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MINK AND RED HERRING

Name: MINK AND RED HERRING
Author: A.J. Liebling
ISBN: 0837161746

by A.J. Liebling ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 23, 1949

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Sub-titled "The Wayward Pressman's Casebook", these articles- all of which originally appeared in The New Yorker, comprise a fairly precise and perforating investigation of the infallibility of written words- in this case those of the press. And with unfailing markmanship, Liebling delivers some chastening criticism of his confreres and sob sisters, their boomerangs, duds, alarums, and plain exaggerations and errors. Here, in particular instances which have incited him to research and reproach, are the varied versions which appeared on headline high spots and sore spots; the atom bomb and food prices; the Lady in Mink- on the relief payroll, and Princess Elizabeth's wedding; a controversy over rooks, and a regional gestapo- the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation; the French murderess Mme. Schlumpf and the un-american Elizabeth T. Bentley; red herring and hotbeds, from spy scares to the Hiss-Chambers affair; and the all time record out on a limb, the national election, when "Practically every newspaperman above the grade of a Sokolsky was stunned into contrition". There's some pretty brilliant stuff here, which is very funny too, but one questions whether the no longer topical interest in many of the subjects scored may not limit the appeal of the volume.

Pub Date: June 23, 1949

ISBN: 0837161746

Page Count: 251

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: May 18, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1949

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
A NEUTRAL CORNER
edited by James Barbour & Fred Warner & by A.J. Liebling

- BOOK REVIEW
LIEBLING ABROAD
by A.J. Liebling

- BOOK REVIEW
THE EARL OF LOUISIANA
by A.J. Liebling

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.