. The Economist (London): The NewDeal: An Analysis and Appraisal. Alfred A. Knopf, N. Y., 1937.
6. Webb, Sidney and Beatrice: SovietCommunism: A New Civilization? 2 volumes. Scribner's, N. Y. 1936.
DR. WILLIAM BYERS UNGER, of the Department of Biology, sends in a list of recommendations selected by Professors W. F. Diller, C. J. Lyon, and C. C. Stewart, as follows:
1. Cameron, A. T.: Recent Advances inEndocrinology. 3rd edition. Blakiston. $5.00.
2. Quinn, Vernon: Seeds: Their Placein Life and Legend. (Illustrated.) Stokes. $2.00.
3. Rogers, Walter E.: Tree Flowers ofForest, Park, and Street. (Five hundred pages, chiefly pictures and drawings), published by the author. Appleton, Wisconsin. 1935.$7.50
4. Rourke, Constance: Audubon. Harcourt, Brace. $3.00.
5. Williamson, Henry: Salar the Salmon. Little, Brown. $2.50.
DR. IRVING EDISON BENDER, of the Department of Psychology, writes as follows:
In psychology the most widely read book of the year is Henry C. Link's The Returnto Religion. It offers practical advice for everyday problems and glorifies the extrovert. Some academic psychologists spurn it, if that is any recommendation. On the other hand, The Achievement of Happiness, by Boris Sokoloff (London: Denis Archer) enjoys only slight popularity in this country. It is, nevertheless, delightful reading. The author's approach to happiness is psycho-physiological. Dr. Sokoloff is a Russian whose researches in cancer are widely known.
International Delusions, by George M. Stratton, is a courageous argument against war. Twentieth Century Psychiatry, by Wm. A. White, is a stimulating discussion by this eminent psychiatrist of the social and philosophical significance of his specialty.
Of more professional interest is Sex andPersonality, subtitled Studies in Masculinity and Femininity, by L. M. Terman and C. C. Miles. This work presents in a technical way the development and results of a test which is the outcome of more than ten years of investigation.
Appealing to the scholarly interest the most important theoretical contributions of the year are Kurt Lewin's Principles ofTopological Psychology, and J. E. Browns Psychology and the Social Order. In these books personality and social psychology are organized around the field theory of the Gestalt school.
DR. DONALD L. STONE, of the Department of Political Science, sends in the following recommendations compiled by members of his department:
1. Arnold, Thurman W.: The Symbolsof Government. Yale Univ. Press.
2. Robinson, Edward S.: Law and theLawyers. Macmillan.
These two books are recommended by Professor James P. Richardson as good reading for anyone, and of especial interest to alumni who are members of the legal profession.
3. Bowers, Claude G.: Jefferson inPower. Houghton, Mifflin.
4. Nevins, Allan: Hamilton Fish, theInner History of the Grant Administration. Dodd, Mead.
Recommended by Professors Donald L. Stone and W. A. Robinson, as excellent political biographies, well written and readable. They have as their background important periods of American history and foreign relations.
Lasswell, Harold D.: Politics: WhoGets What, When, How. Whittlesey House, New York.
6. Dulles, Allen W. and Armstrong, Hamilton F.: Can We Be Neutral? Harpers.
7. Childs, Harwood L.: Propaganda andDictatorship. Princeton University Press.
These three books recommended by several members of the Department as good reading on these important topics.
The Chairman of the History Department, DR. WAYNE E. STEVENS, sent in the most complete list, which I give entire, save for a duplication or two, which I omit.
1. Adams, Marion Hooper, Letters ofMrs. Henry Adams. (Houghton Mifflin.) These letters supplement those by the writer's huband, Henry Adams, the historian.
a. Andrews, Charles M., The ColonialPeriod of American History: The Settlements, Volume 2. (Yale Press.) A continuation of a history being written by the foremost authority in American colonial history. Deals with the beginnings of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maryland, with especial emphasis upon English back- grounds.
3. Bell, Herbert C. F., Lord Palmerston. 2 volumes. (Longmans.) The first adequate life of one of the most striking personalities of the nineteenth century. A really notable biography, written in the orthodox, rather than the Strachey or Ludwig manner.
4- Caulaincourt, Armand Augustin Louis, No Peace With Napoleon. (Morrow.) A continuation of an earlier volume entitled With Napoleon in Russia. These recently discovered memoirs tell the story of Napoleon's overthrow and abdication.
5. Cheyney, Edward P., The Dawn of a A7ew Era, 1250-1453. (Harpers.) This volume is one of a new series in process of publication, dealing with the rise of modern Europe. It is a study of the transition rom the Middle Ages to the Modern Era and stresses economic, social and cultural tactors.
6. Harbord, James G., The AmericanArmy in France, 1917-1919. (Little, Brown.) Decidedly the best "inside story" of the American Expeditionary Force which has appeared. Interesting because of its sketches of personalities, as well as its description of the manner in which America's war machine actually functioned.
7. Miller, John C., Sam Adams: Pioneerof Propaganda. (Little, Brown.) A vivid and realistic account of the Revolutionary movement in New England, which stresses the intrigues of a master agitator.
8. Paxson, Frederic L., American Democracy and the World War: Pre-WarYears, 1913-1917. (Houghton, Mifflin.) A history of the first Wilson administration, which includes one of the few comprehensive accounts of the period of American neutrality which have yet appeared.
g. Spender, J. A., Great Britain, Empireand Commonwealth, 1865-1935. (Cassell.) An extremely readable account of modern England, with especial emphasis upon politics and foreign affairs.
