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" h i g h e r c r i t i c i s m " i n s t e a d o f t h e s e l d o m - u s e d 
p h r a s e " l o w e r c r i t i c i s m . " 

I f o n e c o u l d h e a r D e a n S h e r a ' s o w n l e c -
t u r e s , a n d t h e n b r o w s e in t h i s b o o k t o r e c a l l 
o r s u p p l e m e n t w h a t he s a i d , o n e w o u l d h a v e 
an e x c e l l e n t n e w u n i t in the c u r r i c u l u m . B u t 
as a g e n e r a l w o r k t h a t m i g h t e x p l a i n l i b r a r i a n -
ship t o h i s t o r i a n s a n d h i s t o r i o g r a p h y t o l i -
b r a r i a n s , it s u f f e r s f r o m h a v i n g a t t e m p t e d t o 
s u r v e y t o o m u c h . I d e a s a r e p r e s e n t , c o m -
b a t i v e i d e a s , o n e v e r y p a g e , b u t t h e r e a d e r m u s t 
fill in t h e p a g e s w i t h m o r e k n o w l e d g e o f p h i l o s -
o p h y a n d s o c i o l o g y , as w e l l as h i s t o r y , t h a n 
t h e t y p i c a l l i b r a r y s c h o o l s t u d e n t p o s s e s s e s . — 
Allen T. Hazen, Columbia University. 

What Shall I Read Next? 
What Shall I Read Nextf A Personal Selec-

tion of 20th Century Books. By F. Sey-
m o u r S m i t h . [ N e w Y o r k ] C a m b r i d g e U n i -
v e r s i t y P r e s s . P u b l i s h e d f o r t h e N a t i o n a l 
B o o k L e a g u e . 1 9 5 3 . 2 3 2 p p . $ 2 . 0 0 . 
M r . S m i t h ' s e a r l i e r b o o k - l i s t s , a l w a y s u n -

p r e t e n t i o u s and a l w a y s u s e f u l f o r q u i c k r e f e r -

e n c e o r f o r g e n e r a l g u i d a n c e , i n c l u d e The 
Classics in Translation ( 1 9 3 0 ) , s o m e b r i e f e r 
g u i d e s like Reading History ( 1 9 5 0 ) , and An 
English Library (1943). T o the last-named 
l i s t M r . S m i t h h a s n o w in s o m e s e n s e f u r -
n i s h e d a s e q u e l ( h i s w o r d is c o m p l e m e n t ) , 
not a parallel volume: the English Library is 
a c o n v e n t i o n a l r e c o r d i n g o f t h e c l a s s i c s in all 
f i e l d s , w i t h c o n c i s e i n t r o d u c t o r y c o m m e n t s a n d 
a l m o s t n o i n d i v i d u a l a n n o t a t i o n , t o m a k e a 
list o f b o o k s r e a d i l y r e c o g n i z a b l e as c l a s s i c s 
b y a n y r e a d e r ; a n d it is a list n o t r e a d i l y 
a v a i l a b l e e l s e w h e r e in a n y s u c h c o n c i s e f o r m . 
By its nature the English Library is unexcit-
i n g a n d i m p e r s o n a l ( " . . . all t h o s e b o o k s 
w h i c h h a v e c o m e t o b e r e g a r d e d as E n g l i s h 
c l a s s i c s " ) , b u t b y its n a t u r e it is u s e f u l . 

