The widely admired John McPhee is a modern journalist whose personal travelogs avoid the obtrusive presence or confessional tone common to many of his contemporaries. From his first New Yorker profile, "A Sense of Where You Are," to his most recent book, The Survival of the Bark Canoe, his work has been graced by a spare, resonant prose, immersing readers in places like Philomath, Georgia 30659 or the fleabag streets of Atlantic City named on the Monopoly game board. Collected here, and briefly introduced by William Howarth, are selections from each of his twelve books. Probably best know are The Pine Barrens, a long, involving visit with some New Jersey "Pineys" resisting encroachment, and Levels of the Game, in which the sharply contrasting personalities of Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner are played out against their tennis styles during a match. And in Pieces of the Frame, there's a morning spent with Jimmy Carter, canoeing down the Chattahoochee River with two unforgettable ecologists, before a grilled-cheese lunch in the Governor's Mansion. Choice excerpts from a master craftsman.
Pub Date: Nov. 29, 1976
ISBN: 0374517193
Page Count: -
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1976
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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