GOVERNMENT IN AMERICA.

By Stephen K. Bailey, Howard D. Samuel '47, and Sidney Baldwin. New York: Henry Holt, 1957- 587 PP. $8.75.

At least three men on the Dartmouth faculty, Professors Bruce, Carr and Morrison, could not undertake this review for they are themselves authors of competing American government textbooks. As the typical innocent bystander this reviewer is likely to be run down no matter how carefully he refrains from comparative evaluation.

There is little doubt as to what Bailey, Samuel and Baldwin see as the competitive advantage of their text: it is very brief as texts go, permitting heavier assignments in primary source materials; it is written in a style that seeks to be "both interesting to the student and somehow relatable to his own experience." To help accomplish this objectivethe book abounds with visual aids excellent graphs and charts, as well as a plenitude of photographs and cartoons.

The basic problem of such books, which set out to have broad student appeal plus brevity, is well recognized by the authors: "Not only is American government dispersed and complex; but like all stories of man, it is a story of good and evil - sometimes between men, but mostly within men." The nuances of moral ambivalence which complicates the study of the political ideals institutionalized in the complexity of American governmental machinery are sacrificed in most textbooks. Aware of this dilemma, the authors of Government in America have resolved it in favor of attractiveness and clarity of presentation. Each chapter is concluded with a short recapitulation - "Synopsis, Significance, Prospectus" —in an effort to provide students with a smooth path to comprehension.

The price of such clarity, as Bailey, Samuel and Baldwin well know, is simplicity - some would say oversimplification. For many this is not a cost reluctantly paid but a reward. Others believe learning is more like grappling than smooth sailing. Within the context of its deliberately selected criteria this book accomplishes its objectives exceedingly well. If you buy these criteria as appropriate to your objectives in presenting the American political system to students, Government inAmerica is a very good buy.