Hanover Browsing
JOHN EVELYN wrote to Samuel Pepys in 1682: "It is not imaginable to such as have not tried, what labour an historian (that would be exact) is condemned to. He must read all, good and bad, and remove a world of rubbish before he can lay the foundation."
Arthur Bryant has done this admirably in his three-volume study of Samuel Pepys. The first volume, The Man in theMaking, describes Pepys of the justly famous diary, and ends with the death of his wife Elizabeth when Pepys was 36. The second volume, The Years of Peril, describes how Pepys had created the English naval machine which ultimately gave his country the dominion of the seas and the empire of more than a quarter of the world. We have lived to see this destroyed. The third volume, The Saviour of theNavy, carries the story of his life from his 51st to his 57th year, and tells of the second and greatest of his two periods of rule at the admiralty, and his fall from power after the Revolution of 1688.
I strongly recommend this most entertaining biography for your winter reading.
For those who read and enjoyed Elephant Bill, by J. H. Williams, I recommend his new book Bandoola which tells of the magnificent tusker, who led the way, you may remember, up the precipitous cliff out of Burma, and who died such a mysterious death. Here is the life story of Bandoola and his rider Po Toke and their further adventures in the jungles and teak-forests of Burma.
If you happen to be a crossword puzzle addict you must not miss Eve Garrette's new book, The Experts' Cross Word Puzzle Book (Series No. 4). Here are sixty new puzzles, with two entirely in French, and you will not find them easy. However, they are great fun, and I expect to work on them for the next few bleak months.
Charles Jackson's new book EarthlyCreatures, a book of short stories, may be purchased in hard covers for $1.50 and in soft for 35 cents. Most of the stories are semi-autobiographical, reminiscent and some of them are little masterpieces, notably, "The Boy Who Ran Away" and "The Break."
Dr. Frank G. Slaughter must be a most unusual man, for though a skilled surgeon in Jacksonville, Florida, he still finds time out to write successful and entertaining historical novels, the latest of which (and guaranteed to hold the reader's interest) is Storm Haven, a novel of the Florida cattle drive during the Civil War. Dr. Kit Clark and the beauteous Valerie Storm after many vicissitudes and epic struggles, finally reach haven. Exciting and fun.
A standard biographical work, Sir Charles Firth's life of Oliver Cromwell is now available again alter half a century in the Oxford World's Classics. I am finding it magnificent in its sweep and comprehensiveness. Another worthwhile book for your winter evenings.
Harnett T. Kane, who has written most prolifically about the South, in his latest novel, The Lady of Arlington, tells the story of Mary Custis, heiress of the magnificent Arlington estate on the Potomac, who, against the wishes of her father, married Robert E. Lee, who had little means, no estate, and seemingly no great career ahead of him. How Mary Lee aided her husband through the great war between the states, and how she met him after Appomattox to begin a new life on the wreck of the old, is told here with warmth and sympathy.
Going back in history a little further, I learned quite a few things new to me in Howard Swiggett's study of Washington as a human being, The Great Man. I enjoyed particularly the story of Washington's relationship with Alexander Hamilton, much of which has been swathed in mystery. Until I can get around to reading the late Douglas Southall Freeman's six-volume life I shall be content with this one.
Those who love dogs, especially dachshunds and French poodles (miniatures) will enjoy Use Bischoff's entertaining and delightfully written Drive Slowly SixDogs. Ilse is a friend and neighbor, and we all enjoyed her book greatly.
Next month I hope to write about Ben Ames Williams' last novel, with a signihcantly appropriate title: The Unconquered.
Science Fellowships Open
The National Science Foundation has announced that it will award 750 graduate and postdoctoral fellowships for study in the sciences for the year 1954-55. Graduate students as well as college seniors majoring in the sciences are encouraged to apply. Students working for either their Masters' or Doctoral degrees are eligible for graduate fellowships at the first year, intermediate or terminal year levels of graduate study. Postdoctoral fellowships are available for individuals who have earned the Ph.D. degree or can show they have completed equivalent training. Only citizens of the United States who show ability and meet the National Science Foundation requirements will be considered. Stipends for predoctoral Fellows range from $1400 to $1800 yearly; the stipend for postdoctoral Fellows is $3400. Tenure is for one year.
For the 1954-55 academic year, postdoctoral applications must be received by December 15, 1953, and graduate applications by January 4, 1954. Detailed information and application forms may be secured from the Fellowship Office, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Ave., Washington 25, D. C.
