LISTEN FOR A LONESOME DRUM

Remember the success of the dark horse, Stars Fell On Alabama? Here is the second book by the same author, with the upper reaches of New York state as his ""proving ground"" this time. Perhaps because the theme seems to work constantly around to all sorts of strange creeds -- perhaps because we Northerners are inclined to assume that our northern states offer less glamorous material -- whatever the cause, we feel that this book, while interesting, and original, and good reading, hasn't quite the same chance for success the earlier book had. (And we picked the earlier one as a winner). Granted New Yorkers emerge as a motley crew, unexpectedly remote from the conventional channels, we did not feel that we drew such far flung contrasts. Their very differences canalized themselves into the traditions of freak twists of religious manias, creeds old and new. He succeeds in bringing the folk quality out of his material, as in the other book. He tells many an anecdote of odd human interest. And the book will have a good send-off on several counts:- its sheer merits, the impetus of the earlier success, the ""magic date"" on which Farrar & Rinehart sets off successive firecrackers. Upper New York special interest -- good Americana -- and again, good reading, Count on a good looking book, with Roy Baldridge illustrations. Advertising backing.