ALL THE BEST IN SCANDINAVIA.
BySydney Clark '12. New York: Dodd,Mead & Company, 1968. 678 pp. Withillustrations and maps. $9.95.
This is simply the best travel book about Scandinavia that I have come across. In bringing an excellent older edition up to date, Sydney Clark has managed to include all the information the traveler needs. There's something here for everybody. For the first-time visitor or the tourist who's only planning to spend a few days in the capitals of the northern nations, the mustsees are all there. The hotels, restaurants, shops, and transportation possibilities are all clearly listed and easily found. For the tourist with more time at his disposal, further possibilities are suggested and made to seem quite as irresistible as they are in reality.
Mr. Clark knows his business, and he obviously also enjoys it. He passes on this feeling with a tolerant understanding of the inevitable differences among the Scandinavian countries and the United States in a volume necessarily thick but so well organized that the basic information is easily available to the reader with little time to spend. He runs the risk, though, of being caught up by the author's eminently readable style and may find himself painlessly acquiring all sorts of extra insights.
A chapter on snow and skiing possibilities might be of special interest to Dartmouth people. The overwhelming emphasis on cross-country skiing in Norway and Sweden is now being balanced by an upsurge of interest in downhill skiing. Tow facilities still do not equal those of Europe's alpine centers, but Scandinavian skiing has its own charm. Norwegians, especially, seem to be born on skis, and the wonderful spring skiing at Eastertime brings almost the entire population up to the mountain huts and hotels.
Probably most valuable of all is the historical and political background informa- tion given accurately and succinctly on each country and the inspired inclusion of a chapter on famous people whose names one runs across constantly but who are likely to be unknown to Americans. Little Scandinavian history beyond mention of the Vikings is taught in American schools, and the background of most travelers is a gaping hole when it comes to Scandinavia. This may well be the aspect of the book a thoughtful tourist most appreciates.
These things give the four countries of the north separate personalities that otherwise might easily be confused in overlapping memories of cathedrals, castles, and city halls, not to mention smørrebrød and beer! Next month I'm going up to Finland for the first time. All the Best in Scandinavia is going to be right on top of my luggage.
A resident of Klampenborg, Denmark, FruOle Hoeg Hagen, the wife of a Danishlumber merchant with business connectionsthroughout Scandinavia, is the daughter ofMr. and Mrs. Manning Moody of Hanover.
