Hanover Browsing

MOST any of the books mentioned below would make excellent Christmas gifts.

My first choice would be The WorldWe Live In, issued by Life with Simon & Schuster as distributor. As everyone knows, this is a reprint of a series of thirteen magazine articles that ran in Life consisting of chapters, lavishly illustrated with colored plates, on the nature of the world.

The first chapter echoes Bertrand Russell in his famous essay, "A Free Man's Worship," when on page 5, in discussing the "life of the earth," the book says: "At some distant time the sun will redden and swell, boiling away the earth's seas and atmosphere. Then, as the solar fires wane, the scorched planet will circle, cold and lifeless, around the dying sun."

If one reads this book, and understands its implications, he will be more knowledgeable about the world we live in than anybody he is likely to meet, and the world will be more wonderful to him than ever. This book is well worth the 113.50 charged for it.

Two autobiographies I have enjoyed are both from England. John Lehmann, poet, critic, and editor of The LondonMagazine, has issued in smooth prose the first volume, called The Whispering Gallery, of his autobiography In My OwnTime. The most interesting parts to me were his discussion of the Bloomsbury set, including Virginia and Leonard Woolf, and his years spent in Europe prior to World War 11. The names of Isherwood, Spender, Julian Bell (killed in Spain), William Plomer, and, meagerly, George Orwell, are indicative of his wide acquaintance with writers of his generation.

There is a curiously irritating quality in David Garnett's second volume, TheFlowers of the Forest, which follows TheGolden Echo. He appears somewhat too egotistical, the darling of too many women, but nonetheless I found it enjoyable reading.

The newest volume of the "Mainstream of America Series" is at hand: Harold Lamb's New Found World (Doubleday, 1955). This is a vivid account of the discovery of America. All the explorers of the fabulous new land up to 1660 are included. I am glad to have all these volumes, and this one continues the high standard set by the previous ones by Holbrook, Wellman, and Dowdey.

An extremely good book, her first, is Pati Hill's The Pit and the Century Plant (Harper). Miss Hill writes with charm and fluency, which I trust will never be fatal, and is most entertaining. After being a topflight model in New York and Paris, she fled Parisian elegance, not exactly the myth it is supposed to be, and started living in an abandoned farmhouse in the French countryside. The "pit" was a bomb hole in her back yard. The century plant you must discover for yourself. Signed copies of this delightful book may be had at the Dartmouth Bookstore.

Admirers of General Mac Arthur, Senators Knowland and Bridges will prob- ably not enjoy Harry S. Truman's first volume called Year of Decision, but in its nearly 600 pages one will refresh his memory of contemporary history, some of which Mr. Truman himself made with a BANG: as for instance the atomic bomb explosion on Hiroshima, which occurred August 5 at 7:15 p.m. Mr. Truman is not a superb writer as Churchill is, but in his own plain, forthright Missouri way he has a lot to say, and says it with vigor, humility, and honesty.

Noel B. Gerson's The Highwayman (Doubleday) came my way and I enjoyed it the way I used to enjoy Jeffrey Farnol. This is a story of the capture of Louisburg on Cape Breton Island by Sir William Pepperrell. The highwayman will most likely turn out to be Farley Granger.

A good Christmas book for son or daughter, or anyone interested in American history, is John and Alice Durant's Pictorial History of the American Presidents. The publisher is A. S. Barnes, of which company John Lowell Pratt '29 is president.

Also enjoyed and recommended is Harry Semmes' excellent life of General Patton: Portrait of Patton (AppletonCentury). Semmes, Dartmouth '13, served in both wars under General Patton.

Aerial view of Holt's Ledge where Dartmouth's new ski development will be located, 13 miles from Hanover. The white line shows where the ski lift will go.