10. Tarbell, Ida M., The Nationalizingof Business, 1878-1898. (Macmillan.) The latest volume of the "History of American Life" series to appear. Deals with trends in big business during a most significant and interesting period of our industrial history.
11. Von Bernstorff, Johann H., Memoirs of Count Bernstorff. (Random House.) A vivid picture of the devious ways of modern European diplomacy as revealed by the former German ambassador to the United States. Throws much light on the period of American neutrality during the World War; notable for its candor and fairness.
DR. MAURICE PICARD, of the Departmentof Philosophy, chose the following titles with the interests of the readers of this column in mind, so he excluded technical books, and books in foreign languages. The list follows:
i. Beach, J. W., The Concept of Naturein Nineteenth-Century English Poetry.
2. Gilson, E. H., The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy.
3. Lovejoy, A. 0., The Great Chain ofBeing.
4. Mead, G. H., Movements of Thoughtin the Nineteenth Century.
5. Prall, D. W., Aesthetic Analysis.
6. Planck, M. E. L. X., The Philosophyof Physics.
PROFESSOR A. B. MESERVEY, of the Department of Physics, kindly sent in titles of three books, which "differ greatly in scope and purpose, but all three are written in readable English, albeit in quite different styles, by scientists who are careful of their facts." They are:
1. Cosmic Rays Thus Far, by H. B. Lemon. Univ. of Chicago Press. This book sums up the history of cosmic ray investigation and the main facts as at present known.
2. The Renaissance of Physics, by K. K. Darrow. Macmillan. Darrow writes concerning several important developments in modern physics without asking his reader to bring his physics and mathe- matics along, though a scientific habit of thought is quite desirable.
3. An Elementary Survey of ModernPhysics, G. F. Hull. Macmillan. Professor Hull's book is more comprehensive, and its use of mathematical symbols permits greater conciseness, but the physical meaning is stressed throughout. It is used in a course at Dartmouth for which Only the most elementary physics and mathematics courses are prerequisite, but the men are expected to have that elementary material available for use. The book is profusely illustrated with good pictures and diagrams.
DR. E. B. HARTSHORN, Department ofChemistry, sends in a list of five books which could be included under the general head of physical science. His first suggestion is one of Professor Meservey's group so I omit it.
1. C. C. Furnas: The Next HundredYears, Williams and Wilkins, 1936. A thought provoking discussion of some of the things the biological, physical, and engineering sciences must do for us before our civilization can make further significant advances.
2. B. Jaffe: Outposts of Science, Simon and Schuster, 1935. Important scientific achievements in many fields and some interesting personalities connected with them.
3. D. McKie: Antoine Lavoisier, Lippincott, 1936.
4. E. R. Weidlein and W. A. Hamor: Glances at Industrial Research, Reinhold, 1936.
The methods and industrial possibilities of chemical research with an account of the work of the Mellon Institute at Pittsburg.
PROFESSOR CHURCHILL LATHROP, of the Department of Art and Archaeology, sends in a list of six books "not unduly technical nor esoteric, and, I feel sure, of potential interest to the reading alumnus." The list follows:
1. Anthony Bertram: The House, aMachine for Living In.
2. Ambrose Vollard: Recollections of aPicture Dealer.
3. Majorie Bowen: William Hogarth,the Cockney's Mirror.
4. Museum of Modern Art catalogue: Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism.
5. Sartell Prentice: The Heritage of theCathedral.
6. Mrs. Dagny Carter: China Magnificent.
MR. FRANCIS E. MERRILL, of the Department of Sociology, completes the recommendations:
1. Beard, Charles A., The Discussion ofHuman Affairs, Macmillan.
The dean of American social scientists discusses the presuppositions, preconceptions, and prejudices which underlie every discussion of human affairs.
2. Childs, Marquis W., Sweden, theMiddle Way, Yale Press.
A brilliant journalistic account of the workings of Democracy in one of the most enlightened democracies in the world.
3. Glueck, Sheldon and Eleanor T. (Editors), Preventing Crime, McGraw-Hill.
A symposium describing various programs for crime prevention in operation in a number of representative communities in the United States.
4- Kallen, Horace M., The Decline andRise of the Consumer, D. Appleton-Century.
A comprehensive statement of the philosophy and history of Consumer Cooperation.
5. Mannheim, Karl, Ideology andUtopia (Translation), Harcourt, Brace & co.
An illuminating investigation into the social forces which shape our thinking.
6. Ross, Edward A., Seventy Years of It, Apple ton-Century.
The autobiography of one of the most colorful figures in American sociology.
7. Thomas, William i., Primitive Be-havior, McGraw-Hill.
An examination of the varieties of human response to the stimuli of various cultural situations, which shows the extreme adaptability of the human organism to widely different behavior patterns.
8. Westermarck, Edward, The Futureof Marriage in Western Civilization, Macmillan.
A discussion of the basic trends in marriage by one of the most eminent authorities in the field.
THIS Is NOT JOHN HOLME '30 The person pictured above has impersonated John Holme '30 in various parts ofthis country and in Hawaii. He has preyedon Dartmouth men, posing as Holme. Anyone who has information to give on thisimposter and his activities is asked to communicate with Mr. Holme at 505 West-minster Road, Brooklyn, New York.
Contributors Department of Art and Archaeology. Department of Biology. Department of Chemistry. Department of Economics. Department of History. Department of Philosophy. Department of Physics. Department of Political Science. Department of Psychology. Department of Sociology.
