THE DIARY OF GEORGE TEMPLETON STRONG

Report repeated from P 146 of the February 15th bulletin, as follows: ""As a New York lawyer and an intelligent, cultured man, the notes George Templeton Strong kept of his life and times between 1835 and 1875 merit historian Allan Nevins' introductory comment- ""a sweeping panorama of social and political change"". Beginning with his days as an undergraduate at Columbia College, Strong continued his diary through law school, and includes comments on New York's political machinery, the emotional problems of his friends, the issues of the Civil War, court trials and their political and psychological manifestations, the presidency and the assassination of Lincoln, and so forth until his death-brought on not too surprisingly by overdoses of work and the attempt to indulge in every activity that came his way. This bulk of writing, clear and quite polished almost in its entirety, is full to brimming with Pepysianly humorous, probing and all-encompassing observations of a man whose interests ranged from Herodotus to engineering, from the price of wheat to a mistress' love letters. Strong moves through 19th century life in New York and New England with a zest and breadth that makes his description of it valuable source material and a decidedly refreshing douse from the sea of history. Nevins and Taylor have added many helpful and guiding editorial notes to breach gaps and make the necessary enlightenments. As a collector's item, it should be of interest to many in spite of its size and price.