Hanover Browsing
A REPRESENTATIVE group of undergraduates, I hope, has been se„ lected to offer lists of books which have recently interested them for the undergraduate issue. My thanks to them for their generous response. Their lists and comments show intelligence, and a wide variety of interests.
BEN AMES WILLIAMS JR., Senior Fellow, and son of the well known author, Ben Ames Williams of the class of 1910. Lives in Chestnut Hill, Mass. He recommends:
1. The Late George Apley, by J. P. Marquand. Little, Brown & Cos. This is a delightful satire for those who don't know the Apleys, and it is delightful for those who do know the Apleys.
2. Augustus, by John Buchan. Houghton, Mifflin. A book that brings to life the Roman Emperor Octavian, and describes in detail the Golden Age that he brought to the Roman people.
3. Why Was Lincoln Murdered?, by Otto Eisenschiml. Little, Brown & Cos. One reading of this book led me to a full year's study of the life of one of the men discussed by the author.
4. The Tragic Era, by Claude G. Bowers. Houghton, Mifflin. This book tells the whole story behind the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. It presents in a fascinating manner the story of the four most colorful years in American political history.
5. Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. Macmillan. I seem to have missed an awful lot of this book when it was read aloud to me at the age of seven.
JOHN ALDEN CUTLER '38, member of Palaeopitus, and hailing from Wilmette, Illinois, offers:
The Life of Henry Clay, by Van Deusen. Little, Brown & Cos. A definitive life of Clay; it doesn't read easily without some knowledge of the history of the period. More of an analytical development of Clay as a lover of the Union above all else. Thoroughly documented and authentic.
Zero Hour, by Richard Freund. Oxford Press, 1937. Written by an English journalist. War is near is Mr. Freund's claim. How near it is he explains in his analysis, hastily written as he admits, of the international situation as it presents itself to Great Britain. Partly interpretive, partly factual. This is essentially a book that will interest the student of foreign affairs.
Death in Dublin, by Frank O'Connor. I read this because it deals with a unique character in the history of the Irish Free State movement: Michael Collins. Collins' life, his deep love for a free Ireland, and the energy he expended in its cause is somewhat reminiscent of the character Fitzgerald in Compton Mackenzie's fine novel The East. Wind of Love.
VICTOR M. CUTTER JR. '38. Interested in biology. Son of Victor M. Cutter '03, trustee of the College. Lives in Newton, Mass.
Animal Treasure, by Sanderson. The scientific veracity of this book and the incidents narrated therein have been hotly debated by some critics, but I think the popular interest and fresh approach of the author to his subject more than offsets any of the purely "scientific discrepancies.
Exploring for Plants, by David Fairchild. This is not a recent book, but it does give a beautiful account of the methods and work of the little known but vastly important Bureau of Plant Introduction.
Ecological Animal Geography, by Carl Hesse. This is pretty technical, but any body who desires to get a comprehensive view of the comparatively new science of ecology will find the book a compendium of our knowledge on the subject.
Concord River, by William Brewster. Here is something very reminiscent of Thoreau's nature writing without the obvious inaccuracy of Thoreau. Brewster was a real ornithologist with a rare gift of portraying his observations on paper.
Shadow on the Land, Syphilis, by Thomas Parran. A must on anybody's list. It throws out a challenge to every American no matter what his status, as well as stating the situation.
ROBERT FREDRIC MACLEOD '39, from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, captain-elect of football, and varsity basketball player, recommends the following:
Growth of the Soil, by Knut Hamsun. Written about rugged pioneers in the heart of a Norwegian wilderness and showing city people that the humble farmer can by hard work become prosperous and content even in his simple environment, but not offering a "back to the farm" solution to the world's economic and social problems. Hamsun shows the futility of abandoning one's inherited and characteristic environment for one that is new, and unlike the one he is used to.
Point-Counter-Point, by Aldous Huxley. A fine cross section of post-war life among the upper classes of England. Primarily a novel of ideas that must be carefully read if we are to digest completely Huxley's intellectual outlook.
Pitcaim Island, by Nordhoff and Hall. Realistic to the extent that we live the lives of the mutineers, feel their feelings, and think their thoughts. It brings one to realize that there is much truth in the old adage, "There's some good in every man."
