READ WORTHY

HERB WEST, UNCENSORED On May 28, 1964, Herbert Faulkner West delivered his farewell address to a crowd of more than 1,000 in a packed Dartmouth Hall. West, a beloved professor of comparative literature for 44 years who was retiring, spoke critically of the administration in his final lecture. But when the College radio station replayed the speech the following day, significant portions were censored.

An outraged West privately printed and saved the full, uncensored version of his lecture. Now, Westholm Publications has published Herb West's Farewell Address, which includes the full speech—the originally censored portions appear in red inkalong with a bibliography of West's published work and several other pieces by West.

One censored subject that's evocative of modern complaints focuses on West's perceived inability to criticize the administration outside the classroom. "I am not muzzled, I have absolute freedom to say what I think," he said. "But only in the classroom. It isn't whether it's the truth, it's what kind of public relations it is going to build up. This is to me a kind of motto for a soap factory and not for a college dedicated to the free expression of truth."

James Hamilton '65 managed the design and reprint of the book, George C. Singer '50 wrote the introduction and former Rauner librarian Philip N. Cronenwett compiled the bibliography. Members of the class of 1965 underwrote the project. HerbWest's Farewell Address provides a fascinating glimpse into the ever-present theme of wrangling with the administration over the freedom to discuss Dartmouth's direction, image and issues.