The sequel, What Shall I Read Next, is by 
its n a t u r e m o r e p e r s o n a l , and by t h a t v e r y 
q u a l i t y m o r e a t t r a c t i v e . N o r e a d e r c a n b e 
e x c i t e d by f i n d i n g G i b b o n in the e a r l i e r l i s t ; 
b u t o n e c a n b e p l e a s e d t o r e a d , f o r e x a m p l e , 
in the n e w b o o k t h a t G e o f f r e y G o r e r ' s Ameri-
cans is " a s t u d y in n a t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r w r i t t e n 
w i t h w i t b u t n o m a l i c e ; w i t h p e n e t r a t i o n a n d 

1 9 5 5 ACRL BUILDINGS 
INSTITUTE 

A s a p r e - c o n f e r e n c e a c t i v i t y o f t h e 

1955 M i d w i n t e r A L A m e e t i n g , an 

ACRL Library Building Plans Insti-
tute is t e n t a t i v e l y b e i n g p r o g r a m m e d 

f o r J a n u a r y 2 8 - 2 9 . I f y o u w o u l d 

c a r e t o p r e s e n t t h e p l a n s o f y o u r 

p r o p o s e d b u i l d i n g at this I n s t i t u t e , 

p l e a s e w r i t e t o D a v i d J o l l y , C h a i r -

m a n , A C R L B u i l d i n g s C o m m i t t e e , 

D e e r i n g L i b r a r y , E v a n s t o n , 111. 

If y o u w i s h t o a t t e n d as a p a r t i c i -
p a n t , p l e a s e s e n d y o u r c h e c k in t h e 
a m o u n t o f $ 5 . 0 0 t o t h e a b o v e a d d r e s s 
by November 15. Registrations will 
be limited to 

J A M E S T H I N 
SPECIALIST 

EASILY 

INEXPENSIVE 

FREE 

in mail order service to 
the U . S . A . 

paid direct to our N . Y . 
banker. 

British books are in-
expensive, and the rate 
of exchange is favorable 
to Americans. 

catalogues and informa-
tion. Catalogue 287— 
the late Professor Saro-
lea's library — ready 
shortly. 

T W O IMPORTANT N E W PUBLICATIONS: 

T I M E S A T L A S OF T H E W O R L D . Mid-century 
edition. 5 vols: large folio, 120 col. maps. 

Each vol: approx: £4:4:-
H A L K E T T & L A I N G : Dictionary of Anonymous 
and Pseudonymous Literature, 1st Supplement, 
1900-50. 

Approx: £ : 3 : -

Bookseller & Publisher to the University 

The South Bridge, Edinburgh, S c o t l a n d 

481. OCTOBER, 1954 



insight, but n o s m u g n e s s . " T h i s m o r e p e r -
sonal selection and annotation, quite n a t u r a l l y , 
p r o d u c e s n o t only m o r e e x c i t e m e n t but also 
m o r e d i s a g r e e m e n t . H e r e is n o list of " t h o s e 
b o o k s w h i c h have c o m e to be r e g a r d e d , " but 
a list of s o m e " o f the b o o k s that deserve a 
r e a d i n g " f r o m recent years. 

M o s t r e a d e r s w i l l be disappointed here and 
there, by the inclusion of novels that scarcely 
deserve a reading, by the omission of w o r k s 
that seem m u c h m o r e certainly t o deserve a 
reading, and by the o c c a s i o n a l tendency to f a l l 
b a c k upon b r o m i d e s like " g e n e r a l l y c o n -
s i d e r e d , " " c o n s i d e r e d by A m e r i c a n w r i t e r s t o 
be indispensable," and " a standard A m e r i c a n 
w o r k . " A n d the point of v i e w of the a u t h o r 
is f r e q u e n t l y l e f t o b s c u r e by M r . Smith, even 
w h e n it c o u l d have been cited t o explain the 
attraction of the b o o k listed. B u t such i m -
p e r f e c t i o n s m a y d o little d a m a g e : omissions 
can be rectified f r o m o t h e r sources, and n o 
r e a d e r is required t o read e v e r y b o o k M r . 
Smith includes. What Shall I Read Next is 
a usable g u i d e and it includes p e r s o n a l and 
u s e f u l g u i d a n c e . T h e d o m i n a n t tone is set 
by phrases like " a m o n g the six g r e a t e s t n o v e l s 
w h i c h c a m e o u t o f the E u r o p e a n W a r of 
1 9 1 4 - 1 9 1 8 " and " m a y be strongly r e c o m -
m e n d e d f o r a train j o u r n e y " — t h e s e t w o in the 
section on N o v e l s ; o r " t h e m o s t u s e f u l official 
publication e v e r issued by H . M . S . O . " and " o f 
the m a n y ( p e r h a p s t o o m a n y ) b o o k s on the 
p o e t this is one o f the b e s t . " 