And Now Goodbye, by James Hilton. I feel that Hilton is telling people of conscience not to ruin their lives brooding over their mistakes. Errors are made and must be forgotten.
ROBERT ERRETT ARCHIBALD '38 is president of Palaeopitus and one of the most respected men in his class. He hails from San Gabriel, California. He recommends:
The Importance of Living, by Lin Yutang. For sitting down and reading dissertations on ideals in our modern age, this book offers you an abundance of impressive material. Interest in meeting the problems of pleasant living rather than finding artificial escape from them is wholesomely treated and the spirit of reasonableness is starred. His reflections on Chinese philosophy in regard to Western habits and customs is certainly worth one's reading.
Escape to the Tropics, by Desmond Holdridge. If you do not approve of a young, enterprising, married couple escaping the workaday world during depression times and finding peace and plenty in the Virgin Islands, you can still find much charm and enjoyment in the description and anecdotes of characters and natural settings in that southern environment.
The Wild Goose Chase, by Rex Warner. This curious novel tells of the travels and adventures of three brothers who meet life in different ways. Vivid personality description, narratives of many characters, and philosophical bits about our living make this book magnetic in its interest. Hard to lay aside.
Letters from an American Farmer, by St. John de Crevecoeur. Colonial reflections on the trials, heartaches, and accomplishments of many of the early settlers, and the author's simple style is an accomplishment in itself.
ROGER PHILIP HARTY '38, captain of this year's tennis team, and sometimes more than-adequate opponent of your browser is from Buffalo, New York, but is well known at Longwood. His recommendations follow.
The Prodigal Parents, by Sinclair Lewis Deals with Fred Cornplow, a successful business man and shrewd middle-class realist, ho discovers that his children consider him a convenient bank account and no more. Interesting and sympathetic treatment.
The Codfish Musket, by Agnes D Hewes. This is a simple story of Boston after the Revolution. It should interest Dartmouth men because it was the influence of John Ledyard that led the hero of this tale to many adventures in Boston, Washington, and on the frontier.
Tale of Bali, by Vicki Baum. Deals with the history and the people of Bali. There are almost no white characters. Some of the scenes, such as the final charge of the Balinese against the Dutch troops are of almost epic quality.
The Trial, by Franz Kafka. This is one of the weirdest, wildest stories I have ever read. It concerns a respectable banker who is suddenly arrested for reasons which he never finds out and who is forced to spend the rest of his life fighting an unknown charge in various courts. He is finally executed in a very gruesome manner.
Nothmg but Wodehouse, by P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves, Aunt Agatha, and many others! A swell book for Wodehouse fans.
ARTHUR TURNER SOULE JR. '38 is a member of Palaeopitus, and is from Waban, Massachusetts. Member of Phi Beta Kappa. He recommends four books:
(1) Folklore of Capitalism, by Thurman Arnold. Yale Press. This is an amusing satire exposing many of the axioms that the author believes have become too deeply embedded in our capitalistic society to-day. Mr. Arnold has a good time ridiculing the complex traditional rituals that form the basis for modern business psychology and would stir us to a more true understanding of existing conditions and less emphasis on abstract rules of thumb handed down to us. Sometimes it is hard to tell whether Mr. Arnold is serious or not.
(2) Revolution 1776, by John Hyde Preston. Harcourt, 1933. A book that sets out to tell the inside story of the true conditions of the American Revolution. Mr. Preston seems to take pleasure in exploding as many of the popular romantic myths about the war as he can and goes to great lengths to reveal the real facts. It presents a novel and interesting picture of the war and is extremely good reading. May irritate some for the disillusionment it produces.
(3) A History of the Business Man, by Miriam Beard. A biography of a class and its vital relations with history. The author shows antecedents for current business beliefs in the conditions of the merchanttraders of the Italian city state, the Hanseatic league, and the oligarchs of Holland. Very readable and Miss Beard shows clearly what an important factor the business man has been throughout all history.
(4) Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. Covici, 1937. You know about this one. It perhaps deals too much with the abnormal to make a very lasting appeal. It is the type of book one reads at one sitting, enjoys momentarily, and then easily forgets
Contributors Robert E. Archibald '3B John Alden Cutler '3B Victor M. Cutter Jr. '3B Roger P. Harty '3B Robert F. MacLeod '39 Arthur T. Soule Jr. '3B Ben Ames Williams Jr. '3B
