Courtly prose and amiable digressions distinguish this study of what some may not consider a serious topic: tourism. Canadian journalist and filmmaker Krotz (Creative Writing/Univ. of Manitoba) travels through such locales as Germany, Africa, Belize, and North Dakota to explore the ``loaded'' terms ``tourist'' and ``traveler.'' In the 19th century, the term ``tourist'' referred to peripatetic groups of the elite who traveled around Europe visiting museums. The pioneering travel agent Thomas Cook saw his tours as an example of democracy in action, opening up the world to the working classes. The word ``traveler'' derived from ``travail,'' or work, and refers to a serious or adventurous endeavor. Things have gone downhill, Krotz says: Nowadays, tourism suggests a greedy industry capitalizing on ``hedonism, self-indulgence, and self- absorption.'' He surveys travel and tourism from a broad perspective; more than just a diversion or adventure, these pursuits are a part of our culture, accounting for one in nine jobs and affecting education, entertainment, and the arts. Another element animating Krotz's inquiry is the idea that travel and tourism can be made responsible, encompassing ``reciprocation and exchange.'' Among other programs, he cites Canadian futurist Louis D'Amore's International Institute for Peace Through Tourism, which is working to make tourism a process that sustains, rather than destroys, a host country's culture. Krotz makes a hopeful case for the future, though it's hard to match his enthusiasm for the subject. Most lasting and pungent are his observations—on Club Med, the ongoing principle of the class system in travel, his heartfelt visit to his ancestral home in Germany, and the reasons for traveling: ``Travel is not the way for us to forget or deny who we are; it should be, rather, a means of reminding us.'' For sly social criticism of tourism, try Fussell or Eco; this is too earnest to compete. But if you want to look at this mass phenomenon seriously, here is the place to start.
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-571-19893-7
Page Count: 238
Publisher: Faber & Faber/Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1996
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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
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