B e c a u s e the English Library e x c l u d e d only 

the w o r k s of a u t h o r s still living in 1943, some 
slight c o n f u s i o n is u n a v o i d a b l e : C o n r a d , F . 
S c o t t F i t z g e r a l d , C h a r l e s W i l l i a m s , V i r g i n i a 
W o o l f , and Y e a t s , a m o n g many, d o n o t 
appear w i t h their c o n t e m p o r a r i e s in the n e w 
b o o k , having been installed as classics in 1943. 
W i t h hindsight one can n o w suggest that the 
earlier b o o k m i g h t w e l l have stopped at 1900 
o r 1918. B u t M r . Smith does w h a t he can t o 
r e c t i f y m a t t e r s by n a m i n g at the end of each 
section those recent authors w h o m u s t be 
looked for in the English Library. 

O n e can say w i t h confidence that this b o o k 
w i l l n o t replace o t h e r b o o k s of ready r e f e r -
ence, it w i l l not b e c o m e the classic guide o f 
o u r age, and it w i l l not be an infallible g u i d e 
on any t o p i c o r b o o k . B u t if used p r o p e r l y , 
by an inquiring r e a d e r w h o reads w i t h j u d g -
m e n t but w i t h o u t e x p e r t k n o w l e d g e , this w i l l 
be a repeatedly stimulating and reliable 
r e a d e r ' s adviser to a n s w e r the question p r o -
p o u n d e d in its title. 

A pleasant r e m i n d e r of E n g l a n d ' s r e c o v e r y 
f r o m certain of the w a r t i m e p r i v a t i o n s is f u r -
nished by the b o o k ' s appearance. I n d e e d of 
the " w a r e c o n o m y s t a n d a r d " p a p e r and the 
c r o w d e d g r e y type that almost m a k e one d i z z y , 
in the English Library, the new book is suc-
c e s s f u l l y designed by M r . C r u t c h l e y at C a m -
b r i d g e t o be b o t h easy and pleasant to read, 
and it is p r i n t e d on g o o d paper. T o utility, 
t h e r e f o r e , C a m b r i d g e is again able t o add 
quality in p o p u l a r b o o k p r o d u c t i o n . — A l l e n T. 
Hazen, Columbia University. 

Reprints Available 
R e a d e r s are r e m i n d e d of the c u r r e n t availability o f three i m p o r t a n t b i b l i o g r a p h i c a l w o r k s 

w h i c h have been o u t - o f - p r i n t until recently. T h e s e are the Checklist of United States Public 
Documents 1789-1909 ($16.30), the Comprehensive Index to the Publications of the United 
States Government 1881-1893 ($41.60) and A Descriptive Catalogue of the Government Pub-
lications of the United States—September 5, 1774 to March 4, 1881 ($14.40). While all three 
are expensive they are v e r y l a r g e v o l u m e s w h i c h presented m a n y reprinting p r o b l e m s and the 
sale price is not o u t of line w i t h their m a n u f a c t u r i n g cost and i m p o r t a n c e . T h e v o l u m e s w e r e 
reprinted by J . W . E d w a r d s , P u b l i s h e r , I n c . of A n n A r b o r , M i c h i g a n , at the request of a j o i n t 
c o m m i t t e e of the A C R L R e f e r e n c e Section and A R L . T h e s e v o l u m e s are w e l l k n o w n to every 
l i b r a r y s c h o o l g r a d u a t e and their i m p o r t a n c e to c o l l e g e libraries does n o t need to be e m -
phasized. T h e y w i l l not be i m m e d i a t e l y reprinted w h e n the present small supply is exhausted. 

Arthur T. Hamlin 

.482 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES